No matter how much of a humanities major I am…
Watching the Heroes always made me wonder— just how messed up are the laws of physics in this world?
There were times when Johanna shyly threw a punch, blushing, and broke one of my ribs.
And times when bikini-clad berserker Saha, deep in the heat of battle, smacked my head full force with her hammer—and I didn’t feel a thing.
It seems like it depends on whether you’re in combat mode or not.
Something like that, maybe?
Still…
Boom—!
Crack—!
“Kyahaha! Heehee!”
Seriously, how many bombs have they thrown already?
Even Neb had joined in, lobbing explosives like it was a game, and yet despite being clearly within the blast radius, Rumi didn’t have a scratch on her.
A world where even the bombs can distinguish between friend and foe… how strict.
Well, if you ask me whether I like it or not…
It works in my favor, so yeah— I like it.
“Arc-sama? Um, the robots seem to be getting ready to stand up.”
“That won’t do.”
No way I’m losing now.
Even though my motivation took a serious hit after getting password-locked out with 7107887, I was once renowned as an Ultimate High School Catchballer.
I channeled the full power of my once-100 km/h fastballs and hurled the second EMP grenade.
Bzzt bzzt!—
A visibly intense magnetic field flared up, the mechanical soldier-buddies froze in place again, and crack crack, Rumi crumpled them up like itchy scrap paper.
Total domination.
Well, not completely without resistance.
“Above! It’s coming from above!”
“Strike team—secure the rooftop!”
Surely, in an army of countless mechanical soldiers, there had to be at least one proper commander.
And right on cue, a general clad in proud, heavy armor made a dramatic entrance, leaping down with textbook lightfoot technique—ta-tap, ta-tap—and landed right in front of us.
“Ohohoho~”
The moment Ellis smiled and winked—
“Hraahh! My love! I’m coming to yooooou—!”
There’s a reason we only brought Rumi along as the physical damage-dealer.
Get the terrain right, and we can crush enemy commanders with crowd control alone!
Just like that, we toyed with the general-rank enemies, capturing them without much effort, and turned the rest of the mechanical army into scrap metal.
And when the victory signal came in from Party 2—
I finally let out the deep breath I’d been holding.
For now…
It looks like we’ve gotten the second button buttoned just right.
* * *
From then on, it was an unstoppable charge.
24th Floor, Zone 10──
Originally, it the entrance of Geunjeongjeon (modern hall), which was supposed to be guarded by Cheok Jungyeong,
The despicable dinosaur bastard who once tried to set fire to my beloved guild house.
Gong Yongwan, who poked out his pathetic face.
“Krrrk, Y-Your Highness the Princess, perhaps now—”
“No mercy.”
“Krrrgh…!”
We do not negotiate with terrorists.
Who was it that said that?
I think it was a super charismatic German man with strong leadership
… …Surely not that mustached guy who flunked out of art school, right?
Anyway, I subdued him easily.
And at last, we entered the heart of the imperial palace.
However.
“Haaah…”
The Emperor and the rest of the ruling elite had already fled the palace.
I knew it, but Dan Minha couldn’t hide her look of shock.
“For Her Majesty to have abandoned the palace… Even if she had lost her wisdom, I didn’t think…”
Was that really such a surprise?
In the far future successor state of the Daehwan Empire, the great nation of Joseon, there had been many equally “great” kings.
King Seonjo, the lightning-speed monarch, flaunted his unpredictable mobility through teleportation techniques, humiliating and ravaging the Japanese army.
King Seonjo didn’t inherit the speed gene, but with his flexible waist moves, he preserved the national structure—Yoga King.
And then there was King Gojong, who, fully channeling the blink-bloodline passed down through several collateral generations, instantly teleported to the Russian embassy.
A ruler’s virtue lies in the ability to read the tides of power and respond swiftly.
In that sense, the Emperor gets a perfect score.
“Ark-nim, could you stop saying weird stuff next to me…?”
“Myaang…?”
The heroes’ expressions turned weird after hearing my whispered theory, but I stood tall with pride.
Isn’t it natural to feel proud of the history of your motherland?
Anyway, that was that.
I chugged down a stamina recovery potion without hesitation.
No turning back now.
If I delayed for even a day, and Cheok Jungyeong suddenly decided to do a cosplay of the loyal retainer and rejoined the Emperor’s side?
Then what would happen to all the gold coins I’d already thrown in?
“Let’s give chase.”
“Even if we do, how do we know where they went—?”
“There’s only one place they could’ve gone.”
It wasn’t just for fun that I recalled all those iconic kingly escape moments.
The Great Hwan Empire is a pseudo-(cyber)punk Joseon.
Originally, the best-known historical getaway spot would’ve been Ganghwa Island.
But lizards hate water.
So obviously, the perfect place for a final showdown is—
“Namhwan Mountain Fortress.”
* * *
As soon as the news arrived that the Uigeumbu had been taken and Cheok Jungyeong had declared neutrality—
The movements of the Yongin (dragon) were swift.
With even the elite troops of the Capital Defense Command, the closest deployable force, having been annihilated, there was no point in prolonging a siege at the royal palace.
For now, they were at a disadvantage.
So, they chose a strategic retreat.
The royal palace?
In the long history of the Great Hwan Empire, the palace had been taken countless times.
That building? If it burns down, it can always be rebuilt.
If funds were short, they could squeeze more from the corporations.
If that wasn’t enough, they could squeeze the people to secure the resources.
What truly mattered was the justification.
That is, the one who wore the crown.
“Your Majesty, you must preserve your sacred body at once. The traitorous forces are likely to breach the palace soon.”
“…I grant permission…”
Thanks to a plan meticulously prepared over several years, the emperor’s mind had already been half-lost for some time.
All thanks to the great Lady Yeohee’s abilities.
With even a subtle suggestion, he could be completely manipulated to their will.
They had planned to take it further— eliminate the princess through political maneuvering and seize control of the state— but given the current situation, a direct confrontation was unavoidable.
“Come to think of it, where is Lady Yeohee?”
“Just before the operation began, she left the capital for a brief excursion. …Perhaps it’s for the best. This is our chance to prove just how valuable we are.”
“True enough.”
And so, they succeeded in escorting the emperor to Namhwan Fortress.
However—
“…Pursuit? Already? How?”
“That can’t be. There’s no way word of our destination could have leaked.”
The final “adjustments” to the emperor had not yet been completed.
They hadn’t managed to pin treason charges on Ido Corporation.
Nor had they been able to contact the provincial forces that would serve as a reliable power base.
Just one more day.
If they had just one more day…
“There’s no other choice. We’ll have to prepare for a last stand…!”
Still, Namhwan Fortress had been built for military purposes.
Even with considerable firepower, it could hold out for at least a day.
No matter how intense the assault—
They wouldn’t be able to break through the AT Field deployed around the fortress with the forces they had.
Now. Lee Jaehak ground his teeth.
That accursed brat, the one they called a demon.
It was time to show him the power of adults.
* * *
3rd Floor of the Uigeumbu. Office of the Chief Inspector.
Cheok Jungyeong sat with his eyes closed, immersed in meditation.
Outwardly, he appeared calm.
But within, his mind was a tangled storm of thoughts.
In exchange for turning a blind eye to the princess’s expulsion, he had only asked for one thing:
To become the ruler of one of the vassal states of the Great Hwan Empire.
He had already reached the pinnacle as a warrior— how could any man not dream of rising in the world and making a name for himself?
Still, his pride as a warrior had outweighed his ambition, and in the end, he was forced to acknowledge defeat at the hands of a mere greenhorn.
Even so, he couldn’t help but feel bitter inside.
As a military officer, the position of Chief Inspector of the Uigeumbu was the highest he could reach.
But in the end, wasn’t he still beneath the civil officials?
And if he were to start a rebellion and slit the throats of those civil bastards— well, it was all too obvious that the empire would begin to fall apart at the seams.
Caught in the whirlwind of these thoughts—
He suddenly sensed someone’s presence and opened his eyes.
“Haha, I hope I’m not intruding.”
It was that audacious brat from earlier, boldly sticking his face in again without a hint of shame.
Judging by the anxious looks on the women trailing behind him, it seemed he’d come here on his own.
“If you’ve come to ask for my cooperation, turn back. The fact that I’ve chosen to overlook your actions should be more than enough.”
His voice was cold and final, like an expulsion order.
But the brat’s expression didn’t change in the slightest.
He simply wore that same faint, enigmatic smile.
Just as Cheok Jungyeong was about to lash out at the sheer insolence of it—
“General. Isn’t it a bit too soon for you to retire?”
“…Hm?”
“A man born into this world—shouldn’t he at least once aim to stand above all others?”
The ridiculousness of the statement left Cheok Jungyeong too dumbfounded to even get angry.
“…Are you asking me to betray not only the emperor I’ve served, but your mistress, the princess as well?”
“Well, that wasn’t exactly my intention,” the brat said with a sheepish smile, then locked eyes with Cheok Jungyeong, his gaze suddenly serious.
“The Great Hwan Empire isn’t the only nation in the world, is it? Why not create your own? A military state, an ally to the Empire—but feared by every other nation.”
Cheok Jungyeong’s gaze naturally drifted past the man to one of the women standing behind him.
Ryua, the chairwoman of Ido Corporation.
She met his eyes and gave a small, deliberate nod, clearly in agreement.
“If your endeavor succeeds, you will have the full support of our state as well.”
The man’s words stuck to Cheok Jungyeong’s chest like a wedge.
And slowly, they began to ignite a smoldering spark deep within.
A stable borderland vassal state?
Or an unstable but wholly self-ruled military nation?
For a man who had lived his entire life by the sword, words like peace and stability felt foreign—
Whereas wildfire, blood, and blades were far more familiar.
“…You’ve certainly piqued my interest.”
He decided to hear this man out a little longer.
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