Kwon Oh-Jin frowned at the unexpected massacre unfolding before him. The black-armored demonic beast had rushed past him and was now mercilessly cutting down the Black Star Society members with its eerie blue-black spear. It was as if its very mission had always been to slaughter the Bufo faction Awakeners. “Mr. Oh-Jin, what is this?” Kwon Oh-Jin shook his head, unable to make sense of the situation. He had assumed some connection between the unidentified demonic beast in Yonghyeon-dong and the Bufo faction when he first heard that they had attacked Lee Woo-Hyuk. After witnessing this scene, his assumption was completely wrong. They looked so anxious earlier because of this demonic beast? He recalled how the Black Star Society members shouted like they were running out of time. They had recognized the black-armored demonic beast when it appeared. That meant they already knew about this demonic beast. Not only had they known about it, but... Kwon Oh-Jin narrowed his eyes. Like a predator hunting its prey, the black-armored demonic beast relentlessly chased after the Black Star Society members. The Bufo faction had been running from this thing even before Kwon Oh-Jin arrived. Kwon Oh-Jin’s eyes gleamed as he carefully examined the demonic beast. It was fully encased in jet-black armor, and ominous dark-blue flames flickered between the gaps. Its piercing blue eyes locked onto its prey as it wielded a sharp spear. Kwon Oh-Jin had never seen one in person before, but he recognized this demonic beast. It wasn’t a demonic beast wearing armor, but the armor itself made up its body. Records of these powerful monsters existed in Europe. The Living Armor should be an eight-star monster. It shouldn’t be this powerful even if this one is a stronger variant than the usual kind. Kwon Oh-Jin looked at the rampaging Living Armor, unable to comprehend what was happening. A mere eight-star monster couldn’t have slaughtered Jegal So-Young and Choi Yoo-Mi without them even putting up a fight. Even if it was a demonic beast. Just then, Kwon Oh-Jin noticed something. Something was embedded in the Living Armor’s chest as it swung its spear wildly. It was a round tablet marked with a coiled serpent. He dryly chuckled, “Ha.” The corners of his mouth curled up. “So that’s what’s happening.” The moment he realized the Serpent’s involvement in all of this, he understood everything that had happened so far. “What do you mean?” Isabella asked. “The Bufo faction didn’t smuggle themselves into Korea with some sort of motive.” “They were running away.” They had scrambled to Korea to desperately escape. The Serpens Queen is gathering the scattered Black Star Society factions into one. The sixth-ranked Owl faction had bowed before the Serpens Queen, and the seventh-ranked Seahorse faction had done the same. But not every executor will obediently follow. Obviously, there wouldn’t be different factions in the first place if the entire Black Star Society had followed the Serpens Queen’s will from the start. The sight before him was nothing more than... The Serpens Queen was personally punishing the insolent faction that dared to defy her. “But if that’s true, then why did Miss Jegal So-young and Miss Yoo-Mi—?” Isabella was right. The Living Armor had no reason to attack Jegal So-Young or Choi Yoo-Mi if its goal was only to purge the Bufo faction. It should have simply moved on like how it ignored Kwon Oh-Jin earlier. There was one key difference between him and Jegal So-Young’s team. Kwon Oh-Jin recalled the battlefield he had examined in the bloodstained alley. “They attacked that demonic beast first,” Kwon Oh-Jin said. In other words, the demonic beast wouldn’t have killed them if they hadn’t struck first. Well, they couldn’t have known that. From their perspective, launching a surprise attack to gain the upper hand was the best choice they could’ve made. “Now that we know that thing isn’t after us... should we retreat for now?” Isabella asked. Kwon Oh-Jin’s lips twisted into a smirk. Slipping away while the Living Armor was focused on chasing the Bufo faction was certainly an option. “I’ve got a better idea.” “For now, take shelter near the city with Woo-Hyuk until I contact you.” “W-Wait, are you planning to go alone?” Isabella asked, her eyes wide in shock. “No way!” Isabella shouted. “That’s too dangerous.” Lee Woo-Hyuk also tried to stop him. Kwon Oh-Jin chuckled and turned away. “It’s fine. I won’t be the one getting hurt.” “Woo-Hyuk, where exactly were you ambushed by the Bufo faction’s executor?” “Near the docks over there...” Lee Woo-Hyuk pointed toward the massive cranes used to load containers onto ships. “In that case, make sure to get Hyun-Bin to safety until I contact you.” “I’ll request backup from my guild.” “I’ll call my bodyguards too.” Kwon Oh-Jin shook his head at their offers of support. “No.” Having too many people involved would only get in the way of his plan. “I don’t need any backup.” He grinned and kicked off the ground, creating a platform of blue lightning in front of his feet. He couldn’t make it solid enough to bear his full force yet, but it was more than enough to propel him into the air. He sprinted through the air, stepping on the lightning platforms like stairs. As he grew closer to the towering cargo crane, he shot a wire from his wrist that wrapped tightly around the crane. Kwon Oh-Jin peered down from on top of the crane. From there, he could clearly see the Bufo faction scurrying between the maze of containers like rats, desperately running away from the Living Armor. The Stigma on his left chest glowed as a flood of information entered his head. He experienced a skull-splitting headache. Clutching his forehead, he forced himself to focus. Where are you hiding? He was looking for the Bufo faction’s executor. He searched through the onslaught of information and finally found the Bufo King, lying low to hide from the Serpent. —D-Damn it! That monster showed up? —Yes! It’s heading this way now! —G-Get the ship ready to set sail, now! Kwon Oh-Jin’s gaze snapped toward the harbor, where he spotted a massive cargo ship hundreds of meters long. The voices just now had come from there. Kwon Oh-Jin widely grinned. After hiding his presence with the Black Curtain, he launched himself from the crane and soared high into the air. The wind brushed against his cheeks as he plummeted down at breakneck speed. His clothes flapped wildly as he steadied himself and activated Lightning Steps. Kwon Oh-Jin landed smoothly on top of the cargo ship and assessed his surroundings. “Set sail! Get the ship moving now!” “Move your asses, you bastards!” The deck was a chaotic mess, bustling like a fish market. The Bufo faction, made up of Southeast Asian members, had completely taken over the cargo ship. They ran back and forth in a panic. Kwon Oh-Jin used Transformation, shifting into one of the Black Star Society members chasing Lee Woo-Hyuk earlier. Then, he slipped inside the ship. Things were just as frantic on the inside. “Move! Get out of the way!” “W-What about the people outside?” “Do you think we have time to worry about that?! Juan said to set sail immediately!” Juan? Is that the Bufo King’s name? Feigning urgency, Kwon Oh-Jin followed the scurrying Black Star Society members. The corridor walls were lined with posters at regular intervals, each featuring a man with a perfect mustache. He was most likely Juan, the Bufo King. Kwon Oh-Jin chuckled at the posters. Did he take inspiration from our neighbors in the North? Dictators now buried in history came to mind. Then again, plastering the leader’s face all over the place wasn’t exclusive to North Korea since most dictatorships did the same. That worked out nicely. If Juan had gone as far as putting up posters to assert his authority, it wasn’t hard to imagine how much weight his words carried within the Bufo faction. The Bufo faction members shouted urgently. “Hurry! We don’t have time!” “It's about to reach the ship!” Kwon Oh-Jin walked past them, making his way deeper into the ship. He had been concerned that someone would recognize his transformed face, but no one paid him any attention in this chaos. He made his way to the cockpit, or more precisely, the cargo compartment right beneath it. “This distance should be good enough.” Standing on top of a container, Kwon Oh-Jin positioned himself as close to the ceiling as possible. He stretched out his hand, pressing his palm flat against the rusted ceiling. Slowly, he drew out mana from his Stigma. A faint electric current seeped from his fingertips into the ceiling. He had acquired a new ability when he gained precise control over lightning. It allowed him to manipulate electronic devices by sending tiny pulses of lightning. Panicked voices rang out beyond the wall. “The broadcast system just went down!” Kwon Oh-Jin smirked and opened his mouth. —Attention, everyone onboard. The voice that flowed from him belonged to none other than the Bufo King, Juan. Kwon Oh-Jin could hear Juan’s real voice right above him in the cockpit. “Huh? W-What the hell?” —Stop all preparations for departure immediately and prepare for battle against the monster. Juan’s voice, with Kwon Oh-Jin speaking, echoed throughout the entire ship. He could hear Juan’s startled scream from above. “What?! What the fuck?!” Juan’s reaction made sense. Anyone would react that way hearing their own voice being broadcast live when they had said nothing. “E-Executor! What is going on?!” “Shut that broadcast down! Shut it down now!” “I-It’s no use! It keeps playing even if I turn off the power!” That’s because the power is still flowing through me. —I repeat. All personnel are to immediately stop departure and prepare for battle. “Shut up! How the fuck are we supposed fight against that thing?!” Along with the sound of something breaking, a burnt smell wafted into the cargo compartment. Juan stormed up to the deck. “The broadcast is fake! Set sail immediately!” The Bufo faction members, who had paused upon hearing the announcement, stared at Juan in bewilderment. The voice from the speakers had undoubtedly been Juan’s, so how could it be fake? Juan grabbed a nearby subordinate by the collar and lifted him off the ground. “Set sail right fucking noooowwww!” ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩⟡𝘧𝙞𝙧𝙚⟡𝘯𝘦𝘵 No matter how much he yelled, his voice couldn’t reach every corner of the cargo ship spanning hundreds of meters. “W-What’s happening?” One order told them not to depart while another commanded them to set sail. Naturally, they felt confused. In the context of war, this was like receiving orders to charge and retreat at the same time. Caught in the worst possible situation, they hadn’t departed or prepared for battle. The monster had reached the deck. Screams filled the cargo ship. “I-It’s here! The monster is here!” Kwon Oh-Jin grinned as the terrified cries overlapped like a chorus. “Now then, start killing each other.”