BRICS (1)
Because Cheon Li Yu had precisely designated the underground base as the target, the steel sphere that fell from the sky burrowed deep into the ground. And then, at exactly the location Seon Yul wanted to destroy, it released all of its kinetic energy at once.
KWA-GWAGWAGWAGWAGWANG!!
A massive explosion erupted underground.
As a result, a powerful tremor spread across the entire fortress as if a great earthquake had struck, and the place where the underground fortress had been was completely devastated.
Seon Yul and Cheon Li Yu calmly watched the scene as the underground base was destroyed.
After the 5,000-ton steel sphere terrifyingly pierced through the center of the fortress and shattered the underground base, there was nothing left there that could still be called an underground base.
“For now… this should be enough to make both the Kanon Empire and BRICS tense up a bit, right?”
“I’m curious how both sides will react.”
“The Kanon Empire… well, they’ll probably start with an investigation.”
“But will an investigation even turn up anything?”
“Who knows. From our perspective, we didn’t leave any traces… but since we don’t know what kind of special abilities the Kanon Empire might have, I think we should stay cautious.”
“How are we going to be cautious?”
“It’s a bit early, but let’s head back to Earth–104. If we stay there for about a week, the situation here should settle down somewhat.”
“True. It’s better to avoid the storm.”
Cheon Li Yu nodded in agreement with Seon Yul’s opinion, and the two of them immediately returned to Earth–104.
***
After the northern fortress of the Kanon Empire suffered catastrophic damage, confusion began spreading throughout the Empire.
Countless reports were submitted one after another to the Emperor, and it was quickly confirmed that not a single survivor had been found in the devastated underground base.
At the center of the Empire stood a vast palace.
This was the throne from which the Emperor ruled, a place so strictly controlled that no incident could shake its order.
“Your Majesty, the underground base within the fortress has been destroyed. No survivors have been found among the ruins.”
A subordinate of the Emperor reported respectfully.
The Emperor listened in silence. Resting his chin on one hand, he appeared deep in thought. His expression remained calm, but his eyes gleamed coldly.
“Who did it?”
The Emperor asked briefly, yet intensely.
“It has not yet been confirmed. However, according to the report, a massive amount of mana was detected around the fortress. This strongly suggests the involvement of a magic user.”
The subordinate spoke cautiously.
The Emperor gave a slight nod.
Anyone capable of destroying an underground base in a single strike was unlikely to be an ordinary magic user.
The Emperor slowly turned his gaze to a knight standing beside him.
“Summon the Black Hand. And have them track down the perpetrator of this incident.”
The Black Hand… a special knight order that received direct commands from the Emperor.
They were not merely combat knights, but specialists in tracking and assassination.
Composed of elite knights with different abilities, they were the perfect force to track down the culprit and uncover their identity.
Inside a hidden chamber within the palace, a secret space inaccessible to anyone, the Black Hand knights had gathered.
Under the dim lighting, only their black armor gleamed. All stood silently, and among them, their captain, Rakan, calmly awaited orders.
Rakan was the Emperor’s most trusted subordinate and possessed exceptional tracking abilities. The knights under him each had unique powers as well, and they had all been specially summoned for this mission.
After a short while, the Emperor’s envoy entered and spoke firmly.
“By order of His Majesty the Emperor. Track down the one who destroyed the northern fortress and uncover their identity.”
Rakan nodded calmly.
He immediately gave brief instructions to his team and began preparing for the mission.
“Shira. It looks like you’ll have to step in.”
Rakan called for Shira, who possessed the ability known as the “Crystal Orb of Tracking.”
“As soon as we arrive at the fortress, analyze the threads of spacetime and find the ones left behind by the culprit.”
If she could find those threads, Shira could use them to activate her tracking ability.
Shira closed her eyes and responded calmly.
“Understood.”
As soon as preparations were complete, the Black Hand knights, led by Rakan, departed the palace.
Their objective was singular… to find the one who had destroyed the fortress.
Using the “portals” spread across the Empire like a web, they traveled as quickly as possible.
A few days later, they finally arrived at the northern fortress.
The half-destroyed fortress was a shocking sight even to them. The completely collapsed upper ground made it painfully clear how helplessly the lives inside had been wiped out.
“There should be threads left in the ruins.”
At Rakan’s words, Shira began focusing as she looked into the debris. Invisible threads of spacetime began to take shape one by one before her eyes.
“Definitely… there are a lot of threads left here. But the problem is, there are too many. It’s going to take a long time to analyze all of them.”
Since everyone who had died in the explosion would have created at least one thread, the number of threads was inevitably enormous.
To find the thread connected to the “culprit,” Shira had to examine each one individually and check the “memories” contained within them.
Naturally, that would take a great deal of time.
“How long would it take at the fastest?”
“Even at the fastest… it’ll take about a week.”
“Finish it in five days.”
“…Understood. I’ll do my best.”
After answering, Shira immediately began examining the threads one by one. To truly finish within five days, she would have to minimize even the time spent eating and sleeping.
***
As soon as Seon Yul and Cheon Li Yu arrived on Earth–104, they contacted Cha Seong Hyeon.
Even a quick look at community reports showed that BRICS was making unusual moves, so they reached out to confirm the situation more clearly.
Cha Seong Hyeon suggested they meet in person, so Seon Yul left Cheon Li Yu in Seoul and went down alone to Sejong to meet him.
“BRICS has started engaging in very dangerous actions.”
As soon as they met, Cha Seong Hyeon briefed Seon Yul on how Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa had each begun military movements.
Brazil had set Paraguay, a small South American nation, as its target. India had intensified military pressure on Bangladesh. Russia was targeting smaller Eastern European countries, while China was becoming a threat to all neighboring nations.
All of them were demonstrating their power by deploying large numbers of artificial mana users created using Kanon Empire technology.
“Actual military deployments haven’t happened yet, but their actions are already a significant threat. In particular, BRICS seems to have chosen nearby countries with the weakest magical forces as their first targets. At this rate… it wouldn’t be surprising if war broke out at any moment.”
Cha Seong Hyeon spoke urgently, but Seon Yul shook his head and replied.
“They won’t start a war just yet. Although they’ve gained a considerable amount of artificial magical power, their growth has temporarily stalled… so these movements are likely just a show of force and an attempt to threaten neighboring countries.”
Seon Yul calmly analyzed the situation.
However, Cha Seong Hyeon couldn’t hide his unease.
“Is that so? Even so, just watching this unfold… There are too many risk factors.”
“That’s true. But the real problem is that their additional forces were created using Kanon Empire technology. More precisely, they are people who have been branded by the Kanon Empire… and they shouldn’t be classified as mere reinforcements.”
“What do you mean?”
Cha Seong Hyeon asked with a tense expression.
“They are slaves who can obey the Empire’s orders at any time. If the Empire wanted to, it could use them to collapse the balance of Earth–104 whenever it pleased.”
Cha Seong Hyeon was shocked.
“If that’s true, then we can’t just sit back and watch anymore.”
“On the contrary, I think this is an opportunity.”
“An opportunity? What kind of opportunity?”
“An opportunity to control BRICS.”
“Do you have a good method? If you do, please tell me.”
“When dealing with BRICS, there’s no need for us to step in alone. A blade… can be borrowed.”
Rather than waiting for BRICS to move first, Seon Yul decided it would be better to make those who could restrain them act first.
“Borrowing a blade… do you mean cooperating with other countries to deal with BRICS?”
“Cooperation? Well, you can handle that as you see fit. But before that, we need to deliver accurate information to those who stand in opposition to BRICS.”
Those opposing BRICS ultimately meant the United States, the United Kingdom, and their allied nations.
“Ah…”
Only then did Cha Seong Hyeon fully understand Seon Yul’s words.
“If we provide the information… they’ll move on their own.”
“Exactly. Right now, they’re taking it easy because they don’t fully understand the situation. But if we give them accurate information… they’ll act as if their feet are on fire.”
“I was thinking too simply. Since information is so important right now, I was only thinking about monopolizing it.”
“You shouldn’t monopolize information like this. On the contrary, we should share it with as many countries as possible. That’s how we isolate BRICS on Earth–104.”
“That makes sense. But… if we push them too far into a corner, won’t they lash out?”
“Either way, we won’t be able to completely avoid or stop war. At the very least… We’ll have to fight them once.”
There was never going to be a peaceful, happy ending where everyone got along.
“…Sigh. In the end, China will be our biggest problem.”
“Even within BRICS, China likely holds the greatest power. This is… hmm…”
At the mention of China, Seon Yul paused in thought.
Then, as if making a decision, he spoke again.
“I’ll help deal with China. I’ll reduce their… strength as much as possible, so you don’t need to worry too much.”
Seon Yul believed that, unlike other countries, China, being right next to South Korea, was something he needed to handle personally.
“Can you really do that?”
“Yes. I’ll help without any conditions.”
China was a place Seon Yul had already thoroughly dealt with once before.
At present, China had likely produced tens of thousands of artificial mana users… no, branded mana users, using multiple mana-prohibition artifacts, which meant they were probably extremely confident in their strength.
And perhaps they were even considering when to launch an attack on South Korea with that force.
That was why Seon Yul believed it was necessary to suppress China in advance at this time.
And since he was the one best suited for the task, he offered to help without conditions.
“No. It doesn’t make sense for you to help without any conditions. I’ll prepare proper terms.”
On the contrary, Cha Seong Hyeon insisted that there had to be conditions and said he would find something beneficial for Seon Yul.
Seon Yul didn’t refuse this.
There was no need to turn down something being offered willingly.
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