BRICS (2)
While BRICS was threatening neighboring countries on Earth–104 using artificial mana users, the international community was gradually descending into greater chaos.
China, in particular, had secured the strongest military power among the BRICS nations.
They were exerting pressure on neighboring countries from all directions, and among their actions, the most severe was their advance into the now completely abandoned former North Korean territory.
Although they had merely secured footholds using a large number of artificial mana users, the implications of this action were far greater than they appeared.
Especially now, at this very moment, countless branded artificial mana users who had crossed over to Earth–001 were continuously sending back soul stones and magic stones, meaning that the temporary bases China had secured were highly likely to quickly become permanent bases.
In other words, they intended to absorb even the North Korean region into their territory.
Naturally, Cha Seong Hyeon’s mind became complicated. He had planned to inform the United States and Europe about the dangers and true nature of BRICS and to isolate BRICS internationally, but before he could even properly carry out that plan, China had already made its move.
Of course, since Seon Yul had said he would personally keep China in check, there was nothing they could do but trust him… no, Absolute Safety First, and wait.
“Keeping China in check won’t be easy, but… if it’s Absolute Safety First, it should be possible.”
Cha Seong Hyeon muttered to himself.
There was nothing he could do about this part anyway, so he decided to focus only on what he could handle.
***
Meanwhile, Shira, one of the knights of the Black Hand led by Rakan, was tracking the threads within the ruins.
Using her ability to its fullest, she analyzed a massive number of spacetime threads, searching for traces left behind by the magic user.
However, the process was unbearably slow.
Rakan stood among the ruins with his sword planted into the ground, waiting for Shira to finish her analysis.
“Shira, do you still need more time?”
“Yes, Captain. There are too many threads tangled here… I need more time to clearly identify the culprit’s traces.”
Shira answered, sweat forming on her face.
The knights beside her watched their surroundings with tense expressions.
The Black Hand had already reported to the Emperor that they needed more time, but given the Emperor’s personality, if things were delayed any further, his anger would surely be explosive.
“Three days. Finish the analysis within three days, no matter what.”
“Understood.”
At Rakan’s words, Shira had no choice but to nod. Since he had said three days, she would have to finish within that time, even if it meant not sleeping at all.
***
The Chinese government was training a permanent army of artificial mana users secured with the help of the Kanon Empire.
Although these individuals had originally been ordinary people and were turned into artificial mana users and then branded to become permanent mana users, their individual abilities were not particularly strong.
Therefore, China and the other BRICS nations organized these branded artificial mana users like a military force, forming one massive mana-user army.
Because those bearing the Empire’s brand had already lost much of their humanity, they were extremely easy to control.
By requesting the Kanon Empire, they could obtain mid-level command authority, allowing them to control these individuals at will.
The BRICS nations had already secured this command authority, enabling them to efficiently manage their branded artificial mana users.
In any case, they intended to turn this mana-user army into a powerful combat force through intense training, and then either send them back to Earth–001 or use them to invade neighboring countries.
Fortunately, because Seon Yul had devastated the Empire’s fortress, the rapidly increasing number of branded artificial mana users had come to a halt.
Of course, this was only a temporary interruption.
If the Kanon Empire or BRICS resumed mass production at any time, their numbers would quickly increase again.
That was why Seon Yul believed action had to be taken at this moment, and why he had met with Cha Seong Hyeon.
Even for Seon Yul, dealing with all BRICS nations alone would be difficult, so he decided to leave the other countries to the rest of the world and deal with China first.
Since this wasn’t something that could be resolved in a day or two, and additional responses might depend on China’s reaction, Seon Yul headed to China with Cheon Li Yu.
At present, China has officially secured five permanent bases.
At first, they had struggled just to maintain the initial bases in Beijing and Shanghai, but after joining hands with the Kanon Empire, they had quickly expanded by adding three more permanent bases.
Not only that, they had already completed preparations to establish about three additional permanent bases simultaneously.
And one of those new bases was located in the North Korean region.
Using Real Painting—The Door, Seon Yul inspected all of China’s permanent bases as well as their temporary bases.
Since space and distance imposed no constraints on him, Seon Yul was able to survey all of China in a single day and began considering how to deal with them.
“China seems to be escalating things more seriously than expected…”
“Yeah. When we checked earlier, they had already gathered a massive number of troops at the temporary bases.”
Having already seen China’s preparations, Seon Yul and Cheon Li Yu recognized that the situation was more serious than anticipated.
“A simple warning won’t be enough.”
After some thought, Seon Yul decided that instead of just issuing a warning, he needed to deliver a stronger blow.
“What are you going to do?”
“First… let’s start by wiping out the temporary base they’re trying to build in Sinuiju.”
Seon Yul wanted to avoid harming civilians if possible.
So he chose the simplest method that would also serve as a clear warning.
“The method is obviously…”
“God’s Hammer.”
At Cheon Li Yu’s words, Seon Yul nodded.
There was nothing better than God’s Hammer when it came to destroying something decisively, so the choice was obvious.
***
Earth–001, Kanon Empire – Ruins of the Northern Fortress
Rakan sat atop the ruins of the fortress, listening to Shira’s report.
“The threads were shattered into multiple fragments immediately after the explosion and scattered everywhere, so it took twice as long as a normal tracking operation.”
Shira spoke calmly.
Rakan nodded as if it was fine.
“The attack that caused this destruction was a single strike. Something massive fell from the sky and completely devastated both the fortress and the underground base.”
“Something massive? What was it?”
“It seems to have been a meteor-type spell… but I couldn’t determine its exact nature. However, while persistently tracking a faint yet highly suspicious trace within the threads, I discovered an unexpected clue.”
“What is it?”
“The culprit who dropped something onto the fortress likely possesses the ability to manipulate space. A high-level magic user, and one who possesses a special power different from ordinary magic.”
There was certainty in Shira’s voice.
“…Space manipulation, huh… this just got troublesome.”
Rakan muttered with a frown.
“Further tracking will be difficult, right?”
The moment he heard about space manipulation, Rakan realized how difficult tracking would be, but he still asked just in case.
“…I’m sorry. The moment I confirmed space manipulation, all the threads were abruptly cut off.”
“This is the worst.”
The Emperor had ordered them to find the culprit no matter what.
Which meant that if they failed, they themselves would have to face the Emperor’s wrath.
“But… fortunately, I did manage to find one clue.”
“Oh? What is it?”
“Earth–104. The culprit is definitely connected to Earth–104 in some way. At the location believed to be where the space manipulator was, I found a faint but clear thread filled with hostility… and that hostility was directed toward the Irregulars of Earth–104 who have allied with us.”
“Oh… then the culprit must be connected to a faction that opposes the Earth–104 forces allied with us.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Hearing Shira’s report, Rakan felt at least somewhat relieved. If they hadn’t found even this much, he would have had to start worrying about how to endure the Emperor’s anger.
“Then let’s change our target. The Irregulars from Earth–104… track and interrogate them, identify the suspect factions, and continue the investigation from there.”
“Understood.”
Rakan intended to find the culprit no matter what, even if it took time.
Since the Emperor had taken an interest, the culprit had to be found. And once found, there would inevitably be consequences.
Even if that consequence turned out to be war with another nation… the Kanon Empire… no, the Emperor was not one to ever back down.
***
Meanwhile, unaware of what was happening on Earth–001, Seon Yul was busy moving to resolve the issues on Earth–104.
Upon arriving in Sinuiju, Seon Yul, with Cheon Li Yu’s help, accurately assessed the situation of the temporary base established there.
A large number of branded artificial mana users had gathered there, diligently working to construct a permanent base.
At a glance, there were at least several hundred.
Even if each individual was weak, if ordered to self-destruct, they would fight until death like machines running on a program… hundreds of them.
This level of force could not be ignored. Moreover, countries like China and other BRICS nations possessed thousands of these branded artificial mana users, meaning the balance of power might already have been broken.
That was why action had to be taken quickly.
Although those who had become branded artificial mana users might not be guilty, they had already lost most of the humanity that a person should naturally possess.
As mentioned earlier, they were essentially obedient machines.
This was something Seon Yul had already confirmed when he had captured a magic engineer from the Kanon Empire.
That engineer had said that once a brand was applied, it could not be removed by ordinary means.
In particular, artificial mana users supplied by BRICS had extremely unstable original power, so during the process of stabilizing it with the brand, the brainwashing effect became even stronger, resulting in complete enslavement.
For powerful Irregulars, the effect of the brand could weaken, but unfortunately, artificial mana users were simply consumed by the brand’s power.
In this situation, worrying about branded artificial mana users held no meaning.
“Let’s begin.”
After thoroughly observing the Sinuiju area, Seon Yul spoke quietly.
Cheon Li Yu immediately activated “Shared Vision” as usual, securing a viewpoint from above the sky.
Tssssss
A massive hole opened in the sky.
Using that as the starting point, Seon Yul swung down God’s Hammer precisely toward the Chinese temporary base in Sinuiju.
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