Chapter 160

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The day after the incident in District 6.

It was the season when summer began.

The sunlight pouring down from the clear sky was sweltering.

The warm, gentle air of spring was no longer present.

The pervasive heat carried by the wind signaled the arrival of summer.

Noon, when the sun was at its zenith.

Walking under the blazing sun, one would expect to be drenched in sweat, but there was no trace of heat on the man in the black uniform.

His messy, spiky yellow hair. Eyes as hard as diamonds. Frowning slightly with his thick eyebrows, the captain of the 2nd Division moved forward. With each step, his white coat fluttered lightly.

The center of the nation.

The heart of District 1.

There stood a military facility boasting a long history and tradition.

The Celestial Corps, born alongside the founding of the United Nations.

A group of supernaturals established by the God of War.

This was their headquarters, where Kallad was walking.

Despite its title as the spear and shield of humanity, the exterior of the Celestial Corps headquarters was not extravagant. 

Rather, it was plain and unadorned. Even though it had undergone several expansions, reconstructions, and renovations over the decades, it still felt barren. 

The design reflected the God of War’s preference for practicality over aesthetics.

“…”

Kallad’s expression was as dry as ever.

Much like the Celestial Corps headquarters he was walking through.

His face was so stoic that it seemed like not even a drop of blood would spill if cut.

However, someone who knew him well would say otherwise. That his emotions were deeply twisted. 

As a captain, he had perfect control over his supernatural abilities, so it didn’t show outwardly, but his emotions were boiling inside.

‘I’m really worried. Will she be okay…?’

Kallad let out a short sigh.

Arin. His and Ariene’s precious daughter.

Yesterday, he was too busy to even get near the hospital.

Of course, he was a captain.

If he forced himself to make time, he could have…

“Haah…”

His steps were strangely lacking in energy.

Kallad sighed softly again.

In his heart, he wanted to be by his daughter’s side right now.

As a father, it was only natural to worry about his child.

If possible, he wanted to hold her hand and reassure her after the hardships she had endured…

But he was a captain of the Celestial Corps.

The captain of the 2nd Division.

One of the seven pillars.

He could not be swayed by personal emotions.

Because of that, he could only stay at the hospital briefly. He barely showed his face before returning to his duties. 

Putting aside the task of resolving the situation in District 6, a summon had been issued for all captains. Of course, it wasn’t mandatory. Only the Commander could “order” a summon for the captains of the Celestial Corps. And the Commander was currently absent.

‘A captains’ meeting.’

A meeting held regularly once a month.

Or when a special reason arose.

A captain could request a summon for a meeting with the other captains.

Not long ago, Kallad himself had gathered the captains for a meeting.

Not much time had passed since then, but a new agenda had prompted another summon.

As mentioned earlier, whether to respond to the summons was up to the individual captains.

In his heart, he wanted to stay by his daughter’s side. But a captain was a position that could not prioritize personal feelings. 

Moreover, when a captain summoned the others, there was always a significant reason. Just as Kallad had called a meeting to address the new threat posed by Astaroth.

Nodding in response to the occasional salutes from Celestial Corps members he passed, Kallad headed toward his destination. 

He quickened his pace slightly. He had stopped by the academy’s affiliated hospital on the way because he was worried about Arin, leaving him with little time before the meeting. 

After walking down a familiar path, a large wooden door came into view.

The door opened smoothly without a sound.

The scene beyond it unfolded.

The interior was as unremarkable as the exterior.

In the center stood a massive round table.

Surrounding the table were seven chairs.

Four of the seven seats were already occupied.

“You’re late. What’s the matter? This isn’t like you.”

A young man with light blue hair, resting his chin on the table, spoke.

Oddly, his gaze was directed toward Kallad, but his eyes were closed.

The faint scars around his eyes. His tightly shut eyelids.

Yet he acted as if he could see everything clearly.

“I had… some business.”

Kallad answered briefly as he walked past him.

“You’re always the first to arrive. We were worried when you were late.”

“Unnecessary concern.”

The young man with light blue hair shrugged at Kallad’s cold demeanor.

Only captains or their adjutants were allowed to enter the meeting room.

The fact that the young man confidently occupied a seat at the table showed that he was one of the captains of the Celestial Corps.

Captain of the 4th Division.

Karma.

“No, it’s only natural to be concerned. I heard your daughter was also caught up in the incident in District 6? As a colleague, I’m just…”

“…”

“You can glare all you want, but I can’t see anyway.”

I’m blind, you know. Blind.

Are you having a staring contest with a blind man?

Besides, did I say something strange?

Kallad frowned at Karma’s calm retort.

Though they had known each other for quite some time, he still hadn’t gotten used to the man.

Every time he exchanged words with this guy, it was always Kallad who ended up with a headache.

Having learned this from experience, Kallad chose to ignore him and moved to his seat.

The center of the round table.

The head seat.

The seat next to it.

“…It seems everyone is here now.”

Second to the left of the head seat.

Fifth to the right.

The person who had initiated this captains’ meeting.

The captain of the 6th Division, Elijah, spoke.

“Oh? Senior Elijah. There’s still one seat empty, isn’t there?”

The captain of the 7th Division, Kaen, raised her hand.

Her mentor and the owner of the head seat was currently absent.

Thus, “everyone” referred to the six captains excluding the Commander.

But there was still one empty seat.

The seat of the 5th Division captain.

“It’s fine. That guy’s seat will be empty today anyway.”

The captain of the 3rd Division, Isabella, spoke with obvious irritation.

Kaen’s hand, which had been raised cheerfully, slowly lowered.

It was true that the captain of the 5th Division rarely attended meetings.

In the year since Kaen became the 7th Division captain.

The number of times she had seen the 5th Division captain at a meeting could be counted on one hand.

Even when the Commander was present, she would often skip meetings, prompting the furious Commander to drag her in by the scruff of her neck on one occasion.

“Ah, seriously. The more I think about it, the angrier I get. Does it make sense to skip meetings because they find it annoying? What does she even think being a captain means? Someone needs to fix that damn habit…”

“Well, even after the Commander beat her, the habit didn’t change…”

As Isabella grumbled through gritted teeth, Kaen forced an awkward smile.

Once, the Supreme Commander, furious to the core, tried to beat some sense into her under the guise of a sparring match.

But it didn’t work. No, it actually made things worse. 

“I said I didn’t want to, you old fart. It’s annoying, so figure it out yourselves. If you don’t like it, kick me out. I’ll quit being a captain too. I never even agreed to it in the first place, you just appointed me. Yeah, go ahead and demote me. You’ve got the grounds for insubordination. How about it?” she said, sticking out her tongue mockingly. 

While it would disqualify her as a captain, her skills were top-notch, so they couldn’t just dismiss her. 

After all, reaching the pinnacle wasn’t easy. In the end, even the Commander had given up halfway.

The lazy pinnacle.

Captain of the 5th Division.

Azazel.

Among the captains, she was a unique figure.

She was the only one forced into the position against her will.

An eccentric who hid her abilities because she hated being bothered.

Even during her academy days, she graduated with average grades.

After joining the Celestial Corps, she never performed above average.

Her achievements were middling. Her skills were middling.

She lived quietly, avoiding attention.

One day, she declared her goal was to be a salary thief.

‘And then she got caught by the Commander and was forced to become the 5th Division captain…’

Kaen smiled bitterly as she recalled Azazel, who always carried a pillow around.

Even if she had attended the meeting, she would’ve just dozed off.

Wouldn’t it be better if she just wasn’t here…?

At least the atmosphere wouldn’t be ruined by her absence.

“Let’s set aside Azazel for now. She’s not coming no matter how long we wait.”

Elijah tapped the round table.

Her luscious crimson hair cascaded over her shoulders.

Her sharp golden eyes, like those of a beast, half-opened as she spoke.

“We don’t have much time, so let’s begin.”

The captains’ meeting.

◈

Captain of the 6th Division.

Elijah.

Among the captains, she was particularly hostile toward the Family.

She relentlessly pursued the remnants of the Family and achieved significant results.

Many of the Family’s branches that had survived the Celestial Corps’ large-scale extermination campaigns were burned to ashes by her.

To the supernatural supremacists who barely clung to life and dreamed of resurgence, Elijah was a nightmare.

The King of Beasts.

The beast that hunts the Family.

That said, Elijah didn’t have any personal grudge against the Family.

Her fervor for exterminating the Family was to eliminate future threats.

“Dealing with external enemies is already overwhelming.”

The Celestial Corps was giving its all to fight the otherworldly monsters.

The most frightening enemies aren’t external, but internal.

Enemies lurking within are ticking time bombs that could go off at any moment.

“That’s why we deal with them swiftly. We have no need for ungrateful heretics who bare their fangs at their own kind.”

The twisted ideology that only supernaturals are true humans.

Their warped minds cannot be reasoned with or compromised.

For such lunatics, there is no answer other than the logic of force.

“You all must be aware. Recently, the frequency of spatial rifts opening in the city has increased.”

The incident during the cherry blossom festival in District 4.

Just yesterday, in the plaza of District 6.

This is just the tip of the iceberg.

Spatial rifts have even opened in single-digit districts with high-level spiritual veins.

There’s no need to mention the lower-level districts.

“The Celestial Corps has always responded with utmost dedication, but we can’t always achieve the best results.”

There have been many casualties.

Numerous injuries.

And countless disappearances.

“Is there a reason to state the obvious? It’s a waste of time.”

“We’re getting to the main point now. Please listen quietly.”

Chiding Karma for his question, Elijah continued.

“As you know, I’ve always been vigilant about the Family’s movements. I gather a lot of information and personally investigate any suspicious circumstances. In doing so, I discovered something interesting.”

Every time a spatial rift opens in the city.

Traces of the Family are found.

The first time could be dismissed as a coincidence.

But the second, third, fourth, fifth time.

And beyond, it’s no longer a coincidence.

“They come every time a spatial rift opens. Like hyenas hunting prey.”

“Wait, they come every time a spatial rift opens? Do the monsters discriminate between people? Why would they do something so dangerous…?”

Kaen tilted her head, clearly puzzled.

Are they trying to exterminate monsters like the Celestial Corps?

The same people who demean non-supernaturals as inferior?

It doesn’t make sense. It’s hard to figure out the reason.

“…I see.”

Unlike Kaen, who was completely lost, Kallad seemed to have grasped something, his eyebrows furrowing.

“The Family has been scheming.”

“Exactly. They’ve been playing petty tricks.”

“Wait, what are you talking about?”

Kaen looked around.

Am I the only one who doesn’t get it?

Ah, good. Senior Isabella doesn’t seem to understand either.

Senior Karma… well, I can’t read his expression.

He’s always smiling, so it’s hard to tell what he’s thinking.

“When a spatial rift occurs, casualties are inevitable.”

Even if the initial response is successful, civilian casualties sometimes occur.

Even after evacuating civilians in advance, it’s impossible to completely prevent loss of life.

Moreover, things don’t always go as planned.

There are times, like in Districts 4 and 6, when the Celestial Corps’ response is delayed.

When that happens, casualties are inevitable, whether few or many.

“There are different types of casualties caused by monsters. If it’s just property damage, it’s considered lucky. Most suffer greater losses. Those who lose their lives. Those who suffer physical or mental injuries. Or…”

“The missing.”

“…Ha, right. Look at this.”

“?”

Karma tapped the round table twice with his index finger as he spoke.

Isabella finally seemed to understand, clicking her tongue briefly.

Kaen was the only one still in the dark.

“It’s simple reasoning, Kaen.”

Kallad’s diamond-like eyes focused on Kaen.

Kaen tensed up and listened intently to her senior’s words.

“Those who go missing at the site of a spatial rift are practically considered dead. Why do you think that is?”

“Well… it’s probably because their bodies weren’t found for some reason.”

Monsters come in many varieties, and their methods of hostility toward humans are equally diverse.

Some monsters simply kill humans, while others dissolve them, eat them, burn them, poison them, turn them to stone, or reduce them to dust.

Countless monsters leave no trace of a body.

If someone goes missing at the site of a spatial rift, it usually means not even a body was left behind.

“Exactly. That’s why it raises less suspicion.”

“What does that… Ah.”

“Right, the number of missing person cases has increased sharply recently.”

Finally, Kaen’s eyes widened.

She finally understood what her seniors were saying.

“If someone goes missing at the site of a spatial rift, it’s assumed to be the work of monsters… so if the Family were to kidnap those people…?”

It would certainly be easier to hide their crimes.

Regardless of why they’re doing it.

“The Family has been disguising their actions as the work of monsters and continuously kidnapping civilians. Until now, it was just speculation without concrete evidence, but just yesterday, we obtained definitive proof.”

Elijah recalled the gray-haired boy.

Once a member of the Family.

But now a student at the academy.

“The reason I called this captains’ meeting today is to make a proposal.”

Elijah slowly rose from her seat.

Though a woman, she was the tallest and most imposing among the captains.

A large shadow fell over the room. With the light behind her, Elijah spoke with a resolute expression.

“The Family’s movements are unusual. The cowards defeated and disbanded in the war are now gathering under a new boss, dreaming of their past glory.”

It’s only right to shatter their futile dreams as soon as possible.

So, I propose this here.

“I request a second campaign to exterminate the Supernatural Liberation Front, the Family.”

This time, let’s eradicate them completely, leaving no trace behind.

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
FYI, the captain of the 6th division is 195cm tall.

She is the tallest among the captains.

She has a strong physique and a muscular body…

A strong woman…

A distorted sexual desire…

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Careful there, author, I think some personal preferences are leaking out, heh.

That aside, Azazel… interesting name choice, isn’t it? Heh.