Ch.237Chapter 9. The Burning Human Farm (4)

Last year, it was the villains who did it.

The moment I appeared, they thought they were dead, so it wasn’t a big problem to let them talk freely.

Some tried to buy time through conversation, but I could handle all those time-wasting tactics.

But after Dueoksini, that changed too.

Unlike the minions of the Seven Deadly Sins before, these guys seemed to have researched and devised ways to escape somehow when I appeared.

So first, I gave him a concussion and shattered his legs.

[Are you conscious?]

“Ugh, uugh…”

Laplace grimaced as he lay sprawled on the floor.

Still, befitting the greatest ability user of a nation, he didn’t die from one hard blow to the head, and despite his brain being rattled, he quickly regained consciousness.

“…Huh?! AAAAARGH!!”

[You cannot escape. You’re already within my domain.]

Laplace screamed in agony and thrashed about wildly.

He struggled desperately to break free from me and tried to gather magical power to counterattack.

[It’s useless. While you were unconscious, I blocked all abilities you could use.]

“W-what…?”

[Physically, I’ve shattered your joints. The same goes for your mana. No matter how hard you try to summon mana, it will only boil up and burn away.]

It’s one of the characteristics of flame-type abilities.

The “Mana Burn” ability that burns away an opponent’s magical power through even stronger magic.

Any flame sorcerer worth their salt knows how to use it, and Qiongqi stands at the pinnacle of that domain.

Of course, so do I.

[Before executing you, let me ask one thing.]

I took out a photo I had prepared from my pocket.

It was a stiff photograph, not a tablet, and in it were the white-haired children from the transport ship I had attacked earlier as the “Dark Charisma.”

[You prepared this, didn’t you?]

“……Ha. So that Dark Charisma or whatever is also part of the Syndicate…?”

[Well. I’m not sure about that. I only check the information that comes into our Syndicate.]

Befitting a leader who had run an organization, Laplace immediately understood the situation just by looking at the photo I showed him.

Of course, the Syndicate and the Sephirot Knights have no connection.

[Those justice otaku are none of my concern, but they had some interesting materials.]

Unless the Sephirot Knights reported to the Syndicate and asked them to handle it.

[Children who were meant to be switched with Zenros. Following their trail led to Phuket, and then to where you were managing them. Laplace. I’m talking about the slave island you operated.]

“…Kuk.”

Laplace snickered and reached into his pocket.

I thought he might pull out a gun to commit suicide, but he was trying to take out a cigarette.

[Where do you think you’re going?]

“GAAAH! Damn it!! Even if I’m going down, at least let me have one cigarette!!”

[I’m tired of your trick of pretending it’s a cigarette while actually inhaling mana powder to recover your magic.]

I kicked away the cigarette Laplace had taken out, sending it flying far away.

It was rolled in white paper like a cigarette, but inside wasn’t dried tobacco leaves but bone powder.

[And I have no loyalty to offer a last cigarette to someone like you.]

“Kh, hehehe…! You seem to have questions, but if you approach me like this, do you think I’ll cooperate…?!”

Laplace sneered at me while giving me the middle finger.

“Do you, do you think I’ll give you the answers you want after suffering such humiliation, damn it?!”

[Everyone says that. And in the end, they always spill the answers. It’s fine. There are many ways to extract answers from people like you.]

I have plenty of methods.

But for now, getting answers from Laplace can wait.

[Did you want to erase the island so badly that you used General Jeokrang to launch missile strikes on it? What was on that island?]

“…Fuck, if you already know…!”

[Yes. I know. I know everything, but it’s too disgusting for me to say with my own mouth. Things that would dirty my mouth if I spoke them. But if you insist on keeping quiet… I don’t mind sacrificing myself.]

I took out my Goblin Club and tapped Laplace’s cheek with it.

Laplace continued to keep his mouth shut, and I pressed the club against his cheek, turning his head sideways so he could hear me clearly.

[Shall I describe what you did on that island?]

“…No need. Hehe. Considering your style, you’ve probably already spread it all over the internet.”

[Hooh.]

He knows the Syndicate’s methods well.

“You don’t try to extract information from enemies. You already know everything before you come. And trying to make me spill it like this is just to confirm the information that’s already out there. Hehe. Do you think I’ll let myself be used?!”

[Then what we found will have to become fact, as it’s already spreading among people.]

It already is fact.

[Kidnapping humans and forcing them into slavery, raising children born with abilities on the island. Children who obey become slaves who follow you or General Jeokrang, and those who don’t obey… end up like this.]

I pulled the distant cigarette pack toward me with my ability, took out one cigarette, and tore it apart sideways.

[Made into mana powder, wasn’t it?]

“……”

[Why? You’re not bothered by using ordinary humans as slaves, but admitting that you turned ability users into mana powder on the spot is too much? Afraid of turning all the world’s ability users against you?]

Laplace kept his mouth shut until the end.

[Is it more frightening than kidnapping humans and making them work in underground farms with barely two hours of sleep, than forcing Korean men and women to have children to increase the probability of producing ability users, than burying everyone who tries to uncover your actions? Is incurring the wrath of ability users more frightening?]

“……”

[Well, you don’t have to answer until the end. Silence is affirmation.]

I stood next to Laplace and placed my foot on his solar plexus.

[You seem curious about something.]

“What…?”

[I see the question in your eyes. Why I’m talking so unnecessarily much.]

“……”

As I slightly moved the club away, Laplace turned his head toward me.

[Do you think I’m rambling like a typical villain? Or am I trying to get information from you by continuing the conversation? Or perhaps I’m doing it to humiliate you?]

“…Filthy bastard. Until the end….”

[All wrong. I’m talking because I’m obviously the person who should be talking right now.]

I lightly pulled up my suit sleeve.

As soon as Laplace saw what was inside the sleeve, his eyes widened, filled with shock and terror.

“You…!”

[In the 21st century, a new era, even villains must adapt to the new times.]

Whirr.

The Tae’guk Watch keeps blinking.

Befitting 2025, a world where mana has developed, the mana watch in the form of a wristwatch faithfully fulfills the role of a flagship smartphone and is currently performing one function diligently.

[Say hello, Laplace. To the viewers of Goblin TV.]

* * *

“…So this is it.”

On a streaming site, a sudden live broadcast appeared.

Rai Chai took a sip of coffee while watching the live broadcast that had just started.

“My goodness. In my day, we didn’t have things like this.”

The movements are urgent, and the broadcast screen follows the broadcaster’s gaze, whether mounted on his head or eyes.

The peculiar thing is that the place he’s currently at is where a villain attack took place just 10 minutes ago, and there’s only one person who could be filming there.

“The Goblin announcing directly through a live broadcast. Heh, more effective than spreading a hundred articles.”

One by one, viewers start to increase.

Besides himself who was already waiting knowingly, those increasing from dozens to hundreds were expressing all sorts of questions in the chat.

What is this?

What’s going on?

Those questions were soon resolved by the figures appearing on screen.

The Goblin reflected in a mirror.

And the sight of him swinging a dark red club, sprinkling dark red flames on the heads of prisoners in less than human condition, as if bestowing baptism.

[I’m alive! Aaah! Goblin-nim saved me! I won’t have my head explode anymore!!]

Hearing the cries of slaves coming through the broadcast, the quick-witted viewers began to express their thoughts in the chat.

“……Aren’t these people enslaved by General Jeokrang?”

And Rai Chai, mixed among them, revealed the truth disguised as his opinion.

“Talking about head bombs, seems they’re wearing something like bomb collars.”

“Human trafficking would be better. From what I’m hearing, it sounds like they’re killing children and stuff.”

“……Hehe.”

No matter how powerful the military is, they can’t block a streaming site with servers overseas in real-time.

And if that site happens to be one where the “Syndicate” holds the majority stake.

“Unless they completely block the internet, they can’t stop this. I wonder what the General will do. Missiles on the island won’t be enough to stop it.”

Slurp.

Taking a sip of coffee, Rai Chai pressed the nuclear missile button.

[Would you like to share this broadcast?]

“Yes.”

To his acquaintances, and to all contacts he had.

“…Sharing something good with you all. Hehe.”

He spread the streaming site address.

And the scene that those who connected to the broadcast saw was the culprit—Laplace—getting his head hit by a club as glass shattered.

* * *

[Your current appearance will spread worldwide in 10 minutes.]

“……”

[The concurrent viewer count is already 380,000? It might exceed a million in 10 minutes.]

He wouldn’t have known.

After all, I started broadcasting the moment I entered the Divine Sanctuary.

I started the broadcast without others noticing, and with the delayed broadcast, he couldn’t have known.

[It’s only natural for a streamer to talk a lot. Especially when the main content is exposing a villain’s crimes and then beating them to death.]

I pointed the Tae’guk Watch at him and raised my club high.

[Ah. From here on it’s rated R, so check the rest through the recorded video later. That’s all.]

After ending the broadcast recording, I brought the club down.

CLANG!

Instinctively protecting his head with mana and blocking my club, Laplace still coughed up red blood and rolled his eyes.

“Kuh, heuk, kheuk….”

[Now that it’s just you and me talking, let me ask one last thing.]

A question I couldn’t ask others, one that shouldn’t be carelessly revealed.

[Who is Laplace’s ‘demon’?]

“……!!”

Even through the concussion, his pupils shook as if he suddenly became alert.

[Where is the demon who taught you all these methods?]

“That’s….”

The moment Laplace was about to speak.

BOOM!!

Laplace’s head exploded.

And behind me, I heard footsteps.

Like someone walking in traditional Korean socks.

[……You came in person.]

“Pleased to meet you, Goblin.”

A black-haired woman in a black dress resembling mourning clothes greeted me with a smile.

“I am the demon of Laplace you seek.”

With an elegant posture.

“‘Hyangdan’ is my name.”