Ch.556Chapter 21. Blood Pack (16)

While Battle God Lee Jun-young was frozen in confusion.

Whoosh!

I immediately kicked off the ground and leaped, and Yoon Hye-ra guided me as she spread her crimson wings, soaring with me into the air.

“What?!”

The Battle God looked up at us from below with a dumbfounded expression, but we had already flown up to helicopter altitude.

“Should we retreat for now?”

[Let’s retreat to somewhere completely out of sight, then return later.]

“How about heading north and then coming back down?”

Whoooosh.

The fiery wings spread behind Yoon Hye-ra’s back flapped grandly as we flew straight toward the northern part of Ganghwa Island.

Flap, flap.

Red and gold fiery wings crossing the night sky.

To those looking up from the ground, our light must be clearly visible in the dark evening sky, like a rocket streaking across.

[Everyone’s in complete chaos.]

“How bad is it?”

[It’s a total mess.]

I checked the information streaming in through the Syndicate Watch.

-What?! Did Haeguneul form an alliance with the Syndicate?!

-It’s not Haeguneul, it’s Hwalbindang….

Some were trying to understand the situation but getting the main players wrong.

-So Haeguneul was secretly trying to smuggle goods abroad, and Hwalbindang leaked information to the Syndicate to stop the smuggling?

Some had figured out part of the information but were unaware of details unfavorable to Haeguneul.

-I heard Haeguneul attacked blood donation vehicles? And they were secretly putting the blood in kimchi containers to sell abroad!

Some knew part of the truth but mixed in false information.

-The claim that Hwalbindang joined hands with the Syndicate is propaganda and fabrication! Hwalbindang has nothing to do with this incident!

Amid the jumble of mixed information, some were speaking the truth.

However.

[Everyone seems to think Haeguneul is finished.]

“Why?”

[Because a Hungarian S-Class who suddenly appeared in Korea became Zenros.]

In the complex web of truth, there’s only one reason why propaganda and fabrications don’t work on people.

[Even if he was under Taejo, an S-Class hero died? And executed by the Goblin? That’s unacceptable.]

“In what sense is it unacceptable?”

[Because the Goblin, who was thought to be dead, appeared in Ganghwa Island and destroyed the cradle of villains.]

The appearance—or rather resurrection—of the Goblin who was thought to have died in Osaka.

When someone believed dead appears alive, it certainly draws people’s attention.

However.

[But this Goblin appears somewhat different from the original? Unacceptable.]

Just hinting that the resurrected Goblin is slightly different from the original one, along with some conspiracy theories, is enough to throw people into confusion.

“Wow, conspiracy theorists must be going crazy.”

[The Tavern Owners are already spreading information. Based on footage captured live by the Hero Association, they’re highlighting the differences between this Goblin and the real one.]

“Oh my, Tavern Owners, I forgot they’re under my command?”

Yoon Hye-ra ruffles my hair vigorously.

“Well done, Goblin Mark Three. As a reward, I’ll give you a chance to do patriotic service with me.”

[I was wondering why you were so quiet. Feeling relaxed now?]

“The situation is over, and all that’s left is to let people roll with the bait in their confusion. Right?”

[Even so, suggesting patriotic service at a time like this is a bit much, isn’t it?]

“Hmm? My, what a lewd goblin. I said I’d give you a chance for patriotic service, not that we should do it right now.”

[You got me.]

There’s a patriot here with hair the same color as Yoon Hye-ra’s bridge, and I momentarily confused them.

[Then later—]

“I’m joking, joking. We could do flying patriotic service right now if you want.”

[That’s a joke, right?]

“It sounds crazy, but nothing’s impossible. What could make people’s heads explode more in this country of Eastern propriety?”

One day, without warning, a rocket trajectory appears in the sky.

One day, without warning, a man and woman perform patriotic service like flames in the sky.

…The mental shock would definitely be greater from the latter.

[Enough. People’s minds are already being blown apart, and if we add that too, it would create real confusion in their heads.]

“Alright, alright. Oh, there’s a sister who looks like she has a headache.”

Yoon Hye-ra folded her wings and released her magical power.

We began falling straight down, and I held Yoon Hye-ra while channeling mana into my legs, stepping down through the air as if descending stairs.

Step, step.

Treading slowly through the air like walking on air cushions filled to capacity, we joined up with the woman waiting at a pavilion near the shore—Hyun Se-rin.

[Are you alright? You don’t look well. If you’ve used too much magical power, I recommend resting.]

“…It’s not because I used too much magical power.”

Hyun Se-rin looked at me with a somewhat dazed expression, then smiled wryly.

“It’s because the effect was too good.”

[Effect?]

“The role-playing was intense?”

[…..]

Hyun Se-rin wasn’t having a headache.

“When I was meowing around as Hyun-Fenrir, everyone thought I wasn’t Fenrir. More precisely, they thought I was an ability user who became S-Class by consuming Fenrir’s bone powder. Haha, well…”

She was just sitting there in a daze, half satisfied and half experiencing reality shock from what she had done.

“Maybe the disguise was too perfect? I never thought people would fall for it this completely.”

[Hyun-Fenrir isn’t the only case like this.]

Currently.

[The Tavern Owners are producing false information about Mark 2, successors, and fakes—not just for Hyun-Fenrir. The same goes for the Goblin, the Dark Demon Dragon, they’re all manipulating information claiming to be successors.]

The internet is in chaos not just about Haeguneul’s blood trafficking, but also about the “succession” bait.

[Someone seems to have died, but not become Zenros, so someone collected it, made bone powder, and passed it to someone else.]

“Is the Syndicate mass-producing them like that now?”

[We’d appreciate it if you thought so.]

Currently.

[There’s a rumor circulating in the Haeguneul employee community that the Haeguneul chairman is swinging golf clubs at his executives.]

“Oh dear.”

Haeguneul Chairman Choi Ho-jung is currently in panic because the smuggling failed and the nature of the smuggled goods was revealed.

[An individual who relieves stress by hitting subordinates. How unlike a chairman—just a typical abusive human.]

“Doesn’t that make him more like a chairman?”

[…..]

It’s absurd that he relieves his panic through violence, but that must be his true nature.

[Well, shall we sightsee in Incheon while watching the bait roll around?]

Our job is done.

Whether people say the Syndicate’s Goblin has been resurrected.

Or that not just the Goblin, but the Dark Demon Dragon and Fenrir have been resurrected too.

Or that they’re not actually the originals but people who absorbed the bones of dead ability users and inherited both their abilities and concepts.

Or that they, as the Syndicate, contacted Hwalbindang and spilled all the Korean blood that Haeguneul was trying to smuggle.

Or that over 100 Korean ability users, including the S-Class ability user “Bathory” who changed nationality from Korean to Hungarian, became Zenros because their cradle was broken.

Or that Haeguneul not only engaged in illegal blood selling but also attacked blood donation vehicles to divert blood packs and sell them overseas.

Those seeking truth in all this will have their heads split, while those who accept the situation as is will avoid having their hair roots spread apart.

[We just need to watch the show and eat some rice cakes.]

“Oh no, this is bad.”

[What is it?]

“Because of the body’s owner, I almost said something strange just now.”

Hyun Se-rin touched her mouth in bewilderment.

“Ah, sister. Really? Me too.”

“…Did you also think of that?”

Whisper, whisper.

“Really? Wow, it’s so connected.”

“Maybe because our avatar bodies are based on the same person…”

The two moved to a position where I couldn’t hear them, exchanged some words, and then showed surprised expressions as they seemed to relate to each other.

[Instead of saying ‘let’s eat rice cakes,’ you were about to change one character to say something else, right?]

“Gasp.”

“……”

[That’s exactly what the owner of the body that created your avatars would say.]

The person in question is probably watching TV on Sejong Island right now, organizing the current situation in their own way, but she must have realized it too.

[Just got a text. It says, shall I pick you up?]

“Oh….”

So that’s how the contact comes.

[Says since we used a lot of mana, come to the Seoul house and she’ll pick us up to go to Ulleungdo.]

“Why go straight to Ulleungdo? It’s not like we used that much mana.”

“That’s too obvious.”

Is it because of that hero-specific meddling?

Both started to show signs of discomfort.

“Do we really need to share between three? Sister, when you order chicken, how many drumsticks are there?”

“Two. If two people share, one each, but with three people, one person won’t get a drumstick.”

[Since you still carry the Ymir bacteria, it can’t be helped.]

They’re clearly talking about chicken, but I can almost see Ymir’s spirit grinning ominously behind them.

[…But we can’t just disappear. Even if we go to Ulleungdo by ourselves, we can’t just leave.]

I tapped on the Syndicate Watch, pointing to another scene.

[Right now, everyone’s attention is focused here.]

Currently.

[People prefer simple and clear things over complexity. Especially if it’s intuitive information right before their eyes.]

On the bridge connecting Incheon and Ganghwa Island.

[When S-Classes clash, who’s stronger?]

Black and blue magical powers collide.

[And.]

A somewhat shocking situation that makes everyone’s heart race.

[Black Taejo, presumed to be an Armored Taejo clone, is evenly matched against Cheok Jun-gyeong. This is insane.]

The battle between Black Taejo and Cheok Jun-gyeong.

[Moreover, if Cheok Jun-gyeong, a hero, is being pushed back by a villain.]

The ratio is about 5.5 to 4.5, with Black Taejo having the upper hand.

[Even if we’ve finished our job, can we adults just abandon an S-Class hero who’s holding the line alone and go to Ulleungdo?]

Abandoning Taejo wouldn’t be proper adult manners.

[It looks like they’re about to use their ultimate skills, so let’s go watch.]