Ch.661Chapter 25. Let it Unfold (11)

At that moment, on the west coast of Jeju Island, aboard the massive aircraft carrier “Zhongzheng.”

Powerful warships of the Republic of Korea Navy stood guard in the western waters of Jeju Island.

Like a small island floating on the sea, or perhaps a fortress, the aircraft carrier remained motionless on the water, suppressing even the waves beneath it.

The flags fluttering on the ship, which had “Zhongzheng” emblazoned in large Korean characters, were the Five-starred Red Flag and the Taegeukgi. Though they flew side by side, something seemed slightly off—the Taegeukgi was fluttering ever so slightly lower.

“Damn it.”

On the deck of the Zhongzheng, a sharp-featured, middle-aged man with glasses openly frowned at the news coming through his earpiece.

“So all the opponents our party’s heroes will face have awakened?”

-Y-yes. Starting from the first preliminary match…

“Shit.”

-Ch-Chairman Xie Shuwang. Should we continue trying to make contact? If not with the Korean Hero Association, perhaps we could persuade Snow White directly—

“Absolutely do not touch the pregnant S+ class!”

The middle-aged man, Xie Shuwang, Chairman of the Chinese Hero Association, shouted with a resolute voice.

“I don’t want my first move as chairman to be accused of messing with a Korean S+ class and creating a pregnant demon or causing a miscarriage. Understand?!”

-Y-yes, understood.

The chairman shouted with extreme caution in his voice, his shirt—seemingly newly purchased without a single stain—stretching as he tensed.

“Keep trying to contact the Hero Association. Also look for people close to the Patriotic Champion. And the others… no, I’ll contact them later.”

Click.

After hanging up, the chairman took a deep breath and made a fist-and-palm salute to the black-haired woman approaching him.

“Did you sleep well?”

“With all the commotion since dawn, I could hardly sleep.”

The woman in a cheongsam, Heavenly Demon Lee Ye-ryeong, lightly tapped the deck floor with her foot, looking tired.

“The men keep cursing in Chinese, and the women are calling it cowardly that their awakened female opponents will face them.”

“Ha, haha…”

“And they’re all popping veins in their necks claiming they could easily win if they awakened too.”

“……”

“They should just quietly do their best on the day of the competition.”

“Heavenly Demon.”

The chairman shook his head firmly with a serious expression.

“This isn’t just because I’ve newly taken office as chairman, but as a citizen, I must say this: we absolutely must win.”

“……”

“We are the center of the world. Not those who are merely like protruding dumpling tails beside us.”

“So you need to win the World Cup by any means necessary?”

“Of course. That’s why we paid you 5 trillion. To defeat Cheok Jun-gyeong, Battle God, and… Lord of Radiant Wings!”

The country that defeats Lord of Radiant Wings.

The country that defeats South Korea.

For that title alone, China had reached out to the person most likely to defeat Lord of Radiant Wings at the time.

And that investment must bear fruit now.

Without fail.

“Although the Korean government keeps pettily blocking our contact with the Patriotic Champion, we will definitely find a way. And—”

“Are you planning to force me into a relationship with that man?”

“There’s nothing strange about it. Everyone else is awakening, aren’t they? If there are no legal issues, we can do anything to win.”

The chairman’s eyes were filled with conviction.

“If we can awaken Heavenly Demon to S+ class and defeat Lord of Radiant Wings at the World Cup and lift the trophy, if China wins the first World Cup with S-class participants—no, we must win. That’s why Heavenly Demon must awaken through the Patriotic Champion.”

“……”

“Remember. We will win at all costs.”

“By any means necessary?”

“…The weather is a bit chilly. Please take care of yourself.”

The chairman bowed deeply at a 90-degree angle before leaving.

Watching the chairman disappear with a solemn face, Heavenly Demon looked up at the sky, flexing her hand that was stretched toward the east.

“By any means necessary, huh.”

The sky was blue.

The opening ceremony would take place in about 30 hours, but would it proceed smoothly?

It would happen, of course.

But what would be unfolding in the shadows of the fireworks behind the stadium where the opening ceremony would be held?

How many things would happen under the motto ‘We must win.’

“…There was no need to go this far.”

Heavenly Demon reached behind her ear.

Fiddling with her hair disheveled by the sea breeze, she lightly traced something behind her ear with her thumb.

“…Then I shouldn’t limit my means either.”

Slither.

“If the most important thing should be kept in the safest place, then that’s the only option…”

Slowly.

Something smaller than a pinky fingernail began to wriggle on the skin behind Heavenly Demon’s earlobe.

And then.

“Mmm…”

Heavenly Demon quietly twisted her body, frowning.

“…It goes in easily because there’s nothing there. Haa.”

She placed a hand on her abdomen and took a deep breath.

“I’ll do anything to win.”

She shook her head.

“Even if America has gathered three S+ classes at once.”

Currently.

America, considered China’s biggest rival, had made an incredible move.

“Heavenly Demon!! Have you heard the news?!”

“…What is it, Plum Sword Master?”

A pink-haired young warrior rushed toward Heavenly Demon and handed her a tablet.

“One of America’s S+ classes is in the same preliminary block as you! And today—”

“I know.”

Tap, tap tap.

“They’re doing this with the Patriotic Champion?”

* * *

[Were 17 not enough? Patriotic Champion declares, “Four more to go.”]

“It’s three.”

I laughed at the headline’s obvious mistake, but I had no intention of asking for a correction.

“No, it is four.”

“Ta-da!”

In front of me stood Ymir, playing the role of the fourth person, grinning at me in a black and white maid outfit.

“In place of Hye-ra unnie, I’ll serve twice as hard!”

“Why a maid outfit of all things?”

“Because it looks good!”

“Good for whom?”

“Um, the men going wild on social media?”

Ymir gave me a thumbs up and winked.

“Even people who say they wish Do Ji-hwan would suffocate among all these women admit one thing.”

“What do they admit? That I’m handsome? That I have a good body?”

“That thanks to Do Ji-hwan, they got to see S-class heroes in swimsuits.”

“……”

Indeed.

That’s something men worldwide—especially men—should be grateful for.

Even those who normally limited skin exposure made videos to create alibis for spending a night with the Patriotic Champion, and those videos showed bunny girls in underbust slingshot bikinis dancing with Andong Soju.

Setting aside the fact that they were partying with one man, what man wouldn’t like seeing beautiful women with great figures showing off their fair skin, even flushed with excitement, all captured on video?

Some even acted cute for the camera.

It was my camera, and naturally, the aegyo was directed at me.

While pretending to be drunk on camera, they were actually carving their numbers into my body below frame, demanding “give us ability consulting” with clear minds.

Except for the fact that the target was Do Ji-hwan, from an outside perspective, these were videos of women acting cute for the camera, so everyone’s lower regions naturally heated up.

And now they’re waiting.

Waiting for the scene where the Patriotic Champion meets “Team Rider,” America’s officially designated “quartet of S+ class heroes” who haven’t been officially revealed until now.

People wanted to see these women—each with beauty that surpassed the average S-class beauty, with distinctive hair colors and flashy appearances—wearing underbust bunny girl slingshot bikinis.

Without even knowing what abilities they possessed.

That one was the pinnacle of fire magic.

That another was the top assassin who controlled wind.

That one was the world’s best scientist who manipulated water.

That one could create an entire city from scratch—none of this mattered to them.

Plus one more thing.

They didn’t know that the greatest fire mage was currently not in Korea, as she was helping the sky above them give birth to a new sky.

And…

“Ta-da! Do I look enough like Hye-ra unnie?”

They had no idea that Ymir, who had dyed her hair red and covered her face with an ectoplasm-like mask to change her facial structure, was planning to disguise herself as “Red Rider.”

“Hye-ra’s chest is smaller than that.”

“How much smaller? About this much?”

“Well, first of all…”

I pointed to the chest area of the maid outfit worn by the now-blonde Yoon Hye-ra-mir, where her cleavage was clearly visible.

“Hye-ra doesn’t do that.”

“Oh, really? I thought she’d like this kind of thing.”

“While Hye-ra does like to joke around, she doesn’t like playing with food that way.”

“I thought it would be fun.”

Ymir leaned forward slightly and smiled brightly.

“You must have a headache, so why don’t you have something sweet first before thinking about issues like China’s large-scale manipulation?”

“That kind of—”

The moment I looked at Ymir.

“That kind of?”

“…I suppose it can wait a little.”

I started craving something sweet.

“Oh, by the way, teacher.”

Ymir was still smiling meaningfully at me.

“With chocolate, what you see isn’t all there is.”