Chapter 188: Accident (3)

Episode 188

“So it was Alopsky,” Dumont said, recognizing his opponent with a knowing look.

“Even in the videos, his skills seemed to be on a different level. Seeing it in person confirms it.”

While Dumont spoke leisurely, more of his subordinates continued to pour out from the dimensional rift behind him.

“You were lucky, Juan.”

Dumont looked at Juan, who had jumped to the side.

“If it wasn’t for Alopsky’s sword, your head would be rolling on the floor right now.”

“…!”

“Well, it’s only a matter of time.”

Juan’s face paled as Dumont spoke nonchalantly. He stammered in disbelief,

“…D-Dumont? Why is the Master of the FCC Clan here…?”

“You’re asking why I’m here?”

Dumont chuckled and continued,

“Because I’m disgusted by your shameless attempt to promote your clan in the New Continent.”

**Thud!**

“Ugh…!”

A thudding sound came from beside Dumont.

“Isn’t that right, Henrique?”

Dumont turned and asked.

Henrique, the Team 1 leader, had appeared out of nowhere and stabbed Chano in the back.

“That’s right, Master.”

* * *

– ?

– ???

– Huh?

– What’s going on? Is this a prank?

– It looks real…

The official broadcast chat was flooded with messages, the speed increasing dramatically.

It was understandable. A major broadcasting accident had occurred. FCC Clan members, who were practically sworn enemies, had appeared on the Triunfo Clan’s own broadcast.

[……]

[Uh, this is… Hold on…]

The commentators, more flustered than anyone, looked at the production crew with helpless expressions.

But even the production crew couldn’t come up with an immediate solution.

“What’s going on? Is that real?”

“That wasn’t in the script…”

“Contact the PD immediately!”

“We’ve been trying to reach him, but his phone is off! Same with Sergio!”

“What?!”

The production crew was also caught off guard by the unexpected situation.

They were supposed to follow the main PD’s instructions in such cases, but both the PD and Sergio, the director, were unreachable.

“Then call the Team 1 leader!”

“The Team 1 leader…?”

“If the director isn’t answering, the Team 1 leader is our only option! What are you waiting for? Call him!”

The sub-PD shouted, and the staff member flinched but hurriedly searched for Francisco’s number.

He put the smartphone to his ear with a nervous expression.

Meanwhile, the executive meeting room was in chaos.

Everyone had jumped to their feet, staring at the TV screen with wide eyes, where Dumont, the Master of the FCC Clan, was smirking.

[You hold a ‘Newbie Showdown’ with only your handpicked favorites and call them talents from your training academy? Ha! That’s laughable.]

“That bastard…!”

Esteban trembled with rage, watching Dumont’s mocking face on the TV.

[Stop acting like you’re doing something noble and just go back to selling human meat to your subcontracted clans, Esteban, you hypocrite!]

Dumont raised his voice, looking directly at the camera.

[What? The strongest lineup of prospects in history? The clan with the brightest future in the New Continent? Well, watch that future crumble before your very eyes…!]

**Thud!**

Dumont stopped speaking and looked at Henrique as a thudding sound interrupted him.

The scene of Chano dying with a sword embedded in his forehead, his heart pierced, was broadcasted again.

“Hello? …What?”

Francisco, who had just answered the call from the production crew, roared.

“You idiots! Cut the live broadcast immediately! What are you waiting for? End the broadcast!”

He slammed the smartphone down on the table, and a few seconds later, the live broadcast was finally cut, replaced with a shot of the commentators.

Francisco glared at the screen, thinking, ‘You incompetent fools…!’ He then hurriedly reported to Esteban,

“The main PD, Sergio, and everyone else at the scene are unreachable.”

“Mobilize all our forces!”

Esteban shouted, his face contorted with rage.

“I’ll take half of our forces to the dungeon and personally cut off that bastard’s head! Tian, you take the other half to the FCC headquarters and…!”

**Boom!**

A deafening explosion suddenly came from the back entrance.

“Aaaargh!”

“It’s the FCC!”

“The FCC is attacking!”

**Siren wails!**

The shouts of his subordinates and the sound of sirens filled the air.

Esteban and the other executives all reacted instinctively.

They smashed the windows and ran towards the source of the commotion.

“…!”

“No way…!”

They arrived to a horrifying sight.

Green rain was pouring down, covering everything, and the bodies of their subordinates, melted by the rain, formed a mountain of corpses.

FCC Clan hunters were approaching, stepping on the corpses, and at their forefront, stood an old man.

“That damn old man…!”

“Hehehe…”

Tian gritted his teeth and shouted, and the old man, Igo, chuckled.

“You’re all gathered together, making it easier to kill you! What are you waiting for, boys? Kill them all!”

“Waaaaah!”

The FCC Clan members charged at them at Igo’s command. They were all fully armed from head to toe.

Esteban shouted,

“Everyone retreat!”

The executives all jumped back in unison.

**Whoosh!**

Acid rain suddenly poured down on them like a storm.

**Sizzle!** The ground melted rapidly.

It was obviously a highly potent poison.

“Don’t charge forward recklessly until our men bring the protective gear! Even you can’t ignore that skull-faced bastard’s poison!”

Igo.

The Vice Master of the FCC Clan, renowned for his mastery of poison in the New Continent.

His poison was far more potent and had a wider range than the poison missiles possessed by the Team 7 newbie. As they could see.

“Those FCC bastards are serious…!”

Esteban muttered, glaring at Igo with gritted teeth.

The two clans had been bitter rivals for a long time, but this was the first time they had openly declared war.

‘But this means we can’t go rescue the newbies…’

With the FCC Clan’s Vice Master leading a large force in an attack on their headquarters, all the Triunfo executives had to stay and fight.

In other words, they couldn’t send reinforcements to the newbies trapped in the dungeon.

‘Did they plan this?’

If they did, the FCC’s plan had worked perfectly.

Esteban had to prioritize dealing with Igo, who was right in front of him.

* * *

“…Such touching friendship.”

Dumont looked at the sword embedded in Chano’s forehead, then shifted his gaze forward.

“You killed him quickly to spare him from further suffering? I can’t think of any other explanation for your actions…”

His gaze was fixed on Alopsky, who had thrown the sword and interrupted him.

Alopsky didn’t answer.

“Aren’t you afraid of the consequences?! Do you think you can survive in the New Continent after doing something like this?!”

Juan shouted at him instead.

“The other Major Clans will definitely attack you for violating the unwritten rule…!”

“They won’t.”

“…What?”

Juan was taken aback by the unexpected answer.

“Do you really think that unwritten rule applies to everyone equally? Did you think the New Continent was such a righteous place?”

“…?”

“This is a world of survival of the fittest. The strong can do whatever they want, and the weak have no voice, even if they’re right.

Remember when the American Alpha Clan unilaterally invaded the Arab IS Clan?”

Juan didn’t answer, but he knew what Dumont was talking about. It was a well-known fact that the Alpha Clan had recently attacked the IS Clan’s headquarters without provocation.

“The Alpha Clan violated the unwritten rule and launched a full-scale war, claiming that the IS Clan was getting too arrogant. They almost wiped out the IS Clan.

Now, tell me. What kind of repercussions did the Alpha Clan face?”

…None.

All the clans had condemned the Alpha Clan’s actions, but none of them had taken any action.

“Nothing happened, right? That’s the New Continent. The strongest Major Clan, the Alpha Clan, can break the rules and do whatever they want, and no one can stop them.

Now, let me ask you a question. Which clan is stronger in the New Continent, the FCC Clan or the Triunfo Clan?”

“…!”

“I don’t think I need to tell you which clan has better relationships with the other Major Clans.”

He was right.

Juan had to admit, although it was frustrating, that the FCC Clan was stronger, had better diplomatic relations, and enjoyed a better reputation in the New Continent than the Triunfo Clan.

“Now do you understand? There won’t be any consequences for our actions.”

“Ugh…!”

“Now, let’s see you struggle. Show me how strong the strongest prospects in history are! Boys!”

Dumont looked at his subordinates, and they charged towards the remaining four participants at his signal.

“Damn it! Everyone stick together!”

Juan shouted urgently and instinctively moved towards Alopsky.

They naturally formed a formation with Alopsky at the front, and Juan shouted,

“We have to hold out until reinforcements arrive! Headquarters must have seen the live broadcast and sent reinforcements by now!”

He shouted, clinging to a sliver of hope. He could only say that because he didn’t know that Igo, the Vice Master of the FCC Clan, was currently attacking their headquarters.

Dumont just smirked, not bothering to correct him. He wanted to give them false hope.

Meanwhile, the FCC Clan members had reached them.

Kim Jinsung was lost in thought.

‘I can’t hold back anymore.’

His gaze was fixed on Dumont and Henrique, who were standing behind their subordinates, not the enemies in front of him.

He had sensed it the moment they appeared.

Even if he used all his power, he might not be able to defeat those two.

‘Why did this have to happen in the Tower of Trials?’

He bit his lip in frustration.

He was facing the greatest crisis of his life in an environment where he could only use half of his Demonic Energy.

(TLN: Kill juan)