Chapter 33: International conference

A massive screen filled the conference room wall.

“Please direct your attention to the screen. This is data regarding the anomaly that occurred in Yongsan-gu a while ago.”

A dark red moon and a torn sky.

And a disaster-grade anomaly that gripped the city with overwhelming terror.

Eclipse.

The video played in sequence, from the moment the eclipse began to Tsuki’s lie, and then Phantom’s appearance.

Finally, when the screen turned black and white after showing Eclipse’s demise.

Only then did some agents exhale the breath they had been holding.

“Phew… I can’t believe I’m alive and seeing this right now.”

“Exactly. The terror of actually facing a disaster-grade anomaly is truly…”

“And we also faced an Annihilation-grade entity that far surpassed a disaster-grade one.

It’s a miracle we returned alive.”

Leon also felt his body unconsciously tremble when he recalled that moment.

‘Even looking at it again, I can only say I was incredibly lucky.

To come back alive from that place.’

“Hmm.

Seo Jihun, Director General.

Please conclude this incident.”

“Understood.

In the name of the Anomaly Countermeasures Headquarters Director General, I officially declare that Eclipse has been nullified.

And the detection team, please report on the aftermath.”

Seo Jihun, Director General of the Anomaly Countermeasures Headquarters, closed the documents and concluded.

“No additional damage cases have been reported so far, and it has been confirmed that there is no residual energy from the underworld.”

“Director General.

Eclipse appears to have completely vanished.”

“That’s a relief.

Please continue with the remaining cleanup.”

At first glance, it might seem like everything ended well, but everyone present at the meeting knew.

This incident could not be simply categorized as the occurrence and resolution of an anomaly.

“And… as you all know, the one who nullified, or rather, annihilated this disaster-grade anomaly, was Phantom.”

“Phantom, you mean… the entity presumed to be an Annihilation-grade anomaly?”

“It’s no longer a presumption; it’s practically confirmed.”

Phantom had never appeared by deploying the underworld.

Therefore, his grade, abilities, and even his rules, none of it had been properly understood.

Nevertheless, the Countermeasures Headquarters and all guilds unanimously designated him as ‘Annihilation-grade’.

“I want everyone to focus on the scene currently playing on the screen.”

Phantom stood still, enduring all attacks as dark red spears and blades from Eclipse poured down.

And behind him, fallen guild members.

“Leon, this scene makes it seem like Phantom is protecting people…”

“You saw it accurately.

We hadn’t yet decided whether Phantom was an enemy of humanity or not.

But—”

Phantom protected the people, even blocking all incoming attacks with his body.

“As of this moment, I will define Phantom as the only anomaly that is not an enemy of humanity, but rather one that protects us.”

“Is that… your personal opinion, or the official stance of the Eternal Guardians Guild?”

“I haven’t received an answer on this matter from the Master yet, so currently, it’s my personal opinion.

But Elissa, you know, don’t you?

Whether Phantom is our enemy or not.”

“Indeed, Phantom himself said, ‘I am not your enemy.’

But this time, he supposedly said, ‘Don’t misunderstand’…”

Two sentences Phantom declared to everyone before resolving Eclipse and leaving.

—[Don’t misunderstand.]

—[Forget me.]

“I’m curious.

Why did Phantom say such things?”

Elissa had not directly experienced Phantom because the Eclipse incident occurred when she had briefly returned to England.

‘Leon, who analyzes anomalies so thoroughly, excluding emotions, is speaking as if he’s making a definitive statement…’

“I think Phantom’s words sound like a warning to humanity not to cross a line.”

“What exactly does ‘don’t cross a line’ mean?

Is there a problem with our attitude?”

“No.

It’s hard to say definitively, but… it feels like he’s telling us not to get any closer to him.

Like a god’s will, stopping humans from approaching a truth they shouldn’t know…”

“That feels like comparing it to something on too grand a scale… but considering your ‘ability,’ I can’t just dismiss it.”

Elissa’s ocean-like eyes shone as she stared intently at the screen showing Phantom.

‘Phantom… Phantom… what exactly are you…? I want to know… about you.’

Swoosh—

An unusual aura began to subtly rise around her body.

“Calm down, Elissa.

There goes that ‘instinct’ of yours again.”

Leon, accustomed to it, calmed her down.

“…Oh dear, how silly of me.

Thank you for telling me, Leon.

Hu-hut.”

In an instant, her eyes turned like a dark deep sea before returning to their original ocean blue.

“Ahem… First, regarding this incident, I plan to file a strong protest with the Japanese Guild and government.”

Clearing his throat, Jihun turned the documents and looked at the Japanese guild members.

“We were prepared… there’s no room for excuses.

The cause of this incident was Takahashi Ren, our representative.”

One of the Japanese guild members stood up as a representative and bowed his head.

“We deeply apologize for this incident.

Japan will not evade responsibility.

Ren is already officially in the process of being expunged from guild records, and our Master is also discussing compensation for this incident.”

“Hmm…”

Only then did Jihun nod and close the documents again.

“Good.

It seems our priority will be to cooperate with Japan to prevent further damage.”

“Yes.

We will actively accommodate Korea’s demands.”

“Then, returning to the main point, it is a clear fact that Phantom did not attack us, and I have no intention of denying that.”

He looked at the American and Japanese sides in turn.

“However… how to define his existence is not a matter that can be decided immediately here.”

“What do you mean?”

“The guild masters of each country must have already received reports.

Their opinions must also be considered.”

****

In the middle of New York, a conference room in a skyscraper.

City lights streaking across the night sky dimly filtered through the large windows.

Three Masters sat facing each other at the unofficial international conference.

America, Chris Evans.

England, Victoria Crawford.

Japan, Takahashi Rin.

In the center of the table where they sat, there was a photograph.

Hair like black waves and pristine white skin.

Eyes that held endless darkness, like a black hole.

Even the ominous aura swirling around him.

“This entity is Phantom, the unidentified anomaly first discovered in Korea.”

Breaking the brief silence, Chris opened his mouth with a relaxed smile.

“Ah, and as you all know, Korea has not yet made an official statement regarding him.

It seems they intend to gather our opinions before announcing.”

“It’s true that the anomaly called Phantom didn’t do anything bad, but he’s still an anomaly, isn’t he?

Couldn’t we just cleanly define him as an enemy?”

Victoria leaned back in her chair, stating her position.

True to her country of knights, England, she preferred to conclude everything neatly.

“Master Victoria’s words are not wrong.

However, before drawing an immediate conclusion, I’d like to ask you two something.”

He displayed the data on the Collector and the Eclipse incident on the screen.

Phantom’s appearance, instantly calming an Annihilation-grade anomaly and annihilating a Disaster-grade one with a single gesture.

“Honestly, aren’t you curious?

Whether Phantom’s power… can be obtained or not.”

“Haa… So America’s goal was ultimately that.”

Rin sighed, as if she had expected it.

With her burning red eyes, she was now sick of such discussions.

“It seems whenever we have a meeting with America, the topic always veers in that direction.”

“My apologies.

It’s just that our United States is sensitive to such matters.”

“When anomalies appeared, the international standing of major powers indeed shifted instantly.

At first, I thought America might be ruined.”

“Haha, that’s right.

But now, aren’t we firmly maintaining our position as the strongest nation, just like before?”

When anomalies appeared in the world, the international political landscape changed significantly.

The biggest reason was the emergence of ‘Awakened Ones’.

“The abilities of Awakened Ones are truly like superpowers or magic from comics and novels.”

Even Illusion-grade and Calamity-grade anomalies were like that, but the abilities of the extremely rare Disaster-grade and Doom-grade ones were truly on a different dimension.

Now, the military power of each country is not determined by aircraft carriers or nuclear weapons.

The most important factor is the presence of Disaster-grade and Doom-grade Awakened Ones.

A prime example was Seo Jihun, the Director General of the Countermeasures Headquarters, who was believed to be able to protect half of South Korea by himself.

“With the sole existence of Seo Jihun, Korea has become a country with military power among the top five in the world.”

“I remember that old gentleman.

I met him when I visited Japan before.

He just stood there, but his presence was extraordinary.”

“But do you know?

The fact that such a great person knelt before an Annihilation-grade entity called ‘the Collector’.”

“……I heard that news in England too, but honestly, I didn’t believe it at first.”

“And the one who subdued that very Collector with one hand is today’s protagonist, Phantom.”

Chris’s voice, contrary to his polite demeanor, was filled with desire.

“Even a Disaster-grade ability is immense, but this is a pitch-black entity with Annihilation-grade power.

Moreover, this anomaly is even friendly to humans.”

“So what’s the conclusion?

Are you saying we should befriend an anomaly with Annihilation-grade power?”

“Befriend… I think I want a deeper relationship than that.

If we can only obtain Annihilation-grade power, we would reach a position no one could ever covet.”

Chris boldly stated his intentions.

Rin had found him disagreeable for a long time.

‘The man who was always cunning like a snake is speaking his mind so directly… He must truly covet that power.’

People can somewhat understand each other’s thoughts and feelings by looking into their eyes.

But it was always hard to read the emotions of Chris, who always had a slight smile and narrowed eyes.

‘He means to obtain it no matter what.

And if Victoria and I agree… he intends to act immediately.’

However, Rin had no intention of being swayed by Chris’s will, not even a tiny bit.

“Japan cannot actively participate in this matter.

The reason is… you know.”

“Indeed.

After all, the Master’s younger brother caused trouble in Korea.

I fully understand.”

“……You don’t need to comment on my brother.”

“Oh, my apologies.”

—Clap.

“Alright, alright, the atmosphere seems a bit heated.

It would be best to conclude this appropriately here.”

Victoria clapped her hands, briefly clearing the air.

“Huhu… It seems I got excited without realizing it.

I apologize, Master Rin.”

“It’s fine.

It’s true my brother caused trouble.”

“The conversation did stray a bit, but my point is this: Strong anomalies have been continuously appearing in Korea recently, so we need to either extract that power, or if we can’t, we need to internationally check Korea.”

“England agrees with that.

The balance of the world shouldn’t be skewed towards one side.”

“Japan… since it concerns Korea, we will consider it more carefully.”

“Then it’s 2 in favor and 1 neutral.”

Chris smiled, seemingly satisfied with the result.

“Alright, then the meeting will conclude here.

I’ll probably see you two in Korea next time.”

****

While intense interest in Phantom continued from various countries, Yoon Sihyun, the person in question, was struggling today to find Luna’s emotions.

“Lu… Luna, shall we play one more round?”

“Sihyun… you… not good at… games…?”

“Khaaaaargh…! Our Luna, you’re dealing damage so effortlessly…!

As expected, your talent is outstanding.”

“……?”

Sihyun had hoped Luna would show some reaction if she played a game.

‘No way… Even so, I’ve played this game for years, and to be so utterly crushed by Luna!’

His own insides were burning black.

“Sihyun… it’s okay… not to be good…”

“Haha… Luna, you don’t really need to comfort me…”

“Sihyun… is bad… because it’s your first time…?”

“Ugh…! My heart…!”

—Beep.

At Luna’s innocent words, completely devoid of malice, Sihyun eventually collapsed.

‘Hehe… Luna might have meant it for my sake, but it sounds like this to me…’

[You suck.]