Lord of Despair and Hatred (3)

Lord of Despair and Hatred (3)

“Ah, what on earth is going on here.”

It’s late at night, but going home is out of the question. Manager Kang Chan-ho roughly scratched his head.

As if adding insult to injury, he came to clean up one incident only to find another one had occurred.

“Have they found the body?”

“Yes, sir. It was reportedly found in the underground parking lot of a nearby building. But the strange thing is, all the cameras and vehicles in that parking lot have malfunctioned.”

“What does that matter? As long as they found it, it’s fine.”

Kang Chan-ho grumbled, openly showing his irritation. He couldn’t help it. He had almost died, after all.

“Collect the body. Let’s start wrapping this up.”

“But sir, they say the discovered body is a bit unusual too. It seems that while it had transformed into a monster similar to Lee Hee-chan who was first discovered, unlike Lee Hee-chan who maintained that form even after death, his younger brother has the appearance of a completely normal person.”

“So?”

“Is there perhaps any clue…”

“Don’t bother.”

“Excuse me? But sir.”

The subordinate reporting flinched in surprise at his attitude. However, Kang Chan-ho’s furrowed brow showed no sign of relaxing.

“Jin-young. Does this case really seem like a simple and ordinary investigation? Absolutely not. It’s a rigged game with higher-ups heavily involved. What’s important is to increase our performance as ordered.”

He shook his head and muttered as if disgusted.

“We just do as we’re told. We’re civil servants. We work as we’re paid, and move only as directed. That’s right. The case ends here. With the rampage of two monstrous brothers.”

Kang Chan-ho sighed and acted according to his beliefs. He had no sense of mission when he became a police officer.

Considering himself an ordinary citizen, he acted extremely cautiously and safely.

Do as told, don’t talk back, and be diligent.

“How can that make sense?”

“Ah, geez.”

But just as he was about to withdraw.

Someone grabbed Kang Chan-ho’s ankle.

“Hey, lady.”

“I heard it clearly, Seung-chan! Even after becoming a monster, he ended up not hurting people!”

The person shouting in a hoarse voice was the mother of Lee Hee-chan and Lee Seung-chan, the brothers who had turned into monsters. She was out of her mind after losing her two sons, her everything, overnight.

Moreover, her two sons were treated as monsters. She was losing their honor without knowing the reason or context.

It was fortunate that she had fainted and didn’t see Seung-chan turning into a monster.

“Certainly, certainly…”

“Ma’am. The incident is already over. Of course, Lee Seung-chan immediately fled the moment he turned into a monster. But there were people who got hurt in the process.”

“That’s because they were hit by the bullets you guys misfired!”

Kang Chan-ho snorted, but she didn’t back down. In fact, a startled police officer had fired a shot that went wildly off target, hitting a fleeing bystander who was then taken to the hospital.

Ironically, Lee Seung-chan, despite becoming a monster filled with hatred and resentment, couldn’t bring himself to harm people due to his inherently good nature.

“Investigate properly! Our kids were victims. I don’t know what it was, but those kids…”

“This is really getting annoying as hell.”

“We, we’ll handle this. Ma’am, please calm down for now. This is obstruction of official duties.”

Eventually, others who were watching Kang Chan-ho’s reactions stepped in.

They coaxed and soothed her, almost forcibly pulling her away from the scene.

“Today’s incident will be counted as an achievement for the Awakening Special Forces, right? Will they even bother to research it? Won’t they just be happy to have one more accomplishment?”

“That’s not my problem. Alright! Everyone get ready, let’s get out of here now!”

He directed the other police officers to prepare to leave the scene. His mind was already preoccupied with thoughts about what to report to his superiors.

“Is your performance that good?”

But at that very moment.

There was a presence that appeared, cutting through the dim night sky.

“Please go inside. If you don’t follow police instructions, legally…”

“Look over there!”

The police officer who was pushing her into the house followed her gaze, which had become blank while looking at the sky. The other nearby police officers did the same.

“Tha, tha…”

The atmosphere in the area suddenly changed. The presence of the being that had just appeared was overwhelming. Just by showing up, just by being looked at, people froze.

“Takillas!”

Someone completed the name that others couldn’t bring themselves to utter.

A beautiful girl with flowing dark hair contrasting with her snow-white skin.

Her red eyes, looking down arrogantly with arms crossed, showed no sign of wavering despite the various gazes of the numerous people looking at her.

‘Magical Girl, Takillas!’

Everyone in the area, including the police, raised their guard. The girl held in strong hands was no exception.

However, the way she looked at Takillas was a bit different. It was an emotion contrasting with the tension and wariness of the police.

That emotion was hope that perhaps this small girl could resolve her unjust and bitter situation.

“Takillas, w-why are you here?”

“It seems you’re the one in charge here.”

Takillas, who had lightly landed on top of the patrol car, frowned as she looked at Kang Chan-ho who was looking up at her.

“Why? Is there a reason I shouldn’t be here?”

“Yes. Because there’s nothing for you to do here!”

Kang Chan-ho let out a scornful laugh and shouted, pointing around.

“Look. There are only citizens and police here. There are no villains anywhere. They’re already dead. That’s why this is not a place for you to be.”

“…How stupid.”

“What?”

Kang Chan-ho shouted as if proud, but Takillas, who had been listening quietly, instead mocked him.

“You.”

And then, he began pointing at people one by one with his finger.

“You, you, and you, not the one next to you, but the one next to him.”

As everyone froze, Taquilas’ pointing indiscriminately targeted almost everyone, both police and civilians.

“Lastly, you.”

The final one was Kang Chan-ho. He gritted his teeth and took a deep breath as the thin white finger pointed at his chest.

“No villains? Don’t be so brazen. The ‘evil’ I came to catch this time is you all.”

Taquilas’ cold voice, now devoid of laughter, echoed in everyone’s ears.

“D…Don’t be ridiculous!!”

After a moment of chilling silence, Kang Chan-ho shouted.

His pounding heart and panting breath made him look visibly abnormal, but no one dared to step in and stop him.

“I am a police officer! I am the law enforcement of this country, and I only carried out my duties as ordered! You call me evil? How can following orders from superiors be evil?”

He was desperate as he spewed out words. And for good reason – what had happened to those Taquilas had labeled as evil before?

Whether powerful authorities, formidable and terrifying monsters, or disgusting criminals, they all met their deaths. So far, nothing had been able to stop Taquilas.

“What you’re saying is that you’re turning all the police in this land into enemies! If not, you should obviously go after the person who gave the orders!”

“You’re just elaborately explaining that you’re a bastard without any thoughts or beliefs of your own.”

“B-bastard…”

Taquilas sneered and mocked him. Kang Chan-ho froze for a moment, his mouth gaping.

“Well, isn’t a bastard someone who only moves according to their master’s words? Faithful hound, even if you were to report your master, it wouldn’t change the fact that you’re evil.”

“Ugh, uwaah…”

“And do you think it’s such a big deal to turn all the police in this land into enemies? Are all of you combined stronger than me? In fact, the reason you die is simply because you’re weaker than me, that’s enough.”

The shadow of Takilas began to spread stealthily, trapping and threatening those who were starting to be gripped by fear.

“Do you think that’s some absurd reason? Do you feel wronged? Think about it calmly. The privilege of the strong, trampling and exploitation based on the logic of power. Isn’t that something you’ve been using well until now?”

Takilas’s eyes left Kang Chan-ho and fixed on Lee Hee-chan’s mother, who was still held by the police.

Only then did Kang Chan-ho understand, and he was left speechless.

“If you’ve been eating well all this time, you should have been prepared to be eaten. Is your boss the only predator? There are plenty of predators in the world stronger than your boss.”

“W-wait…”

The shadow blade shot by Takilas rushed towards the terrified Kang Chan-ho.

He shouted urgently, but the words “wait a moment” could only be faintly heard from his head, already separated from his body.

“This land is where I live. It’s also a place I cherish.”

Watching the blood gushing like a fountain from Kang Chan-ho’s severed neck, Takilas quietly spoke.

“Therefore, I will protect and purify this world, regardless of whether they are residents of this world, monsters, or magical girls. Anyone who tries to interfere, feel free to challenge me. If you’re stronger than me, defeat me and ravage this body as you please. But if you lose, you will die.”

She wasn’t just speaking to those present at the scene. It was a warning to all the forces watching through cameras or eyes of surveillance.

Her declaration, with flashing eyes and bared teeth, growling, was imbued with a thick magical power that no one dared to resist.