“......!”
“......!”
“......!”
A faint, faint social smile that had to finish the interview despite being tired, and the blank face that waited for the audience’s silence.
Those were the only two expressions Su-ho had shown all along.
But for the first ti, he showed everyone a stern expression thick with warning.
“Then from here, I will tell you what I went through inside the Takamagahara Gate.”
This much aggro was enough.
People usually rember only the first and last words of a long speech.
‘There’s a reason front-loading is so popular.’
So he spat out what he wanted to say first, hot and straight.
“Do not beco Susanoo’s Apostle.”
If given the chance, it was sothing he wanted to say to everyone... no, sothing he absolutely had to say.
Because Susanoo’s lingering grudge seed like it would be truly long.
‘He already has a nasty disposition, and I’m sure he’ll be watching for any chance to do sothing to the mont he finds a gap.’
But Susanoo is a Transcendent.
Transcendents cannot directly influence reality.
Then if a Transcendent wants to do sothing to a Player, there’s only one thod.
Find a Successor to inherit his will and entrust the proxy malice to them.
That was why he warned all Japanese citizens.
Do not beco Susanoo’s Apostle.
This was a sufficiently effective vaccination.
There were few places that valued group discipline as much as Japan did.
‘A place where the protruding nail gets hamred—that’s Japan.’
Along with being the country that values manuals the most, Japan is also one of the top places in the world when it cos to caring about others’ eyes.
So no matter how attractive it might be to beco a god’s Apostle, if it’s to beco the Apostle of a being everyone hushes up about, then the majority of people would probably never try to beco Susanoo’s Successor.
‘Of course, I can’t prevent it 100%, but how many Japanese Players are there who want to turn their backs on their entire nation?’
After that, Su-ho talked about what he had experienced inside the Takamagahara Gate.
That he took down Susanoo first, then t Tsukuyomi and received Tsukuyomi’s proposal, and so on.
Naturally, he did not say he had made a deal.
Nor that Tsukuyomi had been blackened by the system’s punishnt.
Letting good things be good, he omitted the unnecessary parts, and when he told it so that Susanoo was the bad guy—how inside Amaterasu’s Gate he took Susanoo down one more ti, and how he defeated the Amaterasu that Susanoo had contaminated and saved her—so people actually began to shed tears of emotion.
“Ahh.......”
“As expected......!”
“As expected, Chairman Yasuda is Japan’s hero......!”
“He’s basically Momotaro, isn’t he?”
“By the way, Susanoo really is a bastard.”
“He was already a bastard. Don’t you know the story that Amaterasu hid herself in the Amano-Iwato because his tyranny was so severe?”
“In the end, he was even driven out of the Celestial Realm and beca a god of the human realm.”
“Ugh, once a bastard, always a bastard.”
“But later, Susanoo slays Yamata-no-Orochi for them, doesn’t he?”
“Ah, this guy really has no sense. Why bring that up now?”
“Damn it, a guy who did wrong ninety-nine tis does one good thing and that makes him a good guy?”
“Commit seppuku!”
Public opinion began to form in the direction Su-ho wanted.
The guy who tactlessly pointed out facts was pumled, while the quick-witted closed their mouths and cursed Susanoo.
‘Yeah, this is how it should go.’
Susanoo, are you watching?
I don’t know how you plan to get revenge on , but as Japan’s god trying to recruit Japanese as Apostles, it seems you’ll face more difficulties than you think.
Having achieved his imdiate objective, Su-ho smiled inwardly with satisfaction and raised his voice once more.
“Citizens, I earnestly ask you. I understand the world is very chaotic right now because of the current Second Cataclysm. But I will always stake my life and fight for Japan’s safety. So if you would stand with , then please do not beco Susanoo’s Apostle.”
“Lord Yasuda......!”
“Ahh, he is a hero......!”
“Wow!!”
“Yasuda! Yasuda! Yasuda!”
“Hiro! Hiro! Hiro!”
“Sumiyoshi! Sumiyoshi! Sumiyoshi!”
“Japan’s hero! Yasuda Hiro!”
Thunderous cheers.
Everyone cried out for Yasuda Hiro and praised Su-ho.
‘This should do it.’
At this point, he had done everything he could do right now.
So he decided to take his leave.
“Then I will withdraw now to rest. I will deliver the detailed story through the Paranormal Ability Agency.”
To maintain a humble posture to the very end, Su-ho bowed so that the crown of his head showed, then quietly left the press room and headed back to the mansion.
“Yasuda! Yasuda! Yasuda!”
“Hiro! Hiro! Hiro!”
“Sumiyoshi! Sumiyoshi! Sumiyoshi!”
“Japan’s hero! Yasuda Hiro!”
Even as he left the hall and reached the mansion elevator, he could still hear the people’s cheers.
Hearing that, he couldn’t help but smile.
Ding!
When the elevator carrying Su-ho finally arrived at the floor where Hiro was, Hiro hurriedly ca to et him.
The mont Su-ho stepped out of the elevator, the transformation dissolved, and he returned to his original appearance.
“It was a moving interview, Master.”
“You were watching?”
At that question, when Hiro pointed at the TV, there was a news channel broadcasting live.
Su-ho nodded and returned the borrowed Dojigiri Yasutsuna to Hiro.
“Get plenty of rest for a while. You pulled off sothing big, so no one will be able to burden or pressure you. Try not to appear on broadcasts either if you can help it.”
“Yes, even if not full-on mystique, I’ll maintain sothing similar as a setting.”
“Good. Then for the sake of any unforeseen mishaps, I’ll tell you the real things that happened inside Takamagahara.”
Not everything, but he told him about 90%.
Hiro deserved that much.
When the story ended, Hiro opened his mouth and raised a finger.
“You are incredible, Master.”
“It wasn’t easy. Still, thanks to it, my level is now 252.”
“W-what? 252?”
“Yeah, 252. I’m telling only you. So don’t harbor any funny ideas, and just watch and follow along well.”
“Wow......”
Telling Hiro his level was partly to instill trust, but also to intimidate him a bit.
It wasn’t that Hiro was that kind of person, but you never know with people.
When Su-ho finished the conversation and rose from his seat, Hiro also stood up.
“Are you heading out right away?”
“Yeah, the urgent fire’s out, so I have to step right into the next step.”
“Where are you going now?”
“Secret.”
“Understood.”
“You’re not more curious?”
“I think you’re not telling now because you have a reason.”
At Hiro’s words, Su-ho let out a faint laugh.
‘Cute guy.’
But it was true that he couldn’t tell him because he really couldn’t say it.
Where he was going now was quite a private place.
“The rooftop’s open, right?”
“Yes, if you go to the top floor, you can use the terrace.”
“Alright, I’m going. Don’t see out.”
“Ah, but please at least let see you off.”
“It’s fine. I’ll be quick. By the way, after the Second Effect...... no, the Second Cataclysm, the world’s going to change a lot. So don’t neglect your sword training. I’ll help with places that are truly dangerous, but for the reasonable ones, you—the great hero of Japan—need to take the lead and go clear them.”
“Understood. I will take it to heart over and over.”
“Good.”
After a brief farewell, Su-ho took the elevator straight to the top floor.
On the way to the top floor, Su-ho thought.
‘Other things are other things, but if I have ti like this, I should take care of that guy first.’
Especially now, what he was about to do was tily, because the world was in turmoil due to the Second Effect.
Arriving at the wide-open rooftop, Su-ho imdiately summoned Cheolma.
“Cheolma.”
“Neigh!”
“It’s a long-distance flight. Let’s go.”
“Neighhh!”
With Su-ho mounted, Cheolma floated up and soared into the sky.
“Kill! Kill the f—!”
“Sweep them all! If we don’t do it now, there won’t be another chance!!”
KABOOM!!
An explosive roar.
Along with it, people’s screams and gunfire, and the intermittently heard alien skill sounds raged together.
This place that was like a battlefield was none other than xico. Specifically, xico City, called the capital of xico.
For those who hadn’t gone through the Cataclysm, it would be a sight hard to believe even if they saw it with their own eyes.
No wonder—within xico, which was notorious for poor public order, xico City had been the one and only safe zone among safe zones where safety was guaranteed.
But that too was now a thing of the past.
After the Cataclysm, xico beca divided into North xico and South xico, and the strongest and worst mafia cartel in xican history, the “Calavera Family,” which unified the countless existing gangs into one, beca the master of the north.
And civilians who gained power by becoming Players after the Cataclysm organized a vigilante group to reclaim xico from the mafia: “New New xico,” which was defending South xico.
Among them, xico City was the symbol of South xico, the very front line and gatekeeper of New New xico.
The two groups had, since the First Effect, maintained peace for quite a long ti with xico City as the boundary.
No matter how strong the mafia family was in xican history, it was in many ways too much to crush a Player vigilante group united by paranormal abilities with raw force.
In the anti, the second Cataclysm—the Second Effect—began.
This was a very good opportunity for the Calavera Family.
An excellent chance to, amid the chaos, push out New New xico and swallow the entire south whole.
The mont the Second Effect began, the Calavera Family launched simultaneous, sporadic surprise attacks on xico City, the symbol of the south.
The operation worked like a charm.
The south was already in turmoil because of the Second Effect, and the northern all-out offensive that ca at that timing was sothing even a vigilante force that had maintained firm defenses could hardly respond to.
As the Calavera Family’s massacre continued—
Vrrrrrrrr!!
The sound of a sawblade whirring.
At that harsh tallic sound, the Calavera Family’s gang mbers all froze in an instant.
“N-no way?”
“S—, it’s the Sawblade Cardinal?!”
“I heard that bastard definitely pulled back to the southern rearmost for a Gate clear—how?!”
The Sawblade Cardinal.
His na was Fernando Villalobos, and his nickna Sawblade Cardinal ca from the fact that he used a massive mana chainsaw as his main weapon.
At the sa ti, he was a fighter recognized across South xico and a being called the hope of New New.
“Don’t flinch! Just kill him!!”
“Yeah, f— it! How long are we going to keep running! He’s a guy we have to kill anyway!!”
But today, even the Calavera gang mbers didn’t back down.
Even if the opponent was the Sawblade Cardinal, he was still a mountain they had to cross soday.
So they all joined forces and charged at the Sawblade Cardinal.
“Kraahahaha! Co at , ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ all of you, brats!!”
Vrrrrrrrr!!
“Aaaarghhh!!”
“Gggggghhh!!”
“S-spare !!”
Screams soared.
And at the sa ti, the sawblade spun with them.
Truly, it was the Sawblade Cardinal.
Despite the combined assault of countless gang mbers, he did not yield in the slightest and, as if to show them, massacred the Calavera Family.
Cruel to the enemy, but a sight of utmost reassurance to allies.
Thanks to that, many New New vigilantes found their strength again and raised their weapons.
They shouted that it was indeed the Sawblade Cardinal.
And then—
Shaaah!!
Blood sprayed in all directions.
The thing whose body had been cut in a straight line from head to groin, spraying blood, was none other than the Sawblade Cardinal.
“Your Eminence!!”
“Fernando!!”
The surrounding New New mbers, seeing that sight, bulged the veins in their necks and cried Fernando’s na.
And then, the one who retrieved the sword from the Sawblade Cardinal was—
“You ca to the right place.”
It was none other than Su-ho.
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