"…The Four Divine Guardians."
I looked down at the night view outside the window. Beneath those brilliant lights were people who, for the sake of their own security, had driven me into the jaws of death.
"How shall you proceed, My Lord? If you give the command, I shall erase the Four Divine Guardians from this land before the night is through."
Alessandro's loyal inquiry cut through the silence of the room. His voice carried the steely resolve of a King's sword, ready to strike down his master's enemies. He bent his knee, awaiting my decree.
"Where is their headquarters?"
My question was simple, but its weight was unmistakable. Alessandro answered without a moment's hesitation.
"According to our intel, they occupy the 7th through 13th basement floors of the Central Government Complex in the heart of Seoul. It is their private fortress, completely isolated from the surface."
"They must be blocking all information. Are you certain?"
"Indubitably, My Lord. The information network of the Bronze-Black Cross extends wherever a shadow is cast. There is nowhere for them to hide."
Absolute confidence dripped from his response. I withdrew my gaze from the cityscape and turned toward Alessandro. My anger had cooled into a frigid, ruthless determination.
"Lead the way. It is time to announce a Royal visit."
Early the next morning, as the eastern sky began to pale with the first hints of dawn, the judgment commenced.
The heart of the Four Divine Guardians.
The central control room on the 13th basement floor had just endured a night that could only be described as hellish. The Chief looked haggard, having stayed awake through the dark hours, and Team Leader Kang stood beside him like a condemned criminal. There was nothing they could do. They were simply passing time in agonizing fear, wondering when, where, and how the King's wrath would descend upon them.
It was then.
[Warning. Warning. External intrusion detected. Defensive barriers one through seven have been neutralized!]
Along with a piercing alarm, the AI's emergency message echoed throughout the control room. The faces of the Chief and Team Leader Kang turned deathly pale. The moment they had spent the night dreading had finally arrived.
"W-What?! What do you mean neutralized!"
The Chief screamed, but no explanation was necessary. On the massive central screen of the control room, two figures were clearly visible walking toward the main entrance. One was a knight—a walking nightmare clad in a jet-black suit embroidered with silver and gold. And half a step behind him was a young man in casual attire, whose mere presence seemed to dwarf even that of the knight.
"…He has come," Team Leader Kang muttered in a voice of utter despair.
The Chief lurched out of his chair.
"P-Prepare to show proper respect! Assemble everyone involved in the central hall immediately! The King... the King has come in person to deliver judgment!"
Before long, dozens of people had gathered in the largest central hall of the Four Divine Guardians' headquarters. These were the agents of 'Project Damocles,' the secret department that had planned and executed this disaster, along with their supervisor, Team Leader Kang, and the Chief of the organization himself. Like prisoners awaiting execution, they stared at the hall's entrance with frozen expressions.
Thump.
The heavy steel doors swung open, revealing the two men. Alessandro followed behind me with flawless posture, while I walked slowly into the hollow hall as if I were entering my own home. With every echo of my footsteps, the shoulders of those gathered flinched in terror.
I came to a stop in front of them. My eyes scanned each of their faces as they lined up in a semi-circle around me. I saw fear, anxiety, resignation, and in a few pairs of eyes, a faint trace of resentment.
The Chief stepped forward and prostrated himself until his forehead touched the floor.
"O Seventh King! These foolish and lowly servants have committed a cardinal sin by daring to disturb Your Majesty's peace! Please… we beg for your mercy…"
"Mercy."
I cut him off. My voice was cold, yet it lacked any overt emotion, which only served to send a deeper shiver down the spines of those listening.
"Before we discuss mercy, surely you have brought the price for your transgressions."
"Y-Yes! Of course!"
The Chief gestured frantically. Behind him, every agent of Project Damocles knelt and bowed their heads. Boxes containing all manner of strange items were placed before them. Elixirs aged for centuries, transcriptions of ancient grimoires, and even a containment box holding a creature that looked like a divine beast's cub. These were the national treasures they had scraped together to appease a King's fury.
"We offer the Damocles department and its supervisor, Team Leader Kang Tae-jun, to Your Majesty to hold fully accountable for this incident. These are the tributes we have prepared with our utmost sincerity, so please, we beg you to rescind your anger."
I briefly looked over the 'offerings' they presented. Century-old elixirs, ancient manuals, a divine beast... It was absurd. My anger was not something that could be measured or traded for material value. If I accepted these and forgave them now, I would be undermining my own authority, inviting them to make light of me in the future. Honor tarnished by such an insult could only be reclaimed through punishment. I almost chuckled at the sheer vulgarity of their inability to comprehend such a basic fact. Ignoring everything else, I walked straight toward Team Leader Kang Tae-jun.
"Raise your head."
After a moment's hesitation, he slowly looked up. His eyes were wide with the terror of a man facing death.
"I will ask you once. Why did you do this?"
At my question, Kang Tae-jun swallowed hard before opening his mouth. His voice was trembling violently.
"…In the past, we failed to stop the descent of a Heretic God… and lost countless agents and civilians. It was a cataclysm that the nation's power alone could not withstand. But… we learned that a King was present on this land. We… we simply wanted to borrow the King’s strength to prevent another tragedy from befalling our country."
I understood his excuse. And because I understood it, my mind cooled to a sub-zero temperature. The contempt I felt for these people, who dared to stage such a childish play against a King, instantly quelled my boiling rage. Taking their lives wouldn't even be an expression of anger anymore; it would simply be the natural process of cleaning up a mess. Their groveling faces and pathetic excuses were no longer worth the effort of being offended. All that remained was 'disposal.'
Suppressing my murderous intent, I looked straight into Kang Tae-jun's eyes. And in that moment, I felt it. Deep within his soul, there was a very faint trace of another presence. It was the remnant of an alien sorcery, cleverly entwined with his psyche like a spiderweb.
"…You were manipulated."
At my words, both Kang Tae-jun and the Chief’s eyes widened.
"What? What do you…"
The moment Kang Tae-jun tried to stammer out a question, a subtle vibration rang out from his pocket. It was a smartphone etched with a familiar logo.
I reached out and plucked the phone from his person. A single line of text from an anonymous sender was displayed on the screen.
[Plan successful. Good work.]
I shoved the smartphone in front of Kang Tae-jun's eyes.
"Who sent this message? I am asking who gave you the intel and incited this entire plot."
Kang Tae-jun stared at the screen. Absolute confusion washed over his face. He furrowed his brow, desperately trying to comb through his memories, but he eventually shook his head with a look of despair.
"…I don't know. There was… definitely someone. Someone who gave me the information on Jiha Daegukjeok and suggested the plan to use the King… but… I can't remember who it was at all. Not their face, not their voice… nothing…"
His words weren't a lie. His face reflected the harrowing confusion of a man whose specific memories had been carved out with a scalpel. Someone had controlled him like a puppet and then severed the strings of memory once the job was done.
I felt a different kind of cold sensation crawling up my spine—not anger, but something else. There was a rat hiding behind the Four Divine Guardians, daring to play with fire against a Campione.
I looked back at Alessandro. He had already surmised my intent.
"Alessandro."
"Your command, My Lord."
"Trace every single digital footprint on that smartphone. Find the invisible puppeteer who erased Kang Tae-jun’s memories and set this board. Every single rat hiding in this land… drag them all before me."
Alessandro accepted the smartphone with a respectful bow, answering without a second's delay. His blue eyes glinted like a predator that had already locked onto its next prey.
"As you command, My Lord."
Comments (0)
Please log in to leave a comment. Login or Register