＜ Episode 156 ＞
John is not overconfident in his own strength.
Always assuming the worst situation and preparing for it is the reason John has been able to survive so far.
In addition, the opponent was a devil that he had never imagined with his common sense, so he thought that any preparation would not be enough, so John diligently moved to prepare as much as he could.
“I heard the story well. zone.”
It could be said that coming to see Strydom, frowning and chewing on a cigar, was part of that.
“I heard that there is no progress in analyzing the cubic players are aiming for. colonel.”
I couldn’t tell what he was thinking just by looking at the fixer’s face, which had a tired expression as always.
“Isn’t it enough to leave only a few samples? It’s disposable anyway, so it won’t end up in players’ hands.”
The eyes that were hidden in the tired expression shone coldly.
“Because I won’t let you do that.”
“Hmm.”
John thought as he looked at Strydom, who was deep in thought with a frown on his eyes.
‘As far as I know, the group with the most Philosopher’s Stone is the National Guard.’
There was information circulating that players were after the Philosopher’s Stone, and we didn’t know what exactly the Philosopher’s Stone was doing, but that didn’t matter.
What was noteworthy was that it became the goal of the players, and it was meaningful just to interfere with it.
Originally, a military operation is to do something that the opponent would hate the most.
So, since the Philosopher’s Stones were collected from all over Luna, and Luna’s public powers were in motion, no one knows how many Philosopher’s Stones the National Guard currently has.
You can get the required amount at once, and if the story goes well, you might be able to get the defense force’s cooperation and strydom’s help, so it’s natural for John to ask the defense force for cooperation.
if it’s a problem
“Have you decided on a place?”
“It should be done outside the city. I am looking for a suitable place.”
“is it.”
Strydom, who had been thinking with his arms crossed, frowned.
“…but it’s dangerous. It’s part of it, but it’s summoning demons. If handled incorrectly, it will cause enormous damage to Luna.”
“There is a possibility of that.”
The military is a more conservative group than you can imagine, and those who do not like adventure.
“I know you well, but others don’t. If this proposal is presented, it is highly likely to be rejected. No, apart from that…”
“Maybe I can get my body in custody.”
Originally, the military is a group that fears the risks derived from failure rather than the benefits from success.
In addition, if the defense forces were aimed at protecting Luna rather than direct attacks, this tendency would be even stronger.
The place where John is now sitting opposite Strydom is the headquarters of the Defense Force in Area 31.
The entire building was full of soldiers and all kinds of weapons were lined up, so it was obvious that if they wanted to subdue John, troops would come in an instant.
but.
“Then I will resist.”
“······yes. In the meantime, you never know what damage will happen.”
It was a calm voice, but that’s why Strydom couldn’t move recklessly.
When I first saw him, he was a solver who had not reached his peak, but he has crossed the threshold of being a superman.
And the ability of the solver he saw was formidable.
Considering only the assured destruction ability, John was an opponent that Luna’s superhuman or weapons could not follow, and if he could not subdue him at once, the entire district, as well as the Defense Forces headquarters building, might be blown away.
“It’s good if you cooperate, but it doesn’t matter if you don’t.”
Burying himself in a soft chair, John opened his mouth in a calm voice.
“I will do this somehow. I won’t give up on my goal. No matter what obstacles come along the way.”
I came to the National Guard to complete the mission as quickly as possible, but it doesn’t matter if I can’t get their cooperation.
It will only take a little longer to prepare, but John will eventually summon the demon and ignite the flames of destruction.
And any John that Straydom knows will burn and destroy anything that gets in the way.
Even if that opponent is the National Guard or Luna’s public power.
In other words, John had come to inform the National Guard not to interfere with his work, which was extremely absurd, but Strydom couldn’t help laughing.
superman.
That’s because being a superhuman with very special powers deserves it.
“Mmm.”
John threw the ball, and Strydom wrinkled his brow when he realized that the ball had landed on him.
‘The High Council will at least dismiss it. Beyond that, it’s obvious that he’ll try to redeem John. The problem is that the High Council is unaware of John’s danger…’
The best way is to pretend not to know about it and cooperate with John, but taking the cubic out of the Defense Force’s storage is difficult with his authority.
It’s a useless item, but its value has risen sharply because of the players, and it’s an item that’s getting a lot of attention.
Even Strydom, who is on the superhuman hierarchy and the leader of the Defense Forces, cannot be touched carelessly.
‘Should I just pretend I didn’t know and cooperate personally…’
I don’t know if I didn’t know, but I already knew, and I needed to prepare just in case.
Devil.
Although transcendentalists are said to be remote beings, among them, the devil’s shadyness is well known.
As John said, if you are a demon who is sowing destruction in Luna, you must respond preemptively, and personally, I support John’s judgment, but I have a different idea at the level of the National Guard organization.
‘Then I’ll have to do that.’
Strydom, who had made up his mind, raised his head.
‘The High Council is not informed. Let me personally cooperate. Personal revenge is the main thing, but ultimately it’s about eliminating Luna’s threat, so it doesn’t go against the public interest.’
Even though he is a superman, he serves in the National Defense Force. What settles deep in the heart of Straydom is the soldier spirit to protect Luna.
I have no hesitation in doing something that does not go against my beliefs.
That’s when Strydom, who made that decision, was about to open his mouth.
“Just give it up. I will convince the High Council.”
Someone entered the room with a heavy voice, and John and Strydom’s expressions subtly changed as they confirmed the man’s appearance.
A middle-aged man with a tall stature and a size suitable for him, with dark red skin.
Unfortunately, the sickness was evident on his face, but even so, he seems to be unable to hide his temperament, and his boisterous energy overflows.
“Whoa.”
White smoke wafted from the thick cigar in his mouth, and he strode forward with rough steps and threw himself on the empty sofa.
It may seem rude, but it was so natural that this man did it.
“My authority is still alive. I visited for the last time to do a handover, and I got to do something meaningful.”
“Are you okay?”
The man laughed heartily at John’s question, which seemed a little worried.
“Ha ha ha ha ha! What if it’s not okay? Who can touch this Stephen Armstrong in the National Guard!”
Strydom frowned at the casually spit out rant, but soon nodded and agreed.
Originally, the scariest person in the military is not a discharged person.
Even a high council would be difficult to stop if it was a reserve colonel who was predestined to have the mighty power of the city council.
Above all, the High Council owes Armstrong a debt.
Armstrong’s words are not bluffing.
“zone.”
“Colonel Armstrong.”
A smile came to Armstrong’s face.
“Thanks to you, I was able to keep my face. It’s running a little bit, but it’s still a great success. I like your plan.”
Although petty and insidious, Steven tended to act boldly once a plan was drawn up, and considering his tendency, John’s plan wasn’t bad.
“Don’t worry about the back and push forward firmly. If it’s you, you’ll get results somehow.”
“I will not forget this.”
“Ha ha ha ha ha! Of course you should, John!”
Armstrong laughed heartily, patting John on the shoulder and making eye contact.
“Make the giant omelet you’ve never imagined, John!”
“I will.”
It was hard to understand what it meant, but John nodded.
***
Leaving Straydom’s worried expression and Armstrong’s boisterous laughter behind, John left the National Guard building and walked down the streets of District 31, gathering his thoughts.
‘I have collected all 10 stones. Kaidel and Strydom joined, and Fioren and Odin joined. Only four troops are determined once.’
There was not one person who was not a superman, and one of them was a legendary superman.
Although the body’s power is being restricted, Kaidel promised to temporarily lift the restrictions in time for execution, and it was clear that it would be implemented as it is.
He is Kaidel, the blood horse, and he is responsible for his words.
If the city council saw it, it was excessive power to the point that it might be a group trying to overthrow Luna, but John thought it was still insufficient.
‘The opponent is a transcendent. I don’t know what kind of power it will exert if it materializes in the material world.’
It is said that John’s flame burned the devil, but it is an image world.
It was impossible to predict what kind of power the demon summoned into reality would exert, so it was necessary to further expand its power.
‘Could Miller infiltrate the network of superhumans?’
Although he is an extremely capable broker, contacting superhumans is an entirely different matter, and it is difficult to say whether Miller will be able to pull it off.
‘A general ability person wouldn’t be helpful. The opponent is a transcendent. At least a superman would be able to respond.’
It’s been a while since I first encountered Strydom and was horrified at its mighty power, but now I laugh at the reality that is not noticeable unless you are a superman, but the situation always changes.
Operating according to the environment is familiar to John.
How long did it take you to organize your thoughts and move on?
‘Well?’
A sudden sense of incongruity stopped John’s steps, and he looked around.
In District 31, where the headquarters of the National Guard is located, there are almost no ordinary citizens, and most of the residents are soldiers or people related to the military.
For this reason, the composition of the street itself tended to be a bit bleak, but even taking that into consideration, the landscape John is looking at now is heterogeneous.
The appearance of the street remained unchanged, but an important element was missing.
‘······ There is no pretending to be popular.’
I don’t know what happened, but people disappeared from the streets, and I felt a strong sense of alarm because it was a change that John didn’t notice at all.
‘You completely fooled my senses and created this environment? ability? Magic? incantation?’
clap.
Whatever it was, it was an unusual situation, and a revolver was in John’s hand before he knew it.
and that moment.
“Easy easy go. Even if we resist, we will only lose strength to each other.”
With a sonorous voice, someone appeared from across the street, and as if that was a signal, several dolls popped up around John.
There was no sign of anything, and John’s eyes twitched a little at the movement that even John’s superpowers filled the surroundings couldn’t grasp, but his expression didn’t change.
“If it’s perish, I’ll destroy Luna as hard as perish, so why are you trying to do something stupid?”
Along with the sonorous voice, I could clearly see the figures of the dolls surrounding John.
All of them have unique outfits and ferocious weapons.
Although the number is less than ten, surprisingly, the momentum emanating from each individual approaches that of a superman.
It was an ominous energy that made his heart sink just by contacting it, and John was able to understand the situation at once just by contacting it.
“Right.”
Looking at the enemies with fishy smiles, John opened his mouth.
“Domination changed the flag, and there’s no law telling a player not to do that.”
The insidious and ominous demonic energy felt in the imagery space.
A cold smile formed on John’s lips as he glared at the players who were exuding the demonic energy that John had burned.
＜ Episode 156 ＞ End