Chapter 401
It was December 31st. Under normal circumstances, the whole world would be busy preparing to welcome the new year.
But today, all New Year celebrations in various countries were canceled, other public gatherings were banned in squares and other public spaces, and people avoided going outside unless absolutely necessary. The atmosphere everywhere was tense, as if war was about to break out.
Yet, despite that, the public was not overly frightened. It was a stark contrast to how serious the circumstance seemed to be.
“This year’s been rough. Is it because the Eternal Nocturne died?”
“That’s part of it, but the damage the Demon Force took was huge, too. Times like these are always the most dangerous.”
“Tsk... When the hell are those bastards going to be eradicated?”
After fifty-four years of conflict with the Demon Force, people had grown accustomed to emergency states and alerts. And with so many major incidents occurring throughout the year, the public had somewhat been expecting an incident to break out anytime.
In fact, rather than panicking, most were busy concerning themselves over how confidently the Heroes Association and the government could handle their foes.
With everyone staying home in anticipation of the new year, naturally, the internet became more active.
hopebug: Judging by how good the current situation seems to be. Don’t you guys think we could wipe out the Demon Force within the next year or two?
└ coolggin: The Ten Evils aren’t just some neighborhood mutts. You think they’ll be taken down that easily? Getting lucky a few times doesn’t mean we’re guaranteed to win the next fight.
└ dogseller: Well, it’s possible. The Ten Evils have never been exterminated like this before.
└ This comment has been deleted.
└ homing pigeon: This crazy bastard actually mentioned the Perfect Ones. I just reported your comment to the UD Group. Good luck with that.
Of course, the hottest topic was the war against the Demon Force. And unlike before, the populace had now started seeing a glimmer of hope.
A Perfect One had stepped up to join the battles, the Ten Evils were being hunted down, and the Six Great Demonic Realms were being conquered—all of the rapid, dramatic changes forced everyone to realize that things truly were different.
Maybe this time...
Maybe they could really end it all...
Next year... perhaps the endless loop of conflict against the Demon Force could finally end. Even though they knew it was still too early to celebrate, people were filled with anticipation as the tense atmosphere of the emergency state gave way to the arrival of the new year.
“Commencing final checks now.”
Meanwhile, in each branch of the Heroes Association, the last preparations for the Silent Volcano subjugation mission had begun.
—A-1. Ready.
—A-2. Ready.
—A-3...
From the underground command center of the New York branch, reports of each branch’s status were coming in. Supervising it all, Gregory checked the final tally of their deployed forces.
Fifteen S-ranks, forty-two quasi-S-ranks, and sixty-eight A-ranks... it’s been a long time since we’ve gathered this many high-ranking heroes.
When they were trying to stop Wurgen’s rampage, heroes from all over the world had been mobilized under emergency summons. However, back then, operations were scattered across dozens of locations.
In terms of concentrated sheer military force, the Silent Volcano team was the largest since the cold war.
We even have a Perfect One and Ryu Eun-Ha on the team this time. And then there’s...
—A-0. Ready.
The moment that report echoed through the command center speakers, all eyes turned toward the screen marked A-0.
A man of Latin descent was sitting on a tree stump. He was an individual so dangerous that even within the Heroes Association, information about him was strictly controlled.
At A-0, it was none other than Jason Diaz, the Trailblazer.
Staring at the infamous man, employees from all over were all stunned to see him preparing for deployment from their designated coordinates.
No way... This is actually happening?
Holy shit... This is real.
Despite seeing him for themselves, they were unable to believe their eyes, as it wasn’t just any Perfect One—but the one believed to be beyond communication—had joined the Silent Volcano subjugation mission.
Gawking, the staff all stared in wonder—until Gregory tapped his desk.
“Focus! Keep moving!”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
Snapping out of their daze, the employees got back to work.
Similarly, Gregory turned his gaze back to Jason on the screen.
Jason Diaz...
The 125 elite members handpicked by the Association on top of Ryu Eun-Ha, someone whose combat power was far beyond the norm even among S-ranks, were already an overwhelmingly powerful force. And yet, even if all of them worked together, they still wouldn’t compare to Jason alone.
To be honest, the Trailblazer alone can be the main force.
Some would even argue that the assault team would only hold him back. However, that wasn’t how war worked. Even seemingly invincible Perfect Ones had weaknesses, which made heroes that could cover for those necessary.
Recalling the grim memories of war, Gregory quickly shook them off and checked the remaining forces.
The Myers family just finished preparations... so that leaves only Babel.
His gaze shifted to the screen showing Se-Hoon, who was preparing for deployment from Babel.
Gregory’s expression grew complicated. When organizing their forces earlier, he had deliberately not classified Se-Hoon as an S-rank, a future Perfect One, or even an active hero. Based on Se-Hoon’s track record and the fact that he could use the powers of Perfect Ones, he logically should have been classified alongside the Perfect Ones.
But for some reason, that idea bothered Gregory.
Putting him on the same level... just feels ridiculous when you think about it.
Placing a young man who had fought harder than anyone on the same tier as someone with no real achievements or aspirations? It just didn’t sit right with him.
Mulling over what to classify Se-Hoon, Gregory was just about to come to a conclusion when a voice responded.
—B-0. Ready.
The final signal rang out in the command center.
Everyone turned toward Gregory, the call maker for the Silent Volcano subjugation mission.
“Commence operation.”
With those weighty words, space around the entire world distorted at once.
***
Inside the Chairman’s office at Babel, Ludwig entered the Whitespace and lightly swung his hand upward.
Swish-
Lines began racing across a transparent sphere—the planet—segmenting it into countless tiny pieces. With the once-empty sphere now covered in intricate patterns, Ludwig waved his hand again.
Click- Click-
Like a puzzle falling apart, dozens of fragments separated from the planet before gathering in one place—the assault team.
Having successfully summoned the assault teams stationed across the world, Ludwig studied their composition with an amused expression.
Amazing... They’re taking this more seriously than I expected.
He had suspected they would just go through the motions and dump the entire operation on him. From how it appeared, however, not only the Heroes Association but other heroes as well were fully committed to the mission.
As he admired the sheer firepower of the assembled forces, a voice suddenly echoed through the Whitespace. “Chairman, how’s it looking?”
It was Se-Hoon.
“All units are assembled. It seems the Demon Force hasn’t noticed a thing.”
“Looks like they’ve given up.”
“Seems that way.”
In the past, the Dream Demon or Tuner would have detected the spatial shifts and responded instantly. But now, with the Dream Demon slain and Tuner missing, there was no one left who could counter Ludwig’s abilities.
“Unfortunately, that also means they could’ve prepared something in desperation. This is gonna be a pain.”
“Well, there’s nothing we can do about that. What’s your status?”
From the depths of the Netherworld, Se-Hoon glanced back at the massive stockpile of supplies prepared for the operation and quickly assessed it once more.
“All set on my end.”
“Then all that’s left is to begin the entire operation.”
“Yeah.”
With one signal from him, Ludwig would transport the entire assault force, starting the Silent Volcano subjugation mission in earnest.
“Phew...”
Se-Hoon let out a slow breath, bracing himself for the all-out war about to begin.
“Are you nervous?” Ludwig asked, mildly surprised by Se-Hoon’s reaction.
“Isn’t that obvious? There are hundreds of lives on the line here.”
From now and onwards, every decision he made would determine whether dozens would live or die. How could he not be nervous? Even though Se-Hoon had fought through countless battlefields, it was something he could never fully get used to.
And frankly, he didn’t want to get used to it.
Se-Hoon pushed away the unpleasant memories that surfaced.
“As expected... You really are a genuine hero.” It was a quiet mutter.
“...Excuse me?”
“Never mind. Let’s begin as soon as everything is ready.”
Though Ludwig’s sudden words left Se-Hoon momentarily puzzled, he stopped dwelling on it.
He must've been reminiscing about something.
It wasn’t unusual for older heroes to bring up cryptic sentiments, so Se-Hoon dismissed it without much thought and reached out toward the air.
Swish-
The air resisted slightly as if it were being stretched, and soon, a Veil of Whitespace slowly unfurled. Unlike in other places where it formed naturally, the mana of the Netherworld seemed to be actively resisting the Whitespace.
But it can't stop it completely.
Though the process was slower than usual, the Veil of Whitespace was fully drawn, and Se-Hoon gathered the mana of the Netherworld beneath it to form a flagpole.
Grasping the massive banner created by the fusion of two powers, Se-Hoon wasted no time and hurled it straight into the open clearing.
Woong!
The ground trembled violently, and the clearing, once firmly rooted in the Netherworld, began moving toward the world above. Then, the moment the clearing settled on the boundary of the two worlds...
“Chairman!”
At Se-Hoon’s signal, Ludwig activated the teleportation.
Fwoosh!
127 figures appeared around the banner. And the second the raid force had assembled, Se-Hoon activated the necromantic technique he had inherited from Wurgen.
Six Gates of the Netherworld
Rumble-
A massive gate rose in the clearing, splitting open to reveal a volcanic wasteland where lava boiled and toxic fumes churned.
So this is the... Silent Volcano.
An actual Six Great Demonic Realm...
As the raid force tensed at the sight of their upcoming battlefield, Se-Hoon called out to the first person who would enter.
“Jason!”
The moment Se-Hoon shouted, Jason, who had been standing alongside the raid force, silently stepped forward and gazed at the battlefield ahead.
Fwoosh!
Crossing the threshold, the atmosphere flipped instantly. The toxic fumes and intense heat of the Silent Volcano rushed toward him like a living entity, full of malice toward anything alive.
Even high-ranking heroes would struggle to survive in such a place. Yet Jason—just watching the suffocating wasteland before him—calmly clenched his right fist.
The earth was ripped apart by the sheer force of his fist plummeting with full power.
Crunch-
Before the resulting shockwave could even echo, the landscape had already collapsed. It was as if a meteor struck.
The decades-old toxic fumes and searing heat of the Silent Volcano simply couldn’t withstand the impact.
Boiling magma erupted from the depths, spilling like blood from a wound.
Yet, even then, the force from the strike hadn’t fully dissipated—the entire continent was still trembling as if it were screaming.
“...”
The rest of the raid force stared in stunned silence from the Netherworld.
So that’s... the Trailblazer...
How can he generate so much power with a human body...?
While Ludwig, Wurgen, and Karl had also shown the might of a Perfect One through sheer, overwhelming power, Jason’s display was different.
There was no grandeur in manipulating the laws of the world. No majestic presence commanding its forces. All Jason had was eyes that could perceive gaps and the brute strength to force himself into them.
Crunch-
And yet, that alone was more than enough to be called a power.
BOOOOM!
Jason relentlessly drove his fists into every visible gap, his movements creating a loop—falling, punching, and rising again. With each impact, the volcanic environment around him shattered.
It seemed the Demon Force had fortified the volcano with defensive installations, placing hidden turrets, infused with demon aura, across the volcanic landscape.
But not one of them had the chance to activate properly.
Beep-
The moment a turret locked onto Jason—
BOOM!
His fist obliterated it before it could even fire.
“...”
A suffocating silence fell over the raid force.
If he could crush them this easily... why haven’t we conquered the Six Great Demonic Realms sooner?
The overwhelmingly one-sided destruction made them wonder if the Silent Volcano could even last long enough for them to deploy—
RUMBLE-
A deafening tremor rumbled from the earth.
Some assumed it was just the result of Jason's devastating punches destabilizing the terrain. But Se-Hoon, who was observing the battlefield, realized something far more ominous was happening.
So it begins.
From how the Demon Force hadn’t responded earlier, it meant they had already accounted for how the situation was currently unfolding in their strategy. And that meant the war was about to start now.
Se-Hoon sharpened his focus.
“...Huh?”
But just then, a confused voice echoed from the Beads of Omniscience. For some reason, the Seeker sounded more disturbed than when a Ten Evil had appeared.
Because of that, Se-Hoon immediately pressed her.
“What? What is it? What’s going on?”
“...It’s just... something feels familiar.... But no, it can’t be...”
The Seeker sounded uncertain, which served only to set off alarms in Se-Hoon’s mind. Alas, he wasn’t afforded the time to ask for an explanation.
CRACK!
A massive fissure tore through the Silent Volcano. From within, pitch-black magma erupted, engulfing the surroundings. So far, it seemed like natural volcanic activity, but the real problem lay in the power gathering within it.
“That’s...”
From deep below the Silent Volcano, an unimaginable amount of mana was rising. It was coming from somewhere—but where?
“...Oh.”
A single, guilty-sounding syllable from the Seeker. Realizing that her reaction had shifted from uncertainty to horrified realization, Se-Hoon let out a slow, deep, resigned sigh.
“Explain, now.”
“Uhh... So, a long time ago, I built this planetary control system to preserve the ecosystem. I installed it between the outer and inner core, and...”
“You better skip to the conclusion before I throw you into the lava.”
The Seeker hesitated before carefully skipping to the conclusion.
“Right now, it’s being used to gather the planet’s energy...”
“And?”
“To... uh... enhance the Silent Volcano.”
BOOOOM!
Before the explanation even fully sank in, the volcano erupted once more.
But unlike before, the spewing lava was now coalescing into a colossal lava titan, its molten body seething with demonic aura.
The giant abomination then locked its gaze onto Jason and unleashed a deafening roar.
Se-Hoon exhaled, an overwhelming sense of resignation washing over him.
Maybe the real problem here... is the damn Seeker herself.
He learned a new, invaluable lesson: a capable ally helping the enemy is infinitely more frustrating than any foe.