Chapter 82

Episode 5: Citizenship / Chapter 82: Musical Chairs (5)

TL: emptycube

ED: Obelisk

‘Outbreak of war . ’

This was the keyword that struck the world . Death was broadcasted on all the screens and speakers of the world .

War . The death of others . When it didn’t concern you, it would never be anything beyond tiring, unpleasant news . Instead of feeling pain for another’s death, you would click your tongue, “Tsk, humans,” then change the channel . However… the moment you thought that their death was related to you, it would become a completely different problem . This was why a terror attack in Paris was slightly more sorrowful and shocking than the slaughter of thousands in the Middle East .

The reason why the Berserkers’ ‘slaughter’ resounded so loudly was because this carnage was an incident that could occur anywhere in the world . There weren’t any countries free from the competition and conflict between sovereigns which occurred to select the seven overseers . An uneasiness similar to standing in the middle of a pile of explosives with tangled conductive wire . The world received a shock and was uneasy . Public opinions scrambled to criticize Choi Hyuk .

Of course, the Jessie clan’s superb directing skills had contributed to the situation progressing as it did .

In a video, Jessie was walking down the streets of Washington . He followed the steps the Berserk Sovereign Choi Hyuk had taken, and the places he passed by went up in flames before turning to ash . The wide-angle shot captured the ruined scene which looked like the aftermath of God’s punishment . Since the soldiers, who resisted until the end, had been burned cleanly, it was hard to find any corpses .

{… Is this the act of a human?}

Jessie’s depressed voice was heard . It was as if he was surprised by the Berserkers’ overwhelming strength and was saddened by the unbelievable horror .

The main battlefields were Central Park and Washington . There was a clash between Choi Hyuk, who had been charging towards the White House, and the mechanized infantry division, who tried to stop him . Choi Hyuk, who had activated the Shoes of Hermes to its maximum, passed through this place like a jet and his flaming feathers burned everywhere . This was where the most civilian casualties took place .

Jessie, who had been walking slowly, discovered the corpse of the young girl amongst the pile of ashes . Although her face had been stained with dirt and ashes, she was beautiful . When only looking at her face, it felt as though she would open her eyes at any moment, yet everything below her chest had all turned to ash and scattered . Just looking at this sight made people want to cry .

“Ah…”

Jessie held the girl’s corpse in his arms . The camera perfectly captured Jessie’s trembling fingers . He slowly stood up, holding the girl in his arms .

He didn’t say anything . He simply raised his head and looked directly at the camera . His fingers and eyes no longer trembled . They stayed frozen . A freezing aura hung in the air . Jessie gazed at the camera with tightly shut lips .

The screen gradually turned dark and a single word appeared .

{REVENGE(복수)}{1}

The U . S . stood up . The world became enraged along with it . To have invaded the U . S . , slaughtered civilians and killed the president without a declaration of war… The Berserkers were branded as the world’s worst terrorist group and as warmongers . In the end, Freeman’s prediction, ‘I will survive and the Berserk Sovereign will be the enemy of the world,’ had become partly true .

{We need to make the Berserk Sovereign, who abuses his strength, pay a price . }

Sovereign Jessie formed the Anti-Berserker Alliance . Heroism struck the U . S . and half the clans spread throughout the world joined the Anti-Berserker Alliance . Soon after, sovereigns of other countries participated in creating allied forces . The mood progressed this way . There were both moral obligations and benefits . The Berserk Sovereign was an intimidating existence that they feared, and there were many sovereigns who wanted to use this opportunity to eliminate him . ‘If so many forces participate, won’t the Berserk Sovereign definitely be constricted?’ was what they thought .

**

However, Choi Hyuk simply moved per his schedule .

Now that he had disposed of the Clown Sovereign Freeman, it was time to deal with the Sovereign of Opportunity Nasir . He wasn’t the least bit concerned about the Anti-Berserker Alliance . Only Baek Seoin grew fretful .

“There are a lot of enemies . There’s no chance of winning in an all-out war . ”

Warned Baek Seoin on their way to deal with Nasir .

The intelligence Naro had sent them was proof . An intelligence that, with Sovereign Jessie as their head, around three or four sovereigns were gathering their troops on their path to Nasir . Because the locations of all the sovereigns who applied for the seven overseers were revealed, it had become easier to navigate through Dragonic and was also why Sovereign Jessie’s Anti-Berserker Alliance was able to gather together so quickly .

“Not only that, but even the Camilla clan evacuated the healers they dispatched to South Korea and insisted that we resolve this through words and not military strength . We currently do not have the moral high ground . Also, we are the minority . Although it is true that leader is strong, don’t you have a limit to your stamina? You cannot win against all of them . ”

Even when Baek Seoin earnestly said this, Choi Hyuk didn’t change his mind .

“We can’t back down . ”

Then he added,

“Don’t worry . We won’t fight them . ”

“What? They are currently blocking our path so how are we going to not fight?!”

At Baek Seoin’s sullen protest, Choi Hyuk gave a short reply,

“We aren’t fighting . We are going to jump over them . ”

“… Pardon?”

The monsters that attacked tirelessly throughout their advance gradually died down and suddenly hid their whereabouts . The reason was clear . The Anti-Berserker Alliance filled the plain they saw on the horizon . It was because they, who had arrived early, had cleaned out the nearby monsters .

Baek Seoin sighed .

“… So many… Our side doesn’t even have ten thousand left…”

{I estimate there are around 50,000 people . }

Reported Naro . Tension flowed throughout the Berserkers . The Anti-Berserker Alliance didn’t simply have more numbers . They caught sight of experts who possessed strong karma in various places . They even felt their strong determination . They expected that there would be many casualties if they collided head-on .

Sovereign Jessie came out first . He shouted with the attitude of a high schooler picking a fight,

“Berserk Sovereign! Do you have anything to say about the civilians you slaughtered in New York and Washington?”

Choi Hyuk answered,

“Nothing to say . I’m on my way to attack Nasir so move . ”

A commotion erupted .

The Anti-Berserker Alliance became noisy at Choi Hyuk’s half-hearted response . The rage amongst U . S . citizens was especially strong . After the short outbursts settled down, Jessie raised his tightly clenched fist . At his signal, the noisy crowd became quiet .

“… Looks like words won’t work . ”

He said as he raised his suspended spear . He shouted, his clear voice resounding,

“All forces… Spread out!”

Whooosh .

It was like a surging whirlpool . Tens of thousands of colonizers spread out at the same time, leaving a certain distance between each other . If one had stood in arranged rows during school assemblies, they would know that, due to the characteristics of a line, the people further out would have to move a lot more . It was close to impossible for an army of tens of thousands to spread out at the same time .

However, each person was an awakenee who transcended human capabilities . They showed explosive power as they spread out, leaping tens of meters each stride, and the ranks of the Anti-Berserker Alliance, which already filled the plain, instantly expanded to the point of being unable to see the edges .

“It’s not like we don’t have any countermeasures . ”

Jessie clenched his spear . It was because the ‘Flaming Wing Dance’ Choi Hyuk had shown multiple times possessed an extreme range, making fighting against him in a concentrated formation impossible . That was why he planned on maintaining his spread-out formation to tire out Choi Hyuk and the Berserkers in an endlessly rotating fight .

He stood here to truly win against the Berserk Sovereign Choi Hyuk .

“Surround them!”

As Jessie’s command sounded out, the plain stirred up . It was a magnificent sight as it felt like the entire world was moving . Some even began using alien means of transportation that they had obtained from the supply store to quickly surround the ground the Berserkers were standing on . It was swift as well as unbelievably systematic .

However, Choi Hyuk’s eyes showed a pleased look, let alone nervousness .

“… For them to spread themselves out on their own . ”

It had become easier since…

“Berserkers . Don’t fall behind . ”

Choi Hyuk wasn’t planning on fighting the Anti-Berserker Alliance, but instead, jumping over and ignoring them .

Kiiiaaang!

The Berserkers’ Shoes of Hermes let out a deafening noise simultaneously . A deafening noise they didn’t hear when they ran on land .

Bang!

Choi Hyuk ran forward .

The Berserkers followed after him .

“It’s no use!”

Shouted Jessie, yet-

“… Huh?”

The Shoes of Hermes, which were emitting a deafening noise, created repulsive forces in midair, and with a bang, the Berserkers stepped on air and flew above the Anti-Berserker Alliance .

“What… What the! Block them!”

Since they could only obtain alien objects through direct transactions at the supply store, the numbers, and their capabilities, were limited . Unlike the Berserkers, who could freely step on air and fly due to Naro’s abilities, there weren’t many amongst the Anti-Berserker Alliance who could partake in an aerial battle . There were only experts who jumped extremely high by relying on their own abilities and the minority of colonizers who possessed flying-type tools .

Although they quickly flew up-

“Screw off!”

Crash! Bang!

They were beaten up by the team leaders and directors of the Berserkers and sent plummeting to the ground .

There was nothing they could do . If, instead, they were in a tight formation, they could have all jumped up at once and attacked, or shot from afar to somehow damage the Berserkers . Since they were in a spread-out formation, they didn’t have any suitable way to block the Berserkers .

“Euaahhh! Berserk Sovereign!”

Enraged, Jessie stepped on air and jumped up . He didn’t borrow the power of any tool, instead, this was a movement technique which required precise control over karma . He blocked Choi Hyuk’s path, who had been running faster than anyone else . He used this moment to stab his spear .

Kiririk!

The Predator’s Blade deflected Jessie’s spear to the side as it passed by .

It let out a metallic screech .

Choi Hyuk smiled .

“Not bad . ”

Bang!

Then he just passed Jessie .

“Berserk Sovereign!!!”

Jessie, who had been left behind, shouted, but Choi Hyuk didn’t face him, and Lee Jinhee, who had been following behind him, smacked down at Jessie’s back .

“Shut up!”

“Who are you?!”

Kakang!

Jessie easily blocked Lee Jinhee’s attack by flipping his body, but that was it .

“Now screw off . ”

He couldn’t endure Chu Youngjin’s attack as he followed up behind her as well .

Rumble!

His downwards strike was accompanied by the sound of thunder . Although Jessie had blocked it, he was pushed back from its strength and fell to the ground .

The resistance of the Anti-Berserker Alliance ended with that .

The Berserkers passed over the Anti-Berserker Alliance without much loss . The alliance felt hopeless, like a dog chasing a chicken .

**

“Ueahaha! Did you see their faces?”

Lee Jinhee’s voice was filled with excitement . She repeatedly imitated Sovereign Jessie’s dazed expression while bursting into laughter . To her, it was a fun battle for a change . Not a lot of blood was spilled either .

“Puhahaha! Did they think we would face each and every one of them? Keuhihi! Us Berserkers don’t stop for nothing!”

Lee Jinhee shouted like a drunken middle aged man .

It wasn’t only her, but overall, the Berserkers were in a good mood . As they toyed with enemies multiple times their number, there was no way they didn’t feel good .

It was while they were advancing in a good mood .

“Huh?”

Choi Hyuk, who had been running, suddenly let out a sound of surprise .

“Huh?”

Baek Seoin, who was following behind him, was surprised as well .

“What? What is it? Huh?”

Curious, even Lee Jinhee was surprised .

It was because the information on Nasir’s location, which had been clearly indicated just now, had suddenly disappeared .

Choi Hyuk turned towards Baek Seoin with confused eyes . Baek Seoin said with a dazed expression,

“Uh… Leader… Uh… It looks like Nasir withdrew from the application for the seven overseers?”

“Why?”

Choi Hyuk asked as he didn’t understand . Baek Seoin told him his assumption . Although it was a bit disappointing .

“… That’s because leader is chasing him?”

“Because I’m chasing him?”

“Yes… To hide . ”

“…”

Nasir had not participated in the advancement evaluations even once . Even still, he applied to be one of the seven overseers . The Nasir who had met Choi Hyuk’s criticisms with a “What did I do wrong!” had hidden his tracks . Because he became scared when Choi Hyuk truly came out to kill him .

“… What kind of bastard…”

Choi Hyuk was taken aback by his despicable behavior . He shook his head as he said,

“Let’s go see first . ”

Since he couldn’t retreat without any profit, he continued to advance .

“Haa…”

Someone sighed .

They couldn’t do anything about the disappointing mood .

{1} The raws actually had both English and Korean .