Above Your Head

Hyun-seok, who was smiling meanly, had his expression become as hard as a stone. "The Captain's War resumed? In this situation?" He expressed doubt, as if facing an impossible situation. It really was as if something went terribly wrong.

"Wait a minute, I have a question!" When I raised my hand, the people gathered around me all looked over. It was slightly awkward. In fact, this was not a situation that I should intervene in. However, how else was I to resolve my curiosity?

"What the? Q-Question?" It was fascinating to see Hyun-seok, looking as wicked as a snake, stuttering. He looked at me with confusion and incredulity.

"Yes, I wonder why you're surprised. Didn't you do it because it's time anyway?" I had asked a polite question, but Hyun-seok, as well as the senior members of the Lee Family, looked at me with a baffled expression. It was an expression that seemed to say, "How is there such a crazy bastard in this world?"

"You crazy greenhorn! Doesn't your brother have any sense of reality?! Don't you see that huge army? Do you think winning this shitty Captain's War will put an end to everything?! On the off chance that we win the Captain's War, I will have you know that that would be a disaster that would wipe out the entire Lee Family!!"

The Captain's War had not yet started, because there would still be five minutes of preparation time,, even if one side insisted on resuming the Captain’s War. Five minutes was undoubtedly too short a time, so two minutes had already passed while they were blabbering on for a while.

"Do you not think about the things that come after? Do you intend to ruin everything just because of one impulsive moment and that petty pride of yours?! Princess! I thought you were rational! I never expected you to do such a crazy thing! In the first place, did you seriously think that a comedy-like situation where the Lee Family winning against the Zhu Imperial Household could actually happen in reality?!" Hyun-seok yelled, glaring.

If others looked in our direction, they might have thought that we were the bad guys while Hyun-seok and the others were the good ones. It was a situation that brimmed with fury.

Min-kyung sneered, looking at the angry Hyun-seok. "There's nothing we can't do."

"What did you say?" As soon as Hyun-seok questioned Min-kyung… Bang bang bang bang. A strange sound was heard, as if a suppressed firecracker finally exploded within a leather pocket. At the same time...

"Ughh! My s-stomach..."

"Keukkk...! What is this?!"

"Euackk!"

Hyun-seok's group, who had entered Gwanghwamun Pavilion, collapsed at the same time. Hyun-seok himself did not fall to the ground, but he was pale with blood flowing from his eyes, nose, and lips. He clearly had been subjected to the same treatment as the rest of his group. Whoooosh!! The power of death, Death Aura, began emitting around his body. His face was already as menacing as a fiendish demon. "You bitch?! Did you do this, you bitch?!!"

"You are beginning to use the word 'bitch' now, huh. Yes, alright. It seems like your mouth has been itching to call me that for the longest time. Since you've fulfilled your wish, this is literally a day to celebrate. You must have been so upset, having to kill up to me by calling me Princess-nim, Imperial Princess-nim..."

Hearing Min-kyung’s voice, which was rarely sarcastic, Hyun-seok suddenly screamed, "Shut up, you impudent bitch! What era do you think we are in to spout such bullshit, like Princess and Imperial Princess?! You are just a dumb bitch who thinks she's some hot stuff because she's born with a good bloodline! What are you doing lying down, you fools?! Get up this instant!"

At Hyun-seok's command, his group moved their bodies while staggering. However, they failed to carry out his orders. It seemed that the damage they received was so great that it was almost impossible for them to recover. In fact, half of the group had already died and crossed the Styx River. The only forces that could move were the four Undeads that stood at the very end of the group. "Coughhh! I'm… I'm sorry, Sect Leader-nim. Our bodies and Mana...have all been destroyed from within."

"What? When did you prepare it? At which point exactly did you have the opening to do so?"

"That's why." At that time, a new face entered Gwanghwamun Pavilion. He was a high school student wearing a high-quality suit, appearing to be in his mid-late 20s or at most in his 30s. He had broad shoulders as well as an attractively tall height. He was Bae Jae-seok, my long-time friend and the grandson of Bae Jin-man, Chairman of Ilsung, a leading Korean conglomerate. "Even if you want to rip someone off, you should do it moderately. Oh my God. You have been eating, drinking, and even getting call girls with what you ripped off from a minor... Don't you feel embarrassed? You look like this because you've been living like that."

"Y-You punk. You, the son of a lowly businessman, dares to?"

"What era do you think we are in to talk about bullshit such as a lowly businessman? Are you a moron who thinks you're some great being after killing people and fiddling with their corpses?"

"Y-You bastard... How dare you!!!" Hyun-seok froze as if flustered by the unexpected biting remarks. However, he soon made a vicious expression and unleashed a black Mana.

Kreukk! Kreuuukkkkkk!! Kruuooaaaar---! The Undeads, who did not even budge an inch even in the midst of a rapidly changing situation, began to unleash a uncouth energy. 

Sliiickkkkk. However, four fierce slashes could be heard coldly cut through the space before the Undeads could move. It was an instant attack that was hard for ordinary people to differentiate whether it was one attack or four. 

"I really abhor patriotic acts. What do you mean by an Emperor and a King in this era of globalization? Who cares about the sacrifices made for the country, or the nation and the people? It's all anachronistic crap." Following that voice, a slender pair of legs unexpectedly appeared in the empty mid-air. Then, a smooth waist, a voluptuous chest, two long arms holding onto two daggers, and finally eyes that seemed to have a temperament, as well as a sharp nose and twisted lips, revealed themselves. "But." My classmate and the princess of the Lee Family, Kyung-eun, who finally showed herself, shook off the black blood dripping from the dagger. She continued coldly, "Not as much as you guys, you traitorous bastards."

"You, t-this bitch… Why are you here? The bitch who declared that she has no lingering attachment to the Lee Family..."

"What are you talking about, you fool? It's true that I was preparing for my independence, but that does not mean that I wish for the Lee Family's destruction, alright? After saying things like patriotism, and the devotion to the country that the lot of you have been bullshitting about, it's ridiculous that you're the first to betray me."

"You...! This...!"

Sliiickkkkk. Both their arms were cut off as soon as they shouted. Kyung-eun laughed, "Well, I still like trash like you guys." Her eyes were shining coldly. "It's not easy to kill people and accumulate Virtue Karma, you know."

"W-Wait a moment! I just, to the proposal of the Zhu Imperial Household..."

Sliiickkkkk. A black line slashed across their neck even before they could finish talking. The head, which was cut as smoothly as a cheap CGI effect, fell and rolled on the floor of the pavilion just like that. For some reason, there wasn't a single drop of blood in the dissected part. 

"Ughhh, that's bloody."

While Jae-seok hid behind Min-kyung, slightly pale in the face, she praised him, "Well done. It must have been a lot of pressure."

Jae-seok shook his head. "Rather, I'm grateful for the opportunity. Among our employees, over 30 victims were killed by those bastards."

"Wow! The Virtue Karma went up 147 points! What the hell did this crazy guy do despite being a member of the Lee Family? It's because of this kind of bastard that even decent necromancers are criticized!" Kyung-eun also stood next to Min-kyung with an unwavering expression. Her nonchalant attitude that seemed to indicate that it was a matter of course, suggested that what they did was not a mere incident or accident.

"No, even if so, this is... Imperial Princess-nim, Hyun-seok is the head of the Supreme Magic Tower Faction's wizards that are in the Lee Family. How can you make such an extreme choice at this critical juncture?"

"How could you kill Mr. Hyun-seok without even holding a proper trial, or going through a proper procedure?! Did you get His Majesty's permission?!"

"How could you do such a hasty act?!"

The senior members of the Lee Family, who had been silent, began to raise their voices and spark a commotion. It was a pretty fierce atmosphere given that they were all ability users. However, Min-kyung did not even bat an eye. No, beyond that, she glared at them and laughed instead. Then, she said, "Shut up."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Gwanghwamun Pavilion, which was as noisy as the marketplace floor, fell into silence. Before she knew it, the atmosphere around her was boiling and the air heated up. It was an ultra-high heat that could even vaporize a flying lead bullet in an instant! What was more surprising was the fact that, in spite of the heat wave that was whirling around, there was not even a single speck of soot on the wooden floor of the pavilion that she was stepping on.

"H-How could Princess Min-kyung exert such power..."

"Princess Kyung-eun inherited the origins of a Lord Justice, but Princess Min-kyung shouldn't have had that sort of thing..."

Unlike me, who had known her level (Level 9) from the first time I saw her, the senior members of the Lee Family were perplexed because they could not grasp her level. However, instead of threatening or appeasing them, Min-kyung lightly kicked off the ground and got up the railing. Then, she shouted.

- I command the entire army!

There was a tremendous roar that burst forth as if a train funnel was whistling. It was an overwhelmingly powerful voice that attracted the gazes of tens of thousands of people, who were only focused on the Captain's War. She drew all their attention while on top of Gwanghwamun Pavilion's railing, and then she shouted again.

- I declare the start of the war!

Shlurkkk shlur shlurkkk! Shlurkkk shlur shlur shlurkkk! More than a thousand archers who had been thoroughly hiding their battle formation along the surrounding walls, on top of Gwanghwamun Pavilion, and along the roofs, revealed themselves.   

'There aren't even that many spaces, but there seems to be a lot of them. Is it a kind of spatial expansion?' I wondered. There was an excessive concentration of people in the space that was limited by restricted access. The figures of those people overlapped as if they were being seen through a kaleidoscope or something. 

Everyone was seen panicking at the sudden appearance. I knew from the moment I came here, because I was immune to the phantoms, but that was not the case for the others.

"Hwa… The Hwarang group?!"

"Moreover, that appearance is..."

"How can this be?! Does that mean the Flower Rain[1] is ready!? That's outrageous! That's the authority of the Patriarch, no, the authority of the King! The Princess shouldn't have had the authority to move them!"

I looked at the archers above the walls again as I heard their screams. 'Hwarang group, huh. Now that I look at them, they're all young, and handsome. They look like idols.'

They were all good-looking men and women in their teens and 20s with a young and beautiful appearance. They were dressed in stylish attires, and even fancy make-up, that did not suit this urgent situation. They even had splendid hairstyles as if they just visited the salon a few hours ago and received a hairdresser's magic touch. It was a sight that made it hard to tell whether this was a battlefield or an idol track and field competition. 

They had three quivers behind their back and one at each side of their waist, making it a total of five quivers. Among them, four quivers were loaded with arrows shining in gold, and the one on their right waist was filled with tree branches with blossoming flowers. 

Cluck. Then, a new figure showed herself on the pavilion. It was a girl in her late teens, dressed up like the other members of the Hwarang group. To my surprise, she was someone I knew. "Loyalty! In-geom, Choi Bae-dal. All preparations are complete!"

"This! What the hell is this?! In-geom! What do you think you are doing right now?! Wasn't it decided that the Hwarang group would be on standby inside the palace?!"

"This is crazy! Absolutely crazy! This is treason!!!"

I let out a vain laugh at the sight of the girl who did not bat an eyelid despite the harsh criticism and condemnation. I thought, 'No, wait, you're telling me it's Leaf?'

She was the most talented singer-songwriter in Korea, as well as a popular star who would top the charts every time she released a new song. I knew there were many people who travelled between the parallel world and the surface world, but how could a celebrity, whose every move was recorded, be the head of an armed group?

"It's wartime right now. Please focus on the situation."

"No, even if that is the case!"

"What a rash action this is! Whatever judgment it is that you have made, the Right of Command lied with His Majesty! Moreover, while the Captain's War is being carried out, it would be impossible to fight due to the system!" Someone among the senior members of the Lee Family shouted. He was not wrong. Due to the distribution of the Great Wizard, Earth's ability users who received a calibration could not resist the system. Wasn't that the reason why Zhou Hongyi was not the slightest bit nervous even when he actually came into the middle of the Lee Family and was completely surrounded?

However, Min-kyung lightly ignored his cry and raised her right hand. Before I realized it, she was holding a jet-black saber in her hands. The faces of the senior members who confirmed that appearance of hers turned pale. 

"Four Day Evil Slashing Sword!!!"

"Why is the King's Godly Artifact with the Princess?!!"

Min-kyung shouted through the screams, "I declare to use the Right of Command! Mark the unqualified ones!"

The Lee Family used the General Right of Command. 88 remaining uses. Along with the text, a 'Wiiiiingggg!' sound was heard and a huge wave spread in all directions. 

'What the?'

A High-level Spell was used in a 10-kilometer radius centering around the Gyeongbokgung Palace! 

'What's the type?'

It's a Phantom Spell.

'Phantom?' I did not understand the situation at the moment, but I soon understood what she was saying as I saw the phantoms that appeared all over Gwanghwamun Square.  

"What is this?! There's an arrow-mark on top of their heads!"

"The enemy used magic! Invoke the Spell Nullification ability!"

"It's not working! No, that aside, a high-ranking wizard who can apply such a spell to this extent shouldn't exist in the Lee Family!"

The sounds of the flustered Chinese people who filled up Gwanghwamun Square was conveyed to me by Udjat's automatic translation function. 

"Commence free fire!"

Piiiing phwiing!!! At the same time as the command, the archers standing on the wall of Gyeongbokgung Palace began to fire out arrows. It was a violent quick fire where each arrow was released before the previous one could even hit its target. Furthermore, there were more than a thousand archers firing at such a speed, which meant that thousands of arrows were fired. That led to thousands of arrows of death covering the sky above Gwanghwamun Gate. Thuck thuck thuck! Thuck!

"Keuackkkk!!!"

"Ackkk!!"

"Get out of the way! I said get out of the way, you guys!"

Blood splattered everywhere and Gwanghwamun Square was stained with blood in no time. China's ability users gathered in front of Gwanghwamun Gate were definitely not low-level enemies, but they couldn't block or avoid the arrows. The power of each arrow imbued with a strong spell was too mighty to block, and the density of humans who gathered in front of Gwanghwamun Gate was too high to avoid. Frankly speaking, how could the Chinese people, who gathered like a packed subway train in order to pressure the Lee Family, avoid the arrows that were flying towards them?

"Bastard!!! You bastarddddddddd!!!!"

"Ah, old man. Why are you so agitated?" Hyung was seen smiling as he gently avoided the old man’s huge blade attack.

Unlike Hyung, who was calm and composed, the complexion of the old man, namely the Blade Emperor, was pale beyond comparison. He looked like he was having a nightmare or something. "Don't avoid it and bring it on, you fucker!!!"

"I don't want to though? You know, I want to fight for a long time." Hyung smiled with his back to the rain of arrows pouring down from the top of the wall of Gyeongbokgung Palace. "For a very veryyyy long time." It was such an innocent smile that it was utterly villainous.

1. There are no records on this online. But I believe it is a Battle Formation of the Hwarang group from the Silla Kingdom.