I Entered an Academy in a Ruined Game

Chapter 146 : The Plot (2)

The MK-1 attack.

Thanks to Su-hyeon's contribution, they managed to handle it well without any cadet casualties, but it was an incident that once again damaged EFAC's credibility with Instructor assistants dying.

Afterward, the Execution Force and EFAC, who declared revenge against the Sword of Belphegor and Ma-in organizations, had been conducting operations over several months to catch their tail through investigating internal collaborators and thorough intelligence activities.

Of course, the process wasn't easy.

The [Sword of Belphegor], shrouded behind a veil based on information control and cell organization that was beyond thorough to the point of being extreme.

But the Execution Force, called the world's best special unit against Ma-in which had developed its organizational capabilities over decades, didn't give up with just that level of difficulty.

And finally, they succeeded in discovering two likely branch locations where executives were certainly dispatched.

And now.

Units from the Execution Force and Instructors from the academy initiated a joint operation to subdue them in cooperation.

"Cheol-han, how is it that you can't rest even during vacation!"

"It can't be helped."

Kim Cheol-han, now a homeroom Instructor at the academy, and Song Young-hwan, who became a senior team leader in the Execution Force, both close comrades.

The two deployed a joint front, working shoulder to shoulder for the first time in a while.

"Everyone wear masks!"

"Masks on!"

"Moving in!"

"Understood!"

Bang!

A fortress somewhere in the unpopulated mountains.

The strike team that destroyed the main gate flooded into the interior.

"We're under attack!"

"It's the Execution Force bastards!"

"Damn it! How did they find this place?"

"Ask the jailer about that later!"

Leading the charge was Song Young-hwan.

"Hueup!"

Rumble!

The intense shock waves created by Song Young-hwan's fists and palms swept away the Ma-in indiscriminately.

"Arrrgh!"

"Shoot that bastard!"

"Blow him away!"

Concentrated fire from the Ma-in poured toward him.

"Where do you think you're going."

But Kim Cheol-han appeared in front of Song Young-hwan with a light movement, and his palm created dozens of afterimages.

Boom boom boom!

The long-range attacks, deflected by the characteristic "Bounce," engulfed the casters themselves.

'So the level to be hired as an academy Instructor really does guarantee a promotion path in the Execution Force!'

'How can this be the movement of someone who has retired from the front lines?'

'I heard that Kim Cheol-han entered as an Instructor just a few years after I graduated, and indeed, he's worthy of becoming a legend.'

"Cheol-han! Now's the time!"

At Song Young-hwan's shout, Kim Cheol-han nodded.

"Right."

The two split widely to the left and right of the fortress and began to divide the Ma-in formation from both sides.

Woong!

Kim Cheol-han bounced a Ma-in far away with Bounce.

"Come right in!"

Song Young-hwan, waiting on the opposite side, subdued them with shock waves.

The Ma-in were helplessly falling victim to this simple tactic.

"Damn it!"

"Subdue the right side first!"

The Ma-in immediately surrounded Kim Cheol-han, but it was a meaningless struggle.

Swords, axes, spears, clubs, guns.

Deflecting and avoiding attacks pouring from all sorts of weapons, then approaching and extending a palm like a jab without even putting strength into it, and it's over.

"Damn it!"

Woong!

The Ma-in, who was hopelessly bounced away, tried to land a hit on Song Young-hwan, who was waiting for him, while somehow maintaining his posture.

"Whoa whoa."

Song Young-hwan, like a skilled matador, slightly avoided the Ma-in flying in a straight trajectory while planting a shock wave in his side.

"Urrggh!"

The shock wave that resonated through the body and concussed the brain caused the Ma-in to faint, completing the suppression.

While the two were drawing attention from left and right.

Crack! Snap!

"He broke an arm in an instant!"

"That one's wrist is gone?"

"His waist is completely dislocated!"

The members marveled as Kang Jun-man, who had turned semi-transparent, randomly broke, choked, and twisted Ma-in in the middle of their ranks.

"The Ma-in bastards are pitiful."

"The two Instructors seem to have become even sharper than when they were active."

"There's not much for us to do."

"What do you mean nothing to do, you kids! Keep up with the clean-up work!"

"Yes!"

In less than 5 minutes, the entire branch became a wasteland, and finally, there was a reaction from the depths of the fortress.

"You sons of bitches!"

Booom!

What seemed like a firefly-sized flame flickered and then became a powerful bomb that engulfed the Ma-in and Execution Force members.

"Aaaagh!"

"Calm them down and evacuate immediately! Extinguish the fire first!"

Lee Min-sang, an executive of [Sword of Belphegor] and a Ma-in who received a red-level designation from the Execution Force after killing hundreds of factory workers in an explosion.

Upon the appearance of the target, Instructor Kang Jun-man grinned.

"This bastard, finally showed up."

"Arrogant Execution Force bastards! I'll roast you all crispy!"

"I retired from the Execution Force, you idiot."

Whoosh!

Fierce flames that seemed like they would burn everything engulfed him like a gas turbine, but Kang Jun-man passed through the attack as if it were nothing.

"Hmm!"

And Kim Cheol-han, who was standing behind him, put his palms together and bounced the flames into the air.

"Young-hwan!"

"I know!"

Song Young-hwan, who had already seized the Ma-in's rear, fired overlapping shock waves.

"Damn it!"

Lee Min-sang, who discerned the attack with the unique intuition of a Ma-in, quickly avoided it, and the ground where he had been standing crumbled like a sand castle.

'Damn, what kind of guys are these three that came together?'

The Ma-in's face distorted.

"Enemy executive found. I will subdue him now."

Song Young-hwan, who reported into the small walkie-talkie, flexed his wrists left and right.

"Let's go then."

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Meanwhile, the battlefield where Instructor Lee Ho-seung was deployed was an old building in a slum area.

"Attack those bastards!"

"It's the Execution Force! Kill every last one of them!"

"Kill them and leave immediately! Get them!"

The Iron Axe Gang, which had long dominated the back alleys of the area and terrorized the surroundings with cruel methods.

Their true identity was a branch of [Sword of Belphegor] disguised as a back-alley gang organization.

As the disguised identity itself was savage, it was a branch with a much higher proportion of red Ma-in and a strong scent of blood compared to where Instructor Kim Cheol-han was deployed.

Deng! Deng!

And now, their heads were flying through the air one after another.

Instructor Lee Ho-seung.

The martial display befitting the reputation of the "Executioner," who was known to have taken over a hundred heads against red Ma-in who were permitted to be killed on resistance, was now unfolding.

Taking three heads in one breath.

"Arrrgh!"

"Hmm, you're not red."

For Ma-in not on the list, he instantly cuts off their arms and legs.

"Even if you try, none of you will be able to go to White Castle anyway, so what's the problem with missing an arm or two?"

The fighting spirit and killing intent emitted by Lee Ho-seung, whose blood was completely boiling, pressured the entire area.

"And over there, you human bastards hanging out with the Ma-in. Run away now and turn yourselves in. If not, next time I'll come for your necks."

"...!"

While Lee Ho-seung was grinding the Ma-in with a killing intent greater than theirs.

"Roar!"

Oh Chang-seong, transformed into a half-beast form, was tearing through the Ma-in with fist-wind using his fists and flying slashes using his claws.

"Ugh!"

"Aaaagh!"

After refreshingly cleaning up the low-grade, substandard Ma-in, Oh Chang-seong immediately rushed at the Ma-in with the agile movements unique to feline predators.

"Kheng!"

After striking and cutting with his claws-raised front paws.

Whack! Whack!

Jab, weaving, body blow, straight.

He extended his fists with heavyweight destructive power and lightweight agility, sweeping away the Ma-in.

No Ma-in could withstand even two exchanges against Oh Chang-seong, who was showing the true face of a Were-Tiger.

"Hey, the rooftop should be cleared by now!"

The Execution Force members following from behind flinched and answered to Oh Chang-seong's shout, who had awakened his wild nature.

"Yes, that's correct! Team Leader Jang says subduing is completed!"

"Then we'll go all the way up! Don't fall behind and follow!"

"Yes!"

"Oh, Instructor Lee! Since when have you been here?"

Oh Chang-seong, who discovered Lee Ho-seung covered in blood in front of the office on the 14th floor where the boss was, asked.

"About 3 minutes."

"Hehe, as expected, you're fast."

"Let's finish this quickly."

"Of course."

Bang!

As the two broke down the office door and rushed in, a Ma-in with a height just over 2 meters, and strangely slender long arms and legs, rose from his chair.

"Finally, you've come."

A blade about 1m long connected to a gauntlet covering his hands and forearms.

Lee Ho-seung's eyebrow twitched at the unusual weapon.

"Haha, surprised? This is a sword called Pata."

The Ma-in said, stroking his gauntlet.

"It's a sword that originated from central India. It was designed to deliver slashing and thrusting attacks with greater power. You can thank me for showing you such a rare sight before you die."

"Hahaha."

When Lee Ho-seung laughed, the Ma-in tilted his head.

"What's so funny?"

"Your weapon, it's a sword used as an extension of the arm without even using the wrist, right?"

"Yes, and?"

Lee Ho-seung twisted his lips.

"That's a really shitty sword. I'm reluctant to even call it a sword."

Woong.

Lee Ho-seung's sword emitted a pure light of sword energy.

"So I'll cut it for you myself."

Cheng!

Lee Ho-seung and the Ma-in's blades collided in mid-air.

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The sword called Pata wielded by the Ma-in was stronger, faster, and more intricate than Lee Ho-seung had thought.

"You're quite familiar with fighting!"

Moreover, the tactic of confusing the enemy by creating numerous clones using the characteristic "Doppelganger" was quite tricky.

But.

"I've figured it out. Nothing more to see now."

The moment Lee Ho-seung nodded, the tide of battle reversed at once.

Slash!

Lee Ho-seung, who cut down three clones in one breath, cut down two more clones in the next breath.

"Crazy!"

"Clumsily dispersing only leads to being defeated individually. You misjudged your opponent, fool."

'Chiik!'

Feeling the unfavorable situation, the Ma-in immediately took his next action.

Ssssk.

The Ma-in, who created as many as ten new clones, attempted to escape by hiding among them.

"Putting on airs and then running away in the end!"

Oh Chang-seong, who had been watching the fight from behind, pounced on the real body, detecting it with his wild senses and smell.

"Roar!"

"Damn it!"

The Ma-in belatedly regained his strength by merging his clones and swung his Pata at Oh Chang-seong.

It was a sword strike that, if hit, would not spare even the thick skin and muscles of a Were-Tiger from injury.

'Still not scary compared to Jang Su-il!'

Oh Chang-seong, who avoided the sword by a hair's breadth, slashed the Ma-in's chest with his claws.

"Urgh!"

And then he shattered his nose bridge with a lightning-like right straight.

"Kack!"

The moment the Ma-in, who collapsed after just two hits, fell to his knees.

Swoosh!

A clone, created out of nowhere, stabbed Oh Chang-seong's occipital region from behind.

It was a lethal attack that, if successful, would have killed even Oh Chang-seong instantly.

Clang!

Lee Ho-seung, who had appeared out of nowhere, blocked the attack while simultaneously slicing the shoulder joint obliquely, dissipating the clone.

"You should stay focused until the end. Your back was exposed."

"Hehe, thank you."

Subduing complete.

The two Instructors bumped fists in self-congratulation.

"Good job."

"You too, Instructor Lee."

Oh Chang-seong grinned and said, stroking his chin.

"But Instructor Lee."

"Yeah?"

"Is this really an executive-level of the Sword of Belphegor? It's too..."

"Your thoughts are probably right."

Lee Ho-seung nodded.

"These bastards are small fry."

"You think so too, Instructor Lee?"

"Are they bait, or did they just get caught in the net because they're incompetent? That will come out when we investigate."

Whew.

Lee Ho-seung released the tightly held tension with a long exhale and returned to his usual slick appearance.

"Anyway, our job is done. I wonder if Cheol-han and the others are finishing up too?"

"Yes, they said they'll be subdued soon."

"Those brats. They should have done it quickly."

Lee Ho-seung snickered.

"I'm leaving. Take care of the cleanup."

"Instructor Lee, where are you going?"

"I need to take a shower and drink some cold beer. Let me know if anything comes up from the investigation."

"Yes, get home safely."

But.

They did not get the information they wanted.

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"You really have a bad taste."

Vampire Queen, who was examining the branch decimated by the Execution Force through the eyes of a familiar, shrugged her shoulders.

"A conspiracy should properly be intricate and subtle."

Hwang Won-jae twisted his lips.

"Both had considerable strength, but they were merely newcomers lacking the class to be called executives."

"Hmm, it's a bit of a waste to use them as bait and discard them."

"Well. One shouldn't be stingy with necessary sacrifices."

Hwang Won-jae said, raising his whiskey glass.

"They attacked academy cadets twice, and we gave up two branches to the Execution Force and Instructors who are full of venom. But there's no information to be gained from those under a geas that prevents information disclosure."

"Meanwhile, we leisurely achieve our 'real purpose,' right?"

"That's right. By attacking alone, we can erode the credit of the Execution Force and increase the fear and fatigue of citizens toward Ma-in in that place."

"A war of public opinion. The method the Execution Force hates the most."

"The enemy is the vast system itself. For us, who are just a handful in number, to fight against it, we inevitably have to become guerrillas."

A satisfied smile faintly appeared on Hwang Won-jae's languid face.

"And there's one more move to divert their eyes. This is the real one."

He raised his finger.

"In an hour, all the news will be noisily talking only about 'them'."

"A marauding band rushing in from the continent. You really do pull off things no one would ever think of."

As Vampire Queen smiled so wide it seemed her mouth would tear, her sharp fangs gleamed.

"So the effect of diverting the citizens' eyes is excellent, isn't it?"

Hwang Won-jae replied nonchalantly.

"All of this is just a small trick to follow His grand plan."