novelraw Chapter 73
Chapter 73
Chapter 73
Geum Gang-hyeok of the Geum Young Group and Tita Genorua, the legitimate heir of the Genorua Family, joined hands.
Of course, that did not mean they shared the same objective.
Geum Gang-hyeok of the Geum Young Group aimed to bring down the absolute power of Stero Mer, while Tita Genorua sought to reclaim the stolen throne.
「The enemy of my enemy is my friend.」
Following that old adage—one whose origin no one even remembered anymore—they willingly clasped each other’s hands.
Perhaps this was how the original story unfolded.
“……If I subdue Lucky Anubis and take control of the Genorua Family, I’ll have a justification to move the Murder Company that’s been maintaining neutrality. Then there’ll be a possibility even against Stero Mer.”
Jin Crow mulled over the words of Tita Genorua, who was seated beside him, while continuing his line of thought.
‘In the original story, it failed. Judging by how faint Geum Gang-hyeok’s name was.’
In other words, it was a coup that was destined to fail.
Even so, he had no intention of backing out now.
If it were merely a fight over control of a single city, he would not have cared how it ended, but if Stero Mer continued on while holding the initiative of the Free Planet Alliance, that future would never be a hopeful one.
‘……That said, it wasn’t long ago that I stopped a coup, and now I’m taking part in one. This is truly absurd.’
Of course, no matter that he was one of the Knights of the Stars, he had no intention of involving the cadets in this incident.
He himself had already obtained an official freelance mercenary ID through a broker Tita Genorua knew, and if necessary, the cadets could use the same method—but merely standing by and watching that happen would mean he was unqualified as an instructor.
Because of that, he suppressed even Dokgo Ran—and Beatus as well—who subtly wanted to get involved in this matter, with demerit points.
‘For now, they should remain nothing more than promising cadets.’
What he keenly realized while watching this Free Planet Alliance incident was that humanity’s enemy was not only Creatures.
No, perhaps humanity’s greatest enemies were the malignant tumors that lurked within, scheming solely for their own power and advancement.
“What were you thinking about?”
“……Dinner menu.”
“You’re not talented at lying. Or is it that you don’t feel the need to dress it up?”
Tita Genorua murmured that toward Jin Crow and put a cigarette to her lips.
The inside of the car was already quite filled with smoke from the cigarettes Tita Genorua and Jin Crow had been smoking, but because both of them felt a subtle sense of unease, they lit up at the same time.
“Geum Young Security will track Fatal of Carpe Diem and Jimmy Silver of the Interstellar Transport Union. They’re loyalists whose standing becomes unstable without Stero Mer’s authority.”
She wanted to bring down the two factions themselves, but it was regrettable that it was realistically impossible.
Carpe Diem Entertainment held considerable influence not only in the Free Planet Alliance but also in the Empire and the Human Composite State, and the Interstellar Transport Union was a company that handled intermediary trade between the Empire and the Human Composite State.
In other words, even in a capitalist society where vacancies were quickly filled, they were forces so large that even the momentary chaos would have ripple effects worth worrying about.
In other words, there was only one option.
“Fatal and Jimmy Silver. After cutting them out along with their follower factions, the plan is to use them as voting puppets for the Committee.”
“That’s probably Geum Gang-hyeok’s thinking.”
Tita Genorua affirmed his words.
However, her voice was not particularly bright.
Naturally so.
Just as Jin Crow did not particularly like Geum Gang-hyeok on a personal level, Tita was the same.
She was not a fool.
Although she had been struggling against the unexpected betrayal of Lucky Anubis, who had been her father’s loyal retainer, it was entirely her own capability that allowed her to preserve the position and power of Consigliere.
Because of that, she had never lowered her guard toward Geum Gang-hyeok even once.
“……Don’t be fooled by that easy smile. He’s the kind of guy who can do anything for power. That’s how quick his calculations are.”
Until just a few years ago, there had been well over twenty heirs bearing the Geum surname.
Chairman Geum Tae-young was notorious for his womanizing, and just as much, he had a strong desire for children.
The fact that he had children despite having an Elf as his wife clearly showed just how madness-filled a man he was.
‘Elves and humans have difficulty conceiving children. Special drugs must be taken throughout the entire pregnancy, and that’s a privilege permitted only to nobles even within the Empire.’
It wasn’t just half-elves.
He had children with every woman he took in as a concubine.
Of course, the Chairman knew as well.
He knew that doing this could spark a war of succession and bring down the vast capitalist kingdom the Geum family had built.
Because of that, he poured overwhelming power, along with shares, into his firstborn.
However, there was one thing the Chairman did not know—that a monster named Geum Gang-hyeok had been born as his son.
No, rather, a mad elf to a mad old man had…….
Now that he thought about it, ‘elf’ and ‘mad’ were synonymous. It was nothing but embarrassing to have made such a mistake.
“The process was never revealed, but the moment Geum Gang-hyeok seized power, he killed all his half-siblings. Their mothers as well, and even their families, every last one. And then the Chairman disappeared.”
Even now, the bastard still went on about being the second son of the Geum family, about being the CEO.
But everyone who knew, knew.
That within this Free Planet Alliance, there no longer existed any members of the Geum family other than him.
“Of course, he’s also someone who cleans up the work he’s entrusted with thoroughly.”
“Then we just need to finish what we have to do right away.”
“So decisive, Mr. Mercenary.”
Without either waiting for the other, the two grabbed the door handles of the vehicle they were riding in and opened them, and the moment they stepped out of the car that had held only the two of them, thunderous explosions and loud shouts brushed past their ears.
KWAHHHHHNG!
KKEUAHHH!
They were sounds one would expect to hear only on a battlefield, but neither of them paid it any mind.
Naturally so.
All of this was part of what they had planned, and this place truly was a battlefield.
Jin Crow opened his hip flask and swallowed a mouthful, then held the military dagger he had brought instead of a longsword in a reverse grip.
Then, with an expressionless face and a cigarette clenched between his teeth, he looked at Tita Genorua, who was wearing leather gloves, and asked in return.
“Planning to fight personally?”
“Of course.”
At his question, Tita Genorua replied with a faint smirk.
“Blood for blood. That’s our code.”
A revenge that had to be carried out without fail. One that demanded a lifetime, even if it made one look foolish to others.
Vendetta(Vendetta).
Jin Crow savored the familiar yet unfamiliar word, nodded, and soon the two of them slowly moved their steps toward the battlefield.
“Don’t panic!”
“Kgh!”
Meanwhile, the Genorua Family’s stronghold, which had become the battlefield, was nothing short of absolute chaos.
They fundamentally valued tradition.
While other factions were based in major cities, the reason they had their stronghold in the quiet District 11, close to slums and poor districts, was because it was where they had first settled.
In any case, they spared no bullets as they fired at one another.
“Uwaaaaaah!”
“Die! You filthy traitors!”
“I’ll gift you a leather wallet stuffed with fish!”
The garden maze that must once have held the souls of gardeners was reduced to a wreck under the hail of bullets, the central fountain steadily wore down, and the surrounding walls were so thoroughly smashed that it was impossible to tell how many trucks had rammed into them.
Yet even as they killed and were killed amid the storm of gunfire, the mafia—who possessed no special abilities whatsoever—knew this fact very well.
That their role in this fight was nothing more and nothing less than presentable pawns(卒).
From the very beginning, the outcome of this battle had been decided by the clash between superhumans.
“Capture Tita Genorua.”
“Yes, Caporegime(Caporegime : mid-level boss).”
The judgment of the superhumans following Lucky Anubis was likewise made along entirely common-sense lines.
She was the enemy’s queen.
In the history of warfare, had there ever been a war won after subduing the leadership yet still losing?
“Murder Company. We don’t need the help of those human butcher bastards. Our era will come now.”
If that sounded like a remark tinged with a strange sense of rivalry, was that just imagination?
The lineup of superhumans following him was immaculate.
All twenty-odd of them, dressed in black shirts and black suits with gold-adorned pins fixed to their neckties, soon appeared in the very center of the garden.
“Go, our friends(Friend of Ours).”
And with the murmured words of the man at the forefront as the signal, they each gripped their weapons and leapt toward Tita Genorua without hesitation.
“To the Consigliere, the glory of Vendetta.”
Naturally, the superhumans following her did not remain idle either.
In an instant, dozens of superhumans collided with one another, each bearing genuine killing intent, and soon the results spread across the garden.
“Kuh-huk!”
“Kkeueeugh!”
A man who had rotated his Gear and momentarily reached the speed of sound blew off an enemy’s head, only to die immediately after as sharp roots that burst up from the ground pierced through his abdomen.
“Uwaaaaaah!”
“……Khough.”
Fingers that manipulated chains froze solid, and with brutal hands, a head was seized and the spine torn out whole.
Watching that scene, the vast majority of ordinary people aimed their guns at one another and pulled the triggers, all the while wearing expressions filled with awe, grotesquerie, and even fear.
Naturally so.
Psionic energy scattered in all directions, and even having an arm severed drew no concern whatsoever.
And that was not all.
When even those who could not forge Gears but had reproduced fragments of superhuman miracles through various procedures and implants joined the fray, the already-fierce battlefield was hurled into chaos even more rapidly.
“……Is this all.”
But at that moment.
Tuk-.
Jin Crow silently observed the level of the superhumans while smoking his cigarette, and soon stared at the mansion that was dyed in darkness together with the blackout that engulfed the district.
“The real ones are over there.”
At best, the level of those fighting back in the garden reached Triple, but in truth, the majority were closer to Dual Gear.
Of course, their movements were trained to a fairly high level—but that was all.
‘There’s no time. No time.’
Jin Crow—no, Jin the freelance mercenary—watched the back of Tita Genorua as she fought desperately, hoping fervently that he would not end up working overtime.
Taaaang!
Her movements were so effective that it was hard to believe she was merely a Dual Gear–class superhuman, but…….
‘Breaking a path through should be fine.’
That was what he had been paid for in the first place.
If one took money, one provided labor.
An exceedingly obvious truth.
Jin Crow lightly spun the dagger he held in a reverse grip once in his hand, then casually stepped forward.
“Huh?”
Slice, thud-.
“Hoo.”
Soon, with a short breath, he wiped away the droplets of blood that had lightly splashed onto his cheek and murmured without even glancing at the collapsing corpse.
“I am Jin the mercenary.”
It was closer to self-hypnosis than anything else.
Meanwhile, at that time.
Lucky Anubis, having received reports of both the outside disturbance and the blackout and riot in District 11, kept his eyes closed for quite a while before slowly opening them.
“…….”
Sporadic flashes from gunfire outside reflected in through the window, and soon his gaze turned toward the photograph of the Former Godfather.
“Godfather, you raised a nephew too difficult to bear.”
The emotion that gathered on Lucky Anubis’s face as it held his own image at the end of his gaze was—how should it be described.
Truly complex, it was that of a twilight filled with regret and anticipation.
Hiss, sip-.
He soon put a cigar to his lips and took a mouthful of the whiskey he had poured in advance. Then, he retrieved from the safe the documents containing all the information he had received from Stero Mer until now, placed them on the table, and sank back into his chair once more.
“Was Judas’s end suicide.”
At the end of his gaze, it was a night where he seemed to see the sharp mouth within Lucifer.