Chapter 517

In Tuseong, the Red Administrator entrapped Seong Jihan with the veil of light.

The simplicity of the plan was matched only by its effectiveness since the Veil itself was a powerful decree of the White Administrator.

It was believed to be impenetrable by a mere temporary administrator.

Indeed, upon first sight of the Veil, Seong Jihan himself doubted it could be conquered.

Thus,

"Crossing this Veil… Unbelievable."

The Red Administrator could scarcely accept the unfolding reality.

That a temporary administrator, someone like Seong Jihan, could penetrate a permanent administrator's power was beyond his comprehension.

Instead of answering the Red Administrator's doubts, Seong Jihan simply,

Click.

Effortlessly drew his sword from the road.

Infinite Annihilation God

Triad of Martial Mastery:

Mount Tai Suppression

Then,

Szzzz…!

The body of the Red Administrator,

which was split once already,

cleaved in two yet again from a light swing of the blade.

The swing started from the ground and reached the heavens, drawing a straight blue line.

And,

"Fighting is not viable, it seems."

As the face split in two, the eyes of the Red Administrator flashed independently.

Though he had always admitted to his shortcomings in combat, this one swing made him swiftly understand the difference between himself and Seong Jihan.

He had anticipated a gap after severing the Veil of Light, but facing it confirmed his disadvantage.

"Fighting the Blue Administrator would be a certain defeat."

He acknowledged his inferiority in combat compared to the blue, forcing him to seek alternate methods since the Blue Administrator was giving no quarter.

Szzzzk…!

As blue light shimmered along the dark blade's edge, the gargantuan body of the Red Administrator split into thousands of threads.

"You offer no resistance."

Upon Seong Jihan's observation,

Whhhhlll… The shattered body of the giant reignited and regenerated itself.

"Combat was never my domain to begin with."

"For something not in your area, you regenerate quite persistently."

"It's premature to give up when the vessel's completion is this close."

"The vessel … you mean the blood-drenched Sword Palace?"

Seong Jihan glanced briefly at the building the Red Administrator had touched.

Not only had the building changed color, but it was also absorbing massive power from outside, which had also been used for the recent regeneration.

"That's what's keeping you alive."

"Yes. As long as the support of 120 million continues, I will keep reviving."

"120 million?"

"The number of humans who have chosen to follow me. Even after your return, it continues to grow."

While trapped in Tuseong, the Red Administrator had been busy.

Seong Jihan watched him closely,

'As long as there's a spark left, it uses that to survive.'

Even if you sliced the opponent into thousands of pieces, as long as it doesn't fully extinguish, the Red Administrator could use the Sword Palace to regenerate again.

If you're going to eliminate him, it must be done in one strike, without giving him a chance to regenerate.

'Then.'

Seong Jihan planted his sword into the ground.

At that moment, the dark sword fully bathed in blue glow.

The ground momentarily marked with the Taiji.

He then drew his sword and sliced upwards towards the sky.

Infinite Annihilation God

Taiji Sword

Blue Light Sword

From the earth to the sky, a streak of blue light aligned straight. It appeared almost the same as when he had used Mount Tai Suppression previously.

"That sword again? No matter how many times you slice, it's futile…"

Even as the Red Administrator was split in mid-sentence, he continued speaking calmly, but,

The blue streak from the slashed sword did not disappear.

Instead,

"Hmm? This is…!"

As the sword light flashed, the flesh of the Red Administrator was wholly sucked into it.

The trace of the sword absorbed both the red embers and the red light that had infiltrated the building.

"Is that Dongbang Sak's sword? To think that you could wield this…"

"It's merely an imitation."

"Heh, to think everything was nearly accomplished…"

As the original color returned to the building and the Red Administrator's body was sucked into the sword trace before he could regenerate, he let out a resigned breath.

"To die like this, how anticlimactic. Building the Hell was an impossible dream…"

As the Red Administrator was sucked into the sword trace, uttering his last words, Seong Jihan smirked.

"Trickery? Acting dead now?"

"…Did you notice?"

"Make your last words when I destroy the HeavenNet."

"You figured that much? You really are relentless."

"Relentless? That word suits you better."

"Huffhuff…"

As his laughter faded, the Red trace also vanished into the sword trace.

Seong Jihan then promptly jumped, landing inside the penthouse window.

"Uncle…!"

"Jihan, how's your body? Are you alright?"

As Seong Jihan arrived at the window, his relatives approached with concern in their expressions.

He gave them a light smile.

"Luckily, you all seem fine."

Then his gaze shifted to the floating messenger beside Yoon Seah.

"Hey, what's the Black Administrator doing? White is openly collaborating with the Red Administrator to trap me, and he's just watching?"

"I've already made a report, but until now, communications were blocked by White's jurisdiction over BattleNet. However, communications are now restored, and the report has reached him."

"Communications are open now?"

"Yes… by then this crisis was declared a 'partial deviation'."

A partial deviation?

Seong Jihan's brows furrowed.

Idra had been put forward to serve as a scapegoat when needed.

"Can 'partial' move the Veil of light?"

"That's why it wasn't fully effective, and thus easily breached…"

"So, this kind of response means the White Administrator won't intervene in killing the Red Administrator?"

"Yes. I have been assured of that."

While absurd to witness the White Administrator ducking responsibility in this chaos, it actually favored Seong Jihan's approach.

'First, I'll thoroughly eradicate one of them.'

Seong Jihan decided then to start by uprooting the Red Administrator.

He looked at Yoon Seah,

"I'll dispel the Red Administrator and come back. Just keep wearing the hat until then."

"Uncle, are you going right now?"

"Yes. If we give him time, who knows what he'll do next."

The Red Administrator, adept in everything but combat, could engage in further mischief if given the chance.

Now was the moment to root him out once and for all.

"…You'll be back soon, right?"

Yoon Seah cautiously asked.

Seong Jihan smirked and responded,

"Of course."

* * *

In a space filled with light.

There, a small flame flickered to life, revealing the Red Administrator.

"Great sponsor, now more than ever, your support is necessary."

"…Why did you needlessly focus on Tuseong? Because of that, the Veil of Light's form was exposed. Now that it's revealed, further intervention is impossible."

"How could I have known it would be breached? The Blue Administrator is only temporary, and the Veil of Light was a powerful decree of a permanent administrator."

"Regardless, 'Idra' can no longer come forward."

Hearing this, the Red Administrator smirked.

"Why not intervene directly, aside from 'Idra'?"

"That… cannot be done."

"Because of the Black Administrator?"

"It's not yet the time for Black and White to contend."

The great sponsor was showing fear.

The Red Administrator, recognizing the true intent from White's reaction, grasped the real sentiments in a flash.

"Ultimately, you're saying direct support is impossible."

"…That's correct."

"Fine. Then, transfer the ownership of HeavenNet."

"That…"

HeavenNet, named as a platform to replace BattleNet through the Hell, though yet without a tangible outcome,

The White Administrator hesitated to respond, valuing something about this request.

Finally,

"Don't we also need to erase all evidence that you were involved? If I survive, I'll return the ownership to you."

"Then, I understand."

When the Red Administrator even promised to transfer the ownership back,

Flash…!

Only then did he transfer the rights.

As a white light inscribed itself on the forehead of the red giant, he smiled, satisfied.

'I've acquired a last resort to use.'

Even with ownership of HeavenNet from White, he stood no chance against the Blue Administrator, transformed now into a monster following his ordeal in Tuseong.

'But, there's no need to win through combat…'

Nevertheless,

The Red Administrator had a plan.

To resist the Blue Administrator, now the Martial God.

* * *

Washington, USA.

The location of BattleNet's invitation was already enveloped in massive flames.

Even with efforts to quench it, the fire could not be extinguished.

Once it was revealed that the Red Administrator was responsible,

Including the White House, the majority of Washington's citizens evacuated, leaving the city nearly empty.

In the central part of this inferno, where a monument stood,

Pfft…!

A dark sword was plunged, and Seong Jihan appeared.

"It's chaos here too."

Seong Jihan casually drew his sword and,

Swoosh!

Swiped it through the air a few times.

Then,

Ssssss…

The flames that had enveloped the city began to extinguish rapidly.

The fire here was so weak that it could be extinguished without even using the sword.

"So far, it's nothing major."

With ten swings of his sword, Seong Jihan managed to contain most of the blazing fire in Washington.

After casually ending the conflagration, what caught his eye were:

The monument that had turned red, the invitation from BattleNet, and,

A large red portal hanging above it.

"That portal… it's like the Sword Palace, serving as a vessel."

A portal large enough for hundreds of people to enter at once.

From all directions, unspecified energies were gathering towards its interior.

This seemed similar to the 120 million mentioned earlier.

As Seong Jihan observed the invitation and portal,

"You have arrived quite quickly."

From within the red portal, the voice of the Red Administrator was heard.

"You've found some leisure time, I see."

"I just finished preparing to receive guests."

Then,

Ssssss…

From within the red portal, a hand of the Red Administrator stretched out.

"Why don't you come in?"

"Is there a need to go in?"

The portal, manipulated by the Red Administrator, was suspicious, and there was no need to enter it.

"Just like before, I'll slice through it."

Seong Jihan planted his sword into the ground.

The Taiji symbol briefly imprinted on the earth,

And a blade of blue light blossomed forth.

From within the portal, the Red Administrator laughed,

"Haha…whole portal you're trying to slice through. That's so like you. But are you also planning to kill those 120 million?"

"120 million?"

"Exactly 125.14 million, to be precise. The number of humanity that has chosen to become subordinate to me."

Hearing this, Seong Jihan furrowed his brows.

That guy, indeed.

Not dying alone, he was dragging all the kids along.

'Looking at the flow of energy, it doesn't seem like a lie.'

His gaze darkened.

The slice of humanity that chose the Red Administrator.

To save them, should he risk entering the portal?

'…That can't happen.'

If things went wrong,

In trying to save 120 million, all of humanity might fall into the Red Administrator's clutches.

However,

To just slice through it all, 120 million was indeed a large number.

'Is there another way?'

As Seong Jihan pondered this for a moment, his gaze slowly shifted down towards,

The invitation from BattleNet.

The very cause that sparked this chaos by withdrawing humanity from BattleNet.

'…Alright.'

It was worth a try.

Ssssss…

Behind Seong Jihan, a golden wheel emerged.