Chapter 298: Friend (3)

Translator: Dreamscribe

The flames grew fiercer, staining even the sky with black smoke. It was a sight Jinwoo had seen often enough in Arsilan, but seeing it here on Earth left him with a heavy, tangled feeling.

Jinwoo watched Helby's back as she went into the FS Convention Center ahead of him, then used magic to scan every corner of the interior once more.

Helby had headed for the second floor where the people were gathered, so the ones still inside the building were left to Jinwoo and Heina to rescue.

They had arrived a little late because it had all happened so suddenly, but he would be able to save every last one of them. The magic placed on the Heroes was a spell that pushed their luck to the absolute extreme whenever a disaster or accident occurred.

Firearms that almost never malfunctioned would jam one after another; a car barreling straight at someone would be struck by lightning and miraculously swerve aside. The kind of luck that could plausibly show up when a life hung in the balance. The kind of luck a person might experience once in a lifetime.

"The building's at its limit now. Burning nicely."

The FS Convention Center was a building FS Games had poured a great deal of money into. Acquiring the lot alone had cost a fortune, and everything inside that building was expensive equipment packed with the latest technology.

The fire suppression systems and fireproofing were good enough that an ordinary blaze wouldn't have made it flinch. The seismic design was flawless too. It was a shame no magic had been cast on it, though.

For the entire building to burn like this, a great many conditions had to be met.

Whoever did it had to know the interior as well as the architect who designed it, and had to be carrying bombs with enough firepower to destroy the building's multiple safety systems in a single stroke. In other words, these were no ordinary terrorists.

"There must be a spy on the inside."

Jinwoo nodded at Heina's words.

The spy wouldn't be one of FS Games' employees. Probably a subsidiary, or somewhere else along the chain. The employees had been selected through a special screening process, but the same could not be done for affiliated companies, government agencies, and subsidiaries.

No one was born an Evil Person.

They simply fell, blinded by desire. Ordinary people being swept up by malice and corrupted was a common enough story.

WHUP-WHUP-WHUP-WHUP!

The roar of helicopters rang out. Not only the counterterrorism unit's helicopters but those of several broadcasting stations hovered above the convention center.

The acrid smoke pouring endlessly out of the FS Convention Center kept them from approaching any closer.

"Let's go."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Jinwoo and Heina hurled themselves straight at the burning FS Convention Center.

They punched through the flames and entered the interior. A Soulmate's body wouldn't break down even at high temperatures, but Jinwoo used a bit of magic to bring the heat down anyway.

Heina followed lightly behind him.

"How's the body?"

"Considerably weaker than my original, but it moves well enough."

Heina glanced at her burning shoulder and slapped the flames out with her hand as if brushing off dust.

Jinwoo transmitted the survivors' locations, which he had found through magic, to Heina. Her eyes flickered and an Information Window appeared before her. A map of the building's interior showed up at the top of her field of vision, like a mini-map.

"To move quickly, I'll need to cut through the floors and walls."

"No one's watching, so do as you see fit."

"Understood."

The power had been cut entirely and every CCTV camera was destroyed. There were, of course, surveillance devices capable of monitoring the interior regardless, but he had no intention of revealing them.

Heina looked at a length of rebar jutting out from between chunks of concrete, then reached out and gripped it.

SHNK!

She pulled the rebar free with ease and straightened it out flat. Gathering mana at the edge of her hand, she cut it down to a suitable length.

The Soulmate's performance fell far short of her original body, but as long as she had something resembling a sword in her hand, it wasn't much of a problem.

She had reached a transcendent realm with a single blade; she could have split this convention center in two right then and there.

Heina gave the rebar a light swing, and Aura burst out from it, splitting the floor and the wall far into the distance.

"See you when it's done, then."

Heina bowed her head and vanished, leaving only an afterimage.

Jinwoo began to move in earnest as well.

He already knew every location, so there was no need to search. He did, however, have to lead everyone all the way to the exit, which meant planning his routes carefully.

'Start with the largest group.'

There were Heroes huddled in a corner of the first floor. Unable to evacuate because of the flames, they had taken shelter in the spot that looked safest. They had soaked their clothes in water and stuffed them into the gaps around the door, but that had reached its limit now.

They had held out this long thanks to the magic Jinwoo had laid down, but in a situation where death was completely certain, that is, where no luck existed at all, the magic wouldn't activate.

As he approached quickly, he heard coughing from inside. The door had turned red-hot and could no longer be opened.

'Still keeping their heads, though.'

The Heroes inside were calm, and they were still searching relentlessly for a way to live. Rather than shaking with terror and dread, they were trying anything they could.

There was a reason their souls shone the way they did.

The ceiling collapsed and the flames spread inward. Just as the Heroes sensed the end coming and gripped one another's hands tightly, Jinwoo grabbed the glowing red door and tore it away.

CRRRUNCH!

The door ripped off like paper, and the Heroes' eyes went so wide they looked ready to pop out. Jinwoo smashed through the wall connected to the door and quietly snuffed out the flames with magic.

Jinwoo strode inside and looked at the Heroes.

Every one of them was in cosplay, dressed as though they were in Arsilan, and a laugh escaped him despite himself. It felt exactly like running into them back in Arsilan.

"Greetings, Heroes."

The scene was so unreal that every one of them was struck dumb.

"L-L-Leon-nim!?"

"Haugh!"

"Y-you guys see Leon-nim too?"

"Am I dead?"

That was how impossible it was to believe. One Hero even squeezed his eyes shut, shook his head violently, and opened them again.

GRRRRK! KWOOOOM!

Steel beams twisted somewhere, and something came crashing down.

The Heroes, barely gathering their wits, swallowed hard and stared at Jinwoo as he came closer.

"A-are you really Leon-nim?"

"Yes. The trip here was a bit of a struggle. Terrible traffic. New York, after all."

"H-haha…."

At Jinwoo's joke, the Heroes' faces went slack with disbelief.

They still hadn't gotten out of the building, and now it was coming down on top of them, yet their expressions brightened.

If Leon was beside them, miracles happened.

Four years of shared history proved it.

Merely being inside a burning, collapsing building was nothing at all. They had overcome crises far worse than this more times than they could count.

"Is anyone injured or unwell?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"Let's move."

The Heroes followed Jinwoo out. All they could see were fire, smoke, and rubble. It felt like being inside a warship after an explosion.

An escape route had been marked clearly on the walls and floor. It looked like they could get out that way.

"I marked the escape route on my way in. It won't collapse easily. Run that way."

"What about you, Leon-nim?"

A Hero beside him asked, worried for Jinwoo.

"There should still be people left inside. Don't worry about me. Even if I die here, I can be resurrected again, just like all of you."

"Ah!"

"Oh?"

The Heroes nodded, impressed.

Hearing that put it in a genuinely strange light.

Heroes could resurrect infinitely, even if they died in Arsilan. But Arsilanians could not. Once they died, that was the end. Through the Great War and all the way to the Dimensional Realm, countless people had lost their lives.

And yet now the situation was reversed. The Leon standing before them, clad in a body called a Soulmate, could keep resurrecting no matter how many times he died on Earth.

"Whoa! That's insane."

"Something about this…, it feels like Earth turned into a game?"

"It's Log-in Earth!"

Listening to the Heroes chatter, one would have thought they were perfectly safe, but the building was caving in at a terrifying pace.

"All right! Run!"

Jinwoo said with a smile.

"Yes!"

"See you outside!"

"LET'S GOOO!"

Trusting Jinwoo, the Heroes started running, following the markers he had left. The magic would protect them all the way to the exit, so there was nothing to worry about.

He shared the information with Heina as well.

Jinwoo quickly located the Heroes trapped on the first floor. Every Hero who saw him reacted exactly the same way. Watching those reactions was rather enjoyable.

They had come in so deep that they couldn't reach the exit under their own power, so for the time being they followed along behind Jinwoo until everyone remaining on the first floor had been rescued.

'Last one.'

He spotted what looked like a family huddled together.

When the building half collapsed, the magic laid over them came undone as well.

GRRRK! KRAK!

A massive pillar came crashing down toward them. It was already too late to dodge, so they clutched one another tightly. The pillar's fragments alone would have been enough to take their lives.

KRAAASH!

Something struck with a heavy sound, but no pain came. The man holding his child raised his head and looked up.

"Good evening."

"L-Leon-nim…?"

What the man saw was Leon, holding up the enormous pillar with both hands. Not just the man and his family, but the Heroes watching from behind, all stood there blankly.

"This is a little heavy."

"Ah!"

The man hurriedly gathered his family and scrambled clear, and Jinwoo shoved the pillar aside. Acting like it was a strain had been harder than the lifting.

"Now we're getting out of here."

KRAKRAKRAKRA!

The ceiling and walls began to collapse.

To anyone watching, there was no chance of survival, yet fear and despair were nowhere to be found. Because a light brighter than the flames was there with them.

"If we all work together, every one of us gets out safely. Are you ready?"

Everyone nodded at Jinwoo's words.

Jinwoo scooped a small child into his arms.

"Then let's go!"

Jinwoo took the lead, guiding them all as he ran for the escape route. The convention center was already as good as fallen. Had he not been holding it up with magic, they would have been buried.

The corridor leading to the exit came into view, but it was blocked by debris.

Jinwoo looked at the blocked corridor, then kicked the wall beside it. The wall crumbled, opening a way through into the corridor.

[All the people in the basement have been rescued.]

Word came from Heina.

Looking at the situation outside, the mood was grim. Many people had been rescued, but the group Jinwoo had with him numbered several dozen.

The FS Convention Center's collapse was being broadcast live across the entire world.

"Run at full speed!"

The moment they reached a space free of flames, Jinwoo shouted.

"Aaaaah!"

"Uugh!"

The people began running with everything they had. Jinwoo handed the child off to a Hero and ran forward while supporting those who fell behind. Right at their heels the building came down, and a thick cloud of dust surged after them along with the flames.

The instant the people came into view, the paramedics waiting outside jolted in shock and rushed forward. They supported them and hurried them to safety.

The moment Jinwoo emerged last, the FS Convention Center collapsed completely.

'Harder than Grand Magic.'

Getting people out of a disaster like that without letting anyone catch on to the magic was quite the ordeal.

Jinwoo looked at the ruins of the FS Convention Center with a bitter expression.

Human malice struck him in a way that hurt terribly.

The people of Earth were all complete souls capable of becoming great beings. Souls capable of seizing countless possibilities in this infinite Higher Dimension.

This near-infinite world had been granted to them.

Only a few steps from where they stood, they could have had it all.

And beings who had thrown all of that into the gutter were the ones who created disasters like this.

Jinwoo felt the same thing he had felt when Arsilan burned.

CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP!

Cheers and applause rose behind him.

Jinwoo slowly turned around and looked back.

A great many people were sending him cheers and applause. Heroes, firefighters, police officers, paramedics, counterterrorism personnel, and even government officials and broadcast reporters.

They were overjoyed and relieved that everyone had made it out safely.

Helby and Heina came to stand beside Jinwoo. Jinwoo smiled brightly and waved along with them.

The broadcast reporters came surging toward Jinwoo.

"Leon-nim! How did you know to come here?"

"Please tell us a word about what happened inside!"

"Lady Helby subdued the terrorists, and…."

The reporters' questions came pouring down.

The police kept them under control, so Jinwoo was able to answer smoothly. Footage of Leon answering questions was broadcast worldwide as breaking news.

To the Heroes, and to the people of Earth, the Leon they saw was 'justice' itself. Today he had stood against terrorists and saved countless lives, and he answered even the reporters' relentless questions with perfect courtesy. If anything, it was the people around them who scolded the reporters.

"This just in! It appears there are no missing persons!"

A reporter who had received the news shouted.

Cross-checking the entry logs against those who had evacuated and those who had been rescued turned up no one missing. They were investigating further in case anyone had been overlooked.

An entire convention center had been wiped out by a terrorist attack, and if the death toll really was zero, that was an extraordinary miracle.

"I'm truly relieved everyone is safe."

Jinwoo spoke with a look of genuine relief on his face. But his eyes had settled into something cold and calm.

'No lingering attachment to what has to be cut away.'

A cancerous growth should be excised without a shred of sentiment.

* * *

'The Emperor of Silion Who Saved the People!'

'Leon Stops Terror Attack and Rescues Civilians!'

'Zero Deaths! Leon's Miracle!'

'A Meticulously Planned Attack. Who Is Behind the Terrorists?'

Articles with headlines like these came pouring out. To be precise, it was Helby who had subdued the terrorists, but in any case, it became an enormous topic of conversation.

There was even a politician who insisted that this was unlawful intervention and that Leon should be held accountable, but the moment he was buried in criticism, he posted an apology. Of course, since there was no legislation covering any of it, there was no issue at all.

Naturally, Arsilan Worlds went completely wild.

Title: This is Arsilan, all right.

The light that always protected the Heroes.

He protected us in reality too.

(Photo attached: Leon, beaming)

I've never been prouder to be a citizen of the Sillion Empire.

Also I wanna throw hands with every single bastard who was screaming about an AI uprising or whatever. So who blew up the convention center then, aliens?

If these clowns can't manage gratitude they could at least shut up, but no, they gotta go around flinging crap.

Every last one of them needs to be exterminated.

Anonymous 1: It's always humans that are the problem.

Anonymous 2: Still, Leon-nim seems to be enjoying Earth Online. He hit up a pizza place in New York today. Ate three whole pizzas.

└Anonymous 3: The mayor of New York and a bunch of officials were serving him lol

└Anonymous 2: He's an Emperor, so protocol-wise it's a little underwhelming, but honestly that's not bad?

Anonymous 4: Heard rumors about a White House invitation. He probably won't go.

Jinwoo read through the posts on Arsilan Worlds, let out a small laugh, and closed the Information Window.

In the dark of night, he looked out over the city lights from the roof of a tall building. Heina appeared behind him and bowed her head.

"You sure you're up for this?"

"Of course. This is the punishment of Evil Persons, so it is nothing but a pleasure."

Helby had gone back, but Heina had said she would help Jinwoo see this through to the end. Jinwoo nodded, and a deep smile spread across his lips.

"Then shall we start cleaning up?"

Arsilan Saga stood on the threshold of Episode 6's final stage. Before that stage began, he intended to sweep away the noise, thoroughly and cleanly.

Everyone connected to this attack would receive Divine Punishment.

The god they had been searching for would come to them in person.

But contrary to their expectations, that god would not be merciful.

*****

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