Please Stop The Pope

‘Not good.’

Nishimura Ryunosuke, the representative of the Japanese Awakeners who was sitting on the left side of the table and observing the situation, clenched his fist tightly as he watched the first greeting between the two Irregulars.

Their right to speak was already gone.

If the Korean Irregular was unilaterally overwhelmed by Barbarian, the situation would have been different.

They could have sided with Barbarian’s side, in other words, the US side, and taken a little more share of the interests.

However, the unfolding situation was not like that at all.

Barbarian was spewing English and Kim Shi Yu was spewing Korean, but the two were somehow continuing to communicate.

Furthermore, the brutal energy that Barbarian was emitting was too much to endure even for himself, who could be called one of the top Awakeners in Japan.

But the Korean in priest’s clothing who just entered was different. His expression was full of composure, and rather, he was smiling as if this situation was interesting.

‘That Korean is a real Irregular. He’s not a subject to be compared with those fake guys from China.’

There was no room for doubt.

In front of Barbarian, who is also called the Jumper in Japan, the only existence that can maintain their sanity is another Irregular.

That’s why Ryunosuke had no choice but to bite his lips tightly.

He had secretly hoped that Barbarian would eliminate Kim Shi Yu at once, but the unfolding situation was not like that at all.

“What are the interpreters doing? Start interpreting right away.”

“Ryunosuke-nim. The interpreters have already fainted.”

“Useless things.”

Interpreters were also called to ensure smooth negotiations, but the situation has become utterly meaningless.

Ryunosuke said with his brows deeply furrowed,

“Call that Korean guy over.”

“You mean Ryu Jin-young?”

“He’s the only one who can withstand their force and simultaneously interpret English and Japanese. Bring him right now.”

“Yes!”

At Ryunosuke’s order, the subordinate immediately moved, and Ryunosuke looked at the Irregulars with a frustrated expression.

‘Yamata no Orochi is not the problem.’

Barbarian is an undefeated man. From the moment such a man was dispatched here, Yamata no Orochi was no longer a big problem.

In the first place, Japan did not request the dispatch of an Irregular. What they wanted was just an appropriate level of support troops.

Nevertheless, when the US readily agreed to dispatch an Irregular, they should have realized their intentions from that moment.

An Irregular was the maximum force and strategic weapon that countries in this era could possess. And the fact that such an existence was moving meant that there was another purpose.

‘Now that it has come to this, the only thing I can hope for is that Barbarian kills Kim Shi Yu for us.’

Until just a few months ago, Korea was the country with the weakest power in Northeast Asia.

3 years ago, from the moment Ryu Jin-yeong, who was highly evaluated even among Disaster-grades, crossed over to Japan, the gap between Japan and Korea began to widen significantly.

If there was a little more time, the grand plan they had established to incorporate Korea’s Awakener society into Japan’s side might have succeeded.

But ever since that guy named Kim Shi Yu appeared, everything went awry.

‘Is there a chance?’

Ryunosuke quickly racked his brain, but there was no suitable alternative.

Except for the method of Barbarian eliminating Kim Shi Yu, as he had hoped earlier.

In fact, Barbarian had already stained his hands with the blood of several Irregulars.

Among them, there would be those who pretended to be Irregulars, but one thing was certain: Barbarian showed no mercy.

Around the time Ryunosuke was pondering various things like that, the two Irregulars who seemed to have finished their nerve battle sat in their assigned seats.

And a little later, Ryu Jin-young, who would serve as the interpreter, entered the tent.

Ryunosuke raised his hand to call Ryu Jin-young to him, and Ryu Jin-young quietly approached him.

“Ryu Jin-young. You will be the interpreter here. I don’t think you, who are also a Japanese Awakener, will interpret in favor of Korea.”

“…I understand.”

“Then let’s start the meeting.”

Due to the aftermath of the previous nerve battle, the atmosphere inside the tent was as hostile as it could be.

‘We must secure as much share as possible at least in the subjugation of Yamata no Orochi.’

If the battle ends without being able to contribute anything, Japan’s national prestige will inevitably fall to the bottom.

Therefore, the conclusion reached by the higher-ups was that they must perform a meaningful role.

In preparation for this, three Disaster-grade returnees, including Ryu Jin-young, and even the Rising Sun Association were mobilized, so they had to prevent themselves from becoming guests in their own home.

‘No matter how much there are two Irregulars, there’s no way they’ll try to handle a large magic beast like Yamata no Orochi with just the two of them…’

At the moment he was devising an appropriate compromise in his head, Barbarian said something while looking at the Japanese Awakeners with a voice full of ridicule.

Soon, the Japanese Awakeners who understood his words began to mutter, and Ryunosuke frowned and said to Ryu Jin-young,

“What did he say?”

In response to Ryunosuke’s question, Ryu Jin-young answered in a dry voice,

“He said that the task of eliminating Yamata no Orochi is sufficient with just himself and Kim Shi Yu, and he instructed the remaining forces, including Japan, to focus on evacuating citizens.”

At those words, Ryunosuke slammed the table with his fist and shouted,

“Does that even make sense now? This is our land, Japan. It’s natural for a country’s Awakeners to defend their own territory!”

Barbarian looked at the angry Ryunosuke, grinned while showing his teeth, and said something in a louder voice than before, and Ryu Jin-young quickly continued interpreting.

“He doesn’t want the Awakeners of an allied country to die meaninglessly. Also, you were the ones who asked for help first. It’s not shameful for the weak to ask the strong for help, so you just need to express gratitude after the subjugation is over.”

“Th-this rude…”

“In addition, he said he will forgive the rudeness just now, but if you are rude again, he won’t forgive you. Ryunosuke-nim. Provoking Barbarian goes against Japan’s national interest.”

Where did it go wrong?

No matter how much of a national crisis-level magic beast it is, with Japan’s current national power, it would have been possible to subjugate it, even if they suffered great damage.

But they were afraid of that damage, so they reached out to the US, an ally, and the result is right now.

‘It’s a problem that needs to be solved politically. It’s out of my hands.’

Politicians would quickly devise a clever solution.

But that was only for a moment.

Ryunosuke lost his words at Ryu Jin-young’s subsequent interpretation.

“He says the operation start time is 2 hours from now.”

From the beginning, they were never given a chance.

“I’ve heard that Barbarian is an impulsive person, but I didn’t know he would make such a choice. I can already see tomorrow morning’s news headline. Japan Passing. The repercussions will be quite enormous.”

“Mr. Kim, aren’t you worried that the American savage and I are going into the field alone?”

“That’s how much I trust you, Shi Yu.”

Aiden Howard was a much crazier bastard than I expected.

First of all, that guy blatantly ignored Japan on Japan’s home ground. They say even a mutt eats half and goes in on its home ground, but he excluded that mutt from the beginning.

It was a decision that could never be made by someone who considers diplomatic relations or the other party’s face.

But Aiden Howard blatantly mocked the Japanese Awakeners and excluded them from the operation.

Of course, in the process, the personnel who were dispatched together to guard me, including Kang Chae-ah, were also excluded, but that wasn’t a factor to be greatly concerned about.

I also had no intention of putting our Awakeners in a dangerous place.

Anyway, he’s definitely a crazy bastard.

CEO Choi at least thought long-term, but this savage doesn’t even think long. He just does what he feels like, what he wants to do. The expression that he’s like a beast fits him perfectly.

“The reason he wants to catch Yamata no Orochi with just the two of us is obvious. After dealing with the magic beast, he wants to fight me right there.”

“…I’m sorry, I didn’t properly grasp the situation because I actually fainted earlier. Are you thinking of killing him by any chance?”

“He’s not someone who can be subdued while keeping him intact.”

That guy told me he killed gods.

I don’t know what kind of world that savage returned from, but he would have no reason to bluff.

Killing a being who has ascended to divinity is not an easy task. Especially, killing a being who has ascended to the seat of a chief god like Limen is almost impossible for a mortal.

But like the divinity of the other world last time, it is entirely possible to kill a divinity that is about to be extinguished. Perhaps that Barbarian guy had killed a few minor gods.

“I’ll have to rip off an arm and a leg each for it to end.”

“Ah… is that so.”

“Don’t worry too much. If he’s someone of that level, he’ll probably reattach the ripped arms and legs and they’ll stick back on quickly. Well, maybe not.”

And he seems like the kind of guy who needs at least that much to submit.

As long as I don’t rip off his head, it should be fine.

Team Leader Kim stared at me blankly and then forcibly nodded.

“Do you need any more explanation about Yamata no Orochi?”

“No, it’s fine since I heard it all during the briefing earlier.”

Like other national crisis-level magic beasts, Yamata no Orochi occurred naturally and is a magic beast that is not in the existing database. Thereason it is called by that name is because it looks similar to the demon of the same name that appears in Japanese legends.

A serpent with eight heads.

According to what has been revealed so far, it catches and eats humans on sight, and commands various flying monsters, including wyverns.

They say it suddenly stopped moving 5 hours ago, and according to intelligence, it is presumed to be sleeping.

In short, it ate humans until its stomach was full and is taking a nap.

Thanks to that, time was bought for civilians to evacuate, but there are still a considerable number of citizens who have not been able to evacuate from inside Sendai City.

Since it hasn’t even been 48 hours since it appeared, it was virtually impossible for everyone to evacuate.

I clicked my tongue and then said to Kang Chae-ah, who was quietly standing next to me,

“Chae-ah, please also help with the civilian rescue operation. I will attach Archbishop Leo to you. Archbishop Leo may look scary, but his healing ability is also outstanding.”

“Barbarian is an extremely dangerous individual. Will you be alright?”

I just smiled and nodded at her concern.

With that, I roughly adjusted the dispatch team’s mission, and finally, the time to move arrived.

There was no need to set a separate alarm.

“Are you ready?”

Because that savage came directly to our tent to pick me up.

I said to Aiden Howard, who came to get me personally,

“Your personality is impatient too.”

“I couldn’t rest comfortably because I was worried about the innocent Japanese citizens waiting for us.”

It doesn’t sound like something a savage warrior obsessed with fighting would say.

Well, whatever.

I had been disappointed that there was no suitable sandbag to relieve my stress after returning to Earth.

A stick is the medicine for a beast that doesn’t know its place and runs wild.

“Let’s go.”

I got up from my seat with a smirk.

The original operation plan was to approach Yamata no Orochi by land.

It was because air superiority could not be easily secured in a place where flying monsters had settled.

But as long as I was here, there was no need to do that.

Just like last time at the ceasefire line, it was enough to bless the helicopter.

While changing the means of transportation to a helicopter, I proposed an additional condition to the US side. And the US side readily accepted my condition.

In fact, it wasn’t even a grand condition.

“Usually, Irregulars don’t want their battles to be made public. In that sense, you’re also a weirdo.”

“You’re not the one to talk, you savage.”

“Hmm. Your way of speaking seems to have become more impudent compared to earlier.”

“There’s no need to speak respectfully when no one’s watching, right?”

“Good. Let’s speak comfortably then.”

The condition was to have a few reporters ride in the helicopter. It’s also because I received a request from the president, but I can’t miss an opportunity to gain worldwide fame.

It’s a good opportunity to make the name of the Limen Denomination more widely known.

If I had known this would happen, it would have been nice to bring the experienced Mr. Semyeong, but there were quite a few reporters at the base camp too.

When I told them they could film the subjugation scene, they rushed forward to compete.

Through a draw, a reporter from a Japanese broadcasting company was selected, and he boarded the helicopter with a cameraman for live broadcasting.

They were full of spirit until they boarded, but once they entered the territory of the flying monsters, the faces of the reporter and cameraman turned pale.

“I wonder if they can even properly focus like that.”

“Can you show the combat scene? I heard it’s an unwritten rule for Irregulars to hide information as much as possible.”

“I don’t care. Even if other guys see my battle, nothing changes.”

The guy who’s going to get beaten to death by me soon is alive.

Aiden Howard was a very ambiguous guy to call a villain.

He’s just obsessed with the desire to win.

“I see it over there.”

The helicopter was definitely fast. As Aiden Howard said, a huge monster began to come into view from afar.

It was just as I saw during the briefing.

A giant dragon with eight heads.

Looking at that sight, a pure question came to mind.

“If I rip off one head, will the other seven heads hurt together?”

At those words, Aiden Howard laughed as if dumbfounded and said,

“This isn’t a pope, but a purely crazy bastard.”

“I told you you’re not the one to talk, you crazy savage.”

“Alright, crazy pope. Let’s make a bet. The one who damages more heads gets the first attack in the friendly match. How about it?”

The moment I was about to retort to those words,

“I’ll take that as a yes!”

Aiden Howard jumped out of the helicopter, holding an axe the size of an adult male’s body in each hand.

That kind of guy is the Irregular of the US.

The world is really going to ruin.

“I can’t lose.”

I sighed and then immediately followed after him to descend.