After Ten Millennia in Hell

Fujimoto Ryoma laughed out loud while glaring at Prime Minister Yamada. Although his mouth was laughing, a chilling bloodlust leaked from his eyes.

"U-Urgh…"

Prime Minister Yamada trembled. He looked at Oh Kang-Woo and gulped. Ryoma's bloodlust was scary… but it was nothing compared to the fear he felt for Kang-Woo. Kang-Woo had him fully under his control with the Authority of Fear, so he was unable to defy him.

Prime Minister Yamada calmed down his trembling and waited for Ryoma's reply.

"Leaving aside the fact that you searched my house without a warrant… how can you prove the demonic crystal came from there?"

He wasn't sure from where the prime minister had gotten a demonic crystal… but it was meaningless to bring out a demonic crystal and claim that it was found in his home. It was similar to someone who was not a police officer searching one's home and claiming that they had found drugs.

Of course, it was true that Prime Minister Yamada's authority was higher than a police officer's, but Ryoma was considered a national hero, so he also had quite the authority.

"I requested a trustworthy guild to handle the search. They will be the ones to testify."

"A trustworthy guild…?"

Ryoma frowned. There wasn't a guild in Japan influential enough to be considered trustworthy because the average level of Players was too low for that.

But for Prime Minister Yamada to suddenly say that he'd asked a trustworthy guild to perform the search…

"What are you talking ab—"

"These are the people who were in charge of searching Fujimoto's residence."

Click.

The courtroom's door swung open.

Everyone focused on the people who had opened the door and entered the room.

There was a huge uproar in the courtroom.

"H-Heavenly Sword Clan!"

"Why is Tian Suyan here…?!"

The person who had entered the room was a woman with twin buns. Seductive energy flowed from her, even when she just stood still.

Tian Suyan was the daughter of Tian Wuchen, the master of China's biggest guild, the Heavenly Sword Clan.

She stood on the witness stand without the judge's permission. Smiling, she opened her mouth to speak. She spoke in fluent Japanese with no need for an interpreter.

"Nice to meet you. I am Tian Suyan, the person in charge of investigating Fujimoto Ryoma's alleged involvement with the Demon Cult. I heard the details of this case from Prime Minister Yamada three days ago, right when Kurosaki Yurie's kidnapping incident ended."

"M-May I ask why China suddenly got inv—"

"Stop. Could I receive questions once I am done talking?"

"Ah, yes… My apologies."

A heavy silence blanketed the courtroom, which had been noisy until a few moments ago.

As expected of the daughter of Tian Wuchen, Suyan had impressive charisma.

She glanced at Kang-Woo and slightly licked her lips.

"Prime Minister Yamada said that he felt guilty about Fujimoto Ryoma being considered a hero after supposedly saving the Miko of the Heavens. Hence, he asked for assistance from the Heavenly Sword Clan to expose his true colors."

"THAT'S BULLSHIT!"

Ryoma's angry voice sounded through the room.

Suyan ignored him.

"We, the Heavenly Sword Clan, know very well about the dangers of the Demon Cult. So after hearing that the real identity of someone praised as a World Ranker was, in reality, a member of the Demon Cult, we couldn't remain still. That is why, after Prime Minister Yamada asked for our assistance, we secretly searched Fujimoto's residence."

"W-Wait. What in the world are you talking about?"

"As a result…"

Suyan's expression darkened. With just a simple change of expression, the atmosphere of the courtroom became tense. The technique she used to play with people's feelings was being used in another way to influence the people in the courtroom.

She said, "Fujimoto Ryoma is indeed a member of the Demon Cult. We found many items containing demonic energy in his residence."

"YOU CRAZY BITCH!!"

Ryoma screamed like a madman. He felt his mind go blank. The situation was developing in a totally unexpected way.

'Wh-What is going on?'

The situation was completely different from when Prime Minister Yamada had said that a demonic crystal had been found in Ryoma's residence.

Suyan was a member of the Heavenly Sword Clan—China's biggest, no, East Asia's biggest and strongest guild! Their level of credibility was leagues above the words of Prime Minister Yamada.

'Why did the Heavenly Sword Clan get involved?'

No matter how much Ryoma thought about it, he couldn't understand what was happening. Why had a massive guild like the Heavenly Sword Clan gotten involved in such a case?

'At this rate…'

His face turned pale, and he started breathing heavily. At this rate, he would be framed as a Demon Cultist without being able to do anything about it. He was aware of this, but he still couldn't do anything.

There was no way for him to do anything. Witch hunts were established exactly for the reason that the accused were unable to prove that they weren't a witch.

It was the same with the Demon Cult.

People had no way to prove that they weren't part of the Demon Cult.

Don't have demonic energy? High-ranking Demon Cultists such as high priests were able to completely conceal their demonic energy deep within their hearts. The only way to tell if someone was a Demon Cultist was to take out their heart.

"Damn!" Ryoma couldn't help but curse. The whole situation was unfair. He wasn't a Demon Cultist, nor had he ever tried to become one.

He had kidnapped the Miko of the Heavens and leaked false information to hinder the rescue operation?

It was all a lie, but he couldn't find a way to prove his innocence.

As if giving the final blow, Suyan said, "I swear in the name of the Heavenly Sword Clan that everything I have said about this case is the truth. Fujimoto Ryoma, that evil man's true identity is that of a Demon Cultist."

The people focused on Ryoma.

"N-No," he said in a weak voice. Even if he denied it, he knew he wouldn't be able to turn the situation back in his favor. "I'm not!"

Suyan turned her head to Judge Wakabe.

"We, the Heavenly Sword Clan, will thoroughly investigate this matter. May I ask that you order the arrest of Fujimoto Ryoma first, Your Honor?"

Judge Wakabe hurriedly nodded.

"U-Understood. I approve the arrest and search of Fujimoto Ryoma!"

Bam, bam!

The judge's gavel made a loud noise.

It was a weird conclusion that had nothing to do with what the trial was really about, but the situation was so convoluted that no one said anything about it.

"Sons of bitches…"

Ryoma bit his lips while frowning. His anger-filled eyes naturally turned to Kang-Woo.

Kang-Woo was staring at him like he was having the time of his life. If someone gave him popcorn, he would devour it.

'It’s almost over.'

Kang-Woo leaned back in his chair.

Ryoma's fourth mistake was that he thought Kang-Woo was an insignificant Player without connections.

'I ended up owing a debt, though.'

He recalled Suyan licking her lips while glancing at him.

He had not asked her to play in the play he had orchestrated; she truly believed that Ryoma was a Demon Cultist.

Kang-Woo had called her through Prime Minister Yamada and then hid the demonic crystal inside Ryoma's residence.

She'd accepted Prime Minister Yamada's request and defended Kang-Woo while putting the name of the Heavenly Sword Clan on the line because Kang-Woo was being framed for something he hadn't done.

'Well, she was of great help, anyway.'

Her words were the nail in the coffin, and Ryoma no longer had anywhere to run.

"Everyone! I am innocent! The Heavenly Sword Clan is using shady tactics to devour Japan! Please don't be fooled! They are Chinese! I'm sure you all know what kind of people they are!"

'How pathetic of you.'

Kang-Woo clicked his tongue while looking at Ryoma, who was turning to national sentiment now that he was cornered.

The Heavenly Sword Clan had the evidence and the credibility to back up their claims; therefore, Ryoma wouldn't be able to turn the situation around just because they were Chinese.

Creak.

At that moment, the door opened, and a woman entered the courtroom.

"Huh…?"

"P-Princess Kurosaki Yurie?!"

Kurosaki Yurie.

She suddenly appeared in the courtroom despite being bedridden in a hospital for the past three days.

Kang-Woo frowned a bit.

'Why is she here all of a sudden?'

This wasn't part of his plan. He felt uneasy at the appearance of an unexpected character.

Yurie bowed.

"First off, I would like to apologize to the people for all the worries I've caused." She had an elegant appearance and a clear voice, and she moved gracefully and exuded dignity. She was the definition of purity. "As the root of this incident, I have come here to say something."

She looked at Kang-Woo. He couldn't understand why, but he suddenly felt chills.

She said, "The person who had rescued me was the Korean Player over there."

"B-But according to the witness, you were unconscious at the time…"

"I was conscious, albeit very slightly. I don't remember the details very well, but… there is one thing that I am sure about. Mr. Fujimoto was not the one who had rescued me."

"…"

There was a heavy silence.

If the Heavenly Sword Clan had been building the coffin, then she had placed Ryoma inside and hammered the final nail.

"A-Aaahhh…"

Fujimoto flopped down into his seat as if he'd lost all hope.

Kang-Woo looked at Yurie in disbelief.

'Weird.'

Yurie had been completely unconscious at the time of the incident.

She had a bit of consciousness?

If that were the case, there was no way he wouldn't have noticed.

His senses weren't dull enough to not realize if someone he'd picked up was conscious or not.

'Why is she lying?'

He couldn't understand her actions.

Kang-Woo hadn't used a mind-control Authority on her. No, to be more precise, he couldn't. Yurie was a Ranker-level player who had achieved her Ninth Awakening, so mind-control Authorities had no effect on her. Hence, she was doing this of her own volition.

'I heard she was fully devoted to her citizens.'

However he was like, Ryoma was a hero to the Japanese people. She would most definitely know how desperate the Japanese people were for a hero in these times.

If she really cared about her citizens, the most reasonable thing would've been to defend Ryoma or keep silent at the very least, even if she had truly been conscious at the time.

'To clarify the truth?'

There was no way. This wasn't a shonen manga.

The truth wasn't important. What was important were points that seemed true, and those points were always made with self-interest through the calculations of profits and losses.

Yurie had nothing to gain by doing this.

'What's with her?'

His thoughts did not last very long. A strong wind shook the courtroom with a loud sound, creating a violent storm inside.

"ARRGGHH!"

Ryoma destroyed the walls of the courtroom while screaming out in desperation. He flew into the skies and disappeared instantly.

"H-H-Hey!"

"After him!"

The warriors that Suyan had brought followed her.

Kang-Woo stood up.

Crack.

He easily destroyed the mana restraints on his wrists.

"K-Kang-Woo!"

"Wh-What the hell is going on?!"

Han Seol-Ah and Cha Yeon-Joo ran toward him.

"I'll tell you later. There's still something I have to do."

"… Something you have to do?"

Kang-Woo nodded and walked in the direction Ryoma had escaped.

"Go back to the hotel first. I'll be back by dinner, so let's go get something to eat once I'm back. Oh, I wanna try sushi, so please look into some nice restaurants."

"What the hell are you talking about in this situa—"

Before Yeon-Joo could finish her sentence, Kang-Woo used the Authority of the Sky and flew away. He quickly disappeared from sight.

"…"

The remaining people continued staring at the wall through which Ryoma had escaped.

* * *

Tap.

Kang-Woo landed on a building's rooftop. The building was a high-rise building that was hard to see in Japan. After he stood still and waited on the rooftop, something approached him quickly from the sky.

Boom!

A thick smoke rose, and Ryoma appeared from within. His expression was distorted with anger, frustration, and resentment.

"You motherfucker, how dare you…"

"This is the fifth."

"… What?"

Kang-Woo laughed lightly.

"This is your fifth mistake."