After Ten Millennia in Hell

Fujimoto Ryoma stepped up to the front.

"That is what we want to ask you. This man is a spy from the Demon Cult, and he had dared to kidnap the Miko of the Heavens."

"… What?"

"Hmm… Judging from your expression, it seems you have also been fooled."

Ryoma looked at Hyun-Jae, Baek Hwa-Yeon, and Goo Hyun-Mo. In reality, since he'd accused Kang-Woo of being a spy from the Demon Cult, the correct thing would be to say that every Korean Player who had come to Japan was also a member of the Demon Cult.

'But that would cause too much of an uproar.'

It would be far too overboard.

There was a difference between accusing an unknown Player of being a Demon Cultist and accusing members of a military unit working for the government.

'They won't be able to defend his case, anyway.'

He smiled wickedly.

If Korea recklessly defended Kang-Woo, this issue might escalate into a national conflict, and it would make them look as if they were trying to defend a Demon Cultist who had tried to kidnap the Miko of the Heavens. More importantly, there was no way to prove his innocence, and the Koreans knew they had no chance of winning the case.

'They'll back off if they're smart.'

It was a simple problem. Would Korea, out of sentiment, make a risky gamble that could escalate to a national conflict, or would they resolve the issue with the sacrifice of one person?

There was no need to even think about it.

Korea would escape like a lizard dropping its tail.

"… Do you have proof?" Hyun-Jae asked.

"Both Prime Minister Yamada and I saw it with our own eyes. Is that not enough proof?"

"There is no proof that you two are lying either."

"Are you suspecting us?"

"That's…"

Hyun-Jae's expression hardened.

Since he was the commander of the Hwarang Corps, he couldn't make any incriminating statements. He knew what kind of trouble it could bring.

"Hah, these sons of bitches…"

Cha Yeon-Joo stepped forward as if taking the silent Hyun-Jae's place.

Hwa-Yeon grabbed her shoulder.

"Let go," said Yeon-Joo.

"Yeon-Joo, calm down and let's talk it ou—"

"I told you to let go."

Yeon-Joo fired sharp bloodlust at Hwa-Yeon.

She brushed off Hwa-Yeon's hands and walked toward Ryoma.

"You must've been hit and are seeing things, seeing from the blue eye of yours. Should I make your other eye blue as well?"

"Haha. You seem to be in shock. I also couldn't believe it when this man tried to kidnap the Miko of the Heavens. We never thought that the forces of the Japanese Demon Cult had stretched to other countries as well."

"How dare you bastard keep spouting nonsense…?"

Red chains spread out from her wrist.

Kang-Woo opened his mouth while looking at her.

"Stop, Yeon-Joo."

"You want me to stop in this situation?" she said aggressively.

Kang-Woo smirked and replied, "It's okay."

"What's okay?! These damn monkeys are…!"

"Calm down. Has anything ever gone wrong after I said that it's okay?"

"Ngh…!"

Yeon-Joo grunted.

"K-Kang-Woo…" Han Seol-Ah stared at him as if she was about to start crying.

"I'll come back soon. Stay with Echidna."

"Y-You really will come back, right?"

"Yeah."

"Kang-Woo, where are you going?" Echidna asked.

"There's been a misunderstanding. I'll be back in a flash to resolve it, so you can wait for me, right?"

"Yeah, I can wait."

Echidna nodded.

Unlike other people, she wasn't worried about Kang-Woo. Their souls were linked, so she could instinctively tell that he really thought that the situation was nothing.

"Have you finished saying your farewells? Seeing that so many people are worried for you, you seem to have hidden the fact that you're a filthy Demon Cultist very thoroughly."

"…"

"Your crimes will be thoroughly exposed in a court of law."

Ryoma dragged him away.

Kang-Woo followed him carefreely.

They were heading to a boat that would take them to the mainland.

Kang-Woo boarded the boat and then closed his eyes after sitting down.

Ryoma said, "You seem rather calm. Do you seriously think you have a chance of escaping after coming this far?"

"…"

Kang-Woo remained silent.

Ryoma smirked.

"I'm sure you know that you'll be abandoned at the very end."

The effort needed to prove his innocence was so astronomical that abandoning him was the far better option.

Ryoma said, "The truth isn't important. You may find the situation unfair, but just accept it. I will pull some strings so that you are not executed."

The truth wasn't important. An irrefutable lie was no different from the truth.

* * *

Kang-Woo was transported to a prison in Tokyo designed for Players.

Ryoma, who was worried he would escape, put mana restraints all over his body, which made it difficult for Kang-Woo to even move a finger.

After being put in mana restraints, Kang-Woo sat with the wall against his back. The solitary cell was so small that he couldn't even lie down.

Ryoma smiled while looking down at him through the steel-barred window.

"The trial will be soon, so I will see you there."

It was a formal trial. Since there was no evidence, the trial would be completely reliant on witness accounts, and all of the witnesses, including Prime Minister Yamada, were his pawns. Ryoma would also personally choose the judge.

The only person Ryoma was worried about was Kurosaki Yurie, but she had no idea what had happened since she had been unconscious at the time.

'If everything goes well…'

Ryoma clenched his fist. There was a reason why he'd tried so hard to monopolize the achievement.

'… I can finally have the Miko of the Heavens.'

He had been planning to marry Yurie for a long time. Their marriage had not been established up until now because she'd refused many times, but it would be hard to go against public opinion this time.

People were sensitive to sensational topics, and his rescuing of her by himself was sensational enough.

'Heh, I can already see the headlines.'

The kidnapped princess gets married to her hero.

One could already picture it from just that phrase.

She was someone who couldn't go against what the citizens expected of her, so she wouldn't be able to refuse his marriage proposal any longer.

Of course, the reason wasn't that he was in love with her. She was clearly beautiful, but he wasn't interested in someone as boring as her.

'As soon as the marriage is established…'

The entirety of Japan would be in the palm of his hand.

He was the person who represented the power of Japan, and she was the person who received the love of the people of the country. If they joined forces, he would be able to replace the old emperor.

'The Japanese empire will once again be known throughout the world.'

Japan had suffered massively as a country ever since the Day of Calamity. Their reputation as an economic giant had plummeted to the point that they were below Korea.

Upon becoming a World Ranker, Ryoma had decided to make Japan the strongest country in East Asia. The first step toward that goal was to become the emperor.

"You can hire any lawyer you want, although I don't think there's anyone who'd be willing to defend you."

Ryoma turned around while smiling wickedly.

As Ryoma turned his back to leave, Kang-Woo opened his mouth.

"You…" Kang-Woo continued in a cold voice, "You think you're clever, huh?"

"… What?"

"Do you think everything's going according to your plans?"

"Hah." Ryoma laughed at the absurdity. "Of course. Isn't that obvious from the prison cell you're in?"

Kang-Woo's inability to move even a finger due to the mana restraint made him look like a bug.

Kang-Woo softly laughed.

"Five."

"… Five what?"

"The number of mistakes you've made. You've already made five."

"… Hah. Hahaha! That's funny!"

Ryoma also knew that his plan wasn't perfect. It was highly improvised and full of holes, but still, he hadn't made five mistakes.

"You're saying a lot of shit for a rat in a cage."

"You sure about that…?" Kang-Woo closed his eyes while leaning against the wall. "You'll soon find out, even if you don't want to."

"Hah… What a joke." Ryoma clicked his tongue and shook his head. "We'll see if you can remain that carefree during the trial."

Ryoma walked out of the prison after saying those last words.

Click.

There was a heavy silence after the door was locked.

A CCTV was monitoring Kang-Woo's cell twenty-four seven, and the bars were made of a material that not even a Ranker could break easily.

Kang-Woo closed his eyes and leaned his back against the wall. Considering that he was locked in an infamous prison, he seemed too relaxed.

As time passed, the sun set, and night fell.

Kang-Woo slowly opened his eyes.

"Let's get started," Kang-Woo mumbled as he used an Authority.

The energy of the demonic crystal that had melted into his blood rose. He was using his power so naturally that one wouldn't believe that his entire body was covered in mana restraints.

That was Ryoma's first mistake.

'Mana restraints don't work on me.'

Although mana and demonic energy were similar, they were fundamentally different powers. Mana restraints did not affect him.

Kang-Woo used the Authority of Projection and the Authority of Dolls. Afterward, he slipped out of the restraints as if his soul had escaped his body. He looked down and saw the fake body he had created using the Authority of Dolls.

He had escaped from the cell while leaving a fake body behind.

Although this prison was famous for having zero successful escapes due to its air-tight security, Kang-Woo had no problem escaping because he could fully use his Authorities.

"Fuuu."

The cool night air brushed his cheeks. Although he'd only been locked up for half a day, he felt free.

As he used the Authority of the Sky, the bustling city of Tokyo spread beneath his feet.

"Now then, let's prepare for the trial."

Of course, he could escape to Korea and assume a completely new identity if he wanted to, but he was not one to play along with someone else's intentions.

'Answer evil with greater evil… and return bloodlust with even greater bloodlust.'

That was something he'd learned to survive.

Kang-Woo stretched.

They had said that the trial would take place as soon as possible, so it was probably going to take place in a few days.

"I'll have to move quickly."

Kang-Woo crossed the night sky.