The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 588

The sun was just rising, painting the sky with soft colors. President John Harrison was already at his desk when the urgent message arrived.

“…Is this really true?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Unbelievable. The Shadow, a powerful group in the dark world, was completely destroyed last night.”

Inside the report, the events of the previous night were recorded. It contained information from the Korean Empire, saying that Roman Dmitry intentionally lured the Shadow into an attack, which led to their destruction.

It was hard to believe. Every leader knew how strong the Shadow was. Yet, they walked right into an obvious trap, and Roman Dmitry’s pure strength completely destroyed them.

A hollow laugh escaped him.

If it had been him just a year ago, he wouldn’t have taken such an absurd report seriously.

‘Emperor Roman Dmitry is more than capable of such a feat. Against an absolute being, his force is such that the Shadow is merely human. Trusting in their weak power, they dug their own graves.’

Roman Dmitry. He consistently took unconventional steps.

Thinking about it now sent shivers down his spine.

If Roman Dmitry had revealed himself and he, like Markov of Russia, had opposed him, what would have happened? He could say for sure that even the powerful national defense of the United States would not have been able to stop Roman Dmitry.

It was just a single choice, but the United States remained a superpower because they willingly accepted the ‘reality of falling to second place.’

The people of the United States have great pride. Normally, they would have criticized John Harrison for stepping down from the top position. But no one criticized him.

Because the entire world had accepted Roman Dmitry, there was even growing support for John Harrison in the next presidential election, praising his choice as excellent.

He put aside his thoughts. The secretary’s report wasn’t finished yet.

“And Emperor Roman Dmitry himself will be visiting the United States tomorrow. He’s coming to strengthen our allied forces, and he has ordered American forces to mobilize for joint training.”

“What is the format of the training?”

“It’s on the back page of the report.”

He turned the page. Instantly, John Harrison’s expression hardened. It was a rough guideline, but according to the content, Roman Dmitry’s intentions were very clear.

He closed the report.

John Harrison said, “Emperor Roman Dmitry chose the United States first among the allied nations to show that the United States is the next most powerful nation after the Korean Empire. He also wants to set us as an ‘example.’ There’s no need to try to please him halfway. If Emperor Roman Dmitry’s goal is to prepare for the great disaster 49 days from now, then we must do our best to make everyone aware.”

He understood the intention. He showed a sharp glint in his eyes.

“Summon the commanders immediately. Tomorrow, for this training, the United States will give it our all. We will show them what we are made of.”

In a huge training area, marked with white lines on the gray ground, troops gathered. These were the elite soldiers of the United States, including special forces.

Serious-faced soldiers filled the space, showing admiration as they recognized each other.

“The Hawk-eye of the East, no less.”

“If it’s Hawk-eye, that’s the special forces unit led by Chase, an S-rank hunter. I heard they never show themselves in ordinary missions, but Hawk-eye has also been summoned for this training.”

“It’s not just Hawk-eye. There’s also the magic unit Volcano, which played a huge role in the last great disaster.”

These were the best of the United States. Even the ordinary soldiers were recognized in the military, but they whispered to each other at the appearance of famous figures like Hawk-eye and Volcano.

They had only heard that they were summoned for training, but they did not know exactly what kind of training it was. They were curious about why so many troops were called in.

The people who had been talking showed an even more passionate reaction when a man appeared.

“Gasp!”

“It’s Richard.”

“The Wandering Swordsman Richard!”

The best fighter in the United States. The number one swordsman that the United States boasted of, but his reputation had gone down after losing to Samuel, an S-rank hunter from Spain, a few years ago.

But recently, his reputation had risen again. After losing to Samuel, Richard entered a period of seclusion and fully awakened the ability of his transmission, ‘Wandering Swordsman Karis’. He was now a notable figure in the United States, with rumors that he could beat Samuel.

Such a man participated in the training. He was a person who never showed himself unless ordered by the President, but even he was summoned for this mission.

What kind of training was it for?

All people knew was John Harrison’s warning.

“Prepare in the best possible condition. You will have to pour your strength into this training, and those who ruin the training with a half-hearted attitude will be severely punished. As representatives of the United States, please do not disappoint the people.”

Whatever the purpose of the summons, no one took this training as a joke. At the words that it was a matter of American pride, people did not hide their sharp eyes even while talking to each other.

It was then, when the sun was in the middle of the sky, that a being appeared along with John Harrison.

“Emperor Roman Dmitry is entering.”

The Emperor of the Korean Empire, the leader of humanity. At the appearance of Roman Dmitry, people grasped the importance of the situation.

Roman Dmitry stopped walking.

He looked at the large crowd in front of him and spoke directly. They filled the large hall, their faces serious and worried.

“You all know that in 49 days, the terrible disaster predicted by the Absolute Being will happen. This disaster is not like anything we have seen before. It will destroy many people, more than we can imagine. The fear will be so strong, your current way of thinking will not be enough to handle it.”

The United States, and the whole world, was getting ready for the big disaster.

People were trying their hardest, but Roman Dmitry knew it was not enough to stop what was coming.

“What worries me most is the unbelievable horror. If you give up because you think you cannot win, no matter how hard you try, then people will not survive. Do not be too proud and think you are ready for what is coming. The fight against the Absolute Being will break all your ideas of what is possible. Even many of you here, who are important people from the United States, will probably give up and just wait to die. That is why I have called for this training. I want to teach you about despair in this session.”

The reason for the training.

People in the crowd became very nervous when they heard this.

The idea of ‘training despair’ was strange. The word ‘despair’ itself made people feel scared and hold their breath.

Hawkeye, Volcano, Richard – these were famous names.

But against Roman Dmitry, they seemed unimportant.

Maybe because they thought they would have to fight Roman Dmitry himself, everyone looked very nervous.

But then, Roman Dmitry said, “You will all fight the White Wizard.”

Everyone paused, confused.

Because the training was supposed to make them feel despair, they expected to fight Roman Dmitry. He was the one who had shown them incredible power.

So, Kim Pan-seok’s name was a complete surprise.

Even Kim Pan-seok looked a little surprised at Roman Dmitry’s order, maybe because they had not planned it before.

But his surprise was only for a moment.

Then, Kim Pan-seok’s eyes became calm.

This seemed like a crazy task. But strangely, Kim Pan-seok was not very afraid, even though he was facing the power of the United States.

Kim Pan-seok thought, ‘The Emperor is testing me.’

The day before, Roman Dmitry had defeated the Dark Shadows and then shared his knowledge with Kim Pan-seok.

He shared everything he had learned in the magical world, especially about the upper Dantian.

Kim Pan-seok was already very skilled. But Roman Dmitry, his leader, gave him new knowledge that would help him become even stronger in the future.

Kim Pan-seok was very grateful. He was so moved that he cried alone. He stayed awake all night, thinking again and again about everything Roman Dmitry had taught him.

He thought about who he was just 24 hours ago, and who he was now. He felt like a completely different person.

Some people might laugh and say you cannot change much in just one day. But for Kim Pan-seok, it was different. He was once Aleksandr, who had conquered a whole continent.

Now, Roman Dmitry was telling Kim Pan-seok to show how valuable he was.

He wanted Kim Pan-seok to prove that he could also do amazing things that seemed impossible, just like Roman Dmitry.

And if they lost to him, the United States would feel so much despair that even Roman Dmitry would notice.

“I will do it,” Kim Pan-seok said.

He stepped forward.

Just then, John Harrison spoke, his face serious. “This doesn’t seem right.”

This was an order from Roman Dmitry. Usually, John Harrison would agree without question. But this time, he thought Roman Dmitry was wrong.

“It’s not that I don’t think the White Wizard is skilled. He is ranked SS, the first person to get that rank since the Emperor. I don’t believe anyone in the United States can be sure of winning against him. Actually, I think no one can win against him alone. But isn’t this training supposed to teach us ‘despair,’ like the Emperor said?”

John Harrison knew a lot about fighting. He understood what happens when strong fighters battle.

“The White Wizard is only one person. If the United States army really wants to defeat him, they can probably win by working together. For example, the wizards could use magic to help. Of course, some people will get hurt. But I am worried about what we will learn from this training. Since you planned this session, I thought we were supposed to feel the despair caused by the Absolute Being, by fighting Roman Dmitry himself, the Emperor.”

John Harrison was giving honest advice because he wanted to help people survive. He was trying to make the training a little better, to really help them.

Roman Dmitry listened to his advice. He knew John Harrison meant well. But Roman Dmitry didn’t answer. He decided it was now Kim Pan-seok’s job to handle this.

Roman Dmitry looked at Kim Pan-seok, and Kim Pan-seok looked back. Without saying anything, Roman Dmitry showed he agreed. Kim Pan-seok then turned to John Harrison.

“So, are you saying that me fighting alone will not teach you despair? And you think you can actually win against me?”

“Yes, I think we can win,” John Harrison replied.

Kim Pan-seok sighed loudly. “Haaah… Seriously? This is ridiculous.”

When he was Aleksandr, people like John Harrison would not have even been allowed to sit near him. But Kim Pan-seok understood why John Harrison was saying this.

John Harrison’s thinking made sense. But Kim Pan-seok was no longer going to act like the kind White Wizard anymore.

Because he had broken the Pendant of Karma, he didn’t need to be careful about what he said anymore. Kim Pan-seok continued,

“Actually,” Kim Pan-seok said, “I haven’t been saying what I really think because I was trying to be polite. But honestly, none of you wizards here know real magic. Volcano? Miracle? Do you really believe these American wizards can stop my magic? You people have only learned magic by using that stupid system. You can’t threaten me just because you practiced for a year or two.”

Everyone was silent for a moment, surprised. People’s faces showed shock. Even John Harrison was surprised by Kim Pan-seok’s rude tone and very direct words.

This was not how the White Wizard usually acted. People remembered him as someone completely good. But now, Kim Pan-seok was showing his real personality in this training.

“President John Harrison,” Kim Pan-seok continued. “The Emperor wants you to learn about despair in this training. So, try your hardest and believe you can beat me. Only if you really believe in yourselves can you feel true despair when you are completely defeated.”

Kim Pan-seok smiled cruelly. The American soldiers looked at him with cold eyes because he kept insulting them.

Kim Pan-seok then shouted at them, “What are you staring at, you bastards?” He showed his teeth in a fierce grin.