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Chapter 256 : The Victor
“Aaron…… Stingray……!”Unfortunately, Ryu Takashi’s mutter was swallowed by the surrounding noise.
The moment she realized who her opponent was, everyone inside the conference hall simultaneously opened fire on Aaron.
Ratatatatatatat-!
The elites serving as bodyguards to each organization’s leader unleashed a barrage of attacks at once. Hundreds of bullets rained toward Aaron.
But naturally, something like that did not work on Aaron.
Shielding Kim Cheolsu behind him, he swung his sword.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
With nothing more than an ordinary katana, Aaron deflected the hundreds of incoming bullets.
It would have been astonishing enough if he had simply “cut through” hundreds of bullets with a single sword.
Instead, he lightly struck the tip of each projectile with the edge of his blade, twisting their trajectories one by one.
He was probably doing it to protect Kim Cheolsu behind him.
After diverting every bullet in an instant with movements too fast to follow, he approached his enemies with the light, graceful steps of a dancer.
Slash.
With a casual flick of his wrist, the silver-bladed katana severed his enemies’ wrists clean off.
The hands of those holding guns dropped straight to the floor.
“Damn it!”
The instant their ranged attacks were neutralized, the subordinates immediately drew close-combat weapons and charged at Aaron.
Some wielded katanas similar to Aaron’s.
Others brandished butterfly knives.
Still others transformed their cyberware-enhanced arms into saw-like weapons.
“Stop……!”
Ryu Takashi tried to stop them, but her voice was drowned out by the feverish atmosphere of the battlefield.
Without exception, the guards swung their weapons, trying to kill Aaron.
But the outcome was obvious.
Aaron casually blocked the incoming blades with nothing more than the back of his hand, as though swatting away flies.
Ridiculously enough, it was the blades that shattered in half upon striking his hand.
Despite being weapons strong and sharp enough to cut through logs, they could not leave even a scratch on his Skin Armor Module.
And it was not just blades.
Aaron deliberately refrained from using his sword, blocking his enemies’ weapons with his bare hands before counterattacking.
When he drove a fist—with no apparent force behind it—into the solar plexus of the foremost man, the man was launched over a dozen meters before crashing into the wall, embedding himself in it.
Immediately afterward, Aaron lightly stomped the ground.
The quake-like impact caused the enemies to lose their balance for an instant.
Without missing that opportunity, Aaron lifted the conference table with one hand and casually swung it before hurling it.
“Guaaaargh-!”
The enormous table smashed into the subordinates, sending them flying into the wall all at once.
As if crashing into the wall was not enough, they lost consciousness on the spot.
Having effortlessly dealt with the elite guards of every organization in less than twenty seconds, Aaron walked to the center of the conference hall.
Click, click...
The Gang Leader of the Black Dragon Gang, Marcello, and BR29 could not even rise from their chairs.
Aaron dragged over the empty chair left behind by the fleeing Overseer and placed it in the space created after clearing away the table.
Then, surprisingly, instead of sitting in it himself, he seated Kim Cheolsu there while he remained standing beside him.
‘D-Don't tell me... you're planning to keep acting?’
The question of why he was bothering with such nonsense rose all the way to the tip of my tongue, but I kept my mouth shut to observe the situation.
From the looks of it, aside from me, everyone else still had no idea who Aaron really was.
‘W-What is this……?’
She had been too shortsighted.
She should have become cautious the moment Kallia involved herself in this matter.
If his younger sister was plotting against her, would a man like Aaron Stingray really have remained idle?
The Gang Leader of the Black Dragon Gang, Ryu Takashi, glared at Aaron, having completely lost her usual poker face.
‘Which choice is the correct one……?’
‘No... what kind of situation is this to begin with?’
‘That man's objective is unclear.’
‘Was the Kim Cheolsu Faction not borrowing the Dragon's power after all?’
Inside her, the various personalities of her predecessors—who normally spoke with a single voice—began throwing out confused questions one after another.
That alone showed just how great the shock was.
Yes.
First, understand the situation.
She had to determine that man's objective.
Whether Kim Cheolsu truly intended to rule the underworld by borrowing Stingray's power, or whether he had some other scheme...
She needed to find out first—
“You are…….”
“Who said you had permission to speak?”
The moment Ryu Takashi tried to speak—
Aaron's golden gaze pierced straight into her.
The instant she met the eyes looking down at her from a height more than a head above everyone else, her entire body froze like a rabbit facing a predator.
“The Boss has not granted you permission.”
“Ugh……!?”
Why?
Even though she knew this man belonged to the same human species as herself, somewhere deep within her heart, instinct recognized him as a superior existence.
She had preserved nearly a century's worth of memories intact, yet this was the first time she had ever experienced such a thing.
Throughout her life, she had met countless people.
Among them were many whose status rivaled Aaron's.
She had met the woman who had once served as Mayor of New Valhalla City two administrations ago during the election period.
She had also met the man who had overthrown the previous chairman through internal corporate politics and seized the position himself.
She had personally met the leader of a terrorist organization responsible for massacring nearly a thousand civilians.
She had even met a former Militech director whose official rank placed him above Aaron.
Every one of them was a giant capable of shaking the very history of New Valhalla City—the last bastion of human civilization—if they so desired.
Yet...
‘None of them felt like this……!’
She had not even felt this way when meeting Kallia.
Though they shared the same hair color, the same eye color, and similar facial features, Kallia had given her none of this overwhelming pressure.
‘So this is... the Crown Prince……?’
She neither knew nor cared about the intricate circumstances that had led to Aaron being chosen as the next successor.
But after meeting Kallia and then facing Aaron so soon afterward, she realized something.
‘This man is different.’
The nickname Crown Prince suited him perfectly.
He possessed an aura that could never be conveyed through mere photographs or videos.
To exaggerate a little—even I am breaking into a cold sweat just from facing him.
An ordinary civilian might very well faint on the spot if they ever stood before Aaron.
“……!”
In the end, Ryu Takashi broke beneath Aaron's icy words.
She opened and closed her mouth repeatedly, desperately trying to utter something, but it was as though someone had covered her mouth.
Not a single word escaped.
This was beyond fear.
It was reverence.
A monster that had survived for a hundred years by replacing the bodies of its descendants was now feeling reverence toward another monster.
And naturally, that feeling manifested in her actions.
When Ryu Takashi finally came back to her senses after becoming lost in her emotions—
She found herself lying prostrate on the floor.
She had absolutely no awareness of how it had happened.
Before she knew it, she was kneeling on the ground with both elbows and even her forehead pressed against the floor, bowing before him.
Even worse, her mouth moved on its own as she pleaded with Aaron.
“P-Please... do as you see fit……!”
The Gang Leader of the Black Dragon Gang, who had never once shown weakness before anyone, lowered her head.
Even Ryu Takashi herself was shocked by it, let alone everyone else present.
Marcello slumped limply in his chair like a man whose soul had left his body.
BR29 likewise remained completely motionless, as though he had shut down.
And so, the outcome of the war was decided.
Having become the victor, Aaron thoroughly played the role of a capable subordinate while waiting for Kim Cheolsu to speak.
Kim Cheolsu slowly opened his mouth, carrying himself with the dignity of someone leading a massive organization.
“……I distinctly warned you. I gave you one last chance to surrender.”
Kim Cheolsu arrogantly crossed his legs.
That gesture alone made Ryu Takashi's insides twist with frustration, but she dared not say a word out of fear of Aaron.
“The Overseer of the Cyberwatch Gang wisely withdrew early. Since he isn't here, I suppose he ran the moment I called.”
“…….”
“Well, no matter. There are a few things I wish to tell you, so I would appreciate it if you remained quiet and listened.”
As Kim Cheolsu continued his act, Aaron also remained silent.
Apparently, he intended to keep speaking through his puppet.
“First of all, your subordinates are alive.”
“I-Is that really true……!”
Marcello's face brightened immediately.
Unlike the Black Dragon Gang, which boasted the largest number of members, the Marcello Family was a small organization that felt more like an actual family.
From the leader down to the lowest member, they were practically no different from blood relatives.
Simply hearing that they were alive was enough for Marcello to breathe a sigh of relief.
“We merely knocked them unconscious and destroyed their communication devices. Our people are currently collecting the unconscious ones.”
“That's a relie—”
Marcello stopped himself before finishing the word.
No.
Could this really be called fortunate?
Their survival was certainly good news.
But looked at another way, it simply meant they had become hostages.
And the more he thought about it, the more terrifying it became.
It would have been shocking enough if they had simply slaughtered everyone and come here.
But knocking every single one of them unconscious?
Didn't that only prove just how overwhelming the gap in strength was?
Only then did Marcello turn deathly pale and begin trembling.
To begin with, he had never been particularly eager to participate in this war.
He was undoubtedly regretting his choice now.
“The only ones who died in this war were our own subordinates. In other words, the only dead are those your people killed.”
“Then what happened earlier at the residential district……?”
“We evacuated the residents beforehand. Unlike you, I happen to be ‘merciful.’”
Kim Cheolsu smiled arrogantly.
BR29 asked him,
“[Then what is it that you want?]”
“Are you trying to negotiate with me now? How amusing. I clearly gave you a chance. It was your own fault for refusing it.”
“[…….]”
“Tell me. Why should I spare your lives? I could simply take your heads and be done with it.”
“If you kill me, you won't be able to persuade my Family—”
“Nonsense.”
Kim Cheolsu continued his threats.
“We have no need for power. Nor do we need money. Haven't we already proven our strength through this war? If we wished, we could erase Sector E from existence. So you aren't asking for my opinion because you have a choice. I am informing you.”
“[……I retract my previous words.]”
BR29 changed his stance.
“[Please... spare our lives. In return, we will do anything.]”
“Good. That's more like it.”
Kim Cheolsu smiled with satisfaction before giving his order.
“From this moment onward, we will overturn all of Sector E.”
But at that very instant—
Someone interrupted.
【That will not be happening.】
A voice whose origin could not even be determined.
It felt as though it was speaking directly inside their minds, causing even a headache to arise...
But at that moment, Ryu Takashi heard Aaron murmur.
“I've finally found you.”