"What about ? Did you want to kill too?" Kim Yuna asked her uncle.
"Heh... of course," Chang-wook sneered.
"Then why did you control that undead swordsman to only cut my leg, and with a clean wound for easy reattachnt? If the sword had been raised a little higher, it would have split in two," Yuna inquired.
"..." Chang-wook remained silent, clearly not wanting to answer.
"You didn't want to kill her, but you wanted to eliminate her as a candidate for heir, didn't you?" Patriarch Kim said. "Because you knew that even with a reattached limb, it wouldn't be the sa, and she would no longer be able to practice the Kim family sword arts."
The family trial began, and Chang-wook didn't deny any of the cris he was accused of. The elders wanted to execute him, but the patriarch tried his best to protect his son within the bounds of family rules. He brought up Chang-wook's contributions to the family and his motives, citing bullying as a contributing factor.
While bullying didn't excuse Chang-wook's actions, the patriarch argued for fairness. If they were to pursue the harshest punishnt, they would also have to harshly judge those elders and senior warriors who had bullied and pushed Chang-wook towards this path.
This silenced the dissenting voices. In the end, Kim Chang-wook was sentenced to 30 years of repentance in the hall of reflection, while also working for the Kim family's interests. The family's business and assets were expected to plumt after the news of Chang-wook's removal as CEO.
These special conditions were granted because no one in the Kim family had died during the incident. Ultimately, Chang-wook refused to reveal his true motive, as the position of heir seed like a weak reason for his actions.
One thing was certain: they still needed to investigate the Mara Society, which Chang-wook claid to own, for more clues about his true motivations.
— On the Train —
Patriarch Kim and Kim Yuna are en route to Busan on a cruise train, scheduled to arrive tomorrow morning. They joined Daniel on this journey after teleporting directly to the carryall following the conclusion of their trial.
The group is now discussing the events that led to Daniel's situation. They are connected via video conference with Gua Jia and Cao Cao, who are following them in the Atlantean carryall.
"Based on what you've told us, I don't believe Kim Chang-wook's motivation for causing this upheaval is as simple as securing the heir position," Gua Jia stated during the video conference.
"From my perspective, Kim Chang-wook isn't foolish. If I were in his shoes and truly desired the heir position, I would have tarnished Kim Tae-sung's reputation first, exposed the Kim family's shortcomings, and emphasized the importance of business. He had ample ti to execute such a plan. Why didn't he?
Instead, he chose to act precisely on the day our lord arrived, which seems incredibly stupid to do so." Gua Jia offered his analysis.
Hearing this, Daniel shared his opinion. "Or maybe he shouldn't have involved at all. From what you said earlier, he doesn't seem like the stupid type, and he didn't even want to kill his niece, which ans he still has a heart.
I get the feeling he's hiding sothing or he might be under so curse, spell, or even a soul-bound contract preventing him from saying what he knows." Daniel paused, then continued.
"Moreover, from the information Albert provided, it seems that the Mara Society is an assassination organization founded long before the modern era, with roots dating back to the Joseon dynasty. I don't think Kim Chang-wook ant he owned the entirety of the Mara organization as a whole. I think he only controls the branch that's in Korea at best," Daniel analyzed.
Patriarch Kim nodded, then added, "That's right, Mr. Emberweave. Let's discuss this further when we arrive at the Mara Society HQ in Busan."
— Busan - Morning —
The train arrived in Busan at 5 AM. Daniel didn't get much sleep before he was woken by the alarm on his phone. After the train parked at the Kim family's private depot in Busan, Daniel used a portable teleportation gate to transport himself to the carryall hovering above the train, concealed by its cloaking system.
The Atlantean carryall cautiously flew towards the Mara Society HQ while maintaining communication with the ground team. Half of the team consisted of Whispering Hall mbers, all shadow morphs dispatched by Albert to assist Daniel in the operation.
The other half comprised Astral PMC marksn and recon teams, equipped with stealth suits and ard with the latest weapons and technology, dispatched by Cao Cao.
They had a concealed structure within the forest, hidden amidst the oak and bamboo trees. The structure resembled a fortress built during the Joseon dynasty, showcasing traditional Korean architecture.
The fortress was cloaked by concealnt magic and a powerful barrier that caused ordinary people to ignore it and avoid the area. The barrier, however, was neutralized by the magic within the shadow morphs and the technology fueling the stealth suits worn by the recon teams.
"Comnce the operation," ordered Cao Cao from his command seat within the carryall.
First, the shadow morphs crept forward, using their abilities to morph and hide in the shadows, infiltrating the fortress. Within seconds, screams and agonized cries erupted as the shadow morphs began slaughtering the guards.
The guards of the Mara Society wielded the sa sword arts as the Kim family. Though the Kim family's sword arts, when mastered, could cut through immaterial objects or entities like magic or ghosts, none of the Mara Society guards possessed such skills. They beca easy prey for the shadow morphs.
So guards attempted to escape to the roof or flee the fortress, only to be sniped by the recon team waiting outside.
The slaughter lasted about 10 minutes before the screams and sounds of fighting subsided. The fortress was cleared without encountering any strong resistance, but this might have been because they had yet to face the stronger enemies hiding within the fortress.
Daniel, in the carryall command room, nodded in satisfaction as he witnessed the operation's effectiveness. He thought about the Nexus Pri card he had yet to actualize and how beneficial it would be if the operation were linked to Nexus Pri's powerful calculations.
He recalled that in the lore, Nexus Pri controlled an entire robot army on the planet. Though so units had built-in A.I. and Nexus Pri didn't control every movent, it sent sets of commands to its subordinates in rapid session depending on the situation for the most effective operation.
Daniel also rembered that in the lore, Rena managed to counter Nexus Pri's commands only because Will helped her decrypt them and isolate the area they were assaulting from Nexus Pri. This cut off effective commands from Nexus Pri, allowing humanity to gain a foothold and push back against the robot army.
However, Daniel knew he needed to be cautious. While Nexus Pri would not betray him, it might not cooperate well with other humans. From his observations of Cao Cao and Albert, he realized that the actualized entities were no different from real people, with their own dreams, wishes, and sches. Therefore, he needed to ensure that Nexus Pri could work effectively with others.
Thinking about this, Daniel can't wait to return and actualize Nexus Pri, initiating the final phase of his plan to ensure his people's safety and independence.
At the fortress, The Shadow entered to eliminate all remaining survivors and capture so for interrogation, especially those who appeared to be leaders or higher-ups in the Mara society.
The operation was progressing smoothly, and the prisoners were being brought to the surface until…
Boooooom!
A thunderous explosion echoed as a figure flew through the hole created by the blast. Fire began to engulf the old fortress while the flaming figure surveyed the area, noticing the many shadow morph and recon team mbers surrounding it.
The fire on the figure gradually subsided, revealing the curvaceous body of a woman in a kimono. She had a sexy figure with the golden ratio that many n would lust over. She wore a short red kimono, and her black hair, with literal flas burning within, made her look like a seductress.
The most striking features were the seven tails behind her back and the two fox ears on her head as she observed her surroundings.
Then she lifted her head to look at the carryall flying high in the sky above her, revealing extre disdain and irritation on her face.
"Is that a seven-tailed celestial fox?" Gua Jia uttered as he saw the appearance of the fox woman below.
"Seven-tailed celestial fox? What's that?" Daniel inquired.
"They are powerful demons with myths and lore prevalent in the Qing Empire, Japan, and Korea. According to these legends and many folktales, they are behind most man-made disasters and regi changes. There are also rumors about them controlling the reign of so monarchs and becoming the rulers behind certain dynasties in ancient tis. I never thought I would see one here," Gua Jia explained.
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