"Your Majesty, please stop!"
The bodyguards burst into Wang Huning's office, panic flashing in their eyes. But their pleas fell on deaf ears.
Before them stood Huang Yanlong, one of China's strongest Hunters—a Ranker and the military spearhead of the Communist Party. The guards tried to block him, but Huang's patience had long since run dry.
"Out of my way."
His voice cut through the air like a blade. When they didn't move, he simply brushed them aside, his aura flaring with restrained power. For a week he had been ignored, humiliated by silence. Today, that ended.
Knocking once on the ornate office door, Huang steadied himself and spoke formally.
"This is Huang Yanlong. Forgive my intrusion, Chairman Wang, but I have something that cannot wait."
A faint, tired voice answered.
"…Come in."
The door creaked open. Wang Huning sat behind his desk, his expression calm—too calm.
"I assume this is about Korea. About Hunter Lee Seong-jun," Wang said, his lips curling faintly.
"Yes," Huang replied carefully. "Our country remains powerful, but internal unrest and reactionaries have left us weakened. Engaging Korea now would be… unwise."
He tried to sound diplomatic, but the truth was clear—fighting Korea would be suicide.
Lee Seong-jun wasn't just a national hero; he was the strongest being on Earth. With the Overlord Guild and his aide Anna Faris, his influence spanned continents. To provoke such a man was to invite ruin.
But Wang Huning only frowned. "You think China would lose?"
"That's not what I—"
"I thought so too," Wang interrupted, his tone oddly calm. "But now, things have changed."
"Changed…?" Huang's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"A new power has come to us," Wang said softly. "A being who will guide China to its rightful place—at the top of the world."
A chill ran down Huang's spine. "What are you talking about—?"
Ssshhhhh…
A black mist seeped into the room, swirling like a living thing. The lights dimmed, the air grew heavy, and even the guards' shouts faded beyond the thick fog.
Huang recognized it instantly.
"This aura… demonic energy?"
It was the same power Japan had reported during the demonic invasion. A force that turned cities into graveyards.
"Your Majesty!" Huang shouted, trying to move—but his limbs refused to obey. A crushing pressure locked him in place, invisible chains of magic binding his body.
"Run, Your Majesty! It's a demon!"
Wang Huning only smiled, his eyes now gleaming black. "You still don't understand. This is no enemy. This is salvation."
"You've gone mad!" Huang yelled. "That thing is a monster—!"
"How dare you insult the gift bestowed upon humanity by the Great One!" Wang roared, his voice dripping with madness.
Before Huang could respond, a deep, resonant voice filled the room.
—You reek of fear… pitiful creature.
From within the fog, a figure emerged—tall, monstrous, and terrible. Bat-like wings spread wide behind it, claws gleaming like obsidian, four horns twisting toward the ceiling. The demonic presence was suffocating.
Huang's heart froze. This power… it's beyond anything Japan faced.
Even as a Ranker, he couldn't resist. He couldn't even breathe.
The demon's shadow enveloped him.
—Don't be afraid. You'll never fear again… for I will hold you.
The black energy surged, wrapping around his body. His pupils turned pitch-black. The last trace of humanity in his gaze faded.
China had just sold its soul.
Days later, the long-awaited Korea–China summit began.
Inside a massive conference room, the representatives from both nations faced each other across a cold metal table.
"Nice to meet you," said the envoy, bowing slightly. "I am Zhang Ga-ori, special representative of the Chinese government."
"I'm Go Tae-hyun," Korea's vice president replied curtly.
Neither side smiled. The tension was palpable, the air thick with hostility.
Breaking the silence, Lee Seong-jun spoke first.
"No need for formalities. Why did you request this meeting?"
Zhang Ga-ori's lips curved faintly. "Straight to the point. Fine. First, regarding Hunter Wei Zhijiang—he's a reactionary who has caused great chaos within our borders. Protecting him is the same as harboring a criminal."
Lee Seong-jun's gaze sharpened. Wei Zhijiang was one of his subordinates—loyal, competent, and falsely accused.
"You think I'd hand over my man because of your baseless accusations?" he said flatly.
Zhang shrugged. "That's not the main issue. Let's move on. Secondly, your response to Zhang Xiaoying's death was excessive."
"That matter has already been cleared under international hunter law!" Go Tae-hyun snapped. "You're overreaching!"
"According to our reinvestigation," Zhang continued coolly, "your side overreacted. We've officially appealed. And yet…" His voice darkened. "We haven't even reached the most serious matter."
Zhang's gaze locked onto Seong-jun.
"Ryu Woo-nyeong," he said. "You destroyed the spirit of our third-ranking executive—turned him into your puppet."
Go Tae-hyun slammed his fist on the table. "That's enough!"
But Seong-jun merely lifted a hand, stopping him. "Let's hear it."
Zhang smirked. "You see? Even now, power decides truth. The strong shape justice."
A dangerous stillness filled the room.
"Say that again," Seong-jun said softly.
"The strong," Zhang repeated, "become the righteous and the truth."
A smile ghosted across Seong-jun's lips. "A fine philosophy."
Then he vanished.
In a blur faster than sight, he reappeared before Zhang Ga-ori, his hand gripping the envoy's arm.
Krrrack!
Zhang screamed as his forearm twisted grotesquely, bones shattering under the pressure. Yet the other Chinese envoys didn't move. Some even smiled faintly.
Seong-jun's expression turned cold. "You're smiling. That means this was planned."
Their silence was confirmation enough.
"You wanted me to strike first—to make your lies into truth," he said. "But you forgot who I am."
Lee Seong-jun—the Overlord of humanity.
He had the authority to judge threats to global peace.
"As leader of the Overlords," he declared, voice echoing across the chamber, "I hereby deem Zhang Ga-ori a danger to humanity. He will be detained immediately."
The envoys shouted in protest.
"You can't! This is a diplomatic matter—an act of war!"
Seong-jun smiled thinly. "An act of war would require him to still be human."
"What are you—"
He grabbed Zhang's head and forced a surge of crimson energy into him.
The envoy convulsed, eyes rolling back as black veins spread across his face. Small horns sprouted from his skull.
Gasps filled the room.
When the transformation ended, half of Zhang's face was demonic.
"Tell me," Seong-jun said, releasing him to collapse on the floor, "does that look human to you?"
No one answered.
In the silence that followed, even the air seemed to hold its breath.
The age of diplomacy was over.
The war with the demonic alliance had begun.