Please Stop The Pope

Chapter 121

For the sake of our plan, we must stop South Korea from growing. Wang Wei. The reason we are sending you to that tiny country, even if it’s forcing things, is because of this. Even though an Irregular like Kim Siwoo has appeared, I believe you can eliminate that threat. Go, use the excuse of a duel to eliminate Kim Siwoo. This is a mission you must complete.

Before coming here, Wang Wei recalled the conversation he had with the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The mission that was given to him to solidify regional dominance in Asia was to eliminate Kim Siwoo.

The origins of this secret directive delivered through the Minister of Foreign Affairs were certainly from the higher-ups in the ministry.

Wang Wei also suspected why this mission had been assigned to him.

‘Eliminate the threat and secure regional dominance.’

After the Dimension Opening, China became the country with the most awakened individuals in the world.

With their enormous manpower, they secured a higher position than before the Dimension Opening.

Through policies that openly discriminated against awakened and ordinary people, they recruited awakened individuals and quickly reorganized the new order based on them.

While some of the people resisted during this process, it was just a small commotion in the face of the power led by the awakened.

Wang Wei, who had returned to Earth two years ago, was one of the beneficiaries of this new China.

For Wang Wei, who had spent 20 years in a world where martial power existed, his changed homeland felt nothing short of heaven.

In this new world, if you had power, anything could be forgiven, and the Party even directly made things convenient for him.

That’s why Wang Wei willingly accepted the order.

Though there were a few minor discordant notes during the preparation to go to Korea, up until that point, Wang Wei had not thought much of it.

But now.

KWA-AAAAAAANG!

KWA-AAAAAANG!

Wang Wei could clearly realize, by looking at the scene unfolding before him, that his thoughts had been wrong.

‘I thought this small country was so weak that they even had to rely on the power of a fake cult leader and their followers.’

Moreover, he had assumed that the United States had only acknowledged the irregular to keep China in check, and that the fight between Kim Siwoo and Aiden Howard, which had caused a stir, had seemed like Aiden had just let Kim Siwoo win.

However, when he saw it with his own eyes, all his assumptions changed.

His most trusted subordinate, Zhang Min, had barely survived with his shoulder bone shattered and was told that he would never be able to wield a spear again.

That wasn’t all.

Bbbbpp-!

KWA-AAAAAANG!

“Hahahahaha!”

Even He Chang, the third-in-command of the delegation and one of the top hunters in China, was being effortlessly toyed with by a madwoman with red hair.

He Chang, who was praised as an all-around hunter for his balanced use of sword and shield, was utterly helpless against this madwoman with red hair wielding a children’s toy.

Crack crack crack—

He Chang’s shield was designed to withstand the immense strength of an ogre.

Made from ultra-high-strength alloys and mithril, it was a shield that wouldn’t break easily.

When combined with He Chang’s battle-hardened shield techniques, it could be called a shield that was impenetrable to opponents of the same level.

However, in front of that toy-like rubber hammer…

Bbbbpp-!

Crack crack crack—

It was being shattered thoroughly.

Every time the rubber hammer struck the shield, the shield would crack and dent. At the same time, the pink heart-shaped ornament embedded in the center of the hammer would sparkle.

“P-Please!”

He Chang dared not even attempt to counterattack. In fact, it was more appropriate to say that he couldn’t.

He was too busy trying to block the attacks, and the sword he held in his right hand had already lost its target.

The overwhelming power and madness were evident.

The sight of the red-haired paladin mercilessly swinging the rubber hammer with a gleaming, ferocious look in her eyes was enough to shock those watching.

‘What the hell has our intelligence team been doing?’

Wang Wei had heard that the informants planted in Korea had been disappearing without a trace for some time.

He also knew that there had been a lack of data to properly assess the strength of the Limen Order.

Because of this, he had intended to use China’s best available forces to overpower them through sheer strength, but this was a fight that could not even be considered in the first place.

KWA-AAAAAANG!

“Please…”

“What? I can’t hear you!”

That red-haired woman was a monster that even top-level hunters couldn’t handle.

At least, she was at the level of a complete destruction-grade, or in foreign terms, a disaster-grade returnee.

However, considering that Zhang Min, who was thoroughly crushed by the Archbishop Leo, was also a destruction-grade returnee, it was clear that Leo and Luna were definitely above that level.

‘Between transcendent beings and destruction-grade returnees. Somewhere around that level.’

Wang Wei roughly gauged their power in his mind and let out a heavy sigh.

The water had already been spilled.

If he had wanted to perfectly suppress them, he should have brought other transcendent beings from the start.

The Limen Order was not just a fake cult.

The reason Korea had mobilized them for this exchange event wasn’t simply because they were lacking in strength.

‘They’re just ridiculously strong.’

Leo and Luna.

Did China have anyone who could match them in strength?

No matter how hard Wang Wei thought, the answer didn’t come easily. That’s how strong those two were.

Wang Wei finally reached a conclusion and looked at the Korean delegation with a frown. More specifically, he looked at Kim Siwoo, who was leisurely sitting in the middle of the delegation.

‘The tide has turned.’

His subordinates were already engulfed in fear. Their morale had plummeted, and even the next group of awakened individuals was trembling in fear.

If they fought a hundred more times in this state, it was obvious they would lose every single time.

So now, there was only one thing left to do: eliminate Kim Siwoo by any means necessary.

If they returned to their homeland in this state, no matter how transcendent he was, he would not be free from responsibility.

“Li Jie.”

“…Yes.”

“Prepare everything I’m about to say quickly.”

Wang Wei clenched his fist tightly.

He could not afford to be pushed out of power like this.

Not like this.

4.

Luna’s crazy hammer show was shocking to everyone, regardless of whether they were allies or enemies.

The madness of pounding with the hammer until the opponent almost fainted.

The chaotic show ended only after the armor of the opponent was shattered, and their shield turned into a rag.

On the training ground after the match, “someone who was once human” was barely alive, bleeding from the mouth, and Luna wiped the blood off her hammer in front of them.

Even though they were my subordinates, it was definitely a terrifying sight to witness.

When Luna returned from the duel, she made a comment that was truly something to behold.

“To think someone couldn’t even withstand a hammer, I’m so disappointed, Your Holiness. Do you want to play that game with me later? You know, the one where we play rock-paper-scissors and the winner hits the loser with the hammer? Siyeon taught me how to play it.”

Now Luna was openly declaring that she would assassinate me.

Thanks to the spectacular performance of Leo and Luna, the following matches went surprisingly smoothly.

The Chinese audience, who had watched Leo’s strongman show and Luna’s hammer show, lost their fighting spirit, and the same went for the match between Representative Choi and Kang Chae-ah.

“Korea’s Choi Seojin wins!”

“Korea’s Kang Chae-ah wins!”

The awakened Chinese participants, even though they tried their best, couldn’t help but be conscious of us during their duels.

With victory uncertain even with all their strength, they couldn’t focus on the fight, and the outcome was as predictable as daylight.

In the blink of an eye, South Korea had accumulated 4 wins, and only the duel between me and Wang Wei remained.

“One side is like a festival, and the other side is like a funeral.”

Luna smirked as she alternated her gaze between our side and the Chinese side.

“You’re one of the people who created this funeral atmosphere. Look at the Japanese kids. They’re not even victims, but they’re all so terrified.”

I pointed with my chin to where the Japanese awakened were quietly watching the duel.

As soon as they made eye contact with us, they were startled and quickly looked away.

It was that shocking of a performance.

It was a good thing they were under me. If they’d gone down the wrong path, it would’ve been their calling.

“But Your Holiness.”

“What?”

“I think they’re preparing something over there, should I go check it out and do something about it?”

As Luna said, the movements of the Chinese awakened were suspicious. Some of them, including Li Jie, were actively moving during the break.

But I had no intention of stopping their movements.

“Let them be.”

“Really?”

“Let them do whatever they want for as long as they can. That way, they’ll suffer even more.”

After hearing my response, Luna nodded as if she had learned something.

“I learn something new every day. Thank you, Your Holiness.”

“If someone hears that, they’ll misunderstand.”

“It’s the truth. You’re always my role model in my heart, Your Holiness.”

If I kept talking, I’d be mentally exhausted before even facing Wang Wei.

I waved my hand dismissively and then turned to look at our delegation.

“I’ll finish this quickly. Let’s have a celebration later. Minister Yoo Sun-ho said he’d treat us if we win. So everyone, loosen your belts and get ready.”

Only the finishing touch was left.

I immediately walked to the center of the training ground, and soon, Wang Wei appeared from the Chinese side.

Wang Wei’s expression was quite something.

The arrogance he had when we first met was long gone. In its place was animosity directed at me.

“I admit your subordinates are strong. But don’t get cocky. That doesn’t mean you can defeat me.”

“Why does your tongue seem so long? We’ll find out after a real fight, so stop talking.”

“I admit you’re an Irregular. So let me make a suggestion. Dueling is about measuring each other’s strength and improving. What’s the point of a duel if you’re not going to use your full power?”

Wang Wei said as he gestured toward his subordinates.

Li Jie and others quickly brought boxes filled with something onto the training ground.

“My nickname is Sword Demon. To unleash my full power, the more swords around me, the better.”

“So you want me to let you arrange swords around the area?”

“We’re guests here. And this is your country. You’re telling me this is an unfavorable battlefield for me. In this situation, can we really have a duel without regrets?”

I answered firmly.

“I think we can.”

“What?”

“How can a fight only happen where you want it to? But well, if that’s what you really want, I’ll let you. The person I serve is the Goddess of Mercy, after all.”

So they were preparing swords all this time?

But Wang Wei, who had come up with this plan, didn’t seem like someone who would stop there.

Anyway, Wang Wei scowled and casually waved his hand.

Then, the energy I had seen before started flowing from his body, and the closed wooden boxes all opened at once.

And soon, five different swords appeared from the boxes.

Each one was a dazzling sword.

If Toby had seen those swords, he might have been interested.

“These are my treasured swords, the ones I brought back to Earth. I’ve spent a long time with them.”

“Oh, really?”

Then this’ll be fun to break.

“Everyone, step back.”

“Yes.”

The awakened Chinese who had brought the swords quickly left, and Wang Wei, with his long cloak fluttering, said.

“I’m ready. You may begin.”

“Alright…”

Just then.

Before I could finish my sentence, one of the swords flew toward my neck.

A sudden, sneaky attack.

But I, as if waiting for it, spread my divine power to block the sword.

In martial arts novels, this would probably be called swordsmanship, but to me, it was just showy.

The sword had no real substance.

The sword couldn’t even break through the thin divine shield that surrounded me.

“This isn’t advanced swordsmanship, it’s more like beginner swordsmanship. How cute.”

“Interesting. I think you’re worth fighting.”

Wang Wei kept his relaxed tone. As if he could defeat me anytime, he kept bluffing.

I looked at Wang Wei with a smirk.

Then I grabbed the gray sword that had stopped right next to my neck.

“Actually, I really like China. In that sense, I want to give you a little gift.”

Wooohhhh!

The sword Wang Wei had was vibrating wildly as I infused divine power into it.

And a moment later…

Creeeek!

The gray sword, reaching its limit, shattered into pieces, scattering across the floor.

I pointed at the fragments with a smile.

“Title: The China I Dream Of.”

“…What?”

Wang Wei made a surprised expression.

I gave him an even wider smile as I finished my words.

“I like China so much, I wish China could be as many pieces as these fragments. What do you think?”