==============================

I looked at Emilia. I had already heard everything I needed from her.

“…Can you just spare me?”

“Why?”

“I can enhance every hunter. I am also the best supporter in the world. I’m really handy to have around, you know.”

I looked at Emilia.

I never broke my rules. If someone did something for which they deserved death, then that person must die. I never broke that rule.

“Remember what I told you yesterday?”

“…Yes.”

“Despite that, you were behaving badly.”

“…I apologize. Please spare me. I’ll remove the tattoo on my body. I’ll do anything.”

She was begging with the most effort that she could muster. That made me laugh, which she took as a positive response. She smiled.

That was enough. I snapped my fingers.

Emilia’s head exploded.

I had told her that I would kill her nicely. I kept my promise. I let her die with a smile on her face. I didn’t make her suffer any pain.

There was silence for a while.

“…You heard everything?”

I turned my head. Yoo-Jeong’s eyes were misty.

“Heard what?”

“Everything she said to me.”

I nodded. That was why this had happened.

I could easily guess what Yoo-Jeong would say. If you were listening, then why did you let her speak such words to me? That was what I was expecting her to say.

However, what I heard was something I never expected.

“I’m sorry.”

What did she just say?

“Sorry? What are you sorry for?”

“It happened because I’m weak.”

I glanced at her. I needed to tell her this: “That was your choice.”

“…Yes.”

“You tried to ignore her words since you didn’t want to cause any problems for us.”

“I did.”

“I will not say anything about your choice.”

She looked at me quietly.

“I once mentioned your purity. Remember?”

“You did.”

“If you think that it’s not right to change, then don’t change. You can stay just as you are now.”

I slowly stepped towards Yoo-Jeong. “You will become stronger. But someone like Emilia will appear and say the same things as Emilia said.”

She raised her head. Her eyes met mine.

“I admire your purity, but that doesn’t mean you have to be a fool. You need to counter if someone attacks. Will you keep evading the issue in front of you?”

She slowly shook her head. Then she answered, “From now on, I’ll slap such a person’s face.”

“Slap their face?”

“Or shoot them with a gun.”

That was quite radical. Though, they weren’t the words that I would have used.

“As you said, I’ve endured a lot. But I’ve changed from my past. I don’t want to stay like this.”

I smiled. That was her promise to herself.

I turned my head. With that being said, I burned Emilia’s dead body until it was ash.

Soon, there was a message. It was from my brother.

[ I’m heading to Switzerland. Watch how I get on. ]

Yoo-Jeong said that she would change. It was similar to what Ho had said.

To tell the truth, I was the strongest man on Earth. Ho was the brother of the strongest man.

That was why he wanted to prove himself. He wanted to prove that he was not a child in need of his brother’s help.

“Ho told me that he will fight the Godfather.”

“…Now?”

“This is your chance. Will you come with me?”

Yoo-Jeong closed her eyes and took a breath.

“I’m ready now.”

And so, I sent a message to Gi-Hoon to fix Yoo-Jeong’s house and share the recorded files of my conversation with Emilia. In addition, I included Ash’s phone number so that he could contact the CIA.

That would do everything.

“Let’s go now.”

***

While he was training, Jeong Gi-Hoon got the message from Hwan.

Jeong Gi-Hoon froze.

Why had Lee Hwan killed Emilia?

It was natural for Gi-Hoon to question the fact. He wanted to ask the reason for it. Soon, though, he stopped. ‘Why should I ask?’ he wondered.

Lee Hwan had to have a reason.

As a man who had known him for a long time, Jeong Gi-Hoon knew Lee Hwan would not kill someone without one.

‘Then I shall trust him.’ After all, Gi-Hoon was Hwan’s right-hand man. They were like family.

Meanwhile, Yoo Ee-Na and Kim So-Eun came closer. The two of them needed to know about this since Jeong Gi-Hoon would eventually have to go out to fulfill Hwan’s orders.

They both gave different responses.

Ee-Na was astonished. “We were just talking moments ago!”

So-Eun’s response was different. “I suppose there’s a place now for me to get the title of the Best Ten.”

Gi-Hoon gulped.

‘Geez, what’s wrong with her?’

***

The CIA got the list of members of an anti-hunter organization. Ash passed the list to Lee Hwan, and Lee Hwan passed it to Lee Ho.

Cheon-Myeong could get information that they couldn’t.

Lee Ho sent messages to every celebrity he knew.

‘The Godfather will die today, and his organization will disappear. I’ll give you one last chance.’

That was all. Everyone was frightened.

Who would win the fight? Cheon-Myeong? Or the anti-hunter organization?

That was a debatable topic. However, one thing was clear. They had to stay calm and wait for the result.

Ho was already in action. Meanwhile, the Godfather woke up.

Because of the life orb he’d swallowed, he was now more powerful.

He could now control lightning.

The Godfather laughed. The reward was much more impressive than he’d thought.

‘The SS-rated gate in the US is waiting for me.’ Thinking of the reward he could get, the Godfather smiled.

However, as soon as he got out of the gate, he froze.

Five men were waiting for him. They were from Cheon-Myeong.

“Hyeon-Soo Park and Jong-Geun Hong from Cheon-Myeong… what are you up to?”

Hong Jong-Geun answered. “Someone is waiting for you.”

“…Who?”

“You know who.”

The Godfather frowned. He’d never expected this to happen.

He paused for a while and analyzed what was happening.

Lee Ho was waiting for him.

He had not ambushed the Godfather or entered the gate.

That meant he wanted to talk. And so, the Godfather should go.

As soon as the Godfather nodded, Jong-Geun told him to follow. The Godfather laughed and did so.

***

Lee Ho was in the building near the gate.

No one was using it, which was why Ho was able to enter and use the facility inside. He was using a heater.

Soon, the door opened, and the Godfather entered the room. They stared at each other quietly.

They felt that time had paused. Even when they first met in Yoo-Jeong’s house, they had felt the same. Ho had saved Yoo-Jeong, on the day that the organization the Godfather had made, the Shilla, was destroyed.

Finally, Lee Ho spoke. “Have a seat.”

The Godfather nodded and sat. He was quiet.

Again, the two of them sat down and stared at each other.

Lee Ho was the one who started the conversation.

“It has taken seven years for us to meet.”

“Seven years…” the Godfather murmured.

“Time has passed quickly.”

They had fought in that house, Lee Ho and the Godfather.

That had been the day when Lee Ho became the hero, and the Godfather’s organization was destroyed.

“You’ve done a lot.”

“So have you.”

They had both created great establishments. Though, the Godfather had made more progress. While Lee Ho had done everything publically, the Godfather had hidden and done something more behind the scenes.

Soon, Ho summoned his dagger.

It was one of his best; it’s level was the highest among the other artifacts.

“I thought we were here to talk.”

“Let me correct you.”

“Correct me?” The Godfather frowned.

In contrast, Lee Ho smiled. “I’m here to hear your last words.”