Through the Cameras
Hector watched the slums through dozens of glowing screens as shadows moved through the narrow streets.
The players were leaving.
They were heading toward the city.
His smile disappeared.
"How is this possible?"
One of his assistants stammered, "A man stayed behind in the slums. He said he would tank all the bombs himself."
For a moment, the control room fell silent.
Then Hector leaned back in the darkness and smiled.
"So they finally understood the game."
His eyes gleamed behind the monitors.
"Interesting."
IN THE SLUMS
"Junyu, you don't have to do this!" the old woman cried. "I can die for everyone instead!"
Junyu looked at her calmly.
"Who told you I'm going to die from a few bombs?"
"IT'S NOT A FEW! IT'S A THOUSAND OF THEM!"
Junyu laughed softly.
"Then wish me luck, Grandma."
Above the slums, hidden mechanisms began to move.
Metal doors opened in the barrier.
A cold mechanical voice echoed through the night.
"Bombardment system loaded."
"Bombs dropping in…"
3
Junyu looked up at the dark sky and smiled.
The players stared at him in horror.
Children cried.
Some people covered their ears.
Others fell to their knees praying.
2
Junyu spread his arms as if welcoming the storm.
"LET'S DO THIS!"
Thunder rumbled across Mokushin.
The air became heavy.
1
Junyu's red aura ignited around him.
"FOR THE PEOPLE!"
BOMBS DROPPING
The first explosion shattered the silence.
BOOM!
A wall vanished instantly.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Fire erupted through the slums like a sea of molten gold. Shockwaves tore roofs from houses, shattered windows across the city, and sent ash spiraling into the sky.
The night turned white.
Then orange.
Then blood red.
The ground trembled violently beneath every blast.
Smoke swallowed the streets.
Junyu disappeared inside the inferno.
The heat became so intense that even the stone walls began to crack. The remaining players escaped through the gates, looking back at the burning slums with tears in their eyes.
"Thank you, Junyu…"
"Please survive…"
The bombardment continued without mercy.
One hundred.
Three hundred.
Five hundred.
Eight hundred.
ONE THOUSAND BOMBS COMPLETED.
Silence.
Only flames remained.
The slums had become a crater of ash and fire.
Across all of Mokushin, people watched through the cameras. For the first time, even the rich side of the city looked frightened.
Then the fire moved.
A silhouette rose from the ashes.
A man.
Covered in blood.
Burned skin steaming in the night air.
And smiling.
Junyu stood upright as if the explosions had merely awakened him.
The sky darkened and turned crimson.
His horns glowed a pure blood-red.
He wiped blood from his mouth and said calmly,
"It was fine after all."
With one punch he shattered the remaining seal around the slums.
The barrier exploded into fragments.
Junyu stepped forward through the burning ruins.
Ash drifted around him like snow.
After a few steps, his body finally gave in and he collapsed onto the ground.
The escaped players rushed back, lifted him carefully, and carried him away from the flames.
CONTROL ROOM
Hector slammed his hand onto the console.
"HOW CAN A HUMAN DO THAT?!"
On every screen, Junyu slowly opened his eyes and stared directly into the cameras.
His glowing red gaze felt less like a man's and more like a devil's.
Hector unconsciously took a step backward.
"He truly is the devil of Devil Horns…"
The old woman touched Junyu's forehead.
She instantly pulled her hand away.
"It's hotter than anything I've touched in my life!"
Junyu sat up slowly.
His red aura burst outward like a scream, spreading across the entire city before returning to his body.
"I'm fine," he muttered. "Just dizzy. My body's still bleeding."
He looked toward the city beyond the slums.
"Step one is over."
His voice echoed through the crowd.
"START THE CIVIL WAR!"
The players stared at him.
"Mokushin Civil War."
"Players versus Creators."
"This is the real game."
Junyu stood despite his injuries.
"I'll lead you to their towers. We fight. We win. And when this ends… we celebrate together."
A young player stepped forward.
"Why are you doing this? Who are you? Why would you risk your life for us?"
Junyu's red eyes burned brightly.
"I am Lacod Junyu."
He pointed toward the city.
"And I will become the king of the world."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"A true king wants the best for his people."
The young player burst into tears.
Then someone shouted,
"OUR KING!"
Another voice joined.
"OUR KING!"
Soon the entire crowd roared as one.
"LACOD JUNYU! LACOD JUNYU! LACOD JUNYU!"
Junyu had not merely saved the players.
In a single night, he had turned them into believers.
And that was something only a king could do.