Translator: HunterW

Editor: RED

Keep up the pressure! Were going to put an end to this today! Jose Alejandro shouted to his men.

Yes sir! his soldiers responded as one. They all seemed ready to follow Jose into the pits of Popocatpetl if he so chose. They may as well have, given how many and quickly they died.

Gah!

No!

The NCR soldiers threw themselves at Pedro as if they did not know or care about death penalties, and Jose watched with satisfaction. He was getting his moneys worth. A big reason why his guild was losing the previous battles against Pedro was that there were many deserters and a huge loss of morale. These rat bastards all fought as one and with the same cruelty against weaker opponents, but when someone stronger than them appeared, they were quick to find a way out. Thanks to that cowardice, the NCR Guild had experienced more heavy losses that it should have. That was also why Jose had also prepared the perfect shackle for this final battle.

==[Voice of Powerful Control (Rank 7)

Your voice now carries a powerful ability to control your targets.

Usage restrictions: a guild of at least two members or the leader of one organization.

Can only be used on those weaker than you.

Time limit: 5 hours.]==

We were only able to buy two of them. Isnt it too early to use one already? Hugo asked.

It wont matter. This battle decides our fate, Jose replied in a disgusted voice. This was all because of Lee Jiwon!

Pedro was beginning to grow tired. The NCR bastards were throwing themselves at him nonstop. They werent like this before. These were supposed to be the same guys looking to escape every time Pedro showed himself. Now, they were fighting like they didnt care about death penalties.

Fuck off! He was not about to let himself get surrounded by these rat bastards and threw them back each time they got close, but they were starting to swarm him. He was quickly running out of room to even swing his sword. He didnt know what to do.

Pedro laughed bitterly. It was all he could do.

-Is this the end?-

He only had a few hours left now. Pedros eyes flared and gritted his teeth. If he wasnt going to be able to break through their defenses and die here, he was going to take with him as many as he could.

Gah!

Ahh!

Then, as Pedro was swinging his sword like mad, he started to hear a clamoring from the other side of the battlefield. It was getting louder, too. Why were they clamoring over something in the middle of battle? Pedro asked himself, but he soon saw the source. It was Lee Jiwon,was walking casually through the army, as if he was out on a stroll. No one tried to stop him.

Guild master! Hugo cried out, but Jose didnt reply and just clenched his jaw in anger.

Father, its

LeeLee Jiwons coming this way!

Cantana and another officer cried out, but Jose didnt need them to say anything. He could see for himself that Lee Jiwon was calmly walking towards the battle. How many days had it been since Lee Jiwon said that he would help the NCR Guild, and never showed? How much did Jose and the NCR Guild lose to Pedro in the meantime? And now Lee Jiwon decided to show himself, during the battle that would decide the fate of the NCR Guild? Jose was furious. It was obvious now that Lee Jiwon was on Pedros side.

Jose had maintained an inkling of hope that there was still a chance Lee Jiwon was on his side. That was why he used Lee Jiwons name to ensure that Pedro stood alone. He had even reached out to the Windsor Guard for help and for a moment, it looked like Pedro was going to lose. But the Windsor Guard didnt stay long, and it was all because of Lee Jiwon.

-Lee Jiwon, you son of a bitch!- Jose swore in his head, but didnt let it out of his mouth and put on his best poker face.

Mr. Lee, welcome! Its great that youre finally here, Jose said with a beaming smile, as if he as greeting a precious guest. Why? To take out the biggest fire first. He almost had Pedro now. He couldnt afford to spark Lee Jiwons ire when he was so close to winning.

Sorry Im late. Some things came up I had to tend to.

Dont worry about it. Life happens and sometimes, theres nothing we can do about it. A vein pulsed on Joses forehead when he heard Lee Jiwons lame excuse, but he acted as if it wasnt a big deal. He wanted to make use of his Voice of Control and throw his men at Lee Jiwon, but he knew that was the last thing he should do and maintained his smile.

I inwardly laughed at Jose Alejandro. This was my first time meeting the man in charge of one of the worlds cruelest and most villainous guilds, but I knew that behind that smile was anger and vile hatred directed at me. He was probably throwing all the insults he knew at me and I actually found that amusing. But I didnt bring it up and continued to feign innocence. I shook hands and went back and forth with praise with Jose for about a minute until he finally addressed the issue.

Im afraid youve come a little too late. Weve just about captured Pedro now, and Im afraid were no longer in need of your services. Oh, but not to worry. We will pay you as we have promised. Your name is worth that much to us, after all.

I knew exactly what he was trying to do. He wanted to use the promised reward to try to get me away from the battle. Too bad for him. Please, I cant just take it when I havent done anything yet. I know its late, but let me at least help you finish this up. Then, Ill accept your reward.

Joses beaming smile quickly disappeared and was replaced with a real sour look. No, you dont need

Please, let me help. My mother would throw a fit if she learned I didnt earn my keep. Besides, Im sure youve lost a lot of men today. Let me lessen your losses. I cut Jose off and pointed to the ongoing battle. I made it obvious that I was not going to budge.

Jose didnt say anything, looking right at me, and I held his gaze. I knew he was going to yield. What else could he do? Fight me? He might as well kill himself now.

My, my. Are you sure about this? You really dont have to. Pedro really doesnt stand a chance against you, Im sure.

Ill do my best, I said with a forced laugh. I then turned around to look for Cantana Alejandro, the asshole responsible for this mess. I had memorized his face from the report I received so it didnt take long to find him. I walked over to him and outstretched my hand.

Hi there. My name is Lee Jiwon.

Uhand Im Cantana Alejandro. Cantana couldnt hide the surprise, but quickly shook my hand.

I heard a lot about you, I said, but inside, I wanted to throttle this kid. It was pretty much all his fault, this sadistic piece of shit that didnt deserve to ever see the light of day ever again.

Oh, Im sure its nothing compared to your stories, Mr. Lee

After putting my foot down that I was going to participate no matter what, Jose ordered his men to cease fighting. The NCR soldiers moved back thirty meters, leaving a sixty-meter wide circle in the middle of the battlefield. In the center of the circle stood Pedro, and I slowly walked towards him. I came to a stop about a meter away from him.

He was young. He obviously just turned of age. He had just become a deva and had grown stronger by the day.

Nice to meet you, Cicada.

Cicada?

It was another nickname the world used to call him, one a little nicer than the Failed Avenger. We called him the Cicada because he had lived the entirety of his youth unknown to the rest of the world, and when he finally became an adult, he made enough noise for the entire world to hear, but died a week later. Just like cicadas.

Thats right, Cicada. But I dont know if youve made enough noise to the point that you no longer have any regrets.

Pedro just blinked, as if he didnt understand what I was saying. So I decided to be blunt about it.

You have, what, four hours left?

He suddenly slammed his sword at my head, and I quickly drew my spear to block the attack. That attack was no doubt the strongest I had ever felt. The force of the attack created a small crater in the ground and pushed me back another meter away. He was strong, very strong.

I acted as if I wasnt fazed and lowered my spear. You dont need to get so angry. Was it a secret? Of course it was a secret. For the longest time, Pedros abilities were a mystery. He didnt have any other special abilities or skills and only ever carried a cheap, low-ranked greatsword.

Lee Jiwon who the hell are you?

Me? What, you still dont know? Im obviously on your side. Im the reason you got this far. Im the reason you were left alone, I said as I slowly walked closer to Pedro.

Oh, right. You remember those new guys that appeared a few days ago, right? The guys who carried golden chains? I took care of them for you, so you dont need to worry them. I once again stood a meter away from Pedro and this time, Pedro didnt attack. His eyes were wide with surprise.

Since Ive done that much for you, you should at least give me some of your time to talk, especially since we have less than four hours.

Meanwhile

Somethings not right. It doesnt look good at all. Jose didnt like that Lee Jiwon was talking to Pedro like that at all. No, it was more like he was afraid.

Pedro did suddenly attack Lee Jiwon out of the blue, but Lee Jiwon had only defended against the attack, and they were back to talking about something.

Hmm Jose sighed and looked down at the hand that shook Lee Jiwons hand. It was just a handshake, but he couldnt shake the feeling that there was more to it.