Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant-Chapter 356

Oota, the Director, and Nakamura, the Section Chief, walked out of the ryotei on their own feet.

Of course, I didn’t forget to leave the cleanup to the two of them.

The ryotei itself had been left in ruins.

But since I’d made them handle the aftermath and walk out on their own, there was no need to worry about some useless alibi.

That was enough.

The two of them were made to wait in their private car near Hiro’s mansion. Only then did Su-ho and Hiro, having returned to the mansion, finally sit down for a proper talk.

Now back to his true appearance, An Su-ho—no longer in the guise of Kim Su-ho—spoke.

“As I said before. I want Sumiyoshi to become Japan’s largest Hunter guild.”

“......”

Hiro was at a loss for words at Su-ho’s proposal.

Because it was exactly as it sounded.

Su-ho genuinely wanted Sumiyoshi to rise as Japan’s largest guild.

For Su-ho, there was no other choice.

At present, this was the best possible move.

After all, the Vice Minister, the highest authority within Paranormal Ability, had already begun moving to crush Sumiyoshi and Union.

In that case, there was no longer any place in this country for Union to stand.

“This is the only way. Even leaving my personal goals aside, once the Vice Minister has targeted Sumiyoshi, he won’t stop at pressure... no, he’ll unleash every kind of slander and sabotage imaginable. In such a situation, do you really believe you can protect Sumiyoshi?”

“That’s...”

Honestly, he had no confidence.

Even if Hiro was one of the top five Players in the country and the head of a major guild, that was all.

Corporations, mega-celebrities, even successful members of the Diet—if the state decided to cut them down, they could be shredded into paper scraps at will.

So what could Hiro realistically do in the face of that?

Go public? 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

It might flare for a moment.

But Japan, much like China and other nations, tightly controlled its media.

For instance, in Osaka’s Nishinari district there was a place known as Airin District—Japan’s largest and worst slum.

It was crammed with homeless drifters and yakuza; security was abysmal, and even if someone was killed there, investigations rarely followed. But since Japan regarded the place as a national blemish, they ensured it never reached the press.

‘So much so that not only foreigners, but even many of its own citizens don’t even know Airin District exists.’

And this wasn’t just Japan’s problem.

Every country—China, Russia, wherever there is light, there are shadows.

These examples only proved how powerless an individual was when set against the state.

Su-ho continued.

“And as I mentioned earlier, our Union promised that if Sumiyoshi ever faced an enemy it couldn’t handle, we’d help in every possible way. That time is now.”

“But the opponent is the state.”

“That doesn’t matter. What matters is that I’ve made up my mind.”

“...Don’t tell me you knew this would happen?”

“Of course not. I’m not a god. How could I possibly know the future?”

“Well... true.”

Hiro lowered his head quietly.

His feelings must have been in turmoil.

Learning he’d become a national target overnight.

But precisely in such times, he had to harden his resolve.

Su-ho spoke.

“Don’t worry too much. Yes, being marked by the government is upsetting, but a situation like this can be turned around.”

“How?”

“Two things. First, Union must withdraw completely from Japan. With the fact most irksome to the Japanese government removed, their attention will wane.”

At the words “Union’s withdrawal,” Hiro wanted to ask a great many questions, but for the moment he held them back.

“Fine. And the other?”

“Eliminate the competition and become the only one.”

“The only one?”

“Remove Yamaguchi.”

“Wha—Yamaguchi?”

“Yes.”

Su-ho said it as casually as if he were heading out for a neighborhood stroll.

It was absurd.

To call for the removal of the Yamaguchi Guild—as if it were nothing more than some stray dog?

And yet, Hiro couldn’t dismiss it outright. Because he had already witnessed Su-ho’s power.

How, single-handed, he had demolished Inagawa Guild’s operations, scattering ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) them without a trace.

‘Even if we attacked together, it was only possible because that man was the one who carried it through...’

But this time, the opponent was Yamaguchi.

Su-ho said,

“President.”

“Yes.”

“No matter who the enemy is, the rule is always the same—you win. So don’t be afraid, and don’t worry. No matter how tangled the knot, if you unravel it slowly, it will eventually come undone.”

“Easier said than done. But we’re talking about Yamaguchi. They’re the oldest yakuza syndicate in Japan, and their subordinate groups alone can’t even be compared to us. Paranormal Ability didn’t use Yamaguchi—they endorsed them. That’s how untouchable Yamaguchi is.”

“Then let me ask you this instead.”

“Yes?”

“If Sumiyoshi had to choose, would you rather face North Korea, or Yamaguchi?”

“What kind of...”

“Think simply. Right now the Korean government is waging what they call the Purification-Unification Operation against the North. So you should be able to compare in tangible terms.”

“......”

Hiro fell silent again.

But his hesitation didn’t last long.

No matter how mighty Yamaguchi was, how could it compare to an entire nation?

Even a nation in ruins.

Finally Hiro asked,

“But why North Korea?”

“Because I just returned from there.”

“...Excuse me?”

“The Purification-Unification Operation Korea is conducting right now is essentially cleanup. The core—the truly hard gates of North Korea—were all cleared by me. You may find it hard to believe, but from what I’ve heard, you’ve shown great interest in me. So I expect you’ll believe at least somewhat.”

“......”

“And frankly, North Korea’s gates were far harder than anything Yamaguchi could offer. If I were an ordinary man, it would have been impossible. But in this age of upheaval, where superhumans abound, it is no longer one against a hundred—it is one against a thousand, one against ten thousand. You know this better than anyone.”

He didn’t need to say that he was the one against ten thousand.

That much was understood without words.

“President, you keep protecting Sumiyoshi. Union—no, I—will aid you from the shadows. Ah, but it won’t be for free. In return, once Sumiyoshi becomes Japan’s number one guild, bring me a few gates I request. That’s all I want.”

“The gates... for your growth?”

“Yes. I am someone whose goal is to end the gates themselves. For that, I need stronger gates. And from my research, several of the ones I need exist only in Japan. That’s why I ask this. No matter how great my power, I cannot erase something as massive as a gate without leaving a trace.”

“......”

He stayed silent.

In truth, he had no choice.

Su-ho hadn’t created the situation, but the situation itself had cornered him.

At last, he slowly bowed his head.

“...Very well. I’ll entrust this to you.”

At his bow, Su-ho smiled brightly and returned the gesture with a nod.

“Yes. Then I’ll count on you as well.”

Thus the agreement was sealed.

And so it began.

The dismantling of Japan’s largest yakuza guild—Yamaguchi.

“Yes. Then I’ll ask you to handle the cleanup.”

After concluding his negotiations with Hiro, Su-ho immediately called Ion, the Union representative, to explain the entire situation.

If no one else, Ion at least had to know.

And surprisingly, Ion accepted it coolly.

No—given the circumstances, he had no choice.

The situation was already water spilled on the ground.

Knowing that well, he accepted it without fuss.

There were no other options.

Nor did he bother weighing profit and loss.

Representative Ion was a great man—not some petty Shylock of a merchant.

He knew well enough that if he waited, Su-ho would see to it that he was compensated.

With the situation settled, Su-ho immediately set the plan in motion.

[ Entering Subspace House. ]

First, intelligence gathering.

As he opened the door of the Subspace House, the Yamaguchi assassins he’d pricked with paralytic points were lying there like dried fish.

Su-ho swiftly released the nine men from their pressure-point paralysis.

“Ghh...!”

“Damn it...!”

“You bastard...!”

They had long since shaken off the grogginess from [Mini Fear].

Yet they still couldn’t move properly, because Su-ho—several tiers above them in level—had struck their vital points.

That was the nature of debuffs.

The men forcibly loosened their stiff joints and drew weapons from their inventories.

At that moment—

“Huh?”

One of the Yamaguchi men’s eyes widened.

Then his face went pale as he stammered.

“W-wait. Isn’t that him?”

“What?”

“Why?”

“Who?”

“L-look closely! That’s him. Korea’s Sword Saint!”

“Sword Saint?”

“What are you... huh?”

“Huh?”

Just a few words exchanged.

That was all it took.

Especially since it came from Sasaguchi, the sharpest among them at recognizing people. The others, too, quickly turned pale.

“C-crazy...”

“It really is him?”

“W-why is the Sword Saint here?”

Hearing their bewildered murmurs, Su-ho chuckled.

“Boys, you’re not thinking of attacking, are you?”

“W-what do we do?”

“S-shit...”

“Boss, what’s the call?”

They were surprisingly disciplined.

As yakuza, one might expect them to bolt first. Instead, they didn’t flee—they turned straight to their leader.

“......”

The team leader stayed silent.

Because no orders had ever mentioned encountering the Sword Saint.

And unlike Hiro, though not as much, he was someone who admired the strong. He knew well of Su-ho, called Korea’s Sword Saint and the strongest of all.

So he quickly made his calculation.

Clatter—

The leader dropped his weapon.

The other Yamaguchi men stared wide-eyed.

But soon, grasping the situation, they too followed their leader and discarded their weapons.

Once they had all thrown them down, the leader spoke.

“We surrender. What do you want?”

“You’re giving up already? A real yakuza should be cursing and rushing me with a sashimi knife, no?”

“...Don’t mistake us for fools. If we hadn’t known who you were, we might have. But knowing your identity, we’d rather submit cleanly.”

“Boring.”

He had planned to rough them up a little, relieve some stress.

The interrogation, after all, could be handled with his [Enthrallment] skill.

But now the situation had changed.

Forming a chair out of [Blood Armory], Su-ho sat down and said,

“Fine. I’ll give you a chance. From this moment, I plan to dismantle Yamaguchi. If you truly want to live, then tell me everything you know about them. If the information is useful, I’ll let you live.”

“......”

“......”

He was asking them to betray their organization.

And these were yakuza—men for whom loyalty was everything. Would they really talk so easily?

Yet the leader didn’t hesitate for even a second.

“Understood.”

“...Hm?”

“But you’ll have to keep your promise. It may be hard to believe, but I’ve admired you.”

Absurd fellows.

But still—active answers born of a will to live were better than the passive responses of enthrallment.

And so began the crash course on Yamaguchi Guild, delivered by nine of its own men.