Chapter 69: The Returner Completes It

The Inoue Family.

A prestigious family that enjoyed the greatest power among the three major families ruling Japan, possessing a unique and unparalleled vision technique.

Although there were some unsettling rumors, they were one of the allies who contributed generously once the war with the Demon Gods began.

"Huh..."

Today, that family was completely erased from history.

"There's nothing left..."

The sacred mountain where the main house of the Inoue family was located.

The sacred mountain, which had a mysterious atmosphere due to the boundary laid out around it and the lush mountains, was once a place visited by many, but now there was no trace of it.

A barren wasteland where all life had been drained. The only thing left on that desolate land, devoid of any life force, was a giant 'cage.'

Rumble—

A silver cage about 20 meters in size, placed at the center of the wasteland.

The inside was covered in black shadows, making it impossible to see what was inside, but it trembled intermittently, indicating that something was trapped inside.

'Not extermination, but sealing... Perhaps Tambo was stronger than expected.'

As he tried to visualize how the battle had unfolded, the space beside him split open, and the fierce woman with short silver hair, the berserker Louise Valentine, appeared.

"Damn, it's really disgusting... What the hell were those Inoue bastards up to?"

The berserker, who seemed to be in a particularly foul mood, frowned and grumbled. Her intense reaction made him a bit curious.

"Is it that disgusting? To me, it just looks like a cage."

"Easy for you to say. A sealing technique made by twisting thousands of living humans doesn't look like an ordinary cage to me."

"...Civilians?"

"No. They all seem to be related to the Inoue family, and it doesn't look like they gave consent. When I got closer, they were making a fuss, asking to be let out."

The cage, which appeared elegant enough to be considered beautiful, seemed to have a very unclean essence.

"How is the condition?"

"The seal itself is fine. But if it's tampered with, Tambo will immediately break free."

"Hmm..."

He came to eliminate the threat, but if he interfered, it might create an unexpected variable.

While he was pondering, the berserker patted his shoulder.

"Just leave it. Even the other two, Muryon and Muhai, would have a hard time dealing with it. If that thing breaks free again, it'll be a mess."

"...Right. Let's just keep an eye on it for now."

The complete annihilation of the Inoue family is a significant blow, but if the most dangerous of the Ten Evils, Tambo, is sealed, it's not a complete loss.

Considering the remaining human forces, he signaled the berserker.

"Let's go."

"Speak politely. Before I bury you in the ground."

The berserker, who was tapping her shoulder, prepared for spatial movement. As he waited for that moment, he glanced back at the cage.

Once a proud S-rank hero of the Inoue family, Erica Inoue, who had fallen to a demon and become one of the Ten Evils, leading to the destruction of her own family.

It was clearly a tragic event, but as he looked at the scene before him, he felt more curiosity than pity.

Rumble—

Was this struggle the result of Tambo trying to break free from the cage?

'Or is something new trying to be born...?'

It was unsettling, but there was no way to confirm it.

Thus, he averted his gaze and stopped thinking about it. That question would remain unanswered as the cage was swept away by Muhai.

* * *

"..."

A fleeting memory from the past flashed through his mind, narrowing Ise Hoon's eyes.

'Is this... an illusionary path?'

The scene was too vivid to be just a memory.

For some reason, Ise Hoon, who was recalling the past, looked at the young man, Inoue Ren, standing before him.

'That was the family head at the time.'

The achievement of sealing Tambo, who was a threat as great as the Demon Gods, was commendable, but the use of thousands of living humans as a medium for the sealing technique was hard to overlook.

'And there was also the information about his connection to the Observers this time.'

The information he read in the illusionary path was not yet confirmed, but considering the unsettling sealing technique he saw before the regression, it seemed plausible.

'What to do with this...'

While Ise Hoon was pondering how to respond, Ren spoke first.

"I've heard a lot about your sister."

With a smile, Ren initiated the conversation.

"She mentioned that you've been helping her in various ways. I hope you haven't been too much trouble."

Ise Hoon, who had been observing Ren's gentle approach, shook his head.

"Not to that extent."

"That's a relief. It's hard to say, but my sister has a rather unique personality. I was worried she might have made you uncomfortable."

"She did, but... I consider it a minor inconvenience."

Compared to the eccentricities of the three berserkers he dealt with before the regression, Erica's quirks were manageable.

"..."

He felt a slightly odd gaze from the side, but Ise Hoon ignored it, and Ren chuckled.

"You two get along well. I'm glad you seem to get along well in general."

The conversation flowed warmly. On the surface, it seemed like a typical first meeting between friends and family, but there was one thing that stood out.

"Ugh... Grr..."

Carter, who had been frozen in the act of throwing a punch, remained stiff.

He tried to move but only managed to contort his face grotesquely. His body remained motionless, as if preserved in mid-air.

"What did you do to him?"

"There doesn't seem to be any magic or anything..."

The students around them murmured, confused by Carter's inexplicable state, and Ise Hoon's gaze followed theirs.

"Oh, I forgot to clear him up."

Seeing this, Ren, as if just realizing, lightly tapped his palm with a black rod, a fan.

Snap

"Ugh?!"

Carter, who had been standing awkwardly, suddenly straightened and began walking quickly to one side of the banquet hall.

His movements were natural yet felt out of place, creating a strange and unpleasant atmosphere. The mood around them sank, and Ren smiled wryly.

"Sorry. Sometimes I get friends who don't know their place. Even though I try to manage them, it's not easy."

"Managing people is always the hardest. It's fine."

"Thanks for understanding. I'll make sure this doesn't happen again, so don't worry."

The students around them, who had been listening to Ren's words, looked tense.

The exchange meeting was supposed to be a collaborative effort among the members, but in reality, Ren had been overseeing it as the president since his second year.

In other words, Carter would no longer be able to participate in the exchange meeting due to what just happened.

"Shall we look around a bit more?"

"Sure. There's a lot to see."

The students, who had been observing the situation, began to disperse, and the area quickly became quiet.

Ise Hoon was slightly impressed by Ren's influence, which had dispersed the crowd in an instant.

'He has a firm grip on things.'

He had thought Ren was just a street thug, but it seemed he had more control over the exchange meeting than expected.

While Ise Hoon was impressed, Ren, seeing the empty surroundings, looked a bit awkward.

"Seems like I've caused some trouble."

"It's fine. If they run away at this level, I don't really want to get that close to them anyway."

Ise Hoon's calm response made Ren chuckle.

"Haha, that's true. It's better to interact with someone more substantial. Impressive."

"It's not that impressive..."

"No, I mean it. People like you are rare. Or rather, there aren't many who can be like that..."

How many of the students invited to the exchange meeting could selectively choose their friends based on their own criteria?

The confidence that one could dominate with their talent alone, regardless of the other person's background.

Ren, who sensed this from Ise Hoon's attitude, looked at him with a different expression.

"I'd like to talk more, but I have some preparations to make. Let's meet again when we have time."

"Sure. See you then."

"Nice to meet you."

Ise Hoon nodded and shook Ren's outstretched hand.

"Nice to meet you too."

"See you later. Erica."

At Ren's brief call, Erica, who had been standing beside him, looked over.

"Can you help me with some things? I have a lot to do."

"...Sure."

Erica, who reluctantly nodded, looked at Ise Hoon.

"See you later."

"Sure. I'll be back with Jake when I'm done."

"Okay."

Erica nodded and followed Ren into the inner part of the banquet hall.

Despite the brief conversation, it was clear that Ren had a favorable impression of him. If it were another student, they would have been pleased to have formed a good relationship.

'He's leaving a curse with a smile.'

Ise Hoon, who had just shaken hands with Ren, twisted his lips.

His hand, which seemed unchanged on the surface, felt the 'wedge' embedded in it through the Linglian Divine Magic, which allowed him to fully perceive his body.

Sss

A vague wedge made of black mist. The faint curse had been embedded in his palm through the handshake.

'It's more like a precursor than a proper curse.'

A preliminary step to cast a proper curse later.

Because of this, it seemed to be specialized in stealth and persistence. Ise Hoon, who examined its structure, fell into thought.

'I can probably remove it now...'

If he hadn't noticed the curse, it would be a different story, but in his current state of clear awareness, he could easily remove it using the Linglian Divine Magic.

However, Ise Hoon felt that removing it immediately would be a disadvantage.

'Being cursed so openly means they see me as easy prey.'

If he removed the curse here, his evaluation would change, but he would also be more guarded.

For Ise Hoon, who needed to understand Ren's true intentions, this was an undesirable situation.

'Let it be for now.'

When dealing with such devious people, the key is to appear weak and then strike unexpectedly.

Ise Hoon, having made his decision, pretended not to notice the wedge and looked at Jake.

"Let's go... What are you doing?"

Jake, who seemed uncomfortable, was looking around.

If Ise Hoon, who was looking at him with a puzzled expression, Jake made a grimace.

"Ah, just something's bothering me."

"If you're tired, I can go around by myself."

"No, no, it's fine. I'm just a bit low on energy lately. Let's go in."

Jake, who seemed to be pushing him away, entered the inner part of the banquet hall with Ise Hoon.

Thanks to Ren's warning, there were no students approaching, allowing them to enjoy the tour without interference. Ise Hoon, noticing this, reflected on their recent encounter.

'Now that I think about it, that was also a baited hook.'

The exchange meeting was ostensibly for building camaraderie, but its true purpose was to recruit talented and capable students. Ise Hoon had just been 'bid on' by Ren.

'Not that I like being treated like an object... but at least I have some time to look around.'

As Ise Hoon walked around the banquet hall, guided by Jake, he observed the faces of those passing by.

Most were unfamiliar, but a few were people he had seen before the regression.

'That guy was caught for corruption... that one is a hitman. There's also a blackmailer, a fraud