Choi Won-hyun suddenly turned his head. Beneath the wild, savage-like hair was a rough and unremarkable face, except that his eyes, once wide open, shone with an unusual brightness, as if a flame was hidden beneath the black ash.
"You should know that having offended the Seven Stars Group, I can no longer return to Korea."
The Seven Stars Group he referred to was a massive conglomerate in Korea that held a near-monopoly on everything, from the production of a tube of toothpaste to presidential elections—everything was firmly controlled by the Seven Stars Group.
In fact, it could be said that Korea was now effectively the domain of the Seven Stars Group. Faced with such a behemoth, even someone as powerful as Choi Won-hyun was subject to its control.
However, things were not so simple. As a neighboring country separated only by a sea, major events in Korea could not be kept from Yoshihara Tsubaki.
The incident began four years ago when Cui Yuanxuan completely disappeared after his duel with the Martial God "Star," leading everyone to believe he was dead. While this belief might not have mattered to ordinary people, the problem was that even the head of the Seven Stars Group thought so.
The hero-like treatment Cui Yuanxuan received among the people of Korea had long fueled resentment and a growing fear in the Seven Stars Group's leader. Upon learning of Cui Yuanxuan's supposed death, he retaliated by sleeping with Cui Yuanxuan's mother, wife, and daughter.
They even engaged in a three-generation affair…
But unexpectedly, Cui Yuanxuan returned after some time!
If things had ended there, Cui Yuanxuan would likely have remained silent, as his title was "City Guardian," and titles are usually bestowed by enemies or the people.
Therefore, they best reflect a person's character and strength.
However, the ability to torture the families of strategic-level superhumans brought the head of the Seven Stars Group a long-lost thrill. Coupled with his advanced age, he used various obscene instruments to torment and abuse them.
As a result, Choi Won-hyun's daughter, still in middle school, was tortured to death by the Seven Stars Group's head…
What happened next is known to every superhuman in South Korea. Enraged, Choi Won-hyun split the Seven Stars Group's headquarters building in two, but spared the life of the Seven Stars Group's head, because his mother and wife remained under the group's control.
Of course, another crucial reason was that Choi Won-hyun was unwilling to harm the innocent; after all, he had risen through the ranks from a vigilante.
In the end, Choi Won-hyun compromised with the Seven Stars Group, sparing his mother and wife's lives. The collapse of the Seven Stars Group building was attributed to a group of the original builders, publicly stated as a design flaw.
And Cui Yuanxuan could never return to Korea, hence the current state of urban homelessness…
This man was like a suppressed volcano, so Yoshihara Tsubaki said nothing, though a hint of relief flashed in her eyes. In any case, with this beast's protection, the disciples of "Star" should be safe for the time being.
…
In the city center of Shen, the tallest building in the entire city, the clear glass windows offered a panoramic view, taking in the towering skyscrapers of the bustling metropolis.
At this table was a long dining table, laden with a dazzling array of rare delicacies from home and abroad. Two people sat at opposite ends of the table.
One was Xu Pengxuan, and the other was Simon of Pride, one of the Seven Deadly Sins, who had only arrived in Shen yesterday.
The meal seemed to be nearing its end. Simon slowly picked up a clean white silk napkin and gently wiped his mouth.
His movements were incredibly slow and deliberate, as if he were meticulously wiping away any non-existent grease. After finally seeing him put down the food container, Simon then raised his ruby-red wine, slowly smelling, sipping, and savoring it…
Xu Pengxuan, however, simply watched quietly. Although this body and Simon were only "meeting" for the first time, their inner selves had known each other for over a decade, so he was naturally aware of Simon's habit of wasting time.
The more arrogant a person is, the more they emphasize elegance, because only in this way can they claim to be different from ordinary people…
However, Simon genuinely felt that he belonged to the noblest class in the world, and therefore had the right to look down on everyone.
Of course, there were exceptions. He couldn't look down on "gods," which was why he was here in Shen City.
So, after a long pause, Simon finally spoke slowly: "Are you sure he really might be 'Star' himself, and not just a disciple?"
At the mention of Star, Xu Pengxuan's stone-carved face immediately showed intense emotional fluctuations. "Do you think I'd admit it? Which of you has had your heart pierced by that sun-like attack?"
A strange smile crept across Simon's face, a smile that seemed to be a mix of mockery, regret, and a sigh. "Of course there are. Weren't Wrath and Envy killed by that power?"
Envy aside, Wrath could transform into a giant bear tens of meters tall. But that wasn't its most terrifying aspect. Its characteristics granted it the ability to grow larger with its rage, along with its powerful regenerative abilities. Unless destroyed along with the city by nuclear weapons, there was virtually no way to kill Wrath.
But Star did it—
Recalling the small sun that rose when Wrath was killed, even Simon couldn't help but tremble in awe. What did divine might truly mean?
Even the noblest person was nothing more than a larger ant before that power.
Four years ago, during the terrifying supernatural battle that erupted in Shanghai, five of the Seven Deadly Sins—Pride, Wrath, Envy, Greed, and Lust—were present. Gluttony was unusual, being a 100-meter-long blue whale, while Sloth had never appeared before; no one knew who Sloth was.
Therefore, these five could be considered to represent all seven deadly sins. In addition, they pressured the US government to various strategic allies, resulting in each country sending three strategic-level supernatural beings to aid them.
These were: South Korea, City Guardians Choi Won-hyun and Shikishima, Sakura Queen Yoshihara Tsubaki and Sonam, and the Gu Master Won Cheon-sung—a total of eight strategic-level supernatural powerhouses.
When they gathered in Shanghai, it was almost like several humanoid nuclear bombs piled up in the economic center of China. The purpose, of course, was to declare to the world through this demonstrative act that, apart from the setback during the first rise of supernatural beings, the United States remained the undisputed absolute hegemon of the world! Ultimately, the Chinese authorities, after careful consideration, had to back down, transferring almost the entire underworld of Shen City to these eight "strategists" to maintain a facade of prosperity and peace—a fragile balance in reality.
This was the helplessness of the extraordinary era. After all, compared to a fully armed army, the destructive power of extraordinary individuals far surpassed that of any military, yet their infiltration capabilities were leagues ahead.
At the pinnacle, the top extraordinary individuals, dubbed "strategists," were like nuclear bombs, aircraft carriers, and submarines among strategic weapons!
And yet they could infiltrate like ordinary people. What did this mean?
It was akin to one country's nuclear weapons silently entering another!
Fortunately, each major power possessed the same capabilities, and the ultimate deterrent of nuclear war, allowing them to maintain the previous order in this unprecedentedly changed world.
After all, superhumans are still human, and no human would want to live a life of scavenging and carnage amidst nuclear ruins…
Therefore, two unwritten rules gradually formed in the shadows of the world:
First, conflicts between superhumans should ideally occur in secret, never exposed to the public eye.
Second, powerful superhumans enjoy certain privileges, regardless of the country, because this incentivizes them to uphold the order established by the first rule.
Therefore, when powerful superhumans commit crimes, local governments often turn a blind eye.
Tolerating the "minor crimes" committed by them.
These "minor crimes" include, but are not limited to, murder, kidnapping, rape…
This is the capital that extraordinary power, comparable to a violent machine, brings to an individual—capital that makes the government wary, and the stronger one is, the more capital one possesses.
Therefore, when Charles, one of the Seven Deadly Sins, kidnapped over a dozen young girls, the authorities undoubtedly chose to compromise, even actively covering up his lust.