Chapter 20 - [Original Title Missing]

On February 1, 2028, the first cordon around Seoul was miraculously still holding.

Living up to its reputation as the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Artillery, the military had poured in every bit of firepower it had and successfully stopped Amalgams from entering by land. At least, that was what the government believed, and what everyone wanted to believe.

By the time they believed they had repelled somewhere between tens of thousands and well over a hundred thousand Amalgams, rumors put Armed Forces casualties at roughly six to seven thousand.

Of course, that only counted the frontline units maintaining the cordon. What had happened to the military units reportedly trapped inside Seoul still remained unknown.

Repeated bombardments, even deploying American-supplied thermobaric munitions to clear away the fog, had turned Seoul’s outskirts into a concrete graveyard. Even the fog seemed to have lost a little of its momentum.

After the Amalgams’ offensive ceased for several days, the government finally judged that the situation had entered a lull, however temporary, and began responding in earnest.

["Respecting the tactical and strategic capabilities of the United States, our ally bound to us in blood, the government will establish a ROK–U.S. Joint Command in Pyeongtaek and Osan to confront the Seoul crisis and assign forces to it, enabling a more efficient and effective response..."]

As all the magicians gathered and took their seats, the national address played on the conference room’s white screen.

That was all civilians—all the people out there—would know. They would have no idea what was really going on behind the scenes.

The colonel who had removed his name tag paused the video with his pointer, then turned toward us.

"I told you the nuclear scenarios were Level 3 secrets. That meant we were prepared for some of that information to leak. But from this point onward, everything is genuinely Level 1 classified."

Each of us magicians, having completed even the security-clearance pledge, had been given a file.

There was a terrifying warning on the very first page. I took it in stride and turned the page as the colonel instructed, revealing a suitably complicated account of the current situation and geopolitical landscape.

"As a result of ongoing behind-the-scenes negotiations, the United States has changed course rather than maintaining its initial position on a nuclear strike. It has affirmed its confidence that the Republic of Korea is both the best-equipped system and an ally in dealing with this monster crisis, and has promised extensive support."

Originally, with a nuclear strike in mind, the United States had been looking to cut its losses quickly, withdrawing or redeploying some of U.S. Forces Korea. But after hearing the government’s arguments, it changed its mind. It would establish a ROK–U.S. Joint Command, accept the transfer of operational control, and take the lead in handling this crisis.

The presumed reasons for America’s decision to intervene were as follows.

1. Identify the cause of the fog and the monsters. Establish the truth behind the crisis. Investigate thoroughly whether the same thing could happen on American soil.

2. Recognize that, should this occur in another country, it could not be suppressed with powerful conventional firepower as in Korea. See this as an opportunity to develop tactical doctrine for using modern militaries and conventional firepower against concentrations of anomalous organisms.

3. Protect and maintain American security in the Pacific.

4. Recognize the existence of localized penetrative alteration activity, or “magic.” An advisory committee on magic is currently being established, with American occult believers and relevant theologians being invited to participate.

Naturally, hearing and reading these factors and conditions was bound to leave some people dissatisfied.

Shin Na-in still looked sulky, as though disappointed that they couldn’t nuke Seoul. Staff Sergeant Lee Se-jun, meanwhile, spoke up at the mention of transferring operational control, perhaps stirred by patriotism.

"It’s not like we’re the army we used to be. This is the Republic of Korea Armed Forces in the 2020s. And haven’t we proven our capabilities by holding back this insane crisis for two months? So why are the Americans in charge again?"

"An excellent point. The government has sought to actively involve the United States for the following reason."

With a tired expression, the colonel gave a perfunctory nod and brought up the next slide.

As expected, the next topic was our neighbor whom we could hardly welcome with open arms: China.

"The People’s Republic of China still maintains its policy of a nuclear strike. However, upon learning that the United States would provide extensive support while pursuing the establishment of a ROK–U.S. Joint Command, it slightly revised its policy to convening the UN Security Council for a nuclear strike if the cordon is breached."

China had reportedly invoked the safety of the continent and humanity to advocate not just a nuclear strike on Seoul, but the vitrification of the entire Korean Peninsula. Once it learned of America’s change in policy, however, it decided to pursue a more active and decisive approach.

The presumed reasons for China’s intervention in this crisis were as follows.

1. To prevent strikes against China’s eastern coast resulting from the establishment and operation of the ROK–U.S. Joint Command, China has also redeployed troops near the Yalu River, publicly declaring this crisis a threat to all humanity. It appears to have designated all of North Korea as a kill zone in preparation for a breach of the cordon.

2. Maintain the policy of launching a nuclear strike if the Seoul cordon fails, but scale it down to tactical nuclear weapons. In return, declare that Chinese forces will also intervene to contain this crisis.

3. Demand basing rights in the western islands, near Ganghwa Island, to provide local assistance and support for Chinese forces. Presumed to be intended to pressure the Republic of Korea government, which has relocated to Incheon.

4. Seek to reduce Korea’s dependence on the United States and expand Chinese influence through civilian assistance and military intervention in this crisis.

This time, Pastor Park Yo-han let out a curse.

"Ah, fuck. What about the Japs?"

"While they’re debating internally whether to amend their pacifist constitution, China is snarling that it will never allow such an amendment. The United States believes amendment is the right course, but apparently public opinion in Japan is against sending the Self-Defense Forces into this crisis, and people are holding antiwar demonstrations."

I hadn’t expected anything anyway.

They were the ones who used to spout that ‘Japan and Korea as one’ bullshit. If the cordon broke, wouldn’t they secretly welcome a dark version of that unity, where we all got along and died under the same nuclear fallout?

The colonel pressed his cheek repeatedly between his thumb and index finger, then spoke.

"You will retain your civilian status throughout this crisis. You will also have the right to refuse requests from the military."

"Wait, why?"

This time, I was the one asking.

Obviously, I was fucking delighted, energized, and getting exactly what I’d hoped for. But think about the Military Manpower Administration’s usual behavior. When someone who never gives you anything suddenly gets generous, you have to be suspicious.

The colonel very kindly explained the reality facing the Republic of Korea.

"The government is preparing for the worst-case scenario: the Chinese People’s Liberation Army forcibly entering Ganghwa Island and the western islands under the pretext of protecting the people of the Korean Peninsula and suppressing the crisis. It has completed preparations to transfer wartime operational control, as well as de facto governmental and administrative functions, to the ROK–U.S. Joint Command established in Pyeongtaek and Osan..."

Apparently, the reason the government couldn’t leave Incheon wasn’t simply that there were so many people there. It was the possibility that VIPs had been infected by unidentified species such as Amalgams.

It came down to the paranoid fear that, in the worst case, the entire leadership could be taken over. Whether Chinese forces knew that or not, the government feared it would become a puppet if they entered western islands such as Ganghwa and staged a show of force.

The colonel also argued that, judging by the circumstances, Chinese forces seemed to know about magic. Otherwise, those nuclear-strike parrots who had been demanding nothing else wouldn’t suddenly be hinting at entering the Korean Peninsula.

"Consequently, conscripting Operators into the ROK–U.S. Joint Command could give China a pretext to claim that we are turning the Korean people into living weapons, allowing Chinese forces to expand their intervention. The government therefore intends to emphasize your status and standing as domestic civilians by administratively granting civilian Operators certain immunities, independent operational authority, priority access to military supplies, and other rights."

At last, the briefing was over.

The reason we had been gathered here finally became clear.

"Accordingly, you will in practice be assigned under the ROK–U.S. Joint Command to the Joint Alteration Operations Group of Reality Survival Command, which had already been prepared. Publicly, however, you will be an independent, autonomous civilian organization. Please decide among yourselves on its name, purpose, motto, character, and so forth."

That was why magicians with their own circumstances and backgrounds had been brought together to rack their brains.

* * *

Sitting huddled together in the social welfare office that had been reopened for the magicians brought on a fresh wave of mixed feelings.

People I’d either never want to meet or never have reason to meet in my life were being forced to rub shoulders. How were we any different from an Amalgam?

Anyway, the first to open his mouth was Shin Na-in, the shitter.

With his earphones in, he had been bobbing his shoulders to the beat. Now, eyes shining, he was chopping at the air with the edge of his hand as though it were a real blade.

"How about the Crusaders of the Lord’s Divine Punishment? It’s fitting for an organization that defeats the power and armies of Satan and his demons."

"We have a Muslim and a monk here, you know?"

"Then let’s take this opportunity to believe in the Lord. Repent!"

At that, Hamza, a Muslim, needlessly fiddled with his turban and shook his head.

"Isa is a great prophet, but he is not the son of God. And it is not good to speak a prophet’s name carelessly."

"How dare you doubt the Lord’s divinity!"

"What about the Sword of Allah, taken from the epithet of our great Islamic general, Khalid ibn al-Walid? Muslims would all like it."

"People in Korea don’t have very positive feelings about Islam. No."

Anyone hearing that name would think we were an extremist terrorist organization and report us immediately.

Pastor Park Yo-han, who had been thinking intently with his arms crossed, adjusted the glasses that gave him a shifty look and spoke.

"How about the Trumpet of Jericho?"

"Too boring and pretentious."

"Damn it. Then you suggest something, Baek Je-min!"

Was it finally my turn?

I believed that a truly excellent, transparent organization should tell people what it did through its very name. Something intuitive and crystal clear—a definitive name that left no room to question its character or purpose.

It also needed the objectivity and neutrality to pursue its goals regardless of religion.

In my view, the most definitive name that met all these requirements was this.

"Let’s call ourselves the Supreme Mages."

It was rejected unanimously.

After a few more exchanges, monk Cheong-hwi, who had remained silent, quietly joined his palms and spoke.

"Your intentions differ, yet you are trying to bind them together by force. Naturally, you cannot reach agreement. Even if your greater aims seem alike, you will diverge on the smaller matters. Forcing them together will make the bond rigid, but not resilient. Why not begin by stating the intentions each of you holds?"

He certainly had a point.

Had everyone here come to save the country? I sure hadn’t.

Only then did we turn to one another and take time to discuss our individual goals and thoughts. Someone might ask what the hell we were doing in such an urgent situation, but honestly, the idea of magicians gathering to form something like a secret society actually gave me a thrill.

If the country got nuked into oblivion, fuck, what could you do?

I wasn’t so broken that I could feel serene about the guillotine blade of a nuclear strike slowly licking at my neck. But I was getting an enormous dopamine rush.

If we failed, the nukes would fall.

And the way to stop the nukes was to obtain stronger magic.

To master powerful magic, we had to voluntarily enter the monster-infested fog and risk death.

It was a virtuous cycle resembling a death spiral.

To escape mortal danger, we had to willingly enter mortal danger. To survive, we had to obtain powerful magic, and to obtain powerful magic, we had to be prepared to throw our lives away.

Wasn’t it exhilarating? Didn’t it drive you mad?

My pain led to hope for survival. My pain guaranteed my salvation...

This wasn’t the torment of false hope promising that backbreaking effort might get you somewhere. If you literally carved away your bones, you were guaranteed a fitting reward—a miracle with a one-hundred-percent payout, waiting alongside the monsters in that fog.

I had to leap in before that almighty power vanished in nuclear heat!

But very few people understood this philosophy of mine.

Only Pastor Park Yo-han looked at me with an inscrutable gaze.

Ultimately, at Pastor Park Yo-han’s strong insistence, we finally came to recite a covenant that would serve as the organization’s motto.

"Words may seem to carry the least weight. They may seem to evaporate along with memory. Yet they inevitably move the heart in ways we do not notice. The Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament shows us this truth. Before letters were inscribed, there were words and sounds. Before written law moved people, covenants moved them."

As he spoke, Pastor Park Yo-han looked particularly at me.

As a real man, I too understood the weight of words. Since I had told my father I would become an archmage, I would absolutely make it happen. I nodded at him solemnly.

"Haaah... Fuuuck..."

"You’ve been sighing a lot, Pastor."

"Pastor! I, Shin Na-in, am standing by to serve as youth group leader!"

Pastor Park Yo-han looked from me to Shin Na-in and let out a groan filled with joy.

"Korea’s young people are in wonderful shape. Wonderful!"

And so, at last, we magicians made our covenant, each expressing our own intentions and hopes.

First, Pastor Park Yo-han, who had proposed the covenant, narrowed his eyes and spoke firmly.

"To stand against those who profane the Lord’s incarnation and the human flesh made in His image."

Next was Hamza, our honorary Korean from Pakistan.

His eyes trembling slightly, Hamza glanced around before voicing an entirely worldly wish.

"... I was granted permanent residency in the Republic of Korea. When this crisis ends, I can return home, or become a citizen together with my family. I... I do this for a better tomorrow."

Hearing that, Shin Na-in tapped his earphones with his index finger and slowly shook his head as though Hamza were pathetic.

Then, with a confident smile, he spoke as if answering him.

"To prevent the encroachment of Satan and his demons’ power!"

Staff Sergeant Lee Se-jun was next.

He slapped his thigh with his palm, as though there was no need for anything grand.

"Because I can’t stand by and watch my country be erased."

Monk Cheong-hwi quietly joined his palms and bowed his head.

"To my shame, I too was overcome by fear in the subway. My spiritual cultivation remains woefully inadequate, so I wish to stand alongside all living beings and strengthen my faltering resolve. So that I need not feel ashamed before anyone."

When my turn finally came, I spoke without hesitation.

"That power I could never have reached even if I devoted my entire life to it. That miracle. Because I want to fully understand the power that brought me pain and ecstasy!"

Only then did Pastor Park Yo-han bring his hands together as if praying and speak in a quieter, lower voice than usual. He seemed to have prepared this beforehand.

"It shall end before our faith is broken. We shall become terror before terror brings us to our knees. To stop hell from seeping in, we march into hell. Madness against madness. Absurdity against absurdity."

After a short sigh, Pastor Park Yo-han stared directly at me and spoke.

"Let’s name our organization Aphorism."

"Aphorism?"

"What? It was a popular word for a little while. It means something like a maxim, proverb, or saying... That’s what came up when I searched it. Religious enough, but secular enough too. Isn’t it good?"

There were no objections.

Except from one person.

I, Baek Je-min, could only sit with my arms crossed and think. Who could guess an organization’s purpose just by hearing the word Aphorism?

Wouldn’t Supreme Mages just be better...

"Haha..."

"You think so too, don’t you, shitter?"

"Baek Je-min, cut the bullshit."