๐๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐๐: ๐๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ 3
The flickering flames turn the surrounding area into a pit of fire.
The scorching heat flares up brilliantly, fueled by Kaise’s flames.
“Kuhk. . . Kuhkohk. . .!”
Kaise gasped for breath in front of the massive flames that had robbed him of oxygen.
The azure flame pillar had devoured all his attacks, turning the surroundings into a sea of fire.
The intense heat felt like his lungs were being scorched.
His eyes felt pierced with needles, and his nostrils stung as if they had been burned with a hot fire poker, and it was difficult to breathe.
“Krheuk. . . Uahk!”
He thrashed in agony, repeatedly enveloping himself with flames.
Fire was both his mightiest weapon and his sole shield.
‘๐. . . ๐ ๐ข๐ฎ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต ๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ข๐จ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐ข ๐ฅ๐ช๐ณ๐ฆ๐ค๐ต ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ค๐ต ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐๐ฐ๐ญ๐ข๐ด๐ฐ-๐ฏ๐ช๐ฎ. . . ๐ ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ข ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ข๐ค๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด. . .’
Kaise gritted his teeth to keep from extinguishing the flames, clinging to his fading consciousness.
His plans had always been perfect, and he had always achieved great success.
For the first time in his life, he heard praise instead of the word ‘terrible.’
The flames resembling blood color shielded Kaise’s body, exerting their last strength.
Fire devours fire.
“Ha, I surrender. . .! I, I. . . lost!”
Kaise spat out the words with a sinking feeling, sensing smoke rising in his lungs.
“So? What do you want me to do about it?”
“Kuluk. . .! Huh?”
But Kaise could only ask back in bewilderment at Siwoo’s indifferent response.
It was his own declaration of surrender.
This should have been a badge of honor to boast about for generations to come.
“Kuaahk! I-I lost. . . lost!”
“If you open your mouth, you’ll swallow fire.”
Siwoo’s azure flames burned Kaise’s shield and scorched his body.
“Kuaahk!! Kuhahk!!”
The tremendous firepower coiled around Kaise like a snake’s tongue, forcing him to let out agonizing screams.
Only after prolonging the torture to the point where the opponent could no longer resist did Siwoo finally extinguish the flames.
Kaise collapsed to his knees on the ground, barely clinging to life.
It seemed the curse’s effect had ended, thanks to his demonic energy being depleted.
‘๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ณ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ญ’๐ด ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฅ ๐ด๐ต๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ด ๐ข ๐ด๐ญ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต ๐ญ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฆ๐ง๐ง๐ฆ๐ค๐ต.’
It wasn’t 100%, but he could partially use healing.
Siwoo healed his wounds and purified the remaining troll’s blood before absorbing the ether’s energy.
Since it was a restoration based on life force rather than a typical heal, his body quickly regained its healthy state.
He left enough aether to wield flames and returned the rest to his core.
Kaise opened his mouth with a chuckle as he watched.
Perhaps because he no longer had to inhale smoke, his speech had returned to normal.
“Haha~ Incredible, truly. Did you recover the moment the curse ended? Is there any way to kill you in this world?”
“Well, I’ve never considered suicide.”
“You overcame all the traps. . . The troll’s blood, the Black Heaven curse, and the Oath of Mana were each a masterful plan. I never dreamed you’d overcome them all. I concede.”
Kaise shook his head slowly, his face pale.
He had never planned so meticulously before, and this was the first time one of his plans had failed.
For Kaise, this was more than a shock; it was an identity-shattering event.
“Was it not your sole decision but an intention from the <Pandemonium> dimension to target me?”
“Kukuk~ That’s right. It seems the organization was quite vexed by your growth. Given your past battle with the Demon King. . . It must have been concerning.”
“Since you failed, it must be eating you up inside, if not turning your stomach.”
“Hahaha~ Even so, there’s nothing that can be done. But from the 3rd Hierarchy onward, you can never underestimate them. I don’t know why you disappeared, but the demon race hasn’t been idle for the past 10 years either.”
Siwoo let out a chuckle at Kaise’s words.
He certainly hadn’t been idle for the past 10 years, so he didn’t pay much heed to those words.
He crouched down and glared at Kaise.
“What is it~?”
“Does your organization have a rank called ‘VIP’?”
“VIP~ you mean?”
Kaise tilted his head slightly before continuing.
“Why are you interested in that?”
“So there is such a rank. Then what’s above a VIP?”
“I don’t quite~ grasp the meaning of your question. What’s your purpose in asking?”
Siwoo let out a faint sigh and filled his eyes with a piercing azure glint.
“I have a disciple named Min-jun, and he said the order to kill him came from someone ‘above a VIP.’”
“Min-jun~ Min-jun, ah, the researcher who was killed by the lower-ranked Black Mamba.”
A glint appeared in Siwoo’s eyes.
Until now, no one had acknowledged knowing anything when asked about Min-jun, but Kaise was the first to react.
“Kukuku~ I don’t know the details either, but was his assassination order really given by someone ‘above a VIP’? That’s strange.”
“No need for any other unnecessary talk. So who is it?”
“But~ even if I know, it won’t really change anything. They’re literally ‘above a VIP’, after all.”
“They. . .?”
Siwoo frowned as Kaise used the plural form instead of singular.
Did that mean there was more than one?
“In fact, that’s~ an expression unrelated to the organization within <Pandemonium>. If we use the general standard, who would be considered a VIP?”
“The president, I suppose.”
“Exactly~ the president. And who would be above the president?”
Kaise asked with a delighted smile.
“Don’t tell me. . . the twelve. . .?”
“Indeed~ you catch on quickly. You’re right.”
Siwoo recalled the faces of the people who came to his mind.
Mistilteinn.
The twelve strongest transcendentals in the world.
“Which one of them belongs to <Pandemonium>?”
“Kukuku~ Unfortunately, I don’t know that. I’m merely a 4th Hierarchy at best.”
“I see.”
Judging that he had obtained all the desired information, Siwoo rose from his seat.
He grabbed Kaise by the nape of his neck.
“Krheuk. . . Kuhik! You’re not. . . going to let me live. . .?”
“Why would I?”
“Kruheu. . . You’ll regret this. . . later. . .”
“Die well.”
Hwararararukโโ!!
The scorching flames devouring the air pierced through Kaise’s entire body.
“Kuaahk!!”
He thrashed, letting out a scream of either ecstasy or agony, before crumbling into a pile of ashes.
“Mistilteinn, huhโ”
Now there were only eleven suspects left.
Siwoo slowly reined in his energy and walked away.
๐ท๐ท๐ท๐ท๐ท๐ท
Diakan feels a wave of dizziness as he looks at the crystal ball.
Kaise, who had carried out every mission flawlessly until now, has disappeared beyond the pillar of flames.
In addition, Laban and Arumu, two very capable 4th Hierarchy, have also died.
“Is this even. . . possible?. . . We used every strategy we had, but. . . not only did we fail, but. . . we only ended up giving them information. . .”
To this extent, it was not a mission failure but close to a miserable defeat.
In particular, the fact that Kaise had told Min Siwoo about Mistilteinn was something that even Diakan had not anticipated.
The members of the ใPandemoniumใ organization had spread their roots in every corner of the world.
After all, the organization itself was created because the Demon King judged that it was impossible to dominate humanity through simple tactics. It was only natural that its reach was wide.
However, while there were politicians and high-ranking public officials among those ‘various strata’, the fact that they had also spread to the Guild Leaders of large guilds, heads of state, and even Mistilteinn was something that only the upper echelons of the organization knew.
If rumors were to spread and lead to unnecessary investigations, the damage would be immense, so it was kept strictly secret.
And among them, Mistilteinn was. . .
‘๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ถ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต. . . 1๐ด๐ต ๐๐ช๐ฆ๐ณ๐ข๐ณ๐ค๐ฉ๐บ ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด. . . ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐๐ช๐ด๐ต๐ช๐ญ๐ต๐ฆ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฏ. . . ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฃ๐ข๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ช๐ด๐ฆ! ๐๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ด๐ฆ. . .!’
Diakan curses inwardly and wonders how to wrap up this incident.
As many members of the organization were located all over the world, there were still many 4th Hierarchy.
Reinforcements would require some procedures since they were from different branches, but it was possible if requested by a 3rd Hierarchy.
However, the repeated mission failures and the death of Kaise, who had a direct contract with the demon race, would require a proper explanation.
‘๐ ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ด๐ต. . . ๐จ๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐๐ฐ๐ญ๐ข๐ด๐ฐ-๐ฏ๐ช๐ฎ. . . ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐น๐ฑ๐ญ๐ข๐ช๐ฏ ๐ฎ๐บ๐ด๐ฆ๐ญ๐ง.’ . .
Diakan’s position had been precarious lately, with the consecutive deaths of the 4th Hierarchy who had led the operation and the continued failure of the operation.
With the scrutiny of his fellow 3rd Hierarchy becoming more intense, this incident would be a more painful mark on his record than any other failure.
‘๐๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ด๐ฉ๐ถ๐ญ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ณ. ๐๐บ๐ถ ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ. . . ๐๐ง ๐’๐ฎ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ค๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ๐ง๐ถ๐ญ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ’๐ญ๐ญ ๐ต๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฆ ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ 3๐ณ๐ฅ ๐๐ช๐ฆ๐ณ๐ข๐ณ๐ค๐ฉ๐บ. . . ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฐ ๐ข๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด?’
As he sinks into contemplation, he senses a familiar aura gathering in the shadows of the corner.
Diakan turns his head towards it.
“What is it. . . Penelshul?”
“Kukukukuk. You have a sharp eye. How did you know? I came in quietly.”
Penelshul replied with an elongated tape-like voice.
“Your presence. . . is quiet. . . but on the other hand, it’s too sticky. . .”
“Your analogy is quite unique. Kukukukuk. How did the operation go? Did you kill Min Siwoo as planned?”
“. . .Aren’t you asking me something you already know?”
Penelshul came to visit as soon as the operation failed.
Since it was inappropriate for 3rd Hierarchy to spy on each other, he must have been observing the situation from somewhere near the scene of the operation.
“Oh, I’m not that insidious. I’m just a little bit mindful of the order in the Demon Realm. For example, if I sense an unfamiliar aura, I go to investigate, just like that.”
Penelshul slithers through the dark room and sits down on a chair and table as he pleases.
“Have you come to. . . offer me tea?”
“Kukukuk. No, I’ve come to discuss something.”
“What kind of discussion?”
“Would you. . . like to participate in my plan?”
“Penelshul, your plan. . .?”
Diakan looked at him with a puzzled expression.
Penelshul had always acted on his own.
He didn’t involve the 4th Hierarchy, let alone the lower ranks.
Rumor had it that he was a world-class high ranker but had found a magical book in a dungeon and become corrupted by darkness, killing his colleagues and becoming a criminal.
“That’s right. You don’t have any other plans anyway, do you? If you participate in my plan and succeed, the punishment for this failure will probably be reduced.”
“. . .First, tell me about the. . . details of the plan.”
“Kukukukuk. You’ll enjoy it too.”
Penelshul talked about the basic framework of the operation he was currently preparing.
Diakan’s initial expression was one of disbelief as he listened to the story, but he soon agreed that it was not a bad idea.
“But it doesn’t seem like my help is needed. . .”
“No, I’m going to focus on Part A, so I would like you to take care of B.”
“I understand. When are you planning to execute it?”
“Heh heh heh. It won’t be long. I’m still brainwashing. I’ll contact you when I’m ready.”
Penelshul disappeared into the shadows like he was being absorbed.
Diakan, who was watching him, let out a small sigh of relief.
If he participated in this operation and its success was recognized, at least he would not be demoted from the 3rd Hierarchy.
‘๐๐ญ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ๐จ๐ฉ ๐ ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ’๐ต ๐ข๐ท๐ฐ๐ช๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ด๐ฉ๐ถ๐ญ’๐ด ๐ด๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฌ๐ช๐ค๐ฌ. . . ๐๐ฆ๐ต’๐ด ๐ซ๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐จ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ข๐ญ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ.’
He had already completely forgotten about Kaise’s death and began preparing for the next operation.
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