Burning Flame (3)
“…It’s over. Fortunately, it seems they managed to escape without major losses on that side.”
An, who had been quietly closing her eyes, uttered these words.
At her remark, a sigh of relief escaped the lips of those around who had looked tense.
Hoo, that’s a relief.
“It seems the heavens have not abandoned us yet. If Lady Malfi is safe, we can somehow regain our strength together.”
“Still, we need to keep an eye on the situation for a while longer. If too many gather in one spot, they will catch the enemy’s attention quickly. Until we prepare countermeasures for that, it’s better to spread out and hide, just like we are now.”
The survivors of Burning Flame, who had retreated to different places, began to chatter as they heard that their allies were safe.
Their numbers had nearly swelled to ten.
Thanks to Ken’s guidance, they had managed to evade to a safe location and join up with nearby comrades.
As the group started to share opinions, An, who had to use her strength to evade pursuit while maintaining long-distance communication, took a moment to catch her breath and wipe the sweat off her brow.
Then, with curious eyes, she looked at Ken, who was leaning against a corner wall with his arms crossed.
The mysterious demon who had suddenly appeared and offered to help them.
The improvement in their current situation was entirely due to his advice.
‘I was right again this time. Who is the person behind him? What kind of ability does he have that makes this possible…?’
Every incident they had faced to date echoed the same thought.
Thanks to following his advice, there were more than just a few comrades who had avoided the clutches of the Buncheon Society.
Such feats wouldn’t have been possible without a complete grasp of the happenings on this vast land.
As if they were truly observing everything from above.
‘Considering that range, it’s not something that can be accomplished by individual ability. It must involve organizational personnel… Though that’s still impressive.’
Despite the fact that this wasn’t even the base of operations in Southeast Asia, possessing such intelligence-gathering capabilities was remarkable.
How extensive must the organization be to make that possible…?
Of course, behind this were Hesperon’s cutting-edge capabilities and Andrew Weaver’s relentless struggle over several sleepless days.
But she had no way of knowing that.
“Anyway, I’ve confirmed the fates of all the key personnel… Not everyone is safe, but I can say this is much better than I expected.”
As she quietly observed Ken, she opened her mouth softly.
At this, the noisy crowd nearby halted and turned to face her.
No matter what, she was the leader guiding them now.
“With this, we should be able to reorganize and resume activities somehow. Of course, we need to be extra cautious for a while…”
As she calmly continued, she looked at Ken with a peculiar gaze.
The mysterious supporter who, while being one of the main subjects, still maintained a detached air as he nodded nonchalantly.
“Speaking of which, Ken, our representative wants to meet you. What do you think?”
She then brought up the conversation she had just heard.
With the situation beginning to improve, a representative of Burning Flame, who had been elusive until now, had also reestablished communication.
“That’s the kind of talk I’ve been waiting for.”
Naturally, Ken didn’t refuse that proposal.
He had been busy recently, not having a moment to rest, all in preparation for this.
‘Finally, I can see the end of this ordeal. Once we reach the negotiation, my employer will take care of the rest.’
If that happened, he wouldn’t need to roam in the scorching sun anymore and would soon be able to return to Japan.
What awaited him thereafter was a long-awaited reunion with his family after over thirty years.
‘In Earth’s time, it’s just about three years left.’
For him, who had lived an eventful life coming from the Demon Realm, it was a reunion he had longed for.
Even if he couldn’t claim to be the original Miyamoto Ken now.
From the moment he decided to live as Ken, having inherited that soul, it became a duty he had to fulfill.
Thus, the date for the much-anticipated meeting was set.
Time flew quickly, and finally, the promised day dawned.
*
Burning Flame was a resistance force of the Buncheon Society, operating from Southeast Asia.
As an organization uniting Awakened Ones from various countries in Southeast Asia, its basic structure was formed by having branches in each nation, dispatching support whenever needed.
However, every organization needed a leader to unify them.
Elected into that role was Freddy, the current representative from Indonesia, commonly referred to as the ‘Führer.’
‘He’s definitely a figure to be reckoned with. Recruiting people not just from his own country but from foreigners as well cannot have been an easy feat.’
Walking alongside An and Jose, Ken couldn’t help but admire in his thoughts.
Though he had not been provided detailed official information, he had accumulated enough knowledge from working with them to have some understanding.
The upper echelons of Burning Flame were indeed elite individuals, but given the nature of their operations, the number of members they commanded was not small.
‘Well, it seems most of the lower-ranking agents participated due to patriotism or anti-China sentiment rather than Buncheon Society loyalty.’
That was a natural outcome since the Buncheon Society had completely swallowed China.
Those who noticed the connection gradually began to perceive the influence of the Buncheon Society spreading throughout Southeast Asia as a covert invasion from China, hence the secret formation of Burning Flame.
Of course, the current executives were fully aware of the lurking dangers posed by the Buncheon Society but also acknowledged that using the framework of China was useful in recruiting members.
Given the political and diplomatic issues, it was inevitable that they would have to remain undercover in their own countries.
“This is… Well, it shouldn’t be disclosed to outsiders, but… since it’s the Führer’s order, I suppose there’s no issue. Getting to use it again is thanks to him.”
After walking a while, An stepped in front of an ordinary door and pulled something out from her arms.
A luxurious silk adorned with intricate patterns and symbols.
She opened it wide and secured it to the door, then, without hesitation, turned the knob…
Hooer.
Beyond it lay a long corridor with a mystical atmosphere unlike anything before.
With a floor of traditional-style wooden planks and lanterns hanging everywhere, colorful drapes extending from the ceiling to the walls.
“This has been the driving force behind our ability to unite while avoiding their gaze. No matter how far apart we are, if we can reach this place, we can gather as one whenever we need to. It can also be used for long-distance movements.”
An continued slowly inside the corridor, indicating that the officials who should have been at the center of this space had been too preoccupied escaping the Buncheon Society to utilize it until now.
If that official had been caught, Burning Flame would have undoubtedly collapsed.
Ken looked around with sparkling eyes as he passed through the corridor.
‘The space is distorted… on such a vast scale. No wonder the higher-ups are on another level.’
He couldn’t help but be in awe.
It was astonishing that even a being with this kind of spatial ability couldn’t escape effectively.
Just how extensive was the capability of the Buncheon Society?
“But is your representative really absent? Using this, there’s no need to fear being detected by the Buncheon Society.”
At that moment, Jose, who had been quietly following, voiced his discontent.
It seemed he was displeased that on their side, the representative was showing up in person, whereas Ken, a mere deputy, was stepping in.
However, as he had no authority to make decisions, Ken could only shrug his shoulders.
“I asked about it, and they told me that if they left the post, there would be a gap in the local surveillance, which would be problematic. But still, don’t worry too much. We can communicate in real-time.”
“…Yeah, well, it’s not the time for formal negotiations anyway, so I suppose it’s fine.”
Though Jose’s brow furrowed slightly at Ken’s answer, he couldn’t bring himself to argue against the notion of helping them.
After all, they had received ample aid from the other side up to this point.
How much more help they would receive in the future was unknown, so it would be foolish to get embarrassed over trivial matters.
For all intents and purposes, this was merely a gathering for expressing gratitude and familiarizing with each other.
“We’ve arrived.”
At the end of the long corridor, they stood before a sliding door infused with Oriental charm.
As An opened it effortlessly, the first figure they saw was…
“It’s been a while, An. And Jose too. I’m glad everyone is safe.”
A middle-aged woman was welcoming them with a gentle smile.
“Malfi. It was quite a dangerous situation, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah, thanks to that, I was able to escape the crisis. Though it’s also thanks to the Führer diverting the demon’s attention during the first attack. But, is this…?”
The warm introduction continued until they reached the point of introducing Ken.
Ken, casually nodding as he brushed past the thanks from Malfi, the official who established this space, slowly surveyed his surroundings.
‘Does this space have automatic translation capabilities too? Impressive.’
The hall, exuding the same mystical vibe as the corridor, was filled with over twenty individuals from various nations.
Seeing dozens of sliding doors around the circular hall, it seemed they had also arrived through different passages.
As they chatted, perhaps realizing his identity, one by one, they began to approach to greet him.
“But where is the Führer? Has he not arrived yet?”
“He said he would be a bit late. He had something to discuss, but it seems preparations hit a snag.”
“Really? That’s unusual. He was always the first to arrive.”
Excluding those among the executives who had perished due to recent events, all who could participate had already gathered.
It was about thirty minutes later that the representative made his entrance.
“Ah, the Führer has come through the corridor.”
As Malfi’s voice gently trailed off, the gazes of those sitting around the round table in the center began to drift towards the sliding door, which was gradually opening.
“I apologize for being late. A minor issue came up suddenly…”
And at that moment, a middle-aged man with a short beard appeared, wearing an awkward expression as he offered his apologies.
Thud—!
No, that wasn’t the end of it.
An, who shot up from her seat, glaring at him with a fierce face, had pushed her chair back.
“Damn… what the hell is this situation?”
“An…?”
“What’s going on? Why are you suddenly acting like this?”
The air chilled as her unusual reaction filled the room.
However, the confusion among the crowd didn’t linger for long.
Those quick to catch on began to rise cautiously from their seats, stepping back.
They knew well by being together for so long what she could do with her abilities and what she could discern from them.
Though no facts were firmly established yet, their gazes inevitably turned toward those responsible for the issue.
To An, who had shown an unusual reaction, and to the Führer, who seemed flustered at her sudden hostility upon entering the hall.
“What are you? What’s your true identity?!”
Hoo? “What do you mean suddenly, An? I’m Freddy…”
“Cut the crap! You fake! What happened to the real Führer?!”
As the two continued their conversation, the atmosphere became increasingly tense.
An’s fierce expression of anger and the Führer, Freddy, looking still flustered created an atmosphere unsuitable for further discussions.
Some were pumping themselves up, while others began retreating towards the exit.
Haa— this is bad.
Perhaps sensing the awkward atmosphere, the Führer heaved a sigh as if trying to come to terms.
“I… I didn’t think she would catch on so quickly. I knew I should have dealt with that woman first.”
In a voice devoid of emotion, chilling to the bone, he spoke.
Right afterward.
“This is…!”
With a serious expression, Malfi began to back away, just like the other executives, letting out a scream.
But before she could say anything further, the situation was already spiraling out of control.
Sqwark—!
Sharp thorns erupted from where the sliding doors were, completely sealing off the exit.
A change occurred before Malfi, the master of this space, could even respond.
But the anomalies didn’t stop there.
Creek—
The only path that had not been sealed off.
The sliding door that the Führer had just entered swung open again, and a group of five or six individuals slowly walked in.
They all exuded a sense of discomfort, clearly displeased with the situation.
“What’s going on? Weren’t you so confident? Have you already been exposed?”
Tut.
“Hey, Mimic. What are we going to do? Aren’t you just a pawn? Didn’t we agree to let the body show up before we took action?”
A man with dark skin and a strangely bald head pointed at Ken and questioned the Führer.
The problem was that this man was also very familiar to the executives present, known to them as the head of the Buncheon Society’s Southeast Asia branch, whom they called the Viper.
“I… had no choice. Their goal was to use Burning Flame to disrupt our plans. Now that we’ve been discovered, we can’t just let them go.”
“Agh! If things had gone according to plan, it would have been smooth sailing! Things never go right!”
“Still, it’s not entirely without gains. Despite claiming to be a mere pawn, there’s no way someone of his strength would be here without reason.”
The arguments continued from the one in Freddy’s guise, drawing the eyes of the others toward Ken.
An entity among Transcendents, they certainly wouldn’t view him as mere cannon fodder.
Though he might rank lower compared to whoever was truly behind him, he was still someone of note to squeeze intelligence from.
“…Alright then. It’s unfortunate we can’t capture the head immediately, but we have no choice. Gaining ground step by step can be intriguing as well.”
Looking as though he had come to a consensus, the head of the East Asian branch slowly nodded.
Then, with a sneer, he directed his attention to Ken.
“Since it’s come to this, there’s no turning back. You’re first. If you want a painless death, you’ll spill everything you know.”
The executives of Burning Flame weren’t even on their radar anymore.
Naturally, that was to be expected.
After all, the forces that had emerged had no intention of confronting them.
“About Masquerade behind you!”
This was all a trap set up in anticipation of the Masquerade.
A force mobilized to face the adversary that had been hindering their efforts at every step.
“…Huh? Mas… what?”
Though it was merely a name Ken had never heard before in his life.
