Ch.187Final Chapter. In the Name of Flame (4)

30 years ago. After the gate opened on Earth. The largest operation in hunter history began.

The Slavic Kingdom to the north of the Korean Peninsula and the Wu Nation across the West Sea.

Not only the elite forces of those two countries, but all of Korea’s forces gathered in the southern part of the peninsula moved simultaneously.

Their destination was Seoul, the capital of South Korea.

There, the evil god Setanus had finally resurrected.

A demonic being who sought to become a god by denying God. The lord of demons to whom even the 72 great demons who served the King of Wisdom knelt and swore allegiance.

All hunters and awakened ones could directly feel through their mana hearts that the evil god had been resurrected.

The closer they got to Seoul, the more suffocatingly dense the demonic energy spreading through the atmosphere became.

Today is October 28, 2027.

Two days have passed since the Korean hunter units, who had retreated to Busan, headed toward Seoul.

Choi Seung-hoon, the temporary commander-in-chief of the three-nation allied forces.

He was at a military base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. A place reclaimed from the Red Lake just five hours ago.

Choi Seung-hoon was busy receiving real-time battle reports in the command and control room.

“Setanus’s image is coming up on the main screen!”

At one operator’s voice, everyone in the command center turned their attention to the screen.

The silhouette of the evil god appeared on the screen. Though filmed with special equipment that could withstand demonic energy, the image quality was terrible due to magical interference.

But even with that poor quality, the evil god’s appearance was clearly visible.

A massive red dragon, like looking at a skyscraper. The silhouette was literally a Western dragon.

Ominous red armor. And those red eyes filled with madness.

Just seeing that image on screen was enough to confirm without doubt that this was the evil god Setanus.

A hunter standing beside Choi Seung-hoon swallowed hard.

“That thing… how could such a thing…”

He was Seo Yong-jun, the honorary chairman of Manseong and a hunter who had made a big name for himself in the same era as Jeon Tae-hyun.

Although he hadn’t made it into the Five Great Celestials.

He was certainly an SS-rank hunter, strong enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Four Mana and Two Monsters just below them.

Choi Seung-hoon unconsciously studied his expression.

A giant in the hunter world who had created Manseong, a major corporate guild. And that Manseong was the biggest rival to Light, the guild of Jeon Tae-hyun and Choi Seung-hoon.

‘If Flame hadn’t existed, Manseong would be the guild receiving worldwide attention right now.’

So Seo Yong-jun was a massive figure symbolizing both Manseong and Korean hunters. But Choi Seung-hoon could read the emotion in his eyes.

Even the honorary chairman of Manseong had trembling eyes.

‘Even Seo Yong-jun…’

But compared to others in the command center, his reaction was relatively composed.

“Th-that… th-the e-evil god…”

“I-is that… what we have to f-face? H-how can we possibly…”

Everyone in the command center was shaking like aspen leaves.

It was instinctual fear.

Fear of a transcendent being that human perception couldn’t comprehend. Fear of the entity itself.

‘To be this terrified just from seeing the silhouette of an evil god…’

Just as looking at a photo of the sun doesn’t blind you.

The demonic energy couldn’t possibly be transmitted through a video screen. Yet everyone in the command center was frozen.

‘So that’s the enemy humanity must face. The enemy that Flame’s Sages must confront directly!’

Choi Seung-hoon squeezed his eyes shut.

When initiating the three-nation alliance operation, they had minimized all variables as much as possible.

With Grand Duke Andrei and Heavenly Demon Yeon Se-hwi, the combined forces of the three nations were certainly not at a severe disadvantage against the Red Lake.

Except for hunters on the European front, all available human forces had gathered on the Korean Peninsula. They had abandoned the defense of their home countries to concentrate all their power here.

But with the existence of that evil god, the current battle situation was extremely grim.

‘The Association Chairman also said it would be impossible for humans to face that evil god.’

Choi Seung-hoon inwardly agreed with those words.

But he soon shook his head.

‘We can’t surrender yet. Above all, we still have…’

The one trump card that could face even that evil god remained. The elite of Flame.

And soon, they would enter the battlefield.

Choi Seung-hoon clenched his fist and called out to the people in the command center.

“We must not fear the evil god! Even our fear increases the evil god’s anti-divine power! Instead of being afraid, focus more on the enemy’s movements and our forces’ movements! And…”

As Choi Seung-hoon spoke, the screen changed.

Further north from Pyeongtaek. It showed hunters marching toward Seoul.

And in the center, familiar faces appeared before him.

Choi Seung-hoon shouted to the operator in the command center.

“Open all the channels I mentioned earlier! 7th Regiment. Reveal Flame’s elite to the whole world!”

As he spoke, the face of one man was zoomed in on the screen. Choi Seung-hoon shouted.

“The great saint is with us!”

And then, blue-white flames rose from the man’s palm.

‘Min-su. I believe in you.’

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-

With a massive explosion, the battle for humanity’s survival began.

***

The hunters of the three-nation alliance finally entered Seoul.

A full-scale war broke out. Fierce fighting had already been going on for more than five hours.

‘The demonic energy concentration is getting thicker than expected. Is this really the Seoul I knew?’

The sky was filled with blood-tinged dark clouds. It was completely different from the Seoul that Seo Du-ho had known.

As if they had entered the middle of hell. Even the everyday scenery around them wavered like ominous heat haze.

“We don’t have much time left. According to the command center… the moment the rising demonic energy crosses the critical point, that evil god’s resurrection will be complete.”

The evil god had already resurrected.

However, just as a great demon needs a contractor to manifest on earth.

To maintain that god-like demonic energy on earth, time was needed to reconstruct a physical body on the ground.

But even Setanus, who couldn’t yet use all his power on earth, was already beyond what humans could face.

Even the Madness Emperor Jeon Tae-hyun was driven to the brink of death by Setanus. Once the evil god’s manifestation was complete, humanity would have to meekly accept its doom.

‘The command center aimed for that golden time when the evil god is reconstructing. We have less than an hour left.’

Within that hour, the three-nation alliance had to succeed in their operation.

The operation to send Flame’s elite team, humanity’s last hope, to that evil god.

“If we read the flow of demonic energy… we can find where he is! Juan Soriano! The contractor of the evil god must be him. We need to concentrate our remaining forces where he is!”

After saying this to Jang Dong-hyuk, Seo Du-ho focused on the radio communications coming through his earpiece.

As the head of Flame’s information team, now promoted to department manager, he was busier than any other hunter in the allied forces.

Jang Dong-hyuk, who was driving the military special van, asked.

“How’s the battle situation?”

“Fierce fighting is ongoing. And our casualties are starting to increase rapidly.”

Through Seo Du-ho’s earpiece display, he could see the movement of allied forces. Hunters from the three-nation alliance were fighting across Seoul.

Blue dots representing allied forces were disappearing in real-time.

Meanwhile, the villains’ defensive line around Gwanghwamun Plaza, where the evil god was summoned, was growing thicker.

“The enemy’s defensive line is too thick. At this rate…”

Seoul had already become an epicenter of demonic energy.

Ordinary measuring devices couldn’t even detect the nearby demonic energy. Already, both Seo Du-ho and Jang Dong-hyuk were starting to see hallucinations.

– Submit! Accepting the evil god’s rule is the only way to escape your suffering…

– A new era is coming. Abandon your false god and offer your blood to the great one as the only atonement!

At the same time, they kept hearing hallucinations in their ears.

Some hunters had already gone mad because of these hallucinations and auditory delusions.

KYAAAAAAAK-

“Be careful! The demonic energy is surging again!”

Cold sweat ran down Jang Dong-hyuk’s forehead. Despite being in a special vehicle that could block demonic energy, both men’s MCI was already near the limit.

‘The demonic energy is surging even more? That’s insane.’

Jang Dong-hyuk’s hands trembled with fear. But he gripped the steering wheel tightly again.

‘I must not be afraid!’

He barely held onto his sanity that felt like it was about to snap. Jang Dong-hyuk was a hunter who had just reached S-rank. So it wasn’t easy for him to endure this level of demonic energy.

But deep in Jang Dong-hyuk’s heart, faces appeared.

Lee Min-su and Flame’s elite. The only hope that current hunters, no, humanity had.

‘That’s right. They’re still here! This is no time for my resolve to break.’

Reports kept coming in. Lee Min-su and his group had already eliminated ten great demons and thirty SS-rank villains.

That impossible record was being reported worldwide.

Thanks to those Sages’ achievements, humanity was standing against fear.

‘Even if I have to sacrifice my life. I must help them.’

He stepped on the accelerator, avoiding the area where demonic energy was surging. Seo Du-ho shouted.

“The demonic energy surge pattern is great demon level! This level is equivalent to the Amonized Seo Moon-yeom… no, even greater… then… damn! I’ve found Juan Soriano! He’s in the middle of the defensive line!”

“Hurry and report to Min-su!”

At those words, Seo Du-ho sent a transmission to Lee Min-su. At the same time, he spoke to all hunters.

“We must send the Sages there!”

At his direction, the blue dots on the earpiece display began to move in unison.

Seo Du-ho bowed his head.

‘Is it really time… to bet everything on those four people?’

Jang Dong-hyuk drove the car roughly. Seo Du-ho raised his head again and guided the hunters’ movements.

He could see Grand Duke Andrei’s Snow Field Knights and the Great Elders of the Heavenly Demon Sect moving. Reports came in through the earpiece.

“Grand Duke Andrei and Heavenly Demon are joining forces to head where Soriano is!”

Ten minutes passed. Finally, a massive explosion was heard not far away.

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-

Through the earpiece, he could see huge blue-white flames blazing. Jang Dong-hyuk shouted.

“Min-su seems to be confronting Soriano!”

Seo Du-ho unconsciously made the sign of the cross. As they had done until now, he prayed that the four people from Flame would create a miracle.

Humanity’s final battle had begun.

***

All hunters were holding their breath, looking ahead.

Nam Mountain, where Seoul’s representative tower stood, had transformed into something like hell.

Blood and hunters’ corpses were everywhere—on nearby trees, on the walkways, near the cable car.

The demonic energy created by Juan Soriano was making even that massive tower vibrate.

“Kuhahaha! Your struggles are futile, insects! It’s already too late! Kukuk… yes… the great god… Setanus’s complete manifestation is at hand!! Blood… a festival of blood… offer sacrifices to him!!!”

This was the final defensive line before Gwanghwamun Plaza.

Juan Soriano was personally blocking the elite units of hunters gathered in Seoul.

Of course, hundreds of hunters had already died without even getting close to him.

All of them were elite hunters of S-rank or higher.

“Yes… kukuk… rushing in like moths to a flame, meeting pathetic deaths… haha!! A fitting end for those who refuse to accept the evil god’s rule…!! Both your corpses and souls will be sacrifices for the new world the evil god will create!! Kuhahahahaha!!”

At that maniacal laughter, the faces of hunters who had arrived late turned pale.

The advance party had been completely annihilated.

The Snow Field Knights. The Heavenly Destruction Squad, the elite of the Heavenly Demon Sect. And elite units including two elite teams from Manseong.

Both Grand Duke Andrei and Yeon Se-hwi, who had led them, were already too severely injured to continue fighting.

Yet Juan Soriano appeared unscathed. His body was tattered too, but.

Compared to the two who were about to collapse from severe injuries, he was in much better shape.

“Even the two of us… cannot face Soriano, let alone the evil god.”

A man with a snow-white face like a scholar spoke. Heavenly Demon Yeon Se-hwi. The absolute ruler of the Wu Nation’s Heavenly Demon Sect.

And a middle-aged knight with white hair barely caught him as he was about to collapse.

“Still, we’ve cut down quite a few enemies. Please hold on a little longer.”

These two members of the Five Great Celestials were famous for not getting along. But now they supported each other while glaring at Soriano.

“Kukuk. For all your boasting about being among the Five Great Celestials… this is where it ends. I’ll spare you two specially. If you kneel right here and swear loyalty to me.”

“Bullshit…”

Yeon Se-hwi bit his lip hard. The aura from his sword blazed again.

But even his famous Heavenly Demon Divine Technique, which had spread his name far and wide, now produced only a dim light as he had exhausted all his inner power.

Grand Duke Andrei was in the same condition. Even his great spear, which had torn apart several great demons, was about to break.

For both of them, just standing was a miracle. The advance party had been annihilated, but hunters from the alliance who had followed them remained.

They couldn’t collapse in front of them, being members of the Five Great Celestials.

“Grand Duke Andrei. I leave the rest to you.”

Finally, as if having made up his mind, Yeon Se-hwi spoke. Andrei grabbed his shoulder.

“What are you thinking…”

“We… we need to buy more time. One more attack on Soriano…”

“No!”

Andrei seemed to have read Yeon Se-hwi’s thoughts.

Yes, Yeon Se-hwi was planning to sacrifice his life to deliver a critical blow to Soriano.

‘But… even if I use the Heavenly Demon Divine Technique that destroys my dantian and draws out my innate energy… against him…’

Honestly, he saw no chance of victory. But he couldn’t let more hunters be sacrificed like this.

His hand moved toward his lower abdomen. He had to overload his dantian now.

Watching this, Soriano smiled sinisterly.

“Useless struggle… haha!!”

At that gleeful expression, Yeon Se-hwi felt even more despair. Even he, a Heavenly Demon, trembled at that man’s pure malice.

But once again, he pictured his daughter Yeon So-so’s face in his mind.

‘Yes. For So-so’s sake. For my daughter, I must open the way…’

His body made sounds of breaking. Still, he gathered all his remaining inner power in his hand. And just as he was about to move his hand to overload his dantian.

‘Who…’

Suddenly, a man blocked his path.

“Please leave this to me from now on. Don’t throw away your life so easily. So-so would be sad.”

At that voice, Yeon Se-hwi paused his moving hand. Yeon Se-hwi knew the owner of that voice.

“Lee Min-su…? Is that you?”

And three people stood side by side with that man. A sacred green light rose from them.

Lee Min-su spoke to Juan Soriano.

“Sorry, but things won’t go as you planned, Juan Soriano.”

As he spoke, a massive fire engulfed Soriano’s body.