Burning Torch (2)
A room filled with large electronic devices.
Woohoo—
Beep— tiddididick!
Support— Jiing—
In that space where the heat was already felt even though the air conditioner was running at full power, all kinds of noises, including the sound of the cooling fan and electronic sounds, were mixed together.
At some point, when only such loud noises continued—.
“···We finally made contact. So far, everything is going smoothly.”
Suddenly a man’s voice flowed out.
In the middle of a room lined with expensive supercomputers.
There was a being lying on a soft armchair, with several wires connected to the devices dangling from his metal suit.
A man covered in mysterious glowing lumps of metal, with a soft light flowing through them like an electronic circuit.
“Is this really the ‘Eye of Odin’? It’s more useful than I thought.”
It was Hesperon, fully armed with Titans called from subspace.
He quietly stuck out his tongue as he looked at the hacked satellite images through “Machine Inside: Calicas.”
I tried using the newly added 『Odin’s Eye』 that was added when the shop was upgraded, in conjunction with satellite vision, and I definitely thought that it would be worth using occasionally even if I had to pay karma.
‘It can see through almost any mystery, and there is no limitation of Andrew’s “trajectory observation” that only high-ranking people can spy on it.’
At this point, it would not be an exaggeration to say that it was a unique skill that had been strengthened several times.
You can use these things as much as you want just by paying karma.
There was a problem that it was a limited ability that could only be used on Earth, and the amount of karma that was continuously consumed was quite burdensome, but if it was used in conjunction with other means as it is now, it could be used as efficiently as possible.
Didn’t you just finish the job more easily than expected based on the information Andrew collected?
‘Even if it can only be used to confirm the information, it can be considered worth it.’
He stared at an abandoned house in the Vietnamese countryside reflected in his eyes and closed his eyes tightly.
Then, he focused on Ken’s five senses and conveyed his will through the “Chain of Oath” connected to his right arm.
-You know you shouldn’t fight too loudly when they start a fight over there, right? First, calm them down a bit and then go together to the place I’ll tell you. You can build some friendship as you go. They’re pretty capable people after all.
-···Ugh, no matter how I look at it, it seems like our Demon King’s style is to order people around. Is it my fate to become entangled with these masters···?
Ken grumbles and responds to the orders that come down as naturally as breathing.
However, there wasn’t much discomfort about being given orders by someone he didn’t know.
Well, that can’t be helped.
Whatever the circumstances, isn’t it all thanks to Hesperon who summoned him that he is now able to set foot on Earth again?
‘Besides, if you finish the job properly, you will be rewarded with some degree of freedom of movement on Earth.’
Suddenly, he remembered how confused he had been when he was first summoned to Earth, and he let out a snicker.
The sight of him checking several times to see if he had been mentally attacked or if this was really Earth…
If we hadn’t used the “Chain of Oath” to moderately restrain them, it would have taken a long time to reach their destination.
‘Since the opponent is said to be a demon. Someone like Ken would be helpful in understanding the enemy’s level more clearly. And even if an emergency occurs, we’ll be able to buy enough time.’
In addition, he was left with the annoying chores of having to travel around Southeast Asia, which is close to the equator.
Like that for a while.
Hesperon, who had been watching the members of the ‘Burning Torch’ through Ken’s eyes, who was moving diligently as instructed, opened his eyes and slowly looked around.
A space filled with electronic devices, including large-scale computing devices and servers that are difficult for ordinary people to obtain.
This place was a work place reserved solely for him.
One of his abilities, “Machine Eye: Calicas”, was painstakingly created to make the most efficient use of it.
‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend. I can’t just let them fall like this.’
The fact that he had noticed the existence of the secretive yet powerful Bancheonhoe and had survived by fighting against it was proof of his ability.
Just by linking up with them, you will not only be able to fight more efficiently than before, but you will also be able to obtain additional information that you didn’t know about.
But when I first tried to approach them, the situation wasn’t so favorable.
The problem was that the leadership, which had been repeatedly pushed back in recent battles with the Pancheonhoe and was on the verge of collapse, had scattered in all directions and gone into hiding.
It was already their daily routine to move around like guerrillas, so it was only natural that it became difficult to pinpoint their location in this situation.
Because their immediate survival depended on it, it had to be desperate.
‘So I had to somehow find them before the Buncheonhoe···.’
And it was Hesperon and the state-of-the-art facilities prepared for him that were at work there.
A complex data center that includes a supercomputer that has been grafted with other-worldly components and technology that have flowed into Earth and were secretly secured through subordinate forces.
The price was also outrageous, but money wasn’t a big problem for him.
Since they already had a solid foothold through a sunny company called Howard Industries, it wasn’t that difficult to set up a few of these secret strongholds.
Woof—
Beep beep!
The light emitted through numerous lines connected to the central Titan spread out to electronic devices in all directions.
Hesperon’s “Machine Eye: Callicas” is a mysterious crystal that becomes one with him and grows together with him—a kind of “machine spirit.”
And the Titan synchronized there was also the essence of magical engineering that was never outdone anywhere.
It was not so strange that the connection with peripheral devices was not limited to simply sending and receiving electrical signals, but also reached the realm of supernatural powers, elevating performance beyond its original limits.
‘As expected, the defense of important facilities is no joke. We’ll need to prepare more to break through that. ···Well, as the means of attack develop, the means of defense also develop.’
Of course, implementing otherworldly technology on Earth required enormous resources, so only a very small number of systems were equipped with such defenses.
All information related to the area he was watching… information collected through satellites in space, wired internet, and wireless communication networks including radio waves poured in endlessly.
In the process, the information was fragmented to the point where it could not be analyzed even by a supercomputer, becoming nothing more than garbage.
However, the machine-eye, which is the embodiment of overtechnology and an artificial spirit that evolves in real time, quickly processed the flood of information by mobilizing all the devices connected to it.
A being that can exert greater influence on Earth, which has a moderate level of scientific civilization, than in this world.
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Hesperon closed his eyes tightly.
To maximize the performance of “Machine Inside: Calicas” and not miss a single clue from the endless stream of information.
***
Ken turned his head slightly and looked at the four men and women moving busily, then rubbed the back of his neck.
‘The Burning Torch… and the Burning Torch?’
For him, who had returned to Earth after a long time, both names were new to him.
Of course, even if I hadn’t been kidnapped to the Demon World and had been able to return on time, I don’t think I would have gotten involved with such secret organizations.
‘Who on earth is that guy? How was he able to summon me from the demon world to this Earth? And what he’s doing now…’
In that sense, the man who summoned him, Hesperon, was a mysterious being in many ways.
Considering the time when I first met him, it seems like he had only recently returned to Earth, but isn’t he so adept at summoning himself to do things and dealing with secret organizations?
As if we had been dealing with them on Earth for a long time.
‘There’s no way you can freely travel between the two worlds.’
He roughly stroked the back of his head and let out a deep sigh, naturally ruling out the correct answer based on common sense.
Well, it didn’t matter what happened now.
From the moment the curse that had been locked in the temple that day fell into the man’s hands, he had no choice.
Rather, it was a good thing for Ken, since he was able to breathe Earth’s air again.
‘I wonder if my family is doing well. If I went to see them now, they would be surprised, right? Of course, in order to do that, I have to finish this job first.’
Fortunately, the fight that suddenly broke out right after their first meeting didn’t last long.
It was partly because Ken, who had easily withstood the surprise attack, did not counterattack and continued to try to talk, but partly because Jose regained his composure when he saw his comrades hurrying back after hearing the commotion.
“What the heck? What the heck is this···!”
“No! No! Jose! Are you okay? … Huh? Who are you? How did you get in here?”
“···Becky? Tola? Are you guys okay?”
The biggest reason for the preemptive strike was that the comrades who had gone out on reconnaissance judged that they had already been defeated.
Otherwise, they thought that there was no way an uninvited guest would come to their center without a sound.
Doesn’t the fact that you sneak into someone’s home without ringing the doorbell mean that there’s something fishy about it?
‘Well, that’s true, I have nothing to say.’
For Ken, who had ignored the outer reconnaissance and infiltrated simply because of his instincts as a devil and his desire to resolve the matter quickly, it was a misunderstanding for nothing.
“···So, you’re just an errand boy?”
“Yes. In fact, this is the first time I’ve heard about you or the organization called the Buncheonhoe. All I know is that we must join hands to fight against our common enemy, the Buncheonhoe.”
“If that’s the case, shouldn’t the person involved come in person? What kind of conversation do you want with an errand boy?”
“That would have been the case if you were in good health… but in this situation?”
Ken shrugged as he spoke to a woman named Ann, who was the representative of their group.
Then he turned his gaze and glanced around.
A remote mountain village without a single house in sight, let alone a decent base.
Moreover, even if there were executives included, the number of people was only four.
It was nothing but greed to expect the other party to come to me in person in order to connect with them, who were practically no different from fugitives.
“Tsk.”
Ando couldn’t help but click his tongue at those words.
Above all, aren’t you just one of the scattered executives, not the representative of the blazing torch?
“No, are you really okay?”
At that moment, Jose, who had been by her side the whole time, returned to his human form and opened his mouth softly.
Still showing signs of being wary of Ken.
They only stopped fighting for a moment because they knew that making a fuss for too long would do them no good, but his eyes never left Ken from the beginning to the end.
“It’s okay. First of all, there was no lie in what I said so far. It’s true that I’m hostile to the Bancheonhoe, and it’s also true that I approached them with good intentions.”
“But the opponent is a devil. Just like that guy···.”
“Of course I don’t intend to believe everything. I don’t know how many secrets there are that I haven’t told you. But we’re not in a position to investigate each and every one of those things, are we?”
“···Well, it’s clear that he’s stronger than me.”
The two people were openly whispering amongst themselves even though they knew the culprit was right in front of them. Ken’s mouth corners twisted crookedly, but he didn’t say anything in response.
Having lived with demons for a long time, he knew very well that the world’s perception of demons was not entirely wrong.
If his ego had not been fixed to a certain degree thanks to “thought transference,” his current human appearance would have worn away long ago.
“I’m sorry to interrupt your conversation, but I have some urgent news that just came to me.”
“tidings?”
Of course, that doesn’t mean I just sat there and watched the debate.
Anyway, the order he received was to help them escape to a safe place.
For the sake of freedom on Earth, this mission had to be completed successfully at all costs.
“A group believed to be the Burning Clan is approaching here. The demon known as the Executioner doesn’t seem to be there, so the fight itself shouldn’t be a big problem… but it would be a problem if they caught us, right?”
It was a natural thing.
Their current status is that of fugitives.
From the moment your location is discovered by your pursuer, isn’t your survival rate bound to drop exponentially?
“···How did you know that?”
The only question was how much one could trust the devil who was saying these words—Ken.
If I had believed it rashly and it turned out to be a trap, then it would really be the end of everything.
As if he had guessed their feelings, Ken smiled faintly and pointed to the sky with his finger.
“My employer is watching from heaven. It is no exaggeration to say that this area is already in the palm of his hand.”
“under!”
A joke that anyone who hears it will find playful.
But Ahn, who was leading the group, couldn’t just let those words go.
The unique skill that had helped her survive until now, that had allowed her to withstand the Burning Clan, whispered in her ear.
There is only one choice you have to make right now.
“What are you going to do? Will you trust me and follow me?”
“······.”
Of course, her decision was already decided.
***
A room filled with pastel-toned mist.
“Whew—the tide has turned.”
A sigh-like word escaped from the lips of a woman leaning back on the sofa in the middle, along with blue smoke.
Her hazy gaze looked at the smoke swaying in the air.
“You have finally appeared, adversary.”
A being that twists the flow of fate.
An entity that makes the future unclear.
A being that hides behind a curtain and mocks the world.
“Then we should prepare accordingly.”
Like sand slipping through my fingers.
It was one day when the remnants of the ‘Burning Torch’, which I thought I had completely taken control of, began to disappear one by one.
