Burning Torch (3)
“···It’s over. Fortunately, they say you were able to escape without too much damage.”
A single word came out of An’s mouth while her eyes were tightly closed.
At those words, a sigh of relief escaped the mouths of those who had been nervously looking around.
“Phew, that’s a relief.”
“The heavens have not abandoned us yet. If Malfi is safe, we will be able to join forces again somehow.”
“But for the time being, we need to watch the situation a bit more. If too many people gather in one place now, they will quickly catch our eye. Until we come up with a countermeasure, it’s better to spread out and hide like we are now.”
The survivors of the Burning Torch begin to talk one by one as they hear news that their comrades who had taken refuge elsewhere are safe.
Their number had already grown to nearly ten.
While following Ken’s lead and escaping to a safe place, I was able to join up with my colleagues who happened to be nearby.
When the group started to exchange opinions like that.
An, who had to use his power to avoid being tracked while also having to communicate over long distances, caught his breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Then, with a new look in his eyes, he looked at Ken, who was leaning against the wall in a corner with his arms crossed.
An unidentified demon who suddenly appears and declares that he will help them.
The current improvement in the situation was all possible thanks to his advice.
‘This time, I got it right. What on earth is the identity of the person behind the author? What kind of abilities does he have to be able to do something like this…’
This has been the case with everything they’ve been through so far, including this one.
Aren’t there more than a few comrades who have safely escaped the clutches of the Bancheonhoe thanks to following his advice?
That would be something that could not have been done without a complete understanding of what was happening on this huge piece of land.
As if he were really watching everything from the sky.
‘Considering the scope, it is not something that can be done by individual ability alone. Perhaps the personnel of the organization unit were involved. ···That is still great, though.’
It’s amazing that they have this level of intelligence gathering capability even though Southeast Asia isn’t even their base.
Its capabilities were already far greater than those of even the largest countries.
I wonder how large the alternative organization is that would make something like that possible…
Of course, there was the cutting edge capabilities of Hesperon and the tearful struggles of Andrew Weaver, who had not slept for days and was going through hard times.
She couldn’t know that fact now.
“Anyway, with this, we’ve confirmed the life or death of all the key executives. ···Not everyone is safe, but I think it’s much better than we expected.”
She, who had been quietly looking at Ken, opened her mouth softly.
Those who had been chattering around her all shut their mouths and looked at her.
No matter what anyone says, she is the leader leading them now.
“At this point, we should be able to somehow reorganize and resume our activities. Of course, we’ll need to be as careful as possible for the time being…”
She continued speaking calmly, then looked at Ken with a strange look.
The unidentified helper, who was one of the parties involved but somehow took a step back and just nodded calmly.
“So, Ken, our representative would like to meet with you. What do you think?”
And then he brought up the story he had just heard.
As the situation began to improve, the restored contacts included representatives of the Burning Torch, who had been missing for some time.
“That’s the sound I’ve been waiting for.”
Of course, Ken did not refuse the offer.
That’s why he’s been so busy these past few days, unable to rest properly, and calling himself an errand boy.
‘It looks like we’re finally starting to see an end to this. Once we get to the negotiating table, the employer will take care of the rest.’
If that happens, he won’t have to wander around in this blazing sun anymore, and he’ll be able to return to Japan soon.
What awaited them after that was a family reunion after 30 years.
‘It’s only been about three years in Earth time.’
For him, who had lived a life full of ups and downs in the Demon World, it was a reunion he had always dreamed of.
Even though I can’t say that I am the original Ken Miyamoto now.
From the moment I decided to inherit that soul and live as Ken, it was something I absolutely had to do.
The date for the meeting that many people had been waiting for was set.
Time passed quickly, and the promised day finally arrived.
***
The Burning Torch was a resistance group of the Banquet Hall based in Southeast Asia.
As it was an organization that brought together awakened people from various countries in Southeast Asia, its basic structure was to have branches in each country and send support whenever necessary.
But in any organization, it is essential to have a leader who can unite them.
The person elected in this way was the current Indonesian representative, Freddie, commonly known as the ‘President’.
‘He is certainly a man of character. It must not have been easy to form an organization that included not only his own people but also foreigners.’
Ken, who was following An and Jose, let out a sigh of admiration.
Although he had not been officially provided with detailed information, he had some knowledge of it since he had been exposed to a lot of information while working with them.
The upper echelons of the Blazing Torch were certainly an elite few, but given their area of activity, the number of members they command was not small.
‘Well, it seems like most of the lower-level agents participated out of patriotism or anti-Chinese sentiment rather than the Bancheonhoe itself.’
This happened because the Panchen Society had completely taken over China.
It is perhaps only natural that those who noticed the connection in some way interpreted the influence of the Fantian Society, which was beginning to spread throughout Southeast Asia, as a covert invasion by China, and that the predecessor of the Blazing Torch was secretly organized to counter it.
Of course, the current executives were fully aware of the dangers of the Chinese Communist Party lurking in the back of the world, but they could not deny that using the frame of China was useful in recruiting members of the organization.
Of course, because there were political and diplomatic issues, it was inevitable that they would have to hide and not act rashly even within their own country.
“This is it. Actually, it’s not something that should be disclosed to outsiders, but… Well, it’s the President’s order, so it doesn’t matter. It’s also thanks to you that we can use this again.”
Let’s move our steps like that for a moment.
An, standing in front of an ordinary door, took something out of her arms.
An antique silk embroidered with all sorts of complex shapes and symbols.
She opened it wide and fixed it to the door, and turned the doorknob without hesitation···.
“Ugh.”
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Beyond that, a long, mysterious corridor with a different atmosphere than before continued.
From the oriental-style wooden floors, lanterns hanging everywhere, to the colorful curtains extending from the ceiling to the walls.
“This is the driving force that allowed us to join forces while avoiding their eyes. No matter how far apart we are, we can always unite as long as we have access to this. We can also use it to travel long distances.”
Ann, who had entered the hallway first, continued speaking slowly.
During that time, the executives who should have been at the center of this space were too busy being chased by the Bancheonhoe to use it.
She smiled bitterly as she said that if that executive had ended up getting hit, the burning torch would have collapsed.
‘The space is distorted. And it’s very distorted… I wonder if the executives are different.’
Ken’s eyes lit up as he walked down the hallway and looked around.
And I couldn’t help but stick out my tongue again.
Even a superhuman with such spatial abilities couldn’t escape properly and had no choice but to be chased.
It was surprising how far the abilities of the Daejeonhoe extended.
“But is your representative really not going to attend? If you use this place, you won’t have to worry about being caught by the Bancheonhoe.”
At that moment, Jose, who had been following along quietly, opened his mouth as if he was dissatisfied.
It seems like they are not happy with the fact that the representative is personally showing up on that side while Ken, the proxy, is showing up on this side.
But since he had no decision-making power, he could only shrug his shoulders.
“I also talked to him, and he said that if he leaves now, there will be a hole in the surveillance network in this area, so it will be difficult. But don’t worry too much. We can still communicate in real time.”
“···Well, it doesn’t matter since it’s not yet time for full-scale discussions.”
He frowned slightly at Ken’s answer, but couldn’t bring himself to say anything when he said it was to help them.
Haven’t we already received more than enough help from the other side?
I didn’t know how much more help I would receive in the future, so it was a bad idea to blush for nothing.
As you said, it was just a place to express gratitude and get to know each other.
“Arrived.”
At the end of the long hallway, what I encountered was a sliding door with an oriental smell.
And the first person that appeared when An opened it without hesitation was.
“It’s been a while, Ann. And Jose too. I’m glad everyone is safe.”
It was a middle-aged woman who welcomed them with a gentle smile.
“Malfi. It was quite a dangerous situation, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, thanks to that, we were able to escape the crisis. It was also thanks to the Führer diverting the devil’s gaze during the first attack. But this side is that···?”
The warm greetings ended with an introduction to Ken.
Ken nodded roughly and slowly looked around after expressing his gratitude to the middle-aged woman named Malfi, who was the executive who had built this space.
‘This space itself also has an automatic translation function? That’s amazing.’
In the hall, which had a mysterious atmosphere just like the corridor, there were about twenty people from different countries besides them.
Judging by the dozens of sliding doors on all sides of the round hall, it seems they came here through several different passageways.
Those who were chatting with each other also noticed his identity and began to approach him one by one to say hello.
“But what about the President? He hasn’t come yet?”
“He said he might be a little late. He had a topic to discuss, but something went wrong with the preparations.”
“Oh really? That’s something. The person who always comes first.”
Except for the executives who were sacrificed in the recent incident, everyone who could participate has already arrived.
It was about thirty minutes later that the representative in that conversation appeared.
“Ah, the President has come into the hallway.”
As Malpi’s words flowed out softly, the gazes of those sitting at the circular conference tables in the center of the hall, talking about each other’s recent events, turned toward the sliding doors that were slowly beginning to open.
“I’m sorry this is late. A small problem suddenly came up…”
And the moment a middle-aged man with a short beard appeared from beyond the door and apologized with an embarrassed expression on his face.
An’s expression, which had been resting his chin on the table with a bored expression, hardened.
Boom!
No, it didn’t end there.
She stood up from her seat, throwing the chair away, and glared at him with a fierce face.
“F*ck… what the hell is this.”
“not···?”
“What? Why are you suddenly like that?”
The air became cold at her sudden strange reaction.
But the confusion in the crowd did not last long.
Those who were quick-witted began to stand up from their seats with serious faces and step back carefully.
Because we’ve known each other for a long time.
What she can do with her powers and what she can discover with them.
Of course, since nothing has been confirmed yet, their attention could not help but be directed to the root cause of the problem.
An, the person who showed the abnormal reaction, and the President, who was clearly flustered after being met with a hostile reaction as soon as they entered the hall.
“What are you? What is your identity?!”
“Huh? What are you talking about all of a sudden, huh? Isn’t that Freddie···”
“Stop talking nonsense! You fake! What happened to the real President?”
As the conversation between the two continued, the situation began to escalate.
An, who is expressing his fierce anger, and the commander Freddie, who still has a puzzled expression on his face.
There was no atmosphere in which the meeting could continue regardless of which side was right.
Some people immediately gained momentum, while others slowly retreated and headed toward the exit.
“Haa— this.”
Have you ever felt that kind of surrounding air?
The President, who had been trying to persuade his opponent in any way, sighed and roughly rubbed his chin.
“···I didn’t know I would have such a good sense. I guess I should have taken care of that woman first.”
In a voice that was different from before, it was so cold and emotionless.
Immediately after that.
“This is···!”
Malpi, who had been stepping back with a serious expression like the other executives, let out a scream.
But before she could continue speaking, the situation was already spiraling out of control.
The best of the best!
Sharp thorns sprouted from the sliding doors, completely blocking the entrance.
A change that appeared before Malfi, the owner of this space, could do anything.
But the changes didn’t end there.
Knock knock—
The only unblocked passage.
The sliding door through which the President had just entered opened again, and a group of about five or six slowly walked in.
They all looked uncomfortable, as if they were unhappy with the current situation.
“What is this? You were so confident, and now you’ve been caught?”
“···Tsk.”
“Hey, Mimic. What are you going to do with this? You think that guy is just a stray? Weren’t you just going to let it slide until the torso comes out?”
A man with dark skin and a strangely bald head pointed at Ken and questioned the President.
With an attitude that makes it obvious to anyone that they are part of the same gang.
The problem was that the man was the head of the Southeast Asian branch of the Bancheonhoe, which they called the Poisonous Snake, and he was very familiar to the executives gathered here.
“···There was no choice. Their goal was to use the blazing torches to disrupt our plans. Now that they’ve been discovered, we can’t just let them go.”
“Ah! If everything had gone according to plan, it would have ended comfortably. Anyway, nothing is going right!”
“But it’s not like there’s no harvest. It’s just talk, so there’s no way someone as strong as that guy would be a low-level player.”
The President… no, their gaze turned to Ken at the protest of the being wearing the shell of the President.
A demon returner who has risen to a fairly high level even among transcendent beings.
It certainly wasn’t at a level where it could be used as just a throwaway word.
Even though your status may be lower than that of someone behind you, if you squeeze out your soul, you’ll find something to gain.
“···Well, okay. It’s a shame I couldn’t grab their heads right away, but there’s nothing I can do about it. There’s something fun about going up like this one by one.”
The East Asia branch manager nodded slowly, as if he understood what was being said.
Then he continued speaking, raising the corners of his lips in a bitter way towards Ken.
“There’s nothing I can do about it. It starts with you. If you want to die gracefully, you’ll have to confess everything you know.”
The cadres of the Burning Torch who were already there were not even in sight.
Well, that can’t be helped.
It was natural that the power of the Bancheonhoe that appeared here in the first place was not intended to deal with them.
“About the Masquerade behind you!”
All of this is a trap in preparation for the Masquerade.
Because it was a force to deal with the enemy who had been interfering with them at every turn.
“···Huh? Mars···What did you say?”
Of course, it was a name that Ken had never heard before.
