Chapter 423: Chapter 423

“…It’s over. Fortunately, they were able to escape without any major casualties.”

Ahn, who had been meditating with her eyes closed, spoke, and the others, who had been anxiously waiting, sighed in relief.

“Phew, that’s a relief.”

“The heavens haven’t abandoned us yet. If Malpi is safe, we can regroup and continue our fight.”

“We still have to be careful. If too many of us gather in one place, we’ll be easily detected. It’s better to stay hidden and scattered until we have a plan.”

The surviving members of the Burning Torch, relieved by the news of their comrade’s safety, began to chatter amongst themselves.

Their numbers had grown to almost ten.

As they were escaping with Ken’s guidance, they had encountered other members who had been hiding nearby.

Ahn, who had been using her power to conceal their presence while also maintaining long-distance communication, wiped the sweat from her brow and caught her breath.

An unknown demon, who had suddenly appeared and offered his assistance.

Their current… relatively safe situation was all thanks to his advice.

‘…He was right again. Who is he working for? What kind of power does he have, to be able to do this…?’

It wasn't the first time this had happened.

Thanks to his guidance, countless members of the Burning Torch had escaped Heaven’s Turn Society’s clutches.

It would have been impossible without a complete understanding of the situation, the events unfolding across this vast land.

As if he was… watching everything from above.

‘…This isn’t something an individual can do. There must be an organization behind him. …Though it doesn’t change the fact that he’s… incredibly capable.’

To have this level of information gathering capabilities, even in a region far from their headquarters…

It surpassed even the capabilities of most nations.

Just how large was his organization…?

Of course, Hesperon’s advanced technology and Andrew Weaver’s tireless efforts, fueled by sleep deprivation, were also contributing factors… but she didn’t know that.

“Anyway, we’ve confirmed the status of all the key executives. …Not everyone survived, but it’s still a better outcome than we expected.”

She spoke, her gaze fixed on Ken, and the others, who had been chattering amongst themselves, fell silent and turned to look at her.

She was, after all, their leader.

“We should be able to reorganize and resume our activities soon. Though we’ll have to be careful for a while…”

She looked at Ken, their mysterious benefactor, who was simply nodding along, his demeanor calm and detached, as if he wasn’t directly involved.

“So, Ken, our leader wants to meet you. What do you think?”

She relayed the message she had just received.

The Burning Torch’s leader, who had been missing for a while, had finally contacted them through their restored communication network.

“I’ve been waiting for this.”

After all, that was why he had been working so hard, running errands and risking his life.

‘…It’s finally coming to an end. Once I’ve arranged the meeting, my employer will handle the rest.’

And then, he wouldn’t have to wander around in this scorching heat anymore, and he would finally be able to return to Japan.

A reunion with his family after thirty years.

‘…Though it’s only been three years on Earth.’

It was a dream come true, a reunion he had longed for, even though he wasn’t the original Miyamoto Ken anymore.

He had inherited his soul, his memories, his identity…

It was something he had to do.

And so, the date for the meeting was set.

And the day finally arrived.

The Burning Torch was a resistance organization operating in Southeast Asia, opposing Heaven’s Turn Society.

It was a coalition of Awakened individuals from various countries, each with its own branch, their forces mobilized and deployed as needed.

But every organization needed a leader.

And their current leader was Freddy, aka ‘The President’, from Indonesia.

‘…He’s quite charismatic. It can’t be easy to lead an organization composed of people from different countries.’

Ken, following Ahn and Jose, inwardly praised Freddy’s leadership skills.

He hadn’t received any official information, but he had gathered bits and pieces of information during his time with the Burning Torch, so he knew… something.

The Burning Torch’s leadership was composed of elite individuals, but their numbers weren't small, considering their area of operation.

‘…Though most of the lower-ranking members seem to have joined out of patriotism or anti-Chinese sentiment.’

It was a natural consequence of Heaven’s Turn Society’s complete takeover of China.

Those who had sensed the connection between the two organizations saw Heaven’s Turn Society’s growing influence in Southeast Asia as a… covert Chinese invasion, and they had formed a resistance group to oppose it.

That was the origin of the Burning Torch.

Of course, the current executives were aware of Heaven’s Turn Society’s true nature, their global reach and their sinister agenda… but they couldn’t deny the effectiveness of using ‘China’ as a… recruiting tool.

And naturally, they had to operate in secrecy, to avoid causing any political or diplomatic problems.

“This is it. It’s not something we usually show to outsiders… but it’s fine, since it’s the President’s order. And we were able to use this again thanks to you.”

Ahn, stopping before an ordinary-looking door, retrieved something from her pocket.

An ornate piece of silk, its surface covered in complex diagrams and symbols.

She unfolded it and attached it to the door, then turned the doorknob…

…and a long corridor, its atmosphere strangely… different, appeared beyond.

A wooden floor, lanterns hanging from the ceiling, colorful curtains draped across the walls…

“This is how we were able to communicate and coordinate our actions, even when we were separated. It allows us to instantly travel long distances.”

Ahn, stepping into the corridor, explained.

The executive who had created this space had been too busy running from Heaven’s Turn Society to use it until recently.

And if that executive had been… captured or killed… the Burning Torch would have crumbled.

‘…A spatial distortion. And it’s quite… extensive. As expected of an executive.’

Ken, his eyes gleaming with interest, looked around the corridor, impressed.

And then he couldn't help but feel a surge of… awe.

To think that even a superhuman with such powerful spatial manipulation abilities had been forced into hiding, unable to escape Heaven’s Turn Society’s pursuit…

Just how powerful were they?

“Where’s your leader? Why isn’t he here? He can use this to avoid being detected.”

Jose, who had been quietly following them, suddenly spoke, his voice filled with a hint of annoyance.

He seemed to be… displeased that Ken, a mere representative, was meeting with their leader, while their own leader wasn't even present.

But he couldn’t do anything about it. He didn't have the authority.

“I asked him, but he said he couldn't leave his post right now. It would create a… security gap. But don’t worry, we can still communicate with him in real time.”

“…Well, it’s not an official meeting yet, so it’s fine.”

Jose frowned slightly at Ken’s reply, then nodded, accepting his explanation.

After all, they had already received a lot of help from him.

And they would probably need his help again in the future. It was best not to offend him over such a trivial matter.

This was just a… preliminary meeting, a chance to introduce themselves and exchange greetings.

They reached the end of the long corridor and stopped before a sliding door, its design and materials distinctly… Eastern.

And as Ahn opened the door,

“It’s been a while, Ahn. And Jose. I’m glad you’re both safe.”

…a middle-aged woman, her face kind and welcoming, greeted them with a gentle smile.

“Malpi as well. You were in a dangerous situation, weren’t you?”

“Yes, but I managed to escape thanks to you. And thanks to the President, who diverted the demon’s attention. So, this is…?”

Their greetings continued, and then finally, they introduced Ken.

Ken, nodding casually at Malpi, the executive who had created this space, and acknowledging her gratitude, looked around the room.

‘…This space also has an automatic translation function? Impressive.’

The room, like the corridor, had a… mystical atmosphere, and there were about twenty other people there, from various countries.

There were dozens of sliding doors on all sides of the circular room, so it seemed like they had also arrived through different paths.

They were chatting amongst themselves, but then, noticing him, they began to approach him, one by one, exchanging greetings.

“Where’s the President? Isn’t he here yet?”

“He said he’ll be a bit late. There was a problem with the… preparations.”

“Really? That’s unusual. He’s usually the first to arrive.”

All the executives who could attend, excluding those who had been… lost in recent incidents, were already present.

And about thirty minutes later,

“Ah, the President is here.”

…Malpi spoke, her voice low and soft.

The others, who had been sitting around the circular table in the center of the room, exchanging stories and catching up, turned their gazes towards the sliding door, which was slowly opening.

“I apologize for the delay. There was a… minor issue…”

And as a middle-aged man with a short beard stepped into the room, a sheepish expression on his face, apologizing for his tardiness,

…Ahn’s expression, which had been bored and indifferent, suddenly hardened.

She jumped to her feet, her chair clattering on the floor, and glared at him, her face contorted in a grimace of rage.

“What’s wrong? Why are you acting ?”

The atmosphere in the room chilled instantly as she suddenly lashed out.

But the confusion didn’t last long.

Those who knew her, those who understood her abilities and what they meant…

…they stood up, their faces grim, and began to back away, cautiously putting some distance between themselves and the… source of the problem.

Their gazes were fixed on Ahn and the President, Freddy, who was clearly flustered by her hostile reaction.

“Who are you? What are you?!”

“Huh? What are you talking about, Ahn? It’s me, Freddy…”

“Cut the crap! You’re a fake! What happened to the real President?!”

The situation escalated rapidly as they exchanged words.

Ahn, her voice filled with rage, and Freddy, his expression still confused and bewildered.

It wasn’t a conducive environment for a… productive meeting.

Some were preparing for battle, their auras flaring, while others were cautiously retreating towards the exit.

The President, who had been trying to reason with her, sighed and rubbed his chin, his expression… different from before, his voice cold and devoid of emotion.

“…I didn’t expect her to be this perceptive. Perhaps I should have… eliminated her first.”

…Malpi, who had been cautiously retreating like the others, suddenly cried out, her voice filled with shock and disbelief.

But before she could even finish her sentence,

…sharp thorns, erupting from the walls around the sliding doors, sealed the exits.

It had happened before she could even react, despite being the one who had created this space.

But that wasn’t the end.

The only remaining exit,

…the sliding door the President had just entered, opened again,

…and several figures, about five or six of them, slowly walked in, their expressions grim and their auras… unsettling.

“So, you’ve been exposed already? I thought you were so confident.”

“Hey, Mimic, what do we do? He’s just a pawn, isn’t he? We were supposed to wait for the… main target…”

A man with dark skin and… unusually sparse hair pointed at Ken and spoke to the President, his tone accusatory.

They were clearly… colleagues.

And the man… was the Southeast Asia Branch Manager of Heaven’s Turn Society, a familiar face to the Burning Torch executives, the one they called ‘Viper’.

“…It couldn’t be helped. Their objective is to use the Burning Torch to disrupt our plans. We can’t let them go now that they’ve been exposed.”

“Ugh! This would have been so much easier if everything had gone according to plan! Nothing ever goes right!”

“But it’s not a complete loss. He might be just a pawn, but he’s still a powerful Awakened.”

Their gazes, following Viper’s words, shifted towards Ken.

A high-level demon, a returnee from the Demon World.

He was definitely a valuable asset.

Even if he was just a… pawn, they could still… extract something useful from him.

“…Well, it’s fine. It’s a shame we couldn’t capture him right away… but this is also… fun.”

Viper nodded slowly, as if convinced, and then looked at Ken, a sinister smile appearing on his lips.

“It can’t be helped. We’ll start with you. If you want to die painlessly, you’ll tell us everything you know.”

He didn't even acknowledge the Burning Torch executives.

…they weren't his target.

“About the Masquerade behind you!”

This was all a trap, a setup to capture the… troublesome individual who had been disrupting their plans.

Of course, Ken had never heard of it.