Chapter 424: Chapter 424

Hesperon’s eyes twitched as he observed the situation in real-time through his connection to Ken.

The unexpected guests who had barged into the Burning Torch’s meeting…

…had just uttered a very familiar name.

A name he… or rather, Heinz… had used only once.

A fictional organization he had casually mentioned to Doctor, a high-ranking member of Heaven’s Turn Society, after their encounter in Europe, just before… eliminating him.

He had made up the name on the spot, as a… joke, and hadn’t mentioned it since.

‘…But they know about it. Which means…’

…Well, he had anticipated that possibility.

‘…Huu, it doesn’t change anything. It just confirms my suspicions. My priority is… them.’

His attention shifted back to the intruders.

‘Mimic’, disguised as the President, and the six figures who had accompanied him.

They were all radiating powerful auras, as if they had been… expecting this, preparing for a fight.

‘…They came prepared. Even Ken, who’s not exactly weak, is outmatched. And that one… that must be the Executioner…’

He frowned as he saw the figure standing at the back of the group, its hood pulled low, its presence… overwhelming, despite its silence.

Even Ken, with his enhanced senses, couldn’t fully grasp its power.

As Hesperon pondered the situation, their conversation continued.

“Are you trying to fool us? We know! We know about your… backers!”

“No, I’m telling you, I’ve never heard of that name… Hmm, is that what it’s called?”

The man with the sparse hair, his face contorted in a grimace, shouted angrily, and Ken, as if convinced by his words, nodded slowly.

It was a… good name, he muttered, and the Heaven’s Turn Society members looked at each other, their faces filled with disbelief.

They were strong enough to sense the truth in his words.

“So, you’re saying… you didn’t even know the name of the organization you were working for…?”

The Southeast Asia Branch Manager, his voice filled with a mixture of confusion and annoyance, trailed off.

If that was true, then he wasn't even a… proper pawn.

An… outsourced contractor? A freelancer? A part-timer?

Regardless of the term, he was… insignificant, far below their… target.

It was understandable that the Branch Manager, who had been working tirelessly, sacrificing his already… limited hair follicles, was feeling frustrated.

…there were others who were even more… upset.

“—I don’t care about the Masquerade!”

A woman’s voice, filled with a suppressed rage, a barely controlled fury, echoed from the group of Burning Torch executives who had retreated to the corner of the room.

“Where’s the President?! What happened to Freddy?!”

Ahn shouted, her aura flaring, and ‘Mimic’, who had been observing Ken with a calm and indifferent expression, turned to look at her.

A soft sigh, a sound of… resignation.

The middle-aged man’s face remained expressionless, despite the surge of anger directed at him, the Burning Torch executives’ auras flaring like flames.

As if he was a lion, looking down at a… barking puppy.

“Do you really need me to spell it out for you? You’re so… unbelievably dense.”

“I have only one thing to say about that.”

…his expression, which had been neutral and impassive, finally changed.

His face twisted into a grotesque… smile, a sinister grin that sent shivers down their spines.

And then, ‘Mimic’, his voice filled with a strange… amusement, a… chilling warmth, spoke.

He patted his stomach as he spoke, a single, casual gesture.

A heavy silence, a moment of stunned… disbelief, filled the room.

…their rage exploded.

Even Ahn, who had been communicating with him telepathically, hadn't noticed anything unusual until now.

After all, it would have been impossible without… completely replicating the President’s… everything.

But it was still a painful realization, a shocking truth.

He had been their leader, their mentor, their friend… and Ahn’s… close friend.

But to the… imposter, their anger and grief were just… appetizers.

“Oh my, look at you, pretending to care. After abandoning him and running away while he was buying you time. Khehehe! This is… hilarious! He was so determined to survive… until the very end…”

The Southeast Asia Branch Manager, stepping forward, his voice dripping with sarcasm, couldn't help but… laugh.

“He was quite… impressive, actually. He disrupted our plans several times. And he even managed to escape us a few times. He was quite confident.”

He shrugged, as if acknowledging his opponent’s strength…

…but the mocking smile on his lips betrayed his true intentions.

“His only mistake was… being your leader. Look at you! This is what happened! It was quite… amusing, actually. He was so desperate… until the very end…”

“Shut up, Viper! You’re not worthy of speaking his name! You’ve never even defeated him!”

A roar of rage, interrupting his gloating monologue.

He had touched a nerve.

He paused for a moment, then spoke again, his voice colder, harder.

“…Huu, fine. The last one standing is the winner, after all. And let me correct you. I am Nagaraja, not Viper.”

“Ha! Nagaraja my ass. You’re Viper. A sneaky and shameless bastard.”

“Khehehe… Good. Very good. Let’s see how long that… spirit lasts.”

The air crackled with tension, their auras clashing.

They seemed evenly matched, their determination fueling their power… but the reality was… different.

The difference in their power levels was… vast, so vast that this… confrontation… shouldn't even be possible.

‘…This isn’t good. They’re completely outmatched. I’ll have to retreat…’

Ken, finally learning the name of his… organization, frowned, calmly assessing the situation.

They had the advantage in numbers… but that wasn’t very significant in this situation.

‘…Six transcendent beings in the Burning Torch. Not demons… but probably two Marquis-level and four Earl-level.’

And the strongest among them, Ahn and Malpi, weren't exactly… combat specialists.

So, their effective combat strength was… six Earl-level demons.

‘…It can’t be helped. They lost most of their transcendent combatants while escaping.’

Heaven’s Turn Society, on the other hand, only had seven members present… but they were all Marquis-level or higher.

Nagaraja, the Branch Manager, seemed to be Duke-level, and the Executioner… even Ken couldn’t fully grasp his power.

Even with his help, the Burning Torch was completely outmatched.

‘…This is hopeless. I can’t even protect myself, let alone help them. I have to get out of here.’

He had been summoned to Earth through some unknown method.

If he could just… cancel the summoning, he could return to the Demon World… but…

He paused, his eyes widening slightly as he realized something.

And at the same time, another person, realizing the same thing, gasped in shock.

“Ugh! Why? Why isn’t it working…? I can do everything else… but I can’t… unlock the spatial seal…?”

Malpi, the one who had created this hidden space.

She closed her eyes tightly, focusing her mind, and tried again…

…but the space, sealed shut, refused to open, like a broken doorknob, despite her attempts to access its control panel with her administrator privileges.

She had used various magic tools to minimize the strain on her body and mind… but this wasn't normal, not for someone like her, a master of spatial manipulation.

“Khehehe, it’s too late to run. This space is completely sealed. I took some… precautions, to make sure I could capture those Masquerade members.”

Nagaraja, as if sensing her distress, chuckled, his gaze fixed on Ken, a hint of annoyance in his eyes.

To think he had gone through all this trouble, only to catch a… small fry.

-Hey! Employer! I’m going to die! Do something! Just send me back!

But Ken didn’t have time to complain about his… unfair treatment.

He was too busy trying to contact Hesperon, the one who had put him in this situation, desperately searching for a way out.

Fortunately, 「Chains of the Oath」 wasn't affected by the spatial seal.

-“Hmm, it seems they’re telling the truth. The summoning cancellation function is completely disabled. How did they even do that? Reality anchoring? Causal reversal?”

-“Don’t just stand there and admire their skills! I’m going to die! Seriously! Do you think they’ll just… let me go?”

-“Of course not. They’ll extract every last bit of information from you, then dismantle your body and recycle the… usable parts.”

They could even control a space created by someone else’s power.

And they had a demon on their side, so ordinary tricks wouldn't work.

Hesperon, realizing the gravity of the situation, couldn’t hesitate any longer.

-“I’ll do something, so just… hold on.”

-“…What? What are you going to do? Why do you sound so… ominous… Ugh… Gah!”

Ken’s body began to twitch and convulse as a massive surge of energy, flowing through 「Chains of the Oath」, which had become deeply embedded in his soul, flooded his body.

The curse that had almost consumed him in the temple, a fragment of his own… essence…

…was now returning to him, its power overwhelming, its presence undeniable.

As if trying to… fill the void within him.

His level, temporarily boosted by the fusion of his body and mind, thanks to Hesperon’s various skills and abilities, began to rise rapidly.

“…Oh? That’s interesting.”

Of course, the others, their senses heightened, also noticed the change in his aura.

And among them, the figure standing silently at the back of the Heaven’s Turn Society group, the Executioner, reacted most strongly.

“I’ve seen a few demons from other worlds… but this is… intriguing.”

Nagaraja, the Branch Manager, cautiously called out to him, but the Executioner, ignoring him, continued speaking, his voice low and… almost… excited.

Nagaraja, closing his eyes, took a deep breath and spoke again, his voice calm and measured.

“You know he’s a Masquerade member. He might not be very… talkative, but he’s definitely connected to them. We need to capture him alive and extract all the information we can…”

“If you interfere, I’ll kill you.”

“…Fine. Do as you please.”

He quickly gave up, his tone resigned.

There was nothing he could do against that… walking nuclear bomb.

No one could stop him, not unless the Master or Oracle intervened personally.

“Then we’ll deal with the… trash. Just… don’t kill him, alright? As long as he’s alive, we can…”

The Executioner’s reply, spoken in a casual tone, a hint of… amusement in his voice, didn't exactly inspire confidence.

He walked towards Ken, his target, his prey.

His appearance shifted, his body transforming.

Black scales, a massive frame over three meters tall, four sharp horns extending upwards, a pair of bat-like wings unfurling behind his back, a long, whip-like tail with a sharp, spear-like tip…

A greater demon, his fanged maw stretched into a wide grin.

[“Let’s see how much you can entertain me.”]

9,986 battles, 9,977 victories, 9 defeats.

All his defeats had been against the Master of Heaven’s Turn Society. Excluding those… unfortunate encounters, he had never lost a fight.

The Executioner, Heaven’s Turn Society’s strongest warrior, grinned savagely and charged towards the demon from another dimension, who had just… regained his senses.

A secret facility, filled with machines.

‘…I’ve enhanced Ken as much as I can…’

Hesperon, sitting in the recliner, looked down at his right arm, the bandages unwrapped.

Despite the combined efforts of all his avatars, including Howard, the master craftsman, the seal wasn’t complete yet.

The power contained within his arm was… too much for him to handle.

‘…But it won’t be enough to defeat him.’

It was just a temporary measure, a desperate attempt to boost his power using various… unconventional methods.

It wasn't a true breakthrough, and it wouldn't last long.

“But it’ll buy us some time.”

He stood up, stretching his stiff limbs after spending hours in the chair.

He closed his eyes, checking the status of his other avatars.

“It’s time to send in the… real reinforcements.”

…was about to make its debut.