Hellhounds' Onslaught and White Flame Salvation
"Damn it!"
Tempest Lady gathered the wind and hurled it forward. A razor-sharp gale blade sliced toward the pack of Hellhounds.
Kyaang!
The Hellhounds scattered left and right, dodging the blade. One that couldn't evade in time had its leg severed and collapsed. Flames erupted from its body with a whoosh, reforming the missing limb. The tumbling Hellhound spat fire from its maw and charged at the hero.
"Uwaaak!"
A hero wielding a massive shield bashed it into the Hellhound. The beast rolled across the ground from the hefty shove.
"Here it comes...!"
Greed Cloud swept along the ground amid the heroes, engulfing the Hellhound. It devoured the beast's flesh while avoiding the blue flames. Keeik... The Hellhound collapsed, stripped of its body. The moment its left foreleg—made of blue flame—was fully consumed, it turned to embers and rose into the sky.
The complete death of a revived Hellhound required total annihilation of its remaining flesh.
Swoosh.
Greed Cloud, having feasted on the Hellhound's body, returned to Unsa's hand. There was no time to reclaim her spear.
"Hup?!"
Unsa dropped to one knee. The instant she absorbed the mana, her insides boiled like they were on fire.
"Team leader?!"
Tempest Lady rushed over in panic, supporting Unsa. Heat haze shimmered above Tempest Lady's coat, draped over Unsa's torn hero suit.
"Ahh, haa."
Unsa exhaled ragged breaths, her face flushed beet red, forehead scorching like a kettle on the boil. A cold? Impossible. Heroes blessed by mana didn't suffer trivial illnesses. The only explanation was mana oversaturation. Absorbing excessive core extracts led to mana accumulation beyond the body's capacity.
"Unsa! Burn through the mana fast! Pull back all of Greed Cloud!"
Unsa gripped Tempest Lady's hand. Endless wisps of Greed Cloud rose from her palm. Tempest Lady infused her own mana into the massive cloud, enveloping the heroes. An igloo of clouds stacked like ice bricks from Greed Cloud. Outside, the Hellhounds warily kept their distance.
"Hoo, hoo, hoo."
Unsa's heaving breaths steadied. Instinctively expelling mana had resolved the oversaturation.
"...How many are left?"
Unsa's shaky pupils sharpened. Every hero under Greed Cloud's protection hung their heads. Visible Hellhounds numbered around fifty. Unsa had already devoured countless ones, plunging into oversaturation.
"Hellhounds with A-rank mana? That's not right!"
One hero cried out, voice breaking. Unsa was their sole hope, but the burden was too much for one person. Every five Hellhounds devoured triggered oversaturation in Unsa. Despite the risk of mana backlash—entering a state akin to qi deviation—she pressed on without hesitation.
"I can... do it."
Unsa tried to stand but slumped back onto Deok-bae's back. She clutched her head, collapsing like she'd taken a pratfall.
"......Ugh."
Dizziness hit. Her body, overheated repeatedly, had reached its limit. She'd already taken down a Flame Giant one-on-one; she needed at least ten minutes' rest. But the monsters wouldn't wait.
Kyaak!!
Greed Cloud rippled violently. A Hellhound had body-slammed it from outside.
"Team leader! Don't recall Greed Cloud no matter what! It'll kill them on its own!"
"No... those monsters right now..."
Unsa's eyes flicked to Deok-bae, pinned beneath her. That pure blue flame—if it shared the same essence, the Hellhounds' slams weren't suicide.
Kiiik! Kyaak!
Hellhounds hurled themselves into Greed Cloud, getting devoured. But Unsa hesitated to recall it. Where they'd struck, Greed Cloud dipped inward—like cotton candy burned away in spots.
"Those bastards, no way?!"
Tempest Lady shouted in shock. The Hellhounds were extinguishing Greed Cloud with their own blue flames.
"One more reason to drag this guy back to the Association alive."
Unsa barely rose to her feet.
"...The ability to revive monsters surely includes controlling them. The commander isn't a monster. It's a person. A villain."
"I've never heard or seen any villain like that in Seoul!"
"Everything happening now is unprecedented. Real combat doesn't follow the manual."
Unsa clenched and unclenched her fist. Her mana was depleted from deploying Greed Cloud amid her faltering mind. As she tentatively raised her hand, Tempest Lady blocked her path.
"No!"
"...I have to. No one else can."
Greed Cloud eroded further with each hesitation. Blue flames flickered through the thinning clouds, slowly encircling them.
"Agent Yang Seon-u. If I fall, you're this team's leader. Understood?"
"Team leader!"
They hadn't even crossed the Han River, let alone reached Yeouido, but Unsa was at her limit. A brief rest might help, but her body was exhausted, on the verge of collapse. Still, Unsa stood firm on both legs. Her bright, resolute face on Deok-bae's shoulders was solemn.
"The moment I absorb Greed Cloud, drop the formation and intercept. Target the B- to A-rank borderline monsters. Focus on their remaining flesh."
Kya aaak!
Greed Cloud had thinned to a razor edge. Unsa drew a deep breath, thrusting both hands skyward.
"Recalling!!"
The gossamer cloud surged into Unsa's palms. Despite heavy erosion by blue flames, the absorbed mana overflowed, erupting from her body like an explosion.
Plop.
Unsa's eyes fluttered shut as she collapsed atop Deok-bae. Her willpower, transcending bodily limits, finally buckled under the mana of over a dozen Hellhounds, her mind overheating.
"Kuh! Protect Unsa! Maintain the formation!"
Under Tempest Lady's command, the heroes clustered in a circle. Unsa had ordered dispersal for interception, but they huddled to guard her.
Kya aaak!
Naturally, they became easy prey. Heroes leaped from the road, eyes bulging at Hellhounds bounding from all sides.
In that instant.
A massive white flame engulfed the Hellhounds.
Gwoooooh——!!
The leaping Hellhounds' bodies ignited instantly, crumbling to ash. Their blue flames, bereft of flesh, mingled with the white blaze and scattered into the air.
Tempest Lady turned toward the flame's origin. There, a man plummeted to earth, backlit by the sun.
Thud!
White flames clung to the man's fist. The heroes recalled the legendary silhouette of Korea's hero world from TV and footage.
"!"
As cheers of joy erupted, Fire Fist—Lee Seung-hyung—slammed his fist into the road.
Rumble rumble!
A seismic shockwave rocked the ground, sweeping over the Hellhounds. White flame pillars erupted like a volcano. Dozens encircling the heroes were consumed and incinerated.
Superhuman. Beyond the heavens. What words could capture such a feat?
"Are you alright?!"
Seung-hyung approached with effortless grace, like out for a stroll. Tempest Lady alternated glances between him and the unconscious Unsa, still venting mana and heat, bursting into incredulous laughter.
"That damn Shin Jin-gwang..."
What was all our suffering for? Tears of frustration welled in Tempest Lady's eyes.
Seung-hyung calmly scanned the heroes.
"Where are the other heroes?"
"...Ah!"
"I heard a C-rank was kidnapped. But now...?"
"Pine Tree Unit moved as a separate squad. We fell into a trap; several went missing."
Seung-hyung gathered his mana. The blaze in his heart granted infinite vitality. He could keep going.
"This is Fire Fist! HQ, respond!"
Shin Jin-gwang swallowed his anger, responding sternly. Amid the double bind of overwhelming responsibility and his own inadequacy threatening to drive him mad, he was especially cautious with Seung-hyung.
"Requesting access to the missing heroes' mana patterns!"
"No!"
Tempest Lady interjected.
"Heroes' mana patterns are classified intel—only accessible with Association team leader approval or higher! Even Fire Fist can't just—"
"I will."
Seung-hyung recited the magic words with a bright smile.
"If any issues arise, I take full responsibility."
"...You really have to save people that badly?"
Seung-hyung nodded solemnly.
"I hate losing anyone else. Commander!"
No one knew how he'd be held accountable, but Shin Jin-gwang was already trapped by Seung-hyung's words. Rescuing kidnapped heroes provided perfect cover; even a postwar inquiry would garner public sympathy.
"Thank you, Commander!"
Seung-hyung bowed repeatedly in delight. Tempest Lady realized the reason for his obsessive protectiveness. Cheon Ga-eul. The one person he couldn't save.
"...Fire Fist. Sorry, but could you lead A-Team? I'll evacuate these to Anyang and rejoin shortly."
Tempest Lady pointed to the fallen Unsa and Deok-bae, and the boy Unsa had grabbed.
"Unsa passed out...? Was the enemy that strong?"
"The Flame Giant."
"Giant... ugh?!"
Seung-hyung clutched his chest. The eternal heart flame suddenly reversed, scorching him from within.
"Kuhuk!"
He collapsed, vomiting crimson blood. The heroes froze in shock at the S-rank's sudden hemorrhage.
"What?!"
"I don't know!"
Tempest Lady regained composure amid the panic. HQ had begun precise scans of the heroes' mana patterns.
"That's not the issue! Fire Fist's collapsed!!"
HQ fell silent at Tempest Lady's report. The screen showed Seung-hyung vomiting blood.
"Pardon?"
Tempest Lady blinked at Shin Jin-gwang's eerily calm order. He slammed his baton again, voice heated.
"B-but the operation—"
"Y-yes, sir!"
Tempest Lady hoisted Unsa onto her back. An armored hero lifted Seung-hyung. Blood trickled from his mouth. Sudden, symptomless hemoptysis—hidden illness? Terminal? Wild thoughts raced.
"...Just survive for now!"
Under Tempest Lady's lead, the heroes moved in unison.
Thud!
The ground quaked. Deok-bae, feigning unconsciousness, bolted upright like lightning and snatched the boy.
"Kuh! The Flame Giant?!"
They'd forgotten to re-cuff him after Unsa passed out. Amid the life-or-death Hellhound frenzy, there'd been no chance.
The Flame Giant leaped between buildings and vanished. Tempest Lady gritted her teeth, etching his retreating figure into her eyes.
"Retreat! Fall back!"
A-Team, bound for Guro, tearfully turned their mounts.
On the rooftop railing of the building whence the Flame Giant had emerged, a blue canary watched them go.