The God of Fire and the Princess of the Stage
"Gaaahhh..." I pulled the awl from Hongya's eye and pressed my thumb, stained with his blood, onto his forehead. A Soul Stigma was immediately branded onto Yan Hongya. The guy who had claimed he would hold out until the end for the sake of his family had folded in just two minutes once his eyeballs were gouged out.
"By the way, Haeun. What's with this... darkness? Is it a skill?"
"Ah... that... the Vision Block skill was unlocked recently... I just wanted to set the mood... I thought you'd be more afraid of me if I did this, making it easier to get you to surrender..."
"Aha... I see..."
It didn't seem to have much of an effect. I had thought she’d achieved some kind of transcendent awakening and cast a unique barrier over the area, but that wasn't the case. After subduing Hongya, I confiscated the "Eternal Flame" firebombs from the captured assassins. I’d keep these for now and hand them over to Hellus later.
"So, all that's left is..."
Once I hunted down Meiling—who had crawled in here only to lose her comrades like an idiot and run away—and the few lackeys supporting her, this whole commotion would be over. 'Besides, she said her private jet and pilot were waiting at the airport...' If I caught them, I’d have a way to coerce Meiling into taking me to France. Then, I could carry out an anti-terrorist operation in France. Just in case she tried to run, I’d already sent Mer, who had gained the ability to fly, in that direction. One had to be thorough about these things.
'I could drop a slime over the skies of France...' But slimes were too dangerous because they multiplied infinitely. It might be better to just release the Pitch-Black Beetle in France to mess with them. I could load the main body of the beetle into the plane's cargo hold, send it to France, and have it hide in the sewers to keep spawning. That would cause continuous damage. Without even knowing the cause, they’d be greeted by swarms of giant, palm-sized beetles crawling out of the sewers after devouring all the rats. Well, if the beetle died, I could just re-summon it here anyway.
'Me going to France myself... that would be a bit dangerous, right?' There was the risk of being shot down in the air, and France and all the surrounding countries were currently the territory of the Good Gods and some of the Manma-jeon gods, so it was too risky. If I intended to strike the enemy's main base... I thought I’d need a bit more preparation.
'Hmm. I sent Dantae and Killian, so they must have caught them by now...' Just as I thought that, a mental wave from the Pitch-Black Beetle reached me, reporting that the forest was freezing over.
"Huh?"
I immediately headed toward the fierce battlefield. It was unlikely that NPCs like Killian and Dantae would be defeated so easily, but variables could always arise. Being an NPC didn't make them invincible. They died just the same if their hearts were pierced. If they were in a state partially liberated from the system like I was now, someone might even be able to kill an NPC with enough effort. Especially Killian, who was specialized in tracking and surprise attacks rather than direct combat; he might be killed more easily than expected if forced into a head-on fight. Come to think of it, Killian was so damn quick-witted that his escapes were top-tier...
"GAAAH!!! You damn bitch..."
"Kuh-ack... you... bastard..."
Meiling had put up a decent fight against Killian. Half of Killian's body was frozen, and his rifle—one of his most important weapons—was completely encased in ice, with frost growing so thick it was unusable. But that was the limit of Meiling's capabilities. Killian eventually succeeded in suppressing her.
-Thud...
-I won!!! I won again!!! This is me!! Are you watching!! You heretic scum!! This is me!! Dantae!!!!
Meanwhile, Mustang, who had been brawling with Dantae, had weakened rapidly once the drug's effects wore off, and eventually, with two of his front teeth shattered, he knelt before Dantae.
"Tsk... haha... So Mustang fell too..."
Meiling, slumped on the ground, let out a manic laugh as she watched Dantae beat Mustang. Killian grabbed her by the hair, lifting her up, and growled. His face, which had been frozen, still throbbed with pain.
"Don't laugh, you bitch... If it weren't for the Master's orders... I would have ripped your guts out with my own hands and left you hanging from a tree to die in agony."
Despite Killian's murderous warning, Meiling continued to laugh, half-insane. She wasn't afraid of Killian at all. The same went for Dantae, and she wouldn't be afraid no matter who else came.
"Try it then... you idiot... Ptooey. You can't, can you... You said the Master forbade it..! Hehehe... Besides... keeping me alive with all my limbs intact to bring me back... that means he values me quite a bit, right? This... fuhehehehe... it doesn't feel bad...? You were worried about me, weren't you? Right? Right?"
Killian was disgusted by Meiling, who was laughing without a hint of pain even with iron spikes driven through her stomach, both palms, shoulders, and thighs. She was more broken than he had imagined.
"In this situation... you can still laugh? You... you might die in excruciating torture, you know?"
"What? Hahahaha!!!! You're a fool... He likes women... and I'm a damn pretty woman... He'll like me too, obviously... I hate seeing other bitches by his side, but... still... if it's Him... He'll embrace me... He will. He wouldn't cast me aside so easily."
Meiling was painting a bright future all by herself. Her face was even flushed, as if she were someone who had already received a confession from Jang Jojun. She kept shouting that he would love her. As if it were obvious. As if her own thoughts were the absolute truth. Killian thought to himself, watching Meiling's manic display, that if it were that man with his notorious womanizing, he would probably embrace even a crazy bitch like this and enjoy taking her. Even Killian agreed with Meiling's assessment. The common consensus was that Jang Jojun would lay his hands on any woman who was pretty and had a good class or ability.
"Hehehe... More importantly... it looks like he's coming... Well, I made such a grand scene... he couldn't help but come... Hehehe. I'm here!!! Jang Jojun!! Come and get me quickly!!!!"
Meiling shouted toward the frozen forest. Killian was so creeped out by her laughter that he threw her back onto the ground. Since he had already made sure she couldn't use her limbs, there was no way for Meiling to escape unless someone pulled the iron spikes out.
"Fuhehehaha... Hongya... I think I wanted to be caught after all... Ha-hut... I mean... who knows when I'll be able to meet him again if not now... Hehehe... There's no way I could miss such a golden opportunity. Right, Hongya? Fuahaha... He's coming... He's coming. The final lead of this show is coming to meet the princess on stage."
Meiling felt a massive energy approaching. It was the effect of the Manma Tracking skill she had stolen after killing an Inquisitor-class man. Through it, she could feel the presence of the one who commanded the Manma-jeon approaching. The energy grew stronger by the second.
"Good... come quickly... I'll show you the best show for you... Hey... mister. Do you like fireworks?"
Meiling asked Killian, who was looking down at her suspiciously, with a giggle.
"What? A show...? Fireworks?"
"Yes... a special event that will remain in his memory for a long time... I want to be His woman... but... I don't want a normal relationship... I want a relationship of love and hate... where he hates me more and more... yet can't cast me aside... I want to monopolize him... I want the feeling of love and hate he feels to be plastered with me... Even if it's just a single emotion... I want to monopolize it completely... I want to make him mine."
"Crazy..."
Killian took a few steps back from Meiling, who had started muttering nonsense. Suddenly, his hunter's instinct whispered to him. Leave this place immediately. It was one of Killian's long-standing strengths, an ability similar to Helen's danger perception. It could be called a form of precognition. Killian had survived many crises by following this instinct. Of course, it hadn't triggered recently, which was how he’d become Jojun's slave... but even that wasn't so bad. Since Jojun was a monarch who epitomized meritocracy, he treated those who were strong or useful to the group with appropriate respect. Regardless, he felt an intense instinct for the first time in a while. This place was dangerous. He didn't know why, but his hunter's instinct was screaming at him to run. A hunter had to realize that he could be hunted at any time.
'But it's prey I've already caught...' Human greed created terrible conflicts. Killian hesitated for a moment. At that moment, Meiling, with a beaming smile at the approaching energy of Jang Jojun, chanted a spell.
"When the doors of all seasons close, and only the endless winter remains. The son of the Giant and the God-King cries out in a loud voice. Fire. Burn. Higher... even higher..."
Soon, her spell rode the wind and entered the body of Mustang, who had lost consciousness after being beaten by Dantae.
"Fuhehehe... I'll show you the God's Karma. I offer Mustang. O God of the Burning Season. O Beginning of All Calamities. Hear my prayer."
As Sataniel had mentioned earlier, Loki was once an evil god belonging to the Manma-jeon. Unlike other factions, the evil gods of the Manma-jeon could bestow direct power, messages, or authority through human sacrifice. Just like now.
-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-BOOM!!!!!!!!
Mustang's body swelled up like a balloon in an instant and burst. The flames that had been festering inside him swept across the entire area.
Meiling dismissed the notification window that appeared before her eyes. Soon, the iron spikes embedded in her body all melted away. The clothes she had been wearing were also completely burned away. She laughed. She watched Killian, who was fleeing like a madman, and laughed and laughed again.
"Hot heat... in the end, Meiling called it forth..."
Ryu Jin, who had already known this would happen and had fled the scene like a madman, suddenly looked back. There, a giant of fire was rising.
"Ah... Mustang... in the end..."
The seal engraved on Mustang's back. That was the 'Seal of the Sacrificial Offering' that Ryu Jin had engraved on Mustang's back with his own hands. Attracted by that seal, the monster revealed its form. Meiling's prayer and the sacrifice of a 'Giant' had caused one of Loki's trump cards to follow the scent of the seal and appear on the scene. It was the remnant of a giant that had died in a war that had ended long ago. A giant holding a sword of fire appeared.
"GAAAH!!!!"
Dantae, who had to bear the brunt of the explosion nearby, screamed. His body burned in the flames. Dantae, who had only ever hunted and killed the weak giants of later generations, was helplessly roasted when the Giant King of the Age of Gods appeared. Even so, Dantae swung his fist at the giant until the very end.
Killian, who had chosen to flee quickly as always, felt his hair stand on end at the absurd flames. In the center of those flames, only Meiling, her clothes completely burned away, remained alone, laughing and dancing.
"Argh, shit!! What is that!!!"
"Uh... uhhh... why is that like that..."
"I don't know... Hey, Kekere, go in and check. You're half-dragon, right? Your fire resistance is high, isn't it?"
"Th-that kind of flame is impossible for me too!!"
Jang Jojun, who had been rushing toward the place where Dantae and Killian were, was flustered by the sudden, intense heat. Something was burning, emitting an immense amount of heat. Just then, Killian came running from afar, looking horrific with half his face frostbitten and the other half burned.
"Gaaah!!!"
"Hey!! What's wrong with you!! What is that!! Where's Dantae!!!"
"Su, Surtur!! The Giant King of Fire!!! Crazy!!! He should have been dead, so why!!!! D-Dantae should still be alive!! He's a very sturdy guy!!"
"What? Surtur? Hey!! Shit, wait!! Where are you going!! Killian!!!"
Killian fled without even looking back. It was his motto not to get involved in a fight he couldn't win.
"Damn it... what is this... Meiling that bitch must have called it out..."
Jang Jojun pondered. Something absurd was burning and incinerating the area beyond the forest. If he just stepped in stupidly in his current state, he would surely turn into a handful of ash and die. 'Should I summon Kysiria and Einax at the same time... I think I could catch it if I did that.' He tried to call the two monsters into the world immediately. Summoning both would likely impose an absurd penalty on his body, and Jang Jojun would probably find it hard to breathe under the pressure. Still, he had no choice if he wanted to catch a summon that even an NPC was terrified of.
'I thought only I could summon someone on Kysiria's level... I was wrong... If this is true... then I have to assume that Nick and other hero-class individuals also have their own hidden cards...'
Jojun attempted to connect with Kysiria. At that moment, someone placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Wait."
"Ah... Hilde."
Brynhildr, with Helgen on her shoulder, appeared, her arm draped over Kim Yewon's shoulder. She had only come this far after hearing that something fun was happening and seeing the hot flames; she hadn't come here on Jojun's orders. After all, she wasn't the type to follow Jojun's orders anyway.
"That's an interesting subject."
Brynhildr licked her lips as she watched the flickering flames that were gradually burning the forest and approaching Jojun.
"Hey, Yewon."
"Ye, yes?"
"I'm borrowing Helgen."
"Ah... okay..."
"Good, Helgen. Let's eat our supplements."
Brynhildr stepped into the flames. There was no need to be afraid if it was just the remnant of a dead god. To her eyes, Surtur's flames were nothing more than high-quality supplements to feed Helgen.