Chapter 188
Chapter 188
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 188
Chapter Title: Flames of the Royal Class
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After Ignito departed for the fourth underground floor.
Deputy Director Charlie immediately stood before the elite guards tasked with protecting GHO's U.S. Headquarters No. 1 to handle the intruder situation.
"Do you understand the situation briefing?"
At Charlie's words, the elite guards nodded firmly.
"Any questions."
Every battle, big or small, hinges on how well the combatants grasp the situation.
That was why his question, probing whether they truly understood, prompted the elite guards to voice their curiosities about the current predicament.
"But..."
"Alpha Team Leader, speak up."
"If Ignito himself is stepping in... do we really need to go?"
The question from Alpha Team Leader mirrored the curiosity of everyone present—the members of Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie Teams all turned to stare at Charlie.
"What do you all think Ignito is?"
One of the world's six acknowledged absolute powerhouses.
The light that would save humanity from the darkness of the demons.
Among them, the monster known as Light of Fire had set foot in Royal Class territory.
That was Ignito.
"He's Royal Class. If he moves, no mission fails."
The elite guards protecting GHO's U.S. Headquarters No. 1 were no slouches either.
All of them were S- to A-Rank Hunters who had ascended to the ranks of the strong.
Guarding the heart of GHO, they received all its benefits and were continuously growing stronger as part of GHO's secret unit.
But even so.
Compared to Ignito, they were mere fledglings.
"I was there, witnessed the battle that propelled him to Royal Class. Ignito cannot possibly fail."
At Alpha Team Leader's words, the prideful, highly capable elite guards—famed within GHO—nodded in agreement.
Ignito's flames outshone any fire-wielding Hunter, unmatched by all.
Even before becoming Royal Class.
He had debuted by making his mark among the world's S-Rank Hunters.
His flames had already claimed hundreds of demons, along with one of the disaster-class demons that descended upon America in his hometown of Dallas.
The Twin Count Demons.
And for that feat, he ascended to Royal Class.
"As you say, Ignito won't fail."
Charlie nodded at Alpha Team Leader's words.
Royal Class were the world's representatives among the strong.
With great responsibility came immense power.
Thus, nations worldwide scrambled to cultivate their own Royal Class while checking those from other countries.
But Ignito's ascension was different.
His battle with the Twin Counts was broadcast across global media.
No opposition came from anywhere in the world, as expected.
Because Ignito had single-handedly annihilated the two demons called the Twin Counts with overwhelming ease.
A display of power and ability so dominant that no one dared oppose it.
The world acknowledged Ignito as Royal Class.
"Ignito's chance of failure is less than 0.1 percent."
All the elite guards nodded at Charlie's words.
But in that instant, Charlie—who had nodded in agreement—snapped his head up and glared at them.
"But! As long as there's even a 0.01 percent chance of failure! You must fulfill your duties!"
Ignito himself had stepped up.
Even considering failure was an insult to him.
Yet Charlie was preparing for the impossible, mapping every contingency in his mind.
The elite guards flinched at Charlie's shout.
Charlie pointed accusingly at them as he continued.
"It's been over 30 minutes since Ignito left for the intruder. Do you know what that means?"
"......"
The surroundings fell silent as Charlie ground his teeth.
He jabbed his finger harder, berating them.
"It means that 0.01 percent chance of failure is climbing to 2, 3, 4 percent!"
The elite guards stood dumbfounded, speechless.
Charlie bellowed on.
"What are you waiting for? Get to the third underground floor!"
"Y-Yes, sir! Sorry!"
These were the words of the world's second-most powerful Hunter authority figure.
The elite guards bolted from their spots, racing toward the third underground floor at maximum speed.
Left alone, Charlie bit his lip in the now-empty Charlie Team room, his flushed face cooling as he muttered.
"Idiots."
Boom! Boom boom!
The wall of fire Ignito had conjured was incredibly sturdy—even the Twin Counts would struggle against it—and radiated intense heat that deterred casual approach.
In the scorching blaze where even drawing near felt like one's flesh would melt.
Ignito lounged casually on a dust-covered chair, surveying his surroundings.
"It should be starting soon."
The fourth underground floor was silent save for the crackling of flames.
Suddenly, Ignito smirked and spoke into the void.
Right before his mouth, as his words dispersed, heat haze shimmered.
"Doesn't the air feel heavy and stifling going in through your nose and mouth? Like someone's slowly squeezing your lungs and heart in their fist?"
Ignito, still seated, suddenly ignited flames into the empty air once more.
The blaze intensified around him, the ambient heat rising further.
At that sight, Ignito's lips curled higher.
"Fire burns by consuming oxygen. But I've set it ablaze in every direction to form a barrier? That means oxygen can't enter or escape—it's just steadily depleting. What do you think happens then?"
Whoosh!
Ignito spewed a long stream of fire into the air.
Then, gazing at the ceiling, he continued.
"Your options just vanished completely. Choose: suffocate from oxygen deprivation here? Or charge straight at me?"
As he spoke, Ignito's form was engulfed in flames.
Moments later, he reemerged from the tip of the blaze he had unleashed.
Whoosh!
He sprayed fire around once more.
Twitch.
This was the sixth repetition, yet Ignito suddenly felt a spark of curiosity.
"It's really something. My flames touch it right away, but then... no presence for the follow-up attacks."
His eyebrow twitched.
This time, to pinpoint the location, he spread the flames wide and even.
But as before, he lost track of the presence.
As if fighting a ghost.
"This is genuine praise, so feel free to take it as a compliment."
Not just a minute, five, or ten—but maintaining it longer like this.
The stealth was unchanged from the start, earning Ignito's applause.
Clap clap clap.
And as he sensed the presence again, teleporting to it in an instant.
Whoosh!
Ignito's eyes widened.
In the space less than 30 centimeters from him—where nothing should be.
"This just got annoying."
A figure in a black mask appeared before Ignito.
'Fast...?'
No presence, and incredibly swift too.
His brief surprise at the unexpected speed faded quickly.
Ignito instantly condensed his gathered flames and raised his hand toward the intruder.
Just as his palm neared the black-masked intruder's abdomen.
Thud.
The intruder's hand seized Ignito's flame-wreathed arm.
An arm cloaked in scorching crimson heat.
Heat intense enough to burn through and melt flesh on contact.
Yet the intruder grabbing Ignito's arm showed no change in expression, seizing Ignito's throat with his other hand.
Thud!
The powerful impact nearly sent Ignito flying backward.
But the vise-like grip on his throat hoisted him into the air, his body swaying wildly.
Unable to resist, Ignito—his body gone limp—smiled in his powerless state.
"Black pupils... Asian descent?"
A little more pressure, and the neck would snap, killing him.
Yet Ignito smiled without a trace of fear.
"Doesn't matter. Capture and interrogate."
Far too confident for someone caught.
The moment the intruder—Yong-un—sensed something off.
"Think you've won?"
Suddenly, Ignito's entire body erupted in crimson flames, radiating red light.
'I didn't want to escalate.'
The intruder, Yong-un, frowned at the death-defying move.
And finally, he squeezed.
Crack.
The neck snapped with a sound, and Ignito—emitting red light—crumpled to the floor.
The neck is one of the human body's most vital areas.
Like most animals, but for humans especially, a 90-degree twist from brute force means certain death.
But what was this?
Szzzzz...
The neck-broken Ignito smiled unchanged, pursed his lips, then opened them wide.
"Bang."
The overheated Ignito detonated in a massive explosion.
Whether Polant's words were true, every document bore stamps reading "Destroy"—the English word for disposal.
Flipping through them, Yong-un confirmed they contained vital details on Demon King runes, high-ranking demons, and Gates.
'Finally found it.'
He wanted to read them all right there, but after everything endured to reach this place, his instincts screamed to leave quickly. He tucked the documents into his bosom.
Following his gut, Yong-un grabbed what he needed and prepared to slip away undetected.
But as he ascended the stairs to the third underground floor, his senses detected a presence powerful enough to shatter his final plan.
'Busted.'
A distant aura holder with spatial movement closed in on the third floor in an instant.
Just in case, Yong-un pulled up his mask to cover mouth and nose, then obliterated the descending flames in one go.
Then, employing the Presence Concealment Technique taught by Ghost Killer Soul Annihilator to erase his aura entirely, he came face-to-face with the flames' master: Ignito.
Leading to the current situation.
Whoosh!
The suicide explosion of the neck-snapped figure razed the surroundings in a flash.
The intense heat combined with the mana blast hurled Yong-un's body straight to the edge of the fire wall.
"Who the hell are you?"
Was it a critical blow?
Ignito, presumed dead, suddenly strode out from the corridor's center.
His expression showed Yong-un wasn't the only one surprised.
Ignito's eyes widened, lips twitching as he stared at Yong-un.
"Why are you fine? That's impossible."
What had exploded wasn't Ignito himself, but the perfect clone he had meticulously crafted before reaching the fourth floor.
And that clone's self-destruction had inflicted severe wounds on the Twin Counts.
Yet Yong-un looked utterly unscathed in Ignito's eyes.
"Your skill?"
Yong-un's body was enveloped in a peculiar violet mana.
Ignito, eyes wide in shock, bloomed into the broadest smile he'd shown yet.
"Jesus!"
Clapping and hopping like a girl receiving flowers.
Yong-un, dropping his killing intent, brushed off his singed clothes and glared at Ignito.
"Who are you?"
He had to ask.
He'd seen much in the real world that astonished him, but nothing like this.
For one person to wield such vast internal energy.
And the skill mastery was so refined even Yong-un couldn't easily discern it.
Surpassing even War God, the strongest Hunter he'd met so far.
In that moment, one term flashed in Yong-un's mind.
"Me? Ignito. Royal Class."
Royal Class.
The monster among monsters that War God had mentioned appeared at the worst possible time.
Having left the Demon-Slaying Sword behind to conceal his identity.
"So, shall we hear your identity now?"
In this dire situation, Ignito ignited flames in both hands and advanced toward Yong-un step by step.
"No, better yet—don't tell me."
Whoosh. Boom!
"I need to enjoy this."
Ignito, beaming with delight, unleashed his flames at Yong-un.