Burning Torch (2)
A room packed full of enormous electronic devices.
Wooooong—
Beep— didididik!
Bzzzt— ziiing—
Even though the air conditioner was already running at maximum output, the space still radiated a sweltering heat, filled with the blended din of cooling units, electronic tones, and all manner of noise.
Then, at some point amid the continuing clamor—
“…They’ve finally made contact. Smooth sailing so far.”
A man’s voice suddenly flowed out.
In the middle of a room lined with expensive supercomputers.
There was a figure sprawled almost as if reclining in a plush armchair, countless cables connected to those machines dangling from the metal suit he wore.
A man encased from head to toe in a mass of metal that glowed mysteriously, faint light coursing through it like electronic circuits.
“So this is 『Odin’s Eye』. More useful than I expected.”
It was Hesperon, fully armed in the Titan he had summoned from subspace.
Watching the satellite feed he had hacked through 「Mechanical Eye: Callicas」, he clicked his tongue quietly in admiration.
As an experiment, he had briefly linked the newly added 『Odin’s Eye』—which had appeared after the Shop upgraded—with satellite vision, and at this level, he was certain it would be worth using from time to time even if it cost karma.
‘It can see through nearly any mystery, and it doesn’t even have the limitation Andrew’s 「Trajectory Observation」 does, where he can’t peek at those of a higher rank.’
At this point, it would not be an exaggeration to call it a unique skill that had been enhanced many times over.
To think he could use something like this as much as he liked, so long as he paid karma.
There was the issue that it was a power limited to Earth, and that the amount of karma continuously consumed was rather burdensome if used carelessly. But if he employed it in parallel with other means, as he was doing now, he would be able to utilize it with maximum efficiency.
Hadn’t he just finished the task more smoothly than expected by using the information Andrew had gathered as a foundation?
‘Even if I can only use it to make final confirmations on intel, it’s more than worth the price.’
Gazing at the abandoned house in the Vietnamese borderlands reflected in his eyes, he slowly closed them.
Then, through the 「Chain of Covenant」 connected to his right arm, he focused on Ken’s five senses and conveyed his will.
—You know you can’t make too much of a scene just because they pick a fight, right? For now, soothe them appropriately and move with them to the next place I designate. Build a bit of rapport on the way, too. They may not look it, but they’re quite capable people.
—…Ugh, seriously, no matter how I look at it, working people to the bone is exactly our Demon King’s style. Is it my fate to get tangled up with masters like this…?
Ken grumbled in response to the orders being issued as naturally as breathing.
Yet there was not much displeasure in his tone at being ordered around by someone he was not particularly acquainted with.
Of course there wouldn’t be.
Regardless of the circumstances, the reason he had set foot on Earth again like this was entirely thanks to Hesperon, who had summoned him.
‘And besides, I promised that if he finished the job properly, I’d guarantee him a certain degree of freedom to act on Earth as a reward.’
He suddenly recalled Ken’s bewilderment when he had first been summoned to Earth and let out a small laugh.
The way he had checked again and again whether he had been hit by some mental attack somewhere, whether this place really was Earth…
If Hesperon had not restrained him appropriately using the 「Chain of Covenant」, it would have taken quite a while longer before they could set out for their destination.
‘Since the enemy is supposedly a demon, someone at Ken’s level should help us get a clearer grasp on their strength. Even if an unexpected situation occurs, he should be able to buy enough time.’
And on top of that, Hesperon could push the troublesome errands that required rushing around Southeast Asia near the equator onto him.
Some time passed like that.
Watching the members of “Burning Torch” through Ken’s eyes as he worked diligently as ordered, Hesperon opened his eyes and slowly looked around.
A space filled with electronic devices, including large-scale computing equipment and servers that ordinary people would find difficult to obtain.
This was a workplace prepared solely for him.
A place painstakingly created so that he could use one of his abilities, 「Mechanical Eye: Callicas」, with maximum efficiency.
‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend. I can’t let them collapse like this.’
The fact that they had noticed the existence of the secretive and powerful Beoncheon Society and survived against it until now was proof enough of their capability.
By linking up with them, he would not only be able to fight far more efficiently than before, but also obtain additional information he had not known.
However, the situation when he first tried to approach them had not been favorable.
The problem was that their leadership, repeatedly pushed back in recent battles against the Beoncheon Society and brought to the verge of collapse, had scattered in all directions and hidden themselves thoroughly.
They were already people for whom hiding and moving like guerrillas was part of everyday life, and now that things had come to this, it was only natural that pinpointing their locations had become difficult.
For them, their immediate survival was at stake, so they had no choice but to be desperate.
‘So I had to find them before the Beoncheon Society did, no matter what…’
And the ones who played an active role there were none other than Hesperon and this cutting-edge facility prepared in advance for him.
A complex data center he had secretly secured through his subordinate forces, including supercomputers fused with otherworldly elements and technologies that had flowed into Earth.
The price was as appalling as one might expect, but money was not a major problem for him.
He had already built a firm foothold through Howard Industries, a company in the public eye, so preparing a few secret bases like this was not particularly difficult.
Wooooong—
Bibibik!
Through the countless cables connected to the Titan at the center, radiant light spread out to the electronic devices in every direction.
Hesperon’s 「Mechanical Eye: Callicas」 was the crystallization of mystery, no different from a kind of “machine spirit” that had integrated with him and grown alongside him.
And the Titan synchronized with it was also the essence of magitech, second to none no matter where it was brought.
It was not so strange that its connection with surrounding devices went beyond merely exchanging electrical signals, reaching into the realm of supernatural abilities and elevating them to perform beyond their original limits.
‘As expected, the defenses around important facilities are no joke. I’ll need more preparation to break through that. …Well, as offensive methods advance, defensive methods advance too.’
Of course, because implementing otherworldly technology on Earth consumed enormous resources, systems equipped with such defenses were extremely few.
All information related to the area he was watching…
Information gathered through satellites in space, wired internet, and wireless communication networks including radio waves poured in endlessly.
In that process, the remnants of information, fragmented to the point that even ordinary supercomputers could not analyze them and reduced to little more than garbage.
But the Mechanical Eye, an artificial spirit that was overtechnology itself and evolving in real time, mobilized every device connected to it and swiftly processed that flood of information.
A being capable of exerting greater influence on Earth, with its suitable level of scientific civilization, than in another world.
Hesperon slowly closed his eyes.
To draw out the full performance of 「Mechanical Eye: Callicas」 and not miss a single clue among the vast torrent of information pouring in without pause.
***
Ken, who had turned his head slightly to look at the four men and women moving busily, rubbed the back of his neck.
‘The Beoncheon Society… and Burning Torch, huh.’
To him, having returned to Earth after so long, both were names he was hearing for the first time.
Of course, even if he had not been kidnapped to the Demon Realm and had managed to return on time, it did not seem likely he would have gotten involved with such secretive organizations.
‘Just who is that man? How was he able to summon me, who was in the Demon Realm, to Earth? And the things he’s doing now…’
In that sense, the man called Hesperon, who had summoned him, was an existence shrouded in many ways.
Thinking back to when they had first met, it did not seem as though much time had passed since he returned to Earth, yet whether it was summoning Ken and putting him to work or dealing with secret organizations, he was far too skilled at all of it.
As if he had already been dealing with them on Earth for a very long time.
‘There’s no way he can freely travel between the two worlds.’
Having naturally excluded the correct answer according to common sense, Ken roughly raked a hand through the back of his hair and let out a deep sigh.
Well, at this point, it no longer mattered either way.
From the moment the curse that had been sealed in that temple fell into that man’s grasp, he had lost any right to choose.
Rather, thanks to that, he had been able to breathe Earth’s air again like this, so for Ken, it could be called a fortunate thing.
‘I wonder if my family is doing well. If I go see them now, they’ll be shocked, won’t they? …Of course, for that to happen, I have to finish this job properly first.’
Fortunately, the fight that had suddenly broken out immediately after their first meeting did not last very long.
Part of the reason was that Ken had easily dealt with the surprise attack and continued trying to talk without making any real counterattack, but another reason was that Jose regained his composure after seeing the comrades who had hurriedly returned upon hearing the commotion.
“What? What in the world is this…!”
“Miss An! Sir Jose! Are you all right? …Huh? Who are you! How did you get all the way in here?”
“…Becky? Tola? You two were safe?”
The biggest reason they had attacked first was because they had judged that the comrades who had gone out scouting had already been taken down.
Otherwise, they had thought an uninvited guest could not possibly make it all the way to the center of their location without a sound.
After all, sneaking into someone else’s residence without ringing the bell when visiting meant there had to be something suspicious about you, didn’t it?
‘Tch, they’re right, so I’ve got nothing to say.’
Ken, who had infiltrated while ignoring the outer patrols simply because of his instincts as a demon and because he wanted to resolve things quickly, had ended up earning unnecessary misunderstanding.
“…So you’re saying you’re just an errand runner?”
“That’s right. To be honest, this is the first time I’ve heard about you people or the organization called the Beoncheon Society. All I know is that we need to join hands against our common enemy, the Beoncheon Society.”
“If that’s the case, shouldn’t the person involved have come in person? What conversation are we supposed to have with an errand runner?”
“That would’ve been the case if you were in decent condition… But in this situation?”
Ken, who had been conversing with a woman named An, the representative of their group, shrugged.
Then he turned his gaze and glanced around.
A remote mountain valley without so much as a proper base, let alone a single private house in sight.
And even though the group included an executive-level member, there were only four of them.
It was practically greedy to expect the other party to come in person in order to form a connection with people who were effectively fugitives.
“Tch.”
At those words, An could only click her tongue, unable to say anything in response.
Above all, she was merely one of the executives who had scattered, not the representative of Burning Torch.
“An, are you really all right with this?”
At that moment, Jose, who had returned to human form and stayed by her side the entire time, spoke in a low voice.
His wariness of Ken was still unmistakable.
They had merely stopped fighting for a moment because causing a prolonged disturbance would do them no good either. From beginning to end, his eyes had not left Ken for even an instant.
“I’m fine. For now, nothing he’s said so far is a lie. It’s true that he’s hostile to the Beoncheon Society, and it’s true that he approached us with goodwill.”
“But he’s a demon. The same as that bastard…”
“Of course I don’t intend to trust everything. I don’t know how many secrets he hasn’t mentioned, either. But our current situation isn’t one where we can afford to examine every single thing, is it?”
“…Well, it’s clear he’s stronger than me.”
The two openly whispered among themselves despite knowing the person in question was right in front of them. At that, the corner of Ken’s mouth twisted crookedly, but he did not say anything about it.
Having lived for a long time mixed in among demons, he knew very well that the world’s perception of demons was not all that wrong.
If not for 「Thought Transference」 fixing his ego to a certain degree, even the human side he now possessed would long since have been worn away.
“Sorry to interrupt in the middle of your conversation, but there’s urgent news that just came in.”
“News?”
Of course, that did not mean he quietly watched their discussion either.
In any case, the order he had received was to help them and evacuate them to a safe place.
For the sake of his freedom on Earth, he had to complete this mission successfully no matter what.
“A group presumed to be from the Beoncheon Society is approaching this place. It doesn’t seem that the demon called the Executioner is with them, so the fight itself shouldn’t be a big problem… But it would be troublesome if they hold you up, wouldn’t it?”
It was only natural.
Right now, they were fugitives.
From the moment their location was discovered by their pursuers, their chances of survival would inevitably drop exponentially.
“…How do you know that?”
However, the problem was how much they could trust the demon speaking those words—Ken.
If they believed him rashly and it turned out to be a trap, everything would truly be over.
As if he had guessed their thoughts, Ken let out a small laugh and pointed toward the sky.
“My employer is watching from the heavens, you see. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say this entire area is already in the palm of his hand.”
“Ha!”
A statement that sounded like a joke no matter who heard it.
But An, who led the group, could not simply let those words pass by.
The unique skill that had helped her survive until now, that had allowed her to endure against the Beoncheon Society, whispered in her ear.
That there was only one choice she had to make now.
“What will you do? Will you trust me and follow?”
“……”
Naturally, her decision had already been made.
***
A room filled with pastel-colored mist.
“Hoo— The flow has changed.”
From the lips of the woman leaning back on a floor sofa at its center, a sigh-like murmur slipped out along with sky-blue smoke.
Her hazy, unfocused gaze watched the smoke wavering faintly in the air.
“So you’ve finally appeared, adversary.”
An existence that twisted the flow of fate.
An existence that made the future opaque.
An existence that mocked the world from behind the curtain.
“Then we must, of course, make preparations befitting that.”
Like sand slipping through the gaps between her fingers.
It was the day when the remnants of “Burning Torch,” whose throat she had thought she had perfectly seized, began slipping away one by one.