A doomsday-level returnee devours calamities Chapter 48

Lee Taeseong recalled two memories after devouring the Pure Flame, Ignost.

One was of his childhood with Sooah, and the other was of the authority he had received from Taegorang (Primordial Wolf).

The reason he was suddenly able to draw a sword from thin air was precisely because of this authority—a power that allowed him to freely manipulate a subspace connected to Taegorang’s stomach. In essence, it functioned as a kind of portable storage.

It could be used anytime, anywhere, unrestricted by circumstances or location, making it a transcendent ability that effectively defied all physical laws.

However, living beings could not be placed inside. Or rather, they could be placed inside, but they would be instantly “erased.”

Whether that meant death, annihilation, or transfer to some unknown place, even Taeseong himself did not know.

The sword Taeseong retrieved from the subspace was called Hoirang (Gray Wolf).

A divine weapon forged from the fangs of a primordial wolf.

It was crafted by a blacksmith at the world’s end and possessed the ability to cut through anything while being completely unbreakable.

In other words…

A sacred sword.

“I won’t have to worry about weapons anymore.”

That was Taeseong’s first thought upon drawing Hoirang from the subspace.

To him, a sword was just a sword—a tool with no purpose other than cutting.

As long as it had a sharp edge, didn’t chip, and remained sturdy, that was enough.

But Hoirang was different.

Its overwhelming performance was enough to make him understand why even the most skilled warriors were obsessed with superior weapons.

A sword so remarkable that even the desireless Taeseong found himself captivated.

That was Hoirang.

While everyone remained frozen under Taeseong’s murderous intent, Beta-grade administrator Ashiya Doman stepped forward, looking at him with great interest.

He asked, “What’s your grade?”

“Delta.”

“…Do modern administrators not know how to use honorifics? That one and this one, both so vulgar. Tsk tsk.”

“Old man, have you lost your mind? If you show the proper attitude, I’ll gladly use honorifics a thousand times, even ten thousand times.”

From Taeseong’s perspective, the most dangerous person here was undoubtedly Ashiya Doman.

Even after hearing the warning, Doman approached him without hesitation.

From his demeanor, Taeseong could sense blatant malice.

‘That bastard is just enjoying this situation. My warning means nothing to him—he’s only interested in engaging with me, an irregular being.’

For all he knew, Doman was already contemplating how to turn him into a shikigami.

Taeseong’s prediction was spot on.

Doman had already gathered intelligence on him before arriving here.

The more he observed this fascinating anomaly firsthand, the more he wanted to make Taeseong his own.

If he could turn Taeseong into his shikigami, he would be unparalleled among Beta-grade administrators.

“A monster like that is only classified as Delta? I don’t know what tricks the higher-ups are playing, but I have to take him for myself.”

Doman spoke.

“The rampage has stopped? Are you certain? The Tree has designated the Pure Flame as a Beta-grade entity. Are you saying a Delta-grade like you managed to subdue a Beta-grade entity?”

“She’s not ‘the Pure Flame.’ She’s Lee Sooah, old man. I see you’ve grown senile—you don’t even understand words anymore.”

“…I can’t believe it. She might just be pretending to be docile. I’ll confirm it myself.”

“There it is, your true intentions. Go ahead, old man. Stop hiding behind corpses and come at me yourself.”

Despite Taeseong’s provocation, Doman did not take a single step.

He merely rang the bell in his hand.

Ding-ling. Ding-ling.

A shikigami at his side lunged at Taeseong.

“I obey.”

This shikigami was called Kidomaru, said to be the son of Shuten Doji, the king of Oni (Demons).

Among Doman’s shikigami, he was one of the strongest.

However—

Before Kidomaru’s blade could even touch Taeseong, his body began to melt into a formless mass.

“…!”

Whoosh!

The blue flames Taeseong had conjured consumed Kidomaru in an instant.

“Is that all?”

“…Impressive.”

Doman spoke as if impressed, but inwardly, he was quite shaken.

He had expected Taeseong to possess power beyond the Gamma grade, but not to this extent.

That only made him want him more.

Ding-ling. Ding-ling.

As the spiritual energy-filled bell rang, blood dripped from Taeseong’s ears.

At the same time, a female shikigami and a male shikigami charged toward him.

Taeseong swung Hoirang twice in a diagonal arc.

Slice!

Before they could even get close, their bodies were diced into pieces.

The blue flames erupted once again, consuming them completely.

Taeseong turned his gaze to Doman and the administrators surrounding him.

“I told you, stop hiding behind shikigami and come at me yourself.”

“Heh… Where did such a monster crawl out from?”

Above the heads of the administrators—aside from Doman—black, skull-shaped smoke began to rise.

It was a warning.

If Taeseong so desired, he could crush their skulls in an instant.

“What are you all waiting for? Are you just going to stand there gawking?”

Despite the Beta-grade administrator’s harsh command, the others hesitated.

They couldn’t bring themselves to move, overwhelmed by Taeseong’s sheer presence.

It was only natural.

The strongest human desires weren’t hunger, sleep, or lust—

But the will to survive.

Unless someone had a death wish, no one would be foolish enough to throw their life away after witnessing this scene.

Even administrators, with all their supernatural abilities, were still fundamentally human.

“Pathetic worms. If you don’t move now, you’ll be guilty of insubordination for defying direct orders.”

Forced into a corner, the administrators had no choice but to make a decision.

If they did nothing, they would be executed by a Beta-grade administrator.

If they fought, they would be slaughtered by the monster before them.

“…D-Damn it!”

“Attack all at once!”

“Yeah. It’s just one guy. Besides, we have Lord Doman on our side!”

When weighing the two men, they ultimately feared Doman more. Taeseong was an unfamiliar monster to them, but Doman was a monster they knew all too well.

A Beta-ranked administrator inspired absolute terror in lower-ranked administrators. Being administrators themselves, they were well aware of how overwhelmingly powerful the Beta rank was.

And yet, the fact that Taeseong’s prowess had made them hesitate, even momentarily, spoke volumes about how overwhelming his presence was.

‘That cunning old snake… he’s just sitting back and watching for now…’

Just then—

A man’s voice rang out from the speakers installed in the hallway.

[Cease all movement.]

The moment those words were spoken, every living being in the Japan branch came to a standstill. Even Taeseong was no exception.

‘…I can’t move.’

He tried to resist this sudden and inexplicable phenomenon, but his entire body was frozen as if he’d lost control of it.

‘Magic? A curse? A supernatural ability?’

He didn’t know what had caused his body to stop moving, but one thing was certain—

This phenomenon was happening solely due to a single individual’s will.

[Administrator Yukina, relay the upper command’s orders.]

As everyone remained frozen, a woman with snow-white hair, resembling the legendary Yuki-onna(Snow Woman), walked forward. She then spoke in a firm, formal tone.

“A new directive has just arrived from above. Effective immediately, Code Green is lifted. Delta-ranked Administrator Lee Taeseong, Delta-ranked Administrator Lee Sooah, Gamma-ranked Administrator Ito, and Beta-ranked Administrator Xiao Yun will be placed in temporary isolation in Blocks B and D until the Disciplinary Committee delivers a verdict.”

Naturally, there was no response.

Aside from Yukina, every other person was completely frozen, unable to so much as blink.

It was an eerie scene, as if time itself had stopped in the area.

Yukina approached Taeseong, leaned in close, and whispered in his ear.

“Don’t worry. The deal with the higher-ups is already settled. Nothing will happen to Sooah.”

With that, Yukina turned away.

She gently took Sooah from Ito’s arms and disappeared down the hallway.

[Resume movement.]

As the voice rang out from the speakers again, Taeseong’s body, which had been stiff and unresponsive, regained its freedom.

‘I was so close… just a little more…’

What no one here realized was that, just before the voice came through the speaker, Taeseong had managed to move a single finger through sheer willpower.

Even he himself didn’t realize just how shocking that feat was.

‘So that woman must be Sooah’s mentor. The fact that she referred to Sooah as an administrator instead of a mere entity name means she has no intention of eliminating her.’

Above all, Sooah’s safety was the priority.

For now, he decided to take the Beta-ranked administrator at her word. But if Sooah was put in any danger, even for a moment…

He was prepared to turn the entire organization into his enemy and take Sooah out of here by force.

Shortly after—

A group of figures dressed in black suits and white masks appeared. They were special enforcers under the jurisdiction of the Disciplinary Committee, and each exuded an eerie presence.

“Administrator Lee Taeseong. Execution of orders will now commence.”

“…”

Taeseong calmly held out his hands, and the enforcers swiftly restrained his entire body with shackles.

Xiao Yun and Ito were also bound in restraints and escorted alongside him.

At first, they all seemed to be heading in the same direction.

But suddenly, the enforcers escorting Taeseong changed course.

The other enforcers continued on without reacting, as if this had been prearranged.

Originally, Taeseong was supposed to be confined in Block B—yet he was being led toward a completely different building.

A mechanical voice announced their entry as an enforcer’s iris scan unlocked the door.

[Gate 1, Block A.]

‘…Not Block B or Block D, but Block A?’

Questions formed in his mind, but with the restraints on, he was unable to voice them.

After entering Block A, Taeseong walked for over an hour before finally being led into a confinement chamber.

He didn’t know it, but the official designation of this room was the “Special Entity Confinement Chamber.”

In the lowest level of the Japan branch, within a dimly lit conference room, the Disciplinary Committee meeting had just begun.

“What do you think?”

“Oh my, what is there to think about? My stance is obvious~.”

…Something was off.

There were clearly multiple voices in conversation—a man’s, an old man’s, and a woman’s.

Yet, in reality, there was only one person in the room.

“Twenty-seven Epsilon-ranked administrators seriously injured. Twenty-five Delta-ranked administrators seriously injured. Seven Gamma-ranked administrators seriously injured.

All of this was caused by a single Delta-ranked administrator.”

“…”

“I propose designating Administrator Lee Taeseong as a Black-level hazardous entity and ordering his immediate elimination.”

Alone in the dark room, a single man spoke as if carrying on a conversation with multiple people.

“I second the motion.”

TL : Everyone’s level so far