For eons beyond human comprehension, Ignost had reigned as the apex predator of the food chain. Born destined to be the absolute ruler of a world, he now felt an indescribable terror.
Was this how humanity had felt when it first beheld the vastness of the universe, before even learning to wield fire?
Just gazing into the eyes of this immense being that filled the entire imagined world sent shivers down his core, as if his very essence, his foundation, was being denied.
‘That’ was not something he could even begin to perceive. How could he possibly comprehend a higher-dimensional existence that did not belong on the same plane?
Their dimensions, their very levels, were different.
As the tidal wave of fear surged over him, rendering him unable to stand, he still managed to lift his head and look up at the sky.
Reverence.
Like a devout believer beholding a god, like a creation receiving its creator, an overwhelming fusion of fear and awe surged forth.
[Ahh… O supreme being…]
Step. Step.
As Taeseong advanced toward him, the enormous blue flames flickered violently, like a candle’s last desperate dance before being snuffed out by the wind.
The once-mighty flames that had illuminated this world now teetered on the brink of extinction.
The heir of the Spirit King.
The purest of flames.
In an act of despair, it let out a silent scream.
Now, to Taeseong’s eyes, Ignost’s entire form appeared as a single crystallized entity.
“…….”
The unfathomable wolf that had once engulfed the world had vanished without a trace, yet Ignost still perceived Taeseong as that wolf.
[Ahh… this is truly…]
At last, as Taeseong opened his mouth, Ignost’s massive form was wholly drawn inside.
Crunch. Crack.
Taeseong chewed the flames as though they were mere flesh, his expression calm. Swallowing, he then spat something into his hand.
It was a small ember.
At some point, Taeseong’s eyes had turned crimson—a consequence of consuming Ignost, the Pure Flame.
He had devoured more than 80% of Ignost’s essence, the very source of the Pure Flame, leaving only a tiny ember behind.
The reason he deliberately left that 20% was for Sooah.
Considering that even when she had lost control, she hadn’t been able to wield even 30% of Ignost’s power, this much should be enough to prevent another rampage.
‘Even when she lost control, Sooah couldn’t even tap into 30% of Ignost’s power. This should be sufficient.’
Had it been up to him, he would have erased her abilities entirely, returning her to an ordinary human life. But in the end, Sooah was now the administrator in the Tree.
Unless she chose to step down, she would at least need enough strength to protect herself. If she ever wished for a normal life, he would consume the remaining ember as well.
Taeseong approached Sooah, who lay collapsed on the ground. Holding her unconscious form, he imprinted the ember onto her forehead.
“…Sooah.”
“O…ppa?”
Like a child just waking from a dream, Sooah slowly opened her eyes, her face filled with disbelief as she looked at Taeseong.
“…Is it really you?”
Without a word, Taeseong nodded. Sooah’s voice trembled, thick with emotion.
“You… you’re really my brother? You came back?”
“…Yeah. I’m sorry for being late.”
At that single sentence, all the emotions she had been holding back erupted, and tears began streaming uncontrollably from Sooah’s eyes.
“Why! Why! Why did you take so long! Do you know how long I waited…? Our family… all of us waited only for you…”
Sooah clenched her tiny fists and pounded against Taeseong’s chest. Though her frail hands were as light as cotton, Taeseong felt as if his heart were being torn apart.
“I was so… so… scared…”
“I’m sorry. I was late. I’m so sorry.”
“You promised you’d come back soon! You said you’d come quickly! Mom and Dad and I! We all waited only for you… So why did you take so long…?”
“…….”
“Huaaaang!”
There was nothing he could say except that he was sorry. Holding the weeping Sooah in his arms, he gently stroked her back.
“I was so scared! Mom and Dad were gone, and weird people kept coming to our house… And there were all these strange voices in my head…”
“…You’ve been through so much, my Sooah.”
“I hate you. I hate you. I hate you so much! If you had come earlier, Mom and Dad would still be alive! I wouldn’t have suffered like this! It’s all your fault! Everything is your fault!”
As he comforted Sooah, Taeseong suddenly felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
Only then did he realize—his actions right now mirrored those from the past, when he had consoled her as a child.
Taeseong finally understood why the blurry image of young Sooah overlapped with the weeping girl in his arms.
—”I hate you! I hate you! You said you’d be back in two nights, but it’s already been a whole week! You liar! It’s all your fault!”
“…I won’t leave you alone anymore.”
“…Really? You promise? You’re not lying again, are you?”
Taeseong nodded and extended his pinky finger.
Sooah’s eyes widened.
Because whenever she had thrown tantrums as a child, this was how Taeseong had always soothed her.
“I promise.”
A weary-looking Xiao Yun spoke in a low voice as he faced the administrators before him.
Beside him, Ito, in tattered rags, was gasping for breath.
“Haa… They just keep coming endlessly.”
“…Yeah.”
All around them, dozens of administrators with severed limbs lay sprawled across the ground. Fortunately, there were no fatalities. No matter how much special immunity Xiao Yun had, killing this many administrators would not be something he could simply walk away from.
“Well, I can handle the consequences. But what about you, Ito? An incident of this scale won’t just end with simple disciplinary action.”
“…I’ll worry about the aftermath later. But as the only subordinate you have, I figured I should at least stand witness to the great captain’s family reunion.”
Xiao Yun let out a dry chuckle at that remark. While he himself had immunity, Ito, a mere Gamma-ranked administrator, would not be able to withstand the repercussions.
Risking everything for some ridiculous captain act—this guy was just as insane as ever.
“What about Yato?”
“She was struggling not to let me through, so I just put her to sleep and left her behind.”
“Crazy bastard.”
“Haha.”
“Well, at least you’ve got a bit of style. That’s why I like you.”
When the incident broke out, the Korean administrators had immediately tried to rush to the scene, but due to the lockdown of the break room, they were completely stuck.
In other words, Xiao Yun and Ito had been fending off this many administrators on their own all this time.
But now, they were reaching their limit. The Beta-ranked administrators who had been on special duty were finally making their way here.
‘One of them has arrived already.’
Xiao Yun and Ito were both utterly exhausted.
Even for Xiao Yun, one of the strongest among the Beta-ranked administrators, it was difficult to handle a coordinated attack from Gamma-ranked ones.
Moreover, he was fighting with the restriction of not being able to kill.
For someone like Xiao Yun, whose every technique was designed to kill, this was like playing chess without a queen or a rook.
Realizing how things were unfolding, he couldn’t help but curse at Taeseong.
“That goddamn bastard, when is he coming out?”
A Gamma-ranked administrator standing opposite him spoke up.
“Administrator Xiao Yun, stop escalating the situation. No matter how strong you are, you won’t be able to hold out much longer.”
“Oh, that’s rich, coming from someone who stood back and watched while his colleagues were getting their limbs torn apart.”
A dagger floating in midair shot toward the administrator who had just spoken.
“…!”
Crash!
The Gamma-ranked administrator was sent flying, a hole punched through his abdomen, before slamming into the wall.
The other administrators remained silent, merely observing the situation.
They had already experienced his overwhelming strength firsthand, and none of them had the courage to step forward recklessly.
Time was on their side, after all.
Soon, more Beta-ranked administrators would arrive, and they could join forces then.
“That’s enough, Xiao Yun.”
Jingle. Jingle.
A chilling bell sound rang from afar.
Gray mist spread across the area, and a man dressed in the distinctive white hemp robes of an Onmyoji slowly approached.
His name was Ashiya Doman.
A legendary Onmyoji (Sorcerer) of Japan and a Beta-ranked administrator of the Tree.
With each shake of his bell, an immense energy vibrated through the air, and powerful shikigami began to manifest one by one around him.
“The old monster from the Heian era has arrived.”
“A man who values strength and chivalry but never learned courtesy, I see. But then, a madman like you wouldn’t know such things anyway.”
“I may have a youthful face, but I’m not so young that I need to use honorifics.”
“Tsk. You’re nothing more than a child.”
“…Must be nice being that old, huh, old man?”
Even as he spoke, Xiao Yun was keeping an eye on Ito from the corner of his vision.
With each ring of the bell, Ito groaned in pain and slammed his head against the floor.
‘Of all people, it had to be that damn old man…’
For Ito, who was a shikigami, Ashiya Doman was practically an absolute existence.
‘This might be the end.’
Just then—
Step. Step.
A black-haired man emerged from the isolation chamber.
In his arms, he carried the current entity known as the Pure Flame and former administrator, Lee Sooah.
As soon as he stepped out, the air in the entire area grew heavy.
Just by his presence alone, all the Delta-ranked administrators and below felt their breathing tighten.
“……”
“……”
His eyes, now burning red like blazing flames, slowly scanned his surroundings.
“Am I a little late?”
Xiao Yun let out a hollow curse at the sight, while the pained Ito managed a weak smile.
“A little? You crazy bastard. You said you’d be back in twenty-five minutes—it’s been a whole hour!”
“Captain…”
Looking at the two ragged administrators, Taeseong gave them a brief nod of gratitude.
Then, after handing Sooah over to Ito, he walked past them.
“Xiao Yun, Ito. Good work.”
“……”
“From here on, I’ll take over.”
Step. Step.
In the tense silence, only the sound of Taeseong’s footsteps echoed.
He stood tall before the administrators who filled the hallway, then slowly opened his mouth.
“My name is Lee Taeseong.”
His voice, deep and low, spread through the air.
“The girl behind me is my younger sister, Lee Sooah.”
At that moment, everyone present was utterly captivated, as if entranced by his words.
Even Ashiya Doman was no exception.
“I have stopped Sooah’s rampage. However, if anyone still wishes to harm my sister…”
As Taeseong reached into the air, a rift tore through space, and a crude, ash-colored sword emerged.
The moment he gripped the blade, blue flames erupted from his right hand, and his burning eyes filled with killing intent.
“Then from this moment forward, I will consider you an entity to be eradicated.”