[Once again, we announce: Delta-grade administrator ‘Lee Sooah’ confirmed to have gone berserk. Effective immediately, administrator ‘Lee Sooah’ is designated as the red-tier hazardous entity ‘Pure Flame,’ and her management grade is elevated to Beta. All administrators within the company are to cease all tasks and proceed to Containment Room 4 in Sector D-1 to prioritize the elimination of the hazardous entity.]
Lee Sooah. Berserk.
The moment those two words reached his ears, his body moved before he could even process the information.
As he stepped into the corridor, it was swarming with administrators clad in black suits. Even for Lee Taeseong, it was his first time witnessing this many administrators gathered in one place.
Unlike usual, they all wore identification badges around their necks, each gripping a variety of weapons. This alone was enough to show how dire the situation had become.
Every single one of them was mobilized for the sole purpose of eliminating a single entity.
It was only then that Taeseong realized—he was unarmed.
‘No weapon.’
Without a moment’s hesitation, he snatched a straight sword from a nearby administrator.
“Hey, are you insane!? What division are you from!?”
The administrator, startled by the sudden theft of his weapon, glared at him in shock.
Taeseong paid him no mind, instead swinging the blade through the air a few times. The weight distribution was well-balanced— a decent piece.
“Hey! Give me your ID ba—!”
Before the flustered administrator could finish his sentence, Taeseong vanished.
With a sharp bang, the ground cracked as he launched himself forward. The sheer force of his leap left a deep hole in the floor shaped like his foot, and a gust of wind swirled where he had just stood.
The administrator, his hair ruffled by the sudden draft, muttered dazedly, as if entranced by a ghost.
“…What the hell? Is he an entity too?”
The frantic pounding in Taeseong’s chest showed his desperation.
Few things could shake him, but this moment was beyond his control.
After so many years, he had finally found his sister—the very person he had longed for.
And yet, if things continued like this, they would be torn apart once more before they even had a chance to resolve their misunderstandings.
‘Stay calm.’
Keep the body hot, the mind cold.
In the most urgent of moments, maintaining composure was key. The calmer he remained, the better his odds of making the right choices.
Every single decision from here on out would dictate the future.
If he allowed himself to be ruled by emotion, he wouldn’t choose the best path—he’d choose the worst one.
“Wait. Look behind us.”
“What? Is that an escaped entity?”
As Taeseong sprinted along the walls, the administrators began attacking him without hesitation.
Under normal circumstances, they would never have acted so rashly.
But this was a CODE GREEN emergency.
It wasn’t unheard of for berserk entities to open the containment cells of others.
Among them, some even had the ability to mimic or replicate administrators.
The reason the administrators wore ID badges today was precisely to establish a minimum form of identification.
And so, Taeseong—without an ID—was the perfect target for suspicion.
However, he had no time to entertain their concerns.
Taeseong leaped from the wall and landed.
The moment his feet touched the ground, his sword flashed forward.
“Aaargh! My arm!”
“My leg…! My leg isn’t moving…!”
“You idiot! Your leg is still attached to you!”
The blade cut through the air like a bolt of lightning, severing the arms and legs of the administrators blocking his path.
Blood painted the corridor in an instant, mingling with the screams of pain and the cries of horror.
Yet Taeseong did not slow down.
With the shortest possible steps, he advanced.
With the least amount of movement, he slashed through the ones in his way.
In his wake, pools of blood and severed limbs lay scattered like a grim trail—reminiscent of a twisted, nightmarish version of Hansel and Gretel.
Drenched head to toe in blood, he resembled a demon from the depths of hell.
Only then did Taeseong realize—most of the administrators were now afraid of him.
It was thanks to Dueokshin’s ability.
If he wanted to, he could crush the skulls of everyone around him.
But he had no intention of taking their lives.
Breaking their arms and legs to prevent interference was more than enough.
It was far more efficient to shatter multiple limbs at once than to cut down each individual one by one.
Having carved his way through, Taeseong finally reached Sector D-1.
His field of vision was stained red—not just from the blood, but from the splatters on his own face.
“Haa… Haa…”
Gasping for breath, he pressed forward.
The deeper he ventured, the more intense the heat became.
He didn’t even need a map. He could feel where Sooah was.
At the entrance of Containment Room 4, his gaze locked onto two figures—Xiao Yun and Lee Sooah, now completely engulfed in flames.
The heat radiating from her was so extreme that the surroundings had already begun to melt.
Even Taeseong’s skin sizzled and burned on contact—only to instantly regenerate.
Grinning as usual, Xiao Yun noticed him and called out cheerfully,
“Lee Taeseong. You look like hell. Do you really think you can—”
Before he could finish, Taeseong lunged at him like a beast.
A fierce aura erupted from his blade.
─────
A flash of steel streaked toward Xiao Yun’s throat.
But unlike the other administrators, he was different.
With a flick of his wrist, he pulled out a dagger and deflected the strike.
And he didn’t stop there—he counterattacked immediately.
In an instant, the momentum reversed.
Every time Xiao Yun’s dagger cut through the air, a sharp whoosh rang out.
Taeseong dodged with near-supernatural agility, while the missed strikes carved deep scars into the surrounding walls.
“Tch. You really are insane.”
The two clashed like wild animals, biting and tearing at each other.
Every time their weapons met, the sheer force sent shockwaves through the air.
Though the repeated impact crushed the bones in his wrist, Taeseong’s inhuman regeneration repaired the damage in seconds.
Suddenly, Xiao Yun leapt back.
Above his head, five daggers floated into position.
Ikigeom (Guided by Qi).
A supreme martial technique wielded only by masters—a divine skill that allowed one to control swords freely using internal energy.
The five blades, guided by Xiao Yun’s will, shot toward Taeseong.
Each one was infused with potent energy, capable of slicing through steel like tofu.
Even for Taeseong, taking a direct hit meant certain death—his limbs would be torn apart instantly.
Yet instead of retreating…
He steadied his stance, staring down the incoming blades.
In this moment, only one word occupied his mind.
Cut.
He held only one sword, but he had no doubt that he would cut down all five blades.
He drew out all the energy within him and focused it into a single point.
The straight sword in Taeseong’s grip trembled violently, as if screaming.
The once-blue blade was now dyed crimson, like blood.
Sword Resonance.
The sword was crying.
“…….”
The energy condensed to its limit erupted, causing the air to tremble.
In that instant, Taeseong’s blade traced a line through the air.
A single horizontal slash.
At a glance, it seemed like a crude swing, one that an amateur wielding a sword for the first time might make.
Yet, among the five daggers that had been hurtling toward him, four were now sliced clean in half.
‘Missed one.’
The one he failed to cut had already pierced through his left thigh, leaving a gaping hole as if a magnum round had torn through it.
Xiao Yun, who usually wore a playful smile, now murmured with an unusually serious expression, clearly startled.
“A single slash, clean through, huh…? Well, if you’re at this level, I suppose it’s worth making a bet.”
As Taeseong moved forward, Xiao Yun suddenly lowered his weapon and raised both hands with remarkable speed.
“Whoa, whoa. Calm down, my friend. I have no intention of fighting you anymore.”
“…What’s your game?”
“I’m thinking of making a wager for the first time in a while. One of my old nicknames was the Gambling King.”
He tilted his head slightly.
“Can you handle your sister?”
“Of course.”
“……Twenty minutes. I’ll buy you exactly twenty minutes. Do whatever it takes to bring your sister back to normal within that time. I can’t do more than that.”
“Thirty minutes.”
“No.”
“Twenty-five.”
“You relentless bastard… Fine. Twenty-five minutes. Get it done. If you don’t… it won’t just be your sister who dies. You’ll go down with her.”
“Thanks.”
Taeseong expressed his gratitude and stepped into the containment chamber.
Watching him go, Xiao Yun muttered to himself.
“Maybe I’m getting old… The more time passes, the softer I seem to get.”
Of course, Xiao Yun was a manager—a high-ranking Beta-class manager at that. As a senior manager, it was his job to lead the charge in eliminating rogue entities. And yet…
Today, he simply didn’t want to.
For no particular reason—he just didn’t want to.
Not even a minute had passed before a flood of managers arrived, easily numbering in the dozens.
Drawing twelve daggers from his coat, Xiao Yun curved his eyes into a crescent-shaped smile.
“Not killing you guys is going to be a pain…”
The managers who met his gaze flinched involuntarily.
A Gamma-class manager beside them spoke up in a threatening tone.
“Manager Xiao Yun… What exactly are you doing right now?”
“Hmm… Should I take their arms… or their legs?”
“Manager!”
“Right. First things first… I need to shut you up.”
The moment he finished speaking, twelve daggers hovered above his head.
“Watch closely, kids. If you cross this line—”
CRACK!
“—This is what happens.”
Even breathing was agonizing—the heat was unbearable.
It was hard to believe that this overwhelming inferno was coming from my own sister.
“Sooah…”
No response.
She had already become a spirit entity—there was nothing human left in her form.
Right now, she was the incarnation of fire itself.
With each step forward, my flesh burned, melted, and regenerated in an endless cycle.
Had I not consumed Orochi’s tail, I wouldn’t have even been able to approach this far.
Sensing my presence, Sooah hurled a mass of fire at me.
Slash!
I cut through the flames and advanced once more, pulling every last bit of energy I had to shield my body.
The specialized suit issued by the Tree was crafted from unique materials, granting it remarkable regenerative properties.
Ssssshhhhh!
Even so, my skin sizzled and peeled away, starting from my face, as my entire body began to melt.
The searing pain engulfed me, but I pushed forward.
And at last—
Standing before Sooah, I carefully reached out and embraced her.
“You’ve grown so much, Sooah.”
Then, I ripped the red crystal from her face and swallowed it whole.
TL : Bro might just be Wolverine.
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