Supreme Flame — Part 3
Just a few days ago, Kim Jiyoon had been living the best day of her life.
She had stepped into the supermarket she often visited, not thinking much of it—until dazzling magical fireworks suddenly exploded in the air.
[Congratulations, customer!]
[You are our one-millionth visitor!]
[As a special reward, we present you with a voucher for a French fine dining experience!]
And so, she visited the restaurant, where she had an unforgettable experience.
The lavish interior.
Dishes made with the finest ingredients.
Not just silverware, but utensils mixed with genuine mithril.
A restaurant she had only ever seen on TV.
Her family loved it.
“Mom! This is amazing!”
“Can we come here again?”
“Haha. Guess all that grocery shopping paid off. You always said that place was cheaper than the others, right?”
But happiness didn’t last long.
One by one, her family members began nodding off.
Was it just food coma?
Kim Jiyoon herself drowsed off as well, and when she woke up—hell had begun.
“Dear! Dear!”
“I’m fine! Stay put! Don’t resist, just stay still!”
“Dear! No!”
“Daddy! Waaah! Daddy!”
They woke up inside an iron cage.
People were packed inside like pigs in a pen.
Not even a drop of water to drink.
But none of that mattered.
What truly mattered—
—was the fact that people were being dragged away every day.
“Dear…”
Among their family of four, her husband was the first to be taken.
And he never came back.
[Praise the mighty Supreme Flame!]
[O, great lord, purge the world of its filth♪]
[Consume the heretics and let your majesty reign supreme♪]
Whenever someone was dragged away, that cursed hymn would follow.
A wretched voice.
A melody of madness that seeped through the very walls.
“Mom… I’m thirsty.”
“Mom…”
Her young daughter and son whimpered.
But no matter how much she reached out, she couldn’t hold them.
The fanatics had deliberately separated family members into different cages.
To make them suffer.
So that when they were finally sacrificed, their despair would produce stronger mental energy.
“Mom’s right here. Hye-yeon, Jung-hoon, just hang on a little longer, okay?”
“Mommy… Mommy…”
Kim Jiyoon knelt and prayed desperately.
“O, Old Father, save your child…”
No answer.
She had donated so much. Attended the temple every weekend.
But no salvation, no divine hand reached out to her.
“Hic… O, Shiva, my lord…”
“Save me. Please save me.”
“I was wrong. I was wrong!”
As time passed, the number of prisoners dwindled.
The fanatics dragged people away multiple times a day.
And then, the moment Kim Jiyoon had prayed would never come—arrived.
“You. Get out.”
“No! Please! Not my daughter! Take me instead! Please, I beg you!”
“Shut up! You old hag. The Supreme Flame desires fresh, young blood. Drag her out!”
“No!”
“You damn—!”
Thwack!
Kim Jiyoon clutched her stomach, gasping for breath.
Where had she been hit?
The pain twisted her insides, turning her mind blank.
But a mother’s love sometimes transcended pain.
Coughing up blood, she crawled forward, clawing at the floor toward her screaming daughter.
“My daughter… No… Not Hye-yeon…”
“This bitch!”
One of the fanatics raised his fist.
But another one stopped him.
“Leave her. Killing her is a waste. Remember how much trouble we went through to capture her unharmed? She’s gonna die tomorrow anyway. Let her be.”
“Tch. Fine.”
Clang!
The fanatic slammed the cell door shut.
“Listen up, bitch! This afternoon, it’s your son’s turn. And tomorrow, it’s yours! Hahaha! Your whole family will be waiting inside Supreme Flame’s belly. Look forward to it!”
“Hic… Hic…!”
“Mom! Mom!”
She could do nothing.
Completely powerless.
In this cruel world, all a normal person could do was cry and despair.
Under the suffocating silence, only the sound of sobbing remained.
Soon, the hymn would start again.
A song of death, praising Supreme Flame.
And then—those horrifying screams.
Kim Jiyoon covered her ears.
“O, Old Father… O, Old Father…”
She called out to her god, screaming his name.
She prayed so hard she coughed up blood.
Begging.
Pleading that if she had to be sacrificed, so be it—
—as long as her daughter Hye-yeon and son Jung-hoon were spared.
And then.
At that exact moment—
Tatata! Tatatatatang!
Gunfire.
A sound she had never heard in this place.
Her head shot up.
Not just her—everyone in the cages turned to look.
A hazy expression of disbelief crossed their faces.
“C-Could it be… an extermination force?”
“An extermination force?”
“Is it really them?”
“No way!”
“Do you have any idea who these people are? There’s no way an extermination force would come after such a massive cult!”
Some clung to hope.
Others shook their heads in denial.
But even those who denied it couldn’t stop the flicker of expectation from appearing in their eyes.
Tatata! Bang! Bang! Tatang!
The gunfire drew closer.
[Aaargh!]
[Guhack!]
[It’s a monster!]
And then, the screams.
Kim Jiyoon swallowed dryly.
“Wait… Those screams… they’re men’s voices!”
“So what?”
“They only ever took the kids and young women before!”
“Yeah! That’s right!”
“Listen closely! The screams sound different, too! They’re not the kind from burning alive!”
Up until last night, the screams had been horrifically long.
The kind that made your skin crawl just from listening.
But now?
They were short—like bursts of air escaping.
The screams weren’t drawn out in agony—they were cut short because the ones screaming were dying instantly.
But the gunfire didn’t last long.
Then, all sound vanished.
The screams, the gunshots, even the hymns.
How much time had passed?
Boom! Boom! KWAANG!
The ceiling trembled, a deafening rumble echoing through the prison—
—and then, silence again.
The prisoners exchanged anxious glances.
What was happening?
Had an extermination force really arrived?
Had they wiped out the fanatics and come to rescue them?
Or…
Was this just another one of the cult’s tricks?
Just as fear and terrible imaginings threatened to consume their minds—
Creeeak.
The door opened.
The very same iron door they had feared, despised, and dreaded all this time.
But now, instead of terror, its creaking sound was filled with hope—a desperate, fragile hope.
Everyone stretched their necks, peering toward the door.
And beyond the now-opened gate—
—a man in black tracksuits stood.
“Tsk.”
The man clicked his tongue.
A heavy, commanding presence.
An aura that was unnatural—
He was a superhuman.
They could feel it the moment they saw him.
But none of that mattered.
Because right behind him—
—a child came running forward, carefree and innocent.
“Mom!”
It was Kim Jiyoon’s daughter, Choi Hye-yeon.
Her daughter sprinted across the damp floor—
—and threw herself into Kim Jiyoon’s arms through the iron bars.
“Waaaah!”
“Hye-yeon! Hye-yeon! Mom’s here! I’m right here!”
Kim Jiyoon sobbed, clutching her daughter tightly.
And it wasn’t just her.
Other children who had been dragged away came rushing back.
“Mom!”
“Dad!”
These were the same children who had been mercilessly beaten when they were taken.
Their faces had been swollen, their legs broken—
—images that had been burned into their parents’ hearts like scars.
But now—
—they were completely unharmed.
Not a single wound.
Not a drop of blood.
How was this possible?
It didn’t matter.
Kim Jiyoon shoved her doubts aside and let herself cry freely.
There was no more sorrow, no more despair.
Only the overwhelming relief and joy of being saved, of being alive.
“Thank you… Thank you… O, Old Father…”
She muttered a prayer without thinking—
—but something about it felt wrong.
The man in black tracksuits clicked his tongue again.
“Old Father? Don’t thank that wicked god. If you want to be grateful, pray to Thor and Gaia instead.”
“Huh?”
Fwaaah!
The man glowed.
A light that was undeniably divine power.
Crackle! Crackle!
WOOOM.
Lightning erupted from his right hand.
From his left, a floating cubic construct expanded outward.
With a casual flick of both hands—
—the prison was engulfed in lightning and transparent energy.
Instinctively, the prisoners flinched—
—but something strange happened.
The lightning scorched them, the construct battered them—
—yet, it didn’t hurt.
Instead—
—their hunger and thirst disappeared.
The dull aches in their bodies vanished, replaced by a refreshing sensation.
“T-Thank you…”
“Move aside a little. I’ll break the door.”
“Y-Yes! Yes!”
Kim Jiyoon scrambled back.
The man swung his hand—
—and the iron bars shattered.
No, they weren’t just broken.
They were completely crushed.
Even for a superhuman, that level of strength was unbelievable.
Kim Jiyoon stared in shock, but soon, her eyes were drawn to the three emblems pinned to his chest.
‘Thor’s Cult… Protector Alliance… Gaia’s Cult… Oh!’
And finally, it clicked.
She realized who this man was.
Warrior Kim.
The hero who defended Seoul from a large-scale terrorist attack.
The strongest superhuman, who not only saved the President, but also killed the Massacre Empress, the leader of the Terrorist Alliance.
And the honorary Paladin of both Thor’s Cult and Gaia’s Cult.
“Thank you, thank you, Sword Star! I offer my gratitude to the mightiest Lightning and the weightiest Mother!”
At that moment—
Kim Jiyoon’s faith in Old Father was erased.
In its place, devotion to Thor and Gaia took root.
After all—
—it was their knight who had answered her prayers.
Their Paladin.
Smirk.
Warrior Kim smiled.
New believers were always welcome.
Especially when they came at the cost of Old Father’s Cult.
–—
‘At least this was worth the trouble.’
The irony of it all was almost amusing.
Old Father’s Cult had been backing this fake cult—
—and yet, that very cult had been kidnapping Old Father’s own believers?
Once this got out, the backlash would be enormous.
Of course, there would always be idiots who kept believing.
‘This world has way too many scumbags.’
Why had Old Father’s Cult survived for so long?
Why, despite losing the Divine War, were they still one of the Seven Great Orders?
It was simple.
Old Father rewarded sacrifices immediately.
With money.
With supernatural abilities.
Enough to completely turn someone’s life around.
“Come on out.”
“T-Thank you…”
“E-Excuse me, Sword Star… Did you see my husband outside?”
A woman, who had been clutching her children and sobbing, asked with trembling hope.
I silently shook my head.
Anyone who had been taken before yesterday—
—was already ash.
And if any ashes even remained, that would be a mercy.
Gods were greedy creatures.
They didn’t just consume flesh—
—they devoured souls as well.
“Hic… Dear…!”
“Mom, don’t cry…”
“At least you got to keep your kids. I… I…”
Should I have come earlier?
As I watched some victims weep with joy while others mourned, the thought crossed my mind.
‘No.’
If I had come yesterday, I wouldn’t have been able to defeat the avatar.
Celestial Flame wasn’t omnipotent.
I wouldn’t have been able to bridge the gap in power between a god and a human—
—and more people would have died because of it.
In the end, I would have lost.
The avatar would have survived.
And everyone here would have died.
I would only do what I could.
I wasn’t some savior or hero.
“Let’s go.”
I led the survivors out.
Though they staggered, they followed without issue.
It was thanks to the divine power and radiance emanating from me—
—and also due to my Earth trait.
Compared to Lightning, it lacked raw offensive power, but when it came to defense and healing, it was among the strongest of all high-tier attributes.
“That bastard!”
As soon as we emerged into the temple, a woman’s eyes widened in fury.
She had spotted Kim Manjong, buried under the shattered altar.
“Die! Die!”
She rushed at the corpse and began kicking it.
The other survivors did the same.
“You son of a bitch! Good riddance!”
“Ptuh!”
“Heuhuhuhu… Heuhuhuhu!”
Parents who had lost their children sobbed.
Children who had lost their parents laughed with cracked lips.
A middle-aged man spat a mouthful of bloody saliva.
A student, oblivious to the fact that his own hand was breaking, kept slamming his fist down.
I didn’t bother stopping them.
They needed this. They had to release their pent-up hatred.
“Feeling any better?”
After a long while, I asked.
The survivors bowed deeply.
“Thank you, Sword Star… Thank you so much.”
“You saved us… and avenged us…”
“Hic… hic…”
“Let’s go. You still need to get home, don’t you?”
“Hic… Thank you, thank you… hic…”
As we left the temple, a pitch-black corridor awaited us.
The power lines must have been severed during my battle with the avatar.
The survivors murmured behind me.
Their bodies were weakened, their minds fragile—instinctively, they feared the darkness.
No problem.
I snapped my fingers.
Snap!
Fwoosh!
Flames spread outward.
Supreme Flame.
Golden fire flickered like candles, illuminating our surroundings.
Not just the path ahead—
—but also the area behind me, around the survivors.
“Wow!”
“It’s so pretty!”
“Look, Mom! It’s butterflies!”
“There’s birds, too!”
“And puppies!”
[Supreme Flame] [Thor Cultivation Technique] [Mana Soul]
[Undying] [Sacrifice] [Focus]
Supreme Flame didn’t consume much mana—
—for a top-tier trait.
But creating dozens of flames and shaping them? That burned through mana fast.
So I equipped Sacrifice.
Converted life force into mana.
Then replenished that lost life force with Undying.
With Thor Cultivation Technique and Mana Soul, my mana surged even higher.
And to handle the extra mental processing, I used Focus.
‘Damn, my head hurts.’
A dull throb pounded in my skull.
Maybe I needed to make a higher-tier Focus trait?
I had ignored it since it was a mage trait, but now…
“We’re outside!”
“It’s the exit!”
After walking for a long while, we finally saw the light.
Warm sunlight.
Expressions of relief flooded the survivors’ faces.
The shadows that had clung to them seemed to fade in the daylight.
“You did well.”
Manager Choi handed me a cold drink.
I downed it in one go, feeling my exhaustion lift.
“Pwah!”
“Must’ve been rough in there.”
“You can tell?”
“Yeah. You look like hell.”
Of course I did.
Inside had been hell on earth.
As I tossed the empty bottle, I lowered my voice.
“There will be more incidents like this.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“And contact Seoul’s hospitals—especially the Big Five. Tell them to be careful. They’re going to be attacked soon.”
“Hospitals? By who?”
“Dark Jaguar Cult.”
“…Ah. Understood. I’ll deploy Warrior Security superhumans and coordinate with First Security. I’ll talk to Director Seo about it.”
“Woojin is working hard.”
Seo Woojin had just finished upgrading the Sky Ship.
The new addition? A military-grade early warning radar.
Nearly on par with a full-scale air defense system.
He couldn’t come today because he was still installing it.
If I hadn’t saved the President, if I hadn’t forged connections with the Legion Commander, I wouldn’t have been able to obtain it.
And soon, I would have to take down the Grand High Priest of Dark Jaguar Cult—
—that radar would be crucial.
“Sword Star! Please, an interview!”
“Just a few words!”
“It won’t take long!”
The reporters that Manager Choi had summoned were swarming outside.
They smelled a major scoop and were clamoring to get in.
But they couldn’t.
Superhumans from Warrior Security had formed a human barricade to keep them back.
The only ones allowed through?
Paladins from Thor’s Cult and Gaia’s Cult.
“There were cultists here?”
“Yes. We caught them performing human sacrifices. At least several thousand victims.”
“Hah…”
“And in my opinion, they had powerful backers.”
“Obviously.”
One of the Thor’s Cult Paladins turned his glare toward the blocked-off group behind the reporters.
Not just journalists.
There was another faction trying to get in.
Old Father’s Cult.
Their bishops and paladins.
Even with Warrior Security and First Security combined, it wasn’t enough—so we had reinforcements from First Security’s elite team.
And on top of that, both Thor’s Cult and Gaia’s Cult had sent their clergy to physically block their entry.
This was why I had told Manager Choi to alert them ahead of time.
“We’ll handle the aftermath.”
“Please do. And take care of the victims as well.”
“Naturally.”
There was a lot to do.
I had already been moving fast—
—but now, I needed to move even faster.
I refused to be caught off guard like I had during the Seoul terrorist attack.
I boarded the Red Cougar.
As I pulled the controls and took off—
—cheers erupted below.
“Thank you, Sword Star!”
“Safe travels!”
“We will never forget this day!”
The survivors, wrapped in green blankets, paused their meals of warm soup and porridge—
—to wave at me.
I rolled down the window and gave them a small wave in return.
Then—
—I accelerated.
KWOAAAAAH!
The Red Cougar soared across the sky.
Toward Sun Mage Tower.
To finally settle an old bet.
–TL Notes–
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lets goo kim