Ha-jin awoke to a sharp notification blaring in his mind. His eyes fluttered open, the dim light of dawn creeping through the cracked windows of their makeshift shelter. Mirae stirred beside him as the words appeared in front of him, floating ominously:
Main Scenario #5 – Disaster of Hellfire
Category: Main
Difficulty: SS
Clear Conditions: Kill the Disaster of Hellfire, the Fire Dragon.
Reward: 100,000 coins, ???
Failure: The fall of Seoul.
The silence that followed was heavy, as if the very air itself knew the weight of what was to come.
Mirae rubbed her eyes, sitting up slowly. "It's begun," she whispered, her voice a mix of exhaustion and determination.
Ha-jin remained silent, his mind racing. He knew that Kim Dokja would be facing the Disaster of Floods, another deadly scenario. It was tempting to join Dokja and aid him in that battle. But there was something about the Disaster of Hellfire that pulled at him. The Fire Dragon wasn't just a beast—it was destruction incarnate, a force capable of turning everything to ash.
He clenched his fists, already feeling the thrum of power from his stigmas coursing through him. The recent conversations with the demon inside his mind replayed in fragments. The Sword of Totsuka—a forbidden technique that could push him beyond his limits, but at the cost of a bond.
His eyes flickered to Mirae, who was stretching beside him, unaware of the dangerous thoughts swirling in his mind.
"Dokja can handle the Disaster of Floods," Ha-jin said abruptly, his voice cold and resolute. "We're going after the Disaster of Hellfire."
Mirae raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? This sounds way beyond anything we've faced so far."
He nodded. "I'm sure. And if we don't stop it, Seoul falls."
Without another word, they readied themselves. Mirae's powers, White Snake Heads and the Snake Who Wishes to Live, had grown stronger in the past weeks of training. Her resilience and determination were impressive, but Ha-jin's mind was elsewhere.
They set out, moving swiftly through the debris-filled streets toward the location where the Fire Dragon had been sighted. The closer they got, the more intense the heat became. Buildings were charred, and the air was thick with smoke. The Fire Dragon's rampage had already begun.
They finally arrived at the battlefield. The massive dragon loomed in the distance, its scales glowing with molten fire, wings casting massive shadows across the ruined city. Its roars echoed, shaking the ground beneath them.
"Ready?" Mirae asked, her snake-arm already forming in preparation for the fight.
Ha-jin's eyes darkened as he drew in a deep breath. Noticed activated automatically, making him blend into the surroundings, undetected by the dragon's gaze. "Yeah. Let's end this."
The battle was fierce. Mirae fought valiantly, her snakes attacking the dragon's legs, wrapping around it, trying to slow it down. Ha-jin attacked with precise blows, using his Rotating Palm Technique to target weak spots in the dragon's fiery hide. But the Fire Dragon was relentless, and its sheer power dwarfed anything they had faced before.
It wasn't long before Ha-jin found himself badly injured. The heat of the dragon's flames had burned through his defenses, and his stamina was waning. Blood dripped from his wounds, his vision blurring from the pain. Mirae wasn't faring much better—her body was scorched, but she fought on, unwavering.
In that moment, Ha-jin knew. The demon's words echoed in his mind: "There's a way to use the man who slayed a constellation without dying... but you have to kill someone you have a bond with."
His heart pounded. His body ached for the power he needed to defeat the Fire Dragon. There was only one option.
"Mirae..." Ha-jin's voice was quiet but steady.
She turned to him, concern flashing in her eyes. "What?"
Before she could react, Ha-jin moved. His hand glowed with deadly energy, the stigma of The Man Who Slayed a Constellation activating at full force. With a swift motion, he struck, piercing Mirae straight through the heart with a single, devastating blow.
Mirae's eyes widened in shock, her breath caught in her throat. Blood trickled from her lips as she staggered, her hand reaching for him, confusion and betrayal etched on her face.
"Why?" she gasped, falling to her knees.
The weight of her death hit Ha-jin, but the power surged through him, as if the universe itself recognized the sacrifice he had made. He felt his body expand with raw energy, his stigmas burning like fire as the limits of his strength shattered. The Sword of Totsuka had been unleashed.
His heart clenched, but there was no time to dwell on it. He had the power now.
Turning toward the Fire Dragon, Ha-jin let out a roar of his own, his body moving faster than ever before. With a swift strike, he aimed for the dragon's heart, his attack charged with the full force of the absorbed energy.
The dragon roared in agony as Ha-jin's blow landed true. Its massive body shuddered, flames dying as it crumbled to the ground. In a final burst of power, Ha-jin ended the battle, slaying the Disaster of Hellfire once and for all.
The notification rang in his mind as the flames around them flickered out:
Congratulations on defeating the Disaster of Hellfire. Reward: 100,000 coins, the Sword of Flames, ???
But there was no sense of triumph as Ha-jin stood over Mirae's lifeless body. He had won the battle, but at what cost? The power surged through him still, but the emptiness it left in his heart was overwhelming.
As he walked away from the battlefield, sword in hand, the words of the demon lingered in his mind: "This is only the beginning."