Myst, Might, Mayhem Chapter 498.2
Previously on Myst, Might, Mayhem...
Chapter 498.2 – Side Story 6 Part 5
Flames of the Abyss (5)
In the distant past, within a secluded cavern of the Celestial Mountain.
Inside a chamber lit by numerous torches, a crowd of people lay face down on the ground, showing their deepest devotion to a figure perched upon an altar.
The majority of those prostrated were from Western Persia, though a few dark-haired individuals from the Central Plains were scattered among them.
In a singular voice, they cried out toward the altar.
[Ya ilahi, unzur ilayna bi’rahmatik]
(Oh God, bestow Your grace upon us!)
[Ya ilahi, anzil ‘alayna majda naarika al-abadiya]
(Oh God, bestow upon us the eternal glory of fire!)
Every soul present was desperately pleading for a divine blessing. When the entity watching over them raised a hand,
Hwarurururuk!
An extraordinary event took place.
A black flame, unlike any natural fire, began to blaze fiercely despite having no fuel to burn.
Even more startling was that despite being as dark as the void itself, the flame cast a brilliant light across the cavern.
[Usjudu li’nnaari al-abadiya]
(Worship the eternal flame!)
[Innahu narun muqaddas]
(It is a sacred fire!)
With tears streaming down their faces, the witnesses gazed at the black fire and bowed repeatedly.
This was the legendary moment the sacred fire descended upon the holy grounds of the Fire Worship Sect.
Hwarurururuk!
The Abyss Flame had surged out of control.
Hong Hae-a was baffled; the flame had ignored him, flying instead toward the Heavenly Demon and beginning to orbit him.
‘But why?’
Even if he hadn't reached full mastery, he had already claimed the Abyss Flame as his own.
Why would the fire abandon him to circle that man of its own volition?
Confused by this impossible turn of events, Hong Hae-a reached out toward the Abyss Flame.
‘Return to me.’
He attempted to reclaim it using his Samadhi True Fire Cultivation technique.
However,
‘!?’
The Abyss Flame remained unresponsive to his call, continuing its dance around the Heavenly Demon.
How could the fire be beyond his command when he possessed the Samadhi True Fire, which was meant to dominate all flames? He couldn't fathom what was happening.
While he stood in shock, the Heavenly Demon watched the black fire circling him and spoke.
“So, it remained here after all this time.”
“What?”
“Larisha.”
“What are you talking about…”
“The Flame of Darkness. This is the very thing I left upon this altar long ago.”
Hong Hae-a let out a derisive snort at the Heavenly Demon’s claim.
It was only natural; he was the very incarnation of fire.
He prided himself on knowing every flame that existed in the world of men.
Yet, this Abyss Flame was something entirely different in its essence.
“Stop talking rubbish. The Abyss Flame is a sentient fire that didn't exist in the ancient era—a manifestation of unquenchable chaos. You claim to have left such a thing here? No matter your strength, a mere mortal like you could never—”
Swick!
His sentence was cut short.
The Heavenly Demon reached out toward the black fire dancing around him.
As if it had been anticipating his touch, the black flame flowed onto the Heavenly Demon’s fingers and draped itself across his entire frame.
Hwarurururuk!
‘It can't be!’
Hong Hae-a’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.
Though distinct from normal fire, the Abyss Flame was still capable of incinerating anything in existence.
Yet, as it washed over him, it didn't harm his skin or even singe his garments.
Instead, the dark fire clung to the Heavenly Demon’s robes, flowing behind him like a majestic cloak and radiating outward.
The sight was as terrifying as it was magnificent.
“H-how can the Abyss Flame do that…?”
“Didn't I just say it? I am the one who left it here.”
“That flame isn't of this world. It doesn't belong to the immortal realm or the depths of hell. How could a human like you possibly—”
Swick!
Again, he was interrupted.
With a wave of the Heavenly Demon’s hand, the black fire surged outward, consuming the environment and spreading through the entire volcanic cave.
Hwarurururuk!
Seeing him command the black flame as naturally as drawing breath, Hong Hae-a’s face turned pale.
The Abyss Flame was supposed to be his ultimate weapon.
How was this man wielding it with such effortless grace?
While these thoughts raced through his mind, the Heavenly Demon stepped closer and said,
“Of course you wouldn't find this in the immortal realm or such places. It never originated from this world to begin with.”
“Not from this world? What do you mean…”
Hong Hae-a’s voice failed him.
Gooooooo!
The dark flames had fully claimed the lava cave, transforming it from his personal sanctuary into something else entirely.
The world around him had shifted into a different plane.
Hmchit!
Hong Hae-a retreated a step instinctively.
He was paralyzed by the crushing pressure radiating from the approaching Heavenly Demon.
Clad in black flames, the figure looked like an absolute sovereign who ruled over both the void and the fire.
“You… are you truly a human?”
“Do not try to categorize me by species. I am the Heavenly Demon. I am the radiant fire that commands all demons and leads everything into the dark.”
Ttak!
The Heavenly Demon’s hand suddenly clamped around Hong Hae-a’s throat.
Kwak!
Chiiiiiiii!
As the sinister black flame transferred through the Heavenly Demon’s grip, Hong Hae-a felt a burning sensation in his throat for the first time in his life.
As the incarnation of fire, he had been immune to heat and burns since birth.
Now, however, his very body was being scorched by this black fire.
‘This is impossible.’
It wasn't merely a burn from heat.
It felt like an invasion, an erosion of his being.
Sensation was rapidly vanishing from the areas touched by the flame.
Keok keok.
Pssssssss!
His body began to twitch violently, and his eyes started to roll back in his head as he groaned.
The agony was beyond anything he could have imagined.
He tried to fight back, but he couldn't move a muscle; the black flame had already permeated his entire system.
Just as he felt the end was near,
“Stooooop!”
A piercing scream rang out, echoing through the cavern.
The Heavenly Demon shifted his gaze toward the sound.
There stood the Iron Fan Immortal, mother of Hong Hae-a and the powerful spirit of the Plantain Leaf Cave, clutching a leash.
“Alyu?”
Attached to the leash was the Diabolic Beast Alyu.
Since the spiritual connection had been broken, its condition was hard to tell, but Alyu’s body was wrapped in leather covered in red inscriptions.
The immortal power radiating from those scripts seemed designed to suppress Alyu’s demonic energy.
But that wasn't all.
All four of Alyu’s legs had been severed to keep it from escaping.
At the sight of this, the Heavenly Demon’s eyes turned as cold as a winter gale.
Even from a distance, the Iron Fan Immortal felt a paralyzing fear that gripped her heart.
This was a being far beyond their ability to confront.
The Iron Fan Immortal dropped to her knees.
Kung!
She pressed her forehead against the stone floor and cried out.
“This is the Imaemangyang you were searching for. I will give it back, so I beg you, please spare my son!”
‘Mother?’
Hearing her voice, a spark of consciousness returned to Hong Hae-a’s fading mind.
He looked at his prostrated mother with a look of pure shock.
He had told her to flee with the sealed statue of the Great Strength King just in case things went wrong.
He never dreamed she would stay, let alone bring Alyu out of hiding and endure such shame to plead for his life.
Pak!
Driven by the bond of blood,
Hong Hae-a, despite the agony of the dark flame’s invasion, found a hidden reservoir of strength and grabbed the Heavenly Demon’s wrist.
He tried to pry the hand away, but—
The moment he locked eyes with the Heavenly Demon, his heart nearly stopped.
The sheer, frigid killing intent in those eyes was unlike anything he had ever felt; it was as if his body were being shredded into pieces just by the gaze alone.
Wook-ssin! Wook-ssin!
Wait. Was it really just an illusion?
Countless blade wounds were manifesting across his skin.
‘…What just happened?’
It was a manifestation of pure will.
A will so close to the void that it had executed him in his own mind, pushing him to the very edge of death.
If he hadn't walked the path of an immortal, his mind would have shattered instantly.
‘Damn it…’
Hong Hae-a finally understood the vast chasm between their powers.
This monster had reached a level of existence that the laws of nature could not contain.
He couldn't believe such a being still resided in the mortal world, neither bound by its limits nor leaving it behind.
Despair washed over him.
He had believed that with the Abyss Flame and the revival of his father, the Great Strength King, they would be invincible.
But the world was far more cruel than he had imagined.
Meanwhile, the Iron Fan Immortal kept her head pressed to the floor, pleading with the Heavenly Demon once more.
“Take my life instead. I am begging you! Please, just let the boy live. I implore you.”
Hearing her desperate cries, Hong Hae-a forced his mouth open.
“M-mother… stop… please don't…”
“Be quiet! I won't watch you die.”
“Moth…er… Kulleok… Kulleok…”
“What mother could stand by while her child is killed? If I do this, will you let him go?”
Pook!
With those words, the Iron Fan Immortal plunged her own hand into her chest.
She was attempting to sacrifice herself.
“Motheeeeer!!!!”
The scene of the mother and son was enough to move anyone to pity.
The Iron Fan Immortal, staking her life to find even a drop of mercy, hoped the Heavenly Demon might hesitate.
But her sacrifice meant nothing to him.
The Heavenly Demon’s expression remained frozen, devoid of any empathy.
“Why have you stopped? Go on.”
“H-how can you!”
Did this monster truly have no heart?
He was telling her to continue?
The Heavenly Demon gave a mocking smile and spoke.
“Did you think I would show mercy just because you played on my emotions? How foolish. If that was your plan…”
The Heavenly Demon trailed off and gripped his formless sword.
In that instant,
Chwachwachwachwachwak!
Violent sword Qi erupted around Hong Hae-a, severing his arms and legs in a single burst.
The Iron Fan Immortal’s eyes stretched wide with horror as she witnessed her son being mutilated.
Ignoring her shock, the Heavenly Demon finished speaking with cold indifference.
“You should have known better than to provoke me from the start.”