Volume One

Prologue: Vermilion Bird’s Deadly Flames

The night wind howled. He clutched the gunshot wound on his shoulder, gritting his teeth as he ran forward. In the sky above the forest, the sound of helicopter rotors grew closer, blazing white searchlights sweeping across the sky. Behind him, the faint barking of dogs echoed.

Blood kept gushing and dripping from the wound, half his body already cold, his steps growing heavier. But he knew he couldn’t stop now—if he did, it would all be over.

He couldn’t figure out what had happened. Years of planning, carefully chosen timing, betting his life entirely to escape the organization. Who could have guessed that the moment he made his move, tonight would turn out to be the most heavily guarded night at the base… What on earth was going on…

There were still two bullets left in the gun in his hand—one for the enemy, one for himself. He had already made up his mind. But before dying, what he wanted to know was: why would the organization go to such lengths to stop the escape of a mere low-level killer? Not only were elite assassin squads deployed, but even higher-level espers had appeared.

Those mutants who called themselves “Evolvers” always hid in the deepest parts of the organization. In all his years there, he’d met one or two, and understood the scope of their authority. For an ordinary killer like him, there was no way they’d be sent to intercept him. Why, then?

He sprinted on, his vision blurring from blood loss. When he reached the edge of the forest, a sheer cliff rose before him. With helicopters in the air, climbing up would be certain death. He ran along the cliff, and at the corner ahead, a faint red glow spread out.

The helicopters were speeding through the air, the barking and shouting behind him growing more intense. This was probably the end. He slowed his steps, quietly peeking around the corner. Flames blazed there, but strangely, they seemed almost transparent. Trembling, he gripped his gun tighter and first saw a person standing beside the fire.

It was an Evolver from the organization.

Most Evolvers possessed abilities far beyond ordinary people. He didn’t know how many espers had gathered here, nor did he dare look too long—after all, he only had two bullets. Quietly, he raised his hand and took aim. He knew this would be the last time he ever aimed at anyone.

In his sights, the esper stood facing the fire, back to the outside, arms spread wide in a strange pose. If it were a killer, he would never stand so defenselessly, but… whatever…

Gritting his teeth, he fired. The bullet struck the person’s temple, sending the body flying. So what if it was an esper? Get shot and you die all the same, right? Thinking this, he quickly turned the gun on himself, pressing it to his own forehead. But in that instant, a strange, soul-shaking cry suddenly rang out. His hand trembled. Then, a massive wall of fire surged past his eyes like a flood.

The flames melted gold and corroded iron, sweeping out from the forest for who knows how far. Trees caught in the blast were instantly reduced to ash. Because the fire erupted from a recess in the cliff, it swept right past his eyes. Yet he felt no heat at all. Looking up, he saw a giant fiery bird soaring into the sky with a soft cry—the legendary fire phoenix from Chinese myth.

The fiery clouds spread across the night sky. Several helicopters in pursuit behind him exploded and crashed the moment they touched the flames. Red light rained down, dotting the forest. He stared in shock at it all, then turned to see the pursuers already appearing in his line of sight. But they, too, were clearly thrown into chaos by this sudden turn of events, staring at the sky and forgetting to shoot. Then, terror appeared in everyone’s eyes as they turned to flee.

Turning back, he saw the phoenix, wreathed in flames, diving straight at him. The air roared, and the massive rock wall he’d used for cover was suddenly blasted away. Then, he saw the phoenix’s eyes.

Boom—

The flames swallowed him whole!

There was no death, no pain. Once the shock passed, he could clearly see himself surrounded by a sea of golden fire, as if enveloped in a mass of liquid, gently rising and falling. All around was silent, as quiet as the dawn of creation. Looking back, beyond the fire, the world outside had slowed to a crawl. The massive rock wall that had just been blasted away was overtaken by the flames, gradually stripped apart. The shockwave swept outward, every tree burning, breaking, turning to ash in an instant. The people and hounds trying to escape barely took a few steps before they, too, were reduced to ashes with a wail.

In that instant, he understood everything.