Chapter 110: Flames of Hope (1)

“And that… is our current situation.”

At the center of the colosseum, gathered within the battlefield where they had fought earlier,

Ethan Heart assembled the surviving hunters and laid everything bare before them …

the truth behind Old Ashvarn…

and the secret Jackson had revealed.

Jackson Heart stood off to the side, leaning against one of the stone walls of the stands,

watching from afar with that same hollow smile.

Curiosity flickered within him …

eager to see what kind of solution Ethan and the others might produce.

Ethan chose not to keep anything hidden.

He revealed everything to his comrades,

hoping that perhaps one of them could help him unravel this impossible dilemma.

But what met him in return…

was a long, suffocating silence.

“The solution is so simple…

yet we’re completely incapable of achieving it…”

For success, they needed to deliver the message to the elders outside …

to tell them the truth:

that entering the city would not turn them into monsters.

“With our current strength, clearing this legacy dungeon is impossible—even with Jackson’s help.

Which means the elders must enter…

and fight alongside us.”

Ethan spoke firmly, scanning each hunter present again and again.

“We need to find a way to make them aware of what we’ve discovered.

It seems impossible, since we can’t leave the city unless we defeat its boss…

but I’m certain there’s another way.”

“And finding that way…

is what I’m trying to do right now.”

“I need all of your help.”

He wanted them to think alongside him.

He was no saint, no invincible savior who could rescue them every time.

Deep down, he believed …

that together, they could find a way.

At first, silence lingered.

Then whispers began to spread among the hunters.

Barely twenty Hearts remained within the colosseum …

all of them at the Advanced rank…

with Jackson as the sole exception.

In other words …

every single one of them

was capable of making a difference.

Ideas began to emerge.

The first came from Chai Heart.

“What if we use my telepathy blessing?

If we somehow reach the edge of the city…

I might be able to send my voice outside.”

For a moment, it sounded promising.

Several hunters showed interest—

but Ethan shut it down immediately.

“That won’t work.”

“We don’t know where the city begins… or ends.

It’s become an infinite maze in every direction.”

North, south, east, west—

it didn’t matter.

The city would continue endlessly,

its buildings and monsters stretching without limit.

The only viable direction…

was inward—

toward the cathedral,

toward the depths.

“Any other ideas?”

Ethan asked, turning to the others,

unwilling to waste even a second—

especially with the Blood Eclipse curse drawing closer.

More suggestions came.

But one by one…

he rejected them all.

None were workable.

Some proposed creating massive explosions in the sky—like fireworks—

assuming the elders outside saw the same sky.

They forgot…

that it wasn’t a sky at all …but an artificial ceiling filled with lights.

Others suggested simply waiting …

believing the elders would eventually enter

once the hunters failed to return.

But that wasn’t a solution.

The Flame of Lord Vessel was reaching its limit.

The curse would soon erupt again ..

and when it did,

it would bring disaster upon the entire clan.

Then came even more absurd ideas—

digging underground tunnels, and worse—

until Ethan pressed a hand to his forehead,

feeling a trace of regret for ever believing

these hunters might offer something useful.

The foolish suggestions continued.

Jackson let out a quiet chuckle …

mocking the entire situation.

He had already expected failure…

but even then, they had managed to disappoint him further.

Time passed.

Ethan’s hope began to fade.

Until—

a young woman stepped forward.

“Um… excuse me…”

“I think… I may have found a solution.”

All eyes turned toward her instantly.

She was a hunter like the rest—

crimson eyes, pale skin—

but her coal-black hair resembled Luna Heart,

a sign of mixed blood.

Ethan studied her briefly,

then asked flatly …

“What’s your plan?”

This time, he held no expectations.

No hope.

Yet her answer—

caught even Jackson’s attention.

His eyes narrowed slightly,

his expression sharpening for the first time.

“We need to link the fire…

and connect it to the source.”

Silence fell.

Ethan thought for a moment—then replied:

“Explain.”

Seeing his interest,

the young hunter nodded and continued.

“It’s simple.”

“We create a new bonfire.”

“We ignite it using our ashes—

then link it to the Flame of Lord Vessel.”

“If we generate a fire strong enough…

the main flame will respond—

and burn even brighter in return.”

Ethan’s eyes widened …

understanding struck him instantly.

“That surge…”

“…would act as a signal.”

“A message… to those outside.”

It was barely a message at all.

All they would be doing…

was fueling the flame.

And yet—

it was the only way

to influence the outside world from within the city.

If they could sustain a fire powerful enough…

for long enough—

the elders would eventually realize

that the hunters were trying…

to send them a message.

“It might work…” Ethan whispered under his breath—

for the first time, he could see a glimmer of light.

At that very moment, Jackson Heart stepped into the discussion for the first time.

“Don’t get your hopes up so quickly, Ethan Heart.

It’s not as simple as you think.”

All eyes turned toward the giant,

as he pulled them back to reality.

“The girl’s plan is good …

in fact, it’s the only plan with any real chance of success.”

“But you new-generation hunters are underestimating us.”

His eyes glowed faintly as he continued.

“Do you think we never considered something like this before?

We had minds sharp enough to come up with the same idea.”

After Jackson and his comrades failed to defeat the Golden Dawn Knight,

after realizing victory was impossible—

they had attempted to send a message outside…

using this exact method.

And they had failed.

“To establish a new bonfire in cursed territory,

you must first purge the entire area …

every single monster within it.”

There were many such regions in Old Ashvarn …

but clearing even one of them

would require an entire army.

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