Part 1 Chapter 6 (24)

While Gawain bought time against the Heroes, Oracle and Beacon also concluded their heated debate.

Beacon explained the justification for trying to stop the Chinese Heroes, even revealing the top-secret information that they could control monsters. Oracle, catching parts that aligned with her own prophecies, managed to secure an agreement.

The SS-rank monster Nucleon. An agreement was reached where the Azure Syndicate would manage the northern part of the Korean Peninsula and prioritize dealing with the monster to prevent it from awakening from its eternal slumber in Pyongyang, in exchange for stopping the Chinese government-specifically Mao Zeping-from conquering that land.

And a secret alliance was formed to unite their strength and defeat the Seongju who would arrive from outer space on the coming Day of Ruin.

From the Round Table’s perspective, it wasn’t a bad deal, so it was acceptable. However, from the Azure Syndicate’s perspective, who brokered the deal, it was a considerably disadvantageous agreement.

“Don’t try to pull a fast one. Who doesn’t know that if things go south, you’ll wake that monster up and cause chaos for everyone?”

Oracle pinpointed the blind spot of the agreement. It was literally handing the nuclear button to the Azure Syndicate, so Oracle realized that a minimum deterrent was needed for the Korean Peninsula, which had lost its control.

“Then how about sending one Round Table member to Korea?”

“No. Make it three.”

“Then we will designate all three.”

“Get lost. Do you want to be stuck with Gawain?”

After countless growls back and forth between one and three, they agreed to dispatch two, the middle ground.

Thus, their agreement concluded, and Gawain, hearing the explanation, breathed a sigh of relief. With the emergence of the Dimensional Gate, the Chinese Heroes’ justification for advancing into Pyongyang was broken.

“Are you saying we should attack the Pyongyang monster, which massacred Korea’s S-ranks, with a Dimensional Gate right in front of us?!”

“Gawain, reveal the truth immediately! What is the Round Table’s relationship with those villains!”

The Chinese Heroes did not give up. Although they were originally affiliated with China’s association or the central party, they ‘initially’ claimed to be a militia assembled by their own will.

Even if it came down to a national level, individuals descending on Pyongyang on their own responsibility was something the Round Table couldn’t openly confront.

“Or is it safe to assume this is not the will of the Round Table, but the will of Sir Gawain, Knight of the Queen?!”

“Britain dreams of the revival of old North Korea! That’s why they sent Gawain to block our path like this!”

“No! You cannot defeat the Pyongyang monster with your strength!”

Gawain regretted his words the moment they left his mouth. He had openly disregarded the Chinese Heroes, who were particularly proud among Heroes, and quickly shook his head.

“It’s a misunderstanding! I had no such intention-“

“Let’s show them our strength!”

“Cowardly Round Table, get lost! We will show you the power of the people!”

“Uwaaaaaaaah!!!!”

Hundreds of Heroes began leaping across the river. A distance of about 1km was not a big problem for A-rank Heroes.

“Gah?!”

Gawain drew Galatine but couldn’t easily attack them. Whether it was the Round Table or Heroes from Britain, Gawain had no justification whatsoever to stop these Heroes.

“So noisy. Chattering away.”

Undine, standing beside Gawain, extended her hand. The ice crystals spreading from Undine’s hand froze the entire river the moment they touched it.

“……!”

All the Heroes stopped in their tracks. Heroes swimming in the river were all frozen solid, and Heroes running across the river using lightfoot technique were halted by the monster army filling the sky.

“Undine! What is this-“

“If they don’t listen, you have to subdue them by force. Children, if you’ve come to your senses, go block the Dimensional Gate right now.”

Undine tapped her wrist. The Chinese Heroes hesitated, glancing at each other. Meanwhile, Lin Lei, who had been hiding, quickly reported the situation.

[Retreat.]

The message from Bong Hyo was still brief, but its meaning was clear. However, there was one thing that needed to be explicitly mentioned, so Lin Lei sought Bong Hyo’s opinion again.

[What should we do about Unjang-nim?]

[Discard.]

[Pardon? What do you mean?]

[……I said discard him, you idiot.]

Lin Lei let out a sigh of relief.

It was better to be an idiot who couldn’t understand her superior’s words than to be discarded like a hunting dog after the hunt when responsibility arose later. Lin Lei quickly whispered to the surrounding Dongchang Heroes.

“The Admiral has ordered a retreat. We are abandoning Unjang-nim.”

“Pardon? …Yes.”

They had questions, but they shouldn’t have questions. The Dongchang Heroes quickly scattered again and incited the other Heroes.

“Pyongyang can be conquered at any time! But the Dimensional Gate can only be stopped now, not later!”

“For the ten million residents of Xi’an, we must rush there immediately! Remember, that woman is not Unjang! Unjang-nim would never fall so easily!”

Most of the Heroes looked confused, but the principle that they had to go stop the Dimensional Gate made them turn back.

Before turning away, Lin Lei glared at Gawain and Undine and left a message.

“We will not forget today’s humiliation. Especially you, Snow Woman…. I will definitely bring this issue up with the Kremlin.”

“Go ahead. My uncle will be pleased.”

“Undine?! Ah, no! This is absolutely not a declaration of war!”

While Gawain desperately tried to mediate, the Heroes had already left. Undine clenched and unclenched her hand, restoring the frozen river to its original state, and the frozen Heroes emerged from the river and retreated to Shenyang.

Having confirmed the Chinese Heroes’ departure, Undine uncorked a bottle of vodka and grumbled irritably.

“……Aren’t you going to let go now?”

“Huh?”

[You could take more, couldn’t you?]

Whoosh. A monstrous human in black armor appeared next to Undine. Gawain was shocked that he hadn’t noticed a presence just three meters away, but even more so, he was mesmerized by the density of mana emanating from the opponent.

The monstrous human, Phoenix, had a hand placed on Undine’s shoulder. Undine had frozen the river with mana obtained from Phoenix.

“That’s enough. Don’t even think about implanting a Divided Spirit in me. That really feels disgusting.”

[Tch. What a waste.]

Phoenix removed his hand from Undine. Undine immediately brushed off her shoulder and turned to Gawain.

“Captain. You worked hard. Even though you didn’t do anything.”

“Who, who is this person, no, this being next to you?”

Undine pondered for a moment before giving a clear answer.

“The murderer who killed my husband?”

“……Huh?”

As Gawain was surprised, Undine quickly changed her words.

“Just kidding. A joke. He’s a villain, the worst trash in the world. I don’t want to be involved with him, but he’s an old nemesis I can’t avoid.”

“That’s a problem in itself.”

The pink-haired Oracle approached with quick steps. Beacon followed behind her. Neither of their expressions looked particularly satisfied.

“What are we going to do now? The Round Table has practically joined hands with villains. Even if Ice-chan and I can handle things here, China will surely cause a fuss once the Dimensional Gate is suppressed.”

“Then Unjang…. Oh, right.”

Gawain slapped his forehead. He should have realized it the moment they abandoned Unjang, who was held hostage.

“This is serious. As soon as the Dimensional Gate is suppressed, Mao Zeping will try to start a war.”

“Let him. I was already annoyed he kept asking me to marry him, so this is a good chance to sweep them all away. Didn’t I tell you? My uncle will be pleased.”

“War is unacceptable! If humanity fights among itself, we cannot prepare for the Day of Ruin! Please calm down!”

While Gawain tried to calm Undine down after her radical statement, Oracle watched Phoenix exchanging words with Beacon.

‘That’s it. That bird that keeps appearing in my dreams.’

A being not mentioned in prophecies. But some scenes vaguely came to mind. The helmet on its head clearly resembled that bird.

The blue-flamed bird that burns the earth.

‘Then what about that girl?’

Oracle’s face flushed. She shook her head vigorously, trying to forget the naughty dreams that had popped into her mind. Pricking up her ears, she eavesdropped on their conversation, and it seemed the ones calling themselves the Azure Syndicate were also worried about war.

“What do we do now? Once it’s done, doing it two or three more times will be easy, won’t it?”

“We have to stop it. But we won’t start a war with Korea. Wouldn’t it be better to make them start a war with us?”

[We’ll just have to hope the Dimensional Gate’s disturbance grows larger.]

“That’s crazy talk. If that happens, everyone will die-“

Oracle gasped. The Azure Syndicate’s gaze, especially the monstrous human’s, fell upon her. Only then did Oracle realize she had inadvertently blurted out her thoughts.

“Oh my, the little one has quite a mouth on her.”

The masked woman, Phantom, leaned forward and met Oracle’s gaze. Oracle gulped, feeling the presence revealed through her flowing coat.

“Are you talking about my kid just now?”

“Kid?”

Oracle pointed at the monstrous human with her eyes. Phantom pouted as if to ask what she was asking.

“Of course. He’s the only one among us who talks crazy.”

“…So you admit it’s crazy talk. Then. When a Dimensional Gate opens, people dying is common, but you’re going to make the disturbance even bigger just to stop a war?”

At Oracle’s words, Phantom straightened her back. It wasn’t exactly wrong, so she didn’t deny it.

However.

“Don’t covet what belongs to others.”

Phantom made a fist and lightly tapped Oracle’s forehead. Oracle was dumbfounded. Beacon and the monstrous human were equally surprised.

“You hit Oracle just for that?”

“Just for that, you say. …Oracle? Is she Oracle? The Round Table’s prophet?”

“What do you take me for…. Hey! You all should know you’re alive because of me! You all survived thanks to my prophecies about monster appearances!”

Thump! Phantom hit her a little harder this time. Tears welled up in Oracle’s eyes from indignation.

“Why are you hitting me!”

“Because you’re despicable. It’s revenge for a future Hollywood superstar who died because someone didn’t do their job properly.”

“Bullshit. I’m a major shareholder in Hollywood studios, you know? If there was an actor like that, I would have seduced them and made them a top star long ago.”

“……What are you talking about. A prophet worse than the weather forecast.”

Leaving Oracle and Phantom bickering, the other four gathered in one place.

Gawain of the Round Table, Undine. Beacon and Phoenix of the Azure Syndicate. As Gawain was present, Beacon took the lead in the conversation.

“Please do not forget the agreement.”

“…You too. It is an alliance solely to defeat the monster of prophecy. The Round Table will never condone the evil deeds of villains. Even this time-“

“The Round Table moves for world peace, right? Did we commit evil deeds? We just stopped a nuclear bomb from exploding in Pyongyang before it could awaken, didn’t we?”

Gawain couldn’t retort. Deceptively, the Azure Syndicate had only taken the Chinese Heroes hostage; they hadn’t killed anyone.

“Though it seems there’s one child whose spirit has died.”

Undine scoffed, looking at Phoenix. Gawain and Beacon’s gazes fell on the woman who was holding Jeokto’s reins right beside them.

“Are you alright, Unjang?”

Gawain asked with concern in his voice, but Unjang remained silent. Unjang held her glaive and pointed it at Phoenix.

“……!”

Beacon stepped back in surprise, and Phantom quickly flicked her tentacles, flying over. Only Undine and Phoenix remained calm in the face of such clear provocation. Unjang, who had been glaring at Phoenix, parted her tightly sealed lips.

“It is only natural for the victor to take the vanquished’s head.”

Unjang lowered her spear. The tip of the spear shaft touched Phoenix’s hand.

“Strike me down. I am a person with no value left to live.”

“Calm down, Unjang! What do you mean, no value to live?”

Phoenix grasped the spear shaft. The blade of the glaive touched Unjang’s neck. Unjang calmly closed her eyes.

[Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war.]

“……!”

Unjang opened her eyes in surprise. It was a remark she never expected from the one who had defeated her in a single blow. Flames erupted from Phoenix’s hand, engulfing the glaive, and Unjang’s glaive immediately turned into molten metal and fell to the ground.

[That’s what my martial arts master used to say when I lost. If you give up after one defeat, you’ll never win.]

“Ah.”

Tears welled up in Unjang’s eyes. Phantom subtly poked Phoenix’s side with the tip of a tentacle.

“Hey. You’re not saying she’s also-“

“He’s become quite human. Even telling ridiculous lies. Isn’t that right?”

As Undine scoffed with a look that suggested she had seen something she shouldn’t have, Phoenix shrugged. When Phantom’s gaze turned to Undine, Undine immediately raised only her left ring finger.

“Don’t worry, child. I’m a married woman.”

“You’re the one lying. You’re single.”

Gawain’s head throbbed from the confusion caused by conflicting information and lack of communication. Who was related to whom, who was telling the truth and who was lying, it made his head ache.

“Stop!”

Thump! Gawain plunged Galatine into the ground, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Enough chitchat! Let’s move to Xi’an now. We’ve wasted enough time. If we delay any longer, a Fire Dragon might pop out, like in Seoul’s case.”

“That one looks more like a Fire Dragon.”

Oracle pointed at the Black Flame Dragon chasing away Heroes across the river. Sensing that the conversation was about to go off-topic again, Beacon quickly interjected.

“The rest will be left to the Round Table-“

[Xiaolin.]

Phoenix called Xiaolin. The flat, voiceless tone made Xiaolin lose herself, thinking it was gentle and kind.

[I will always give you a chance. It is not yet time for you to lay down your weapon.]

A Mini Phoenix, having flown from its nest, descended, folding its wings onto Phoenix’s raised hand. The Mini Phoenix immediately transformed into flames and then into a glaive similar to Unjang’s.

[Go and stop the Dimensional Gate. Unless you lay down your weapon yourself….]

Phoenix gripped the glaive in Unjang’s hand and pointed west.

[I will accept your challenge anytime. Train hard, rookie.]

“……Hmph. I’ve only lost once.”

Unjang wiped her tears with her sleeve and gripped the glaive. Mounting Jeokto, Unjang clutched the reins and vowed.

“I might challenge you dozens, hundreds of times in the future. Will you be alright?”

[Of course. If you fail to close the Dimensional Gate….]

Phoenix approached Xiaolin, pulled her head, and whispered into her ear.

[I will train you until you beg me to kill you.]

“……Hup!”

Unjang hastily pulled the reins. Jeokto quickly moved its feet and disappeared to the west. Its appearance, as if fleeing, caused a moment of silence among the ability users.

“……That’s it. I’m leaving now.”

Undine emptied the remaining vodka and waved her hand. Gawain called out to Undine in surprise.

“W-what do you mean, leaving like this?”

“I don’t know. I can’t stand to watch it. They’re having such a blast. While someone else is left alone in an empty room after losing her husband.”

[…Come here for a moment.]

Phoenix took Undine and disappeared far away. After exchanging words they hadn’t had a chance to say, Undine kicked Phoenix’s shin with a flushed face.

“Are you even human?! You malicious beast!”

[…That wasn’t my idea. I was just going to kill him.]

“That’s even worse! …Oh, wait. Then maybe-“

[…He said so himself.]

They couldn’t hear from a distance. But seeing Undine’s expression change from surprise to anger, then almost crying, and finally blushing like a maiden, gave them some idea of what was being said.

“Was Undine always so expressive?”

“I’ve never seen her so flustered either.”

Gawain was puzzled, and Phantom was sulking. Their atmospheres were as opposite as fire and ice, but there was an invisible understanding between them that Phantom couldn’t intrude upon.

“You said you were Beacon, right? Those monsters in the nest, they really don’t attack people? They don’t, like, poop on them or anything?”

“Yes. I’ve thoroughly commanded them to only hunt monsters. There will absolutely be no such incidents. …Probably.”

Mini Phoenixes were still huddled together in the nest. As long as that nest was embedded by the Amnok River, anyone trying to cross into Pyongyang by land would be chased away by the Mini Phoenixes.

“I’d like to uproot that thing if I could….”

“If you did, you’d be advertising the danger of the Pyongyang monster to the whole world. Please be patient until we can safely remove it. Even the Round Table wouldn’t be able to handle it.”

Oracle bit her lip. Beacon’s words were incredibly arrogant, but there was nothing she could say because they were true.

“Just you wait. I will definitely repay today’s humiliation.”

“As you wish.”

Beacon subtly checked his watch. Time had already passed, reaching 6:30. Phoenix approached Phantom, who was kicking the ground, clearly uncomfortable.

“……What about that lady?”

[She’s an old woman. She went to see her husband.]

“Oh? Is she really married? Not related to you or anything?”

[I’ll tell you when we get back. I need to sort things out myself.]

Phantom turned her head, her face brightening. Her drooping tentacles shimmered again, regaining their vitality. Phoenix wrapped an arm around Phantom’s waist and turned to the two Round Table members.

[Don’t forget what will happen the moment you set foot on this land.]

“You too, be careful. The moment you cause a ruckus in someone else’s country, an atomic bomb will drop on your head.”

“……A secret alliance against the Seongju. I acknowledge that far. But if you commit evil deeds.”

Gawain pulled Galatine, which he had plunged into the ground.

“My sword will cut you down. Even if it means my death.”

[I look forward to it. It seems I’ll be going to England soon too.]

Phoenix embraced Phantom and leaped into the air. The Black Flame Dragon, which had been intercepting Heroes across the river, was now carrying a mouth full of Cores and picked up Phoenix in mid-air.

“……I trust you will keep your promise, Round Table.”

Beacon grabbed the ankle of a Mini Phoenix that flew above him. The Mini Phoenix then soared high into the sky, dropping Beacon onto the Black Flame Dragon’s back.

□□□□□□!!

The Black Flame Dragon roared and powerfully spread its wings, flying south. At the triumphant roar, Oracle and Gawain looked at each other and laughed hollowly.

“We were taken advantage of right before our eyes.”

“Do you think they planned this from the beginning?”

“I don’t know. But one thing is certain, isn’t it? They don’t want the world to end either.”

Oracle pointed at the nest. Mini Phoenixes returning from afar were carrying monster carcasses in their beaks, returning to the nest.

“And they trust us enough to just leave that there-“

[Excuse me.]

Phoenix suddenly appeared and plunged into the nest. After retrieving something very small, Phoenix spread his wings again and quickly disappeared.

“……Right?”

“…Still, I’m uneasy. Someone is needed to restrain him.”

“Right. In that sense, you know.”

Oracle brought up a screen and pushed it towards Gawain. The situation in Busan, connected through Jilpungek, was visible at a glance.

“How about bringing this unnie into our team as the 13th member?”

The screen showed Seolhwa Princess struggling to melt the sea she had frozen.

Flap. A Mini Phoenix flying in the sky accidentally dropped a monster carcass on Oracle’s head. Oracle picked up the monster’s entrails from her head and threw them to the ground.

“Hey. Let’s just uproot that thing and go. No, should I mark the coordinates? So we can drop a Tomahawk here.”

“Calm down, Oracle!”

The prophecy was fulfilled.

Dandong Side, End.