Part 1, Chapter 10, 25

I once had such a thought.

Seeing the Chaos Illusion Dragon unexpectedly awaken and become active first, I wondered if the other executives might not have already awakened and become active as well.

Just as Rusalka met Heo Yun-hwan in late 1999, the executives began their activities and fell asleep a whopping 20 years before the current year of 2020.

They had to sleep.

However, my prediction truly reached the worst possible outcome, and I had to face a battle with no less than three SS-rank monstrous humans right before my eyes.

“Hmm, shall we introduce ourselves first? Nice to meet you all. I am the Azure Flame Phoenix.”

“Look at that, nya. Isn’t that a strange way to greet, nya?”

Fenrir bared her teeth at me, even raising her tail. Her beast-like sharp fangs looked ready to tear out my throat at any moment.

“Why should I introduce myself to a bitch who stole someone else’s body? Hmph! But since we’ve met after so long, I’ll grant you the honor of hearing my noble name.”

The woman with long, straight black hair swept it back with her hand, then tossed her head with both hands, shouting cheerfully.

“Listen! You foolish one! The name of the Empress of the Night who rules over the pitch-black darkness! Open your ears wide and revere! I am-“

“Dark Dragon Azhdahak.”

“Yaaaaah!!”

Azhdahak shot a shadow at me. I snapped my fingers, illuminating the darkness that covered me with a blue light.

“You’re annoying! Infuriating! I’ll kill you!”

“I fully understand that right now, so that’s enough. Next.”

My gaze turned to the tall woman with tawny hair. Beneath her brown bob cut, which stood out clearly even in the darkness, deep tawny eyes glared at me with a squint.

“……It really seems you’re not the original. Fine. If you want to hear it so badly, I’ll tell you. Don’t interrupt me.”

“Understood.”

Perhaps wary of Azhdahak being called out, the tawny-haired woman even cleared her throat and placed a hand on her ample chest.

“The one who watches over the earth. The Earth Mother Goddess, source of all life. My name, who watches over this land, is-“

“Earth Ring Hydra.”

“…Azhdahak? Why are you introducing my name?”

Hydra shot a glare at Azhdahak. But Azhdahak snorted, pretending not to hear.

“Hmph. The introduction’s already ruined anyway, so what.”

“Are you already having internal strife?”

I twisted my lips into a sneer, looking at the three of them.

“For executives, you’re all missing a screw or two.”

“Oh my. Can you really afford to be so relaxed?”

Hydra tapped the ground with her heel. Sharp thorns shot out from the dirt, rushing towards me, and I burned away all the earthen thorns aimed at my face.

“I can afford to be relaxed, which is why I am.”

“Tch, how arrogant. Is that really a fake? From their actions, they’re not much different, are they?”

“They asked me to explain, nya.”

“Then it’s a fake. Hey. Phony. Hand over that body right now and get lost.”

Azhdahak threatened me by making a gesture of slitting her own throat. I was simply dumbfounded, but to resolve what I was curious about, I raised a hand to ask for a moment.

“This field is a battlefield you all cooperated to build, so why are you in such a hurry? Frankly, it’s like enemies are everywhere. Our conversation isn’t over yet.”

“…It really doesn’t seem to be the original. Seeing you try to talk first.”

What on earth had Azure Flame been doing to the executives and spirits? A sigh escaped me, but I forced it back, holding up three fingers.

“I’ll ask exactly three questions.”

“Fine. There are three of us, so I’ll listen.”

“Hey! Listen to what? I’m telling you, let’s just rip off their neck!”

Azhdahak growled, black mana rising around her body. Her mana, overflowing with ominous killing intent, truly seemed ready to separate my neck from my body, just as she said.

“Azhdahak. Aren’t you curious? How a spirit came to possess Phoenix’s body?”

“…….”

The spirit energy flowing through me was Azure Flame’s own, but they apparently lacked the ability to distinguish that.

“First question. Where is Gaetcheongwangma?”

“…….”

The first question was met with silence. I quickly realized why, seeing Azhdahak openly frown.

“Ah, so they’re not on your side? Pfft.”

“Don’t misunderstand, nya. That old lady is busy with other things right now, nya.”

“I’ll tell on you later for calling me an old lady.”

She must have gone on a training journey to seek out strong opponents. So, Gaetcheongwangma isn’t an enemy right now, meaning I only need to deal with the three in front of me.

“Then, next question.”

“Shouldn’t you at least answer our questions too?”

“How did you notice that I’m not ‘him’?”

My question was directed at Fenrir. I had exchanged this question once before, but my intention was, of course, a question about the problematic ‘prophecy’ Fenrir mentioned.

“The prophecy, could you explain it a bit?”

“It’s nothing much. You just came to each of us one by one before we fell asleep and warned us, nya. Saying that when you wake up, you might not be yourself, so be careful, nya.”

“……Tch.”

I didn’t understand it, but there was one strong suspicion. After resolving to interrogate Azure Flame based on that suspicion later, I asked my last question.

“Then, the last question.”

I folded and unfolded three fingers, smiling broadly.

“Do you think the three of you can beat me?”

“……Seriously, how arrogant. Is it Phoenix’s influence, perhaps?”

“That’s why I was unsure, nya. But they wouldn’t ask for help, so that one must be a fake, nya.”

“Ah, I don’t care. Real or whatever, shut up and die. Let’s just kill them first and then think.”

The three adopted battle stances. Hydra manipulated the ground beneath my feet, Fenrir created a whirlwind around her body, ready to charge, and Azhdahak hid her body in the darkness.

“So, you want to fight me as executives. Very well.”

I stepped forward with one foot, taking a stance. The three executives flinched at my fighting pose, like a martial artist.

“W-what is it? Are you going to fight with your fists?”

“Yes. Speaking as an executive….”

I swept my gaze over the three executives and smiled faintly.

“I’ll show you exactly why Phoenix holds the position of leader and overall commander among the executives.”

The reason is simple.

“Because I’m a bit strong.”

Ah.

Not just a bit.

Very strong.

* * *

After falling into this world, I intuitively understood my own limits.

As a human, an S+ equivalent of 95.

As a monstrous human, an SS+ equivalent of 99.

I could rampage with stats equivalent to an end boss from the start, but I had never once used my true ‘full power’ until now.

Seok Harang, who was a hard counter in terms of attributes, I overwhelmingly defeated when he was S-rank, and now we share the same fate.

Gwanggeom, who was a formidable foe in terms of Ultimate Skills, I broke his spirit and seized victory. I used a little power in that process, but I never truly used my power to its fullest.

Against Jilpungek, Chaos Illusion Dragon, Shaolin, or any other monster, I never used the full power of the ‘Azure Flame Phoenix’; instead, I used the power I had learned as the original protagonist.

Fire Fist.

Not a fake like Lee Seung-hyung, but only the martial art of the true great hero who sacrificed his life to stop the monster Nucleon in Pyongyang.

However, the enemies who trapped me before my eyes are not opponents for such martial arts.

They are those who wield superpowers: manipulating wind, controlling earth, and launching surprise attacks from the darkness.

Therefore, I decided to unleash my true power in earnest.

To be clear about one thing.

The Azure Flame Phoenix is the strongest fire mage in the world.

Not a martial artist.

* * *

The air grows hot. The ground dries up and cracks, becoming brittle. The thick darkness is gradually losing ground to the blue light.

“Hnyaaaah!!”

Fenrir shrieked, conjuring wind. The swirling vortexes, front, back, left, and right, were sharp enough to grind my body to dust just by touching them.

“Above is empty, isn’t it?”

I pushed off the ground and leaped into the air. The four-pronged wind blades shot out and collided where I had been.

“I was aiming for that, nya!”

Fenrir extended a hand and raised a finger upwards. The converged wind blades now created an updraft, heading towards where I was.

“Hmph.”

I flew into the sky faster than the rising wind. It would have been great if I could have shot straight up and escaped the barrier, but the deep lake, devoid of sunlight, was entirely a domain of darkness.

“Ohhohoho!”

A sharp laugh pierced my ears. Azhdahak materialized from the darkness, swinging her sharp claws.

Fwoosh!

I swung the veil wrapped around my neck, driving Azhdahak away. But Azhdahak had already vanished from in front of me and taken up position behind me.

“Die!”

Thud. Azhdahak’s claws stabbed my back. Azhdahak was both delighted and surprised that her attack had succeeded.

“Of course I let you hit me.”

I grabbed Azhdahak’s face with my hand. Before she could melt into the darkness, I poured mana into my hand and scattered flames.

“Kyaaaak!!”

Azhdahak, with her face aflame, vanished into the darkness.

“Where do you think you’re flying off to!”

No sooner had I driven Azhdahak away than pillars shot up from the ground. The earthen pillars moved like snakes, coiling around my ankles.

“Hmph!”

I pulled my uncaptured heel forward and kicked the snake’s head. As I shattered the snake’s head with mana, Hydra, who was controlling the earth, frowned and became angry.

“How dare you touch my child!”

“Child, my ass.”

I unleashed flames from my entire body. Azhdahak, who had just recovered her face and was about to claw mine, rolled through the air, her entire body on fire.

“Aaaah!!”

Azhdahak screamed again and fled into the darkness. But this time, I wouldn’t let her escape.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Heueeuk?!”

I grabbed Azhdahak’s long, straight hair. Azhdahak’s face turned pale as soon as her hair was grabbed, and I used that brief hesitation to pull Azhdahak out of the darkness.

“Did you think you could win just because it’s dark?”

“L-let go, you crazy bitch!!”

“Who are you calling a crazy bitch?”

As soon as Azhdahak was caught, wind surged. This time, a fairly strong vortex raged from all directions.

“It’s incredibly sharp.”

“I-Iiiik!!”

Azhdahak tried to free herself by tearing at my wrist with her claws. Indeed, like an executive, she succeeded in piercing through the mana shield flowing around my body and digging in her claws. Red blood spurted from my wrist, splattering onto Azhdahak’s face.

“This is why those who don’t know how to fight are fools.”

“What?”

Azhdahak glared at me venomously, but before that, she had to escape from me somehow. The wind blades shot by Fenrir covered my body from all sides.

Slice! Slice!

The wind blades cut my clothes. Thin lacerations appeared all over my body, and blood splattered. But at the same time, before the wind blades rising from below to cut my wrist could reach me, I tightened my grip and pulled hard.

Slice.

Azhdahak stared at me with an incredulous expression. Even though she could have broken free from me and fled into the darkness, she remained frozen in the darkness, dumbfounded.

“If you want to complain, complain to Kim Fenrir.”

I burned Azhdahak’s hair, which was clutched in my hand, with Azure Flame. While Fenrir was flustered and an ominous aura flowed from Azhdahak’s face, the earth snakes that Hydra had raised into the air coiled around my ankles.

“Die!”

With Hydra’s venomous cry, I was dragged down to the ground. Even if I tried to defy gravity and fly into the sky, Fenrir and Azhdahak restrained me from both sides, preventing me from ascending.

“Die, just shut up and die, you wicked bitch!”

“If you keep swearing, I’ll get angry, you know?”

“Who’s in a position to get angry?!”

Azhdahak, perhaps wary of being caught once, began to restrain me from a distance even in her rage. Thick darkness rose like clouds, eating away at my right wing.

“That’s exactly the kind of vicious thought a bitch who burns Mint Chocolate would have, nya.”

“It was your wind blades that cut it, though.”

“That’s what makes you vicious, nya!”

Fenrir also created a vortex, shaving away my left wing. My left and right flame wings were chipped away by the executives’ attacks from the outside, and I was helplessly dragged to the ground and restrained.

“I was originally going to make you bald, but-“

“Your mouth just won’t stop! You won’t come to your senses until I rip that mouth apart!”

Hydra manipulated the river-soaked mud like snakes, binding my limbs.

“You’re making things difficult, nya.”

“I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you. No, I’ll make you my subordinate for life, so that even death isn’t truly death.”

Azhdahak, whose hair was now bobbed, unleashed her fury at me with reptilian, slit eyes. Hydra, seemingly having no intention of stopping her rage, slowly approached, burying my body deeper and deeper into the ground.

“How about it? Have you come to your senses now?”

“Haa.”

I couldn’t control the sigh that escaped me. I don’t know how they interpreted my sigh, but one thing is certain.

“Azhdahak is truly useless.”

“You, you, you!!!”

“If Gaetcheongwangma had been here instead of you, it would have been truly dangerous.”

“……!! Fenrir!”

Hydra understood my meaning and extended her hand. Fenrir raised her hand high and slashed downwards, as if to cut me, restraints and all, while I was buried in the earth.

Slice!

My right arm was severed. A fountain of red blood spurted from the earth.

“What?”

“You were bluffing-“

Click.

My severed right hand snapped its fingers. At the same time, I released all the mana that had been moving unstably, using my right arm as a medium.

“A human body is ultimately a mana body.”

“What are you talking about…!”

“I thought Azhdahak would get angry and try to cut my hair. But this isn’t bad either.”

My right arm began to seethe and bubble. I smiled faintly at the three of them, gesturing with my right arm.

“Don’t you know that greetings start with an Ultimate Skill?”

A massive burst of light began to erupt from the unstably wriggling right arm.

And then.

“Boom! Pfft.”

In the middle of the Caspian Sea.

An atomic bomb exploded on the island Hydra had created.

□□□□□□□□□!!!