Part 1, Chapter 11, 16

If there was one being in this world who could defeat the Azure Flame Phoenix, it was only Seongju, the one who brainwashed the Azure Flame Phoenix.

And that Seongju seemed to be moving faster than in the original story.

Because of me.

Because I destroyed the God of War’s remains.

So, when would Seongju arrive now?

I didn’t know.

December 25, 2025, according to the prophecy, was merely the day Seongju arrived on the moon in the original story; Seongju’s departure date was not specifically set.

‘There’s only one thing left for me to do.’

Hoping that Seongju would arrive late was wishful thinking. Perhaps the ark had already departed, or Seongju might not have even noticed that the God of War had disappeared yet.

‘If only I had a way to track Seongju’s movements.’

Unfortunately, Seongju was a real alien who came riding an ark-that is, a spaceship.

One fortunate thing was that they could be observed at least ‘five months in advance.’

The signs of Seongju approaching Earth could not be missed. So, thinking that I only had three months left, I had to accelerate my movements.

‘It’s okay. I can do it. Haven’t I awakened Seok Harang and Hwanryong since starting in April?’

I couldn’t die.

I couldn’t let the Azure Flame Phoenix inside me die. I couldn’t let it be brainwashed by Seongju again, degenerate into a monster that leads other worlds to ruin, and then face a future where it’s defeated by the protagonist and fated to perish.

‘For now, let’s hide the fact that Seongju is coming.’

The Round Table had also decided to reveal the prophecy that destruction would come in 2025.

But if I were to shout, ‘It’s not 2025, it’s 2020!’ the world would fall into even greater chaos.

Because ‘Five years left until the end of the world!’ and

‘Five months left until the end of the world!’ feel distinctly different.

As soon as I get a signal that the ark is moving, I need to seek help from all over the world.

‘To do that, I need to deal with the executives first.’

I first flew to Seoul to prepare for my trip to India, where Karna would be waiting.

* * *

20th, 7 AM, Azure Syndicate Hideout Conference Room in Yeouido.

After enjoying a date that wasn’t quite a date, greeting the sunrise with the Azure Flame Phoenix, and having used up all the cubes in my possession, I summoned the Azure Syndicate executives.
Even though they were urgently summoned before breakfast, the executives gathered in the conference room. Only Beacon, who was sulking, grumbled at me.

“I’m the leader now, aren’t I…?”
……I wanted to punch him, but if I showed impatience, the executives would also become confused. As always, I feigned my usual demeanor and flicked Beacon’s forehead with mana.

“So, are you upset?”

“No…. I will follow your orders.”

Kim Ji-hwa’s coup was quickly suppressed, and based on the information I received from Seok Harang, I advocated for the trip to India.
“Gaetcheongwangma Karna is in India. He gave a cube to Seok Harang.”
“Why India, of all places?”
“Why did he give a cube?”
“I don’t know. I’ll only know if I ask him directly. Seok Harang said he just gave it as a gift and then disappeared.”
Only the fact that he was ‘in India’ had been confirmed; I still knew nothing else.
“Still, to get even a clue, we’ll have to go to India, right?”
“The boss knows his appearance, right? Then we can ask around or do whatever.”
“Other executives might come to India to catch Karna. An all-out war might break out.”
While there were various opinions on the details, the Azure Syndicate executives had no major objections to going after Karna, whose whereabouts had been identified.
“So, who will you bring with you? Are you planning to only take Deokbae and Gaeul, like last time?”
“No. It’s a little different this time.”

Unlike when I went to catch Hwanryong last time, the participants were a bit different this time. At the very least, I wasn’t foolish enough to not learn from my past failures.
“First, Haneulseong and Architect are…”
As I called out their aliases, Architect raised his hand first. Our eyes met, and he already knew what I was thinking.

“Boss. Haneulseong and I will be on standby in Seoul. You still need to build the university you talked about.”

“Yes, that’s right. Galaxy University, please make sure it can start by September at the latest. It would be even better if you could move it up.”
“I’ve already built all the buildings. Haneulseong, now it’s just your part, isn’t it?”
“That’s right. Leader, don’t worry. I also used to teach at a university. I’ll try to move it up so we can start in August, not September for the second semester. Hahaha.”
“I’m counting on you. Coordinate well with Eun Yuha, and if anything happens, please take care of Seoul.”

Whenever I left Seoul with the combatants, the two of them always remained in Seoul to guard the base of operations.
“Haneulseong, I’m sorry. I keep taking away your opportunities to participate in battle.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Hahaha. Instead, when the university is built, please arrange plenty of sparring opportunities. If I fight against Heroes, I’m sure I can become S-rank.”
“I can certainly do that for you.”
It was regrettable that Haneulseong, a combatant, was constantly left out of the battlefield, but it was unavoidable for the administration of Seoul.
“Next.”
My finger pointed at Beacon. Beacon swallowed hard, his face full of anticipation.

“Beacon will also be on standby.”
“Yes.”
Beacon had expected to remain in Seoul and readily accepted my instructions.
“I’m not someone who moves around, after all. What would happen if a lighthouse left the harbor? While you’re away, I will protect Seoul as acting leader.”
“But you’re the leader of the Azure Syndicate.”
“Haha, once a leader, always a leader. I am the leader of the Hunter Guild Azure Syndicate, and aren’t you the leader of the Villain organization Azure Syndicate?”
“Enough with the wordplay. Alright, Haneulseong and Architect will guard from the outside, and Beacon will assist from the rear.”

Beacon had grown to A-rank in terms of ability, and was a commander who oversaw all of the Azure Syndicate’s forces-from members, monsters, monstrous humans, to executives-and deployed them appropriately.
“With Beacon’s ability, he can now see all of Seoul even while lying down.”
Although it wasn’t a talent as a commander, Kim Ji-hwa’s ability to create a pseudo-commander effect with Beacon’s supernatural power could not be ignored.

“…Perhaps I can have a mock battle with Baek Hee-ah later.”

“Am I that good? Hehe, someday I’ll even beat the Praetor, let alone the leader-”
No sooner had I praised him than Beacon grinned and shrugged his shoulders. I flicked a flame again and hit Beacon’s forehead.

“I’m telling you not to get complacent just because you’ve reached a certain level. There’s always a higher heaven above the sky. You’re still very lacking.”

Naturally, he was far inferior to Baek Hee-ah, the heroine.
“I will strive harder…. Still, for you to finally entrust the entire Azure Syndicate to me, Leader-nim. I’m overwhelmed with emotion.”
“What’s there to be so moved about?”
Kim Ji-hwa quickly became sullen but calmly accepted my assessment of his capabilities. Now it was time to give instructions to the other executives.
“The rest.”
I gave instructions all at once.

“Gungseong, Phantom, Heukyeomryong, and Cheonghwa will participate in the trip to India as guild members of the Hunter Guild .”

“Leaving aside Gaeul-nim and me, Heukyeomryong and Cheonghwa too?”
Gungseong turned his head to me with a look of considerable surprise. He seemed surprised not only that he was being deployed as a combatant but also by the fact that Heukyeomryong and Cheonghwa were participating.
“So you’re planning to go to India directly after all.”

“Yes. And if I visit India as Villain Phoenix again, I’ll have to at least pretend to fight on the surface.”
It would be better to visit India as Cheonghwa and then transform and fight in an emergency. While I’m transformed into a monstrous human, Gaeul will take Cheonghwa’s place.
“Outwardly, Cheonghwa and the Association’s Heroes are going to subjugate foreign monsters. Fortunately, there are many dormant S-rank monsters in India.”
Dark-attribute S-rank Yaksha.
Wind-attribute S-rank Kinnara.
Fire-attribute S-rank Garuda.

Unfortunately, unlike in China, there were no monsters with cubes, but it would be a good pretext for Cheonghwa to enter India.

“The reason for bringing Heukyeomryong is a secret. Just think of him as a secret weapon. A kind of joker card?”

“You could make him a Core and take him, but…”
“Can I see monsters fighting each other again? I’m kind of looking forward to it.”
……There was another reason for bringing Heukyeomryong, but it was true that Heukyeomryong was a suitable talent for dealing with monsters. I finished giving instructions to Heukyeomryong and turned my gaze to the last remaining person.

“What about me?”
“You’re the extra.”
“No jokes. Am I staying, or am I going with you?”

Deokbae pointed at himself with an incredulous look. I gave him a wide smile and assigned him a role.

“Do you prefer shoelaces, or insoles like last time?”

“Hey, you.”

“I’m kidding.”
As Deokbae had also reached B-rank and gained a new combat style, he would truly play an active role as an executive of the Dark Legion.
“You’re participating too. Your position is…”
If he were asking about participating as a ‘combatant’, it would be a different story.
“The cargo hold.”
“What are you talking about? Am I being treated like cargo?”
“Yes. Because there’s no weapon as effective as you. Hehehe.”

Strictly speaking, Deokbae was more appropriately categorized as rather than an ability user.
“Your head is so smooth that the grip is quite excellent. Subordinate No. 2, don’t bother trying to catch monsters the hard way; just gain experience when I use you as a weapon.”
“Haa, it’s true, so I can’t say anything. Tsk.”
The Deokbae-bat I favored in China was truly perfect for smashing enemy skulls. And with that Deokbae-bat, I vowed inwardly that I would someday hit Hydra’s butt.

“Now there’s one last person left.”

I quickly scanned the executives. I told everyone to come out, but Gwanggeom seemed to be insolently holed up in his room, just drinking alcohol.

“Where’s Gwanggeom? Is he trying to die again?”

“Hey. That old man must be a mess inside right now, you know?”
Deokbae spoke with a voice of concern for Gwanggeom. I found his attitude of caring for Gwanggeom quite distasteful. Since when did he care about Gwanggeom?

“What are you talking about? Did he get wasted again?”

“……No, Gwanggeom didn’t drink, but…”

Gaeul covered her mouth with her hand and tapped her wrist. For some reason, I thought I smelled a faint scent of alcohol on Gaeul’s breath.

“An article came out late last night. You stayed out overnight yesterday, so I couldn’t tell you.”
“Yesterday? Night?”
“Yes. When you went to talk with Seok Harang.”
“I didn’t contact you separately because it seemed like you were having an important meeting. The importance of the matter wasn’t that high, and more than anything, I was comforting Gwanggeom-nim…”

Gaeul pulled out a newspaper article from her Mado Gear. I immediately understood why Gwanggeom was holed up in his room after reading the content.
– Announces Sudden Engagement.

“……You should have at least sent a text.”
If I had known, I would have at least prepared myself. I felt like I was swept away by a wave of variables, one misfortune after another, and became lost.

“It’s not a problem you can solve just by knowing. I was just about to tell you this morning.”
“Well, that’s good. …So, what’s the content?”

Less than a day had passed since the article was published.

“Tsk. I thought something was strange ever since Rusalka said she was returning to her home country.”

Was it because I focused too much on the Association and the executives? I never imagined a variable would pop up from somewhere like this.
“This was the agenda item we intended to discuss at today’s regular meeting, but…”
“Isn’t this like two problems overlapping at once? Ugh, this has become difficult.”
In terms of importance, going to catch Karna and this matter was like a crossroads between a main quest and a side quest, but if I didn’t resolve that side quest, it would be a losing situation in many ways.
“Boss. That old man Gwanggeom, he’s a henpecked husband who can’t live without his wife, isn’t he? If his wife marries another man, he’ll go berserk and crazy, won’t he?”
“It’s scarier because he’s highly likely to do that.”
As an SS-rank monstrous human, he would even ignore my orders and, filled with rage, turn Russia into a wasteland. I scanned the headlines of the subsequent articles.

– to Marry ? Premonition of an S-rank Couple’s Birth
– Rasputin, “The honor of a lifetime. I will serve her as my wife for life.”
– [Editorial] The Union of the Russian Military and the Association, a Political Marriage to Strengthen National Defense?

“?”

He was a being that would make one exclaim, ‘Why are you here?’ The one who entered into a political marriage with Anastasia Rusalka Vladimir was Russia’s S-rank ability user, .
“He is a male ability user who rivals Undine-nim. His appearance, treating women like stones and beating down monsters in the snowy fields, could truly be called heroic-”

“He’s a sex offender Villain, though.”

In the future.