Part 1 Chapter 2 (12)

“Ahahahahaha!”

Phoenix, who had descended the mountain path and taken over the lecture hall rooftop, laughed so hard it seemed the building would flip over. Deokbae, who had followed behind, had his gray skin turn so red it looked like it would burst.

“The Azure Colossus, Puhuhu. Ah, so funny!”

“You set the lines yourself. Did I say that?”

“I didn’t say anything? It was all Jo Deokbae-ssi making sounds with his mouth.”

Deokbae made a timid retort. But Phoenix, unconcerned, continued to cackle, even leaning against the wall, before extending a hand to Deokbae with a solemn expression.

“Do you desire power?”

“Yeah. As much as I can get to sew your mouth shut.”

“Ah, not that.”

Phoenix shook her hand, looking serious. Deokbae firmly resolved that he would one day sew that chatterbox’s mouth shut, then pointed towards the peak of Gwanaksan Mountain.

“So, are you really going to leave it to that thing and run away?”

At the mountain’s peak, Shadow Phoenix was clashing with Lee Seung-hyung. Despite losing one wing, Shadow Phoenix displayed its immense power, forcing Lee Seung-hyung to desperately evade attacks while looking for an opportunity to strike back.

“Yes. He’s fighting well, isn’t he? As expected of a fire attribute. It should buy us some time.”

Phoenix clicked her tongue, watching Lee Seung-hyung surprisingly adeptly deflect attacks.

‘It wasn’t for nothing that the protagonist gained Phoenix’s power and grew stronger.’

Phoenix’s origin is Azure Flame, mana of the fire attribute itself. The small flame directly transmitted from the origin awakened Lee Seung-hyung’s latent abilities and unblocked his mana channels.

‘If he does well, he might even become S-class?’

His latent abilities were rapidly blossoming while fighting Shadow. Lee Seung-hyung, absorbing the Azure Flame stored in the spirit stone like a potent elixir, now began to clash fists directly with Shadow’s claws, fighting back.

“Isn’t he getting too strong?”

Deokbae muttered with a worried voice. Phoenix chuckled slyly and pointed to her heart.

“That’s why I planted a bomb in his heart. So I can detonate it whenever I want. Kwang! Like that.”

The Azure Flame residing in his heart did not extinguish, lending power to Lee Seung-hyung’s flames. However, that Azure Flame was Phoenix’s unique mana, which Lee Seung-hyung could never control autonomously.

Tak.

As Phoenix snapped her fingers, Lee Seung-hyung clutched his chest and stumbled. Seizing the opportunity, Shadow Phoenix swung its remaining wing, batting Seung-hyung, who was airborne, down the mountain.

Ujijijik!

Seung-hyung, who had flown, snapping trees at their trunks, gathered his mana and leaped up the slope. Regaining his posture in mid-air, he once again drew upon his mana and charged at Shadow Phoenix.

“See? Just now, his mana was affected by the Azure Flame and briefly cut off. He’ll have to live with that for the rest of his life until I intentionally release it.”

“There’s a real devil right here. What is God doing that he isn’t taking this one away?”

“?? I am God?”

“You’re God?”

Deokbae prepared to unleash all sorts of blasphemous remarks he had in his mind without actually cursing. Phoenix blinked for a moment, then laughed and replied.

“Ahaha. I’m the creator god who made Jo Deokbae-ssi. So hurry up and praise me. Disciple number 2.”

“Just kill me instead.”

“Oh, come on. Why would I abandon Jo Deokbae-ssi when there are so many more uses for you? I’ll use you, and use you, and use you again. Huhuhu.”

“Until when?”

Deokbae asked with a stern expression. Sensing Deokbae’s serious mood, Phoenix wiped the smile from her face and replied.

“Until peace in this world is established.”

Deokbae found Phoenix’s words even more incomprehensible. He couldn’t even guess what her intention was in saying such things, and he didn’t want to know, but one thing he was sure of:

This monster before him was, astonishingly, genuinely pursuing ‘world peace’.

“…Alright. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

As Deokbae sighed deeply, Phoenix, having regained her smile, folded and unfolded her hands, chattering again.

“Then, shall we head to Yeouido now? I don’t want to waste any more time here.”

“Are you really going to leave that thing alone?”

Deokbae pointed at Shadow Phoenix, who was moving as if to burn down the entire mountain, and Seung-hyung, who was brawling with it.

“What if he becomes an S-class Hero? What if he gets so strong that the restriction you put in his heart breaks? Do you have a plan for that?”

“Why would you think that?”

Phoenix tilted her head.

“It’s good if Korean Heroes get stronger, isn’t it?”

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

“If another S-class appears, where would they come? Wouldn’t people start saying, ‘Shouldn’t we reclaim Seoul soon?’ Then what would happen to the Villains who were hiding in Seoul? Not the ones who run away, but the ones who still have lingering attachments and remain in Seoul.”

Phoenix subtly glanced towards Guro and licked her lips with her tongue.

“…They’ll need a strong focal point, won’t they? Hehe.”

* * *

National state of emergency.

According to the manual, the appearance of a ‘demonic species’ was a crisis severe enough to warrant a national state of emergency, and then some.

“Multiple Hero responses beyond the Yellow Sea territorial waters! They are Chinese Heroes!”

“There’s also a response near Dokdo in the East Sea! It’s Japan!”

Yoo Young-ho threw a crumpled can onto the ground.

“We just have to deal with it within an hour! Jackal-like bastards!”

The worldwide agreement made after the Dodgers Gate. It was an almost tyrannical clause stating that if a dimensional gate failed to close and a demonic species appeared, other countries could intervene regardless of nation or border. Korea was also a signatory to that agreement.

“Praetor order! All Heroes, gather at S8 point! We’ll stop them in Anyang!”

Young-ho’s command, shouted with spittle flying, was broken down by the operators. Signals from Heroes spread across southern Gyeonggi Province began to converge on Uiwang City.

‘Even if Anyang is completely destroyed…!’

He wanted to evacuate every single resident before engaging in battle. But the merciless timer flowing at the top of the monitor showed only 55 minutes remaining.

‘China and Japan must not intervene!’

History had already proven it. The two neighboring countries, given any pretext, would always try to torment Korea and bring it under their influence. Among the transport planes in the Yellow Sea airspace, the figure of an armed warrior riding a Red Hare was also visible.

‘Unjang is here. China is serious now.’

As Heroes began to gather one by one at the designated point, a signal that grated on Young-ho’s ears came through.

“What?!”

“Urgent message from the Monster Countermeasures Department! Gwanggeom’s dispatch is impossible…!”

“Crazy bastards?!”

Young-ho genuinely raged, even swearing. To take revenge like this for him hanging up on the minister’s call, using the excuse that the signal wasn’t reaching properly.

“Kang Soyeon! Contact BH directly or do whatever it takes to call Gwanggeom!”

“Yes?! But if the Monster Countermeasures Department rejected the dispatch-“

“Do you think I don’t know that Son Jingwang bastard?! That trash would lie to BH that it’s fine, rush to Busan, and take a plane to Japan!”

Young-ho’s language grew increasingly aggressive. His old personality, honed from working in the field before becoming the Tactical Planning Department team leader, was slowly resurfacing.

“Abnormal reaction from the demonic species?!”

An operator, focused on the mana detection screen, shouted. Young-ho tapped his watch to enlarge the screen.

An image revealing the form of the demonic species. The radar analyzing its mana pattern showed that the monstrous bird’s left wing had taken significant damage.

“Who is it?!”

“No Hero response! Not a hunter either!”

A demonic species wouldn’t just get hurt by rampaging alone.

But where in Seoul was there an ability user capable of killing an S-class monster, a demonic species?

‘Could it be a Villain?’

A Villain, outside the Association’s surveillance, in Seoul, and that Villain had just wounded a demonic species?

It was unbelievable. At the very least, there needed to be information to base a judgment on.

“Satellite! Switch to satellite view!”

If the demonic species was damaged, the satellite image would surely pick it up again. As Young-ho expected, the mana waves emanating from the demonic species weakened, and the satellite image began to appear, albeit faintly.

“What…?”

One wing of the monstrous demonic bird was broken. The monstrous bird, rolling down the mountainside, barely righted itself and was rushing towards the mountain peak.

The peak of Gwanaksan Mountain. Young-ho realized who was there.

“Lee Seung-hyung!”

His trademark brown bear form was absent. But the flames rising from his entire body showed that he had entered a new realm.

“Check Lee Seung-hyung’s mana! Now!”

At Young-ho’s words, the operators busily moved their hands. The operator shed tears of emotion at the results displayed on the screen.

“Estimated S! Agent Lee Seung-hyung has awakened!”

Woaaahhh!!

The entire headquarters erupted in cheers. Young-ho also clenched his fist in a fighting gesture, unseen by others.

“Lee Seung-hyung! Respond, Lee Seung-hyung!”

[This is Brown Bear, Kugh!]

Lee Seung-hyung’s voice echoed in the headquarters. While evading the demonic monster’s attacks, Lee Seung-hyung struggled to maintain contact with headquarters, and finally, the connection was established.

[He’s strong! I can’t handle him alone yet!]

“Can you lure him?”

Young-ho marked a route on the south side of Gwanaksan Mountain. At the end of the path descending the mountain was a half-ruined sports complex.

“Forty Heroes are on standby near Anyang!”

[Yes! I can. This guy, definitely!]

Lee Seung-hyung leaped far back. The monstrous demonic bird, which had rolled down the cliff, flapped its other wing and chased Lee Seung-hyung.

[He’s targeting me! I don’t know why, but!]

“Is it a hunch?!”

[Yes!]

“Then lure him according to my route!”

Having been on numerous battlefields with Gwanggeom, Young-ho had come to trust the illogical senses of S-class individuals.

“Request support from the hunters! We’ll handle the demonic species in Anyang, so they should take care of the remaining monsters that aren’t dead yet!”

If only the demonic species could be dealt with, the hunters’ hunt would continue. As expected, the demonic species burned the mountain as it pursued Seung-hyung’s tail, heading south.

“Prepare for the raid! A bird-type monster with a broken wing is just chicken! Don’t fear the demonic species!”

Yoo Young-ho took a deep breath. It was the duty of the commanding officer to bestow a new nickname upon an awakened Hero.

Young-ho recalled the epithet he had prepared for him a long, long time ago.

“We have a new S-class Hero, Fire Fist!!”

* * *

“Oh. He’s going down. I can’t watch anymore. What a shame.”

I offered my condolences to the pseudo-Phoenix disappearing over the mountain and jumped off the rooftop railing. I used mana to fix my flowing priestly robes, preventing any unfortunate flipping.

It was a four-story building, but I landed in the flowerbed without any issues and entered through an open window.

“Alright then.”

Clap. I clapped my hands, and the Azure Flame burned away the dust clinging to my clothes and smoothed out the wrinkles. The priestly robes, designed to perfectly embody the Azure Flame, lay neatly.

‘Long live skins.’

Various job-themed cosplay DLCs, meticulously crafted to suit the individual personalities of the main heroines. One set per person, a total of 17 sets were prepared, and the release of this DLC revealed that there was one more heroine besides the 16.

Among them, Azure Flame Phoenix had a priestly robe skin based on the concept of a ‘Saintess’.

‘I used to just wear a school uniform because I didn’t know how to implement it.’

Deokbae is truly useful in many ways. Thanks to experimenting with Deokbae, I’ve become increasingly skilled at handling Azure Flame, allowing me to actually use some of the game’s elements one by one.

Like weaponizing a monstrous human by injecting mana into Deokbae, or imbuing clothes with Azure Flame to transform them into a skin.

Of course, the school uniform hasn’t disappeared. If I release the tightly woven mana, the priestly robes will turn back into the school uniform.

‘Viva, magic.’

It felt like I could do anything if I just had magic that defied the laws of nature. I circulated mana to change the priestly robes back into a school uniform, then opened the door carefully with a beaming smile.

Deureureuk.

Even though I opened it carefully to avoid any hinge noise, the old door rattled open.

Seugeun, seugeun.

“She’s really sleeping soundly.”

Cheon Gaeul was sleeping, hugging the veil like a body pillow.

I sat by Cheon Gaeul’s head and smoothed her disheveled hair with my hand.

‘It reminds me of the old days.’

Was it the 13th round? Or was it the 14th? I was starting to get confused. Just then, Deokbae strode in through the door.

“When are you go-“

“Shhh.”

I raised an empty index finger to my lips. Deokbae looked at the sleeping woman beside me with a sour face and squinted his eyes.

“I’ve seen that face on TV a lot.”

“Do you know who it is?”

“No. But why did you kidnap that woman?”

I moved mana and shoved it into Deokbae’s mouth.

“Kidnap? I saved her life, you know?”

“Kuh, kugh. Fine. Let’s say that. So what now? Are you going to carry her to Yeouido?”

“No. I’m going to wait until she wakes up. I can wait that long.”

I stroked Cheon Gaeul’s hair.

“Because she’s precious.”

The first piece for the true ending. To me, she was as precious as my own life.