Chapter 4

〈 Chapter 4, Part 1, Episode 3 〉

“Are you alright?”

The deep voice of the middle-aged man, who had just been conversing with the branch manager, echoed through the empty air.

The astonishing part? The sound didn’t come from beneath the mask but from the mouth of the crimson warhorse armored in magical plating.

“The opponent is above SS Rank.”

The masked warrior silently nodded.

“…Yeah.”

A faint, almost timid female voice replied. Yet, the hands gripping the crescent blade’s shaft were bulging with veins.

“The enemy possesses magic power surpassing that of Heuk Jeon-jal.”


“If it’s underwater, even I wouldn’t be able to—”

“Heaven,” the woman interrupted firmly.

“The enemy is in the sky.”

Her unwavering gaze, fixed on a single direction, glowed with a blue flame.

“Indeed. You’ve already pinpointed them?”

“Nope. I felt it.”

“I see. If it were underwater, that would pose a problem—but—”

The crimson horse snorted and quickened its pace.

“Wherever there’s ground to run, this Akto will not falter!”

Akto’s armor began glowing red. Its movements became faster than ever, streaking through the heavens toward an unknown foe.

“…Huff.”

The woman steadied her breath and lowered the blade of her crescent weapon to the right.

As she moved forward, the scorching heat grew more intense. It was like flying toward the sun itself; the oppressive heat made it feel as though her body might combust.

“…Huh, huh.”

But the hotter it got, the more worthy the opponent became.

Though born into this world as a woman, the moment she awakened as a hero transcended gender, nationality—even species. She was now a masterless warrior.

“Come out…already!”

Struggling to suppress her rising bloodlust, she swept the remnants of scattered magic energy through the void.

No matter how hard they tried to conceal it, the overwhelming magic power was unmistakable—like a fire that could incinerate the brain just by sensing it.

Monster? Or perhaps a villain disguised as one? Maybe both? The enemy wasn’t visible yet.

Then there was only one way: force them out.

“Haaa—”

She drew in a deep breath, gathering her magic power.

If the opponent was a coward hiding and avoiding battle, then revealing herself would draw them out.

Crackle, crackle.

Her eyes enveloped in magic power enhanced her vision. Within the massive flow of residual magic energy…

‘There!’

Directly ahead.

A figure concealed within wings of blue flame. Despite hiding behind shimmering light, the heat radiating from it was undeniable.

‘Let’s test this.’

Magic power coursed along the surface of the crescent blade wielded by the warrior. A colossal slash attack charged with crescent-shaped magic power launched toward the target. One swift charge should reveal their true form—

Whoosh!

A searing heat surged so intensely it seemed capable of burning off the flowing strands of hair beneath her mask. The warrior swiftly redirected Akto’s head toward the source of the magic power.

Woooom—!

An enormous surge of magic power erupted above. There, amidst the fiery blaze, stood a phoenix-like creature—a legendary bird of flames whose mere presence caused her skin to tingle painfully. Even Akto paused mid-gallop, overwhelmed by the oppressive heat.

“…”

And at the center of this blazing entity stood a maiden with azure hair.

“…Will you fight?”

Akto stomped his hooves against the air, turning his neck nervously. Tension laced every word, a sensation never experienced in all their battles together.

“Yeah.”

With a simple nod, the warrior confirmed her readiness. Akto kicked off the void with his hooves, muttering sarcastically.

“Guess you two are the same—both love fighting.”

“You too, huh.”

“That’s true!”

The warrior leaped onto Akto’s back, gripping the staff tightly.

“If the enemy is a villain!”

“We won’t lose!”

Akto charged straight toward the blue-haired maiden.

* * *

Fast. The blur of green energy streaked past my vision, and simultaneously, the crescent blade slashed at my neck.

Kaaang!

A protective barrier formed from magic power deflected the strike. Though immense magic power poured into the barrier, preventing it from breaking, the real issue was that the attack didn’t end after one strike.

Kaaang! Kaaang!

From striking my back to instantly targeting my side, any miscalculation lasting even 0.1 seconds would result in the crescent blade slicing through me with its dazzling edge.

“Of all people, why Unjang?”

Unjang (Cloud General). Modeled after Guan Yu from Romance of the Three Kingdoms, this special ability user embodies incredible speed while soaring through the skies. And his steed? Akto, a combat horse.

“Just as expected from China’s strongest.”

Fitting his name and motif, Unjang threatened me with overwhelming speed thanks to Akto.

Kaaang!

Akto’s hoof aimed for my forehead. I extended my hand to burn it, but he gracefully evaded.

“Too slow!”

“…What is this?”

Arrogant provocation? Even with the famed unity of rider and horse, discussing speed before a phoenix was akin to showing wrinkles in front of a caterpillar.

‘Let’s see how you fare.’

As long as I maintain my protective barrier, I’ll remain unscathed.

Hummm—

I tightened the barrier until it clung to my skin, then unfurled my wings and chased after Akto.

“What?!”

Akto sounded surprised. Unjang held his breath, audible even from here.

‘Never been caught up to by speed alone, have you?’

I flapped my wings forcefully. The jet-like burst of magic power propelling me allowed me to catch up to Akto’s tail.

“Akto!”

At that moment, Unjang gripped the reins. Red energy flowed from Akto’s body.

“Tch!”

I adjusted my flight path sharply upward. Akto unleashed a torrent of red magic power, racing toward me three times faster than before.

Sssshh!

“Keeeh!”

Unjang’s crescent blade flashed. The blade imbued with azure magic power horizontally sliced through my right wing.

“…Hmmph.”

Beneath the mask, Unjang’s mocking laugh reached my ears. I smirked back at him.

Shiver, shiver—

The feathers severed from my wing began trembling. I could sense the shock filling the emerald eyes hidden beneath the crimson mask.

“Paang.”

I clapped my hands playfully, then triggered a chain explosion among the severed feathers.

Kuuuuuaaaaang—!!

A massive explosion of magic power engulfed Unjang and Akto. They plummeted toward the sea but managed to stop just before impact by stepping on the void.

“Tch. That was close.”

I should’ve just blasted it full force instead of holding back.

‘Even though I toned it down because of my own strength…’

Though I knew intellectually, experiencing it firsthand was terrifying.

The manifestation of Phoenix’s power lies in combustion and explosions. Before Unjang cut my wing, I’d already rigged it to explode. He unknowingly triggered the trap when he slashed it.

“Cough, cough!”

Unjang hacked violently. Even though the explosion wasn’t very strong, it significantly impacted his limited magic power reserves.

‘Excellent control over magic power, but his absolute magic power capacity is woefully inadequate.’

This was the chronic flaw preventing Xiao Lin, China’s strongest hero and member of the Round Table, from reaching SS Rank—the realm of the ultimate beings.

‘The heroine route involves overcoming this weakness, doesn’t it?’

There’s no need to hide it. Right below me, gazing up with burning determination, stands one of the sixteen main heroines dressed as Guan Yu.

“Normally, measuring combat power against a testing machine is standard procedure…”

Did he hear that? Of course, he did. With such exceptional magic power sensitivity, there’s no doubt he picked it up.

“But gauging strength by fighting you isn’t bad either.”

“…How insolent!”

Unjang’s magic power grew erratic. Akto also snorted, explosively releasing magic power.

‘Successfully provoked.’

Confidence in one’s abilities makes tolerating someone looking down from above impossible.

‘A bit premature, though…’

‘But this is my current limit.’

Unless she encounters the protagonist and undergoes the event leading to her “blossoming,” she remains an ordinary hero bound by limits. Without shedding the shell of ‘Unjang’ and becoming a true masterless warrior, she cannot defeat me.

Flames rose from the wounds, regenerating new feathers.

“Regeneration too?!”

Akto screamed in surprise. Technically, it wasn’t regeneration, but there’s no reason to correct his misconception.

I spread my wings wide, proudly showcasing my resilience.

Whoooosh!

Xiao Lin winced at the powerful magic storm unleashed merely by fully extending my wings.

“Strong… But I can definitely slay you—”

Ping pong melody~

With a small cry, countless fireballs formed beneath my wings.

“Usually, these kinds of attacks are guided missiles, aren’t they?”

Akto gritted his teeth as he spoke, causing me to grin.

“Correct!”

Paaaaaat—!

Like hitting a baseball with a bat, I swung my wings powerfully, launching the fireballs.

“Damn it!”

All eight fireballs, each brimming with magic power, pursued Xiao Lin like missiles along individual trajectories.

“Faster!”

Akto activated his special ability again, dashing swiftly, but the fireballs matched his speed, relentlessly chasing them.

“I’ll intercept!”

Xiao Lin spun his crescent blade, slashing apart the approaching fireball at point-blank range.

KOOOAAAANG!!

The explosion rocked Akto, momentarily destabilizing his stance, but he quickly regained composure and soared through the air.

KOOAAANG!

Meanwhile, Xiao Lin intercepted another fireball approaching from the side, holding the crescent blade horizontally and batting it away.

KOOAAANG! BOOM!

The deflected fireball collided with another incoming one, triggering a self-destruction. Four fireballs remained.

“I’ll detonate them all at once!”

Xiao Lin began concentrating azure magic power on his crescent blade. As Akto transitioned from zigzagging to a straight dash, the fireballs converged toward him.

Seizing the opportunity, Xiao Lin unleashed a powerful slash.

“Haaat—!”

The four fireballs exploded simultaneously, creating a massive blast. Judging solely by the explosion’s power, it rivaled that of an average bomb—a spectacular sight indeed.

Woooom—!

Amidst the explosion, Xiao Lin spun his crescent blade, using wind pressure to deflect the blast while maintaining a determined grip on his weapon.

“Dear me. Do you still think you can win?”

“To a true masterless warrior, defeat does not exist.”

“Pfft, then let me teach you some humility!”

Flames erupted in my right hand. Like throwing a baseball, I hurled the fireball directly.

Whiiiiik—BOOM!

The fireball detonated in front of Akto’s path, dispersing white smoke.

“Tch.”

Regenerating my wings anew, I ascended high into the sky.

Paang—!

Out of the white smoke emerged Unjang. It seemed he entrusted mobility to Akto while focusing on intercepting my fireballs with his crescent blade.

“Then, one more.”

I created another fireball and hurled it into Akto’s path.

“Heehee-ing!”

This time, anticipating the move, Akto zigzagged through the air, evading the fireball.

“Eh.”

“Don’t play around!”

“Then let’s get serious.”

Poof. In the blink of an eye, dozens of fireballs materialized in the air. Even Unjang and Akto appeared stunned, stopping mid-air to stare up at me.

“Aaah…”

Unjang’s quivering voice carried a distinct note of fear.

Tune tune~

A spontaneous whistle escaped my lips. Smiling cheerfully, I teased.

“You told me not to play around, so…”

Hrrrrr, hrrrrr.

The fireballs multiplied exponentially, doubling, quadrupling, octupling. Each iteration reduced their size slightly, yet every single one retained the destructive power Xiao Lin had previously deflected.

“Wh-what is this…?”

Even Akto gaped, speechless. Watching their reactions, I refrained from commenting, barely suppressing myself.

‘I finally understand why villains say those things.’

Now I empathize with that pseudo-final boss who lobbed time-delayed meteors at low-level grunts.

Clatter, clatter!

Xiao Lin trembled uncontrollably, while Akto instinctively retreated at full speed toward China.

“A, what if he just runs away?”

While technically fleeing, I remained silent, preparing to launch another fireball without comment.

‘Even though she’s a main heroine, I don’t intend to hurt her.’

No intention to kill or injure.

Just a little payback for the relentless torment during Xiao Lin’s personal storyline—that’s all.

Absolutely, absolutely not holding a grudge.

‘Alright, then let’s finish… Eh?’

An unpleasant surge of magic power emanated from the direction Xiao Lin fled. An instinctual irritation prickled my senses. Whatever it was, it was rapidly closing in on me from beyond Xiao Lin.

‘What’s coming at me so fast?’

Clearing away the obstructive fireballs, I blinked as something zipped past Xiao Lin.

‘Hm?’

A steel spike? A drill? Whatever it was, the object hurtling toward me left my mind blank.

‘Missile?’

They fired a missile? Now? At me? From where?

‘First priority—block it!’

Ka-kang-kang!!

“Phew!”

The missile pierced my abdomen. Thanks to the protective barrier, it didn’t hurt, but I had to follow its trajectory.

“Damn…”

Stopping it forcibly might cause it to explode. On the other hand, dodging might result in the missile striking the Korean Peninsula waters.

‘Is this going to spark a Korea-China conflict because of me?’

Even if the initial aggressor bears responsibility, ‘this world’s China’ might seize this as an excuse to provoke trouble and start a war.

‘Let’s detonate it here.’

I dispersed magic power around my abdomen. The emerald flames swirling around me coiled like snakes around the missile.

‘Trusting the durability of my barrier…detonate!’

Creating unnecessary problems was pointless. Seeing the emerald flames beginning to corrode the missile’s surface, I surrounded myself with intense magic power.

‘Exploding!’

KUUUUUAAAAANG!

Defeated by the flames, the missile exploded with tremendous force. Most of the blast was absorbed by the emerald flames, but the residual shockwave struck my protective barrier.

“Hiieek?!”

I was propelled backward through the air. My body plummeted toward the sea.

‘Getting hit by a missile within 30 minutes of arriving…’

It was so absurd it made me laugh. Both the reckless missile launcher and the Phoenix effortlessly neutralizing its speed and explosive power with magic power elicited chuckles.

‘Embarrassing.’

Gurgle.

I submerged completely into the seawater.