Chapter 26

〈 Chapter 26 〉 Part 1, Chapter 2 (12)

“Hahahahaha!”

Descending from the mountain path and perching atop Gang’s rooftop, Blazing Phoenix laughed so hard it felt like the building would flip over. Following behind, Deokbae’s ashen skin had turned so red it looked ready to burst.

“Champion of Blue Youth, hohoho. Ah, that’s hilarious!”

“You’re the one who planned all the lines! Did I say that?”

“I didn’t say a word? Everything you heard came straight out of Mr. Deokbae’s mouth.”

Deokbae muttered a small complaint, but as usual, Phoenix paid no mind, continuing to giggle while leaning against the wall before suddenly adopting a solemn expression and extending her hand toward Deokbae.

“Do you desire power?”

“Sure thing. If it’s the kind that’ll sew your mouth shut, I’ll take as much as you’ve got.”

“Oh, that might be a bit much.”

Phoenix seriously shook her head. Deokbae firmly resolved to someday stitch that bird’s mouth shut for good as he pointed at Gwanaksan’s peak.

“So, are you really just gonna leave this to that shadow thing and run away?”

Atop the mountain, Shadow Phoenix was battling Seung-hyeong. Even with one wing missing, Shadow Phoenix continued to display its immense power, forcing Seung-hyeong to desperately dodge attacks while seeking an opening.

“Yeah, they’re doing well, aren’t they? Fire attribute users really do shine under pressure. This might buy us some time.”

Phoenix observed how skillfully Seung-hyeong avoided attacks, shaking her head in admiration.

‘So the protagonist wasn’t just bluffing when he gained the power of Phoenix.’

Phoenix’s essence is Chang-yeom, the raw magic of fire itself. The tiny flame passed directly from the source awakened Seung-hyeong’s latent abilities and broke through the blockages in his magical veins.

‘If this keeps up, he might even reach S-Rank…’

While fighting Shadow Phoenix, Seung-hyeong’s latent potential rapidly blossomed. Absorbing Phoenix’s flames like a medicinal elixir stored within a Spirit Stone, Seung-hyeong began to counterattack, meeting Shadow Phoenix’s claws with his fists.

“Isn’t he getting too strong?”

Deokbae muttered anxiously. Phoenix grinned cunningly as she pointed to her heart.

“That’s why I planted a bomb in his heart. Whenever I want, I can blow it up. Kaboom!”

The flame embedded in Seung-hyeong’s heart bolstered his flames but remained beyond his control—a proprietary power of Phoenix.

Snap!

Phoenix snapped her fingers, causing Seung-hyeong to clutch his chest and stumble. Not missing a beat, Shadow Phoenix swung its remaining wing, hurling Seung-hyeong down the mountainside.

Crackkkk!

Seung-hyeong flew through the air, snapping trees like matchsticks, regaining his balance on a slope before leaping back into the fight with renewed vigor.

“See? Just a temporary disruption from my flame. Until I decide otherwise, it’s something he’ll have to live with forever.”

“Is there really a devil here? Where is the divine presence allowing such chaos?”

“?? I’m the deity here.”

“What? You’re the deity?”

Deokbae prepared to unleash every profane insult in his arsenal. Phoenix blinked for a moment before laughing and responding.

“Haha! I’m the creator of Jo Deokbae. So bow down and worship me, believer number two!”

“Rather die.”

“Eh? There’s still so much more use in you. I’ll wring you dry—again and again. Hohoho.”

“Until when?”

Deokbae asked with a hardened expression. Sensing the seriousness in Deokbae’s tone, Phoenix stopped laughing and answered.

“Until world peace is secured.”

Deokbae couldn’t understand Phoenix’s intentions. He didn’t want to, but one thing was clear:

This monster before him sincerely pursued “world peace.”

“…Alright. Guess I should stop talking.”

As Deokbae sighed deeply, Phoenix regained her smile, clapped her hands, and resumed chattering.

“Well then, shall we head to Yeouido soon? No point lingering here any longer.”

“You’re actually going to leave this alone?”

Deokbae pointed to Shadow Phoenix wreaking havoc across the mountain and Seung-hyeong struggling against it.

“What if he becomes an S-Rank Hero? What happens if he gets too powerful and breaks free of the restrictions you placed on his heart? Do you even have a plan?”

“Why would you think such things?”

Phoenix tilted her head in confusion.

“Wouldn’t it be great if Korea had stronger heroes?”

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

“If we get another S-Rank hero, wouldn’t it be time to talk about reclaiming Seoul? And what happens to the villains hiding in Seoul?”

Phoenix subtly glanced toward Guro District, licking her lips.

“…We’ll need a strong focal point, hmm?”

* * *

National Emergency.

By manual standards, the emergence of a “Demon Spawn” was already enough to declare a national emergency.

“Multiple Hero signals detected beyond the Yellow Sea! Chinese heroes!”

“Signals also near Dokdo Island! They’re Japanese!”

Yinghuo crushed a soda can and threw it to the ground.

“We’ve got an hour to handle this! Those bloodthirsty bastards!”

After the Dodgers Gate incident, a global agreement was established: In cases where Dimensional Gates failed to close and Demon Spawns appeared, countries could intervene regardless of borders or national sovereignty. South Korea was part of this agreement.

“<Governor> Order! All Heroes, converge on S8 Zone! We’re holding the line at Anyang!”

Spittle flew as Yinghuo shouted commands, which were quickly relayed by operators. Signals from heroes stationed across southern Gyeonggi Province began converging toward Uiwang City.

‘Even if it means destroying Anyang entirely…!’

Ideally, he wanted to introduce every citizen personally before entering battle, but the merciless timer displayed above the monitor showed only 55 minutes left.

‘China and Japan cannot intervene!’

History has already proven this. The neighboring nations always sought opportunities to harass Korea and bring it under their influence whenever an excuse arose. Armed figures aboard transport planes hovering over the Yellow Sea skies were visible.

‘<Unjang> has arrived. China is serious this time.’

As heroes began assembling at the designated point, an irritating signal reached Yinghuo’s ears.

“What is it?!”

“Emergency message from the Monster Countermeasures Department! Dispatch of <Light Blade> is denied…”

“What?! Those lunatics?!”

Yinghuo erupted in curses, genuinely infuriated at how they used poor transmission quality as an excuse to cut off the minister’s call and now retaliated in this manner.

“Soyeon! Contact BH directly or find some way to summon Light Blade!”

“But if the Monster Countermeasures Department denies the dispatch…?”

“Do you think I don’t know what that son of a gun Son Jin-gwang is up to? Tell BH everything’s fine and send him running to Busan to catch a plane to Japan, that trash!”

Yinghuo’s language grew increasingly aggressive. His old fieldwork personality resurfaced after years leading Tactical Planning.

“Strange reactions from the Demon Spawn?!”

An operator monitoring magical energy screamed. Yinghuo slammed his watch to enlarge the screen.

The image revealing the Demon Spawn’s form. The radar analyzing magical patterns indicated significant damage to the monster bird’s left wing.

“Who did that?!”

“No Hero signal detected! It’s not a Hunter either!”

A Demon Spawn wouldn’t injure itself wandering aimlessly.

But who in Seoul possesses the ability to harm an S-Rank-class monster, let alone a Demon Spawn?

‘Could it be a Villain?’

A rogue Villain hidden from the Association’s surveillance injured the Demon Spawn?

Hard to believe. At least some basis for judgment should exist.

“Satellite! Switch to satellite view!”

If the Demon Spawn sustained damage, the satellite would eventually pick it up. As expected, the magical fluctuations emanating from the Demon Spawn weakened, allowing the satellite feed to become faintly visible.

“What… is that…?”

One wing of the Demon Spawn was broken. Rolling down the hillside, the monster managed to regain its footing and sprinted toward the mountain peak.

Gwanaksan summit. Realization dawned upon Yinghuo regarding who stood there.

“It’s Seung-hyeong!”

The trademark shape of the Bear was absent, but the flames rising from his body signaled he had reached a new level.

“Check Seung-hyeong’s magical power immediately!”

Upon hearing Yinghuo’s command, the operators hurriedly worked their screens. An operator shed tears of joy at the result displayed on the screen.

“Estimated S-Rank! Agent Seung-hyeong has awakened!”

Wooaaaaaah!!

The entire headquarters erupted in cheers. Even Yinghuo clenched his fists secretly in excitement.

“Seung-hyeong! Respond, Seung-hyeong!”

[This is Flame Bear… Ugh!]

Seung-hyeong’s voice echoed through headquarters. Despite dodging attacks from the Demon Spawn, Seung-hyeong strained to maintain communication with HQ, finally establishing contact.

[It’s tough! Still can’t handle it alone!]

“Can you lure it?”

Yinghuo tapped a route on the southern side of Gwanaksan. At the end of the trail lay the partially ruined Comprehensive Stadium.

“Forty Heroes are waiting near Anyang!”

[Got it! It’s possible. Definitely!]

Seung-hyeong leapt backward forcefully. The Demon Spawn tumbled down the cliff, flapping its remaining wing to chase after him.

[It’s targeting me! Don’t know why yet!]

“Instinct?”

[Yes!]

“Then follow my route!”

Through numerous battles alongside Light Blade, Yinghuo learned to trust the indescribable instincts of S-Ranks.

“Request support from Hunters! We’ll deal with the Demon Spawn at Anyang; they can hunt the rest of the surviving monsters!”

If they could handle the Demon Spawn, the Hunters’ hunts could continue. As predicted, the Demon Spawn followed Seung-hyeong southward, burning the mountain as it went.

“Prepare for the raid! A wingless bird type monster is nothing but chicken! Don’t fear the Demon Spawn!”

Yu Yinghuo took a deep breath. Naming an awakened Hero was the duty of their Commander.

“We have a new S-Rank Hero, <Hwakwon>!”

* * *

“Ah. He’s descending. Can’t see him anymore. Such a pity.”

I mourned the departure of Zabniks beyond the mountain ridge and leaped off the rooftop railing. My flowing priestess robe was stabilized by magic to prevent any untoward flipping.

Despite the four-story height, I landed effortlessly in the flower bed and entered through an open window.

“Then.”

Clap. With a snap of my fingers, Chang-yeom burned off the dirt on my clothes and smoothed out the wrinkles. The priestess outfit designed to resemble Chang-yeom itself unfolded neatly.

‘Skin power FTW.’

Custom DLC costumes crafted according to each main heroine’s unique traits. With 17 outfits prepared for each character, the revelation of a 16th additional heroine caused quite a stir.

Among them, Blazing Phoenix possessed a ‘Saint’ concept-based priestess costume.

‘I didn’t know how to materialize it, so I just wore a school uniform.’

Deokbae proved useful in many ways. Experimenting with him allowed me to grow more adept at manipulating Chang-yeom, enabling me to gradually implement certain game elements in reality.

Like infusing Deokbae with magical power to weaponize him into a monster, or embedding Chang-yeom into clothing to transform it into a skin.

Of course, the school uniform hasn’t disappeared. Releasing the tightly woven magical threads transforms the priestess gown back into a school uniform.

‘Viva, magic.’

With magic defying natural laws, anything seemed possible. Redirecting the magical flow, I switched my priestess gown back to a school uniform and cheerfully opened the door.

Creak.

Despite careful handling to avoid any hinge noise, the old door groaned slightly as it pushed open.

Snore, snore.

“Really sound asleep.”

Cheon Gaeul hugged her pillow tightly, sleeping soundly.

I sat beside her head and gently brushed her tousled hair.

‘Reminiscent of old times.’

Was it the 13th cycle? Or the 14th? Things started to blur. Just as Deokbae stepped in boldly through the doorway,

“When are you leaving-”

“Shhhhhh.”

I raised a finger to my lips, silencing him. Deokbae squinted at the sleeping woman beside me, his face darkening.

“Her face looks familiar from TV.”

“Do you know who she is?”

“No idea. Why’d you kidnap her?”

I used magic to force the words back into Deokbae’s mouth.

“Kidnap? I saved her life!”

“C, cough… Fine. Let’s say that’s true. What’s the plan now? Are you going to carry her to Yeouido?”

“Nope. I’ll wait until she wakes up. I can afford to wait for that long.”

I gently combed Cheon Gaeul’s hair.

“She’s precious to me.”

The first piece for the True Ending. She was second only to my own life in importance.