Chapter 53

〈Chapter 53〉 Part 1, Chapter 4 (10)

“I can’t let you go. Commander, send me instead!”

Harang, who had been silent, stood up from his seat. His body radiated an icy chill, ready to spring into action the moment orders were given.

“No way! You guys need to conserve your strength until we take down the snake at city hall!”

“What if another C-Rank Hero dies because we’re holding back? If things get worse, it won’t just end with stripping off our clothes—can you handle that?”

At Harang’s firm words, Shin Jin-gwang turned his head away.

The life signal of Lee Gi-sung still hadn’t faded. While Shin Jin-gwang hesitated, a few heroes trapped in Guro’s labyrinth were captured by monsters.

It goes without saying what happens to humans taken to the monsters’ nests. Shin Jin-gwang slammed his fist on the whiteboard behind him and shouted.

“Argh! Agent Seok Harang! Trust the heroes! If I send you so easily—”

“I’ll go.”

Seung-hyeong placed his hand on Harang’s shoulder, gently pushing him back down. With magical power imbued in his touch, Harang looked up at Seung-hyeong with an expression of disbelief.

“What are you doing, Uncle…?”

“I’m going.”

At Seung-hyeong’s resolute declaration, both Harang and Shin Jin-gwang fell silent. There was something more than mere righteousness emanating from Seung-hyeong.

Glug.

The sound of Shin Jin-gwang swallowing filled the command room. Concerns about S-Rank heroes aside, there was also the issue of President Sun I-cheol.

What if this man reported to the president that his decision was ignored?

‘…This isn’t losing to connections. This is the broad-mindedness of a commander accepting appropriate strategies.’

Shin Jin-gwang could only nod reluctantly.

“…I can’t be responsible for what happens after.”

“It’s enough.”

And with that, Lee Seung-hyeong vanished, leaving only an afterimage as he headed toward Guro.

* * *

Punch!

Deokbae’s fist struck Chang-yeom. Unsah quickly released her grip on the spear.

The weapon flew through the air, embedding itself in the adjacent building. Deokbae, surprised by Unsah discarding her weapon, stepped back.

“Too late!”

Unsah’s punch connected with Deokbae’s stomach, sending him rolling across the ground.

Sss…

Where Unsah’s fist made contact, the rock-like skin disappeared, revealing bare flesh beneath. It wasn’t that her punch shattered the rocky exterior but rather devoured the area it touched.

Crack, Crack.

Small tendrils of Devouring Clouds emerging from Unsah’s fist greedily consumed Deokbae’s rocky skin, extracting its magical energy to satisfy her hunger.

Unsah was gathering the Devouring Clouds into her fists.

“…By taking away the Flame Giant’s ability, that was your downfall.”

Unsah had already declared victory. Deokbae’s rocky skin was being peeled away by the Devouring Clouds, exposing his vulnerable flesh.

“You talk too much. Are you one of those types who chatter while fighting?”

Deokbae spat on the ground. Steam rose from the saliva hitting the pavement. Unsah checked her remaining magical power by tapping her watch.

On the screen displaying a simplified map, Tempest Lady was seen moving swiftly through Guro, eliminating Hellhounds one by one. Thankfully, no more heroes were being captured or injured.

“All Hellhounds have been cleared. Guro will soon be under control.”

Unsah launched herself at Deokbae. He immediately raised his guard to block her incoming punch.

“Damn it!”

Unsah’s punch didn’t meet the double guard Deokbae had raised. Instead, she slipped beneath his defenses like water.

“!!”

Deokbae hastily tried to dodge to the side. But Unsah had already grabbed onto his thighs and waist.

Crack!

The Devouring Clouds began tearing into Deokbae. Unsah used them to pivot around to his back.

Bang!

Unsah extended her leg horizontally, striking Deokbae’s back with magical power-enhanced force. Despite the pain, Deokbae attempted to grab her from behind.

“Too slow.”

Unsah kicked Deokbae’s neck with another leg strike. The immense pain transmitted through the Devouring Clouds caused Deokbae’s head to crash into the ground.

“Kraaaagh!!”

Unsah didn’t let up. The Devouring Clouds emerging from her feet devoured the rocky skin on Deokbae’s back, allowing her to continue pounding on his exposed flesh.

Boom!!

Deokbae collapsed face-down on the road. After exchanging blows for over ten minutes, he was cleanly defeated by Unsah.

“You’ve awakened recently, haven’t you? Your control over power is severely lacking.”

Though possessing A-Rank magical power through Spirit Stones, his combat ability didn’t even reach C-Rank. In contrast, Unsah had years of experience fighting at the A-Rank level.

The difference in combat experience decided their victory and defeat. As Unsah inspected the fallen Deokbae, she clicked her tongue.

“…Cuffs might be difficult.”

It would be challenging to pull his arms behind his back due to the protruding rocky skin. Unsah sent Devouring Clouds to his extremities, binding him like shackles.

“If you make any foolish moves, the Devouring Clouds will devour your wrists and ankles.”

“Kill me already!”

Despite his pain, Deokbae readily demanded death. Unsah found this curious.

“Aren’t you a villain? Shouldn’t you be begging for your life now that you’ve been captured?”

“Shut up and kill me!”

Even with Deokbae’s cries, Unsah calmly shook her head.

“If you wanted to die, you would have done so already. Indeed, you seem to know something… Perhaps you’re the one who set this trap in Guro?”

Deokbae was slowly getting irritated.

“Shut up and kill me already! Isn’t that what heroes do? Beat up villains!”

“We capture, not kill. Wait. According to the World Hero Association regulations, I hereby arrest you at this time. You have the right to an attorney…”

Unsah’s leisurely recitation of the Miranda rights made Deokbae sigh heavily. Her voice echoed in his ears.

– Looks like you’ve failed, Underling #2?

‘…Tch.’

“…Do you understand why you lost?”

Oh my goodness, they’re such stereotypes. Deokbae wanted to burst his eardrums.

– Though it was my mistake to prevent you from using the Flame Giant ability, it’s embarrassing to blame me when you fought so poorly. There’s no evidence of training results. Reflect on that.

“You seem to have learned a bit about fighting, but it’s still insufficient. You appear to come from the back alleys; those bad habits remain. Through the Association’s rehabilitation program, if you change your mindset, you could become a fine hero…”

“Aaagh, □□!”

Deokbae smashed his head directly into the ground. At this bizarre act, Unsah was momentarily speechless. Blood flowed from between the scattered rock fragments.

“…Self-harm is… Sorry. But as you know, Enhanced Individuals don’t receive such damage easily…”

– Oh dear. You know you can’t commit suicide, right? Don’t worry. As long as your core remains, I can revive you. No need to fret.

‘My heart desires eternal death.’

– Stop saying things you don’t mean. Puhuhu. Pretending to faint is good though, since it makes others lower their guard.

Deokbae closed his eyes, pretending to lose consciousness. Even Phoenix wouldn’t bother speaking to another “unconscious” villain through direct mental communication.

Unsah scratched her head slightly before tapping her watch. She still stood with one foot on Deokbae’s back.

“This is Unsah. One villain has been captured.”

– Great work, Unsah! As expected, you followed my brilliant command well! Hahaha!

Though Shin Jin-gwang’s self-congratulatory remarks held little merit, Unsah refrained from stirring up trouble.

“Commander sir, excuse me, may I confirm the overall battle situation? I’ve been separated from my teammates while engaging in one-on-one combat.”

– Uh, yeah, sure.

Unsah reviewed the data transferred from headquarters. The main forces led by Tempest Lady had successfully eliminated all Hellhounds.

Fortunately, all heroes appeared to have been rescued safely. Just as Unsah was about to sigh in relief, she noticed something odd about the heroes’ positions marked on the map.

“…Why are they here?”

Below the heroes’ signals, small pine tree marks indicated that members of Team A, separate from Tempest Lady, were operating in different locations.

– That’s none of your concern! Those were my orders! Are you complaining?!

“No, not at all.”

Still, the location troubled her. The position of the Pine Unit was heading north from Digital District, contrary to expectations.

* * *

– Villain Jo Deokbae has been subdued. All Hellhounds eliminated.

– In Gangnam, Black Flame Dragon shattered the combined attack of Pungbaek and Usa. However, Black Flame Dragon suffered magical exhaustion and was immediately subdued by Usa.

– Ritual Master surrendered. Subordinate villains fled.

– Sky Castle’s forces still maintain morale. However, with Pungbaek and Usa rejoining the battlefield, they will likely be at a disadvantage.

– Heroes hold the upper hand in both Guro and Gangnam.

Ji Hwa’s rapid-fire reports continued. Toward the end, his slightly trembling voice hinted at some concern.

– Phoenix Sir, are you really going to keep waiting?

“I already said I’ll wait until two S-Ranks show up.”

– Well, yes, but…

– Excuse me, Phoenix? If we keep going like this, aren’t we risking losing control of Seoul entirely?

Even Ga-eul, who knew nothing about such matters, chimed in with worry next to Ji Hwa, which made things slightly more nerve-wracking.

“Apparently, we lack sufficient high-ranking forces.”

Jo Deokbae, who briefly exhibited A-Rank power, has been subdued. Black Flame Dragon ignited great courage but was captured, and Ritual Master surrendered to his own subordinates.

“It’s about time they should contact us.”

Ding.

Not exactly a gentleman. I checked the alarm on my watch.

[Seongju]: I will follow. Please assist.

“You’re really keeping us in suspense, aren’t you?”

– What will you do? We have no more usable troops since our subordinates have gone into hiding.

“If we don’t have them, we can create them, right?”

While lying against the railing, I took out the Cube and aimed it at the sun. Though its appearance is grotesque, it’s currently the best tool for driving out heroes from Seoul.

‘It feels a bit wrong to use something from the Otherworld God.’

In this situation where we’re at a disadvantage, we must utilize all available resources.

‘If Seongju finds out, I have an excuse prepared.’

Should Seongju awaken from his slumber earlier than planned and catch a glimpse of the earth’s surface, he would naturally suspect the premature awakening and movements of Phoenix.

“So now, I’ll pretend to be acting as a member of Dark Legion’s cadre.”

‘At least we need to hide that the mind control has been lifted.’

If Phoenix appears as part of the evil organization’s cadre desired by Seongju, he would dismiss his suspicions and focus on recovery.

That’s necessary. Absolutely necessary. Otherwise, we’d be re-subjected to mind control, and the Spirit Life would end immediately.

With no help from the Round Table in this situation, meeting Seongju would be suicidal and render us powerless to resist re-mind control. Ideally, Seongju should remain asleep, but we must prepare for the possibility of him waking prematurely.

‘So Lord Seongju, if you’re watching from above, please dismiss your doubts. Please.’

Magical power surged from the Cube. Though seemingly infinite, it had a sticky quality that was purified upon contact with my Blue Flame.

“Eww, I really hate this…”

It feels like dipping your hands into polluted sewage and manually filtering out impurities. However, compared to carelessly using the Otherworld God’s tainted magical power, this purification process makes it much easier for me to utilize the magical power.

“Lighthouse, listen carefully. ‘Second Phase’ is fundamental for all members of the Blue Wind Sect.”

– What? What’s that?

“You’ll see. …Let them witness the greatness and power of their master.”

I stood up from the railing. The purified magical power drawn from the Cube soared into the sky, heading toward Gangnam and Guro.

Woooom—-

The magical power painted fiery patterns in the sky, reaching the Mini-Phoenixes hovering near Gangnam and Guro. They transformed into countless feathers that fell to the ground.

“There aren’t many left in Guro…”

Though the Helhounds were completely erased by Unsah’s Devouring Clouds, filling the power gap won’t take long.

“If animal carcasses are left unattended, flies will gather and it will get messy, so naturally, someone needs to clean it up.”

Poof.

Phoenix feathers touched the Helhounds’ corpses.

“It’s time to rise again.”

Flash.

The dead eyes of the Helhounds lit up with blue flames.