Chapter 118

〈Chapter 118〉 Part 1, Chapter 6 (24)

While Gawein stalled for time against the Heroes, Oracle and Lighthouse had also concluded their heated debate.

Lighthouse justified its actions by revealing top-secret intel about their ability to control Monsters, aiming to halt Chinese Heroes. Oracle caught the alignment with her Prophecies and thus brokered an agreement.

Regarding the SS-Rank Monster Nuclearian, dormant in Pyongyang—if Blue Wind Sect managed the northern part of the Korean Peninsula and handled any awakenings first, they would stop the Chinese government—specifically Mo Taegyeong—from conquering the land.

Additionally, a secret alliance was formed: should the day of doom come, they’d unite to defeat Seongju from outer space.

From the Round Table’s perspective, it wasn’t a bad deal, but for the Blue Wind Sect who brokered it, it was quite disadvantageous.

“Who do you think doesn’t know you’ll just wake that Monster up if things go south and let everyone die?”

Oracle hit the nail on the head. Essentially, she gave Blue Wind Sect the nuclear button. Realizing they needed at least some deterrent power over the lost Korean Peninsula, she proposed:

“Then send one member of the Round Table to Korea.”

“Nope. Send three.”

“Then we’ll choose all three.”

“Go away. Do you want us to handle Gawein alone?”

After countless bickers between one and three, they settled for two members.

With that, the agreement ended, and upon hearing the explanation, Gawein sighed in relief. The appearance of the Dimensional Gate had effectively broken the Chinese Heroes’ justification for invading Pyongyang.

“You’re telling me you want to attack the very Monster in Pyongyang that wiped out all S-Rank Heroes while there’s a Dimensional Gate right before your eyes?!”

“Gawein, reveal the truth now! What connection does the Round Table have with these villains?!”

Chinese Heroes weren’t backing down. Though they were technically volunteers gathered under various associations or central party orders, their individual responsibility made the Round Table hesitant to step in directly.

“Or is this not the will of the Round Table but rather Sir Gawein’s personal decision as the Knight of the Queen?!”

“Britain dreams of reviving old North Korea! That’s why Gawein is blocking our path like this!”

“No! You cannot defeat the Monster in Pyongyang with your strength alone!”

Gawein immediately regretted his words after realizing he’d insulted the pride of Chinese Heroes. He quickly shook his head.

“It’s a misunderstanding! I didn’t mean to—”

“Let’s show them our power!”

“Get lost, cowardly Round Table! Let the people’s power shine!”

“UAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

Hundreds of Heroes began leaping across the river. For A-Rank Heroes, the roughly 1km distance wasn’t much of a problem.

“Kuh…?!”

Though Gawein drew Galatine, he hesitated to attack. Whether from the Round Table or Britain, Gawein lacked any real justification to stop the Heroes.

“Tch. So noisy.”

Undine, standing beside Gawein, extended her hand. The ice crystals spreading from her palm froze the entire river upon contact.

“……!”

All the Heroes stopped mid-step. Those swimming across froze solid in the water, while those using their agility skills to leap across became trapped mid-air, surrounded by swarms of Monster drones.

“Undine! What is this—”

“If they won’t listen, we’ll have to suppress them by force. Hey kids, snap out of it and hurry to seal that Dimensional Gate.”

Undine flicked her wrist. The Chinese Heroes hesitated, glancing nervously at each other. Meanwhile, Lin Lei quickly reported the situation to Bonghyo.

[Retreat.]

The message from Bonghyo was short but clear. However, Lin Lei had one thing to clarify:

[What about Director Unjang?]

[Dismiss him.]

[Huh? What do you mean?]

[…Throw him away, you idiot.]

Lin Lei sighed in relief.

Better to be discarded later when responsibilities arise than to be branded incompetent now. Quickly turning to nearby fellow Heroes, Lin Lei whispered,

“The Admiral has ordered retreat. We’re abandoning Director Unjang.”

“Huh? …Okay.”

Though they may question it, questioning isn’t allowed. The surrounding Heroes swiftly dispersed, inciting others to follow suit.

“We can always invade Pyongyang later! But if we don’t seal the Dimensional Gate now, it might be too late!”

“For the sake of Xian’s ten million citizens, we must move immediately! Remember, that woman isn’t Director Unjang! There’s no way Director Unjang would fall so easily!”

Most Heroes still looked confused, but the principle of needing to seal the Dimensional Gate convinced them to turn back.

Before leaving, Lin Lei shot a glare at Gawein and Undine.

“I won’t forget today’s humiliation. Especially towards Snow Maiden… This issue will definitely be brought up in the Kremlin.”

“That’s fine. My uncle will love it.”

“Undine?! No, wait! This absolutely isn’t meant to start a war!”

While Gawein frantically mediated, the Heroes had already left. Undine clenched and unclenched her hand, restoring the frozen river. The frozen Heroes broke free and retreated to Shenyang.

Once the Chinese Heroes were gone, Undine uncorked her vodka bottle and irritably took a sip.

“…Are you done messing around?”

“Hm?”

[You could’ve taken more, you know.]

A black-armored figure appeared beside Undine. Gawein was shocked not only by failing to notice someone so close but also by the overwhelming Magic Power emanating from them.

Phoenix’s hand rested on Undine’s shoulder. Using the borrowed Magic Power, Undine had frozen the river.

“That’s enough. Don’t even think about implanting a cursed spirit into me. That’s really disgusting.”

[Tch. What a waste.]

Phoenix removed her hand from Undine’s shoulder. Undine immediately brushed it off and turned to Gawein.

“Leader. Good job. Nothing happened, though.”

“Wh-who exactly is this person, or rather, this being?”

Undine paused for a moment before delivering a decisive answer.

“The murderer who killed my husband?”

“……Huh?”

Gawein’s surprise prompted Undine to quickly change her statement.

“Just kidding. Joke. This is one of the worst Villains in the world. I avoid getting involved with her, but unfortunately, we share a long-standing grudge.”

“That’s another problem altogether.”

Pink-haired Oracle approached briskly, followed by Lighthouse. Their expressions betrayed dissatisfaction.

“What are we going to do now? Factually speaking, the Round Table has allied itself with a Villain. While I and Snowflake can manage here, China will surely rage once the Dimensional Gate is sealed.”

“Then Unjang… oh no.”

Gawein slapped his forehead, realizing he should’ve noticed earlier when they abandoned Unjang as a hostage.

“This is serious. As soon as the Dimensional Gate is sealed, Mo Taegyeong will likely declare war.”

“Let him. He’s been annoying me with marriage proposals anyway; this is a good chance to sweep everything away. Didn’t I tell you? My uncle will love it.”

“There can’t be a war! Humanity fighting itself leaves us unprepared for the Day of Destruction! Please calm down!”

As Gawein tried calming the aggressive Undine, Oracle observed Phoenix conversing with Lighthouse.

‘Those people… that bird keeps appearing in my dreams.’

An entity unmentioned in her Prophecies. Yet certain vague scenes came to mind. The helmet clearly resembled the bird’s form.

The blue-flamed bird burning the Earth.

‘So what is she?’

Oracle blushed, shaking her head violently to dismiss the improper dreams surfacing in her mind. Eavesdropping on their conversation, she realized the Qinghua Sect shared similar concerns about the impending war.

“What do we do now? Once we’ve started this, doing it twice or thrice won’t feel as hard, right?”

“We need to stop it. Even if it means causing conflict with Korea, it’s better to provoke a war with us instead.”

[We have no choice but to hope the chaos around the Dimensional Gates grows larger.]

“Insane talk. That’ll kill everyone….”

Oracle gasped for air, realizing Qinghua Sect’s gaze, especially the monstrous individual’s, was fixed on her. She finally understood she had unknowingly vocalized her inner thoughts.

“Wow, the kid knows how to talk.”

The masked woman, Phantom, leaned forward, locking eyes with Oracle. The presence revealed through Phantom’s coat made Oracle gulp audibly.

“Did you just say something about my kid?”

“Kid?”

Oracle pointed at the monstrous figure. Phantom pursed her lips mockingly.

“Obviously. Who else in our group talks nonsense but her?”

“…She admits it’s nonsense, then?”

In response to Oracle’s question, Phantom straightened up. While not entirely wrong, she refrained from outright denial.

Just then.

“Don’t covet what’s not yours.”

Phantom lightly tapped Oracle’s forehead with her fist. Oracle was utterly bewildered, as were Lighthouse and the monstrous figure.

“Is that why you hit Oracle?”

“That’s Oracle? The seer of the Round Table?”

“What do you take me for… Hey! All of you owe your lives to me! Thanks to my Prophecies about Monsters, all of you survived!”

BAM! Phantom struck again, harder this time. Tears welled up in Oracle’s eyes from sheer injustice.

“Why did you hit me?!”

“Because it irks me. It’s payback for whoever failed to act properly, leading to the death of a future Hollywood superstar.”

“Nonsense. I own most of the Hollywood studios; if such an actor existed, I would’ve made them a top star already.”

“…What did you say? Weather forecasting agency-level seer.”

As Oracle and Phantom argued, the other four gathered together.

Gawein of the Round Table, Undine. Lighthouse and Phoenix of the Qinghua Sect. With Gawein present, Lighthouse took the lead in the conversation.

“Please remember our agreement.”

“…Rather you. This is merely an alliance to defeat the monster foretold in your Prophecy. The Round Table will never condone Villains’ misdeeds. Just this time—”

“The Round Table moves for world peace. Did we commit any evil acts? We merely prevented a nuclear explosion in Pyongyang.”

Gawein couldn’t refute this. Annoyingly, Qinghua Sect had only held Chinese Heroes hostage without killing anyone.

“One child’s heart seems broken, though.”

Undine mocked Phoenix. Gawein and Lighthouse’s gazes shifted to the woman holding the red horse’s reins.

“Are you alright, Unjang?”

Gawein asked worriedly, but Unjang remained silent. Instead, he raised his Crescent Blade toward Phoenix.

“……!”

Startled, Lighthouse stepped back, and Phantom swiftly sent a tentacle flying toward them. Only Undine and Phoenix remained calm amidst the obvious provocation. Unjang finally spoke, his lips tightly pressed.

“To take the head of the defeated is natural.”

Unjang snapped his spear. The tip landed in Phoenix’s hand.

“Strike me. I am no longer worth living.”

“Unjang, please compose yourself! How can you say you’re not worth living?”

Phoenix gripped the spear. The Crescent Blade’s edge touched Unjang’s throat. Closing his eyes peacefully, Unjang awaited his fate.

[Victory and defeat are but fleeting matters.]

“……!”

Unjang’s eyes widened in shock. He hadn’t expected such words from the one who defeated him. Flames erupted from Phoenix’s hands, melting the Crescent Blade into molten metal that clattered to the ground.

[This was said by my martial arts master when I faced defeat. If you give up after losing once, you’ll never win again.]

“Ahhh…”

Tears welled up in Unjang’s eyes. Phantom nudged Phoenix with her tentacle.

“Hey. You wouldn’t dare—”

“He’s become human. And look, he’s lying too. Isn’t that sweet?”

Undine rolled her eyes disapprovingly, to which Phoenix shrugged nonchalantly. When Phantom turned her attention to Undine, Undine immediately raised her left ring finger.

“Relax, kiddo. I’m married.”

“You’re the one cheating. You’re unmarried.”

Amidst the conflicting information and lack of communication, Gawein’s head throbbed. He couldn’t discern who was related to whom, nor who told the truth and who lied.

“Enough!”

BAM! Gawein slammed Galatine into the ground, capturing everyone’s attention.

“Idle chatter ends here! Now, let’s head to Xian. We’ve wasted time. Delay any longer, and a Dragon might appear in Seoul.”

“That looks more like a Dragon.”

Oracle pointed at the Black Flame Dragon chasing Heroes across the river. Sensing another digression, Lighthouse quickly interjected.

“The rest is handed over to the Round Table—”

[Xiaolin.]

Phoenix called Xiaolin. Her flat tone sounded oddly tender and caring, making Xiaolin lose herself momentarily.

[Whenever you’re ready. Your time to lay down your weapon hasn’t come yet.]

A mini Phoenix descended from the sky, folding its wings, transforming into flames, and reshaping into a Crescent Blade resembling Unjang’s.

[Go seal the Dimensional Gate. As long as you don’t willingly discard your weapon…]

Phoenix placed the Crescent Blade firmly in Unjang’s hand and pointed westward.

[I will always accept your challenge. Keep improving, kid.]

“……Hmph. I’ve only lost once.”

Wiping his tears with his sleeve, Unjang gripped the new Crescent Blade and mounted his red steed.

“I might challenge you dozens, hundreds of times. Are you okay with that?”

[Of course. If we fail to close the Dimensional Gate…]

Phoenix pulled Xiaolin close and whispered into her ear.

[I’ll train you until you beg for death.]

“……I’ll see!”

Unjang hastily yanked the reins. His steed galloped swiftly westward, disappearing into the horizon. Watching his departure, reminiscent of fleeing, the crowd fell silent.

“Alright. I’m leaving now.”

Draining the last of her vodka, Undine waved goodbye. Gawein was startled.

“W-what? Are you just leaving like this?”

“No idea. Can’t bear to watch anymore. Some people are about to be left widowed and training endlessly.”

[…Come here for a moment.]

Phoenix led Undine far away. After catching up on unfinished conversations, Undine returned with flushed cheeks.

“Are you even human?! You ruthless beast!”

[…It wasn’t my idea. I wanted to just kill them.]

“That’s worse! …Wait, does that mean—”

[…Apparently, according to them.]

Though distant, Undine’s rapidly changing expressions—shock, anger, sadness, and finally, girlish blush—hinted at the nature of their conversation.

“Is Undine usually this expressive?”

“I’ve never seen her flustered like this either.”

Gawein was puzzled, and Phantom was irritated. Despite their visibly opposing elements of fire and ice, an invisible bond seemed to exist that excluded Phantom.

“Wasn’t your name Lighthouse? Do those monsters in the nest ever attack people? Or do they just poop everywhere?”

“No. We’ve strictly instructed them to eat only Monsters. Such incidents will not occur… hopefully.”

Mini Phoenixes still gathered in the nest nestled along the Yalu Riverbank. Anyone attempting to cross into Pyongyang by land would undoubtedly be chased away by the mini Phoenixes.

“I’d love to destroy that nest right now…”

“But doing so would advertise Pyongyang’s Monster danger worldwide. Until we safely eliminate it, you must endure. The Round Table wouldn’t handle it either.”

Oracle bit her lip. Though Lighthouse’s arrogance grated on her nerves, his words rang true, leaving her speechless.

“Just wait. I’ll make sure to repay today’s humiliation.”

“As you wish.”

Lighthouse glanced at his watch; it was already 6:30 PM. Kicking the ground impatiently, Phantom approached as Phoenix neared.

“…What about that lady?”

[Auntie. She went to see her husband.]

“Huh? Really married? Not related to you, right?”

[We’ll talk when we return. I need to sort things out too.]

Reassured, Phantom turned her drooping tentacles lively again. Wrapping her waist, Phoenix nodded to the two members of the Round Table.

[Remember. The moment you set foot on this land, know the consequences.]

“You should be careful too. Cause trouble in someone else’s country, and an atomic bomb will drop on your head.”

“……The secret alliance against Seongju goes this far. Beyond that, if you commit any evil deeds—”

Gawein lifted Galatine from the ground.

“My sword will cut you down. Even if it costs me my life.”

[Looking forward to it. We might visit Britain soon.]

Phoenix carried Phantom and leaped into the air. The Black Flame Dragon waiting nearby, carrying cores in its mouth, soared upward to meet them.

“……I trust you’ll keep your promises, Round Table.”

Lighthouse grabbed the ankle of a descending mini Phoenix. The mini Phoenix flew high into the sky, depositing him onto the Black Flame Dragon’s back.

ROAR!!

Roaring victoriously, the Black Flame Dragon spread its wings and headed south. Watching its departure, Oracle and Gawein exchanged glances and laughed helplessly.

“We got played.”

“Was it planned from the start?”

“Don’t know. But one thing’s for sure: they don’t want the world’s end either.”

Oracle pointed at the nest. Mini Phoenixes returning to it carried dead Monsters in their beaks.

“And they wouldn’t leave that behind unless they trust us—”

[Excuse me.]

Phoenix suddenly appeared and dived into the nest, retrieving something tiny. Then, unfolding her wings, she vanished swiftly again.

“Right?”

“…Still, I’m uneasy. We need someone to restrain her.”

“True. In that sense—”

Oracle displayed a screen to Gawein showing Busan via Gale Guest.

“How about adding this sister as our 13th member?”

The screen showed Snow Princess struggling to melt the frozen sea.

Plop. A mini Phoenix accidentally dropped a Monster corpse on Oracle’s head. Scooping the remains off her hair, she threw them to the ground.

“Hey. Maybe we should destroy that nest after all. No, better to mark its coordinates. Let’s park a Tomahawk missile here.”

“Calm down, Oracle!”

The prophecy came true.

<Side Story: Dandong, End.>