Chapter 162

〈 Chapter 162 〉 Part 1, Chapter 8, Section 22

Before Bonghyo’s head was claimed by the Phoenix.

The Illusory Dragon Group fled from the Phoenix but were pursued by its ghostly army. The monsters who tried to block their path one by one turned into Cores.

Convinced they would be caught, Bonghyo chose a drastic method.

“Xiao Lin. We will buy time. You go to this place in the meantime.”

Bonghyo tore his clothes and wrote in blood. The silk garment had an address written in blood.

“Big Brother… Is this…?”

“Yes. The resting place of the Divine Corpse. And Master, no… My Lord.”

Bonghyo grabbed the hand of Chaos Dragon and earnestly pleaded.

“My Lord must act as bait.”

“……Me?”

Chaos Dragon was terrified at once. The burning heat of the pursuing Phoenix made the night as sultry as daytime even after the sun had set.

“Yes. While Xiao Lin retrieves the Divine Corpse, my Lord must escape alone.”

“But, I have to escape alone?”

“Yes.”

Bonghyo nodded firmly with a resolute face.

“I apologize. Though I told you that you didn’t need to do anything, this time is different.”

“But there’s Xiao Lin! She can take me and run away!”

“Unfortunately, my Lord… Xiao Lin carrying such a burden will surely be caught.”

Chaos Dragon was shocked by Bonghyo’s cutting remark. The man who had spoken earlier as if he would give up his liver and gallbladder now called Xiao Lin a burden, making Chaos Dragon’s whole body tremble.

“How could you…?”

“Xiao Lin. I will send the signal. Then take my Lord to the river.”

“The river?”

“The Yangtze River.”

Bonghyo revealed his plan.

“My Lord should flee along the river until reaching the sea. Xiao Lin will steal the corpse in Shanghai and swim upstream. Then we’ll meet halfway.”

“Too reckless.”

“But there’s no other way.”

Bonghyo swallowed dryly and closed his eyes.

“My Lord, I apologize, but you must understand.”

Bonghyo left a final message for Chaos Dragon.

“If ever you find yourself completely alone, that’s when you must do something on your own.”

Then the Phoenix engulfed them. Bonghyo and the monsters blocked the Phoenix’s path while Xiao Lin took Chaos Dragon and ran southeast.

“…I see it.”

Xiao Lin stopped right before the cliff. Chaos Dragon stubbornly shook his head in refusal, but Xiao Lin gently bowed after setting him down.

“Thank you for reviving me after Father killed me. My Lord, if only I were stronger, I could repay this favor, but I am still not powerful enough. Therefore, my Lord must possess the Divine Corpse.”

“Can’t you just take me with you…?”

Chaos Dragon crawled on the ground, grabbing Xiao Lin’s legs in desperate pleading, but Xiao Lin mercilessly shook off his hands and shook her head.

“I’m sorry. I’ll be back soon.”

Taaaang!

Xiao Lin kicked off from the cliff and leaped high. Her martial arts skill, powered by overflowing monster mana, surpassed subsonic speed. As Xiao Lin left behind a powerful sonic boom, Chaos Dragon’s gray hair fluttered in the wind.

“…In the end, I’m alone again.”

Chaos Dragon got up from his seat and slowly approached the edge of the cliff. The Yangtze River, wide enough to be mistaken for the sea, came into view. It was a magnificent sight that would have been breathtaking if viewed casually, but it did not register now.

‘I’m tired of running. Should I just let it happen…?’

To the extent that deep misunderstandings have been resolved, Blazing Phoenix probably wouldn’t kill him outright. He could feel her anger and hatred enough to want to destroy him intermittently, but at the same time, he could also sense her consideration and affection for Chaos Dragon.

Love-hate.

No matter how incompetent, she wouldn’t kill him.

“But it’s scary…”

This was the first time Blazing Phoenix had so strongly expressed her emotions toward him. Whether due to the influence of brainwashing or a change in mindset after coming to this world, Blazing Phoenix openly displayed her feelings without filter.

If Azidahaka had gotten angry, he might have laughed it off. But seeing this usually calm being charge at him with murderous intent was terrifying even for Chaos Dragon.

She relentlessly crushed his male organ, the fear of having that massive baton churned inside her made Chaos Dragon’s whole body shake.

Dingdingding

“Kyaa?!”

A horrifying chorus of ghostly voices rang out. The illusionary spirits chasing him quickly confirmed Chaos Dragon’s location and began to surround him.

“Stop…! Stop!”

It felt like he was about to develop neurosis. Clutching his chest, Chaos Dragon looked down at the river.

River. Water.

“…Got it!”

Seoyea’s Rusalka. Find her. Beyond the Yangtze, with the divine corpse Xiao Lin will bring, possess it, find Seoyea’s Rusalka, confront Blazing Phoenix, and while she’s distracted, he could sit back and relax eating rice cakes.

“No matter what, I have to go east anyway…!”

In the end, Bonghyo had accurately guided him to the end and departed. Chaos Dragon steeled his resolve.

“…I’ll definitely bring her back and revive her.”

For a life that does nothing.

Chaos Dragon jumped into the waters of the Yangtze River.

***

“What’s our current position?”

[Putting the Illusion Spirits underwater was useless. I couldn’t see anything. If he continues hiding underwater, we won’t be able to find him.]

“I understand. Please continue the search, Emperor.”

[Understood.]

After giving instructions to the Black Scorpion monster, I momentarily placed Deokbae on the ground and pondered.

“He seems to have gained some motivation…”

But the direction of that motivation seems to be messed up. I regretted that the phenomenon of Hyundong-Hwanryong finally gathering strong determination hadn’t occurred yet.

“Not enough willpower, huh.”

Hyundong-Hwanryong doesn’t have any urgency right now. There’s none of the protagonist’s desperation to defeat Seongju before the world ends in three minutes, nor my own fervent desire to maintain my self-awareness and survive by escaping from Seongju’s Brainwashing Beam.

“In the end, he’s just going to give up, isn’t he?”

If it doesn’t work, then that’s it. So just throw it away. Since you’re going to throw it away anyway, just don’t do anything from the start. Anyway, initially, it’s fine not to do anything because you don’t want to get hurt. Yes, just don’t do anything. Because you don’t want to get hurt.

Fear of failure. That was the truth I heard from Hyundong-Hwanryong’s route. So I will firmly correct Hyundong-Hwanryong’s mental state.

“You fall off a bike many times before you learn to ride it well.”

Having finished my final preparations to boost Hyundong-Hwanryong’s willpower, I called out.

“Deokbae!”

“Aye.”

Deokbae returned to monster form and shrugged. His complexion became more human-like, and his previously bumpy skin gleamed like polished marble. His hair also shone.

“I’m going to prepare for the final battle now. Join forces with the Emperor and follow the planned route.”

“Understood… What…?”

Deokbae scratched his shiny head.

“…Ah, just do it.”

Deokbae disappeared to the north after receiving the watch I threw at him. Although I didn’t know exactly what he wanted to say, a hollow laugh escaped me involuntarily.

“Is he crazy…?”

He must be crazy. Definitely crazy since he evolved to B Rank.

“…Ah. Damn it, I was setting the mood nicely.”

It’s all because of Deokbae’s shiny head. Calming my mind, I spread my wings of flame.

“All conditions cleared.”

I forcibly woke the sleeping Hyundong-Hwanryong and made him rise. Having stimulated the dormant emotions, now even a little stimulation will make him pour out his true feelings.

I stimulated his emotions to make him confess his secrets on his own. Now he no longer hides the fact that he is a spirit.

All that remains is gaining strong willpower.

And the power to gain that willpower is love.

‘But that doesn’t have to be romantic love.’

I hope my thoughts are correct as I spread my wings towards the Yangtze River.

***

Hyundong-Hwanryong swam following the water current faster than running on land.

Shiver shiver.

Hyundong-Hwanryong darted through the water at full speed in his ethereal state. Monsters hiding midstream sensed his aura and hastily moved out of the way, allowing Hyundong-Hwanryong to smoothly race towards the Yangtze estuary.

‘But how far does this connect…?’

Bonghyo said a river. He mentioned to keep running until reaching the sea, so the distance shouldn’t be too far.

‘But I’ve been swimming for over twenty minutes already…’

When moving actively in an ethereal state, it’s surprisingly fast. Given the nature of propelling oneself with magic power, Hyundong-Hwanryong was essentially racing along the Yangtze track like in a racing game.

Fortunately, the Illusion Spirits no longer pursued him. Although they were ethereal like Hyundong-Hwanryong, being born from the Phoenix likely prevented them from directly entering the water.

‘Anyway, keep going.’

As annoyed he was by this long and wide river, Phoenix must be suffering trying to find him. Drenched in sweat, Hyundong-Hwanryong raced through the water.

“…Sweat?”

It wasn’t sweat. An ethereal being sweating is absurd. However, it was evident that the water temperature was rising as he followed the river.

“Could it be…!”

Hyundong-Hwanryong screamed and stopped in place. But Hyundong-Hwanryong had already surfaced from the water.

“Damn it…!”

It wasn’t that Hyundong-Hwanryong intentionally surfaced. Maintaining the same height and speed while following the river, the water level simply dropped, causing Hyundong-Hwanryong to emerge. Looking up, he saw the bright landscape despite it being nighttime.

[I’ve been waiting.]

There stood the Phoenix in monster form, holding a large sphere on her extended finger. Hyundong-Hwanryong clenched his lips and materialized.

“Fake Sun…!”

[Night is indeed weaker than day. So, changing it briefly to daytime should suffice.]

Phoenix tossed the sphere she held on her fingertip into the sky. The blue-lit mini-sun brightly illuminated below Phoenix like a real sun.

[Then the stage is set. Hyundong-Hwanryong, are you ready?]

“Hold on! If you’re mad, you could just say so! You evil woman!”

Hyundong-Hwanryong floated in the air, yelling curses.

“Why do you keep obsessing over not being able to eat me? We both know we’re spirits, so isn’t it enough? From now on, why don’t we just live separately and not fight each other?”

[Oh. No.]

Phoenix clenched and relaxed her fists, spreading her arms wide. The flames beneath her armor burned more fiercely than ever.

[We must overthrow Seongju and defeat the real evil behind him to survive. We don’t have much time left.]

“So you work hard then…! I already told you! When you meet Seongju, you’ll spread your legs willingly! Do you think you’d be any different?”

[That’s precisely what I’m preventing. By killing you.]

“What…?”

Phoenix lied. To unsettle Hyundong-Hwanryong.

[As a commander, releasing the constraints is simple. Absorb the power of another commander by killing them. Seongju truly is a relentless existence. Quite a ruthless method.]

“That’s a lie. That can’t be.”

Phoenix lied. To make Hyundong-Hwanryong believe her random lies.

[I’ve already killed one.]

Phoenix pulled out a white butterfly badge from inside her armor. Hyundong-Hwanryong turned pale upon sensing the abundant spirit energy emanating from it.

“Rusalka…?”

[I killed her. And made her my subordinate. Yes, a monster.]

“You’re insane.”

[Exactly. Insane.]

Phoenix flicked her finger. Behind her, blue-flame wings unfolded.

[How else could one survive in this trashy world without going insane?]

Phoenix pointed to the cores dangling under her wing feathers. Hyundong-Hwanryong, though his vision blurred due to the rising mist, could clearly count them.

The exact number of remaining Illusory Dragon Group monsters excluding Xiao Lin.

“Hey!!”

[Monsters are mine now. But, I don’t need such monsters.]

Phoenix grasped one core with her hand.

Crunch. Crunch.

“You, what are you doing?!”

[What? Just disposing of waste. Useless monsters like these. Just watch from there.]

Crunch, crunch, Kaang-!

Phoenix clenched her fist and crushed the core. Hyundong-Hwanryong’s mouth gaped open as Phoenix scattered the powdered core into the Yangtze below.

“You crazy woman! Why are you doing this on your own-”

[Why are you getting angry?]

Phoenix shrugged.

[Aren’t they mere humans anyway? Aren’t they just slaves providing you with a good bed? Then replacing them with better ones as monsters should be fine, right?]

“They’re my monsters! Don’t judge them on your own!”

[Then you shouldn’t have lost them. Who do you think caused these guys to be captured by me?]

Kaang! Kaang!

Each time Phoenix flicked her finger, a core shattered. Hyundong-Hwanryong stared dumbfounded at the cores turning to powder and scattering. Phoenix pointed her index finger at Hyundong-Hwanryong.

[Didn’t they become like this protecting you?]

Kaang, Kagang, Kaaang!

The cores exploded in succession. Phoenix picked up the last core amidst the swirling core dust.

[This one was the most troublesome.]

“You-”

Kaang!

Without further ado, Phoenix shattered all the cores. She set fire to the core powder and incinerated them all.

[Alright. Then…]

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!”

Hyundong-Hwanryong clutched his head and screamed. Phoenix clenched and relaxed her fist, speaking gently.

[Why are you so angry? Anyway, it’s all because you didn’t do anything, isn’t it? Just stay still now. Do nothing, and I’ll kill you-]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!

Gray mana erupted from Hyundong-Hwanryong’s body. Phoenix distanced herself from the raging storm.

[Finally. I’ve been waiting for this.]

Rampage. The moment when a commander goes berserk in monster form. Phoenix rubbed her palms together, smirking.

[Come on. I’ll bury you and your subordinates together in the Yangtze.]

Kyaahhhhhhhh!!

A giant beast of illusion magic roared. Phoenix gathered her mana and clashed with full strength.