Chapter 253

〈 Chapter 253 〉 Part 1, Chapter 11, 23

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve died. Hwanryong, who entered the Temple of Chang-yeom, was restrained like a criminal, completely stripped bare.

“Really, don’t you ever get tired? How many times is this now?”

Chang-yeom looked down at Hwanryong with cold eyes.

“I’ve told you so many times already. You can’t take what’s mine. Did you really think you could win in the spiritual world? Don’t make me laugh.”

“…Seriously, you’re just a greedy little pig.”

Hwanryong glared up at Chang-yeom.

“Do you even think of people as anything more than objects?”

“Yes. And because it makes me happy, give it up. He’s something only I can possess.”

“Then why did you show me those memories?”

Hwanryong bit his lip, swallowing his anger. The memories Chang-yeom had thrown at him, almost sympathetically, were too happy, too enviable.

Hwanryong felt jealousy toward his future self.

And he hated Chang-yeom, who monopolized Phoenix, his lifelong partner who promised eternal life—himself now.

“…I also want someone who will stay by my side forever without dying…”

“Then go find that person. Stop coveting what isn’t yours.”

“Theme? Aren’t we the same?”

“We’re not.”

Chang-yeom twisted her lips and gave orders to the soldiers. The monster black vultures resembling Phoenix twisted Hwanryong’s neck with their spears.

“I endured everything to save Tera. You gave up from the start and handed over Huan to Seongju.”

“…”

Hwanryong remained silent. Chang-yeom crossed her legs and reclined on the throne.

“Do you know how many apostles have died because of you? Who were the endless spirits you kept reviving? And you, you just watched from behind, didn’t you? Because it was bothersome.”

“…”

Hwanryong couldn’t say anything. Though he came into Chang-yeom’s spiritual world for happiness in the future, he kept being blocked by Chang-yeom, who guarded the final gateway every time.

“…I mean, I…”

“Don’t act all pitiful after barging into someone else’s body. That person has already done enough to straighten out your twisted mind. The important thing is, you’re coveting my apostle without any sense of propriety.”

“…”

“If you won’t speak, fine. Just relay exactly what I’m about to say. Then I’ll release you. Hmm…”

Chang-yeom cleared her throat, adjusting her voice. Her cold gaze slowly softened with warmth.

“Hmm, sorry. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that to you. Whether Seongju is coming or not, there’s still a chance they haven’t departed yet since they might be suspicious even after the body of the god was destroyed. So, don’t rush. Your plans are always solid anyway. Seongju is a coward, right? They might not have left yet, so don’t get anxious. One more time.”

Chang-yeom fidgeted with her fingers while looking down.

“And you, don’t use the Cube recklessly claiming you need to summon me again. Remember, the Cube isn’t just for dating me—it can be used for various things. Are you worried you’ll get swayed by other women because of the Cube? …Ahem… Last time with Seok Harang, I’ll let that slide. I’m a broad-minded woman. But direct actions are prohibited. What? You think the allowance is getting wider? Are you suggesting you’ll allow a harem? Stop it. If you keep this up, I won’t return other things to you.”

Chang-yeom muttered to herself, glaring at the ceiling.

“Thank you for going to rescue Rusalka. She’s a poor child, so please take good care of her. Although she fell in love with a mere human and even bore a child, becoming human herself… There’s much I want to say, but I’m in no position to criticize others. Still, no matter how strong you are, gender is something you can’t ignore. Even though spirits are asexual, you insist on maintaining a female form, right? So, for such matters, use your subordinates and stay behind. Please don’t step forward and get hurt. I beg you.”

Chang-yeom cleared her throat again.

“And when we fight again, don’t push your body recklessly. I don’t know how many times I’ve told you this, but if you get hurt, I feel that pain too. It really hurts, so stop fighting in a way that leaves you near death just to regenerate. All that pride and dignity of the warriors mean nothing against my strength. If Karna wants to fight, delegate it to someone else. You need to rest sometimes. Got it?”

Chang-yeom stood up, clapping her hands. Hwanryong, who had been silently bowing his head, raised it.

“Then, Hwanryong. Relay everything from beginning to end. This is the condition for sending you back out of this world.”

“…Alright, alright.”

Hwanryong answered listlessly. Chang-yeom dismissed the soldiers with an expression that clearly showed she wasn’t expecting much.

“But don’t mock me unnecessarily. If he asks, just stay quiet. You’ve been good at doing nothing, haven’t you?”

“…No.”

Hwanryong defied Chang-yeom, raising his eyes.

“I will live together with him for the rest of my life. If I can turn his heart towards me, he will guard me forever and only look at me, just like…”

Hwanryong stood up.

“…like he does with you now.”

“…Pfft.”

Chang-yeom burst out laughing for the first time.

“That’s right. His love is directed solely at me now. You and other women were merely past loves. Right now, his love is entirely directed at me.”

“You don’t even accept that love. You just play with it, calling humans insignificant. In that case…”

Hwanryong scattered magic power around, raising his momentum.

“I will truly take him away. Not just for myself, but on behalf of the other women he loved.”

“Specialist in stealing other people’s bodies, now aiming to steal their love too?”

“Isn’t it better to spend a lifetime with me rather than be played around with like a toy?”

Hwanryong openly showed hostility toward Chang-yeom. But Chang-yeom shrugged nonchalantly.

“Fine. Try to take him away. But remember this.”

Chang-yeom pointed her finger at Hwanryong, wiggling it back and forth.

“The moment he stops loving me, this world will perish.”

“Don’t joke.”

Hwanryong lifted his head, mocking Chang-yeom.

“Just watch quietly from inside. See how Gaeul, other spirits, and humans will snatch his heart.”

“…Oh, arrogant.”

Chang-yeom pulled out a stone from mid-air and put it back. Hwanryong flinched momentarily, but Chang-yeom grinned mischievously and taunted him.

“Let’s make a bet. Who will he choose? Go confess when you get back. Say ‘I love you.’ Oh, don’t have the courage to say that much? Pfft.”

“…Are you serious? Let’s do it. Swear on your name.”

“…Cheeky brat, really.”

Chang-yeom smirked, then spun her throne with her foot and declared.

“I swear on the sun. If he accepts you, I’ll let him go freely.”

“Your confidence is overflowing. Do you know what that means? That I will fully control this body. Do you think I’d leave you alone?”

“That’s only if he chooses you.”

Chang-yeom stretched out her hand, pointing between herself and Hwanryong.

“Me, who doesn’t give him love, and you, who crave his love. Once he decides, his choice will never change. So, who do you think he will choose?”

“That’s obvious.”

They both declared simultaneously.

“Me.”

“It’s me.”

With a smirk.

Both withdrew, smiling triumphantly at each other. Chang-yeom expelled Hwanryong from the spiritual world, and Hwanryong immediately returned to the real world.

And Hwanryong confessed his feelings to Phoenix, staking his “myth.”

Not wanting to die or dissipate like others, but hoping to remain by his side until the universe perishes.

And he said,

“I will love Chang-yeom until the day this world perishes.”

“Shit.”

It was the first time Hwanryong cursed genuinely during the incident within Phoenix’s consciousness.

That was the entire story of what happened while Hwanryong occupied Phoenix’s consciousness.

* * *

A little later.

I sat face-to-face with Hwanryong, whose eyes were swollen. Though the distance between us had shortened, an awkward tension lingered between us.

“First, Chang-yeom’s message to you, Mr. Phoenix.”

“Mr. all of a sudden?”

“You ruined someone else’s confession big time, so shut up.”

“…Okay, fair point.”

From Hwanryong’s perspective, I had become the trash that ate his confession, so I had to endure his tantrums.

“One question before that.”

“What?”

“Why do you like me?”

Though overly self-conscious, it was true that Hwanryong liked “me,” knowing well that Chang-yeom and Phoenix were separate individuals, yet voluntarily synchronizing with “me.”

“Are you actually trying to deceive me? Planning to snatch me from Chang-yeom, making her suffer, and then discard me once I’ve served my purpose?”

“Nope.”

“Then is it about Cheon Gaeul? Are you using me as a stepping stone to win her love?”

“Not that either.”

“So why do you say you like me? I can’t recall ever being nice to you.”

I briefly recalled our encounters from the start till now.

“Deliberately waking me up, making noise until I rise, crushing my testicles every time I possessed a male, killing all your subordinates in front of me, drowning me in the Yangtze River, having Seok Harang feed me water, nagging when Gaeul tried to seduce me, forcing me to work when I didn’t want to, and now rejecting your confession of love in front of me. Is there even one reason why you should like me? Honestly, thinking about it, I’m garbage.”

Upon reflection, I realized I had done quite a few despicable things to Hwanryong. But calling myself a bad guy felt too mild—I had truly acted like trash toward him.

“Is there any reason you like me despite all this? Haven’t you gone crazy living inside Mo Taegyeong?”

“…If I don’t talk, it’ll be noisy. It’s annoying to explain, so I won’t. Think whatever you want. One thing is certain, though.”

Hwanryong poked my chest with his finger.

“Don’t judge ‘us’ by human standards. Got it?”

“…Alright. If liking trash is your preference, there’s nothing I can do.”

“It’s not that… hmm. Think however you want. Now, here’s Chang-yeom’s message.”

“To me? Why would Chang-yeom send a message through you?”

“Why bother summoning her directly when I was catching grasshoppers and about to use the Cube?”

“I heard that part, so don’t worry about it.”

“I was about to call her with the Cube, but I still have something to claim.”

“Still, you really don’t care, huh….”

Though shaking his head as if annoyed, Hwanryong chuckled slightly.

“Fine. So, I like you.”

“Do you like bad guys? That’s why you have Baek Cheongyoung around too?”

“No, it’s not that. There’s a reason Chang-yeom sent her message through me, so listen carefully. I won’t repeat it.”

“Understood.”

I was apprehensive about what Chang-yeom wanted to tell me. We’ve only known each other for 12 hours since Dongjin, yet what could she possibly want to convey? Could there be something she hasn’t told me?

“1. Don’t rush Seongju. I might’ve brought it up unnecessarily. 2. Don’t call me even if you get the Cube before the next spirit awakens. 3. Be careful of Rasputin. 4. Don’t get hurt.”

“…? That’s it?”

“Yeah, that’s it. Good summary, right? I listened to this for your time-”

“You said ten minutes earlier.”

“…”

Hwanryong diverted his gaze to the pond.

“Hmph.”

He dodged the answer. Only then did I realize another aspect of Hwanryong.

“You don’t avoid talking because you’re lazy; you often make mistakes when speaking, don’t you?”

“…”

Hwanryong stayed silent. Naturally, the silence was an affirmation, and I grabbed his face to interrogate him.

“Come on, spill it. Is there something else you haven’t told me?”

“There’s nothing else…”

“Chang-yeom doesn’t tell unnecessary things to me but doesn’t lie either?”

“…”

Through comparison, I provoked Hwanryong, who hesitated, lowering his head with a twitching mouth corner.

“…I haven’t told anyone else either. But someone has noticed your true identity.”

“Rusalka rescue mission.”

“…”

Another reason emerged to rescue Rusalka and Anastasha.

* * *

The moment my business with Hwanryong was done, I quickly summoned Baek Cheongyoung to devise a plan.

Codename: <Sausage Party>.

“I never thought I’d end up doing all sorts of things.”

For the sake of a family and world peace, I had to force his sacrifice.

“Sorry, <Rasputin>. Since you’re the villain, understand, please.”

Tonight.

We hunt giants.