Chapter 391

〈Chapter 391〉 Part 1, Chapter 16, Section 26

Dawn broke. The 2-night, 3-day beach vacation-cum-retreat had been a great opportunity for heroes, hunters, humans, apostles, and even regular folks and spirits to mingle, learn about each other, and bond.

And I could instantly see everyone was utterly exhausted. They all looked like they hadn’t slept a wink, with dark circles under their eyes.

“What’s wrong with all of you?”

“…….”

Everyone avoided answering. It seemed like while I was asleep, they’d tried pulling some late-night shenanigans that failed miserably. Aside from nearly getting into trouble with an ice cream cake delivery guy, I didn’t have much drama—but I wondered if something similar happened outside too.

‘It could’ve gone down like that.’

While I slept behind protective barriers, it seemed everyone else spent the night enjoying the vacation or celebrating milestones with their partners in various ways.

Ji Hwa Kim was openly cuddling with Yu I-shin, the Blue Wind Sect’s leadership looked hungover, and the heroes weren’t looking any better. There was Garura, who’d siphoned off tons of magic power from Seong-hyung Lee, and the Black Flame Dragon who inexplicably transformed into a maiden.

Even I stayed up all night with Blazing Phoenix, so I wasn’t one to judge. Though my attempt to awaken Penril as a spirit during a late-night meeting ended in failure, it did help clear my mind and strengthen my resolve.

“Alright, everyone, pay attention.”

I gathered everyone’s attention. Some looked tired, others glared at me with frustration because their plans hadn’t worked out. Clearing my throat, I pointed skyward.

“You’ve all worked hard enjoying this amazing island. Thanks to Miss Baek Hee-a for lending it to us. Once we return to our posts, be on guard for the massive events coming next. From now on, it’s all-out war.”

Starting today, members of the Round Table would begin arriving in Korea. Seoul was preparing feverishly to welcome them, and the meeting venue? None other than the National Assembly in Yeouido—right next to our base.

This situation was tense enough already, but our opponents were the Dark Legion.

High-ranking officers like Karna, whose strength rivals gods; Penril of Gale, who manipulates storms; Azidahaka, who uses dimensional gates to turn people into monsters; and Ji Ryun’s Hydra, still shrouded in mystery.

From here on, it’s full-scale warfare.

Through a global announcement by the Round Table, humanity will soon learn most of the truth about the hidden world. Hoping in people’s survival instincts over their desires, I placed my faith in their ability to unite.

To justify that trust, I spent the whole night thinking about revealing my true identity—to explain why Blazing Phoenix isn’t among the villains.

A human from the future who possessed the body of Blazing Phoenix.

Would such an explanation make sense to others? Since planning this vacation, I’d decided to share my story with everyone.

All eyes were on me.

“I am—”

Right as I was about to speak…

Eeeeeeeengggg!!!

Everyone’s magical gear, including smartwatches, began blaring alarms signaling dimensional gate activations.

Location:

All around the world.

The number of opened gates was astronomical.

* * *

“Ho ho ho!”

Amidst the chaos of the dimensional gate alerts, a black-haired woman floated mid-air, laughing maniacally as she gazed down at the masses below. Her location? Right above the heart of New York City.

“Fools! Bow before me!”

People stared in confusion at the mysterious woman adorned in a pitch-black see-through dress, sitting atop a naked man who knelt on all fours, his back serving as her throne.

The crowd marveled at her ethereal beauty, gasped at her S-Rank magical power, then recoiled in shock upon realizing what exactly she was doing to the man beneath her.

“Is that guy…aroused?!”

Indeed, the masked man’s lower half stood erect as he faced downward. With a flick of her fan, the woman smacked his rear, drawing everyone’s attention back to her.

“My name is Azidahaka! Your pitiful world shall bow to the Dark Legion!”

She raised her hand toward the heavens. The citizens of New York watched in awe as the man levitated upward, following her command. Who was this mysterious figure?

“A-…is that <Lightning>?!”

<Lightning>, America’s S-Rank hero, New York’s gentleman protector, and idolized romantic figure, now lay helpless, bound and struggling against his captor.

“No way…”

Then memories resurfaced—the infamous incident involving <Mahatma Gate>. So-called righteous heroes turned out to be corrupted minions working for villains like Azidahaka, who used dimensional gates powered by enhanced individuals.

“Ho ho ho!”

Crack!

Azidahaka drove her nails into Lightning’s chest, piercing his heart. Blood spurted violently into the air as she sensually licked it off her fingers, declaring to the world,

“Witness the might of the Dark Legion!”

Crack!

With one swift motion, she crushed and tore out his heart. A crimson fountain erupted across the New York skyline, and black-purple flowers burst forth from his wounds, blooming grotesquely yet mesmerizingly.

“And now, perish, Earthlings! Ha ha ha!”

In a swirl of black mist, Azidahaka vanished. As the corpse of Lightning transformed entirely into blood-red blossoms…

Ripppp!!!

A massive tear split the sky vertically, revealing the monstrous face of a demon dragon. Screams erupted from the terrified populace.

“AAAAHHHHH!!”

Simultaneously, alarms blared worldwide.

New York, Beijing, Paris, Saint Petersburg, Rio de Janeiro…

Dozens of cities globally witnessed the summoning of demonic dragons through dimensional gates, consuming the bodies of S-Rank heroes.

Total: Twelve locations.

Twelve dimensional gates appeared worldwide.

* * *

The vacation was forcibly cut short.

Within thirty minutes of the dimensional gate incidents, every hero and related personnel returned to their posts. Gathered in the Kangnyeong Hall, which served as my bedroom, the Blue Wind Sect convened for an emergency strategy meeting. This became our base of operations to counteract the global crisis.

“Heaven Castle, any updates?”

“It’s the same everywhere. One S-Rank sacrificed to summon a Demon Dragon. Common factors include: they were city protectors and all male.”

Confirmed casualties included twelve S-Rank heroes. Just like during the Mahatma incident, these were individuals known for their upright and benevolent public images.

“Could they have been corrupted by Azidahaka?”

“Not entirely sure, but it seems likely. Remember Mahatma? Even those pretending to be heroes hid amongst civilians. Others might not differ much.”

“But shouldn’t transformed monsters be detectable quickly? Karna-sama even traveled the globe.”

“True, but Karna-sama couldn’t cover every corner. Notice where the portals opened? Only places he hadn’t visited.”

“Or areas no one expected corruption, non-capital cities, or places with multiple S-Ranks where the monster remained hidden temporarily.”

Thus, one thing was certain:

“Azidahaka has already transformed countless people worldwide into monsters. All of them became sacrifices for the Demon Dragons. That’s the conclusion passed down by the Executioners.”

Lighthouse relayed the judgment from the Executioners. The transformation of heroes into monsters left me reeling.

“Hey, were they supposed to become villains in the future?”

“…No. Quite the opposite. They were meant to remain heroes.”

Heroes like <Lightning> weren’t destined to become monsters. Most would continue as heroes, retire, or join the hunter ranks.

‘Forced transformations by Azidahaka?’

Unthinkable. After revealing myself to the Hero Association and the Round Table, investigations confirmed many heroes remained untainted. Yet somehow, Azidahaka succeeded where others failed.

“Should we consider heroes suspects too?”

“There are roughly a million registered ability users globally. Of course, only ten thousand or so are A-Rank or higher…”

“Even C-Rank monsters pose significant threats to ordinary people, though.”

“Damn it! Are there any monsters hiding in Korea?”

Though numbers remained unclear, fortunately, no transformations occurred in Korea. However, Azidahaka acted alone—an ominous sign.

“Phoenix Sir, should we expect moves from Penril or Hydra?”

“Penril will likely stay quiet. And Hydra won’t act unless provoked.”

Though uncertain, based on previous patterns, this seemed a solo operation by Azidahaka. Familiar territory hinted at recurring events.

“At least it’s just Azidahaka summoning Demon Dragons for now.”

“True, considering most heroes possess Light-based powers…”

Many heroes wielded light-based abilities, exemplified by techniques like Light Blade. Fortunately, the strongest light-wielder fought on our side.

“Currently, Karna-sama is riding Garura straight to Jakarta. She’ll sweep through the west, swiftly neutralizing the dragons.”

“Xiao Lin and Huan Long have moved to block the portal near Ulan Bator. Lady Rusalka also departed for Saint Petersburg alongside…her husband.”

Spiritual allies scattered westward. Despite reluctance, Seok Harang set off to handle the portal appearing near Sapporo.

“What should we do, Phoenix Sir?”

Gaze shifted toward me. Only the true leaders of the Blue Wind Sect remained on White Phoenix Isle. While comfortable discussing matters openly, my thoughts remained muddled.

“For now, maintain the status quo. Respond when the Executioners request reinforcements.”

“Thought you’d explode with rage and rush out immediately.”

“Karna-sama’s already handling it. Besides…actually…”

Unrelated yet eerily fated, I briefly recounted an event from the future.

“Localized dimensional gate outbreaks worldwide…it started when Seongju began heading towards Earth.”

Coincidentally, that’s precisely what happened.

If time continued its course, in approximately three months…

“Seongju will arrive at the moon.”

* * *

“Shit, this is all because of dreams.”

Oracle scratched his head furiously while monitoring celestial movements via state-of-the-art magical engineering equipment. Thanks to advanced tech, stars appeared clearer than ever before. Munching on a chocolate bar, he reviewed real-time data streamed from the Hubble Telescope.

“…Damn it!”

Oracle pulled his hair in frustration. The future vision inherited from his predecessor arrived far sooner than anticipated.

“Why is it coming already…?”

Pluto.

The alien spacecraft, originally scheduled to depart five years later, slowly veered off course, hurtling toward Earth.