Chapter 418

〈 Chapter 418 〉 Part 1, Section 17, Paragraph 26

After wrapping up the Roman Gate incident.

I sat in the passenger seat of a car driven by Hydra and monitored the global situation. First, Rome.

“Sorry about killing that cardinal. I didn’t know he was your monster.”

“Eh, don’t worry about it. If I’d known he was making creepy dolls of me and panting over them, I would’ve killed him ages ago.”

“Well, thanks for saying that. So, Hydra, Brainiac isn’t your monster, right?”

“It’s Azidahaka, duh. If Azidahaka’s involved, it’s probably his doing.”

“Then that’s settled.”

The assassination of Adolf Wilhelm.


The deaths of Jupiter and Zeus.


Hydra’s awakening.

The three missions I had planned for my trip to Rome somehow all got resolved. Now I turned my attention to Mexico.

“Kim Nori has reached A-Rank. Drug lord eliminated. Quetzalcoatl defeated. Dimensional Gate sealed. No casualties but several severe injuries… We’ll need some healing when we get back to Korea.”

No serious injuries among the Blue Wind Sect members meant that non-Blue Wind heroes or regular hunters had taken most of the damage. Though I feel bad for those injured, my people only sustained minor wounds. I should send them each an elixir infused with magic power later as a gesture.

“The Canberra Gate in Australia fell to Karna’s Brahmasutra.”

Since Australia is far away, there was no need to apologize. Karna rode Garuda across the continent and fired his spear from mid-air before even landing. With pinpoint precision, he pierced the dragon’s head and destroyed only the dimensional gate, showcasing his fine control over magical energy.

“As for the Korean gates, Seok Harang used Pieris Blossom… Man, she gathered so many cores it’s ridiculous.”

Seok Harang, now confident in her abilities, successfully grew and consumed a dimensional gate on her own. She froze the first Dark Demon Dragon with an ice spear, pinned it to the ground, then proceeded to hunt every monster that emerged.

For about an hour, Gangwon-do province became a place where cores were more common than potatoes. Watching staff from Yu-Sung collect the cores, I roughly counted them. Without even checking grades, just glancing showed there were easily over a thousand.

“They really cleaned house.”

Yun Yuhwa must have hunted enough. If supply becomes too excessive, prices tend to explode after all.

“That’s Seok Harang, right? The one who fought you.”

“Yes. That’s the girl who struggled to save people while fighting during your great demon attack on Busan. But now she’s become a god. She’s completed self-synchronization. If she gains more combat experience, there might be no stopping her.”

“Really? …This is bad. Did I unintentionally make an enemy?”

“If you explain the situation properly, it’ll be fine. She gets along well with me too.”

“Why do you get along with her?”

“Because I killed her father. Ah, I mean I killed him and turned him into a monster. He’s Rusalka’s husband now. Yes, that’s correct. Rusalka herself is Undine of the Russian Round Table <Undine>. You already knew about Ji Ryun inside her, right?”

“…”

Hydra silently gripped the steering wheel and focused on driving, needing time to process this barrage of information against what she already knew. We lapsed into silence for a moment as our position left Europe behind. I cautiously began speaking again.

“With this, essentially all the dimensional gates are sealed.”

“Yeah, that’s how it is. Since I have no intention of opening any gates myself, anything else that opens will either be due to Azidahaka or Penril’s antics.”

“Oh, speaking of which…”

I explained how Penril currently resides in Seoul as Kim Penril. Hydra almost slammed on the brakes in surprise.

“…Is Kim Penril insane or something?”

“She’s completely crazy. I can’t figure out what kind of courage makes her act so cocky.”

“No, what I mean is… How could she miss such a golden opportunity?”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“Never mind. Rather, did she not perform some kind of synchronization or something? Like fully recovering her powers as a spirit?”

Hydra’s suspicion was reasonable. It was a scenario I had considered multiple times. If she had synchronized, I would have no choice but to lose. Even if I had an advantageous attribute, the difference in levels would be insurmountable.

“No, she hasn’t.”

But I was certain Penril hadn’t synchronized. Unlike Seok Harang, her body wasn’t capable of self-synchronization.

“How many people in this world can consume mint chocolate in gallon units together?”

“Mint chocolate? Seriously? Is that the condition for synchronization?”

“Specifically, sharing the same hobby. For Penril, that happens to be mint chocolate.”

It seemed simple but was actually quite cruel. It wasn’t just about casually sharing a bite or two; to meet the synchronization conditions, one would have to indulge in mint chocolate with Penril at every meal, making it quite a demanding requirement.

“And besides, Jeolpung is also involved, so there’s no problem. Jeolpung hates mint chocolate, so there’s no way they’d match.”

“Hmm. If that’s the case…”

Hydra tightly gripped the steering wheel.

“Thinking about it, I’m getting even more annoyed. While I was dealing with Seok Harang, they weren’t executing a diversionary tactic and were instead playing around in Seoul? It wasn’t just delayed action but intentionally postponed?”

“Exactly. You sent the wrong person. If you had sent one of your subordinates instead of Penril, things would have been much more difficult. For example… ‘Mag德拉’.”

“…? How do you know about her… Ah. That future knowledge.”

“Something like that.”

Mag德拉, one of the three great fire masters accompanying Garuda, takes the form of a salamander and is a fire elemental monster known as Magma Dragon. One of Ji Ryun’s earth dragons awakened under Chang Yeom’s fire attribute.

“If you had sent her, you might have won. Seoul would have turned into a sea of flames, and I would have gone berserk trying to kill you.”

“…I asked for Penril because she’s stronger than Mag德拉, but it seems I made a personnel mistake.”

“That’s how it turned out.”

Thinking it was a diversionary tactic by a subordinate, choosing the wrong person became the root cause. Hydra pursed her lips and muttered to herself.

“So, are you going to meet her?”

“Hmm…. Ji Ryun might be different, but should I be meeting her?”

“Everyone will pretty much ignore it. It’s a rare chance for us all to gather.”

Currently, Karna, who closed the Canberra Gate, is crossing Indonesia on Garuda. Without any airspace permission, yet no one dares to stop Karna’s movements.

And the two of us are heading east through underground tunnels. Although it’s an exaggeration to say we’re traveling halfway around the world, the sports car creating real-time tunnels underground runs almost as fast as Garuda.

“So… Is Seok Harang coming?”

“No, Seok Harang won’t be there. Just pure spirits.”

With Hydra/Zi Lun joining us, we needed to devise a new strategy. Today was the day for a strategy meeting and welcome party to plan it out.

“…Do I have to introduce myself again?”

Squeak.

Hydra suddenly hit the brakes. Her expression turned extremely hostile as she looked at me, and I preemptively spoke before she could say anything.

“I’ll only show my adult form. I’ll hide the child form.”

Although Zi Lun has already revealed everything, if I insist on not showing it, what can they do? Despite her discontented face, Hydra pressed the accelerator again.

“…Is it necessary?”

Since Hydra also originated from Zi Lun, though not severely, she too harbors a preference for young boys.

* * *

<Beijing, China - Illusory Dragon Manor>

An octagonal table.

Within the triple barrier where even Xiao Lin couldn’t enter, three spirits had already taken their seats.

Rusalka, Illusory Dragon, and Karna.

As water, illusion, and light attribute spirits respectively, they awaited the arrival of two more spirits.

“But I have an issue with the seating arrangement.”

Before the other two arrived, Karna pointed at the table with dissatisfaction.

“Why are you two sitting next to Phoenix’s sides?”

There was a nameplate labeled ‘Blazing Phoenix,’ flanked by ‘Snow Night’s Rusalka’ and ‘Chaos Dragon.’ Naturally, those nameplates’ owners quickly claimed their spots.

“That child said it herself. Fire-Water-Wind-Earth-Light-Darkness-Illusion. Following the sequence, isn’t it obvious I should be next to her?”

“Rusalka, how vulgar. You remind me of an aunt claiming her spot in a parking lot.”

“What’s wrong with being vulgar? Our daughter will sit here eventually.”

“…Alright, I admit it follows the order. Then shouldn’t Illusory Dragon take the next seat?”

Karna pointed at the seat next to Illusory Dragon. There was a nameplate labeled ‘Dark Demon Dragon Azidahaka’ in his spot, and the seat that should’ve been ‘Chaos Dragon’ was empty. Due to the host’s trickery, one seat remained vacant.

“It’s my decision.”

“…”

In the end, Karna decided to protest once the main guest arrived. The octagonal table shaped like Bagua was clearly prepared by Illusory Dragon and was spacious enough that even adjacent seats weren’t close.

“…Here they come.”

Creeeeak.

The door opened, and a brown-haired woman entered the room. With a dignified yet awkward gaze sweeping over the three spirits, she sighed deeply and raised her head high.

“Zi Lun and Hydra.”

“Nice to see you again. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Rusalka greeted warmly, making Hydra look somewhat uncomfortable.

“Should I appear as Zi Lun now, or just stay as Hydra?”

“Either works, but staying as you are is fine. Anyway, regardless of species or anything, our purpose is one.”

“Overthrowing Seongju and securing Phoenix.”

Illusory Dragon stated seriously. Hydra strongly agreed as she took her seat since she too needed to obtain Xi’an, a phoenix.

“But where is she? Shouldn’t the phoenix arrive first and introduce you?”

“…She’s coming out.”

“Ah.”

Illusory Dragon made an odd sound. At the same time, footsteps echoed beyond the door. All four pairs of eyes fixed on the corridor.

“…This is my first time greeting someone in this form.”

A youth with the same hair color as Cheongnyeon entered the room wearing a white coat. After scanning his seat, he pointed at Illusory Dragon sitting next to him.

“That’s not your seat. Move over. According to the order, I start first.”

“Why?”

“Following the sequence.”

“…Tch.”

Illusory Dragon picked up the nameplate and finally moved to the next seat. The youth, Phoenix, hung his coat on his chair and sat down.

“Let me introduce first. These are Zi Lun and Hydra. Currently, Zi Lun exists within Hydra, but since communication isn’t smooth, Hydra will mainly handle activities. Don’t worry about betrayal.”

“…Nice to meet you. Hydra. Externally, I’ll be active as the queen of Jije’s Monster Kingdom <Ceres>.”

Hydra clutched her stomach and smiled gently. Both Rusalka and Karna had strong subordinate tendencies, and Illusory Dragon as a spirit was no different from Chaos, so accepting Hydra didn’t pose much resistance.

“Is there any problem with Zi Lun?”

Only Karna, who was disconnected from the Spirit Network, expressed doubts. Rusalka and Illusory Dragon knew the truth about Zi Lun and detested it.

“It’s nothing serious. Don’t worry about it.”

“If you say so. Then let’s proceed.”

“Yeah… Never thought I’d be introducing myself like this.”

Phoenix stood up and bowed. While Phoenix appeared natural, the other four felt quite awkward.

“Blazing Phoenix… It’s better to call me Phoenix. Since it’s both ‘Blazing’ and ‘Phoenix.'”

“Hmm. Is that so? Well, if that’s how you prefer it.”

“It’s similar to Zi Lun and Hydra. Got it.”

“Understood. So you’re the Blazing Phoenix.”

“…”

Though both Rusalka and Illusory Dragon clearly wanted to say something, Phoenix bowed to them seeking understanding. There were more pressing matters at hand.

“First, let’s consider this. Azidahaka.”

Phoenix pointed at the Dark Demon Dragon’s seat and brought up the questions he held.

“…There’s a very high probability that another Dark Demon Dragon has awakened within Azidahaka. We need to find the Dark Demon Dragon.”

“Looking for a spirit? Isn’t it likely inside Azidahaka?”

“No. If the Dark Demon Dragon has regained self-awareness, there must be a main body and a separate avatar. Specifically…”

Phoenix frowned and projected a hologram of magical gear onto the center of the table. Numerous photos of various appearances of Azidahaka were displayed. Each avatar exuded the same madness.

“The main body is the Dark Demon Dragon. Those who know understand… The Dark Demon Dragon, shy and reserved, right? It seems that the senior member Azidahaka is acting as the avatar.”

That was Phoenix’s conclusion.

* * *

Crash!

Porcelain shattered. Azidahaka went into hysterics, smashing all the furniture indoors.

“Aaaah!!”

Even with blood flowing from stepping on porcelain shards, Azidahaka thrashed around uncontrollably. The room was empty except for her angry breathing.

“Damn it! Hydra betrayed me too! No news from Penril! Am I really alone in this?! Ugh, so frustrating!”

All four gates have been sealed. The Rome gate, which she activated with all her might, was closed due to Hydra’s betrayal.

Hehehe…

Laughter came from the bed. Azidahaka widened her eyes and rushed to the bed. There lay a woman identical to Azidahaka, bound and restrained.

“You’re laughing? Hey, why are you laughing?”

Azidahaka roughly pulled the ball gag from the woman’s mouth. The woman coughed and gasped for breath despite the released gag, but clearly spoke through her freed lips.

“N-now you’re finished…”

“You damn brat…”

Azidahaka slapped ‘herself’ hard across the face. The woman coughed violently, suffering the pain. Though Azidahaka’s face turned red, the agony was entirely felt by the woman.

“Let’s see how long you can hold out.”

Azidahaka clapped her hands. From the shadows emerged a dog larger than a human. The violet-eyed monster beast lunged at Azidahaka as usual.

“Heh, gotten used to humans lately, huh? Let’s see how long you can last.”

Azidahaka sprawled on all fours, mockingly addressing the woman.

“Let’s go all the way, shall we, Dark Demon Dragon-sama?”

The woman bit her lip and cried.

The room was filled only with slapping sounds.