Chapter 472

〈 Chapter 472 〉 Part 1, Chapter 20, Section 4

“Whaaat the actual hell?!”

Whether it was nonsense or baloney didn’t matter—time to throw the first punch. I pulled the trigger aimed at Seok Harang, and two magic bullets flew straight, shattering each of her ice wings. With the凝聚 of magical power broken, the ice wings, now only smoldering embers, could no longer hold their form.

“Huh… Damn.”

And flames engulfed Seok Harang’s entire body. Unlike others with water attributes who might resist fire, she gave up without a fight.

“You… If you ever come back to me, I’ll make sure you endure a hundred times before I let you go.”

“Coming back is allowed then. Thanks, Harang.”

“Aaah, damn it! I’ll get you in my sleep in the real world one of these days!”

Seok Harang raised both middle fingers and disappeared in a burst of flames. Now 4/7. As a combatant, quite a formidable opponent, but fortunately not as hot-headed as the others. Not generous with forgiveness like other heroines, they were women who upheld exclusive love.

“You’re thinking something ridiculous. Me? There’s absolutely no way.”

“I haven’t even said anything yet, Sister Gaeul.”

“Just by looking at your face, I can tell.”

Cheon Gaeul – Masquerade greeted me with the familiar face of someone in their early 30s. Thanks to the Healing Dragon, all the festering wounds on her body had healed, but the dark, decadent aura in her eyes still made her look like life was tough.

“So… A woman like me, how could I possibly catch you among these impressive youngsters? You get old, you die.”

“Don’t talk so old.”

“And if I stop saying it, will it change anything? I’ve already given up. The only heroine in her 30s. Even if I or the Healing Dragon got chosen once, that’s enough for me.”

Cheon Gaeul wore a gray mask on her face, bowed like a clown, and greeted me.

“Thank you. For choosing me once. For loving me once.”

“Not going to fight, sister?”

“I don’t like pointless squabbles like the other girls. It’s annoying too. And most importantly, isn’t this better? Unlike the others, I’m cool about leaving. In your terms…”

Cheon Gaeul stood up and flicked her finger.

“The more different from others, the more attractive, right?”

“…Thanks.”

Cheon Gaeul waved goodbye and disappeared. Now 5/7. Two people left.

“I’ve been waiting for you.”

Yuinah.

The goddess fused with Karna, unfurling golden angel wings, blocked my final move.

“Let me ask one thing. Do you like cream pies?”

“……I don’t have them because I can’t afford them. But there’s one condition.”

I pointed the gun at Yuna.

“I don’t eat anything but strawberry cream pie.”

“…I see. That’s enough.”

Yuna smiled faintly and lifted her staff.

“That answer is plenty.”

Poooshhh.

Yuna launched Baek Cheonghwa into the air with her staff.

“Eeeh… Whyyy…?”

…Not me, but Baek Cheonghwa’s torso.

* * *

Realistically, a battle between 100-level gods shouldn’t end this anticlimactically. People fighting until Earth itself couldn’t bear the destruction usually resulted in stalemates.

Unless one side lacked the will to fight.

“I lost.”

“Thank you.”

Yuna laughed brightly while pressing Baek Cheonghwa flat with her staff. Her movements felt genuine, and I felt a lump in my throat.

“All of you, what should we call you…? Divine Officer doesn’t seem right. How about Manager? Or Guild Leader? Commander?”

“Hmm… If it’s awkward, just call me Phoenix Sir.”

“Phoenix… Right. You’ve completely committed yourself to that path.”

Yuna chuckled bitterly while stomping on Baek Cheonghwa. Thanks to Chang-yeom’s power manifesting, he was bound by golden chains and gagged.

“Phoenix Sir.”

“Yeah.”

“You said you’d love me dozens, hundreds of times, didn’t you? You’d enter the Phoenix-Chang-yeom route, fail, and then confess your love while entering my route.”

“Right.”

“But if this wasn’t a game, but reality, would you have actually done that?”

“No.”

No matter how obsessed I was with Chang-yeom, I couldn’t do such a thing morally. Even if I did, I wouldn’t be able to do it to Yuna. That goes for the other heroines too.

A confession of love out of necessity. That was a choice possible only in games, not in reality. Chang-yeom disliked that kind of thing.

“But if you had to, would you do it?”

“…If I had to, I would.”

“Then here’s the deal.”

Yuna crushed Baek Cheonghwa underfoot and spread her arms wide. She looked happier than any time I’d seen her before.

“Say ‘I love you’ to me once. Then I’ll remove everything blocking Phoenix Sir’s way.”

“I loved you.”

“…Loved?”

Yuna’s expression twisted grotesquely. Though I remained unscathed, golden chains began to coil around Baek Cheonghwa’s whole body where Yuna’s foot rested.

“Saying ‘loved’ is different from ‘love.'”

“So I said ‘loved’ in that sense.”

“Do you not love me anymore?”

“I love someone else.”

“…You’re cruel. Truly.”

Poooof!

Yuna’s staff pierced through Baek Cheonghwa’s heart. He’d resurrect eventually, but I tensed up at the thought of Yuna killing him—or me. If we fought, I might lose if things went wrong.

“I won’t eat you. Don’t worry.”

“…Is that so?”

“Even if I ate you in reality, how could the version of me in your mental world eat you? This consciousness realm ultimately belongs to you and Chang-yeom.”

That was why five SSS-rank individuals didn’t play a big role in battles against me. Even if they were solidified data of memories, they were still “them” as I remembered them, mere illusions created by me.

Baek Cheonghwa represented my desire for a harem.

And the other heroines represented my lingering attachments to the heroines in the game.

“If we were characters in the game, does that mean we are creations of Phoenix Sir in this world?”

“That’s pretty realistic for something imaginary, isn’t it.”

“That’s because Phoenix Sir remembers us so well. Here’s a question: Assuming you didn’t take the Wind Yu Core, what would my three sizes be after syncing with Karna?”

“845587?”

“Exactly. You know so much about us, hence you can interact with us so realistically. Because Phoenix Sir caused chaos trying to clear our routes, that’s why we’re so vivid in your memory.”

Was that praise? Thinking of it as praise made me feel better.

“One more question, Yuna.”

“Yes. What is it?”

“Why don’t you kill me like you’re doing with Baek Cheonghwa?”

“That’s… ”

Pook! Yuna stomped on Baek Cheonghwa’s head to keep him down. Her aggressive nature must be due to syncing with Karna.

“It’s because this is the attachment that made Phoenix Sir hesitate.”

“Attachment to harems?”

“…Rather, guilt towards us.”

Pooof, Pook! Yuna’s staff created wind holes all over Baek Cheonghwa’s back, each blow comparable to Karna’s Brahmasutra.

“Worrying that since I chose Chang-yeom, I abandoned the others. And worrying that not just me, but others might think the same. The fear of ‘Do they hate me because I wasn’t chosen?’ materialized. To put it bluntly…”

Pook!

Yuna’s high heel pressed down on Baek Cheonghwa’s pelvis. It looked like it would burst any moment.

“It’s a futile struggle stemming from the conscience of ‘Even though you’re a character in a game, I feel bad for devouring you!'”

“That sounds unusually sharp for Yuna.”

“That’s the image you want from Yuna. Self-justification. You can call it that. And the words I speak now are truly Yuna’s feelings and true heart. The inner turmoil silently suffered every day.”

Yuna modestly clasped her hands together and bowed slightly.

“I love you. No matter who you choose, I will never regret loving you. Whether it was in the game or the real world. Even if I remain an old connection without being chosen.”

“…”

Yuna said her words were the real Yuna’s words. But whether those words were truly Yuna’s was unknown. Ultimately, those words could just be self-justifications interpreted favorably by me.

“Isn’t unrequited love something all visual novel heroines go through at some point? Haha. But it’s fine. We’ve all been chosen once.”

Crack!

Finally, Yuna crushed Baek Cheonghwa. And I realized. Thanks to Yuna’s words, the lingering attachment to the original game was gradually sinking into my consciousness.

“And that’s the basic etiquette of such people. Despite feeling so pathetic…annoyed…and angry…what can you do?”

Yuna smiled while crying toward me. Below her, Baek Cheonghwa glimmered as a golden orb thanks to Yuna’s magical power.

“Because I love you, I wish for your happiness.”

“…”

It was hard to respond easily.

“Isn’t that right? If Chang-yeom fell in love with someone else, would you genuinely wish her happiness?”

“…Hmm. Maybe before, but it seems I’m not cut out to be a visual novel heroine.”

I approached Yuna step by step. Yuna reduced the gemstone to less than a centimeter in size.

“Chang-yeom falling in love with someone else? Impossible. The opposite is the same.”

“Good. That’s my Phoenix Sir. Cough, then the last question.”

Yuna placed Baek Cheonghwa in my hand and tightly clenched my fist. She returned to me earlier than Yuna. Now 6/7.

“Phoenix Sir.”

Yuna seriously asked me.

“Are you prepared to abandon everything in reality and become part of this world? If escaping this endlessly repeating world fails, you’ll merely become a character.”

“Of course.”

I shook hands with Yuna.

“If that leads to marrying Chang-yeom, I’ll do it anytime.”

“Really no regrets. Good. In that case, there’s nothing I can do. Losing out in charm, I guess. If you’re that resolute, I’ll open it. The synchronization with Chang-yeom and ■.”

Yuna brushed off my hand and grabbed my face. The physical contact meant one thing.

“I’ll settle this with a kiss. That’s a Phoenix Sir-like resolution.”

“…I decided not to kiss anyone besides Chang-yeom.”

“I was going to do it with sex but toned it down super extremely? And…”

Yuna pulled my face closer. Although I was supposed to be the dominant one in the consciousness realm, for some reason, I couldn’t resist at this moment.

“Anyway, I’ve wanted to say this forever.”

Yuna tiptoed and leaned her face toward mine. She wiped away her tears and smiled radiantly like sunlight.

“I wasn’t planning to ask for permission anyway?”

Peck.

7/7.

…I shed all attachments, and the whole world turned green.

* * *

“You, are you really satisfied with that?”

“There’s no way, I want to grab your collar and make you change your mind right now.”

“Still, being too kind is problematic. Look at this. Even after hearing ‘I love you,’ you’re still defending him because you’re blinded by affection. How did you fall for such trash?”

“The one talking like that became like this because she fell in love too.”

“…When you say it like that, I have nothing to retort.”

“Hohoho. Let everyone live happily. That way…”

Yuna, smiling slyly, waved at the flying Phoenix.

“We might get another chance in reality, right?”

“It feels like begging, somewhat.”

“In front of love, pride and everything must be thrown away. And we’re also clearly telling someone who might be listening right now.”

Yuna stretched her arms toward the sky and shouted.

“If we snatch Phoenix Sir in reality, admit it gracefully next time!”

Arrogantly.

“Kyaaaah! Phoenix pattern suddenly went berserk!”

“Thrashing pattern? No, it’s more like hysteria!”

“Kyaaaah! Lord, are you okay?! The wound is too deep! Might as well die and revive!”

“Sniff.”

While explosions occurred everywhere due to Chang-yeom, the Light Blade Barrier was barely holding on.