〈 Chapter 477 〉 Part 1, Episode 20, Section 9
November had already slipped into winter. Even if the planet Pluto had slightly disrupted its orbit upon arrival, the seasonal characteristics hadn’t changed much. It was just past five o’clock, yet the sunset had begun, and the world gradually began to darken.
“Doesn’t it feel like the end is approaching?”
“It really is coming—what are you talking about?”
Yuna questioned me with an irritable tone. For some reason, Yuna speaking this way felt familiar yet strange to me. The Yuna in my memories was different; the current Yuna seemed more sharp-edged since syncing with Hydra. In fact, there was a reason for her sharpness.
“Still, Irena can’t give up on the college entrance exam, right?”
“Of course! My goal is to ace the college entrance exam and enter as the top student in a hero-related department. Even if I die, I’ll take the test first before dying.”
After syncing with Hydra, Yuna had given up on taking this year’s college entrance exam. Initially, she wouldn’t have been able to take the exam anyway, but after reaching an agreement with me, she abandoned mock exams too, dedicating herself to the cause of world peace. I couldn’t help but feel deeply grateful.
“There are other reasons now…but I’ll tell you after everything’s over.”
“What is it? Is it related to how you instantly synced with Hydra when you met them?”
“Yes. You might be shocked when you hear it, but I don’t want to say it now.”
“I might never get the chance to hear it.”
“That kind of uncertain assumption isn’t good. Aren’t you curious? How did I manage to convince Hydra, leading to their decision to hand over control and sync with me despite being one of Dark Legion’s high-ranking officers?”
“……Hmm.”
Now that I think about it, I hadn’t considered it deeply. No matter how much Yuna is Yuna, I thought Hydra would definitely come out on top once they synced. Of course, Yuna has superior aspects in various ways, but there was no way that proud Queen of Worms would willingly hand over her power.
“Uh…did you promise to help me consume male essence or something?”
“Close enough. Hehe. Look forward to it. Since I’m on Hydra’s side now.”
“That’s a terrifying statement.”
Even in a game-over scenario, Yuna choosing Hydra’s side made me feel betrayed. But there was nothing I could do about it—it was because Yuna had synced with Hydra.
“Anyway, the reason I want to listen to your conversation with Hydra is that we must survive. The reasons to survive until the very end keep piling up. Alright. Let’s make a promise, shall we?”
I extended my hand toward Yuna. Just like Cheongnyeon (Chang Gaeul) transformed into Baek Cheonghwa pointing her pinky at the camera while making a promise, I presented my pinky finger to Yuna.
“I’ll definitely cheer for you on the day of your college entrance exam. On the day you enter the university you truly desire, I’ll attend your opening ceremony, and I’ll also be there for your graduation.”
“Looks like you’re determined to stick around, huh? Alright.”
Yuna smiled and hooked pinkies with me. While other goddesses were conversing with their families, subordinates, partners, or comrades, Yuna specifically sought me out to talk. Thanks to this, I gained another reason to survive, though my heart grew heavier with responsibility, giving me renewed strength.
“Hmm, Miss Yuna, could you grant me one wish?”
“What is it? If it’s something I can grant.”
“Give me a victory chant. Like this.”
I personally wrote down the lines and showed them to Yuna. She stared at the sentence for a long time, and I began to worry if I had written something wrong.
“Why, why?”
“…Ah, no, I was just wondering what Phoenix Sir meant by these words.”
Yuna pointed at one part of the sentence I had written, tilting her head curiously. Yuna always paid more attention to the phrases referring to “me” rather than the embarrassing parts she usually shied away from. But soon, she composed herself and straightened her posture.
“Hmm… Commander.”
Yuna, the goddess, modestly bowed her head and smiled faintly at me.
“Just like always, we will triumph. After all, the Goddess of Victory is right here, isn’t she?”
“Of course. We win no matter what.”
“Oh my…”
Yuna immediately covered her mouth with her hand the moment I spoke, and I too instinctively covered mine, realizing my mistake.
“You shouldn’t make such sounds with that face. Do you know that the Hydra inside you almost went crazy? Our sync almost broke!”
“Force of habit. Sorry.”
I accidentally used Baek Cheonghwa’s male voice. Fortunately, there was no one around us. With over five hours left until the scheduled time, everyone was rushing preparations for the final battle. Far away, I could see Baek Hee-a, who had synced with Angu, conducting the final briefing at the penthouse where I had temporarily vacated my seat.
“Phoenix Sir, may I ask you one thing?”
“Anything.”
“…If there were a way for you to survive but it required sacrificing me, what would you do?”
“What do you mean?”
“You said it back then, didn’t you? Interdimensional Goddess Irena. Chang-yeom and you had to bring down the goddess version of me who awakened to protect both of you.”
“That’s right.”
The Phoenix route was indeed a true ending where everyone ended happily. Together with Chang-yeom, we held hands and subdued the runaway interdimensional Goddess Irena, restoring her to her original state…
‘Huh?’
“…But if it means you and Chang-yeom survive while Irena dies, what would you do?”
“Hold on a sec. Hold on, Yuna. My head is…”
Boom! Boom boom!
My heart started pounding. Though the Core’s heartbeat should have been steady, there was nothing that could possibly make the Core react this way. Why? Why? I was perplexed as my vision began to turn green. Why would Chang-yeom call me at this exact moment?
– It’s too late.
Clang! Clang!!
A purple fog enveloped Yuna and me. I merely “felt” it, yet my hands and feet trembled, and my mouth went dry.
– I came just in case, and it seems I hit the jackpot.
“How…how did you get here…?”
– How did I come?
A man in a yellow robe emerged from the purple fog, raising his finger high into the sky.
“I jumped off the Ferryman.”
Seongju appeared at a completely unexpected time.
* * *
The scope of the original work always exceeds my expectations.
But at least this much shouldn’t deviate. My entire body shook involuntarily at the sight of the towering man in a yellow robe.
“To jump off the Ferryman…what…?”
“My body heated up so much I couldn’t bear it anymore.”
Seongju casually spread his robe to either side. Both Yuna’s and my expressions naturally frowned. I had intuitively sensed Seongju had taken human form from the moment he spoke, but I never expected to see his naked human body so blatantly displayed. Despite knowing this was Seongju, the Seongju in front of me looked like Seongju.
“Is this what it feels like to be human? I finally understand.”
No matter what Seongju muttered, none of it registered properly in my ears. Was it because he revealed himself, or because I feared being brainwashed at any moment? Either way, it was clear I was afraid of Seongju.
‘There’s no time to sync.’
Before syncing, I’d already be hit by Seongju’s brainwashing beam. I never imagined Seongju would abandon the Ferryman and dive down like this. Now that Seongju has left the Ferryman, it’s just a big rock. The seven rainbow-colored protective barriers won’t even activate, and every nuclear missile launched from Earth will blow it to pieces.
Would Seongju, who prioritizes destroying Earth, leave the Ferryman and come here? It’s impossible. Yet reality unfolded right before my eyes.
‘Am I dreaming?’
The estimated arrival time of Seongju wasn’t just based on random statistics I recalled. It was the result of collective intelligence combining Oracle’s prophecy, Hikari’s research, and more. Not only was it not even ten o’clock, but the sun was setting behind him. The yellow robe stood out even more against the red sun, and the six-pack muscular body beneath it made me dizzy.
“Is Seongju a barbarian man?”
“Ah.”
I felt a warm, gentle touch on my shoulder. Only then did I realize Yuna had grabbed my shoulder, helping me regain composure. With Yuna’s assistance, there was a brief window to sync.
“The guy wearing only a yellow robe with no clothes underneath…it’s quite shocking.”
“I agree.”
Who is Seongju? The mastermind behind manipulating the rampaging interdimensional deity, the root cause of all this chaos. Though his outward appearance is grotesque—a fungus-like creature with a Cordyceps head—his intellect surpasses Hikari, and his tactical abilities exceed Baek Hee-a.
Didn’t this person devour Tera alone? That Seongju discarded his original form and entered a human body to put on a nude show like Xiao Lin is something I cannot believe.
‘This is quite shocking.’
If this were my true ending, I’d press the escape switch immediately. If defeating a cosmic-level disaster involved a dance battle, how would the heroes who fought for humanity feel? Especially if old 7080 pop music played and the survival of Earth was decided by who danced better, it would certainly shock and terrify everyone.
“Don’t worry. I didn’t come here to fight you.”
Seongju crossed his arms confidently as he spoke. The lack of deceit in his voice sent chills down my spine. Although Seongju originally didn’t lie, hearing this through a human voice and form was unsettling.
“I’ve observed Earth since departing from Pluto. Phoenix.”
“…This pervert.”
“Blazing Phoenix. Since you surrendered without me needing to defeat you, it took far too long to brainwash you. It took a lot of effort to demote you to a spirit, but ultimately, unlike the other officers, your brainwashing remained unstable.”
“Is this what you call unstable brainwashing?”
“Unlike others, there was a gap where you could recognize yourself as a spirit with the right trigger…as expected. The spirit awakened and recognized your original ‘rank.'”
From Seongju’s words, I realized he was still under a misconception. The seed I planted by twisting my whole body to spread the notion of being an “unstable awakened spirit” bore fruit in his misunderstanding.
“To re-brainwash you, mutual destruction would be necessary…and it seems the other spirits have noticed. If I fight, I will lose.”
Despite admitting defeat, Seongju continued to smile confidently. His grin was savage, like he was ready to devour me. Only then did I realize whose form Seongju resembled.
“Mushroom…”
“You figured it out, didn’t you? That’s why you’re worthy to be my rival. Yes. The insane human who bit me like a dog—his DNA remained within me. I tried creating something based on that.”
“Why exactly a human?”
“Because of you.”
Seongju’s finger pointed at me.
“Even from afar, I observed you awakening spirits, yet I couldn’t understand why you cared so much for humans despite treating fellow spirits as insignificant. I thought the you I knew would cut off the heads of world leaders, place yourself at the pinnacle of humanity, and perhaps even build a space fleet to attack me.”
“…”
My core began to thump. This time, it wasn’t fear but the divine rage brewing inside, reacting fiercely. I calmed my chest as I rebutted Seongju’s words.
“No matter who I am, I wouldn’t do that.”
“Is that so? You’ve become much gentler. You’ve…in human terms, ‘become a real person.’ Or maybe ‘grown up’? How much have you assimilated into humanity to suppress your nature and live like one? I was genuinely curious, so I created a human body while on the moon.”
—
Ack! Seongju spread his yellow robe again, briefly revealing his naked body before covering it once more. Though his physique wasn’t bad—in fact, it was quite impressive—the erect mushroom cap he shamelessly thrust upward was enough to make me want to kill him.
“Yes. Through becoming human, I understood humanity.”
Seongju’s face twisted with madness as he began breathing heavily.
“Taking what you desire! That’s lust! That’s desire! And if it’s the same human, love! That’s human desire! That’s sexual desire!”
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
I was slower to respond, but Yuna quickly countered. Gradually, Seongju’s gaze shifted toward Yuna, and now I found myself standing in front of her to protect her.
“Love makes you want to take! Love makes you crave! Ah, yes! This is ‘love’! I love my Lord!”
“What a lunatic.”
Yuna scowled and spat curses. Cursing was unavoidable because the “Lord” Seongju loved clearly referred to the original Irena, the Interdimensional Deity.
“I created you for my Lord! My gnosis! You are my light and salt! You are destined to offer yourself and become the flesh of my beloved Lord, my Lord!!”
“Ground Zero!!”
Yuna lost her cool. The rooftop of the 63 Building instantly became a concrete prison, tightly gripping Seongju’s body. Mixed with Yuna’s magic power, the concrete was harder than any material in the world—but—
Crack! Crack crack!
The yellow storm emanating from Seongju’s yellow robe shattered the concrete like tofu. Although wind attribute countering durability was effective, originally “Irena” couldn’t harm Seongju even slightly.
“You are my creation! From head to toe, you are the perfect sculpture I crafted to house my Lord! Your sense of self is merely a program designed to cultivate you into the most perfect form! Do you think you can challenge your creator?!”
“This is real!”
“Yuna, calm down. He’s always been like this…just more perverted now.”
When he was a mushroom bug or during his human era wielding Light Blade, he was more dignified and filled with authority, exuding charisma. But now, he was just a charismatic pervert.
“For Chang-yeom’s sake, this won’t do. Yuna, step back. Thanks to you…the situation is 50-50.”
If I sync and burn him first, or if he shoots a brainwashing beam at me. Alone, I might have fallen victim to brainwashing, but with Yuna supporting me from behind, the outcome was simple.
Life-or-death moment.
I prepared to snap my fingers. Just as I was about to trigger the ‘sync,’—
“Let’s make a deal.”
Seongju extended his hand toward me. Using the cunning mind that conquered Tera, he uttered words that were fatally sweet.
“Gnosis—Irena. Surrender her to me. Then I’ll leave Earth as is. Even Hydra within you, I’ll let them stay. …What do you say?”
For someone who had planned to sever everything except Chang-yeom, it was an incredibly tempting offer.
