Chapter 492

〈 Chapter 492 〉 Part 1, Chapter 20, Section 24

There once was a topic that sent the community into an uproar.

Unlike the everyday squabbles over which heroine was cuter and more lovable, this particular topic drew in even the well-known figures of the community for a heated debate that went down in history.

– Who’s the strongest martial artist?

Most people immediately brought up Xiao Lin, the heroine known as the Military Goddess. But a single comment sparked chaos that lasted an entire week, flipping the community on its head with endless debates.

– Obviously Light Blade Heo Yoon-hwan, right? You try going toe-to-toe with him after starting Seok Harang’s route! Forget dating—when it comes to marriage talk, necks get chopped left and right! Hahaha!

– Actually, isn’t Xiao Lin the strongest? She’s the heroine, after all. Where else will you find a companion better specced than the heroine?

– We need to exclude spirit possession. Once that’s factored in, comparisons become meaningless. If we include synchronization rates, the protagonist is top-tier, followed by everyone else in descending order. But let’s focus on martial artists here, martial artists.

– Who is the First Sword Under Heaven?

– Why does it have to be a sword? People who use other weapons can be strong too. Have any of you experienced Iron Fist Master Kim Chul-soo’s blazing punches? Stop boasting about your Nuclearian achievements like they’re real accomplishments! Hahaha!

– What about Gawein? Isn’t he the strongest of the Round Table? Light Blade might be the father-in-law of the heroine, but Gawein has his own reputation to uphold.

– Crazy! Stop spoiling things!

The world descended into utter chaos. The development team remained silent amidst the flood of customer inquiries, instead fanning the flames by treating the controversy as free marketing.

– Strongest martial artist? There’s a setting for it…hehe.

The community exploded.

There were calls to decapitate the SNS manager, but such incidents were commonplace, and dissatisfaction quickly subsided. The crucial revelation was that the developers had indeed established someone as the “strongest.” The SNS manager may have teased the audience, but they hadn’t lied.

Naturally, people began narrowing down the candidates. Those whose strengths primarily revolved around firearms or supernatural abilities were regretfully excluded, leaving only those whose names alone evoked recognition as contenders for the title of the First Under Heaven.

Light Blade Heo Yun-hwan.


Military Goddess Xiao Lin.


Iron Fist Master Kim Chul-soo.


Sir Gawein.

Other candidates existed, but these four received over 20% of the support each, securing their spots among the top contenders.

– What do you think?

At the time, I had just stumbled upon a promising lead into Chang-yeom’s route when I jumped into the fiery discussion board. Among all the candidates mentioned, there was one name conspicuously absent—one that had been deliberately omitted. Boldly, I added them to the list.

– It’s obviously Chang-yeom.

– No, no, it’s supposed to be a martial artist!

– Exactly! Hahaha!

– Seriously, if not Chang-yeom, then who next?

Faced with the question, I hesitated. As a named character with a 99% completion rate in optional content, I feared being criticized for bringing up something inappropriate.

But answering was only natural. Drawing on information gathered while preparing for the Phoenix route, I selected another contender worthy of the title of the First Martial Artist.

– Mo Taegyeong.

– Who?

– You know, the guy who bit Seongju’s neck and caused him to go berserk. Haven’t you reached that part yet? Consider this a hint, hehe.

– Hahahaha! That bastard from the Round Table secret lore? So you’ve uncovered that much too, huh? Haha! By the way, you know this only happens if you beat Gawein one-on-one.

High-level insider knowledge started flying around the chatroom. My opponent was also deeply invested in entering the Phoenix route, so I carefully explained my reasoning.

– You said you’re Western, right? That makes sense. Do you know why Mo Taegyeong cared so much about reviving this person? Because he’s the Eastern Hercules. Xiang Yu.

– Holy crap! That Overwhelming Courage guy? I know that one.

– Exactly. Among the villains’ settings, there are characters described as reincarnations of past figures. However, I suspect some mistakes were made in these setups. The one labeled as Xiang Yu’s reincarnation seems more like a ploy to feed Chinese gamers national pride and lure them into spending money. When you dig deeper into the settings, it turns out to be someone entirely different.

– Are you gonna leave me hanging after sharing all this? Last time, you helped with the Hikari and Hitomi sisters’ rice bowl ending. Surely you’re not planning to run off now, are you? Hahaha!

– Fool.

– Huh?

– They mistook Chiyou for Xiang Yu in the settings, it seems.

At the time, the strongest martial artist, the First Under Heaven, according to my thoughts, was none other than Chiyou. Though long deceased in the original story, his actions ensured the narrative didn’t collapse from the start.

– Hahaha, isn’t that the monster Mo Taegyeong couldn’t revive no matter what method he tried? How is he the strongest?

– Isn’t he almost as strong as the protagonist synchronized with Chang-yeom?

Even though I knew my opponent was baiting me, I revealed some information to prove my point.

– Biting Seongju’s nape is proof enough of his strength, isn’t it?

– Wasn’t that because Seongju was a Dongchonghaso bug?

– Hmm… Let’s stop here.

I ended the conversation. Initially, I had entered to confirm whether Chang-yeom’s favorite food was strawberries, but I ended up feeling uneasy after inadvertently revealing my knowledge.

No matter how I thought about it, Chiyou was the strongest martial artist. Setting aside the complicated backstory involving figures like Xiang Yu or Chiyou, his demonstrated martial prowess alone was enough to call him the greatest martial artist without exaggeration.

“Isn’t biting Seongju and injuring him proof enough of being the strongest?”

Judging by Seongju’s personality, he must have been wearing the Robe of the Otherworldly God at the time. Yet, despite the formidable defensive power of that yellow robe, Chiyou managed to bite and injure Seongju’s neck.

This was why I hailed him as the strongest ‘martial artist.’

…Had I known I’d end up facing him directly, I wouldn’t have paid such lip service.

* * *

Kaaang, Kaaang!

Fists clashed. With every impact, my body tingled, and the mana coursing through me felt as if it were shattering.

“Hahaha, how’s that feel?”

Seongju charged at me, sweeping his leg upward from below. I had no choice but to leap backward to evade the vertical kick.

Sssshh—

Seongju’s toes barely grazed the front of my chest. Had I hesitated even slightly, my shirt would have surely been split open vertically.

“You pervert!”

My inner Chang-yeom shrieked and swung her fist. Though it wasn’t the best time to attack, I couldn’t help but retaliate against someone targeting my woman’s chest.

“Pervert? You’re hilarious!”

Seongju slammed his raised leg down toward me. It was too late to dodge, so I raised my opposite arm to block.

“What do you mean, who’s the pervert, you freaks!”

“We’re not perverts!”

Kaaang—! Pow!

Seongju’s downward strike collided with my gauntlet. My punch grazed his waist. Both of us landed blows, but neither hit cleanly.

“It’s called affectionate expression!”

Psshhaak!

The moment Seongju’s mana touched my gauntlet, it began to disintegrate. The interdimensional god’s yellow storm emanating from his robe swiftly eroded my flame-infused gauntlet.

“Hahaha! You’ve lost your weapon!”

“Not quite!”

I spread my hand that had struck Seongju, releasing mana back into my arm. Chiyou watched in surprise as the gauntlet reformed into a projectile and launched toward him.

“Claymore, anyone?”

KWAHNG!!

I fired my gauntlet like a cannonball into Seongju’s abdomen at close range. His body recoiled violently as I propelled myself forward.

“Grrk?!”

With one side of my arm drained of mana due to the residual winds from Seongju’s robe, I focused on regenerating it while charging forward. Meanwhile, I prepared to fire another gauntlet missile with my other hand.

“Pretty good, isn’t it?”

Seongju shook off the blow, brushing the flames off his robe as he retreated. Even while retreating to minimize the recoil, his eyes remained locked onto me.

“Come on, then!”

“Anytime!”

Whoosh!

A new gauntlet materialized in my hand, twice its previous size and resembling a beast’s claw.

“Come on, already?!”

I leapt high into the air, unfurling my wings. While gathering mana, Seongju steadied himself and prepared for a counterattack.

“Temper, temper! Don’t get cocky just because of your gear!”

I folded my wings and slashed downward with my claws. Seongju crossed his arms in an X to block my clawed strike.

Kagagak!!

Flames erupted from my claws, attempting to scorch Seongju. Despite the full force of my weight and mana behind the slash, the ground beneath Seongju merely sank slightly.

“Is that all?”

Seongju chuckled ominously under his robe before smirking at me.

“With your advantageous attribute, that’s all you can manage?”

“This?!”

“Behold the power of the divine!”

Seongju flexed his fists, summoning wind from his hands. The yellow storm spiraling from his sleeves grew into a massive vortex, forcing me to hastily retreat into the skies.

“Whirlwind of Yellow Storm!”

“Talk about obvious naming conventions!!”

A hurricane-like blast of yellow wind surged upward from Seongju’s hands, relentlessly chasing after me despite my frantic wing flapping. The gauntlet I had discarded to avoid it crumbled instantly.

“Interdimensional buffs are unreal!”

That wasn’t Seongju’s true power. It was the strength of the Robe of the Otherworldly God he wore. Though originally not imbued with his own power, Seongju had found traces of the interdimensional deity within the robe, allowing him to borrow its immense strength.

“Give up peacefully, and I’ll let you take the container and leave!”

“Are you kidding?! I haven’t lost yet!”

I extended my hand downward. The approaching storm forced me to create a hemispherical shield with released mana.

Crack, crack, crack!

A sound akin to thousands of ants gnawing on food filled the air as the storm began eroding my shield. The outer layer was visibly chipping away, threatening to break at any moment.

“You can’t do anything, can you, Phoenix?”

“You idiot! I created the shield for a reason!”

I placed my hand on the shield and flipped upside down, extending my legs backward.

“To gain propulsion!”

“Wha—”

I sharply discharged mana toward the center of the shield. The hemispherical barrier gradually shrank, transforming into a spear-like structure encasing my body.

“The projectile becomes me—!!”

KWAHNG!!

An immense surge of mana erupted from behind the shield, piercing through the heart of the storm. Startled, Seongju stepped back as my flaming lance charged straight toward him.

“There’s no time to dodge!”

Whoosh–!

Unfolding my wings for additional speed, I accelerated my charge. Seongju gritted his teeth and raised his arms to defend against my spear-like assault.

But perhaps startled by the failure of his own attack, the sleeve of Seongju’s robe caught on his elbow, exposing his arm.

“Crap—”

“Exposed weakness!”

The tip of my shield-lance precisely targeted the bracelet on Seongju’s wrist. That accursed pseudo-cube prevented me from burning the Robe of the Otherworldly God.

“Damn—”

Seongju covered the bracelet with his hand, glaring at me as he unleashed a burst of mana.

“This won’t be easy—!!”

The storm I had pierced began reversing its course. Just as I had broken through it, the interdimensional god’s yellow storm now flowed backward, seeking to penetrate my mana blasts and target me.

“Kgh!”

I couldn’t afford to miss this chance. Clenching my teeth, I hurled the shield-lance at Seongju.

Psshhaak!

The spear-tip pierced cleanly through Seongju’s wrist. A blue flame ignited on the cube bracelet he wore.

“Now it’s just—Gahk?!”

‘You?!’

Just as I thought I only needed to hold him off, my mana wavered momentarily. A sensation of floating outside the world overwhelmed me, and by the time I regained focus, it was too late.

Shred, shred!!

The yellow storm pursuing my rear engulfed my entire body. Gripping my teeth against the searing pain of being shredded, I endured.

“Phoenix—-!!”

Seongju roared and lunged at me with a punch. This time, I had no choice but to cross my arms to block his blow.

“Keugh?!”

Even though I blocked it, the pain was excruciating. A truck-like impact coursed through my body as I was sent flying from Seongju’s punch. My wings tore apart, preventing me from maintaining balance, and I tumbled across the ground.

“Haa, haa, khh.”

Streams of mana began gushing from wounds all over my body, glowing red. Had this been actual blood, I would have been drenched in it.

But it was advantageous.

“This…this is what they call sacrificing flesh for the bone. Haha…”

“You insolent brat—!!”

Seongju exploded in rage, severing his arm above the elbow. The bracelet still burned with Chang-yeom’s flames, and Seongju began putting distance between us, keeping me in check.

“Now that the cube is gone, you can’t maintain the robe’s external shield…what will you do?”

I rubbed my fingers together, igniting a small spark.

“Now, even a graze will make you strip that robe off!”

“Dare you burn the sacred garment of the divine?!”

All attacks except Chang-yeom’s flames rendered ineffective. Wind attribute attacks absorbed mana, converting it into health recovery. Regardless of the story’s forced item removal mechanics, the system was undeniably overpowered.

However, the robe possessed one fatal flaw:

It burned easily.

It burned especially well against Chang-yeom’s flames.

Even the protagonist, who hadn’t fought a single battle, could set the entire robe ablaze with a mere spark.

“Trying to burn my robe, huh? Like that ero-manga scene in your memory!”

Seongju fumed, regenerating his severed arm. The bracelet responsible for the robe’s fireproofing was now gone.

“But you alone cannot defeat me!”

“Who said I’m alone?”

I steadied my breathing and extended my hand forward. Having disrupted his invincible pattern with close-range combat, it was now time to hand over the reins to our specialist in long-range barrages.

“You forgot, didn’t you? You’re fighting ‘us’ right now.”

Chang-yeom raised her sun-shaped staff skyward, signaling her entrance into the fray.