Chapter 807

〈 Chapter 807 〉 Part 3, Chapter 1, Section 09: Aerial Combat

Garura.

In-game terms, one of the three great monsters of the Fire Attribute, and in Shin-ra’s perspective, one of the three strongest spirits who stood by her side during Tera’s final battle. In the last twenty Earth years, Garura was also the blonde gal Chang-yeom brought over from India.

Originally a Light Attribute spirit under the Golden Sun Spirit, but after the Golden Sun Spirit fell to Karna, she entrusted herself to the God of Flames to survive, thus gaining both Fire and Light Attributes.

So, if the Golden Sun Spirit hadn’t been corrupted by chaos, what attribute would Garura have had?

‘Just pure Light.’

GYAAAAAA!

Garura let out a deafening roar and swung her sword at me. I spread my wings, creating distance between us while simultaneously flying at full speed away from this presumed royal road.

“Don’t speak. Your tongue shall be bitten off.”

Hara clenched her teeth and clung to me. I tightly embraced her with one hand and reached inside my coat…

“It kinda touches.”

“WHAT THE F@#$?!”

MUNGEUL.

Her chest brushes against the back of my hand. But there’s no time for apologies—I need to firmly hold Hara with one hand and pull out the gun from inside my coat with the other, aiming it at Garura.

BANG, BANG-BANG!

I fired magic bullets imbued with blue magical power that surged toward the massive Garura heading towards me.

FLAP!

Garura folded her golden wings and plummeted downwards. The bullets slashed through empty air as Garura unfurled her wings again and began chasing me.

“She’s strong…”

Even in my Avatar form, her mana reserves far surpass mine. While my current S-Rank beginner level is around 90% of full strength, Garura is nearly reaching S+ Rank.

The reason I’m only S-Rank is because the maximum mana capacity an avatar can have in this world is capped at S-Rank. To exceed that limit, I’d need three very special items…

‘But if I try to obtain them, I’ll likely get killed first.’

Even if I die, I can recreate the Avatar, but since it takes a long time, chaos could spread while I’m reviving.

Thus, surviving against Garura is key.

KYAAAAAAAH!

Garura swung her sword again, barely missing my wing with a slash so powerful it made my feathers tremble.

‘Does she consider the sky her domain?’

While I’m confident in aerial combat, she’s a specialist. Moreover, fighting her with this handicap makes it foolish to think I can go head-to-head with her.

The Eight Divine Warriors.

According to Hara, Garura is one of the eight warriors serving the High Priest of the Golden Sun Spirit—meaning there could potentially be seven more beings on par with Garura.

If the eight top-tier S-Rank Light Attribute monsters are indeed the Eight Divine Warriors of this world, it wouldn’t be impossible. I can’t fight all of them alone.

Against Garura alone, I could carefully strategize, but if another spirit joins in, I’ll be screwed.

“Why is she chasing me so furiously?”

“B-because you insulted the gods!”

Hara shouted, pointing at my chest.

“Heresy! Sex criminal! Scum!”

“All three don’t apply to me. Actually, the real scum… nah, never mind. Talking about it will give me a headache.”

I folded my wings, letting inertia send my body into a diagonal dive.

KYAAAAA!!

With blazing anger, Garura chased after me at full speed. Hara looked worried, wondering if she’d fall too, but I tightly grabbed her and focused my mana.

WHOOSH!

Right before hitting the ground, I unfolded my wings, skimming across the surface while propelling myself forward with flames of magical power emitted from behind my wings, like a rocket boost.

BOOM!

Garura couldn’t stop her momentum in time and slammed into the ground despite controlling her descent earlier. It was already too late for her to brake.

[KYAAAAAAAAAAA!!]

With an incomprehensible scream, Garura resumed her chase. Her eyes were filled with righteous indignation.

“You’ve probably never lost to anyone in speed, right? Hey, can you hear me? If not, this would be pretty awkward talking to myself.”

[KYAAAAAAK!!]

“Good, glad you’re listening. Almost became a crazy guy yelling into thin air.”

Thankfully, Garura fell for the bait. Of course, seeing someone smaller than her, someone akin to a heretic who disrespected the Golden Sun Spirit, escaping faster and higher must infuriate her.

“Well then, come chase me.”

I ascended vertically this time, flapping my wings and using mana propulsion to soar high into the sky.

Naturally, Garura quickly followed. Just as easily as I climbed, she had more than enough ability to keep up.

“Hari, bury your face in my chest.”

Hari obediently did as told. At the right moment, I spun my body 180 degrees mid-air.

“Can you see the sun?”

I positioned myself with the sun behind me. Naturally, Garura ascending below would only see me in her line of sight.

“Let me show you the true power of the sun.”

I tightly held Hari with one hand, raising the other at a 45-degree angle.

“Blazing Phoenix, Forever!”

BLAST!

I unleashed the light of Blazing Phoenix, transforming myself into a new sun and sending a direct beam of sunlight straight at Garura. She covered her face with her hands, writhing in agony from the sudden burst of brightness.

[KYAAAAAAH! AAAH!]

“Only half-power, but it’s still Solar Fist.”

Even without being bald, the immense light can blind anyone—the power of Blazing Phoenix, the power of Shin-ra.

SWISH.

I closed the distance in an instant. Folding my wings, I propelled myself through the air and aimed for Garura’s wing joints on her back.

“Sorry, but you can’t catch me.”

I gathered all my mana into my fist.

“Blazing Punch!”

With full force, I drove my fist into Garura’s back.

[AAAAAHHHHHH!!]

Letting out a cry that sounded neither bird nor human, Garura lost control of her wings and began plummeting toward the ground.

After confirming she was falling into a deep lake, I turned and flew in the opposite direction with Hari.

“I’m getting rusty.”

Being in Avatar form isn’t an excuse.

Back in the days of Blazing Phoenix, I defeated countless S-Rank and SS-Rank monsters. That kind of power isn’t coming back yet.

Maybe after escaping Earth 20 years ago, indulging in too much sex has stiffened my body.

Still, fortunately, my soul remembers how to fight—with mana, with the Phoenix style, with the fighting spirit of a commander wielding the power of Chang-yeom.

“I need to find them soon.”

The three items that will take me from S-Rank 90 to SSS-Rank 100. Once I find them, I can synchronize and unleash even greater power.

Which means I need to investigate the situation here.

“Hari, we’re withdrawing to regroup.”

“W-what?”

“I need to meet the High Priest directly.”

Even if Garura survives, it means nothing if the god is corrupted. Therefore, I must meet the Golden Sun Spirit.

“What will you do when you meet the High Priest?”

“Just check his condition. Whether the High Priest is affected by chaos or remains normal.”

If the High Priest, who communicates directly with the god, is abnormal, it means I need to clear the chaos here first.

Meaning I have to infiltrate that royal road guarded by the Eight Divine Warriors. I landed far away and gently set Hari down.

“Hari, goodbye for now.”

“Hold on! You’re leaving just like this?!”

“I helped you escape. The rest is up to you.”

“How cruel!”

“I have no choice. I need to infiltrate that place.”

I turned to head toward the royal road.

But I felt a hand grab my collar from behind.

“Hmph, planning to infiltrate the royal road?”

“What? Are you a spy? Some agent watching me?”

“…Why are you assuming such things? I just want to help you!”

“Help me? Why?”

“I’ll tell you a secret passage into the royal road, but in return, I want some money to start life in another kingdom. Helping me leave here would be nice too.”

Hara smirked and formed a circle with her fingers—a universal gesture for money.

“I don’t have anything worth paying with money.”

“Then take me to another kingdom! Staying here will just get me locked up again for being ‘beautiful.'”

“Even in another kingdom, the same thing will happen.”

“It’s fine. I can convert.”

Conversion.

It means a spirit changing its attribute, abandoning its original nature.

“At least it’s better than being trapped here, right?”

“…”

“Yeah… Though, it’s not something I, born in this country, should say.”

Hara sighed deeply, gesturing toward herself.

“I hate sex.”

“What?”

“No, specifically, I hate what people here call ‘sex’! I want my first time to be with someone I love! But everyone keeps pestering me, saying ‘just try it once!'”

“…”

I extended my hand toward Hari and placed a mini Phoenix on her shoulder.

“This guy will save you in emergencies.”

“Uh…?”

“Guide me.”

A sliver of conscience found in a land of lust.

As an apostle of Shin-ra, I felt compelled to protect her, at least a little.

* * *

“Yes, it’s been a while.”

“You’ve sensed it too; the spirit we sent to the other dimension has been destroyed.”

“The last scene captured by the spirit—don’t share it with others yet.”

“Karna is working hard producing spirits to confirm.”

“…I haven’t done it with Xroid. ‘Producing’ was a joke. We’re just creating lower-level spirits.”

“Understood.”

“Could be ‘him,’ or perhaps the person within him.”

“Either way, we’ve caught a lead. Heh heh.”

“Let’s send more artificial spirits to verify. Let’s see if that blue flame from the other world belongs to the person we know.”

“And…”

“Who keeps contaminating our artificial spirits?”