Chapter 1010

EP.1010 2(-1) Part 10 Chapter 23

After Salvation.

Korea has changed.

Surpassing the era when there were only 12 S Rank Heroes, it rose as the world’s greatest power in special abilities.

A New Era.

In 2021, Korea had become incredibly strong beyond words.

—But no matter how strong Korea gets, can it really stop a nuke from the U.S.?

—Yeah, we can redirect nuclear missiles mid-air to somewhere else.

—What? Which alternate universe’s Korea are you talking about? That sounds terrifying!

—This is OUR timeline’s Korea!!

Korea has grown stronger.

Behind this rise was, of course, the Core Revolution of the 21st century, which greatly influenced the number of special ability users.

—Sure, Korea might have a lot of goddesses, but aren’t all others pretty much the same?

—There’s the Blue Wind Sect.

—So what if there’s the Blue Wind Sect? It’s just another Hunter Guild, right?

—What if that Hunter Guild is stronger than every other special ability group in the world combined?

—W-what did you just say…?

—Right now, the Blue Wind Sect alone has over 20 S Rank special ability users.

—Wait, how is that even possible?!

—I don’t know either.

Including S Rank users, the Blue Wind Sect boasts an astonishing 20,000 special ability users.

And where did they come from? None other than the influence of “Phoenix.”

—But where did so many special ability users suddenly appear from…?

—Apparently, Blazing Phoenix awakened them all?

—What?!

—It wasn’t just Commanders who possessed commanding abilities. Blazing Phoenix also held the powers of a Commander.

—Unbelievable…

Through Phoenix’s theory of training ten thousand special ability users, approximately 1% of Korea’s population awakened their latent powers and honed them.

Sure, 1% sounds small, but with Korea’s 40 million population, that’s 400,000 people.

Most are D or C Rank, but even these individuals possess physical specs far surpassing elite soldiers, making the world fear Korea.

—Never underestimate Korea again.

—Korea is Phoenix’s country.

—But isn’t praising someone who was once a Villain kind of weird?

True.

While Phoenix saved the world, she also exhibited countless villainous traits across various aspects.

Thus, calling Korea “Phoenix’s country” felt rather awkward.

Then…

—…Korea is Seok Harang’s country.

—Didn’t Seok Harang disappear?

Seok Harang vanished without a trace.

The woman who was more heroic than anyone in Korea, standing as the polar opposite of Phoenix, suddenly disappeared one day.

As though chasing after the vanished Phoenix, she evaporated into thin air.

—Ugh, fine! Let’s just call it the country of the Blue Wind Sect!

In Korea exists the Blue Wind Sect, the world’s strongest hunter organization.

—If the 20th century had the U.S. military, the 21st century has the Blue Wind Sect!

Blue Wind Sect.

Based in Korea, yet operating on a global scale…


There exists an organization that has made its name known far and wide.

Simultaneously the most powerful group among single-scale hunter guilds, it has also grown into a power faction in Korea that is now indispensable.

Their power doesn’t merely stem from their countless Special Ability wielders but goes beyond mere ‘strength.’

“Core. Only the Blue Wind Sect can continue to extract Cores in this world where Core supplies have been cut off.”

Even after the Rebirth, they were capable of producing an endless number of Cores.

Only the Blue Wind Sect could periodically produce Cores and somehow retrieve them from unknown places.

“All the people on Earth now live only by relying on the Cores provided by the Blue Wind Sect. It wouldn’t matter much if it was just Korea, but now the Blue Wind Sect bears the responsibility for global Core demands.”

In reality, the entire world has reached a situation where it must receive Cores like baby birds waiting to be fed, with nations’ fates turning based on who trades better with the Blue Wind Sect.

“A terrorist group that began as nothing special now rules the world behind the scenes.”

The black-haired woman played with her crystal-filled teacup and gave a bitter laugh.

“Truly, the World has changed so much… all because of him.”

She idly touched the black ring on her left ring finger.

Perhaps it was the only trace ‘she’ left behind, and simultaneously the sole item that reminded her daily of their meetings.

“I miss you…”

Blazing Phoenix.

Thinking about her memories with Phoenix, the ring imbued with Phoenix’s Magic Power stirred various emotions within her.

Though their relationship wasn’t good from the start, it was undeniable that she had experienced countless indescribable things thanks to him.

“Excuse me, Miss Ten.”

“Speak freely.”

Behind the woman stood a blond, golden-eyed young man.

Called simply “Ten,” without even a proper name, he wore a mismatched ensemble of a suit and cloak that seemed to strive for a fusion of Eastern and Western aesthetics.

“So, was Blazing Phoenix female or male?”

“That’s a difficult question to answer.”

“Or maybe they were both genders? Or perhaps genderless? Or someone who adjusts according to their partner’s gender?”

“It’s truly hard to answer, but… for your sake, ‘he’ chose to leave me in a masculine form.”

“Is that so…”

The woman quietly sipped her crystal candy.

“So, that means he saw me as a woman? He was thinking about getting me pregnant?”

“He undoubtedly saw you as an attractive woman.”

“…Even though I’m his younger sister?”

“……Miss, that’s…”

“Just a joke. I’ve already figured everything out.”

At one point, the woman had made a huge mistake.

“…I’m not his real younger sister. Rather, I’m a shameless existence who stole his rightful place.”

“But it wasn’t something you willingly did, right?”

“Still, I can’t entirely absolve myself of responsibility. Even if I didn’t know before, now that I do, I bear some accountability. It’s a situation straight out of a melodrama, yet sometimes reality surpasses even fictional setups.”

The woman gestured for Ten to take a seat.

They sat facing each other.

“The child was swapped. The person who should’ve been in my position was sent to an orphanage, awakened their Special Ability at a young age, became a Hero under Sun Icheol’s command to protect the orphanage, then disappeared during the Pyongyang battle and went to America. But…”

The woman glared coldly at Ten.

“Isn’t that strange? A person who should exist somewhere in America now doesn’t exist anywhere. What happened?”

“……This is merely my guess…”


Heh, it was quite the gamble.

“As Blazing Phoenix, I barely managed to seal my consciousness and power within the volcano. But as someone who foresaw the future, I couldn’t leave the variable known as ‘Commander’ unchecked.”

“So you killed the Commander?”

“More like I assimilated with them. I dwelled within the dead body of the Commander, who had lost their memories and consciousness, living on as ‘Baek Cheonghwa.'”

“…And died?”

“No way a baby abandoned in front of an orphanage in the cold January weather could have survived easily.”

“……”

The woman gave a bitter smile.

“When the Week of Blood occurred, the world was already in chaos. The chances of survival for a newborn baby right in the middle of it were extremely low. The child of a high-ranking politician survived, but the child swapped by the wet nurse didn’t stand a chance.”

“……If only the gender had been known beforehand through an ultrasound, this wouldn’t have happened.”

“You know how conservative that family is, don’t you?”

“……Yeah, they are.”

With a calm expression, the woman took another sip of her fruit punch.

“To be honest, 10, you cannot become That Person. I will wait for Them to return here in this country.”

“I understand.”

“……Are you alright?”

“That’s why I’m still here.”

At 10’s words, the woman genuinely felt melancholy.

The gaze directed at her was one she desperately didn’t want—but it wasn’t from the person she desired.

“Truly… Even though our relationship wasn’t very deep back then, now I feel like I can greet you happily. Thanks to That Person, this country has changed, and I’d like to show it to you.”

“That’s….”

“I get it, 10. I know it’s impossible. And I also know that instead of Them, you’re here watching over this world.”

Phoenix left behind a flickering ember.

She left behind a homunculus that resembled her but looked more human-like, as if it were what she’d look like if she were in the form of a human man.

A fragment isn’t the whole.

That’s why she named him “10” instead of calling him Baek Cheonghwa or giving him a human name.

Though he excels in abilities and combat skills and serves as her personal guard, every time she sees him, all she can think is that he’s not the one.

Some might say enjoying life using a replica of this man is like riding an electric scooter while pretending it’s the real deal, but the woman decided to silently wait for his return.

“Miss Baek Hee-a.”

10 merely smiled kindly.

“There will be many hardships ahead. Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

“Hah, I’ve fully considered that level of difficulty. I….”

Baek Hee-a confidently placed her hand on her chest.

“When I thought That Person was my older brother, I even attempted to legalize ‘that law.'”

10 fell silent.

Because “that law” was something that couldn’t be discussed casually anywhere.

“…So let’s end the small talk here. When That Person arrives in this country, we should show Them how much it’s changed, right? So first…let’s discuss the Core issue. Give me a report.”

“Understood.”

10 tapped the magical gear on his wrist.

A hologram immediately appeared in front of Baek Hee-a, and she quickly skimmed through the neatly organized report detailing each nation’s Core support requests.

“Hmm…. Asking for free C Rank Cores? Some nerve, huh.”

“What do you suggest we do? We do have a business agreement with that country regarding Core processing.”

“Is it something we can safely ignore?”

“We could ignore it, but it might negatively affect public opinion among nearby countries.”

“In that case…let’s play a simple game.”

Hehe.

“456 C Rank Cores on the line… Let’s play ‘Mulberry Blossoms Have Bloomed’-”