Chapter 1012

EP.1012 2(-1) Part 10 Chapter 25

Zzheh-jehk. The ground froze over.

Along with the ground, the black monster froze as well.

“Phew, this is exhausting.”

The white-haired maiden swung the staff in her hand from side to side with a gloomy voice.

“Can you feel it still rampaging inside?”

“Does this mean its body is restrained by ice?”

“Correct.”

The white-haired young man wearing a white coat fiddled with the rifle in his hand, his blue eyes gleaming.

K-2.

A rifle far too familiar to those living on the Korean Peninsula. Holding this rifle, the young man adjusted the trigger to single-shot mode while aiming at the frozen monster.

“Shall I fire?”

“Not yet. Once the cold seeps in and it freezes completely, we can shoot it afterward.”

“Once the ice melts, won’t it burst out?”

“…That might happen.”

The maiden clenched her fist lightly.

“In that case, just shoot it now.”

“No, Rusalka!!”

“I could hear you even without shouting so loudly.”

The girl, Rusalka, dissolved the wall of ice.

As soon as she did, the black monster wriggled and started moving again. The young man pulled the trigger.

Tang!

A short gunshot echoed, and a blue flame descended onto the body of the black monster.

Keeeek!!

The black monster began thrashing its body wildly in an attempt to extinguish the blue flame.

But like the blue flame-Chang-yeom, the fire will not die out until it has consumed everything.

Still…

“Looks like it’ll take longer than expected…”

“That thing will keep causing chaos. We need to prevent it from escaping.”

Clap.

Rusalka placed her hands together prayer-like and blinked her eyes.

Then, around the black monster rolling on the ground, a massive igloo formed, trapping the beast in an instant.

Keeek!!

The only way out for the monster was where Rusalka and the young man stood.

The monster screamed as it lunged toward the exit, but the young man skillfully switched to full-auto and pulled the trigger.

Tuduuduudu.

Blue flames transformed into bullets and flew.

Even as the black monster was hit by the bullets, it tried to move forward but gradually shrank and burned away due to Chang-yeom’s power.

Kee, eeeek….

A final scream akin to a wail.

It vanished without leaving even a trace of black ash, dispersing not into mist but as if its very existence had been erased, fading into nothingness. The young man frowned.

“There’s no way it could just disappear like that.”

“What do you mean?”

“If it were a monster, the core should remain. If it were a demon dragon, there would be a corpse left behind. This isn’t a normal monster or a demon dragon—it’s something else entirely.”

“But didn’t it come through the dimensional gate?”

“Even if it came through the dimensional gate, this isn’t your average monster.”

The young man bit his lower lip at the complete disappearance of the black monster…


“……”

“Only Blazing Phoenix, only the blue flame nestled in this heart can completely incinerate those bastards.”

“So you can do it, and the other ‘fragments’ can do the same, right?”

“Yes. I might be the first to catch one.”

The young man holstered K-2 behind his back and extended a hand toward Rusalka.

“Thanks to Rusalka.”

“Show some gratitude then. And what’s with this ‘Rusalka’ nonsense?”

“Then what should I call you?”

“Call me Mother-in-law, Agent 13.”

“……”

Agent 13.

The Phoenix assigned to Seok Harang scratched its cheek.

Though Seok Harang had disappeared, leaving no clear master, Agent 13 was technically an entity assigned to ‘Rusalka of Seoyea.’

It wasn’t strange for Rusalka to carry it around.

“Calling you mother-in-law feels weird. Does that mean I have to call that human my father-in-law?”

“That’s fair.”

Rusalka chuckled.

“That guy is probably having sex with Anastasha right now, oblivious to the world getting dangerous again.”

“Let him focus on making cores.”

“Shouldn’t he be making cores more reasonably? Do you know how many white cores are already out there? While other types aren’t produced in small quantities either, water attribute cores alone are enough to cover all of Europe and Africa—and still have leftovers.”

How are cores made?

They’re created when a Phoenixroid and a commander share intimacy.

Just like how Karna and Angga engage in infinite love-making sessions with the Phoenixroids to extract light-speed and illusion cores, water attribute cores are also being mass-produced like bamboo shoots after rain.

Through the sexual acts of the monster-wielding sword technique user and the woman named Anastasha.

Anastasha, though human, uses her clones to vigorously birth cores instead of children.

“Really, obsessed with sex… sigh.”

“You’re not much different from Anastasha, Rusalka.”

“A little different, don’t you think? Anyway, we don’t have time to debate this. Quickly upload your data to the Phoenix network. To successfully eliminate these black entities crossing over from the other dimension, we need Blazing Phoenix’s power.”

The power of Blazing Phoenix.

The purifying blue flames continue to cleanse the Earth of impurities.

Indeed.

After salvation.

For a while, things were quiet, but since the sudden appearance of these ‘black entities,’ which have once again plunged the world into fear, the Blue Wind Sect discovered that the powers left behind by Blazing Phoenix could sufficiently suppress them.

The most concentrated ultimate power naturally resides within its fragments.

“Now you guys are going to get busy. Hehe.”

Some of the Phoenixroids containing ‘1/100*1/16’ of Blazing Phoenix will travel the world alongside their partners, eradicating dark traces to maintain the world peace achieved through salvation.

But.

“Rusalka. We can’t keep doing this forever. Our Blaze isn’t omnipotent.”

“That’s not something a fragment of Phoenix should say. How is Blaze not omnipotent?”

“We’re only S-rank, not gods. How could we possibly be omnipotent?”

Agent 13 pointed at their chest, near the heart.

“The magic power accumulated from solar energy won’t be enough compared to what we consume. If these kinds of beings—or even stronger ones—keep crossing over to Earth, we might not be able to handle it.”

“What should we do then?”

“We need to cut them off at the source.”

Agent 13 drew a line across their neck with their thumb.

“We must stop the dark entities from coming to our Earth.”

“Do you mean crossing through the dimensional gate?”

“To eliminate the enemies coming through the dimensional gate, we must cross over to the other side and take them out.”

“…That makes sense.”

Rusalka deactivated the igloo.


The black monster had vanished without a trace, leaving behind the chaotic aftermath of its rampage.

The ground was corrupted.

More contaminated than the past pollution caused by Terrasites or Terrorists on Earth, the land left after the death of the rampaging dimensional monsters was utterly despoiled.

“Hey. What do you think is causing these dark entities to cross over?”

“…Based on the limited information we have…”

13 created two flames in midair.

“Someone here has opened a portal to ancient Tera, and from there, the polluted mana of that ruined world, along with Seongju-like figures, are flowing back to Earth. Like one person goes in, another comes out.”

“So, it’s the Earthlings who are the problem, huh?”

“…Can’t deny that.”

Taptap.

13 tapped their Magical Gear, projecting images into the air.

“The people we once suspected as villains, like Blazing Phoenix, or Adolf Wilhelm, or even Taieng Mammar… All sorts of dictators, mass murderers, and villains worldwide are disappearing.”

“You mean they’ve fled to ancient Tera?”

“It’s not impossible. Do you know why ‘terraforming’ is called terraforming?”

“That lame joke….”

Rusalka nodded seriously.

“I kinda like it.”

“…You have strange tastes.”

“Always keeping life light-hearted. So, 13, what you’re saying is…”

Swish.

Rusalka threw an ice chunk made of magic power at the flame 13 had conjured.

One went in, one came out.

“In this world, the villains are escaping Earth for ancient Tera, while from ancient Tera, Seongju uses portals opened by those villains to invade our world. Past Seongju.”

Gnash.

Rusalka gritted her teeth, invoking her magic power.

In an instant, frost began spreading around Rusalka.

“Could this be a good opportunity for revenge?”

“Seems so, from Rusalka’s perspective.”

“Right. The gods who fell from grace so quickly. Sure, they found happiness here, but still… That’s one thing, this is another.”

Rusalka exuded killing intent.

“Ancient Tera. If the gods haven’t yet been degraded into spirits, if they haven’t been brainwashed yet, it might be worth trying.”

Because in ancient Tera, there was hope.

It would certainly differ from the hopeless scenario where all six gods had fallen into corruption, leaving only one stubbornly holding onto their temple.

And…

“…In ancient Tera, there’s Chang-yeom.”

‘The being destined to become Blazing Phoenix.’

“Then isn’t that great?”

“…There’s a slight issue.”

Rusalka shook her head grimly.

“Chang-yeom wasn’t originally ‘Blue Flame.’ How could fire ever be blue? It should be red!”

“Huh?”

“Blue is more my color. Water is blue, fire is red—those are the rules!”

“…Now that you mention it.”

13’s face paled.

“Chang-yeom was created when Seongju corrupted ‘the god-to-be-Chang-yeom’ into a subordinate, modifying their flame to counter extraplanar gods…”

“Yeah. I know she’s not really Chang-yeom. A god… that…”

Swoosh.

A cold wind brushed through Rusalka’s hair.

“Originally, it was Crimson Flame.”

With red hair, and red eyes.