Chapter 1014

EP.1014 Part 3 Chapter 3-1

It feels like Tera hasn’t been visited in quite a while.

Though I’ve periodically entered Tera to check on the situation, it seems a lot of time has passed since that trip to Busan with Seok Harang.

“Ah, Phoenix Sir…?”

“Hmm.”

Hari, the maid who assists me in the Kingdom of Gaiana—a princess from the Land of Light whose appearance strikingly resembles Karna—looked at me in surprise.

“Why’s that?”

“Oh, n-no. It’s just…you suddenly changed your appearance.”

I glanced at my reflection in the mirror.

If I recall correctly, the last form I took in the Kingdom of Gaiana was that of a young boy.

Since it greatly aided in dispelling the darkness of the kingdom, I plan to strategically use it again in the future, but for now, there’s no need to deliberately change my appearance.

And besides, I need to test my body in other ways.

“I think I’ll stay in this form for a while.”

“Ahhh… I see… You’re staying like this…”

Hari looked rather disappointed.

Why do people love it when a fully grown adult suddenly transforms into a child? It’s an incomprehensible preference, but if Shin-ra likes it, I’d willingly revert to baby-talk tomorrow.

That is, unless Shin-ra isn’t around.

That is, unless acting like a child doesn’t benefit my actions.

There’s simply no need to transform unnecessarily anymore.

“Hari, anything unusual happen while I was gone?”

“Nope. Absolutely nothing.”

“As expected.”

Nothing happened.

Which means either nothing has occurred yet or perhaps something did happen elsewhere that wasn’t observed in the Kingdom of Gaiana.

“Hari, have you received any communication regarding the regime collapse in the Kingdom of Gaiana from other places?”

“Nope, nothing. Though it’s a bit painful that the priesthood seat remains vacant, we still receive direct divine messages from Spirit…”

“Any signs of those Neo-Nazi guys showing up separately?”

“Nope. They’ve completely vanished.”

“Hmm…”

The estimated Neo-Nazis who came over from Earth 20 years ago have all disappeared.

We, the Blue Wind Sect, successfully dealt with the collaborators left behind in the Kingdom of Gaiana, but unfortunately failed to capture the main Neo-Nazis.

They’ve either completely disappeared within the Kingdom of Gaiana or have been devoured by dark forces and chaos.

Or maybe they’re operating somewhere beyond the awareness of the people of Gaiana.

“I guess I’ll have to go after those guys.”

“Yes, then I….”

“Stay here.”

“Wha…?!”

Hari seemed utterly shocked.

“Do you mean… I just stay here…?”

“Yes. With Krishnap.”

With the suspiciously starry-eyed Spirit creature, I intend to leave Hari behind in the Kingdom of Gaiana as I move forward with my plans.

“This time…”


“It’s important for you to move independently, so there you go. Once I assess the situation, I’ll bring you along again, so don’t look at me like a discarded puppy staring at its owner.”

“T-That’s not how I was looking…”

“Isn’t it? You’re doing it right now.”

Hari sheepishly smiled and looked away.

Even though I’m using Karna’s face and body, things are pretty unbalanced…

‘But who cares?’

If I hadn’t helped, Karna—the woman resembling Gaechonkwang—might have been forced into marriage with some weird uncle, leading to all sorts of angsty drama.

If this dependency is the price for saving her, then helping her overcome it will be enough.

“Hari. Didn’t I mention before that I can exist anywhere?”

“Did you say something like that?”

“I probably mentioned it in passing. Don’t bother trying to remember.”

I pointed at the ground in front of Hari.

“If you ever get into trouble, make sure your skin touches the ground. Got it? Always the floor.”

“The floor…?”

“Exactly. It should ideally be connected to the earth. Any place floating with magical energy or where your body is airborne won’t work. That way, I can instantly appear. And…”

I lightly tapped the ground.

As I casually summoned a bit of Magic Power, I handed Hari a small gift.

“This time, it’s this.”

“This is…a bead?”

“In an emergency, just hold onto this and shout ‘Blazing Phoenix Revival.'”

“C-Chang-yeom…”

“Not now. Let me just show you, so stay still.”

I stepped back a little from Hari and flicked my finger toward her.

“Ground Wall.”

Instantly, dirt shot up from the ground and completely enveloped Hari, forming a structure like an iron maiden.

“Kyaaak?!”

Trapped inside like prey in an Iron Maiden, Hari panicked and pounded on the walls.

I gestured toward the inside, and Hari anxiously inspected it closely.

“Oh, you want me to sit…?”

“Yep.”

Behind her was a chair for her to sit on. Hari obediently followed my instructions, plopping down on the seat. I picked up a candlestick from the room.

And then—

KANG!!

With a ringing sound, I swung the candlestick against the iron maiden.

Hari screamed in shock, tightly closing her eyes and trembling as she peeked through one eye.

“…Huh?”

The iron maiden was perfectly intact.

In fact, the outer shell had actually bent the candlestick instead.

“Sorry, I was testing its durability to show you how strong it is, but I startled you.”

“You really… scared me…”

Though I swung it without warning to troll her a bit, I didn’t expect her to be this frightened.

“As long as you’re inside, you’re absolutely safe. Unless a Spirit comes and smashes this thing, there’s no way to break it. Got it?”

“Y-Yes, I understand. But…”

Hari blushed as she asked,

“Does that mean…I shouldn’t leave without permission?”

“……”

Please don’t step outside the Barrier I’ve set up.

Hari clearly remembered my stern warnings.

“Yeah. Of course.”

My life may be long or short, but there are definitely a few intense triggers for my PTSD.

Among the trolling acts, there are those that deeply stab at me.

“You can’t see outside from within, and you can handle urgent needs inside, so there’s nothing to worry about. Got it?”

“…You’re just telling me to stay still inside, aren’t you?”

“Of course. This is only activated when I need to step in for situations that can’t be resolved otherwise.”

When a situation arises that I need to resolve, please just stay calm.

Ideally, situations that only I can solve shouldn’t occur, but it seems this world isn’t quite like that.


After setting up a safety measure for Ha while I was away,

I set out to find Karna, the pseudo-spirit of light-speed.

“Hmm….”

It was easier to find him than I expected.

He was lying quietly near the warehouse, and I carefully extended my hand toward him as he slept.

“Twitch.”

“Figures.”

He was awake.

His gaze was clearly wary of me, yet somewhat welcoming.

It was as if he were suspiciously trying to figure out what I was up to.

‘Just like a cat.’

Though I’ve never kept a pet, so I wouldn’t know for sure…

“You, stick close to Ha, okay?”

I’m not sure if he’ll fully understand what I’m saying, but he’s definitely smart enough to get the gist.

“I’m going far away from here soon. Until then, keep an eye on Ha for me and make sure she doesn’t do anything strange. Got it?”

Leaving behind a mini Phoenix might seem like a solution, but leaving just a bit of one won’t solve all the world’s problems.

Besides, I don’t know what kind of situation awaits where I’m heading next.

‘I can’t afford any variables.’

Both Ha and Karna are still uncertain entities to me.

Not that I distrust them, but they’re unpredictable—like true heroines in every sense.

‘Why does Karna have to look this way?’

I inspected his body closely.

When I saw him before, I didn’t think much of it, but now that Shin-ra mentioned meeting Karna in-game, it clicked.

This form reminded me of the beast-like version of Karna from the Karna route—essentially, the chaotic element removed and deformed into something cute.

Like how Kim Penril transforms into a kitten, this was akin to Karna transforming into Karna-lite.

‘This looks trouble-prone.’

Adorable, yes, but with that cuteness comes the potential for big trouble.

Or maybe he already caused some.

“Take good care of Ha, alright?”

Nyeeeng.

He responded by emitting mana at me.

Given everything Karna has seen so far, he’ll surely protect Ha without causing chaos.

“Well…”

I placed Karna down.

The warehouse was empty anyway, and explaining myself to people would only cause unnecessary complications.

Word got out that a Phoenix is heading somewhere.

That could be problematic, especially if enemies who know about me catch wind of it.

‘Best to change my appearance.’

There’s no one around to see me….

“……”

The only watcher is Karna.

Even though he keeps staring at me intently, Karna isn’t the type to blab to anyone.

In that case…

‘It shouldn’t matter if I reveal myself now, right?’

They’ll all find out eventually anyway.

If I unveil it now, there won’t be any real issues.

“Come to me.”

With a casual incantation, I extended my hand forward.

“Descent of the Goddess.”

Swoosh.

A tall silhouette of brown light appeared before me.

The woman cloaked in amber light stretched her hand toward me, performing a gesture akin to a blessing, and I stood still as I received it.

Goddess Yuinah’s blessing.

And.

Whoooosh.

I felt my hair color shifting.

Not black anymore, but Yuna’s signature amber hue—almost golden, uniquely hers.

“……Hm.”

My eyes still glow with the flames of Chang-yeom.

But the core, the magic power embedded within this avatar, now emits an entirely different energy.

Chang-yeom.

And Ji Ryun.

The combined powers of these two spirits reside within me, making me nothing short of…

Chang-yeom, The Magma-Phoenix.

“Ground Zero.”

With a gentle roll of my foot, I dove into the earth below.