Chapter 208

〈Chapter 208〉 Part 1, Chapter 10, Section 11

The moment I revealed my true identity to Lee Seung-hyung.

He channeled magic power throughout his body and unleashed a full-strength punch.

“Very heroic of you.”

A fist came straight at my face from the front. I crossed my arms in an X-shape and raised them up.

Paaang!

Seung-hyung’s punch grazed above my head.

“What?!”

Was he surprised that he missed his intended target, or did he not expect me to actually block the attack? Either way, Seung-hyung was caught off guard.

And that brief opening leads to death. I extended my legs forward while pushing my crossed arms ahead.

Kaaangaang!

The magical forces surrounding both me and Seung-hyung clashed like protective barriers, sending sparks flying everywhere. In an instant, I had closed the distance with Seung-hyung and uncrossed my arms to throw a quick punch.

“Guhk!”

A straight punch aimed at the abdomen. But Seung-hyung managed to catch my punch with his other hand just in time.

“Not bad.”

Looks like even as an actor, he didn’t neglect basic combat training. I infused my captured fist with magic power and pulled slightly.

“Well then, how about this?”

I twisted my waist to add rotational force. Though it was a short-range hook, its destructive power exceeded the first punch Seung-hyung threw.

Boooom!

Seung-hyung tried to evade by stepping back, causing my hook to lose some of its momentum. However, closing the gap again would only take one more step.

“Hmph.”

Another step forward. I thrust my fist in the exact same stance as before. This time, Seung-hyung also crossed his arms to guard.

Kuuuuum!

Seung-hyung’s body staggered half a step backward. He blocked my punch in the same manner I had blocked his earlier.

“Huff!”

Now it was my turn to receive his attack. Seung-hyung uncrossed his guard to try grabbing my wrist.

But someone like Seung-hyung can’t touch this body so easily.

Kaang!

“Huh?!”

Seung-hyung grabbed my wrist – the black gauntlet I’d partially transformed using monster-human hybridization. I kicked off the ground and lunged forward, raising my leg.

“Phoenix Punch!”

“Wha-?!”

Seung-hyung was momentarily stunned by my declaration and failed to lower his guard. I extended my folded leg and swept his legs out from under him.

“Ugh!”

Getting kicked near the groin caused Seung-hyung to buckle down. His knee hit the ground, and finally our eye levels became even.

“Hmm.”

Seung-hyung’s pupils were burning white. After awakening as an S-rank fire attribute special ability user, he gained his own color: pure white flames.

“Hm.”

Yet within those flames, a hint of my color seeped through. Chang-yeom’s presence was faintly but clearly visible within the white flames. Perhaps when I reach SS-rank, the blue and white will harmonize perfectly.

“Listen carefully. The reason I made you bleed back in Guro wasn’t because I couldn’t defeat you, but rather…”

Kung!

I placed an edge-hand strike on Seung-hyung’s shoulder. Though he raised one arm to guard, the impact still forced his upper body to bend forward.

“I didn’t have time to deal with you.”

“…So strong. Really.”

Since the moment I revealed myself as a villain, Seung-hyung dropped all formalities. There was no reason for a hero to use honorifics with a villain, but letting them go seemed to slightly distort his mindset.

“Why are you dropping formalities? Did anyone give you permission to do so?”

“…? It was just muttering to myself.”

“Why do you say things aloud that could cause misunderstandings?”

“Then let me correct it. You’re indeed strong.”

Seung-hyung burned with fighting spirit. But I had no intention of continuing the fight.

“That’s enough. If I keep fighting you, I’ll have to deal with that person blocking the road over there.”

“The Divine Soldier?”

“Yes.”

“Is this about SS-ranks only associating with other SS-ranks?”

“It’s less about association and more about compatibility. You lasted ten seconds before dying once already.”

The nails of my gauntlet, held by Seung-hyung, were pressing against his throat. I tapped his neck with my index finger and stepped back.

“Anyway, now that you’ve clearly felt the difference in power, don’t recklessly challenge me. If things go wrong, I might just kill everyone.”

“…With your ability to burn down New Seoul so easily after killing Master Guangjian, you probably could.”

Seung-hyung still held his fists high, refusing to drop his determination.

“No matter how powerful the opponent may be, a hero does not retreat!”

“Your spirit is admirable, but wasn’t it the Hero Association that invited me here?”

“Isn’t that because they didn’t know your true identity?”

“Hmm. Even if they hadn’t guessed who I am, many people seem to have figured out the connection between Blue Flame and Phoenix. Fufufu.”

After all, both appeared as villains in Seoul. Even if people don’t think they’re the exact same person, most have noticed some kind of connection between human Blue Flame and villain Phoenix.

“You must be joking. Didn’t you say yourself? Blue flame, how could anyone miss it?”

I lifted my wavy blue hair with my hand. Seung-hyung frowned and shook his head.

“Who in their right mind would believe such absurd claims?”

“But it’s reality. I am Phoenix, and Phoenix is me.”

“…Allow me to correct that.”

Seung-hyung clenched his fists, declaring to himself as much as to me.

“I’m grateful that you saved Miss Gaeul, grateful that you gave me strength, and grateful that you exposed Uncle Sun’s evil deeds. But!”

“The method was wrong?”

“…Yes! There was no need to kill people!”

“I killed those who deserved it… but I understand where you’re coming from.”

I tilted my head slightly to the side.

“Heroes have their way, villains have theirs, and I have mine.”

“Does Miss Gaeul understand that?”

“She understands, which is why she stays by my side. Though she often tries to trip me up… but that’s none of your business.”

I raised my fist.

“Sometimes a punch is faster than the law. Isn’t that right?”

“But even so…”

“You swung at me the moment you realized I was Phoenix, didn’t you? If you truly believed in upholding the law, you should have reported me instead. Fufufu.”

“…”

Seung-hyung’s expression twisted. I released my magic power and cleared my throat to change the subject.

“Anyway, I understand your intentions. Like the Executioners, you refuse to cooperate with villains, right?”

“Surely you… how many have you already recruited?”

“Fufufu. Think carefully about who has close ties with whom. You and the Executioners should investigate thoroughly.”

I jumped onto the rooftop railing. Seung-hyung looked startled and reached out his hand as I turned to face him against the moonlight for a final declaration.

“You know revealing Blue Flame’s identity would make things boring, right? If you do, there won’t be a city called New Seoul left.”

“Are you threatening me now?”

“What’s wrong with a villain pressuring a hero? And…”

I spread my arms wide.

“My organization, the Blue Wind Sect, is always recruiting talented individuals. If you’re interested, come to Seoul. Even if you don’t join officially, we’d welcome you as an ally or friendly force.”

“…Using power as bait to recruit, huh?”

“Exactly. For example…”

Snap. I snapped my fingers. The flame bomb I’d planted in Seung-hyung’s heart dimmed momentarily before roaring back to life stronger than before.

“I can either take away or enhance your power. Perhaps… even elevate you to SS-rank?”

“Even if I have to live my whole life as an S-rank, or originally an A-rank, I will never ally with a villain. If I were to fall for your temptation and join hands…”

Seung-hyung’s eyes blazed with white flames.

“That would make me no different from your second Sun. I don’t want to experience something like that ever again.”

“Being compared to that guy is somewhat irritating.”

From Seung-hyung’s perspective, there probably isn’t much difference between me and Sun. There was nothing I could say to counter that, but it did leave me feeling a bit regretful.

‘Almost at heroine-level potential.’

His talent was on par with any of the top ten human heroines capable of becoming the world’s strongest.

That he attacked me first was unexpected, but I deliberately engaged in fisticuffs with him to confirm his potential.

‘Perhaps S+. …95?’

If I were to give him just a little more attention, he could surpass the 95 threshold and reach SS level. But as the saying goes, if someone doesn’t want help, there’s nothing to be done. Seung-hyung adamantly refused any alliance with me.

“Such a pity. If you were a villain, you would have been my greatest disciple.”

“I’m sorry. If you were a hero, you would have been my greatest teacher.”

Excluding the element of Cheon Gaeul and judging purely from the perspective of a ‘player’ who enjoyed the original game, Seung-hyung was a top-tier talent who needed to be recruited immediately.

Why do such talents always have too much sense of justice to stray from the righteous path? But perhaps it’s precisely because of that sense of justice that he continues walking a straight path without deviating.

“Hmm.”

Though I won’t guide him directly, I can at least provide a signpost.

The more S-rank heroes available to face monsters, the better.

“One month from now. Sometime soon, I’ll be establishing an academy in Seoul for cultivating special ability users.”

“Not a villain training facility, I hope?”

“Yes. Active heroes, retired heroes, hunters, villains, unawakened special ability users, ordinary people – anyone with talent can enroll in this special ability user exclusive academy. …Technically it’s called a ‘university’, but…”

I conjured a small flame and tossed it to Seung-hyung. Sensing no malice, Seung-hyung calmly caught the flame, which quickly transformed into a small medal.

“This is an admission fast-pass. With this, you’ll be accepted without question, so consider it if you’re interested. Got it?”

“…”

Seung-hyung stared intently at the medal in his hand for a long time. While he was lost in thought, I checked the time. It was time for me to leave.

“Xiao Lin.”

“Yes.”

Xiao Lin, who had been blocking the rooftop entrance, appeared beside me. As soon as I called her name, she passed through the door as a spirit entity and took her place next to the railing, materializing beside me.

Bang!

The rooftop door burst open as Baek Hee-a and other heroes from the association rushed onto the roof.

“Miss Blue Flame! Wait just a-”

“I have a curfew, sorry. I’ll be going first.”

Xiao Lin wrapped her arms around my waist and we leaped off the railing. From the rooftop of a ten-story building, she effortlessly jumped and landed on the roof of a bus I had prepared in advance.

“Master.”

“Yes.”

I opened the bus door. Inside, the elite members of the Blue Wind Sect were adjusting the core weapons they had been issued.

“My apologies for making you all come for nothing. If Ga-eul had been kidnapped or anything, I was prepared to tear apart the association and everything.”

I revived the monsters I had hidden in my possession. Ga-eul materialized first and sat down in a chair.

“You brought quite a few. Were you planning to start terrorism if something went wrong?”

“Not terrorism, war. Now we’re heading back to Seoul.”

“Sigh.”

The members sighed in relief upon hearing my announcement that we were returning to Seoul. They had clearly been tense, fearing I might really carry out terrorism against New Seoul and the association.

“…Still, I was worried you might really start terrorism.”

“If anything happened to Cheon Gaeul, I would have done it.”

“That’s fair.”

Not only would I have become a terrorist, but I would have thoroughly hunted down and executed every last person behind any harm to her. I sat in the driver’s seat, buckled up, and started the bus engine.

“Oh yeah. Almost forgot an extremely important mission. Volunteers needed.”

I turned around to look for volunteers among the passengers, but no one eagerly raised their hand.

“I’ll go.”

Yu I-shin stood up solemnly, gripping the pole. Her expression suggested she was ready to die if necessary.

“Infiltrating enemy territory is my specialty. Any mission-”

“Buy us some snacks at the convenience store on the way.”

“…”

“Charge Kim Ji-hwa later. Ah, disappointed there’s no highway food? Sorry about that. Can’t help it if there’s no rest stop on the way to Seoul.”

Yu I-shin left without complaint.

On the way back to Seoul.

I nonchalantly chewed on a hot bar while driving down the night highway. I couldn’t understand why Cheon Gaeul kept glancing at me from the passenger seat.