Chapter 327

〈Chapter 327〉 Part 1, Chapter 14, Section 18

The Week of Blood.

On December 25th, 1999, brainwashed officers crossed over to Earth under Seongju’s influence and rampaged for about a week. The number of people who died during that process was unspeakable, and Korea couldn’t escape the devastation either.

Even if Korea hadn’t been directly affected, this global catastrophe claimed the lives of over six hundred million people.

The berserk officers finally fell into slumber after their week-long rampage, but through the seven Dimensional Gates they opened when crossing over to Earth, Monsters began pouring out like weeds after rain.

Some lost family because of it.

Others saw their fortunes crumble because of it.

But there were also those who seized opportunities and rose to prominence because of it.

Everyone would be affected in some way, including the Heroes of the expedition team for whom the “Week of Blood” incident became a turning point in their lives. And right before them stood the very Spirit responsible for this calamity.

“……”

Cheon Hyun-taek kept fidgeting with his beard, saying nothing. Kang Ha-baek, though only in his late teens at the time, had watched Cheon Hyun-taek lose his beloved daughter during that event—a daughter he cherished more than anything.

“Senior….”

Lee Seung-hyeong hung his head guiltily. Phoenix’s solemn declaration had struck such a chord that speaking out of turn felt not just rash but outright foolish.

After Phoenix left the briefing room, an oppressive silence settled over everyone until Cheon Hyun-taek finally broke it.

“Miss Karnaa… or should I call you Yang?”

“Either alias works fine, as does my real name.”

“So, Miss Karna, you mentioned being born in 1999 as one of the officers. Does that mean Phoenix is also from 1999?”

Cheon Hyun-taek asked with utmost seriousness. The other Heroes were taken aback by the question. Even Baek Hee-a, usually so composed, found herself speechless, fumbling for words while trying to respond. Eventually, Kang Ha-baek managed a nervous laugh before answering.

“…Old man, forgive me for saying this, but aren’t you upset?”

“Upset? What’s there to be upset about? It’s been so long already, and this wasn’t something any human could’ve controlled. Think of it like losing someone to a typhoon or earthquake. That’s how I’ve lived all these years. Tsk tsk…”

Surprisingly, Cheon Hyun-taek shrugged it off with a joke.

“And wasn’t she brainwashed anyway? Do we blame the bullet, or do we blame the hand pulling the trigger? Isn’t there someone else more deserving of our ire?”

“Seongju.”

Cheon Gaeul nodded.

“In the end, the Spirits were driven mad by Seongju, weren’t they? So it’s all Seongju’s fault.”

“…He often said it himself. The root cause of everything is Seongju, so we must take him down first.”

The Heroes each reflected on this. Following Phoenix’s request, they eventually reached a tentative conclusion.

“To confirm again…”

“We’ll cooperate until Seongju falls. Until then, let’s work together. Executioner?”

“…As much as I’d love to issue orders here, allow me to make one thing clear.”

Baek Hee-a stood up and bowed deeply.

“If you wish, I will refrain from participating in future expeditions. Rest assured, I’ll ensure no harm comes to anyone because of my absence—”

“Who here isn’t cooperating? Raise your hand.”

Cheon Gaeul interrupted Baek Hee-a mid-sentence. No hands went up.

“Then that’s settled. Why are you dragging this out? Come on, you’re coming with me. Big sis has something good to show you.”

“H-Hey! Wait a minute! This guy looks dangerous! Miss Karna!”

Garura struggled against Cheon Gaeul’s grip, flailing wildly, but to no avail. Cheon Gaeul was S-Rank strong, and Garura had been explicitly told by Phoenix not to cause trouble.

“Don’t worry. I’ll just hold you tight and sleep. Got it…?”

“Hiiik?!”

At the feel of Cheon Gaea’s wandering hands beneath her clothes, Garura screamed in panic. Meanwhile, Karna remained deep in thought, contemplating something far more profound.

“…So, if I’m a twenty-one-year-old woman, I should use honorifics with you all, correct? From what I understand, females address elders as ‘unnie’ or ‘oppa.’ Thus…”

Karna pointed her finger at Cheon Hyun-taek and Lee Seung-hyeong.

“Hyun-taek oppa? Seung-hyeong oppa? Is this appropriate?”

“…Looks like this girl needs a crash course in common sense.”

To the Heroes, the past was no longer relevant. What mattered now was the present.

“Sister Phantom! Surely you’re not planning anything inappropriate? Even Teacher’s body deserves respect!”

“Don’t worry! I’ll only look at her back, her back! Even Coffee Ghost was curious! You’re curious too, aren’t you?”

“Why would I be curious?! I already—”

“Already what? Are you implying—”

Issues concerning Garura’s virtue…

“Should I stop calling you ‘oppa’? Strange. Bajrayana and Baragava insisted I always call them ‘oppa,’ yet… Ah, I see! Hyun-taek hyeong-nim, Ha-baek hyeong-nim! By age, you’re my seniors, so I must raise my tone of address accordingly!”

“I prefer just ‘oppa.'”

“You insane fool! Have you lost your mind?! Think about your own age!”

“How should I know?! I’m an alien; our ages might differ slightly!”

Matters regarding the Spirit’s age and proper titles…

“Karna’s address should officially be registered under our house. Baek Karna. Heh heh…”

“Executioner-dono, don’t you think it’s somewhat unethical to assign a surname without consent? Next thing you know, you’ll rename Phoenix as ‘Baek Phoenix’ or ‘Baek Cheongnyeon’!”

“……You really are sharp, aren’t you?”

Issues surrounding Karna’s household registration…

Yang Seonyu, who had remained silent throughout the discussion, raised her head and sniffled.

“What a mess… Hmm? What are you doing?”

“I’m writing a reflection paper.”

Park Ra-on was drafting a lengthy report.

“Starting from the battle against Kinna-ra to the fight with Karura, I need to analyze my mistakes—”

“Ahhh…”

The only person maintaining composure amidst this chaos was ironically behaving far too exemplary. Yang Seonyu sighed once more, wiping her nose.

“I should go drink alone in my room…”

She needed company, but alas, the first face that came to mind was none other than *that* man who had spoiled her future during their last encounter.

Thus ended the twilight over Baegnaroh Lake in India.

***

“This is such a hassle to manage…”

Truly, being a Villain with such a setup feels exhausting. Sure, the officers may have awakened as Spirits later, but their pasts can’t simply vanish.

‘Still, I’m going through with it.’

Once the ink stains the canvas, it only gets dirtier—it never returns to pristine white.

That’s why I decided to separate Phoenix and Cheongnyeon completely. All the filth belongs to Phoenix, while Cheongnyeon must remain pure blue.

Though they’re technically one entity now…

“Enough daydreaming.”

Right now, there’s an urgent matter to resolve. I cast a Barrier around the room, creating an inviolable sanctuary even Karna couldn’t breach. On the bed, I transformed into my monstrous form and grabbed the Cube I’d placed on the table earlier.

“Time for a date.”

The sole remaining Cube in my possession. Since I’d already used it to awaken Karna, I intended to summon Chang-yeom next.

Fwoosh.

“Huh?”

Fwoosh, Fwooosh.

No matter how many times I tried to ignite the Cube, the flames wouldn’t consume it. Perhaps it wasn’t Chang-yeom but Mini Phoenix instead? Maybe I rushed things and got the sequence wrong.

I raised my hand and summoned Mini Phoenix. As usual, the azure-winged bird appeared, gazing at me intently before—

Peck!

It jabbed its beak straight into my forehead. Though my armor protected me from physical harm, the magical force transmitted through the beak sent shockwaves coursing through my insides.

Peck, Peck-Peck-Peck!

The pecks grew faster and fiercer, almost woodpecker-like in speed. The pain surpassed even fighting Karna, forcing me to grab Mini Phoenix by the wings and pull it away from my head.

“…What did I do wrong? Let’s talk this out.”

“Talk? About what?”

Fwoosh.

Mini Phoenix transformed into a radiant blue woman identical to Garura, smiling sweetly despite her obvious irritation.

Oh dear.

Her expression clearly showed she was furious.

“Do you know why you’ve angered me?”

“Hold on. Calm down first.”

“Are you unaware that excuses equal sins?”

Chang-yeom lifted her left leg. Deliberately showing off, perhaps? Below her ankle, her foot was missing entirely—the same limb I’d shattered during the fight with Karna.

But I didn’t understand why she was upset.

“It shouldn’t have hurt, right? I cut off the magic flow entirely. If it had caused pain, I wouldn’t have used that method. Wouldn’t you agree?”

If Chang-yeom claimed it hurt, how could I possibly justify using such a technique? At the moment Karna caught my ankle, I severed the magic composing it altogether.

In essence, I merely detached a portion of the magic forming my body—in this case, my left foot—and repurposed it as an explosive medium rather than discarding it outright.

Chang-yeom knows this better than anyone. So why?

“Why did you teach me this technique in the first place?”

Chang-yeom wiggled her fingers, extending only her thumb and index finger. Recalling the lesson, I replied confidently.

“To avoid pain, obviously.”

“Then why refuse to use the gun you were taught and insist on brawling instead?”

“The reason’s simple.”

I clenched my fist.

“To make Karna unleash her ultimate attack, we needed close combat. Would she have felt the thrill of battle if I’d just shot at her from afar? Don’t you think?”

We lacked proper firearms, and even crafting one from Deokbae would barely reach B-Rank power. My logical rebuttal left Chang-yeom speechless.

“Probably not. In the original story, ranged attackers ruin the mood, leading to seven consecutive melee battles, right? If I’d stuck to shooting from afar, Karna would’ve never used her ultimate ability.”

“Would making her angry help her use it?”

“Anger her with a gun? Would you keep shooting at her forehead until she snaps? Or bash her skull endlessly with a spoon until she dies?”

“……Tch.”

Chang-yeoung clicked her tongue and turned away. While she had indeed taught me techniques suited for ranged combat, the environment during the fight with Karna didn’t support that style.

“Besides, wasn’t Gaecheonkwang originally a sniper? Now he wields a spear as Karna and fights up close. Must be frustrating for you to see a marksman abandoning distance and opting for fistfights instead.”

“That’s rich coming from someone who claims understanding yet spouts nonsense like this. Just because you regained your voice doesn’t mean you can run your mouth freely, huh?”

“But listen, there’s something important.”

I made my intentions clear to Chang-yeom. Setting her down gently, I clenched my fists tightly. Long ago, Chang-yeom had regenerated her legs using flames.

“Isn’t this body itself a weapon? What stronger tool could there possibly be?”

“You’re right…so annoyingly right that I don’t even have a counterargument. Ugh.”

“…Let’s get honest here.”

I grabbed both sides of Chang-yeom’s cheeks. She tried to turn her head, but I was quicker.

“You’re just mad because I didn’t use what you taught me, aren’t you?”

“No, I’m not.”

Her immediate denial confirmed otherwise. She was indeed upset.

“You’re upset because I ignored your teachings and resorted to fistfights instead, right?”

“Tch, who’s upset? Do I look like Ji Ryun to you? Getting offended over trivial matters? Please, I’m far too understanding for that.”

Chang-yeom glared daggers and retorted sharply. I rubbed her cheeks playfully before patting her shoulder.

“Alright, alright. Next time, I promise to fight as a marksman. I’ll even find a nice high-powered gun like yours.”

“…Make sure you prepare twin revolvers before we leave. Got it?”

“Understood. I’ll gather two Black Sand Cores and craft a pair of top-notch guns for us.”

Another task added to my agenda. Priority level: 0. Acquiring strawberries and soothing Chang-yeom’s wounded feelings took precedence over searching for Cubes or hunting officers.

“While we’re at it, want some strawberry shaved ice? I specially ordered it from the shop owner. It’s been a while, but since it’s packed with handmade ice courtesy of Seok Harang, it should still taste fresh.”

“Excuse me. Do you honestly expect me to calm down and move on after enduring three sleepless nights designing this exquisite strawberry shaved ice inspired by Huan and Yuinah?”

“Yeah.”

“Correct. Bring it out immediately.”

Chang-yeom grinned widely and sat at the table. I retrieved the insulated box from the fridge. Humming a little tune, Chang-yeom suddenly poked her tongue out at me.

“For the record, I’m not upset.”

Let’s call it hurt feelings instead.

With the shaved ice prepared, I sat across from Chang-yeom.

“Hmm… There’s too much for me to finish alone, isn’t it? What’s this? A sneaky attempt to make me stay longer while you eat slowly?”

“……”

I stayed silent. Chang-yeom giggled mischievously and extended her hand toward me.

“Too much to waste, so let’s share.”

“What?”

Chang-yeom swept her hand across my face, trailing her soft fingertips from my forehead down to my chin.

My face?

“Why am I even corporeal?”

“Fuhehe.”

Chang-yeom chuckled like a child who’d pulled off a clever prank.