Chapter 381

〈 Chapter 381 〉 Part 1, Chapter 16

“So, what are we going to do with her?”

“For starters, we need to make sure she takes legal responsibility. Lady Baek Hee-a’s been waiting for this moment, so there’s no way this is going to be smooth sailing. Of course, that’s just the official punishment.”

I lifted the face of the leak suspect. The terrified woman was someone I knew all too well—the villainous paparazzi from the original story who had tormented countless heroines.

“Tsk. Birds of a feather flock together, huh? Just like in the past.”

I grabbed the back of her neck and unfurled my wings.

“What do you plan on doing?”

“I’m not going to kill her… but I *am* planning to torment her for the rest of her life.”

Before dropping her right in the middle of the police station, I intended to inflict the worst possible punishment on this villain.

“Don’t worry too much. We’ve got two experts at filming around here.”

With that, I soared into the sky, carrying the culprit.

Destination: China, Hwanryong’s territory.

“Ah, Lady Phoenix! What brings you here?”

“It’s time to put your special skills to use.”

I informed Bonghyo Baeg Cheongyoung of the situation and handed over the leak suspect. With a wide grin, he rolled up his sleeves.

“If it’s something like this, it’s right up my alley. I’ll fetch Rasputin.”

Following the Blue Wind Sect’s own methods of punishment, the leaker was filmed for “cutie-cutie” footage before being tossed into the police station.

Though the video wasn’t released, the fear of it potentially leaking would haunt her for the rest of her life.

And that evening…

[“I LOVE GARURA! If I can prove my love by spending five minutes live-streaming me making love to Garura, will you believe me?! Garura isn’t a monster—they’re a perfectly normal person!”]

“Whoa, is that guy insane?”

At the press conference, Lee Seung-hyeong went straight for the frontal assault.

“Hmph. That’s more like my disciple.”

It was quite impressive—he broadcasted public sex worldwide. As I reminisced about that memory, I spent the evening of August 24th alone in my penthouse under the moonlight. Lost in thought as night deepened, I tossed the core dangling from my ear into the air.

“…So, should we discuss something before my vacation?”

“I was wondering when you’d call.”

Dukbae, who had watched everything I did from the sidelines, sat down lazily on a chair with an indifferent look.

“So, what is it? Who are you planning to run off and flirt with now? You’re not messing with me, are you?”

“Nope. Actually, I wanted to ask you something today.”

“What a surprise. You asking for help.”

Dukbae gave me an appraising look, scanning me up and down as if checking whether I might secretly be Gaeul in disguise.

“…No matter how I think about it, there’s no one else I can confide in besides you.”

“What kind of talk are you trying to have? If you get too serious, I’d rather just kill you.”

“I’ve thought about it from every angle, and I don’t see any way out except death.”

“…”

Dukbae’s expression became strange. I sighed deeply and began pouring out my lamentations to him.

* * *

Phoenix Route Final Boss Battle.

The goddess of another dimension, Yuinah.

Why does the spirit summoned by Seongju appear as an enemy in other heroine routes, but only in the Phoenix route does the interdimensional deity possess its vessel, Yuinah?

This depends entirely on the survival of Blazing Phoenix—specifically, the fire elemental spirit Chang-yeom.

“In other routes… let’s say in the future, I die and give all my power to some guy called ‘High Priest,’ then vanish completely. I mentioned this before, right?”

“Yeah. You stayed up day and night grabbing onto me, recounting stories of the future.”

Jo Dukbae merely replied without asking questions. I explained while Dukbae listened. That was the flow of our conversations.

“But if I survive, things change. Specifically, if all seven elementals are alive, the story changes.”

I ignited flames in seven colors: fire, water, wind, earth, light, darkness, and void. Each represented the essence of their respective elements, swirling in a circle. In the center, a face appeared.

“The goddess Yuinah. Last time, Yuna said she was a vessel—a container for the interdimensional deity. But that container alone isn’t enough to hold such a god. For that, energy is required. What could substitute for that energy?”

“Cubes.”

“That’s correct. If all the cubes are present, they can function as the energy source to summon the interdimensional deity. But what happens if even one cube is missing? If even a single fragment is absent, rendering the cube incapable of fulfilling its function?”

“Then we’d need an alternative.”

“Exactly. Now here’s the question: what could replace the Cube, which serves as both a coordinate and a summoning device for the interdimensional deity? Here’s a hint: assuming direct summoning from outer space to Earth isn’t possible, wouldn’t there be some kind of relay method?”

“To bring them through Terra first, right? Like how your leaders crossed through dimensional gates?”

“Perfect. That’s exactly right. Localized dimensional gates opening across the world, and the dimensional tears caused by the dragon crossing over—these are all part of Seongju’s contingency plans in case he couldn’t find all the cube fragments. Even if he doesn’t discover the cubes himself, they ensure the interdimensional deity can reach Earth via Terra.”

That’s why it’s essential to close the dimensional gates. The problem isn’t the endless monsters pouring through; it’s that when the gates grow uncontrollably large, the interdimensional deity will step directly through them onto Earth.

“The interdimensional deity is a cosmic monster drifting between star systems, invisible to any Earth-based observation equipment. But they know the coordinates of Terra. It’s a planet they’ve visited once already, spared due to Seongju’s earnest request.”

“Why did Seongju ask them to hold off?”

“He realized his fate. Among countless Seongjus, this one used his slightly above-average intelligence to devise a way to survive. By personally conquering Terra, he asked the deity not to eat it, offering another planet instead. The deity readily agreed. That’s why Seongju sought to invade other planets.”

“So then… the vessel Yuinah… wait, let’s come back to that later.”

Dukbae scratched his bald head, frowning as if something felt off. His face remained as fierce as ever.

“Let’s move on to the question. If Seongju summons the interdimensional deity through Terra, why go through the trouble of bringing only its soul or spirit to Earth?”

“I don’t know. I’m not Seongju. But there’s one thing I suspect. Why Seongju insists on having the interdimensional deity possess Yuinah.”

From here on out, this is based on my experience playing the original game, the collective wisdom gathered by community discussions, and the information revealed through the Phoenix route about the goddess Yuinah.

“…You might not want to hear this.”

“It’s fine. Say whatever you need to.”

“What if Seongju is trying to insert the interdimensional deity’s soul into the goddess Yuinah, where he can control it, brainwash it, and use it as he pleases? Yeah, bluntly speaking… what if Seongju is trying to devour the interdimensional deity by inserting it into Yuinah?”

“…”

Dukbae’s expression crumpled even further. I also understood better than anyone how grotesque and absurd my speculation sounded.

“I know, it’s hard to listen to. This is just my biased judgment against Seongju. I have no intention of letting Yuna fall prey to someone like Seongju either. Honestly, I don’t care if the interdimensional deity gets violated as a mere spirit.”

“Still… does Seongju even have the power to do that?”

“Not yet, but hasn’t he done extensive research for that purpose?”

I reversed the seven flames. Instead of their original elemental colors, they now displayed the monstrous hues possessed by Dark Legion officers.

“He brainwashed the elementals into becoming officers and replicated their magic powers to create the avatar Yuinah. So, I started wondering… what if Seongju has the ability to freely manipulate Yuinah?”

“Didn’t something like that happen in the future?”

“No.”

Seongju can only use mind control beams in his first form, and these beams work only on officers. They don’t affect heroes or sync users who’ve bonded with spirits. The mind control beam is a specific technique designed for officers.

“What about in elemental form? Cases like yours, where someone has awakened but hasn’t synced yet.”

“All four of us currently fit that description. You’ll probably last a bit, but you won’t be able to fully resist. Eventually, you’ll succumb to re-brainwashing after some time.”

In the original game, there’s a gimmick where characters turn against you after a certain period, becoming enemies. In the worst-case scenario, all officers except Chang-yeom could turn against you during the final battle if brought along as allies.

“Of course, that situation was salvaged because the ‘High Priest’ noticed and stepped in to fight, forcing Seongju into his second phase. Otherwise, total annihilation was almost certain.”

The initial battle against Seongju was an event battle.

The protagonist, the High Priest, uses Blazing Phoenix’s power to strike Seongju. Since Seongju has no resistance to Blazing Phoenix, he dies in his first form, losing control and entering his berserk second form.

That’s the commonly known final boss battle.

“So, here’s the question: who must burn Seongju?”

“You.”

“And what happens if I attack him now as an elemental?”

“Mind control beam! You’ll turn against us and become an enemy. Damn, just die already. That’s the only way Earth survives. No, wait… then I die. Shit.”

“Are you serious? I’m struggling so hard to stay alive, and you tell me to die? Are you in your right mind?”

For the sake of saving Blazing Phoenix, I’ve exhausted every effort. Lately, it seems I haven’t died enough to regain my sanity. But Dukbae mocked me by wagging his finger.

“Hey, think about it. If the problem is your existence as an elemental, why don’t you just sync with someone random? Problem solved, right? Stop overthinking it and grab the nearest person for a sync!”

“…”

That’s not an option.

“It’s impossible. I’m a special case.”

“Syncing ultimately requires emotional compatibility, right? Then just find someone willing to jump in with you. Problem solved.”

“……Which is precisely why it’s not an option.”

I pointed to my heart.

“Do you really think syncing would work if my heart doesn’t genuinely love that person?”

“Can’t you just pretend to love them?”

“No. Even if you fake it, eventually the mismatch will show. The result will only be disaster.”

True synchronization occurs when a human and an elemental truly connect. And I long for nothing more than to synchronize with the Blazing Phoenix within me.

“Grr, is there any other way to sync?”

“Hmm…”

I considered several possibilities.

For instance, if I simultaneously fell in love with the same heroine as someone else.

Or if someone defeated me, sincerely convinced me, and made me fall for them.

Or if someone persisted in developing a relationship with me despite my constant rejection.

Or if I fell for someone else’s charm, burying the Blazing Phoenix inside me forever, allowing me to sync with someone else as an elemental.

All these scenarios led to one conclusion: giving up on the Blazing Phoenix.

A choice I cannot, must not make.

“Nothing comes to mind.”

“Alright, next question.”

Dukbae pointed at the seven flames.

“So, what’s the connection between your survival and Yuinah awakening as a goddess?”

“You’ll be absorbed into Yuna. When Seongju descends, all the elementals become parts composing the goddess Yuinah.”

Dukbae’s jaw dropped. I could only offer a bitter smile.

“Whether Yuna dies or survives, whether Seongju succeeds or fails, or even if the interdimensional deity eventually reaches Earth, absorption will occur. The replicated essence of the elementals, <Gnosis>, will replace the energy of the cubes needed to summon the interdimensional deity. Once all seven are absorbed, the vessel stabilizes, and Yuna awakens as the Goddess of Another Dimension. If even one is missing, the process destabilizes, leading to a failed descent due to imbalance.”

This was Seongju’s grand scheme and the fate of the elementals.

“The core formed by combining all seven elementals becomes the heart replacing the interdimensional deity’s cube.”

And the only way to escape this fate is one:

Sync.

“Elementals who sync can avoid absorption.”

In all routes of the original game except the Phoenix route, the protagonist, the High Priest, merely inherits and uses the power of Blazing Phoenix.

But in the Phoenix route, the Blazing Phoenix survives, syncs with the protagonist, and ascends to myth.

Only by achieving the same divine rank as the Goddess of Another Dimension can one maintain full individuality.

“…So, we need to sync quickly before I’m absorbed by Yuna.”

Despite knowing all this, Blazing Phoenix continues to reject syncing with me. I still don’t understand Blazing Phoenix’s true intentions.

Claiming a desire to escape the predetermined fate of death, yet stubbornly refusing the only path to survival—syncing with me.

Blazing Phoenix still hides the reason behind this contradiction from me.

Inside me…

Pfft.

A mocking voice echoed, as if Blazing Phoenix were laughing.