Chapter 40

〈Chapter 40〉 Part 1, Chapter 3 (8)

<April 11th, 11:55 PM, S Hospital Parking Lot in Gangnam.>

“Yaaaaawn.”

The middle-aged man stretched as he let out a long yawn. Despite the villain meeting taking place across Seoul, he didn’t seem the slightest bit tense.

“Hey! Are you feeling sleepy?”

“Wouldn’t you be if it were this late? I’m an early bird, so what else would I be doing at this hour?”

While fighting off the waves of drowsiness, the man checked his watch. It was five minutes before midnight. The meeting would start soon, and it would likely go on until at least 3 or 4 AM.

“Has everyone who’s coming arrived?”

“Yeah, with the land dogs from Gangseo here, that’s all. Guro Lighthouse is such a coward they probably won’t leave their castle.”

“What about Yeongdeungpo? No one’s come from there yet.”

“No clue. Haven’t been able to reach them since a few days ago. Guess they got eaten by some monster.”

The man leaned against the wall, mocking those who had fallen. Though it was essentially night watch duty, there wasn’t going to be any crazy attackers coming to assault this place.

Clickety-click.

Clickety-click.

Clickety-click.

The sound of women’s heels—a sound that shouldn’t be heard nearby—was growing closer from the darkness.

“…Hey, I’m not hearing things, am I?”

Clang. In response to his partner’s question, the man drew his sword from its sheath instead of answering.

Thud, thud.

A dull thudding sound accompanied the high heels. The man quickly raised his flashlight, shining it into the darkness.

“A woman?”

The light swept upward, revealing a clear silhouette of a woman.

Black high heels, bright jeans that hugged her hips, a black t-shirt tucked into them, and an elegant blue-and-white robe draped over that.

The woman had wrapped a veil of similar colors around her nose and mouth, obscuring the lower half of her face.

“Who are you?! Why are you here?”

“…Why do you think? I came for the meeting.”

Through the veil, the woman spoke. The man thought he’d heard that voice somewhere before. She pointed at the sword aimed at her.

“How long do you plan to keep pointing that thing at me?”

“I’m sorry, but we haven’t heard anything about someone coming from where you’re from.”

“Guro.”

The man and his partner chuckled. Guro was known across Seoul as the place full of the biggest cowards. If even Sky Castle had given up on them showing up…

Realizing the background of his opponent, the man’s attitude became much more casual.

“Hey, did the lighthouse send you? Sorry, but there’s no seat for the lighthouse here.”

“It’s not the lighthouse.”

As the woman finished speaking, a blue flame erupted. The flame illuminated the area brightly in the darkness, prompting the man to raise his gun.

Bang!

A flash of fire spewed from the silenced pistol. The bullet cut through the night air, heading straight and true toward the woman’s forehead.

Clang!

The sound of metal clashing rang out, and the bullet disappeared. Only then did the man notice the towering figure cloaked in blue flame.

Krrrrr…..

Standing well over two meters tall, easily surpassing the man’s height.

Its entire body encased in pitch-black armor, with joints glowing with burning blue flames. A ring of fine white feathers adorned the shoulders. Above the neck rested a helmet shaped like a hawk, with eyes blazing fiercely as though ready to devour him at any moment.

“Enough.”

At the woman’s command, the giant stopped its motion. From its hand extended toward the ground, the crumpled bullet fell.

Glug.

The sound of the man swallowing hard filled the parking lot. With mockery in her tone, the woman took a step forward.

“Move aside. I have business with your boss.”

As the woman and her companion hesitated under her presence, she stepped inside the building, clicking her high heels all the way. The giant behind her glanced threateningly at the man before turning away.

“…What IS that thing?”

Inside the helmet, nothing but blue flames flickered—no sign of a human head. The man promptly fainted.

* * *

[Is this really so shocking to look at?]

The giant mocked sarcastically. Cheon Gaeul chuckled inwardly as she teased.

“Everyone gets startled seeing you for the first time. Even Deokbae and Ji Hwa were extremely surprised. Is this your special ability?”

[No, this is called ‘Monster Form.’ Normally, I just take the appearance of a regular human.]

“So this is your true form then?”

The hawk-shaped helmet moved side to side.

[There is another true form, but I don’t particularly want to reveal it.]

“Your tone has completely changed too.”

[When in human form, I act according to that appearance. Now, transformed into this monstrous form, there’s no need to maintain that tone. Besides, it wouldn’t suit me to speak like that in this form.]

“…Is this mental communication through magic power? Hard to judge without hearing actual sounds.”

Cheon Gaeul turned her gaze toward the giant, Phoenix.

Beneath the hawk-like beak, the burning blue flames clearly seemed to be ‘staring’ directly at Cheon Gaeul.

“You talk like a guy. Can’t you speak normally like this all the time?”

[…This isn’t something I can control. It changes with the form.]

“…Hmph. Got it.”

Cheon Gaeul stopped in front of the corridor leading ahead. At the end of the corridor was the restaurant where the leaders of the criminal organizations were gathered.

“…I’m actually kind of nervous.”

[You can still back out if you want. I could go in human form.]

“It’s not that I don’t want to do it; I’m just nervous. That’s all.”

Cheon Gaeul’s hands trembled. When the man had just pointed the gun at her earlier, she had distinctly felt the fear of death.

Phoenix’s black gauntlet firmly grasped Cheon Gaeul’s trembling hands.

[Don’t be afraid.]

Between the metallic texture of the gloves, warm blue flames enveloped Cheon Gaeul’s hands.

[Right now, you’re the safest person in the world.]

The flames within Phoenix’s helmet flickered. It almost looked like a smile to Cheon Gaeul, who unconsciously opened her mouth as if entranced.

[I’ll protect you from beside you. Remember, I’m always right here.]

With those words, Phoenix disappeared. An invisible transparency spell made her invisible to human eyes. Cheon Gaeul bowed her head, feeling the warm touch gripping her hand tightly.

[Why are you like this? Your temperature seems slightly elevated…]

“…”

Cheon Gaeul’s steps quickened.

* * *

<April 12th, Midnight, Restaurant at S Hospital in Gangnam.>

“Is everyone here?”

The middle-aged man in a fedora scanned the roomful of seated individuals.

Those seated at the table either raised their hands or nodded in acknowledgment. The man asked the villain sitting next to him.

“What about the guys from Guro and Yeongdeungpo?”

“Guro hasn’t contacted us, and Yeongdeungpo has been unreachable.”

The middle-aged man, Leader of Sky Castle, crushed his cigarette into the ashtray.

“Cowards. They’ve run away.”

The gleam beneath the fedora sent shivers down the spines of the representatives from various organizations gathered there. Though there were a few A-rank members present, none were as close to S-rank as the man himself. This was why Sky Castle effectively acted as the de facto leader of this alliance.

“I told you we shouldn’t have accepted cowards like these…”

“Smart move. If two S-rank villains cause chaos, running away and holding out makes more sense, doesn’t it?”

The man sitting at the far end of the table mocked Sky Castle. He was the only one in this alliance who constantly opposed Sky Castle—the leader of the organization that had consolidated control over Gangseo, <Land Dog>.

“Shut up, mongrel.”

Land Dog wagged his finger back and forth. The massive forces controlling Gangnam and Gangseo respectively always clashed, disagreeing on every issue.

In reality, the alliance was split into two factions.

“Let’s face reality. This whole ‘Seoul Restoration Operation’? Sounds good, but isn’t it really just an excuse to arrest villains?”

Other leaders murmured uneasily at Land Dog’s remark. As he said, the heroes from New Seoul weren’t just going to stop after defeating the monsters—they’d come to capture them.

“What happens when we get caught by the hero scumbags and fall under their feet? Half of us will rot in New Seoul’s underground prisons for life, and the other half will become government attack dogs with pine trees branded on our necks. Heh-heh.”

Land Dog pointed to his own neck. There, a scar resembling a pine tree marked the spot where his skin had been peeled off. Sky Castle intensified his magical energy, pressuring Land Dog.

“So you’re saying you’re going to tail between your legs and run? Without even fighting?”

“Fighting means losing, so naturally, we should run. I don’t think we should be gathering like this at all. We should pack up and flee immediately.”

Land Dog also began to channel his magical energy. Though named opposites—”Sky” and “Earth”—their philosophies couldn’t be further apart.

“Seoul is land abandoned by the nation. We’ve become its masters, so why should we give it back? What has New Seoul done for Seoul since they blew up the bridges and fled?”

“They haven’t done anything. But if you can’t defend land or money, you should at least save your life. There’s absolutely no way small-time crime organizations can fight against the nation. You must know this, Sky Castle—you’re old enough to remember the War on Crime, right?”

Land Dog swept his gaze across the others. Already, the other organization leaders were beginning to waver.

“That’s enough. We didn’t gather here to run away. This meeting is to brainstorm how we can fight back.”

“Tch. Mr. Rich Guy from Gangnam, Sky Castle, can’t let go, huh? Villain Alliance? Sounds fancy, but aren’t we just a bunch of local gangs? Do you really think we can beat the heroes by uniting?”

Land Dog slammed his fist on the table.

“Wake up. Sell everything you have and escape overseas. They’ve already put out wanted notices for us in Seongnam and Incheon. Gather whatever money you can and flee to China or Russia. That’s the only way to survive now.”

“And why are you still here?”

Land Dog shrugged.

“I’ve already liquidated everything. I just wanted to see you guys squirm before I leave. Gangseo is now a ghost town. Keke.”

Pointing to his vest pocket, Land Dog smirked. Seeing that the man who valued his wealth above even his parents had prepared to flee, the other leaders started to lose confidence.

This can’t go on. Just as Sky Castle was about to shift the mood, a voice came from beyond the door.

“Oh my. That’s convenient.”

Clickety-click.

The sound of high heels entering the restaurant turned everyone’s heads.

“We were just planning to conquer Gangseo anyway.”

The sudden appearance of the woman threw the villains into confusion.

“How did you get in here?!”

“Why, obviously, I walked through the main entrance. Were you the ruler of Gangseo?”

The woman, whose face was half-covered by a veil, shot a glance at Land Dog with eyes filled with mockery and disdain.

“Let me introduce myself beforehand, shall I? This land is ours now.”

“What the hell…!”

Land Dog kicked the table and leapt to his feet.

Crack!

Simultaneously, stone spikes erupted from the floor and surged toward the woman.

“What the…!”

Just as Sky Castle was about to move his magical energy in surprise, a massive surge of power manifested in front of the stone spikes.

BOOM!

With a tremendous flow of magical energy, the stone spikes exploded and scattered. Land Dog, riding the momentum of the stone spike, was hit by the explosion’s aftermath and rolled across the floor.

“Aaaaagh!”

Land Dog, whose entire body was pierced with needle-like rocks, was pushed aside by the woman’s heel. She casually checked the seats.

“Nameplates with positions? How formal.”

Yeongdeungpo, Guro, Gangseo. After removing the territorial markers for Yeongdeungpo and Gangseo from the table, the woman confidently sat in the Guro seat.

As the villains grew uneasy, Sky Castle raised his hand to silence them.

“Where’s the lighthouse?”

“Hard at work cleaning windows in Guro. Guro is ‘ours’ now.”

“Was Yeongdeungpo also your doing?”

“Oh my. Aren’t you sharp? You must be a professor from Y University, aren’t you?”

Sky Castle grunted. The opponent already knew his identity. None of the others gathered here knew who Sky Castle truly was.

“…Who are you, and where are you from?”

“The people outside asked the same thing. Guess I have some subordinates now. Let me introduce myself while we’re at it.”

The woman stood, gently placing her hand on her chest and bowing.

“The villain organization that has taken over the Guro area, <Blue Wind Sect>‘s <Masquerade>. I’ve come to discuss with you villains regarding the Seoul Restoration Operation.”

Sky Castle looked at the woman before him, doubting the magical energy he had sensed.

An ordinary person. Yet, the chilling aura emanating from behind her hinted at something beyond his level of perception.

Of course, only a select few among the alliance, those who had reached A-rank, could sense it. The B-rank leaders found the sudden appearance of this woman claiming ownership irritating.

“Hmph! Who knows where you crawled out from, but newcomers need to undergo an initiation ritual!”

A man in short sleeves clashed his fists together and charged at Masquerade.

The woman didn’t flinch, her expressionless gaze fixed on the man’s fist.

“…!”

Sky Castle saw it. The monstrous figure closely guarding the woman. Revealing itself for a brief moment to protect her, the monstrous being grabbed the man’s fist and hurled him out the window.

CRASH!

Seeing the man fly several meters and thrown outside, the leaders began to panic.

“Is…is that a telekinetic?”

No. Sky Castle was certain. The monstrous figure hiding behind the woman was focusing intently on him.

“Strange…human?”

The scholar’s instincts kicked in, trying to define the entity. A ferocious creature akin to a monster yet possessing human characteristics. A human wielding monstrous magical energy.

If not called a ‘monster,’ what else could describe such a being?

Bang!

The woman slapped the table with her palm, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Then let’s start the discussion. About how we’re going to defend Seoul.”

Beneath the veil, Cheon Gaeul’s smile brimmed with confidence.