Chapter 433

〈 Chapter 433: Part 1, Episode 18 – 15 〉

Morning came.

During the night, while sleeping, the song Lee Seung-hyung sang had spread worldwide, resonating deeply with people’s hearts. Originally about a dung beetle, thanks to an overzealous translation engine, it became globally known as “Firefly.”

As a result, an unexpected retro K-POP craze swept across the globe. But for now, my immediate task—alongside Hwakwon and the Executioner—was heading to Cyprus to defeat threats like the <Magma Dragon> and other monsters.

Weeeng!

Sitting on a boat powered by a roaring motor, I entrusted myself to Hwakwon’s driving. When I tried to take the wheel, the Executioner handed it over to Hwakwon instead.

“I could drive too, you know.”

“You’d just floor it. No way. Hwakwon, keep steady speed.”

“Understood.”

The steering wheel was snatched from me. The Executioner, already synchronized with the Baegnaroh, couldn’t interface with any other vehicles. So naturally, next in line for driving skill was Hwakwon.

“Cheongnyeon, quick briefing please.”

“Which one? Day or night?”

“Day.”

The Executioner tapped their ear, signaling that many ears were listening. Indeed, around our boat, several escort vessels formed a hexagonal formation.

“Explain the <Magma Dragon>, right? Well, there’s not much to explain…”

I pointed toward the distant island of Cyprus. From Turkey, heading straight south, the route wasn’t as far as we thought.

“It’s not going to be flying around like Garura did, right?”

“…Phew.”

The Executioner sighed in relief. That sigh sparked a mischievous impulse within me. In a whisper so only they could hear:

“How about ‘Magma Dragoon’? Or more precisely, Magma Tank Knight—a quadrupedal mech that shoots fireballs from its center…”

“Please don’t.”

“Tch.”

Even though I wanted to make this easier to catch, it seemed that opportunity was slipping away. Hwakwon was already distracted by what I mentioned last night. Clearing my throat, I raised my voice.

“Lady Queen Ceres has informed us: the Magma Dragon is docile unless provoked. If we clear out the surrounding monsters first, then…”

I stood up dramatically, stretching my arms wide toward the sky, toward the sun.

“Blazing Phoenix Revival!”

“Are you not embarrassed by that anymore?”

“What can I do? I’ve already declared it to the whole world. It’s fine. With sunlight shining down like this, I can definitely pull it off.”

At least some people still find this cool, which is fortunate. I nodded politely to a Hero on the opposite boat who saluted me with both arms raised high.

“Blazing Phoenix Revival!”

“Praise The Sun!!”

Solar Sect followers were scattered all over the world. Foreigners who found it hard to pronounce the four-character Hanja phrase simply cheered “Hail the Sun!”—and I accepted it all gladly. After all, that was the intention.

Since Cheongnyeon equals Blazing Phoenix and Blazing Phoenix equals the Sun, praising the Sun is praising the Blazing Phoenix. Long live the Blazing Phoenix.

“Seriously…”

Of course, regarding my near-cultish behavior, the Executioner shook their head, exasperated.

“You occasionally do things that are truly incomprehensible.”

“All my actions are for world peace, you know. Listen closely.”

I leaned close to the Executioner and whispered.

“Outsiders will never understand insiders’ culture.”

“Even if I’m closer to being an outsider, I still know that Cheongnyeon’s Blazing Phoenix Revival isn’t exactly insider culture.”

“So you’re an outsider. Hwakwon!”

Chack!

Hwakwon immediately raised their arm at a 45-degree angle the moment I finished speaking. Though they had to drive, even raising one arm showed they were part of the Solar Sect.

“Anyone who praises the Sun becomes part of the Solar Sect.”

“Why…?”

“The moment you start questioning is when you become an outsider. Just enjoy something together and live in the moment. So, Executioner, raise your voice to the heavens: Blazing Phoenix Revival!”

“…Blazing Phoenix Revival.”

With their neck turning red, the Executioner half-heartedly raised their hands like a chick flapping its wings. I secretly felt proud to have also converted Baek Hee-a. Anyway, soon enough, they’d all need to recite my full incantation, and I was helping them build up their mental resilience in advance.

Gurrrr!

Suddenly, massive vibrations erupted beneath the sea. A monster alert sounded, and I quickly pulled the Executioner deeper into the boat.

“Cheongnyeon!”

“Too dangerous out here!”

“Right now, *you* are the dangerous one!”

“Oh, right… Forget it.”

With one hand, I held onto the Executioner, while with the other, I grabbed the wheel. Hwakwon had already handed over the controls and leaped to the front of the boat.

“Haaaah—”

“No way…”

KAAAOOOO!!!

From beneath the waves emerged a monstrous creature, its twisted teeth exposed as it opened its massive maw. Its eyes, void of light, suggested it had risen from the abyss.

“Arise, my flames! Chang, Yeom, Gae, Jin!”

Hwakwon leapt off the boat. I swerved sharply, twisting the boat aside. A sky-blue flame erupted from Hwakwon’s right hand, scorching the monster’s glowing lantern-like eyes.

“Whoa.”

I marveled at the color of Hwakwon’s flames. The monster’s head lit up with a brilliant azure blaze before its entire body caught fire. Standing atop the beast’s back, Hwakwon stretched their arms toward the heavens.

Flash!

I turned the wheel back to resume our original course. Hwakwon lightly jumped off the corpse of the monster and landed gracefully back on the boat.

“Mission accomplished, Cheongnyeon. …But do we really have to keep doing this?”

“Of course. This is all part of winning Azidahaka’s favor to get closer to Maamryong.”

To enter Azidahaka’s sacred ground, we needed to win her trust further. And the method I chose—while Maamryong despised it—was something Azidahaka went wild for.

“When do fashion insiders like Azidahaka or hardcore outsiders like Maamryong truly connect with others? When someone resonates with their themes.”

“Could it be—”

“Yes. Those cringeworthy acts that make your limbs and spacetime shrink. While Maamryong keeps such feelings inside, Azidahaka lets loose once transformed.”

Psychological distance closing through heightened elemental sensitivity. Through this, Maamryong would eventually spill out all her hidden shyness.

“Don’t you think Middle School Syndrome fits perfectly with Dark Energy?”

The Executioner’s expression froze, but I kept quiet about the truth. Among ten heroines, two had gone through their tumultuous teenage years—one wrapping her hand in bandages during high school, another refusing to wear uniforms and opting for hanbok daily since middle school.

Who is who? The truth lies beyond. Only the Blazing Phoenix knows the answer.

* * *

At that moment…

Azidahaka lounged on a sofa, observing the movements of her target, intently watching videos of Hwakwon and Lee Seung-hyung’s heroic exploits.

[Heartbeat! Ignite, fists!]

“Feels familiar somehow…”

Chewing potato chips, Azidahaka tilted her head curiously. Though his battle cries weren’t particularly pleasant, their resonance was satisfying. Playing with a toy between her feet, she sipped cola leisurely.

“Not the freshest idea, but surprisingly decent. Maybe he’ll be useful later for opening the Dimensional Gate. Hmm, how should I go about it…”

Spinning a stick between her toes, Azidahaka licked her lips. What kind of incantation would shock Phoenix?

“Your disciple is impressive? Nah, rejected. Too boring. Then… Ah! You’re Korean, right? Let’s see how well you handle this…”

Skimming through Korea’s history, Azidahaka wiggled the stick left and right. Which path to choose was entirely up to her.

“You, what do you think? Pick one. You’ll have to bring him directly soon anyway, so you might as well get along.”

Crunch, crunch.

Transparent, sticky liquid dripped from the stick onto her foot. Azidahaka spread it thinly across her sole while gently scratching the top of the stick with her toenails.

“‘Glory to the Great Leader Azidahaka!’ or ‘Long Live Queen Azidahaka!’ Which sounds better? Either way, it’ll shock people enough…”

“Hmm? Ah, that’s good.”

Azidahaka giggled gleefully at the idea forming in her mind.

“‘Blazing Soldier Phoenix!’ Just added one character, ‘Soldier.’ How’s that?”

The couch beneath Azidahaka remained silent. Watching Lee Seung-hyung enthusiastically defeating monsters, Azidahaka licked the oil off her fingers.

“Heheh. Can’t wait until nighttime… Squeeze every last drop out of him.”

Azidahaka smirked as she watched Lee Seung-hyung grin brightly after defeating a monster.

“No friends? Too bad. Hehe, come under me anytime. Isn’t that right?”

Azidahaka stroked the face of the man lying beneath her. The main body, still writhing in pleasure atop the bed, groaned in agony.

“See? How many men already follow me willingly… hmm.”

Slowly lowering her body toward the captive beneath her, Azidahaka’s eyes remained fixed on Lee Seung-hyung.

“You’ll end up falling for me too… Heheh.”

* * *

“A rather unpleasant comment seems to have reached me somehow.”

A chill ran down my spine. While I could laugh off insults about myself, this particular moment made me feel disgustingly uneasy.

“There are plenty of people criticizing Phoenix.”

“No, this goes deeper than that. It’s primal discomfort.”

“Cheongnyeon, is this due to public reactions?”

Seeing my troubled expression, Hwakwon nervously covered their wrist.

Through Magical Gear, Heroes’ feats were livestreamed in real-time. Like a Vlogger, Hwakwon interacted casually with the audience. I waved and smiled at them.

“Not at all.”

“If so… let me refocus. Ahem, excuse me. Sorry for going off-topic. Um, it seems Cheongnyeon feels somewhat self-conscious. Headaches from preparing incantations, perhaps!”

“That’s not true.”

Fully immersed, Hwakwon was having the time of their life. They handled people like a seasoned entertainer.

“They say that. Okay, moving on to monster hunting. What technique should I use next? Kicks aren’t allowed; I’m a martial artist. Oh? ‘Catch on fire, come at me!’ while throwing punches?”

Currently, Hwakwon was hosting an event where viewers suggested technique names. Whatever the audience proposed, Hwakwon would shout it out loud while attacking. The targets? Monsters. Each time, Hwakwon had to declare these flashy moves while defeating them.

Kiieeeek!!

“Here I go, devastating strike!”

Leaping high into the air, Hwakwon delivered a finishing blow to the monster. Though monsters faced calamitous fists, I found watching people’s polarized reactions far more entertaining.

“Some say it’s too cringeworthy to watch…”

“Ah, Hwakwon’s image is plummeting…”

“Flame Drive!!”

The Executioner hung their head, cheeks flushed. Even amidst love’s bitter journey, this level of antics clashed with the Executioner’s vision of a dignified hero.

“Burning with passion, scorching sun! Burning—”

“Ah, that’s NG.”

Before Lee Seung-hyung could blurt something strange, I squeezed the Blazing Phoenix flame embedded in his heart.

“…Thrust!!”

Lee Seung-hyung barely managed to mutter something random and shifted gears. I sighed in relief at his quick reflexes.

Embedding the Blazing Phoenix flame into Lee Seung-hyung’s heart was definitely a wise choice. Otherwise, things could’ve gotten problematic—

“Sun! Kisssst—”

“Blazing Phoenix Revival.”

Inaudible to others, I quietly unleashed Blazing Phoenix Revival toward Lee Seung-hyung’s heart.