Chapter 443

〈 Chapter 443 〉 Part 1, Chapter 18, 25

The shocking conversation with Anger had come to an end. Now I was truly worried about what my 20-year-old self was up to and how exactly I spent those two decades—but there was only one way to find out.

“Capture Kim Penril.”

Knock down Kim Penril and awaken Jeolpung. If all the spirits awaken, surely Blazing Phoenix Revival will reveal all the truths. There was no more time to waste.

“Well then, shall we go, Anger?”

“…Just a moment.”

Anger fidgeted with their wrist as if debating whether to say something. Having likely absorbed much of modern culture through Azidahaka’s avatars, they were undoubtedly familiar with smartwatches. I tapped Magical Gear twice, conjuring a virtual keyboard in front of Anger.

“If you have something to say, feel free to type it.”

Hesitating at first, Anger’s dark eyes lit up as they placed their hands on the keyboard.

[Thank you so much for saving me. It took a long time, but thanks to you being five years early, I’m grateful again. Azidahaka pushed their body harder than expected, and it wasn’t easy to endure. As a spirit, maintaining my power—and keeping safe the things you entrusted me with—was slowly reaching its limits.]

“Hold on a sec.”

In just ten seconds, Anger typed like lightning. Without proper spacing or punctuation, the message was hard to read, but impressive nonetheless. If this continued, our communication would become inconvenient, so I needed to slow them down.

“Take it easy, use spaces. Periods too. Keep going.”

Anger’s finger speed slowed compared to before, though it was still far faster than any ordinary person. Their typing was on par with a seasoned stenographer with years of experience.

[I saw what you did. How you manipulated that Hydra named Ceres. Watching what the monsters spread around after Azidahaka tried to gather intel later—it seems like if you used the same tactics on Azidahaka, it could’ve been dangerous.]

“I figured, so I used a decoy.”

By now, Seongju must be battling Azidahaka’s monster creations fiercely. Anger hadn’t completely erased all traces of Azidahaka yet.

“Anyway, thank you, friend. Thanks to you, the fog clouding my vision has cleared somewhat—even if it’s still thick.”

“…Hold on, hold on.”

Anger blushed while repeatedly writing and erasing text. Typing allowed Anger—who struggled to speak—to refine their words carefully, making it the ultimate communication tool granted by the light. Hikari.

After repeating this process about seven times, Anger finally presented me with their refined message.

[Even if you don’t remember, as long as you consider me a friend, we are friends. Let’s stay friends moving forward, Phoenix. Even without your memories, I was your friend twenty years ago. So we’re friends now.]

“Then why don’t you try saying that out loud to me?”

“…….”

Anger fell silent. I extended my hand toward them.

“True friends can say ‘you’re my friend’ verbally, right?”

“……Chi, chi…”

Covering their face with both hands, Anger avoided eye contact. Clearly embarrassed, I eventually took the initiative, grabbing their hand and spreading my wings.

“Wait…!”

“Let’s head outside. There are elemental friends and commander friends waiting. And people who might become your partner. Everyone is eagerly awaiting your arrival. Though Azidahaka might seem intimidating, with you, Anger, there’s no need to feel burdened.”

“…Can’t we just do texts or emails…?”

“You’d sync via text eventually.”

I grabbed Anger’s face firmly. Sandwiched like a piece of bread, Anger darted their eyes left and right.

“Listen carefully. I try to accommodate you as much as possible, but we don’t have that much time. Seongju has already entered Jupiter’s orbit, and the time until they reach Earth is rapidly dwindling. From now on, you’ll need to step into the spotlight. You’ll have to reveal yourself to the world, and you can’t start feeling shy now.”

Anger turned pale. While typing with one hand, they furrowed their brow, clearly worrying about something.

[I look like Azidahaka.]

“Oh.”

Indeed, Anger’s face resembled Azidahaka’s almost perfectly—the shape of the eyes, facial features, even the position of the tear ducts.

[More accurately, Azidahaka copied my face. But if I go out like this? Reveal myself to the entire world? People will think I’m Azidahaka, the self-proclaimed leader of the Dark Legion, the infamous villainess. Just walking around would be embarrassing enough, but I’m scared people will point fingers and recognize me.]

Anger stubbornly refused to expose their face. Concealing themselves with masks or hiding their identity was an option, but it wasn’t foolproof.

‘Even with disguises, a scan would reveal us.’

In this world, there were only two beings with a magic signature that was “100% shadow element and everything else 0″—Azidahaka and Anger. The only difference was that Azidahaka carried traces of Tera’s corruption. Naturally, people would suspect a connection between Azidahaka and Anger.

Though their magical patterns differ, their appearances were too similar. Ultimately, drastic measures were necessary.

“This won’t work. Time to showcase Korea’s greatness.”

“What?”

“Anger.”

I made a cutting motion under my chin.

“Let’s get plastic surgery. You’re becoming Gangnam Sister.”

“…….”

“Eyes enlargement, nose job, jaw reduction, and some cute dimples. That way, people won’t recognize you, right?”

I projected a hologram of a typical Gangnam beauty standard. After observing these dopplegänger-like faces for a while, Anger shook their head vigorously.

“Just living normally would be better…”

“Or maybe wear a hijab?”

Searching for disguise options online, I found everything from hijabs to masks, eventually landing on traditional clown makeup where the face is painted white. After approximately ten minutes of consulting Anger, we reached a conclusion.

“…I’ll go with this.”

A black snapback cap paired with a black face mask that revealed only the eyes—a setup reminiscent of celebrities trying to protect their privacy. Using magic, Anger created the outfit before I even suggested it.

“That makes you look like someone about to get arrested.”

“…No, wait…”

“Hey, Anger.”

I grabbed Anger’s wrist as they prepared to type.

“You don’t need to bother using honorifics. I use them because of my situation, but you don’t have to follow suit. Speak casually.”

“…But…”

“Hmm. It’s been a while since I’ve done this, but…”

I cleared my throat.

“Just talk casually, like you do when typing. It feels much better this way.”

“……Do I really need to, um…yeah?”

“Looks like you need a good friend.”

Though the circumstances were different, someone like an isolated middle school girl or a captain whose background and abilities prevented them from having friends could easily bond with Anger. Even if Anger became a recluse over 20 years, they could still become the best partner, much like Huanyong and Gaeul.

‘The saying ‘birds of a feather flock together’ comes to mind.’

I adjusted my voice once more.

“They’ll be the best friends for you. And there will be more. If you want, beyond them, countless friendships await. If we prevent Earth’s destruction and defeat Seongju, you could potentially befriend everyone on Earth.”

“Can we win?”

“Of course.”

With the condition of synchronization, but that issue wasn’t urgent right now. The immediate problem required solving.

“First, we need to leave here. Shall we start?”

I released Anger’s hand and stretched out both arms. Ninety percent of the Black Citadel lay in ruins, with only black mist lingering everywhere.

All these particles were remnants of Azidahaka’s destroyed avatar. Though too small to reconstitute Azidahaka as an entity, given time, they might reform into a monstrous version of her personality.

“If we destroy all this, Azidahaka will disappear forever.”

“…Hmm.”

Anger sighed deeply, swallowing audibly. Their hands instinctively moved toward the keyboard, but they seemed determined to speak directly this time, gripping their wrist tightly as they opened their mouth.

“Thanks to Azidahaka, I learned a lot. I’m grateful, but if I leave this as is, people will resurrect Azidahaka someday. …Finish it, Phoenix.”

“You’re speaking well. This method seems effective moving forward.”

“…This is something I’ve thought about while preparing for this situation for a long time.”

“For twenty years?”

“…….”

Anger nodded. To ensure Anger wouldn’t feel awkward, I ignited flames in both hands. The Blazing Phoenix burned steadily in a bright blue hue. The flame formed a spherical barrier around Anger and me, cleanly eradicating the black particles inside.

“Blazing Phoenix Revival.”

Bringing the two flames together in prayer, I raised both arms toward the sky. The fiery sphere expanded, gradually consuming and annihilating the Azidahaka particles within.

“All of this will be incinerated entirely.”

I pulled Anger’s hand. They gripped mine willingly.

“Then let’s go. Get the surgery, meet friends, and…”

Capture Kim Penril.

Dreaming of a happy ending where Blazing Phoenix survives and so do I, Anger and I exited the Black Citadel together.