Chapter 470

〈 Episode 470 〉 Part 1, Chapter 20, Section 2

“Hey, Cheon Gaeul. Aren’t you pissed that you’re benched right now?”

“Why would I waste my sweat fighting? I’m not the type to wedge myself between SSS-Rankers.”

Deokbae and Cheon Gaeul sat together with a pile of canned beers, sharing glasses.

“Still, I didn’t expect this from you. Surprising that you’re going all out with drinks…and even more surprising that it’s with me.”

“…Yeah…”

They weren’t usually the type to share drinks like this, but Deokbae’s suggestion—”At least let’s have one last can before the end”—led to the glasses being passed around. Cheon Gaeul crushed an empty can and grabbed another with her tentacle.

“You’re just bored, aren’t you?”

“Bored? Me?”

“Every day you follow that guy around like a shadow, and this time, you couldn’t. You’d explode if you were near him.”

“…Tch.”

Deokbae violently chewed on a dried squid leg. Thankfully, it was dried; if it had been soft, it might’ve felt like chewing on Cheon Gaeul’s tentacle, inducing nausea.

“What can you do? Just an A-Ranker after all. At minimum, SS-Rank or higher, or you’re toast. And wow, those selected are flashy indeed. Isn’t it basically like summoning spirit pairs? The Light Blade guy and Gawein are core players.”

“That’s true.”

“And now they’re facing monster forms? Man, I can’t even imagine it.”

Deokbae shook his head and leaned back in his chair. Cheon Gaeul, unable to participate directly or witness the battle, grew slightly curious about the ‘Phoenix Core’ she’d heard mentioned casually in the past.

And the person most likely to know something about it? None other than Phoenix’s confidant, Deokbae.

“Hey, Deokbae. Haven’t you heard anything?”

“Huh? About the Phoenix Core’s monster form, how strong it is, and what it looks like?”

“Are you reading my mind too?”

“Duh, obvious flow. …I do know, but honestly, I haven’t heard much either.”

“But still, you must’ve heard the most, right? After all, the Core hasn’t been revealed yet.”

“Revealed…?”

Deokbae frowned mid-chew.

“…Damn, this thing’s tough. Anyway, this is the first time the Core will be revealed.”

“……?”

Cheon Gaeul sensed an odd discordance. Though Deokbae was rude, his inner thoughts were as transparent as his bald head. She’d never failed to sense his thoughts or feelings.

There was only one case where the emotional flow from lower-ranked ability users could be unreadable within the magic current.

“Deokbae. Did you hit S-Rank?”

“Kukh….”

Deokbae gulped down a swig of beer and laughed heartily. The fluorescent light gleamed off his head and teeth.

“Refreshing. Yeah, I hit S. Thanks to someone, I’ve been moving around vigorously.”

“Wha… Since I got sidelined after receiving mana infusion from Hwanryong, who knew someone like YOU would be… ”

Cheon Gaeul shivered with an inexplicable sense of betrayal. Though she shouldn’t feel unpleasant, it felt as though Deokbae had stolen her position.

“What’s with that stare?”

Deokbae mockingly chewed on the squid again.

“Do you think I fought alongside you? All these years, using bats and magical rods as weapons—how many times has that happened? I reached S-Rank while enduring such impersonal treatment. Got it?”

“Uh…….”

Cheon Gaeul sensed something amiss but couldn’t pinpoint its origin.

“So about the Phoenix Core talk, I haven’t seen it.”

Deokbae changed the subject. Unable to identify the root of the discordance, Cheon Gaeul redirected her curiosity.

“Though you haven’t seen it, have you heard anything?”

“Yeah, I’ve heard… hang on.”

Deokbae tapped his magical gear, pulling up a hologram. There stood an elegant, sleek phoenix with blue flames, wings spread wide.

“You said you haven’t seen it!”

“Oh, this gear is awesome. This is what Phoenix showed me as her true form.”

True to her word, the “monster form” was unmistakably a phoenix. What caught Cheon Gaeul’s attention were the unique feathers and decorations resembling various mythical birds like the Vermilion Bird and Fenghuang.

“It’s really beautiful.”

“Beautiful? Are we talking about something capable of blowing up the entire Earth?”

“…I’m just commenting on its appearance. And wasn’t its power known all along? We’ve always known the ultimate destructive force, especially since this goes beyond the humanoid form into the monster form. Of course, it’ll be stronger.”

“Yeah.”

Deokbae recalled what Phoenix had told him about her true monster form.

“…It’s definitely around 15 meters tall, right?”

“What? That small? Chaos was way bigger than that.”

Cheon Gaeul couldn’t hide her disappointment. While size doesn’t necessarily equate to strength in monsters, statistically, there’s a positive correlation.

“Hikari did say it once. A monster’s body is ultimately a load-bearing device for the core’s magic power. Once you reach S-Rank, having a body tens of meters long becomes standard.”

“There are always exceptions, right?”

Deokbae shrugged.

“It’s the optimal size for battling human ability users.”

“Then what happens to the leftover magic power?”

“Just spew it out, right? Yep.”

Deokbae stretched his hands wide.

“Flames burst out in all directions! Boom!”

* * *

“AAAAAAH!!”

Seok Harang screamed, squeezing out her magic power. Waves of ice spread outward from her, forming icy flowers around the group.

PABAK!

Blue flames stuck to the petals of the ice flowers. The petals began melting, while the fiery feathers started freezing due to the cold.

“Ugh, so annoying!”

As a water-element spirit countering fire, Seok Harang was effectively the only one who could counter the flames, excluding Rusalka who had withdrawn from combat.

Moreover, she was the sole individual currently able to freely manipulate her mana without issue.

“Mom!! …Dad?!”

“He’s fine!”

In the middle of the expansive battlefield, the Light Blade was covered in blue flames, writhing in agony. Rusalka stood beside him, pouring her mana to suppress the spreading flames and maintaining a circular barrier for defense.

“Harang, ahead!”

Yun Yuhwa synchronized with Karna, aiming her bow toward the front. Where Karna pointed, blue feathers shot like arrows.

“I’ll make a wall!”

Yu Inah firmly struck the ground with her staff. A wall of earth rose, spanning several meters—but the feathers pierced through effortlessly.

“Huff, AAAAAH!”

Seok Harang quickly gathered her mana and created icy petals behind the earthen wall. The incoming feathers froze upon contact.

“Damn it…”

Successfully blocking the attack, Seok Harang could only pant heavily. She finally understood what Phoenix meant when she said, “If I fought at full strength, I’d win quickly.”

“She really was holding back…!”

Chang-yeom burned everything, consuming mana as well. And Phoenix, wielding this flame through her abilities, possessed overwhelming authority.

“Was she originally THIS strong?!”

“…She held out against six of us. That means she’s grown stronger.”

The Illusion Dragon within Xiao Lin chuckled bitterly as she hurled a transparent crescent blade. Invisible to the naked eye, it soared above Seok Harang’s ice shield toward the sky. Then Karna’s eyes glowed with golden starlight as he released his mana.

“Brahmasutra!!”

Seven beams of golden light radiated outward, guarding the path of the crescent blade fired by Hwanryong. Moving at the speed of light, they intercepted a floating blue orb mid-air.

KA-GA-KANG!!

“Tch!”

The seven beams of Brahmasutra struck the blue orb. Each beam alone possessed enough power to obliterate an S-Rank monster, yet Karna’s Brahmasutra failed to penetrate the orb.

KIIIAAAH!!

A scream-like cry echoed from within the orb, followed by a flurry of blue feathers bursting outward.

“Harang!”

“I got it!”

Seok Harang conjured butterflies made of ice, sending them soaring into the sky. Like swift birds, they collided with the fiery feathers, exploding upon impact.

Through the explosions, the transparent crescent blade thrown by Hwanryong pierced the blue orb, revealing a slight crack.

PUHHH…

A familiar yet chilling laugh emanated from within the orb. Through the tiny gap left by the crescent blade, the monstrous Phoenix grinned.

Attacking during transformation…so typical of you.

WHOOSH, WHOOSH.

The blue orb began unfolding like wings behind it. The executioner and the group stared in awe as Phoenix fully transformed into her monster form.

“…Is this a sync?”

“Just her usual crazy power… Damn, this is insane.”

The Illusion Dragon muttered helplessly, biting her lip.

“The hidden card she kept secret for so long…”

WHOOSH-WHOOSH!

Blue flames erupted in all directions as the phoenix revealed itself. Its purple-eyed gaze remained perfectly controlled despite the apparent rampage.

Entering Battle Mode Phase 1?

“This isn’t Phase 1?!”

Blaze Creation, MAX!!

The phoenix opened its mouth wide, unleashing its breath weapon—the ultimate attack.

“Hmph. I completely understand. Starting with such a powerful assault.”

Chang-yeom sat on her throne, observing the situation outside while gathering mana. Given the gravity of the underground battle where she staked “everything,” she too had to fulfill her role as queen.

“Time to tighten the discipline among the heroines. Puh-heh.”

Chang-yeon skillfully manipulated the body of the monster Phoenix connected to her, preparing for the second attack. Naturally, the “enemy” under Baek Hee-a’s command survived the minor ultimate attack unscathed.

“I guess I’ll entertain you until that person returns victorious. Here comes the strongest monster—Level 100 Phoenix!”

Chang-yeom never imagined Phoenix losing.

* * *

In the azure skies of Death Dinass, the final battle of the original story involves infiltrating Seongju’s Boatman with a team of seven companions. To break through the barrier centered around the Boatman, one user of each of the seven elemental abilities is required. Typically, these roles are filled by heroines—or beings possessing elemental spirit powers.

At the pinnacle stand the heroines synchronized with spirits, among whom the most efficient fighters are the very adversaries standing before me now, ready to kill.

Water Element: Seok Harang, Ice Blossom.


Wind Element: Park Ra-on, Cutting Wind.


Durability Element: Ji Ryun, Xiao Lin.


Light Element: Satanael Yu Inah.


Darkness Element: Maamryong Kim Nori.


Illusion Element: Chaos Cheon Gaeul.


…And Fire Element: Baek Cheonghwa, Blaze Creation.

Excluding non-combatant heroines Hikari, Baek Hee-a, Yun Yuhwa, and main Fire element user Su Ri, this is the strongest lineup assembled solely of combatants. It’s the exact combination of heroines and spirits I fixed dozens, even hundreds of times to lock in the Phoenix route. Every time I attempted to enter the Phoenix route, they had to pair up according to my plan and synchronize for the final battle.

Thus, they are both the most trustworthy allies I know—and currently, the worst possible enemies.

‘To put it bluntly, it’s almost a Level 100 vs. Level 1.’

Can I defeat them?

‘Of course.’

Spoke Chang-yeom: The strongest is Phoenix.