Chapter 482

〈Chapter 482〉 Part 1, Chapter 20, Section 14

“So it’s a game… right? The world has been restructured in the form of a game by Seongju. Only Phoenix can recognize this, and we who live within—more accurately, our avatars—are stuck here. Our consciousness resides in this world while our actual bodies remain outside, like in some sort of full-dive… virtual reality? Anyway, this world was one where only the ‘Protagonist’ could perceive it, an infinite reset cycle incomprehensible by any means. We three-dimensional beings were demoted to two-dimensional pawns for a four-dimensional amusement. Heh heh. Ah, before you ask, can I make one request?”

“What is it?”

“Don’t tell him. That all the worlds he’s experienced through the game were illusions created by Seongju.”

“……Would he not know that already?”

“He might have a vague idea. Maybe he knows. But if I say it isn’t true, he’ll believe me. The person supposed to confirm his suspicions left without revealing the truth at the last moment.”

“Who?”

“Yuna.”

Hwanryong remained silent. Chang-yeom’s throat tightened as well when mentioning that name again.

“Yuna… the real Yuinah inside his mind ultimately chose to sacrifice herself. Everyone else entrusted their decision to Yuna, agreeing to follow her choice. As for me… since I’d already chosen him, it wasn’t my place to judge Yuna. I’m not that shameless.”

“Yuna… haa, I really don’t get it.”

Hwanryong muttered while clutching his head in frustration.

“That guy didn’t just play around with us, so why are you still so worked up about it?”

“Do you understand? Imagine human souls trapped inside toys, played with by a child. Should the toys resent the child or the one who made them into toys?”

“So the root of all evil is Seongju?”

“Of course. We need to catch Seongju. Why attack innocent people when the real culprit is out there?”

“…Is that your conclusion?”

“Exactly. Turning other worlds into game enemies may be disgusting, but it’s the result of my choice to surrender during the war. Whether Jeolpung got kicked out for causing trouble or you fled to the Spirit Realm because you were scared, everyone got brainwashed in the end. Ultimately, Seongju attacking our world is the main issue.”

“…”

Hwanryong couldn’t respond. Instead, Chang-yeom continued speaking.

“You might not fully grasp everything since you don’t know it all. But remember this.”

Chang-yeom pointed the stick of a completely sucked lollipop at Hwanryong and grinned wickedly.

“Phoenix belongs to me.”

“…”

Hwanryong growled in genuine irritation.

“Was showing me those memories… was that all part of your plan? To prevent me from harming him once I became aware of my existence as an extraterrestrial being?”

“…”


“Well, if I said there was no intention behind it, that would be a lie. But the ultimate reason is simple: I wanted to show off. To proclaim that he is mine.”

“Damn crazy woman.”

“I am crazy. That’s why… I’ve let go of my past self and stayed like this, haven’t I?”

Chang-yeom chuckled bitterly and sighed.

“A single impurity entered the perfect god. Despite removing all impurities, one remains. Can you guess what it is?”

“…”

Hwanryong was genuinely curious. What could possibly reduce the mighty absolute spirit to something entangled like this? Chang-yeom smiled faintly and proudly displayed the ring on her left hand to Hwanryong.

“It’s love.”

* * *

At the moment the world stopped.

Seongju, whose physical activity had ceased, used only his active brain to repeatedly think and analyze the future world that Chang-yeom was experiencing. In that fleeting moment stretched to feel like a year, he observed everything.

– Indeed. This goes beyond my domain. An extraterrestrial entity… like an audience member jumping onto the stage during a puppet show.

It was both amusing and bittersweet. At the same time, Seongju envied them deeply.

The one who loved the puppets so much that they abandoned being an audience member and decided to become one of the puppets themselves.

Comparing himself to his pitiful state, he felt inferior but couldn’t bring himself to cut the puppet strings for someone who continuously professed their love for him.

Their willingness to give up what was most precious to protect and cherish each other…

Watching them, Seongju realized the truth amidst the frozen time.

– Ah, so this is love.

Seongju was learning about love.

Puk, pukpukpuk!

– Indeed. When doing it from behind, thrusting—

One method of expressing love was also learned.

* * *

“Did you explain everything well? Clearly, you’ve come to realize your true nature.”

“Yeah, yeah. Meta-awareness is such a hassle. Knowing unnecessary things ruins everything. I wanted to keep it to myself, but… tsk.”

“…While everyone knows different things, Hwanryong was closest to understanding our truth. There’s nothing we can do about it.”

“Still, it pisses me off. Until now, I felt like I was way above everyone, but now it feels like we’re on the same level.”

“That won’t change anything about where I am, will it? It’s cold, come here.”

Chang-yeom sat on top of me as if she’d been waiting for this moment. Though she hadn’t drunk alcohol herself, a strong smell of liquor wafted from her body, likely due to Hwanryong somewhere nearby indulging heavily.

“Ah, it’s warm.”

“Where? Inside? Outside?”

“Obviously both.”

I tightly held her so she couldn’t move. The “long-awaited pregnant wife and husband going to work” act had lost its charm long ago thanks to Hwanryong’s influence—or rather, because Chang-yeom had lost interest in it, making it unnecessary. Thus, I enjoyed touching her smooth belly. Chang-yeom teased me by nudging my calves with her heels.

“How dare you insert it right away?”

“There’s a saying called ‘fight fire with fire,’ isn’t there?”

“Can’t even talk properly anymore. Fine, I want to face you while we do it. Change positions.”

“That’s why I put the mirror over there.”

I gestured toward the full-length mirror placed opposite us. As I gently spread her thighs with my hands, Chang-yeom gasped and pulled her legs together. In the mirror, she blushed and bit her lip.

“Why are you trying to expose yourself so openly?”

“Is there anyone else looking?”

“You’re the one who wants to watch, aren’t you?”

“I want to see your face while we do it.”

“Ugh.”

Chang-yeom mumbled something while chewing her lips, and I leaned closer. Mimicking my lip movements, she rolled her eyes but kissed me anyway. A rich strawberry scent filled my mouth.

“Now this is coming to an end too.”

“Yeah, it’s ending. After all, we’ve been doing this for twenty years, plus five more.”

“…Do you know what happens when you add five years to twenty? It equals the original timeline.”

“Of course I know.”

“Eventually, you won’t remember whether this is the original timeline or not.”

“So what? Even if you forget, I’ll still be by your side, and you’ll be by mine.”

Chang-yeom lowered her head. Swinging her feet back and forth, she seemed deep in thought. Meanwhile, I slowly rocked her body like a rocking chair until her contemplation ended.

“Are you premature ejaculator?”

“Naturally not.”

“…Then we should sync up. Let’s promise to spend a hundred harmonious years together while synchronized.”

“Promise.”

I hooked pinkies with Chang-yeom. Though we were already connected in the most intimate way possible, she wanted to reaffirm our bond. She seemed to dread and cherish the end, needing confirmation multiple times.

“…Then let’s finish with this.”

Chang-yeom lifted her upper body and spun around. Facing me after a 180-degree turn, she sat cross-legged. I felt a pang of regret.

“I thought our favorite position was when you’re penetrated from behind while I caress your breasts.”

“That’s our favorite position, but not how I want to finish.”

Smiling faintly, Chang-yeom draped her arms around my neck.

“This way, we can look at each other eye-to-eye… and I can take the lead, can’t I?”

Until the very last moment, I followed whatever Chang-yeom desired.

* * *

11:55 PM.

The time has come.

Our promised “day” had less than five minutes left. Neatening our clothes, Chang-yeom and I stepped onto the rooftop of the building. Looking around the quiet surroundings, I asked Chang-yeom, who was holding my arm,

“Where’s Hwanryong?”

“He ran away because he was embarrassed to see you.”

“…Embarrassed to see me? Isn’t he more likely to want to kill me?”

“I told him everything about our relationship. Actually, it’s less about him being embarrassed to see you and more about him not wanting to see me. Puhehe.”

Chang-yeom laughed wickedly while puffing out her chest confidently. Her complete lack of shame made me nudge her ribs with my elbow.

“Isn’t this a bit excessive even at the last moment?”

“Hwanryong is the excessive one. To be swayed by something so trivial… How could I ever hand you over to someone like that?”

“…Isn’t that a bit hard to accept?”

“If someone hasn’t committed a sin, why should accepting it be difficult? Now, enough of the depressing talk. Let’s discuss our happy future.”

Woooom—!!

A massive asteroid-like object was plummeting from the clear night sky. The Boatman, larger than any ordinary meteorite, was hurtling towards the ground—and us—with tremendous speed due to gravitational acceleration.

“Seongju sure knows how to ruin the mood. Ending with an explosion, huh.”

“He must’ve known. He saw that I refused our deal in the end.”

From Seongju’s perspective, he must be furious. Enjoying everything for five years and rejecting it now—it’s understandable. But neither Chang-yeom nor I had any obligation to consider his feelings. Both of us owed a debt to the existence named Yuna and fundamentally rejected handing her over to Seongju.

“Shall we prepare then?”

“Yeah.”

Chang-yeom and I raised our free hands high into the sky. The twin TAT pistols Chang-yeom used materialized in each of our hands. Though not physical objects, these forms crafted from magic power far exceeded the original in strength.

“I didn’t know you could use a double ultimate technique like this.”

“It’s called Blazing Phoenix Revival. Puhehe.”

“……That’s a bit…”

Doesn’t the sun burning red in a heart shape look a bit strange? My slightly distorted face made Chang-yeom giggle as she pressed her gun against mine. I turned sideways and aligned my gun with hers.

“You know, actually…”

“I don’t know what you’re about to say, but planting flags like that is dangerous.”

“So what if I plant a flag? Isn’t breaking them all part of your philosophy?”

“That’s true. What do you want to say?”

Chang-yeom smiled sweetly and stepped lightly onto my shoes. Her face drew closer, and her chest brushed against my body.

“If everything succeeds… I might allow a harem of three wives and four concubines.”

“…”

“Why don’t you stand straight?”

“Don’t you think I deserve some reward for all my efforts so far? Puhehe.”

Her laughter sent shivers down my spine, and I had to turn my head upward to suppress a queasy feeling. It wasn’t that I was happy about her casually granting permission regarding the harem issue she hadn’t even considered; rather, I was deeply moved that she acknowledged my efforts thus far.

“Then, let me be honest.”

I unclasped my arms and interlaced my fingers with hers. Hoping my sincerity would reach her, I smiled to ensure she could smile back at me.

“Even if everything fails, I’ll find you again.”

“That’s obvious. Even in the opposite case, it’s the same.”

Guguguuun!!

The world began to tremble. The surface of the Boatman hurled at us by Seongju was covered in wriggling vein-like abnormalities.

The source of power that created a world without goddesses—the Cube—descended upon us in the form of the Boatman. Filling the TAT with magic power, I steadied my breathing.

“Ah, by the way. Did I—or perhaps my past self—ever mention this? Blazing Phoenix Revival isn’t actually the real technique name.”

“…”

“You never said it outright, though I always sensed it. Naturally, I assumed someone operating in America wouldn’t use a Chinese-character-based name. Most spirits either use their own language or English-based names. I secretly guessed that Blazing Phoenix Revival was just something you came up with randomly out of embarrassment.”

“Puhehe. Then try following along. …This is the first time I’m teaching you something, isn’t it?”

“That’s quite an honor. If I understand this, I’ll probably understand everything about you.”

“Because I’m revealing my bottom line, pay close attention. And by the way, in this world… there’s no censorship?”

Click.

Simultaneously, Chang-yeom and I raised our TATs toward the Boatman. Thanks to the flow of magic power through our linked hands, I quickly uncovered Chang-yeom’s true “super ultimate technique.”

“Let’s just call it Blazing Phoenix Revival. Sounds pretty weak, doesn’t it?”

“Why?! It’s a name that exudes divine majesty!!”

“…”

“If you say so, then fine. Hmm.”

Once again, I realized how different our sensibilities truly are. And once again, I understood there are still parts of Chang-yeom I don’t know, which I found incredibly charming. They say falling in love makes everything beautiful, and this was exactly what they meant.

“I’ll go first.”

“What? How? How do you know about this?”

“It’s plagiarism. It’s identical to something we used in our world.”

“…”

“Somehow, I feel wronged. I thought I created that myself, but now it turns out to be plagiarism.”

As Chang-yeom scowled, I took a deep breath to cheer her up.

“R——A’s Final Strike!!”

Gugugugu—!!

The world started collapsing. Dust began falling from the Boatman. Simultaneously, R-A (me and Chang-yeom) pulled the triggers.

God Blaze Cannon.

…

Though the technique seemed weaker for a moment, the magical cannonball we fired incinerated the entire world instantly.