Chapter 485

〈 Chapter 485 〉 Part 1, Chapter 20, Section 17

I checked the locations of all the Ming Wangs except for the Fire Attribute Ming Wang that the Blue Wind Sect, including myself, was handling. Although Baek Hee-a had dispersed spirits using an alternate dimension, whether it was the same attribute or a counter-attribute, the Ming Wangs were still standing strong. While I was lost in thought exchanging messages with Yu Yinghuo, Chang-yeom was explaining to the senior members of the Blue Wind Sect while projecting a hologram of the Ming Wang’s appearance.

“First off…the most distinctive feature of the Ming Wang is that once its shield is broken, countless Terranists will burst out like cockroaches. They’ll come rushing out in droves.”

“Ew…”

The senior members showed their disgust at the idea of average S-Rank Monsters swarming like cockroaches. Even if you consider it kindly, the appearance of the Terranists is enough to induce revulsion, making cockroaches seem downright cute by comparison.

“So when the Ming Wangs stop at their respective positions, we need to break through their shields and send in infiltration teams. While external ability users keep them engaged, a small elite group infiltrates to destroy the Ming Wangs.”

“I understand that if even one Ming Wang reaches Earth’s core, it’ll split the planet. But Director, can’t we just attack directly?”

Pointing upwards towards the ceiling, the Lighthouse quickly grasped what he was indicating.

“Attack Seongju on the moon?”

“Yes. Since Seongju also aims to conquer Earth, they wouldn’t try to completely shatter it. Rather, like how they used the Boatman as a vessel for the Planet Express Ship, they’d likely stop the Ming Wangs just before they penetrate too deeply into Earth’s core.”

“Hmm. There must be some kind of switch controlling the Ming Wangs?”

“That’s right. And why not just blow their heads off? Though I understand scattering initially due to danger, you’ve been itching to start from the top, haven’t you?”

One of the officers subtly glanced at me while speaking. …Seems they have a rough idea but thankfully aren’t pressing the matter. I subtly nudged Chang-yeom.

“The premise is wrong. Seongju truly intends to destroy Earth.”

“…What? Boss, so there’s no switch?”

“It’s like eating strawberry cake. You don’t eat the whole thing at once; you cut it into slices with a knife first.”

“Damn…”

At Chang-yeom’s analogy, the officers grimaced and clutched their heads. Just as the analogy suggested, Seongju had no intention other than destroying Earth.

“They’re not trying to conquer Earth to reign over it. It’s because all life forms on the surface would interfere when Seongju destroys Earth, so they’re clearing them out first.”

“…So Hydra cooperating with you despite being an officer wasn’t because they liked your face?”

“There was a fundamental reason. If Earth itself is destroyed, there’ll be nowhere left to live.”

“……Hmm.”

Chang-yeom slightly pouted and glanced up at me.

“Though I desperately want to deal with Seongju first, for the peace and safety of Earth, let’s eliminate the immediate threats first. We’ll cleanly remove the seven Ming Wangs with different attributes.”

“Since Seongju has plenty of time to prepare rituals on the moon, we should focus on eliminating the Fire Attribute Ming Wang assigned to us here.”

That’s why I called the Blue Wind Sect. All heroes in Korea – and others around the world – started chasing the Ming Wangs via trains, planes, any means necessary, following Baek Hee-a’s instructions.

“Hikari is reading the movement paths of the Ming Wangs. We’re trying to fight in places where civilian casualties will be minimized.”

“The Executioners and Administrators will each command three groups, and the spirits will stand ready in front of the Ming Wangs matching their attributes to break the shields.”

Perhaps due to the changed name of the “Ming Wang,” none of the predicted movement paths or battlefields determined by Hikari and Baek Hee-a overlapped with those from the original work. Not even the battlefield where the Blue Wind Sect was supposed to confront theirs.

‘It was originally supposed to be Mount Baekdu.’

The massive volcanic eruption caused by the Fire Attribute Stake piercing through Cheonji Lake of Mount Baekdu is now heading towards another volcano located southeast of the Korean Peninsula.

“…So we have to go stop this thing.”

“Judging by its position, it’s a familiar battlefield.”

When Chang-yeom projected the map, the expressions of the officers subtly changed.

“…We have to defend there?”

“We have to stop it even if we don’t want to. You know what happens if we don’t, right?”

Chang-yeom ran a simulation on the hologram, and I pointed at the bubbling mountain with the tip of my wing.

“It’s a massive Mount Fuji eruption.”

…The Fire Attribute Stake, which originally should have headed to Mount Baekdu, was slowly moving towards Mount Fuji, cutting across the Korean Peninsula from northwest to southeast, perhaps due to the change in name to “Ming Wang.”

* * *

Though I didn’t particularly care, since the era of Sun Icheol, nationalism had deeply rooted itself in this world’s Korea.

The country that most actively sought to drain away hero talents was China and Japan. Both countries utilized various methods to torment Korea, such as selling B Rank and above heroes considered prime assets back to foreign countries.

Representative incidents included missile provocations in the Yellow Sea by China or their attempted advance on Pyongyang crossing the Yalu River. For Japan, it was the Busan Moby Dick incident or the Tsushima Island incident caused by Hydra.

Both were events indirectly triggered by me, though they merely occurred earlier than expected or similar situations happened elsewhere.

If Seok Harang and I hadn’t established ourselves at both ends of the Korean Peninsula, both nations would have incessantly troubled Korea. By removing Sun Icheol, who was a thorn in Korea’s side, and eliminating dangerous factors from both sides, I succeeded.

China’s Mo Taegyeong was replaced by Huanlong. Regarding systemic issues, I let Huanlong do as he pleased, while Bonghyo, who assisted Huanlong, maintained the status quo externally while actively supporting Korea and the Blue Wind Sect behind the scenes. A representative example was the free supply of Black Sand Cores.

Japan’s Hikari became a core member of the Blue Wind Sect, thus eliminating the situation where Gale Guest went berserk searching for his missing younger sister. Through Rusalka, the Round Table was brought in, leading Gale Guest to regard the Blue Wind Sect and Korea as a place where he could trustfully leave his younger sister.

Thus, even if the threat of global destruction was removed, relations between the nations remained at their worst due to the existence of national sovereignty.

‘Given the circumstances, it’s impossible to maintain friendly relations anyway.’

The Busan-Tsushima incident was a representative case demonstrating the strained relationship between the two countries. Even Seok Harang, whose hero nature was ingrained to the bone, blocked everyone attempting to swim across the Busan Strait with ice walls, showing that anti-Japanese sentiment was stronger, if anything, than reality.

Even if Sun Icheol fell from power, the situation wouldn’t change. I contacted the entity most sensitive to this situation.

[Busy, so I’ll text. What do you think?]

Prrr.

As soon as I sent the message, a call came in. Despite being busy controlling three global battlefields with magic power, I wondered if sending the text was a mistake.

‘Come inside and answer the call. We need to confirm subsequent strategies.’

‘That seems better?’

I entered Chang-yeom’s room, apologized to the officers, and answered the call. On the table appeared the face of Executive Officer Baek Hee-a chewing on dried squid.

[Why does the Flame Ming Wang have to go there of all places.]

Patriotic conservative Baek Hee-a openly displayed her distaste. Trapped in the dilemma of being both a hero and a patriotic conservative, she found it difficult to make a clear judgment about the Flame Ming Wang—or rather, she avoided doing so.

[I don’t want to help there… Could it be going to Hawaii or Guam instead? Maybe it’s just passing through Mount Fuji.]

“The person who hates Japan as much as you does said it’s Mount Fuji. Hikari’s data is accurate.”

[Sigh… Alright. …But currently, all the heroes are pulled out, so we lack full strength…]

As I remained silent, Baek Hee-a covered her mouth and smirked.

“There are no heroes. Haha, did you anticipate this?”

“Hmm. I intended to handle it solely with the Blue Wind Sect, but unfortunately, it’s happening at this location. If we’re going to use it, we should use it thoroughly, shouldn’t we?”

I mentioned the ‘essence’ of the Blue Wind Sect externally.

“The Blue Wind Sect is a hunter organization, basically akin to a mercenary group. However, regarding bothersome political transactions, I’ll leave it to your maternal grandfather.”

That should be sufficient to cover the conscience of a hero. Baek Hee-a will give appropriate signals from behind, and now we plan how the Blue Wind Sect will approach the Flame Ming Wang.

“Then, let’s begin the meeting on the strategy to tackle the Flame Stake.”

…We could immediately fly over and strip off the shield, but our side decided to wait until the annoying problem is resolved.

“Once the shield is stripped, I won’t do anything else.”

“What?!?!”

“Do you remember why I created the Blue Wind Sect?”

To be honest,

“It’s for dealing with annoying nuisances in situations like these. Puhuhu.”

I will only deal with Seongju and the interdimensional gods, so please take care of the rest.

* * *

“…Understood. Please be careful, Executive Officer.”

[We will surely win and return, Mr. President.]

Click.

As the hologram of the resolute executive officer disappeared, current President Baek Se-joon sighed and reclined in his chair.

“What a hassle…”

President Baek Se-joon chuckled as he mulled over Phoenix’s words conveyed by Baek Hee-a. As someone who had spent decades thinking only about political issues, it was truly unpleasant to categorize efforts in international power games aimed at benefiting one’s own country as ‘troublesome matters.’

‘Surely, it must be troublesome.’

While he had to prioritize the lives and interests of his own country, for Phoenix, it was practically a matter concerning the fate of the entire Earth.

Considering just the population alone—6 billion versus 40 million—it amounted to roughly 99:1 if exaggerated to a ratio.

“Then, let me handle this troublesome matter elegantly once.”

Despite having ambition but relinquishing a certain position once, President Baek Se-joon began to think primarily about his country’s interests as requested.

“Then, everyone, what do you think is the best course of action?”

Urgently summoned officials from various sectors exchanged glances, waiting for someone to speak first. Though unspoken, everyone was both delighted yet quite hesitant to be the first to speak.

“T-that…”

“Isn’t this something the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should handle first?”

“…Is this a situation that can be resolved through diplomacy?”

“Tsk.”

Baek Se-joon instinctively sensed that chaotic conversations were about to ensue. Having led such responsibility-shirking discussions in the past, he knew better than anyone how difficult it was for officials to speak freely.

“Hey, why are you all acting so coy? In short…it’s the perfect moment to exploit.”

“But is it right to take advantage of such a situation?”

An official who once dreamed of becoming a hero but failed at D-Rank spoke clearly to remain true to his conscience.

Considering the humiliations endured, it might not be enough to just let the Flame Ming Wang bury itself in Mount Fuji. However, from a moral standpoint, it couldn’t be done.

“When something can be exploited, it should be exploited…hmm…”

Who would say that? Someone who doesn’t care about image and knows how to appropriately skim benefits. Scanning the room, Baek Se-joon found no one suitable and had to recall someone not present.

“Ah.”

Baek Se-joon recalled his face and couldn’t help but smile.

– Exploit everything that can be exploited.

“Sun Icheol.”

Half his expression hardened, half smiled.

“If dog dung can be used as medicine, then it’s not something we should ignore, isn’t it? Isn’t he the one who thought nothing of water or fire for the sake of the nation’s interests? Let’s ask him once, and systematically eliminate options deemed impossible.”

How would the man, once hailed as the reincarnation of Daewongun, choose in such a situation? Baek Se-joon dumped all the troublesome matters onto him.

‘Even if he ignores his own imprisonment, he wouldn’t participate in humiliating Japan, would he?’

Baek Se-joon recalled the words he dared to send back to Sun Icheol.

‘In this situation?’

“Alright, alright. We’ll adjust Sun Icheol’s thoughts to fit reality. We’ll discard excessively harsh measures and accept good suggestions. Understood?”

Following President Baek Se-joon’s instructions, a special envoy was hastily dispatched to the prison.

Exactly 30 minutes later.

Hundreds of A4 papers began flying around the presidential residence conference room.

* * *

‘What a nice weather.’

As the sun set and night fell, I stood alone on the rooftop railing overlooking Seoul’s night view, separated from Chang-yeom.

‘Rare occasion, might as well give them a chance.’

The discussion on how to deploy forces had concluded long ago.

Once the political sector finishes their meetings, the entire Blue Wind Sect will move according to prepared transportation means. Until further notice, everyone is to rest within a 10-minute recall range.

‘Have fun playing.’

Chang-yeom and Gaeul went together to Manager Huan’s cafe. Gaeul aimed to determine if Chang-yeom was really me or a separate entity, while Chang-yeom enjoyed dating Gaeul, taking a temporary leave.

‘Looking at that, it’s scary how instincts work.’

Even knowing she was a game heroine, she remained charming, and when an opportunity arose to converse, they seized it immediately.

‘It’s fortunate if it’s simply gratitude and a desire to talk.’

Knowing what Gaeul feels for Phoenix yet wanting to talk separately with Gaeul was somewhat alarming. Though synchronized, I intentionally refrained from reading Chang-yeom’s inner thoughts.

‘I’m getting uneasy.’

What exactly are they talking about? Should I follow now? Chang-yeom wouldn’t refuse if I stayed beside her.

‘She’d probably say it’s fine for me to stay beside her.’

No matter how large Gaeul’s chest may be and how much Chang-yeom might want to touch it, if I were to silently feel it while standing next to her, she’d sense it without showing any reaction.

‘Maybe it’s fine since it’s not with another man.’

Although unlikely, if Chang-yeom were to sit alone with another man, the world might collapse. I’d beat that guy first, regardless.

“Oh, what a pity.”

Having been together daily, nearly 25 years in a constructed future and spiritual realm, I could afford to give them some time apart. After confirming the time they entered the cafe, I turned to the person ascending to the roof.

“What are you doing here?”

[Looking down at Seoul.]

If I spoke directly, my tone would surely expose something, so I used magic power. At my words, Jo Deokbae, the gray-hooded bald man, yawned and stood next to me.

“Is that yours?”

Jo Deckbae snickered, raising only his pinky finger.

[Familiar.]

I had no intention of denying or hiding it.

Already knowing much about the relationship between me and Phoenix, Deckbae’s awareness of it didn’t surprise me, just as I saw no need to hide it from him.

“To Gaeul?”

[There’s nothing to be done about someone who already knows, but until she realizes on her own, it’s unnecessary.]

“Persistent bastard.”

[Anyway, it might disappear soon.]

Being apart from Chang-yeom for a while made it somewhat easier for me to express my true feelings.

[What day is it today?]

“December after midnight.”

[…I feel like I’ve already passed my destined deadline, but now the entire human race is living on borrowed time.]

I looked up at the sky, pointing at it. The color of the moon rising in the mid-heaven seemed unusually dark.

[Even if we deal with the Ming Wangs, Terra Entities will appear worldwide. They’ll pour out in numbers we can hardly handle, and only then will the battle truly begin, ending with decapitating their heads.]

“That eagerly anticipated final battle on the moon?”

[Yes. All spirits will fight there. At that moment, I might not even be there anymore.]

“Then, those who remain should get along well.”

“Not particularly. Hey, but wait. If you perish, won’t I perish too? Same goes for Gaeul.”

“Perhaps that’s the case. The officers are still intact, though.”

“Tch. Ah, I thought I wouldn’t die anymore.”

Deckbae kicked the wall in irritation. Feeling somewhat apologetic for making him work so hard until now, I casually suggested to Deckbae.

“If you wish, I can transfer the resurrection rights to Chang-yeom.”

“….No. Rather than spending my whole life under her, I’d rather die when I can. You see, I want to see you suffer as much as you’ve made me before I die. For instance…how about Chang-yeom falling for Gaeul and leaving you?”

“Such an event will never occur, so rest assured.”

“You’re glaring seriously. Can’t even say a word, huh. Sigh, fine. I’ll head down to prepare. Take your time sulking and go see your master soon.”

Deckbae waved goodbye and left the roof. I momentarily considered setting fire to his receding back illuminated by the moonlight but decided against it to avoid mana loss.

“Worked hard to reach S-Rank, so I’ll let this one slide…hmm?”

A familiar magical energy flow intended for Chang-yeom’s direction diverted toward me. Within the magical data was a text message from Baek Hee-a.

“Oh.”

Someone, whoever it was, had devised a clever plan. Following the battlefield and timing set by Baek Hee-a, I spread my wings wide.

– Three hours later, destroy the Flame Ming Wang immediately after passing Dokdo.

“Originally planned to use the excuse of the Flame Ming Wang to cause a volcanic eruption at Mount Fuji.”

Regrettable.