Chapter 644

〈 Chapter 644 〉 Part 2, Chapter 3, Section 09

<At that moment, New Seoul Hero Association VIP Room.>

The smell of alcohol permeates the air. Green soju bottles roll around on the floor, and in the center of the room, a blonde maiden lies sprawled out, clutching two soju bottles.

“Nowadays, even drinking three boxes doesn’t seem to work.”

The maiden mutters as she presses the cold soju bottle against her head. There’s no hangover, but strange voices keep echoing in her mind due to the liquor’s influence.

<This is so frustrating!! Your daughter is currently duking it out with some blond punk!>

“Hah-rang would never do such a thing. Go away, you wraith.”

Bang!

The maiden smashes the soju bottle against her own head. Instead of blood, alcohol sprays everywhere, soaking her entire body.

“Hah-rang is whose daughter? Yeah, that’s right.”

<You idiot! Loser! I'm about to explode from frustration! Hey! Just switch places with me already! I can't live like this, damn it!>

“Take over my body to destroy the world? Not a chance.”

<Aaaargh!!>

The phantom in her mind keeps trying to confuse her with bizarre words. The maiden takes a deep breath and gathers mana.

“Don’t mess with my memories, wraith.”

<I am Rusalka!!!>

“Nonsense. I know better. You’re not the one I loved.”

With a firm voice, the maiden opens her eyes. Golden light bursts forth from her eyes.

“You’re just a monster pretending to be her.”

Whoosh. Her body glows golden.

“Unusually talkative today.”

And in the blink of an eye, she transforms into a middle-aged man with wet black hair.

“…”

Light Blade Heo Yoon-hwan. Until just three seconds ago, he was “Yoon-hwa.” Rising immediately, he taps his magical gear to inform the only person who knows about his condition.

“I’ve returned, President.”

<Nightmare> is aware of Light Blade’s situation.

[Thank goodness. We’ll contact you shortly.]

Though unaware of the truth, they believe he’s cursed to occasionally transform into a girl.

“…Is it busy now?”

It’s 9 AM, prime time for starting work. Scratching his throbbing head, Yoon-hwan begins tidying up the scattered soju bottles.

“I hope I don’t change until tomorrow…”

Seoul Recovery Operation. He prays inwardly several times while heading to the shower, hoping not to transform into a girl in front of his daughter during the official event.

<Hey! This frustration is killing me! Your daughter is all riled up and ready to fight that blond punk!>

“Shut up!”

Summoning magic power, Yoon-hwan lets out a battle cry. In the mirror, water dripping from his hair, stands a middle-aged man with unruly beard growth.

“There’s no way it’s Rusalka.”

If it were really Rusalka, she would have said ‘our daughter.’ Pressing his forehead against the glass, Yoon-hwan submits himself to the cold water.

“Rusalka…”

Water from the shower hose streams down Yoon-hwan’s face.

<Did you call me?>

“Go away, you hussy!”

As soon as he finishes showering, Yoon-hwan transforms back into a golden-haired maiden.

***

“In any case, President, I cannot assist with the Seoul Recovery Operation.”

My firm refusal causes Seol Ji-young to sigh regretfully. Seok Harang seems lost after receiving my secret message.

“Instead, as a member of Oracle Studio, I can help.”

“What does that mean…?”

“Assign our team here.”

I specify the location I want to the president. She looks at me and the map with a subtle expression.

“Guro…?”

“The frontline is too dangerous, and the rear is too weak. Isn’t Guro the perfect place for the team members to grow?”

“But why specifically Guro? Gangnam isn’t much different.”

“I heard there’s a lighthouse in Guro that never goes out. It sounds interesting. Puhehe.”

There’s no real reason. It’s simply because the final battle of the March 1st Seoul Recovery Operation will take place in Guro.

“Using the Seoul Recovery Operation as a stepping stone for heroes’ growth feels a bit off…but very well. If that’s your wish, Commander, we shall follow it.”

“Thank you, President. Shall we head back upstairs since we need to prepare?”

“Huh? What preparation?”

“Harang is also part of our team, so we need to match our uniforms, right?”

Seok Harang tilts her head, and Seol Ji-young’s expression twists. The president knows what kind of outfits our team wears.

“Just a moment, are you serious? Seriously considering putting Lady Snowflower in such attire?”

“Princess style!”

“No way!”

“Why not?”

As Seol Ji-young lunges toward me, Seok Harang steps in front of her.

“Calm down, President.”

“Lady Snowflower! Look at this and then say that!”

“What is this…?”

After reviewing the video sent by Seol Ji-young, Seok Harang reacts.

“This trash?”

She immediately grabs my collar.

“What? Is this your plan?!”

“Ah, haven’t heard that in a while.”

“Shut up! You pervert, did you really think of making me wear something like this?!”

“No.”

I grab Seok Harang’s wrist.

“I was thinking of dressing you in something prettier—a white, flowing dress.”

“…”

“Oh my…”

“How about this?”

The magical girl costume I showed Seok Harang seemed decent enough to me, but it was rejected due to her and the president’s strong opposition.

‘So it still requires the death of Light Blade to fully activate?’

Lady Snowflower Seok Harang officially joins the team after Light Blade’s demise.

Someday, as she strips off the clothes made from her own magic piece by piece to supply me with magic power, I resolve to wish for Light Blade’s rapid berserk state.

* * *

<At that moment, Washington H Hotel, USA.>

“So this is ‘his’ gun?”

“That’s correct, nya.”

The blue-haired girl sitting on the sofa carefully examines the holographic data in front of her. Kim Penril stands opposite her, ready to flee at any moment, waiting for the girl to speak.

“Fascinating. Extremely fascinating. Personally, I have quite an interest in guns.”

The girl flicks flames from her fingertips. Penril flinches and steps back, but the girl isn’t threatening Penril; she’s merely creating a gun identical to the commander’s using the flames.

“Hmm, nice grip feel…excellent destructive power…it’s a bit disappointing that it’s single-shot, but that has its own charm.”

“Uh, um, we’re not done talking yet, right, nya?”

Trying to steer the conversation back on track as the girl drifts off into another world, Penril speaks. The girl places the gun she created neatly on her thigh.

“Yes, go ahead. Do as you please.”

“Do as I please…?”

“At this point, both my body and heart belong entirely to the female commander. What more is there for me to persuade you of?”

Penril instantly summons magic power. But the girl shows no hostility towards Penril.

“I have no intention of fighting. Chasing you around is bothersome. If you want to fight, I’ll obliterate you, but are you confident enough?”

“…”

Penril is sure she can escape, but not sure she can win. The shadowy figure of a dark monster appearing behind the girl makes Penril panic.

“How did you know, nya?”

“You smell, obviously.”

“…”

“Can’t you tell from the increased magic power you gained from the commander? Did you really think I wouldn’t notice?”

“Ah.”

Penril bows her head, her face turning red. Since the girl shows no hostility, there’s no reason to fight.

“…I-I’m sorry, nya.”

“It’s fine. Sometimes losing is unavoidable.”

“But I didn’t lose to…you know what, nya!”

“Really? You seemed pretty enthusiastic before coming here. Puh-hehe.”

Caught in the girl’s rhythm, Penril pulls her hair and shrieks.

“What are you?! How can you act like this?! You’re not supposed to be like this!!”

“What’s wrong this time?”

“After all the mental anguish I endured! For a month, I agonized over how to balance things and finally decided to betray them, yet why do you accept it so easily?!”

“Ah.”

The girl strokes the gun and smirks.

“Doesn’t it matter? Whatever happens, I can destroy this planet whenever I want. A single officer’s betrayal to cling to the commander changes nothing.”

“You…couldn’t possibly…”

The girl strokes the gun continuously with a look of resignation.

“Enjoy yourself while you can. I can’t do that.”

“…”

“How did it come to this, nya?”

“People always say change is inevitable. Maybe being around humans for too long affected me somehow.”

Penril realizes this might be the first time the girl is opening up.

“No matter how hard you try, some things just can’t be changed.”

Understanding why the commander thought anything could be negotiated with the girl now, Penril vaguely comprehends.

“You…really?”

“Enough. Talking about this now might trigger ‘Observation.’ Surely you don’t want to end this blissful time prematurely?”

Penril clamps her mouth shut. She instinctively understands why the commander couldn’t convince the girl of anything.

“That guy ran away not because he was scared of you, nya.”

“Correct.”

“You came to Korea because you’ve already judged yourself as victorious, nya.”

No matter how powerful or capable of destroying the world alone,

as long as her spirit is broken, she can’t pose a significant threat.

“Why did you become like this, nya?”

“…Puh-hehe, hahaha.”

The girl laughs like a madwoman while standing up. Her body is instantly enveloped in flames, and in the blink of an eye, the monster grabs Penril’s shoulder.

[Our truth. And the world’s truth.]

“…”

Unable to react despite being confident, Penril can’t keep up with the speed of the monster moving before her eyes.

[Well…talking grandiosely won’t help.]

“Anyway, don’t worry. I’ll stay here until the appointed day.”

Returning to her girl form, she pats Penril’s shoulder and walks back to the table.

“By the way, what’s the gift? I didn’t think you’d bring a present with such clear-mindedness.”

“…It’s from the commander to you, nya.”

“Him? Hmm.”

The girl smirks as she unwraps the present.

“If they’re trying to tempt me with an S-Rank Core…that’s a huge miscalculation…”

Swish. At the sight of the item inside the box, the girl bites her lip tightly. Penril peeks sideways to check the contents.

“Ice cream…?”

“Mont Blanc.”

In individual cases lie seven differently colored Mont Blanc desserts. The girl frowns at them. All but one seem aimed at targeting others rather than her.

“So this is the gift…”

“Isn’t there another layer underneath, nya?”

“…Ah, really.”

Carefully removing the top layer of cakes, the girl checks the bottom layer hidden by a paper tray.

“Surprise?”

Underneath, another set of seven Mont Blancs sits neatly. Though their surfaces aren’t clearly visible, it’s undoubtedly strawberry-flavored ones filling the spots.

“Ah, this is mint chocolate. …Can I eat it, nya?”

“They probably sent it to share…Hmm.”

The girl smirks while organizing the top layer of Mont Blancs.

“Typical of the commander.”

Knowing even the publicly unknown ‘Gray’ existence.

“But there’s one thing they know and two they don’t.”

“What’s that, nya?”

“Nothing important.”

The girl puts the blueberry Mont Blanc back along with the rest into the box.

“It’s been a while since we met…and we likely won’t meet again, so let’s chat. You eat yours, I’ll eat mine.”

“What kind of story do you want to hear, nya?”

“About your sex with the commander.”

“…”

Penril is genuinely taken aback. The girl’s innocent expression as she rests her chin on her hand is truly ‘girl-like.’

“How good was it? Enough to make you betray Dark Legion?”

“…”

“Aren’t you shaking the whole atmosphere worldwide with those cries of ‘Ahhh’? Especially when the tail gets anal penetration, you’re writhing in ecstasy.”

“Wh-How do you know that, nya?!”

“Well…nothing special.”

The girl smiles and raises her finger. A cute little blue canary lands on her white index finger.

– They’ve been watching everything.

“Ever since before leaving America.”

“How…?”

The girl grins and points to her heart.

“I planted a bomb in my heart. Secretly.”

“Ah, by the way, senses can be shared too. So squeeze a bit harder. You really taste good.”

“Puuuuff!”

Kim Penril finally realizes the fundamental reason why the girl leaves the commander alone.