Chapter 843

EP.843 Part 5: The One Closest to the World’s Secret in Cheongnyeon’s Era

Following the discovery of Special Ability and Magic Power…

In this age where the threat of Monsters gradually subsides and humanity’s victory begins to shine through.

The year 2021.

People hailed this new era as the “Magitech Revolution.”

– There’s no longer a need for America to fight wars over oil!

– Core! We need more Core!

– From now on, democracy will be delivered not where oil exists, but where Core resides!

The replacement of energy sources!

Someone once said advanced science is akin to magic, but when science merges with magic, humanity’s progress rockets forward at Mach speed.

Traditional scientific advancements were given a whole new paradigm thanks to the power of Magic Power and Special Ability, allowing humanity to live far more comfortably than ever before.

Until now, development was sluggish.

Building factories or research labs for progress would often result in attacks by Monsters or invasions by fiends—just everyday occurrences.

But things are different now.

With the exception of anomalies arising from experiments and studies, one could confidently claim that humanity has entered an era of overwhelming technology under the banner of safety, advancing toward the future.

Professor.

H, who was born in Japan but acquired South Korean citizenship, returned to her lab as usual, seeking some personal time.

While others spent their days observing celestial scenes beyond the stars, she required rest and time for her own private research.

“You’ve arrived, Professor.”

A black-haired young man with glasses greeted Professor H.

Professor Himeji Hikari turned her back to the young man.

Swoosh.

Naturally, the youth grabbed the lab coat Hikari wore. Without removing it herself, she simply pulled her arms out, leaving the coat behind, which he then reached for.

Whoosh.

Blue Flame engulfed the entire coat. In an instant, all dust vanished, and the garment looked as if it had just been expertly ironed, without a single wrinkle.

If the world saw this, they’d be shocked.

The Blue Flame that saved the world is now being used as a rapid ironing tool. Truly, it might just be the ultimate high-performance clothing manager.

“P


The lamb’s words held much meaning, and much was left unsaid.

“Could you die for me a hundred thousand times?”

“Yes.”

It wasn’t a lie.

It wasn’t idle talk either.

He simply nodded calmly.

“Could you kill everyone for me?”

“Yes.”

“Could you do anything at all for me?”

“Yes.”

“Burn Japan to the ground?”

“That seems like something I could do without hesitation…”

“Hmmn.”

Hikari grinned lazily while starting to unbutton their shirt.

“Then how about-”

“Stop.”

“Eh?”

“I don’t engage in such behavior with minors.”

P-sensei sharply halted Hikari’s actions. Hikari sighed as they re-buttoned their shirt.

“You haven’t changed one bit since back then, boss.”

“Speak to me after you’ve become an adult.”

“Will you let me once I’m an adult?”

“If that’s what you desire.”

P-sensei exuded confidence.

“This lab will be filled only with cries of ‘yamette’ (stop it).”

“I don’t even speak Japanese.”

“You call me P-sensei, do you not?”

“That’s different. P-sensei is P-sensei. Should I refer to you as a piece of the boss every time? Like collecting fragments in mobile games to get a character?”

Game.

At Hikari’s mention, P-sensei straightened up.

“I am not a game character, am I?”

“That remains to be seen.”

Hikari pressed their magical gear, temporarily halting all audio recording from video devices.

Three minutes.

The story within the research lab, where all magical flows were cut off, leaves no record.

“Who would’ve thought we were characters in a game? Right?”

“……”

“Don’t glare at me like that. Only I know this. The truth of the world. Two worlds connected into one by the interdimensional deity, and our world became the basis for visual novels. You’re a player who crossed over into this world after playing that game, aren’t you?”

“I won’t deny it.”

Hikari twisted their lips.

It wasn’t so much showing discomfort as it was the smirk of a genius who’d uncovered the laws of the world.

“I’m not particularly disillusioned or contemptuous. I’m just me, and researching this stuff might cause mental breakdowns for the chairman and the sisters. If the chairman goes crazy and triggers all the X-Roids worldwide to self-destruct, what then? Each Phoenixroid contains firepower equivalent to five atomic bombs.”

“But wasn’t the creator of those your professor?”

“Yeah. I made them. Compliment me.”

Hikari patted their own shoulder.

“…The Hikari I knew seems to have changed quite a lot.”

“Must be from eating too much kimchi.”

“Can kimchi really change someone’s personality? I haven’t seen any such study in the journals.”

“It’s called ‘kuk-bong’ kimchi.”

“Aren’t you Japanese?”

“I believe the Japanese dynasty has Baekje bloodlines.”

At Hikari’s words, P-sensei covered their face with their hand.

“Ah, crap, there’s not much time left. Anyway, I don’t really care about that. What I’m curious about is… that thing, you know.”

Beeep.

The lab panels began to flicker back to life one by one.

[Hikari. What did you do?]

A woman’s face immediately appeared on the monitor.

The woman with starry golden eyes, Yun Yuhwa, looked worriedly at Hikari.

“Ah, sorry. I was just tinkering with the Phoenixroid’s core data.”

[…Please be careful. After all, it’s still a piece he left behind.]

“Of course. I won’t dissect, disassemble, or modify it until I properly return it to him.”

Since they’d already done all that to the main body before he left Earth.

Hikari swallowed the rest of their words.

[Anyway, it’s good to hear nothing serious happened. We’re preparing for war here. I’ll contact you again later.]

Yun Yuhwa’s connection was severed.

Hikari extended their hand to the side, and P-sensei was already there…


A porcelain cup was offered.

Inside, a clear green tea, free of any powder, was steeped warmly.

“…Anyway, P-Sensei thinks that Tera’s Phoenix from back then isn’t the same as this one, right?”

“Yes.”

“Evidence?”

“It’s this.”

In the video data filmed by Krishna,

a black-haired young man identical to P-Sensei stood in a white priest robe, raising his arms at a 45-degree angle toward the sun.

“It’s ‘Blazing Phoenix Revival.'”

“Praise to the Sun!”

“How is this evidence?”

“The very fact that it’s Blazing Phoenix Revival clearly proves that man wasn’t the Phoenix from Tera’s past.”

“Truly… I can’t make heads or tails of this…”

Hikari couldn’t understand.

And they didn’t even want to understand.

Creeeak.

January 1st, 2021.

After the threat of the Monster had disappeared, many people gathered on Haeundae Beach in Busan, standing in rows facing the sandy beach.

“Attention—everyone, ready—!”

As a middle-aged man wearing a marine cap shouted with all his might, everyone on the sandy beach straightened their posture. There were men, women, elders, little children, and even machines.

Heroes, villains, ordinary citizens, and bizarre beings—all gathered together on the Haeundae beach.

On January 1st.

Facing the red sun rising over the East Sea, they all raised their arms high.

“Blazing Phoenix Revival—!”

“Blazing Phoenix Revival—!!”

Seriously, so many people gathered that it felt like Haeundae itself was about to float away as they chanted the phrase.

Then, an illusion-like vision appeared—a woman with blue hair seemed to be giving a thumbs-up against the rising sun—and everyone who had gathered at Haeundae burst into tears of joy.

Aaaaah…!!

Phoenix! Phoenix! Phoenix!

For the woman who sacrificed herself for humanity, and for those saved by her, everyone called out her name.

Without correcting their posture.

“What do you think would happen if the world found out? That this pose is actually ‘Praise to the Sun’?”

“That’s dangerous talk, Professor.”

“So what? Just because I know doesn’t mean the world will change.”

Hikari shrugged while raising their arms, only to catch sight of themselves in the mirror and let out a hollow laugh.

“Look at me—I’m unconsciously doing this without realizing it. Am I the only one? No, the whole world is doing it! Some newly elected president in America was apparently doing this in the White House. A pro-wrestler tried this pose but got attacked by a car because they didn’t maintain the 45-degree angle. Is this even a sane world?”

Hikari shook their head in disbelief.

“If the world knew the truth—that the hero who saved the world was actually trying to save just one woman—what would they think?”

P-Sensei remained silent.

“If they learned the world was saved as a bonus while saving that one woman, would they still act like this?”

“That… is yes,” P-Sensei finally replied.

“Why?”

“Because humanity survived thanks to Phoenix’s sacrifice. Humanity no longer has to worry about Monsters, nor Dimensional Gates, and furthermore…”

“Ahhh, that doesn’t seem quite right.”

Hikari’s expression turned serious.

Immediately placing both hands on the keyboard,

“Hikari here. Phoenix, analyze the satellite data for me.”

“Coordinates locked. Transmitting.”

With Phoenix’s help, Hikari instantly detected an abnormal flow of Magic Power across the globe.

By analyzing magical signals spread throughout the Earth, any irregular patterns could be identified and used to predict future events—a power akin to foreseeing the future.

“System start.”

As Hikari pressed the Enter key, the screen flickered, pointing to a specific location.

“…Phoenix, sound the alarm here.”

Location: Japan.

“A Gate is opening in Tokyo…”

The threat to humanity was far from over.