Phantom Dream (2)
A tense atmosphere hung in the air. No matter how incomplete she was, the Demon Empress was still the Demon Empress. The majesty that had once drenched an entire continent in terror hadn't vanished anywhere.
"…Grr… Graaah!"
Watching the Empress let out a monstrous screech, Choi Siwoo thought to himself.
The woman before him was so pathetically weak compared to his previous life that even comparing them felt embarrassing. Just as Irelua had said, killing her outright wouldn't be much of a stretch.
'But that's not an option.'
Their goal was to halt the expansion of the Phantom Dream and eradicate it completely. To achieve that, they needed to gather all five fragments, erode her authority and rank, and drag her down from the throne of the Demon King.
They were down to the very last one…
'Goddamn it… where the hell is it?'
He couldn't find a single clue. His senses told him the fragment was right in front of his nose—inside the Empress, perhaps.
'No.'
It wasn't with her. But it was close. He was going insane from this illogical paradox. Time was running out. Attacking now would blow this place sky-high and ruin everything.
Calm down. The more urgent the situation, the cooler he needed to stay.
Fortunately, someone who had already traded blows with the Empress ahead of him stood right beside him.
"Erina."
"…"
"…Erina?"
At his call, the platinum blonde girl pouted her lips. What was this? Why was she acting like that? Twisting her body and sneaking glances… she clearly wanted something.
For a split second, a thought flashed through his mind. 'No way?'
"…Sis?"
"Yeah!"
"…"
A vein bulged on his forehead. This damn woman, seriously…
He barely held back and was about to ask when the Empress, having finished regrouping, bellowed in a booming voice.
"Fine, black sheep! I'll play along with your scheme! Though I'll be dancing in the palm of your hand, I'll at least take the Hero with me as a companion!"
An ominous energy filled the plaza. With a boom—a single coffin erupted from the ground.
The four fragments resonated wildly. That coffin was screaming that it held the final piece.
'…Irelua specifically said it was with a certain person…'
But that shape screamed summoning beast, not a person. What the hell…?
His confusion didn't last. With a creak, the coffin opened, revealing a pristine skeleton that had been meticulously prepared.
Petite frame. The shallow bone structure marked it as female. A young girl, barely middle-school age, by the looks of it.
"…What the…?"
"…Siwoo?"
His heart pounded like mad. A chilling shiver ran down his spine, and an eerie sensation overtook his body—like ants crawling underfoot.
It was ridiculous even to him, but he definitely remembered seeing it somewhere before. No, it was more than that. He knew this skull better than anyone.
The Demon Empress's lofty voice rang in his ears. Spreading her arms wide, pure demonic energy surged through the skeleton's frame in an instant.
"I never imagined I'd use this rare collectible in a dump like this… but no choice. Rise! Three Swordsmen of the fallen world. Immutable Faith Woman Cecilia, who defied even the flow of time to reach the heavens!"
…What? What did she just say?
Boom! A massive vortex of mana swirled around the coffin. It regenerated at breakneck speed—muscles and veins forming, overlaid by flawless, delicate skin.
The perfect opening. Even as Erina shot him a look, Choi Siwoo just stared blankly ahead.
'Cecilia…?'
The Cecilia I know? For real?
Moments later, in the hush of silence, the nude girl slowly opened her eyes. Flowing sea-green hair. Doll-like, diminutive frame. And finally, those orange irises.
His breath caught. His heart thundered wildly.
No doubt about it.
"Ce…cilia."
"…"
She was his dear friend and his one and only precious mentor.
"Hmmm~"
Cecilia took a deep breath and clasped her hands, stretching languidly. Black demonic energy rippled, draping her in an ornate black dress.
"Impressive. Honestly, I wasn't expecting much from a body those 'wakapa' degenerate bastards would drool over, but this is something else. To have such profound sword enlightenment fused into this tiny frame… As expected of one of the greatest swordsmen, towering even in a doomed world."
No, this wasn't Cecilia. The Demon Empress possessing her body flashed a creepy grin.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Now, with proper etiquette—"
"Erina sis!"
"Huh? Oh, yeah? Wha?"
"Buy me some time. Got something I absolutely have to do."
"Something you have to do?"
"…Ahem, let me repeat. I apologize for only now showing proper respect. Hero of the age. And you, swordsman as strong as she! The Demon Empress of the Phantom Dream commends your visit here and—"
"With my [Dream Demon's Pocket Watch], I can enter her inner realm. Just make an opening for a second, and I'll go in myself."
"Huh? But… is that really necessary? If the fragment's the goal, just smash the body and yank it out."
"Please, sis! Date night later as thanks!"
"Hah… Ah, fine."
"…"
The Empress's lips twisted viciously. Her eyelids twitched, barely concealing her rage. How dare they—after all her "kindness"—ignore her like this? Treat her like she wasn't even there?
Unable to endure it any longer, she gathered massive demonic energy in her palm. Black lightning swirled, forming a single circle. Within it materialized a silver sword forged from honed thunderbolts.
"You fucking pests! Fine! I'll kill you right here and now!"
Gripping the blade, the Empress swung with ghostly precision.
Kaboom! Thunder and lightning exploded outward. The sheer power cracked the outer walls, melting them away.
The two split apart and charged. A dire moment, surely.
But… contrary to expectations, no real damage occurred.
"Erina! Hit the center of the sword! Attacks there weaken its power drastically!"
"Huh? Oh, got it!"
Clang!
"Whoa, it actually works?"
"Uh… Eh… What?"
The Empress couldn't hide her bewilderment. What the hell? The Hero followed that guy's instructions, and she couldn't even resist a bit.
Was this body weak? No way. The Demon Empress wielded two authorities. First, deploying the Phantom Dream to blur dream and reality. Second, opening gates to other worlds to summon beings from them.
It required tricky conditions, so she couldn't use it often, but it was immensely powerful. This very body was a product of the second— a corpse of one of the Three Swordsmen, whose swordsmanship touched the heavens, stolen with great effort. Restored via her Phantom Dream authority and infused with near-infinite mana.
It couldn't be weak. Yet as the fight dragged on, she grew increasingly disadvantaged. That man knew every swing, every weak point. Combined with the superhumanly strong Hero, she had no chance.
Soon, she was purely on the defensive.
Clang!
Then, Erina's sword exploited a momentary gap.
"Siwoo!"
Choi Siwoo bolted like lightning, pulling out the [Dream Demon's Pocket Watch] from his pocket. He smashed it straight into the Empress's forehead with brutal force.
Smack!
"Gyaaah!"
With her scream, the watch's hands accelerated. Sensing the warping space, Choi Siwoo slowly closed his eyes.
Shaaa— Gentle waves lapped at the shore. Sand crunched under his shoes.
"…Where…?"
"The Niteran coastline."
The familiar voice made him flinch instinctively. Though he knew it couldn't be, he slowly turned around.
A woman smiled wryly, pityingly. If he hadn't known better, he'd mistake her for a girl just entering middle school—no, elementary—with zero growth spurt.
"Maaack! You brat! How dare you spout such nonsense at your master!"
"Oh, you heard that?"
"After all our time together, you think I wouldn't? It's written all over your damn face!"
"…"
"Maaack! Don't you dare think I'm some loli type! What the hell is 'ququ' supposed to mean?!"
"…"
"…What is it, you disciple? Crying?"
"…"
Covering his face with his hand, he finally spoke.
"N… No."
"…Ahem. Seeing your master's face after so long must have you thrilled."
"Not even a little. Loli Master."
"Maaack!! I'm not a loli! Do you have any idea how many years I've lived?!"
After a noisy fuss, the two quietly gazed at the crashing waves.
"…What a beautiful view."
"The place you always said you wanted to see again."
"Yeah, though I never made it in the end."
"…"
"Don't make that face. Even if I'd lived, with the Demon God descended, the world would've been corrupted into a monster den long ago."
Cecilia cleared her throat awkwardly and extended her hand toward Choi Siwoo.
"Seems we have much to discuss, no?"
"Yeah… I don't even know where to start. First off, are you really resurrected?"
"Doubt it. More like a brief reprieve before the afterlife. Frankly, I'm the confused one. I was sure I'd died… then my eyes opened to my dear disciple's face."
"…"
"Of course, some weird bitch hijacked my body, so I couldn't say a word."
Falling silent, Cecilia murmured softly.
"I've got questions too. Why'd you shrink so much? Where'd you pawn off your realm? Is this really the world I know? Figured you'd have answers."
Choi Siwoo closed his eyes quietly. Certain this was his master, he nodded and began unraveling the secrets he'd harbored all this time.
Clang! Harsh metal clashed, sparks blooming like fireworks. Endless mana-fueled black lightning relentlessly battered Erina.
The ground crumbled and scorched. Sizzling heat poured out.
The swordsmanship the Empress wielded now transcended proficiency into the realm of mastery—foreseeing future strikes with sheer speed.
For the inexperienced Erina, this opponent was an absolute powerhouse she could never hope to fight.
Clang!
Yet Erina's sword countered her movements with terrifying precision, controlling the flow adeptly. Partly because her [Light Authority] was super effective against the Empress, but the main reason was the weaknesses Choi Siwoo had revealed.
'Half-breath from now, here!'
Her greatsword of light clashed once more with the thin blade.
Frustrated, the Empress roared in fury.
"Raaah! Why won't you fall?!"
Of course. No matter how strong, it was Cecilia's body that was powerful—not the Empress herself. A dream-weaver with no martial ties could never grasp the principles of Flash Thunder Martial.
Sure, it'd crush most foes, but unfortunately, her opponent was the supremely talented Hero Erina. Victory wouldn't come easy.
But the tide was tilting toward Erina.
Splat!
"Kyaaah!"
Erina's sword grazed the Empress's side, splattering blood across the floor.
"You damn bitch!"
"Hoo…"
Catching her breath, Erina charged forward with resolve.
'Siwoo…'
Her beloved little brother was working hard. Surely pouring everything into extracting the fragment from the Empress's mental realm.
The sword of light in her hand felt like a thousand tons. Having just escaped the Phantom Dream herself, Erina couldn't output full power yet.
But she had to push. For Choi Siwoo, her precious brother, she had to give her all right here.
'Right, Siwoo?'
They clashed again.
"…Oh ho, fascinating. Here, try this. Even in the mental realm, the food manifests perfectly."
"Ah, thank you, Master."
"…Don't go smearing your mouth like a slob. Hold still. I'll wipe it."
"No, I'm not a kid…"
"You're still younger than me! Stay put."
Of course, Erina had no idea. Her beloved little brother was off having a cozy time with some woman.