Wings Unfurled: The Cloud General's Pursuit
The leader of the evil organization Dark Legion, the root of all evil in this world: Star Lord. As a priest of the Destruction God, he summoned it to his home planet and annihilated the world, then roamed from planet to planet, smashing them one after another. The world he obliterated right before arriving on Earth was Tera. In a realm where mana had flourished instead of science, the Star Lord called forth the Destruction God to bring about its end. He captured and brainwashed Tera's seven spirits, then traced the faint lingering connection to discover Earth.
The Star Lord flew straight to Earth for his god, but according to the "prophecy," twelve heroes lay in wait. He clashed with them and suffered a grievous wound, forced to retreat. Ability users—human heroes who had awakened to mana and gained superhuman powers. Even against the mightiest twelve among them, the Star Lord barely felled them all, only to take an unforeseen strike and withdraw. It was a wound so deep that he had to seal himself in a capsule for decades, devoting every moment to recovery.
Unable to act personally any longer, the Star Lord disguised the seven brainwashed spirits from Tera as his executives and dispatched them to Earth. Once he had sent them out—from the first to the very last, Phoenix—he sank into a deep slumber for his treatment.
'Which means my movements won't reach the Star Lord right now.'
Phoenix already lurking in the magma was proof of that. She was the final weapon the Star Lord had painstakingly brainwashed right up to the end—more than any other spirit—before sending her to the surface. If his eyes were open, he'd have spotted my odd behavior ages ago.
'He'd come down here by force and re-brainwash me.'
Combat prowess aside, one glance into his eyes, and it'd be "Huaaang, Star Lord is so amazing!" No thanks.
'The Star Lord finishes his treatment in the original story's latter half.'
Ironically, he regained consciousness at the exact moment the protagonist faced off against the Phoenix of the Azure Flame.
'Phoenix's awakening was partly his fault, too.'
The Star Lord comes to and fires his brainwash beam to check on his final weapon dispatched to the surface. Unfortunately, right in the heat of battle with the protagonist, she takes another hit—triggering a massive backlash. Phoenix rampages, reclaiming her true self as a "spirit" rather than a monster executive.
The protagonist versus Phoenix happens in the story's late game. So my top priority is crystal clear.
'Confirm the timeline.'
Time travelers always do it—grab a passerby and ask the year. That's my moment right now.
'But... no one's around.'
Ten minutes since I burst through the volcano. Flying steadily in one direction, and all I see is ocean, ocean, endless ocean.
'Should've just searched that first uninhabited island.'
The island I'd glimpsed upon emerging had zero human traces. Other islands dotted nearby, but too distant, no signs of life. So I'd opted to fly until I hit a city or people.
'Distance-wise, I've come pretty far.'
No exact measure, but definitely hundreds of kilometers. Landscapes blurring past. The wingbeats feel like a sports car at minimum.
"Time to change course... Huh?"
Beyond the horizon, a color that's not sea. I channeled mana into my eyes, sharpening my vision. A modern port city unfolded: acrid smoke billowing from factory stacks, a forest of asphalt roads mirroring real-world urban sprawl.
'The open-world cities were insane. But...'
If not for the red national flags fluttering everywhere, I'd have shrugged it off.
'China?'
I slammed my wings to a halt. Flying blindly one way, and I'd washed up at a Chinese coastal city.
'Where the hell did I even launch from?'
If I knew the starting point, fine—but I'd bolted out randomly, aiming for any city.
'China as the starting hub is a bit much.'
I don't hate the country. Just worried that 'that crazy bitch' there might pick up on me. Especially since I wasn't hiding my mana.
Swoosh—
I reined in the residual mana leaking from my body and folded my wings. Charging into the city like this? I'd ping every "Great Monster Radar" in range.
'Better switch directions.'
Assuming this was China, hugging the coastline north would eventually hit Korea. I could scout that region en route.
'Sneak in via a radar-blind path.'
Until I could fully suppress my mana, human zones were off-limits. Only one route without radars:
'The "Monster's Path" snaking down from old North Korea.'
In-game lore, but here North Korea collapsed—not from regime or war, but a "monster rampage." The nuke-spawned beast, "Nuklian."
Infamous as the "hidden boss harder than the final one," it wiped Pyongyang off the map and slumbers somewhere in the North. Sure, Phoenix is ten times stronger—and a hundred times cuter—but...
'Focus. You're Phoenix now.'
Game elements keep making me forget this was another world masquerading as a game. I shook my head hard and glided silently along the coast.
'Follow it north, then hop from the jutting bit.'
History? Skipped it often. But Age of Discovery drills stuck: Shandong Peninsula thrusts toward the Yellow Sea—fly east from there, boom, Korea.
Ting, ting.
The mana barrier cloaking my skin prickled. Among kaijin, Phoenix was hypersensitive to mana.
'Busted? ...Yeah, busted.'
The fierce mana riding the wind reeked of hostility. The enemy had clocked me.
'Should've been stealthier.'
Good news: clear skies, no clouds. Pssshhh—
I vented mana to blend with the surroundings. Phoenix's signature camouflage—flawless under sunlight. They'd sense the mana trail, but not the real me.
'Bolt?'
Unknown foe still. But if that mana surge's owner could threaten Phoenix? Worst case: protagonist or one of the twelve heroes?
'Nah. Positive spin: opportunity.'
Head full of sims, but I needed to gauge the power I'd stockpiled in the magma. Game over here might mean game over for real.
"Hoo, hoo."
Deep breaths. Snapped my fingers. Phoenix was undisputed top dog—but the one piloting her was me. A paper-license hack behind the wheel of a supercar.
'Incoming.'
The gale now brushed my skin directly. Ears strained: wind mingled with nearing hoofbeats—
"...Huh?"
Hoofbeats? Misheard? I squinted at the distant speck.
Clop clop!
A red horse galloping the empty sky like open plains. Atop it, a figure in green warrior robes. Eyes beneath the red mask—long black beard swaying—locked dead on me.
"Ah, shit."
Tutorial boss way too stacked—woman, no less. Knew her mana sense was sharp, but this sharp?
Clop clop!
The rider gripped her crescent blade, charging—flying?—atop Red Hare.
Hero name: Unjang.
China's mightiest warrior. One of the twelve heroes who repelled the Star Lord's first invasion. Later dubbed "Gunshin."
That monster had sniffed me out in the sunlight and was swinging her blade—straight at me.
"Tutorial boss is too strong!"
I let out a piercing shriek, cloaking myself head to toe in azure flames.
Five minutes earlier. Chinese Hero Association Hangzhou Branch.
The Hero Association's Hangzhou Branch plunged into unexpected chaos.
"Monster ping on radar! Heading north along the coastline!"
The room fell silent at the staffer's report from the Great Monster Radar console.
"Damn it! What kind?!"
"Unknown pattern!"
"Satellite feed! No visual on any monster!"
"No way! S-rank minimum! Gotta be over 20 meters!"
Branch Chief Liu Yao-ho gnawed his nails amid the subordinate's panic. Unknown type. Nailing the first hunt could score major points with the Party—but that blip's size chilled the blood.
"Satellites?! Still nothing?!"
"S-sorry! Yellow Sea fully scanned—"
"Impossible with that signature! Rescan!"
His bellow sent satellite monitors diving back in. He'd barked "S-rank," but the sphere dwarfed past S-rank threats.
'...Shit.'
Memories flooded: rookie days, the S-rank Black Scorpion that terrorized the branch—China entire. Devoured millions, razed cities. Even that apocalypse lacked this mana output.
'A monster like this?'
A walking citadel. Mana scaled with size normally—had to be satellite-visible.
'Unless it's not...'
Flash of insight—he bellowed at his team.
"The sea! Check subsurface?!"
A few nodded in awe. Mana ping but no visual? Obvious: hiding where visuals fail. Estimated size: island-huge.
"Seabed thermal scan now! Navy alert!"
"Yes sir!"
Liu bit his nails deeper, brooding. 'And then what? Sea S-rank—or worse?'
Land S-rank was hell; oceanic? Forget it.
'Can our forces even handle?'
No. China boasted the world's most heroes—branch rosters overflowed. But sea combat? Needed extras. Main forces were inland-deployed.
'Military?'
Association-Party bad blood since inception, but cat's paw beats nothing to save millions here. If it veered from coast to assault—
'Lure it Korean Peninsula-style, per old plan...'
Beep-beep-BEEP!!
Sudden chime jolted him.
The deep voice filled the ops room. Chief Liu beamed at the red-masked figure stroking his beard.
"Ah, Lord Beautiful Beard!"
Truly one of the twelve heroes—a Round Table member. Utter poise facing S-rank-plus.
The chief swiftly corrected himself and briefed the situation.
"...That's the rundown. Unjang, your position?"
Liu marveled. Red Hare's master. Warrior Saint turned War God—China's undisputed strongest.
"New radar ping! Target mana signature dropping fast!"
"What?!"
The sphere shrank, plummeted below C-rank, then vanished.
"Signal lost...?!"
"No way!"
Radar was flawless. Vanish in seconds meant one of two: neutralized—or
"Sentient?!"
Sudden suppression of S-plus mana. Proof of brains, unlike dumb beasts. Motive for late hide irrelevant—gone from scopes.
"Satellites?!"
"N-nothing!"
"Sea shadow at least?! Hunt it down!"
"On it!"
His roar refocused them, but the masked warrior shook his head.
"Pardon?! What?!"
Crackle.
One-sided cutoff left the chief gaping at the blank screen.