The Three-Legged Crow seemed startled by the abrupt summon. “Kyuuu! Hey, Three-Legged Crow bro! You understand what that guy’s saying, right?!” Hamchi asked, pointing at the Phoenix. The crow nodded and chirped in response. “Kyuuu! Is that so? Then that’s good enough! As long as we get the gist of what that guy is saying!” “Try talking to it! Kyuuu!” Hamchi and the Three-Legged Crow seemed to understand each other, judging by how they were talking. “Hey, what did the crow say?” Siegfried asked. “Kyuu! It said it doesn’t fully understand the Phoenix!” “The Phoenix has a dialect! Kyuu!” “But it can still understand the Phoenix to a certain extent, so there’s no problem! Kyuu!” “Just wait patiently, owner punk! Kyuuu!” “O-Okay, if you say so...” Siegfried left all the interpreting to Hamchi. There was no point in him trying to understand the conversation going back and forth between these mystical creatures, so he figured it was best if he stayed out of it. Thus, the three-way conversation began. “Kyuuu! Why is the Phoenix here?” Hamchi asked the Three-Legged Crow first. The Three-Legged Crow then relayed the question to the Phoenix, and the Phoenix would respond. The same process happened but in reverse this time. The Phoenix said something to the Three-Legged Crow, and it relayed those words to Hamchi. “Kyuuu! So that’s the reason it’s here! But why, though?!” Hamchi pressed for more information, and the cycle continued. The conversation would start with Hamchi asking the Three-Legged Crow something. The Three-Legged Crow would speak to the Phoenix, and the Phoenix would respond to the Three-Legged Crow. The Three-Legged Crow would then relay the answer to Hamchi. Hamchi, Three-Legged Crow, Phoenix, Three-Legged Crow, and finally, Hamchi The cycle continued in that order. Siegfried was unable to follow the conversation between the animals, so he simply stood back and waited for them to finish. Around ten minutes later... “Kyuuu! I found out why the Phoenix came looking for you, owner punk!” Hamchi exclaimed. “Oh? What’s the reason?” Siegfried asked in response. “Kyu! The Phoenix is here to ask for your help!” “Help? What does it want?” “The angels have captured the Phoenix’s chick and are torturing it! Kyuuu!” “Eh? What do you mean by that?” “Kyuuu! The Phoenix has a baby!” “But the angels took the chick while it went away for a moment! Kyuuu!” “The angels are repeatedly killing the chick! Kyuuu!” “Killing a phoenix repeatedly? Is that even possible?” What Hamchi said made no sense. A Phoenix was an immortal bird, so it couldn’t die. “Kyuuu! They can kill it, but it will keep coming back to life!” “It will just come back to life! Kyuuu!” “Oh? Hmm...” Siegfried narrowed his eyes. Then, he asked, “Then... Isn’t it supposed to be called Resunix instead of Phoenix? Keke!” “Kyaaak! This is no time for jokes!” “Kyu! Anyway, the Phoenix really needs your help, owner punk!” “But why are the angels even doing this?” “Hold on! Let me ask it! Kyuu!” Once again, Hamchi asked the question to the Three-Legged Crow, who then relayed it to the Phoenix. “Kyuuu! The angels are extracting energy from the chick every time it resurrects!” “The chick is suffering really badly! Kyuuu! Even a Phoenix feels pain when it dies!” “Hold on... No way...?” Siegfried muttered. At that moment, a realization struck him. ‘Are they using the Phoenix’s chick to... fuel their resurrections...?’ It made perfect sense. Even for angels, who were celestial beings, using resurrection spells endlessly was impossible. “So? The Phoenix wants us to help rescue its chick?” Siegfried asked. “Okay,” Siegfried nodded. Then, he said, “If we save the chick, tell the Phoenix it has to help us summon the Avatar of Life, Terra.” “Give me a second! Kyuuu!” Hamchi relayed Siegfried’s words to the Three-Legged Crow, who then passed them to the Phoenix. Without needing any translation this time, the Phoenix profusely nodded in response. “Good. Then let’s put the past behind us and work together,” Siegfried said with a smile. He extended his hand toward the Phoenix as a gesture of goodwill. The Phoenix spread one of its wings and reached out to shake Siegfried’s hand. As soon as Siegfried’s hand made contact with the Phoenix’s wing— —Siegfried yanked the Phoenix’s wing. “You’re dead, buddy,” he said with a vicious grin. Then, he bolted toward a bonfire in the Dragonkin Village. The Dragonkin was preparing a large cauldron of boiling chicken soup for lunch. “Kyaaaak! What the fuck are you doing, owner punk?!” Hamchi screamed. “Relax~ It’s a Phoenix. It will come back to life anyway, right? I have a debt to settle with this guy first!” “Have you lost your freakin’ mind?! Kyaaak!" Hamchi drop-kicked Siegfried, sending him tumbling to the ground. Thanks to that, the Phoenix managed to escape his grasp and avoided becoming a premium addition to today’s lunch menu—chicken soup. “Tsk...” Siegfried pouted and sulked after missing his chance to get revenge on the mythical bird. “Sorry about earlier. So, we’re working together now, yeah?” Siegfried and the Phoenix exchanged another handshake, sealing their agreement to work with each other. [Alert: You have accepted the Quest – Rescue Baby Phoenix!] The quest details were as follows... [Rescue Baby Phoenix] [Help the Phoenix rescue its chick.] [Type: Special Quest] [Reward: The Phoenix’s Gratitude] ‘Whoa... Three quests at once? Is this some quest paradise or something?’ Siegfried wondered. He couldn’t help but feel like quests were practically falling from the sky here in Mount Amon. First, there was the quest that asked him to destroy the Holy Sword: Phoenix. Then, there was the quest to recruit Draculis, a Dragonkin Warrior, who was also a Master. And now, "Rescue Baby Phoenix," which was a mission to save the Phoenix’s chick. He was doing three quests simultaneously... Talk about killing three birds with one stone! “Ask the Phoenix where its kid is.” Hamchi immediately relayed Siegfried’s question to the Three-Legged Crow, who then asked the question to the Phoenix. “Kyuuu! The Phoenix says it will guide us there!” “Oh? Ask for its precise coordinates and intel on enemies around it. We need that to plan our rescue mission.” “Kyu! Got it! Give Hamchi a second, owner punk!” “Yeah, thanks, buddy.” Siegfried sat back and waited while Hamchi gathered information from the Phoenix through the Three-Legged Crow. This piece of intel was critical, as Siegfried couldn’t afford to move such a large force recklessly without proper intel. Around three hours later... “Kyu! Owner punk! I know where they’re keeping the baby!” “Yeah? Where is it?” Siegfried asked eagerly. “Here!” Hamchi pointed to a spot on the map. “Hmm... That does look like the perfect spot to hold a hostage,” Siegfried muttered while rubbing his chin. The baby Phoenix was being held at the crater on the summit of Mount Amon. “But how the hell are we supposed to get there? This doesn’t look like it will be easy...” Knowing where the baby chick was one thing, but getting there was a whole different problem. They would have to break through the angels if they wanted to go anywhere near the crater, but that was the problem they hadn't been able to solve so far. “If we rush recklessly then....” “Kyuuu! Don’t worry, owner punk! The Phoenix says it can transport us close to it!” “Kyu! It’s true! The Phoenix can teleport around thirty people with its ability! Getting near that place won’t be a problem!” “It is! Kyuuu! We can ambush them with an elite force!” “Well, that changes everything then.” If they could bypass the defensive line formed by the angels using the Phoenix’s teleportation ability, then everything else would be easier. ‘Auriel... That bastard’s the only real problem...’ As long as he took out Auriel, who was most likely guarding the baby Phoenix, then everything else would naturally resolve itself. Once the angels could no longer resurrect, wiping them out would no longer be a challenge. In other words, the angels would be expelled from the mountain, and Mount Amon would be liberated. “We move tomorrow,” Siegfried said. “Kyu? Why aren’t we going right now?!” Hamchi protested. “No, not yet,” Siegfried shook his head. Then, he explained, “The battle earlier has completely drained our divine power. We need at least until tomorrow afternoon to recover.” Divine Power regenerated at an extremely slow rate, and it would take a full twenty-four hours to regenerate once it was depleted. In other words, Siegfried and his comrades were in no condition to fight. “We rest today. And tomorrow, we strike.” “But... How do I kill that bastard...?” Siegfried muttered under his breath. The plan was set, so Siegfried shifted his focus to dealing with Archangel Auriel. ‘I know I’ll win against him but...’ He was confident of his victory unless Auriel possessed someone as powerful as Brunhilde. However, the problem was what came after that. ‘That asshole will just run back to the Celestial Realm and come crawling back after finding a different vessel to possess. That’s what pisses me off...’ How could he ensure that when he killed Auriel, the damned angel would be dead for good? If killing him outright was impossible, then how could he at least deal a critical blow to Auriel’s true form in the Celestial Realm? Siegfried found it annoying that even though this wasn't the first time he would face the archangel, he still had no clear way to settle things once and for all. Ironically, it felt like he was fighting another Adventurer, an enemy who would just respawn every time he thought he had won. If Auriel were someone like Chae Hyung-Seok, then he would at least have fun toying with him. However, Auriel was nothing like Chae Hyung-Seok. Not only was Auriel annoying, but he was a nuisance as well. ‘I need to figure out how to end that bastard once and for all...’ Siegfried racked his brains, trying to come up with a way to kill an archangel. Siegfried assembled an elite force composed of Seung-Gu, Gosran, Yong Seol-Hwa, Yong Tae-Pung, and many others to hunt Archangel Auriel. He chose the best of the best among his comrades, as the Phoenix’s teleportation skill could only teleport thirty people. “I’ll fire a signal flare once we rescue the baby Phoenix. That will be your cue to launch an all-out attack on the angels,” Siegfried told Brunhilde. “Okay, I will be waiting, dear,” she replied with a nod. “May fortune be in your favor. We will await the signal,” Draculis chimed in. Brunhilde and Draculis would wait at the foot of the mountain with the others, and they would charge all the way to the summit of Mount Amon the moment Siegfried gave the signal. “I’ll be going now, dear.” With that, Siegfried turned to the Phoenix waiting anxiously nearby. The Phoenix nodded and let out a cry— —A burst of crimson light engulfed the elite party. When the light faded away, a notification window popped up before Siegfried’s eyes, displaying their current location. [Mount Amon: Altar of Resurrection] As soon as Siegfried confirmed his current location, he activated Inzaghi’s Clairvoyance and scanned the area. The Phoenix chirped something to him. “What’s it saying, Hamchi?” Siegfried asked. “Kyuuu! Hold on!” Hamchi exclaimed. Then, he looked at the Three-Legged Crow, who quickly interpreted what the Phoenix was saying. “The Phoenix says it can’t go any further! Kyuuu! There’s a barrier preventing it!” “Tell it to wait here.” After giving the order, Siegfried pressed on with the others. He no longer needed the Phoenix’s assistance anymore, as he could see everything in their vicinity through the Inzaghi’s Clairvoyance. Right now, only one thought circled in his mind... He had spent all night thinking about it over and over again. ‘It'll be great if I can really kill that bastard with that method...’ Siegfried racked his brains trying to come up with a way to really kill Auriel, and in the end, he came up with one method that could work. ‘I guess it’s worth a shot.’ —He was going to put his theory to the test. Archangel Auriel was a being on par with the demon lords. And Siegfried was going to attempt the impossible... He was going to try and kill the archangel.