Episode 89
Chapter 31: The Phoenix, Tess
Any mage of six stars or higher could form a contract with a single phoenix.
And naturally, every mage dreamed of becoming the master of a ‘special’ phoenix.
Not necessarily one like Belot, who had a contract with Kelliak Ziphl, or the legendary Archmage O Hensark’s phoenix, Manier.
But someone whose phoenix’s name alone would make every mage envious.
Yet, mages had no choice in the matter.
When they reached six stars and opened the dimensional gate leading to the world of fire, no one could predict which phoenix would approach them.
Kashimir looked up at Jin’s phoenix with a dazed expression.
The phoenix, wreathed entirely in mysterious blue flames, spread its wings, and even from a distance, the warmth radiated toward Kashimir.
Over ten thousand phoenixes were registered in the Mage Association’s records, but among them, only one boasted the ‘blue flame.’
“Tess…! This can’t be, Prince Jin!”
The phoenix Jin summoned was Tess, a mythical beast known as ‘the noblest of phoenixes.’
And every mage who had ever summoned Tess had, without exception, become the greatest mage of their era.
—Even far into the future, I hope you remember me as a worthy sparring partner. Even at the pinnacle of the world.
The moment Kashimir saw Tess, he understood why Alisa had said that.
Alisa was no longer a match for Jin.
Ssshhh…
Jin slowly drew his sword, Bradamante, and spoke.
“Shall we begin, Lady Alisa?”
Standing still, sword pointed at Alisa, Jin’s role had shifted. Not long ago, he was the challenger; now, the tables had turned.
“I’m ready, Prince Jin.”
Today, Alisa was the challenger.
As her fists glowed with pure white aura, she charged forward like an arrow, closing the distance.
With Jin’s current reflexes, he couldn’t fully keep up with her top speed. Usually, he would anticipate and counter to some degree.
But today, that wasn’t necessary. Tess unleashed a fierce blaze, blocking Alisa’s advance.
Fwoosh! Crackle!
Even the smallest flame from a phoenix carried the power of a five-star fire spell. Even a seven-star warrior’s trained body couldn’t avoid serious injury without an aura shield.
And Tess’s flames carried a special force called ‘Pressure.’
‘If that sticks, her stamina will drain too fast. I have to end this quickly!’
Pressure, as the name suggests, was a crushing force.
Tess’s flames had weight—a spiritual weight beyond natural laws. Even if the aura shield blocked the flames, they couldn’t be ignored or easily extinguished like ordinary fire.
It was like being weighed down as if submerged in water.
Alisa dodged the flames with graceful movements, but the momentum shifted swiftly to Jin’s favor.
‘Tess can only be maintained for about three minutes. I need to inflict significant damage on Lady Alisa within that time to finish comfortably.’
Even in sparring, Jin had felt the threat of death in all 109 previous matches. Today, it was his turn to make Alisa feel that fear.
After all, that was the greatest reward he could give to the person who had helped him grow every single day for the past three months.
Shiiik!
As Alisa dodged the flames, a sharp horizontal slash flew toward her exposed back.
“Ugh!”
She twisted her body just in time, but the blade grazed her back. The wound was minor, but enough to tighten her focus.
Before she could regain her footing, a sphere of condensed magic formed in Jin’s left hand.
‘Wind Blade! This will force Lady Alisa to retreat once more.’
The wind blade shot toward Alisa’s ankle, and as Jin predicted, she had to leap back again.
‘I’ll bait her into rushing to seize the initiative… then finish it!’
Alisa’s fighting style was incredibly varied, as Jin had learned over 109 matches. Predicting and blocking all her tricks was nearly impossible.
But among her many patterns, one constant remained.
She always fought to seize the initiative, no matter the situation.
‘When swordsmanship, magic, and spirit energy combine, even Lady Alisa tires. That’s why she clings to the initiative. But today, that will be her downfall.’
Alisa sidestepped left to avoid the wind blade. When she shifted her gaze back to where Jin had been standing—
Only Tess remained in sight, flames glowing in its mouth, ready to unleash its breath.
‘Hah. So this is what it means to be a magic swordsman, Prince Jin!’
Alisa snapped her head sharply.
Jin was already at her side, sword flashing, while Tess unleashed its breath from the front. Attacks came simultaneously from both sides.
Dodging both was possible, but doing so would mean surrendering the initiative to Jin once again.
‘I’ll endure the breath with my aura shield and focus on blocking Prince Jin’s blade!’
Her plan was to land a solid hit on Jin’s abdomen to break his rhythm, then hold out until the phoenix’s summoning ended.
Even if it meant taking some damage.
She judged that holding the initiative was paramount. If she couldn’t break the momentum and remained on the defensive, she’d never get a chance to turn the tide.
Fwoooosh!
Tess’s breath engulfed Alisa. The blue flames spread like a widening cone, seemingly swallowing her whole.
But the flames couldn’t pierce Alisa’s aura shield. The phoenix’s power depended on the summoner’s magic, so even Tess couldn’t unleash more than this for now.
‘Got you!’
Alisa seized Jin’s blade as planned. Though her palm was protected by aura, blood splattered—though not enough to sever her fingers.
Crunch!
As she planted her back foot to throw a punch, Jin was pulled toward her as if sucked in.
“Wah!”
With a shout, a powerful palm strike followed. Though she couldn’t put her full strength into it due to maintaining her shield, it was enough to force Jin back.
Just as the satisfying impact echoed—
Alisa blinked, eyes wide.
‘What? I clearly grabbed Prince Jin and threw a punch!’
Her fist struck nothing but air.
Reflexively, she glanced at Bradamante in her hand—but Jin, who should have been holding the hilt, was nowhere to be seen.
‘Then what did I grab…?’
The weight of ‘Pressure.’
A ball of blue flame blazed on Bradamante’s hilt.
From the moment Jin’s blade was caught, he had already abandoned Bradamante and shifted position, instead wrapping it in the pressure flames to make Alisa believe it was his weight.
Because Tess’s breath covered Alisa’s aura shield, she hadn’t noticed.
She could have realized it immediately.
But by then, it was too late to turn things around.
“Haha… I’ve lost, Prince Jin. I’ve fought many opponents, but I never imagined such a trick.”
As Tess withdrew its breath,
Alisa’s aura shield shattered, revealing Jin standing behind her, dagger poised at her back.
“You went all out with your aura shield and gambled everything, but it backfired. To think I’d lose with my back turned… I’m a bit shocked. When did you start planning this?”
“From the very first day we sparred, if that doesn’t sound too arrogant?”
Alisa waved her hand as if to dismiss her defeat.
“No, that’s entirely believable. It even gives me chills.”
“Thank you for everything, Lady Alisa.”
“I enjoyed it too, Prince Jin. You probably don’t realize how proud I am right now.”
As Alisa turned away, Jin sheathed his dagger.
They looked at each other for a moment, then, without hesitation, extended their hands and shook.
“How does it feel to defeat a warrior from the Biment Special Forces before turning sixteen?”
“Honestly, it feels great—really great. But I’m also looking forward to fighting a fully powered Lady Alisa again next year.”
Alisa smiled gently.
“I don’t arm myself unless I have to kill my opponent. So Prince Jin, you shouldn’t have to fight me when I’m armed.”
In 110 sparring matches, Alisa had never worn gauntlets or armor. Fully armed, she was an opponent even Kashimir wouldn’t bet on, making her unsuitable for Jin’s growth.
“Well… if you keep this up, the day you surpass me even when I’m armed won’t be far off. Anyway, congratulations, Prince Jin. We should throw a party tonight.”
Kashimir, who had been watching the sparring, looked stunned.
‘I honestly thought it would take more than six months… This is insane. Sir Shiron, this letter is a scoop!’
Kashimir had expected Jin to need at least a year to surpass Alisa.
But only 110 days? Even seeing it with his own eyes, his mind was in chaos.
“Get a grip and go prepare for the party.”
“Y-Yeah, got it.”
The party naturally included all of Jin’s comrades in Tikan.
During the feast, Jin shared the news of his victory over Alisa and the summoning of the phoenix Tess with the others.
“Tess, you mean that blue-flamed phoenix? Young master, I’ve heard of it a few times. They say it’s an incredibly rare phoenix…”
“Gilly! You don’t know the half of it. Any mage who summons Tess automatically becomes the best. Jin, sign here—quick! Right on the back of my shirt.”
Enya dashed over to Jin’s side, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
As the others caught on and gasped in surprise, Murakan and Quikantel—the two dragons—were momentarily at a loss for words.
Clatter.
They even dropped their forks at the same time, clearly shaken.
“Kid… did you just say Tess?”
“Jin, are you seriously telling me you made a contract with her? And your first meeting was down in that filthy underground training room? And you made her fight right after summoning her?”
This time, Jin was the one caught off guard.
These proud dragons were trembling all over and even using the highest honorifics when speaking about Tess.
“Murakan, Quikantel, is there a problem with that…?”
“Hey, just summon her already!”
“It’s exhausting—she drains so much magic.”
Jin tilted his head in confusion and summoned Tess.
“Greetings, Master of the Flame Realm!”
Quikantel bowed deeply and shouted.
“Gah… Master of the Flame Realm… it’s been a while… Ah, why, why do you have to speak so bluntly? I’ve got some seniority too… Fine, I’m sorry. Okay, okay, just stop cursing.”
Murakan looked like a student caught in trouble with a strict teacher, completely flustered.
The surreal scene unfolding made everyone feel like they might throw up their food.
For a moment, it seemed like Tess and Murakan were having a conversation, but the humans couldn’t hear a word of Tess’s voice.
“Hmm… alright, alright. Got it. I’ll pass that on to Jin. Ah, geez. Stop cursing! This isn’t even the Flame Realm, and if you keep this up, I’m going to get mad too.”
Tess pecked at the top of Murakan’s head at lightning speed, but surprisingly, the irritable black dragon didn’t retaliate—he just backed away.
After Tess finished, she said something else, and Murakan nodded.
“Phew… alright, I’ll tell Jin what you said. Calm down, will you? Seriously, you come here and immediately embarrass me like this. Hey, hey, you’re trying to hit me again. Honestly, what a temper… Fine, kid! Send this one back to the Flame Realm.”
As Jin dismissed the summon, Tess struggled briefly before being sucked back through the dimensional portal. Only then did Quikantel stand and sigh.
“You and Quikantel seem to find Tess incredibly difficult… It’s not just unusual—it’s shocking. What on earth were you two talking about?”
When Jin asked, Murakan shuddered as if cursed.