All Chapters of Heavenly Phoenix: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

74 Chapters

"An uneasy calm"

The night passed after the first chaotic hours of the battle.The campfires had grown smaller. The firewood was running low, and the soldiers took turns standing guard without exchanging more than a few words. The bodies had been buried near the edge of the rocky area as quickly as possible, without ceremonies or pauses.Their numbers were smaller now.The survivors were scattered around the fire. Some sat in silence, some lay down, and others tried to sleep despite their exhaustion.Lia had remained beside the same rock for a long time.Her back rested against it, one knee drawn up, a metal canteen held loosely in her hands. She wasn't drinking anymore.Her eyes drifted between the flames and the darkness.No conversation.No unnecessary movement.Eileen had fallen asleep beside her. Her head rested against her knee, and a blanket covered half of her body. Her breathing was slow and steady.On the opposite side of the camp, Leonard stood at the edge of the firelight. He watched the f

"Disease outbreak"

Lia's POVThey returned with the first light of dawn, encountering nothing on the way back.The forest that had been a battlefield only hours earlier now stood silent, as though everything that had happened there had been nothing more than a passing disturbance. The evidence of the battle remained scattered across the ground—broken tree trunks, bloodstains that had yet to dry, and pieces of abandoned equipment left behind by soldiers who never returned.No one spoke during the journey.Leonard walked at the front with steady steps despite the exhaustion written across his body and the damage to his uniform. Behind him, the remaining members of the squad followed in silence. Their numbers had been noticeably reduced. Some dragged themselves forward despite their injuries, while others carried nothing but a heavy silence.Lia walked near the middle of the formation.Her expression had not changed since the mission began. The same calmness. The same focus. Yet her eyes constantly scanned

" "Making medicine"

Lia's POVLia left the base shortly after the nightly reports had concluded.There was nothing official preventing her from leaving, nor was there any reason for anyone to question her. Her movements within the Corps were always considered part of reconnaissance and investigative operations, especially after what had happened during the last mission.The air outside the Walls was colder than usual.Behind her, the city gradually sank into the stillness of the night, but Lia never slowed down.She continued walking until she reached the small house she rented on the outskirts of the inner district.The place was simple.A single room.A narrow window.And only the essential furniture.Nothing suggested she had lived there for long, and nothing tied her to the place beyond necessity.She had chosen it specifically to avoid attracting attention.She closed the door behind her without looking back.Then she stopped in the middle of the room.Walking over to the small table, she placed her

"A new ruler"

Lia's POVNight had fully settled over the city by the time Lia finally left the base.This time, she didn't head straight home.Instead, she walked silently through the narrow alleys, her eyes tracking the guards patrolling the top of the walls. Since news of the illness had spread, the number of checkpoints throughout the city had doubled, and the gates were under tighter surveillance than ever.That wasn't a problem for her.She reached the rear edge of the outer district and stopped beside an old stone wall overgrown with dry vines. She glanced upward for a moment before drawing a thin strand of mana between her fingers.A remnant of her previous use of mana stones.She anchored it silently.Then she pulled herself upward with effortless precision.She landed atop the outer wall without making a sound.The cold wind struck her face immediately.Beyond the walls, the darkness was far deeper.No lights.No human voices.Only the endless forest stretching into the distance and the he

"A step towards knowing the truth"

Lia's POVEarly the next morning, Lia was soaking in the bathtub.The water was warm, but her mind was anything but calm. Endless possibilities ran through her head as she pieced together everything that had happened—the church, the border report, and the mysterious illness that had begun spreading.A knock at the door cut through her thoughts.She paused for a few seconds without moving.This wasn't the kind of place people visited.She had no neighbors she spoke to, no personal connections, and no logical reason for anyone to be standing outside her door at this hour.She slowly stepped out of the tub and activated her enhanced vision, looking through the door without opening it.Leonard.Standing outside in dark clothing, the lower half of his face hidden behind a mask.She stared at him for a moment.How did he find my house?She deactivated her enhanced vision, returned to the bathtub without the slightest concern, and calmly finished what she had been doing.Outside, Leonard nev

"What the church grounds conceal"

Lia's POVSilence settled between them for a few seconds after Lia's final words."Let's go down."Leonard fixed his gaze on the stone staircase descending into the darkness, then looked back at the black corpse lying against the wall.The dark blood was still slowly creeping across the floor.As if it were alive.His grip tightened around his sword."If there are more of those things—"Lia interrupted him calmly."There are."Then she started walking down without waiting for him.Leonard clenched his jaw before following close behind.The deeper they descended, the stronger the scent of blood and dampness became.Even the air itself felt heavier.The ancient stone walls gradually gave way to narrower passageways, while black symbols carved into the stone began appearing along the sides.Lia stopped in front of one of the walls.She slowly ran her fingers over one of the symbols."This doesn't belong to Mara."Leonard spoke immediately."Then why is it beneath the church?"She didn't

"The first phase begins."

Lia's POVLia sprinted through the stone corridor at full speed, with Leonard close behind her as the violent tremors grew stronger with every passing second.The ceiling began to crack.Massive chunks of stone crashed down behind them, sealing off part of the passage, while the screams from above grew louder.The entire church had descended into chaos.But the real problem wasn't the collapse.It was the thing beneath it.Leonard clutched his wounded shoulder as he ran.The wound wasn't deep enough to stop him, but he was losing blood quickly.He glanced at Lia.She was moving with unnatural speed.Even after everything that had happened, her breathing remained perfectly steady.But something about her had changed.He could see it clearly.Especially after that golden light had appeared around her.This girl isn't normal...!"Lia!"She didn't look back."What is that thing?!"She was silent for a brief moment as she leaped over a shattered section of the floor.Then she answered,"I

"A great tragedy"

Iris's POVThe emergency alarm echoed throughout the entire city.Its sharp metallic sound rang out over and over as the streets filled with fleeing civilians, while soldiers rushed in every direction, desperately trying to bring the chaos under control.Dust blanketed the sky.And the Titans were getting closer.Lia and Leonard emerged from the collapsing church as the ground trembled beneath their feet with every step of the monsters advancing from the breached wall.Outside...Hell had already begun.One Titan grabbed a wagon full of civilians, crushed it in its hand, and hurled it into a nearby building.Screams erupted across the street.The Hunter Corps immediately activated their Pattern Modulators, streams of energy shooting between buildings as the battle spread into every corner of the city.One of the commanders shouted,"Evacuation is the top priority! Get the civilians away from the northern district!"An entire squad charged straight toward the Titans.But their numbers.

" discontent"

Silence settled between them for several seconds after Lia's final words.But the city below them was anything but silent.Scattered screams.Columns of smoke rising from several districts.And the emergency bells that had been ringing nonstop since the disaster began.Lia lowered her gaze toward the distant streets.People were running in every direction without order.Soldiers dragged the wounded to safety.Children cried.And funeral carts had begun moving for the first time in many years.Lia tightened her grip on the edge of the rooftop.She had been deceived.Everything she had been told about the Gate's timing had been false from the very beginning.That monster...Had only been buying time.While she had been calmly watching the countdown, they had been preparing everything beneath the church.She closed her eyes for a moment.Then slowly opened them again.Regret no longer mattered.What mattered now was what would happen after tonight.Suddenly—A sharp scream echoed from a

"Chaos (1)"

Lia raced across the rooftops at incredible speed while smoke covered nearly half the city.Right behind her, Leonard pursued her using the Pattern Modifier, but even with mana reinforcing him, he could barely keep up with her pace.Below them, people ran aimlessly.Shattered wagons.Burning buildings.Corpses abandoned in the streets because no one had any time left to bury the dead.Lia leaped across the gap between two buildings before landing atop a low watchtower.She stopped abruptly.Her eyes narrowed toward the western district.That red light...It had disappeared.Leonard landed beside her, catching his breath."Did we lose it?"She didn't answer immediately.She silently observed the area.Then she said,"No."She slowly raised her hand.Faint golden threads of mana appeared between her fingers before spreading through the air like a transparent web.She closed her eyes for a brief moment.The mana flowed through the ruined streets, weaving between rubble, smoke, and the bo

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