Chapter 1: I, Phoenix! Am Not flat!

A full moon hung low on the desert's edge, casting the earth in a dark crimson hue. The dunes supporting the moon stood frozen like a sleeping sea.

The boundless desert resembled a yellow ocean, its surface glittering under the sun's rays. The undulating sand dunes truly resembled waves in the sea.

When the fierce wind struck, sand particles flew wildly, darkening the sky. This was truly a world of sand, leaving no place for you to stand.

The scorching air in the desert could practically cook a person. Wave after wave of sand surged forward like an invisible giant hand, peeling away layer after layer of the desert.

The shifting sand beneath your feet burned painfully, as if about to melt into fiery magma.

At that moment, the heavens transformed. The crimson light filling the sky burned like a raging inferno.

A massive roar, thunderous yet reminiscent of phoenix and golden crow calls, echoed across the desert.

A colossal fire descended upon the desert's heart.

Flames burned across the barren sands. Though no combustible organic matter existed, the flames only grew more intense.

In the blink of an eye, a hundred-meter radius erupted in raging fire.

Then, a beautiful woman emerged from the flames.

Though surrounded by roaring inferno, the flames themselves remained unnaturally docile before her.

It seemed this beautiful Eastern woman was the mistress of flames, with the fire behaving like her pet.

The flames... would even occasionally act coquettish with her.

"Desert...?" the young girl murmured.

She stepped away from the fire, surveying her surroundings. Apart from the sand and the flames behind her, there was nothing else to be seen.

She couldn't help but sigh.

The young girl appeared to be around eighteen years old, standing barefoot on the scorching yellow sand as if it were nothing.

She stood about 165cm tall, her pale pink hair cascading down to her hips. The bangs framing her face were streaked with crimson.

Her features were those of a perfect Eastern beauty - ethereal yet spirited, reminiscent of the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden from ancient myths. She wore a strange, pseudo-classical cheongsam that exposed her long, snow-white legs. Though the outfit was revealing, it didn't suggest immodesty.

(TL Note: "Nine Heavens Profound Maiden" (or "Jiutian Xuannü") is a goddess in Chinese mythology, often associated with wisdom, war, and guidance. She's known for assisting legendary figures like the Yellow Emperor in battle and imparting mystical knowledge.)

Her aura made one overlook such details. The impression of this woman could only be that of "a celestial immortal."

She must be a celestial immortal.

"The Valkyrie of this world... is actually Class Monitor Fu Hua, and not just any Class Monitor, but the ancient one—Elder Immortal Jingwei. The Valkyrie... Phoenix."

Legend has it that in Shenzhou there lived an immortal being. Whenever calamity threatened the realm, this immortal would appear to dispel disasters and safeguard Shenzhou's peace. Whether facing foreign invaders or Honkai outbreaks, no harm could reach Shenzhou's borders while this immortal watched over it.

The immortal was known as "Jingwei," with snow-white hair and crimson eyes. She wore blazing fire like a mantle and walked upon clouds as if they were solid ground. Yet one day, without warning, she vanished from the world.

Some say she transformed into the sun itself, continuing to protect Shenzhou from her celestial perch.

Phoenix, the Red Kite Immortal! Guardian of Shenzhou for ten thousand years!

-

The young girl was thoroughly satisfied with her current status.

Phoenix's power was undoubtedly at the pinnacle.

The Taixu Sword God... Now that's impressive!

She even began to feel slightly swollen with pride.

Then, the young girl touched... her chest, hmm... or rather, the Class Monitor's chest.

She discovered a problem.

Phoenix... wasn't flat-chested!

What "Shenzhou Flat"? Phoenix clearly has breasts, you know!

Not particularly large, but still an A+ cup!

As the saying goes: "Fu Hua has an airport runway, what does that have to do with me, Phoenix?"

At this moment, the young girl could confidently proclaim: "I, Phoenix! Am not an airport runway!"

"First, let's see what kind of world this is..."

The young girl... or rather, Fu Hua... or perhaps Phoenix... clicked on the main quest of this world. It's time to gather some intelligence about this place!

After all, the first main quest always reveals what type of world it is.

[Main Quest (1): Hunt a Heretic God and become a Campione!]

[Quest World: Campione]

[Quest Summary: A Campione is the King of Kings, the ruler standing above all others.]

[Quest Description: A Heretic God is a deity who has deviated from the myths woven by humanity and brought calamity to the world. This includes legendary heroes, angels, and demonic beasts from mythology.]

[Those who successfully hunt a Heretic God... are called Campione. They are kings, rulers, Demon Lords - beings ordinary people cannot even look up to.]

[Now, as the host, you are the immortal Jingwei. How could you possibly abandon your status as the Red Kite Immortal? Declare your arrival to the world with your Godly Being blood!]

[Quest Requirement: Slay a renowned mythological God King to proclaim your birth as a Campione.]

[Quest Reward: 1000 Crystals, Next Main Quest.]

"Campione... The world of Campione..."

Phoenix paused, slightly surprised.

The world of Campione, you could say, isn't exactly a high-magic world, but it's not bad either.

After all, gods from mythology exist here. Though these gods are... somewhat weak and not true orthodox deities. They're just gods from the Campione anime or manga world.

However, hunting down a God right from the start would be challenging for anyone but Phoenix.

But now...

It doesn't seem particularly difficult.

Truth be told, the young girl never finished watching it. But she absolutely loved the concept behind it.

Hunt gods and obtain their divine powers. That premise had captivated her from the very first moment.

The beginning looked promising too, especially when the protagonist acquired such formidable powers - particularly the Ten Incarnations of Verethragna, the "War God Verethragna."

At first, it felt thrilling.

But as the story progressed, it became increasingly unbearable to watch.

As the seventh Campione in this world, the protagonist couldn't compare to his predecessors. He was actually being toyed with by a little girl!

In this world, Campiones held supreme authority. No one could resist them.

It's just a classic Japanese protagonist trope. While Japanese audiences might enjoy it, most people on the continent find it unacceptable. The young girl was no exception. Despite feeling it had potential to be a great series, she couldn't finish watching it.

Regardless, she vowed that once she became a Campione herself, she would never end up like him.

Before that, though, she needed to fully master the power of the Phoenix.

Though the young girl could now quickly adapt to the power levels of Valkyries from A to SSS rank, this "quickly" still required some time.

Especially since Phoenix's power was the complete opposite of Sixth Serenade's from the previous century.

One wielded ice, while the other commanded fire.

-

(TL Note: Ill be honest, I know like nothing about Campoine, but ill try my best.)