Chapter 9: “The Wyrm Citadel Showdown

The ruined Wyrm Citadel stood like the world's most dramatic villain lair.

Cracked towers clawed at the sky. Chains the size of trains hung from broken bridges. Purple lightning flashed occasionally, not because of a storm — just vibes.

Yeong-Su, standing at the gates with his team, squinted up at the massive entrance.

"…Okay. This place is like every RPG final dungeon mashed together with a metal band's music video."

Sung-Hoon nodded. "You just know it smells like burnt toast and plot twists in there."

Haneul peeked at the walls. "There are skulls carved into the bricks. Who has time for this kind of aesthetic?!"

Jaemin casually munched a glowing lava chip. "Villain budget. Unlimited."

---

Scene: Planning Before Entry

Kaelira handed Yeong-Su a scroll.

"Majesty, remember: the Crimson Phantom is unpredictable. Some believe he's a rogue dragon. Others say he's part shadow beast. One theory claims he's your evil alternate self."

Yeong-Su blinked. "My what?! I barely survive as myself."

Sung-Hoon shrugged. "Maybe he's the version of you that actually reads tutorials."

Yeong-Su sighed and flared his aura.

His flame crest glowed. His red-and-white hair blew in the wind. His robes shimmered with heat.

He turned to the others, finally feeling serious. "Alright. Listen up. We go in together. No splitting up. We handle this like a team—"

Jaemin kicked the door open and charged in yelling, "I CALL FIRST STRIKE!"

"…And of course he does that," Yeong-Su muttered, chasing after him.

---

Scene: Inside the Citadel

Inside was worse.

Every corridor pulsed with red runes. Walls hissed. Shadows moved like they were breathing. There were stairs that looped sideways and a mirror that tried to insult Sung-Hoon's fashion sense.

They eventually reached a massive open arena — a coliseum of stone surrounded by floating fire crystals.

And in the center stood him.

The Crimson Phantom.

Long black-and-red coat. Flaming claws. Half his face hidden behind a molten dragon mask. His voice echoed before he even spoke.

"So… the False King has come."

Yeong-Su stepped forward. "You've been sending flaming threats for days, dude. I had to cancel three naps and a lava massage for this."

The Crimson Phantom's eyes glowed. "You are not worthy of the flame."

Yeong-Su cracked his neck. "Neither are you if you keep talking like a bad anime villain in a Hot Topic ad."

The Phantom hissed. "You joke. But today… you fall."

---

Boss Fight Begins

The ground exploded. Flaming spears erupted from the floor. Shadows twisted into beasts.

Yeong-Su shouted, "Team formation Z!"

Everyone blinked.

Haneul whispered, "We have formations?!"

"No, I just panicked!" Yeong-Su yelled back.

The Crimson Phantom launched a wave of fire projectiles.

Yeong-Su flung a counter-flame — only to miss entirely and set one of the arena walls on fire.

Jaemin leapt into the air, dual daggers flashing. "I GOT HIM!"

He promptly bounced off an invisible wall and landed in a dramatic heap.

Haneul tried a rune-blast spell.

It exploded backward.

Sung-Hoon charged up a blast from his chaotic new power… and accidentally turned his robe into fire noodles.

Yeong-Su panted, cornered. "Okay, seriously?! Does anyone here know what they're doing?!"

Kaelira's voice echoed through a crystal: "No. But you're all very passionate. That's worth something."

Yeong-Su's eyes burned.

"Then passion it is."

---

The Turning Point

The Crimson Phantom raised both hands.

Massive fire pillars erupted from the sky. He laughed darkly.

"You cannot win. I've mastered the Forgotten Flame — a power ancient dragons sealed away for fear it would destroy reality."

Yeong-Su grinned. "Cool. I mastered the art of making things explode by accident and calling it strategy."

Then he leapt forward — crest blazing.

His aura surged.

Wings of fire exploded from his back.

With a scream, he slammed straight into the Phantom — both of them tumbling into the ground in a fiery crash.

BOOOOOOM!!

---

Aftermath

Smoke filled the arena.

When it cleared… Yeong-Su was standing.

Barely.

His robe was torn. His left sleeve was gone. His hair was scorched at the ends. But he stood.

The Crimson Phantom was on one knee, mask cracked.

"You… are stronger than I thought," he muttered.

Yeong-Su wobbled. "You… talk too much."

Then the Phantom collapsed.

Yeong-Su dropped to the ground beside him. "Can I… pass out now?"

Jaemin gave a thumbs-up from across the arena. "Bro. You earned that nap."