The night sky above Seoul had always carried a faint glimmer — the shimmering veil of spiritual particles drifting across the city. But tonight, the moon felt heavier. As if something ancient pressed its weight over Korea.
And everyone inside the K.G.H.A headquarters felt it.
The Phantom — Jae-min — stood in the center of the hall as murmurs rippled around him. His battle earlier had already shaken the entire country. But the moment he stepped into the grand chamber, an entire storm of attention crashed over him.
Some stared with admiration.
Others with fear.
And some… with hostility.
Beak Eun-ji walked straight toward him.
Her golden bow hung behind her back, her aura bright like a sunrise. Her footsteps echoed sharply across the tiled floor as she stopped just a meter away from the Phantom, eyes narrowed but shimmering with genuine curiosity.
"You…"
Her voice trembled slightly.
"…How strong are you, Phantom?"
Every whisper in the hall died.
Eun-ji had fought beside him just hours ago — and even then, she had nearly been overwhelmed by the A and S-rank ghosts that had cornered her. But the Phantom? He had cut through them as if they were shadows.
The Phantom kept silent.
His silver mask reflected her golden aura.
Eun-ji clenched her jaw.
It wasn't anger — it was awe mixed with confusion.
"People don't move like that," she said. "People don't fight like that. When you attacked the ghost dragon in the arena, even the air froze. So tell me… who exactly are you?"
Instead of answering, the Phantom tilted his head slightly.
"Someone who doesn't like attention."
Eun-ji almost flinched.
His voice was cold, yet strangely calm — not pride, not arrogance. Just a statement.
And that made him even more terrifying.
Before she could respond—
A sudden ripple slashed through the room.
A presence.
Sinister. Familiar.
A shadow stepped out of nowhere in the far corner of the hall.
Yun-Lee.
Silver Cross Union's top executive — the man everyone believed was a loyal supporter of peace.
His eyes flickered with an unnatural glow as he muttered under his breath:
"Phase one is complete… now onto the next stage."
He wasn't talking to anyone.
It was as though he recited scripture.
And beside him, standing silently with a faint smirk, was Kang Dae-hyun — a man many feared for his strange, unpredictable powers.
No one else noticed their presence.
But the Phantom did.
And Dae-hyun met his gaze.
A smile like a sharpened blade cut across his lips.
---
THE GATHERING OF TITANS
President Yan Jin-kah, the head of the K.G.H.A, slammed his staff into the floor.
A dark lunar aura rippled outward, instantly calling the attention of every top-ranked exorcist.
"Enough chatter."
His voice was deep, demanding absolute respect.
Everyone fell silent, forming a wide circle around him.
"Today's meeting concerns something far more dangerous than anything we have ever faced."
He raised his hand.
And on the holographic board beside him—
A tear appeared.
A floating fracture in reality.
A Rift.
But not a ghost chamber.
Its energy was unfamiliar… chaotic… unstable.
The moment the image appeared, the entire room erupted with fear.
"What is that?"
"It's not ghost energy!"
"Is Korea under attack?"
Yan Jin-kah nodded gravely.
"This is not a ghost rift. This is something else entirely."
A thick silence fell.
Only one person wasn't shocked.
Kang Dae-hyun.
He chuckled softly under his breath.
The Phantom noticed.
Their eyes locked.
And for a second — the entire world trembled.
Two auras clashed invisibly:
Phantom's abyssal calm
vs
Dae-hyun's strange, twisted energy.
The air tightened.
Shin Soo-jin — the girl who once tried to capture the Phantom — stepped between them quickly.
"Phantom…"
Her voice was soft, unexpectedly sincere.
She bowed deeply.
"I apologize for attacking you before. It was… a mistake. Now that the entire K.G.H.A knows your identity and power, the Han Ye-rin Guild and Guildmaster will no longer pursue you."
The Phantom remained silent.
But his aura calmed.
She straightened herself, letting out a relieved breath.
Before anyone could speak—
A tremendous shockwave ripped through the building.
BOOOOOOM!
Lights flickered.
The ground trembled.
A siren blared across the entire headquarters.
"East Forest perimeter under attack!"
Yan Jin-kah's expression turned stone-cold.
"All S-ranks! Move out!"
They rushed toward the exit — when another message arrived through the speakers:
"It's not a ghost—"
"—IT'S A DEMON!"
The hall went silent.
Even the strongest exorcists froze.
Because demons…
belonged to another realm entirely.
A realm no one in Korea had ever encountered.
Except one person.
The Phantom.
And he already knew who caused this attack.
His gaze shot toward Yun-Lee and Kang Dae-hyun.
Both were smiling.
And whispering in eerie unison:
"Praise the Immortal Presence."
---
THE EAST FOREST — BATTLEFIELD OF CHAOS
The forest was in full panic.
Explosions of aura filled the sky.
Exorcists flew backward, crashed into trees, regrouping again and again.
A towering D-rank demon, its body burning with eerie crimson flame, roared in the center of the battlefield as smaller demonlings spread out like a plague.
Even A-ranks struggled to hold positions.
Beak Eun-ji's golden arrows streaked across the forest, blasting demonlings away but not stopping the main creature.
Park Ji-hoon activated a massive earth barrier, blocking a wide swipe from the demon — but still slid back meters from the force.
Go Ji-min unleashing bladed wind strikes.
Kang Min firing concentrated mana bursts.
And President Yan Jin-kah fought at the front lines, his Dark Moon Techniques slicing through demon limbs with overwhelming precision.
But the demon regenerated.
Again.
And again.
And the battlefield's morale began to collapse.
"It's too strong!"
"Even S-ranks can't restrain it!"
A shadow flickered through the chaos.
Everyone stopped.
Because he arrived.
The Phantom stepped into the battlefield.
His black coat fluttered through the wind, twin daggers humming with silent energy.
The demon turned—
and roared.
"You…"
Phantom's eyes narrowed.
"Noisy."
And he vanished.
---
THE PHANTOM VS THE D-RANK DEMON
Teleportation.
In a flash, Phantom was behind the demon.
His dagger sliced through one of its arms cleanly — using Phase Shift, bypassing physical matter and striking its core essence.
The demon screamed.
Beak Eun-ji gasped.
"He—he cut through its demon hide!?"
Park Ji-hoon's jaw dropped.
"That hide is thicker than steel…"
Before anyone could blink—
E.P.S.T. Activation.
Time slowed around the Phantom as he dashed forward, his movements a blur.
He chained the demon's limbs with Chain Control, pulling them downward and forcing the monster to kneel.
Then—
SPIRIT ENHANCEMENT: FULL EDGE
His daggers ignited with shining, condensed spiritual aura.
He slashed upward—
The demon roared in pain—
Before it could recover, Phantom activated:
TIME ZONE: FRACTURE
A temporary temporal distortion wrapped around the demon, slowing its movements to a crawl.
Kang Min nearly choked.
"H-He's controlling time…!?"
Even President Yan Jin-kah looked stunned.
"Just… what level is this boy?"
The demon, furious, burst out a shockwave — breaking the time zone.
Its huge claw shot forward, racing toward a small silhouette—
A girl.
Frozen.
Terrified.
Cornered.
Quinn.
She had run too far from their home.
She never meant to enter the battlefield.
She was scared… so scared she couldn't move.
Beak Eun-ji's eyes widened.
"That's—"
Her voice broke.
"—Jae-min's sister!?"
She fired an arrow—
But the demon's strike reached first.
---
THE MOMENT TIME STOPPED
The Phantom's heart froze.
His eyes widened behind his mask.
"Quinn—!"
He teleported instantly.
But—
Another demonling crashed into him mid-transition, disrupting the teleport.
He collided with a tree.
He couldn't reach her in time.
Quinn stared at the descending claw, paralyzed with fear.
Beak Eun-ji screamed.
Park Ji-hoon shouted.
Even Yan Jin-kah paled.
From afar, Yun-Lee and Kang Dae-hyun watched with twisted smiles.
"Praise the Immortal Presence…"
"…let chaos shape the vessel."
The claw was inches away.
Quinn's eyes squeezed shut—
And the Phantom's system activated.
---
AWAKENING: ARCANE CARD SOVEREIGN
A radiant light exploded around Quinn.
Her breath halted.
Her heartbeat echoed like drums.
Her mind blanked—
Then flooded with power.
A deck of shimmering cards materialized in a spiral around her — floating, glowing, crackling with arcane force.
Each card hummed with a symbol:
King. Queen. Knight. Ace. Joker. Heart. Spade. Diamond. Clubs.
Her eyes glowed with sovereign, majestic light.
The demon's claw stopped inches from her face — frozen mid-air, held back by an invisible force.
Quinn opened her eyes.
And the forest bowed.
[ SPECIAL-TYPE AWAKENING COMPLETE ]
[ ARCANE CARD SOVEREIGN ACQUIRED ]
[ DOMAIN: KING'S COURT UNLOCKED ]
Her voice echoed softly — unfamiliar, regal, powerful.
"Reveal — KING'S COURT."
The world changed.
A royal domain expanded outward.
Golden-blue energy formed a massive court of floating cards, pillars of arcane light, and spectral chess pieces that hovered around her like guardians.
Every demon froze.
Every exorcist stared, speechless.
Even the Phantom — for the first time in a long time — felt stunned.
Quinn stepped forward.
One card floated to her hand.
THE KING CARD.
"KNEEL."
The card shone.
An invisible force slammed the D-rank demon to the ground.
Beak Eun-ji's mouth hung open.
"She—she just subdued a demon… with one card!?"
Yun-Lee and Dae-hyun laughed from the shadows.
"Wonderful…"
"The vessel awakens…"
The Phantom stepped toward his sister, daggers lowered, a mixture of relief and disbelief washing through him.
Quinn turned slightly, her eyes still glowing.
Her voice shook with power she barely understood.
"Oppa…"
"I… I don't know what's happening…"
He placed a hand on her shoulder.
His voice was soft.
"It's okay. I'm here."
The demon roared again, breaking free—
Quinn lifted another card.
THE JOKER.
Her domain twisted with playful, chaotic energy.
"Let's play."
The Joker card ignited — and the demon was launched backward by invisible force, slamming into a massive tree.
The battlefield went silent.
Everyone stared at her — and at him.
The Phantom stood protectively in front of his newly awakened sister, aura rising, daggers glowing.
The two siblings stood together.
Quinn glowing with her new royal power.
The Phantom radiating overwhelming killing aura . Absolutely! Let's continue in webnovel format, ultra-epic, mega-long, focusing on the battle aftermath, Quinn's powers, crowd reactions, and Phantom's tactical withdrawal.
---
The forest clearing was a storm of shattered earth, splintered trees, and lingering demon energy. Smoke drifted across the ground in thick, twisting spirals. The cries of demons, though scattered and dying, still echoed like faint whispers of chaos.
But the humans here — the exorcists, S-ranks, and bystanders alike — were frozen in shock.
A young girl hovered at the center, her eyes blazing like the aurora itself. Around her, a vortex of floating cards spun violently, each one infused with her sovereign authority. The ground itself seemed to bend under the spectral court she commanded.
Beak Eun-ji's mouth hung open. She lowered her bow, heart hammering.
"Is… is she… controlling all of that?"
Park Ji-hoon's normally calm expression had softened into awe. The Phantom, standing just behind Quinn, arms crossed, eyes narrowed behind his mask, simply observed.
He already knew the moment had come. His sister had awakened to a level of power that no ordinary exorcist — not even the strongest of the S-ranks — could rival.
---
Quinn's First Moves as Arcane Card Sovereign
The D-rank demon that had terrorized the forest struggled to rise. It roared, flames licking the surrounding trees, its crimson eyes burning with fury. But as soon as it stepped forward, Quinn flicked her wrist, and a Queen of Spades card shot forward like a guided missile.
The air around the card shimmered violently — and when it made contact, it didn't just hit; it bound the demon in spectral chains of arcane energy, pinning it to the ground.
Another card, a Knight of Hearts, materialized above her hand, spinning rapidly. It unleashed a wave of energy that cut through demonlings as if they were made of smoke.
The forest trembled beneath the force of her domain. Every attack she executed played out like a perfectly orchestrated spectacle. Each card had a distinct effect:
Ace of Diamonds — a concentrated beam of force, piercing multiple demons at once.
Joker — unpredictable, chaotic explosions that disoriented enemies.
King of Hearts — a temporary shield and aura of authority, enhancing Quinn's domain and stabilizing her power flow.
Even Park Ji-hoon, who had fought monsters far stronger than this, was impressed. His martial discipline told him:
"This girl is not just strong… she's beyond comprehension."
---
The Phantom Joins the Battle
The Phantom didn't rush forward immediately. He watched, analyzing. His system ran constant calculations: demon ranks, attack speeds, energy flow, and Quinn's emerging domain output.
He could see the exact moment a demon's strike would land and knew he had to protect Quinn while letting her learn to wield her power.
With a swift motion, he activated Phase and appeared directly in front of a demon attacking Quinn from the flank. His twin daggers danced through the air, slicing through the creature with chain control restraining its limbs as he stepped backward, giving Quinn room.
Then he activated Teleportation Rift, disappearing from one flank and appearing on the other, a whirlwind of black energy. He slashed, phased, and manipulated chains with perfect precision — each move calculated not just to defeat the enemy, but to feed Quinn's understanding of real combat.
The forest became a battlefield of clashing auras. Sparks of arcane power from Quinn's cards met dark spiritual energy from Phantom's daggers, and the result was dazzling light, arcs of energy jumping across every tree, even igniting residual spiritual flames.
---
The Crowd Reacts
From the edge of the forest, the press and onlookers were panicking. Many had arrived expecting a minor demon sighting — not this level of chaos.
Cameras rolled furiously.
"Is… that a child controlling the battlefield?!" one reporter whispered, almost in disbelief.
Another exorcist faintly muttered:
"That's… impossible. A Special-Type Awakening… and her domain…"
The Phantom noted the crowd's attention. He didn't want Quinn exposed. Not now. Not to the world.
With a simple gesture, he activated Phase, and a ripple passed through the battlefield. The Phantom and Quinn vanished.
One moment they were there. The next, the crowd could only see the aftermath: burned ground, dissipating demon energy, and the floating cards fading into nothing.
No one saw the Phantom retreat with Quinn, leaving whispers, awe, and fear in their wake.
---
Quinn's Growth in the Retreat
Once in a hidden area, away from any prying eyes, the Phantom knelt before Quinn.
"Did you feel it?" he asked.
Quinn looked down at her hands, trembling slightly, still feeling the residual energy of her cards spinning around her.
"I… I did," she said, voice small but growing steady. "It… it felt like everything obeyed me."
The Phantom smiled faintly beneath his mask.
"That's your new reality. You're not just my sister anymore — you're a force to be reckoned with. Your cards, your domain… they're part of you now."
Her eyes gleamed.
"I won't let anyone hurt you again. Not now, not ever."
The Phantom's heart ached at her determination.
"Good. That's exactly what I needed you to understand."
---
Battle Analysis & Strategic Victory
While hidden, the Phantom analyzed the battlefield through his system:
Demon forces were scattered and largely defeated.
S-rank exorcists had been overwhelmed trying to assist.
His sister's Arcane Card Sovereign abilities had significantly shifted the balance in his favor, even at her very first activation.
Remaining threats were retreating — the Phantom had successfully redirected the chaos without revealing Quinn.
He sighed, leaning against a large rock.
"They're learning fast," he muttered. "But I'll need to strengthen her further before the Silver Cross Union or any Han Ye-rin member can step foot near her again."
---
Aftermath & Vanishing Without a Trace
Minutes later, the press finally dared to approach the scene. Their cameras captured remnants of the battlefield — burned demon corpses, shattered trees, and lingering spiritual energy.
But no sign of the Phantom or Quinn.
"Where… did they go?" a reporter asked nervously.
"Did a child really fight that?" whispered another.
Everyone began buzzing with wild theories. Some claimed they saw the Phantom. Some claimed the girl had absorbed the demon's energy. But the Phantom's escape left no confirmation, only awe and fear.
Back in the Phantom's safe zone, Quinn smiled faintly.
"Oppa… it's amazing. I feel… strong. Really strong."
The Phantom chuckled softly, placing a protective hand on her shoulder.
"This is just the beginning. You'll learn to control it. And together… we'll make sure no one can ever harm us again."
Above them, the wind carried a faint shimmer of light — perhaps the leftover echo of her cards — and the forest seemed to settle, for now, in uneasy peace.
But somewhere, in the shadows, unseen, eyes glowed red.
The fight was over.
The lesson had begun.
The Phantom and the Arcane Card Sovereign had awakened.
And the world… would never be the same again.
---