The grand alliance festival stretched across the entire Thunder Palace grounds, with colorful banners from all three sects fluttering in the mountain breeze. What had started as a simple "we survived" gathering had somehow evolved into a full celebration complete with food stalls, demonstration matches, and enough alcohol to drown a small army.
Jin Ho stood on the main platform, wearing ceremonial robes that felt completely wrong on his shoulders, while hundreds of disciples from Blood Flame Sect, Thunder Palace, and even Ice Soul Palace cheered his name. The noise was overwhelming.
"Hero of the Dimensional War! Champion of the Alliance! Jin Ho! Jin Ho! Jin Ho!"
『Look at them,』 Thunder Lightning King observed with obvious amusement. 『They're practically worshipping you. This is better entertainment than I've had in centuries!』
『Indeed,』 Blood Heaven Great Emperor added with aristocratic satisfaction. 『Though I do hope you won't let this attention go to your head. After all, we did most of the actual work.』
Jin Ho tried to smile and wave appropriately, but inside he was dying of embarrassment. Three days ago, he'd been unconscious and bleeding after the fusion collapse. Now he was supposed to be some kind of dimensional crisis hero? The disconnect was jarring.
"Speech! Speech!" the crowd began chanting.
Blood Wolf, dressed in his own uncomfortable ceremonial attire, leaned over with barely concealed amusement. "Come on, Hero Jin Ho. They're waiting."
"I hate you," Jin Ho muttered under his breath.
"What was that?" Blood Wolf cupped his ear theatrically.
"I said... thank you all for coming," Jin Ho called out, his voice carrying across the festival grounds thanks to a sound amplification array. "The dimensional crisis was defeated through everyone's combined efforts, not just mine. Each of you showed incredible courage—"
"MODEST HERO! MODEST HERO!" someone shouted from the crowd, which immediately turned into another chant.
Jin Ho's eye twitched. This was exactly why he preferred fighting void creatures to public appearances. At least void creatures had the courtesy to try to kill him quickly.
『Oh, this is precious,』 Blood Heaven Great Emperor chuckled. 『The mighty champion of dimensional warfare, defeated by a celebration in his honor.』
『Look at his face!』 Thunder Lightning King was practically cackling. 『He'd rather face the Void Overlord again than give another speech!』
Both demon emperors were having entirely too much fun with this situation.
Meanwhile, Across the Platform...
Seol Hwa-rin sat at the place of honor designated for "Co-Champion of the Dimensional War," looking like she'd rather be anywhere else in the cultivation world. Her ice-blue formal robes were pristine, her posture was perfect, and her expression suggested that anyone who approached her uninvited might find themselves frozen solid.
"Lady Hwa-rin," a young Thunder Palace disciple approached nervously, "would you like to try some of the festival sweets? They're a specialty of our region..."
"No." Her voice could have frozen the enthusiastic disciple's blood. "I'm not hungry."
The disciple retreated quickly.
Another disciple tried a different approach. "Perhaps Lady Hwa-rin would honor us with a demonstration of her ice techniques? The children would love to see—"
"No." Even colder than before. "I don't perform for entertainment."
This one retreated even faster.
"Why are we doing this?" she muttered under her breath, watching Jin Ho struggle through another awkward speech. "We saved them from dimensional invasion. Isn't that enough?"
But despite her complaints, sharp observers might have noticed that her eyes lingered on the festival activities with something that could almost be called interest. When children laughed at puppet shows depicting their battle against the void creatures, her expression softened almost imperceptibly. When elderly disciples shared stories of their own cultivation struggles, she listened more carefully than she pretended to.
And when Jin Ho finally escaped the main platform and collapsed onto a nearby bench with obvious relief, she had to suppress what might have been a smile.
The Escape Attempt
"Finally," Jin Ho breathed, loosening the collar of his ceremonial robes. "I thought that would never end."
"Getting tired of being a hero already?" Blood Wolf appeared beside him, carrying two cups of what smelled like very strong alcohol.
"I never wanted to be a hero in the first place," Jin Ho accepted the cup gratefully. "I just wanted to protect people. All this ceremony stuff... it feels weird."
"You saved hundreds of lives and repelled a dimensional invasion," Blood Wolf pointed out. "A little recognition isn't unreasonable."
"I guess," Jin Ho sipped his drink and immediately regretted it. Whatever Blood Wolf had brought him was strong enough to strip paint. "But did they have to make banners? And songs? Someone actually composed a song about the fusion technique."
"Oh, you heard that one too?" Blood Wolf grinned. "I particularly enjoyed the verse about 'crimson lightning and crystal ice, dancing together in sacrifice—'"
"Please stop," Jin Ho begged. "It's embarrassing enough that people saw the fusion. Having it turned into poetry is just cruel."
『Actually, I thought the lyrics were quite stirring,』 Blood Heaven Great Emperor interjected. 『Though they did take some creative liberties with the technical details.』
『The part where they described your heroic stance was completely wrong too,』 Thunder Lightning King added. 『You were barely conscious when you separated from the ice girl.』
"Not helping," Jin Ho groaned.
"Jin Ho." Seol Hwa-rin's voice came from directly behind him, making him jump. For someone wearing formal robes, she moved with unsettling silence.
"Hwa-rin! You escaped too?"
"I didn't escape," she corrected with dignity. "I strategically relocated to avoid further social obligations." She looked around the festival grounds with something between annoyance and curiosity. "Though I admit, I don't understand the purpose of all this celebration."
"You don't understand celebrating victory?" Blood Wolf asked, genuinely surprised.
"I understand acknowledging success," Hwa-rin replied carefully. "But this seems... excessive. We performed our duties. The threat was neutralized. What more is required?"
Jin Ho studied her expression, remembering the fusion experience where he'd glimpsed her thoughts directly. Beneath her ice-cold exterior, he'd sensed something that felt almost like loneliness. Not that he'd ever say that out loud.
"Maybe," he said slowly, "it's not about what's required. Maybe people just need to celebrate sometimes. To feel connected to each other after something scary."
Hwa-rin considered this with the same analytical intensity she brought to cultivation techniques. "Emotional bonding through shared positive experience," she mused. "I suppose there's psychological value in that."
"See?" Jin Ho smiled. "You do understand."
"I understand the theory," she corrected. "The practical application still seems unnecessarily loud."
As if to prove her point, another cheer erupted from the main celebration as someone apparently won a drinking contest. All three of them winced.
"Want to find somewhere quieter?" Jin Ho suggested.
"Yes," both Hwa-rin and Blood Wolf replied simultaneously.
『Finally,』 Thunder Lightning King grumbled. 『All this happiness was starting to make me nauseous.』
『I thought you enjoyed festivities,』 Blood Heaven Great Emperor replied with amusement.
『I enjoy victory celebrations with proper demon-level drinking and appropriate levels of violence,』 Thunder Lightning King clarified. 『This is far too civilized for my taste.』
As they made their way toward a quieter section of the palace grounds, Jin Ho couldn't help but notice that despite her complaints, Hwa-rin kept glancing back at the festival activities. And despite his own discomfort with being the center of attention, he had to admit there was something warming about seeing so many people celebrating together instead of fighting.
The dimensional crisis had ended with victory, but maybe the real triumph was simpler: hundreds of people who'd feared for their lives three days ago were now laughing, sharing food, and telling stories together.
Even if the hero speeches were absolutely mortifying.