Hello everyone. Vertrex here! =D

First off, I would like to apologise for the long delay in making this announcement. I had gotten really busy after finishing off writing chapter 633 to wrap up Arc 18 and Phoenix Rising before I can do anything else. So, please accept my apology for taking so long to make this announcement.

Now, I want to confirm that the Phoenix Rising story has indeed come to an end. Lucky and his wives and his world are now safe and everyone can live their happy lives.

I am extremely happy and grateful for everyone pushing me, urging me, and guiding me to reach this stage. To complete this massive story on a happy ending, but is that it? Find out in the questions bellow. =D

Let us meet again, everyone, the next time we are brought together in my story. =D

Until then, wash your hands, clean your face, and be safe!

Take care everyone! =D

This is Vertrex, rising to a new stage!

Here are some of the questions you might be wondering, and I’ll answer them as best as I can.

Q1. Did you axe the story?

Yes… and No.

It’s a NO because this is the “actual” ending that I decided to conclude Lucky’s journey on a happy ending after all the struggles he had been through his life. It also dawned on me that because Lucky and I, as an author, are very similar to each other, and I felt his presence urging me to conclude the story here and to give him the ending he deserves, which was why I was feeling very dejected recently. Still, he deserves his happy ending after everything he had been through.

It’s a YES because I haven’t fully told the Phoenix Rising’s entirety of the story. In fact, the story will still continue, but from a different perspective. A time skip, if you will that focuses on a different set of characters with the old characters making appearances and impacting the story at that stage. That was what Arc 19 was supposed to be when I kept having wild plans, changing story and so on.

Q2. Are you and Lucky the same person?

In a way, yes, we are.

Q3. What was your reason for becoming an author?

Just to have fun.

I’ve repeatedly said so over the past few years. Truth be told, when I first started writing novels back in my high school in 2009, I was writing more of stories mixed with elements from stories I’ve read and watched, such as Digimon and Gundam. I had fun with them and they were treated as a joke because of the “they are so bad that they’re good” treatment they received. Still, I wanted to write a story that had an originality, some seriousness, and garner some level of respect that isn’t as simple as “it’s so bad that it’s good” way.

That’s how Phoenix Rising came to be, but it wasn’t even called Phoenix Rising. Back in 2012, even before I got into the whole Japanese novels thing, I was still fairly new to the anime world, and I was just jotting down stuff that I liked from whatever series I watched, mainly Dragon Ball Z, Naruto and so on. My action sequences became more similar to Dragon Ball Z because it had a huge impact in inspiring me what battles should look like and I liked Naruto because of its ability to depict Ninjas, as seen with the Phintex Rajas of the Phoenix Clan and magic scrolls used occasionally throughout the story.

Then, in 2013, I and my high school friend met by chance and when I explained the story I was going to write, he gave me a weird look that said “you’re serious?” I already knew then my story wasn’t going to do well because he had high standards, but I didn’t care since I was writing for fun. That’s when he told me to name the story: Phoenix Rising. Nice and simple. I liked it and went with it.

Q4. What’s Phoenix Rising and Mushoku Tensei connection?

Born from motivation.

Phoenix Rising wouldn't be here if it weren’t for me getting into and really loving Mushoku Tensei. Seriously! I frigging loved that story so much that it motivated me, who was tiptoeing around and being all lazy, to get started on Phoenix Rising. So, as a homage to the story that I felt grateful for, I wanted the initial part of Phoenix Rising to be a similar setting to it with similar comedy scenes and with one name being similar, Roxy Migurdia. She was my favourite heroine from that series as a teacher of the hero and a close confederate to his mental insecurity. So, I took it upon myself to make a similar character inspired from her and named her Rana Midgard as a plan on “Mid” for Midget to her height and “gard” for “garden” as her sub species of demons are farmers.

Then came the “black month” that I call it where I was hit by a wave of trolls, negative comments and stupidly dumb critics. I can understand them complaining about my grammar, but they repeatedly bashed my story for being a “copy-cat” of the original and so on. Honestly, I felt very dizzy that the fan base of Mushoku Tensei could be so toxic that even my love for that story waned, and I eventually dropped it at the point that Rudy was preparing to fight the Dragon God far away from his family. I wanted to read more, but… I just couldn’t bring myself to continue reading it anymore. That’s also why I completely ignored its anime debut because of the trauma it left me.

In my rash decision of anger and disappointment, I changed my favourite character’s inspired name from Rana Midgard to Sumara Manjuvad and stopped caring about my story’s inner meanings. Still, I kept true to my goal of writing a story that I loved, a story that is NOT a copy-cat of another story and prove that my story is indeed its own. It had its own lore, its own history, its own world, and its own life. Now, I can finally say that I proved it and that is why I felt Lucky even more telling me to end the story since its finally a happy ending he wanted.

Q6. How did you feel after the backlash?

I was… disappointed.

More than feeling angry about them badmouthing Phoenix Rising and me indirectly, I was disappointed in these people. I remember thinking “Is this the level these people live in? A gutter?” but the positive comments really reeled me back, and I got myself together and kept going strong. Overtime, I badly injured my hands as I was writing too quickly and soon, the comment section became silent, with the only replies coming from one reader that soon became my editor. So, I am very grateful to everyone for guiding me to arrive at this point. I am really grateful.

Q7. What was the achievement you felt from writing this story?

I felt that in all of my life, my biggest achievement was to complete the story and give the characters the happy ending they deserves. It felt even more gratifying for me especially since I and Lucky share many similarities.

Q8. Will there be a sequel?

It depends entirely on you.

Why is that? I loved Phoenix Rising, more so than any other stories I’ve written till now because I had a personal attachment to it. That’s why I took the negative comments, trolls and less than constructive criticisms to heart and got deeply hurt, which was why it took me a whole month to recover and get back to writing back in 2014-15. Still, will there be a sequel?

I don’t really know. Like I said, there’s still more story left to tell in the Phoenix Rising series. I even prepared mentally to continue Phoenix Rising under a new title “A New Age” as a sequence to moving into the next phase of this series. But it won’t happen if you don’t want it.

And this is where you come in. You see that poll above? You probably voted it before reading all this and that’s fine, but if you wish for me to continue the story of the Phoenix Rising “series” then please vote “YES” above. If you voted by mistake, then please post a comment to let me know of whether you want this series to continue or not.

I love the series, and I personally do want to continue, but this time I want to write so that you will be able to enjoy it with me since the first one was mostly about me being satisfied with it. But I do promise! The “A New Age” sequel is indeed something amazing! =D

Q9. So, what’s next…?

(laughs out loud)

I… actually am deciding on writing another story, or continue a story that I had already started a year or 2 ago. The reason being that I am busy in real life, but… I just can’t seem to let go of this hobby of mine. I don’t write to sell; I make more than what I might earn by selling. As I said, I write for fun and for me, this hobby is all that’s left that I currently have as a hobby other than spending time with my family and kid. =D

To help you locate them, the current stories that I’ve started and put on hiatus are:

Magician Endeavour (Royal Road and ScribbleHub) The Rabbit And His Lover (Royal Road and ScribbleHub) The Couple From Another World (ScribbleHub) The Forgotten God (ScribbleHub)

So, who knows what I might do? But you can damn be sure I will still be writing something as an author! =D