𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟑𝟒
「𝙔𝙤𝙤𝙣 𝙃𝙖𝙚-𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙤𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙪𝙘𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙚.」
He landed a blow on Luke, who had been looking at him with tenacity and cruelty.
Honestly, I was worried because he had taken a more extreme approach to the battle than I had anticipated, but Yoon Hae-cheol responded admirably.
Now, Luke had to face Cheong So-ha with a significant injury on one of his arms.
“Are you alright?”
“. . . I think I’m done. I don’t have any strength left in my fingertips.”
Yoon Hae-cheol bit his lips with a resentful expression and got up from his seat with difficulty.
His eyes were still fierce, but in contrast, his arms were trembling and his legs were unable to support his body properly.
The intense battle had already reached its limit.
“It’s frustrating. . . . . . .”
Yoon Hae-cheol soon regained his composure and stepped back.
It was a judgment call to withdraw from the battlefield so as not to interfere with the battle.
It must have been a difficult decision to make while being consumed by a desire for revenge, but it was a moment that made Yoon Hae-cheol’s desperation for victory all the more palpable.
“You’ve worked hard.”
“Yes, I’ll leave the rest to you.”
Luke did not respond until Yoon Hae-cheol disappeared. No, perhaps it would be more accurate to say that he could not.
「𝙄𝙩 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙩.」
The injury he sustained is not something to be taken lightly. If it were just a one-on-one duel with me, it would be fine, but with Cheong So-ha by my side, it would be an even greater misfortune.
Luke hesitated because he knew that too.
「𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨, 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙨. . . . . . .」
An opportunity has come to us.
We have to attack him here and now in order to secure a complete victory.
To that end, I took out all the shikigami I had been saving and deployed them all around, as if to surround him.
“. . . You.”
Among them, Hwa Baek glared at me with a look of dissatisfaction.
It was because I had deliberately denied her meeting with Echinacea Lianqi during the previous incident.
However, given the circumstances, she seemed to have decided to let it go for now.
“I’ll tell you everything after this is over.”
“. . . You’d better have an answer that satisfies this lady.”
That’s right. Even after this fight is over, I have a mountain of things to do.
So, I couldn’t afford to collapse here.
“. . . Shikigami, is it.”
“You will not be able to escape from this place.”
“That’s funny.”
Luke, who had been deep in thought, replied to me with a chuckle of disbelief.
“Who said I was running away? Don’t overestimate yourself. This is just another obstacle I have to overcome.”
It was an arrogant declaration, but it was not necessarily wrong for a man of Luke’s caliber to say that.
Even if it was a fight between the many and the few, neither Cheong So-ha nor I were beings that Luke could not overcome.
So, it was my job from now on to make it impossible for him to overcome it.
“Just be careful of what I told you beforehand.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve got it all in my head.”
One thing that Luke overlooked.
Of course, I know all of his special abilities and unique spells.
And that difference began to show as soon as the battle began.
“Green Rain of Phosphorus.”
“What the. . . . . . !”
Luke, who had shown no fear and had just delivered a sharp blow to Cheong So-ha, found that it had become a perfect counterattack and was now being returned to him.
Furthermore, my own blow, which had been waiting for an opening, targeted Luke’s back with precision.
“Sevenfold Strike.”
“Ugh! Azure Sky Wall.”
Clack!
Crackle!
While blocking Cheong So-ha’s counterattack, he also responded perfectly to the advanced attack spell that was targeting his back.
Truly incredible skill and reflexes.
However, I saw a clear crack in Luke’s Azure Sky Wall spell.
「𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙝𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙚𝙧-𝙡𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙡𝙡, 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙛 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙗𝙞𝙙𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙡𝙡.」
My current advanced spell can break through Luke’s intermediate spell.
The gap that had seemed so distant had narrowed to this extent.
「𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝙖 𝙩𝙧𝙮.」
Even in these unfavorable conditions, Luke had proven to be a formidable opponent, but on the contrary, I had also gained a sense of confidence.
In other words, this was the beginning of the real battle.
“Clear Path Silk, Blooming Flowers on the Earth. Contract of the Empty Void. Art of the Crimson Flower. . .”
Thud.
Poof!
Boom!
From the spirit orbs that I had dropped to the ground, stems of blue spiritual power rose and began to target Luke’s body.
As I mentioned earlier, the drawback of using spells is that if their core is discovered, they can be destroyed immediately, but in this situation, it was the best move I could make.
「𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙡𝙡, 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪.」
If the shikigami surrounding him continued to hold him in check, the effect would be doubled.
My guess was correct, as the moment he responded to the spell, a small opening appeared in Luke.
And Cheong So-ha was not one to miss it.
Clang!
“Purge the Darkness, Clear the Sky, Refine the Essence. . .”
One of the spells of the ancestors of the Cheong family lineage that I had passed on to Cheong So-ha. Bright Moon.
The spell that had been used to open the coffin of the Solitary Shade in the former Hwang family was now being cast from Cheong So-ha’s hands.
Whoosh!
Flash!
A halo of light enveloped Cheong So-ha’s body, enhancing her physical abilities, and soon the light spread to the target, Luke, and began to inflict blows accompanied by heat.
“Grrrr.”
After breaking my Crimson Flower spell, Luke immediately responded to the spell, even as he was taking damage.
Luke’s unique spell, Wave of Misfortune, was a spell that made it easy to find a way to counterattack from such orthodox spells.
However.
“I’ve seen it all.”
Cheong So-ha, who had infiltrated the gap in the spell, drew the Blue-White Sword that she had sheathed and sent another spell through the blade.
Whoosh.
Blaze.
Intense spiritual power that could be felt on the skin and a blue aura that filled the room like flames.
It was not as good as the Anti-Demon that the original Yoo Ha-on possessed, but it was her trait, Blue Fire, which had the characteristic of suppressing and overpowering the opponent’s aura.
Luke, who had been repeatedly caught off guard, had no way out this time, and Cheong So-ha’s spell hit Luke’s body squarely.
Clack!
Crash!
Luke, who had been sent flying as if he had been knocked away, collapsed to the ground as if he had lost all his strength.
However, in contrast to his appearance, the aura emanating from Luke was becoming more and more fierce.
“. . . I see it now.”
Those were the first words Luke uttered after not moving for a long time.
“Certainly, if you had this kind of ability, it’s no wonder what happened to Emeris.”
Luke, who had gotten up and raised his head, had an expression that was as distorted as a demon’s.
“You, too, are like those who call themselves prophets and see into the future.”
Strictly speaking, it was a wrong answer, but it was not a good thing for him anyway.
The fact that I had read all of Luke’s special abilities and spells had been completely exposed.
And Luke, who had noticed it, had a strange look in his eyes.
“. . . Yes, that’s right.”
Luke, who had gotten up from his seat and fully regained his strength, began to charge forward, his whole body enveloped in fierce spiritual power.
Even though he did not deploy any special spells, his spiritual power felt like a solid armor.
It was truly an incredible strength.
“You’re asking for it.”
Cheong So-ha’s spell, which had been shot out in an instant, hit Luke once again.
However, Luke’s spiritual power, which had begun to be emitted abnormally, absorbed the blow and clearly repelled it.
“What the. . . . . . .”
Even Cheong So-ha could not help but be taken aback by the strange phenomenon, and she began to chant the incantation for an even more powerful spell with a frown on her face.
Whoosh!
The distance had become considerably closer, and now there was only a gap of about 10m between Cheong So-ha and Luke.
And at that moment, it was Luke who made the first move.
Clack!
Boom!
Contrary to what one might have thought, Luke’s actions, which seemed to be aimed directly at Cheong So-ha, were strange, as he leaped over her and charged explosively towards me.
“Ugh!”
Cheong So-ha reacted quickly and fired a completed spell at Luke’s back, but Luke, who had already predicted this, concentrated all his spiritual power on his back and prepared to receive the attack.
And by this point, his intention was clear.
「𝙎𝙖𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙝 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙣𝙚.」
In other words, Luke was gambling that he would take a significant hit, but he would definitely eliminate me from the battlefield.
“It’s not going to work.”
Luke’s spiritual power, which had now spread to the point of almost covering his entire body, was formed into a single spell and aimed directly at my heart.
The distance was about 1m, and Hwa Baek created a wall of plants and Ggong-sam-yi shot out flames, but it was not enough to stop Luke.
Soon, Cheong So-ha’s blow hit Luke first, followed by countless attacks from my shikigami.
“Cough!”
However, Luke, who had endured all of that with his own body, finally completed his spell and slammed it into me.
Crash!
Crackle─!
An eerie sound rang out, and with it came a wave of pain that felt like it was drowning me.
In an instant, all my senses were cut off, my vision blurred, and even the noise disappeared from my ears.
Complete death was approaching.
However, even in that moment of pain, a faint smile hung on my face.
Because this was the situation I had been waiting for all this time, the moment that would put an end to this long and drawn-out battle.
Whoosh.
Flash.
“What the. . . . . .?”
Luke, who had been tidying up his posture as he prepared to deliver the finishing blow, soon staggered and let out a questioning murmur.
And at the same time, I felt all my senses, which had been cut off, returning, and the sensation of my mind awakening.
“Of course, I thought it would turn out like this.”
I know Luke well. Perhaps even better than he thinks.
Furthermore, Luke had already shown that he had no qualms about taking risks, as he had targeted Yoon Hae-cheol in the same way before.
When things turned out like this, I was sure that he would come after me, even if it meant sacrificing his own flesh.
“That’s why I prepared for it.”
“That’s impossible. . . . . . !”
A forbidden spell that sacrifices one’s own life to cast, and is considered to be one of the most vicious and powerful types of curses.
It was none other than the Soul-Slaying Curse, which returns the resentment and grudge of the target one tried to kill back to them.
Flash.
Thud.
“Ugh. . . . . . .”
As the saying goes, of all the things in the world, the grudge of murder is something that can never be forgotten.
Now, it was mercilessly consuming Luke’s life, who was now defenseless, and eating away at his very being.
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