𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟎𝟒
「𝙉𝙤 𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙚𝙙?」
Although I have seen a similar case in the previous academy’s incident with the voodoo seed, at least I could check the minimum information.
In addition, I feel an indescribable ominous feeling from this Darkness Eater.
Swoosh.
“Ugh, what, what’s this energy. . . . . . .”
As the black fog of the guy approached, the exorcists who were nearby suddenly began to complain of strange symptoms.
Upon closer inspection, I could feel that their vitality or spiritual power was gradually being absorbed into the end of the fog.
「. . . 𝙉𝙤, 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙠 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨.」
It was just a matter of time, and as I got a little closer, my spiritual power and that of my colleagues began to be sucked into the guy as well.
“What, what is this? This uncomfortable feeling?”
“. . . I think he’s going to absorb all of our power.”
Surprised, Cheong Juhwa and Yoo Ha-on shot spells at the black fog surrounding them, but strangely enough, it didn’t have much effect.
Rather, it seemed to be absorbing our vitality even more aggressively.
“. . . I have no idea where to attack. Is there a separate body?”
“Hmm. Maybe a barrier technique could block his approach. Everyone, get behind me!”
Sophia quickly stepped forward and deployed a powerful barrier, so we took our time to gather behind her and observe the situation.
However, this too had little effect on Darkness Eater’s black fog.
Zzer-rick!
In front of the barrier that was crumbling like a sandcastle, we could only spread out in dismay.
“Junior. It’s dangerous. That thing is something different from the yokai we’ve seen so far. . . . . . .”
“Yes. It’s a very alien being.”
What exactly is spiritual power in the first place? In modern times, it’s like the only means by which humans can effectively counter yokai.
However, it’s really strange that it’s not having any effect.
「𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙚 𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙜𝙪𝙮?」
Yokai that originate from negative thoughts tend to be affected by the opposite positive thoughts or stronger desires.
That was the fundamental structure of yokai that I had understood up to now.
However, Darkness Eater that I am facing now is showing a form that is completely excluded from that law.
「𝙀𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙔𝙤𝙤 𝙃𝙖-𝙤𝙣’𝙨 𝘼𝙣𝙩𝙞-𝘿𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙩, 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙣𝙩’𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙨, 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠. . . . . . .」
It means that the guy is not a life form that originates from desire.
In other words, the guy wasn’t something that could be simply called a yokai in the first place.
“For now, it would be better to retreat. Until we can find a way to deal with it. . . . . . .”
“Ugh, but the fog!”
As if it had caught its prey, Darkness Eater’s black fog was spreading everywhere at a speed I had never seen before, glaring at us.
And the first to be devoured by it were several of the surrounding exorcists, who began to scream terribly.
“Kyaaaah!”
“G-Get away!”
“Help me. . . . . .!”
Thud!
Thud-thud!
Splash!
It was like a human digesting food.
At the bizarre sight, the exorcists began to back away in terror, even though they couldn’t see the sight within the fog.
“H-How can we fight something like that!”
“The main body! We have to find the main body!”
“But how can we get through this vast fog?”
Even the undefeated warriors who had protected people in the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons were unable to find their composure in front of the mysterious being called Darkness Eater.
Besides, I wasn’t very optimistic about the idea of finding its main body.
「𝘿𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙜𝙪𝙮 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩. . . . . .?」
No matter where I looked in the fog that was overflowing everywhere, only the information about Darkness Eater that had not been displayed before appeared.
To interpret this, it means that every part of the fog is part of Darkness Eater, and there may be a core that serves as the center, but I can’t think of a way to find it.
Zzzt!
“Ugh!”
I hurriedly took refuge on top of a collapsed building as the black fog surged up, and my companions were also busy protecting themselves rather than launching ineffective attacks.
In the end, I had no choice but to conclude that I should leave the place for now.
“There’s no point in staying together! Let’s each disperse, distract it, find a way to deal with it, and meet at the headquarters in front of the grand barrier formation!”
My companions nodded at my words, and the exorcists who were nearby also began to leave the place quickly.
As everyone dispersed, Darkness Eater’s movements definitely seemed to be a step slower than before.
「𝙔𝙚𝙖𝙝, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚’𝙨 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙜𝙪𝙮 𝙩𝙤𝙤.」
It was hard to judge when it was in front of me, but of course, its size wouldn’t be infinite either.
In other words, it was impossible for the guy to spread the fog as much as he wanted and devour the entire city.
「𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙪𝙮 𝙖𝙨 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙨 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙖 𝙬𝙖𝙮.」
I had tried various spells since earlier, but neither the curses adjusted for karma value nor the orthodox spells specialized in exorcising evil worked on the guy.
He did react to spells cast using the power of the evolved Shadow Assimilation trait, but even that was just a minor blow compared to the guy’s huge size.
“Burn it. . . . . . .”
“What a really disgusting guy.”
Even the flames of Ggong-sam-yi, which contained the power of purification, and the attacks of Hwa Baek, who had the Spirit trait, had little effect.
After confirming that much, I could intuitively realize one thing.
The fact that no matter what I tried, it would be the same unless I accurately understood the guy’s true nature and responded to it.
「𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙜𝙪𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙒𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙏𝙬𝙞𝙣 𝙂𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙚𝙭𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙨.」
In other words, it means that the guy can feed on both humans and yokai, and there was a high possibility that his power would increase as a result.
And I was able to come up with one idea from the act of eating itself.
「𝙔𝙚𝙖𝙝, 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙨𝙖𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙨 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙩. . . . . . .」
The spells were also devoured by the guy’s black fog. At least, I felt that way from watching it from the side.
「𝙄𝙩 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙮𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙗𝙤𝙩𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙠𝙖𝙞 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙙𝙚𝙨 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙨?」
At least I could easily think of one thing they had in common.
「𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙜𝙪𝙮 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨!」
In a sense, it was a similar ability to Yoo Ha-on’s Anti-Demon trait.
And that’s when I finally understood the guy’s essential true nature.
The guy was a life form made of a vast amount of thoughts, in other words, the amount of thoughts he had eaten up to now was the size of the guy, and the overwhelming difference in size was the reason why Yoo Ha-on’s Anti-Demon trait couldn’t have much effect.
「𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙜𝙪𝙮 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙗𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙣𝙤 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙨. . . . . . .」
That part was a conclusion that included a somewhat intuitive understanding.
Desire is a strong feeling. However, I couldn’t feel it at all from Darkness Eater.
It’s only natural that the Anti-Demon trait, which uses the possessor’s thoughts to suppress the opponent’s desires, wouldn’t be able to exert its power.
「𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙣, 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙄 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙜𝙪𝙮?」
If you think about it, that guy is a life form that is closer to a more primitive form.
Should I say that it’s a being with a structure that is several steps older than other yokai?
It was definitely a being that was less complete than yokai, but its overwhelming power and size covered up all of its essential weaknesses.
「𝙄𝙣 𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙖 𝙜𝙪𝙮. . . . . . .」
I also need to go back in time.
Modern spells, which are simply systematized and stereotyped masses of thoughts, won’t be able to defeat that guy.
「𝙃𝙤-𝙘𝙝𝙪𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙧 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚.」
Spells are originally born from strong desires, and it’s hard to find such traces in the techniques of the present age, including the world of shamanism.
So, perhaps, primitive spells that contain strong desires, not aggregates of thoughts, would be effective enough against the guy.
And I remember witnessing it a few times in the exorcism series I played in the past.
「𝙃𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧, 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩. . . . . . .」
It’s not a trick that can be delved into in the realm of theory.
Rather, it could be said to be a form of technique that is born from the opposite extreme instinct, from the deepest part of it.
For me, who had built up my strength through understanding and analysis, it was like a completely clumsy field.
And at the same time, I realized something else.
There’s no need to cling to a realm that’s impossible for me. I can find the answer in my own way, as I have always done.
Finally, with my thoughts organized, I smiled at the approaching black fog.
🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷
Swish!
Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah─!
“What an ominous existence. . . . . . .”
『I’ve never encountered anything so sinister before either.』
On the way to the headquarters in front of the barrier formation, Cheong Juhwa, who had gotten separated from the group, was constantly discussing ways to counter the black fog with the Azure Dragon.
Even though the techniques she had learned in the modern world of sorcery and shamanism weren’t working, Cheong Juhwa was still convinced that the creature wasn’t invincible.
There had to be a weakness somewhere in that black fog. If only she had enough time, she would be able to figure it out.
“The only problem is that time is running out.”
The barrier formation that enveloped the entirety of South Korea couldn’t allow the creature to reach the focal point that held one of its pillars.
Han Kang-yoon knew this as well, which was why he had suggested they face the creature in front of the headquarters of the barrier formation.
So until then, they had to find a way.
As Cheong Juhwa continued to relentlessly attack and defend, her eyes caught sight of a group of exorcists standing still in the distance.
“Is that. . . . . . .”
『They seem to be injured.』
Two people covered in bandages soaked in crimson blood were leaning against the ruins of a building, and a few exorcists who seemed to be their group were guarding them.
Cheong Juhwa’s expression turned sour as she recognized a few of their faces.
“. . . . . . .”
『They’re from that family, do you know them?』
“From a long time ago, slightly.”
Not a good memory.
The faces she had seen among the people who had bullied Cheong Juhwa when she had lost her parents and been rejected by her family.
One of the people covered in bandages was one of them, and two of the people guarding them were also among them.
They used to hang out together, but it seemed that they were still working together even now, after all these years.
『Give up. You have no obligation to take responsibility for them.』
“Honestly, I don’t want to save them.”
However, unlike the words she had just uttered, Cheong Juhwa had already jumped down between the wreckage of buildings and reached their side.
“The black fog is coming. You’ll be eaten if you don’t hurry up and run away.”
“Y-You are. . . . . . .”
Of course, they seemed to recognize Cheong Juhwa as well, and answered with complex looks.
“We’re too badly injured to move right now. . . . . . . At least 10 minutes of treatment.”
“. . . . . . .”
Whether they understood the seriousness of the situation or not. However, she didn’t say it out loud.
That’s because, to Cheong Juhwa, the injured people’s condition was serious and they needed immediate treatment.
『Give up. You have no obligation to take responsibility for them.』
“You’re right. I don’t really want to take responsibility.”
She might not have heard the Azure Dragon’s words, but the people with her seemed to understand its meaning and gave her anxious looks.
And Cheong Juhwa sighed and turned her head to stare at the approaching black fog.
“Stay right behind me. Don’t get in the way.”
Her current companions would have acted without hesitation, so that’s what she would do.
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