𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟎𝟖
There was a human who lived a long time ago.
In an era when yokai did not exist, and the concept of nations and society had not yet been clearly established, there lived a human in such a time.
“Her name is Toyo, a girl who possessed a powerful Divine Ability from birth.”
The humans of that time were quite different from those of today, and it was not uncommon for people to be born with powerful bodies and special abilities.
And Toyo, one of those people, was even more special.
“Her power was enormous. And where there is yang, there is always yin. She attracted as much negativity as her unique and powerful strength.”
As she grew older after she was born, an unknown fear gnawed at her heart, and at the same time, the negative emotions and malice of the people of the world seemed to flow into her.
“. . . Is that the background to the birth of the yokai?”
“Yes. Toyo endured it faithfully, but in the process, she could not prevent the fragments of her small powers from being stained with negative thoughts and taking shape. Those were the first yokai.”
However, there is a lingering question. New yokai are still being born in modern times, and most of them have an origin that cannot be guessed.
Having thought that far, I somehow felt like I could guess the ending Toyo faced.
Polar Night, who noticed it, nodded her head.
“That’s right. Toyo eventually reached her limit and gave up her physical body, scattering her energy throughout the world. Since then, the birth of yokai has become a kind of continuous law.”
Then everything made sense. The only remaining secret was the background of Polar Night’s birth.
And as if she had no obligation to reveal that, Polar Night turned her gaze, which had been directed at the floor, and began to face us all head-on.
“Well, shall we begin?”
At the same time, everyone in my party, including me, felt a strong and strange energy suddenly pierce our minds.
It was weakening our thinking ability and polluting our minds at the same time, and it was so secretive and fast that we couldn’t observe the symptoms until they appeared.
「𝙄𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙗𝙨𝙤𝙧𝙗𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙠𝙖𝙞?」
It wasn’t time to think leisurely, so I hurriedly used the purification technique to escape its influence.
However, it was not easy, and even if the condition improved, it was not a great level.
At the same time, I felt the need to change my approach.
Whoosh!
The advanced spell of the purification series, which I quickly completed, dug into Cheong Juhwa’s body.
At the same time, several of the party members who noticed my intention tried to do the same thing, and Cheong Juhwa, who had regained her composure because of this, quickly unfolded her power.
Zzzing─!
The second technique contained in the Blue-White Sword, a grand spell with excellent performance in protecting the mind.
With that, we regained our freedom of action and each distanced ourselves to observe Polar Night from our respective positions.
“I’ve already recovered most of my strength. You will be the starting point of a long task.”
“It won’t be that easy!”
Sophia, who was the first to draw out her spiritual power, immediately unfolded the grand spell Nine Revolving Heavens Wave.
Screech!
An attack technique that put in the maximum amount of power she had seen so far.
However, even in that magnificent power, Polar Night maintained an unwavering stance. Not only that, she even waved her hand lightly to leisurely counterattack.
“Ugh!”
Crackle crackle crackle!
Wind blades containing all kinds of natural energy swept over us, and they were even accompanied by seeds with the ability to curse and bind.
I barely managed to block it by joining forces with the nearby party members, and Sophia, who had also dodged in a hurry, exclaimed in astonishment.
“Ugh, how many tricks are you using at once!”
With that one attack and defense, we were able to realize the power of Polar Night standing before us.
The perspective of the battle is completely different. The opponent had countless powers of unknown yokai dormant within them, and they even seemed to use them as if they were their own.
As Polar Night waved her hand once more, the ground split open and a dragon made of plant roots sprang out, and at the same time, a barrier was spread out to block our escape route, revealing all kinds of illusions before our eyes.
The effect was minimal because the effect of the blue dragon’s back was still there, but it was hard to regain our senses because of the continuous attacks.
Crash!
Crackle crackle crackle!
Watching the sight of Seo Ji-an’s whirlpool of water and wind defeating the dragon, I gave a signal to Arietta and quickly dug forward.
If you just stay still, you will only be troubled by the opponent’s abilities. Then, it was better to put pressure on them, even if it meant taking risks.
“Eight Trigrams and Celestial Heavens Art, the third hexagram. Torrential Downpour.”
Kung.
Kiririk.
Crackle crackle─!
I unfolded the technique of Torrential Downpour and shot out countless fragments of spiritual power, and while I drew their attention like that, I used the power of the fourth hexagram to give Arietta a concealment effect.
And Arietta, who immediately dug into the back of Polar Night, pierced her shadow with her right arm.
“I can hold her down for 10 seconds, attack!”
However, just as everyone was about to approach, Polar Night raised her hand to the sky with a faint smile.
Rumble─!
As the cursed thunder struck all around, Arietta used her fogging ability to distance herself, and we had no choice but to focus on defense again, as our offense was useless.
“. . . I’m sorry, junior. It seems that small tricks won’t work.”
“It’s okay. Because it’s such an enemy.”
It’s an ability that I can’t figure out how to deal with. Also, for some reason, I could intuitively feel that Polar Night hadn’t even shown half of her true abilities.
“You have an easy-to-understand expression.”
“. . . . . . .”
“To put it simply, it’s the process of organizing and rearranging the absorbed power fragments.”
Polar Night said that the recent attack and defense was just a warm-up exercise, which was also proof that she did not feel threatened by us.
Cheong Juhwa, who had a grin on her face, began to concentrate her mind as if she was about to use her original shamanism, and Yoo Ha-on also fully exerted the energy of the Anti-Demon, wrapping the surroundings in a cool blue light.
However, Polar Night’s attitude, who had a faint smile on her face, did not change at all.
“Ho-chung was great. If he had existed in the distant past, Toyo might not have met such an end.”
“. . . . . . .”
“But unfortunately, I don’t feel that much potential from you. Don’t you?”
Her question was not directed at us. When I turned my gaze, I could see an elegant woman on the other side of my field of vision.
“Echinacea Lianqi, was it? Yes. You are definitely in my memory. You must have received Ho-chung’s help to transcend time and inherit his will.”
“. . . You talk as if you know everything. Even though you’ve been locked up all this time.”
At the same time, Echinacea Lianqi emitted an eerie energy and shot numerous thorns at her opponent, but Polar Night blocked all of her attacks in the same way.
This was also evidence that she had already been robbed of her strength.
“Unfortunately, it seems that I can’t control it. It means that the nature of your being has already been tainted by many things.”
“. . . . . . .”
It was enough to be discouraged by the simple fact that her attack had been blocked, but Echinacea Lianqi spoke calmly without being agitated.
“It’s not my job to stop you anyway. I’ve already handed everything over. . . . . . .”
That’s right.
It is our duty to subdue and defeat Polar Night, and Echinacea Lianqi was giving us unwavering trust even in this situation.
And I, too, had already prepared a trump card for it.
“It seems that I’m a little late. Is it okay for me to join?”
“. . . Of course.”
Zzzzing─!
A strong wave of spiritual power enveloped the surroundings, breaking down the illusionary barrier that Polar Night had put up to block our escape route.
Unable to ignore that overwhelming energy, Polar Night also put away her smile this time and hardened her expression slightly.
“It’s the first time we’ve met face to face.”
Black hair, and unfathomably deep eyes.
The appearance of the revealed Cheong-il was quite beautiful.
However, it was possible to guess from his tone and attitude that he was quite old.
Clang!
“. . . Oppa, are you okay?”
“So far.”
Han Seo-ah and Cheong-il, who had finally arrived in Seoul after clearing all the labyrinth, and I were able to meet Verdi again in the Sun-Moon Stone that I had received.
『It’s been a long time. Have you been well?』
“. . . I’m sorry, but this doesn’t seem to be a situation where we can leisurely exchange greetings.”
『I can see that. Even at a glance, that’s not an ordinary being.』
Verdi had also encountered Polar Night in the illusory world, but I could tell that she was even more nervous now than she was then.
Cheong-il must have felt the same way, as he opened his mouth with an absurd reaction.
“I guessed it from the explanation, but I didn’t expect such a formidable opponent to be holding out. It must be a being that will destroy the balance of the world.”
“Can you help us?”
“Don’t worry. Once a gentleman steps in, he can’t back down.”
【Cheong-il】
▶Level 91
As expected, Cheong-il was a strong man who had achieved incredible achievements with a human body, befitting a mysterious hero of the past.
If we had his help, it might not be impossible to face Polar Night head-on.
I gained some confidence and hope, and nodded my head and prepared to face Polar Night again.
“You’re a remarkable person. However, that doesn’t change anything.”
A strong wind hit us, and at the same time, it gradually gained momentum and began to overturn the ground.
Rumble─!
In the midst of it, thunder began to strike, and it was not enough to call it an apocalyptic sight.
However, Cheong-il did not panic and quickly unfolded a technique, spreading its power in a strange way all around.
“Seal of the Six Realms of the Open Space.”
Whoosh!
The strong wind that had been shaking the surroundings suddenly lost its shape, and the thunder that seemed to be cutting the earth was reduced to a light static electricity, causing only small sparks here and there.
The power of the barrier he had put up was so strong that it did not collapse and maintained its shape even though Polar Night waved her hand once more.
Cheong Juhwa asked him a question with a half-hearted smile and a cautious attitude.
“Do you think we can win?”
“. . . No, it’s going to be tough.”
Everyone around turned their heads to look at Cheong-il at his overly self-deprecating answer despite his excellent abilities.
However, they could not make any further objections because his attitude was more serious than they had imagined.
Before those gazes, Cheong-il opened his mouth with a complicated look in his eyes.
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