𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟑𝟏
The first exorcist to approach us had a curious expression on his face and opened his mouth as if to say it was ridiculous.
“I heard there was a mere student with you, but it’s true?”
“. . . . . . .”
“If you value your life, you’d better get out of the way right now.”
It was a natural reaction in a way. There was no reason for him to feel threatened by a mere student who had not even obtained the official qualifications of an exorcist.
「𝙎𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩.」
Ting!
His name was Cheong Dae-woong. His level was 47. He was definitely an exorcist with his own level of skill.
However, he does not recognize me as an enemy he should be wary of.
Rather, he is mocking me as if he is doing me a favor.
I’m sorry, but the price of that carelessness will have irreversible consequences from now on.
Whoosh.
Swish.
Using the Shadowless’ Evolution, I secretly slipped my shadows behind him and began to summon shikigami from there, just in time for him to deploy his spell
“Come forth.”
Poof!
Poof!
“. . . Burn them.”
Boom.
“Huh?”
Ggong-sam-yi, who was the first to rise out of the shadows, grabbed Cheong Dae-woong by the collar and threw him, while Sori-soe, who came out next, grew gigantic and punched Cheong Dae-woong, who was floating in the air, in the face.
Boom!
“Cough!”
Cheong Dae-woong, who had been focusing his gaze on me and deploying his spell, did not react to it at all. In an instant, he was left with multiple injuries and became unable to fight.
The surrounding enemies were shocked and glared at me.
They had realized that I was not an ordinary academy student as they had thought.
“Do not let them go. Protect the students as the Elder ordered.”
“Yes!”
The exorcists of Cheong So-ha’s faction, who realized that my abilities were beyond their expectations, quickly changed their tactics and began to mark their respective opponents.
Thanks to that, Cheong Juhwa and I were able to step back from the fierce battlefield for a while and calmly assess the situation.
「. . . 𝘼𝙨 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙝 𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚.」
Cheong Do-yool seemed to be really determined, as he had gathered four elders, including himself. To be honest, it was unexpected.
「𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙡𝙤𝙩, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮, 𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙝.」
It was clear that Cheong Gi-beom’s joining had awakened his alertness and made him act even more desperately.
Even so, thanks to Cheong So-ha, who had taken on two of them by herself, the elders were more or less in a standoff.
Cheong Ji-woon, the 10th Elder, was still there, but he was being held back by Cheong Un-cheol and Cheong Ji-yeon, the strongest of those in the rear.
However, that caused a problem.
Unfortunately, we no longer have the power to take on the second-in-command exorcists of the opposing factions.
Thud!
“Ugh.”
As expected, Cheong Jin-soo, Cheong So-ha’s aide who was facing the enemies at the forefront, was clearly showing signs of being overwhelmed.
At this rate, it was clear that the front line would collapse even without the elders lending their strength. We had to somehow change the flow of events.
“Shall we help?”
“I think we should.”
Although the exorcists of Cheong So-ha’s faction, who were fighting the enemies nearby, tried to stop us, Cheong Juhwa and I did not hesitate and approached Cheong Jin-soo, who had spread a defensive spell. We opened our mouths.
“We will join you.”
“What. . . . . . . No! If it were ordinary 3rd-grade exorcists, that would be one thing, but they are not opponents you can handle!”
“We are aware of that. Even so, would it be okay if we just lent you a hand?”
At those words, Cheong Jin-soo groaned and pondered. He did not seem to be able to refuse any further, even though he did not show it on his face. It must have been a very difficult situation for him.
“. . . I understand. However, you must never fight head-on. I will maintain the defensive spell as it is, so if you can use your confident spells to disrupt the enemy’s formation, that will be helpful.”
With Cheong Jin-soo’s permission, I nodded and used my emotion ability to check the enemy’s information.
Ting!
【Cheong Go-eun】
▶Level: 51
【Cheong Geun-tae】
▶Level: 53
【Cheong Hae-mun】
▶Level: 54
As expected, they are all second-in-command of their respective factions, and they are all easily above level 50, which is the standard for the strong.
I glanced at Cheong Jin-soo and checked his stats. His level was 58, which was higher than theirs.
No wonder he was able to somehow hold out against those three. He also had great skills, as he was someone’s subordinate, like Cheong Un-cheol.
“I’ll write a talisman.”
“I’ll time it.”
Cheong Juhwa immediately took out a cheongwoon talisman from her bosom, and I prepared to ambush them stealthily by extending my shadows as I had done before.
Whoosh.
As I drew upon my spiritual power, the three exorcists on the enemy side glanced at me without showing any expression.
They were wary of the shikigami technique that had instantly incapacitated Cheong Dae-woong earlier.
「𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙡𝙡.」
In this state, it would probably be difficult to see much effect even if we used the same trick.
However, in fact, I had no intention of reproducing the same attack from the beginning.
“Sahwanjae.”
As if answering my call, one side of the shadow twitched, and I began to deploy the spell without hesitation, recognizing it.
“Send the spell first when I give you the signal.”
“Yes.”
Cheong Juhwa had become familiar with it in the meantime and had perfectly imbued a mid-level spell into the cheongwoon talisman.
Whoosh.
“Now.”
As I gave the signal, Cheong Juhwa threw the talisman first and began to deploy the spell in an instant.
“Rending Slash.”
The future spell that I had previously taught her and an improved attack of Hundred Flower Heat Wave.
In addition to the amplification effect of the cheongwoon talisman, the spell was released with powerful force and shot towards the three exorcists who were facing off against Cheong Jin-soo.
Screech!
“I’ll block it. Counterattack.”
“Let’s do it.”
However, the opponents were also first-class exorcists who had been through numerous battlefields. They were not flustered by it and prepared to block the attack with perfect teamwork.
And that was the moment I had been waiting for.
“Void Slaughter.”
Whoosh.
Swish.
A mid-level binding spell that I had used several times before, but it was difficult to see any effective effect at this distance.
The enemies knew that, too, so they were momentarily puzzled, and a momentary gap was created.
And then.
Swish.
Crash!
My spell, which had appeared behind the enemies out of nowhere, immediately grabbed and wrapped around them without giving them a chance to do anything.
A new weapon created by adding the unique spell of Sahwanjae to my Shadow Assimilation trait.
It was a technique called Transfer, which allowed me to cast spells through the shadows extended by the Evolution.
“W-What the. . . . . .!”
The opponents were too late to react to the unheard-of technique. And in that gap, Cheong Juhwa’s Rending Slash exploded.
Screech!
Thud!
“Ugh!”
The defensive spell that had been enveloping them shattered, and the shockwave that they had not been able to completely remove hit them all at once.
Cheong Jin-soo, who had been under constant pressure, did not miss that opportunity either.
“Wide Silk, Six Barriers, Feather Thunder Storm. . .”
Fast and accurate mantras, followed by a surge of spiritual power. From the looks of it, it was a type of high-level attack spell.
“━Seven-fold Strike!”
Screech!
Clatter!
The powerful attack spell, which shot out without giving them a chance to catch their breath, completely swept away the place where the three exorcists had been.
Eventually, the appearance of the enemies who emerged was not intact, which was only natural in a way.
“Cough.”
“Ugh, gasp.”
One of them was already completely unable to fight, and the other two were not in good condition either. The situation had been reversed in an instant.
Cheong Jin-soo, who confirmed the sight, turned his gaze to us.
“. . . You are amazing. I asked you to create an opening, but I did not expect it to be this much.”
Well, in a way, it was because Cheong Jin-soo was so threatening that the enemies were not paying attention to us.
I nodded and asked Cheong Jin-soo a question.
“Are you okay with handling the rest by yourself?”
“Of course. But why is that. . . . . .?”
Cheong Jin-soo seemed to have not noticed, as he had been focused on the battle, but the situation was quite urgent.
「. . . 𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙢𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙡𝙡.」
Cheong Un-cheol and Cheong Ji-yeon who were holding back Cheong Ji-woon the 10th Elder of the Cheong family.
Cheong Un-cheol was in charge of the front, and Cheong Ji-yeon was supporting him, but upon closer inspection, it was clear that they were being pushed back.
「𝙄𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙣𝙤𝙬, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙤 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙛𝙪𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧.」
If Cheong Un-cheol and Cheong Ji-yeon were to fall, everyone behind them would be swept away like fallen leaves by Cheong Ji-woon.
So I had to somehow lend my strength to that side.
“Shall we release the azure dragon?”
Cheong Juhwa whispered to me, but I shook my head.
It’s still a bit too early.
The appearance of the azure dragon should definitely be in the latter half of this fight, when the end is near.
Only then would it be possible to decide and settle everything.
「𝘾𝙝𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙅𝙞-𝙬𝙤𝙤𝙣. . . . . . .」
In the case of an exorcist who is at the level of an elder of the Three Great Houses, it is virtually impossible to inflict any significant damage with a mid-level spell or lower.
Of course, it would be impossible to approach them, and the difference in basic physical abilities was so great that they were likely to allow a fatal blow in an instant.
All I could do now was maintain my distance and support Cheong Un-cheol and Cheong Ji-yeon with the advanced spells I could use.
「𝙄𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙚. . . . . . .」
The high-level curse technique that I had recently become able to use. With the curse enhancement effect of the Black Phoenix earring and the adjustment of my karma value, it would be enough to inflict sufficient damage on Cheong Ji-woon.
Boom!
Rumble.
Rumble.
As if by coincidence, the ground began to shake violently as a tremendous roar echoed.
It was clear that someone from the elder’s group had deployed a grand spell.
「. . . 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚.」
In the midst of such explosive spiritual power, everyone’s detection abilities were bound to drop, and Cheong Ji-woon was no exception.
I stealthily moved to the maximum detection range and slowly began to construct the spell formation, aiming at Cheong Ji-woon.
Whoosh.
“Great Fear, Clear Purity, Worship Enemy, Kill Evil. . .”
Flash.
As far as I know, Cheong Ji-woon, the 10th Elder, is a very smart type, befitting the youngest generation among the elders.
Because of that, he is skilled in dealing with orthodox spellcasters, and his methods of dealing with them are completely ingrained in his body and mind.
However, that also made his weaknesses more apparent.
「𝙃𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙪𝙣𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩 𝙖 𝙛𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚.」
Moreover, if it was my curse technique, which was loaded with various advantages, even Cheong Ji-woon would definitely show a gap for a moment.
Rumble!
Thud!
Lightning was falling from the sky, and a storm was raging, as the elders deployed their great spells.
Seizing that exact moment, I sent the completed curse straight at Cheong Ji-woon.
“━Worship, Kill, Calamity, and Evil.”
