I Became the Academy’s Genius Shikigami Summoner – Chapter 149

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟒𝟗

“Kyaaaak!”

The shikigami that had suddenly jumped out from my shadow made the guy panic, and he rose higher into the air to observe the situation.

“. . . Burn it?”

“Wait a minute.”

I said I would get rid of them all, but I didn’t actually release all of my shikigami. After all, those without proper means of attack or those that were below par wouldn’t be able to keep up with the guy’s speed.

Ggong-sam-yi, Elder Water Ghost, Black Yin Sori-soe, and even Eve, who had played an active role in the previous battle with Sophia.

I planned to use only the shikigami here to thoroughly hunt him down.

「𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮, 𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙭𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙯𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙎𝙪𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙩.」

It’s not that my opponent is weak. Right now, I can’t even say for sure that I’m using the full power of my Shadow Assimilation trait.

In any case, it was worth a try compared to the worst-case scenario I had imagined.

「𝙁𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙖𝙡𝙡, 𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙨.」

A physical attack in which he takes advantage of the gaps while moving through the air and charges directly.

Physical Alteration, in which he manipulates his own body to strengthen certain abilities.

And even wind spells that can summon the wind.

Of these, the most threatening is definitely the physical attack.

The fact that he could crush our defense spell simply by descending and slashing with his claws made it easy to guess how strong his physical abilities were.

So, first of all, we need to completely block that physical attack.

“Sori-soe, can you transform into a different form this time?”

『Huh, I’ve never tried it, but I think I can.』

If so, that’s good.

I raised my spiritual power and shouted to Shin So-ra and the exorcists who were beside me.

“I’ll somehow block the attack. When I give the signal, everyone use the binding spell you’re most confident in.”

“. . . Got it.”

They seemed quite surprised to see the shikigami I had summoned. Perhaps that’s why they followed the instructions without making a fuss.

“Kee-eek!”

While I was giving instructions, the guy, who had been watching, started to move again.

Screech!

The target was the Elder Water Ghost. It seemed that he was instinctively trying to reduce our numbers by finding the weakest one.

『Keheek!』

Splash!

The Elder Water Ghost fired a curse in terror, but there was such a clear difference in their levels that it was impossible for it to work.

The guy desperately sent out a rescue signal, but I pretended not to notice.

Eve, who was about to block the Elder Water Ghost’s path, also stopped moving after checking my intentions.

『Kyaaaaak!』

The Elder Water Ghost let out a cry full of betrayal, and at the same time, the critical moment came.

I activated the Evolution spell that I had prepared in advance and extended my shadow.

Whoosh.

Slice!

The reason I didn’t block the attack on purpose was simple.

Because there was no need to block it in the first place.

Boom!

Clang!

Although he covered the Elder Water Ghost with wind and attacked, the Elder Water Ghost had already been retrieved into my shadow.

Accordingly, the guy’s body, which had lost its target in an instant, began to lose its balance.

“Now!”

At my shout, Shin So-ra, Yoo Jung-gil, and the other exorcists simultaneously fired the binding spells they had prepared.

Whoosh.

Bang!

Screech!

Three intermediate-level spells and one high-level binding spell cast by Yoo Jung-gil.

Even for an A-rank yokai, it was a level that couldn’t be easily ignored.

That’s why the guy tried to wrap himself in a wind barrier and hurriedly escape into the sky.

However, I had already confirmed all of his combat methods a little while ago.

『. . . It seems that everything went as you predicted.』

Screech!

A fierce sound of breaking wind began to be heard from above the guy, who was just about to start gliding.

It was Sori-soe, who had taken on the appearance of Hoyaukamui right before our eyes, starting to interfere with the guy.

「𝘼 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙮 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙩.」

Of course, the abilities were completely different, although the appearance was the same, but Sori-soe was originally a yokai that possessed considerable strength.

At the very least, it was enough power to make the guy panic.

“Kyaaaak!”

The guy panicked and fired wind as the situation continued to unfold differently from his expectations, but its power was weak because it was hastily prepared.

For the first time in a long time, I used a nature-type spell to further weaken the wind so that Sori-soe could withstand it, and then immediately began to chant the incantation for the high-level curse spell I had conceived.

“Boundless Weeds, United Bodies. . .”

Whoosh.

Splash.

Meanwhile, Hoyaukamui was struggling to escape after being hit by a series of binding spells, and in the end, my spell was completed before the guy could regain control of his body.

“Curse of Binding.”

Rustle!

The guy flinched at the ominous and powerful surge of spiritual power, but surprisingly, there was no visible damage.

The exorcists who had cast the spell with all their might groaned.

“Damn it, did it fail after all. . . . . . .”

“Captain, next instructions. . . . . . !”

However, unlike them, who were in a hurry, my expression, who had actually cast the spell, was very calm.

This was because I had a hunch that the match had already been decided with this one blow.

「. . . . . . .」

Right now, I’m just staring at my opponent and not taking any action.

To be precise, it wasn’t that I wasn’t moving, but rather that I couldn’t move.

「. . . 𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙚𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙄 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙. 𝙄𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙮 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙩?」

To put it simply, what I activated was a curse of mutual destruction.

An attack that sacrifices oneself to inflict damage on the enemy, a true you-die-I-die attack.

And the subject of this spell is the power of Weakness, which weakens the target’s physical abilities and leads to a state of exhaustion.

「𝙍𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙬, 𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧, 𝙨𝙤 𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙖𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡.」

As I had expected, Hoyaukamui now had an expression of panic that he had never had before.

Of course, thanks to the difference in basic specs, he somehow managed to escape from the binding spell even in that situation, but after that, he seemed to be completely exhausted and couldn’t even fly into the air.

Only then did the exorcists, including Yoo Jung-gil, realize the situation and begin to turn their surprised eyes towards me.

I opened my mouth with difficulty as I looked at them.

“. . . He won’t be able to use his full strength for a while. We have to catch him now.”

The exorcists nodded as if they understood and raised their spiritual power, while Hoyaukamui quickly rolled his eyes in horror.

And what caught the guy’s eye was me, who couldn’t move a single hand.

“Kyaaaak!”

Thud.

Thud!

The guy, who let out a scream that was close to a shriek and changed his body once again, became almost like a demon and shot towards me, flying halfway.

He had judged that if he could take care of me, the subject of the spell, he would be able to regain his strength.

「𝙃𝙚’𝙨 𝙜𝙤𝙩 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙩𝙨.」

The guy’s thinking was correct. If I were to take the hit here, all my plans would be ruined in an instant.

However, the guy had missed a very important point, perhaps due to the influence of his panic.

I raised the corners of my mouth and subtly gestured to someone with my chin.

Then, a sharp blade pierced Hoyaukamui’s body along with the sound of air being cut.

Poof!

Caw-w-w!

“Kieeek!”

The guy, who had been stabbed in the middle of his body from above, collapsed and was pinned to the ground, and I approached the guy, who was exuding a bloody smell, with a limping gait.

And then I quietly opened my mouth.

“There’s a reason why your mental strength is only C-rank.”

“Kyaaaak!”

In fact, I didn’t really care if I was weakened by the curse.

That’s only natural, isn’t it? Isn’t that what a shikigami summoner is supposed to do?

My role is to handle shikigami, not to fight the enemy head-on with my own body.

Also, just because my physical abilities are weakened doesn’t mean that my shikigami will be weakened.

In other words, although I called it a curse of mutual destruction, it was actually just a one-sided form of exchange.

「𝙄𝙛 𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙠𝙚𝙥𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚, 𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙖 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙤𝙪𝙩. . . . . . .」

At least, it was impossible for Hoyaukamui, who had such a poor mental strength rank. His intelligence itself probably wasn’t that high either.

「𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙣 𝘼-𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙠, 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙡𝙡.」

Of course, it was dangerous. If my calculations had been even slightly off, I would have been the one facing death right now.

However, the tension of fighting a strong opponent was just right.

I had experienced countless battles like this, and I had grown to the point where I was now.

That was the reason for the guy’s defeat.

“Eve, finish him off.”

“. . . I will carry out your orders.”

Without even giving the guy time to think of a way to resurrect, Eve swung her blade and completely slaughtered his body.

In the end, a moment later, there was nothing left in the place where the guy had been but traces of destruction.

It was the moment when the festival, which had almost turned into a living hell, finally came to an end.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

「. . . 𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙.」

Yoo Jung-gil, a 2nd-grade exorcist of the Namcheon 1st Defense Corps, looked at Han Kang-yoon with a confused face as he hurriedly tended to his injured colleagues.

To be honest, Han Kang-yoon’s battle was beyond Yoo Jung-gil’s understanding.

It was truly in the realm of the eccentric, far removed from the Right Path.

If someone had asked Yoo Jung-gil to do the same thing, Yoo Jung-gil would have refused right away.

「. . . . . . .」

Han Kang-yoon was amazing. Not only was his skill in handling spells excellent, but Yoo Jung-gil felt an insurmountable wall in other areas.

Just like the special-grade exorcists who were said to have transcended humans.

“So, you’re saying that the academy student just defeated a high-ranking yokai all by himself?”

“That’s right.”

“No, huh. Really. . . . . . .”

After Han Kang-yoon subdued Hoyaukamui, several exorcists appeared from the entrance to the tourist attraction.

They were an exorcism unit belonging to the Chungju Central Defense Corps, which Yoo Jung-gil also knew well.

They were a combat-specialized group that took action when a high-ranking yokai appeared within their jurisdiction.

“By any chance, was it not actually a high-ranking one. . . . . . . Is that possible? We can’t rule out the possibility of a mistake.”

“Of course, that’s possible, but I’ve also worked in the field for 10 years as a 2nd-grade exorcist. It’s not my first time encountering an A-rank yokai.”

“Well, then I guess it’s not a mistake.”

Yoo Jung-gil could understand why the young man was asking such persistent questions.

After all, it didn’t make sense, did it?

An academy student had defeated an A-rank yokai in the field.

And the person in question didn’t even have any noticeable wounds. It was said to have been a victory with plenty of room to spare.

“Wow, this is crazy. How am I going to write a report on this. . . . . . . Am I going to get scolded for playing around?”

The young man soon scratched his head and returned to his seat, and Yoo Jung-gil also handed over all of his colleagues to the medical staff and turned his attention back to Han Kang-yoon and his party.

「. . . 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙪𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙚.」

Thinking that he might have witnessed the starting point of another new star who would one day reach special-grade.

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