𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟕𝟗
「𝙃𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙎𝙚-𝙬𝙤𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙜𝙤𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙩?」
It came as a great shock to me as well. Obviously, in the original, Hwang Se-woong fought alongside Yoo Ha-on’s group until the very end.
「𝙃𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙎𝙚-𝙬𝙤𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙮 𝙖 𝙨𝙠𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙚𝙭𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙞𝙨𝙩. . . . . . .」
His level is 64.
Just now, I checked the information again and confirmed that he is stronger than Shin No-eul, whom I met last time.
The implications of this were simple but clear.
There was either a hidden factor in this battlefield that I was unaware of, or Yusu-bi had simply become that much stronger.
「. . .𝙄𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙗𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙨?」
Hell difficulty.
The difference of a single level was becoming more and more apparent.
In any case, the exorcists were thrown into complete shock by this news.
“. . .It’s only been 10 minutes since we split up.”
“H-How strong does the enemy have to be for something like this to happen?”
“It might be wise to retreat for now and wait for reinforcements.”
Their words were not entirely wrong.
Now that Hwang Se-woong had been defeated, there were only three 1st-grade left as the strongest exorcists on this battlefield.
Even they could not be confident of overcoming the opponent who had taken down Hwang Se-woong.
“If they find out that a family elder has been harmed, the Huang family will also send a large number of personnel.”
Hwang Se-woong was certainly an excellent exorcist, but there were several exorcists in the Hwang family who surpassed him.
Even though they were all extremely busy, they were likely to send reinforcements if a threat of this magnitude appeared.
「𝙃𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧. . . . . . .」
That cannot be allowed. I am the only one who fully understands this fact.
「𝙄𝙛 𝙬𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙧𝙚, 𝙔𝙪𝙨𝙪-𝙗𝙞 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧.」
His transformation of this place into his own domain is part of that.
If he is given enough time, he will become an opponent that even two or three special-grades will need to team up to handle.
The appearance of such a powerful entity in an emergency like this is tantamount to immeasurable damage.
As I was calmly considering my options, new information came in over the radio.
『T-The leader gave orders to continue the subjugation before he lost consciousness! And the bastard was also injured in the previous battle!』
Indeed, it seemed that Hwang Se-woong had not gone down without a fight.
The news of Hwang Se-woong’s struggle somewhat eased the fear in the hearts of the exorcists.
“Oh, so that’s it. . . . . . .”
“If he’s injured, then it’s not an impossible fight.”
“Rather, we should hurry and confront him before he recovers from his wounds.”
Nodding, the exorcists contacted the other teams and began to climb the mountain, following Yusu-bi’s trail.
The closer we got to him, the stronger the oppressive heat and the more intense the demonic energy that stabbed at our bodies.
It was enough to make one or two of them lose their nerve, but the party, remembering Hwang Se-woong’s sacrifice, did not hesitate.
After climbing the mountain for some time, we finally caught sight of him sitting cross-legged on Jiwang Peak, one of the highest peaks.
He was slightly larger than a human, with a humanoid form covered in thin, rock-like skin.
However, anyone could tell from the ferocious aura emanating from him that he was a being completely different from a human.
“. . .This is Team B-2, we have spotted the target,”
『Team B-1 has also spotted it.』
『Team A-2, currently 100m from the target.』
Three out of the five teams had approached him, but Yusu-bi, who must have been aware of it, showed no reaction whatsoever, remaining seated in the lotus position.
I closed the distance between us to some extent and used my Sentiment skill to check his information.
Ding!
【Yusu-bi】
▶Level 66
▶Ability Scores
【Stamina: S-】
【Demonic Power: A+】
【Spellcraft: A】
【Mental Strength: A-】
▶Traits (9/10)
【Landlord (S)】
【Iron Fortress (A+)】
【Iron Wall (A+)】
【Blazing Flames (A-)】
【Damage Resistance (B+)】
【Guardian (B+)】
【Berserk (B)】
【Spiritual Power Amplification (B)】
【Strong Bones (C-)】
「. . .𝙃𝙚’𝙨 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧, 𝙖𝙡𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩.」
Just by looking at his level, ability scores, and traits, I can get a rough estimate. Yusu-bi must be incredibly strong, durable, and have a tenacious life force.
「𝙃𝙖𝙨 𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 10 𝙩𝙤 20% 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡?」
If that’s the case, then it’s understandable that Hwang Se-woong was quickly defeated.
Especially with so many defensive traits, it must have been extremely difficult to take him down with a brute force assault.
「𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙖 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙤𝙣 𝙝𝙞𝙢.」
Of the people I know, the one with the most defensive fighting style is Hwang Ji-hak.
However, Yusu-bi’s defensive capabilities were several levels above even Hwang Ji-hak’s.
In the original, Yoo Ha-on was able to accumulate damage on him through the power of her Anti-Demon trait, but I have no such method.
「𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠. . . . . . .」
. . . is a grand spell, a high-level forbidden spell, or Seo Ji-an’s nature spells.
Of those, I don’t even know if there’s anyone who can use a grand spell now that Hwang Se-woong has retired.
As the team leaders were coordinating the timing of their approach over the radio, the bastard, who had been ignoring us the whole time, suddenly changed his attitude.
Coo-coo!
Screech!
From far away, he began to kick off the ground and leap somewhere.
The exorcists gasped in surprise at the sight, and I also realized his intentions and hurriedly opened my mouth.
“He’s going to take out the assault teams one by one! Which team is in that direction?”
“. . .It’s the direction where Team A-2 is. We have to hurry.”
We no longer held back, using even our strengthening spells as we rapidly covered the ground.
When we arrived at the location where Team A-2 had been, we found a scene of scorched earth.
“Oh my god. . . . . . .”
“I-I can’t breathe.”
It was a sight that raised serious concerns about the lives of the team members, but there was something else that the bastard had overlooked.
“I found them! Most of them are still alive!”
That’s right, these people were also seasoned veterans who had overcome countless challenges.
「𝙄𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙤 𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙚 𝙣𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙨.」
Each team had enough power to hold off Yusu-bi for a certain amount of time if he attempted to escape.
Even though the plan had gone awry from the start with Hwang Se-woong’s defeat, it meant that they were far from being a ragtag group.
“. . .It seems we arrived just in time.”
Furthermore, the claim that he had been injured seemed to be true, as the flesh around Yusu-bi’s left hip was badly damaged.
Since he was not in top condition either, he could not instantly wipe out an entire team in his current state.
This could be considered the first glimmer of hope for victory.
However, for some reason, the expressions of the A-team exorcists, who had been fighting valiantly, were not so bright.
“This bastard, his spells are completely. . . . . . .”
They were completely at a loss against his overwhelming defensive power.
Furthermore, although they had fought valiantly, they were not without casualties.
About 30% of Team A-2’s members had already suffered injuries that rendered them unable to fight, so it could be said that it had been a one-sided battle of attrition.
“Calm down. Judging from the fact that he injured the commander, he’s not invincible either. There must be a way to break through.”
Yoon Moon-hyung, who could be considered the most senior among them, a 1st-grade exorcist, spoke up.
And as if in response to him, a group of exorcists soon appeared from another direction.
Leading them was another 1st-grade exorcist from the Baek family, Baek In-soo.
“He’s right, it’s possible that direct attacks will be more effective against him.”
Finally, Park Yong-jin, the 1st-grade exorcist leading our team, joined them, forming a perfect encirclement of the bastard from three directions.
In fact, these three were the backbone of the subjugation force, the strongest forces available.
“Form up! We move as planned!”
At those words, the exorcists from the three teams moved in unison, and I, Seo Ji-an, and Lee Eun-chan followed suit.
From this point on, these three teams would assist the three 1st-grade exorcists, taking turns in the roles of offense and defense.
「𝘼 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙣𝙩’𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙝.」
In fact, it is the most traditional and practical strategy when facing a high-level yokai.
Swish.
Roar!
Soon, Yusu-bi, sensing our unusual movements, sent a powerful blast of flames towards Team B-2, which I was part of.
“Block it!”
Boom!
The crimson flames instantly filled my vision, but as the exorcists nearby simultaneously deployed their defensive spells, it was rendered ineffective.
And at the same time, Yusu-bi had to pay a heavy price for it.
“Hundred Flower Heat Wave!”
“Poisonous Daggers!”
“Spirit Bullet.”
Whoosh!
Boom!
Crash!
The spells fired simultaneously by the two remaining teams with spells to spare battered Yusu-bi’s flesh.
Although each one may have been insignificant in power, the story was different when a dozen or so of them were combined.
「. . .𝙄𝙢𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚.」
The combined efforts of the exorcists were far from being a mere spectacle.
It was a genuine survival strategy that had been passed down through actual combat.
Yusu-bi, perhaps taken aback by the completely different momentum compared to before, momentarily froze in place, taking a fully defensive stance.
And in that gap, the three 1st-grade exorcists at the forefront launched their assault.
“Sevenfold Strike!”
“Flowing Rock Shattering Halberd.”
Two of them fired advanced spells, while the remaining one assisted them.
Although they were from different organizations, the three of them seemed to have great synergy, as if they had done this many times before.
「. . .𝘼 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙗𝙟𝙪𝙜𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙄 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩.」
When we seriously engaged the 1st-grade exorcists, our formation hindered us, and when we tried to break the formation, the 1st-grade exorcists held us back.
At this moment, Yusu-bi had no other options. He was completely trapped, slowly draining his demonic energy and stamina.
「𝙊𝙛 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚, 𝙞𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙞𝙩. . . . . . .」
. . . there would be no reason for him to be ranked as a named yokai and one of the story bosses in the original.
So, unlike the exorcists around me, whose expressions were brightening with a sense of victory, I remained tense.
He must have depleted his stamina to some extent by now, so if he’s going to make a change, it’s now.
My prediction soon proved to be accurate.
“Heh. Things aren’t going as you thought.”
“T-This bastard, he can speak human. . . . . . !”
It was not so strange. It was common knowledge that yokai who killed humans and took their souls and flesh could absorb some of their knowledge and language.
However, Yusu-bi had, up until now, shown no reaction whatsoever, as if he was doing it on purpose.
That meant that he had also been conducting a kind of test on us up until now.
“. . .I have learned enough.”
Boom!
As Yusu-bi finished speaking expressionlessly and stomped his foot, the surrounding ground split open and flames erupted from all sides.
“Huh, huh. . . . . . .”
“What the. . . . . . !”
The bastard’s true power, spells that allowed him to manipulate fire and earth at will.
It had begun to be unleashed in earnest.
And Yusu-bi continued speaking in a flat tone.
“No one here can kill me in this place.”
At that confident declaration, everyone present swallowed their saliva.
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