I Became the Academy’s Genius Shikigami Summoner – Chapter 181

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟖𝟏

In the pitch-black prison where he couldn’t even see a hand in front of him, Yusu-bi had been asleep for many long years.

As a result, his mind became clouded and his memories dulled.

Then one day, Yusu-bi felt the prison that had been binding him gradually loosening.

As more time passed, a gap formed in it, and Yusu-bi was finally able to come out into the world again after an eternity.

「. . .𝙄’𝙢 𝙝𝙪𝙣𝙜𝙧𝙮.」

Having regained his freedom, Yusu-bi immediately devoured several nearby humans, absorbing their memories and knowledge.

And he came to realize that a new era had dawned while he had been asleep.

Having regained his strength, Yusu-bi immediately set out to find a suitable place to create his territory. It was the only way to fully regain his strength, which had been weakened by many years of weathering.

In the process, he killed several exorcists of this era.

The results were, to be honest, disappointing.

「𝘼𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙚𝙭𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙨?」

No matter how much the era had changed, compared to the exorcists Yusu-bi knew, they seemed like children playing at being adults.

As Yusu-bi was engrossed in creating his territory in the mountains, he eventually sensed an unprecedented number of humans approaching.

And in the process of fighting them, he came to understand the way humans survived in this era.

「𝙄𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙨?」

There were many of them.

They weren’t like the exorcists Yusu-bi knew, who acted alone or with a few companions.

The violence created by their overwhelming numerical advantage was not easy for Yusu-bi to deal with.

That’s why he had a hard time and suffered damage he didn’t want.

However, despite that, Yusu-bi’s conclusion was the same.

「𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮’𝙧𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙬𝙚𝙖𝙠.」

In Yusu-bi’s time, exorcists were beings that inspired fear in yokai.

Among them, there were even some who made even Yusu-bi, who was known as a great yokai, tremble.

But there was no such person here.

No one made Yusu-bi afraid, and so the result was naturally defeat.

Having dealt with most of the humans, as he was about to target the girl who had been obstructing the natural energy, Yusu-bi felt his nerves tingle for the first time since regaining his freedom.

「𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨. . . . . . .」

From the shadows that now covered the ground beneath his feet, a huge form emerged.

Screech!

Roar─!

Barely blocking the fist that was swinging at him, Yusu-bi realized its identity in an instant.

A yokai, and a fairly powerful one at that.

「𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙝. . . . . . .」

Looking around briefly, Yusu-bi was soon able to find the source.

It was the young human who had summoned the Fire Demon, who was still protecting the girl of natural energy.

“. . .Amazing. At that age, he’s already using such a great yokai as a mount.”

Furthermore, what really surprised Yusu-bi was that he hadn’t realized the opponent’s skill until now.

Surely he must have been waiting patiently for the moment when he would exhaust himself and become exhausted.

No matter how old he was, he had to have the soul of a great hunter.

「𝙃𝙚’𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙜𝙪𝙚.」

The giant yokai that appeared before him was strong, but strictly speaking, it was slightly inferior to Yusu-bi.

However, the problem was that Yusu-bi himself was far from his normal state.

「. . .𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙠 𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙜𝙤.」

It seemed like a desperate measure, but it was a complacent response.

Yusu-bi, certain of his victory, put all his strength into his feet as he circled the yokai.

And at that moment, he realized that his opponent had not underestimated him, but rather the opposite.

“Come on.”

Swish.

Poof!

Splash!

It wasn’t just one.

From the shadows that grew larger again, several yokai emerged one after another.

Furthermore, they weren’t just any nonsense. Each of them possessed undeniable strength.

「. . . . . . .」

In a situation that was hard to understand, Yusu-bi finally had to admit it.

Even though he hadn’t seen anyone who could make him afraid in this era, there was at least one opponent who could arouse his fighting spirit.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

「𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙄 𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙤𝙪𝙩? . . . . . .」

In fact, it was unreasonable. As I am now, I don’t even have the energy to maintain a single Geusdae.

However, judging from the strength he had shown so far, and his reaction after exchanging with Geusdae, I could tell.

That I would never be able to win this way.

That’s why I suddenly released all the power I could use right now.

It was a fight with no holds barred. I was determined to finish it no matter what.

“. . .You’re a yokai that uses fire. You’re not a good match for me.”

“You don’t have to come out in front.”

Soon, at my command, Hwa Baek sent out a bundle of plant stems into the ground.

Crash!

Thud!

Thud!

“Keep it that way until the battle is over.”

I’m not sure, but maybe this will prevent Yusu-bi from exercising proper control over the surrounding land.

Sensing that fact, his face twitched for a moment.

“. . .If you can use this many mounts, you’ve been hiding your strength until now.”

I wasn’t really hiding it. I was just waiting for the perfect moment to make the most of this one chance.

「𝘼𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙛𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩?」

The last remaining 1st-grade exorcist, Park Yong-jin, the nature-type spellcaster Seo Ji-an, and me.

There were still some exorcists in each group who were unharmed, but most of them were already demoralized.

「𝘾𝙖𝙣’𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥𝙚𝙙.」

Anyway, in a fight from now on, it wouldn’t be much help to bring someone who doesn’t fit in.

I called Park Yong-jin, who was looking at the shikigami with a surprised expression, to the rear.

“I’ll protect you no matter what, so please keep firing advanced spells as long as you can.”

Even though he’s in good condition, Park Yong-jin is already feeling extreme physical fatigue.

So if I wanted to make use of his remaining vast spiritual power, this was the best way.

“. . .I understand. I will.”

As expected of a veteran, Park Yong-jin quickly found his role and blended into the chaotic situation.

Now, the rest was up to me and Seo Ji-an.

“Geusdae, Black Yin, Sori-soe.”

At my command, the shikigami rushed towards Yusu-bi at once.

Even the weakest of them, Sori-soe, is now level 49.

It was not an easy combination for Yusu-bi, who was exhausted.

Kuwung!

“Keuk!”

Geusdae’s blow hit Yusu-bi as he was distracted by Black Yin’s feather attack and Sori-soe’s flashy movements.

Although he defended himself by wrapping his body in rock, most of the impact must have been transmitted directly.

“. . .You’re asking me to fight you?”

Kwak!

Boom!

Yusu-bi kicked the ground hard and pushed Geusdae away with his palm.

His elasticity was beyond common sense, as if he had springs all over his body. Even Geusdae, with his large size, was pushed away and rolled on the ground.

But that was okay. Yusu-bi wasn’t the only one who boasted a strong defense.

『Groooo.』

Geusdae, who had taken a powerful blow, got up as if nothing had happened.

On closer inspection, he seems to be even more energetic than before he was hit.

The power of the fighting spirit trait that absorbs the opponent’s attack and inflates its own strength.

Even Yusu-bi, who had been brimming with confidence until now, seemed to be slightly shaken by that fact.

「𝙁𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙩 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙛𝙧𝙖𝙪𝙙𝙪𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙩.」

One of the top traits in the exorcism series that I mentioned a few times before.

Honestly, if that trait hadn’t been sealed in the battle of Yeongwol Island in the past, I probably wouldn’t be here now.

Thud.

Thud.

Kung.

『Grooo!』

Geusdae, confident in the power of his fighting spirit trait and shock absorption trait, attacked aggressively.

Yusu-bi was unable to fully utilize his strengths in the face of his momentum and was constantly on the defensive.

If that’s the case, then what happens next is really simple.

“Water Spear!”

“Sevenfold Strike!”

Screech!

Splash─!

“Keuk!”

Seo Ji-an and Park Yong-jin’s attacks, which had gathered enough strength, were mercilessly fired, and Yusu-bi was unable to properly avoid them and allowed himself to be hit again.

“. . .How dare you!”

Flames erupted from beneath Yusu-bi’s feet in anger.

Just like before, he intended to collapse their formation with an attack of great power at the cost of damage.

「𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨. . . . . . .」

The flames grew larger and larger, and my breath was suddenly cut off as I gasped for air.

At the same time, it was none other than Seo Ji-an who moved.

“. . .If I use this, I won’t be able to move anymore.”

In a word, it meant that she would leave the rest to me.

As I nodded, Seo Ji-an calmly closed her eyes and soon began to concentrate her mind and draw out a vast amount of spiritual power.

Then, something amazing happened.

Streams of water burst out from the ground all over the mountain, and all of them converged on Seo Ji-an.

It was as if all the water veins underground were being drawn out.

Seo Ji-an, who had brought it about, infused the water stream with her spiritual power and poured it directly at Yusu-bi.

“Torrential Flow.”

Rumbling.

Splash!

Roar─!

Sizzle─!

A huge amount of steam was generated as the fire and water met, and the temperature around them dropped momentarily.

When it all cleared, all that was left was Yusu-bi standing silently in place, soaked to the skin.

After a long silence, Yusu-bi finally opened his mouth again in an emotionless tone.

“I admit it.”

“. . . . . . .”

“In this battle, I cannot defeat you.”

It was a bit of a strange attitude, because it wasn’t the Yusu-bi I knew from the original.

“After suffering a bitter defeat in the past and being imprisoned for an eternity, I realized one thing.”

“What. . . . . . .”

“That there is no set form of victory.”

After finishing his words, Yusu-bi stared into the void for a moment and revealed the fact that I had been trying to hide.

“You look visibly exhausted. You must not be able to use that many mounts freely.”

Immediately afterwards, Yusu-bi jumped up and distanced himself from us.

Squawk!

Thud.

“From now on, I will find a place to hide and heal my wounds. And I will kill you first.”

He’s not wrong. Yusu-bi is a high-ranking yokai. Naturally, he can recover his strength several times faster than I, a mere human.

However, it was also a truly unexpected choice.

「𝙄 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙝𝙚’𝙙 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙖 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣.」

Looking at Yusu-bi’s back as he disappeared into the distance, I let out a hollow laugh with a blank expression.

Hell difficulty.

I never imagined that he would bring about a variation in this way.

However, there was one thing that Yusu-bi didn’t know.

“Sahwanjae.”

Swish.

Splash!

『Keheek.』

I put my all into everything I do, and when it comes to combat, I leave all possibilities open.

Originally, I hadn’t prepared to use it in this situation, but it doesn’t matter anyway.

“Connect the passage.”

After arriving at Mt. Mudeung, Sahwanjae created passages all over the mountain range in advance.

That moment was when it was unintentionally transformed into the final blade that would take Yusu-bi’s neck.

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