𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟐𝟕
The guy who had been rushing through the air at a fast pace suddenly stopped moving and just stared at me as I left.
「. . .𝘼𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙜𝙤?」
That guy also knows the old me. That’s why he decided to give up Jabberwock and not let go of his advantage.
Indeed, it was a cold and rational judgment that figured out my trick.
「𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙮.」
I went down to the arena and easily defeated the incapacitated Jabberwock by joining forces with the other shikigami.
And so, the last remaining opponent, the Subterranean Dragon, was just waiting for me in the sky.
“Black Yin, Do-young, Ggong-sam-yi.”
At my words, Black Yin and Black Bird joined forces to grab Do-young and fly up, and Ggong-sam-yi grabbed my shoulder and climbed up to go to the sky together.
This is the best possible formation to effectively fight in the air.
So now, I had no choice but to somehow confront the Subterranean Dragon with just the current members and defeat that guy.
“Just move as I told you in advance.”
『Caw!』
The two shikigami responded, and finally Do-young nodded.
Like that, we, who had once again risen into the air, were able to face the Subterranean Dragon, whose momentum had changed a lot from before.
「𝙄𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚?」
In fact, I don’t even feel the slightest gap in the current Subterranean Dragon.
So it was our job to somehow create that.
“. . .Burn it.”
Poof!
Whoosh!
Ggong-sam-yi’s powerful flames were dodged by the Subterranean Dragon as it twisted its body like it was doing acrobatics.
And Do-young and I took advantage of that opportunity to put pressure on him from both sides with the attack spells we had created.
“Sevenfold Strike.”
『. . .Sevenfold Strike.』
Screech!
Clang, clang, clang!
The Subterranean Dragon dodged my relatively powerful spell first and just let Do-young’s attack slide off its scales.
And the guy let out an earsplitting roar and flew straight at us.
「. . .𝙄𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙤 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮?」
The roar that had the power to paralyze the body for an instant, and the secret technique that followed was a winning strategy that I also often used.
However, that was just the moment I had been waiting for.
『Now is the time.』
Verdi, who had been measuring the timing based on my words in advance, released the flying spell, and I simultaneously called Black Yin and Black Bird into the shadows.
And so, we, who naturally fell, were barely able to escape the guy’s attack range.
「𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙘𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙚.」
However, if it turns out this way, it is we who will benefit.
I immediately summoned the shikigami again the moment the paralysis wore off, and Verdi also cast the flight spell on me again.
And around the Subterranean Dragon, who had missed its timing, my remaining talismans were scattered, emitting powerful spiritual power.
“Azure Serpent Binding.”
Whoosh.
Rumble─!
Azure Serpent Binding, which was deployed using cheong woon talisman made by Cheong Juhwa.
Of course, its power cannot even be compared to that of an ordinary talisman.
The bewildered Subterranean Dragon hurriedly twisted its body and began to dodge the chains, and because of that, it failed to notice.
One of the talismans floating above the guy’s head, for some reason, had no chains extending from it.
“Right now.”
『Yes, yes. I already released it.』
The talisman fluttering in the air emitted a strong light, and soon its size began to swell and change into the shape of something.
Its true identity was Geusdae, who had been disguised as a talisman through the witch’s spell.
『Groooo!』
The Subterranean Dragon, who was very flustered by the giant demon that suddenly appeared in the air, had its body twisted as it was and began to fall into the arena along with Geusdae.
It seemed like it was trying to resist with all its might, but Geusdae is also a powerful yokai that has reached S-rank.
It was not an opponent that the Subterranean Dragon, weakened by the Blue-White Soul Mirror, could just ignore.
Whoosh!
Roar─!
In the end, the two collided with the ground with a loud shock, and I also hurriedly chased after them and headed to the arena.
In the meantime, Geusdae, who seemed to have been counterattacked, was shaking its head while stuck in a corner of the arena, and the Subterranean Dragon, who was staggering but somehow managed to get up.
However, even that Subterranean Dragon was unlikely to be able to escape the perfectly formed encirclement.
Kyooooo─!
The Subterranean Dragon tried to create an opening by letting out a deafening roar again, but its momentum was not like before, perhaps because it had taken a considerable blow.
In the end, it was not able to break through the encirclement, and the guy ended up continuing the battle in a disadvantageous space.
「𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙜𝙪𝙮 𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜. 𝙃𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧. . . . . . .」
My current shikigami were not weak either. If the situation was this well-prepared, it was enough force to win against that guy.
Poof!
Whoosh!
Screech!
Clang, clang, clang─!
As the battle continued, more and more wounds were inflicted on the Subterranean Dragon’s body.
And finally, when its hard scales peeled off and blood began to gush out, the outcome of the victory or defeat began to diverge.
Grooo. . . . . . .
Thud!
The result was, of course, our victory.
『. . .Well done,』
My past self, who had appeared at some point, quietly uttered an exclamation.
Certainly, I also had not expected to win so perfectly.
What would have happened if it had been my past self, who had not experienced much here, standing here?
I’m not sure, but I might not have been able to win in the end.
However, the current me did it and passed the trial of the Blue-White Soul Mirror splendidly.
And to me like that, the guy said.
『It seems like you’ve finally qualified.』
“What do you mean?”
The moment I was about to ask a question, the spiritual power in my body surged on its own, and a strange sense of elation enveloped my whole body.
Whoosh.
Rumble.
The trial of the Blue-White Soul Mirror, I was given a new possibility after breaking through it.
「. . .𝘼𝙢𝙖𝙯𝙞𝙣𝙜.」
I forgot about my doubts from before and simply marveled at it.
I had seen the description many times in the work, but the actual feeling was on a different level.
It felt like I was being reborn, like a martial arts expert who had transformed.
While I was feeling it like I was possessed, the space of the trial that had served its purpose began to collapse.
And to me like that, my past self spoke again.
『Keep this in mind.』
“. . .What?”
『That the one you truly need to overcome is not a mere illusion like me.』
At the same time, I felt the gaze of someone other than the guy.
And I was soon able to discover it.
In the collapsing arena, a woman with gorgeous blonde hair was staring at me without blinking.
And I knew who she was.
「𝘾𝙞𝙚𝙡.」
The only one who I had stated that I could never defeat in the previous world.
She, who was ranked 1st in the PVP world ranking, was challenging me to a duel again here.
🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷
At that place, in terms of ranking, I was seventh.
However, as I said before, that was the maximum value that I, who had a main job, could climb up to by utilizing my limited time.
And I was confident that if I actually had enough time, I could defeat the five above me without fail.
「𝙃𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧. . . . . . .」
She was different.
Ciel was the first and last opponent I admitted that I could not defeat.
And I never asked her for a duel again after that day when I admitted everything.
「𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚.」
I was confident in my skills, but that’s why I was able to make a more rational judgment.
There is an insurmountable wall between me and her.
And that will never be broken.
「𝙄𝙛 𝙞𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙗𝙮 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙫𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚. . . . . . .」
She is different.
Even on days when her body was aching or when she was not in good condition, her strength did not waver.
In a word, she was a figure who seemed to exist in a different dimension.
In fact, I wondered if that was not the feeling I would get if I brought out the main characters representing the exorcism series into reality.
「. . .𝙒𝙚𝙡𝙡, 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙄 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙢𝙚𝙩 𝙔𝙤𝙤 𝙃𝙖-𝙤𝙣, 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩.」
Anyway, to be honest, even now that I have grown more than before, I do not think at all that I can reach her.
It had already taken deep root in my mind and had soon been accepted as a solid fact.
「𝘽𝙪𝙩. . . . . . .」
She appeared again in the trial of the Blue-White Soul Mirror.
And actually, even now that I have left the space of the trial, the Blue-White Soul Mirror is still responding to me.
It meant that I still had the conditions to enter that place.
「𝘿𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧?」
However, it is very strange. It was only possible to accept the trial of the Blue-White Soul Mirror once in the first place, and I have already obtained that power.
That was proven by the actions of the characters in the work, and I have never heard of a case where someone was given another trial like me.
「𝙄𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚’𝙨 𝙣𝙤 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙄 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬. . . . . . .」
But no matter what happened, I was now given another trial, and it seemed like the condition was to win against her, who was ranked 1st.
「𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚.」
The hand sign she sent while staring at me in the space of the trial was a kind of command to request a duel between each other in the latest work.
Although much time has passed since then, there is not even a one in a million chance that I would mistake it.
Realizing that, I slowly recalled the duels I had with her, reminiscing about my past memories one by one.
And I imagined myself facing her now.
The result was really simple and clear.
「𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙣𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙄 𝙛𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩.」
No matter how much I imagined it, I could not picture myself defeating her.
It was not even a close difference. The me in my imagination was literally being overwhelmingly defeated by her.
No matter how many variables I think of and reevaluate the results, that fact alone does not change.
At that, I let out a bitter laugh and soon turned my back, putting the Blue-White Soul Mirror in the Formless Box.
“Is everything done?”
“Yes. Thank you for your help.”
Even until the moment I met Cheong So-ha and said goodbye and returned to my residence, my thoughts did not change at all.
「𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙧.」
It will be the same even if I come back after growing more.
Whether my level exceeds 60 or 70, I cannot overturn the already set results.
That’s why I denied it and tried to continue making rational judgments.
「𝙄’𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙮 𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙥𝙪𝙧𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙚, 𝙨𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙬𝙖𝙮.」
If I accept and give up like that, at least my mind will not become complicated.
So I buried deep in my heart the worries about another trial of the Blue-White Soul Mirror.
Thinking that I would never go back to that space again.
Leave a Reply