I Became the Academy’s Genius Shikigami Summoner – Chapter 236

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟑𝟔

The Demon Desire Jar has returned to where it originally belongs.

In addition, Luke Pensallot has finally met his end without fulfilling his ambition.

Despite accomplishing everything I had set out to do today, my expression remained grim.

「𝙈𝙮 𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙮.」

An ominous aura began to consume the surroundings, and familiar presences could be felt closing in from all directions.

I had a feeling that the time was approaching, but now the final Night Parade of a Hundred Demons was truly announcing its commencement.

“. . .To actually defeat that guy.”

Lost in thought, Yoon Hae-cheol, who had been hiding in a corner of the forest, muttered with a vacant expression.

His appearance, bearing the wounds of battle, reminded me of another battlefield I had long forgotten, and I turned and walked away without another word.

“Let’s return to where the others are.”

There was nothing more for me to do here.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

As quite some time had passed, the outcome of the battle on the other side had also become clear.

The victors were Baek So-yul and her party, as well as members of the Kruger Family and the Four Sovereign Sect, most of whom had been rendered incapable of fighting or had been subdued, including Luke’s last remaining comrade, Drax.

Allen, the only one who managed to escape the battlefield, was apparently being fiercely pursued by the Kruger Family at this moment.

「. . .𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙄 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙣 𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝.」

I felt sorry for the Krugers, but even if he were to get away from them here, another opportunity would surely arise someday.

That was Allen’s fate and destiny.

He would probably go into hiding and refrain from making any public appearances for a while, so he wouldn’t be a hindrance anymore.

The Yahwak had effectively been disbanded.

“What happened to him?”

“If you’re referring to Luke, he’s dead.”

“Oh, that’s great. He seemed like he had some serious power.”

John Kruger didn’t seem too upset about letting Allen get away.

When I asked him why, he said it was fine because they had achieved a decisive victory.

“We dealt him an irreversible wound. Now he won’t be able to use his forbidden technique to prolong his life by transferring his soul into another body.”

If that was the case, then Allen’s evil deeds, which had spanned generations, had finally come to an end here.

It was no wonder he seemed to be in a good mood.

“Anyway, I owe you a great debt. I will definitely repay this favor.”

“I’ve also received a lot of help from you. Thank you.”

All of our immediate concerns had been resolved. However, now we had to jump into the raging torrent that lay before us once again.

John Kruger brought it up as well.

“I guess. . . . . .it’s begun. I’m sorry, but we should head back to our country right away.”

“Yes. You’ve worked hard.”

After seeing the Krugers off, I gathered Cheong So-ha, Baek So-yul, and Yoon Hae-cheol and quietly shared my thoughts about what lay ahead.

“Has it finally begun?”

“Yes. It’s time for each of us to return to our own places and fulfill our roles.”

No one objected to my words.

Everyone was keenly aware of the danger posed by the situation we were facing.

“It’s on a completely different level than before. I’m worried, even with people attached to the main headquarters.”

“. . .Yeah. I can already sense powerful auras all around us.”

Even Yoon Hae-cheol and Arietta seemed more serious than usual as they muttered.

There was no time to hesitate. With that, we bid each other farewell and set out for our respective destinations.

And in the process, I had to take care of something I had been putting off.

It was none other than the matter concerning Hwa Baek.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

“. . .You shouldn’t talk nonsense.”

When she first had a brief encounter with Echinacea Lianqi, Hwa Baek was unable to confirm her identity.

After all, her appearance and aura had changed from before.

「𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙢𝙮 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚, 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙗𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙚. . . . . . .」

After hearing her name and spending some time with her, Hwa Baek finally realized Echinacea Lianqi’s true identity and tried to make contact with her.

However, I had prevented it, so their meeting never came to fruition.

“First, let me ask you this. Is she the same person I know?”

“Yes. Although many things have changed over time, she is the same person.”

“. . .Then why did you stop me? Isn’t that going against our agreement?”

Her tone was such that she seemed ready to unleash her anger at any moment.

I calmly collected my thoughts and responded to Hwa Baek.

“She may have improved somewhat, but she is still wary of me.”

I had mentioned Echinacea Lianqi’s purpose and offered to make a deal, so it was true that I was a suspicious figure in her eyes.

“If I were to suddenly delve into that past and expose your existence, Hwa Baek, it could make things worse.”

“Are you saying that approaching her carelessly could backfire?”

“That’s correct. At the very least, the timing wasn’t right then.”

I had already shown Echinacea Lianqi too many of my cards.

And then I was going to bring up Hwa Baek’s existence out of the blue? That would never have been a good idea.

Hwa Baek still seemed full of complaints, but he seemed to have somewhat understood my reasoning.

“She has a clear purpose right now. Therefore, she will be wary and hostile towards anyone who might interfere with it.”

“. . . . . . .”

“So please be patient and wait a little longer until a more secure position has been established.”

And when that time came, Hwa Baek’s existence would surely be a great asset to me.

As revealed in the side story, Echinacea Lianqi herself had been reminiscing about Hwa Baek in her memories all this time.

With that, Hwa Baek let out a frustrated sigh and turned to walk back into my shadow.

There was a hint of petulance in her steps, but it was clear that she had given her tacit consent.

“Thank you for understanding.”

“. . .If it takes too long, I won’t be able to endure it either.”

“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”

After finishing my conversation with Hwa Baek, I quickly made my way to the hideout where Arietta was staying.

The surrounding scenery I observed as I traveled was, as expected, grim.

Exorcists with grim expressions were patrolling everywhere, and civilians were lining up to evacuate according to the pre-arranged instructions.

“. . .Junior, do you feel it?”

“Yes. Some of them have already come out into the open.”

As soon as I finished speaking, a surge of demonic energy could suddenly be felt from the path where the civilians were moving, and several yokai began to appear.

Clank.

『Kyaaa!』

『Kieeeek!』

“Gyaaaah!”

“T-They’re yokai, yokai!”

Naturally, the civilians were thrown into chaos, and the exorcists patrolling nearby rushed over to engage them.

However, the results were, to be honest, somewhat alarming.

“Keuk! Cough, hack!”

“They’re strong! Everyone, surround them all at once!”

Almost all of the exorcists gathered here were veterans who had surpassed level 40.

There were even some who seemed to be at the early stages of 2nd-grade, so they were definitely not weak.

However, even they were struggling against the yokai that had appeared as mere foot soldiers.

「𝙎𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩.」

Cling!

【Imp】

▶Level 49

【Double-headed Ogre】

▶Level 47

「. . .𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮’𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙛𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝.」

At this level, they were definitely too much for 3rd-grade or even early 2nd-grade exorcists to handle.

After assessing the situation, I gave Arietta a quick signal and immediately moved my shadow to summon my shikigami.

“Ggong-sam-yi.”

“. . .Burn them.”

Swoosh.

Poof!

Boom!

Leaping out of the shadows, Ggong-sam-yi grabbed one of the double-headed ogre’s heads and slammed it into the ground.

The imp that rushed in next was immobilized by intense flames, and Arietta took advantage of the opening to finish it off.

The battle was over in an instant.

The exorcists looked on in surprise before regaining their composure and approaching us.

“W-Who are you. . . . . . .”

“I’m 3rd-grade exorcist Han Kang-yoon. What’s the current situation?”

“Oh, you’re that. . . . . . .I’ve heard rumors about you a few times. Excuse me, but would you be able to help us?”

According to the 2nd-grade exorcist Joo Yong-taek, nearby exorcists were going around to several districts to lead civilians directly to the shelters.

Their response was certainly much faster than during the previous incident.

However, the level of the yokai had also increased, and their movements had become more agile, so it seemed like things wouldn’t be easy.

“Yes. I’ll help. Which way is the shelter?”

“It’s about 2.2 km to the northwest.”

Before we could decide on a precise course of action, we needed to help the civilians first.

With that in mind, Arietta and I led the civilians to the shelter while keeping the yokai that were blocking the way in check.

And just as we were about to arrive, a sudden crisis struck.

Crackle.

Crackle.

《This is the shelter, this is the shelter. Can you hear me?》

“This is Joo Yong-taek of the Hwayoung 1st Defense Corps. What’s going on?”

《This is an emergency. A high-ranking yokai has appeared in front of the shelter entrance. Stop what you’re doing and take cover immediately.》

“W-What. . . . . . .”

Indeed, as he said, a yokai of considerable power was emitting its aura just ahead.

At that level, it would definitely be a formidable opponent, worthy of an A-rank designation at the very least.

To make matters worse, the problem didn’t end there.

『Booooo!』

Apparently, it possessed some means of summoning yokai, because as soon as it let out a strange cry, numerous demonic energies could be felt approaching from all directions.

As a result, it was only a matter of time before we, who were leading a large group of civilians, were discovered.

『Kyaaa?』

『Hiss!』

“H-huh!”

“T-There are so many of them, sir exorcists, please do something!”

As one of the women said, the number of yokai was truly staggering.

It was unbelievable to think that so many yokai had been hiding somewhere nearby.

Crackle!

“S-Shelter, this is the shelter. We’re already surrounded! Requesting immediate support!”

Even without the presence of a powerful yokai, Joo Yong-taek and his group wouldn’t be able to handle that many.

However, the response from the shelter was nothing short of despairing.

《. . .Negative. We don’t have any power left.》

“Dammit! There are dozens of civilians here!”

Joo Yong-taek’s actions were filled with fear, and the civilians began to give up hope as well, each trying to find their own way to escape.

In this situation, it was like giving up on their lives, so I stepped forward before it was too late and spoke to everyone.

“Don’t act rashly and gather in the center. I’ll protect you.”

“T-This is crazy! Can’t you see how many of them there are?”

A familiar reaction, but there was no need to argue back.

Swoosh.

Poof!

“Come out, all of you.”

After all, they would realize where the safest place was here soon enough.

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