I Became the Academy’s Genius Shikigami Summoner – Chapter 239

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟑𝟗

In the wake of my clash with Luke, where I wielded the grand spell, Faithful Broken Shadow, a peculiar sensation washed over me.

Contrary to expectations, completing the incantation had been less taxing than I had anticipated.

Although it had been an adventure in its own right, I still had some leeway left when the spell was cast. Even Faithful Broken Shadow had failed to truly test my limits.

「𝙄𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙚. . . . . . .」

Perhaps I could wield even more potent sorcery.

And so, the spell that came to mind was Hektel’s grand spell, Death Transmigration.

Truthfully, the odds of success were no better than fifty-fifty. While I knew the structure and content of the spell itself, it remained high-level sorcery that was beyond my current capabilities.

“The wheel of the Three Realms and Six Paths spins eternally. . .”

Whoosh!

Yet, as the moment for retaliation arrived, an inexplicable intuition told me that now, it would be possible.

Furthermore, I was eager to test the limits of my abilities right here and now.

To discover the true extent of my power and how far I could push myself.

And indeed, the spell began to take shape and coalesce according to my will, gradually revealing its formidable might.

“Grand spell , Death Transmigration.”

Clang!

Screech!

As the spell was completed, a surge of overwhelming death energy erupted, engulfing my vision.

Dotbaldoksoo, overwhelmed by the unbearable force, desperately assumed a defensive stance, but it was far from enough.

Ultimately, the spell engulfed his body, and he writhed in agony, his screams echoing through the air.

『Groan───!』

His limbs began to corrode, and patches of his flesh slowly began to rot.

Unable to withstand the potent curse that had invaded his body, he began to crumble from the inside out.

And when the spell’s aftereffects finally subsided, he collapsed to the ground, vomiting up black, congealed blood.

「𝙎𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙭𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧. . . . . . .」

Despite my humble words, the Death Transmigration I had just cast possessed even greater potency than Hektel’s.

It was a testament to the immense power bestowed by my karma value, which had bridged the considerable gap in our specifications.

「𝙃𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧. . . . . . .」

Using such high-level sorcery, and in an even more potent form, had taken a significant toll on my body.

Though it was likely a temporary phenomenon, the right half of my body, from which I had cast the spell, felt numb and unresponsive.

Even with the compensation provided by my karma value, this was the extent of the damage. Had this been my original body, my right arm and shoulder might never have recovered.

「𝘼𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙡𝙡, 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙃𝙚𝙠𝙩𝙚𝙡 𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙪𝙩𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣.」

While it was immensely powerful, it seemed prudent to avoid using it recklessly.

With that thought in mind, I slowly made my way towards his lifeless body.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

“Did he, did he really do this. . . . . . alone?”

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

Immediately following the battle, exorcists who had been scattered throughout the area rushed towards Han Kang-yoon, their faces etched with astonishment.

Not only were there traces of a battle that could have been mistaken for a bomb blast, but the sight of Han Kang-yoon standing unscathed before the slain yokai left them with a profound sense of unease.

「𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙖 𝙝𝙞𝙜𝙝-𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙠𝙖𝙞. . . . . . .」

「𝙏𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙖 𝙡𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡 𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙜𝙚?」

Envy could only take them so far. For these individuals, who had accrued significant experience over the years, Han Kang-yoon was already perceived as an untouchable entity.

Ji Yeong-min, the shelter manager, was no exception to these sentiments.

“Truly remarkable. What was he like?”

“It was strong. However, I believe it would be premature to say that it has fully reached S-rank.”

“Heh. . . . . . .”

In other words, even this monstrous toad was considered a mere stepping stone for Han Kang-yoon.

Upon realizing this, Ji Yeong-min couldn’t help but let out a wry chuckle.

“. . .You are certainly not someone who should be confined to a place like this. You are clearly destined for greater things.”

“You flatter me.”

In the wake of Han Kang-yoon’s previous exploits, an unspoken desire had taken root within the shelter: they wanted him to stay and protect them.

To be honest, Ji Yeong-min felt the same way.

In the midst of this chaotic situation, there was much anxiety about protecting the citizens with only himself and his exorcists.

However, he could now say with certainty that Han Kang-yoon was not someone who should be tied down here.

He was clearly an individual who was meant to make a difference on a grander scale.

“I’m afraid I must meet with my companions soon. Would you be able to dispose of his body for me?”

“Of course. Don’t worry about it and go.”

As Han Kang-yoon turned to leave, Ji Yeong-min watched his retreating figure. 

One of the exorcists, Yoon Yeong-cheol, a much younger exorcist from the headquarters and a recent graduate of the 2nd-grade exorcist qualification, approached him.

“By the way, Hyung-nim, isn’t this a bit too easy? When I looked closely, it seemed like that kid took him down without much difficulty.”

“You speak recklessly.”

Of course, it was understandable to think that way. At a glance, Han Kang-yoon’s battle had appeared to be effortless and decisive.

However, appearances could be deceiving. Ji Yeong-min, at least, had the discernment to recognize this.

“Yeong-cheol, try launching a spell at full power.”

“Hmm. . . . . .Understood.”

And so, Yoon Yeong-cheol began to chant, unleashing the most powerful advanced spell he could currently wield upon Dotbaldoksoo’s corpse.

The other exorcists, who had been observing the scene, gasped in disbelief at the result.

“W-What. . . . . . .”

“It barely even made an impact?”

Had the creature still been alive and well, their astonishment would not have been so great.

However, it was now a lifeless corpse, its flesh torn and its skin corroded from having endured the full brunt of Han Kang-yoon’s attack.

Yet, even against such an opponent, Yoon Yeong-cheol’s attack had failed to inflict any significant damage.

“Do you understand now? If he hadn’t been here, we would have been wiped out. If you truly wish to protect the citizens, you must all deeply engrave the dangers of high-ranking yokai upon your minds.”

As the exorcists gathered there nodded solemnly, Yoon Yeong-cheol, who had been equally taken aback, added one more remark.

“Well, then, just how strong is that kid?”

That was something that even Ji Yeong-min could not answer.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

“. . .You’re late, junior.”

“I apologize. A fairly powerful yokai attacked.”

Just before I escorted the citizens to the shelter, I had asked Arietta to do me a favor.

I had asked her to gather information by traveling to the surrounding areas and other shelters.

「𝙄𝙣 𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨, 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙨𝙥 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣.」

With Arietta’s abilities, she could actively use stealth and reconnaissance, which was fortunate for me.

“So, what were the results?”

“. . .First of all, the situation in other shelters is not much different from here.”

They were all struggling with power shortages and desperately defending the citizens from the relentless onslaught of yokai.

From this, it seemed clear that the number of mid-level yokai had increased significantly.

And the critical part came next.

“Was there any information about them?”

In response to my question, Arietta shook her head with a subtle expression.

“I managed to gather some information about high-ranking yokai, but I didn’t find any that matched the characteristics you described, junior.”

“. . .Is that so? Thank you for your hard work.”

In the original work, each of these yokai had played a significant role and had become something of a nemesis to Yoo Ha-on and her companions.

I had thought that I might be able to find at least one or two of them, but it seemed that I was wrong.

「𝙒𝙖𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙩𝙤𝙤 𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙮?」

However, I couldn’t be sure if such a mention had ever existed. Even in the original work, it hadn’t taken particularly long for these creatures to make their appearance.

In that case, the most prudent course of action would be to expand my search radius by traveling to different areas.

“I will be leaving this place soon.”

“Yes. I will make the necessary preparations.”

And so, after returning to the shelter to bid farewell to Ji Yeong-min and Joo Yong-taek, I left without delay.

“Where do you plan to go next?”

“For now, I plan to travel around the outskirts of Seoul and observe the situation.”

Since Yoo Ha-on and her companions were scattered in the vicinity, most of the incidents would likely occur around there.

Of course, there could be any number of incidents that were not covered in the original work, but that was something I couldn’t possibly consider at this point in time.

“. . .Junior, the situation is more dire than you think.”

“Indeed.”

As I expanded my range of activities, I came to realize that Ji Yeong-min and the people at the shelter had been quite fortunate.

Even in the vicinity of Namyangju, where we were currently located, there were still a considerable number of citizens who had not yet been able to relocate to shelters and were hiding in their homes or nearby community centers.

Some of them were even stranded on the streets, desperately seeking refuge in sewers or underground parking garages. It was not difficult to grasp the urgency of the situation.

While helping these people and gradually moving from one area to another, we were able to gather various pieces of information, as we had initially expected.

One of the most notable pieces of information was news from our neighboring country, China.

“Is the situation really that bad?”

“Well, yes, it seems that way. The country is so vast and populous that they are struggling to cope. Apparently, the wealthy and powerful are already fleeing.”

Based on what I knew from the original work, it was clear that China was indeed facing a dire situation.

Perhaps the presence of the Demon Desire Jar, which I had returned to the Four Sovereign Sect’s headquarters, had played a significant role in this.

“In any case, you should be careful too. If this country makes a wrong move, who knows what will happen.”

“Yes. I will keep that in mind.”

Truthfully, I have yet to fully grasp the flow of this Night Parade of a Hundred Demons.

There had been more than a few instances where events had unfolded differently from the original work, but this time was different.

「𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙤 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧.」

Perhaps this time, I would have to abandon all the knowledge I had previously acquired.

With that resolve in mind, I continued to travel around the outskirts of Seoul with Arietta, rescuing citizens along the way.

And as a week passed in this manner, I could no longer deny it.

「𝙉𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙠𝙖𝙞 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠. . . . . . .𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙙.」

Something was amiss.

This Night Parade of a Hundred Demons was likely unfolding in a completely different manner than I had ever imagined.

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