𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟎𝟐
「𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝘽𝙖𝙣 𝙎𝙤-𝙮𝙚’𝙨 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙤𝙣 𝙝𝙞𝙢, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙗𝙞𝙙𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙞𝙨 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙜𝙝.」
Although I have a correction value for my karma value, her curses are not something to be ignored either.
In that case, which of my means will be able to deal a critical blow to him?
In fact, the answer to that is already set in stone.
「𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙝𝙖𝙙𝙤𝙬 𝘼𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙩 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣.」
The power of the Shadow Assimilation trait that I used like I was possessed in my fight with Byakuganwa not long ago. If I mix that into my curse, I’ll definitely be able to deal some damage to him as well.
However, the problem is that I’m still not used to using such power.
「𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙞𝙩𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙞𝙨 𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙚. 𝙃𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧. . . . . .」
Compared to Byakuganwa, who was so huge, he is small and agile. If I don’t seize my chance, it’ll only make him feel threatened instead of actually having any effect.
As if she had read my mind, Seo Ji-an blinked and asked a question.
“. . .Do you want me to create an opening?”
“That’s right. I’m counting on you.”
Swish.
Whoooosh.
Seo Ji-an, who had focused her eyes to a light blue color, quickly swung both arms.
Then, the surface of the lake that Yong-yeonshin was standing on began to ripple and create waves in an attempt to collapse his center.
“As expected, the resistance is strong. . . . . .Still, he won’t be able to keep being on guard against my power.”
“Thank you. I’ll calmly wait for my chance.”
Just as Seo Ji-an said, Yong-yeonshin turned his head with an unpleasant expression and glared at Seo Ji-an.
He must have felt that she could directly limit his power.
Whoooosh!
Screech!
“Nine Revolving Heavens Wave!”
In addition, the grand spell that Sophia was continuously shooting was also effectively pressuring him.
It’s true that he could block or evade the attack itself, but it wasn’t weak enough to be ignored.
Sophia’s existence, which could cast a grand spell that consumes a lot of energy more than twice as much as others, must have caused considerable confusion for him as well.
“Do-young, Eve, Elder Water Ghost, Sori-soe.”
Swish.
Boom!
Unfortunately, Geusdae and Ggong-sam-yi can’t use their full power in a place like this.
I called out to Do-young and Eve, who could handle it magically on their own, and the two yokai who were capable of fighting in the water, and gave them instructions to draw Yong-yeonshin’s attention by circling around him.
『How about trying out the power of the Ghost Hand properly, Oppa? It’ll definitely help.』
“In what way?”
『What way, you ask? Like this.』
Swish!
At the will of the Guimei that had been absorbed into me, a vast amount of spiritual power surged from the Ghost Hand that had appeared on my right hand.
At the same time, flower petals rained down all over the lake, and a strange energy began to cause hallucinations and confusion.
“This is. . . . . .Isn’t this one of Guimei’s secret arts?”
『That’s right, Oppa. Didn’t I tell you? With the current you, you can use most of them with my help.』
I had never thought that it would be possible to use it in such a way.
No, judging from Guimei’s reaction, it seems that she knew about it but didn’t tell me.
“You’re quite mischievous.”
『I just thought that you would have figured it out on your own soon enough, but it seems that the power of the shadow you’ve newly acquired is too strong. It wouldn’t have been easy to notice.』
I nodded since I understood the situation more or less. And in any case. If there was a perfect opportunity, it might be right now.
「𝙁𝙤𝙘𝙪𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙, 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚. . . . . . .」
Squirm.
I could feel the energy flowing out of my shadow flowing through my body and blending with my spiritual power.
And it blended with the ritual that I was performing, changing its nature at will and transforming it.
Whoooosh!
「𝙄 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙙.」
The incantation was complete. Yong-yeonshin also didn’t fall for the hallucinations, but it was clear that his concentration had noticeably decreased.
Then, I shot the grand spell of the warlock Hektel who I had become familiar with, at him.
“Death Transmigration.”
Screech!
Clatter─!
I had seen the fierce-looking curse countless times, but something was definitely different from before.
Yong-yeonshin hurriedly swung his arms and scattered his scales to cast some kind of magic, but just like I had witnessed in my battle with Byakuganwa, the magic infused with the power of Shadow Assimilation pierced right through it and struck his raw body directly.
Boom!
『───!!』
A strange scream echoed all around, and Yong-yeonshin staggered for the first time since the battle began, showing an expression of pain.
Also, in the process, I was able to grasp exactly how the power of the Shadow Assimilation trait had reached him.
「. . .𝙃𝙞𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠.」
To be exact, the magic that Yong-yeonshin had cast had no effect on my curse at all.
Should I say that he had brushed it off or that it had passed through him? What was clear was that the two powers had ignored each other as if they were incompatible.
「𝙎𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙮 𝘽𝙮𝙖𝙠𝙪𝙜𝙖𝙣𝙬𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙠 𝙢𝙮 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙖𝙘𝙠.」
An attack that he couldn’t block even if he tried. To put it simply, that was how it felt.
“. . .Is that the power you gained from passing the trial of the Blue-White Soul Mirror?”
“I don’t know exactly yet, but it seems like that’s what happened.”
Judging from the fact that Yong-yeonshin was still screaming in pain, it was clear that the power of the Shadow Assimilation trait could definitely deal a blow to the opponent in some kind of essential area, just like Yoo Ha-on’s Anti-Demon trait.
Ban So-ye and Hae Ga-ram must have noticed that my attack was effective as well, and they began to change their actions, somewhat impressed.
“It seems that we’ve figured out what to do, huh?”
“. . .I’ll assist you. Can you keep repeating the same type of attack?”
I nodded, and we found a foothold and began to press Yong-yeonshin hard, seizing the opportunity to win.
『───!!』
Caw!
He attacked us in indignation, summoning a waterspout from the lake and sending a giant gust of wind, but Seo Ji-an, who had mastered the abilities of the tribe in the illusory world, skillfully blocked all of it.
“. . .He’s gotten weaker than before. It doesn’t work anymore.”
A clear checkpoint.
Judging from the fact that Yong-yeonshin, who couldn’t hide his agitation, was constantly stepping back and attacking, it was clear that it wasn’t just our imagination.
“He was quite a formidable opponent, but I guess this is it.”
“It seems like he’s exhausted his energy in various ways. Even if he pretends not to, he must have put in a lot of effort to block the entrance near the lake.”
We narrowed the distance to the cowering Yong-yeonshin without letting our guard down, and in the end, he must have thought it was do-or-die, and he began to summon his last ounce of strength, shrinking his body by about half.
Whoooosh!
“This is. . . . . .”
The wind and whirlpools that had been swirling around the lake stopped, and the sky returned to its clear state as if it had always been that way, welcoming us.
However, in contrast, Yong-yeonshin, who had concentrated all of his power, was growing scales all over his body and wrapping them around him like armor, determined to fight his last battle with us.
Clatter!
Thud!
His defense was even thicker than before, and now I wondered if even Sophia’s Nine Revolving Heavens Wave would be able to deal a blow to him head-on.
However, despite that, his eyes were trembling with unease.
He had also vaguely noticed that the power of my Shadow Assimilation, which had changed, was working on him in a more fundamental way.
「. . .𝙃𝙚’𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙞𝙢 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙚.」
There was only one choice left for him.
To gather all of his remaining strength and somehow overpower me before I could attack again.
I wasn’t in a very relaxed situation either.
That’s because I realized the drawbacks of the newly transformed power of the Shadow Assimilation trait through the battle just now.
「𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙖 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙚𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙣’𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙚.」
If I think about it from the other side, it’s a simple logic.
Perhaps the magic transformed by the power of Shadow Assimilation wouldn’t be able to protect me effectively from the enemy’s attacks.
And if he charged at me with all of his might, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to stop him with my defensive spells.
「𝙊𝙛 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚, 𝙞𝙛 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙚.」
I wasn’t facing him here alone. That was the difference between him and me.
Boom!
Yong-yeonshin, who had kicked the surface of the water, began to rush towards me, and he charged with his bare hands, believing in the power of his strengthened scales while wrapping his body in a fierce wind blade.
However, Hae Ga-ram and Sophia, who were blocking the path, had already finished their preparations.
“If you’re going to come at me head-on like that, it’s actually easier for me.”
Whoooosh!
The barrier that Hae Ga-ram had spread through her mask disappeared, and the mask that had popped out of the water was once again grasped in her hand.
And as she held it out in front of her, Hae Ga-ram spread a barrier that blocked the space between him and me, pouring all of her power into it.
“It’s not something that I would normally use in this way, but. . . . . .It’ll probably be hard to break.”
Crackle!
Sizzle─!
As Hae Ga-ram had declared, the barrier effectively blocked Yong-yeonshin’s charge, and Sophia stepped in to solidify the defense perfectly.
“Don’t be ridiculous!”
Her extraordinary spiritual power was outstanding not only in terms of attack, but also in terms of defense.
Yong-yeonshin’s charge gradually lost its momentum and eventually fizzled out against the barrier that continued to regenerate even as it was broken and shattered.
Roar!
And what was waiting for that moment was, of course, my spell that pushed the power of the Shadow Assimilation trait to its limits.
“Art of the Eight Trigrams and Celestial Heavens, Seven Trigrams, Supreme Light.”
A beam of intense light poured down and surged towards Yong-yeonshin, and in the midst of it, shadows mixed in and gradually began to penetrate his body.
『───!!』
A scream erupted, and the atmosphere shook as if an earthquake had occurred. And when it all subsided, all we could see was the upper half of Yong-yeonshin’s body, which had turned into a handful of scattered ashes.
“Is it. . . . . .over?”
“Since it definitely hit, he’s probably been destroyed.”
With this, we had finally defeated Byakuganwa and Yong-yeonshin, two more of the great yokai remaining in the Scapula Chamber.
However, the ominous energy lingering all around showed no signs of subsiding.
「. . .𝙄𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙚.」
Somehow, I was sure of it.
The next great yokai probably wouldn’t take as long as before to appear.
And that also meant that we might be facing our nemesis, Polar Night, before long.
「𝘽𝙪𝙩. . . . . .𝙒𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣’𝙩 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙣𝙤𝙬.」
We had already made up our minds and prepared ourselves.
If he were to show his face in this world again, we would have no choice but to repel him by any means necessary.
Clenching my tense hands, I simply stared up at the sky that was still dark.
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