I Became the Academy’s Genius Shikigami Summoner

The preparation was perfect. If I had taken just one more step forward, I could have definitely won.

However, that was only aiming for the fire demon alone.

In the current situation, there was nothing I could do.

「 𝙄 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙙𝙞𝙚. 」

While I was urgently racking my brains to come up with a solution, I made eye contact with Cheong Juhwa for a moment.

After that, Cheong Juhwa hesitated for a moment, then changed her gaze as if she had made up her mind and said to me.

“. . .Come before I die.”

Then, she quickly ran and threw a talisman near the ground where the Cow Headed Demon was standing, activating some kind of spell.

Kwaaang!

Hudoodoook.

Kugwakwang.

Cheong Juhwa disappeared with the Cow Headed Demon into the collapsed ground.

「 . . . . . . . 」

Cheong Juhwa must have known. That in this state, everyone couldn’t avoid death.

So she trusted me and separated the ogre from the battlefield to buy some time needed to decide the match.

Then there was only one thing to do.

Without a moment’s hesitation, I drew out all the spiritual power in my body.

Huung.

Accordingly, black shadows began to mix in with my spiritual power, and I gathered them together to form a spell.

And I formed a hand seal and unfolded the spell.

“Spirit Devouring.”

A forbidden spell that literally devours the opponent’s spirit.

If the opponent had a stronger spirit and mental power than oneself, it was a dangerous spell that could end up taking everything away and turning one into a disable.

The opponent was hundreds of thousands of vengeful spirits holding a deep grudge.

Trying to engage in a tug-of-war of spirits against them, even a skilled spellcaster would surely be terrified and give up upon seeing this sight.

However, there was no need to worry.

Even if you add up all the karma contained in those hundreds of thousands of spirits, it probably wouldn’t even touch a hair on my head.

That was exactly what it meant to have reached the limit of karma value

『 Kieeek! 』

『 Kyaak! 』

『 Keeeeeek! 』

The enraged vengeful spirits let out curses filled with resentment, but they had no effect on me. I stretched out my right hand and accelerated the spell even more.

『 Kiiiiiieeeeek! 』

“ . . . Shut up.”

The vengeful spirits struggled with all their might, but eventually, they began to be pulled out by the power of the spell, one by one, and absorbed into me.

Accordingly, the fire demon, who had been standing there in a daze as if its soul had left its body, began to shake its head and clutch its head.

“ . . . Fire, burn.”

The words that the fire demon had been repeating over and over again were like the resentful cries of the vengeful spirits.

A girl who heard the screams of hundreds of thousands of people and lost her life after taking in the last scream in the fire.

That was the fire demon’s true identity.

That’s why in the original story, after Yoo Ha-on pacified the spirits with the power of her Anti-Demon, the fire demon was finally liberated from the shackles of suffering and ended its life.

I was just doing it in a different way.

『 Kiiiiiieeeeek! 』

When I finally swallowed the last handful of vengeful spirits, the fire demon collapsed on the spot.

“ . . . . . . .”

And as I swallowed hundreds of thousands of vengeful spirits, a new trait was engraved on me with a familiar notification sound.

Tiling.

【 Spirit Incineration (A) 】

▶ You can absorb the spirits of the dead and convert them into power.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

𝚊𝐰𝕖𝐛𝘴ᴛ𝚘ʀ𝐢𝚎ṡ.ᴄȯ̇ṁ

Cheong Juhwa basically doesn’t trust people.

Her memories from her childhood made her that way, and now she has made up her mind to be that way.

「 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮’𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙢𝙚. 」

A person you can trust? At least for Cheong Juhwa, such a concept didn’t exist. Because she was the one who had experienced the evil of people and groups up close.

It’s not that she particularly shuns others. Rather, Cheong Juhwa was the type to easily give a helping hand, even if it was just a small favor.

However, at a really precarious moment, that is, when it comes to something that crosses the line she has set for herself, she instinctively takes a self-defensive stance.

「 . . . . . . . 」

It was the same in the Defense Corps.

When Seo Ji-hye rushed to stop the fire demon and Han Kang-yoon was about to do the same, Cheong Juhwa tried to firmly draw the line as she had always done.

「 𝘽𝙪𝙩, 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜. 」

Something was on her mind. It was rare for Cheong Juhwa, who had already chosen the position of bystander several times.

Han Kang-yoon said to such Cheong Juhwa.

Who else would do this role?

It was a natural thing to say. That’s why it was even more precious.

「 . . . 𝙃𝙚’𝙨 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙚𝙭𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙞𝙨𝙩. 」

He was different from the disgusting members of the Cheong family.

Han Kang-yoon had some of the aspects of an exorcist that Cheong Juhwa had admired and imagined in her heart when she was young.

Come to think of it, it might have been from that time that she was gradually drawn to Han Kang-yoon.

「 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙪𝙡𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩. . . . . . . 」

As Han Kang-yoon prepared to unfold his spell and a new, powerful yokai appeared, Cheong Juhwa instinctively drew the best judgment in her head.

「 . . . 𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮, 𝙄 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚. 」

A hollow space in the ground, also known as a sinkhole. Fortunately, it existed, so she was able to separate the enemy like this.

However, in order to do that, she had to risk her own life. It was something she would never have done normally.

Cheong Juhwa, who realized her current situation, let out a self-deprecating laugh.

「 𝙄 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙪𝙣 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣. 」

That’s right.

If Han Kang-yoon hadn’t quickly subdued the fire demon and joined her, she would have definitely died here.

“You alone? It’s a stupid choice.”

“Yes.”

Cheong Juhwa simply agreed with the Cow Headed Demon’s doubtful words.

Judging from the fact that it could communicate to some extent, it had already devoured people and absorbed their knowledge.

Perhaps the exorcist who was nearby would be the target.

「 . . . 𝙃𝙚 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙮 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜. 」

Even if she thought about it herself, it was a stupid choice. Now that she was exhausted, there was no way she could ever defeat her opponent.

However.

「 𝙃𝙚’𝙡𝙡 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚. 」

Her senses, which had been protecting herself for more than ten years, were strangely convinced that Han Kang-yoon would surely repay her trust.

Huung.

A clear spiritual power permeated the talisman she took out from her arms.

“Azure Serpent Binding.”

For the first time since she was born, Cheong Juhwa decided to have complete faith in someone else.

Shororak!

Kiiing!

One arm and one leg were bound by the blue chain that came out of the talisman, but the Cow Headed Demon moved its body without caring.

Kwudak.

Kwadaduk!

Jjeoeong!

“Spell. Weak.”

At first glance, it was a yokai with high physical abilities. With the remaining spiritual power, it was impossible to tie it up properly.

Anyway, there was nowhere to run since she had come down underground.

Cheong Juhwa prepared her last move with determination.

“I’ll kill it and eat it. Then I’ll eat the fire ghost too.”

Kung.

Kuung!

Facing the Cow Headed Demon’s charge, Cheong Juhwa glanced at the wall. And she threw a talisman towards it without hesitation.

“Azure Serpent Binding.”

It was the same binding spell she had used a little while ago, but this time, the goal wasn’t to stop the enemy.

Shororak!

Puwuk!

Cheong Juhwa, who had driven the chain into the wall, used the recoil to run along the wall and jump into the air.

Taak!

“No, I missed it.”

Kwang!

The Cow Headed Demon immediately jumped up and followed her.

Truly amazing physical abilities. There was no escape. However, what entered the Cow Headed Demon’s field of vision as it jumped was talismans stuck all over the walls.

“Actually, I already set them up when I fell.”

With her last bit of spiritual power, Cheong Juhwa unfolded her spell.

“Azure Serpent Binding!”

Shorak!

Shororak!

Kiiing!

With more than twice the number of chains than before, the Cow Headed Demon was literally immobilized in midair, its whole body bound.

However.

“I told you. Spells are weak.”

The Cow Headed Demon’s crimson body turned red, and its body began to swell enormously.

Pasasak.

In the face of the now more powerful force, even the overlapping spells couldn’t hold out.

Jjeong!

Jjejeong!

All the chains were broken, and the Cow Headed Demon jumped into the air again, pounding the ground once more.

Cheong Juhwa was hanging from a chain at a fairly high position, but it was a distance that the Cow Headed Demon could easily reach with its abilities.

「 . . . 𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠. 」

Her brilliant mind had already finished analyzing the situation. There was no way. She would die from the next blow.

Cheong Juhwa looked at the Cow Headed Demon, which was getting closer and closer, and for some reason, Han Kang-yoon’s face came to mind.

If he had repaid her trust, she thought she would be really happy.

Eventually, Cheong Juhwa closed her eyes tightly at the Cow Headed Demon’s hand reaching out.

And.

Kwaaang!

“ . . . Not too late.”

Breaking through the pile of dirt, Han Kang-yoon revealed himself.

For some reason, he was with the fire demon that had been fighting fiercely until just a moment ago.

The fire demon, which was hanging limply on Han Kang-yoon’s shoulder, looked at the Cow Headed Demon and opened its mouth slightly.

“ . . . Burn?”