“. . . I’m sorry, but I can’t just stand by and watch such a despicable act.”

Jose, his expression distorted, and the silent man in the robe immediately moved to confront Yoo Ha-on.

Yoo Ha-on cast a spell to release the restraints of the students nearby and conveyed her determination to fight back through an interpreting spell.

“Get up, everyone! If we fight together, we can definitely win. There are more of us here.”

However, most of them were too terrified to move from their seats.

And as if to amplify their fear, Harvey uttered a single sentence with a murderous smile.

“From now on, anyone who resists will be killed first as a sacrifice, without exception.”

“. . . Ugh.”

Only then did Yoo Ha-on realize that, unlike her, who had already faced an unbeatable enemy at the Yeongwol Island incident, they were not yet prepared to overcome it.

In the end, Baek Eun-seo, who had been clicking her tongue, suddenly stood up and took a position next to Yoo Ha-on.

“You damn sons of bitches! Come at me! Even if I die, I’ll take one of you with me!”

“. . . I’m sorry, Eun-seo.”

“It’s fine! What. They’re going to kill us all anyway, so I can’t just sit here and wait.”

Unfortunately, however, the difference in strength was clear.

Soon, the battle began at Harvey’s command, and Yoo Ha-on and Baek Eun-seo fought hard, but they were ultimately no match for their opponents.

Slice.

Boom!

Thud!

“Haah, haah.”

“. . . Damn it. These guys. Why are they so used to fighting?”

Looking at the two exhausted girls, Harvey spoke as if he had expected this.

“Your spirited performance was nice, but you’re still just immature sprouts.”

“. . . Don’t say it like that. It’s rare to find people who can do this much at their age.”

“Yes. I agree. So, what do you say? If you make a soul contract and follow me, I’ll spare the two of you.”

However, even in this situation, Yoo Ha-on didn’t lose her spirit.

And then, for a moment, a faint smile appeared on her lips.

“If you take your time like that, you’ll regret it.”

“What do you mean?”

“. . . Because I expected someone who could do anything to come.”

“How many times do I have to tell you? No one can find this place. . . . . .”

At that moment, something that shouldn’t have happened occurred.

Crash!

Screech─!

The entrance to the barrier, which should have been impossible to open, suddenly appeared in the air along with the mouth of a giant ghost.

“How. . . . . .”

And then, a man appeared from within.

“As expected, you were here.”

With a face that was uncharacteristically calm, it was none other than Han Kang-yoon.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

𝐚𝘸𝙚𝕓𝚜𝕥ȯ̇𝐫𝙞ᴇs.𝘤𝚘𝐦

My prediction was right.

What’s more, fortunately, it seemed that there were no full-fledged casualties yet.

Thud.

Click.

“I was right. There are three enemies in total.”

“. . . None of them are easy opponents. Make sure none of our juniors let their guard down.”

“Hmm, Ji-hak, you keep an eye on the kids as promised. I’d rather take care of the guy in the hood.”

If Sophia had to judge, the man in the hood would probably be the strongest.

I quickly used my Appraisal ability, and sure enough, I was right.

Ting!

【Harvey Martinez】

▶Level 51

【Jose Alvarez】

▶Level 48

【Ivan Serkov】

▶Level 53

Overall, their levels were high, and none of them were easy opponents.

However, the same could be said for our side.

“With Sophia here, I guess it’s better to fight in separate groups. I’ll take down the enemies.”

Hwang Ji-hak stepped forward and slammed his fist on the ground, drawing out his spiritual power.

Boom!

“Binding Combat. Six Desolate Realms.”

Accordingly, a barrier was created as if rising from the ground, momentarily separating the enemies’ directions.

We didn’t miss the opportunity and each took our positions to face our assigned opponents.

Arietta was against Jose, Sophia against Ivan, and I marked Harvey.

As a complete 1-on-1 structure was formed, I spoke to Harvey in front of me.

“We meet again.”

“. . . As expected of someone who doesn’t know his place. How did you even find out about this place?”

“It’s obvious what guys like you do. You like to hide.”

There was no need for further conversation. He wasn’t the kind of person who would listen to words anyway.

I formed a hand seal and summoned all the shikigami in the shadows.

Swish.

Poof!

Boom!

At the sight of the ever-increasing number of shikigami, even Harvey’s face, which had been calm until now, showed a slight sign of unease.

“How can you have so many shikigami at your age. . . . . .”

“It’s too early to be surprised.”

I summoned Ggong-sam-yi as well and put the Gloom of Darkness on my finger, activating its effect.

The targets for the ability enhancement were Ggong-sam-yi and Black Yin, who had the highest firepower.

“. . . You’re quite resourceful.”

With this, the preparations were complete. I used the Spirit Absorption trait as well and drew out my spiritual power to immediately construct and deployed a barrier technique.

Whoosh.

“Illusionary Dream,”

Swish.

Swish.

“Spell Enhancement, Five Elements Advance.”

Crackle!

The combination of Cheong family’s unique barrier technique and special linked spells that I used when I caught the Cow Headed Demon.

And inside it, the two Phantom Nightmares that I had released earlier were diligently emitting black fog.

Of course, since my opponent was a really strong opponent, I wouldn’t be able to deal much damage, but he would at least have to endure quite a bit of pain while he was in this space.

「𝙊𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙, 𝙄’𝙢 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝.」

Perhaps because this was the first time he had experienced such a life-or-death battle, Harvey began to noticeably falter and distance himself from me.

And that, in turn, became a disadvantage.

Whoosh.

“. . . Burn.”

Boom!

『Squeak!』

Screech!

Crackle!

Ggong-sam-yi began to spew out intense flames, and Black Yin flew through the air, scattering sharp black feathers at the opponent.

Harvey defended against them and occasionally launched attacks, but Dudooree, a counter-type shikigami, would simply consume its own life to deflect them back.

Boom!

Boom!

“This is, despicable. . . . . . !”

In the end, Harvey, unable to bear it any longer, let out a burst of frustration and took something out from his pocket.

“. . . That’s enough fooling around.”

Swish.

As he unwrapped the bandages, a small sickle that fit in one hand came into view.

It was the Ideon’s Sickle, one of the top-class cursed tools that was stolen during the museum raid, which harvested souls.