Chapter 167

Chapter 167

It didn’t take long to reach the formation.

“Mm.”

“……How is it?”

“This has become troublesome.”

At Seohwa, who had been carried on my back and ended up disheveled, asking me, I let out a chim-eum and answered honestly. In what appeared to be empty space ahead, wall-like things bound by strange demonic power were intricately entangled.

“It’s a trap.”

“A trap?”

“Right.”

I nodded and poked the front of the formation with Uicheongeom, continuing my words.

“This formation appears to be one that simply repels people, but actually it’s not. As you enter inside, it’s structured to cloud your ki sense and manipulate emotions. Do you understand what that means?”

“……Uh, so.”

“It’s fine if you don’t know. This type of formation isn’t something commonly experienced. Simply put, it means it’s a formation that disrupts senses to create a battlefield advantageous to them.”

“Ah…….”

At my repeated explanation, Seohwa finally realized why this formation was a ‘trap’ and let out an exclamation-like sigh. The question that followed.

“Then it’s dangerous to enter inside.”

“Right. We don’t know what tricks the Blood Cult has set up.”

“……Can’t we dispel the formation?”

“We could find and destroy the formation axes like we did before.”

But this case is different from before.

Back then, I knew exactly where the formation axes were, having heard everything from the Blood Cult’s Yuknachar. It was a situation where I could destroy the formation just by following the method even without special knowledge of sorcery or formations. But.

What about the current situation?

“If it were a simple formation, I could manage somehow, but this is a formation outside my knowledge.”

“Finding and destroying the formation axes is impossible. At most, there are two things I can try.”

Entering head-on and eliminating danger factors one by one while conquering it. Or tearing the formation apart with sheer force.

Those two.

“Which one…… is safer?”

“Well, I can’t say either is safe, but…… the safer one would be going step by step.”

A sorcery formation spread without much preparation. I don’t know what kind of secret arts the Blood Cult has, but it’s highly probable that destroying it will also damage the caster.

From that perspective, destroying the formation would be much more unstable than entering inside.

“If we choose the stable one, we’ll probably be late. The fact that we discovered this formation means the other side, the Blood Cult, probably knows too, and that means there’s a high probability they’ll advance the plan’s timeline.”

“It’s a simple dilemma. Do we go fast but incredibly unstable, or safe but slow?”

“That’s.”

“It’s not a question for you, so don’t worry.”

“I wouldn’t push such a difficult choice onto others, would I?”

Looking at Seohwa sinking into contemplation, I drew up my internal energy. Actually, there was no need to ask Seohwa—the answer was already decided.

Pajijik!

Sparking lightning.

Feeling the fierce lightning energy torrent beginning to race through my entire body, I slightly tightened my grip. From now on, it was a race against time.

‘An opponent who can easily spread this level of formation.’

At least it won’t be as easy as fighting Yuknachar. Perhaps even an opponent too much for me to handle.

‘I need to conserve stamina even after destroying the formation.’

Even if the formation is structured to damage the caster when destroyed, it won’t leave the caster in a completely near-death state.

They’ll definitely come out to face me, so I need to save stamina for that battle.

Thinking that far, I slowly thrust my sword forward.

“Step back a bit.”

“……Yes!”

And so, after Seohwa stepped back.

Just as I was about to swing down Uicheongeom, now completely transformed into white lightning.

“No need for that. Cheonra.”

With an eerie voice.

The formation before my eyes was dispelled.

“……You are?”

“Ilnachar.”

Paseusu!

Dispersing the lightning contained in my sword, I looked at the opponent. The man who had been looking at me and smiling tilted his head. The voice that flowed from his mouth.

“You don’t think I’d be the same as my sajae just because I’m a Nachar, do you? I’m quite strong. Cheonra.”

“So it seems.”

Ignoring the alarm my senses were ringing, I nodded. I could tell just by looking that this Ilnachar before my eyes was different from the previous Yuknachar.

“Why did you dispel the formation?”

“Want to know? Should I tell you?”

“No.”

At my denial, Ilnachar immediately raised my sword, and Ilnachar raised one eyebrow slightly and smiled broadly. Ilnachar shrugging.

“You ask but say you’re not curious. I could tell you though.”

“Seeing how you’re willing to answer, you want to drag out the conversation. Then there’s no need to talk at length.”

“That logic is strange. Then is this current conversation okay?”

“I need to know what kind of bastard I’m fighting before the fight.”

“Bastard, how unfortunate. I’m a bitch!”

“I know.”

It’s not an avatar body like Heukya used. If I had to classify it, it’s a possession body form where consciousness is possessed into another through sorcery to fight.

Then I can handle it. If the original came, I couldn’t easily guarantee victory, but if it’s a possession body with limited abilities, I can win fairly easily.

“This is enough.”

Mainly uses sorcery, but also learned martial arts. The body being slightly tilted to the left means the attack will start from the lower left.

“Ooh.”

As I observed the behavior patterns well and raised my sword, Ilnachar, as if surprised, raised her hand high. And the action that followed.

“Then, I surrender?”

“What.”

“Cheonra. Haven’t you thought about this? Why I dispelled the formation. Why I dispelled a formation that would buy time.”

“It’s simple, isn’t it?”

Because there’s no need to buy time anymore.

“It’s already over.”

Ilnachar, who smiled pisik, used sorcery to slowly hide her body underground. I swung my sword. But before that strike could reach, a sorcery unfolded.

—Ahak! It touched a bit! Thrilling to the bone!

At Ilnachar disappearing while laughing like a madman despite taking a direct hit from White Lightning, I hurriedly turned my gaze. She left traces to pursue, but that wasn’t important right now.

“Prepare to enter! Seohwa!”

“Yes……!”

At my words, Seohwa immediately instructed the surrounding people to search. Watching that, I drew up internal energy and took one step forward. To confirm what Ilnachar’s words meant.

“I must arrive before something irreversible happens. If too late.”

It can’t be undone.

Just as I was about to say that.

At the massive demonic power felt from above, I slowly raised my gaze.

There it was.

Something I’d never seen before.

—Aa. Aaaaaaaa……!!!

A yokai crying out in grief.

Is it possible to feel pity for someone whose face, name, or even shadow you don’t know?

If it were Choil from two years ago, he would have answered it was impossible. Because for Choil two years ago, the most important things in the world were himself and those around him, and the problems of strangers were none of his concern.

If he didn’t even know their shadow, they were strangers. It’s impossible to feel pity for strangers. He would have decided that.

“Heueu. Heueuu.”

Choil now, breathing heavily, sincerely thought so.

The girl whose face, shadow, and even age he didn’t know.

He pitied her.

“Cho, Choil…….”

His hands trembled.

Looking at the girl hurriedly covering her bleeding abdomen with her hands, Choil raised his trembling hand and grabbed the girl’s arm. Simultaneously, Choil shook his head.

“Don’t…… do it.”

“Bu, but. Choil. Your stomach……!”

“Your hands…… will get bloody. You fool……!”

Choil, who grabbed and removed the trembling girl’s hands with force, forced a smile and patted the sobbing girl’s head.

“Come to think of it…… did I tell you……?”

“What……?”

“I, you see. Had a younger sister. Your size…… no, a bit bigger than you…… a younger sister.”

An ordinary younger sister you could find anywhere, not even blood-related. A younger sister who had nothing in common with the girl before his eyes, whom anyone would call ‘pretty.’

“Even if she was ordinary, she was a precious younger sister to me……”

Not for a lifetime, but at least until life got on track and she could live a happy life, he thought he should protect her.

He thought that.

Until the beggar den where they lived became a wasteland due to the Imperial Army.

“Scattered in all directions…… can’t find her alive or dead…… so I thought I should at least…… fulfill that kid’s dream…….”

How much can a beggar earn?

The reason he entered the slash-and-burn village with money saved over several years working as a dishwasher was for that reason. The only place where he could open an inn with that money was such a place.

Learning cooking that didn’t suit his tastes, burning his hands in oil, burning pots.

Nevertheless, he cooked. Because it was Choil’s final mourning for his younger sister who probably didn’t survive.

At that time, Choil heard.

The story about the Divine Maiden.

“You…… resemble my younger sister a bit. You know……?”

“……What.”

“Like loving pine nuts…… My younger sister also loved…… walnuts. Since it’s similar, you’d like them too…….”

Looking at the girl sniffling, Choil smiled weakly pisik. The words that followed.

“Like being shy with strangers…… or something.”

“Not being able…… to speak at length…… or something.”

“Even having desires…… but not being able to express them directly…… or something.”

Trivial commonalities. Such commonalities that could be found anywhere if you looked.

He clung to such things. He overlapped the lingering image of his lost younger sister with the girl and thought he should help the girl. Starting from self-satisfaction.

Is it still like that now?

“You’re my younger sister.”

“……Not. I’m…….”

“I said it wrong……. You’re also my younger sister. Choa.”

“Cho……a?”

“Right. Your name. The name I decided. Choa. My younger sister. Not my lost younger sister…… but my newly gained younger sister.”

Feeling his vision gradually blur, Choil smiled. His consciousness gradually becoming clearer, opposite to his blurring vision.

“Choa. Remember Seohwa Nuna?”

“……Yeah.”

“Soon those nuna and hyeong will come to rescue you. They’re absolutely not…… people who would give up.”

People who risked their own lives to save the villagers even though they could have thought of escaping with a small number. Those people will definitely come to rescue her.

“There are many fun things outside the village. I told you, right?”

“……Yeah.”

“Markets are bustling, there are strange animal statues in front of Buddha, there are…… pretty wooden bridges, lakes with lotus flowers floating…… things you can’t see in the village everywhere.”

Choa’s world will expand. To Choa, whose entire world was just one room, the world will gradually reveal itself.

So.

“So…….”

Wait.

“Don’t cry, wait.”

Like you have until now.

“Until the hyeong and nuna come to rescue you, wait together, then…….”

Together, let’s go see the world.

“Don’t cry. You can do it, right?”

“Can…… do it…….”

“Good girl…… my younger sister.”

Looking at Choa’s eyes brimming with tears, Choil smiled bitterly and poked his pouch with trembling fingertips. Vision gradually blurring, now unable to see ahead.

“Ah…….”

A frightening end approaches. An end everyone fears.

However, for Choil right now, that wasn’t the most frightening thing. Even facing the end, the most frightening thing was one.

Only the wounds his younger sister, Choa, would receive.

For a good child, he should give, a gift.

“Can’t…… give……it…….”

Feeling the rough texture of pine nuts remaining on his fingertips, Choil closed his eyes. And.

After a while.

Choil stopped moving.

The sobbing Choa froze.

“Cho……il?”

“Choil, Choil…….”

“Choil……! Why ignoring me…… Why not talking……!”

Death experienced several times during the rituals. But a different subject.

“A, aa…….”

From now on, Choil cannot speak. He cannot hear her words either.

He cannot tell her stories from outside, cannot embrace her, cannot return covered in oil smell.

Cannot speak. From now on.

Cannot meet Choil.

“Aaaa…….”

Slowly.

An unknown emotion dominated her heart. The heart that had been beating leisurely accelerated as if someone gripped it. Engraved deep in her psyche.

Fear.

A soundless scream echoed through the cave. A quiet scream, to not disturb the repose of the dead, became a resonance that gradually spread. And the next moment.

Inside the girl.

Something.

Pagak!

Twisted.