Chapter 172

Chapter 172

At the periphery far from the center.

“Hm?”

Hanging upside down from a tree branch and watching the situation, Ilnachar blinked at the light binding rope wrapping around the yokai. Magic arts of a type she’d never seen before.

“Did someone intervene?”

Concentrating internal energy in her eyes to sharpen her vision, Ilnachar narrowed her eyes. An unexpected scene was unfolding before her.

“Oh my. She saved him?”

A face from her memory.

Confirming Choil moving around perfectly fine, Ilnachar put on a playful smile and tilted her head. Recalling memories.

‘How did they save him?’

She didn’t touch the organs, but she split open the abdomen. She confirmed him dying from excessive blood loss too.

Even before the girl disciple Seohwa went inside, he was already on death’s doorstep. After Seohwa entered, he must have been completely dead. Unless they used Chohon magic arts called Geumsul, saving him would be close to impossible, so how?

‘Is that what’s important now?’

Right. Actually, what’s important now isn’t that. What truly matters is just one fact—that a variable has interfered with her plan.

“I should step in.”

Slowly muttering, Ilnachar rose from her position. Though the first button of the great plan has already been fastened with the divine beast falling to yokai, couldn’t she enjoy it a bit more?

Since they’re here anyway, she wants to see that yokai survive and become a proper Daeyogoe. Though the corruption happened not long ago so the power control is as weak as a child’s, if properly raised it would become a tremendous yokai.

‘As long as I block Cheonra, there are no variables.’

The newly appeared magic user won’t be much help in battle either. If she can just block Cheonra, everything after will be handled without problem.

Having finished her calculations, Ilnachar smiled faintly, slowly straightened her upside-down body, and stood on the tree.

“Well then, shall we try going…?”

Just as Ilnachar finished preparing and was about to drop down.

A strange sensation brushed against Ilnachar’s nape.

“…Ahak! Scary mister. Done watching, I see?”

Laughing at the killing intent tightly binding her entire body, Ilnachar raised both hands to show surrender and spoke. But no answer returned.

If you move, you die.

At that premonition, Ilnachar rolled her eyes back and continued speaking.

“Really, I don’t know who you are, but could you stop the joke?”

“Because of you, my heart went all tingly. You know?”

When she first sensed a presence here, she thought they’d come to interfere with the great plan. Though the opponent concealed their energy extremely deeply, avoiding Ilnachar’s eyes inside a formation the Blood Cult had prepared for years was impossible.

If such a being intervened, the great plan would inevitably be ruined. So she thought she should give up on this place from the start and activate the second plan.

That’s what she thought.

In reality, the opponent didn’t intervene.

“Who are you? What do you want? Really?”

The great plan has already succeeded. What remains is just her own amusement.

Feeling no answer return to her question, Ilnachar giggled, then suddenly stopped laughing. Because she realized something was strange.

‘The wind…’

The wind isn’t blowing.

No smell is felt, and colors lose their light. The greenery’s verdure becomes distorted, and leaves shining with strange light receiving the dawn split in half, scattering the surroundings.

‘Dying…’

Downward, then further down.

Ilnachar’s vision spins round and round, capturing all four directions of front, back, left, and right. Wordlessly, her head—standing with the ground as its body—witnessed its own death. And the scene captured in that final vision.

‘Jeokyeol…!’

A crimson moon rose.

Having witnessed her avatar’s end, Ilnachar rolled her eyes to confirm the opponent’s identity. But the opponent immediately stepped on and crushed the head.

Pasak!

“Don’t try to converse with me, you blood-stained wretch.”

The man who completely crushed the head, sending consciousness back to the main body, glanced at Ilnachar and looked toward Baek Riyun sitting quietly discussing the situation with a serious expression. He felt moved.

“…Our young master. You’ve grown well.”

Just a few years ago when he saw him, though outstanding, he was merely a youngster. But now he’s forged a blade that can reach even himself to some degree.

“Not much time left in the allotted period.”

He wanted to watch to the end, but there wasn’t much time left to stay ‘inside.’ If going outside is delayed even slightly, his entire body will twist and die.

Deudeudeudeuk!

Slowly rising from his position, the man carved letters into the tree with his long sword. Simultaneously, the man slowly disappeared as if melting into the air.

“I hope we’ll have occasion to meet again.”

[爭續不滅]

“Mm.”

This is quite fine calligraphy.

The man called Jangil carved one more phrase before disappearing, storing the inscription he’d made in his eyes, then concealed his body. And.

After the wind blew.

No one was there.

The outline of the plan Seohwa explained was extremely simple.

“So you’ll absorb demonic power through this dagger and I’ll absorb lightning energy?”

“Yes.”

“Then the lightning energy will burn or drive out the demonic power, so you won’t get hurt either and that divine beast can also be restored. That’s what you mean.”

“Correct.”

“It’s dangerous.”

The words I spoke the moment she finished. Seohwa’s eyes widened, then she smiled broadly. And the answer that followed.

“I know too. That the success probability is low.”

“At most three-tenths if estimated high. If estimated low… about one-tenth.”

I nodded at Seohwa’s words. Because it was true.

Originally, humans cannot handle energy different from their own.

Even if someone famous for their pure Buddhist mind method implants internal energy into another’s body, that internal energy is poison to the recipient. Because they’re not accustomed to their blood pathways, and moreover, it’s energy outside their control. But what if the energy is of a completely different origin?

“Strain will be placed on the blood pathways and you could burst and die. Even if you don’t burst and die, there’s a possibility of disability somewhere in your body. Because the blood pathways containing demonic power will face tremendous burden.”

“Even so, will you do it?”

“I must. Not waiting for someone else to do it, but me.”

At my words, Seohwa immediately answered and looked at me with determined eyes.

“Choil and Choa. I promised both of them. That I’d help them leave the village.”

“Leaving the village isn’t the end of the promise—I think it’s until we arrive at a new village. In that sense, I haven’t done anything for those two yet.”

Would some method appear if we wait?

Can’t be certain. No, it’s reasonable to assume no method will appear. Actually, among those I know, only my older brother and Shinui knew about divine beasts.

Only those called Manbakja with that level of knowledge know about divine beasts. Even fewer would know how to reverse a divine beast’s corruption.

Seohwa’s opinion is valid.

Having finished contemplating, I nodded. If her will is firm, there’s nothing more to say.

“If that’s your thinking, I’ll help. But let’s be clear on one thing.”

“What?”

“Don’t overdo it.”

“If the moment comes when you must choose, prioritize your own life. Sometimes there are times when you must retreat.”

I won’t prevent you from even trying. But try carefully.

“Yes. I’ll do that.”

At my appearance saying this, Seohwa thought briefly then agreed cautiously. The situation concluded with that.

Jjijijijik!

“The Gusokbu time is almost up.”

Confirming the light binding rope wrapping the yokai breaking one by one with strange sounds, I turned my gaze toward Shinui. Shinui immediately avoiding my gaze.

“Elder.”

“Wh-why. What…”

“Must this dagger be stabbed into the main body? If I stab the shadow surrounding the body.”

“The shad-…!”

Perhaps her voice broke from speaking suddenly, as Shinui who raised her voice cleared her throat and continued.

“That shadow is just like clothes or a weapon… Even if you stab, it won’t affect the main body. Even if you cut it off, there probably won’t be pain…?”

“So I can cut it freely?”

“If you can… Do you still have strength left? I heard you held out for half a shichen…”

“Yes. I’m not that youngster Baek Riyun from before.”

Answering briefly, I drew up internal energy. Lightning energy covering my entire body simultaneously.

“Five steps.”

“I’ll remove all the shadows before it takes five steps after the Gusokbu tears. Aim for that moment, Seohwa.”

“Yes.”

“Remember. Timing is most important.”

You can’t return the demonic power too quickly, but you also can’t return it too late. If returned too quickly, the demonic power will return before the divine beast regains consciousness, and if returned too late, Seohwa herself will meet death.

“I’ll lend you power.”

“…I’ll trust you.”

Nodding, Seohwa gripped the bone dagger tightly in her hand. And.

Shortly after.

Jjijijijijik!

The moment the Gusokbu binding the yokai tore with an ear-splitting scream.

I drew up internal energy.

This stage.

The moment I released Cheonroesin, I gritted my teeth at the sense of acceleration. Because the pain felt from lightning coursing through the blood pathways was thicker than usual.

‘Long maintenance… is difficult.’

I’m in a state where burden on the blood pathways is severe from repeated battles. Since this stage of Cheonroesin had heavy burden originally, maintaining it for more than one gak would be difficult.

But that much is enough. Not one gak but half a gak, or even half of half a gak.

There’s no reason it should take longer than that.

“Come to think of it, I never showed you, Seohwa.”

“…Yes?”

“What Uicheonmun’s martial arts ultimately aims for. What we seek to achieve through martial arts.”

Slowly.

I raised the sword tip and pointed at the yokai. The sword blade heading toward a realm like lightning. Controlling the rampaging internal energy.

“Our martial school is Daseungmuryu.”

“When learning is complete, you must create new martial styles. And when that time comes, this moment will probably be very helpful. So.”

Engrave it in your eyes.

Finishing my words, I raised the sword tip. And.

The next moment.

The lightning god holding the sword struck down.

White heat.

The spreading lightning swept the surroundings as the air boiled like a heat haze. Electric current spreading in all directions.

The shadows are torn. The shadows that swelled their bodies enormously like frightened animals scatter like torn silk pieces into the air, then disappear. This is two steps.

At the third step, I cut off limbs. At the fourth step, I cut away the darkness wrapped like armor. And.

Finally, when the fifth step was reached.

The girl who had all shadows swept away looked at me with blank eyes.

Simultaneously.

“Now.”

The bone dagger of waiting Seohwa pierced the girl’s chest.

Puuk!