Chapter 80: Half-Corpse (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 80: Half-Corpse (3)
—Girl. Come here.
—Eek!
For over two hundred years, she had encountered countless souls while attempting to seize the bodies of others.
Most souls had been unable to withstand her own, which had grown powerful and wicked over the centuries, and were practically driven out.
However, this soul residing in the depths of Jin Un-hwi...
It was of an entirely different caliber than any she had ever encountered.
Within a thick, unfathomable chaos, rage, murderous intent, and destruction were intricately intertwined.
—A soul... No, it’s different. Could it be a Baek?
This was undoubtedly a Baek—a spirit fragment.
It was the residue of a soul and the grudges of the dead.
But for a spirit fragment to be this powerful...
—W-what on earth is this? How can such a thing exist inside a body...
Even for her, an expert in sorcery and the evil arts, this was a higher existence she had never faced. It was her first time seeing such a powerful spirit fragment.
—I can’t push this out.
If one meddled with an ancient spirit fragment incorrectly, they risked being consumed instead.
She scrambled to employ every sorcerous technique she knew to escape the fragment that was attempting to erode her.
—As urgent as commanded by law! Advance through adversity!
She had reached the point of reciting incantations used to ward off evil spirits.
A spirit fragment was essentially a form of concentrated resentment. If so, perhaps this spell would work.
—As urgent as commanded by law!
—Ssssh!
Was it working?
The energy encroaching upon her soul weakened for a moment.
In that split second, she mustered all her strength to flee from that malevolent aura.
—I have to get out!
There was a truth she had learned over her long life: never linger when things go south.
She didn't know why he kept such a monster caged in his body, but she was no match for it.
—I have to escape! Hurry...
Though she lacked a physical form, her soul scrambled to flee the depths of his consciousness.
However, she was blocked by something along the way.
For a moment, she feared the spirit fragment had followed her, but the sensation was entirely different.
—Is this the boy’s soul?
If so, she was in luck. If she could just push out the primary soul, she could still control the body.
—It’s like catching a rat while backing away. Kh-kh-kh-kh-kh.
As long as it wasn't that spirit fragment from before, she had nothing to fear. Her confidence restored, Cheol Su-ryeon’s soul approached to push it aside.
Then, a grating sound reached her ears.
—Cr-crack!
It sounded like someone biting their nails.
Sensing the anxiety radiating from it, Cheol Su-ryeon was certain. This had to be the soul of the current Blood Demon.
Every soul she had ever encroached upon possessed fear and anxiety.
—Found you, brat.
Now, all she had to do was push this soul out. How strong could the soul of a fledgling who had barely lived twenty years be—
—Crunch!
In that instant, the entity that had seemed so anxious suddenly seized her soul.
The moment their souls touched, Cheol Su-ryeon was once again overcome with bewilderment.
It was clearly a soul trembling with extreme anxiety. Yet, the moment they made contact, she felt a vastness that, while not quite reaching the level of the previous entity, defied imagination.
—W-what is this?
—Are you the new one?
—T-this isn't a soul either. You... what the hell are you?
This, too, was a Baek—a spirit fragment.
It wasn't the soul of the current Blood Demon. Judging by the delicate and distinct emotions, it was the spirit fragment of a woman.
However, she possessed far more experience than Cheol Su-ryeon, and her aura was so intense that it surged with wickedness and seductive energy.
—The newcomer is quite bold. It would have been better if you were a man.
—What?
—Still, you look like you'll be fun to play with.
The sultry yet threatening voice made her skin crawl.
Feeling a sharp sense of alarm, Cheol Su-ryeon’s soul struggled with all its might to break free from this mysterious spirit fragment that was clinging to her.
—What is this thing? Why is there another monster like this in one body?
Based on her experience, this spirit fragment was also centuries old. It meant this entity had lived more than twice as long as she had.
—Giggle. You can't escape this place anyway. Give up. It’ll be much better to serve me than those monsters.
Cheol Su-ryeon was driven to the brink of madness. Her strength ebbed as the entity gripped and encroached upon her soul as if devouring it bit by bit.
At this rate, she might be completely consumed.
—As urgent as commanded by law! Advance through adversity!
Cheol Su-ryeon once again recited the exorcism mantra. Since these were spirit fragments in a spiritual state without bodies, no spell could be more effective.
The grip of the encroaching fragment weakened.
—Now!
Cheol Su-ryeon’s soul fled frantically from that sinister spirit.
—There is nowhere to run.
The echoing voice only made her more anxious. Any desire to steal this boy's body had vanished. She didn't know how these monsters were trapped in his depths, but if she didn't get out, she would be eaten alive.
—I have to get out. This place... this place is...
It was no different from a prison. If she were trapped here, she might be embroiled in eternal agony.
A faint light appeared above the depths.
Cheol Su-ryeon’s soul reached toward it with all its might.
—I have to get outside... and call... my children...
Just a little higher. If she could just reach the light, as if stretching out a hand, she could escape this body. Before the wicked and sinister spirits in the depths could grab her!
—Sssssss!
—Aaaaaagh!
In that instant, she was seized by an agonizing pain, as if she were being incinerated.
She had expected her soul to leave the body the moment she touched the light, but this was entirely unexpected.
—W-what is this...
The brilliant light felt like the polar opposite of her existence. She tried to push through again, but the same pain returned.
—Sssssss!
—Aaaaagh! It burns! It’s too hot!
If the Blazing Hell existed, would it feel like this? It felt as if flames were scorching her soul to ash.
Only then did Cheol Su-ryeon realize that this was not an exit.
—An exit... it’s not an exit? This... could it be...
She had assumed the light was an exit because it shone so brightly.
However, this blue light was an energy completely antithetical to her own.
—C-Celestial Energy?
It was indeed Seon-gi—Celestial Energy.
If she was Yin, then this was the energy of Yang. If the Yang energy were small, she might have resisted, but this was so vast and powerful it was beyond description.
—How can one body hold those wicked spirit fragments and this Celestial Energy...
—Ho ho. It seems we have another guest.
A voice full of vitality echoed in her mind. It belonged to an absolute being she dared not approach.
This was no mere spirit fragment. This was a being that had stepped into the realm of the divine.
—W-who are you?
—The people of the secular world used to call this old man the Sword Immortal.
—The S-Sword Immortal!
Cheol Su-ryeon’s soul was struck with utter horror. Was there anyone in the world who practiced martial arts and did not know the name of the Sword Immortal?
—...That’s impossible.
The owner of the body she had entered was the current Blood Demon. Why would the spirit fragment of the Sword Immortal be inside the leader of the Blood Cult, the most wicked of the Evil Faction?
No matter how she thought about it, it made no sense.
—This old man is but a mere fragment of a spirit. But you, a living soul—why have you entered this place?
—I... I...
—Did you covet this child’s body?
He had already seen through her purpose. No matter how much Wicked Heart Granny Cheol Su-ryeon had been feared for her infamy, she couldn't help but be terrified upon contacting a spirit fragment that had reached the divine realm of the Sword Immortal.
She was speechless, unable to utter a single word.
The fragment of the Sword Immortal spoke.
—How pitiful. Truly pitiful. Why do you lose yourself through greed?
—What do you mean?
—This is the world of Heavenly Authority, where thoughts are controlled. It is a dead end from which no spirit fragment, once entered, can ever leave.
Nothing else registered. Only the words that she could never leave once she entered.
—No! No!
She couldn't let that happen. How had she endured for nearly two hundred years? She had lived for one purpose alone. She hadn't even achieved it yet; she couldn't be trapped in a prison no different from the Avici Hell.
—Have you finally realized your place? Girl.
A wicked voice, sounding as if it were stained with blood, rang out. Even without a body, her soul trembled.
—He said you can't escape.
Their spirit fragments were eyeing her like prey. Surrounded by these monstrous fragments, she fell into despair.
Cheol Su-ryeon’s soul continued to chant her spells.
—As urgent as commanded by law! Advance through adversity!
But it was utterly useless.
—Stupid girl.
—An exorcism spell? Giggle.
Instead, the spirits mocked her as if they had already adapted, and they seized her soul.
Then, they dragged her down.
As if being pulled down into hell, Cheol Su-ryeon’s soul began to be consumed.
—Sssssss!
—No! Noooooooo!
*
—Wooooom!
Among the seven spots in the shape of the Big Dipper on the back of my hand, the fourth spot—Heavenly Authority—emitted an intense light. In that instant, my lost consciousness snapped awake.
What’s going on?
I found it hard to understand the situation. I had lost consciousness after Wicked Heart Granny Cheol Su-ryeon said she coveted my body.
But it felt as if I had been pulled back out by some powerful force.
Ah!
Cheol Su-ryeon was still clinging to my back. As I tried to shake her off, the fourth spot on the back of my hand, Heavenly Authority, suddenly turned purple.
—Flash!
In that moment, countless fragments of memory suddenly flooded into my mind.
Complex memories and information were etched into my brain, and a wave of dizziness washed over me.
“Ugh!”
It was the same phenomenon as when I had absorbed the spirit fragments from the Blood Demon Sword and the Evil Connection Sword.
Along with memories I had never experienced, a vast amount of energy flooded in simultaneously.
It was flowing into me through Cheol Su-ryeon’s body, which was still attached to my back.
Internal energy?
Not just thoughts, but internal energy was also pouring in. As the profound internal energy surged, unknown oral formulas naturally surfaced in my mind.
As I circulated my energy according to the formulas, the vast internal energy entered my Dantian and began to merge with my existing energy.
I didn't know the reason, but this was clearly a fortuitous encounter. I had to absorb this energy no matter what.
“Whew.”
Unlike Innate True Qi, internal energy had a different nature, and I didn't know how much of it I could digest, but I couldn't let this opportunity slip away.
I accepted the internal energy according to the formulas that appeared in my head. I couldn't understand how a child with such a small frame could possess such a vast amount of internal energy.
I had been absorbing it for quite some time when—
—Swish!
Someone burst through the bushes.
It was my father-in-law, Moon Evil Sword Sama Chak.
“This is...”
Sama Chak approached, startled to see Cheol Su-ryeon clinging to me.
However, he soon sensed something strange and stepped back just as he was about to pull her off. He must have realized that the energy from her body was surging into me.
Forcing them apart now could be dangerous for both of us.
“What on earth are you doing, you old hag?”
Sama Chak seemed to think I was being victimized by the old woman. He circled us, watching Cheol Su-ryeon closely. He appeared to be looking for an opportunity to separate us.
“Cough...”
Suddenly, blood trickled from my mouth. It wasn't just my mouth; it came from my nose as well. I had already exceeded the limit of internal energy I could accept, and my meridians were overloading.
Right then.
“Aaaaaagh!”
Cheol Su-ryeon, who had been silently having her internal energy drained, forcibly pushed herself away from me. Since we were forcibly separated while our energies were fused, we both spat out fresh blood simultaneously.
“Pfft!”
“Gah!”
In that moment, Sama Chak tried to pull her away from me.
But Cheol Su-ryeon desperately grabbed my throat.
“Pant... pant... don’t come any closer!”
“You old hag!”
Sama Chak’s sword stopped mid-air.
Breathing heavily, Cheol Su-ryeon tightened her grip on my throat and spoke to me.
“You... what the hell are you?”
Her voice was thick with terror. Her body trembled violently, as if she were someone who had just experienced hell.
Confused by her words, Sama Chak kept his sword aimed at her and said, “Old hag. Get away from him.”
At those words, Cheol Su-ryeon glared at Sama Chak.
Then, she suddenly looked up at the sky and let out a bizarre shriek.
“Kak-kak-kak-kak-kak-kak!”
The shriek echoed through the entire forest.
Sama Chak frowned, wondering what she was doing, but soon, the sound of approaching footsteps could be heard from all around.
—Pat-pat-pat-pat-pat!
A large number of presences were rushing toward us. There seemed to be dozens of them.
The entities revealed themselves as they burst through the undergrowth.
They were none other than the monsters whose eyes and mouths were sewn shut with thread. I hadn't expected her to have hidden so many of them on the other side of the river.
Wicked Heart Granny Cheol Su-ryeon shouted to the monsters, “Stop him!”
As soon as the command was given, the monsters charged at Sama Chak all at once.
Cheol Su-ryeon tightened her grip and said, “If you don’t want to die, run west!”
She seemed intent on taking me and fleeing.
But I didn't move.
—Grip!
Cheol Su-ryeon shouted, her nails digging into my skin.
“Go!”
To her, I said, “Old hag... it seems the situation has changed.”
“What?”
I raised my hand and lightly flicked my fingers.
—Snap!
In that instant, the monsters who had been charging madly at Sama Chak stopped dead in their tracks, as if they had turned to ice.
As they stopped, the surroundings fell silent. Even Sama Chak, who had been cutting down the monsters, couldn't hide his bewilderment at this bizarre phenomenon.
Cheol Su-ryeon shouted with a panicked face, “Attack him!”
But the monsters didn't even think about moving from their spots.
To this, I said, “Kneel.”
As soon as the words left my mouth, something extraordinary happened.
—Thump! Thump! Thump!
Dozens of monsters simultaneously dropped to their knees on the ground.
Faced with this completely unexpected situation, Cheol Su-ryeon was dumbfounded.
“M-my children... why...”