Chapter 74
Chapter 74
Chapter 74
The Magic Swordsmen (2)
The Witch came to find me in the Ice Castle's sealed training room where I was cultivating my internal energy.
It was the first time she'd visited the sealed training room.
"There's something you need to see."
I followed her to the research lab in Korea.
But there, the Witch teleported once more.
We arrived in a forest in western China.
The forest bore traces of combat. I could see scorched trees and cut grass.
And at the center of the traces was a collapsed log cabin.
"There are traces of both magic and martial arts. But it seems there was only one attacker."
The Witch sprinkled ice powder on the ground, turning all the earth white. Then footprints became clearly visible.
"It looks like one attacker took away whoever lived in this log cabin."
"How did you find out about this place?"
"The Chinese government had judged this person to be a reincarnator and was watching them. They discovered this place during a large-scale investigation this time."
What this meant was clear.
"Is the Ten People Alliance finally starting to move?"
"Quite some time has passed."
It had been a year and six months since they disappeared. The Witch had predicted two years.
Timing-wise, it was time for them to appear. This was preliminary work before their full-scale emergence.
"Is this the only place where an incident occurred?"
"No. There are five cases in China alone. You have to assume this kind of thing is happening worldwide."
"That's serious."
"The really serious thing is something else."
The Witch spoke calmly as usual.
"How do you think they found out about this place?"
"Didn't they reach into the Chinese government?"
"This wasn't an area the Chinese government was monitoring. An informant from another region happened to see smoke and came here. If it weren't for that necklace, they wouldn't have even been able to confirm the identity."
On the ground was a necklace with an unusual moon shape.
"Are they finding reincarnators?"
"It seems so."
"How is that possible?"
The Witch spoke without hesitation, as if she had already thought about it.
"Detection. The flow of Mana I showed you before. Since internal energy is ultimately a condensation of Mana, it's theoretically possible."
"Does that mean they succeeded in modifying magic?"
"You should see it as development. Development adapted to modern times."
They too were people with considerable expertise in magical research.
"China will be in danger."
Currently, China was experiencing chaos in every aspect.
Despite being the region where reincarnator crimes occurred most frequently, there was no Peace Corps. They were barely holding on by mobilizing the police and military, but had reached their limit.
"These bastards are being troublesome."
In fact, since the Hundred White Blood Corps entered training, we hadn't been as vigilant about the Ten People Alliance as before.
'Because when they appear, I just need to kill them all.'
I had thought of it this simply.
"That's true. But I have a feeling they're going to be troublesome."
"They will be."
For now, I just acknowledged the situation and returned.
After returning to Korea, I also conveyed what the Witch and I had seen to Jimun Seo-saeng. And as I was about to enter training again, I became troubled.
'Should I tell him?'
I couldn't make a decision easily.
If it were the usual me, I would have just gone to train.
"Are you troubled?"
Jimun Seo-saeng noticed my state of mind and approached.
"I feel the same way."
"What do you think I should do?"
"In my heart, I want to tell him, but there's no need to do so for someone who isn't part of the Heavenly Demon Cult."
Public and private matters.
There are many cases where these two positions say different things. Jimun Seo-saeng chose the public side.
"If I want to tell him, is holding back the right thing to do for the Heavenly Demon Cult?"
"That's not it. The Heavenly Demon Cult won't suffer any loss from it. However, I'd prefer if others didn't know."
"Alright. I'll think about it more."
Jimun Seo-saeng left.
'Jimun Seo-saeng has changed a lot too.'
What he wanted to say was clear. He thought if he eased my mind, I would go visit.
'The Sword God.'
If the Ten Alliance was going around looking for reincarnators, the Sword God would definitely be exposed. Perhaps he was already exposed.
"The time spent hesitating is more wasteful."
Without deliberating, I went to Greece.
This time too, I asked about the Woodcutter at the Greek coast. The answer I got was the same.
Around evening, his boat arrived.
He saw me, and I spoke through Jeon-eum.
─I came to tell you something. Recently, a group called the Ten Alliance has been attacking reincarnators. They're martial artists who use magic, so be careful.
I left those words and turned around. There was no need to meet him directly and exchange pleasantries.
'This is enough.'
But the Sword God's demeanor was strange. He stopped what he was doing and hurriedly ran somewhere.
'Why is he acting like that?'
I instinctively followed him.
As he entered the coastal road, he deployed Lightness Skill. Then he ran into a forest inside the road.
He passed through the forest like a beast and stopped at a small clearing.
A pretty log cabin had been built in the clearing.
Having just seen a collapsed log cabin, my feelings were complicated. But fortunately, this log cabin was intact.
When the Sword God arrived, someone opened the door from inside.
It was a woman holding a baby about a year old. She appeared to be a European in her mid-twenties.
The blonde woman with a graceful air had a frail body but strong eyes.
The Sword God slowly approached and tightly embraced the baby and the woman.
─Be careful. I'll be going back.
─Thank you.
─We will never see each other again.
─I'm sorry.
Those words made a corner of my heart ache.
Worried it might show on my face, I immediately left that forest.
A week passed.
The summer heat intensified further, and the Heavenly Demon Cult main unit felt not just quiet but serene.
The Hundred White Blood Corps had all entered closed-door training, and their families didn't come outside due to the heat. Only the children ran around sweating near the lake park.
Yuna was one of them.
I had briefly come out of the Ice Castle to speak with Jimun Seo-saeng when I discovered Yuna.
"Oppa!"
Upon spotting me, Yuna ran over like the wind and hugged me. It was already not the speed of an eight-year-old child.
"Oppa, you startled me. You came so fast."
"The uncles said I can use Lightness Skill here."
Yuna called all the Heavenly Demon Cult members either older sister or uncle. The designation of women as older sister and men as uncle was somewhat strange, but it was Yuna's wish so we let it pass.
"Oppa, do you know how to do that thing called Water Stride?"
"Of course."
"Wow! Teach me that!"
"Your internal energy isn't enough yet, Yuna. As I said before, martial arts can hurt you too, so you mustn't overdo it. Especially things like Water Stride are absolutely not allowed."
"Hing, okay."
Yuna made a disappointed expression.
"Instead, Oppa will show you directly."
I held Yuna and ran across the lake.
As I kicked off the water and made a big lap around the lake, Yuna screamed.
"Wow!"
Yuna's reactions always make me happy.
After playing with Yuna for a while, I went to find Jimun Seo-saeng as planned.
I had come simply to find out about the Hundred White Blood Corps' condition and the international situation, but Jimun Seo-saeng' expression wasn't good.
"What's wrong?"
"I think you should see this for yourself."
What Jimun Seo-saeng showed me was CCTV footage.
The screen showed a familiar harbor scene.
"You were watching this?"
"It's been weighing on my mind."
It was the Greek coast where the Sword God was.
"What's strange about it?"
On the surface, there was nothing unusual.
"Those two people there."
In the farthest part of the screen were two men with hats pulled down.
"They've been like that without moving for three hours."
Anyone can stay in one place. But being there without any movement is difficult for an ordinary person to do.
"You mean they're martial artists? And waiting for something."
"What will you do?"
"Damn it. This thing called fate won't just leave me alone."
I had already told the Sword God we would never meet again.
"In any case, if it's the Sword God, he won't be someone they can handle."
"That's not the problem."
"Then..."
"The Sword God has a family. He even has a baby."
Jimun Seo-saeng was also at a loss for words.
"Don't tell me..."
"Where's the Blue Shadow Assassin?"
"She went along with Protector So's schedule."
Recently, the Blue Shadow Assassin had been accompanying all of Fairy's schedules. They too needed protection.
In fact, Fairy's activities were having a good influence on the Heavenly Demon Cult.
"I'll go myself."
I immediately moved to Greece.
Sunset was already falling on the coast. But I didn't wait for the Sword God.
I ignored the watchers and immediately ran toward the Sword God's house.
As I entered the forest, I heard an explosion.
'Damn it.'
My ominous feeling was right.
I deployed Lightness Skill at maximum speed and arrived at the Sword God's house.
The first thing I saw upon arrival was five fireballs striking the house.
Kwang!
I was one step too late.
The fireballs accurately bombarded the log cabin.
'Damn it!'
I hurriedly tried to enter the house. It was to protect the Sword God's family, even with a small probability.
But an unexpected situation unfolded.
The logs forming the house burst outward in all directions, and inside them appeared a black membrane. It was a black shield generated from the body of the woman holding the child.
'She was a reincarnator.'
The Sword God's wife was also a reincarnator.
I recalled how when I had informed him about the Ten Alliance, he had been surprised and ran off. It was because his wife was a reincarnator that he had rushed so urgently.
But the wife's appearance visible beyond the black membrane was grotesque.
Her hair fluttered in the energy waves like tentacles extending in all directions, and even the whites of her eyes were dyed black.
Black energy waves spread out in all directions like a demon's resonance, emitting unpleasant killing intent.
And dozens of corpses rose from the ground.
They were all animal carcasses.
The sight of them rising while twisting their bodies—I had seen it before.
'A Dark Mage.'
But the animal carcasses that rose had a different atmosphere from the magic I'd seen before.
Kreuk!
The corpses simultaneously ran toward the five attackers. Their movement far exceeded my expectations.
The zombies I had seen before were slow enough not to be threatening. But the animals resurrected now showed movement far superior to when they were alive.
'That's unusual.'
In any case, the mere fact that the Sword God's family was alive was enough.
'Is this a level where I don't need to interfere?'
I watched for now. If they could protect themselves, I was thinking of just backing off.
But seeing the attackers' movements, I changed my mind.
Chwaat!
With swordsmanship carrying black light, the corpses were torn like paper. Not only that, black light flowed from the sword's tip, binding them like chains.
The problem wasn't just that.
'They succeeded in the modification.'
The martial artists' movements were at the peak expert level.
It wasn't movement a mage could withstand.
As expected, they easily dealt with the corpses and rushed toward the black shield of the woman holding the baby.
Five attackers simultaneously thrust their swords into the shield. Then clear cracks formed in the black shield and it scattered into smoke.
They immediately rushed at the woman.
Tung.
I stopped watching and entered the battle.
'Absorption Strike.'
I drew in the approaching ones with Absorption Strike. Then their bodies shook greatly as they descended to the ground.
Kung! Kung!
The bastards stomped the ground hard and endured.
'To this extent?'
It wasn't my maximum internal energy, and even though there were five opponents, I didn't expect them to be able to endure by stomping the ground.
Still, I had prevented them from approaching the woman, so I immediately drew out the River and Mountain and rushed at them.
Chaeng!
The attack I thought would sever a neck was blocked by the opponent's sword. I had put quite a bit of internal energy into it, expecting the sword to break, but it didn't.
Their swords withstood my River and Mountain.
"I'm getting a bit irritated now."
As I appeared, they immediately deployed a combined formation.
But their number was four. One still aimed for the woman.
"How dare you!"
Until now, there had been no bastards who dared to divide their numbers while facing me.
Dragon Spring.
I flew at the one rushing at the woman and grabbed the back of his neck in one breath. Then I tore off his neck with force.
That was the price for showing me his back.
And I entered battle again with the remaining four.
At that moment, the forest became noisy.
'Oh no...'
Including the two who had been at the harbor, a total of ten people appeared as reinforcements.
Those who stood in a line before me made bizarre breathing sounds.
"Keuheu."
It was like the breathing of beasts.
Their eyes were stained with madness, and I could see expressions craving blood while flicking their tongues.
"Run away."
I spoke to the Sword God's wife.
"Your husband will come here."
The voice I heard from behind wasn't normal either.
The woman emitting demonic energy while tightly holding her baby didn't seem inclined to retreat.
"This is why a man must marry well."
"Should I kill you too?"
"What a unique way to say thanks."
Before my words finished, bones of tremendous thickness shot up all around.
The bones aimed for the feet of the fourteen people.
The Magic Swordsmen hurriedly retreated, but one had his leg caught by a bone and rolled on the ground. Then a giant centipede consisting only of bones rose from the ground, embraced him, and entered the earth.
"Your pet is cute."
That was the beginning.
The Magic Swordsmen no longer watched and rushed at me.
"Shall I see your research results?"
I too didn't refuse and drew out the River and Mountain.