Chapter 78
Chapter 78
Chapter 78
Terror (3)
Even while pursuing the Magic Swordsmen from a distance, new information continued to come in.
'Smart.'
Their method of entry was also formidable.
Instead of crossing over through the magic circle all at once, they divided their time, which meant there weren't enough personnel to tail them.
Five more people had appeared through the magic circle.
It was time to choose.
Should I wait for them to gather like this, or should I deal with those I was pursuing and go after the other groups?
At that moment, one of the five Magic Swordsmen ahead looked back.
I thought I was perfectly hidden, but I was mistaken.
The Magic Swordsmen rushed at me all at once.
'It seems they've found a way to locate reincarnators.'
I recalled what the Witch had said.
They had discovered my stealth. Without any special tools.
It seemed the squad leader had such an ability.
"Deal with all those who were tailing us."
I gave the order quickly.
The other groups would be the same. There was no need to insist on a tail that had been discovered.
"Hundred White Blood Corps, deal with the ones who just appeared. Cheong Ak-sal and So Iryeon, deal with the ones you're tracking and then join the Hundred White Blood Corps."
The fourteen people including the Hundred White Blood Corps Leader were divided into two groups. My plan was to assign them two magic circles while the Witch and I each took charge of one.
"First, these guys."
I ran toward the five rushing at me.
'I need to deal with them quickly.'
The enemy would have realized we were tailing them. Then they would definitely respond.
A large number of Magic Swordsmen might appear through the empty magic circle.
Bang!
Earth Domain unfolded.
Falling Dragon Fist Earth Domain.
Three strikes of Falling Dragon Fist fell upon the heads of the Magic Swordsmen climbing up the trees.
The heads of three Magic Swordsmen exploded just like that.
Wind Dragon Palm Earth Domain.
I launched Wind Dragon Palm at the chest of another one.
He raised his sword to block the energy strike. However, two invisible energy strikes hit his head and stomach.
His head exploded, and only one remained.
Fire Dragon Hand Earth Domain.
I endured the incoming magic with a shield and tried to grab his shoulder.
He twisted his body to dodge. However, an invisible hand grabbed his neck.
While he flinched, I broke his head with my real hand. And separated it from his body.
"Huuu."
Using Earth Domain in actual combat certainly consumed a lot of internal energy. Still, I was satisfied with the effect.
After dealing with the Magic Swordsmen, I ran to the empty magic circle. As expected, I saw ten Magic Swordsmen.
I attacked them without delay.
The Magic Swordsmen anticipated my movement and launched magic all at once.
Ten spells flew simultaneously, and even I couldn't withstand them with just a shield.
As I kicked off the ground and jumped up to drive in Falling Dragon Fist, the ten Magic Swordsmen also jumped up together.
'Tsk.'
I gave up on Falling Dragon Fist and switched to Heavenly Dragon Force.
The moment I pushed away the enemies who were close by and landed on the ground, I sucked in the surroundings with Absorbing Strike.
Three of them couldn't withstand it and were pulled in.
Heavenly Dragon Strength.
As I burst my internal energy, the bodies of two were torn to shreds. However, one raised a shield and blocked it.
'Blocking it?'
I launched Wind Dragon Palm at him.
Pung!
Even the Wind Dragon Palm was blocked by his shield.
The silver shield had complex patterns drawn on it, and each time it defended, it emitted a red light.
'Defense-specialized.'
He stayed nearby and persistently interfered with my attacks. Meanwhile, other Magic Swordsmen exploited the openings and closed in.
At that moment, light shone from the magic circle again. Ten more Magic Swordsmen were being summoned.
Among them, another one with a shield approached.
The two shield bearers closed the distance even more and focused solely on restraining my movements.
The moment I tried to retreat with Yongcheon, chains shot out from their shields and connected to my body.
Those chains served to drag the shield bearers along with my movements.
'Cheap tricks.'
I couldn't break free. Even when I drew up my internal energy, they were lines that wouldn't snap.
'Eighteen.'
The pressure from the Magic Swordsmen was quite severe.
'Those guys are the squad leaders.'
Three caught my eye.
One commanded the shield bearers, while the other two led the attacks from both sides.
Their attacks definitely had power, so I couldn't easily get past them.
'Reincarnators.'
They were cases of reincarnators who had become Magic Swordsmen.
'I need to settle this while I still have internal energy.'
My conclusion was clear.
If I dealt with the reincarnators, the critical threat would disappear, and I could handle the rest even if it took time.
Though I felt urgent, time had already been delayed with the appearance of the shield bearers.
'Let's do this for sure.'
I stepped back.
As expected, the shield bearers chased after me. Confirming this, I created a shield and suddenly ran forward.
Absorbing Strike.
I actually pulled the shield bearers in.
Caught off guard by the unexpected attack, the shield bearers couldn't withstand it and stuck to my body.
In that state, I ran toward the three reincarnators.
As expected, they prepared to counterattack, but the shield bearers were nearby, making it an awkward situation.
Behind me, Magic Swordsmen rushed in, aiming for my back.
'Can't be helped.'
It was a method I didn't want to use if possible.
I slowed down my approaching speed a bit.
When the Magic Swordsmen following me got close, I collided my internal energy.
It wasn't just once.
Heavenly Dragon Strength Earth Domain.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three chain explosions occurred.
The first explosion pushed away the shield bearers, and the second explosion shattered the reincarnators' shields. And the third explosion tore apart everything nearby.
"Kuk!"
I too bled from the corner of my mouth from the internal shock.
'Huuu.'
It wasn't an internal injury. However, Heavenly Demon Divine Arts was no longer possible.
Four Magic Swordsmen survived.
"Because Heavenly Demon Divine Arts isn't everything."
The fight began again.
Fighting four Magic Swordsmen without Heavenly Demon Divine Arts wasn't easy. Inevitably, I chose the method of allowing small attacks and dealing with them quickly.
It started with giving up my shoulder and dealing with one.
Next, I sandwiched a sword between my arm and ribs and dealt with another. The blade smoothly sliced through the flesh.
The following attack pierced my forearm.
Before the Magic Swordsman could pull out the sword, I approached with footwork, grabbed his head, and tore it off.
After dealing with three Magic Swordsmen, when only the last Magic Swordsman remained.
Puk.
I twisted my body to take the sword with my thigh. This time it was embedded quite deep, reaching the muscle.
Bang!
Instead, I burst his head.
"Huuu."
I had dealt with all the Magic Swordsmen.
Tuk.
As I tried to move again, my leg was uncomfortable.
Gritting my teeth, I moved to another magic circle.
The magic circle the Witch had been guarding was clean. It was quiet as if there had been no fight.
The Witch was nowhere to be seen, and the magic circle had lost its light.
What had changed was the overturned ground and fallen trees nearby. However, twenty headless corpses lay scattered here and there.
Next, I went to the magic circle commanded by Hundred Tiger Ghost.
Unlike the magic circle where the Witch had been, it was full of fierce traces.
There wasn't a single intact corpse to be found, and the surroundings were overturned to the point where the original appearance couldn't be found.
When I arrived, Cheong Ak-sal and So Iryeon were each dealing with one Magic Swordsman, ending the battle.
The Hundred White Blood Corps also had no fatalities, but most had wounds, and two had sustained quite serious injuries.
"The wounded return immediately."
I first sent the wounded back to the main base. Then I gave orders to the remaining personnel.
"Only Cheong Ak-sal remains; move to the next area."
The last was the area I was most worried about. The area Hundred Tiger Ghost was in charge of.
My worry was unfounded.
The Witch, who had finished the battle fastest, had already concluded the situation by coming this way.
Not only that, but the Witch had even captured three alive by trapping them in ice.
If it hadn't been for capturing them alive, it would have been a fight that ended long ago.
The Witch spotted me and approached with a frown. She examined my body and spoke as if disappointed.
"Getting hit embarrassingly?"
The Witch also seemed to have sweated quite a bit, with her hair disheveled. However, she had no wounds.
I felt like I had lost somehow.
But when there was no answer, the Witch changed her tone to a gentler one and asked.
"Should your older sister go beat them up for you?"
"I'm really going to kill you."
"It's okay. When you're young, you grow up while getting hit."
The Witch turned around.
Her back of the head was visible right in front of me, and I sincerely wanted to hit her once.
At that moment, someone firmly grasped my hand.
It was So Iryeon.
So Iryeon shook her head as if to say no.
"Just one hit would do."
So Iryeon gripped my hand even harder.
Jimun Seo-saeng saw my condition and came running in horror.
"How did you end up like this?"
"Don't do that because it's embarrassing."
"I'll treat you first."
Jimun Seo-saeng went to look for emergency medicine. But the Witch approached with a smile.
"Let your older sister treat you."
The Witch reached her hand toward my thigh. Then the wound rapidly froze.
As the ice penetrated even the torn muscle, I felt pain.
My eyebrows twitched involuntarily, but I kept my mouth tightly shut.
The Witch examined my expression and spoke as if proud.
"Our little brother endures well."
"Can you stop that way of talking?"
"Why don't you understand your older sister's heart?"
I looked at the Witch.
"Do you think that tone suits that expression right now?"
The Witch was expressionless.
"Have you been watching dramas lately?"
"I just tried it."
The Witch also seemed embarrassed and turned her body. While doing so, she spoke coldly.
"Come to the research lab. So I can treat you."
"It's fine."
"Just sleep for six hours."
The Witch stated the exact time.
"Did you forget? We have to go for the final cleanup."
It was something we had planned since the start of this operation.
The operation had just reached the halfway point. The real fight was from now on.
"I can go now."
"Six hours will be enough to recover, so there's no need to be stubborn."
I had no internal injury. However, my thigh was deeply cut.
The Witch was good at fixing these kinds of wounds.
"Fine."
I decided not to be stubborn.
When I stood up, So Iryeon tried to support me.
"I can go alone."
I left the conference room and went to the Witch's research lab.
"Don't resist and sleep. That way you'll heal faster."
I lay down on the ice bed and closed my eyes.
It was something I often did at the Ice Castle, so the feeling was familiar. However, what was different was that the Witch was guiding it.
"Sleep well."
I saw the Witch's light and fell asleep.
Just before falling asleep.
"Have sweet dreams."
I saw the Witch's sneer.
I tried to hold onto my fading consciousness but couldn't.
It was strange.
Unlike usual, I had a dream.
Normally, when I fell asleep with the Witch's magic, I didn't dream. The Witch's sleep magic was what allowed me to sleep and wake up more comfortably than any other sleep.
But I had a dream.
Unlike usual, the Witch appeared wearing a flowing blue dress. Standing on a sunlit beach, she looked at me with a sad expression.
From her transparent eyes, dewdrop-like streams of water flowed down. Those tears sparkled in the sunlight.
"What are you scheming?"
I asked.
Then the Witch's expression became even sadder. And she poured out drama-like lines.
"How could you do this to your older sister?"
"This is why I can't like you."
"Do you hate your older sister that much?"
"Can't you stop calling yourself that?"
"Can't you trust your older sister a bit? My heart hurts so much."
Even though it was a dream, I got goosebumps vividly.
So I shouted with full sincerity.
"Get lost!"
The Witch's expression turned as cold as ice.
In an instant, the sea that had spread out behind her all froze.
"Did you just curse at your older sister?"
Thorn-like pillars shot up from the frozen sea. Not only that, but blade-like icicles also formed from the clouds in the sky as if they would fall on my head at any moment.
"Did your older sister teach you that?"
The world was covered in ice, threatening me.
Faced with the sight of the sky seeming to pour down, irritation surged more than fear.
As I tried to say something again, my mouth wouldn't open.
'This is real!'
It was inside a dream created by the Witch. Without realizing it, I drew up my internal energy.
Then my blocked mouth opened.
"Hey! Let's just fight instead!"
"No. Hurry and sleep. I'll put you to sleep now."
The Witch's figure disappeared.
Only then did I fall into a deep sleep.