The Spirit Kings' Battle (1)
Spirits and spirit users share thoughts to a certain extent through their contract bond once battle begins. But that was truly just "to a certain extent." Things like "attack" or "defend"—simple ideas like that were shared, but nothing more detailed.
Now, however, after growing in the Spirit Realm and acquiring Spirit Empathy, I could convey specific tactical instructions to the spirits with just my thoughts. In other words, this meant we could do it without a single word.
Boom!
The vending machine next to the demon exploded. Aqua had manipulated the drinks inside it.
The demon was flung back by the impact, right toward the glass window Terra had cleverly shattered.
Crash!
It flew out of the speeding train without even a scream.
[Um! Amazing!]
Aqua nodded with a small gasp of admiration at their perfect teamwork with Terra.
Terra gazed up at me steadily.
[What's this?]
She seemed fascinated by my thoughts flowing into her mind.
"It's the power of the Spirit Empathy skill."
[Oh.]
[Shi-sit!]
I scooped up the amazed spirits into my arms and stepped onto the broken window frame.
"Let's chase it."
[Um!]
I leaped straight out the window.
'Water Shield.'
The summoned shield in midair became a platform, catching me safely. It was an application utilizing the fact that Water Shield fixed itself in the position the caster desired.
I summoned several more shields to cancel out the momentum from jumping off the moving train, then dashed toward where the demon had fallen.
'Water Shield, Water Shield, Water Shield.'
Shields appeared one after another as an unbroken series of platforms ahead of me. I'd only dreamed of applications like this before, but with my B-rank Spirit Affinity amplified by the power of the trident, it had become reality.
Crack—!
A tree toppled from one of the thick ridges surrounding the tracks—the direction where the demon had crashed.
I picked up speed a bit more and soon arrived at the crash site.
"Damn it!"
It had smashed through several trees and gouged a crater in the dirt floor, but the demon stood up unscathed. No, not quite unscathed.
Crack!Crunch!
It was just regenerating at a terrifying speed.
'High-Speed Regeneration trait, huh.'
Like awakeners, demons possessed supernatural powers. More precisely, powers corresponding to awakeners' "traits."
Identifying the type of power decided victory or defeat in battles against demons.
"Hoo—!"
Its sunglasses were gone, most of its clothes shredded, and it glared at me with eyes blazing like flames. A massive malice and killing intent, almost visible in color, crashed over me.
It was the thickest killing intent I'd ever felt since birth, but my body didn't freeze up or anything.
I was pretty pissed off myself.
I set Aqua and Terra down on the ground.
[…….]
[…….]
The two spirits fell silent at the sight of the enemy right in front of them. I knew well that this was how spirits showed their anger.
Like a tsunami swallowing everything, like an earthquake flipping the earth in a single rage. Nature always raged in silence.
I gripped the trident in my hand tighter and glared at the demon.
'High-Speed Regeneration.'
High-Speed Regeneration was a trait that accelerated the recovery of physical damage and stamina. Given how its broken limbs healed in seconds, this was a high-grade version.
'The way to beat it is simple.'
I recalled what I'd learned at the Hunter Academy.
'Attack until it tires out. Keep killing it until it stays dead.'
A very straightforward strategy.
* * *
The demon kicked off the ground and charged at me. Its speed was comparable to a car—terrifying.
'High-Speed Regeneration plus Physical Enhancement, huh.'
A brute-force combo, but the "boar" setup that worked against any enemy. Of course, we weren't "any enemy."
Boom—!
The ground in a two-meter radius around it erupted. Like a hammer slamming up from below.
"Guhk!"
The demon was launched nearly five meters into the air. A boar's weakness was its vulnerability while airborne.
With the brief time bought, I pulled a chocolate snack from the bag in my hand and fed it to Terra.
[Nyam.]
Earth spirits entered an awakened state after eating chocolate. Spirit users sometimes used it like doping.
Next, I pulled a soda can from the snack bag and tossed it into the air.
'Water Shield.'
The soda cans froze in midair.
[Um!]
Aqua reached toward the airborne demon, and iridescent Destruction Orbs shot from the cans.
It was the first time since creating this technique that I'd fired them with genuine killing intent.
Pew—!
The demon reflexively curled up in a guard position. But a guard meant nothing against water jets faster than bullets and sharper than blades.
Splat—!
The Destruction Orb pierced its guard, carving a deep gash across its chest. Thanks to Physical Enhancement, it stopped at a gash; otherwise, it'd be a corpse before hitting the ground.
[Um……!]
Aqua let out a dissatisfied noise, unhappy with the result.
Spirits were pure, but not naive. Having lived in a world where animals killed and ate each other daily, they wouldn't hesitate to strike enemies or spill blood.
True to its high-grade High-Speed Regeneration boar nature, the demon healed before touching down.
Thud—!
The instant its feet hit the ground, it kicked off again toward me.
[No.]
Terra swiped her hand, and the ground beneath us moved like a conveyor belt. We were instantly three meters farther back.
And that wasn't all. As she retreated us, Terra attacked it too.
Rumble—!
A massive fist rose from the earth. Nearly the size of a train car, made of dirt and rock.
Timing it for the demon's landing, Terra's fist smashed down.
Boom—!
The earth-shaking roar echoed, but it didn't fall.
"Urgh—!"
On the contrary, the demon stood firm and blocked the fist. The ground cratered beneath its feet, its suit shredded over writhing, grotesque muscles, but it blocked Terra's fist with ease.
'Insane Physical Enhancement.'
Its power didn't end there.
"Hah!"
With a shout, it pushed back Terra's fist.
'As expected, to fight a boar, we need to put it in a situation where it can't use that power.'
The demon stomped to leap at us again.
Wobble.
"Hm?!"
But it lost balance the moment its foot hit the ground. Aqua had turned the soil beneath it into sticky mud with groundwater.
Aqua's attack followed.
Sploosh—!
Underground water erupted from the ground. Terra had loosened the soil, and Aqua pulled it up—each droplet a shotgun blast hammering the demon's body.
"Keurk!"
Its body floated into the air.
[Um!]
[Um.]
Aqua and Terra looked up at me. Eyes asking for the next order.
I was focusing on giving commands via Spirit Empathy rather than moving myself, maximizing its new abilities.
'Aqua and Terra handle the power, I handle the brains.'
Perfect division of labor.
The moment I thought of the next plan, Aqua and Terra moved.
Aqua gathered the floating groundwater into a massive water orb.
"Blubblubblub—!"
The demon was at its center.
I planned to trap it like this until its High-Speed Regeneration ran dry.
But the demon had one more hidden ability.
Bubble bubble.
The water orb began to boil. Watching it shrink, I clicked my tongue.
Its head and eyes turned red—it must have some heat-related power too.
"Terra."
[Yes.]
Terra summoned a giant hand. And as the water orb nearly evaporated, she swatted the demon like a bug.
Splat—!
At near-invisible speed, it was slammed into the ground.
"Keurk—!"
Thud—!
As if unharmed, it sprang up and lunged at me again. But bit by bit, its movements were slowing.
* * *
The world's top awakener powerhouse, Korea, operated an emergency dispatch team nicknamed the "Hunter 5-Minute Standby Squad."
Wherever in the country a gate or demon was reported, they deployed within five minutes for initial response.
'They call it initial response, but given Korea's hunter level, cases often end with the 5-Minute Squad alone.'
The demon had probably avoided fighting on the train to evade them.
My own plan was to call the 5-Minute Squad and stall for five minutes if things went south.
But I didn't need to.
Sploosh—!
At Terra's gesture, the earth exploded.
Pew—!
At Aqua's gesture, a massive tree toppled.
"Keurk—!"
The demon desperately tried to reach me, but the spirits' dazzling attacks kept even its gaze barely touching us.
It was a one-sided, overwhelming beatdown.
'This is what we can do at full power.'
Until now, I'd fought other spirit users and spirits. With Jeong Ri-on, Niagara, Pompeii.
We hadn't fought to kill. Fighting while holding back was naturally harder than just killing.
With those limits gone, we were stronger than I'd imagined.
'And fighting in terrain favorable to us helps.'
An earth spirit in these dirt-filled mountains was practically invincible. Plus, Aqua had Guardian Power.
The Guardian Power she'd vowed to earn as the Spirit Realm's guardian amplified her strength against its enemies.
Thud—!
The demon crashed to the ground for the umpteenth time, wounded again.
"Guhk……!"
Crunch!Crack!
Its body regenerated, but its spirit broke—it crawled on the ground, unable to rise.
No matter how fast High-Speed Regeneration healed wounds, it couldn't restore willpower.
"How……!"
It couldn't accept being pushed this far.
"How can a mere academy brat…!"
It was surely a strong demon.
'It has three traits.'
High-Speed Regeneration, Physical Enhancement, and one heat-related.
'Probably Body Overheat or Spontaneous Combustion.'
Demons with three traits were classified as minimum A-rank. An A-rank demon matched an A-rank awakener's power, requiring an S-rank for smooth elimination.
'It had reason to be confident.'
But we were far stronger.
It had severely underestimated us as academy students.
'Plus, the demon intel on my rank is way below actual.'
I'd never directly mentioned my rank in interviews.
They might've guessed I'd grown stronger contracting spirit kings, but not this much.
My current combat power exceeded A-rank. B-rank Spirit Affinity, contracts with two A+ spirits, and the spirit kings' trident.
"Hoo—!"
The demon's breathing steadied a bit. It wasn't muttering for no reason—to induce carelessness and regenerate stamina and will.
But we'd bought time too.
[Shi-sit!]
Mandu returned from patrol and perched on my shoulder.
[Shi-sit! Shi-shi-sit!]
Reporting no sign of people for hundreds of meters around.
The demon eyed Mandu curiously, wondering why it hadn't joined the fight.
"Awakeners' top priority is civilian safety."
"……What?"
"We've only used half our power until now."
I issued my ultimatum to its furrowed brow.
"I won't kill you. I need to extract a ton of info first."
I held out the trident to Aqua and Terra.
"But we gotta strip that boar-like regen and vitality."
Rumble.
Water and earth rose from the ground, wrapping the trident.
'The Spirit Realm trident amplifies spirit and spirit user power.'
Aqua and Terra, empowered by the trident, reached together toward the mountaintop.
Roll.
A few pebbles tumbled down.
Rumble rumble.
Gravel and boulders poured.
Whoosh—!
A landslide erupted.
Faced with the tsunami of earth rushing down, Aqua looked at Terra with thrilled awe.
[……Combo move!]
Terra eyed the nodding Aqua curiously. But soon, her face turned serious, and she nodded.
[Combo move.]
A proud smile spread across Aqua's face.