Angel
Angel
I still don't fully understand magic.
Bringing the dead back to life.
Turning people into frogs.
Crushing enemies beneath a wooden sailing ship.
A power that defies the imagination of ordinary humans.
And yet, even those who wield such power can surpass all expectations.
"Kuhahahaha! It's pillaging time!"
The pirate standing before me now was exactly that kind of man.
"Charge!"
"The captain's orders!"
"Kihaha!"
Countless pirate underlings leaped from the ship. Despite falling from such heights, they were all unharmed. Drawing their cutlasses, they grinned at me before charging forward in unison.
"Get him!"
"Kuhaha!"
The armed pirates' faces were twisted with unrestrained cruelty.
"Eeek!"
"Senior, isn't this bad?"
I tossed Lantern behind me, ordering her to protect the two. The key to the Gu Family must not be harmed. Besides, even without Lantern, I had another weapon at my disposal.
"Ready."
From my embrace, I drew out the forbidden book wrapped in white cloth. The fabric fluttered away, revealing the cursed tome hidden beneath.
Vooooom—
A massive energy gathered before the book as I aimed it at the pirates. They still hadn't grasped the situation, their faces still contorted with greed as they stared at me.
"Fire."
I muttered softly as I observed them.
KWA-BOOOOOM—
A colossal pillar of light swallowed every last one of the charging pirates.
"Kuhahaha! Not bad at all! Who'd have thought a backwater like this would have someone like you!"
Wang-jik, the pirate captain, bellowed from the ship's prow as he glared down at me.
"But it's not over yet! Plenty of the sea's mighty warriors still remain!"
As if on cue, another wave of pirates leaped from the ship. Drawing their cutlasses at their captain's command, they rushed toward me.
Just as I prepared to unleash another attack, I sensed something amiss.
And so, I chose defense over offense.
A moment later, my decision proved wise.
"Fire!!"
A barrage of cannonballs and explosives rained down from the pirate ship—right onto me.
BOOOOM!
BANG!
KABOOOOM!!
The bombardment's radius included the pirates charging at me.
"Gyaaah!"
"Captain! Save us!!"
"Why us?! Gyaaaah!"
I was the only one who survived the explosive downpour.
"Grrr! Still alive, are you? Don't you dare think you can walk away after slaughtering my men like this!"
"You killed them."
I stared blankly at Wang-jik, whose face was flushed with rage. Between his ridiculous outfit and the way he'd unhesitatingly bombarded his own crew, it was clear this man wasn't right in the head.
'No, I was distracted by his underlings. That's why I couldn't dodge in time. Maybe this was all part of his plan to land a hit.'
That aside, were those explosives magic?
There were no more signs of life aboard the ship. Without a crew to fire those cannons, magic was the only explanation. Just what kind of magic was he using?
I tensed up, watching his movements closely to prepare for the next attack. Whatever spell he cast, I'd counter it instantly.
But despite my readiness, I couldn't help but be stunned.
"CHARGE!!!"
The massive pirate ship was plowing through the earth, hurtling toward me with inexplicable propulsion.
"Damn it!"
Even if it was made of wood, that colossal sailing ship weighed hundreds of tons. If it hit me, my body would be pulverized beyond recognition.
This was truly beyond imagination. Who would've thought a ship could charge like this?
But even as my mind reeled, my hands were already moving.
Vooooom—
I aimed the forbidden book at the approaching ship. A massive orb of light gathered before it.
It felt like I was a hunter staring down a rampaging elephant, ready to fire.
My breathing was steady. My hands didn't tremble.
And so, the barrel of my "gun" didn't waver as the beast charged.
"Fire."
KWA-BOOOOOM—!
The condensed orb of light exploded, forming a towering pillar that pierced clean through the ship's center, leaving a gaping tunnel in its wake.
CRASH!
SCREEEECH!
The ship was sent flying backward, yet despite the massive hole, it somehow retained its form.
"Gyaaah! My ship!!"
Wang-jik clung to the deck of the capsized vessel, writhing in pain. A gaping wound had opened in his abdomen—eerily similar to the hole in his ship, as if they shared the damage.
"Grrrrr! I won't forgive this!"
His growl was almost bestial.
"You won't get the chance."
I had no intention of letting him prepare another move.
But then, something burst from the ground and seized my ankle.
"Grrrr..."
A green spirit—a ghostly apparition of the pirates who had just died here.
BOOM—!
I swiftly dispatched it and turned my gaze back to Wang-jik. Both his legs had been severed, the stumps turning to ash as they vanished into the air.
"Keheheh! Did you think it was just one?"
Equivalent Exchange. He had sacrificed his legs to resurrect his crew as ghosts. I wasn't particularly curious about how—it was obviously magic.
Perhaps not questioning the absurd was part of magic's charm.
Vooooom—!
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
I fired lasers at the ghosts crawling out of the ground like moles. Even a graze from the light reduced them to ash, their anguished wails filling the air.
'What's his game?'
Even as I dealt with the ghosts one by one, I kept my eyes locked on Wang-jik.
"Kuhahahaha! To think I, Wang-jik, would be pushed this far!"
The man who had been furious moments ago now laughed like a madman.
Vrrrrr—!
At the same time, the hole-riddled ship began to tremble violently. The tremors traveled across the land, reaching the sea. A massive ripple spread across the once-calm waters.
"Good! Very good! I only came to this backwater to smuggle, but to think I'd run into a bastard like you! How wonderful!!"
His eyes were bloodshot, the veins visible even from a distance.
"I can always get more men! I can steal someone else's legs! But you—you won't walk away from this!"
"What did I even do to you?"
I stared at him blankly. I'd only fought back against his attacks, yet he acted like I was his lifelong nemesis. For a moment, I wondered if I'd forgotten something.
'Hmm.'
Nope. Nothing. Maybe it was my mistake for trying to understand a madman's logic. A sane person like me could never fathom the mind of a lunatic.
But unexpectedly, he kindly explained his reasoning.
"You don't get it?! It's those damn eyes of yours! The way you look at others like they're beneath you, like you're the only sane one!"
"What kind of nonsense is this?"
"Keheheh! Is that how all geniuses are? Fine! I'll tell you! The grudge I hold for being driven from my homeland! The scale of it!!"
Wang-jik ranted about grievances only he understood. If I indulged him, I might've learned his backstory. But I didn't bother.
No more ghosts were crawling out of the ground. I didn't need to stall anymore.
"I'll kill you, even if it costs me my life!"
"No, you're the one who'll die."
He raised a compass toward the sky.
"Come forth! Demon of the Deep! By our contract, I offer my everything—!!"
"Fire."
KWA-BOOOOOM—!
A pillar of light from the forbidden book swallowed him whole.
But he didn't die.
Sluuuurp—
A massive octopus tentacle emerged from the sea, coiling around Wang-jik.
"This is..."
And it wasn't alone.
Tentacles as tall as skyscrapers burst from the water one after another. The situation was spiraling out of control. I quickly channeled the book's mana to erect a barrier.
Whoooosh—
The moment the barrier formed, a sound like tearing wind reached my ears.
THOOOOOM—!
A tentacle of overwhelming mass slammed into the barrier. The ground quaked, and the barrier screamed—but thankfully, it held. The grotesque, sticky flesh that had filled my vision slowly lifted, rising back toward the stormy sky.
'Preparing another attack?'
The barrier was intact, but I didn't know how long it would last. There was no point in dragging this out. I needed to end it quickly.
"Come."
I reached back and summoned Lantern. I intended to unleash my Domain and shred those monstrous tentacles to pieces. But something interrupted my resolve.
Vooooom—
It was the forbidden book.
"What?"
Vooooom—
The book vibrated eerily, its pages flipping on their own. The fluttering sheets finally settled on a specific section.
I'd seen this page before. But now, unfamiliar words glowed vividly on the brownish paper, as if freshly inscribed.
『How to Destroy a God』
『How to Command an Angel』
"...Command an angel?"
Vooooom—!
The moment I uttered those words, the book resonated violently.
Simultaneously, a brilliant golden light bloomed beneath my feet. A massive ring-shaped magic circle spread across the sea's surface, and from the center of the swirling light emerged a winged aberration.
"That's...?"
I'd seen this being once before.
Nine pairs of enormous white wings, countless eyes embedded between the feathers, writhing grotesquely.
"...An angel?"
The angel manifested from the summoning circle stood before me, its overwhelming presence glaring down at the octopus tentacles.