Chapter 37
Chapter 37
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Akashic Records
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A thunderous boom echoed from behind as the massive iron door slammed shut, and only then could I finally catch my breath. The scrape on my back from the floor burned like fire, but the relief that Bang Soso was safe overshadowed it.
The plaza inside was a veritable hellscape. Screams erupting from all directions, the clash of weapons, and the beastly howls of the demonic fiends blended into a cacophony that tore at the ears.
"Senior Brother! Sister-in-law!"
At that moment, Paeng Daesan spotted us and came rushing over in a panic. When he saw Soso cradled in my arms, his face drained of color.
"Sister-in-law, are you alright?! Are you hurt anywhere?!"
He circled around Soso, at a complete loss. I couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.
"Hey. Am I invisible or something?"
"Haha! Of course I knew you'd be fine, Senior Brother!"
Paeng Daesan tried to awkwardly brush it off with a laugh. This shameless guy.
"My back's all scraped up because of you. Just you wait."
"Hehe, command me as you will, Senior Brother."
When I grumbled, he just grinned from ear to ear. But when did this guy get so buff? He was always sturdy, but now he looked like a statue carved from rock. Must be the fruits of his training.
For now, the situation right in front of us took priority.
I focused my mind on Paeng Daesan. Implanting a suggestion without physical contact consumed more mental energy, but we didn't have the luxury for that now.
'Awaken. Your latent potential explodes forth.'
My mental energy crashed over Paeng Daesan like a wave.
Crack, cra-crack—!
In an instant, a sound like his bones twisting erupted from Paeng Daesan's body. His muscles swelled unnaturally, straining the fabric of his training robes to the bursting point. Thick veins bulged across his arms and neck, and a fierce light gleamed in his eyes.
"Grraaah...!"
Paeng Daesan groaned low, looking down at his transformed body. A mix of pain and uncontrollable euphoria spread across his face.
"This time, protect us properly."
"Of course, Senior Brother! Don't worry!"
Paeng Daesan clenched his fist, shouting with confidence. Could I really trust this meathead?
I sighed and pulled Soso tightly into my arms once more. Burying my face in her soft, ample bosom eased the throbbing in my head. As my mental energy began to recover, I spread it out thin and wide toward the plaza.
'Do not tire. Do not fall. Wounds are nothing.'
A wide-area recovery suggestion. The effect was minimal across so many people, but to the warriors on the verge of collapse, it would be like a ray of light.
Sure enough, I saw warriors rallying here and there. One who had nearly dropped his sword gripped it anew; another who had been staggering straightened up. They might have wondered at the sudden surge of energy, but they had no time for such thoughts amid the onslaught of demonic fiends.
Everyone was fighting desperately.
But... something felt off.
I brushed back Soso's hair as she nestled in my arms and scanned our surroundings. A sense of incongruity lingered. At first, I couldn't pinpoint it. But soon, I realized why.
It was too quiet.
The plaza as a whole was filled with shouts and screams, but at least around us, it was eerily silent. Not a single demonic fiend approached our position.
Paeng Daesan seemed to notice it too, giving me a puzzled look.
We were at the edge of the plaza, near the entrance we'd just come through. But for not even one fiend to charge this way was blatantly abnormal. It was as if an invisible wall stood there.
I nodded toward Paeng Daesan.
"Go check it out."
"Yes, sir!"
Without a hint of hesitation, Paeng Daesan shot into the battlefield like a cannonball.
The moment he took a few steps toward the center, the surrounding demonic fiends swarmed him as if they'd been waiting.
"Raaargh!"
"Die, you vermin!"
But Paeng Daesan was no longer the man he used to be. He charged straight at the oncoming fiends, slamming into them with his shoulder.
Splat, splat, splurch!
With sounds like watermelons bursting, several fiends exploded, spraying black blood everywhere.
Hey, what about your sword? You're going in barehanded?
Paeng Daesan had discarded the Paeng family's treasured blade and was tearing through the fiends with nothing but his fists and body. Every swing of his fist sent fiends' heads bursting like paper.
"Come back."
I called him again. The test was sufficient. Paeng Daesan returned to my side with a reluctant expression, but promptly.
I ordered him to guard Soso.
Then I enhanced my own body as well. Muscles writhed across my frame, overflowing with power. I hurled myself into the swarm of demonic fiends.
As expected. The moment I entered the fray, the fiends spotted me and came buzzing like a hive of bees.
A few punches cleared the obstructing skulls from my path, and I immediately returned to Soso's side.
The conclusion was clear.
I took Soso back into my arms. Our surroundings remained a silent sanctuary the fiends dared not approach.
When Paeng Daesan leaped into battle, the fiends attacked him.
When I leaped into battle, the fiends attacked me.
But when we stayed by Soso's side, the fiends avoided us.
By process of elimination, only one answer remained.
The demonic fiends... weren't coming for Soso.
They were desperately avoiding her vicinity. As if they feared something emanating from her.
Why?
I didn't know. But in this moment, amid the frenzied hell, Bang Soso was an absolute safe zone—that much was certain.
However, even so, this was just a war of attrition.
Holding Soso, I surveyed the entire plaza. Warriors were falling everywhere. Some from blood loss, others from exhaustion, torn apart by fiends' claws and teeth. The worst were those consumed by demonic energy, turning into fiends themselves. They bared their fangs at comrades they'd fought back-to-back with moments ago.
A hopeless, despairing battle.
Unlike the tiring Orthodox Alliance warriors, the fiends showed no signs of fatigue. No, their numbers seemed to be growing.
There was something. A source continuously creating or driving them berserk.
I reexamined the spot where I'd first sensed the incongruity.
Amid the chaotic melee of fiends and warriors, one area stood out where fiends clustered thickly, excluding humans entirely.
I pushed my eyesight to its limits. My vision narrowed, all senses funneling into my eyes. And I saw it.
At the center, guarded by layers of fiends like some hatchery.
A single sword embedded in the ground.
The blood-red blade pulsed ominously, like a living creature. A sinister aura, dizzying just to behold, rose around it like heat haze.
Instinct told me.
That was it.
That sword was the source endlessly driving the fiends berserk.
It had to be removed.
The first idea was to take Soso and head straight there. Using the fiends' avoidance of her, we could reach it easily.
But that wouldn't work.
Even if the fiends avoided Soso, in that tangled mess of hundreds or thousands, a stray blade or fist could still strike her. One variable was all it would take to endanger her. I couldn't allow that.
I set Soso down and entrusted her to Paeng Daesan.
"Paeng Daesan."
"Yes, Senior Brother!"
"Protect Soso. With your life."
"Loyal!"
The perpetual goofy grin vanished from his face. In its place was grim resolve. His steel-like gaze made me feel oddly embarrassed.
I turned away and took a deep breath.
Recalling the time I'd swept demonic energy from the berserk fiend Byeok Cheonwi had captured and purified it.
To revive that sensation, I delved into the depths of my mind. My ability to perfectly recreate past memories in an instant via extreme self-hypnosis—like a mage chanting a spell, I'd named it 'Akashic Records' to boost efficiency.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ 'Akashic Records.' The archive of memories opened, and the sensation of handling demonic energy spread through my body. I cast the strongest suggestion on myself.
'I am a demonic fiend.'
This was no mere imitation—it was qualitatively different. My body began to change. Faint black energy rose from my skin. It was subtle, but unmistakable demonic energy.
Unlike those swept in madness, this was perfectly refined, pure demonic energy. Completely under my control.
I took a step forward.
I strolled leisurely into the heart of the fiend-infested hell. As if it were nothing. Calmly.
The fiends that noticed me turned their heads in unison. A flicker of doubt appeared in their vacant eyes. An alien presence among them. Yet, the familiar energy they sensed too.
One fiend raised its claws toward me, then tilted its head and hesitated, stepping aside. As one made way, the others parted like the Red Sea, as if by prior agreement.
Awe even gleamed in their eyes. Even these mindless beasts could feel it. The overwhelming pressure of the pure demonic energy emanating from me.
Parting the sea of fiends, I finally reached the sword's position. Hundreds surrounded me, but none dared touch me.
I bent down and grasped the hilt.
In that instant.
A chilling, alien energy invaded my body through the hilt. Demonic energy brimming with pure malice and madness. It sought to erode my mind and turn me into their puppet.
But it was mistaken.
The invading mad demonic energy immediately confronted a greater, purer presence within me. From the Akashic Records. Temporary, but undeniably under my dominion. The intruder fled like a frightened rat.
I understood. This sword, like the fiends around me, feared the pure demonic energy within me.
I gripped the hilt again to pull it free. It was lodged like in solid bedrock, refusing to budge. As I applied greater force—
"No! You mustn't draw that sword!"
A desperate shout pierced the plaza's din.
I turned to see the man from Hao Gate—who'd earlier said there were no mechanisms—reaching out toward me, his face etched with horror.
But it was too late.
Schling—
The sword came free from the ground with a sinister rasp, now in my hand.
And in that moment.
Rumble-rumble-RUMBLE—!
The entire cave shook violently, like the roar of a colossal beast. Dust and rocks rained down from the ceiling.
The man from Hao Gate screamed in anguish.
"Everyone, evacuate the Secret Cave! It's collapsing!"