How Dare You Mark My Disciple With Your Spit? (3)
Cheonhwa Yuseol had never raised a disciple before. There had never been anyone worthy in her eyes. No vessel capable of bearing her power. No one who could withstand the weight of her name.
—And now that I’ve finally found one, you dare mark him with your spit?
It was like staining a blank canvas before the painting had even begun. Could any true artist allow such a thing to stand?
—This place should work.
In a realm where the laws of reality were already twisted, crossing dimensions would surely be possible. Cheonhwa Yuseol traced the faint energy lingering on her disciple’s hand, pinpointed the coordinates, then raised a single fingernail and slashed it through the empty air.
Riiiiip.
Space tore open along the path of her nail. She had been careful not to disturb her focused disciple. Without hesitation, she stepped through the rift she had created.
Boom.
“Old man! Tell me the truth right now!”
“What is this sudden nonsense?”
Beyond the Ghost Lair. In the secret sanctuary known as the resting place of yokai, inside the castle where the Ghost King resided, Hoya slammed her fist on the desk and shouted.
The Ghost King, with his long white beard, looked thoroughly bored as he sipped his tea. But the next words out of Hoya’s mouth made him spit it right back out.
“Have you ever sown your seed outside, old man?!”
“Pffft—!”
“Hurry up and answer me! Is there any chance you have descendants? Yes or no!”
“Of course not! How could I possibly?!”
This girl… she clearly already knows the answer. What is she playing at? Is she trying to tease me?
No matter what, he was still the ruler known as the King of all yokai.
“You wicked little thing. Do you enjoy tormenting an old man this much?”
Still, Hoya was like a daughter to him—he had practically raised her since she was young. And getting this angry would only make him look like a petty monarch. Since no one else was around, he decided to let it slide.
“Then, just in case… have you ever formed a contract with a human?”
“I think I did something like that around four hundred years ago.”
“Did that contractor have any children?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
The Ghost King’s confusion was perfectly reasonable. But from Hoya’s perspective after meeting Zeon, the question was equally reasonable.
Just as both of them grew frustrated at being unable to get the answers they wanted—
Crackle.
“…Something’s coming.”
“W-what is this…?”
Something had crossed over into this realm.
Silver hair and tails that shimmered beautifully as they caught the moonlight floating in the sky swayed gently in the approaching breeze. But the energy riding that wind was anything but gentle.
“Hoya. Is this opponent too much for you?”
“…I’d need to meet her in person to be sure, but personally, I’d rather not fight her.”
The Ghost King quietly closed his eyes at her words. Ever since he had fallen into this state, the true strongest being in terms of raw power was no longer himself, but the fox yokai standing before him. And yet that same fox had already lost the will to fight an opponent she hadn’t even met yet.
The fox who could see a thousand miles. The nine-tailed fox who had killed a god. The incarnation of peerless beauty. A being with so many grand titles… was truly afraid.
“Why do such weird monsters keep showing up at the Ghost Lair these days…?”
Hoya’s pink eyes trembled violently, as if an earthquake had struck them. First it was a human who could wield Ghostly Qi without a contract. Now an unknown monster stronger than herself had arrived.
“Go on ahead. I’ll finish my preparations and follow right behind you.”
The moment those words left his mouth, Hoya’s body was engulfed in flames and she leaped across space.
“Hah. She’s gotten even stronger in the meantime.”
The Ghost King let out a short sigh of admiration at her ability, then slowly rose to his feet and gathered his weapons.
“Tsk. I’m not sure I can even be of any help in this condition.”
While Hoya and the Ghost King were rushing toward the Ghost Lair, Cheonhwa Yuseol was calmly observing her surroundings.
“So this is the place.”
The interior of a dark cave. Even though the space was vast, the strange dampness and unpleasant atmosphere instinctively triggered a sense of rejection.
‘The discomfort is because there’s no mana here.’
More precisely, the area was completely saturated with Ghostly Qi. To any being that wielded mana, this place was practically poison. Of course, Cheonhwa Yuseol simply waved her hand lightly and swept the Ghostly Qi away.
“My mood is not good right now, so leave quietly, you strange non-human creatures.”
The moment she made her declaration, the three beings who had been watching her all dropped to their knees at once, bodies bending unnaturally.
“Kuaaagh!”
“Aaaagh!”
“Kuuuugh…”
She had no intention of plucking out the eyes that had dared look at her with impurity, nor did she plan to kill these yokai that lusted after humans. The target of her anger was not these pathetic gatekeepers.
“Where… she’ll arrive in about three minutes.”
The familiar Ghostly Qi racing toward this location. It was the same sinister energy that had been clinging to the back of Zeon’s hand.
“Still, her skill is decent. She’s no ordinary great yokai. This level is practically approaching demigod status.”
“A being trying to break through the wall of the yokai hierarchy. How interesting.”
Whoosh!
Flames that had crossed space to strike at her were split cleanly in two by a single finger stroke from Cheonhwa Yuseol.
“An attack that crosses dimensions. Not bad.”
Of course, the power seemed to have been cut in half compared to its original strength after crossing space. It was decent for an ambush, but rather lacking when both sides were already aware of each other’s presence.
Having figured out the intent behind the previous attack, Cheonhwa Yuseol lightly waved her hand and sent the karma-crushed dokkaebi flying far into the distance.
“There. I’ve cleared away the pests just as you wanted. Now come at me properly.”
Once again, massive flames shot toward Cheonhwa Yuseol. This time the size and heat were on a completely different level. This had to be its true power.
“Not bad at all.”
Slash.
“But it’s still not enough to satisfy me.”
“I expected as much.”
“Oh?”
Hoya had somehow already taken up position directly behind Cheonhwa Yuseol. She had definitely been far away just moments ago.
“You crossed space.”
“It’s one of my many tricks.”
“What a worthless little trick.”
Hoya quickly spread her tails and checked on the three dokkaebi brothers. They had been crushed by Cheonhwa Yuseol’s karma, but their injuries weren’t life-threatening.
“Why has a monster like you come to this place?”
It was a different question from the one she had asked Zeon. She had asked him how he had come here. But to the woman before her, she asked why.
Hoya had instinctively realized that with the power this woman possessed, locating the Ghost Lair wouldn’t have been particularly difficult.
“Why I came here… you ask.”
The reason was standing right in front of her. This audacious fox who had dared to mark her disciple with her spit in that brief moment.
“Now that I think about it again, it’s utterly infuriating.”
“Kyaa?!”
Flick.
Cheonhwa Yuseol lightly flicked her finger. Hoya’s head snapped backward. When she regained her senses and straightened up, a burning pain throbbed on her forehead. The flick Cheonhwa Yuseol had delivered through the air had struck her brow.
“Decent power.”
“W-what kind of brute-force attack is this…!”
If Zeon saw this attack, what would he call it? He’d probably use that name he loved so much—Cheonhwa Yuseol—to give it some ridiculous title. Something like Cheonma Forehead Flick.
“…How chilling.”
It was a good thing Zeon wasn’t here. Cheonma Forehead Flick of all things.
‘At this rate I’m worried he’ll start calling me Cheonma too.’
She had no idea that Zeon was already calling her that. Nor would she ever know that in the dimension where Zeon had been, countless people including him referred to her as Cheonma.
“More importantly, are all beasts like this? Your head must be empty, because the sound it makes is so clear.”
“What did you just say?!”
Hoya clutched her forehead and shouted. Though it was just a forehead flick, because the one who delivered it was Cheonhwa Yuseol, tiny tears had formed at the corners of her eyes. It was a face that could shake the hearts of countless men, but unfortunately Cheonhwa Yuseol was a woman—and one who already held a grudge against her—so it had zero effect.
“Enough with the dramatics. Come at me again.”
Originally she had planned to quickly discipline the fox and leave, but Hoya’s strength had piqued her curiosity. So she decided to give her a small chance. Instead of one-sidedly beating her down, she would at least allow her the opportunity to attack.
Hoya, who had already healed the wound on her forehead, narrowed her eyes as she read Cheonhwa Yuseol’s intention. She had realized the consideration being shown to her.
“You’re going to regret being so cocky.”
“I happen to have quite the knack for handling beasts.”
“We’ll see if you can stay that calm after I sink my teeth into your neck.”
Whoosh!
In the Ghost Lair—essentially the home of yokai, overflowing with Ghostly Qi—how long could a mana user like Cheonhwa Yuseol possibly last? Hoya judged that simply dragging out the fight would be her victory. With that in mind, she charged at Cheonhwa Yuseol while still wreathed in flames, fully committed to a war of attrition.