Chapter 115
Chapter 115
Ch. 115 .｡.:✧ The Great Guardian (3) ✧:.｡.
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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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The fog cleared.
The vast space had shrunk down to the size of a gymnasium.
And in the center of it all…
“Who are you?”
[W-Well… Th-The Great Guardian is away at the moment! I’m her direct subordinate! If you try anything funny, she’ll come back and devour you without a trace, so… you’d better run!]
“No, your voices are exactly the same. No one would fall for that.”
The little fox, claiming to be the Great Guardian’s subordinate, was burying her head in the ground, covering her eyes, and trembling.
Well, maybe not so little. She was the size of a large dog, but she looked tiny compared to the massive ball of fur from earlier.
[Achievement Unlocked]
› Encounter with the Great Guardian, Guiho!
The system notification finally appeared.
So, the giant fox I had seen earlier was an illusion, and this was the Great Guardian’s true form.
⚙ System Notification ⚙
You have received the ‘Curse Formation’ trait as a reward for unlocking the achievement.
› Trait: Curse Formation
› Allows you to draw formations.
I had acquired the Curse Formation trait as a reward.
At the same time, basic information about curses was etched into my mind, and I could feel demonic energy stirring at my fingertips. It used to be a faint, indistinct sensation, but now I could manipulate it directly, like magic power.
‘I can use curses now.’
It seemed the trait had forcefully granted me enlightenment in the art of curses. I had no idea how to use cursed dolls, talismans, or totems, but the fact that I could clearly sense demonic energy meant I could learn.
Judging by the simple description – “Allows you to draw formations” – it wasn’t a particularly unique trait. I could just ask the centipede… creature… to teach me about curses. Well, “ask” was a bit of an overstatement. It would be more like forcing her to teach me.
[Accumulation: 49,980/62,500]
Meanwhile, the accumulation level of Kali’s soul fragment had skyrocketed. I had painstakingly gathered about 3,000, and now it was at 50,000? The demonic energy contained within the Great Guardian’s formation must have been immense.
‘What happens when it reaches 62,500?’
On the other hand, it meant that even after absorbing all the demonic energy from that massive space distortion formation, it still wasn’t full.
There were still 12,500 to go.
What would Kali’s soul fragment turn into once it was fully charged? The thought sent chills down my spine.
[Y-Yes! The Hundred Flowers Riot is about to explode! So you better get out of here while you can!]
“A valiant effort. You were that desperate to hide your true form, huh?”
[Eek!]
I grabbed the babbling Great Guardian by the scruff of her neck and lifted her up. She gave up resisting, her body going limp, revealing her fox face with its long snout.
She seemed to have accepted her fate.
“What is all this? Great Guardian, why did you create such an illusion?”
[You saw my true form, so you should understand… I’m no longer the Great Guardian. Just call me Guiho. I suffered a major injury a long time ago and lost most of my power. I no longer have the strength to watch over this land as the Great Guardian. I’m just an ordinary yokai now. I’ve been hiding here, secretly building up my power, hoping to one day regain my former strength.]
Now I understood why the Great Guardian had remained silent even when the Four Heavenly Kings were running amok. Why she had died in one hit, without putting up a fight, when the final boss appeared.
Guiho had lost her power as the Great Guardian long ago.
This place must have been a formation she created before losing her power. She could only exert her authority and power as the Great Guardian within this formation. So, she hadn’t left until she regained her full power.
She couldn’t have remained hidden when the final boss appeared, so she had disguised herself with an illusion and gone out… only to be utterly defeated.
The pieces of the puzzle clicked into place.
“Well… at this point, wouldn’t it be better to just give up the position of Great Guardian? There are plenty of yokai stronger than you.”
[N-No! I can’t do that!]
“Is there a reason?”
[It’s embarrassing… I tried to downplay it, saying it was just a scratch… But if everyone found out that I became this weak because of that injury… ]
“…”
Guiho averted her gaze, her voice trailing off. She might no longer be the Great Guardian, a yokai, or anything else, but her pride was still intact.
What should I do?
[Please don’t tell anyone about me! I’ll give you any rare cultivation technique you want! Anything!]
“I don’t need that. I’m more interested in learning how to create a space distortion formation.”
[Oh! Oh, oh! Of course! I’ll teach you! Stay here with me, and—]
“No. Outside.”
[Huh?]
Flash.
I grabbed Guiho by the scruff of her neck again and lifted her up.
Her expression turned vacant. She was a yokai who had lived for thousands of years, accumulating vast knowledge. It would be foolish to let her go.
Now that I could learn curses, it would be perfect to learn from Guiho. Swordsmanship from the centuries-old Transylvania, and curses from the millennia-old Guiho.
Perfect.
Wheeeeeeeeee!
The lights in the room turned red, and a siren blared.
Guiho’s expression turned smug.
[You’re in big trouble now! The Hundred Flowers Riot has detected an intruder! It might look like an ordinary gambling den, but it’s actually a force dedicated to protecting and concealing me! They’re all masters who can easily kill someone like you! Put me down, swear you won’t reveal my identity, and beg for mercy… and maybe, just maybe… I’ll let you leave safely…!]
“Hey…”
Was she still clueless? I ignored her warning and carried her up the stairs.
Time to break out of here.
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“…Fold.”
Shuffle. Shuffle.
Every time Undecided shuffled the cards and spoke, the gamblers watched her every move. But her face was as still as a corpse, her voice flat and unchanging. Even her hands moved without any telltale habits or tics.
It was impossible to glean the slightest hint of emotion. The perfect poker face.
The gamblers facing her felt a strange unease, as if they were playing against a machine.
‘…They’re… cheating…’
The atmosphere at the table had shifted. The casual gamblers had been replaced by professionals, and the new dealer, who had replaced the one who’d left claiming illness, was clearly cheating.
Every element at the table was geared towards bankrupting Undecided, whose chips were piled high.
Undecided, sensing this…
“…Not… fun. Leaving.”
“W-Wait! The fun is just about to start!”
“…Sleepy. Time… to sleep.”
“No way!!!”
Ignoring the pleas of the staff and spectators, Undecided loaded her mountain of chips onto a cart and took it to the exchange counter. The staff could only watch as she exchanged her chips for a massive amount of cash and stuffed it into her bag.
They offered to waive the commission if she waited, to provide free hotel accommodation and room service if she stayed another day, but Undecided remained unmoved.
“…Have a… good day.”
Undecided left the Hundred Flowers Riot.
A moment later…
Wheeeeeeeeee!
A siren blared throughout the establishment and chaos erupted. The customers evacuated, clueless, while the remaining staff armed themselves.
They might have been dressed as ordinary casino employees, but the moment they picked up their swords, axes, and other weapons, their auras transformed.
The siren meant something had happened to the Great Guardian.
The staff, tense and alert, stopped in front of the hidden door.
“They’re in there! Be careful! They’re no ordinary opponent. They managed to break through the concealment barrier and infiltrate…”
Crash!
A hole exploded in the wall, and a man in a black mask rushed out, escaping. He was carrying a silver fox in his arms.
The staff, who had been waiting for the door to open, stared in disbelief.
“Catch him! Catch the intruder!”
“Captain! The room is empty!”
“What?!”
“The Great Guardian… She’s… gone!”
The captain, shocked, flung open the door and looked inside, only to freeze. The room, which should have been vast due to the distorted space, was now just an ordinary-sized room.
The Great Guardian was nowhere to be seen.
The captain gritted his teeth.
“After him! He must have done something to the Great Guardian!”
“Bug! Activate the formation!”
“Bug? What’s that supposed to mean?”
The staff looked at each other in confusion.
Down in the sewers, a giant centipede, overhearing the commotion, began to move quickly.
‘Damn it! How much more demonic energy is this going to take?!’
Grumbling inwardly, she quickly spread a wide-range sleep spell. It wasn’t difficult. She had already set up formations throughout the building while drawing the blueprint.
All she had to do was add a sleep spell to them. But the sheer size of the Hundred Flowers Riot meant a massive amount of demonic energy was required.
The spell’s potency would inevitably be weakened, but she managed to complete the sleep formation.
“Stop him with numbers!”
The staff swarmed the man, blocking his escape. There seemed to be no way out.
“Bug! Now!”
The man’s voice boomed, and the formation laid throughout the Hundred Flowers Riot activated.
Drowsiness washed over the building, and the staff members blocking the man’s path collapsed, one after another, falling asleep.
“Damn it! What did he do?!”
But not everyone succumbed. For the masters who trained day and night, this level of drowsiness was merely a slight heaviness in their eyelids.
They slapped themselves awake and continued their pursuit.
‘A fox? What’s that?’
The man was carrying a large silver fox, but they couldn’t figure out what it was. It couldn’t be the Great Guardian, it was too small and its aura too weak. They simply assumed it had similar fur to the Great Guardian.
‘Who is this guy?! We’ll chase you to the ends of the earth! We’ll find out what you did to the Great Guardian!’
The man was getting away.
They were masters who had trained to their limits for nearly twenty years, but the man dodged their projectiles and arrows as if toying with them, widening the distance.
‘We will catch him. Even if we lose him here, we will hunt him down.’
The captain, gritting his teeth, pushed himself to run faster.
They owed everything to the Great Guardian – food, clothing, shelter. Every blessing they had received in the North had been orchestrated by her. To repay her kindness and loyalty, they couldn’t let this man escape.
“Hahaha! Curious about my identity, are you?!”
“He drew his sword!”
“Rabbit! Now!”
The man laughed heartily, drew his sword, and called out to a rabbit. His sword flashed in an arc, and a sharp wind, extending from its tip, flew towards the pursuing masters.
Startled, they blocked the wind with their swords and shields, but they were bewildered.
Swordsmanship that generated sharp wind with the blade. As far as they knew, only one person used such a technique.
“T-Transylvania?”
“That’s right! It’s me! The wild, arrogant, narcissistic swordsman, the mediocre being who, after centuries of training, finally became the strongest! Transylvania! If you want the Great Guardian back, come find me! Hahahaha!”
“…”
With that, the masked man leaped from the high cliff and disappeared. They couldn’t pursue him any further.
The masters glared at the bottom of the cliff, gritting their teeth.
That swordsmanship was an ancient, lost art used only by Transylvania. And while they couldn’t quite recall, their voice did seem similar. Except for their slightly less defined pectoral muscles, it was undoubtedly Transylvania.
“Transylvania! That murderous bastard dared to touch the Great Guardian!”
“The madman! They have no fear of the ruler of the North!”
“Revealing your identity was a grave mistake! We will find you! Just you wait!”
They would find Transylvania, that blood ghoul.
The masters, stewing in their defeat, swore that oath.
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