Chapter 95: Exorcism (Physical)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 95: Exorcism (Physical)
CRUNCH!
Struck by the orange-glowing fist, the white mask flew limply down the hall.
I'd been worried it might be intangible, but it turned out that since the ghost used ki, my attacks landed just fine.
"K-Kim-kun?"
Behind me, Ms. Mizuki called out in a startled voice.
"Stay inside, Ms. Mizuki. I'll handle this thing."
With those words, I slowly walked toward the white mask sprawled on the floor.
"Krrk, khk-kek-kukek-kik-kek-khk."
In that time, the white mask on the floor made a bizarre noise and floated back into the air.
My previous attack must have landed squarely, as a small crack had appeared on the edge of the mask.
Instead of rushing it, I observed its reaction.
"Krrrrrr—"
Immediately after, a sound like phlegm rattling in a throat echoed out, and the darkness of the hallway began to coalesce behind the white mask.
To use a manga analogy, it felt like it was undergoing a stage-one transformation to reveal its true form.
But I had no intention of kindly waiting for its transformation to finish.
"Hup!"
I kicked off the floor and lunged at the still-transforming mask.
In response, tentacles of darkness shot out from behind it like arrows.
But I didn't block its attack.
There was no need to.
The black tentacles extending from the mask failed to pierce the yang energy surrounding my skin and bounced off harmlessly.
"Krrk?!"
I had learned through the Honwongyeong that the nature of my ki was Indestructibility (不壞)—in other words, most attacks couldn't hurt me.
It was a simple ability, but for someone like me who specialized in hand-to-hand combat, it was perfect.
I grabbed the repelled tentacles and yanked them back.
The still-transforming mask was dragged toward me like a sack of luggage.
I snatched the mask with my free hand.
It began to struggle with all its might, trying to escape my grasp.
But the more it struggled, the tighter I clenched my fist.
The crack from my punch began to widen.
"Di...ie."
Sensing the danger, the creature, which had only been shrieking until now, spoke human words for the first time and emitted a powerful flash of light.
I instinctively closed my eyes, but I kept applying pressure with my right hand to crush the mask.
Squeeze!
But just before the mask shattered, something else grabbed my arm.
I quickly opened my eyes to see powerful limbs that had sprouted from beneath the mask gripping my wrist.
Crrrack!
The black hands began to squeeze, putting pressure on the yang energy around my wrist.
I could have tried to endure it, but there was no need to take a gamble, so I used a different method.
Instead of my bound hands, I used my head.
SLAM!!
"Kieeeeeeeek!!"
The mask must have been its weak point. As the crack widened from the impact with my forehead, it clutched its head and hastily retreated.
Only then could I get a good look at its entire form.
It was tall enough to nearly touch the ceiling, with a hunched back.
Its arms were excessively developed like a gorilla's, and it had reverse-jointed legs.
Below the mask, which seemed to be its main body, a black mouth and white teeth were visible.
It had a dangerous look to it at a single glance.
I had no idea why something like this was inside the school, but I had no intention of letting it go.
With what it just did, it had definitely crossed the line.
"Don't even think about running."
After saying that, I raised my arms diagonally into a fighting stance.
It was the preparatory stance for a martial art called the 'Emperor's Bear,' which Sasha's father, Ivan, had used.
I'd never formally learned it, so it was a mere imitation, but fighting with a martial art form like this would be more effective than just brawling randomly.
As I readied myself to attack, the creature likewise lowered its body slightly.
And then—
Standing about five meters apart, the creature and I charged at the same time.
To build my courage, I summoned a thunderous roar from the depths of my lungs.
"Uoooooooooh!!"
We collided in the middle of the hallway.
KABOOOM!
The shockwave shattered the windows of the nearby classrooms all at once.
"Ugh!"
It was like colliding with a dump truck.
But I wasn't the only one who took a heavy blow; the creature also faltered slightly.
An indiscriminate, close-range slugfest began.
Its large fists mercilessly pounded all over my body.
In return, I left myself wide open and hammered away at its large frame.
Every time a fist wreathed in yang energy struck it, the creature let out a pained cry as white smoke billowed from its body.
On the other hand, while its punches were quite heavy, they couldn't break through the veil of yang energy covering my body.
It seemed to be less about my ki's trait of Indestructibility (不壞) and more about the extreme opposition between yang and yin energy.
I dodged a punch and drove my fist into its solar plexus.
But perhaps because a ghost's anatomy is different from a human's, it seemed unfazed and kicked me in the crotch.
This bastard?
I lifted my leg to block it in time, but I was pissed.
Erupting with far more yang energy than before, I wrapped my arms around its large body.
Then, with pure physical strength, I lifted its massive frame.
The move commonly known as a Bear Hug.
"Kuaaaaaaaargh!"
It thrashed in agony, pummeling my body from above with its free hands, but that wasn't nearly enough to stop me.
Our combat experience was on different levels.
Unlike this thing, which had probably only ever bullied humans one-sidedly at school, I had fought against dozens of people, and even an Asiatic black bear.
Compared to that, a ghost that just puffed up its body was nothing.
I squeezed its waist with all my strength before slamming it onto the hallway floor.
Despite its massive appearance, it didn't seem to have any real mass, as it left no mark of destruction on the floor.
I quickly mounted the creature's body while it was still dazed from the pain.
The mount position is as stable as ever.
Once you secure it properly, your opponent can't put up any resistance.
Belatedly realizing its dangerous situation, the creature struggled to escape, but with me pinning its upper body, its resistance was futile.
I slammed my fists together above its head.
FWASH!!
The surging yang energy flared like a solar prominence.
I pulled my right arm back behind my shoulder and spoke.
"Do you know why you're getting beaten up right now?"
The white-masked creature shook its head in fear.
I kindly explained it to the ghost.
"First, you ignored my warning."
"Second, you insulted my family."
And third,
"You pissed me off."
The moment I finished my explanation, I mercilessly brought down my orange-wreathed fist.
*
About a minute later, the white mask, believed to be the ghost's main body, shattered into pieces.
Under the relentless rush of punches, the cracks on the white mask had steadily grown, and with my final blow, it let out a death scream and dissolved into smoke.
It seemed I had forcefully made it pass on.
I stood up, breathing heavily.
The hallway was a mess, bearing the scars of our fierce battle.
As I was wondering how to clean up this mess, I heard a familiar voice from the other end of the hall.
"Kim Yoo-Sung!"
Rushing toward me while calling my name were Fuma-senpai and the other Fuma ninja I had seen at the maid cafe.
Hyoneko-san, who Fuma-senpai had likely called, flinched in shock at the sight of the battle's aftermath.
"What is this incredible yin energy?"
Fuma-senpai replied with a serious expression.
"It's probably the same type of yokai that put up the barrier outside the school."
Yokai? Is that different from a ghost?
As I stood there awkwardly listening to their conversation, Ms. Mizuki peeked her head out from the duty room where she'd been hiding.
"K-Kim-kun? Is it over?"
"Ah, yes. You can come out now, Ms. Mizuki."
Clutching her smartphone, which was still playing a hymn, Ms. Mizuki cautiously stepped out of the room.
Her eyes fell on Fuma-senpai and the other Fuma ninja in their ninja attire, and she asked with a deeply suspicious look.
"Who are these people?"
Fuma-senpai was the one to answer.
"They're my relatives. I originally came alone, but I called them for backup when I realized the yokai in the school was quite powerful."
Hyoneko-san, who was standing behind her, asked.
"So where is this yokai? The barrier was so strong, we only just managed to break through."
Hearing that, I couldn't help but avert my gaze.
"Um... I already took care of it."
The Fuma ninja all looked startled.
"What? How?! You didn't even have any exorcism tools, did you?"
Fuma-senpai, however, muttered with a look of understanding.
"I see, so you really did it."
"Yes."
As we exchanged words only we understood, the other Fuma ninja behind us demanded an explanation.
Fuma-senpai turned to them and said,
"This guy is the 'Vajra Yaksha'."
At that, the Fuma ninja immediately looked as if they understood.
"Don't tell me, the one who... defeated Ivan?"
"If that's the case, then that explains it."
...Somehow, I feel like I've become a big name among the people of the underworld without even realizing it.