Chapter 342
Chapter 342
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 342
Chapter Title: From Now On, It's Our Counterattack (5)
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While gazing at Jo Beom's corpse and recalling the Death Knight.
My master spoke up.
- Why stop mid-sentence?
'Death...'
Realizing he wouldn't understand if I didn't phrase it in Central Plains terms, I changed my words.
'There exists something called a Death Knight.'
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ - Grand Marshal Death Knight? '...You can leave out the Grand Marshal part. It means a high-ranking general, but Death Knight alone suffices. I misspoke while lost in thought.'
- So, what manner of thing is this Death Knight?
'It's something you could call the pinnacle of dominion black magic.'
- You rascal, how am I to understand such vague talk?
In response to my master, I stared at Jo Beom's corpse.
'Simply put, it's binding a far more powerful existence than a ghoul or jiangshi to my shadow. It's like gaining a general I can summon anytime.'
Regardless of black or white, east or west, sorcerers' eternal dilemma is having someone guard them during spellcasting.
'The most dangerous moment.'
While ordinary mages or shamans have companions for that role.
Black mages wield spirits of the dead and corpses as weapons, so despised by many, they struggle to find truly reliable allies.
'...Hmm.'
As I pondered reliable companions, my Eon family younger brothers suddenly crossed my mind.
I smirked at the boys bickering not far away.
'In this era ruled by Confucian philosophy, it's all too easy to feel disgust toward someone like me...'
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ - Why bring up Death Knights only to laugh at your brothers midway? 'Just... thinking they're an odd bunch.'
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ - ...As odd as you? '?'
- What?
'???'
Anyway.
A Death Knight is an absolutely loyal guardian who never betrays, perfect for commanding a corpse legion independently—utterly inseparable from a black mage.
It's no wonder Death Knights are called the flower of dominion black magic.
'That said, they're not easy to obtain.'
Death Knights aren't summoned at a whim.
First, the spirit must possess sufficient caliber.
Whether human or otherwise, acquiring such a corpse is the first hurdle.
'By Central Plains standards, even peak transcendent masters are borderline candidates.'
The spirit must accept the contract, and the sorcerer commanding it must be at great archmage level.
In my previous life, I met those stringent conditions.
So I just sought high-caliber targets.
'Bind their spirits, cajole them... and they'd volunteer as knights. No big deal.'
But in this era, constraints arose.
My soul remained the same, but after nearly freezing upon accepting my master, my body needed elevation.
And internal energy accumulation.
'Now, having consumed various elixirs and the inner core of the Inkscale Earth Dragon, I face no limits using martial arts...'
But insufficient for contracting a Death Knight.
This world's black magic efficiency is abysmal.
Creating one demands unknowable internal energy.
'Extract the spirit, bind it, coax it into contract, subsume into my soul. Who knows how much energy it'll drain.'
Still, Jo Beom's caliber fit.
His evil spirit, teetering on the Flower Realm boundary, met the spirit grade.
The issue was making it accept subservience.
'If it held loyalty toward me, it'd be easy.'
No such bond existed between Jo Beom and me.
Thus, to bypass some constraints.
I began inscribing the ritual array centered on Jo Beom's corpse, using Regret as my brush.
Slash—
Slice—
At that sight.
My master remarked.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ - Layering the ritual arrays so complexly? So this Death Knight isn't like other corpses that rise at your call? 'Yes. If successful, you'll see.'
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ - If? You mean even you, Yong-un, can't guarantee success? 'Yes. That's why I've diligently researched at the academy in my spare time.'
As I'd told my master, success wasn't assured.
'But worth trying.'
Among the era's sorceries I'd studied at the academy was the "Tiger's Mound Devouring Ritual."
Those eaten by tigers become vengeful ghosts called "Starving Ghosts."
These Starving Ghosts lure new victims to tigers to escape.
To prevent this, stone mounds seal them eternally with a sword thrust—that's the Tiger's Mound ritual.
'Minimal effort to bind the ghost forever is its core.'
Using this, I could skip separate summoning black magic to capture the evil spirit.
'That should drastically reduce required internal energy.'
Thus pondering, I continued inscribing.
A massive circle with seventy-two overlapping smaller ones formed the "Death Knight Summoning Array."
'...No errors.'
Double-checking, I channeled internal energy from my upper dantian into the array.
Humm—
A massive drain hit, and the array glowed red.
A denser light orb swirled around the central circle, forming a conical shape.
Whoosh—
Whoooosh—
My adaptation of the Tiger's Mound ritual.
The array functioned perfectly.
'As long as my energy holds, the evil spirit can't escape.'
Now, extract the evil spirit's essence from the corpse and bind it to contract.
Stepping into the array.
I thrust Regret into Jo Beom's central corpse and intoned.
"O wandering spirit. If you desire not eternal isolation and annihilation in the Nine Heavens, recognize your master and declare yourself servant." ⟨ Death Knight Binding ⟩
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Rumble—
As I plunged Regret into the center.
The entire array vibrated as if resonating.
Fwoosh—
Ghostly blue flames erupted from Jo Beom's body.
Then, crimson hands extended from the array, wrapping the blue evil spirit.
Captured, the spirit spewed inky shadow.
Gurgle—
Gurgle—
Soon after coalescing into humanoid form.
The unstable shadow crumbled.
'...Failure.'
But I didn't give up.
Even in my past life, success wasn't instant.
The array worked fine; energy remained ample.
I commanded the array again.
"Again."
The hands reformed the spirit.
I intoned anew.
"Declare yourself servant." A huge energy drain.
Inky shadow reformed—but collapsed again.
The prior fierce battle and two failures.
'......'
Fatigue from substantial drain surged, but I showed none.
This was a battle of wills with the evil spirit.
'...One more shot left.'
One more attempt feasible.
"...Enough games. If you don't want to die."
Grinding teeth, steeling mind, I intoned once more.
"O wandering spirit. If you desire not eternal isolation and annihilation in the Nine Heavens, recognize your master and declare yourself servant!" ⟨ Death Knight Binding ⟩
Massive drain and strange déjà vu.
Unlike before, the dense shadows solidified into human form.
Fwoosh—
Jet-black from head to toe, blazing blue eyes.
Forgetting past karma and bonds, reborn as my slave—the Death Knight knelt before me.
"I beseech my lord to bestow a name."
This Death Knight's form differed slightly from those I'd known.
'...Sleek, less knightly, more martial artist. An assassin, even.'
Influence of the spirit's original owner, or my thoughts during summoning?
A fitting name came instantly.
"You shall be Dark Guest."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Name received. Now enter."
"Yes, my lord."
Dark Guest melted into my shadow as commanded.
Shwaa—
At that, my master queried.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ - You called it the flower or whatever, and indeed its aura is extraordinary. So this Dark Guest resides in your shadow? 'Yes. Summon when needed.'
As I answered, my younger brothers rushed over.
Cheon Jang-ho spoke first.
"Brother Yong-un! What was that just now?! The air shifted completely. Something black... formed like a person then melted away?"
Following his fuss, Eun Ha-seong and Woo So-rung chimed in.
"Yeah! What was it? I've seen your sorceries often, but this made my hair stand on end for the first time."
"Eun brother felt that? I saw it in the Demonless Abyss too."
"......"
Yin Xia Lian and Dang Ok-gi widened their eyes.
"You were drawing a ritual, so we stayed quiet thinking you were up to something. Felt different from jiangshi or ghouls, though?"
"You okay? How long ago was that deathmatch with the Qi Flame Valley geezer, and now wrestling a corpse?!"
I showed my palms to calm them.
"I'm fine. Would I overdo it amid chaos?"
"Kek! You're exactly that kind of guy!"
"...Anyway. Just tamed a higher-grade evil spirit. 'Hide strength in the martial world,' so keep it secret for now. No more fussing. I'll explain later."
Having answered, I turned to the two bickering earlier.
"By the way, Ha-seong and So-rung seemed to be quarreling. What over?"
"Wait, you saw us amid that?"
"Yeah. Spill."
"So-rung keeps trying to teach me stuff. Just now, claiming she saw it in the Demonless Abyss. Feels like she's suddenly treating me like a loser?"
"Nah, not that bad. After the Abyss, the world looks different, so I shared some insights?"
"See? That's what she does. She said it was my comeuppance when I jumped. Sulking about that, right? Jeong-hyeon Master, Brother Yong-un, not just my imagination?"
"Primeval Heavenly Lord. Among Woo young hero's words, weren't quite a few worth studying? Sages said 'unceasing inquiry'—no shame in asking and learning."
"...Mistake asking Jeong-hyeon Master."
Trivial spat, yet proof they were alive—I chuckled softly.
"So-rung seems enlightened. Now she can be the big sister, Ha-seong the little brother."
Eun Ha-seong gaped, Woo So-rung preened briefly.
"...Huh?"
"Heh."
Clanking armor echoed from beyond the ancestral shrine gates.
Yang Jin-mu arrived leading loyalty troops.
"Divine Dragon!"
We exchanged light greetings with him and his soldiers.
Then escorted the prince to the safehouse sheltering His Highness Duke Chu.
Wang mansion guards had quelled remaining Qi Flame Valley assassins.
No incidents en route.
"Your Highness! Crown Prince and Righteous Martial Academy cadets have arrived!"
"Let them in!"
Thus we met Duke Chu.
"Father!"
"My son!"
Father and son reunited tenderly.
Duke Chu, embracing the prince warmly, addressed us.
"Thank you."
As we hastily knelt.
He continued.
"Thank you, all. I feigned composure, but worried sick—you saved the prince. I'll never forget this grace."
He offered clasped hands respectfully.
Instantly, Duke Chu's civil and military officials mirrored the gesture toward us.