The True Uninvited Guest (3)

There was no reason to stand there listening to some guy reeking of ma gi.

It was a conclusion I'd already reached after grasping what ma gi really was back in the Evergreen Tower.

In an instant, Revil wiped the expression from his face.

He raised his right hand toward me.

But I was already thrusting my fist forward before he could even lift it.

A massive boom echoed as the air exploded.

The surrounding darkness vanished for a split second under the force of the powerful blast.

Dust billowed thickly.

A perfectly landed strike.

But I knew it wouldn't be enough to take him down.

Sure enough, a spear of ma gi sliced through the swirling dust, hurtling straight at me.

"Ugh...!"

I arched my back, narrowly dodging the spear aimed at my head.

The spear grazed past, slicing horizontally through the dust cloud.

The dust split in half and dissipated in an instant.

Revil's revealed form was slightly different from before.

"Didn't expect a mere underling to notice the ma gi."

Half his burn-scarred face was now covered by a purple half-mask of ma gi. Revil retracted his swung spear.

He spun the staff—shaped from condensed ma gi—freely atop his palm, his gaze fixed on Gini.

"Gini. I came looking for you for one reason."

"......"

"Thanks for poisoning our entire merchant caravan that day."

"N-No... I didn't mean to... I wasn't trying to..."

"Because you tried to poison me to death, I was chosen by the ma gi."

Revil's unfocused eyes screamed down at Gini on the ground.

"Because you betrayed us! That's how I finally escaped that wretched caravan and reclaimed my freedom!"

"......Shut the fuck up, you loud bastard."

Thwack!

I kicked Revil square in the gut as he ranted in his delusions of grandeur.

Arms spread wide, he couldn't even block a light kick and took it full on.

Or rather, correction.

"You keep ruining the mood."

He hadn't failed to block it.

He hadn't even tried.

Revil already knew.

Anything but my right hand wasn't a threat.

Unscathed, he lifted his head to meet my eyes. In those pitch-black, abyss-like pupils holding only me, Revil muttered through gritted teeth.

"The uninvited guest—get lost."

"Not clear who the real uninvited guest is here?"

I smirked and swung my fist at Revil.

Revil thrust his ma gi spear at me in return.

Boom—!

The clash of spear and fist unleashed a massive explosion of force that swept the area.

Our bodies lifted off the ground, swept away by the shockwave.

Revil quickly righted himself mid-air and thrust his spear at me again.

I smashed his spear head-on, shattering it, then spun my body around.

"Gini!"

"......"

Gini hung her head, tears streaming silently.

Damn it.

She wouldn't hear a word I said like this.

Clicking my tongue, I kicked off the ground hard, scooped up the slumped Gini into my arms, and slammed my fist into the earth.

A speed incomparable to before.

Blasting through obstructing trees, I tumbled across the ground and checked on Gini in my arms.

"......"

Curled into a ball, trembling.

I gently placed her behind a nearby rock, like hiding her away.

"Omen. Protect Gini."

A faint shadow twitched slightly at my words.

"You've been away from her lighting up my vision till now. You're good."

With Gini unable to move.

Omen was the only one who could guard her.

"Thanks for lighting the way all this time."

"......"

Whoosh.

The shadow faded from my body.

The moment Omen vanished, my vision returned to normal.

All around—front, back, sides.

Everything swallowed by darkness.

I exhaled calmly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠into the void and thrust my fist forward.

"Blocked it, huh."

Clang!

Sparks flew.

Revil's face emerged right in front of me.

Damn persistent bastard.

I spread my thrust fist wide in an instant and grabbed his spear shaft, slamming it down into the ground.

"Gah...!"

Revil bounced off the earth.

I seized his collar and hurled him far away.

Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!

In the darkness-shrouded space, the sound of Revil crashing through trees echoed.

Cracking my neck lightly, I shot forward using Fog Flight toward where he'd flown.

'Where is he?'

Without Omen, I couldn't see ahead.

My vision only captured about a 2-meter radius.

To find Revil, I focused every nerve forward.

"Kkung!"

Then, Cheori's cry rang out from my shoulder.

She wasn't looking front—but to the side.

Turning my head, I realized a wind-cutting whoosh was coming from that direction.

Eyes wide, I twisted my body immediately.

The desperate twist let the ma gi spear graze my side.

Ma gi seeped into the shallow wound on my flank.

Even that tiny amount twisted my guts with pain.

Forcing strength into my buckling legs, I glared at Revil.

'Gone.'

He'd vanished right after thrusting the spear.

Where?

I scanned around frantically for Revil.

Nothing.

Only darkness greeted me.

I spread a wide layer of mist across the ground.

Unless it could fly, he'd have to touch the earth.

So, lay the mist on the ground.

React the moment something touched it.

'There?!'

Right side.

Something registered on the mist.

Grinding my teeth, I ignored the pain and spun.

But.

"Got you."

The voice came from the exact opposite side.

I tried whipping my body around—but.

'Too slow.'

Too late.

This way, the spear would pierce my gut first...

"Kkung."

Ptoo.

Cheori on my shoulder suddenly spat a small flame from her mouth.

The flame hit the black mist and—

"Gaaahhh!?"

—erupted into massive inky flames.

Devouring everything atop the mist.

I inhaled the black mist, glancing at the pitch-black inferno.

'...Not hot.'

The flames Cheori spat in the Evergreen Tower had burned hot.

These fed on Smoke, so they felt cool to me.

Not just me.

The surrounding plants were untouched.

Only Revil, my enemy, felt the heat.

Unable to withstand it, he retreated swiftly.

I pursued, striding casually over the black flames.

"You look like shit."

Outside the mist's domain.

Revil panted raggedly, in pathetic shape.

Charred clothes and hair, left arm dangling broken.

I snapped my fingers, recalling the mist.

The flames fueled by it extinguished simultaneously.

Revil sneered at me and asked.

"Hey, underling. Do you know what kind of girl Gini is—and follow her anyway?"

"Fuck following. I told you, I'm no underling. I'm just a freeloading bum crashing at some little kid's cabin in the woods."

"Little kid... Gini's not that young."

"What?"

"She was nine when she poisoned us and fled. So around nineteen now."

Gini was nineteen?

I pictured her in my mind.

Generous estimate: fifteen.

That's how small and frail ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠she was.

"Think about it. That bitch is a witch. You're being manipulated by a witch right now."

"......"

"Witches wield profane power. And that power toys with and corrupts those around them."

"Profane, huh."

"Exactly. So, come on. Take my hand. We'll grab the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠witch together."

Revil extended his hand toward me.

I slowly grasped Revil's outstretched hand.

"Quit your bullshit?"

And slammed it into the ground.

This guy's tongue was way too long.

Furrowing my brow, I looked down at Revil pinned to the earth.

"The one spouting crap is the bastard using the most profane power."

Funniest thing I'd heard all year.

A ma gi user calling spirits profane.

Spirits aren't profane.

They're just rare because few can handle them.

Even on Earth, spiritists are extremely rare.

Proof: no common skills summon spirits.

Only those with spirit realm exclusive skills can.

Of course, common spirit skills exist—just no summoning ones.

Plus, if spirits were profane, Omen would've twisted my neck instead of lighting my way.

More importantly.

"I ain't listening to some ma gi-wielding fuck, asshole."

The moment Revil wielded ma gi, convincing me was doomed.

I'd seen ma gi's aftermath with my own eyes in the Evergreen Tower.

Seen corrupted humans' fates.

Remembered the pure ma gi mass's final words.

Listening to a ma gi user after that? Goldfish-level stupidity.

I thrust my fist at Revil pinned to the ground.

But the instant I did, Revil—

"Raaahhh!"

—roared wildly, exploding ma gi from his entire body.

My body flew back.

Arms raised in defense, I let out a hollow laugh.

Even wrapped in Mist Return, my left arm melted.

If I hadn't blocked, even Ultra Regeneration Blessing would've struggled to heal it.

Retreating, I eyed Revil, already rising, dripping blood.

The ma gi mask covering half his face now shrouded his whole head.

His dangling broken arm restored, Revil staggered, raising his spear high.

"Gini, Gini Gini Gini Gini...!"

Whoosh!

Violent ma gi erupted explosively from Revil's body.

He condensed it all into his spear.

Ma gi as potent as the mass from the Evergreen Tower.

Limply slumping like his strength failed, he turned toward Gini's direction.

"Gini."

Whoosh!

Revil vanished from sight in an instant.

I knew exactly where he was headed, so I slammed my fist into the ground.

My body shot forward, cleaving the air.

Even at blinding speed, I forced my eyes open, staring ahead.

'There.'

Vision obscured by impenetrable darkness.

At the edge, faint purple ma gi flickered.

Teeth gritted, I exploded mist again, accelerating.

"Caught... you!"

Another Fog Flight let me overtake Revil.

The moment I passed him, I twisted mid-air and smashed him fist-first into the ground.

"......!"

Crunch—

Bones shattered; the earth quaked like an earthquake.

Claws digging into the dirt to halt myself, I glanced behind.

The rock where I'd hidden Gini stood there.

"Close call."

A second later, and Revil would've reached her.

I gazed down at Revil, mashed into the ground like bloody pulp.

Unable to control his body, he still crawled forward.

I stomped his hand and said.

"Sorry, but you ain't going past here."

"......"

"I'll make sure of it."

No way I'd let him through.

I ground his hand underfoot as I spoke.

His ma gi spear and mask faded; blood-smeared, Revil looked up at me.

Staring blankly for a long moment, he slowly opened his mouth.

"......Hey, underling. Tell Gini."

Sneer.

His lips twisted into an eerie grin, eyes wild as he said.

"I've prepared the perfect gift for a spiritist like you."

What nonsense is this?

I opened my mouth to demand an explanation.

But.

"What the..."

Revil's body exploded from ma gi first.

Sudden blast right in my face.

Scattering flesh never hit the ground—instead, it powdered away.

Revil vanished without a trace.

What the hell did his last words mean?

I turned toward the rock.

Gini lay there, surrounded by a hazy shadow, eyes closed, breathing steadily.

'Passed out, huh.'

She'd held on until she couldn't.

Bitter smile at her tear-streaked face.

My orphanage, Gangchan, collapsed under debt when I was under ten.

Gini? Wanted for being a "witch" since nine.

A kid with a childhood like—or harsher than—mine.

No wonder she was wary of me and Elpinire.

So I didn't buy that she'd tried to poison the caravan.

Framed, probably.

I hoisted ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the unconscious Gini onto my back.

Omen, who had been with her, now clung to me.

Outlines began emerging in the darkness.

"Omen. Guide me to the cabin."

A nod—or whatever—from the hazy shadow.

Suddenly, my vision highlighted outlines in one direction only.

I followed them alone through the dark woods.