Chapter 97
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: Where, None, My Husband (3)
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Hongryeon was convinced once again.
"Hee hee hee... As expected, you and I are inseparable. We're connected by the red thread of fate. To think we'd have such a fateful encounter in this backwater...!"
If it weren't for her husband right in front of her, she might have lost control of her excitement and made a terrible mistake. A massive wave of emotion shook her very thoughts.
Oh no, oh no, oh no no.
Not yet, not yet...
She desperately suppressed the surging lust.
Instead, she flashed a blooming smile that revealed just a hint of her gums.
"Hee hee, hee, hee hee hee. There probably aren't any damn bitches around here to get in the way, right?"
She slowly closed the distance with Geum Sihyeon.
"I-I'm not exactly thrilled to see you... Can't you just keep going on your way?"
"Aww, throwing a tantrum like that. It's even more charming~?"
Blood droplets welled up from Hongryeon's fingertips, soon dripping to the ground.
And at that moment.
A massive blood-red vortex surged up, forming a barrier that isolated the outside world from Hongryeon and Geum Sihyeon.
In an instant, the surrounding scenery was swallowed by crimson.
Even the sky now hosted a blood-red moon, emitting an eerie glow.
"Ah, shit."
Hongryeon shyly smiled as she watched Geum Sihyeon pitifully swing his sword aura in a futile attempt to scratch the barrier.
Sometimes, even that damn bastard Wijiryang can be useful.
Unlike the body she'd used for so long back then, this one was fresh, infused with spirit and intent only recently.
Thus, there were no restrictions on unleashing her full power.
"My, my husband has grown even more dashing in the meantime. You've become so much stronger than before... Too precious to turn into a mere jiangshi..."
"Wouldn't a human life be better than being a jiangshi?"
"Hee hee hee. That's just prejudice. Don't worry, though. You're so precious to me that I'll make you special—just for me, gazing only at me."
Within her domain.
Hongryeon gathered her intent and focused her inner power.
The eerie energy of the Soul-Capturing Demonic Art pulsed and shimmered in her eyes.
As its name implied.
A forbidden demonic art that drew in the opponent's soul.
It was also the source of the jiangshi arts she had mastered.
But as promised to her husband, she had no intention of turning him into a jiangshi.
She just needed to lightly scramble his mind.
Dye his soul in her colors, turning him into a loyal puppy that looked only at her.
She blinked.
Hongryeon's intent burrowed into Geum Sihyeon.
"...Huh?"
What unfolded before Hongryeon's eyes.
Was an endlessly vast plain.
Lush greenery everywhere, birds flying in the sky, and in the distance, cows mooing leisurely—a peaceful pastoral scene.
The epitome of idyllic.
That made sense.
A good person's mindscape was usually serene.
But.
"It's... too... vast...?"
The key wasn't the scenery, but the scale.
Floating up to survey the surroundings, she spotted clusters of stone buildings unlike any she'd seen, and bizarre arenas like gladiator pits echoing with cheers and curses.
To one side, winding mountains; to the other, beaches and an endless sea.
Hongryeon was utterly dumbfounded by this inner world, as if a chunk of the real world had been perfectly carved out.
How was she supposed to find her husband's heart in a place like this and dye it her color?
...Could she even find it?
The moment Hongryeon felt a vague despair.
Rumble rumble rumble...!
Suddenly the earth shook, and the ground cracked open with a crack.
Hongryeon instinctively stepped back.
And from that fissure.
"Groooaaarrr...!"
Geum Sihyeon's thought-form, bound tight in iron chains, burst forth, chanting grotesque sounds incomprehensible to her mind.
"Husband...?"
How could such a ferocious ego emerge from this peaceful mindscape?
The criminal Geum Sihyeon's eyes darted wildly, then fixed on Hongryeon.
And then.
"Urk, bleeech, uwaaaagh...! That hurt...!"
He suddenly started vomiting.
Hurt? What did that even mean?
Hongryeon's head spun.
But it didn't end there.
"Alert! That rotten Nongnongdan bastard's out again!"
"Damn...! The seals are weakening...! Hoo, but no dice!"
Smack!
With a roar, a heroic Geum Sihyeon in ancient robes and a flowing cape flew in and smashed the criminal's head.
Grabbing him by the collar, he hurled him back into the cracked earth.
The gaping fissure swallowed him whole.
Soon, with a rumble, the wound in the land healed itself.
The heroic Geum Sihyeon, hands behind his back, watched impassively—until his gaze briefly lingered on Hongryeon.
"Hmph... Perfect size to feed the baby birds."
"H-Husband...?"
Hongryeon reached out, calling to him.
But the heroic figure vanished in a swirl without a word.
And after that.
"What the? Something weird popped up."
"Blood Cult scum! I can't tolerate you!"
"Hmm... Red today? Akadora's gonna fit right in the paella."
"Blood Cult short on cash? Those rags look shabby."
"Ugh... I like older ladies and all, but a 20-year gap? That's a chicken coop..."
Hongryeon stared blankly as all sorts of Geum Sihyeons popped out one after another, tossed a line at her, and vanished.
A chill ran down her spine unbidden.
Could a single person harbor such a massive ego—one so thoroughly compartmentalized and controlled...?
If she didn't escape soon, she might get devoured by this space instead of soul-capturing him.
But just as she resolved to flee.
Rumble rumble rumble...!
A bolt of lightning struck from a clear sky.
And simultaneously.
"Urgh."
"Please hold it together, Luri..."
"Fall back for now—that guy's breaking out again!"
"Kieeeek!"
Cries from the vanished Geum Sihyeons echoed everywhere.
And then.
"Groooaaaarrr──!"
As the earth split again and the buried criminal Geum Sihyeon regained his freedom.
A sullen face floated in the darkened sky like a full moon.
A face familiar even to Hongryeon.
:: Who the hell are you? ::
Its crimson eyes—fated to rule ten thousand demons—glared sharply at Hongryeon.
"Kyaaaaaaaagh!"
Pain like her very existence was burning engulfed her.
And soon.
:: Mine. Get out. ::
With a snort.
Hongryeon was expelled from Geum Sihyeon's inner world.
"Kyaaaaaaaagh!"
I snapped out of my daze at Hong Suk-dok's sudden scream.
"...?"
The blood-red barrier that had surrounded us was gone without a trace, and Hong Suk-dok was clutching her head, trembling.
Hmm.
I didn't know what happened, but this was a golden opportunity.
She looked every bit the jiangshi type, not human.
I poured power into the sword I'd been gripping and swung for a clean decapitation.
Pop!
Blood qi surged around her neck, effortlessly blocking my strike.
AT Field much?
"Hooo, ugh, ngh... That bitch of a mother, or her daughter, always interfering... Hooo..."
Empathizing with Thor facing Thanos, I hurriedly backed away as Hong Suk-dok staggered to her feet.
"Hoo, hoo... Husband, you've got something weird growing in your head, don't you?"
"Mm... You intruded without permission, but you're hardly normal yourself."
I subtly shifted my view to tuck away Luri's sulky, 500% pouty face laced with worry.
Looks just like an RTS game portrait screen.
Anyway, escape didn't seem possible here.
Fine then.
Fight.
I tightened my grip on the sword and kicked off the ground.
Target: crown of the head. A downward slash from above.
But it collided with a red membrane an inch from her scalp.
Pop!
Instead of clanging metal, a disgusting, squelching rupture echoed.
No time to recover— I shifted to slice her side, then flipped for a heart thrust.
"Hee hee, hee hee hee."
Regaining composure—or perhaps her lust-drenched laugh sending chills—she lightly flicked her hand.
"──!"
No chance to scream—I tumbled sideways.
Yet that tiny gesture unleashed gang qi that grazed my side.
"Oh my, oh my. No wonder it suits you so well—that outfit must be a divine relic. Truly, truly impressive, my husband...!"
If not for the Heaven-Silent Black Dragon Robe, my side would've been sliced clean off.
But blocking drained a massive amount of my inner energy.
The gang qi's sharpness rivaled Granny's.
...If a jiangshi's this monstrous, how terrifying is the main body?
Still, her momentum had noticeably waned since our first clash.
"Hoo."
There had to be an opening.
Each clash with Northern Bright Divine Art cracked her defenses bit by bit.
Horizontal cuts, upward strikes, thrusts—I unleashed every sword form I could think of without pause.
Yet she stood smiling, unmoving, absorbing my blade.
Each time my sword neared, scarlet petal-like blooms erupted around her, popping with pops.
"Hee hee hee. Husband, you're still too weak."
"What kind of ridiculous technique is this? Too dynamic for mere protective gang qi."
Of course, I had a rough idea.
Superlative experts could barely squeeze out gang qi.
Harmony Realm wielded it freely, as if overflowing from the body.
Especially show-offs like our dear Granny, who rolled gang pearls like marbles.
In other words.
Externalizing protective gang qi, then infusing it with some sorcery to control it like limbs.
Less AT Field, more Five Kage vibes.
...Beyond my current capabilities.
"Oh my oh my, asking little old me? So brave. Even more charming. Hmm, precisely, it's closer to sorcery than martial art. Called Blood Flower Chaos. Ung, remove the killing intent from your sword, and it might reach me~?"
Building on my guess.
Hong Suk-dok explained patiently, as if she were a kind older sister.
Couldn't trust it 100%.
But oddly, this psycho didn't seem the lying type to me.
Regardless.
Like indulging a playful child.
Each flick of her fingers sent petals targeting my vital points.
If only she'd hold back a bit.
And that wasn't all—I could've coped.
Boom──!
"Ack."
"Ahh... Even your moans are so lewd...!"
Not bound like the barrier earlier.
But the blackened ground now sprouted blood flowers budding everywhere.
Each bloom, burst, exploded—sending organ-rattling shocks through me.
I spat congealed blood, steadying my qi briefly.
"Ptoo."
"Oh no, such precious blood...!"
"Then lick it up."
"Hee hee hee. Once I subdue you, I can do whatever. Why not give up and surrender? I'll show you utter bliss~."
"Ptoo."
Dragging this out, I'd collapse first.
I sorted my thoughts quickly.
Push now and win? No.
Flee in this state? No.
The clue: her 'no killing intent, and it reaches' line.
Ridiculous for swordplay.
No.
Not quite.
She's toying with me—plans to subdue and use as a human sex toy.
Not keen on betting uncertain odds with others' lives.
"Wolfie! Now!"
To my companion, who'd slyly approached, hidden her presence, waiting for the opening.
"Grrrrraaawr!"
The house-sized wolf lunged in fury at Hong Suk-dok.
"Oh my, what's this vixen?"
Not the most successful ambush.
My aim was elsewhere.
Ignoring shockwaves and petals, as fast as possible.
Mind emptied, casual as a neighborhood stroll.
Closed in, grabbed her wrist.
"Oh, husband? Such bold affection──"
"Granny, grabbing wrists isn't skinship."
And then.
One function of Northern Bright Divine Art I'd never fully unleashed on a human.
I maxed out the Suction Art.
A massive qi influx poured into my dantian, laced with odd impurities.
"Wha, wh-what...?"
Fluster finally flickered in Hong Suk-dok's eyes.