Chapter 153
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 153
Chapter Title: Capturing the Grudge
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Crunch...
A crow with reddish-brown eyes burst apart.
'Hmm, now I can hold out for a full day?'
His creation was a crow that shared its vision with its master.
Creating these creatures now took only a fleeting moment, but utilizing them effectively was a whole different challenge.
'First off, as the number of crows increases, the vision gets a bit blurry... and the sounds become faint too.'
The ability to hear sounds through them was a recent addition, and its efficiency was terribly low.
If it was just maintaining vision, he could handle several crows at his current level, but attempting to eavesdrop made even keeping one a struggle.
And there was another issue.
Crunch...
"Urk..."
When a creation burst while he was focused, the shockwave rippled back to Kang Seol. It was only natural, in a way.
The creator's consciousness and intellect powered the creature's movements. If it suddenly exploded after receiving that, the backlash would inevitably hit the creator.
'Well, still, this is pretty decent progress.'
Kang Seol wasn't one to be easily satisfied, but pulling the creations up to this level in such a short time was truly remarkable.
Knock, knock.
"Snowman, sir. We've received word from Lord Frannan that preparations are complete."
"I'll head out."
Creeeak...
Snowman followed the pilgrim out.
Perhaps because word had spread of the ritual about to commence, the branch office was unusually quiet.
Creeeak...
Two pilgrims gripped the large doors from both sides and swung them open, revealing a vast space.
"You've arrived."
"Yes."
"Come this way, and bring out that demon spirit too."
A few pilgrims stood guard around the perimeter, alongside Carmeli, Marcon, and Frannan.
Smoothly.
Snowman placed the jar containing Bitan down in the center among them.
【Idiots! You're all idiots!】
"Ho... What makes us idiots?"
【Anyway! I have no intention of cooperating! I've never done it once!】
"Why have you never cooperated?"
【Because I used them all up!】
"Again?"
【Because I'm a demon spirit!】
Frannan spoke up.
"Demon spirit, foolish demon spirit. That isn't an answer. Shall I tell you the real reason?"
【Don't say it! Don't say it!】
"You've never learned it. How to cooperate with others, and that it's better that way."
【No!】
"From now on, we'll teach you that lesson, so follow along quietly."
Frannan swept back his hair and set down the jar containing Bitan.
Marcon stepped forward.
"I still oppose this. Having a mere human control a demon spirit is far too dangerous!"
"That's your opinion."
"...Your Holiness, are you certain?"
"Me?"
"Yes. Do you truly believe Snowman can subdue the demon spirit through this ritual?"
"Well..."
Frannan turned his gaze to Snowman, who met it nonchalantly.
Suddenly, he wondered if this was how Veil had felt long ago when he had taken him in.
'No, it's different from back then.'
The young Frannan back then had been desperate, and Veil might have valued that desperation over his potential. He might not have been truly convinced Frannan would achieve greatness.
The situations were different now.
Controlling a demon spirit? It was exceedingly rare, with few precedents.
Did that make it impossible? Not at all.
There were just too many unpredictable variables. In theory, though, it was feasible.
And the young man before him had the ability to manage those variables.
'He grasped the basics of creation in just one night. If even he can't do it, no one can.'
Frannan nodded.
"I'm certain. So let's just do our parts properly."
"...Understood."
Frannan approached Snowman.
"Hey, get on your knees. You'll lose consciousness soon."
"...What should I do after this?"
He had already heard from Karen how the pearl's succession ritual worked.
But since he'd also need to suppress Bitan at the same time, he asked.
"We'll link Bitan to you and the pearl's succession through the ritual. You've learned about the power of creation once already, right? Imagining and dreaming, then simplifying and drawing it out."
"...Yes."
"The pearl's succession is the same principle... The problem is that guy, but surprisingly simple. It's just like bewitching a person."
"Bewitching... a person?"
"Yeah, the moment we enter, it'll probably come at you swinging. Its mental world is its domain, so it'll desperately torment you. You need to wear down its power as much as possible."
"And then?"
"Set a trap. Know when tortured people spill their secrets most easily?"
"No idea."
Frannan grinned.
"When the torture suddenly stops. That's when most minds break."
"What?"
"Anyway, mull that over once you're inside. My magic will assist you, so handle the rest in there. Alright, let's begin."
Clank. Clank!
Marcon laid out chains slathered thickly with holy oil around the perimeter.
"This will block any malevolent aura from spreading. And no one outside will notice."
"Haha... Then we're set once I'm ready. Now..."
Snap!
Frannan snapped his fingers.
Vrrrrmmm...
A magic circle unfurled around Snowman, Bitan, and the pearl, dazzlingly intricate at a glance.
"If you fail, I'll kill you cleanly, so no worries."
"I leave it to you."
"Heh..."
Fwoosh!
Karen and Karuna murmured an inscrutable incantation.
Click... click...
The pearl began to morph.
It transformed into a massive cloth-like form, poised to swallow Snowman whole.
At that moment, Frannan clapped his hands.
Fwoosh!
[Frannan uses Ultimate: Large-Scale Amplification Magic Circle]
[All pre-installed magic circles activate simultaneously for a short time]
Crackle... sizzle...
The cloth paused, then expanded even larger.
"Nngh..."
Veins bulged on Frannan's forehead.
Mystical runes emerged from the magic circle, etching themselves onto Snowman, Bitan, and the pearl.
"Guh... That's it!"
Whoosh!
As Frannan released his power, the pearl completed its task.
[The Pearl's Trial Begins]
[Snowman's Succession Ceremony Proceeds]
Snowman and Bitan vanished into the pearl.
"Whew... Whether what emerges is a monstrosity, a holy relic, or something else entirely... We'll have to wait and see."
In this world, some things had their paths set from birth.
Boats would float on water, birds would soar through the skies.
They were destined for it from the moment they were born.
Then what of this newly born black entity?
'I will...'
Wander.
Eternally, across a world stained with blood and corpses.
"Gack... guh..."
A knight dying unjustly lay before its eyes.
Pitiful, but this was a battlefield, and he had lost.
Ragged corpses littered the surroundings alongside him.
He would lose his life on this field.
The opposite of the black entity.
'I was... born here.'
A being born from the grudges and regrets of many. The incarnation of malice, coalesced from their obsessions.
That was it.
There was no love, hope, or faith here.
Only death and screams.
"Shall I help you?"
"Cough..."
"Accept me, and I can save you."
"Who..."
"It's me..."
The fallen knight murmured at the hallucination.
"Ah... my sorrow... my regrets."
The knight grasped the black entity's hand.
"Bitan... send me... back to my homeland."
Thus, the black entity gained a name.
Bitan devoured the man's body but refused his request.
"No way. I don't know how to do that? Now I'll kill to my heart's content!"
Crackle...
The surroundings warped.
Bitan regained its ego and grew steadily larger.
Before long, it had returned to its prime.
Its muscular frame, like a massive demon, was ferociously intimidating.
"Ah... I see! I'm trapped here with that damned human!"
"Took you long enough?"
"Huh?"
Snowman popped out from behind.
Bitan roared.
"Were you... waiting for me?"
"Yeah, I've been through this enough to show up quick."
"Heh heh heh... Listen, I'm Bitan. You're just a puny human."
"I'm human, and you're just a puny Bitan?"
"Don't get cocky!"
Rumble!
Bitan swung its fist, shattering the radius around it.
Different from when it had been weakly gripped by Snowman.
"Feel this power! This superior might!"
"You're pumped up, huh."
"Yes! Now do you get the difference between you and me?"
Boom!
Sizzle...
"Grrgh..."
A pure white sword gleamed in Snowman's hand.
"Where'd you get that?"
"Who knows..."
"Pity, that sword picked the wrong master."
"I'm more the pity case. The master picked the wrong weapon. Doesn't feel like a sword."
"What?"
Swish!
Something wondrous happened.
His pure white sword transformed into a winged staff this time.
"I'll crush you flat!"
Whoosh!
Bitan's fist never reached Snowman.
He bent at the waist to dodge, then swung the staff, unleashing spells.
Swish!
Shadow Hands poured down like rain.
Thud! Thump!
Thud thud thud!
"Urgh... raaagh!"
Bitan tumbled forward in a desperate lunge at Snowman.
Boom!
Snowman evaded effortlessly and swung the staff again.
This time, a flock of reddish-brown-eyed crows appeared.
Flutter...
Peck peck!
Peck peck peck!
The crows darted around, harassing Bitan relentlessly.
"Eeek... Without summons, you're nothing!"
"Same goes for you, right?"
"...What?"
"You can't do anything alone either."
Stunned by the words, Bitan crushed the crows but stared blankly at Snowman for a moment.
Its body shrank slightly.
The shock in the mental world transmitted to it in real time.
Snowman glanced at the staff and murmured lowly.
"Yeah, this feels more comfortable."
Swish!
The staff morphed into armor.
"...I'll corrupt you for sure. Make you crave blood and revel in lives fading!"
"Not my taste."
Crunch!
Crumble!
Bitan unleashed a barrage.
Half missed, half Snowman blocked successfully.
Yet it kept attacking relentlessly.
"You bastaaard!"
Swish...
Snowman twisted mid-air, slapping Bitan's cheek.
Smack!
Drip drip...
Bitan's massive frame flew back, shrinking further.
"Guh... ugh... it huuuurts!"
"You've done too many bad things. How about trying some good deeds for a change?"
"Kekeke... Don't try to persuade me. I was born this way!"
"......"
Bitan howled and charged.
"Don't you dare teach me!"
"Haa..."
Boom!
Bitan was a demon spirit, but unlike some vicious ones, it was all bulk and brute strength—no finesse in wielding it.
Just wild swings.
It had worked fine until now.
Until meeting Snowman.
"Hoo..."
Snowman's eyes sharpened.
Having long honed Jamad's keen senses and refined them further through training with Toki, his techniques were beyond Bitan's reach.
Snap.
"This crap..."
Thwack...
"Oof..."
Yes.
Crumble!
"Aaaah! It hurts!"
Crunch...
"Kek..."
Truly, Bitan was nothing alone.
Just a lump of grudges and hatred. And it had luckily seized great power.
"Hee hee... Think I'll lose? Come on..."
Thwack! Thump!
Bitan didn't give up.
No, it wanted to.
But giving up meant the end.
Not just submission—the demon spirit itself would cease to exist.
'Can't lose... my existence... I must protect my ego.'
Bitan screamed.
"Raaagh! You bastard!"
Bitan kept shrinking but fought on.
Snowman had to admire the tenacity of demon spirits.
How long had they battled?
"Huff... huff..."
Bitan blacked out briefly from the brutal beating. Everything around was pitch black, Snowman nowhere in sight.
And Bitan finally realized the violence had stopped.
"Ha... haha... kuhahaha! You're worn out, huh! Humans tire! Did I win? I won, right? Human minds are weak! Wait just a bit, I'll corrupt your spirit soon..."
Twitch...
"Urk... My body hurts so much... Pretty tough human. But what now? In the end, I, Lord Bitan, am victorious... Want to get trampled alive?"
Twitch...
"Ugh... Could use a break... Hm?"
A warm flame flickered before Bitan's eyes.
"...Fire?"
And the demon's chamber containing it.
A horrific demon statue was carved into the door.
Clank!
The door swung open.
As if waiting for Bitan.
"Heh heh... Perfect spot for me. Hang on, human. I'll rest here a bit... then finish you off for good."
The carved demon seemed to whisper.
This is the place.
Your home is here.
"Alright, see you soon."
Bitan, weary, entered the demon's chamber.
Creeeak...
Clank!
The door shut, silence falling briefly.
Then, suddenly, a large hand rested atop the demon statue.
The hand spun the room around.
Oddly, on the opposite side stood a serene statue of a woman with closed eyes.
Utterly different from what Bitan had imagined—radiating holiness.
In truth, Snowman hadn't hidden; Bitan had simply shrunk.
"...Lantern form is best, huh? Well, whatever..."
The place Bitan thought was a demon's chamber was actually inside a lantern Snowman had crafted with the pearl.
Snowman smiled, holding the lantern emanating sacred energy.
"...Got you."