Chapter 227
Chapter 227
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 227
Chapter Title: Land of the Forgotten (5)
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[Still, I don't get it. The dokkaebi are hiding and using isolationist policies just because they were pushed back by guys like this?]
“They're not 'just guys like this.' I told you earlier. The beings here can't harm humans, no matter what. But those guys are human. No matter how many of the controlled oni we defeat, as long as we can't do anything to them, we have no choice but to run.”
Well, it doesn't seem like that's the only reason.
I shifted my gaze to Cheon-ryang, who had followed me at some point.
“You could have helped instead of just watching.”
“I only help when my help is needed. You're not the type to need it.”
Cheon-ryang chuckled and brought his gourd to his lips.
“With things like this, I would've thought you'd show hostility the moment I arrived.”
“That's because I knew you weren't one of the guys living on the island. I can tell that much. You have to be precise about the target of your anger. Anger unleashed on just anyone is of poor quality. It's just venting.”
“What happened?”
“What do you mean?”
“Something doesn't add up. The dokkaebi being so passive about fighting the oni. I don't think it's simply because humans are involved.”
“......Hey, didn't you want to leave? Then stop worrying about strange things and just do what you need to do. You know that curiosity kills the cat.”
Cheon-ryang let out a loud burp.
Ugh, the smell of alcohol.
I covered my nose with my hand.
His reaction seemed annoyed, but it subtly revealed he didn't want to get me involved.
“I think it's too late for that. Some of them saw my face and ran.”
“I know. I saw them too. That's why I'm drinking my head off right now, because this is a pain in the ass.”
“Then let's give them a warning.”
“What? A warning?”
“They'll come at least once to rescue their hostages. We'll give them their warning then.”
“How? The method of the warning is important. A verbal warning is meaningless.”
“Wouldn't it obviously be this?”
I slightly raised the sword hanging at my waist.
At that, Cheon-ryang burst out laughing.
“Right! There's no warning more terrifying than one backed by force!”
Soon, a ‘Disaster’ will appear in Japan, and all hell will break loose.
If the Yamato Guild truly has a Player, they won't invest any more here, if only to prepare for that.
This warning alone should be effective enough.
Besides, news that I took down the tampered-with Disaster of Heresy without much damage will have reached their ears, so they'll be even more reluctant to fight me.
From the looks of it, Salvatio is too busy keeping the Order in check to focus entirely on Korea either.
“But will they really come back so soon? No matter how powerful their ‘Existence’ is, if they stay here for more than a day, they become a resident. They already know that. If they try to stall for time, you'll be at a disadvantage, since you'll have to leave once. It takes some time to come back after you leave. That's why they split into two groups and attacked us in turns.”
Being in the other world is like holding your breath underwater.
Just as you need to take a deep breath to stay underwater longer, you need to recover enough of your Existence's power to stay in the other world again.
Re-entering immediately is difficult.
“No, they'll come. If they don't restore it quickly, the connection they forcibly made to this place will be severed, and they'll never be able to covet this place again.”
I didn't just chase them away.
The onmyoji are the ones who supply the power needed to maintain the passage connecting the two worlds.
Since I captured half of them and drove off the rest, the power supply has been cut, and the passage will close soon.
Would they just stand by and watch that happen?
“I see. Then they'll have no choice but to come, even knowing it's a trap.”
“Well, of course, they'll come with all the preparations they can make.”
The fortunate thing is that neither the ones who were captured nor the ones who fled know who I am.
My face is becoming well-known enough in the Seoul residential area that even passersby recognize me, but abroad, no one except for the Players would have even heard my name.
The Players should have warned them about me, so the fact that they don't know means the onmyoji here were of a fairly low rank.
“Using a barrier like this... you're smart. Or maybe just free-spirited? I wonder if my kids would come up with ideas like this if I gave them more to drink.”
Cheon-ryang licked his lips as he looked at his gourd.
At some point during our conversation, he had stopped drinking from it.
“Are you going to fight?”
“What kind of obvious question is that? This is our world's problem, how could I leave it all to an outsider like you! More importantly, a friend is in danger, and I can't just pretend I don't see it!”
[It's surprisingly easy to become his friend, and he does a lot for them.]
‘That's his strong point.’
Unlike their manner of speech and appearance, the dokkaebi are pure.
Once a friend, always a friend.
They trust unconditionally and help as much as they can.
It's a disposition rarely seen in modern society.
“They're coming.”
Cheon-ryang shouted.
*Shhhk.*
Suddenly, a bundle of paper talismans appeared in mid-air, transforming into a wooden door.
A very oriental-style effect, just as you'd expect from onmyoji.
‘The sun reflected in a mirror.’
There's only one place that uses such a guild mark.
Japan's strongest guild, Yamato.
As expected, it was their onmyoji unit that was attacking Yuldo.
“So it's you. The one who interfered with our business.”
The man who appeared in the middle narrowed his eyes, covering his mouth with a folding fan.
I had fought alongside the Yamato's onmyoji unit a few times in the story of EOA, so I immediately recognized who he was.
The vice-captain of the onmyoji unit—commonly known as ‘Shiranui’—Iwato.
Honestly, it was unexpected.
I thought the captain would come, of course.
Did the power I showed when fighting the ones I deliberately let go not seem that strong?
“Siding with the dokkaebi means you must be Korean. Why are you interfering with another country's business? This is a matter for which we can formally demand compensation from the Korean guilds.”
I was wondering why they came with insufficient forces.
So that's the method they plan to use.
I let out a small laugh.
“Too bad, but that's impossible. I don't belong to any guild.”
“...A solo player? Don't lie. With the power you were reported to have, you could be treated well in any guild. And you can't possibly be unaware of the huge difference joining a guild makes in your growth rate.”
“I know. But it's the truth.”
Since it was my own doing, there's no one else to hold responsible.
The only one they can hold accountable is the person who did it.
As long as I didn't belong anywhere, their plan was flawed from the start.
Sure enough, his face twisted as he snapped his folding fan shut.
“Then we have no choice but to hold you responsible.”
The onmyoji moved in perfect unison, taking their positions.
As dozens of them mumbled the exact same words without a single mistake, summoning circles appeared before each of them, and oni wearing necklaces made of linked talismans appeared.
It wasn't just the blue oni from before, but also red oni, masked oni, plague oni, and more.
All sorts of oni revealed their hostility.
“Fulfill your contract, Sword Oni.”
From among them, Iwato summoned the most powerful one.
Even though he was far behind the captain in terms of skill, this proved he hadn't become the vice-captain by playing tiddlywinks.
Iwato glanced over at Cheon-ryang.
There was no way he hadn't sensed that Cheon-ryang was the king of the dokkaebi.
He was likely counting on the restriction that dokkaebi cannot harm humans, even if they join the fight.
“Be careful. The Sword Oni is a being created when a man who made his name with a single sword in his lifetime became a ghost. It's among the more powerful oni.”
“Seeing as he has three swords, he must have been greedy, too.”
“They usually tend to repeat what they did in their past lives. Each one of those is a famous sword. They might have been corrupted into demonic swords by coalesced grudges, so it won't be easy.”
Still, it seems they couldn't control a named oni from myths or legends.
Then again, if something like Shuten-dōji, one of Japan's three great evil oni, or Yamata no Orochi appeared, even I couldn't guarantee an easy victory.
“If you take care of the oni, I'll handle the rest. How about it?”
“I like the sound of that very much.”
Cheon-ryang bared his teeth in a grin.
The only ones dokkaebi can't use force against are humans.
There are no restrictions when it comes to fighting oni.
Besides, no matter how many oni they brought, Cheon-ryang was a ‘King’-class individual.
“How dare you covet another's land, you unethical bastards!”
Oni went flying every time Cheon-ryang swung his club.
...Isn't that a dokkaebi's magic club?
I don't think that's how you're supposed to use it.
“Kuaaargh!”
“Oho, so it's you! Let's have a taste of that artisan-spirited sword!”
*Kwaang!*
Cheon-ryang and the Sword Oni clashed.
The sharp sword that seemed to slice the very air collided with the club, but it was the Sword Oni's blade that ended up chipped.
He said it was a famous sword.
Look. Even the Sword Oni is flustered.
“Hahaha! This dokkaebi club was made from a thousand-year-old paulownia tree that was struck by lightning! You think it'll lose to a sword like that?!”
“What are you doing! Stop him! He can't do anything if a human gets in the way!”
Unable to watch any longer, Iwato shouted and began to weave a spell.
I've seen that spell formula before.
A formation that sends oni into a frenzy, a double-edged sword.
Normally, the story would go that after catching rampaging oni from a gate in Japan, this was always behind it, but it's also a method used by onmyoji who've tamed oni to strengthen them.
‘Even so, it's not a time when it's common enough for regular onmyoji to use.’
In other words, a Player intentionally spread it to make this happen.
This so-called ‘business’ must have had a significant investment.
*Kwajijik!*
When I plunged the Black Moon Divine Sword into the ground, the spell formula wavered and evaporated.
It's only polite to ruin a business like that.
Iwato's eyes widened.
Mana Severance.
By using the ‘Absorption’ of darkness, it forcibly nullifies a spell by absorbing the mana used in its formula.
I haven't had much use for it until now, but it's perfect for dealing with these magic types.
“The spell formula was forcibly...-!?”
“What kind of idiot lets a mage finish casting?”
*Thwack!*
Struck in the jaw, Iwato tumbled to the ground.
The other onmyoji were also being swiftly subdued by the dark soldiers, unable to do anything further.
Thanks to that, an environment was created where Cheon-ryang could run wild.
[For something they called important business, their response is too lax.]
“The main force must be somewhere else.”
The door hasn't disappeared; it remains.
Maintaining it requires a significant amount of mana, so I had to assume they were leaving it open for someone else to come through.
In any case, as long as I stall for time so they can't restore the passage, it's our victory.
The cost and time required to create a stable passage between two worlds are enormous, so for Japan, where a Disaster is about to descend, they won't be able to try again right away.
*Clack.*
‘It's opening.’
The moment I registered the door opening.
Something shot out from within like a flash.
*KWAAANG!!*
My sword trembles under the considerable pressure.
At this point in time, there shouldn't be anyone in Japan who can beat me in terms of raw strength.
This is ‘Battōjutsu,’ which drastically increases the power of the first strike.
“Not bad.”
The man smiled faintly and retreated a good distance away.
His attire matched his way of speaking; anyone would think he looked like a rōnin.
It was the S-class player from the Yamato Guild, the ‘Sword Saint’.