Chapter 280
Chapter 280
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 280
Chapter Title: Superhuman Strength and Unruly Gods (3)
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“St-stop it!!”
“Aaaahhh!”
“Seimei! Are you sure the sealing formation was cast properly?”
“The formation itself needs more time to activate! Suppressing and sealing the Gweryeoknanshin is a task that requires an immense amount of mana!”
Seimei’s face was slick with sweat.
Behind him, already exhausted, the Onmyoji were fainting.
He was doing his best, but it just went to show how powerful the Gweryeoknanshin was.
“So the point is, we just need to buy a little more time?”
“Five minutes... should be enough to activate it somehow. After that, most of its power will be suppressed and its impure emotions will vanish, so it should resolve itself naturally.”
I examined the ‘other arms’ that had formed on the Gweryeoknanshin's back.
Its last move wasn't just an attack; it was also meant to gather stone fragments and create those third and fourth arms.
[All of you will be cast into the deepest abyss. Just as I was, you will spend an eternity in a place where you can see nothing, feel nothing!]
The stone arms moved.
The two palms clapped together as if in prayer, and a deafening roar echoed.
CLANG!!
People stopped moving.
Then, with unfocused eyes, their bodies went limp.
“Forced Soul Extraction...! Protect your ears with mana! Otherwise, your souls will be stolen!”
“Stealing souls with a single clap, what kind of monster is this...!”
“Move instead of talking!”
The evil spirits lunged for the empty husks, but their attacks were nullified as the Sword Saint and Himura moved.
Though it was called Soul Extraction, its true nature was a momentary shockwave created by releasing a burst of concentrated mana.
It was a technique that could be automatically defended against with a high enough mana stat.
Indeed, the ones who had fainted while standing were players without a single stat over 60.
A huge difference compared to me, whose ears only tingled for a moment.
‘It has two main patterns.’
With this, my analysis of the Gweryeoknanshin was complete.
Attacks that utilize the terrain, like rocks and the ground.
And the martial arts that make it all possible.
CRASH!
Every time its four arms struck the air, an explosion erupted without fail, changing the terrain.
Yaogami and the rest of the Yamato Guild were too busy defending to find an opportunity to counterattack.
They struggled against it when it only had two arms.
Now that it had four...
I narrowed my eyes, focusing on the stone arms.
Perhaps I could use them against it.
“Yaogami. Is there any way to destroy those arms?”
“If that were possible, I would have done it already.”
BOOM!
Even as he spoke, he deflected an incoming attack and clicked his tongue in irritation.
“The Sword Saint and Himura are fighting hard, but I'm focusing all my attention on protecting the many people behind me. I have no room to counterattack. Why don't you put some effort in? You've just been casually swatting away the attacks that come your way.”
“What are you talking about? I've been observing it carefully to find a weakness. That's the first rule of strategy. Know your enemy. Every strategy starts there.”
“Sounds like something the Strategy King would say.”
Yaogami scoffed.
I was surprised he still hadn't figured it out.
“As you know, I'm a colleague of the Strategy King. I've learned a thing or two from watching him.”
“...To be honest, it's impossible unless someone is willing to risk their life to break through. The stone arms themselves can be dealt with by having Himura or Mayuri attach explosive devices to them, but to get close enough for the Gweryeoknanshin not to react, the person breaking through would have to get caught in the blast themselves.”
As soon as Yaogami finished speaking, someone started running.
“Damn it, damn it...!”
The one who moved was Iwato.
In his hands were shuriken rigged with explosives and a handful of talismans inscribed with something in red.
“If we just get rid of those, things will work out, right!?”
“Iwato...?”
“A fine attitude, Iwato! I shall help you!”
“Ugh!?”
Using the momentum from cutting down a lesser demon, the Sword Saint kicked Iwato in the back.
He flew over the Gweryeoknanshin's head in an instant, reaching the stone arms in the blink of an eye.
[Do you think such a petty trick will work on me!]
“Do you have the luxury of looking elsewhere?”
[You...!]
Yaogami kept the Gweryeoknanshin from using its power on anything else, and in that opening, Iwato squeezed his eyes shut and threw the explosives he was clutching toward the stone arms.
KABOOOM!
The explosion swallowed all sound.
The Gweryeoknanshin was within the blast radius, but there was no way it would be harmed by something like that.
I immediately leaped into the smoke.
[A useless gesture. These arms can be remade. One more soul will wander the netherworld in vain!]
To replace the ones that were shattered and scattered, new stone arms were being formed.
This time, it seemed more serious, forming not two, but four.
The corners of my mouth twisted up.
Got you.
[Hmm!?]
The stone arms were engulfed in black flames.
The Gweryeoknanshin tried to move its stone arms, but they wouldn't budge. Instead, the flames traveled along something unseen and spread to the Gweryeoknanshin itself.
The stone arms weren't directly attached to its body; they were connected and controlled by thread-like constructs of compressed demonic energy.
The moment it exerted force, those threads became a conduit, a path for the black flames to travel.
Instantly engulfed in black flames, the startled Gweryeoknanshin glared at me.
[Th-this power is...!?]
“Se-hyeon-nim, the ritual is activating!”
At Seimei's shout, the Gweryeoknanshin's attention momentarily shifted from me.
Chains of light descended from the sky, restraining its movements.
The effects of the Great Demonic Sealing Formation of the Nine Yin had finally activated.
And that was the Gweryeoknanshin's greatest mistake.
“If it knew it was being weakened, it should have focused all its attention on me.”
The distance closed rapidly.
With the sealing formation active and its main weapon neutralized in an instant, its panic was my opportunity.
I fully cloaked myself in black flames.
The Gweryeoknanshin gnashed its teeth and roared.
[Do not underestimate me, you mere human!!]
[Fighting Spirit Technique - Heaven-Shattering Strike]
A complex pattern formed behind the Gweryeoknanshin's back.
The power of the sealing formation, which Seimei had spent so long activating, proved helpless as a massive fist extended from a concentration of immense power.
The moment it collided with the Black Moon Divine Sword, a bone-jarring pain shot through my entire arm.
Even weakened, a demigod is still a demigod, huh.
But this, too, was a mistake.
“It focused too much on me.”
<...!?
From behind the Gweryeoknanshin, Yaogami appeared, swinging his violet sword.
Even a being like the Gweryeoknanshin could not ignore an attack wreathed in Heavenly Fire, the flame of the highest god.
It had no choice but to prioritize him over me, and in that instant, the battle was decided.
[Shattering Moon]
The pattern split in two, and two swords plunged into the Gweryeoknanshin from front and back.
Bright yellow flames and black flames.
The two seemingly opposing, highest-tier flames engulfed the Gweryeoknanshin's body, incinerating it in an instant.
[This... is... absurd....]
With those last words, the Gweryeoknanshin's eyes rolled back, and it collapsed.
The Black Moon Divine Sword trembled.
No matter how outstanding, it was still just an S-rank.
Without any divine blessing imbued in it, the Black Moon Divine Sword had clear limitations.
‘Is it time to upgrade my weapon?’
A normal blacksmith won't do.
I need the power of a blacksmith who has inherited divine power.
Like the god of forging who fell from the sky, for instance.
‘I don't know when I'll get to Europe, but...’
I have to go someday.
Above all, traces of Ain should be there.
As I sheathed the Black Moon Divine Sword, Yaogami approached me with a displeased look on his face.
“...You aimed your attack to hit me as well.”
“You did it first, didn't you?”
“It wasn't intentional.”
“Mine wasn't intentional either. You were just in the attack's trajectory.”
“...”
“Well.”
He started a staring contest, so I met his gaze without flinching.
After a few seconds, Yaogami was the first to look away with a sigh.
“Good work, Mayuri. The Onmyoji's efforts were crucial this time.”
“But Iwato...”
“Haa, haa. I-I really thought I was going to die. I almost died.”
“...?”
“I rescued him. I can move faster than sound for a short period.”
“Himura...! Thank you so much!”
With tears still welling in her eyes, Mayuri bowed her head repeatedly.
She did the same to me.
“Thank you for helping us. I know you had some trouble with Iwato, but... he's not a bad person at heart. He just... has a bit of an inferiority complex.”
Mayuri earnestly defended Iwato.
If I had a subordinate like that, I would have punished and kicked him out immediately.
It seemed she wasn't on bad terms with Seimei; she appeared to be a good person.
The Sword Saint laughed heartily and said,
“Without the prophecy, we wouldn't have been able to suppress it this relatively easily. We should thank the Prophet.”
“Power on par with a Disaster, yet it's not one... I wonder how long a creature like this has existed.”
“There is a legend in this area.”
Having caught his breath, Seimei began to speak.
“The offspring of an oni and a human. A half-demon... For that reason alone, he was persecuted, scorned, and faced all kinds of discrimination, until his entire family was exorcised by an Onmyoji renowned at the time. It was said they were all vanquished, but a rumor spread among some people. He alone survived by hiding during the turmoil, but was sealed in a deep pit when the surrounding area collapsed. That is why he is called this: the Forgotten One, Bouichi (忘一).”
“Hoh, I've never heard of this oni before.”
“That's to be expected. It's a legend known only to a few even in this area. That's how forgotten he is.”
“However, that legend alone doesn't explain the power we just witnessed. Didn't you say he had entered the realm of a demigod?”
“That's another story... Another large-scale evil spirit incident occurred in this village, and they were sealed above the pit where Bouichi was buried. He must have become like this after absorbing the power of the evil spirits for a long time. With a barrier preventing anything from escaping, it must have felt like he was spending an eternity alone in the darkness. So he likely harbors a grudge against the humans who kept him from leaving that abyss for hundreds of years.”
As he spoke, a look of pity gradually spread across Seimei's face.
The Sword Saint nodded as if in understanding.
“I see. A grudge. ...In the end, this all comes down to what Iwato did. What are your thoughts, Lord Yaogami?”
Iwato, who had been watching nervously, swallowed hard.
How mischievous of him.
Yaogami glanced at the trembling Iwato and said nonchalantly,
“I'll think about his punishment later. For now, it's on hold.”
“A-are you forgiving me?”
“I said punishment.”
“Ugh...”
“Well, it could change depending on your future contributions.”
Yaogami blatantly threw a look my way.
I laughed inwardly.
He really intends to settle the score right here.
Even though he was the one who used up the most energy protecting his guild members.
“I-I'll do my best!!”
Iwato's eyes burned with determination.
It seemed he was too dense to understand what Yaogami meant.
I lowered my gaze slightly, eyeing Yaogami's sword.
The Cursed Sword, Muramasa.
A weapon followed by all sorts of legends—that once drawn, it won't stop until it has created a river of blood; that it grows stronger the more blood it absorbs; that it turns its wielder into a berserker.
In EOA, following those legends, it was given a unique effect.
The absorption of HP and MP.
It restores a certain amount of the damage dealt to an enemy, but the important part is when an enemy is defeated.
‘Greatly restores HP and MP, and adds 20% of the defeated enemy's attack power for a certain period.’
The second ability was the crucial one.
The enemy just defeated was none other than the Gweryeoknanshin.
To take a portion of that attack power and fully recover.
That must be what Yaogami was aiming for.
‘I can't let that happen.’