Chapter 281
Chapter 281
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 281
Chapter Title: On the Brink (1)
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“By the way, it seems it hasn't died, as expected of a demigod.”
“Is there a way to kill it?”
“We’d have to look, but I’m sure there’s a way. However, it’s impossible right here and now. We’ve used too much of our strength…”
I slipped away from their discussion and moved toward the Gweryeongnanshin.
‘The best strategy is one that crushes the enemy’s plans while also bringing me an advantage.’
I wouldn’t let the Gweryeongnanshin die.
In a chain quest, killing every enemy that appears isn't always the answer.
Their roles often change depending on the situation.
A former boss might become an ally you cooperate with to defeat a common enemy.
‘Usually, such a being appears as the very first boss.’
If the main quest was as twisted as Besial said…
Then the appearance of a being I knew nothing about, like the Gweryeongnanshin, must have some meaning.
I took out the Dokkaebi’s Hat and placed it on the Gweryeongnanshin’s head.
“I’m counting on you, Cheonryang.”
*Swoosh.*
The Gweryeongnanshin’s form vanished.
This wasn’t the Dokkaebi Hat’s invisibility ability, but a separate power.
Worn by oneself, it grants invisibility. Placed on another, it transports them to the inner world.
I had used the latter to send Bouichi to the inner world.
[What is the meaning of this, you little brother!]
The voice pierced directly into my mind.
Cheonryang’s characteristically loud voice echoed, making it quite noisy.
He’d said he didn’t like transmitting his voice directly because it took a lot of effort, even with our contract, but he reacted instantly this time.
“Please. Just keep it from dying.”
[You send me such a vile demon without a word and ask me to look after it!? You brat, little brother! This thing is a calamity! It must not be left alone!]
“I have a plan. I’ll come and explain the details later.”
[Hey, brother! Brother! Argh!!!]
The voice quickly cut off.
He probably had to focus on dealing with the Gweryeongnanshin rather than yelling at me.
Maybe I should bring some good liquor when I visit later.
It would be best to get some foreign liquor that’s not usually available.
“Then we should at least seal it before it rampages again… Huh? Where did it go?”
“I annihilated it. It showed signs of waking up, so I took care of it for safety’s sake.”
“You had the power to annihilate a demigod? Ah, no. With the power of the Black Flame, it’s certainly possible. I didn’t think of that. What a relief.”
Seimei and Mayuri let out sighs of relief.
“…”
In contrast, Yaogami stared at me for a long time without a word.
As long as Yaogami held Muramasa, he would have immediately known I was lying.
However, instead of pointing it out, Yaogami reprimanded Mayuri.
“How long are you going to be friendly with that guy, Mayuri?”
“Ah… I-I’m sorry!”
Mayuri hurriedly distanced herself from Seimei.
They had temporarily joined hands to defeat a common enemy, but in the end, they were foes.
Geongonilcheok and Yamato were destined to fight.
I smirked at Yaogami.
“That’s unexpected.”
“Consider that payment for your help. We have the superior numbers anyway. I don’t mind giving you this much of a handicap.”
Yaogami’s eyes blazed with a purple light.
So that’s the reaction when the power of Cheonhwa and the cursed sword mix.
The Sword Saint aimed his sword with a troubled expression.
Himura, Mayuri, and Iwato followed suit.
Even the onmyoji, who had been helping each other cast spells just moments ago, now glared at one another from a few paces apart.
“…Since it has come to this, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to settle everything here.”
Seimei also steeled his resolve and unfurled his fan.
Something felt off.
Was that fan always that small?
“Before we fight, may I ask one thing?”
“…I’ll hear you out.”
“We recently obtained some suspicious information. It’s about the ‘Third Generation.’ I was wondering if the Yamato Guild knows anything about it.”
The faces of the Yamato Guild executives turned grim.
As if asking where we had heard that information.
They weren’t the type to lose control of their expressions, but perhaps because they were exhausted from fighting a powerful enemy, it showed on their faces immediately.
“We know. But there’s nothing more to say.”
“I see. Understood.”
As if that was enough, Seimei didn’t ask any further.
Yaogami’s eyes, on the other hand, grew cold.
Seimei was the one who had expended the most energy during the subjugation of the Gweryeongnanshin.
Mayuri had only assisted; Seimei was the one who orchestrated everything.
Yaogami knew that and was acting accordingly.
‘From the Yamato Guild’s perspective, it’s a good chance to wipe them out in one fell swoop.’
Moreover, Geongonilcheok was a group composed entirely of onmyoji.
Starting a fight like this, with distance between them and without prior preparation, would undoubtedly put them at a disadvantage.
Perhaps Yaogami knew what Iwato did and turned a blind eye.
It was a plausible theory.
*Swoooosh…*
The wind rustled through the grass, sounding like crashing waves.
In the mountains, where darkness had already fallen, weapons reflected the moonlight with a chilling glint.
In that touch-and-go situation, I cut through the tension.
“By the way, it seems you haven’t received the report.”
“What do you mean?”
“It seems you’ve been mistaken about something for a while now. I’m not alone either.”
There were two reasons I hadn’t actively participated in the Gweryeongnanshin subjugation.
One was to wear down the Yamato Guild’s overall stamina to some extent.
And the other was to buy time for my party to notice the anomaly and arrive.
Himura’s eyes widened.
That was definitely the reaction of someone who had forgotten and just now remembered.
“See, this was the right way. We got here just before something big happened.”
“It looks like a big fight already happened, though?”
Hearing familiar voices, I felt some of the tension leave me.
I gave a faint smile to my party, who had appeared at just the right time.
“You’re pretty late.”
“Couldn’t be helped. Some crazy bastards attacked us before we could even take the warp gate.”
Jun Bo-ra grumbled.
After its reorganization, the Taegeuk Guild had become something of an intelligence guild.
There shouldn’t be any hostile forces that would attack the Taegeuk Guild in broad daylight.
No, it’s not exactly zero, if you think about it.
The Taegeuk Guild might have just been an incidental target, but there are still forces that would attack one of the five major guilds.
For example, the unofficial guilds that haven’t been dealt with yet.
“So this is the Yamato Guild…”
Hwang Yu-jin’s voice trembled slightly, as if she were nervous.
It was her first real battle, so it was understandable.
Cha Eun-ha, on the other hand, was quite unfazed, perhaps because of the incident in America.
Jeong Ha-yeon… they brought her too.
When my eyes met Jeong Ha-yeon’s, she gave a slight nod in greeting.
Her aura had changed a lot.
She seemed calmer than before. Or perhaps she had learned to keep her feelings in check.
The twins and Cha Eun-ha also looked confident, without a hint of fear.
It seems the experience they gained while I led them around is paying off.
“This is not good. They are quite skilled.”
The Sword Saint smiled with a troubled look.
“What will you do, Yaogami-gong?”
“The outcome will not change.”
The light from Muramasa grew sharper.
“If we defeat them here, there will be nothing left to stop us.”
“I see. Then I shall follow your words, Yaogami-gong.”
The Sword Saint was mistaken.
The ‘us’ Yaogami just mentioned did not refer to the Yamato Guild.
He spoke not as the vice guild master of Yamato, but as a member of Salvatio.
He’s shown his true colors.
However, that was proof that he hadn’t properly assessed our strength.
Japan also has a considerable number of S-rank players, but about half of them are in the Osaka area, monitoring the Calamity and the Regressor.
In other words, the Yamato Guild members gathered here were qualitatively inferior compared to ‘Rebellion’.
And one more person.
Han Hyeok-jun, from whom I had briefly parted ways, also appeared.
“Se-hyeon, can I take that guy?”
“You’re late. What were you doing?”
“I was looking for clues in my own way. And the conclusion I reached was the Yamato Guild.”
Han Hyeok-jun’s venomous eyes turned to Yaogami.
There was no way a Progressor high enough to belong to Salvatio wouldn’t know Han Hyeok-jun.
Sure enough, Yaogami seemed to have lost some of his composure.
“Why is that guy here…”
“Where is Cromwell?”
“…”
That’s an ‘oops’ reaction.
Which means.
‘There’s some kind of link between the Yamato Guild and Cromwell.’
An intersection had appeared between two seemingly unrelated incidents.
It didn’t seem like Yaogami was unaware of Cromwell.
In other words, he knew about Cromwell and formed a relationship for some purpose.
That had to be it.
‘Third Generation.’
What Seimei had said was bothering me.
It felt like it should connect, but it didn’t quite.
“The Yamato Guild has four more S-rank players. They are on their way here. You’re not the only ones with reinforcements.”
“It can’t be all of them, right? You must have split them up to keep an eye on Osaka.”
“We didn’t send everyone over there.”
Yaogami’s eyes glinted sharply.
The cards on our side, besides me, were Cha Eun-ha, Jeong Ha-yeon, Jo Min-ah, Jo Min-woo, and Seimei.
Hwang Yu-jin wasn’t a combat type, so she didn’t count.
If Han Hyeok-jun takes on Yaogami, what’s left on Yamato’s side are the Sword Saint, Himura, Mayuri, and Iwato.
There are also quite a few A-rankers, though they’re not as prominent.
If two or three more S-rank players from Yamato were to join, both sides would inevitably suffer heavy losses.
I clenched and unclenched my fist without realizing it.
However, there was one thing Yaogami was overlooking.
“Reinforcements, you say.”
[Using ‘Army of Darkness’.]
From all around, dark soldiers rose to their feet.
And with them, Alpha and Zeta.
The situation, where we had been outnumbered, was reversed in an instant.
“Then we just have to crush you before those reinforcements arrive.”
Yaogami’s face gradually hardened.
It wasn’t just the number of soldiers, but the fact that two commander-level entities had appeared at once.
Then, Yaogami showed the same reaction as Himura.
“How is that possible at this timing? What trick did you use?”
I just smiled lightly without answering.
Himura and Iwato, who had already witnessed it once, looked horrified.
“Yuki. You can still beat something like that, right?”
“I am ashamed to say, but even I am not sure if I can handle even one of those two.”
“No way. You, the Sword Saint…?”
Mayuri looked flustered as she surveyed the Army of Darkness.
Then, with a difficult expression, she heaved a heavy sigh.
The Army of Darkness was not related to good or evil.
There was a limit to what could be suppressed with onmyojutsu.
“My goodness… You’re saying Kim Se-hyeon-nim summoned all of these?”
“Ahem. Amazing, right? Hyung is even stronger.”
“Why are you the one puffing out your chest…?”
Seimei’s side, seeing the Army of Darkness for the first time, was just as bewildered.
Hwang Yu-jin and Jeong Ha-yeon were also surprised by the greatly increased numbers.
A frown formed on Yaogami’s brow.
Having come this far, he couldn’t back down.
In that touch-and-go situation, Yaogami imbued his voice with mana and shouted.
“…Everyone, attack!”