I Know What You Want.
Kim Jin-seo heard the demon species' death cry and briefly lost consciousness. When she opened her eyes, she was surrounded by darkness. From beyond the pitch-black void where nothing was visible, a seductive woman's voice echoed.
And then the familiar hallucination unfolded.
Inside the hallucination, Kim Jin-seo was crying. Rain pattered against the window outside. With no one to comfort her, she wept alone. That's when a man arrived. He was soaked from the rain. As if to console the crying Kim Jin-seo, he pulled her into his arms. Their cold bodies, chilled by the downpour, warmed each other with their shared heat. Kim Jin-seo and the man simply held each other in silence. The steady rain filled the quiet.
She had seen this exact hallucination before. Back when she heard the death cry of the demon species that appeared in the practical exam hall. Even knowing it was just a hallucination, she hadn't tried to escape it then. It had been too blissful.
But now, there was no bliss at all. No, it was downright unpleasant.
"......Getting a bit cliché, don't you think?"
Kim Jin-seo let out a scoffing laugh and continued. "You think this is all I want?"
"Oh......"
Kim Jin-seo squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them. Snap.
With a breaking sound, she escaped the hallucination.
Kim Jin-seo immediately regained her senses and assessed the situation. More demon species pouring out from the dead one's belly. Holy knights and priests writhing on the ground, trapped in hallucinations from the demons' cries. And right in front of her was another demon species.
Kim Jin-seo gripped her sword.
Slash.
She severed the demon's head. Even decapitated, it thrashed for a while before turning into black smoke and vanishing.
Kim Jin-seo stomped on the viscous remnants left by the rotting corpse. A squelching sound rang out.
She glanced around, counting the demons in the area. There were many, but they were all small, making them easy to cut down. Her accompanying holy knights and priests had all collapsed from the black magic, and even those coming to were in no shape for combat.
She had no choice but to handle them all herself.
She tightened her grip on her sword and drew a Blessing Circle.
Tang—!
She kicked off the ground.
Compressing divine power for short bursts was a technique she'd learned from So Do-jin. With mastery, it now activated automatically without conscious thought.
As she approached a demon lunging at the Northern Holy Knight Order's captain, she gripped her sword with both hands.
Thwack!
She smashed the flat of her blade into the demon's skull. Black blood splattered onto the fallen Northern Holy Knight captain and Kim Jin-seo's face.
The captain jolted awake in surprise.
She wiped the demon blood from her face with the back of her hand.
"Are you alright?"
she asked.
The Northern Holy Knight captain looked up at her with a dazed expression. He glanced around, then chuckled and sprang to his feet. Dusting off his clothes, he spoke.
"......Ha, embarrassing. Thanks."
He grabbed his sword and glared at the demons targeting his knights. Drawing his own Blessing Circle, he charged.
Kim Jin-seo didn't hesitate, drawing her circle and systematically eliminating the demons one by one. She sliced necks, pierced hearts, and bashed skulls with the sword's flat until they burst.
Her once-pristine clothes gradually stained black with demon blood. The path she carved filled with black smoke from the dissipating corpses.
Slash!
After cutting down countless demons—too many to count—their numbers still didn't dwindle. If anything, they seemed to multiply with each kill.
Kim Jin-seo gritted her teeth. Injuries were mounting among those attacked by the demons. She needed to move faster.
With resolve, she drew a Blessing Circle and kicked off with divine power.
"......Ugh!"
A sharp pain stabbed through her, and her knee buckled. Her joint felt damaged.
Kim Jin-seo tried to force herself up. But the pain in her right knee kept her pinned.
The demons noticed her injury and began encircling her slyly in a pack.
"......"
These tiny demons from the giant's belly were cunning. They had relentlessly targeted the unconscious holy knights under black magic, fleeing at the sight of her. But now that she was hurt, they swarmed to attack.
Kim Jin-seo gripped her sword. One knee wrecked, but she could still swing.
Not all, but she could take a few.
Crack!
Suddenly, a spear flew from somewhere, piercing the heads of three encircling demons at once.
Kim Jin-seo's eyes widened. Just a thrown spear generating gale-force winds. Only one person she knew could pull that off.
"What're you doing? You're hurt?"
"......A bit."
"Then you—"
Before Do Seon-woo could finish, a demon charged with bared fangs. He casually thrust his spear into its skull, yanked it free, and dispatched nearby ones in a flash. Throwing, retrieving, thrusting, repeating.
The demons vanished into black smoke without resistance.
The horde was gone in an instant.
Do Seon-woo's spearmanship was crude, almost primal. No flashy moves, which made it all the more devastating.
"Whew."
After clearing them, he caught his breath. Kim Jin-seo stared at him.
"......What's with your arm?"
She pointed at his shoulder.
His right arm, thrown and swung repeatedly, dangled limp. It looked dire—one more throw and the shoulder might dislocate entirely.
"Oh, it's out."
He spoke nonchalantly, fiddling with his right shoulder using his left. Then, abruptly, he wrenched it.
Crack!
A gruesome sound echoed as his dislocated shoulder popped back.
Kim Jin-seo gaped at the unbelievable sight.
He swung his arm a few times to test it, nodded in satisfaction, and spoke.
"If you're hurt, run. You can still manage that."
"......Feels okay. No, it is okay."
She shook her head, gripped her sword, and stood. Her knee still ached, but less than before. No matter the pain, she wanted to fight alongside him. She refused to yield.
*
I watched Kim Jin-seo stagger toward the demons, sword in hand. She looked rough, but she'd be fine. If it got dangerous, I'd help.
I ignored it and focused on the demons.
Killing them emptied my mind. I forgot why I was slaughtering demons and saving Romanica clergy.
Each time, I reminded myself: This was for me, not Romanica. Building merits for the Central Knights.
"It's been a while since a battle like this. Brings back old memories!"
Crack!
I ignored Bosu and hurled my spear. It pierced the demon's forehead dead-on.
After throwing, I grabbed any nearby weapon and flung it at another.
The holy knights had brought plenty; no need to retrieve—I just picked up whatever was close.
"......"
In the frenzy, I sensed eyes on me. More like unease.
The lurking demons were thinning noticeably.
Only me, Kim Jin-seo, and Han Dae-ho were fighting. Han was strong but not agile, punching them one by one—hardly denting their numbers.
Nah, illusion. Three fighters instead of two naturally sped things up.
I dismissed it, raised my spear, and aimed.
Thud!
Before I could throw, the demon's head exploded.
It flailed headless before smoking away.
I first thought a knight sniper with a shotgun. But no.
Someone was pulverizing demon heads at invisible speeds.
"Do Seon-woo."
"......"
The voice came from behind. I felt the presence after.
I turned.
Mun Yo-seop stood there, mace in hand, smiling as always. Black blood dripped from it, chunks of demon flesh clinging.
"Nice to see you. No word from you—hurt my feelings. What've you been up to?"
"......Sorry. Been busy."
"Yeah, busy, I'm sure. Me too, thanks to you."
His tone dripped leisure and amusement, laced with sarcasm and rage. He grinned.
"Great spear arm. Didn't know you had that trick."
"......"
I swallowed hard.
"Talk after? Your dispatch knight order—"
He hefted his mace and strode toward demons. In a stance I'd never seen, he swung.
The demon's head vanished.
He straightened his clothes mid-swing, approached another, swung again.
Han Dae-ho and Kim Jin-seo were quick, but nothing compared.
I stopped fighting to watch.
Casual swings shattered skulls. Restrained, yet beastly.
"I want to fight that guy."
Bosu's voice trembled with excitement. "Right now, with his mace. I want to clash."
Crack.
Mun Yo-seop finished the last one. His clothes remained immaculate—he'd tidied after each kill.
He tossed the mace aside and approached me briskly.
"Quiet now. Time to chat, right?"
"Prophet, grab your spear. Aim for his head."
"......"
I tried ignoring Bosu. My heart pounded wildly—not my will. Bosu's battle lust surging through me.
I swallowed, tried breathing steady. But breaths came ragged.
"Fight now. He's worth it!"
"Not here? Fine, your knight order—"
Clack, clack.
Clear footsteps echoed. Mun Yo-seop paused, looked toward the sound. His leisurely smile hardened.
I turned too.
A man walked over, scanning the fallen knights and priests.
Shing!
He drew a dagger, slashed his palm, and dripped blood into a Blessing Circle. It glowed brilliantly—pure, white divine light expanding to envelop the area.
Beams reached out, wrapping the black magic victims.
"Filthy vermin."
He muttered, frowning at the awakening clergy.
I stared at his face. He met my gaze.
Heavy silence fell.
"......"
Seong Yu-da. He stared back, face rigid.
(To be continued in the next chapter)