The Shadow Hound Yokai - (End)
Hojun was stunned. It wasn't because the attacks from the force masters—who had been allies, or at least not enemies—had suddenly intensified. Whether those force masters wanted him dead or not didn't matter. He was confident he could stall five of them for another ten minutes or so. The real problem was the incoming reinforcements.
Since the information that "a yokai has appeared on Namsan" had already spread far and wide, five more force masters would arrive at this location before long. And among them was that monstrous old man. Hojun couldn't be sure whether he'd be able to hold out against him. It would have been ideal if he could cast a Word Protection Taoist Art the moment the other force masters arrived, but the goblin wasn't simply standing by and watching. Hojun was already overwhelmed just dealing with the current force masters; he had no leeway for anything else.
The reason Hojun was truly rattled was that the force masters had all stopped their attacks at once.
"Ugh… my head is killing me…!"
"What the hell was I doing…"
"Master Hojun, are you alright?"
Had their minds returned? If their sanity had suddenly snapped back, there was only one possible cause.
It had to be Miho.
"Who on earth is that beautiful woman…"
"That woman is in danger! Help her!"
"Kill the black dog!"
"Kill it, that fucking thing!"
Before Hojun could even ask about their well-being, the five force masters charged at the black dog in unison. They began stomping on it mercilessly, channeling their force arts. Since they couldn't see the goblin's true form—the real entity behind the black dog—the attacks weren't dealing any meaningful damage. Still, judging by the goblin's visibly flustered expression, the situation seemed to have reached its conclusion.
Hojun glanced sideways at Miho. What caught his eye first wasn't her right leg, where the bone protruded gruesomely through the skin. It was her face. Her chest. That seductive figure.
Shit.
Hojun quickly layered a mental protection Taoist art over himself. She had released her charm suppression. The moment he realized Miho was radiating her allure, everything clicked into place. She had overwritten the goblin's commands with her own charm.
But… was that even possible?
The goblin was a being straight out of legend, and those were its direct commands. Yet she'd crushed them with charm? Just what kind of fox yokai was this woman?
Anyway, a good outcome was a good outcome. Hojun finally let out a sigh of relief.
That was when it happened.
KWAAAAAANG!
With a thunderous roar, a middle-aged man arrived on the scene. It was Baek Nam-hoon, the Minister of the Yokai Hunter Department.
"Damn it, am I late?"
"No, your timing is perfect."
If he'd arrived any earlier, it would have been a disaster. Hojun had no way of knowing whether the old man possessed any means to resist the goblin's tricks. If he did, the situation would have ended right there. If he didn't… the poor man would have been forced to kill his own beloved disciple with his own hands.
Baek Nam-hoon quickly scanned the area. The black dog. The force masters. Miho. And finally, the collapsed Lee Ha-neul.
Crack.Crrrrack.
The air around Baek Nam-hoon began to shimmer like a mirage. With veins bulging across his clenched fists, he spoke to Hojun.
"…Leave it to me."
Having said that, Baek Nam-hoon shot toward the fallen Lee Ha-neul like a bullet. Cold sweat trickled down Hojun's forehead.
Whew. Damn.
He'd nearly had a heart attack. Was this what it felt like for a human to face a wild beast? As expected from someone who understood what a spiritual beast truly was, Baek Nam-hoon seemed to have grasped the goblin's true nature as well. Whether or not he'd fallen under Miho's charm was unclear. Mental abilities had a classic, cliché weakness: they didn't work on targets experiencing intense emotions. Even so, Baek Nam-hoon had referred to her as "that lovely fox spiritual beast." He could have just said Miho or fox spiritual beast, but he'd deliberately added the modifier "lovely."
It seemed her charm had worked to some degree. Well, it was a matter of compatibility. Her charm wouldn't affect the majority of Taoist masters, including Hojun himself. But even a powerful force master like Baek Nam-hoon had no resistance against mental abilities, so he couldn't help but be affected.
Hojun found himself newly grateful that Miho was friendly toward humans. In a way, a fox yokai like her could be seen as the perfect superior version of a goblin.
"You okay?"
"No, I feel like I'm gonna die."
"Yeah, you look it. Bone's sticking right out."
"…"
At Hojun's words, I looked down at my right leg. Just as he'd said, a pale bone had pierced through the skin and jutted outward. No wonder I felt pain so intense it made my mind go blank.
"Ughhhhh… it hurts so bad, seriously…"
"Don't push yourself too hard."
"Haa… haa… how am I supposed to not push myself when I don't know what the goblin might do?"
The goblin was currently being ganged up on by five… no, when did it become seven? Seven force masters. They were beating the crap out of it in a group lynching. The spiral's rotational force hadn't weakened, so it didn't seem like the force masters were dealing any meaningful damage. Still, at least they were keeping its feet tied so it couldn't pull any dirty tricks.
It looked like you had to realize its true form to land direct hits. I glanced at Hojun. He shook his head with a sigh.
"It won't work. It's only been two weeks since the Jangsan incident. That's nowhere near enough time to learn goblin-extermination spells."
"…See? Even if I want to rest, I can't."
"If you get it, then hurry up and lift that plump ass of yours."
"You really need to learn how to speak nicely, you son of a—"
"Pretty sure that's not something you should be saying…"
"Just help me up already. I can't walk by myself."
"Oh. Guess I'll get to feel your chest then."
"…Just go die."
Hojun eventually draped my right arm around his neck and supported me. The force masters, who had been enthusiastically pummeling the goblin, suddenly flushed red.
"I-I'll support you!"
"No! Let me—"
"Oh my god, are you alright? You fucking dog bastard!"
They began reacting dramatically. Geez. I appreciated the concern, but…
"Step aside for a moment."
At my words, they parted like the Red Sea.
The charm effect is definitely working.
I stared down at the goblin collapsed on the ground. It continued spinning its spiral but didn't resist me in any particular way. I asked it,
"What's your goal? Dueoksini's revival? World domination?"
[…]
"Where are the other goblins besides you?"
[…]
"Why did you trick the yokai into creating fake ascensions?"
[…]
"Tell me honestly. What exactly is the Prince's Divine Artifact?"
"Why not?"
Mandate of Heaven.Defying Heaven.
…Words I'd heard from Sangun.
It felt like I was conversing with Sangun. The words were vague and lofty, but I etched every single one of them, every question he posed, deep into my heart. A strong conviction told me I shouldn't let them pass by lightly.
"…Any last words?"
SHAAAAAASH!
That was the goblin's last will.
After exterminating the goblin, I hurriedly released my charm. The force masters' gazes toward me were growing increasingly dangerous. The moment I lifted it, someone rushed over, slammed their head to the ground, and shouted.
"I-I'm so sorryyyyyy!"
"I've committed a mortal sin…"
"I didn't recognize my benefactor and showed such a disgraceful sight…"
They were the three force masters who had beaten me with great enthusiasm. Yep, the bald one was the guy who gave me a gut punch. The long-haired one was the one who smashed my skull. And the short sports-cut guy was the one who blew off my right leg.
I understood. It hadn't been their will—it had been the goblin's. These were all good people who protected humans from yokai, so of course I forgave them.
"Spiritual Beast-nim, your wounds are severe… We must get you to a hospital immediately!"
"What have I done…"
I lifted my clothes to look at my stomach, which was bruised black and blue, my head that was still bleeding profusely, and finally my grotesquely exposed right leg with the bone sticking out. They were definitely serious injuries, but quite some time had passed since we'd defeated the goblin. My spiritual power had recovered somewhat.
I used my spiritual power to heal my body.
"Whoaaaa?!"
"W-what the…!"
"Ta-da. Heal received. So don't feel too guilty, okay? It was no big deal."
It actually had been a pretty big deal. I'd almost died from the pain. Still, it was a net gain. At the very least, I'd gained three more people who'd take my side in the meeting. If they had any conscience, they'd support me.
Once the situation had mostly been sorted out, Baek Nam-hoon took charge of the people gathered at the scene and began handling the aftermath. Recovering the bodies of the deceased, comforting the bereaved families, treating the injured, preparing statements for the press. Just listening to the list made my head spin.
The meeting was postponed by three days. The difference from the previous meeting was that I had been officially granted attendance rights as Spiritual Beast Miho.