Interlude: Raid on the Podocheong (8)
Interlude: Raid on the Podocheong (8)
Forty organization members were armed and lying in ambush in various spots around the tiled house. At Mo Seong-gil's command, the organization members surged into the room like a tidal wave.
"Hwamusiilhong."
Hwang Ga-bi unfolded the folding screen and formed hand seals, causing flower petal shapes to spin wildly within his pupils.
The moment the lead organization member thrust out his sword, Hwang Ga-bi's hand slapped his cheek.
Kwang!
The organization member took the hit to the face and burst through the room's window, flying out. His body floated up and soared all the way to the tiled house courtyard.
The struck side of his face was caved in halfway.
The organization members, who had been charging in with great momentum, all froze solid.
"What're you doing? Not coming? Should I come to you? Hurry up. Counting to three. Three, two..."
Hwang Ga-bi grabbed his longsword and strode forward.
The forty-odd organization members shoved at each other, yelling "You go first!" and hesitantly backed away.
"I'm telling you to come already. Fine, I'm coming!"
He drew his sword and swiftly slashed the organization member at the very front.
The man's severed head shot upward. Realizing there was no escape from that blood-soaked sight, the organization members charged at Hwang Ga-bi with desperate ferocity.
"Kill him! Kill him no matter what!"
"Push, you bastards! Surround him! It's just one guy. Don't chicken out!"
Forty-two organization members came rushing in. The door and room were narrow, so not all could enter at once.
The three at the forefront thrust their swords into Hwang Ga-bi's embrace. He twisted his body to dodge the blades, then swung his longsword horizontally in a wide arc.
Pu-hwak! The upper bodies of the three men were neatly sliced off and dropped to the floor. Hwang Ga-bi kicked the freshly severed torso of one man straight into the folding screen.
The flower painted on the folding screen bloomed wide open, staining red.
The blood-red flower let out a chilling laugh. The moment the man's upper body touched the screen, it vanished as if devoured.
A flower petal bloomed fully within Hwang Ga-bi's pupils.
"You idiots! Use the hand cannons!"
Boss Mo Seong-gil, clutching the limp Yi Ga-hyeon, yelled as he hurriedly fled.
The organization members pulled out their hand cannons—short, thick iron tubes that looked like hefty cocks. They lit the fuses, and the pre-loaded hand cannons spat fire from their muzzles.
Several bullets flew. Hwang Ga-bi deflected them with his sword blade and charged toward the organization members.
Puk! The longsword pierced under the jaw of the nearest organization member.
That was when it happened. The flower petal pattern vanished from Hwang Ga-bi's pupils.
The flower painting on the folding screen had wilted.
Hwang Ga-bi gave an awkward smile, grimacing as he struggled to pull out his sword. He grabbed the man's head and yanked the longsword free from his jaw.
The gangsters had already lost their will to fight. Seeing swordsmen drop instantly before their eyes, none dared approach.
When Hwang Ga-bi slung his longsword over his shoulder, the gangsters flinched.
"Wait, hold up."
While the gangsters flinched in fear, Hwang Ga-bi dragged the man he'd just killed and shoved him into the folding screen.
The red flower painting on the screen devoured the man as nourishment, laughing chillingly as it bloomed wide once more.
The flower petal pattern spun again in Hwang Ga-bi's pupils.
"Come at me all together! You trash bastards!"
Stalling for time!
Only then did the gangsters realize they'd been tricked and charged with desperate ferocity.
They gritted their teeth, firing hand cannons or swinging swords.
Hwang Ga-bi leisurely deflected bullets with his sword, then pummeled any gangsters who got close with bare-fisted punches from his free hand.
Puk-puk! One solid punch to the head shattered a man's skull. Hwang Ga-bi shoved the gangster with the caved-in cranium toward the folding screen.
Gulp.
The flower painting swallowed another person.
"Attack the folding screen first!"
Mo Seong-gil shouted orders as he evacuated. He had Yi Ga-hyeon slung over his shoulder and was fleeing through the back gate.
Hwang Ga-bi tried to pursue Mo Seong-gil, but over thirty organization members still remained. Clearing these guys came first. Even an exorcist couldn't ignore sword thrusts. As a novice exorcist, Hwang Ga-bi had to stay vigilant.
The gangsters swarmed the folding screen, pushing, kicking, and stabbing it with swords. The paper-and-wood folding screen didn't budge or tear at all.
It was like an iron wall. The gangsters' methods couldn't affect it in the slightest.
Hwang Ga-bi charged ferociously and slashed four men clustered tight against the screen in one go.
His diagonal sword stroke neatly severed the waists of the four organization members with a crisp sound. The men with their spines cut toppled forward into the folding screen.
It was a war of attrition.
Hwang Ga-bi wasn't scratched at all, yet over ten organization members lay dead. The survivors gradually fell back.
"Uwaaaak!"
One broke from the pack and fled. Once one started running, the mood spread, and many followed suit.
There was no loyalty in the gangsters' world. These ragtag bunch scattered.
"You fucking morons!"
Mo Seong-gil stormed back into the room in rage. He'd been evacuating with Yi Ga-hyeon in tow, but now he held a gourd bottle in his hand.
No, a liquor bottle. Hwang Ga-bi furrowed his brow.
"What's that?"
"The legacy left by Yokai Guk-sun-i. You think I wouldn't have a last resort? You're dying here."
Mo Seong-gil immediately uncorked the bottle and chugged the strong liquor. He poured it down his throat in gulps, and his body quickly transformed.
His skin turned red all over. Tubby Mo Seong-gil's belly swelled even more, and his mouth stretched out grotesquely.
Mo Seong-gil vomited, then planted his hands and feet on the floor. His elongated snout revealed sharp fangs.
He drank the booze and turned into a dog.
A bright red son of a bitch. Clearly human, yet in a dog's form—it was utterly bizarre.
"A yokai creation by Guk-sun-i? Turned into a half-yokai, huh."
Hwang Ga-bi remarked.
A half-yokai was a human corrupted by yokai energy. A skilled exorcist could purify them in that state, or if they strongly wished to return to human, they could—but Mo Seong-gil didn't seem inclined.
Half-dog Mo Seong-gil howled at his underlings.
"Grrr! Woof woof! Is this the power of yokai! Krahaha, power's overflowing. Don't run! I'll kill the bastard. Surround him and charge all at once!"
Turning half-yokai filled him with confidence. Emboldened by Mo Seong-gil's bold words, the organization members regained their fighting spirit.
Hwang Ga-bi tsked as he gripped his longsword upright.
Half-yokai Mo Seong-gil charged from the front, while twenty organization members wielded swords from behind.
Hwang Ga-bi slashed the throat of the nearest organization member.
Tung-
He kicked the head into the folding screen.
Forming hand seals for Hwamusiilhong, he moved the folding screen to block the center of the room.
The folding screen stood like a wall between the organization members and Hwang Ga-bi.
He kicked the jaw of Mo Seong-gil, who attacked with sharp fangs. The kick landed true, snapping Mo Seong-gil's head back.
"Guhk."
Hwang Ga-bi thrust his longsword into the rigid Mo Seong-gil's solar plexus, then charged forward, pinning him against the room wall.
The longsword pierced straight through Mo Seong-gil's body and embedded in the wall.
"Next!"
Hwang Ga-bi removed the folding screen.
With the barricade gone, the organization members charged again. Hwang Ga-bi drew a second longsword from the folding screen and cut them down.
While killing a few, Mo Seong-gil yanked out the longsword and lunged at Hwang Ga-bi.
As a half-yokai, a pierced heart wasn't enough to kill him.
Hwang Ga-bi kicked Mo Seong-gil's chest, and as he fell, unfolded the folding screen behind him.
Mo Seong-gil barely regained his balance to find folding screens erected on both sides and behind him.
Hwang Ga-bi punched him square in the face from the front.
"Kuhuk!"
Mo Seong-gil couldn't budge and took the hits. It was a flurry of blows in an instant. With screens on three sides, he couldn't flee.
Hwang Ga-bi cornered Mo Seong-gil and beat him senseless, then grabbed an organization member who'd snuck up behind.
Hwang Ga-bi jammed his thumb into the gangster's right eye. He gouged deep and twisted his fingers, sending the man into convulsions.
"Kwaaaaaak!"
The gangsters couldn't approach amid that horrific scream. In the meantime, Mo Seong-gil recovered. As he bared his snout and charged again, Hwang Ga-bi stabbed the second longsword into his gut.
"Kweeeuk!"
Wrapping both arms around one organization member's waist and gouging his eyes, Hwang Ga-bi faced Mo Seong-gil head-on.
As Hwamusiilhong neared its end, Hwang Ga-bi hurled the organization member he'd been holding into the folding screen.
The red flower bloomed once more.
With both hands free, Hwang Ga-bi pummeled Mo Seong-gil. Empowered by Hwamusiilhong's energy, his assault was ferocious. He yanked the longsword from Mo Seong-gil's belly and slashed wildly at the organization members approaching from behind.
"Kruuuuuu!"
Mo Seong-gil roared monstrously and charged Hwang Ga-bi. Hwang Ga-bi hoisted him onto his shoulder.
He erected the folding screen in a semicircle to keep the organization members at bay. The gangsters hesitated. Screams echoed from beyond the screen.
"Kweeeeeeak!!"
Something was happening behind the invisible screen. The organization members swallowed dryly. Mo Seong-gil's screams fueled their imaginations.
Human imagination was the stuff of terror.
Tuk.
Something was tossed over the screen. A blood-soaked arm landed before the organization members. It was Mo Seong-gil's arm.
Hwang Ga-bi stepped out from beside the folding screen, covered head to toe in blood, and spoke.
"I never raped Magistrate Yi Ga-hyeon, you bastards."
A few organization members raised their hands.
"You're bullshitting! I'd have done it too!"
Hwang Ga-bi charged at them in fury. Combat resumed. The gangsters fought for their lives.
They swung swords desperately to take down one exorcist.
Hwang Ga-bi dodged blades and swung his longsword.
Soon, all but one lay dead. Hwang Ga-bi approached the last organization member, dragging his longsword.
"P-Please, just spare me."
The organization member begged. From his looks, he'd killed before. A big, fierce-faced brute with a tiger tattoo from neck to chest.
Hwang Ga-bi stabbed his longsword into the man's knee.
"Uwaaak!"
He grabbed the organization member's ear and dragged him along. Hwang Ga-bi folded away the screen.
Mo Seong-gil lay prone, clutching his bleeding stump. Blood poured from the ragged cut.
Hwang Ga-bi stood before Mo Seong-gil.
Mo Seong-gil laughed insanely as he spat words.
"If it's more money you need, I'll give it."
"I'm poor, sure, but I don't take dirty cash."
"Then take a woman. Magistrate Yi Ga-hyeon is our sex slave. Ever tasted official pussy? Our exorcist-nim deserves some luxury too."
"Tsk, that's tempting. Haven't played with a beauty lately."
Hwang Ga-bi snapped the neck of the gangster he held—like twisting a chicken's head. Dead in an instant.
Over ten had fled. The rest were wiped out. The Shinjakdu Faction suffered near-annihilation. The remnants didn't matter.
"But this is tricky. If word gets out I fucked the client, how the hell's my rep gonna hold? Might get blacklisted in exorcist circles."
"Exorcist sir, why worry about that? No one'll know what you do in this house."
"You know, I know, heaven knows—don't bullshit me! Can't rape a client."
"So what now?"
Mo Seong-gil stood. Even with one arm gone, half-yokai tenacity kept him alive.
Hwang Ga-bi sheathed his longsword in the folding screen and shook out his bare hands.
"Yeah... what to do. How much did you fuck over Magistrate Yi Ga-hyeon for that sharp woman to turn into a wreck?"
"Her pussy wouldn't cool off. Fucked her to her heart's content."
"I see. This dick of yours sealed your fate."
Hwang Ga-bi strode up and ripped off Mo Seong-gil's cock. The filthy feel in his hand made him shove it straight into Mo Seong-gil's mouth to dispose of it quick.
Mo Seong-gil resisted like a madman, but the strength gap was huge.
"Chew it up and swallow, you dog-shit bastard!"
"Kruuuuugh!!"
He erected screens on three sides. Trapping Mo Seong-gil in the narrow space they'd formed, he beat him mercilessly.
He should've died ages ago, but half-yokai Mo Seong-gil's monstrous vitality kept him from dying easily under the beating.
"Fuck! Don't spit it out! Chew and eat it all, bastard! Who knows? Swallow it all and maybe I'll let you live? Die! Just fucking die! Pissing me off for real!"
Hwang Ga-bi's fist finally punched through Mo Seong-gil's skull.
Mo Seong-gil's body twitched and went limp. Hwang Ga-bi let out a long breath, surveyed the blood-drenched room, and hardened his expression.
There was another room beyond the back gate. Mo Seong-gil's private quarters. Yi Ga-hyeon was in there.
Before entering, Hwang Ga-bi opened the folding screen and let it absorb all the blood on his body.
It could store and retrieve anything.
Fed the blood, his body was spotless. He screened off the blood-soaked room and entered the inner chamber.
He checked Yi Ga-hyeon's condition first. No injuries, yet she was masturbating.
Her blank face that of a broken woman, fingering her own pussy. Her small finger probed inside her vagina. Love juices flowed copiously.
"Oh my god."
Hwang Ga-bi immediately averted his eyes.
"Can this be cured? Not by me."
When in such a bind, seek help from others. Especially a senior exorcist.
Hwang Ga-bi spoke into the folding screen. His one reliable contact.
"Hyungnim Cheong-ui Gongja-nim! Got time? Need to ask something urgent!"
A moment later, Cheong-ui Gongja's voice returned from the screen.
"Uh, ahem! G-Ga-bi, it's you. Y-Yeah. What's up?"
"You sound busy, hyungnim. Voice is urgent."
"No. It's fine. What's going on?"
"You remember Magistrate Yi Ga-hyeon? I met her again, but man..."
That was when it happened.
A weird sound came from the screen. A woman's moan.
"Hyungnim?"
"Ah, th-this is! I'm! Staying at a brothel! Soundproofing sucks! Next room!"
"I see. Tell me the brothel name, I'll come see you. Magistrate-nim's turned into a wreck—needs quick treatment."
"What? Magistrate-nim's a wreck?"
"Haaaang!"
"Huaa aaaaa!!"
"Hyungnim!"
"The brothel! Soundproofing! Isn't great! Sorry! If urgent, come over! Baekilru!"
Womanly moans and Cheong-ui Gongja's voice alternated from the screen.
The woman's seductive cries were so lascivious they stirred Hwang Ga-bi's lust just from hearing.
The brothel's girls must be top-notch. Hwang Ga-bi resolved to visit for sure.
"Yes, hyungnim! I'll bring Magistrate-nim to Baekilru!"
"Ahhuuut, haaaang...!"
"Huaa aaaaa!"
"Aaaang. Haaang!"
"Huaaaaaaaaaaa!! This is! The brothel! Soundproofing! Ga-bi! Ending now!"
Tuduk, the spell cut off. Cheong-ui Gongja had severed it.
The brothel noises were embarrassing. Lacking restraint in lust, conversing amid moans must've been awkward. Hwang Ga-bi understood.
Just one thing. The moans sounded oddly familiar. Hwang Ga-bi tilted his head, rescued Yi Ga-hyeon, and left the tiled house.
No way it was someone he knew. Such slutty cries had to be from a courtesan, and Hwang Ga-bi had no ties to them.