Rabbit Hunt Melee (2)
Rabbit Hunt Melee (2)
The exorcists had surrounded the Constabulary Office in a perfect circle. It was a flawless encirclement annihilation formation.
At the foremost positions, high-grade exorcists had gathered, erecting a bizarre barrier to prevent the yokai from opening a ghost gate and fleeing.
A siege net of over a hundred exorcists. Muk Seo-ah was caught up in it too.
'Crazy. They pay just for showing up.'
It was a honey of a commission where you got reward money without lifting a finger. Low-grade exorcists were occasionally visible here and there—probably there to snag that participation bonus.
No reason not to join.
For high-grade exorcists, it was a chance to kill the Jade Rabbit and boost their fame. For those not up to snuff, it was free cash.
Muk Seo-ah had come the moment the kill order was announced.
It was a sudden notice, so there hadn't been time to coordinate with others. Over a hundred exorcists had simultaneously raided and surrounded the Jade Rabbit's hidden main base.
From the front lines, Cheon Gon-su stood clad in armor and bellowed.
"Listen up, yokai Jade Rabbit and all you wicked collaborators! You're surrounded! Those who obediently drop your weapons and surrender will at least be spared their lives!"
Then a voice came from inside the Constabulary Office.
It was a cheerful woman's voice.
"You gonna spare me too?"
"Yokai Jade Rabbit! You harmed this kingdom's officials! I'll rip you to shreds and feed you to the dogs!"
"Really~? Then I guess surrendering's off the table."
The battle of nerves dragged on. The Jade Rabbit could no longer escape. The area around the Constabulary Office was packed with barriers blocking ghost gates.
But they couldn't recklessly charge into the Constabulary Office either.
If a high-grade yokai went berserk in a desperate last stand, a ton of them would die. A high-grade exorcist needed to take the lead up front, but no one was stepping up.
Everyone was just spectating, hoping to mooch off the action. Muk Seo-ah had caught on to their intentions and was taking it easy too.
No need to waste energy for nothing. These kinds of things were always hardest on whoever jumped in first.
'Is Cheong-ui Gongja here too?'
Muk Seo-ah wondered if anyone she knew had shown up.
Taeju Doryeong and Hwang Ga-bi were too low-grade to come. It was dangerous for Cheong-ui Gongja too. At minimum, you'd need mid-grade to protect your own neck.
Thinking of Cheong-ui Gongja suddenly made her face heat up.
While Muk Seo-ah was sitting there resting, someone approached and struck up a conversation.
"Oh, miss. Here alone?"
It was a guy with a bulging belly. Short, bald. Brown-skinned, with thick forearms covered in fuzzy hair.
The middle-aged man introduced himself and plopped down naturally beside Muk Seo-ah.
"I'm exorcist Ji-hwa. Didn't expect a young lady like you in a dangerous battlefield hunting high-grade yokai."
"I'm Muk Seo-ah. You look kinda old, mister? Low-grade and all, you sure you're okay?"
"Heh heh heh, pot calling the kettle black, right? Planning to hang back mid-fight and just grab the participation pay."
Muk Seo-ah didn't want to stand out big-time either.
The Jade Rabbit was one of those annoyingly fast yokai that were a pain to catch. Still, contributing to the kill would be nice. Fame went up.
The higher her fame and recognition, the more big commissions close to the Yokai King would roll in.
"I'm thinking of going for the killing blow."
"Killing blow? No clue what that means. You planning to fight? Ehey, this little miss doesn't know better. High-grade yokai aren't for the likes of us."
Muk Seo-ah listened quietly, and Ji-hwa got all excited and yapped away.
Mostly tales of his own exploits. They were so goddamn boring that Muk Seo-ah half-ignored him, pretending not to hear.
"Hey, someone's talking here... No manners for a fellow exorcist."
Suddenly, Ji-hwa placed his thick-knuckled hand on Muk Seo-ah's thigh.
A sharp tingle shot through her whole body as he grabbed it, but the abrupt move pissed her off more. Muk Seo-ah scowled and swatted his hand away.
"Heh heh, don't be like that. Let's both hang back together. I spotted a nice quiet spot earlier."
"No thanks. Fuck off."
"Damn, such a pretty girl with a filthy mouth..."
Ji-hwa reached out and lightly stroked Muk Seo-ah's cheek.
Instantly, chills ran up Muk Seo-ah's spine. She whipped an axe out of her mouth and swung it right away.
"Argh!"
Ji-hwa tumbled backward, barely dodging the axe blade.
She hadn't meant to kill him. Just a light swing.
"You bitch...! You'll regret this!"
Ji-hwa huffed and puffed as he vanished into the crowd. Muk Seo-ah clicked her tongue in disgust.
In this world, getting hit on like a lowlife outside a brothel? Never saw that coming.
Come to think of it, a lot of people were seeing her as a woman now. Muk Seo-ah once again became aware of her body's changes.
That was when it happened. A drum resounded from the front lines.
They were ready to advance. Cheon Gon-su roared thunderously.
"Kill everything inside the Constabulary Office! The one who takes the Jade Rabbit's head will be rewarded with gold and treasures! All forces, charge!"
With that shout, a massive horde of exorcists surged into the Constabulary Office. The constables colluding with the Jade Rabbit tried to hold them off, but it was no use.
The exorcists massacred the corrupt constables like one against a hundred.
That instant.
A downpour started.
"...Rain?"
Muk Seo-ah squinted. In her vision, a blue figure floated in the sky.
Kwarrung. The next moment, lightning struck.
=================================
Before the entire force charged.
The Jade Rabbit chattered her teeth, peeking out the window. Over a hundred exorcists had formed up. Even as a high-grade yokai, she saw no path to escape.
"Ugh... Ah. What do I do? We're fucked!"
The Jade Rabbit said, drooping her ears.
"What about me? Perung-ah, help me out!"
At the Jade Rabbit's words, the yokai sitting with her in the Constabulary Office, sipping tea, chuckled quietly.
The yokai combed his sea-blue hair with his hand and replied. His long, sharp nails gleamed blue between the strands.
"Not Perung, it's Sea Dragon King, Jade Rabbit-nim. When will you call me properly?"
"Perung or dragon-boy, whatever! Perfect timing. Since you're here visiting, can't you help?"
"I didn't come to visit—I came to discuss the Yokai King's cleanup matter... Ah, whatever. Those exorcists will kill you anyway, Jade Rabbit-nim."
The Sea Dragon King smiled slyly. The Jade Rabbit clung to his waist and rubbed her face against him.
"Perung~ Help me!"
"Shall I break the barrier for you?"
"Yeah! Do that? Open a ghost gate right away and let's bolt!"
"No. My plan's a bit different..."
The Sea Dragon King said.
"You want to take down the Yokai King, right, Jade Rabbit-nim? That's why our goals aligned. I've recruited two more yokai. I'll smash the exorcists' barrier, so you call the Yokai King. Didn't he demand exorcists as tribute?"
"Yeah, we made that deal? Not planning to honor it, though. So what?"
"You call the Yokai King, and I'll summon the Asura and Hwe I pre-recruited. All those exorcists will go after the Yokai King first, won't they? Once the exorcists wear him down, we strike."
"Oh, you mean an 'ee-i-je-i' play? Sounds good?"
The Jade Rabbit's ears perked right up. The Sea Dragon King stroked her head and continued.
"Yes. So I'll break the barrier, and we'll summon the Yokai King and two high-grade yokai here. We'll be the ones who win in this melee."
==================================
Kwarrung!
Lightning crashed down, shattering the barrier in the sky to pieces. The exorcists saw it and shouted urgently.
"The barrier's broken! Stop the Jade Rabbit from opening a ghost gate!"
"The Jade Rabbit's gonna run! Don't let her get away easy!"
Muk Seo-ah watched quietly from the rear.
Chaos erupted up front. Screams rang out from the exorcists who'd rushed into the Constabulary Office first.
That was when it happened. An unbelievably massive roar exploded from inside the Constabulary Office.
A thick male voice boomed.
"Jade Rabbit! Didn't you promise me strong ones! Where's the Yokai King!! I still thirst for blood!"
Kung, kung. A gigantic oni bellowing at the top of his lungs stomped out of the Constabulary Office. Four arms, ashen skin, and an insane amount of muscle on a hulking brute.
Muk Seo-ah realized at first sight it was the high-grade yokai Asura.
Looking closer, there was a masked yokai beside him, and the Sea Dragon King floated in the sky. Including the Jade Rabbit, that made four.
"What the fuck is this shit."
Muk Seo-ah was genuinely flustered. She'd come for a Jade Rabbit hunt commission, and now there were four yokai.
Like paying 10,000 won for karaoke only for the owner lady to "service" you with 40,000 won extra—total shock.
Of course, Muk Seo-ah wasn't worried. Yokai didn't have the concept of teamwork.
The odds of those four cooperating against the exorcists approached zero.
But the other exorcists, excluding Muk Seo-ah, panicked and couldn't even breathe.
"Four high-grade yokai!"
"This ain't what the commission said!"
"We're all dead!"
A good number of low-grade exorcists straight-up ran.
Cheon Gon-su screamed to control the crowd, but he couldn't stop those whose morale had already crumbled.
"Don't retreat! Gold and treasures by the cartload for every yokai you kill!"
At those words, the exorcists rallied their spirits.
That was when...
The air rippled.
A grand ghost gate opened smack in the middle of the battlefield. A small human figure stepped out from within.
Short and slender, like a frail girl. But when she glared around with her sharp eyes, her sheer presence froze the exorcists solid.
Everyone recognized that aura.
The yokai in the girl's form opened her mouth.
"Jade Rabbit... What the hell is this?"
"Yokai King!!!"
Muk Seo-ah charged at full speed from the rear toward her. The Yokai King slowly turned her head, locking eyes with Muk Seo-ah.
For a split second, the Yokai King's pupils dilated. She freaked out and formed hand seals.
"Hieeek! You! M-Muk...!"
"Hit her!!"
The stiff mid- and low-grade exorcists, Cheon Gon-su barking orders. High-grade exorcists charged in, and at the same time, the great yokai rushed the Yokai King too.
Muk Seo-ah barreled straight toward the Yokai King. The Yokai King bolted away from Muk Seo-ah first, running the opposite way.
"My yokai energy isn't ready yet!"
"You fucking Yokai King bitch!! Give me my body back!!"
"Let's fight when I'm at full strength...! I'll settle things with you for sure!"
Despite her brave trash-talk, the Yokai King hiked up her skirts and fled dododo.
The masked yokai blocked her path. He rolled his eyes bulgingly inside the Hwe mask and shouted.
"Storyteller Hwe here at your service. Aha, so you really turned into a girl Yokai King. You look way weaker, huh?"
"Team up and hit her! Hwe, now!"
The Jade Rabbit yelled and hopped. In an instant, she was at the Yokai King's side, swinging her mortar pestle.
The high-grade yokai Hwe pulled a book from his bosom and thrust it. The Yokai King formed seals to defend against attacks from both front and back.
"Reversal Binding, Reverse Flow."
That instant, the Jade Rabbit and Hwe's weapons went limp, bending without piercing the Yokai King's skin.
"What the?!"
"Ten points!"
In the blink of an eye, the Yokai King solidified the air and stabbed the two yokai. Her air spear pierced the Jade Rabbit's head.
The Jade Rabbit kneaded it like dough and restored her head right away.
"Uwaaa! Sea Dragon King, Asura! Team attack! We four can win!"
That was when it happened.
The Sea Dragon King was visible opening a ghost gate and fleeing. The Jade Rabbit spotted him and wailed.
"Sea Dragon King? Where you going!"
"Teamwork requires matching levels. How tacky."
"You sneaky dragon bastard! You planned this from the start...!"
The moment the Sea Dragon King left, the exorcists' barrier reformed.
No opening ghost gates. The Yokai King tried to break the barrier and flee, but the Jade Rabbit and Hwe's combo kept interfering.
"Eeeeek! I don't have time to play with you!"
The Yokai King yelled urgently.
Muk Seo-ah lunged at the Yokai King. Just a few steps left now.
Muk Seo-ah flashed a serial-killer grin and leaped at the Yokai King, axe raised high in a massive jump.
"Dieee-!"
That was when it happened. The massive bulk of Asura came crashing down on Muk Seo-ah.
Muk Seo-ah went flying into the middle of the battlefield with Asura, like getting hit by a dump truck.
"You're the strongest one! Graahaha, fight me! Satisfy me!"
"Fuck off, don't get in my way-!!"
Muk Seo-ah tumbled to the ground with Asura.