Jaehee anxiously watched the fight between the two. Though he was angry that all he could do was watch, there was no other way right now.
Jeongwoo seemed to be using his own body as fuel to ignite flames.
The blood-red flames now rippled not only around Jeongwoo’s entire body but also through the surrounding space. Jaehee found that sight somehow chilling.
In fact, the spaces touched by the flames made crackling sounds, as if the space itself was burning in the flames.
“Jeongwoo… Damn it, I don’t care what happens, just don’t get hurt.”
He didn’t care if someone cursed him for being selfish.
Even if they lost the fight, even if that meant suffering humiliation at Lee Shinhoo’s hands, Jeongwoo being safe was more important.
When he was in a situation where he could do nothing but watch, it became clearer.
The fact that the most important thing to him was Jeongwoo.
“Lee Shinhoo. The Constellation’s power isn’t yours anyway. You know you’ll have to pay the price for it someday, right?”
“I don’t think you’re the one to say that?”
After several clashes and several collisions, both their faces showed prominent signs of exhaustion.
Not only Jeongwoo, but now Lee Shinhoo too was being consumed as dark blue flames gradually moved to his body and burned it. Lee Shinhoo’s sly smile and leisure had disappeared, and his expression had hardened.
“Woo Jeongwoo, you know what results will come if you squander a Constellation’s power like that, don’t you?”
“Mister, don’t worry about me, worry about yourself. Older people trying to follow young folks end up going bald and getting more wrinkles.”
“Seeing you trying to fight with your mouth, you must be running out of strength, young man?”
When Lee Shinhoo sneered, Jeongwoo chuckled.
Both clearly showed signs of fatigue, but Jeongwoo seemed to have a bit more leisure. As the dark blue flames started to cling and burn Lee Shinhoo’s body, Lee Shinhoo definitely looked anxious, and to that extent, Jeongwoo seemed to be finding his composure.
But as Jaehee watched the two, he became increasingly enveloped in anxiety. Looking at Lee Shinhoo’s reaction, the Constellation’s flames burning his own body definitely seemed dangerous. If Lee Shinhoo was so wary of it, could Jeongwoo really be fine?
“Since the elder is worried about me, I should work harder.”
Jeongwoo chuckled, then suddenly increased the size of the flames. When the flames covering Jeongwoo’s body grew larger, crackling sounds came from all directions.
At first he didn’t know what it was, but soon realized it was the spaces Lee Shinhoo had laid out. The spaces Lee Shinhoo had hidden were burning in Jeongwoo’s flames.
Surely those imprisoned there aren’t burning too…?
When Jaehee flinched and worried for a moment, as Lee Shinhoo’s power hiding the spaces burned in the flames, the person inside dropped out.
“Haa, I knew it. Jeongwoo wouldn’t do that thoughtlessly.”
Jeongwoo looked down indifferently at the fallen person. Then he immediately spread the flames in all directions. Sounds of flames bursting came from here and there.
“Uwa, uwaaaa”
“Wow, I’m alive… I’m alive…!”
As people were freed from where they’d been trapped, they screamed and shouted with joy.
Having watched the battle between Lee Shinhoo and Jeongwoo, they were quite high-spirited.
Jaehee took a deep breath as he watched the flames approaching him.
He felt relieved thinking he’d be freed from this stifling place now.
Though their power didn’t seem like it would be much help to Jeongwoo, at least it was fortunate they wouldn’t be held as hostages.
The blood-red flames flickered their tongues and burned the thin membrane blocking Jaehee. And at some moment, the red flames wrapped around his body. It was a strange feeling – neither hot nor painful.
– Are you going to leave Jeongwoo like this?
At the voice echoing in his head, Jaehee was startled and raised his head.
“Wh, what do you mean?”
His spine went cold for a moment. What was speaking in his head now was clearly the Constellation, Blazing Flame.
This was the first time directly talking with Blazing Flame, but through everything so far, he had some trust regarding Blazing Flame. They say you shouldn’t trust Constellations, but still, hadn’t Blazing Flame helped them every time?
– Take a look with your own eyes.
At Blazing Flame’s words, Jaehee slowly looked at Jeongwoo. For a moment, the desire to check what was happening and the desire to not want to know anything shook him inside simultaneously.
It must be a lie. There’s no way Jeongwoo would choose self-destruction and leave me behind, right?
Jaehee repeated this to his anxious self and looked at Jeongwoo.
From the moment he made contact with Blazing Flame, time excluding Jaehee was flowing extremely slowly.
He saw Jeongwoo glaring at Lee Shinhoo. And when he felt something hot in his eyes, Jeongwoo’s appearance became visible in detail. Jeongwoo’s body looked as if the inside was full of flames. Both inside and outside were bright red, but parts of Jeongwoo’s body had black stains on them.
“Wh, what is that…”
He had an ominous feeling for a moment. Black stains that couldn’t even be covered by the flames representing the Constellation’s power itself. Moreover, looking carefully, the positions of those stains were familiar. Weren’t they the spots where he’d seen wounds before and personally applied potions?
“Blazing Flame. That, what’s that on Jeongwoo’s body? Those black stains…?”
Jaehee realized that what Blazing Flame wanted to show him was precisely those black stains. What on earth are they that a Constellation directly informed me? Jaehee intuitively knew the black stains were more threatening than even Lee Shinhoo.
But why didn’t Jeongwoo say anything?
“…Jaehee!”
The moment Jaehee felt doubt, time returned to normal. And Jaehee realized he was falling through the air.
In an instant, Jeongwoo rushed out and caught him.
Since they were Awakened Ones anyway, they wouldn’t get hurt falling from this height, yet Jeongwoo had rushed out.
Papapat-
At the same time, Lee Shinhoo’s sword grazed above their heads. Jeongwoo held Jaehee securely and blocked Lee Shinhoo’s sword with his arm.
Pushishishishi-
When the dark blue flames on Lee Shinhoo’s sword met the red flames rising from Jeongwoo’s arm, it made a loud noise as if fire and water had met, and smoke rose.
“You’re safe. That’s enough now.”
“Jeongwoo, you…!”
“You’re not hurt anywhere?”
Jaehee felt a chill seeing Jeongwoo smiling at him.
Something was definitely going wrong.
“Stay in the back. I’ll finish up soon and come.”
Before Jaehee could say anything, Jeongwoo pushed Jaehee back and rushed at Lee Shinhoo like a shot.
KWAKWAKWAKWAKWANG.
With the force of Jeongwoo pushing Lee Shinhoo, the window that had been precariously holding made a loud noise and fell outside. When the acrid dust settled, Jaehee realized it wasn’t just the window that had fallen outside.
Both Jeongwoo and Lee Shinhoo were nowhere to be seen.
A loud roaring sound of KWANG, KWANG came from outside. At the sharp tearing sounds and vibrations shaking the ground, Jaehee bit his lip hard.
“Guild Leader-nim…”
“Yumi-ssi. You’re recording all of this, right?”
“Yes, we’re recording everything for now.”
“Understood. This building is at risk of collapse, so let’s go outside first. Please maintain a certain distance so as not to interfere with the battle between Jeongwoo and Lee Shinhoo. As you saw, there’s no room for us to intervene in their battle. And contact the Management Bureau to reconfirm where veils are needed now. Check if there are any places where the veil has collapsed… And I’ll declare territory.”
Jaehee called up the system window. When he checked the Territory Declaration skill that had been activated since earlier, a map shape appeared. It showed regions where territory could be declared because there were no other Kings.
Jaehee looked at the map and began declaring territory one by one. Though war might break out later as a result, survival now was more urgent. Looking at the map and seeing that no territory was declared anywhere in all of South Korea, he felt bitter.
He knew the number of Kings had decreased considerably, but he hadn’t thought it would be to this extent.
Had Lee Shinhoo succeeded in assassinating all the other Kings?
Jaehee hesitated a bit, then soon moved the map to other regions and began declaring territory one by one. He recalled the unfamiliar foreign names on the citizen list that he didn’t even know how to read. Once territory was declared, even if they couldn’t receive healing like with the King’s Veil, they could at least no longer be tormented by the dead.
Jaehee declared territory in every region he could and turned around.
People with haggard faces stood looking at Jaehee. It was a strange feeling to think they all relied only on him.
Right now, many people whose faces he didn’t even know must be relying on him.
Praying for this night to end.
