“I will go see the end of the fight. I ask the rest of you to clean up the surroundings. Contact the Management Bureau and check on the current situation in other areas as well.”
“W-wait a moment. Guild Master! Moving right now is dangerous!”
When Jaehee turned to go toward where Jeongwoo had disappeared, Kim Jisu urgently grabbed Jaehee.
“The Vice Guild Master is deliberately fighting outside probably because he’s worried about that. First, please leave the fight with Lee Shinhoo to the Vice Guild Master, and it would be better if the Guild Master evacuated with us.”
“Jisu-ssi.”
When Jaehee called Kim Jisu, Kim Jisu flinched and raised her head. Looking at Kim Jisu with a clearly exhausted appearance, Jaehee took out a potion from his inventory and threw it.
“Ah, thank y…”
“I know well what you’re worried about. There have been many things until now. Results that differed from what we expected came out too. So let’s think about it coldly once. If Jeongwoo falls to Lee Shinhoo, what hope do we have after that?”
At Jaehee’s words, Kim Jisu’s face turned pale. Jaehee looked at Kim Jisu, then examined the other remaining people one by one. Fatigue and defeatism that couldn’t be hidden were evident on their haggard, pale faces. Kim Jisu’s state, gritting her teeth and looking at him while sobbing, was relatively better. At the atmosphere that made his shoulders feel heavy just by looking, a bitter taste formed at the corners of Jaehee’s mouth.
Before this night began, there were about fifty people in total, combining about thirty combat personnel from Eternal Guild and about twenty combat personnel additionally deployed from the Management Bureau. But now, only about half that number remained.
Among those who couldn’t be seen now, there were quite a few who he’d been somewhat acquainted with. Thinking about that made one side of his chest ache.
“Everyone saw that crazy bastard Lee Shinhoo. That bastard used even Guild Sahae’s guild members all as tools. That bastard has absolutely no intention of letting us live. If Jeongwoo can’t beat Lee Shinhoo, no matter where we hide, the result is already as good as decided.”
“B-but, still, Guild Master…”
“Jisu-ssi. I also know that I’m no match for those two. I’m just going to watch the result from far away.”
“I-if that’s the case, I’ll use a drone…!”
At Yang Yumi’s words, Jaehee shook his head.
“I don’t know about other things, but the Constellation’s flames don’t even photograph properly. I’ll hide far away, and if it seems dangerous, I’ll quickly run away, so don’t worry. I also know well that my life is precious. Plus, right now there’s a lot of responsibility on my shoulders too.”
“B-but, still…!”
“First, I’ve declared territory in all possible areas. Territory declaration doesn’t heal like King’s Veil, but still, the undead won’t attack anymore.”
Jaehee cut off the conversation with a resolute face as if he wouldn’t listen to any more objections. Kim Jisu sighed while looking at such a Jaehee. She would think he was stubborn, but it couldn’t be helped. He couldn’t forget the warning that Constellation Blazing Flame had given. What on earth was Jeongwoo doing?
“Don’t worry. The sun will rise soon anyway. Now that I think about it, today was really a long night.”
At Jaehee’s last words, people flinched and looked out the window.
A long night. It really was a long night. Among those looking at the sky outside the window, several finally wiped their tears and sniffled. No, in fact, it wasn’t just tonight that was long. These past few days had been days where it felt like only night existed.
Jaehee briefly bowed his head to those looking at him. The sniffling sounds grew louder. But without looking back, he jumped right out of the building.
Finding where Jeongwoo and Lee Shinhoo’s battle was taking place wasn’t difficult. Even now, loud roaring sounds were continuously occurring. Looking at the wrecked surroundings, it looked more like a natural disaster than traces of person versus person.
Jaehee looked around the surroundings for a moment, then soon began running toward where the sounds were coming from.
The place where Jeongwoo and Lee Shinhoo’s figures could be seen was considerably far from Eternal Guild’s building. Buildings, street trees, and roads were in complete chaos, looking as if they’d been bombed.
Bang, kwa-kwa-kwa-bang—!
With nothing around to worry about, there was no hesitation in their movements. Jeongwoo, who jumped up as if flying, struck down at the ground with his long drawn sword.
No, what Jeongwoo was holding looked more fitting to be called a pillar of fire rather than a sword. That thing with bright red flames rippling as if moving alive seemed to easily exceed 2 meters. When Jeongwoo swung it horizontally, the flames trembled and shot forward dozens of meters.
Lee Shinhoo was now burning with dark blue flames all over his body. From the outside, it looked like red and blue were moving around without mixing.
When Lee Shinhoo extended his hand, flames shot out from there. When the flames spreading in all directions like a flamethrower touched the surrounding buildings and street trees, they crumbled as is. Rather than being burned, cracks appeared in the large building as if it had received a shockwave, then at some point it collapsed.
“Damn it, I really can’t intervene. How is that human? It’s a human weapon.”
Now it really didn’t look like a fight between human Woo Jeongwoo and human Lee Shinhoo, but like a confrontation between Constellation Blazing Flame and Constellation Dark Night.
Such a tedious fight continued. Since it was still a dark night all around, the movement of the flames could be seen even better.
Constellations usually exerted greater power in their own domain. Right now, since it was night, it was advantageous to Lee Shinhoo’s Constellation Dark Night.
Jaehee swallowed dryly while checking the time.
Today’s sunrise time had only about 20 minutes left. The sun rising didn’t mean Constellation Dark Night couldn’t use its power, but when power was equal like now, a slight difference determined victory or defeat.
Jaehee swallowed dryly while watching the dawn light slowly rising from afar. Clearly the edge of the sky was being wrapped in dim light. Had there ever been a time in his life when he’d waited for sunrise this desperately?
Jaehee watched the two flames clash and put his hands together. He couldn’t go close, thinking he might be a hindrance to Jeongwoo.
It was at some moment during that. Because he was facing toward where the sun was rising, it was when he frowned at the dazzling light.
Jeongwoo staggered and collapsed. Jaehee taking out his bow was instinct. For a moment, no thoughts came to him. The sight of Jeongwoo collapsed on the ground filled his vision.
It was clearly a distance quite far away, yet as if it had happened right before his eyes, Jeongwoo’s appearance was clearly visible.
He drew the bow and released the bowstring as is. Everything was accomplished naturally and swiftly like flowing water.
It was so instantaneous that even Jaehee who shot the arrow didn’t realize he had fired an arrow.
The arrow instantly pierced through the neck of Lee Shinhoo who was approaching Jeongwoo. However, to Lee Shinhoo who had already reached a realm that couldn’t be called human, the arrow didn’t deal much damage. It only stopped him from raising his foot to step on the collapsed Jeongwoo.
Lee Shinhoo turned his head to look at Jaehee. Though it was a far distance, Jaehee could tell that Lee Shinhoo was looking at him.
There was no fear or terror. It was like the instinct of a mother trying to protect her young. He nocked an arrow on the bowstring once more. This time it wasn’t one arrow but three. There was no hesitation or wavering. Only the thought that he had to stop Lee Shinhoo.
The arrows flew through the air. Before reaching Lee Shinhoo, the arrows themselves burned due to Lee Shinhoo’s flames, but Jaehee didn’t care. He nocked arrows again. If he could stop Lee Shinhoo even for a moment, he would shoot arrows until all his fingers broke and were gone.
It was the instant Lee Shinhoo was about to extend his hand while looking at Jaehee. Jeongwoo, who had been collapsed on the ground, sprang up like a spring and plunged his sword into Lee Shinhoo’s neck.
Bright red flames flickered their tongues and spread from Lee Shinhoo’s neck to his face, and then to his entire body.
“Th-this doesn’t, make…”
Lee Shinhoo slowly turned his body to look at Jeongwoo. He moved his mouth as if trying to say something, but couldn’t say anything.
And slowly the sky began to brighten.
Jaehee watched Lee Shinhoo collapse to the ground as if crumbling, then raised his head to look at the sky.
To the extent that he didn’t remember being anxious about when the sun would rise, the sky brightened in an instant.
It was the moment when the large sun rose and the dark night retreated.
And then Jeongwoo’s body collapsed with a thud next to the fallen Lee Shinhoo.
