Changing from the attitude of fighting with bared teeth until now, it acted friendly. It also stopped the legs it had been swinging threateningly like blades and proposed.
[Anyway, you’re despised for not properly mixing in the humans’ world either… How about joining us to expand the world…]
“…”
[Come follow our god with me…]
The yokai whispered gently. It coaxed him, saying it was already prepared to accept Cheon Yijae as a comrade, to forget everything they’d fought about earlier and be together.
“Ha, now I’m hearing all sorts of bullshit.”
However, Cheon Yijae cut down the yokai’s words in one stroke. A thick irritation was mixed in the sneer that burst out with a “pisik,” and as if receiving such a proposal itself was extremely insulting, he irritably swept back his hair.
His fingertips, exhausted from controlling the Jaegui, trembled slightly. Also, it was a hand dyed pitch-black by Ghost Energy, yet ultimately he moved by his own will to push away the hair obscuring his view.
“I will never enter that world.”
[What…?]
“Because I have not the slightest intention of bowing to the likes of Hyungsin.”
Distinct disgust appeared in the ashen eyes glaring at the yokai. The tone reciting the word Hyungsin was particularly aggressive. As if becoming horrified just by mentioning it, his voice was fierce and his momentum also became sharper.
The red energy that had been rippling unstably around Cheon Yijae soon boiled explosively. As if he would rather use that state in reverse if he couldn’t calmly settle it, a fury greater than the Jaegui’s desire to take over the host gripped their leashes.
It seemed he’d gathered all currently available power to its limit. After wiping with the back of his hand the blood flowing through his teeth with a “jureuk,” he stared straight at the yokai and commanded the Jaegui.
“Tear it apart.”
Sswaeaeaek— The Jaegui viciously charged at the yokai. Though they couldn’t merge into one giant form like before, they instead launched hundreds to pour out attacks.
The yokai, whose body had been bitten largely by Jaegui earlier, had no choice but to avoid with sluggish movements. Rather, now the small numerous Jaegui seemed to approach the yokai more annoyingly.
[Kreuk! You’re foolish. The more you use your ability, the more the poison spreads…!]
The centipede yokai shouted in annoyance. Even when trying to bite the Jaegui, the tiny things moved nimbly here and there avoiding it, so it couldn’t deal with them. Though the yokai’s hard shell wasn’t pierced in one go, it slowly cracked from the persistent Jaegui’s charges.
Cheon Yijae grasped that this attack method was rather more effective and focused on his ability. He targeted and attacked the wound from the tail that had been cut earlier, and also tore open the body’s injuries. He drew up energy to not drag out the time, but…
“Keok.”
Eventually, Cheon Yijae wavered and swayed.
As the yokai warned, the centipede’s poison had spread greatly. For a moment, as if he couldn’t even breathe, Cheon Yijae collapsed while clutching his chest, and targeting that moment, the yokai rushed at him.
The moment the centipede yokai’s sharp teeth were about to finally embed in Cheon Yijae’s body—
Paaa—!
A bright light suddenly burrowed between the two. In a place where the sun had already fallen beyond the mountain ridge and darkness was beginning to settle, a pure white light suddenly burst out. And the source of that light had a very modern appearance.
“This works.”
Seowoo admired while checking his phone’s flash.
A moment ago, the instant Seowoo saw Cheon Yijae stagger, he ran toward him. It wasn’t for reasons like special respect that he had to protect Sojunim or a resolute mindset to defeat the yokai.
It was just that the centipede yokai was too big, and Cheon Yijae before it looked too small.
So Seowoo recklessly jumped between them and turned on his phone’s flash. The information that centipedes disliked bright light came to mind, so he tried it, and fortunately it worked on the yokai too. It seemed even more effective since the space had become dim.
[Keuaaaak…!]
The centipede yokai, perhaps greatly surprised by the suddenly encountered light, even writhed while retreating backward with a “ssasasassat.” Just when Seowoo was about to comment that it really looked like a centipede, Cheon Yijae’s voice was heard.
It was shock spat out while panting.
“…What. Why are you here. Are you crazy?”
“I brought my biological knowledge and yet your words are harsh…”
He seemed to be speaking with great difficulty, yet nowhere in the three phrases he completed was there a thank you. Seowoo looked back at him with an absurd feeling and discovered his vastly enlarged ashen eyes trembling mercilessly.
Cheon Yijae seemed like someone who’d fallen into too great a shock. As if the situation of Seowoo approaching was considered even more horrifying than the situation where he himself had almost been bitten by the yokai.
“Gu, Gu, Guiin?!”
“Kyaa, when did you go that far…!”
Do Seonhwa and Jin Gwangmin also hurriedly gathered here. The newcomer who should have been watching from behind, who should have stayed in the safest space, had entered the center of the battlefield. And into that very space where the yokai and Cheon Yijae were clashing.
Moreover, since Cheon Yijae’s condition was unusual and other members couldn’t dare approach either, Seowoo’s action came across as extremely shocking.
However, Seowoo just answered with a calm face.
“Well, the Jaegui seemed to have calmed down. And though the phone’s signal doesn’t work, the device itself operates. Ah, I checked in advance before moving.”
At his attitude that it was okay since he’d gone through rational judgment and also checked his weapon before acting, Do Seonhwa and Jin Gwangmin gaped. Though none of it seemed fine, he calmly continued. As if he’d moved with this purpose from the start.
“I didn’t know the phone flash would be this effective, but anyway, I separated the yokai far away, so now other combat shamans can take over, right? Meanwhile, I think it would be good for Sojunim to rest…”
Until now, the yokai and Cheon Yijae had been stuck too close together, so other combat shamans couldn’t attack. Since his Jaegui were surging unstably, they had to step back in case they might end up exorcising the Jaegui, and he’d seen combat shamans who’d stepped back like that receiving treatment from Purifiers.
In other words, since the other combat shamans had time to rest even briefly, he wanted them to take on the yokai now. Preferably have that side deal with it too. Though right now the centipede yokai had moved away and completely hidden its body in the mountains…
While Do Seonhwa and Jin Gwangmin exchanged bewildered glances at Seowoo’s words, Cheon Yijae shook his head. Even that small act seemed to bring on a headache as he touched his forehead, but he ultimately moved his steps.
“Don’t talk nonsense. That bastard… the others can’t handle it.”
“Right now Sojunim also seems unable to handle it…”
At Seowoo’s answer, Cheon Yijae scowled and tried to pass by him. But Do Seonhwa hurriedly grabbed his clothing. Perhaps a bit scared, she barely held just the hem of the dopo with both hands.
“Gu, Guiin is right! You’re poisoned now and the blemishes are terribly severe! Plus you even have lightning marks!”
“That’s right! If you summon more Jaegui in this state, we might really have to cut off your arm!”
The two stamped their feet while shouting, but Cheon Yijae consistently ignored them. He tried to walk after forcefully brushing away the dopo with his arm to shake off Do Seonhwa’s hand, but ultimately staggered— swaying as he braced against a nearby tree.
He panted as if his energy had dropped from moving just a few steps. It was an appearance revealing that he was barely standing through stubbornness to begin with.
“The restraints won’t work on this…”
Jin Gwangmin muttered with a serious face. At the movie theater a while ago, since only his hands had rotted black, Cheon Yijae had tried to suppress the blemishes by wearing the restraints again. Of course, that was also a very tricky task, but somehow given time, he would have subdued the blemishes.
But now his entire lower forearm had rotted, and perhaps the blemishes were climbing up to his shoulder.
Jin Gwangmin resented the black fitted shirt that Cheon Yijae wore under the dopo. The reason he’d chosen those clothes was obvious. To hide the blemishes externally. The fact that his forearm had rotted was also barely confirmed through the gap when his clothes tore slightly while fighting the yokai…
Seowoo looked at Cheon Yijae’s pitch-black hand bracing the tree and said,
“Shall I try purifying once?”
In fact, he was still in a state where he hadn’t grasped purification arts. Moreover, since this was a scene he’d come to observe, he hadn’t brought any tools needed for purification like gloves or brushes at all. But since he’d done it barehanded last time, a vague optimism arose that perhaps it was possible this time too.
And… somehow it seemed purification happened when he made contact with Cheon Yijae. Though he couldn’t understand the correlation between bare skin touching and purification, he wanted to at least try it.
Cheon Yijae, who’d been panting while leaning on the tree, sharply raised his upper body and stepped back. He refused sharply while scowling.
“What? Don’t touch my body—”
“Oh, that place is dangerous.”
Since Cheon Yijae was about to step on a place where the ground had collapsed from the landslide earlier, Seowoo reflexively reached out his hand. In the process of quickly grabbing to support him, their fingers intertwined.
At that contact, Cheon Yijae froze.
While he’d fiercely brushed away the clothing hem Do Seonhwa grabbed just before, he froze as if extremely surprised by the contact with Seowoo now. His ashen eyes trembled with a “pareureuk.”
Hyungsin (흉신/凶神) – “Evil God/Malevolent Deity” – The god/deity that evil spirits and yokai serve
