Chapter 30: The Fallen Corridor's Master (4)
Chapter 30: The Fallen Corridor's Master (4)
"How can a mere human..."
Bellus muttered in disbelief.
But it was inevitable.
He hadn't spared any magic power in his earlier attack, aiming to obliterate the humans in a single blow.
Yet.
How in the world.
Could this man block it so easily?
Jinhyuk shrugged his shoulders.
"You see, the skills you utilize and the fire attribute are, unfortunately, inherently incompatible."
On top of that, the gap in stats and his adaptive capabilities effectively inverted the level difference between them.
With these conditions met...
It was undeniable.
He would certainly lose.
"The moment Ellis was sealed, your chances of victory vanished."
"Indeed, it does seem difficult to win with magic," Bellus admitted, dispersing the magic power he had gathered.
"But if there are inherent incompatibilities as you say... then it would be a challenge for you to fend off close-ranged attacks with magic, wouldn't it?"
In his right hand now shimmered a sword with a dark hue—a rapier favored by vampires.
Furthermore.
[Bellus activates the level 9 technique 'Dark Battle Qi!']
A black aura oozed along the blade.
Sword qi.
And quite a high-quality one at that.
"Nothing beats this when dealing with opponents who dodge around like flies from a distance."
He wasn't wrong.
For a mage, closing the distance exponentially increased the risk.
And with twelve of them attacking simultaneously, it was a solid strategy.
Indeed.
It was the orthodox approach.
But who says.
That I am only strong in magic?
[Your unique skill 'Grave of Swords' has been activated!]
In the eerie silence,
The talent of a sword demon from a bygone era seeped into Jinhyuk's body.
Change unfolded.
Everything he saw and felt began to transform.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
His heart raced wildly.
From the slightest twitch of a muscle,
To the flow of magic power,
The world he saw through his mask had become entirely different from moments ago.
'This goes to show... the title of Sword Demon wasn't given to me for nothing.'
A grin curled the corners of Jinhyuk's mouth.
***
'...What's this?'
Bellus tilted his head in confusion.
Something had changed just now.
It was difficult to articulate exactly what, but the atmosphere had completely shifted.
A tremble.
Slight trembling in the hands.
Surely not.
'Is this fear?'
Me?
Bellus gritted his teeth until they nearly shattered.
It was ludicrous... for him to be afraid of a single human.
Such a scenario was neither possible nor permissible.
Above all, he must shatter the seal confining 'that person' - there was no time to waste.
Bellus tightened his grip on the sword.
"No matter how desperately you resist, you will not be able to withstand my sword qi."
A robust dark energy flared up.
A sword qi renowned for its ultimate cutting power.
"Strike all at once."
"Remember, don't let him escape under any circumstance."
"I'll need to at least shred a limb or two to ease my wrath."
The vampires formed a besieging network around Jinhyuk.
Front, back, left, and right.
There was no gap for even a single ant to escape.
But Jinhyuk remained motionless in his place, responding not a whit, merely scanning his foes with a nonchalant expression.
"Sword qi, is that all you have faith in?"
"Don't be arrogant. No matter how agile you are, there's no escaping from here."
Indeed, if it were all talk, it would seem like mere bluster.
The situation was clear who held the advantage and who didn't.
Then.
He simply had to show them.
Not with words, but with strength.
Jinhyuk channeled magic power into his dagger.
And then.
Kaurgh! Kaurgh! Kaurgh!
An eye-wateringly bright light flickered.
"How... how can this be..."
Bellus's eyes bulged as if they were about to burst.
This was entirely different from the mere sword qi that adorned his blade.
The dagger was completely enveloped, and nearly 1 meter of blue energy surged above it.
Undoubtedly, this was...
"An Aura Blade?"
"To imbue a sword (劍) with qi (氣), it has to be at least this much, right?"
Jinhyuk lunged his dagger forward.
A sharpness that seemed to slice the very air.
Overwhelming power faced the vampires.
Snap!
He vanished in that instant.
"Hey, where did he go?"
"Where is he? Tell me where!"
"Damn it. Don't follow him with your eyes; detect his magic!"
Bellus shouted, but it was already too late.
"Gaaah!"
Blood gushed from the shoulder of a vampire on the periphery, their arm cleanly severed. Not even a vampire's regeneration could quickly recover from such a wound.
'One down.'
Jinhyuk's gaze darted to the next target.
Eliminating them systematically, starting with the weakest.
No matter how certain the victory, he would never let his guard down.
Swish!
The dagger traced a circle.
"Gaakh!"
As a wind hole opened in the vampire's thigh, a brief scream erupted.
Another one down.
[Stop at once...!]
Ellis seemed to be shouting something, but he couldn't quite make it out, as he had tucked Brahm's ring deep into his pocket even before the fight had begun.
"Maintain formation! Don't be foolish and fall for the enemy's tactics!"
Bellus's throat was taut with strain.
"Tsk!"
"Damn it!"
Finally, the vampires regained their composure.
Filling the gaps left by the wounded, they reinforced their flank.
"Strike!"
Ten rapiers were unleashed towards Jinhyuk.
At the moment of their clash...
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The rapiers shattered into dozens of pieces.
Blades obliterated upon impact.
As expected, sword qi could not withstand the Sword Force.
'It doesn't matter. Losing half is plausible as long as one strike succeeds.'
Sacrifice was inevitable.
Bellus knew this better than anyone else.
Whirr!
Whoosh!
However, the rapiers sliced nothing but empty air.
They couldn't even catch Jinhyuk's shadow.
Thirty seconds... One minute.
As time passed, Bellus's face increasingly turned the color of ash.
'Even hurling oneself headlong to the point of risking life achieves nothing against this opponent.'
Amidst this, their numbers dwindled one by one.
Unaware of when or how they had been hit.
It was like fighting a ghost.
Thud!
Another fell.
No more vampires stood beside him.
"Damn."
Now... he couldn't grasp what was going on.
Bellus felt a chill approach from behind.
And that was the last thing he remembered.
***
The fight was over.
So utterly anticlimactic.
Well, that term might be appropriate only for Jinhyuk as the protagonist.
Those who had witnessed the whole affair were paralyzed by a thrill that wrapped around their entire bodies.
"Teresa..."
Song Chunhwa stuttered as he began to speak.
What had he just seen?
Was this reality?
The vampires of the Crimson Brigade, whom even a raid party couldn't touch, were swept away by a single person.
Gulp!
Song Chunhwa swallowed dryly.
"Do you know who that man is?"
"..."
Teresa did not answer.
Instead, she glanced briefly at Jinhyuk.
Wearing a mask meant...
he didn't want to reveal his identity to the public.
"I ran into him by chance midway and we came together. Apart from telling me to trust him, he... he didn't share anything more specific."
"I see... Ah!"
Song Chunhwa, who had been nodding his head reluctantly, let out an exclamation.
He had seen the masked Jinhyuk about to do something.
"Wait! Please wait a moment!"
Song Chunhwa rushed immediately towards Jinhyuk.
"What's the matter?"
Jinhyuk, who had been standing by the holy relic, turned around.
"That... My name is Song Chunhwa, I lead this raid party."
"I roughly heard that."
The leader of a failed raid.
A commander more feared than the enemy for his incompetence.
If it were me, I'd be so ashamed I'd hide in a corner.
What gall does he have to approach me?
...Forget it.
People like him don't even realize what they've done wrong.
"Please take the wounded and leave the ruins. You've all been weakened substantially, so you'll need hydration and simple nutrition."
Jinhyuk waved his hand, exasperated.
Yet.
Song Chunhwa stayed put, looking troubled, without making a motion to leave.
"That... Before that, there's something I need to discuss regarding the holy relic."
Really?
Does he plan to claim rights over the holy relic here?
Wow.
This guy is even more impressive than I had assumed.
"If you're aware, all the items obtained during this raid belong to our Balhae Guild..."
Jinhyuk interrupted Song Chunhwa mid-sentence.
"You want the holy relic even though I saved your life?"
That's some novel rubbish he's spewing.
So novel in fact that I'm beginning to look forward to what he'll say next.
Seemingly stung, Song Chunhwa quickly added,
"Instead, we will provide you with a different reward. Whether it's money or coins, we'll ensure you won't be disappointed."
"Compensation..."
This isn't working out.
I didn't plan to go this far.
But if he insists so much, then there's no choice.
"You don't need to do that. Just take it. Go ahead."
Jinhyuk stepped aside.
"Are you sure that's okay?"
"Of course. Just don't regret it, whatever the outcome."
"Eh?"
"Just something I'm saying."
Jinhyuk shrugged.
Song Chunhwa felt uneasy but shook the feeling off quickly.
Why refuse when the holy relic was being offered?
A wooden splinter lay on a wide flat rock. 'Merlin's Staff.'
One of the seven broken pieces, its value was no less despite being shattered.
'If used as a magical material, its potential is practically limitless.'
Song Chunhwa's eyes were clouded with greed.
If he could take it, he could somewhat compensate for the disgrace of the raid team having been taken prisoner.
But the moment his hand touched the fragment.
A burning sensation.
It felt as if his hand was scorched by flames.
Song Chunhwa jumped, withdrawing his hand in shock.
However, more startling than the reddened skin was...
The inverted cross emblem branded on his palm.
"What... what's this?"
What, you ask...
"It's a curse."
This holy relic should have only been attainable by annihilating Ellis.
Yet, with Ellis still alive and sealed, touching the holy relic obviously resulted in a curse.
"A curse! You mean I'm going to die... will I die?"
"It's not life-threatening. Just that..."
"Just that?"
Alopecia.
"All the hair on your body will vanish without a trace."
Put simply, he'd have to spend the rest of his life silky smooth.
"That... that can't be."
Song Chunhwa trembled as he touched his own hair.
That's gotta hurt.
Clumps of hair falling out suggest it won't be long now.
See? I told you, you'd regret it.
It's all moot now, though.
"No... Nooooo!"
Song Chunhwa screamed and ran somewhere, presumably looking for a mirror, though not looking would be better for his mental health.
***
"...That was mean of you."
Teresa smiled with mixed emotions.
"He got what he deserved for reaching for what wasn't his to take."
"But, doesn't that mean you, Mr. Jinhyuk, have also given up on the holy relic?"
No.
Not at all.
'I know a way to handle the holy relic without falling victim to the curse.'
'Blessing of the Stars.'
If only one could harness divine power, a curse of this scale would be effortlessly bearable.
"Before I answer your question, Ms. Teresa, may I ask you one of my own?"
"Of course."
"Do you acknowledge that you owe your life to me?"
"..."
Teresa looked intently into Jinhyuk's eyes.
If not for Jinhyuk...
None of the raid party would have survived to escape.
"Yes. Thank you. I owe you my life."
Teresa nodded.
[Requirements met.]
[Successfully copied the unique ability 'Blessing of the Stars (SS)'.]
[The copied skill is stored in 'The World's Memory'.]
[Blessing of the Stars]
Difficulty of Acquisition: SS
Details: Only paladins can manage this divine power, allowing one to proceed with a second life unless struck by instant death. (Cooldown 240 hours)
With this...
He had achieved his last objective in the ruins.