120 - What To Do if You’re the Villain and the Heroine Likes You

What You've Tread Upon (8) Thud, thud… Inside the cave, 'something' was walking out. Gulp. As it emerged, the curses it emitted intensified, thickening the air around it. Finally, unable to withstand the pressure, Byuk Munseong ascended into the air and rose higher. Rumble, rumble… Darkness. A dense, hemispherical darkness surrounded it. Byuk Munseong, amidst the darkness, gazed upon the thousands of writhing curse characters, greeting the figure enveloped within. The two unassuming investigators who'd followed Byuk Munseong offered their greetings as well. "It's been a while, Investigator Seo." Byuk Munseong greeted him once more, taking the measure of his abilities. 'A body imbued with accumulative energy... the 4th Constellation.' Horn, Neck, Root, Room, Heart, Tail, Basket. Ladle, Ox, Girl, Emptiness, Rooftop, Chamber, Wall. Stride, Bond, Stomach, Pleiades, Net, Fang, Three Stars. Well, Ghost. The aura of twenty-three celestial spirits could be felt. Byuk Munseong watched him, feeling the flow of pure, positive energy at the center of the curses. 'Just a 4th constellation of accumulative energy, a prowess only commoners possess… these terrifying curses… no matter how recently he may have reached decisive energy, it doesn't seem like I'm likely to win.' Typically, curse sorcerers who trained in cursing arts managed 30 to 40 curses, maybe up to 60 or 70 at most. In exceptional cases, they surpassed 90. But what was this? 'At a glance, it looks like thousands…' That meant he was a curse sorcerer hundreds of times more exceptional than the norm. Being hundreds of times beyond his peers in the realm of accumulative energy suggested he was as formidable as one in the decisive energy realm. Byuk Munseong continued speaking toward the murky thing in the center of the black sphere. "As I said, the time for the aged monster to awaken is…." [I know.] A coarse voice emanated from the center, its timbre as if not of this world, containing a peculiar effect that constricted the listener's spirit. [Hurry along. Lead the way.] "…Yes, understood." That's when it happened. "Hold on, isn't that too much of an order coming from our rank?" One of the accompanying investigators raised an objection towards the center of the black sphere. "Someone comes to visit and you don't even face them while speaking, and on top of that, your energy feels like it's just accumulative… Is this really the proper manner to treat us, who have reached the decisive energy stage?" "Precious Miao Xianzi!!" Byuk Munseong, his face drained of color, tried to restrain the investigator from the Miao family. However, the entitled Miao Xianzi didn't seem to have any intention of stopping. "Have you lost your mind, wandering around the mountainous regions of Byuk Nara, sneakily enjoying the fan dance, suddenly screaming and thrashing about like a madman? If you were actually mad, perhaps I could understand, but seeing as you speak coherently…." "Be silent!" That's when it happened. Boom! A torrent of curse characters erupted from the black sphere, heading straight for her as if attempting to engulf her in a colossal dark hand. "Eek!" The Miao family's lady furrowed her brows, forming signs with her hands to set up a defensive spell. A blue sphere blocked the advance of the black hand. "What do you think you are doing!? You…." Just as she was about to express her fury, her protective shield began to rot away and crumble where the black hand touched. "What, what…!?" "Miao Xianzi! Use the fortified amulet!" Following Byuk Munseong's shout, she quickly pulled out an amulet. In an instant, the dark hand struck, throwing her against the opposite mountainside where she landed with a thud. A cloud of dust billowed. "Wait! What madness is this… What have you done to Miao Sister!" "Stay calm, Xianzi Jin, I'll handle this through conversation!" "Stay back, Byuk Gongja. Do not underestimate the Jin family!" Enraged, she formed more signs, and thousands of fire pellets appeared around her, filling the space in every direction. "I'll burn that insolent shadow to ash! Go!" A whooshing sound as the fire pellets started moving in unison. That's when it happened. "Rain." Whistling sound. "Impact." A barrage of curse scripts flew out from inside the black sphere with the speed of arrows, blasting toward her. Hundreds of curse scripts detonated the fire pellets in explosions, some grazing her body. Whistle! A tiny droplet of blood appeared on her cheek. "How dare you… but all you have is the accumulative energy!" Yet, the being within the black sphere clicked its tongue. "It's over." "Nonsense! I haven't even shown my strength yet! Watch as I show you the Jin family's flaming silk banner technique!" A whooshing sound. Around her, flaming ripples like silk fluttered and danced. The heat from the fire silk grew intense, drying up every bit of moisture in the nearby terrain. But the figure within the black sphere remained silent. Instead, with a single spell sign, a clay figure emerged from below. Silently… And then, a curse script floated in the air, adorned with a drop of blood. "Take this!" As she launched her spell, the figure inside the black sphere flicked a finger, attaching the bloodstained curse script to the clay figure, making it absorb the script. And that was the end. Fizz! "What, what?" [Why stop? Try attacking.] The momentarily stunned woman glanced at the clay figure. She saw curse scripts altering their form, embedding themselves into every part of the figure’s body. And they happened to target precisely the spiritual veins used for casting spells. [Can't do it?] Rustling sound… As the figure within the black sphere formed a sign, red ink appeared on the clay figure's neck. The next moment, she felt an odd sensation and used a mirror spell to look at her own neck. "What…!?" On her neck, she was marked with the same pattern as on the clay figure's neck, inked in the exact same spot. [To allow a curse sorcerer to draw your blood was foolish. What do you think would happen if I strike here?] For a moment, she stood in shock, then began to tremble like a leaf, her face a mask of terror. Trickles of blood were already flowing down her cheeks. Although the cuts were thin, the blood unnaturally refused to stop. Swoosh— Suddenly, there was the sound of a sword being drawn from within the sphere. Thud, thud… Then, the black silhouette began to approach the clay figure. "No, please don't do this!" Anticipating the consequences, she pleaded with a pale face. And then. "Let's stop this now, Investigator Seo." Byuk Munseong intervened, stepping between the clay figure and Seo Eunhyeon. "It's unwise to fight amongst allies when we're on the eve of capturing the ancient fiend." [As you wish.] Snap! With a flick of his fingers while speaking, the curse scripts that had infiltrated her began to withdraw from her flesh, returning into the black sphere. She watched in relief as the same happened to her Miao family compatriot, the accursed characters seeping out of her body. Only then did they truly look at the figure before them. Despite wielding accumulative energy, he was no common holder; he had not yet reached the decisive energy stage, but his power was practically equivalent. 'This is… the battle weapon designated for fighting the ancient spectral fiend.' With these thoughts, she remained silent and approached her peer from the Miao family. "Guh-huk, kuh-luk…" The lady from the Miao family clutched a blessed amulet, imbued with purifying energy. It seemed the blessing had neutralized the curse enough to prevent her entire body from instant decay, though she had sustained some internal injuries. [Then, let's go.] Boom! Scattering dark curse scripts, Seo Eunhyeon began to walk away, while the shadows concealed his departure into the sky. Byuk Munseong also glanced at the two women briefly before offering them purifying talismans and healing amulets. "Even though Investigator Seo has retracted the curse, use the purifying talisman to extract the curse's venom one more time before healing. His curses are especially toxic, and complacency can lead to severe residual effects." "Th-thank you, Byuk Gongja." "Sigh, and…" Byuk Munseong furrowed his brow, issuing a caution. "…Having sustained these injuries, I suggest you refrain from participating in the battle against the ancient spectral fiend." 'Otherwise, you'd just die instantly and end up as a snack for the fiend.' He swallowed the unsaid words and turned away. Suddenly, something glittering caught Byuk Munseong's eye from deep within the cave Seo Eunhyeon had emerged from. 'That is…' He was drawn towards the twinkling object as though under a spell. It was a glass artifact, exquisitely crafted with figures of a man and a woman dancing with fans. While the man's face was unclear, the woman's was crafted with enough precision to instantly identify who it was. Staring at the figure of the woman for quite some time, Byuk Munseong's expression became indescribably complex. After a moment's hesitation, he picked up the artifact and stored it in his darkness-bound case before exiting the cave to pursue Seo Eunhyeon. * * * Rumble, rumble, rumble! In the east of Byuk Nara Country. Land that once bore the Cyan Celestial Castle 200 years ago. Upon this land, a sinister shadow descended. Thud, thud… The shadow stepped onto the land, now turned into a sandy beach. "It's been a while. To all of you." With a somber voice, Seo Eunhyeon surveyed the surroundings. Gravestones he had erected, glass swords he had created. All had been buried under the sands over the long years, their original shapes no longer recognizable. [Perhaps… one month from now, the appointed time will come. To keep the promise made then, I will certainly… try my best.] Gazing at the sandy beach, he formed a spell sign. Boom! Curse scripts leaked from him, scattering ominous winds in all directions. The great storm caused sands to whirl around, effectively clearing away the sands that shrouded the Cyan Celestial Castle. Shortly thereafter. Beneath the former sandy expanse. A graveyard, dotted with worn glass swords, revealed itself. Buildings from 200 years ago were also intermittently preserved. Seo Eunhyeon walked towards the structure that best retained its original form amongst them, the workshop of North Direction Fire. [This place too has begun to crumble with no one left to tend to it.] The workshop maintained only its shape, on the verge of collapsing. Perhaps even a gentle nudge from Seo Eunhyeon might bring it all tumbling down. He looked around. [It would be absurd to come back later to dig through the sand.] From his belongings, he produced arrays of spell flags and amulets. These were the amulets he had acquired during a brief visit to the Spirit Path Association before coming here. Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh! Thud, thud, thud! The flags and amulets flew in all directions, embedding themselves in the ground, creating a barrier to prevent the sandstorm from covering the graveyard again. It was, quite literally, an array that only stopped sandstorms. Nothing more. Watching the array's installation, Seo Eunhyeon surveyed his surroundings. Of the glass swords he had crafted back then, most were broken and shattered, barely a few retaining their original form. Out of the tens of thousands, perhaps only about 5,000 had maintained some shape. Whoosh! Using his sword control technique, Seo Eunhyeon extracted just 3,000 of the intact glass swords. [I apologize for presenting myself in this state. I ask for your strength. Please understand.] It wasn't just North Direction Fire. The neighbors who had blessed him and her. Every life, every connection that had once dwelled in this castle. All of them were precious to him. Thus, this revenge could not be fulfilled by my hands alone. It had to be with the strength of everyone. I pulled the swords that had been stuck in their graves in front of me. The weapon, the Colorless Glass Sword, consisted of 3,000 individual flying swords considered as one weapon. Seo Eunhyeon took out the blueprint for the Colorless Glass Sword that North Direction Fire had left behind. The method for creating the Colorless Glass Swords was simple. Make 3,000 glass swords. Engrave each glass sword with a straightforward spirit power circuit. However, each sword's circuit had to be slightly different from the others. There were indeed systematic rules established by North Direction Fire about how the circuits should slightly vary, and he just needed to adjust the direction of each circuit a little according to those rules. Day and night shifted rapidly. He successfully engraved all 3,000 of the aged Colorless Glass Swords with their spirit power circuits. After engraving a spirit power circuit on all 3,000, Seo Eunhyeon then inscribed one or two basic spell characters onto each before infusing his own magical energy. Whoosh! Thus, the Colorless Glass Swords recognized him as their master. It was an incredibly simple refinement process. The materials were easy to come by, and the method of refining them was straightforward. 'Trying on formlessness sword…' He decided to test the power in front of Yuanrip, the enemy. After all, it was meant to strike down that creature's neck. She wouldn't have made them with insufficient power. He examined the completed Colorless Glass Swords and looked over the blueprint she had left behind to ensure perfection. They were flawlessly finished. Rustle. Then, Seo Eunhyeon chanced upon words written at the very bottom of the blueprint. Words he had read before coming here. Words she left for him. —Brother, the collection of 3,000 Colorless Glass Swords constitutes a single magical treasure. —It might seem like a lot, but given how you wield flying swords, I'm sure you can manage it. —Did you know? Originally, the number of Colorless Glass Swords wasn't supposed to be 3,000 sets but 3,650. —Did you realize that yesterday marked exactly ten years since you came to the Cyan Celestial Castle? —The Colorless Glass Swords were crafted in commemoration of that. —They're a magical treasure made to honor each day you've spent here. But I left the remaining 650 unfinished… I wanted us to design and make them together, so I purposely made the array functional with only 3,000 sets, leaving it incomplete. —Although it is still unfinished, I hope we can complete it together in the future. Won't you give me an answer? Creak, creak... Black tears fell drop by drop from Seo Eunhyeon's face, obscured by shadows. The fallen tears scattered as curse characters, corroding the sand. Ssss… The sand beneath Seo Eunhyeon began to erode wildly. The curse scripts that enveloped him darkened further. [This… feeling, I'll keep it. I will… complete it.] Seo Eunhyeon gazed at North Direction Fire's grave. [I'll be back.] And then, with the 3,000 sets of Colorless Glass Swords, he departed from the site of the Cyan Celestial Castle. Whoosh! Leaving the Cyan Celestial Castle and walking through the air, his eyes caught someone in the distance. It was Byuk Munseong, mounted on a flying sword treasure. [What is it?] "…I've been waiting. The clan leader has tasked me with bringing you back." […Sorrow is a deep blue color.] "Hmm?" [Your mourning too is of a deep blue hue.] "…" [You weren't just waiting for me, were you? You've been mourning her as well.] Byuk Munseong did not respond but simply turned his head away. [After this war ends.] Seo Eunhyeon spoke to Byuk Munseong. [Let's enter together, to pay tribute to her.] "…Let's go quickly." [Agreed.] The two men flew toward the center of the Answer-Heaven Desert. Towards the seal of Yuanrip. [The time has come to witness the end of this long journey.]