novelraw Chapter 104 : Hidden Soul Infiltration (4)
Chapter 104 : Hidden Soul Infiltration (4)
Chapter 104: Hidden Soul Infiltration (4)
Gugwi couldn't jump into the drainage.
Just as he arrived at the entrance, martial artists surged out and blocked his path.
Enemies in front, pursuers behind… He was completely surrounded.
‘Seven in front, and behind… Damn! I can’t tell.’
Gugwi shook his head.
Seven blocked the front. As for those charging from behind, they were too many to count.
“Surrender! Put down the Minor Mastery Body. Then we’ll let you live.”
The martial artist standing in the center shouted loudly. His voice carried an oppressive force.
Gugwi slowly turned his head.
Behind him, nearly twenty martial artists had drawn their swords.
The blades glinted coldly in the torchlight. A fierce killing intent flared in the eyes of the martial artists.
Only then did Gugwi realize—the drainage had been discovered long ago. When the commotion over the missing Minor Mastery Body arose, they had already sensed an intruder.
Yet they spoke and acted as if they knew nothing. As if they hadn’t realized an outsider was present.
Even when facing the infiltrator, they showed no signs of panic. Their breathing was steady. And yet, the bloodlust was potent. The signs of prepared ambush were unmistakable.
It was only natural that they'd laid a trap at the drainage entrance.
‘These people… They're very different from ordinary members of the Heavenly Sound Cult. Stronger than the Assassins of the Black Blood Unit or even the Sixth True Army.’
Sssk!
Gugwi stepped back.
He needed his back against a wall to prevent a pincer attack. At least then, he wouldn’t have to worry about the rear. But perhaps reading his intent, the martial artists instantly blocked his retreat.
They gave him no chance to brace his back against the wall.
“You don’t seem to get it. Just put down the Minor Mastery Body.”
“Sorry, but I can’t do that.”
Gugwi’s voice rang out cold.
In truth… despite the words exchanged, both sides knew a clash was inevitable.
By the drainage, one martial artist brought both hands together before his chest. A curse-like incantation spilled from his lips.
The air grew cold.
A blue mist rose beside him. Within the fog, a sword-wielding martial spirit took form.
Other martial artists followed suit with their own chants.
A spear-wielding cavalryman, a twin-blade swordsman… One, two, three… Beside each of the seven, a Spirit Union Martial Artist appeared.
The same happened behind him.
All twenty martial artists began summoning Spirit Union Spirits. However… three of the ones approaching from behind were different. Each of them summoned two spirits—at the Fourth Stage of Spiritual Sensitivity.
A general wielding a massive axe, a warrior with a flail. A woman with a whip, an assassin with a dagger. A spearman in red robes, and a sorcerer in black robes.
To control two spirits at once meant they were Soul-Summoners beyond the Fourth Stage, approaching Resonance.
Gugwi glanced around.
The area swarmed with martial artists and Spirit Union Spirits.
Ordinary eyes would see only the martial artists, but to Gugwi, the Spirit Union Martial Artists stood out more vividly.
Fortunately, the Lord of the True Army was not present.
This place was his domain… It wouldn't have been strange if he appeared at any moment.
The martial artists had formed a perfect encirclement.
“As you know, this child is on the verge of death. Just let me take him, and I’ll retreat peacefully.”
“What’s he babbling about?”
“Says he’ll retreat peacefully. Guess we must be invisible to his eyes.”
“Attack!”
The one who summoned the axe general and flail warrior gave a harsh command.
The eyes of the Spirit Union Martial Artists gleamed blue. The cold gaze of beings from the netherworld.
Pang!
His heart began to beat by will.
No human can consciously move the heart muscle. But Gugwi could. Not truly by will—but when the Spirit Flow Core stirred, it felt like his heart beat with it.
Thunk! Chwarararak!
The Spirit Flow Core began to react. A blue light pulsed from his chest, then dropped into the Dantian. From there, it slowly spread outward. Like a calm ripple, touching no one.
Truthfully, he wanted to unleash the Spiritless Zone. If he could just activate it, the spirits in the corridor would vanish like mist. But he couldn’t—he didn't know the condition of Jang Geunsoo.
Jang Geunsoo was presumed to have undergone the Manifest Demon Emperor's ritual. His entire body was filled with spirits. If those spirits were forcibly expelled… who knew what might happen?
“All at once! Finish it quickly!”
The martial leader shouted again.
Swords flashed in unison. The Spirit Union Martial Artists each raised their weapons.
“Un Serim! General Madal!”
Gugwi summoned both spirits at once.
“General Madal! Block the rear!”
Gugwi’s shout resonated through the Spirit Flow Core and stirred General Madal’s soul. There was firmness in his voice.
Srrrk!
General Madal’s towering form turned to the rear. A massive blade of black light appeared in his hand. A wide, heavy slashing blade.
“Un Serim! Open a path! As fast as possible!”
Ttaang!
The Spirit Flow Core surged like rippling water, diving into a faint aura of light.
Un Serim nodded. A spear formed in his hand, its tip wreathed in blue light.
Ssssss!
Un Serim charged toward the seven ahead.
The seven who blocked the way were all Spirit Union Martial Artists. Soul-Summoners connected with Spirit Union Spirits. Techniques unfamiliar to the Heavenly Sound Cult would emerge from these spirits. One of them!
Shweek!
A sword rushed toward Un Serim like a viper. The attacker was a martial artist with hair down to his waist. The sound of the sword slicing air was like thick ice cracking—chilling.
Un Serim lowered his spear to block the strike.
Tang! Tang!
Metal clashed and sparks flew.
In that moment, the swordsman who deflected the spear struck at Un Serim’s jaw with his left fist.
Un Serim twisted his head to avoid the punch.
Shweee!
Wind brushed past his ear. Then came another sound.
Puk! Bbak!
Something pierced flesh and struck bone. As the long-haired swordsman’s fist came in, Un Serim twisted the spear shaft and slammed it into his side.
With a dull thud, the swordsman staggered.
A second, third, and fourth attacker charged in.
A spear stabbed straight forward. The shoulder! So fast and precise, it was breathtaking.
From the left came twin swords. From the right, an axe aimed at his head.
Each of their Spirit Union Spirits was formidable.
Sss!
Un Serim twisted his body to evade the spear. The spear tip tore through his martial uniform as it grazed past.
He swung the spear wide, knocking aside the twin blades, then pivoted the spear around to strike the axe. At the same time, he dropped his waist as if collapsing, sweeping at the spearman’s legs.
The spearman leapt high to evade. No—he struck downward with his spear mid-air. The twin blades and axe closed back in again. As if they intended to give Un Serim no chance to use his spear.
The combined assault didn’t end there. Another martial artist stabbed at his back with a dagger.
Un Serim stepped forward. The dagger sliced through empty air.
Un Serim drew the spear shaft back. Though his hands remained still, the spear moved on its own, slipping from his grip. The hand that had held the shaft now seized the spearhead.
Puk!
The retreating spear shaft struck the dagger-wielding martial artist’s jaw.
The martial artist hastily bent his waist to dodge, but it was too late. The shaft slammed into his jaw, shattering the lower mandible.
Bbak! Bbaddeudeudeuk!
The spear shaft that crushed the jawbone pierced through the skull and exited again.
Srrrk!
The spear thrust forward once more.
Un Serim was gripping the shaft. His hand was smeared with the thick blood and brain matter from the dead man's head.
At the rear, General Madal raised his massive blade high above his head.
The first enemy charged in. A pure spirit—not a Spirit Union—wrapped in a bluish aura.
The spirit flew through the air, swinging a sword.
General Madal stood still, as if he couldn't see the spirit. Shweeeek! The sword poured down upon him. Still, he didn’t move. Kkagagak! Just as the blade was about to cleave his head—
The great sword finally moved.
Kwaa-jik!
No one saw when he moved… but from above, a black blade fell like lightning.
The lightning instantly cleaved the spirit in two. Normally, spirits were composed of light and would simply scatter upon danger. The moment a blade touched them, they would disperse and reform again.
But General Madal’s great sword carried the power of the Spirit Flow Core.
At the moment it struck the spirit, the Spirit Flow Core erupted. The very force that created the Spiritless Zone was unleashed.
Kkiyaaaaak!
The spirit let out an eerie shriek as it scattered.
It was pushed into the Realm of the Threshold. Without even a chance to resist.
With that single blow, the Soul-Summoner lost their Spirit Union Martial Artist. Even if they wanted to summon again, they couldn’t. The spirit had flowed beyond their reach.
“Wh-What! My spirit vanished!”
The Soul-Summoner’s face twisted in panic.
Srrrt!
General Madal’s form wavered.
His great sword swung sideways toward another spirit. The spirit ducked low to avoid the strike, and the blade skimmed over its head. But General Madal’s second strike followed immediately. Just when it seemed like the blade had passed harmlessly overhead, it crashed down.
Paaang! Kkiyaaaaaak!
The same thing happened again.
The spirit shattered completely. Not just annihilated—purified!
“Tch!”
An enemy attacked from the side. This time, it wasn’t a pure spirit, but a human in Spirit Union with a spirit. He thrust his spear with all his strength toward General Madal’s side.
General Madal turned his blade and knocked aside the spear. It embedded itself into the wall.
Then, with his left fist, he struck the opponent’s face. A crunch echoed—the sound of a broken nose.
Un Serim continued to advance, spinning his spear.
A martial artist wielding a flail blocked his path.
Whiieeeeng!
The flail came crashing toward Un Serim’s head. The air itself seemed to split apart. Un Serim quickly raised his spear to block—
Kwaaang!
The impact was so strong it bent the spear shaft.
In that moment, Un Serim abandoned the spear and charged barehanded.
He grabbed the martial artist’s neck and drove his knee into the abdomen. Puhk! A dull thud rang out. The martial artist dropped the flail and struck Un Serim’s side with an elbow. The blow hit his ribs.
The two became entangled in a chaotic brawl, exchanging fists and blows.
Enemies converged around General Madal.
Two spirits and three humans in Spirit Union formed a circle around him.
When General Madal swung his great sword in a wide arc, the circular trajectory threatened them all.
The enemies backed off.
Now that they knew the great sword contained the power of annihilation, they couldn’t attack recklessly.
Shweeeek! Shweek!
Five weapons flew in simultaneously.
General Madal spun his blade above his head. As the black arc whirled, the enemies hastily retreated—afraid that some strange force would destroy their spirits.
General Madal didn’t miss the opening and quickly closed the distance.
Shweeeek! Puhk!
One head flew off.
The remaining four attacked even more fiercely. Scratches began to appear on General Madal’s armor.
Un Serim now faced a high-level enemy with two spirits in union. A spearman in red martial robes and a sorcerer in a black cloak… They closed in on Un Serim from both sides.
Sss!
Un Serim summoned a new spear. The blue light was even more intense.
From the sorcerer’s body, black energy began to rise. Billowing… In an instant, dozens of poison darts shot through the mist.
Paaang! Tatatatatang!
Un Serim spun his spear to block the darts. Then, charging at full power, he thrust the spear tip at the Soul-Summoner’s chest.
The Soul-Summoner retreated, pushing both spirits in front.
Un Serim did not hesitate and stabbed forward.
Puhng! Kkiyaaaak!
A spirit screamed and vanished. Forever.
Gugwi’s Spirit Flow Core began to manifest at the tip of Un Serim’s spear as well.
A spirit erasing another spirit… Gugwi hadn't known it was possible. It had happened by chance when General Madal used it, and upon witnessing it, Gugwi was enlightened—and infused the Spirit Flow Core into Un Serim’s spear too.
“T-This can’t be!”
The Soul-Summoners began to falter and retreat.
The path to the drainage was opening.