Chapter 126

“Hmm?”

Just as Cheong Wooncheol noticed the ritual array spread across the ground, Cheong Joohwa and I simultaneously grabbed blue talismans and began constructing our arts.

According to what I had discreetly checked earlier, Cheong Wooncheol’s Level was a staggering 61.

It was clear that with ordinary methods, we wouldn’t even be able to buy time to escape from him.

So, we had to take a risk here. Cheong Joohwa also seemed to have sensed that intuitively.

“You coordinate well, but I’ve already caught on. What do you plan to do now?”

There was no time for what or how.

Glancing to the side, I saw Cheong Joohwa was determined to use an Intermediate-Rank or higher art with Cheongwoon’s talisman.

Then, all I could do was match her rhythm, for better or worse.

‘…I’ve never actually tested this in real combat before.’

As I said before, if you amplify the power of a Cursed Technique with Cheongwoon’s talisman, even a low-rank art becomes quite difficult to control.

But right now, that level wasn’t enough.

We absolutely had to control an Intermediate-Rank or higher art.

So, I decided to choose the optimal art with the least risk in this situation.

Whoosh…

“…Clear Chain Binding.”

Crackle!

As I poured Spiritual Power into the art I was constructing, blue Spiritual Power began to spark and flare on the surface of the talisman, as if igniting.

I expected it, but it was quite taxing. During the roughly one second it took for the art to fully deploy, I almost lost control several times.

However, although the aim might have wavered somewhat, the art was barely completed.

Since it was a Cheong Family Secret Art personally created by Cheongwoon, I thought the compatibility would be good, and it seemed that was indeed the correct answer.

Screech!

Clatter!

Then, from the talisman that sliced through the air like a fired bullet, chains of Spiritual Power began to explosively shoot forth.

Clatter-clatter!

Thud!

Thump!

Crash!

“Huh, this is more than I thought…!”

Although Cheong Wooncheol had long since prepared defenses, that ironically became his fatal mistake.

Clang!

The defensive art he deployed prioritizing speed couldn’t withstand my amplified Cursed Technique, and in the end, Cheong Wooncheol clicked his tongue and swiftly dodged the chains using the power of a pre-activated physical enhancement art.

However, behind Cheong Wooncheol was Cheong Joohwa, who had been eagerly waiting for an opportunity.

Seizing the moment of Cheong Wooncheol’s surprise at the unexpected power, her follow-up strike was launched precisely.

“Clear Chain Binding!”

Whoosh.

Clatter-clatter!

Crash!

Coincidentally, what Cheong Joohwa chose was also the same Cheong Family Secret restraint art as mine.

Moreover, additional chains extended from the ritual array she had engraved on the ground, binding Cheong Wooncheol’s feet.

“Tsk.”

In a situation where he was caught between a rock and a hard place, Cheong Wooncheol finally let out a small sigh, stopped dodging, and faced the chains shooting toward him head-on.

Thud!

Thump!

Screech!

Of course, given who the opponent was, it probably didn’t do much damage, but this created an opportunity for us to get away.

Without hesitation, we immediately turned our backs and started running.

Whoosh.

Clatter!

“Grab my hand!”

Cheong Joohwa, who had embedded a chain of Spiritual Power into a distant tree, shouted at me.

It seemed she intended to leave the spot in one go, like using a rope.

“…I won’t let you do that.”

Whoosh!

Exorcists who appeared to be Cheong Wooncheol’s subordinates didn’t miss their timing and quickly followed behind us.

A quick check revealed they were all skilled enough to easily surpass Level 40.

Watching them deploy Cursed Techniques from behind, I drew up Spiritual Power and dragged my foot across the ground.

Rumble!

“Huh?”

Then, the ground swelled up here and there, beginning to disrupt the Exorcists’ balance.

It wasn’t particularly powerful, but it was the effect of a nature-type art used through the Intracranial Spell Repository Trait.

“Damn it…!”

In the end, Cheong Wooncheol’s subordinates missed their last chance, and I, having grabbed Cheong Joohwa’s hand, quickly left the spot through her art.

For now, it was a moment where we had somehow overcome the first crisis.

Cheong Wooncheol was an Exorcist who, with his outstanding ability to handle affairs, served as the aide to Cheong Kibeom, the second-in-command of the Cheong Kibeom Faction.

Having just failed to capture Han Kangyoon and Cheong Joohwa and letting them go, she let out a sigh and spoke to Cheong Wooncheol, who was now walking toward her imposingly, having broken all the Cursed Techniques at some point.

“You’ve been annoyed since Master Kibeom gave the order, but to go so far as to deliberately let the opponents escape…?” “…Hmm? What are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb. There’s no way you, Master Wooncheol, could have been bound by the feet of a mere novice who hasn’t even graduated from the Academy.”

However, Cheong Wooncheol’s expression upon hearing Cheong Wooncheol’s words was peculiar.

“It wasn’t deliberate. If you’re blaming me for not going all out, I have nothing to say, but there wasn’t much chance to use much power from the start.”

“…Then, are you saying they really possess that level of skill?”

“Well, it’s not like they can rival me. But what’s certain is that both have already far surpassed the skill level typical for their age.”

Cheong Wooncheol clicked his tongue lightly once, then continued with an expression of not knowing.

“I don’t know what method they used, but their Cursed Techniques were strange. Even though it’s the same Cheong Family Unique Art, it was much more violent and powerful than what I knew.”

“…Certainly, the Clear Chain Binding from earlier had something unsettling about it.”

“At first, I thought it was just a desperate measure by Cheong Doyool to shift blame for the failure. But now, I’m starting to think there might be something we don’t know yet entangled in this.”

At Cheong Wooncheol’s words, which implied numerous possibilities, Cheong Wooncheol nodded slightly in admiration.

Although Cheong Wooncheol was known among other factions as the mad dog of the Cheong Kibeom Faction, his intuition and insight were indeed not to be ignored.

“Then, how should we proceed from now on?”

“Hmm. For now, let’s observe the situation. At that level, it’s not like they’ll be easily caught by anyone anyway. After all, they escaped from my very hands.”

“…….”

It wasn’t wrong, but from Cheong Wooncheol’s perspective, who had to report to Cheong Kibeom, it wasn’t exactly something to be happy about. Cheong Wooncheol let out a small sigh and spoke as if to herself.

“…Still, it would have been better if they had been caught by our side.”

“That’s true too.”

The Cheong Kibeom Faction primarily intended to get their hands on Cheong Joohwa to use her as a bargaining chip, but the other side clearly had rougher objectives.

If they encountered Exorcists from the Cheong Doyool Faction, they might immediately engage in a life-or-death struggle.

After observing the situation for a moment, Cheong Wooncheol gathered his subordinates, prepared to leave, and spoke with a meaningful expression.

“…Even so, it’s strange. I definitely heard rumors that she was a being full of impurity, born by violating the family’s Forbidden Technique.”

“Is there something that bothers you?”

At Cheong Wooncheol’s question, Cheong Wooncheol nodded.

He thought that perhaps only he, who had faced them directly, could have sensed it among the group.

“Then what is it…?”

“Hard to say.”

Although she was considered a symbol of impurity, even mentioning which was unpleasant within the family, including the Cheong Doyool Faction, to Cheong Wooncheol, it was rather…

“…She seemed like a being blessed with the family’s blood more than anyone in the current generation. That was the level of her talent.”

At those unusually solemn words, Cheong Wooncheol unconsciously gulped.

“…What do we do now?”

After putting some distance between us and Cheong Wooncheol’s group, Cheong Joohwa, who had been pondering for a moment, spoke with a helpless expression.

Certainly, considering the current situation, it was reasonable to assume that the Exorcists sent by Cheong Soha had been intercepted by someone.

At the very least, they were likely in a situation where they couldn’t join us immediately.

‘…This is troublesome.’

To make matters worse, even Cheong Soha, who could be considered our side’s top combatant right now, has been out of contact since earlier. That was consistent with the meaning that we had no room to spare.

“Hiding in a secluded place can buy us some time, but it won’t work against someone with skill above a certain level, like just now.”

“That’s true.”

Moreover, as the encirclement itself would gradually tighten, it would be difficult to use such a method multiple times.

In the end, it meant that our top priority was to join forces with a faction that could protect us; only then would a path open, whatever it might be.

As I was agonizing for a moment, thinking about the possibilities, Cheong Joohwa, who had hardened her expression beside me, spoke again.

“…What did I do wrong for them to go this far?”

Indeed, from Cheong Joohwa’s perspective, it must be utterly incomprehensible. She was literally just born into the world like everyone else.

“Now it’s beyond annoying; it’s just hollow.”

“Cheong Doyool just made you a target to protect his own position. No need to pay it any mind.”

Even so, of course it would bother her. Feeling the malice of so many people like this wasn’t easy for anyone.

Moreover, she had been in such a situation since a very young age.

“I changed my name as told and lived quietly like a mouse, but I guess that was just running away after all.”

At a glance, she seemed immersed in despair, but having watched over her for a long time, I could sense the firm will hidden in her eyes.

“To change all this, simply distancing myself from the family and turning my back on them won’t be enough.”

“…….”

“That’s what you thought, right? And from much earlier.”

Truly quickly, Cheong Joohwa seemed to have reached the future landscape I had been envisioning subconsciously.

And those words were correct. In the end, to shatter her unreasonable position, she had no choice but to grow her power from within the family and stand at its peak.

From Cheong Joohwa, who saw my reaction, gazes mixed with doubt and understanding were simultaneously directed at me.

“And that means, for some reason, it’s something you need too.”

“…Roughly correct.”

“I’ve thought it before, but you really think on a grand scale.”

From Cheong Joohwa, who uttered those words, hesitation had disappeared at some point.

It seemed she had clearly decided on the path she would take from now on.

“But to do that, we first have to somehow get through this situation.”

I, who had been silently looking at Cheong Joohwa, finally organized the countless thoughts colliding in my head and threw out an answer.

“I thought of a way.”

“…Already?”

“Hearing your words reminded me of something.”

As Cheong Joohwa said, there’s an old adage: to catch a tiger, you must enter the tiger’s den.

I changed my course, altered my destination, and quickly began walking again.

Seeing this, Cheong Joohwa opened her eyes wide and asked as if to say, what on earth are you doing?

“Why are you suddenly going that way? That’s clearly…”

That reaction was only natural.

The place I was now heading toward was the exact opposite direction of the path we had been taking so far—in other words, the direction where Cheong Wooncheol’s group, with whom we had just clashed, was located.