Chapter 147

‘But is this even possible?’

To be honest, it’s not a common occurrence. The appearance of a high-rank Specter is rare enough to happen maybe once a month, and it just so happened to ambush the festival site at the perfect timing.

However, I soon realized one fact I had overlooked.

It was about the second Night Parade of One Hundred Specters I had mentioned earlier.

‘…I see.’

I had clearly stated that the clash between the S-Rank Specter, Cat-Head Serpent, and the Jeokhwadan was an event that would serve as a precursor to the second Night Parade.

It meant that the appearance of a powerful Specter, which would not normally be seen, hinted at the upcoming festival of Specters.

So, thinking about it, there must certainly be other Specters that have appeared under the influence of the approaching Night Parade, aside from Cat-Head Serpent.

From the perspective of a player who only sees a predetermined screen, attention would inevitably be drawn to the powerful Specter, Cat-Head Serpent, but reality was not like that.

‘The appearance of Cat-Head Serpent was merely a symbolic event.’

Now that the second Night Parade is approaching moment by moment, it’s only natural that Specter activity would become more vigorous.

In other words, it was a reasonable judgment to consider the high-level Specter currently attacking the festival as part of that.

Boom!

Crash—!

“Kyaaah!”

“Run away!”

Looking at the billowing dust clouds and the panicked citizens, Laura, who was flustered, opened her mouth.

“Uh, what should we do?”

“…From this location, it would take quite some time for high-ranking Exorcists to arrive from the surroundings. What’s the situation?”

Shin Sora’s question flew to me, who was sharing the Black Bird’s vision, and I slowly shook my head.

“Not good. It’ll be hard to hold out for even five more minutes.”

“What? Are you joking? It hasn’t even been ten minutes since the confrontation started, right?”

Shin Sora, uncharacteristically, continued with a truly flustered expression.

“If that’s the case against a combination of 2nd-Rank and 3rd-Rank, then the Specter over there is probably…”

A-Rank.

Although there are differences between individuals, it is generally evaluated as a level capable of turning a city into a wasteland.

At that overwhelming level, Laura, who was with us, also gulped hard.

“…It’s not an opponent we can handle.”

“This is bad. I’ve only fought a B-Rank once. And even then, I was just pestering from behind.”

I’m not much different either.

Although I faced Manticore and Eve, entities equivalent to A-Rank inside the Eternal Labyrinth, I caught Manticore with high-level Exorcists and didn’t even fight Eve.

In other words, this would be the first time fighting a Specter of this level head-on.

However, we couldn’t back down.

Moreover, in any case, in a few months, I’ll be in a position to help the Jeokhwadan defeat an S-Rank Specter.

I took a deep breath and spoke to the two.

“If that really is an A-Rank, most of the citizens will become targets before support arrives. We can’t just watch that.”

“…That’s true. If we’re going to fight anyway, it’s better to join before the Exorcists are wiped out.”

Shin Sora, accepting my words, steeled her resolve, and Laura also seemed to muster her courage, clenching her fists with a hardened expression.

However, after glancing at her stats and making a judgment, I spoke to her.

“The Exorcists will handle it with our help. Laura, you guide and evacuate the citizens.”

“Huh? Why…?”

But she, who had spoken, soon showed a reaction of realizing the reason herself.

Strictly speaking, Laura’s current combat ability was not at a level to face an A-Rank Specter.

Grabbing her shoulder, which had stiffened again from self-reproach, I slowly said,

“The citizens are panicking and unable to make rational judgments.”

Some were rushing to escape the center of the situation, heading in the opposite direction of the exit, and countless others were hiding somewhere, just trembling.

However, against an A-Rank Specter, that would only hasten their death.

Looking into Laura’s startled eyes, I continued with sincerity.

“We need someone to be the Focal Point. It’s what you can do best.”

Laura, lost in thought for a moment, soon sharpened her gaze and nodded.

“…I’ll help with the evacuation somehow. Please be careful.”

The moment our tasks were finally clearly defined.

Yoo Jeong-gil, a 2nd-Rank Exorcist belonging to the Namcheon 1st Guard Unit, tightly closed his eyes at the disaster he had suddenly encountered and wiped the blood from his forehead.

‘…Damn it, why is it so strong?’

Yoo Jeong-gil, who was quite well-known in the area, was put in charge of overall festival security.

He immediately sensed the abnormal situation, called the Exorcists gathered from each Guard Unit, headed to the center of the situation, and encountered it there.

“Kyaaak!”

A pair of strangely shaped wings that seemed covered in scales, a snout shaped like a blade, and a body that seemed like a mix of a snake and a crocodile.

At first, he only felt it was a grotesquely shaped Specter.

And soon, he was thinking of wrapping up the situation and returning to the barracks to eat the ramen he had boiled.

Wasn’t that natural?

Those gathered here were seasoned Exorcists from various nearby Guard Units.

A mere mediocre Specter could easily be handled by just one of them.

However, the scene that unfolded soon far exceeded Yoo Jeong-gil’s expectations.

Although it took on a form he had never seen before, whatever it was, it was strong. Absurdly so.

‘…At this level, it’s definitely A-Rank.’

Yoo Jeong-gil had also only encountered a high-level Specter once before.

Although Yoo Jeong-gil wasn’t particularly skilled at judging opponents, he didn’t even need such ability to gauge the Specter before him.

His whole body was covered in goosebumps from the incredibly dense Spectral Energy, and his arms and legs kept trembling.

“Captain! This one is also seriously injured! It’s dangerous if we don’t treat him quickly!”

“…This is insane.”

Even the Exorcist who checked his comrade’s condition had a look in his eyes that didn’t expect Yoo Jeong-gil to take any measures.

Because even Yoo Jeong-gil was in a situation where if he showed an opening right now, his head would fly off.

‘There’s no answer to this.’

A solution? A miraculous move? There couldn’t be such a thing.

It would still take a lot of time for support troops to arrive, and on this side, they had lost half their strength in just seven minutes.

Seasoned 2nd-Rank Exorcists?

Before the high-level Specter in front of them, they were nothing but tasty special treats.

“Kyaaak!”

Seeing the Specter begin to glide again, Yoo Jeong-gil urgently gave instructions to the Exorcists.

“Get away from the injured! The bastard is targeting us anyway! Gather together and deploy Defensive Spells!”

Whoosh.

Whooosh.

Perhaps the word ‘veteran’ wasn’t wrong, as Intermediate-Rank Defensive Spells were instantly deployed in several layers, surrounding the Exorcists.

However.

Screeeech!

Creeeeng—!

“Huh, huff!”

“This can’t be…!”

The Specter, circling around the defensive walls, instinctively found the weakest part and dove down, instantly breaking the Art.

Then, with a swing of its wings, sharp winds arose and began to shred the Exorcists.

Swish!

Crackle crackle!

“Kuaaak!”

“Keheeeuk!”

Everyone quickly took evasive maneuvers as best they could, but one was lightly injured and another fell into a state of being unable to fight.

Now, only three Exorcists remained, including Yoo Jeong-gil.

It was an absurdly small number to face an A-Rank Specter, and at the same time, a hopeless number.

‘Is this the end…?’

Although Yoo Jeong-gil had survived numerous crises and made it to this position, this time, he couldn’t see any way out at all.

If only there had been one more, no, just two more Exorcists of the same 2nd-Rank level.

Making such trivial imaginings, Yoo Jeong-gil sensed his own death.

“…I’ll buy time. The remaining two, run and save the citizens.”

“Huh? What do you mean…?”

“In any case, if we fight, we’ll all die. Rather than holding onto pointless loyalty, make a choice for everyone.”

It was a short statement, but it was enough to understand Yoo Jeong-gil’s intention. The Exorcists who had been with him swallowed their groans and immediately turned to run away.

They couldn’t let Yoo Jeong-gil’s resolve be in vain.

However, they were firmly mistaken about one thing.

“Keeek?”

To the Specter before them, they were merely prey good for playing with.

Such a creature wouldn’t allow its prey to escape its grasp.

Whooosh!

Screeeech!

“T-this, evade!”

But it’s impossible. Its charge speed is far too fast.

“Re, Returning Wall!”

One of the Exorcists who sensed the situation showed quick thinking, but a hastily prepared Intermediate-Rank Defensive Spell was insufficient.

Yoo Jeong-gil sensed his comrades’ deaths and clenched his fists tightly.

And right at that moment, Yoo Jeong-gil was able to witness a surprising scene.

Crack!

Crackle crackle!

Grind!

Spiritual Power nets that began to appear consecutively in the air moved very skillfully, simultaneously constricting the Specter’s body.

“Kyaaak!”

And at the same time, sharp Spiritual Power thorns rose towards that spot.

Crackle crackle crackle!

Stab!*

“Kyaak—!”

The Specter, injured by the unexpected counterattack, was startled, created a gust of wind, severed the nets, and distanced itself back into the sky.

The Exorcists who showed that unbelievable combination were, surprisingly, two young-looking men and women.

“You, who are you?”

“…We’ve grasped the situation roughly. We came to help.”

“That emblem. It’s definitely Cheonghwa Academy’s…”

To be honest, it was an unrealistic situation.

While seasoned Exorcists from the Guard Unit were falling one after another, what help could two mere Academy students possibly provide?

However, Yoo Jeong-gil witnessed it.

The Binding Art from a moment ago that was chillingly precise, and the Offensive Art with power that could not be ignored.

If the ones who used that were these two, then their skill was definitely at a level that would work in actual combat.

In a hurry, Yoo Jeong-gil quickly made a judgment.

“That bastard is probably A-Rank. If you value your lives, use this chance to escape.”

“That means you won’t refuse help, right?”

“…What absurd people have come. But I can’t watch promising young people die. I’ll buy time, so help the citizens with those two.”

Before Yoo Jeong-gil, who stubbornly expressed refusal, a rectangular object suddenly appeared.

Yoo Jeong-gil frowned but reflexively read it.

“Exorcist license, Han Kangyoon…?”

If an Academy student possesses an official qualification, it means they took the qualification exam early and passed.

And the decisive thing was the name Han Kangyoon.

Yoo Jeong-gil had definitely heard of it recently through word of mouth.

‘Then is this guy that…?’

The monster rookie who shattered the record of Cheong Soha, the Empress of the Cheong Family.

Yoo Jeong-gil’s eyes, looking at Han Kangyoon, were already widening in surprise.