Chapter 179

‘So Hwang Se-woong was taken down?’

That was shocking news even for me. In the original work, Hwang Se-woong had fought alongside Yoo Haon’s group until the very end.

‘Hwang Se-woong was clearly a skilled Exorcist…’

His Level was 64.

According to the information I checked earlier, he possessed even greater power than Shin Noeul, whom I had met last time.

The implication of that fact was simple and clear.

Either there was still an unknown element hidden in this battlefield, or Yoosakbi had simply grown stronger beyond that.

‘…So now they’re starting to bare their fangs in earnest too.’

Hell Difficulty.

That single difference was gradually growing more prominent.

In any case, with that news, the Exorcists were completely shocked.

“…It’s only been about 10 minutes since we split up.”

“H-how strong is the enemy for something like this to happen?”

“Perhaps it would be wise to retreat once and wait for reinforcements.”

Their words weren’t particularly wrong.

Now that Hwang Se-woong had been defeated, the strongest Exorcists on this battlefield were only three 1st-Rank ones.

Against an opponent who had taken down Hwang Se-woong, they couldn’t be confident they could perform at their best.

“If the family Elders learn that one of their own has fallen, the Hwang Family will likely send a large-scale force.”

Hwang Se-woong was undoubtedly an excellent Exorcist, but the Hwang Family also had several Exorcists superior to him.

Even though they were all incredibly busy, if a threat of this magnitude appeared, they were likely to intervene without hesitation.

‘But…’

That must not happen. Others might not know, but I knew that fact all too well.

‘If left like this, Yoosakbi will grasp even greater power.’

Its act of turning this place into its domain is also part of that.

Given enough time, it would likely become an opponent that would truly require two or three Special-Ranks to handle.

The emergence of such a powerful entity in this emergency situation was akin to saying unimaginable damage would occur.

Just as I had made up my mind and was calmly thinking of a method, a new piece of information came through the comms.

[T-The Captain instructed us to continue the subjugation before he lost consciousness! And the bastard was also wounded in the previous battle!]

Indeed, it meant Hwang Se-woong hadn’t just been taken down without a fight.

That news of Hwang Se-woong’s struggle somewhat alleviated the fear in the Exorcists’ hearts.

“Ohh, as expected…”

“If the bastard is also wounded, then it’s not an impossible fight.”

“Rather, we might need to hurry and confront it before it recovers from its injuries.”

The Exorcists who nodded their heads contacted members of other teams and followed Yoosakbi’s traces upward.

The closer they got to it, the more intense the heat became, and the Spectral Energy stabbing into their bodies.

While one or two might have been frightened enough by that, the group, remembering Hwang Se-woong’s earlier sacrifice, did not hesitate.

After climbing the mountain for some time, the figure of the creature, perched on one of the highest peaks, Jiwangbong, finally came into view.

A Specter in a semi-human form, slightly larger than a person, seemingly clad in thin rock all over its body.

However, judging by the ferocious aura emanating from it, anyone could tell it was a creature completely different from a human.

“…This is B-2 team, target’s appearance confirmed.”

[B-1 team also confirms.]

[A-2 team, current distance to target: 100m.]

Three out of the five total teams had approached the creature, yet Yoosakbi, clearly aware of this, showed no reaction whatsoever, sitting in a lotus position.

After closing the distance to some extent, I used the Appraisal function to check its information.

Ding!

【Yoosakbi】

▶Level 66

▶Stats

【Health : S-】

【Monstrous Power : A+】

【Art : A】

【Mental Strength : A-】

▶Traits (9/10)

【Landlord (S)】

【Iron Fortress (A+)】

【Iron Wall (A+)】

【Blazing Flame (A-)】

【Damage Resistance (B+)】

【Guardian (B+)】

【Rampage (B)】

【Spiritual Power Amplification (B)】

【Strong Body (C-)】

‘…A monster is a monster indeed.’

Just looking at the Level, stats, and Traits gave a rough estimate. Yoosakbi was incredibly strong, sturdy, and had a tenacious lifeline.

‘About 10 to 20 percent stronger than in the original?’

At this level, it was understandable how Hwang Se-woong was taken down so quickly.

Especially with so many defense-related Traits, even a brute-force charge would have been extremely difficult to stop.

‘Just finding an Art that can affect it will be a task in itself.’

The most defensively-oriented fighter I know is Hwang Jihak.

However, Yoosakbi possessed defensive capabilities several steps ahead even compared to Hwang Jihak.

In the original, Yoo Haon accumulated damage on it using the power of his Demon-Suppressing Trait, but there’s no way I could use the same method.

‘The things that would definitely work are…’

Grand Arts, high-level Forbidden Arts, and Seo Jian’s nature-type Arts, roughly.

Among those, with Hwang Se-woong out of commission, it’s unknown if anyone can even use Grand Arts now.

Just as the team leaders were coordinating the timing of their approach via comms, the attitude of the creature, which had been ignoring us all along, suddenly changed.

Thud!

Kwaaaang—!

The creature kicked off the ground from afar and began leaping somewhere with great force.

At that sight, the Exorcists flinched in surprise, and I, guessing its intent, hastily opened my mouth.

“It intends to pick off the attack teams one by one! Who is in that direction?”

“…That’s the direction of the A-2 team. We need to hurry.”

We no longer held back and each used Enhancement Arts, quickly kicking off the ground.

When we arrived at the location of the A-2 team, a scorching land was already spread out before us.

“My god…”

“I-I can’t breathe.”

While the scene was deeply concerning for the survival of the team members, the creature was also overlooking something.

“Found them! Most are still unharmed!”

Namely, the fact that they too were warriors of reversal who had overcome numerous hardships.

‘If they were the type to go down that easily in the first place, there would have been no reason to split into teams.’

Each team was equipped with enough combat power to stall Yoosakbi for a certain period if it attempted to flee.

Although the plan went awry from the start with Hwang Se-woong’s defeat, when you got down to it, it meant they were far from a ragtag group.

“…Looks like we made it in time.”

Moreover, whether the claim of wounding it was true, the flesh around Yoosakbi’s left waist was severely damaged.

Since it wasn’t in perfect condition either, it couldn’t instantly annihilate a single team in that state.

It was a moment that proved the minimum possibility of victory.

However, for some reason, the expressions of the A-team Exorcists putting up a good fight weren’t very bright.

“This bastard, its Arts are completely…”

They had completely lost their bearings against that overwhelming defensive power.

Furthermore, although they were putting up a good fight, it wasn’t without casualties.

Already about 30% of the A-2 team members had suffered damage rendering them unable to fight, meaning it was essentially a one-sided war of attrition.

“Stay calm. The fact that the Subjugation Force Captain wounded it means it’s not invincible either. There must be a way to break through.”

The 1st-Rank Exorcist Lee Moon-hyung, the most veteran among them, spoke up.

And as if responding to him, soon another group of Exorcists revealed themselves from a different direction.

Standing at their front was another 1st-Rank Exorcist from the Baek Family, Baek In-soo.

“That’s right. Perhaps direct strikes might be more effective against it.”

Finally, with the addition of the 1st-Rank Exorcist Park Yong-jin, who had been leading our team, a perfect encirclement from three directions was formed around the creature.

These three were effectively the pillars of the current Subjugation Force, its most powerful combatants.

“Assume formation! Move as planned!”

At those words, the Exorcists of the three teams moved in unison, and I, Seo Jian, and Lee Eun-chan followed suit.

From now on, these three teams would assist the three 1st-Rank Exorcists, alternating between attack and defense roles.

‘A Battle Formation that steadily whittles down the opponent’s strength.’

It could be called the most traditional and practical strategy when dealing with high-level Specters.

Whoosh.

Puhwaaak—!

Soon, Yoosakbi, sensing unusual movement, shot a powerful flame towards the B-2 team I belonged to.

“Block it!”

Zzreeeeng!

Crimson flames instantly filled our vision, but as nearly ten Exorcists simultaneously deployed Defensive Arts, it came to naught.

And simultaneously, Yoosakbi had to pay the price for that, unable to move.

“Soul Blaze Rending Wave!”

“Poison Dagger Hail!”

“Spirit Cannon Shell.”

Hooong!

Kwaduk!

Kwagagak!

The Arts fired in unison by the two other teams, which had hands free, pounded Yoosakbi’s body.

Although each one might have been insignificant power, when dozens combined, the story changed.

‘…A magnificent sight.’

The Exorcists’ combined attack was far from a mere showy spectacle.

It was a genuine survival method, passed down because it truly worked in actual combat.

Yoosakbi, perhaps bewildered by the completely different momentum compared to before, momentarily froze its movement, adopting a serious defensive posture.

And into that gap, the three 1st-Rank Exorcists who had stepped forward pressed the attack.

“Seven Generation Strike!”

“Yuam Swaeguk.”

Two fired off Advanced Arts, while the other assisted.

Clearly, their affiliations were different, but as if this was frequent, the coordination between those three was remarkably fluid.

‘…A more complete Subjugation Force than I thought.’

If it seriously fought the 1st-Rank Exorcists, our formed Battle Formation would be a nuisance; if it tried to break the formation, the 1st-Rank Exorcists would hold it back.

At this very moment, Yoosakbi had no particular recourse. It was merely sinking into a complete quagmire, slowly consuming its Spectral Energy and stamina.

‘Of course, if it ended here…’

There would be no reason for it to establish itself as one of the story’s bosses among the Named-level Specters in the original.

Therefore, unlike the surrounding Exorcists who felt the tide turning and whose expressions brightened, I remained tense.

It must have lost some stamina by now. If it was going to bring about a change, it would be right now.

My expectation soon proved precisely accurate.

“It doesn’t go, as thought.”

“This bastard, it speaks human…!”

That wasn’t such a strange thing. It was established theory that Specters who killed humans and took their souls and bodies could absorb some speech and knowledge to an extent.

However, Yoosakbi had shown no reaction whatsoever until now, almost as if on purpose.

That meant it too had been conducting a kind of test against us until now.

“…I understand, to some extent.”

Kooong!

As the expressionless Yoosakbi finished speaking and stomped its foot, the surrounding ground split apart all at once, and flames began erupting from all directions.

“Huh, huk…!”

“What is this…!”

Its true power, the Art to freely control fire and earth as it wished.

That had begun to be exerted in earnest.

And Yoosakbi continued in a flat, low tone.

“At this place, now, there is no one who can kill me.”

At that aura filled with conviction, everyone present swallowed their breaths.