Chapter 195

The Clear Soul Lantern is, in simple terms, akin to a wide-area blessing skill found in other games.

It removes as many negative effects as possible from the target, boosts their momentum, and even enhances their condition.

Moreover, its range is exceptionally wide, making it most effective in group battles.

Following Cheong Soha into the barrier, I looked at Haekaram’s surprised expression and spoke softly.

“Are you injured anywhere?”

“Well, so-so. Anyway, it seems you succeeded in the end.”

Haekaram let out a sigh of relief as if he had aged ten years and brushed off his chest.

He didn’t show it outwardly, but judging by his condition, it seemed he had quite a hard time dealing with Jinmyeong.

“I’m sorry for burdening you with a difficult task. Thanks to you, a path forward has opened.”

“…Why bring that up now? I received help too, so don’t worry about it.”

Perhaps remembering the incident at Yangcheolkoong, Haekaram turned his head away, showing a somewhat embarrassed expression.

Seeing us like that, Jinmyeong, who had been frozen, finally opened his mouth.

“…How on earth did you break free from the suggestion?”

“It seems you no longer intend to hide it from me.”

Cheong Soha let out a bitter, self-deprecating laugh.

However, Jinmyeong seemed so bewildered that he didn’t even care about Cheong Soha’s reaction.

“You should have fully entered the erosion stage… This is unbelievable.”

Well, from his perspective, it must be truly absurd.

The suggestion implanted in Cheong Soha was not just at that level; it was becoming a natural truth for her.

In fact, it was close to complete brainwashing or mental reconstruction.

‘Once it reaches that point, honestly, even I can only think of a few methods to break it.’

The Cheonghongyeong was a tremendous help in shattering it.

‘In the trial of the Cheonghongyeong, one inevitably must face their true self.’

Thus, Cheong Soha could face her own self, buried deep under the suggestion, without anyone’s interference.

Without that trait of the Cheonghongyeong, breaking the suggestion would have been much more difficult.

“…You again! Do you truly intend to interfere with me to the end!”

Jinmyeong Daesa turned his gaze from Cheong Soha and glared at me venomously.

Since he had been left in a separate space from Cheong Soha until just moments ago, he naturally guessed I was the cause.

To him, I conveyed the words I had been holding back without reservation.

“I didn’t interfere with you; you are interfering with me.”

“You insolent…!”

For Jinmyeong Daesa, I was the one who dared to use his suggestion and, over a long period, restored Cheong Soha, whom he had made his own.

For me, he was a parasite who intervened during an already precarious time, causing division among allies.

There was no room for compromise between us anymore. It was a matter that wouldn’t end until one of us disappeared.

“…You are truly making me do something I will regret.”

For a moment, Jinmyeong Daesa’s demeanor changed.

It was an irreversible situation anyway. He seemed to acknowledge there was no turning back and was about to pour out all his power.

Udeuk!

Wooddeuk!

Tuduk!

Jinmyeong Daesa’s form transformed into a somewhat grotesque human shape, and simultaneously, his already tall stature grew by another two feet.

At the same time, a massive amount of Spectral Energy began to flow out.

It seemed he intended to fully unleash his power as a Half-Human Half-Demon.

“At the very least, I will make you meet your end here and now.”

It was a truly murderous threat, but to me, who perfectly understood Jinmyeong’s behavior, his true intentions were transparent.

‘He plans to appropriately whittle down our strength, then look for a chance to escape.’

Now that Cheong Soha had regained her senses, the Exorcists of the Cheong Family outside would also turn against Jinmyeong Daesa.

The Jinmyeong Daesa I knew would never overlook that. He was someone who had survived until now by avoiding danger as much as possible and seizing perfect advantages.

By now, he was probably already fervently devising his next plan to take control of the Cheong Family in his mind.

“Listening to you is absurd. You struggled even against me alone, so what do you think you can do?”

Piyng!

Ping!

Sswae-aek!

Haekaram, having tended to his wounds, coldly recited and fired a barrage of Art Formulas.

However, Jinmyeong merely stretched out his hand, overturned the ground, and blocked all the attacks.

“Even after saying that, you still don’t know your place. I have snapped the necks of countless weaklings like you with these hands.”

Kuuung!

Kwa-deu-deu-deuk!

As Jinmyeong stomped his foot, the ground split noisily, attempting to rob us of our balance.

He was fully utilizing his traits as a Specter to wield powerful Natural-Type Sorcery.

“…You must be careful. We should consider him an even more troublesome opponent than before.”

“Tsk. This won’t be easy.”

Jinmyeong Daesa is a being whose very nature deviates from the Righteous Path.

Accordingly, he has learned numerous evil arts, and among them, he primarily uses methods that increase the power of Art Formulas through constraints.

True Art, Eight-Cleft Earth Dragon Formation!”

Huuung!

Kwadeuk!

Kwa-deu-deuk─!

As the Art Formula was completed, giant snakes made of earth coiled around us, creating a single barrier.

It was a type of high-level Barrier Technique—a barrier from which one cannot escape until the correct procedure is followed to open an exit.

It doesn’t break under ordinary force, and during the process, one can also launch one-sided attacks. It was Jinmyeong Daesa’s signature Cursed Technique that he favored.

“…What is this now?”

“There’s no room to give him an opening. I’ll break it.”

Sreung.

As Cheong Soha drew her sword in an instant, I softly waved my hand to stop her.

Of course, someone of her skill level could break the barrier by force, but that was precisely the action Jinmyeong desired.

“It’s a barrier with a constraint. If you break it by force, the backlash will return to you.”

Maybe once, but if you use the same method several times, you’ll deplete your strength that much faster.

There was no reason to play into his shallow trick.

“Do you mean you have another idea?”

“I can open an exit.”

What is there to hide now?

At a glance, it was a very classic gimmick, and the Eight-Cleft Earth Dragon Formation (Eight-Cleft Earth Dragon Formation) was an element that had tormented players countless times in the game as well.

Jinmyeong Daesa’s signature Art Formula that always popped up at least once with each phase change. As such, I already had all the patterns of the Eight-Cleft Earth Dragon Formation perfectly memorized.

‘The starting point is the 6 o’clock direction, the snake with closed eyes is at 1 o’clock. The corresponding point is… 11 o’clock, right?’

Then it’s definitely the seventh form among the ten patterns.

I traced the flow of the Art Formula in the correct order and shattered it in an instant.

Huuung.

Jjeo-eo-eong─!

As we escaped the barrier, Jinmyeong Daesa’s figure, reciting the Incantation for an attack Art Formula, came into view.

He stiffened his expression, bewildered by the barrier being broken much faster than expected.

“What…!”

He tried to quickly cancel the deployment of the Art Formula, but Haekaram wasn’t one to miss this opening.

Seven Generation Strike (Seven Scatter Strike)! Spirit Cannon Shell (Spirit Capture Shell)!”

Sswae-ae-aek!

Kwa-deu-deuk!

Under the subsequent bombardment of Art Formulas, Jinmyeong suffered considerable damage and was forced back.

“Kkeu-euk!”

Already at a numerical disadvantage, he had now lost the initiative due to an unexpected strike.

To me, who was once addicted to PVP, Jinmyeong Daesa’s current feelings were vividly conveyed.

He was probably overflowing with the embarrassment of having completely failed.

“…What trick did you use? How on earth did you break the Earth Dragon Formation?”

When you think about it, Jinmyeong Daesa’s combat style is similar to mine.

The type that calculates and predicts moves to steer the battle according to their own flow.

However, precisely because of that, once you start losing that flow, it becomes extremely difficult to recover it.

To not lose the slight advantage I had barely seized, I continued to shake Jinmyeong Daesa.

“Didn’t I tell you? I know quite a bit about you.”

“…Nonsense. Do you think I would be swayed by such words?”

“If you don’t believe it, you can keep watching with your own eyes. Since the Earth Dragon Formation has been Dispelled, next time something like the Wind Boundary Formation would be good.”

When I mentioned another barrier Jinmyeong Daesa had not yet revealed, his face turned ashen.

He now realized that my words were not mere falsehoods.

“This can’t be. How, how on earth…?”

To my knowledge, Jinmyeong still had several powerful moves left.

However, in this current situation, a seed of doubt must have sprouted in his mind.

Even if he revealed them, there was no guarantee they wouldn’t be exploited for weaknesses like now.

The moment the will to fight finally disappeared from Jinmyeong Daesa’s eyes, I accurately caught it and signaled to Cheong Soha.

“He’s trying to escape!”

“…I’ve already prepared.”

Cheong Soha, who had been secretly reciting an Incantation using Haekaram’s illusion technique.

However, Jinmyeong Daesa, distracted by the barrier’s Dispel and my words, failed to notice it in time.

The cost returned to him in a most fatal form.

Huuung,

Purification Formation (Purification Formation).”

Jinmyeong Daesa, who had been breaking Haekaram’s barrier to escape, finally realized his mistake and hastily deployed a Defensive Art.

But it was too late.

Cheong Soha’s Grand Art, infused with sincerity, was not an attack so feeble that it could be blocked by a hastily prepared defensive technique.

Jjeo-eong!

Kwa-ga-ga-gak─!

“Keo-heo-eok!”

Beams of light inscribed with various Cursed Technique sigils spread widely across the ground, and a slash akin to blue flames shredded Jinmyeong Daesa’s body.

After the light that had filled the barrier faded, all that remained was the figure of the Half-Human Half-Demon Jinmyeong, utterly mangled.

Teobeok.

Teobeok.

Sreung.

With that strike just now, I have repaid all the favors up to this point.”

“Keo-heok, kkeu-heu-euk…!”

Somehow, it seemed the match wasn’t decided in one blow; it appeared Cheong Soha had held back somewhat at the last moment.

However, that was absolutely not out of consideration for her opponent.

So now, it’s time to repay the grudges.”

“Have you truly forgotten everything I brought to you!”

Jinmyeong Daesa shouted with his final struggle, but Cheong Soha’s expression was cold.

After silently staring at Jinmyeong like that for a few seconds, Cheong Soha raised her arm and spoke again.

…For the crime of mocking the ancestors of the lofty Cheong Family and the lineage that continues to this day. Atone with your life now.”

Seo-geo-eok!

Pu-hwa-ak─!

Her arm swung, and Jinmyeong Daesa’s head flew into the sky.

It was the final moment of the demonic leader who had sought to seize the Cheong Family across a truly long period, and the thick knot entwined with Cheong Soha’s life was finally coming undone.