Chapter 292

“That’s certainly true. I’ve never heard rumors that Polar Night possessed the power to dominate humans. Now that I think about it, that might be a bit strange.”

Hochoong, tilting his chin, was the first to respond to Sophia’s words.

Polar Night, who was once an object of fear across the entire world—if it could even control humans, that too should have been exaggerated and become the subject of rumors.

However, given that only its aspect as the king of Specters was highlighted, it was more accurate to assume that Polar Night either rarely used such an ability or was unable to use it.

“So, for some reason, Polar Night’s domination cannot affect humans?”

Of course, if it stole a similar ability from a subordinate Specter, that might be different, but now even that part is somewhat questionable.

“Since dominating Specters is one of Polar Night’s greatest strengths, it would naturally have tested it in various ways against humans as well.”

“Of course, it wouldn’t work on high-level individuals, but from Polar Night’s perspective, there probably weren’t many of those either.”

Yet, not a single rumor spread about similar cases—something definitely feels off.

That’s why Sophia has been raising this unresolved question since earlier.

Why is it that Polar Night can exert such absolute domination only on Specters, not humans?

“Hmm, I’m not sure, but I have a feeling it’s deeply connected to Polar Night’s essence.”

“…Indeed, it’s worth considering at least once.”

Just as the conversation reached that point, Hochoong, who had been closing his eyes and concentrating, issued a warning.

“I’m starting to feel Polar Night’s energy strongly. At this rate, I should be able to pinpoint the exact location soon.”

“…No, I don’t think that will be necessary.”

As Seo Jian said, a massive dark cloud was forming in the distant sky.

And around it, the lingering traces of countless Spectral Energies were rising.

“Already to that extent….”

“Is this even possible? It hasn’t even been half a day since we fought Docheol!”

Chaos had already erupted on the ground.

The energy of Specters could be felt throughout the city, and their rampage would only grow in scale.

“Master, perhaps… the worst-case scenario may have already occurred.”

In the original history, Polar Night probably began its activities a bit later.

However, by our interference in this era, Docheol was set into motion, and ultimately, Polar Night absorbed Docheol’s power and awakened even faster, leading to the current situation.

Hochoong hasn’t even embarked on the journey to fill the Oracle Bone Casket yet, while Polar Night has grown its power that much more quickly.

The situation has already reached a dead end. That much was a clear reality.

“Polar Night… seems to have already left this place. What should we do?”

Even Hochoong couldn’t provide an answer and asked for everyone’s opinion. Since the immediate situation was urgent, we did our best to repel the Specters around us.

However, even then, we couldn’t completely drive them away, and eventually, we had to evacuate the city’s people to safety.

“…It really feels like every Specter in existence is emerging. Other places must be in the same situation, right?”

“At least anywhere Polar Night has passed will be like this.”

It was almost like witnessing the Night Parade of One Hundred Specters. And in a place where communication systems and cooperation among Exorcists weren’t properly established, the damage would be far greater.

The Specters, rampaging wildly, all disappeared to the east as time passed, and it wasn’t hard to guess that Polar Night existed in that direction.

“The distance has narrowed, so chasing won’t be difficult… but rushing in blindly doesn’t seem like a good idea.”

Just driving away the Specters gathered in this city required tremendous effort.

No matter how much we all join forces, it’s doubtful whether we can even defeat the Specters under its control, let alone Polar Night itself.

The situation is completely different from when we fought Bloodrot or Docheol.

I truly felt the terror of Polar Night and, after much contemplation, shared the thought that came to mind with everyone.

“What if… we let it do as it pleases?”

“Junior, are you saying we should leave Polar Night alone like this?”

One thing is certain: even if we engage in a direct confrontation with Polar Night and the Specters right now, our chances of victory are extremely low.

Originally, even the future Hochoong only entered the battle after weakening its power as much as possible through the Oracle Bone Casket.

So what we need to do right now is save as many people as possible and get closer to uncovering Polar Night’s secrets.

“At the very least, we might be able to figure out its purpose through this opportunity. Even if it’s just a month’s time, I think facing it directly at the final moment would be sufficient.”

Perhaps sensing the logic in my words, the group nodded and asked for more detailed thoughts.

In response, I let out a small sigh and quietly uttered a single sentence.

“To oppose it, we too have no choice but to gather together and combine our strength.”

Some time passed like that.

We met with the Taoist Masters of Daehwarim, with whom we had a de facto alliance, the people of the Hawon Clan, and the five Taoists of Yonggol, announced Polar Night’s revival and our intent to oppose it, and additionally gathered with various Taoist Masters drawn to the Focal Point in these troubled times, forming a kind of force.

“There are reports that the group of Specters lingering near Dong-eup has disappeared. As suspected, Polar Night seems to have made its nest in the north.”

As time passed, Pyowonmyeong, having regained his energy, spared no support in assisting them, and we did our best to rescue and protect various villages from the clutches of the Specters.

However, the situation was utterly desperate. The world was already plunged into chaos, and people were barely surviving day by day, even losing the light of hope.

This was a testament to how powerful Polar Night’s strength was, and it also hinted at how remarkable Hochoong’s abilities must have been to stop it in the original history.

“No new information obtained?”

“Not much, except that it’s being quite cautious.”

Indeed, even though Polar Night possesses the power to sway the entire world immediately, it’s only causing chaos without stepping to the forefront of the situation.

While its two failures may have made it more cautious, it’s more likely that our very existence is the cause.

“Well, of course, it must have noticed, Oppa. Polar Night is an existence so powerful it can’t even be compared to the likes of us.”

Kwimae, in Soyool’s form, smiled nonchalantly as she spoke, but her words were anything but moderate.

It meant that now, we had become Polar Night’s true target.

“Perhaps… wouldn’t it be the right judgment to turn back at this point?”

Yoo Haon asked with concern, and I couldn’t hastily answer him.

Despite buying as much time as possible, there were no noticeable results. We still hadn’t uncovered Polar Night’s secret.

It was a moment of deeply felt powerlessness.

‘…Not only is Polar Night’s own power an unknown, but the Specters under its control are also more formidable than expected.’

It seemed similar to the Night Parade of One Hundred Specters, yet different.

The Specters dominated by Polar Night were essentially moving in proper cooperation, sharing a single purpose like humans.

Even if we returned to the modern era, breaking through that solid legion wouldn’t be easy.

‘And on top of that, it’s an existence that constantly revives….’

It’s truly a formidable enemy with no clear answer. I don’t even know if it has a weakness, and the method to counter it still eludes us.

Now, less than two weeks remain until Mountain Sky’s horn exhausts its power.

At this rate, no matter how much we’ve grown, we won’t be able to properly defeat it in the outside world.

‘The important thing is how to defeat it, and how to sever its revival.’

For the former, there’s still hope.

We’ve all grown beyond expectations, and there are reliable Collaborators outside as well.

Also, regarding that, I still have a few trump cards in mind.

‘However….’

For the latter, there’s little hope in sight.

If it truly is an existence that constantly revives, how to stop it—I can only make various conjectures, with no way to verify any of them.

I could feel it intuitively. This state won’t do. At the very least, we must obtain a clear answer about that within this World of Forbidden Techniques.

‘Come to think of it, there are a few similar types among the Forbidden Arts….’

But those are closer to preparing a means to evade death in advance, not truly returning from complete death.

Polar Night’s revival, recurring over centuries, doesn’t seem like such a simple mechanism.

It’s a power beyond imitation, even by something like my Phantom Body Trait—that is the power of revival Polar Night possesses.

“Indeed, we won’t get an answer unless we face it directly.”

“…Isn’t that too dangerous?”

“It’s an opponent we can’t avoid anyway. Facing it again in the outside world without knowing anything would be even more despairing.”

Still, in this short time, numerous forces have gathered.

With this many people, we should be able to break through the gaps in the Specter legion dominated by Polar Night and create an opportunity to face it.

And we must obtain clues to stop its revival, shake it off, and return to the outside world.

Just imagining it is a dizzyingly difficult mission.

Frankly, even I, who suggested it, couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh—need I say more?

However, no one here tried to look away from it.

“Indeed… returning without any other means likely won’t allow us to stop it in the outside world.”

“…To make matters worse, having fought Hochoong, it must be an even more powerful existence than the Polar Night of this era. Junior’s judgment is correct.”

Agreeing with that opinion, Hochoong also clasped his hands together and quietly steeled his resolve.

“Even if this is the end, it doesn’t matter. I will ensure that the Masters return safely to the outside, even if it costs me my life.”

At this reliable declaration, everyone in the group nodded.

If we had a bit more time, it might be different, but now there’s truly no room left to evade.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and officially declared before everyone.

“One week later, we will strike Polar Night with all our might.”

Now, it was time for this journey through this bygone era, where we had lingered briefly, to come to an end.