7… 6…
As the timer continued to count down, the atmosphere changed around Seol-Hwi.
Originally, this mission was supposed to prevent Songhwa from casting this. However, there seemed to be no way out.
How could he deceive the eyes of countless Soulless around and take Songhwa? Even the slightest chance he had vanished as the Demon Lord appeared with Yupae.
One was close to the Supreme Demon end stage, and the other was at the Supreme Demon first stage. It was possible he had progressed further too.
With the warriors who hid in the walls along with the Second Disciple, it was impossible for Seol-Hwi to stop them.
“Kuku. Kuahahah.”
The Third Disciple let out this strange sound close to laughter or maybe crying.
Is she changing into a real Soulless Demon?
The difference from the other Soulless was her cry. She seemed to be enjoying the change happening to her.
Shhh
Just in time, a turbid energy pushed to the top of her head ,and the expression of the Third Disciple went stiff. At the same time, this appeared before him.
<The period has ended.> <All restrictions have been lifted.>
Did Songhwa do it?
Seol-Hwi looked at the head of the Third Disciple.
Round round
There was this ominous sight about her head. But those gathered around did not take this too seriously.
Rather, the Second Disciple who was far away, looked pleased.
Puak
At one point, she fell asleep, and Songhwa, who was there also, fell to the ground.
“What happened? Did it work?”
The Second Disciple turned his head so swift that one could hear it snap. The person he asked was Dong Ryong to confirm what was happening.
“T-that…”
He also did not seem to know what was happening. Just before the Third Disciple closed her eyes, there was this clear ominous energy around.
However, since it was a spell which turned a living person into kangshi, he was not sure of the result. Did she just turn into a Soulless or did she come back to life normally?
More than anything, no one here had ever seen anything like a Soulless Demon of the Supreme stage.
Only Songhwa could know.
Dong Ryong slowly turned to where Seol-Hwi was and gave a signal.
Shhh
Seol-Hwi, who noticed it, secretly approached Songhwa, avoiding the eyes of the people. And fortunately, the people focused on the Third Disciple considered how she would react.
Shh
Thanks to that, Seol-Hwi got close without much difficulty but he frowned at how the face of Songhwa was pale like paper.
His mental strength took a hit.
Songhwa’s face, no, his entire body turned white. It was like his blood had been drained from his body.
When Seol-Hwi touched the body to check the pulse—
Shh
Third Disciple who had fainted was slowly getting up.
“What, Is she coming to her senses?”
The Second Disciple had a happy face as he approached her.
“Do not get closer!”
“…!”
Yupae shouted, but the Second Disciple did not care.
“Ehh, what, don’t act like it is so amazing.”
Rather, he waved his hand and did not listen.
“Eh, samae, you all good now? You a Soulless? Or are you back to normal?”
“…”
The Third Disciple did not answer.
Her eyes were a bit blurry, and it was hard to know if she was naturally tired or tired from what happened due to the change. But on the outside she looked fine.
“Let us talk. You don’t hate me because I took away your freedom right?”
“Of course, why would I hate sahyung?”
Surprisingly the voice of the Third Disciple was soft, and she looked around tilted her head.
“But sahyung, I feel good. What did you do?”
“Right, everyone here helped me. We looked after your… hmm?”
The Second Disciple stopped talking, and his eyes narrowed. Seol-Hwi, who was helping Songhwa after he had collapsed, was startled when his eyes were focused on him.
“Right. Okay, thanks to sahyung.”
However, the Third Disciple’s voice echoed soon and the eyes of the people focused on her again.
“Something seems to be brimming with energy…”
“Right? Do you feel strong?”
Shhh
She held out a hand. A faint air flowed, and it was a little different from the usual demonic arts.
It was a little darker than that, and it was an eerie and unpleasant energy.
“Ohh…”
The Demon Lord’s eyes were caught there, and the Third Disciple approached him and said,
“How is it?”
Clench!
“…!”
The Second Disciple went wide eyed. In an instant, the Third Disciple grabbed him by the neck.
“Ugh…!”
The movement was so swift and it happened so suddenly that even Yupae could not react in time.
“Ahem.”
The Demon Lord’s face was now red.
“Why? Shocked?”
On the other hand, her eyes were yellow like a beast’s.
“I said it right? Did you think I didn’t know that you were using me as a test subject and trying to make me a Soulless Demon?”
The Demon Lord’s eyes turned to Dong Ryong.
“Uh, uh…”
Even under these circumstances, they were asking whether the Soulless spell had failed.
And he shook his head.
He did not know. Dong Ryong’s answer was the same this time too.
“Eup… Eup…”
The Demon Lord tried to say something belatedly, but the Third Disciple did not intend to give them a chance to speak.
“I never believed in a rat like you in the first place. Now…”
Shhh
Black energy flowed from her hand. It seemed to pierce through the skin of the Second Disciple.
However—
“Kuak!”
“…!”
“…!”
“…!”
Suddenly, she grabbed her head and screamed.
“Ackkkk! KUAKKKK!”
And she twisted her body violently. Everyone looked at her, puzzled, even the Demon Lord who almost lost his life.
“I-it was successful.”
Right then—
Seol-Hwi looked away, and Songhwa who fainted was now awake.
“The spell… it worked. Rather, it is so perfect that I was afraid.”
“…Then, that woman?”
“Right, a Soulless Demon. Dealing with the dark energy process that the door to the Supreme has been opened.”
“…!!!”
Everyone was greatly shocked at the words of Songhwa, but only Seol-Hwi frowned.
But it is odd?
From what he heard, the fierce resistance followed in the process of being turned to a Soulless. And they said that the more the body refused, the stronger the Soulless would be.
“Opening the door to life is the realm of sorcery. But, there are these symptoms of losing consciousness or having headaches like that.”
“Then, that is?”
“It is possession. I don’t know what demon possessed her. A true Soulless which has reached the stage of Supreme was unheard of until now. It is something no one can fully explain.”
Makes sense…
Seol-Hwi nodded.
The energy within the body of the Third Disciple was different from what this world had. It was so gloomy that it felt suffocating to be around her.
“Kikikik.”
“…!”
When the laughter of the Third Disciple changed, so did the atmosphere, and the Second Disciple also looked concerned.
“Kuaaaak!”
It was time for everyone to step back.
“Kuaaak!”
“Ackkkk!”
This violent force began to move in the prison. The fangshi tried to calm the Soulless and guards stood in front of the iron prisons.
“Look here, samae.”
“Kuaaaak!’
After she began to scream, the anger and the wildness of the Soulless side began to show. Arms swung, with soulless breaking out of the cages, turning everything chaotic.
“I will handle this.”
Yupae stepped ahead. Apparently, the place needed real warriors to step in because the resistance came up.
In particular, the black energy flowing from the body of hers was more horrible than demonic energy, so it was the first time for Yupae to feel it too.
“Make sure to subdue the turmoil!”
At the cry of the Second Disciple, the warriors bowed down.
The dozens of warriors who were waiting for the order clung to the wall. They were put into subduing the Soulless who were trying to break out.
Something changed.
Yupae held his weapon with a nervous look.
“Grrrr…”
The Third Disciple was making this beastly sound. Even before, there was a gap between him and her which could not be covered. But now it turned into something else.
Swish
At that moment, this black energy flowed from her which made him realize it would be dangerous to come into contact with it.
“In the end, you are coming out. The dog to Second sahyung.”
And suddenly, she was speaking like a human. But her eyes were not that of a human’s. The whites of her eyes turned black which made it seem like the entire eye turned black.
“A Soulless should listen to the master of the Soulless!”
“My foot. I am my own master, why bother listening to others?”
Yupae’s demonic energy and her black energy were mixed.
Kikikiki
At the strange sound the two looked at one another and then collided.
Chang!
After clashing their swords once, Yupae who was about to attack, was unable to.
Srrr
It was because the dark energy from the body of the Third Disciple was clinging to his weapon.
“Euk!”
It was not easy to shake it off. And it did not move like flames but stuck on like a sticky mucus.
As the energy began to rise to the hilt of his sword, Yupae decided to infuse the sword with his internal energy and then the stickiness was back to its original state.
Kung! Psss!
“Phew!”
Only then did the blackness vanish.
The well trained Yupae looked at her and frowned.
In an instant, like a shadow reflecting in water, her image shimmered.
What is that?
Was this an illusion? Clearly, the opponent was in front of him.
However, it seemed as if she did not exist in the world, like all his senses were screaming that he should not believe anything.
“This is the shadow of my darkness.”
Songhwa, the only one who knew what was happening, was talking to Seol-Hwi.
“The power of the other world being summoned by the spell. Originally it was a foreign force which should not exist in this world. As said… everyone will die.”
Everyone will die—
In the first place, the Soulless was one which turned the living into half dead. However, no matter how much their intentions were nice to make the dead live again, things were not always that simple.
On the other hand, the Soulless now had reached the supreme, and their very existence defied the laws of the world. And as a result they were trying to lead everyone to their doom.
“Then… what do we do?”
“You, you have to give it to me.”
“What?”
At the sudden words, Seol-Hwi looked at Songhwa with a puzzled look. Obviously, they were meeting one another for the first time here.
“Soulless, no the Third Disciple has been changed. The only thing which can stop her is you… I don’t know if I should say, but only you…”
It was Songhwa who spoke with eyes which said he knew him.
“You seem to be misunderstanding something, but I am not that strong. In addition, using energy which doesn’t exist in nature?”
Seol-Hwi shook his head, it was a force which cannot exist in this land.
How can he take down someone who used such strength? Just the words were far-fetched.
“Where there is darkness, there is also light. You…”
Songhwa panted as he pointed to the chest of Seol-Hwi.
“As expected, a force which cannot exist. Because you can resist the shadow of darkness.”
“Resist? What?”
“…”
Songhwa thought for a while as he said,
“Exorcism Thirteen Movement Palm.”
“…!”
Seol-Hwi was shocked at the martial arts of nature which countered even the supreme state in the Demonic Sect. Out of all the martial arts in the Justice faction, that was the skill which inflicted huge damage onto the Demonic sSect.
“Shaolin’s martial arts?’
“Yes.”
“Then how can…”
“Somehow. You need to. You have to.”
Songhwa gasped as he continued.
“Soon… my control… will break…”
And he could not finish the words as his body drooped down.
“Kyaaa!”
Came the terrifying roar from all sides. The shadow of darkness began to move again.
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