By Zephyria “You… you son of a biiitch!”
Teacher Lee, who had heard the news of his colleague’s injury, was furious and rushed forward. How dare you lay a hand on someone here inside the main office? My, what guts! His bloodshot eyes glared at Shin Yoon as if to kill him.
“How much more are you going to look down on us!”
The rough shout echoed loudly in all directions.
“I won’t forgive you!”
But his iron mace didn’t even touch the tip of Shin Yoon’s hair.
It was because poisonous insects sacrificed their bodies to block the attack. The mindless specters that had been biting, tearing, and devouring each other now stacked their bodies on top of each other to protect Shin Yoon, forming a shield. It was like a giant dome.
“Ahahaha- are they protecting me?”
Good children. Shin Yoon smiled brightly as if watching fireworks. Even as blue blood and grotesque flesh scattered over his head, he grinned. Without discomfort or fear, only curiosity remained on his face.
“More than that.”
When Shin Yoon clapped his hands together, the air changed. A heavy pressure slammed down on their shoulders. The murmurs disappeared, and no one could even breathe.
“Do our friends… know the curse called Gu Poison?”
At his question, people’s expressions froze like stone.
[Gu Poison] What is it? It is a type of sorcery that curses the opponent by creating poison with living beings. In other words, a forbidden evil art that curses other lives by trampling on life.
“Mainly, more than a hundred species of highly poisonous creatures such as insects, toads, snakes, and scorpions are put into a jar and left unattended, and…”
Shin Yoon’s voice was as clear as water, but its content was terrible.
“You wait until those driven by starvation bite and devour each other.”
He scanned the children with his black eyes. In those pupils, the children had already turned into insects, toads, snakes, and scorpions.
“Then, in the end, only one will be left, right?”
At that moment, a clear murderous intent flashed in his eyes.
“When that child is soaked in a sense of relief that he has survived.”
His red lips drew a smooth arc.
“You dry them to death.”
Shin Yoon lightly shrugged his shoulders as if asking if it wasn’t mysterious. But unlike his bright tone, the stench of blood became even thicker.
“The resentment born at that moment is pure evil. Come on, look. The anger and obsession with a life that has been arbitrarily ridiculed, and even the betrayal that has finally been tasted… Isn’t it perfect for cursing someone?”
Shin Yoon took a step forward, splashing through the blue blood pooled on the floor.
“That poison is not easily washed away or diluted.”
An evil that can neither be purified nor Exorcised once it takes root.
That is the curse called Gu Poison.
“…So?”
Breaking the heavy silence, Kim Yeong opened his mouth.
“Are you trying to perform that curse of Gu Poison here?”
When Kim Yeong asked with a Rosary in his hand, Shin Yoon nodded.
“But I’m not going to do it with just these friends.”
His gaze swept around the surroundings.
“We all have to get along, don’t we?”
“You’re saying you’re going to use us as the ingredients for Gu Poison?”
Kim Yeong retorted as if dumbfounded. The other Teachers were the same. They deeply furrowed their brows in their respective places, or clicked their tongues and shook their heads. Everyone’s actions were different, but the conclusion was the same. A madman. Just that.
“Rather than using it… I’m gonna give Ki Jae-eon a little gift.”
“……”
“He gave me a lifelong gift, so I have to repay him as a human being.”
Shin Yoon whispered quietly. I’m going to gather you all together and make you into a lump of curse to carve into him.
“Very beautifully, with the Evil Aura of curse.”
He speaks so politely with such rude words.
“I’m really looking forward to that bastard’s expression, right?”
As soon as he finished speaking, shwaeeek! With a sharp sound, blue blood burst out next to Shin Yoon. An arrow that burst the head of a giant horsehair worm. This time, even Shin Yoon couldn’t avoid it. His white clothes were dyed blue with the dirty specter’s blood.
“What a load of crap.”
Kim Ju-won is pulling the bowstring.
“Ju-won-ah!”
“Why are you all listening to such bullshit!”
“Maintain formation?!” His shout, close to a scream, awakened the children’s spirits once again. The scattered ranks were quickly reorganized, and sharp sword tips aimed at the specter’s Adam’s apple. That’s right. Did you think we’d let you do as you please? The children rushed in, emitting angry energy. Chwaak! Someone cut off the specter’s head, and someone else took out a talisman from their sleeve and created a Barrier. Kim Ju-won also drew three arrows at once. Piiit! Three streaks of light split the sky simultaneously.
However, even with their desperate struggle, the situation did not improve.
No, rather, they began to be pushed back more and more. When they came to their senses, the worm’s antennae had stretched out to their feet. This was because the number of specters overwhelmingly outnumbered the Exorcists.
“Ugh!”
“Everyone, hang in there!”
Kieeeeek!
A scream that tore through their eardrums. Humans and specters mingled together, splattering blood.
Their movements, driven solely by the determination to kill each other, resembled the shape of Gu Poison that Shin Yoon desired. Watching the horrific scene, Kim Yeong muttered lowly.
“…Haa, ha. It really is the scene inside the jar.”
But there’s no time to complain.
He flicked the Rosary beads like lightning and spat out incantations.
And Shin Yoon was calmly watching all of that.
His gaze swept over the children one by one. As if choosing an object.
“I wonder who will be left.”
It would be interesting if that Teacher with the kind impression remained, and it would be interesting if Kim Ju-won remained. Well, whichever one it is, I hope it will be a gift that impresses Ki Jae-eon.
“But even so, dragging this out for too long—”
Kwang!!
“……Ah?”
A deafening roar.
For a moment, the air twisted.
“……”
A piece of the specter’s flesh grazed Shin Yoon’s cheek, and a cloud of dust blocked his vision.
Coughing erupted from all directions.
‘……Kim Ju-won? No, it’s stronger than his arrow.’
Shin Yoon indifferently raised his arm to cover his lower face and instinctively took a defensive stance. As the swirling smoke disappeared, his black eyes slowly rolled towards one direction.
There stood Ki Jae-eon, or rather, a middle-aged man with a similar face.
“You greet me like this.”
The Exorcist famous for his nasty temper.
And the man who had single-handedly held the title of the strongest before the name ‘Ki Jae-eon’ appeared in the world.
“I wondered where that fishy smell was coming from. There was someone who hadn’t come to their senses.”
Exorcist, Ki Tae-ho.
He cleaned up a subjugation that would have been difficult even for all the Exorcists of the main office to handle, with a single blow.
In front of Shin Yoon was a deeply hollowed-out hole, and inside it, a pile of corpses of all kinds of specters were stacked.
“Gu Poison?”
Ki Tae-ho tilted his head slightly. Just a glance was enough to create an incredible sense of pressure.
“Have you had all your fun fantasies? Young Exorcist.”
At his mockery, Shin Yoon’s expression lost color for the first time.
And the people watching the confrontation between the two were shocked in a different sense.
“What did I just see?”
“Someone pinch my cheek.”
“Wow, I can’t believe there was someone even worse than Jae-eon hyung.”
“I’m too tired to be surprised now.”
“Bloodlines are scary……”
In particular, Kim Ju-won was frozen, unable to release or draw the bowstring further.
He thought he would only feel this kind of sensation from Ki Jae-eon.
“Haa……”
Jealousy, relief, humiliation, and respect all mixed together and finally escaped as a sigh.
“……This is driving me crazy, really.”
How can a father and son be like this!
The corners of Kim Ju-won’s lips twisted upwards. Then, he finally burst out laughing, ahahaha. Because having another mountain to overcome is a joyful thing.
He sweated coldly and took his stance once more. As the bowstring tightened, his heart burned.
Meanwhile, Shin Yoon was quietly dusting himself off, facing Ki Tae-ho.
“Wammaya…… You’re so stylish, aren’t you?”
“……”
“Well, yes. It’s better this way.”
Shin Yoon nodded.
“I was wondering who I should choose to make Yun-i go crazy, but wow…… it turned out like this.”
The air became even heavier.
Shin Yoon slowly tilted his head.
A smile resembling contempt appeared on his lips.
“Then shall we have some real fun?”
The moment he pressed his palms together, something stirred beneath the ground. Passeuseuseu—an unpleasant wriggling. The sound of hard shells colliding with each other, clanging. Before they could even realize it, a swarm of specters burst through the soil.
This time, the size and speed were different.
Kieeeeek! The horsehair worm’s antennae were dragged out long, scraping the floor. A sandstorm-like cloud of dust spread in all directions.
“Using petty tricks.”
Ki Tae-ho took out a talisman from his pocket and bit his lower lip. As blood formed, he touched the end of the talisman to his lips, staining it red.
Letters bloomed from the blood-soaked paper. Then, the strokes of the talisman spread on their own, interlocking and beginning to form a formation.
“Don’t rush. The main office, just do as you’ve learned.”
He added.
“The rest—”
Following the talisman, the ultimate flames blazed.
“I’ll do it.”