By Zephyria Lastly, Ki Tae-ho approached the crowd. The people who had been showering him with congratulations and making a fuss moved aside on their own. A small passage formed in the cheers, allowing a father to reach his son.
“Jae-eon.”
His cold and resolute face softened again. It was no longer the face of a teacher, but of a father. Ki Tae-ho carefully grasped Ki Jae-eon’s shoulders.
“You did well. I’m proud of you.”
“Father.”
“But remember this.”
The hand gripping his shoulder tightened.
“Never forget the way back. You must not forget.”
Ki Tae-ho whispered more earnestly than ever.
“That, above all else.”
Gazing into his father’s eyes, which trembled slightly with worry, Ki Jae-eon silently nodded.
Yes, I won’t forget. The vow solidified in his heart.
Thus, the moment of the final battle approached.
Ki Jae-eon took a long, deep breath and quietly moved his feet. Leaving his loved ones behind, alone.
One step, then another.
The sound of stepping on snow echoed softly.
Then, he paused for a moment and looked back. Countless gazes were fixed on him.
Everyone was standing firm, their hands and feet numb with cold, their faces red.
“……”
“……”
No words were exchanged.
But there was definitely something passing between them.
Ki Jae-eon stared for a long time, then quietly lowered his head.
He replaced his final farewell, his promise to return, with a light nod.
“…Let’s go. We’ll only be in the way.”
Only after Ki Jae-eon, having finished his farewell, disappeared into the distance like a dot, did someone speak.
“I wish you the best of luck.”
“Let’s go too, Seo-myeong.”
“……”
“Seo-myeong, we have to go.”
Those who wanted to follow him to the end swallowed their breaths and reluctantly took their steps. However, no matter how much they called out to Ahn Seo-myeong, he remained rooted to the spot, and in the end, he was grabbed by someone else’s hand and dragged away.
It was painful, but unavoidable.
The bait had to be alone.
Ki Jae-eon took out a thin, straight dagger from his pocket. Now, he was the only one left on this snowfield. Whoosh—a cold wind blew. The silver blade gleamed sharply as it met the snowstorm.
“Haa.”
He was definitely tense, but strangely, he felt no fear. His belief in himself was stronger than ever.
The conviction that he could do it.
Ki Jae-eon slowly turned the blade toward himself.
This wasn’t a meaningless self-harm.
To explain, it was a kind of performance.
It was simple logic, but to enter the Fatal Spirit, he had to be swallowed. In other words, he had to be recognized as prey to enter its interior.
However, the problem was that Ki Jae-eon was too strong. Especially now that he had received a Spiritual Blessing.
He was an opponent that the cunning Fatal Spirit would instinctively avoid. So, he had to hide his strength.
He had to hide his strength and appear as prey.
Yes, an excellent nutrient and perhaps a golden opportunity to eliminate its nemesis.
That’s how he had to be perceived.
Of course, it was dangerous.
But breaking the core from the inside was a hundred times more certain than pointlessly building up spellcasting.
It was like a surgery to cut out the festering area altogether, rather than increasing the dosage of antibiotics for a long time.
“Well, eat me up to your heart’s content.”
With those last words, the dagger pierced his shoulder.
Blood flowed down with a burning pain.
Ki Jae-eon lowered his head and raised the corners of his lips. Cold sweat trickled down his chin, but he was truly delighted.
Thud, thud, the dark red blood gradually stained the white snowfield. The acrid smell of blood filled the wind.
That smell would be very appetizing to the darkness.
Whoosh!
As expected, black tentacles rushed in all at once, as if they had been waiting for this moment. An unpleasant sliminess touched him blatantly. On his wrists, ankles, waist, and neck. An indescribable, terrible chill touched his nerves. Like living insects, they writhed and tightened around Ki Jae-eon’s entire body.
Before long, his toes were lifted into the air.
Oooooooo!
A mountain-like, gigantic Fatal Spirit revealed itself.
The black mass reeked and emitted chilling sounds. The surface moved as if retching.
Ki Jae-eon smiled at the filthy sight.
Fatal Spirit. This is the first time I haven’t been afraid of you like this.
Yes, I can face you without a care.
“Are you curious about my taste?”
Ki Jae-eon deliberately panted and tilted his body.
Blood soaked his white clothes.
“Eat.”
A death feigned.
The black mass pulsed greatly.
Hunger. Even that monster felt hunger.
A starvation that any living thing would inevitably feel.
“You’re… just an insignificant creature after all.”
You weren’t a god.
A short, clear laugh swept across the snowfield.
As if he could finally see the end.
And the swallowing began.
The Fatal Spirit swallowed him whole without chewing.
No longer did the presence of a human exist on this snowfield.
After he was swallowed, the world faced two major changes.
The first was the Fatal Spirit.
The thing that had been like a living natural disaster suddenly stopped as if it had frozen. There was no crying, no negativity flowing out. It was just a stuffed specimen. Like a butterfly pinned in a glass case in a museum, its wings spread.
Of course, the towering silhouette still sent chills down the spine just by looking at it, but it was strangely powerless. A large object that posed no threat. The eeriness that had disrupted everyday life had stopped for a moment and turned into something that would disappear with a deep breath.
And so, people slowly grew accustomed to it.
As the banners calling for salvation piled up haphazardly in the corners of alleys, the sounds of laughter increased.
Someone dragged out a broom and swept the trash from the streets, and someone else opened the door to their shop.
A result of oblivion, the greatest blessing, where any joy or fear would pass by indifferently at some point…
“Isn’t it okay now?”
The words spread quickly.
As if it were the right answer, messages urging a return to everyday life appeared everywhere.
Safety alerts, TV, radio, newspapers.
Furthermore, online communities were filled with tags like ‘#BackToNormal’ and ‘#ThankYouForEnduring’.
Meanwhile, there were those who stood their ground even in the midst of all this. The Exorcists.
They constantly guarded and suspected the Fatal Spirit, refusing to include it in the category of ‘everyday life’.
Because they knew that the words ‘it’ll be okay’ were the most dangerous.
But no matter what they did, it didn’t really matter. The Fatal Spirit didn’t move easily, as if time had stopped.
‘Does the fact that even wishes can’t reach it mean that negativity is being purified inside?’
‘I wonder if it’s a good thing or not.’
‘If it collapses from the inside like this, it would be ideal.’
‘Is there anything more we can do?’
‘I want to support Exorcist Ki Jae-eon, even from afar.’
‘Even a small help…’
‘Please, let it reach Ki Jae-eon…’
The Exorcists continued to wonder what they could do, but unfortunately, no answer was in sight.
In the first place, they weren’t even given the time to try.
Why? The reason was the second change.
That is, the nation, or more precisely, the people.
Unbelievably, those who had once bowed their heads and thanked them for their kindness were now turning their backs!
In fact, in some ways, it was only natural.
People who had already tasted peace did not want any more conflict.
Thus, the idea of burying it as it was began to surface.
Let’s not stir up trouble for no reason.
Let’s quietly return to our daily lives as if nothing had happened.
So, let’s not touch it anymore.
People decided to turn a blind eye, and public opinion also leaned in that direction.
“Are you out of your mind?”
“It’s not over yet!”
As the Exorcists naturally protested, public opinion became even more violent. All sorts of conspiracy theories and sensational rumors circulated, driving them into a corner. Even a self-proclaimed expert appeared on some social media platforms. He falsely claimed that the actions of Korean Exorcists were actually rituals that stimulated and awakened the monster.
It was foolish nonsense.
But people, feeling uneasy, began to believe the far-fetched story more and more.