LFG 55

“Haa, haa.”

Ki Jae-eon glanced at Kim Ju-won, panting roughly. He still needed a little more.

‘But as expected…….’

[Me] only chases after himself.

It was a good choice to separate from Kim Ju-won. If he had stayed with him, the time to fill the Blood Bow with spiritual power would have been shortened, but he would have been targeted by [Me].

It was much better for Kim Ju-won to gather spiritual power stably on his own like this.

‘But there’s only one chance. I can’t make a mistake.’

Ki Jae-eon knew very well how strong [Me] was. If [Me] had been given unlimited time without the Wish Eater’s rules… to be honest, he might have been the one to lose. No, he probably would have.

Of course, this wasn’t just the result of calculating the output value of power. It was about the difference in will and perseverance, which were more important. The other side was currently identifying himself with ‘It’, so his tenacity would be beyond imagination. Therefore, if they had to compete for a long time, it was obvious who would be laughing.

‘I’ am not as desperate as [Me].’

‘It’s about time…….’

He had to settle the score.

He shook off his distractions and took a breath. He guessed the other side was thinking the same thing.

Ki Jae-eon slowly raised his hand. [Me] did the same. They were moving in the same way. But their mindsets were different. Ki Jae-eon gave [Me] a lonely smile.

“Sorry. Let’s make this your defeat.”

Determination filled Ki Jae-eon’s eyes as he moved his lips.

“O immortal divine spirit dwelling by our side.”

[“O immortal divine spirit dwelling by our side.”]

The two were staring at each other.

“To the foolish who know no repentance-”

[“To the foolish who know no repentance-”]

Thousands of divine graces began to be embroidered in the sky. Crimson and golden lights appeared irregularly, as if checking each other.

“The end.”

[“The end.”]

Soon after, the divine graces collided with each other.

——!

An explosion that made his ears ring.

The world flickered and soon turned white. A light that could make him lose his sight. Unbelievable miracles continued to happen. Corruption and purity. Flowers and grass rotted and grew back repeatedly due to the opposing forces. A rapidly changing world.

The gaze in the bandages, watching without wavering in the midst of the great storm.

Ki Jae-eon quietly twisted up the corners of his lips and moved his lips.

‘What, didn’t you forget something?’

[Me]’s head turned quickly. But it was already too late.

A beam of light soared through the hazy dust and flew at high speed, hitting the Wish Eater accurately. Ding——! The sound of a bell ringing throughout the village. Soon, starting with a small crack, the entire Wish Eater was covered in cracks like a spider web. And [Me] with a face that said, ‘It can’t be’. He couldn’t believe he had lost.

Clang! In the end, the Wish Eater shattered into pieces.

The fallen fragments disappeared one by one like illusions.

Everything was over.

“……”

As the wind subsided, he saw Kim Ju-won, exhausted, in the distance.

Kim Ju-won, whose arms were trembling, let out a refreshing lion’s roar and lay down on his back. There was something about that Kim Ju-won-like appearance that made him chuckle.

And.

‘He can’t… believe he lost.’

He looked up at the sky and saw [Me] standing there, still in place. He, too, was swaying like a flame’s tail and slowly disappearing.

‘……If I had failed in the battle with It, would I… have made that expression?’

It was unexpected.

To be honest, he thought that [Me] might have been hoping for this moment.

‘There’s no… sense of liberation?’

He wanted death so much, but why?

In the end, could he only close his eyes peacefully if he didn’t run away from the battle with ‘It’ and achieved unconditional victory? He felt strange, as if he had glimpsed a future where he couldn’t be saved by any other route.

[“……”]

He could see [Me] crumbling.

Then, suddenly, their eyes met.

It was then.

[“……Ge.”]

His parched, cracked lips moved slowly, again and again.

Ki Jae-eon’s eyes widened endlessly as he heard his last words. It was an expression of shock and speechlessness. Ki Jae-eon stopped moving completely and didn’t lower his head until [Me] had completely disappeared. Then he slowly clenched his fists. His eyes and the bridge of his nose were distorted accordingly. Finally, heat gathered. …Yeah, his head moved slowly. Yes. The one word that burst out like a sigh was wet with tears. Ki Jae-eon swallowed the hot emotions inside his throat several times.

-[“I’ll rest first.”]

[Me] had definitely said that.

He was just an illusion created by the Wish Eater, but… how.

But rather than questioning it, he just.

“You’ve worked hard. Get so, some rest first……”

He just thought it was fortunate that he could offer himself a refreshing greeting of ‘you’ve worked hard’.

*

‘I feel refreshed.’

His whole body felt like it had been smashed to pieces, but why did he feel so refreshed?

Kim Ju-won thought blankly as he lay sprawled out. To exaggerate a little, it felt like he had been reborn. Now that the ‘evil’ that had been building up in his heart had disappeared, his mind and body felt clean. Had the sky always been so beautiful? He stared at the night sky, which was subtly mixed with blue, for a long time without blinking. All that had changed was his heart, but the same darkness felt so different. …Hmm, Kim Ju-won let out a light puff of air and sat up abruptly.

‘I should apologize when I get back.’

To Teacher, and to Ahn Seo-myeong.

‘Ah, before that.’

Kim Ju-won quietly turned his gaze to one side.

There was someone he had to apologize to first.

Ki Jae-eon.

‘No, Exorcist Ki Jae-eon… sir.’

Kim Ju-won scratched his cheek at the unfamiliar title.

In fact, he should have done it a long time ago. Ki Jae-eon hadn’t said anything special, but when it came to experience, there was a big difference between the two. In other words, they weren’t of equal rank. It was a miracle that Ki Jae-eon had accepted it without complaint.

If this place had been like Heavenly Land, where there was a strict hierarchy, Kim Ju-won would have been excommunicated long ago. Or, as a price for touching Ki Jae-eon, he might have been tricked by the Gi Clan and Heavenly Land and become their servant.

Anyway, it was a relief that Ki Jae-eon was stupid… pure.

Well, there were countless other mistakes he had made besides the title.

Think back.

Punching him at their first meeting, then swearing at him.

And that wasn’t all? He hadn’t hesitated to say all sorts of harsh things whenever he saw his face.

“……”

Looking back, it was just a one-sided act of violence. Kim Ju-won became a little depressed because he didn’t even know where to start apologizing.

If he counted all the times he had been rude, he wouldn’t have enough fingers on both hands. To be honest, it would have been better for him to just disappear quietly.

But he still had to do it.

‘…I don’t know if he’ll accept it.’

Kim Ju-won’s expression, as he smiled awkwardly, looked quite comfortable. He no longer seemed to be swayed by negative emotions such as inferiority. It was the peace he had finally found at the end of repentance.

He could feel that he had changed a lot. Of course, that change included recognition and respect for Ki Jae-eon. No, to be exact, it should be said that it was reverence.

He had come full circle and realized it through this incident.

That it was himself, not the surroundings, that had changed.

Without knowing that, he had only hated the innocent Ki Jae-eon. Ki Jae-eon had never taken his place. Yes, he was just a coward. He had tried to find the cause of his flaws elsewhere.

‘It’s all because of Ki Jae-eon…….’

Thinking about it again, he was an idiot.

‘A pathetic bastard.’

But now he knew.

That if he wanted true growth, he had to find his shortcomings in himself and learn from others.

Why had he forgotten? The coexistence and symbiosis, humility and consideration that were the foundation of the main office.

He loved the main office more than anyone else, but he was stupid.

‘I have to learn again from the beginning.’

As Kim Ju-won made up his mind, a good sound rang out briefly from the flute at his waist. As if saying, ‘Yes, that’s it!’

It was around the time he was engrossed in various thoughts.

A stammering voice broke Kim Ju-won’s reverie.

“A, are you… okay?”

And a hand was carefully extended.

He stared at the hand for a moment, then slowly took it. The large hand fit perfectly. It was a hand he had once never thought he would hold for the rest of his life.

The force that pulled him up was stronger than he thought.

The guy who could exert this much strength had always silently endured.