Chapter 343. Comeback (1) (2/2)
“…Man, they’re perceptive too.”
The young man muttered as he threw off his helmet.
The face that was revealed, grinned at Unsightly Humility.
“Aren’t you grateful?”
—…I am. I heard your voice in my head and prepared in advance.
“Yeah, yeah, nice shot. I got a light cut too. That guy’s quick-witted, so I wasn’t sure if I could get near him within six steps… hmm?”
Sung Shihyun quickly stepped to the side. A loud bang rang out beside the Archer’s headless body.
“Sung Shihyuuuun!”
The Star of Wrath was fuming with anger with his sword stuck in the ground.
“You bastard… I was wondering why I haven’t seen you in such a long time…. But why…?”
“Why do you think? Can’t you see?”
Sung Shihyun snorted and pointed at his body.
The Star of Wrath became speechless.
There, a long wound was in the process of healing. Such regenerative ability meant only one thing — Sung Shihyun had accepted the Parasite Queen’s Authority into his body.
“You….”
“Ah, whatever. I’ve got nothing to say to you.”
Sung Shihyun said flatly and turned his gaze to Cinzia.
“It’s been a while, hmm? Fifth.”
“….”
“So Sixth isn’t with you? Where’s my prim, bespectacled kitten?”
Sung Shihyun asked playfully, looking around.
A look of bewilderment and confusion crossed Cinzia’s face. She sighed and rubbed her temples.
“You were gone for so long, so I suspected this might be the case, but… you’ve really done it this time, you little horseshit.”
“Hahahaha. I warned you, remember? Keep messing with me and I’ll turn to the Parasites.”
“Did they promise you something good? Something worthy of giving up life on Earth?”
“Yep, they did. And life on Earth is overrated anyway. A bunch of jackasses are always trying to kidnap me every time I go back. Would you want to go back if you were in my shoes?”
“What?”
“Ah~ Nevermind. None of that matters now. I’m like, su~per busy right now. I gotta go fulfill the Queen’s orders.”
“Queen? You mean the Parasite Queen?”
“Yeah. Ah, we’re gonna retreat soon. So let’s say goodbye here.”
“As if!”
The Star of Wrath shouted.
As Sung Shihyun snickered, Cinzia’s complexion waned. The Sung Shihyun she knew was a scumbag and a lecher, but his skills were real.
He always did what he said he would do. Just like this time, when he really turned to the Parasites.
“I told you, we’re retreating. But it’s really us doing you a favor. I admit you guys have an advantage, but do you think the Parasites will go down that easily? Really?”
Sung Shihyun looked back at Unsightly Humility with a smirk.
“Hey, Blackie. The Queen wants you to hang in there a little longer. I removed one of them for you, so can you do it?”
—Of course. You’ve been a great help.
Unsightly Humility answered, and at the same time, Death Knights began to rise from the ground. The spectral horse had been summoned again as well.
“Then I’m leaving. There’s an even more dangerous place for me to go to.”
—I assume you’re talking about Vulgar Chastity. Go on. I’ll take care of these guys.
“Of course, you will.”
Sung Shihyun jumped up without hesitation. He began to climb as if there were stairs in the air before looking back at Cinzia and waving his hand.
“Goodbye, Fifth. I’ll see you in bed next time. With Sixth, of course.”
Unable to contain his anger, the burly man threw his greatsword. But Sung Shihyun had already disappeared without a trace, and the sword pierced nothing but the empty air.
Cinzia bit her lips, wary of Unsightly Humility who regained his composure.
Sung Shihyun had already climbed the cliff and was crossing the fortress wall.
*
Meanwhile.
—AHHHHHHHHHH!
Flames and screams were violently swirling inside the fortress.
Flaming clothes and hair swirled around Vulgar Chastity, who had unsealed her divinity.
The barrier was dense enough not to fit a single drop of water, but that was all there was. The expedition team had no reason to enter the burning barrier.
Things were quite different from when they fought the Army Commanders in the Spirit Realm.
This time, the Parasites were backed into a corner, and the Federation and humanity had the upper hand. The longer they held out, the more advantageous their situation would become.
Moments later, the raging flames died down. Vulgar Chastity knew she was at a disadvantage and was smart enough not to waste all her energy at once.
She had formed the barrier to prevent joint attacks by her enemies — the Star of Lust, the Star of Avarice, Roselle, and the Arcus Spirit — but she could not keep it longer than necessary.
But the fact that the flames were gone meant that she was approachable again.
Seol Jihu’s eyes lit up. Immediately, he dashed towards Vulgar Chastity using Flash Thunder.
And it wasn’t just Seol Jihu. Baek Haeju, Agnes, and Hoshino Urara also took part in the attack from different angles.
—Kyaah!
Vulgar Chastity flashed her eyes as she revealed her fangs. Her eyes met Hoshino Urara’s as she jumped in from the front.
“Ueh?”
With a dazed look, Hoshino Urara fell to the ground. But there were still three remaining, so Vulgar Chastity quickly prepared the next move.
Glistening smoke gushed out of her body. From the surface, the smoke looked like white clouds, but it was actually poisonous gas that melted everything that it touched.
However, Seol Jihu did not stop Flash Thunder. He believed in his comrades.
“Luxu · Lu · Luxuria!”
“Avar · Ava · Avaritia!”
A semi-spherical membrane enveloped Seol Jihu, and a strong wind blew away the smoke. Seol Jihu took this opportunity to thrust his spear, brimming with golden sword qi, into Vulgar Chastity.
Pzzzzzt! Vulgar Chastity’s hair wrapped around the spear just in time to stop it. It also swallowed Baek Haeju’s spear and Agnes’ threads.
—Uaaaargh!
Seeing the tip of the spear swaying right in front of her eyes, Vulgar Chastity moaned in panic. She once again released her divinity.
—?
She expected the release to send her enemies flying. But somehow, the trio was still standing. She even felt they had become stronger.
‘How…!?’
Vulgar Chastity could not hide her shock.
Whiiiiiiish!
It was only then that she realized that the space surrounding her was distorted. Her energy was being cut off by a powerful force.
When she saw Roselle with her forehead drenched in sweat and her hands stretched forward, she realized that the witch had somehow trapped her and her energy inside a barrier.
Vulgar Chastity clenched her teeth and tried to break open the barrier.At that moment, the phoenix suddenly soared to the sky, spreading its wings and opening its beak wide.
Vulgar Chastity trembled with fear when she saw a crimson ball of flame forming in his beak.
She was just beginning to realize the reason that Raging Temperance and Twisted Kindness lost might not be just because of bad luck.
It was then.
—Hmm?
Roselle, who was devoting all her energy to maintain the barrier, suddenly turned her head.
Seol Jihu also threw a glance in the same direction.
A white line was drawn vertically in the middle of the huge ice barrier Roselle erected.
Crack!
Before they knew it, the barrier shattered into pieces and a hole was formed in the middle.
Seol Jihu flinched.
He might have been mistaken, but something seemed to have entered through that hole.
But he couldn’t see anything unusual.
As Seol Jihu tried to make sense of the situation, color drained from Baek Haeju’s face.
She suddenly withdrew her spear and turned away. Wide-eyed, she threw the spear straight at the hole.
However…
“Ah!”
Boom. With a small explosion, her spear pierced through the empty air.
—What!?
The phoenix must have seen the same thing Baek Haeju did as it also spewed out flames toward the ice barrier.
However, the flames, which were flying with tremendous momentum, were divided into pieces as if they had been cut by a sword.
Seeing this, Seol Jihu’s doubt turned into certainty. He immediately ran without hesitation.
He was planning to aim for the point where the flames split, but then— Boom! He heard another explosion.
The flames merged into one again.
‘It disappeared?’
Seol Jihu flinched with a frown on his face.
Philip Muller, absent-mindedly blinking his eyes instead of chanting spells, came into his sight.
Suddenly, for some unknown reason, an alarm bell rang inside Seol Jihu’s head.
There was no time to hesitate. Although he still couldn’t see anything with his eyes—
Whoosh!
Seol Jihu followed his ‘intuition’ and darted towards Philip Muller. As soon as he raised the Spear of Purity, a white sword appeared, cutting through the air.
Clang!
A metallic clanging rang out.
Seol Jihu held his breath at the unbelievable weight felt through his hands.
As he barely raised his head, he saw his spear blocking a white sword and the face of a young man holding the sword.
He could have sworn that this man wasn’t here a second ago. Everything felt surreal.
“…Huh?”
But the young man seemed just as surprised as Seol Jihu.
“You read Ethereal Shift? And you blocked my White Fang?”
Dazed, Sung Shihyun looked down.
Seol Jihu clenched his teeth and looked up.
The former’s sharp, arrogant eyes met the latter’s burning, dignified eyes.
And so….
“You’re…?”
“…!”
The two young men’s gazes clashed violently in the air.