Chapter 180

Day 4 of the special training.

Yoo Se-byeol stepped out of her tent, greeted by the early morning dew.

On one side, a pot containing tentacles that Hayan had prepared for breakfast was bubbling away, while on the other, operatives on guard duty were dozing off—a tranquil scenery.

After pushing back a tentacle that was still alive and trying to open the lid to escape, she walked toward the tentacle turret established in the center of the camp.

It was a facility requisitioned from the Bureau to serve not just as a defensive tower, but also as a relay station with the Magic Tower.

When she entered her smartwatch ID and password into the panel located at the bottom, a blunt voice soon drifted through.

It was Cheon So-baek, the creator of the tentacle turret.

—What is it?

“What time is it over there right now?”

—Obviously the exact same time as it is over there. Didn’t you learn about time zones in school? Or do you just not know how to read a map?

“This is my first time going overseas, so I really didn’t know…!”

Startled, a dozing Alexei swung his axe into the empty air.

Not wanting to wake the other division members, Yoo Se-byeol hurriedly lowered her voice again.

—So what is it at this hour?

“Is your hand alright?”

—If you ask someone missing a hand if they’re alright, of course they’re not alright. Still, I’ve managed to overcome it well enough to form hand seals… Did you seriously contact me at this hour just to ask for an update on that?

“Just to ask for an update, you say…”

Cheon So-baek instinctively realized that Yoo Se-byeol had no reason to contact her at dawn without a purpose.

The sound of a small sigh could be heard across the screen.

—What is your real business?

“Well…”

—Speak comfortably. It’s only been four days since you left Seoul, so as long as the two of you didn’t spend the night in a tent together and cause an accident, I’ll listen without getting mad.

It was true that Hayan was sleeping in her tent, but that was something carried out due to the seniors’ coercion.

They claimed he had a sleeping habit of stealing women’s shoes during his sleep.

It was the common opinion of the division members that having him inside Yoo Se-byeol’s tent was a relief.

Even when she came out just a moment ago, Hayan had stepped down from the field cot and was sleeping near the shoe rack, so she had to exert quite a bit of effort to retrieve her shoes.

“W-We didn’t do anything like that!”

—Oh, is that so? I wonder why you didn’t. Yielding a hundred times over, that’s exactly why I sent you off, though. Then what is it? Is it because of something else?

“Actually…”

Yoo Se-byeol poured her heart out to Cheon So-baek regarding her situation.

That an Archduke was sealed inside her body, and she planned to completely eradicate it.

That because she didn’t know what kind of damage would be inflicted upon the surroundings in that process, she had come all the way to Japan.

And that by any microscopic chance, if something went wrong with her, she might never be able to return.

Having heard the entire story, Cheon So-baek stretched lightly and got to her feet.

Presumably, she had been practicing forming hand seals with one hand while talking.

“If by any chance I die or get left behind here, please look after Hayan…”

—Just what exactly is going to go wrong? You dragged the entirety of Division 3 and The Old Gods’ Wound all the way over there, and you’re going to die?

“No, I mean, just by any microscopic chance…”

—If you’re going to talk about unscientific things like having your physical body devoured by an Archduke, or becoming a body that can no longer use supernatural abilities even if the subjugation succeeds, at least bring some evidence before you speak.

—In the first place, what do you expect me to do now after keeping it hidden all this time and only telling me now? Am I supposed to build a cannon that can snipe only an Archduke from over five hundred kilometers away? Or should I develop a new medicine here?

“The Commander…”

—It’s obvious that when you secretly told the Commander-in-Chief, she told you to go without worrying, which is why you went. But that lady is someone who sees the future, while I’m a disabled person missing a hand, so if you were going to ask me to clean up after you, shouldn’t you have at least given me a heads-up in advance?

—You aren’t thinking about how massive of a disaster will break out if you die, are you? What about the power vacuum in the Special Unit and The Old Gods’ Wound? There’s only one Outer God left now, and they say a great war will erupt if even that one falls, so are you going to keep making problems at the most vital time?

—That woman No Yeon-hwa has no intention of leaving Busan, and you took Hayan all the way to Japan, so if both of you don’t return, I’ll be the only one left in the status of a widow. Do you think I’m stuck in Seoul because I don’t have feet? Come to think of it, it’s unfair. Why do I have to protect the Magic Tower and Seoul all by myself?

A non-stop torrent of nagging poured out rapidly.

Even though it was dawn, her voice was so sharp and resonant that Yoo Se-byeol had to hastily lower the volume.

Just as she was feeling gloomy that she had contacted her in vain, Cheon So-baek let out all her anger.

To the point where even the cool air touching her cheeks felt hot, she stated in an asserting tone.

—Nothing will go wrong.

“What?”

—That’s exactly why Hayan was sent along too. Because I believe he will protect you no matter the circumstances.

“…”

—If by any microscopic chance things do go wrong, I’ll bury Hayan there with you. So don’t worry.

A mage and a swordsman.

They were practically in a relationship resembling the heads of two incompatible families, but Yoo Se-byeol could feel that Cheon So-baek was expressing worry in her own way.

“Understood.”

The sun rose, and morning dawned.

An alarm announcing a monster invasion echoed from afar.

“I will make sure there is no event where you are turned into a widow.”

Yoo Se-byeol, whose head felt far lighter, spoke with a smile.

—If you were a man, I’d fall for you. Anyone listening would think you married me.

A snort of disbelief drifted from the other side of the receiver.

The second Super-Class monster was a cockatrice.

It was a large monster classified as a quasi-rank-1, but after devouring the mana permeating the mountain range and the surrounding monsters for a long time, it was an individual that had grown into a Super-Class.

Because it flew in the sky, it was twice as tricky to attack compared to Tartaruga, which was a slow-poke turtle.

If a bit more time passed, it would possess intelligence like Velada and begin deploying full-scale utilization of mana, so it had to be dealt with now.

While the agents of Division 3 established a plan to subjugate the fellow, I was down at the plain located below the mountain alongside the Sword Immortal.

According to the Sword Immortal, this vast land—which was once called the Tsukushi Plain—was highly suitable as a stage to prepare for a great war.

It was reasonably far from the camp backing the mountain range, and we could also clear out the monsters gathered in the vicinity all at once, so I intended to release the seal of the Archduke dwelling inside Yoo Se-byeol’s body right here.

I inspected the surroundings with him and spoke.

“The Archduke of Necromancy does not fight alone. He summons the demons he once enslaved from the Tomb of Eternity to form an army and attack.”

The corpses interred in the Necropolis were merely a portion of his subordinates.

Though the corpses of dangerous demons, including the Four Knights, had been absorbed by Baek-seon as her own Familiars, many remnants still remained.

Even the number he would pour out by opening Gates for a short period would easily exceed one thousand.

Not just the two of us, but the agents of The Old Gods’ Wound and Division 3 all had to rush in to block his army.

“The power of his true body is no joke either. Once the Hooves of the Statue drop from the sky, the area will be devastated, and an Awakened of Mid-Level rank or below will be unable to escape death from a single kick of his.”

He was an Archduke of the single-digit rank 4, after all.

Even if a massive amount of his Star Scars had been snatched away, attempting to face him with just one or two Transcendent Realm Awakened would bring about catastrophic damage.

Particularly since he knew well about me, he was bound to have a countermeasure against Extreme Magic as well.

Not to mention drawing out a single-digit number of tentacles, my side also had to prepare thoroughly in our own right to subjugate him.

Still, well, up to this point was fine.

Because no matter how strong he was, it was an undeniable fact that he had fled for a long time to avoid the Apostle of the Outer God.

There was no Archduke in existence who could defeat me and Mala-nim in a one-on-one head-on clash.

However, what became a problem was something else.

“The biggest worry above all else is that there is a high probability the battle will begin in a state where we haven’t completely separated him from Commander Yoo Se-byeol’s body.”

“Why is that?”

“Because for an Archduke to manifest, he needs a body that fits. Since he has been sealed inside Commander Yoo Se-byeol’s body in an Incarnation state for a quite long time, it is no exaggeration to say they are half-fused into one body.”

Back when Division 3 fell into Norkel’s trap.

When I fought Yoo Se-byeol while wearing Patel’s mask, she had fought by utilizing the Archduke’s power.

Just like then, submerging Yoo Se-byeol’s consciousness and bringing him up to the surface was the first goal.

Separating him from Yoo Se-byeol’s physical body was what came after.

“That means Se-byeol will be in danger if I attack recklessly.”

“Even so, cut him down recklessly.”

“What? You brat…”

“Unless you have that degree of resolve, you cannot guarantee victory against him. Cut away without minding things like arms or legs. It will be hard for you, but you must do it, Sword Immortal.”

In the meantime, I had to prepare to construct another Incarnation body.

Conveniently, there were two more Super-Class monsters on the plain that hadn’t been subjugated yet.

One of them was a serpent called ‘Jormungandr,’ which boasted a massive size that swallowed even large monsters on the plain in a single bite.

If we sealed him inside the body of a legless serpent, his strength would weaken by that much.

Recognizing us, the Jormungandr immediately flicked its tongue and charged forward.

The Sword Immortal placed his hand on the back of his blade and took a quick-draw stance.

However, unable to let him just cut down a precious potential Incarnation body, I blocked him and stepped one pace forward.

“Be careful!”

“Digestion, swallow it whole.”

The moment I gestured toward the empty air, a tentacle several times larger than the serpent surged from the ground and swallowed it whole just like that.

Even if they were both Super-Class, Digestion was a monster that even possessed Star Scars.

The Jormungandr resisted by spraying venom, but it couldn’t possibly be a match.

In about ten minutes, the fellow was swallowed all the way to its tail.

On the plain where the serpent had vanished, nothing but a massive, pink, giant spear-like tentacle lay resting.

“Don’t digest it yet. To make it into an Incarnation body, we need to maintain its original shape.”

“Kkyaaak~”

“Hmm… the more I look at it, the more of a monster you are.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

Contrary to his words, deep relief was embedded alongside wonder in the Sword Immortal’s eyes.

It was because he thought that since I dealt with a Super-Class monster this easily, I might somehow save his granddaughter as well.

“However, I still haven’t forgotten that you fled after promising to teach me Internal Power Techniques.”

“Compared to your ability, having a petty side is your greatest flaw, sheesh.”

“You may be on your way now, Lord Sword Immortal. The path coming here is a date course, so unless you are senile, do not forget this time around.”

“What about you? Surely you aren’t planning to handle the remaining monster as well?”

“No, I have something else to do separately.”

After confirming that the Sword Immortal had vanished, I entered inside Digestion’s mouth.

Stepping upon the slimy floor and going deep inside for a long while, the tail of the Jormungandr that had been swallowed just a moment ago came into view.

Since I wasn’t manifesting an Incarnation body through sacrifices like what Patel or other demons had done, Star Scars were indispensable.

Naturally, I needed assistance in this process.

『Ahem, Mala-nim. I have something urgent to tell you.』

I unbuttoned my sleeve and connected the Channel with Mala-nim.

Right on cue, a pure white tentacle wriggled and revealed its form.