In the heart of the Night Market in Chengdu.
I moved the old man I had bound with Sacred Power to the roadside and waved at the smartphone camera.
“That’s it for today’s broadcast. Check the news later for the results!”
It was time to wrap up the first broadcast of Wise Erin TV.
As much as I wanted to stream the moment I dealt with Haoran, that would surely get the channel shut down.
A bit disappointing, but I could say I had a successful broadcast since I showed the easy defeat of one of the leaders of the Burning Association.
“Well then, goodbye!”
After waving cheerfully one last time, I turned off the broadcast and took off the Haemaki. Only then did the soothing effect wear off, and I returned to my original self.
Strangely, I felt more stable and calm than when I was wearing the Haemaki.
‘…I guess it’s not good to wear this for too long after all.’
I had a rough idea of the reason.
The relic Haemaki twists the wearer’s thoughts and emotions to create an unnatural calm. It was a function that clearly distorts the mind.
So it wasn’t entirely comfortable.
Unfortunately, it was a downside that someone with as sensitive a perception as mine would notice. After all, I was the only one actually using it.
“Dear Sun, you have been too gracious.”
Next time, I should definitely include a request to moderate the blessings in my prayer.
Our Goddess has a tendency to be a bit too extravagant, so I wasn’t sure it would get through.
I was finishing my evaluation of the relic I had used for the first time in a real situation when…
“Pope.”
Zhang Yao, who had gone off to catch another leader, approached me while dragging a large woman by the collar.
Zhang Yao glanced at the old man collapsed on the ground near me and gave a thumbs up.
“Of course. I knew you could take him down easily.”
“Is that person a leader, too?”
“Yep. This one is the fourth leader you’ve captured. The old man you caught is the first.”
Apparently, this old man was one of the highest-ranking executives of the Burning Association. It felt a bit too easy to take him down, though.
Well, it’s not like he was taken down by sheer force. After all, the only returnees in the Burning Association were Haoran and Zhang Yao.
Thinking this way made me really glad the leaders weren’t combat-ready. If they had been skilled, there could have been a horrific tragedy.
“Yao, thank you for your hard work. It’s a bit much to call it a reward, but since we’re at the night market, feel free to buy whatever you like.”
I pulled out cash from the old man’s wallet. Six 100 yuan bills.
“I won’t refuse.”
Zhang Yao didn’t hesitate at all and confidently walked to a nearby shop to order some food.
The shop owner, who had been tense because of the old man’s ruckus, cautiously served him some steaming fried noodles.
Looks delicious. Should I get one, too?
I realized I hadn’t eaten lunch or dinner, so I was a bit hungry. It didn’t seem like a bad idea to have a late-night snack after a long time.
“I’ll just have one too….”
Just then, a sudden cool breeze swept down from the sky.
It was not an ordinary natural breeze. It was a spirit’s wind.
Feeling pleasantly surprised, I looked up, and sure enough, a large spirit was descending toward me.
The top-tier wind spirit, Toney, which resembled an Eastern-style dragon.
I waved my hand silently.
“Hmm?”
Toney, who had come close, blinked and tilted its head.
“Clitia? Why are you in Erin’s form?”
Seems like it saw through my disguise right away. Truly a top-tier spirit.
“What do you think? Isn’t it cute?”
“Well, since it’s Erin’s form, it’s naturally cute.”
After a brief pause, Toney continued.
“But if we’re talking about superiority, your original appearance is better. I prefer beautiful over cute.”
Guess it really is Liam’s spirit with how it flattered me.
It was transparent flattery, but I couldn’t help but smile. Honestly, it wasn’t wrong.
“That aside, let’s go. It’s almost over.”
“Is that so?”
The powerful presence I had sensed in the sky was fading, and it seemed the battle was reaching its conclusion.
Naturally, the one who was weakening was not the Demigod’s power but the Immortal’s spiritual energy.
“Let’s go.”
“Understood.”
“Oh, please bring that guy too.”
“Sure.”
Toney lifted me with one hand and snatched Zhang Yao, who was happily munching on fried noodles, with the other.
And soon, we soared up into the sky with incredible speed, as if teleporting.
“Waaahhh!”
The scream of Zhang Yao, who was yanked away from his delicious meal, echoed right before Toney came to a halt.
We were in a prime spot with a clear view of the battlefield in the sky.
Then the voices of two men reached my ears.
“Why are you so weak?”
“You bastard!!”
A knight in silver armor and an Immortal enveloped in deep blue energy, wielding a sword, were clashing violently.
Liam’s silver sword cut through Haoran’s body, shredding the intense blue energy every time it made contact, and barely missed flesh.
On the other hand…
Haoran’s dark blue energy-infused sword couldn’t even scratch Liam’s armor. The two swords floating in the air had the same result.
Liam’s side was victorious in every aspect of attack and defense.
Seemingly in disbelief or perhaps anger, Haoran was constantly shouting.
“This can’t be happening! No way!”
Shock.
The astonishment was evident on Haoran’s face. His eyes were wide with rage as he continuously denied reality.
It was the appearance of someone completely unable to accept an impending defeat.
“I can’t believe I’m losing….”
Zhang Yao, watching the battle, murmured in astonishment. Even after telling him to relax, he seemed to have his doubts.
“I said I would win for sure.”
“I never expected you to dominate this much.”
That was true. I hadn’t anticipated such a one-sided outcome either.
Had he somehow gotten stronger? There’s hardly any Mana on Earth, how was that even possible?
Just as I was sinking into thought, Liam shouted loudly.
“Body Free Use! Five Selves!”
“……”
That must have been an overly strong application of the victory spell.
Avoiding the curious gaze of Zhang Yao beside me, I focused on the battlefield.
The not-so-short battle wrapped up a little while later.
“You stubborn bastard!”
As Liam swung his sword infused with silver aura, a giant crescent blade soared toward Haoran.
An overwhelmingly powerful finishing move.
Haoran hurriedly dodged, but couldn’t prevent his right shoulder from getting severed.
“Urrrk…! Turtle egg!!”
I couldn’t help but hear Haoran’s scream in Korean, thanks to the translation magic I had cast. But why was he mentioning turtle eggs? Was that a curse?
I had no idea what he meant, but it was clear he was in no decent state.
He looked incapable of continuing the fight.
In other words, victory and defeat had been determined. It was the Demigod’s victory.
In response, Liam raised his arms and cheered.
“Body Free Use!”
…He was shouting like he owned the neighborhood. I asked Toney to help me fly over and give him a light slap on the back of his head.
“Stop it already…”
“Woooooah!”
Now he was roaring like a beast. Based on experience, it seemed he wouldn’t stop regardless of what I said, so I decided to leave him be.
“Toney, please go over to that man. Bind him as well.”
“Sure.”
I left Liam to his antics and approached Haoran, who was slowly descending into the air.
Even in such a state, being an Immortal, he tried to escape when he saw Toney, but he could not outrun the wind spirit above.
In the end, Haoran was trapped in a cage of wind, his face showing clear frustration.
“Heh, what a massive amount of poisonous energy he possesses.”
“Toney, come a little closer.”
“Sure.”
Soon, I was face-to-face with Haoran, trapped in the wind jail. I was going to do him in, but I wanted to ask one thing first.
“Why did you target me? Surely it can’t just be because you wanted to break into Korea.”
“That tone… The Pope, huh. So you’ve come too.”
After a moment of pause while he stopped the bleeding from his severed shoulder, Haoran suddenly grinned.
“Did you ask about the reason? If I had to say, it was because I wanted to have you.”
“…Me?”
“I was planning to make you a killer and psychologically corner you. In that state, any woman would easily succumb to you.”
“…….”
So, it was a very personal reason he had sought vengeance on me.
It was what I had anticipated, but hearing it from him made me incredibly uncomfortable.
What a madman. That sentence alone was all I could think.
Haoran certainly should not exist in this world.
Considering just this incident, it had luckily come to a halt, but his accumulated karma was far too great.
“Do you have any last words?”
Before beheading him, I asked Toney one last time as a show of mercy I could express as the Pope.
“Last words….”
The rotting Immortal closed his eyes for a moment, lost in thought.
And then…
With a sinister smile, he spoke.
“Pope Clitia Eluke. As I mentioned earlier, I wanted you, and therefore wanted to disgrace your honor and authority. But… do you know?”
“What do you mean?”
“My interest in you began when one day a dream came to me as if it was a revelation.”
Revelation.
At that word, I felt a chill run down my spine.
Somehow, it felt ominous. I hoped it was just my imagination, but deep down, I knew it wasn’t. My intuition was always accurate when it came to negative predictions.
As expected, Haoran’s next words contained information I didn’t wish to hear.
“The Black Sun. The black sun floating in the sky told me, ‘Pay attention to Clitia Eluke.’”
“…….”
It was a dream I could only frown at.
“Gihihih… It wasn’t an ordinary dream. It was definitely a message from a god somewhere….”
Haoran could not finish his sentence as Toney’s wind blade embedded itself in his head.
“He looked too dangerous, so I dealt with him. Did I overdo it?”
“No, you did well.”
Though he didn’t die instantly, Haoran’s once bright gaze grew muddied and dim.
Then, finally, all his energy dispersed into the air, leaving only a chilling silence.
‘Good riddance.’
Thus, the Immortal who had plunged the Sichuan region into chaos and fear finally met his end. It was an unexpectedly miserable fate for someone of his stature.
With this, the Burning Association would collapse.
So I should feel at peace, but I didn’t. Haoran’s last words kept swirling in my mind.
“Dear Sun.”
With a deep sigh, I quietly prayed.
“It seems we need to have a deep conversation soon.”
The Black Sun, a symbol of misfortune and despair, was casting a terrifying shadow over me.
This was not something to simply overlook. Perhaps a journey more arduous than this Burning Association incident lay ahead.
I might need to prepare early for that.
As I was seriously pondering this while pressing my temples, suddenly someone hugged me tightly from behind.
Without a doubt, it was Liam.
“What the heck.”
Why was he doing this at such a crucial moment? I wanted to push him away out of annoyance, but before I could, Liam whispered into my ear.
“I’m going to use Chapter One. Right now.”
“W-What, here?”
“Yeah.”
“…….”
I struggled to break free from the Demigod’s grasp.
But, naturally, I couldn’t overcome the strength difference, and in the meantime, Liam continued to whisper to me.
“I was trying to hold off but I can’t. Sorry. Is it okay if I use it now?”
…It’s definitely not okay.
“Please let go.”
Despite my desperate resistance, it was all in vain.
I found myself in a crisis of outdoor exposure. It was an emergency situation that could significantly tarnish my reputation.
At this rate, I felt like I would cause a major incident, so I was left with no choice but to propose a compromise.
“Let’s go back and use it. We can stop by the Burning Association Korean Branch building first.”
“Oh, that sounds good.”
Finally regaining his composure, Liam quickly asked Toney to head in the direction of Korea.
Then, he started poking my cheeks and giggling.
“Watch out. This time, I won’t let you off easy.”
“…Oh no.”
It seemed like I was in big trouble.
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