Resurrection Chapter 116

“I’m not a mage, so I can’t move around as freely as if using Teleport. Unless I set a return point in advance, I always come back here.”

“Oh, is that so.”

Just as I was thinking I’d have to be the one to move again, Kang Cheoljun started walking first.

“Let’s not waste mana and just use the Transfer to get to Yongin City Hall. From there, the Grand Temple is just a stone’s throw away.”

Belatedly recalling the existence of the Transfer, I chased after Kang Cheoljun. A device called a Transfer was installed between major administrative agencies to facilitate movement. Since it consumed a large amount of magic stones, even civil servants could only use it in emergencies, but this was indeed an emergency.

Kang Cheoljun used his body-implantable civil servant ID to enter the Eeicheong Priests’ building. He went straight to the Transfer installed around the lobby and requested permission to move.

Perhaps because Kang Cheoljun had become the interim team leader of Mugunghwa, permission was granted immediately, and I boarded the object, which at first glance looked like an elevator. Soon, I felt a large amount of mana shifting and my skin tingled, and then the doors opened again.

The scenery beyond the doors was the city hall.

It seemed we had arrived at Yongin City Hall in an instant, but no one paid any attention to our appearance. Everyone was running here and there in a state of confusion.

I pushed through the chaotic crowd and rushed outside the city hall, and saw the Grand Temple building soaring high into the sky, rumbling as if it would collapse at any moment. Awakened ones who had been hastily mobilized were setting up several layers of defensive barriers to mitigate the impact in case the building collapsed. In addition, fire trucks and ambulances had already been dispatched, and military police who had evacuated the citizens were busy clearing the area.

It looked like a fierce battle was taking place between the S-rank Awakened ones and Yaksha. A loud roar, as if a thunderstorm were striking from a clear sky, echoed, and strange phenomena swirled around the building. With my mouth agape, I watched the commotion until I started running, following Kang Cheoljun’s gesture.

Thanks to Kang Cheoljun displaying a hologram that proved his identity, we were able to rush into the scene without any hindrance. The roads were already deeply gouged in various places, and the plaza leading to the Grand Temple was completely devastated.

Layers of dark vengeful spirits enveloped the empty air of the plaza. Since the Grand Temple’s barriers had been completely shattered and it was the middle of the city, it seemed it hadn’t been difficult to gather the vengeful spirits.

Because of that, the Grand Temple looked as if it were engulfed in a dark storm. And in the middle of it all stood Yaksha. I let out a groan when I saw a figure rolling about at his feet.

It was Mun Iseon, the First Apostle of the White Goddess, who was also recently called the knockoff Heesoo. Whatever had been done to him, his eyes were completely rolled back, and his limbs were trembling violently.

Trampling him like a stone, Yaksha swung his trishula. With a thunderous CLANG, someone struck the trishula back as it shot out like a bullet. The one wielding a pair of slender twin swords, like switches, was none other than Cheonggeom Ryu Jinju.

From the rear, the Archmage Imae was assisting her. Their combination didn’t seem too bad. If there was enough time, it seemed they could devise a good strategy and pressure Yaksha.

The problem was Yaksha’s reinforcements flocking in from all directions. I scanned the figures flying into the sky around the Grand Temple.

One of them was wearing the uniform of the Special Operations Unit. It was none other than Hwang Chihong. The rest were also people who had become Yaksha’s servants.

Seeing the scene, Kang Cheoljun let out a groan. They had said they chased after me on the day I went to Elysium on the special operations helicopter. Since Mugunghwa was there, it wasn’t hard to imagine that a fierce battle must have taken place over the East Sea.

They probably did their best to retrieve their team leader, Hwang Chihong, but it seemed they hadn’t succeeded. The fact that Hwang Chihong was here now was proof that he hadn’t escaped Yaksha’s control.

Perhaps thinking she had to hurry before Yaksha’s servants joined in, a tremendous aura began to boil up around Ryu Jinju. Imae also seemed to be preparing a major spell, as his casting was long.

Of course, Yaksha didn’t just leave them be. Yaksha stepped on Mun Iseon’s neck and aimed his trishula at his back.

It was a warning that if they attacked, he would kill Mun Iseon. As if she couldn’t stand the injustice of it, Ryu Jinju let out a shout that was close to a cry of indignation.

“You cowardly bastard! Leave that guy alone!”

Yaksha twisted his pale lips upwards.

“If you want that, bring Kim Yitae before me. It’s simple, isn’t it? If you just bring Kim Yitae, you won’t have to fight so desperately. I’ll even safely release the ones trapped in the Grand Temple.”

As Yaksha put slight pressure on the tip of his foot, Mun Iseon began to spew bloody foam. While Ryu Jinju’s face turned red with anger, Imae, who was behind her, asked in a manner that seemed strangely out of place for the situation.

“Why on earth do you want Kim Yitae. Is he worth committing an act like this?”

At Imae’s question, Yaksha smiled triumphantly. The fiend’s lips twitched, and I suddenly grew worried. A madman like him might just announce to the whole world that I have a resurrection skill.

Chaos was breaking out all around, but I noticed drones hovering sparsely in the sky outside the barrier. There were more than a few people who would throw their lives away like blades of grass for a news story, so this situation was probably being broadcast live online as it happened.

The moment Yaksha opened his mouth to speak, my secret would no longer be a secret. I instinctively felt that my secret would be laid bare for all to see today. It was something that would be revealed someday, and I was mentally prepared for it, but I didn’t want to let it be known through Yaksha’s mouth.

Before Yaksha could utter the words, I shook off Kang Cheoljun, who was holding me back, and stepped forward.

“You son of a bitch, did you call for me?”

As I spat out the curse and stepped onto the shattered road towards Yaksha, his eyes widened slightly. I, who was glaring at him, also widened my eyes a bit in turn.

Yaksha’s mug was different from Shin Lion’s face. He was in his original form, not Shin Lion’s.

I stopped at a reasonable distance and snorted.

“You talked such a big game about being a concept freak, but I didn’t know it was to this extent. Was that handsome-ass face of yours made up too? Is there something wrong with your facial features? If not, then why are you walking around with a face that’s not even yours.”

He was the type to get easily provoked by the words “concept freak,” but it seemed he was desperate for me today. Rather than getting angry at my words, he let a sickening smile bloom across his face.

Even though he’s acting composed on the outside, the fact that he even called in his servants shows that he’s struggling to deal with three S-rank Awakened ones by himself. That must be why he’s so happy to see me.

“If you had been one step later, this fellow would have been dead.”

As Yaksha said that, he kicked Mun Iseon, who had fainted after spitting up bloody foam. Even though he was called the knockoff Heesoo, he had a decent fandom, so this was a real shame. From today, his ranking will plummet, and his fans will probably drop off in droves.

I clicked my tongue internally and spoke.

“You little punk, if you want to meet someone, you should ask for an appointment politely. You’re so damn mannerless. You don’t know my number? Should I give you my number?”

“Shut up and come here.”

“Whatever, I came here because I have something to find. Where’s my magic sword?”

As I said that, I scanned the surroundings with my eyes. I spotted Lævateinn stuck inside the half-collapsed lobby behind Yaksha.

Half of the blade was embedded in the floor, and something like chains was wrapped tightly around it. Its presence was faint, as if it had been sealed by something.

In truth, something like a seal wasn’t a big problem, but the area around it was the problem. It was surrounded by vengeful spirits, so it looked difficult to get close. For now, since Yaksha was blocking the path, it seemed I had to get rid of him.

I glanced over at Ryu Jinju and Imae. While I was buying time with my wordplay with Yaksha, they seemed to have finished their preparations.

I, too, had finished preparing to fight. It took considerable courage to face Yaksha without my magic sword, but I was fully aware of my role.

I used Blink to move, intending to become bait myself. As my form disappeared and reappeared at the rear, a fire glinted in Yaksha’s eyes. I instantly moved right in front of Lævateinn, but as soon as I did, a horde of vengeful spirits charged at me.

Just then, a gentle energy flowed through the surroundings like a wave. The surprised vengeful spirits scattered in all directions, and I was able to see a person who had stood up inside the lobby.

It was Park Sikyung. He was repelling the vengeful spirits with all his might. The vengeful spirits shrieked in pain and circled the area, but they dared not approach.

It wasn’t a level of power a Second Apostle could produce. I saw an object flashing like a star on his forehead and realized he was using Gemma.

‘He secured Gemma!’

Under his protection, I approached the magic sword and reached out my hand. Just as I was about to grab it, Yaksha’s sinister voice came from behind me.

“Kim Yitae.”

It felt like his hissing breath was right in my ear. The things I had to endure when I was captured by him flashed through my mind.

Under the pretext of taming me, Yaksha had thrown me into an endless pit of humiliation, pleasure, and shame. In the continuous illusions, I had to reveal everything about myself to him. Yaksha saw every part of me that I had never even shown to Heesoo hyung, parts of myself that even I didn’t want to see.

At that fact, a feeling that could not even be described as shame seized me. Due to the terrible trauma, I felt my fingers curl up. I felt as if Yaksha would snatch the nape of my neck at any moment, and I wanted to run away, leaving Lævateinn right in front of my eyes. The temptation that a single Teleport could leave this pandemonium behind pulled at the back of my head.

But Yaksha couldn’t grab me, even though he was close. Taking advantage of the moment Yaksha was distracted by me, Imae’s attack exploded.