Possessor #2 Just Wants to Fangirl Chapter 191

Astaroth quickly shook off his fluster and regained composure.

‘Timing isn’t everything.’

A surprise attack was a signal flare announcing battle. The person who shoots the signal first has an advantage, but that alone doesn’t determine victory or defeat.

[Archer Unit 7, stand by]

The white mask absorbed Astaroth’s voice. This order was delivered directly to subordinates’ brains through tattoos engraved on their bodies.

Ki Hyeonmin and Yeom Juwan couldn’t hear the mastermind’s instructions.

Grrrumble!

Ki Hyeonmin was still showing off his strength while destroying the city. Buildings remaining until the location where the mastermind’s troops ambushed: three, two…

[Now!]

Shhhrrrip!

Ten archers who’d been lying in wait simultaneously fired crossbows. Each shot arrow split into a hundred branches in midair.

The Hundred-Kill Bow.

A new weapon developed by the mastermind’s genius inventor, a product not yet publicly released.

The hundred arrows instantly became a thousand fangs rushing toward Ki Hyeonmin. Ki Hyeonmin hastily twisted his body attempting evasion, but, ‘useless!’

The thousand fangs also spun sharply, persistently following Ki Hyeonmin. Guided arrows. Once they set a target, they never let go.

Clang-clang-clang-clang!

Thunk-thunk-thunk!

Half the arrows Ki Hyeonmin sliced. The other half bounced away and embedded in the stone floor.

Each spot where arrows embedded had large cracks. Each possessed power to easily slice through rock.

Vrrrrrrr—

The arrows fixed to the floor vibrated simultaneously.

Shortly after, unbroken arrows all floated into the air and headed toward one building’s rooftop. Returning to the archer unit.

As long as the Hundred-Kill Bow’s arrowheads lived, they could be reused indefinitely. A product compensating for arrows being consumables.

‘Did you see! The power of capital!’

While Astaroth smiled satisfactorily, Ki Hyeonmin sharply turned his head and exchanged glances with Yeom Juwan. Yeom Juwan was resolutely nodding.

‘They must think it’s cowardly.’

Such thoughts were proof of being a greenhorn.

The academy artificially made all cadets equal and judged superiority ‘fairly’ with ‘skill alone,’ but the real world didn’t work that way.

‘Capital is the symbol of power!’

Even if each subordinate lacked skill compared to Ki Hyeonmin, pay-to-win could balance things.

The Hundred-Kill Bow cost 300 million won per crossbow, 10 million won per arrow. The just-now attack totaled 400 million won. At this level, the balance was right.

[Fire again!]

Shhhrrrip!

Ten starving arrows sprinted toward their target again. Scattering in midair to become a thousand fangs and bite Ki Hyeonmin directly…

Whoooosh!

…they couldn’t. Something fiercely burning turned all arrows to ash simultaneously.

A red dragon. A dragon made of blazing flames roared with fierce momentum, mouth gaping wide. But no sound was heard. Yeom Juwan’s flame magic.

‘A flame dragon?’

The mastermind was briefly flustered, but looking closely, it wasn’t a flame dragon. Just flame rings individually linked like chains to resemble a dragon.

‘Right, a freshman couldn’t handle a flame dragon.’

He’d just instantaneously condensed flames to create and link hundreds of thousands of rings. While simultaneously burning a thousand flying needles without missing a single one…

‘…Skill isn’t bad.’

To think Yeom Juwan, whom he’d completely ignored, had hidden such talent. Strange that he hadn’t noticed this level of potential at all, but ‘as expected of Yeon Sora!’

Master of disguise, genius of backstabbing, strategist beyond imagination. Though an enemy, he had to acknowledge skill alone. However, ‘he won’t last long.’

Yeom Juwan’s flame dragon wasn’t a spirit. Spirits possess mana engines that circulate mana independently, but Yeom Juwan’s flame dragon couldn’t.

Circulating and controlling mana evenly through each of those rings consumed tremendous concentration and mental strength. A freshman couldn’t maintain that level of mental strength long.

[Three times is the limit. Keep firing!]

Shhhrrrip!

This was a battle of quantity versus mental strength.

Just wait until the opponent runs out.

What expression would Yeon Sora make when her secret technique was smashed head-on? Just the thought was satisfying.

However…

Shhhrrrip!

Shhhrrrip!

Shhhrrrip!

‘……’

Yeom Juwan wasn’t depleting. He was perfectly blocking the Hundred-Kill Bow a full fifteen times.

The capital invested was now 1.5 billion. His lips involuntarily twitched, but if he could strike down Yeon Sora, this much wasn’t wasteful…

KA-BOOM!

Suddenly with a roar, several buildings collapsed. Ki Hyeonmin’s doing. He’d completely toppled buildings where the archer unit ambushed.

‘He was watching the location.’

Ki Hyeonmin had entirely entrusted defense to Yeom Juwan while focusing on offense. After identifying where arrows flew from, he’d executed enemies along with the buildings.

[Khhh… B-Bishop….]

[S-save….]

Astaroth severed connections with subordinates groaning under building debris.

A bitter taste. Not enough that 1.5 billion turned to ash and disappeared—40 subordinates became unable to fight.

He had to change tactics.

[Combat Unit 8, lure Ki Hyeonmin to ‘that place’]

The spear unit that received orders deployed. Ki Hyeonmin skillfully deflected fierce attacks the twenty enemies poured out.

Metal and metal collided, vibrating the air, but only subordinates fell. Necessary sacrifices.

When half fell, the remainder turned and fled, and Ki Hyeonmin chased after.

The destination was the chess garden.

Sssssss—

The moment Ki Hyeonmin stepped foot, black shadows bloomed and surrounded the garden. That form resembled a black birdcage. They’d caged Ki Hyeonmin.

“Ki Hyeonmin!”

Yeom Juwan, arriving one step late, tried to enter but couldn’t. Because shadows couldn’t be attacked with fire.

They’d successfully isolated them so the two couldn’t attack together.

[Combat Unit 4, attack Yeom Juwan.]

Receiving orders, a new spear unit approached Yeom Juwan. Yeom Juwan summoned the flame dragon again.

The ability to block attacks from assassins swarming from all directions without missing a single one impressed even on second viewing, but ‘still weak.’

Combat focused on disarming.

Yeom Juwan had never taken a human life. His heart wasn’t prepared either. That weakness would trip him up.

[Kill him slowly and painfully]

He couldn’t send him quickly. After despairing at his own limits for the 1.5 billion consumed earlier, then he’d cut off his breath.

The satisfied mastermind turned his gaze back to Ki Hyeonmin.

‘Worth the effort of making it.’

The location where Ki Hyeonmin stood was a garden shaped like a chessboard. A game arena the mastermind personally created for today.

After obtaining information that Ki Hyeonmin used a holy sword, he’d embedded saint’s remains in each chess piece.

‘Watching that sword shatter to pieces should be quite enjoyable too.’

Holy swords couldn’t attack saint’s remains. Forcing an attack weakened the weapon’s durability, and repeating the same act could shatter the sword.

Imagining Ki Hyeonmin making a hollow expression watching the sword in his hand turn to dust, suddenly—schlick!

Ki Hyeonmin sheathed his sword.

Seemed he’d noticed the device.

‘Needlessly perceptive bastard.’

When holy swords approached saint’s remains, they generated faint waves. He’d clearly noticed that.

Disappointing to miss an interesting scene, but now Ki Hyeonmin was barehanded. This had its own entertainment value.

[All remaining combat units, enter]

At Astaroth’s command, shadow gates opened and 300 subordinates entered. The plan was to cage him in the black birdcage and wage a 1-vs-300 fight.

Ki Hyeonmin no longer had a weapon. Meanwhile, subordinates were units trained in slaughter. From now on, he could leisurely watch.

[Begin the game!]

At Astaroth’s order, one subordinate gripping a dagger charged toward Ki Hyeonmin. The sharp blade precisely aimed for his eyes.

‘Greenhorns are obvious.’

When a sword targets eyes, they dodge left-right or step back. But subordinates were waiting with blades positioned in every location Ki Hyeonmin might evade.

If he’d stayed still he could be safe, but he’d panic himself and leap into the blades!

A smile spread at the gift subordinates who knew Astaroth’s tastes well had prepared, but ‘what’s with that bastard?’

Ki Hyeonmin didn’t evade.

The dagger targeting his eyes. Far from avoiding it, he rather charged forward like a bullet and lowered his body.

Diving straight into the assassin’s embrace to strike upward with his palm, crunching joints while taking the dagger the enemy held for himself.

His martial arts skills were considerable. No, more than that…

‘Is this… possible?’

Charging toward a sword targeting your eyes?

Not something done with mindset or resolve. Not something executable just because your head knows. An action only those familiar with death through numerous battles could perform.

He could see subordinates also momentarily flustered and hesitating. This killed the excitement.

[Show what changing weapons means!]

Greenhorns thought obtaining a weapon solved everything, but weapon switching inevitably required adaptation periods. Especially daggers and longswords had distinctly different ranges, requiring more time to adapt.

They had to learn those differences through trial and error, and right now each trial and error connected to life and…

Clang-clang-clang-clang!

‘……’

Ki Hyeonmin wielded the dagger more familiarly than a longsword, as if part of his body.

In fact, Ki Hyeonmin was more familiar with other weapons. In cycles without Yeon Sora’s holy sword, he frequently broke weapons and only obtained proper longswords in the latter half.

The mastermind who didn’t know this just clicked his tongue saying it was no fun.

[Initiate moving formation]

Whirrrrr—

One row of the chessboard Ki Hyeonmin stood on suddenly sank into the floor. Like pressing piano keys, the ground completely dropped.

He’d panic and spring upward. Over a hundred subordinates were already waiting in the air. Ambushing the frightened Ki Hyeonmin…

‘This bastard again!’

Ki Hyeonmin didn’t leap into the air. He descended 50 meters below along with the ground that sank like piano keys.

Subordinates waiting in the air exchanged glances in confusion, then belatedly descended to the sunken ground.

Only then did subordinates realize why Ki Hyeonmin hadn’t risen into the air.

Descending created walls on all sides. Ki Hyeonmin put his back to walls and faced enemies ahead. He’d invited enemies to terrain favorable for one-versus-many fights.

‘Is this… possible?’

Acting with split-second judgment? A greenhorn who just enrolled?

That wasn’t all. Ki Hyeonmin’s dagger precisely sliced subordinates’ carotid arteries and stabbed solar plexuses. Like a surgeon wielding a scalpel, movements chillingly clean.

No hesitation. Concisely taking only lives. The act of reaping life was excessively skilled.

Whirrrrr—

When the sunken ground rose again, only over a hundred corpses were piled there.

Remaining subordinates now numbered just over a hundred.

[Don’t panic! Attack simultaneously!]

Subordinates perfectly surrounding Ki Hyeonmin. Even surrounded 360 degrees by enemies, Ki Hyeonmin calmly responded to combat.

Fast. Humanly, that speed made no sense. Efficiently killing one by one. Perhaps he’d process these hundred too in just 15 minutes.

‘What is he? That slaughter machine?’

The more corpses piled, the more Astaroth’s reason shook. Only one existence could cause him this level of confusion. Yeon Sora.

[I told you to speak when the typhoon comes!]

To the shout filled with rage, an unenthusiastic voice responded.

[I clearly advised not to put all eggs in one basket.]

The mastermind originally planned to launch a surprise attack when hostages moved.

However, Seong Hayul wearing Yeon Sora’s mask knew countermeasures for hostage attacks too thoroughly, and Astaroth had decided to flip the plan 180 degrees to backstab Yeon Sora.

The prescient’s fierce opposition was ignored.

[Does that mean you don’t do your job!]

To Astaroth venting rage again, the prescient answered coldly.

[No warning. Still calm now too]

Typhoon warnings came every time Yeon Sora deployed sabotage. But right now there was no warning.

Then…

‘Was this side the trap from the start!’

Yeon Sora had prepared a backstab of a backstab!

He didn’t know what or how she did it, but from the beginning she’d induced this situation.

Now only dozens of subordinates remained. To handle Ki Hyeonmin, Astaroth had to personally deploy. No way he’d lose to a freshman.

However…

‘What if this is also Yeon Sora’s intention?’

From the beginning, Yeon Sora approached his own daughter Bang Haeun. Then cleverly set up situations to make Astaroth appear at the academy, summoned him to the courtroom, and played around shattering his Authority.

Yeon Sora’s target was himself from the start.

And right now too, she was trying to make him clash with Ki Hyeonmin.

Then what he should do now was…

Not fight Ki Hyeonmin. Cage Ki Hyeonmin in the shadow birdcage and handle more urgent business.

[Activating Unique Skill <Shadow Army>]

Astaroth raised dead subordinates’ corpses as shadows. Corpses without mental resistance were actually easier to handle than living humans.

They were all faithful dolls the mastermind controlled.

Astaroth gave them orders.

[Kill Yeon Sora right now!]

* * *

Meanwhile, Yeom Juwan was also constantly engaged in combat. Using the flame dragon to face spear wielders trained in slaughter.

Whoooosh!

The flame dragon blocked fierce attacks dozens of enemies wielded. Probably.

Now his mind was hazy, unable to grasp the situation. From excessive ability use, Yeom Juwan’s mental strength was bottoming out. The flame dragon just writhed responding to momentary instinct.

‘Can’t see ahead….’

Because forehead sweat flowed into his eyes.

But while wiping sweat with his sleeve, strange movement was detected.

Ssssss—

There were people lifting building debris and standing up.

‘Weren’t they dead?’

Those who’d died crushed under buildings Ki Hyeonmin toppled earlier. They shouldn’t be able to move…

One person with legs severed below the knees limped along. If alive, they couldn’t press on the floor like that with such severely wounded areas.

‘Undead?’

Seeing bodies dyed completely black, not quite undead but similar existences. They muttered something.

[Yeo…ra….]

[…kill… ra….]

[Kill Yeon Sora….]

His heart sank. The undead were heading toward the castle gate exiting the city center.

Passing through that gate and retracing the path they’d come would lead to Sora. They were moving solely to kill Yeon Sora.

That much… he had to stop.

Whoooosh!

The flame dragon responded to his will. All nearby enemies were engulfed in flames, but Yeom Juwan’s ears didn’t hear their screams.

“Block them!”

The flame dragon sprinted like lightning and coiled around one undead’s body. Even with high-temperature flames binding their entire body, they didn’t scream.

They were already dead. Couldn’t feel pain. Didn’t panic even with fire spreading on their bodies. Led their burning bodies to silently advance forward.

“Don’t let them approach the gate!”

The flame dragon bit shadow puppets one by one and flung them aside.

Splat!

Horrible sounds came from crashing on the floor, but the shadow army that was just chunks of meat immediately stood again and advanced.

Yeom Juwan ran to the castle gate. A gate wide enough for five people to pass. He had to defend this place.

[Kill… Yeon Sora….]

[Kill… Yeon Sora….]

Corpses with hideous bloody appearances chanted like Buddhist prayers as they approached the gate.

Flame magic didn’t work on them. Unkillable enemies. But…

‘Killing isn’t the objective’

Just stop them from reaching Sora. Until Ki Hyeonmin finishes and returns. Somehow.

Just block their advance. That much was possible.

Then,

Step. Step.

A completely different clean footstep from the undead’s squishy walking was heard. Rubbing his eyes with his sleeve, he saw a strange person.

A man dressed in white robes wearing a white mask. Face invisible. An eerily creepy mask looked down at him.

[You’ve been continuously irritating since earlier.]

The mastermind stood before Yeom Juwan.