[Chapter 198]
[Goeshini (5)]
Two years ago, the Mana Church's Half-Soul Ritual terror attack gave Eun-ha a new realization.
Gathering individual wills into one, and manifesting magic absolutely in a certain space....
So it really was possible.
During the Mana Church's Half-Soul Ritual terror attack.
Many people prayed to Eun-ha, and their wills merged into one.
Eun-ha deployed magic through his and their wills, and that power was truly marvelous.
Based on that experience.
Eun-ha pondered if he could use magic like that again.
He pondered and pondered again─.
Pandora Clan Ritual Magic
Declaration of Sacred Domain: Sacred Fire
Two years of pondering.
Finally manifested in the world.
Whoosh!!
A crimson world.
The sparks filled the entire space as if they were living creatures.
The blue sky was completely hidden, engulfed in flames.
And─.
─Whoosh!!
Like Eun-ha.
The Pandora Clan members were wearing cloaks of flame.
The reddish-brown cloaks on their shoulders were engulfed in flames and burning.
Fire attribute was bestowed.
And purification attribute was also bestowed.
This should reduce the burden.
Eun-ha looked down at his feet.
Pandora Clan members wrapped in flames were annihilating the Goeshinis.
The Goeshinis could hardly divide against their attacks.
The purification attribute was eating away at the Goeshini.
The fire attribute was burning the Goeshini, leaving no corpse behind.
[Seo-na, tell the others too. Don't just stand there dazed, hurry and kill the Goeshinis. Tell them if they can't completely incinerate it, just throw it into the flames.]
[Okay, I'll relay that. And Haeun says to keep in mind that there's not much time left to maintain the sacred domain.]
[Got it. Tell the kids to hang in there.]
Artifact, The Lovers' Whisper.
Eun-ha nodded after exchanging telepathy with Jin Seo-na.
Then he smiled bitterly.
Indeed, it's hard to maintain for long. That's why I was trying not to use it unless absolutely necessary.
Pandora Clan's ritual magic, Declaration of Sacred Domain.
When Eun-ha first gained this realization, he encountered a problem.
Gathering people's wills into one was nothing short of a miracle.
There were limits to controlling people's consciousness using illusion magic or brainwashing magic.
So Eun-ha decided to reduce the range of magic that dominates space.
Clan members share imagination discussed in advance.
It's fortunate we have doppelganger magic too. That plays the main role in unifying wills.
Soon Eun-ha felt the presence of doppelgangers hidden in the flames.
They were, metaphorically speaking, the skeleton.
And the Pandora Clan members were the flesh and organs to fill the skeleton.
Oh Lord, my Lord.
Here are your people.
Iriya played the role of the brain that unifies wills and stores memories.
Gift
Cha Eun-woo played the role of blood that aligns wavelengths.
Besides them, Jin Seo-na, Kang Si-hyeong, Ariel, Jo A-ra, and other clan members played roles to dominate the space.
Thus, clan members surrounded by Eun-ha's will temporarily received fire and purification attributes.
However─.
─Blast Cross
While Eun-ha overcame the limits of internal mana by dominating the space.
The clan members maintaining the space were consuming massive amounts of mana.
They can't hold out for long.
To avoid wasting time, Eun-ha launched a sword strike at the ground where Goeshinis and players were mixed.
─Boom boom boom boom boom!!!
Flames carrying the sword strike.
It exploded greatly even before touching anything.
Fire spurted out from the widely spread sword strike.
Crimson flames engulf the area.
Players were caught up in the flames before they knew it.
"...Huh, what?"
"It's not hot...."
The flames didn't cause them any harm.
Without Eun-ha needing to control it.
The flames simply manifested as Eun-ha wished.
""""...."""
People fell into a strange feeling.
Soon they came to their senses and gripped their weapons.
Butterfly's Blessing
Sacred Flame Photon
Just then, Roh Eun-ah's support arrived.
She bestowed fire and purification attributes to people's devices.
With her vast internal mana, she even recovered clan members one after another.
Iriya became unable to do other things while determining the direction of will.
Cha Eun-woo fell into a groggy state.
Other clan members also stepped to the front as their internal mana used for ritual magic hit bottom.
She busily swung her staff to fill their empty spots.
Demon's Inferno
And Bae Su-bin immediately deployed large-scale magic as her mana recovered.
The diameter of the magic circle that appeared under her feet rapidly expanded.
Indeed, a magic circle encompassing the entire space Eun-ha had dominated.
Gift
At the same time, Cha Eun-woo drew in the air with her hand while sweating profusely.
Adjusting the wavelengths of Bae Su-bin and Eun-ha.
Eun-ha immediately snapped his fingers.
Sonic Wave
Invisible Tracker
In the dominated space, no, sacred domain.
Eun-ha's will takes top priority.
The same goes for imagination.
He captures the coordinates of Goeshinis trapped in the sacred domain with detection magic.
He decides to set coordinates with Invisible Tracker and guide attacks to them.
───!!
The sacred domain itself is the range of perception.
He can do something similar to Invisible Tracker if he just puts his mind to it.
Yet Eun-ha used magic because others' magic is not his own magic.
Even though Cha Eun-woo converted Bae Su-bin's wavelength, temporarily making the sacred domain regard Bae Su-bin and himself as the same.
You can't deceive the essence.
Nyaaaaaaaa!!
A pillar of fire shot up.
Soon, a demonic being appeared from the flames burning the Goeshinis.
A demon made of flames, showing only its upper body, extends its burly arms.
It grabs one Goeshini.
A crushing sound is heard.
The crushed Goeshini's corpse is incinerated right in the demon's hand.
☆
At the sight unfolding before her eyes.
Park Hye-rim couldn't close her mouth.
No way.
They're crazy, crazy, I'm telling you they're crazy.
How is this possible?
No, have they been hiding this all along?
They're crazy, it's unbelievable.
That's all she could think.
All the players, including her, were thinking the same thing.
"─It's great because it's hot!? Let's turn Uijeongbu into a sea of fire today! Everyone fight on your own!"
""""Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!!!!""""
Of course, Kang Hyeon-cheol and the Blaze Clan members were exceptions.
Those who gave up thinking with their heads were fighting excitedly, saying the world had become a sea of fire.
They were like fish in water.
It was understandable since an environment where fire magic could be easily handled was created.
Even so─.
"─Are those people just happy as long as they can fight? Aren't they curious about how this happened...?"
They're such blockheads.
As the battle continued.
Now mentally fatigued, she spoke without hesitation.
It was pitiful how ignorant they were, not being interested in this phenomenon.
I understand the principle behind it... roughly in my head.
But if you ask if it can be implemented, it's practically impossible in reality.
Unification of wills.
Using that as a medium to activate magic.
It's easy to say.
How do you gather people's wills and make them align as one?
Even if you unify wills, how many people would be needed to apply it to a space this large?
But the Pandora Clan members did it.
"Could it be the result of appropriately mixing gifts and magic...?"
Park Hye-rim looked for clan members positioned around her, not the Pandora Clan fighting the Goeshinis.
Iriya, Cha Eun-woo, Jo A-ra, and others.
They were focused on doing other things without participating in the battle.
Surely work to maintain the magic.
It must be magic impossible without them and Roh Eun-ha's doppelgangers.
And the gifts and magic used to maintain the space were very rare.
Therefore─.
"─It's amazing. What on earth does the Pandora Clan Lord do to activate magic without mana consumption? Hye-rim, can we use magic like that too, like Pandora Clan?"
"No, it's impossible. That's magic only Pandora Clan can use."
""""...."""
To Clan Lord Koo Yeon-su's question.
Park Hye-rim spoke firmly.
It was magic nearly impossible for other clans.
Pandora Clan must have known that, which is why they revealed it without hesitation.
Really─.
─That clan is truly frightening.
I can't see the bottom.
How much more are they hiding?
Just how strong are they trying to become?
A clan that defies common sense.
A clan whose limits are unknown.
Park Hye-rim was honestly relieved that her Regulus Clan wasn't hostile to that clan.
She didn't want to make enemies with a clan like that.
Also─.
─I was misjudging. Those kids are no joke, every single one of them.
Park Hye-rim herself was 2nd generation.
They were 3rd generation.
She was relieved that she wasn't of the same generation as them.
Not being compared to them for life.
And not having to compete with them for life was truly fortunate.
If not, she would have lived an unhappy life plagued by inferiority.
Maybe she might have even turned them into enemies out of excessive jealousy.
If that happened, I would have had my head flying off thanks to them.... I don't even want to imagine it.
Park Hye-rim shuddered.
On the other hand, she was amazed.
It's often said that when a player reaches 5 years, their combat style and skills are completed.
But they were still moving forward, far from being close to completion even after entering their 5th year.
"So that's why the 031&31 batch is called the generation representing the golden generation. And why the Pandora Clan Lord is called the representative.... He's 25 now? What on earth happened 25 years ago?"
It feels like I, one of the Twelve Seats, have become a side character.
Park Hye-rim focused on recovering players' mana while self-deprecating.
She especially supported the Pandora Clan members working to maintain the space.
"Ah, thanks, unnie."
"How long can you hold out? Looking at it now, the space seems to be shaking more than before."
"Now about... 5 minutes left, I think. Even if I recover mana, I can't do anything about mental strength."
"It must feel like wringing out a dry cloth."
"That's why I want to eat something sweet quickly. It's hard to endure."
Park Hye-rim approached Roh Eun-ah.
Roh Eun-ah said with a tearful face.
It's an exaggeration.
Park Hye-rim knew Roh Eun-ah's skills well.
She's just acting cute to her teacher.
So she indulged her cute disciple's whining.
Then her gaze went to Ryu Yeon-hwa next to Roh Eun-ah.
A question suddenly arose.
"Is Yeon-hwa protecting the Pandora Clan members from the rear?"
"Yes, that's right."
A player considered on par with Roh Eun-ha in Pandora Clan.
Park Hye-rim woke from her thoughts.
She could understand why Ryu Yeon-hwa was waiting in the rear.
But she wondered why Ryu Yeon-hwa, who boasts massive damage output, was in the rear instead of other players.
Then Ryu Yeon-hwa said─.
"─It's hard for me to exert my power here."
"Ah...."
Ryu Yeon-hwa looking embarrassed.
Park Hye-rim understood the situation.
Ryu Yeon-hwa's gift is
It was the opposite of Eun-ha's flames.
If she were to activate magic, the result would be one of two.
Either
Or both would disappear.
"You have no choice but to be in the rear."
"...Yes."
In this case, it was the former.
It was a space dominated by Roh Eun-ha.
Ryu Yeon-hwa's
It depends on Roh Eun-ha's control, but that's how it would be for now.
☆
The spatial dominance is falling.
Eun-ha felt his magic becoming disordered.
I'll have to use internal mana.
Otherwise, the accuracy will drop.
There's not much time left.
The sacred domain will be released soon.
A telepathy saying "limit" arrived from Jin Seo-na.
Whoosh!!
Eun-ha manifested his internal mana.
The flames that sprouted from his back burned fiercely.
Crimson wings inflate their power.
Eun-ha gathered strength in his sword.
─Blast Cross
Surely this would be the final strike to unfold in the sacred domain.
Eun-ha swung Winter Blooming Coldly down with all his might.
──!!!!
The flames dominating the space.
Gather to the sword strike.
As the blue sky reveals itself, it signals the end of the sacred domain.
Right after, the flames explode.
The flames covering the world gather and burn the Goeshinis.
Nyaaaaaaaa!!!
The Goeshinis divide voluntarily.
But the speed at which they burn to death is faster than the speed at which those swept up in the sea of fire divide.
Whoosh!
Flames that seem like they'll never go out.
The crimson sparks burn the ground vigorously, finally erasing the existence of Goeshini.
""""...."""
At last, the cat cries disappeared, and the world fell into silence.
The monsters too had completely burned away due to the strike just now.
Only then did Eun-ha fold his wings and land on the ground.
"The mana stone?"
""""...."""
Goeshini has a 4th phase.
They couldn't let their guard down.
Eun-ha spoke to the players.
Players who were visibly tired from the grueling battle shook their heads.
Rangers led their heavy bodies to search for the mana stone.
The problem is that monster mana stones were scattered around, so they couldn't identify Goeshini's mana stone by just glancing.
Nevertheless, the players were relieved.
Surely Goeshini couldn't still be alive.
Just as they thought that─.
─Hehehehehehehehehehe
Mixed with the sound of the wind.
An eerie sound was heard.
It wasn't a cat sound.
""""...."""
An unpleasant sound.
The players stiffened.
They tried to find traces of the monster by sharpening their senses.
But nothing was caught.
Sonic Wave
Even though Eun-ha spread jamming, no trace was felt.
The players' detection magic indicated there were no monsters nearby.
Yet the sound kept coming.
Hehehehehe
It's Goeshini.
It has entered the 4th phase.
Eun-ha knew the identity of the sound.
He wasn't scared.
Nor was he flustered.
"─Everyone be careful of shadows."
""""...!!""""
Along with Eun-ha's words.
The shadows of some players suddenly shook strangely.
"...Ugh...!!"
"Aaagh...cough...!!"
""""...."""
An arm suddenly shot up from the shadow.
A pale blue hand gripped a player tightly.
Long-grown nails inflicted wounds on players standing nearby.
The player caught in its grasp burst, unable to withstand the grip strength.
Eventually─.
─I commend you for coming this far.
But this is the end.
From within the shadow of a building.
Goeshini in its 4th phase revealed its identity.
Fire!! Don't spare the bullets!!
Sniper fire begins!!
Long hair reaching the ground.
A goblin with the appearance of an old man, with red hair and beard.
Soon, the goblin with a huge body dodged the incoming attacks.
No, the attacks didn't work.
It disappeared into the shadow.
And the shadow moved quickly, invading the players' shadows.
─Crunch!
A hand stretched out from the shadow.
Before the players could respond, the pale hand, as if drained of blood, disappeared back into the shadow.
I am shadow, I am fear.
You cannot catch me.
That's what shadows are.
That's what fear is.
Unable to grasp, unable to feel.
The players couldn't deal with Goeshini's ramblings.
How on earth do you attack a moving shadow?
Hehehehehe
Moreover, the players' strength was depleted.
Their movements had slowed significantly.
Some players were weakened as a backlash from forcibly receiving buffs.
The same was true for Eun-ha.
Thump thump thump
Though the gift was still activated.
Internal mana was almost completely depleted.
It was hopeless to receive mana recovery magic from supporters.
They had no strength left either.
Fundamentally, there was no way to attack the thing inside the shadow.
No─.
─Why wouldn't there be a way.
Eun-ha denied their thoughts and walked forward.
Hehehehehe!!
Then the shadow moved too.
It was casting over Eun-ha.
Eun-ha snapped his fingers.
─Pop!!
The doppelgangers disappear.
As they reverted to mana, they restored Eun-ha's internal mana.
But the problem wasn't solved.
There was no solution to catch the shadow.
Hehehehehe!!
Goeshini knew that too.
That's why it blatantly came out to the middle of the road where light shone.
A road with only Eun-ha's shadow.
Eventually the shadow moved to Eun-ha's feet.
It's over.
Right at that moment.
Gift
In the previous life.
Why was Han Chang-jin called
His gift could control the mana of the contact target.
The same goes for shadows.
Han Chang-jin, who became a 9-year player, could now interfere with even the tiny amount of mana dissolved in shadows.
"─I should do my part after hiding in Eun-ha's shadow all this time."
Moreover, Goeshini's shadow was full of mana.
Above all, Eun-ha had put Han Chang-jin in the shadow before the battle began.
In the previous life, he had caught it with Twenty-five's gift, so he thought to apply it like this.
Twenty-five's gift was
As the name suggests, he stepped on Goeshini's shadow in the previous life and sealed its movements.
Eun-ha used memories from before the regression to have Han Chang-jin do something similar.
Eeeeek...!!
"Pull Goeshini out right now."
"Got it."
Goeshini is bound by mana threads.
Han Chang-jin, who came out of Eun-ha's shadow, pulled on the threads.
The thing that had only its upper body sticking out is trying to come out of the shadow.
Of course, Goeshini resisted.
"─Everyone pull! Pull with all your might!"
"Heave-ho! What a big catch, this one!"
But the players wouldn't just stand by.
They quickly assessed the situation.
People grabbed Han Chang-jin's waist tightly so as not to be dragged into the shadow by Goeshini's strength.
Eeeeek!!
Goeshini resists.
Then hunters and rangers made ropes in a similar way to Han Chang-jin.
Ropes made by weaving mana are wrapped around its neck.
Gggghk...!!
Its neck is tightly constricted.
Unable to resist, Goeshini is gradually dragged out under the blue sky.
On the ground with only Eun-ha's shadow.
It had nowhere to escape.
"─Just die already."
He packs mana tightly into the sword.
The blade emits a dazzling light.
Platinum Cross
A streak of platinum light.
The trajectory split the thing in two.
If it had died in the 3rd phase, it would have been remembered as fear by people.
For the final moments of a 3rd rank overrank, it was too shabby and humiliating.