Episode 158: Lake of Swords (2)
Gugugugugu.
“What is this sound?”
Weapon’s ears perked up as he watched the voting trend on the screen.
At first I thought it was thunder, but the more I listened, the more I realized it wasn’t.
… this was not a sound of nature. It was the sound of something being artificially broken and destroyed.
A loud noise echoed through the election hall. The floor shook as if an earthquake had occurred.
Weapon slowly raised his gaze. The screen hanging like a chandelier began to sway precariously.
Jjikjik – There’s a noise on the screen and then PICK – The fuse blows.
“Huh? What? The screen turned off?”
The cadets who had been busy voting began to murmur. Then, one by one, they began to shake their shoulders.
I still hadn’t fully realized the gravity of the situation. It was just a reaction based on instinct.
“… What is it? Why does my body keep shaking?”
“Me too. My body has been shaking a little while ago.”
A moment of anxiety spread across the cadets’ faces. The polling place was thrown into chaos for an unknown reason.
The loud noise that had been heard little by little exploded as if the election hall was going to burst. The floor, walls, and ceiling shook violently.
The screen starts shaking like crazy and then suddenly crashes as if a thread has snapped.
It was such a sudden situation that the cadets under the screen had no time to react.
A pitch-black screen appears on the retina. This is the last scene the victims see.
Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaah-
Someone screamed. A female cadet with an ashen face pointed at the shattered screen with her finger.
“A, a person… … .”
A bright red liquid seeped out from under the shattered screen. A pungent smell lingered. It was the scent of blood.
“A person is dead!”
Several cadets were killed instantly when they were hit on a large screen.
Their bodies were completely buried, but their arms were sticking out like feelers.
The Academy’s cadets were clearly candidates for heroism, but at the same time, they were still teenagers.
Someone died. The friend I was laughing and chatting with just now was crushed like a bug.
That scene alone was enough to stop the cadets from thinking.
Fear spread rapidly and the election site became chaotic in an instant.
An urgent escape was needed. However, in the collapsed order, the cadets were just pushing each other.
The displays were tangled and jumbled. Even in the midst of all this, the earthquake showed no sign of stopping.
Weapon’s head turned white. A scene like the one seen in an apocalypse movie unfolded before his eyes.
However, it wasn’t this noise that was making Weapon nervous.
A hair-raising sensation, a tingling sensation running through your body, and an evil aura that pollutes your mind.
This may be why the cadets became as violent as wild animals.
Even the weapon itself had a hard time staying sane. It felt like his thought circuits were slowly being eaten away.
As I went through various things with the manager, my weapon skills also developed. That’s why I was able to know.
Magic. I know because I personally experienced the magic of Mermaids and Cow Kings.
Furthermore, Weapon intuitively felt that the entity emitting this magical power was an incomparable, dimensional being.
The main axis of the Demon Tribe, the Mine Mermaid, and the Cow King Minotaur, a Class A demon beast.
How many beings are there that can reduce those two to beings worse than insects?
The inference wasn’t difficult. Beings of that level were extremely rare in this world.
“Woof!”
Just thinking about it made me gag and groan.
Weapon wiped the gastric juice with his sleeve and watched the chaos with a blank expression.
The cadets were beating and scratching each other in a fit of rage. Those who were closer to the gate were in worse condition.
He was foaming at the mouth with his eyes wide open. His mind had completely flown away due to the immersion of magical power.
I wish I could at least struggle like them.
Any weapon that still had cognition had to endure this fear intact.
Weapon shook his head and shook off his thoughts. He woke up his stiffened mind. These negative thoughts were also the effects of magic.
‘You need to come to your senses.’
Weapon turned his head sharply and looked at Kanggeomma. He flinched and shook his shoulders.
Among all the ones I’ve seen, Kang Geum-ma’s expression was the darkest. To be exact, it was rotten.
Kang Geum-ma’s eyes were calm and collected in all things. He rarely showed his emotions.
But at present, all kinds of things were reflected in Kanggeomma’s eyes.
At that, Weapon felt his heart sink.
If the manager does that, the situation will get worse. It’s like X.
Weapon grabbed his head with shaking pupils. His mind, which had been holding on well, was suddenly darkened and polluted.
Kang Geum-ma chewed and spat out the curse words.
“Shit.”
Just this one word. Is there any word that fits this well in a one-line comment?
A torrent of water rose from my clenched fist. Sweat formed on my palms.
‘This is definitely the level of magical power of a corps commander.’
Why did this happen? I have no idea.
The only warning was that it would rain continuously for several days.
The wind and rain were a bit harsh, but who knows if that’s the start of a disaster. Damn it.
What’s the use of investigating the cause in this situation? It’s a foolish waste of time ruminating at this point.
Will you consider the cause and effect of natural disasters? What an unfortunate accident. Disasters always come unexpectedly. The descent of the 5th Legion Commander Agor was no exception.
The situation was desperate. It was worse than it had been on Avalon Island.
“… … .”
Kang Geum-ma took a wide look at the election field.
Kkwwwwwww-
Cadets in a state of panic scratch the walls or vomit out their insides. It was because of the Fear emitted by an external enemy.
My frail body and mind won’t be able to handle this magic power.
The upper class, seniors, everyone, regardless of gender, were all thrown into a ball.
Candidates like Leon, Kim Woo-jin, and Den Range were all just catching their breath, except for Kang Geum-ma.
‘The first priority is to calm the situation.’
We had to calm things down from the inside out. Then we could go outside and confront the enemy.
Even if the cadets escape like this, we won’t be able to recover their bones, let alone their bodies.
Even though he can’t run around outside, he’s a legion commander-level demon.
‘First, we need to calm the mood.’
Kanggeomma quietly closed his eyes. He controlled his breathing. He cooled his head and chest with mental strength.
Kang Geum-ma repeated to himself, “Keom-soo-ma, be calm and composed.” He condensed the inner self he had refined into the tips of his feet.
He glared.
[The protection of transfer is manifested.]
bang-!
Kanggeomma stomped his right foot hard on the ground. At the same time, he scattered his blessings in all directions.
Swaaaah.
A pure white light spread out like a veil from beneath Kang Geum-ma’s feet.
The light ran flawlessly across the entire floor of the election hall. A soft energy enveloped the cadets.
The male cadets who had been scratching at the wall like madmen stopped their hand movements. The female cadets who had been grabbing each other also relaxed their grip.
The spirit of [Protection of the Sword God] is transferred to the cadets as [Protection of Transfer].
It forcibly brought up the reason of the students whose eyes were rolled back. It was the so-called sharing of senses.
The cadets who had been lost in the swamp of madness regained their senses. Their once-dazed eyes began to glow with energy. The confusion was subsiding.
Kang Geum-ma climbed to the center of the stage. Amidst the blank stares, he opened his mouth. In a calm, composed voice.
“Everyone, wake up.”
The volume wasn’t that loud. However, the voice was clearly conveyed.
“As you can see from what I just experienced, this isn’t just an earthquake. It’s a blast from the enemy outside. It must be something big, enough to send most of us into a panic.”
Kang Geum-ma continued speaking.
“I don’t know why that guy raided this place. Judging by his magical power, he must be a special monster among monsters. It’s not surprising that you’re foaming at the mouth and panicking. But—”
“… … .”
“―You are the students of Joaquin Academy. You are the next generation of heroes who have the responsibility of protecting the world from the devil.”
“… … .”
“Did you all sleep during class? You must have listened to it so much that your ears were about to burst. Heroes are those who are armed and prepared for noble battles.”
“… … .”
“But even if it’s not sublime, if you start having seizures, who are people supposed to believe? Are you trying to make fools of the masses who adore us?”
“… … .”
Silence settled deeply. Kanggeomma met the eyes of the weapon next to him and spoke.
“Weapon, you’re smart, so you probably figured out the situation without me explaining it to you, right? Contact the Academy and make sure these guys can’t move from here. No matter what you do.”
At those words, Weapon’s face turned pale.
“Chief… … . You, this time too… … .”
Kanggeomma placed a hand on Weapon’s shoulder. He smiled bitterly.
“If we continue like this, we’ll be wiped out anyway. I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s quiet for now. It’s only a matter of time before the enemy storms in here. I’ll buy some time before they do.”
“… … .”
“Weapon, instead of worrying about me, you should come up with a solution. That’s your job.”
After saying those words, Kang Geum-ma tapped her shoulder. Then he jumped down from the stage.
Kanggeomma walked towards the exit with his hands in his pockets.
The students who had been standing there blankly began to make way for him one by one.
Kanggeomma walked through the gap between the rivers that split left and right. He clicked his tongue internally.
‘shit.’
Although he didn’t show it, he was also very complicated.
I felt like a death row inmate waiting for his turn at the guillotine.
Even though he is no match for his opponent, he is at the level of a corps commander. There is no need to explain his strength.
I don’t know how the 5th Corps Commander Agor was subdued.
At that time, I was just swinging my sword as if I was possessed by something. I was also a swordsman.
But this guy is estimated to be stronger than Agor.
You have to fight that guy for 60 seconds.
It was a day of being thrown into this world and walking a tightrope, but today was truly a thorny path.
Kang Geum-ma moistened his lips that were burning. He scratched the back of his neck. His fingernails dug into his skin.
Yet he had to try to look relaxed. It had only been a few minutes since the cadets had come to their senses.
If we show weakness here, these young ones will fall into the swamp again.
If you use Gao, you will see it through to the end. Even if you have to fight a natural disaster.
Thud, thud.
Kang Geum-ma, who had reached the gate, only half turned his head.
“Don’t do anything stupid and just be quiet.”
Kang Geum-ma left. The cadets looked helplessly at the spot where he had left.
* * *
I came out of the polling place. As expected, the scenery was out of this world.
The area was surrounded by water on all sides. You couldn’t see any soil. Only the annex building remained, like an island.
Above the water, eddies distorted space.
I opened my eyes slightly. The sky was gray. Lightning tore through the air, spitting out a fierce roar.
I felt a new presence. I looked to the side and saw a familiar person lying there.
“Manager Seong.”
“Hey, Your Majesty… … .”
Manager Sung barely managed to answer. After checking his condition, I couldn’t help but frown.
The condition was not very good. Each arm and leg was missing.
He had lost a lot of blood and his face was as pale as a corpse. The color of death was all around him.
Manager Sung moved his dead blue lips.
“Coolook, it’s dangerous here. You should run away quickly.”
I crouched down in front of him and asked.
“What is going on here?”
Manager Sung pointed into the distance with his remaining hand.
A figure floating in the air. It was a woman wearing a patient gown.
I narrowed my eyes to get a closer look, and then I identified the author.
“Hey, Chief?”
The body is the chief? This was unexpected. It was a case that had not even occurred to me.
There was no time to ruminate. I just watched her intently.
Ha-na-eun’s eyes were clouded as if the descent was in progress. However, judging by the appearance, the descent was imminent.
As I stood there blankly watching, Manager Seong added.
“Wh, I don’t know why, but Chief Ha ended up like that. Sob.”
Manager Seong tried his best to explain the situation somehow.
“… That guy is not the type of person to do that. He must have been possessed by a demon. Please, please save him… …!”
He grabbed my trouser leg, sobbing. I could feel the desperation seeping through my trousers.
Even though he was the one who made himself like this, Manager Seong takes care of his subordinates first. And then this person dies.
I felt depressed, but eventually shook my head.
“Chief Ha is currently possessed by the corps commander. There is no way to save him. And the section chief is in a very bad state.”
I reached out to him.
[The protection of painlessness is manifested.]
[The protection of rebirth is manifested.]
[The protection of transfer is manifested.]
“This, this is… … !”
“It’s not a cure. Your body is already in shambles. But it will at least reduce the pain.”
Three blessings were manifested simultaneously. Among them, the painless blessing only took 4 seconds.
Although Manager Sung will not be able to avoid death, the pain of his final journey will be lessened.
It was the last courtesy I could give to a good person.
I slowly turned around. I heard a creepy ringing sound. It was like nature screaming.
Srrrr.
The floating Hana Eun landed gently on the surface of the water.
Hanaeun’s eyes, which had been tightly shut, opened. A blue light bloomed in her eyes. Her hair and the hem of her clothes swayed as if she were diving.
‘I’m going crazy.’
She was no longer a person, no longer a human.
“Nice to meet you.”
Its teeth opened. The voice flowed into my ears like a wave.
“My name is Vesna. I am the sister of Agor and the one in charge of the third seat of the Demon King’s army. What is your name, little creature?”
“Damn, why did I skip the 4th Corps Commander and become the 3rd Corps Commander… … .”
Vesna’s eyebrows furrowed.
“What are you talking about?”
“Okay. By the way, do you demons learn separately at the academy? Your speech is like some kind of beast or something.”
Actually, I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about. It looks like Gao’s brain got eaten.
Kiririn.
I took out Murasame and the Everlasting Frost. The blade was halfway out. That should be enough for my self-introduction.
Vesna’s eyes widened when she saw the sashimi.
“It was you! You knife-wielding insect! You who killed my sister!”
Vesna let out a groan.
I unfurled the hilt of the knife and looked straight at the guy.
“Fifth Corps Commander Agor also spoke plausibly like you.”
[The level of your spirit rises.]
[The pressure is heightened by your words and actions.]
[The protection of the Sword God is manifested.]
One deep breath. I let out the words.
“Until I get hit.”
++++++++++++++++++++++
《May God bless you.》
