CHAPTER 31
031 - Barrier
When Cheon Juhyeok first drew his knife, Jinwoo thought, 'Here we go.'
He had always kept the possibility of betrayal in mind, so he reacted without panic.
But when he saw Cheon Juhyeok's Blue Flame, he couldn't help but be inwardly surprised.

'What is this?'

It was a sight he had never seen before. Until just a moment ago, Cheon Juhyeok's flame had looked ordinary, but now, another flame had appeared around it.
A flame shaped like chains was binding Cheon Juhyeok's flame, crisscrossing it in an X.
Anyone could see that the two flames were of completely different types. It meant that some other soul was dwelling inside Cheon Juhyeok's body.
"Who are you."
Jinwoo asked the chain-shaped flame. He wondered if it would answer, but there was a response.
Cheon Juhyeok's neck twisted with a grotesque movement, like a crane fly. His eyes rolled up, showing only the whites, and his mouth, in Cheon Juhyeok's voice, spoke as someone completely different.
"How did you know?"
Jinwoo's eyes narrowed.
For Cheon Juhyeok, the situation was nothing short of horrifying.
His consciousness was still there. But his body was completely out of his control, and his mouth was speaking the words of another.
From a great distance, Johann's thoughts were moving Cheon Juhyeok's mouth to convey his own words.
Johann didn't know Korean, but there was no language barrier for telepathic thoughts that conveyed will directly. Cheon Juhyeok's mouth, receiving Johann's thoughts, conversed with Jinwoo in a language he knew well.
"I am Johann. Have you perhaps heard of me?"
"Johann... you don't mean the warlock of New York?"
"You know me well. This will be quick, then. Kehehe."
The controlled Cheon Juhyeok wasn't laughing at all, but laughter flowed from his lips.
"What business does an infamous warlock have with me? Did David send you?"
"I did receive a request. So, how about it? Would you be willing to entrust your soul to me for a little while? I thought it might be a useful card to play against Chartia."
"So your target was Chartia."
He knew New York viewed Chartia with displeasure. According to Kurenai Masato, they had even distributed wanted posters to the assassin guilds in Tokyo.
However, Chartia was an S-class Hunter, just like David and Johann. She was a formidable being they were afraid to challenge carelessly. Therefore.

'They need to do some prep work, is that it.'

A hostage could certainly be an effective tool, even against an S-class Hunter. It depended on their personality, but S-class Hunters were still human. And as long as they were human, they were bound by affection and relationships.
"Just let me borrow it for a bit. I'll use it well and return it. Look, that Cheon Juhyeok over there is perfectly fine, aside from being controlled for a moment."
Cheon Juhyeok screamed internally, 'You call this fine!?' but Jinwoo couldn't hear him.
Jinwoo was facing off against Johann through Cheon Juhyeok.
"I refuse."
An obvious answer.
"Well, I expected as much. It doesn't matter. I'll just have to execute it by force."
And the response that came back was just as expected.
Cheon Juhyeok's body shot forward like a cannonball and crashed into Jinwoo. With a sword at his neck, it was an action he would never take if he had any regard for his own body.
Jinwoo's sword grazed his neck, drawing blood, but Cheon Juhyeok paid it no mind and raised his fist.
Kwaang!
His hand detonated the air, attempting to land a powerful blow on Jinwoo. Jinwoo managed to dodge, but he couldn't completely avoid the shockwave that struck the empty space.
The impact, transmitted through the air, shook Jinwoo's bones and organs.
"...Is this Cheon Juhyeok's ability? He's B-class, so it's certainly fierce."
Cheon Juhyeok's fist strikes, which delivered shockwaves by striking the air, were not to be underestimated.
His hands and feet struck the empty air, aiming for vital points all over Jinwoo's body—his temples, philtrum, solar plexus, and groin.
Moreover, the current Cheon Juhyeok was disregarding his own body, focused solely on offense.
All humans have an instinct for self-preservation that restricts their actions. But a puppet being controlled has no such thing.
The controlled Cheon Juhyeok charged forward, ignoring his tearing muscles, and pressed Jinwoo with bizarre movements even as his bones twisted.
A B-class Hunter, with all physical limitations released, attacking to the point of self-destruction, could momentarily display A-class level skill.
"Hahahaha! You're holding out surprisingly well! I was wondering why David was so wary of a mere E-ranker, but you certainly have a trick or two!"

Cheon Juhyeok stopped his fists and formed his fingers into a flicking posture. He struck the air with it, and...
"!"

A bullet of wind, like a real gunshot, was fired at the space between Jinwoo's eyes.
He managed to dodge it, but only because he knew the angle of the fingers striking the air. If he had been caught by a surprise attack, he might have been hit without being able to react.
"What are you doing? That Asian man won't stop unless you kill him. Why don't you swing your sword?"
The reason Jinwoo was momentarily on the defensive was also because he wasn't swinging his sword.
Jinwoo was contemplating.

'Can I do it?'

Cutting down Cheon Juhyeok with a single stroke would be easy. But Jinwoo was trying to gauge if he could cut only Johann's soul, not Cheon Juhyeok's flame.
Until now, when cutting a Blue Flame, he had only ever been able to slice it in two. It wasn't that he hadn't tried other methods, like lightly grazing the edge. But any such adjustment had been impossible.

'Should I just kill him?'

Should he cut him down in one stroke, as he usually did? That would be easy. In the first place, Jinwoo felt no obligation to be sad if Cheon Juhyeok died.
It was such an easy thing to do. Faced with this easy choice, Jinwoo hesitated. In that moment, he remembered sharing tea with the God of the Ice Valley.
[The God of the Ice Valley watches. Whatever you choose, it is your decision.]
Jinwoo made his decision. In the end, he deliberately chose the difficult path.
KWANG!
Dodging Cheon Juhyeok's fist, he covered his face with his palm and slammed him into the wall. The wall crumbled as Cheon Juhyeok's body was driven into it.
Even in that state, Cheon Juhyeok flailed his limbs, trying to target Jinwoo's arms, brain, and heart.
But Jinwoo's sword was faster.
Sshhhk—
A flame blazed. Jinwoo's sword, having delved into the realm of souls, grazed the small flame as it cut.
To cut only the outer chain-flame without touching the flame within.

'Did it work?'

There was a reaction. Cheon Juhyeok's flailing arms dropped limply.
Jinwoo released his face and took three steps back. The man, embedded in the wall, didn't move.
He watched his state for a moment.
Thump—
He could see his chest move slightly. His heart was beating.

"Hmph, so he killed him in the end."
Johann smirked, pleased with Jinwoo's choice.
It was obvious that Cheon Juhyeok was dead. In that situation, there was no way a mere E-ranker had a method to resolve it without killing him.
How could that guy, Kang Jinwoo, possibly undo the curse of an S-class warlock? Especially since he was a swordsman, not a curse-breaker.
"It's a shame. If Kang Jinwoo and Cheon Juhyeok had been the best of friends, the reaction would have been much better."
To Johann, this was a minor hobby.
Using Soul Chains to bewitch people into attacking their comrades or murdering their families.
The very idea of using Kang Jinwoo to shake Chartia was his proposal in the first place.
But Cheon Juhyeok and Kang Jinwoo had known each other for less than a day, their relationship too ambiguous to be called companions.
That must be why Kang Jinwoo was able to cut him down so easily.
"A pity, a real pity. Don't you think so?"
At Johann's question, the chipped sword hanging at his waist trembled.
Bound tightly by chains without a scabbard, the vibrating blade struck the chains, creating an indescribably bizarre metallic sound.
Kiiing-kiiing.
It was as if the sword was wailing.
"Hey, Elf. What are you so sad about? Life, no, sword-life, should be lived with passion. Isn't it better to massacre a village or two and become a famous magic sword than to be abandoned in some backwater warehouse? Huh? I'm the one who elevated your fame."
Kiiiing—

The sword continued to cry. Johann, who had been trying to persuade the ego sword with some sincerity, snorted as if he'd lost interest in its persistent attitude.
Infamy was far better than anonymity. That was one of the mottos he truly believed in.
"Well, whatever. In any case, I know his location now... wait a minute. Why hasn't the soul I used for the chain returned?"
Johann, scratching his brown hair, noticed something was wrong.
Soul Chain was a sinister spell that bound an opponent's soul to dominate their body and mind. It was a spell that boasted absolute power, but it couldn't be used indiscriminately.
It could only be used on opponents of a much lower class than himself, and at the same time, he had to cut off a part of his own soul to use as a cost.
For that reason, he couldn't just go around dominating everyone he saw. The warlock's own dark magic would weaken by the amount of soul he cut off for the Soul Chain.

The fortunate thing was that if the person caught in the soul chain died, the part of Johann's soul used to form the chain would also be retrieved…

‘What? Why isn’t it coming back?!’

But this time, it didn't return. No matter how long he waited, there was no sign of it.

He wondered if it had already returned without him noticing, but a part of his soul was still clearly severed.

‘What is this?’

His mind raced, unable to comprehend the reason.

This had never happened before. A sudden chill ran down his spine, an eerie premonition.

"Fine. I'll figure it out once I catch that Kang Jinwoo bastard."

Whatever was happening, it was certainly related to Kang Jinwoo. Perhaps it was one of the man's abilities.

Despite being enveloped by an unsettling, unknown premonition, Johann proceeded with his plan.

"Alright, Elf. Now that we've pinpointed his location, send the Wind Spirits and set up a barrier nearby. I'll give you thirty percent of my mana, so make sure it's secure."

Normally, he would just storm in. Why would an S-class Hunter hesitate over a single E-class hiding in a corner?

But a strange feeling made him uncharacteristically cautious.

A warlock was still a type of mage, and their chances of victory were higher when they established a fortified position rather than charging into enemy territory.

This time, he planned to use the Ego Sword's Wind Spirits to cast a large-scale barrier over the area.

Kiiiiing—

The sword hummed as if in protest, but Johann lowered his voice and growled threateningly.

"Listen here, if you don't obey, I'll tie you to a rock and drop you into the sea of our world. If you don't want to spend eons in the depths of a world without a World Tree, you'd be wise to listen."

Kiiing…

The sword cried sorrowfully as wind flowed out from its blade. Countless particles of wind—lesser Wind Spirits—spread through the passages and began to erect the barrier.

The higher a spirit's rank, the more its ego develops, allowing it to exist as an independent entity.

Conversely, the lowest-ranking, lesser spirits had almost no ego and existed as a collective, unable to act independently.

Like floodwaters filling a maze, the particles of wind filled the passages, obeying their master's command.

Create a barrier in a wide radius around the designated location and transmit all information that arises to the master.

Faithfully executing their orders, the spirits eventually gathered in the chamber containing the altar—the focal point.

This place was the objective of the barrier and the most crucial location. The place from which their master had commanded them to retrieve all information, no matter what.

"He's asleep. His condition is… not great."

Inside, Jinwoo was laying Cheon Juhyeok down and administering first aid.

From exerting himself beyond his limits, not only had the skin on Juhyeok's hands and feet peeled off, but some of his bones were twisted and muscles were torn.

The fact that he could sleep through such horrific injuries showed just how severe the after-effects of the manipulation were.

Fortunately, Jinwoo had the basket of potions Chartia had packed for him, and he used them to finish treating Juhyeok.

In the middle of it all…

"Hm?"

He spotted the particles of wind.

Amorphous particles with no fixed shape. They looked like nothing more than wriggling green lights, vaguely resembling fireflies.

"Spirits…?"

They looked similar to what he had only heard about in stories—lesser spirits.

‘Spirits, at a time like this?’

He couldn't help but feel anxious. No matter how he looked at it, this had to be Johann's doing.

A warlock who played with souls was the natural enemy of spirits, but it wasn't entirely impossible if they were willing to use any means necessary. Using an item, for instance.

‘I can't just let them go if they're here for reconnaissance…’

Jinwoo reluctantly raised his sword.

With his power to cut Blue Flames, he should be able to cut down spirits as well.

However, even as he raised his sword, the spirits showed no hint of hostility.

In fact, it was the opposite.

‘What?’

The spirits circled around Jinwoo, welcoming his presence.

Jinwoo opened his palm. The largest of the small spirits, seemingly the leader of the pack, descended and settled on the tip of his finger.

As the green light tickled his finger, everything about the barrier that had been cast in the surrounding area flowed into Jinwoo's mind.

"What did you say?! How is that possible!"

Johann, his face red with fury, gripped the Ego Sword so tightly it seemed it would break.

"What do you mean the entire barrier was handed over?!"

He had just been told that the barrier, into which he had poured thirty percent of his own mana on top of the Ego Sword's power, had been transferred to the enemy, ownership and all.

It was impossible. Spirits belonged solely to their Spirit User, and even if they encountered another Spirit User, they would prioritize their contracted master.

That was why he had been able to entrust his mana to the spirits without a second thought.

‘The spirits prioritized that Kang Jinwoo bastard over their contractor?’

Faced with something so unheard of, Johann was beyond angry; he was dumbfounded. The Ego Sword, also experiencing this for the first time, could only whimper in confusion.