Chapter 77: Reclaimed**
It was him. Jinwoo realized it instantly.

It wasn't just the phrase "my scabbard." Another flame was layered over Grisella's Black Flame, just like Johann's soul had been when it controlled Cheon Juhyeok.

And beyond all that, the voice was different.

"What the… Was that lady’s voice always like that?" Shin Do-woong asked, sensing the ominous atmosphere as he readied his stance.

A deep, masculine voice was coming from Grisella’s throat. A coarse, cracked voice that made it hard to tell if it belonged to a middle-aged or an old man.

"She's being controlled, it seems."

"Looks that way. But what’s this about a scabbard?"

Explaining it wouldn't be difficult, but it was too long a story for their current situation. Shin Do-woong didn’t press further, as if he hadn't been expecting a real answer anyway.

Instead, he tensed his entire body. He was far more alert now, staring down a single Elf, than he had been when diving into a horde of hundreds or thousands of monsters.

"I've never seen a monster like that. I’ve encountered moving Erosion once before, but never on this level."

"Does she seem that dangerous—"

"She gives me the chills."

Shin Do-woong was, in fact, completely focused. He felt that if his concentration wavered for even a moment, he would lose consciousness on the spot.

"I was in a Gate, so I only heard about Ireland later. Was the thing in Ireland like this?"

"Much tamer."

"…Dammit. So this is an even worse monster."

From Jinwoo's perspective, the one in Ireland couldn't have been tamer. It had recognized his past life and asked him to kill it.

But even without that, the monster in Ireland was indeed much gentler. That creature was just an ordinary subordinate that happened to be unusually large. Grisella, however, was different.

The Sky God himself had descended into her body.

[It's only a minuscule fragment of him that has descended. But even that carries a huge risk.]

'Risk?'

From what she said, even an indirect descent like this wasn't something that could be done easily. It meant he must have paid a significant price to come down.

That’s how badly he wanted his scabbard back. Furthermore, the "risk" the God of Moonlight Forest mentioned had another meaning.

[The risk of having a part of himself permanently stolen away in this lower world. This is your chance.]

Ordinarily, it would be an unthinkable risk.

Perhaps the dragons of the 5th Floor were a different story, but there was no way a divine being like him could have a piece of his existence stolen by mere humans.

But Jinwoo was different. He had the ability to devour a severed soul, leaving nothing behind.

And that was no exception, even for the divine beings of the 6th Floor.

[Be careful…]

However, it seemed the task wouldn't be easy, as the God of Moonlight Forest added a word of caution.

Jinwoo could feel it on his skin—just how arduous it would be to destroy the floating Elf and the pillar behind her.

Unsure of how or where the attack would come from, both Jinwoo and Shin Do-woong remained on high alert. Suddenly, an arrow materialized between them.

They didn't even see when it was fired. It truly just appeared out of thin air. Worse, the small arrow contained an energy rivaling an S-class grand magic spell and was on the verge of exploding.

"Get down!"

Without a second thought, both men dove in opposite directions. KWA-GWA-GWA-GWA-GWANG! The arrow between them exploded, carving a massive crater in the ground. The monsters, large and small, that had been charging them were caught in the blast and disintegrated without a trace.

But there was no time to catch their breath. Another arrow fell where they had landed, and it too detonated.

They fell ceaselessly, without pause. It was like a meteor shower raining down from the sky.

Shin Do-woong was in the same predicament. He tried to take a step forward to approach Grisella several times, but each time, an arrow would land at his feet, forcing him to leap back.

He was being led further away, not closer. The more distance between them, the further he was from his effective range. It was a critical disadvantage, as both he and Jinwoo used close-range weapons like a sword and spear.

It was Jinwoo who charged forward first.

"Hey, kid!"

Shin Do-woong was stunned to see Jinwoo suddenly dash out. He knew from his own failed attempts that getting close to the enemy was no easy feat.

The arrows didn't actually appear from nothing. It wasn't teleportation; they were being fired. This meant that the closer one got, the faster the arrows would arrive.

The time difference was minuscule, less than 0.1 seconds, but that tiny fraction of time made a huge difference in reaction speed.

Shin Do-woong belatedly followed to cover Jinwoo's back, whether by helping to parry arrows or healing him after a blast.

Just as expected, an arrow appeared right in front of Jinwoo, aimed precisely at his forehead. Even if he dodged, he was too close to escape the explosion.

'Damn it!'

A grim premonition washed over Shin Do-woong, his face hardening. The imminent explosion and the tragic fate of the poor young man who would be caught in it.

Was there any way to stop it? Lightning sparked from the spear in his hand as his body accelerated. But just then…

Shnk—

Jinwoo’s sword bisected the arrow. Judging by his speed, he had already been swinging his sword before the arrow even appeared.

The next arrow aimed for his collarbone. But that one, too, was cut down by Jinwoo's sword the moment it materialized, falling powerlessly.

'What the…?'

Slicing through the storm of meteor-like arrows, Jinwoo ran toward Grisella.

After seeing it a few times, he got used to it. No, "got used to it" wasn't the right expression. The arrows the enemy fired were invisible until the moment before they exploded.

What he got used to was his ability to detect the enemy's energy.

The arrow's explosion was based on the energy of Erosion. To Jinwoo’s senses, it appeared as an ominous bomb reeking of black energy.

At first, he was startled by the bombs that appeared and exploded out of nowhere, but after seeing them several times, his eyes adjusted.

For Jinwoo, who could see through the complex barrier in the Sky Temple, it was impossible not to see a simple bomb like this.

To Shin Do-woong’s eyes, it looked like a magic trick.

He had no ability to perceive the energy of Erosion. He could only rely on his sight, hearing, and what he felt on his skin.

With only his five senses, he had extremely limited information to track Grisella's arrows. That's why, to him, the arrows seemed to appear out of thin air just before exploding.

'That's… he's swinging before he can even see it, isn't he?'

Jinwoo was already moving his sword before the arrow was visible, as if he knew exactly where it would appear.

Forehead, collarbone, groin, calf. He parried every single arrow aimed at him as he closed the distance.

'…I can't just stand here either.'

Seeing his junior, who was younger and had far less experience as a Hunter, fight like that, a fire lit in Shin Do-woong’s eyes.

He too dashed forward, following Jinwoo. An arrow was naturally fired at him, but this time, it was manageable.

'The assault is weaker.'

The number of arrows being shot at him was significantly less than before.

The reason was obvious. The same number of arrows that he was now spared from were being poured onto Jinwoo.

The enemy had identified Jinwoo as the more dangerous foe and was focusing most of its power on stopping him, paying relatively less attention to Shin Do-woong.

'It hurts my pride a bit… but thanks to him, I'm alive.'

It was a blow to his pride, but he had no complaints. Because, well…

'If you told me to dive into that arrow storm just to protect my pride, phew, no way in hell.'

The enemy's attack on Jinwoo was on another level. It was trying to kill him with the ferocity of someone facing their parents' murderer.

Yet despite the barrage, not a single arrow hit Jinwoo. At most, the arrows that struck the ground exploded and gave him a few scratches, but the impact was too weak.

—Give me back… my scabbard!

He was close enough now, well within range. His sword aura or Kanok's ritual would be enough to reach her.

But it wasn't enough. That wouldn't be enough to defeat the entity.

—Give it back!!

KWA-GWA-GWA-GWA-GWANG!

The arrows falling from the sky had become a full-blown bombardment. Jinwoo deployed the aura he’d gained from the golden apple to block the explosions.

He had chosen to protect his heart rather than his whole body, so his defensive capabilities were somewhat reduced, but it was no problem to block the aftermath of explosions rather than direct hits.

"Why is it yours?"

—What…?

"I took it, so isn't it mine now?"

Jinwoo stepped onto a rock that had jutted out of the ground and raised his sword. He could reach her now. One downward strike, and Grisella would be split from the crown of her head, dying a gruesome death.

—You daaaare!

The being roared in fury and moved its body. But its movements were stiff and jerky, not at all free.

It can fire arrows just fine, so why can't it move freely? Did it descend into Grisella's body but not gain complete control? Perhaps it could only shoot the bow because it was a motion ingrained in the body from a lifetime of training.

Whatever the reason, this was his chance. The sword Jinwoo held high fell toward Grisella.

[A Fragment of a Past Life emerges.]

A sensation similar to the one he’d felt with the Heart of Ireland washed over him.

Perhaps it was because Grisella, with a Monarch descended into her, was no ordinary subordinate.

His past self was sitting on a rock.

The surrounding scenery was blurry. But he could feel the expression on his own face as if he were looking in a mirror.

A look of profound fatigue. Bitter and regretful.

Next to the rock stood a sword, propped up without a scabbard. His past self picked it up and rose from the rock.

He tried to sheathe it at his waist, but the spot felt strangely empty.

Right, he'd lost the scabbard.

Realizing this, he gave a wry smile and simply stuck the sword into his belt.

The bare blade, without a scabbard, looked crude and clumsy. The sword had no decorations to begin with, which only made it worse.

I have to find it.

That was the thought. He couldn't let the naughty children's games continue.

And finally.

'…I've reclaimed it.'

The energy of Erosion flowing from the scabbard surged into the sword in his right hand. The blade crackled with light as lightning struck it. The lightning mixed with the energy of Erosion and spread out in all directions.

That sword cut Grisella down. He didn't cut her from the top of her head as he'd first intended. Instead, he sliced diagonally, from her shoulder to her side.

Her upper body was severed, and the ensuing lightning incinerated all the black energy the being had been emitting.

—You, baassstard…

Her mangled mouth could no longer form proper words.

—Who… are… y…

The slurred words trailed off, and she collapsed. As the presence faded, the light of the real Grisella returned to her eyes.

A flame that flickered for a very brief moment.

Her lips moved silently toward Jinwoo, and then, with a smile, she closed her eyes.

Freed from the Sky God’s cage, Grisella's flame flowed into Jinwoo.