Chapter 2540 – 2540. Savior Of The Academy

Thunder Sky Style’s ultimate technique, Thunder Light Crimson Wheel.

Kiiiing.

The Thunder Light Crimson Wheel spun using the domain as its power source. That meant I didn’t have much time. The domain was already near its limit.

As soon as the Thunder Light Crimson Wheel was complete, I charged towards Zarkhan. The domain was the power of the Fire Lotus Blade. Even if I used Complete Recovery, the domain wouldn’t recharge. So, I was the one who was in a hurry.

The distance closed in an instant. Zarkhan and I simultaneously swung our claws and blade.

The blade and claws stopped in mid-air before colliding. Or rather, they were being pushed back. The invisible domain and power clashed, pushing each other away and canceling each other out.

Kiiiing.

The rotation of the Thunder Light Crimson Wheel accelerated. Red lightning crackled from my entire body. I channeled all that power into the blade.

The tense power struggle began to tilt in my favor. Zarkhan’s power was pushed back, even torn apart. I seized that moment to slash at his claws. Then, I cut his right foot.

“Kiyaaaaaaaak!”

Zarkhan screamed more excitedly than ever. Looking at him, I was certain. Zarkhan had completely exhausted all his resources.

I took a step forward. Thanks to Seong Hari’s help, I still had the trump card of Complete Recovery left. Even if I died to him, if I could kill him, it would be my victory. That’s why this step was without hesitation.

Zarkhan hesitated.

Demons and demonic beasts were called immortals because they had no lifespan. If their bodies died, they died.

The demonic beast who had risen to the rank of legion commander had just felt death and hesitated. It seemed that even after living for thousands or tens of thousands of years, the fear of death was unavoidable.

‘Thanks to that brief hesitation, I won.’

I thrust the Fire Lotus Blade into his chest, where his heart was.

A freezing cold rushed in to block the blade. The Thunder Light Crimson Wheel rotated, resisting the cold. In the end, the Fire Lotus Blade’s blade pierced deep into Zarkhan’s chest. The tip of the blade reached his heart.

Zarkhan staggered and fell. His fur returned to its original black color. I pulled the Fire Lotus Blade out from Zarkhan’s fallen body. Hot blood gushed out like a fountain.

Kiiiing….

The rotation speed of the Thunder Light Crimson Wheel, which had reached its limit, slowed down and then stopped completely. The crimson wheel disappeared without a sound.

‘A sure finish.’

I gripped the Fire Lotus Blade with both hands and raised it high. The muscles in my arms, which had reached their limit, trembled. Still, they were recovering quickly, so I should be able to kill Zarkhan, who was on the verge of death.

Zarkhan’s snout turned towards me. I saw the power of freezing cold gathering at the tip of his snout. It was the crudest of all the attacks I had seen from him so far. But even that was fatal to me now.

‘Is he determined to kill me?’

A breath of freezing cold.

The distance was too close. Even if I used a Flash, it would be impossible to dodge.

[Using Flash. Remaining stacks: 2]

Instead of running away, I swung my blade at Zarkhan’s neck.

However, I couldn’t completely sever Zarkhan’s neck. I lacked the strength.

Zarkhan’s last struggle, the breath of freezing cold, was unleashed towards me.

『Used Absolute Reflection.』

『Absolute Reflection cannot be used for 22 hours.』

I used my power.

The breath of freezing cold that was about to engulf me was reflected back, lifting Zarkhan’s body. Zarkhan died without being able to resist his own reflected power.

『Karma: Goodness increased by 70.』
『You have killed the third legion commander! The Demon Hunter (SS) rejoices!』
『Partially restored health and mana!』
『The Demon Hunter (SS)’s rank has increased to SS+!』
『The Demon Hunter (SS+) absorbs a portion of the power of the demons killed.』
『All stats have increased by one level!』

『Power of Freezing Cold
Rank: S+
Can cause freezing cold to slow down or freeze targets.』

I killed Zarkhan.

There was no time to be sentimental. Even though Zarkhan was dead, other demons remained.

‘Thanks to the Demon Hunter (SS+) effect, my health and mana have recovered quite a bit. I don’t need to use Complete Recovery right away.’

I looked around. I could see demons and demonic beasts in a panic.

“The legion commander has fallen…!”

“Unbelievable… to a mere human! Following the 2nd legion commander, now the 3rd legion commander…!”

“Damn, damn it! Human! Kill the human!”

The demons’ morale plummeted, while the humans’ morale soared.

“Hahaha! What good news to hear at the end of the year! I can’t just stand by either!”

Tenrai Nagisa’s voice echoed from the auditorium.

Her barrier, which had been focused on protecting the auditorium in case of an emergency, expanded, putting pressure on the demons. With Zarkhan, the most dangerous being, dead, there was no longer a need to simply maintain the barrier.

‘At this rate, we can wipe out the demons before reinforcements arrive.’

The tide had turned.

I set out to help Kang Ji-young, who was fighting two demon dukes simultaneously. Kang Ji-young was covered in blood, but she was holding her own. Of course, the two demons she was fighting were also covered in blood. The moment I intervened, it would end in Kang Ji-young’s victory.

“Kang Ji-young! I’ll kill at least you!! Delma!”

“Damn it. Uureka! The legion commander is dead! We need to retreat first!”

“Even if we retreat, I’ll kill this bitch! I’ll kill her!!”

“This crazy bitch…!”

The crazed Uureka charged at Kang Ji-young. Kang Ji-young calmly thrust her greatsword into Uureka’s body. Uureka’s octopus legs grabbed Kang Ji-young’s body as if to bind her. However, Kang Ji-young, with her body as solid as the earth, held onto her greatsword and moved without wavering.

“You made a foolish move, Uureka. Do you think using magic at close range will change anything? I can withstand your magic as much as you want.”

“Ahaha. I guess so. Your body is disgustingly tough. But not your soul. Humans can’t do anything if their soul and body are separated! Delma! Do it now! Are you going to miss this chance?!!”

“This crazy bitch…!”

Delma cursed but still used his power. The white light emitted from his hand struck the bound Kang Ji-young.

[Using Flash. Remaining stacks: 1]
[Using Flash. Remaining stacks: 0]

I used all my Flash stacks to approach Delma from behind, but I was a step too late. Gritting my teeth, I stabbed the Fire Lotus Blade into Delma’s neck, then pulled it out.

“Kueeeok!”

『Karma: Goodness increased by 32.』
『Successfully hunted a demon. The Demon Hunter (SS+) effect is enhanced.』
『Hunted a demon. Partially restored health and mana.』
『The Demon Hunter (SS) absorbs a portion of the power of the demons killed.』

『Interference
Rank: A+
Interferes with the target.』

After finishing off Delma, I rushed towards Kang Ji-young. I could see her soul leaving her body. Uureka, on the verge of death, was laughing madly in front of her.

“Kekekekekek!”

“This crazy bitch!”

I quickly ran over and beheaded Uureka. Uureka didn’t even try to dodge my attack, as if she had no regrets.

『Karma: Goodness increased by 96.』
『Successfully hunted a demon. The Demon Hunter (SS+) effect is enhanced.』
『Hunted a demon. Partially restored health and mana.』
『The Demon Hunter (SS) absorbs a portion of the power of the demons killed.』

『Invisibility
Rank: A+
Makes the target invisible.』

Kang Ji-young’s soul completely separated from her body. She had a bewildered expression, but she couldn’t do anything in her soul state.

Moving and using magic were only possible with a body. In her pure soul state, she didn’t seem to know what to do.

‘Shit. I’m screwed.’

Leaving aside the fact that she was wearing clothes even in her soul state, her soul was gradually disappearing.

Human souls were different from spirits. Spirits could exist on their own. Because they had the energy of nature’s power. But human souls were not like that. They couldn’t exist without a body. If I didn’t take action, Kang Ji-young’s soul would disappear.

The first method that came to mind was to turn Kang Ji-young’s soul into a ghost. Then, at least it wouldn’t disappear. Whether Kang Ji-young as a ghost could still be called Kang Ji-young was another matter.

‘…I don’t know how to make her a ghost. Damn it. Dealing with those guys from Guirak Valley made me think of this.’

The second thing that came to mind was the spirit gate. If I opened a spirit gate and took her to the spirit realm, wouldn’t I be able to preserve her soul? The laws of the spirit realm were different from Earth, and it was an environment optimized for spirits, which were entities of energy.

‘I don’t know how the Spirit King or other spirits will react. There’s a high chance they’ll reject her.’

After desperately racking my brain, the last, third method came to mind.

‘Spirit Possession.’

The secret technique of the Jinryeong family.

The essence of Spirit Possession was not spirit magic but possession magic. It could be called necromancy. Since that was its essence, I should be able to possess Kang Ji-young, who was in a soul state.

‘Normally, there’s a high chance that the possessed soul or ghost will take over the body….’

It didn’t seem like Kang Ji-young would try to take over my body. Even if Kang Ji-young tried, the result was already determined. I had Absolute Mind.

“Damn it. There’s no time. Kang Ji-young! Can you hear me?! Just accept it for now!”

I used Spirit Possession on Kang Ji-young. She seemed to resist, but in the end, she accepted. Her soul entered me.

The possession was successful.

Unlike spirits, I didn’t feel any special power. It did consume mana to maintain the possession, but… the mana I was recovering was greater. Theoretically, I could maintain the possession for the rest of my life.

[What the hell did you just do? I’m completely disoriented.]

Kang Ji-young’s bewildered voice echoed in my head.

‘Calm down. We avoided the worst-case scenario.’

[I can feel your thoughts. I don’t sense any deep thoughts though… It’s not a very pleasant sensation. No, wait. It’s not just thoughts… I can feel the sensations of your body too. You’re not in a normal state, are you? Especially your leg. Get it treated first.]

My leg was the area that had been hit by Zarkhan’s power. I could actually feel pain from my leg.

‘I have Complete Recovery.’

I had used Complete Recovery when practicing Spirit Possession. Even if I used Complete Recovery, the possessed soul didn’t disappear. It seemed that Spirit Possession was recognized as a technique, not a status ailment. Just like how Complete Recovery didn’t cancel out when I used Thunder God’s Speed.

[What’s Complete Recovery?]

Ignoring her words, I first checked Kang Ji-young’s body, which was lying on the ground with Uureka’s corpse.

When I moved the corpse, I discovered a curse that was eating away at her body. It was a vicious curse left by the Succubus Uureka just before she died. She wasn’t satisfied with just separating Kang Ji-young’s body and soul.

[Don’t try to touch my chest so slyly.]

‘…How did you know? I made sure not to think about it on the surface.’

[I guessed by seeing your gaze directed at my chest. Right now, I can only see what you see. …But how do you keep your thoughts from surfacing?]

‘You get like that when you communicate with spirits.’

I reached out to Kang Ji-young’s body. It would be noisy if I touched her chest slyly, so I touched her neck. Specifically, the pulse in her neck.

[…There’s no pulse. Am I dead?]

Kang Ji-young said calmly. But I could vaguely feel the despair she was feeling.

‘There must be a way. Your soul is fine. Even if there isn’t a way, I’ll solve it for you.’