Chapter 96 – The Trial of the Movie “Spirit Fire” (2)
“Huah…!”
Pang Soso swallowed her breath and felt her throat.
“Huh? I’m pretty sure…”
Pang Soso looked around, still not understanding the situation.
Seeing her like that, Hong Yeonhwa rushed over and hugged Pang Soso.
“Soso!”
“Ho, Hong Unni?!”
Although the difference in height made it awkward, Pang Soso reflexively patted Hong Yeonhwa’s back in response to the sudden embrace.
Then, as she felt the strength in Hong Yeonhwa’s arms slowly fade, she asked cautiously.
“Hong Unni? What’s going on? Just a moment ago, I was…”
“Your throat!”
“What?”
“Is your throat okay?!”
In the latter half of the trial, despite their happy marriage, Pang Soso was unable to have a child. In this era, not being able to have a child was a significant disqualification. At first, Jin Sochan and Hong Yeonhwa still treated Pang Soso well, but after a year, and then two years passed, their attitudes gradually became colder.
Eventually, like a neglected outbuilding with no proper heating, Pang Soso was abandoned and in despair, she stabbed herself in the throat with a dagger.
And then she woke up from the trial.
“Does it hurt? Are you breathing properly?!”
“…!”
Pang Soso remembered all of those memories when she saw Hong Yeonhwa’s helpless state. She absentmindedly stroked her own neck, and Hong Yeonhwa began to cry.
“I would never do such a terrible thing! You! Didn’t you say it would be okay after the trial?! Did you dare to lie to me for a momentary facade?!”
“What…! Absolutely not! Look at this woman’s attitude. Does it look like the attitude of someone who just experienced death? She’s more like someone who’s still half asleep and dazed.”
Suddenly, Jang Munin, who had a spark of anger, pointed at Pang Soso.
As Hong Yeonhwa raised her head in that direction, Pang Soso was awkwardly laughing.
“Um… don’t be too angry, Hong Unni. What that person said is correct. Even though I know with my head that I died once, I don’t actually feel it. It doesn’t hurt either.”
“Is that true?”
“It’s true. What should I say… my memory is correct, but it doesn’t seem to lead to my life. It’s like looking at a picture… no, it’s like looking at a picture within a picture.”
Only then did Hong Yeonhwa breathe a sigh of relief and let go of Pang Soso.
“Well, that’s a relief. …I’m sorry for earlier.”
After checking that Pang Soso was safe, Hong Yeonhwa apologized to Jang Munin with a noticeably softened attitude.
Chapter 96 – The Trial of the Movie “Spirit Fire” (2)
“Huah…!”
Pang Soso swallowed her breath and felt her throat.
“Huh? I’m pretty sure…”
Pang Soso looked around, still not understanding the situation.
Seeing her like that, Hong Yeonhwa rushed over and hugged Pang Soso.
“Soso!”
“Ho, Hong Unni?!”
Although the difference in height made it awkward, Pang Soso reflexively patted Hong Yeonhwa’s back in response to the sudden embrace.
Then, as she felt the strength in Hong Yeonhwa’s arms slowly fade, she asked cautiously.
“Hong Unni? What’s going on? Just a moment ago, I was…”
“Your throat!”
“What?”
“Is your throat okay?!”
In the latter half of the trial, despite their happy marriage, Pang Soso was unable to have a child. In this era, not being able to have a child was a significant disqualification. At first, Jin Sochan and Hong Yeonhwa still treated Pang Soso well, but after a year, and then two years passed, their attitudes gradually became colder.
Eventually, like a neglected outbuilding with no proper heating, Pang Soso was abandoned and in despair, she stabbed herself in the throat with a dagger.
And then she woke up from the trial.
“Does it hurt? Are you breathing properly?!”
“…!”
Pang Soso remembered all of those memories when she saw Hong Yeonhwa’s helpless state. She absentmindedly stroked her own neck, and Hong Yeonhwa began to cry.
“I would never do such a terrible thing! You! Didn’t you say it would be okay after the trial?! Did you dare to lie to me for a momentary facade?!”
“What…! Absolutely not! Look at this woman’s attitude. Does it look like the attitude of someone who just experienced death? She’s more like someone who’s still half asleep and dazed.”
Suddenly, Jang Munin, who had a spark of anger, pointed at Pang Soso.
As Hong Yeonhwa raised her head in that direction, Pang Soso was awkwardly laughing.
“Um… don’t be too angry, Hong Unni. What that person said is correct. Even though I know with my head that I died once, I don’t actually feel it. It doesn’t hurt either.”
“Is that true?”
“It’s true. What should I say… my memory is correct, but it doesn’t seem to lead to my life. It’s like looking at a picture… no, it’s like looking at a picture within a picture.”
Only then did Hong Yeonhwa breathe a sigh of relief and let go of Pang Soso.
“Well, that’s a relief. …I’m sorry for earlier.”
After checking that Pang Soso was safe, Hong Yeonhwa apologized to Jang Munin with a noticeably softened attitude.
Chapter 96 – The Trial of the Movie “Spirit Fire” (2)
“Huah…!”
Pang Soso gasped and clutched her throat.
“What? I’m sure…”
Pang Soso looked around, still confused.
Seeing her like that, Hong Yeonhwa rushed over and hugged Pang Soso.
“Soso!”
“Ho, Hong Unni?!”
Despite the height difference making it awkward, Pang Soso reflexively patted Hong Yeonhwa’s back in response to the sudden embrace.
Then, as she felt the strength in Hong Yeonhwa’s arms slowly fade, she asked cautiously.
“Hong Unni? What’s going on? Just a moment ago, I was…”
“Your throat!”
“What?”
“Is your throat okay?!”
In the latter half of the trial, despite their happy marriage, Pang Soso was unable to have a child. In this era, not being able to have a child was a significant disqualification. At first, Jin Sochan and Hong Yeonhwa still treated Pang Soso well, but after a year, and then two years passed, their attitudes gradually became colder.
Eventually, like a neglected outbuilding with no proper heating, Pang Soso was abandoned and in despair, she stabbed herself in the throat with a dagger.
And then she woke up from the trial.
“Does it hurt? Are you breathing properly?!”
“…!”
Pang Soso remembered all of those memories when she saw Hong Yeonhwa’s helpless state. She absentmindedly stroked her own neck, and Hong Yeonhwa began to cry.
“I would never do such a terrible thing! You! Didn’t you say it would be okay after the trial?! Did you dare to lie to me for a momentary facade?!”
“What…! Absolutely not! Look at this woman’s attitude. Does it look like the attitude of someone who just experienced death? She’s more like someone who’s still half asleep and dazed.”
Suddenly, Jang Munin, who had a spark of anger, pointed at Pang Soso.
As Hong Yeonhwa raised her head in that direction, Pang Soso was awkwardly laughing.
“Um… don’t be too angry, Hong Unni. What that person said is correct. Even though I know with my head that I died once, I don’t actually feel it. It doesn’t hurt either.”
“Is that true?”
“It’s true. What should I say… my memory is correct, but it doesn’t seem to lead to my life. It’s like looking at a picture… no, it’s like looking at a picture within a picture.”
Only then did Hong Yeonhwa breathe a sigh of relief and let go of Pang Soso.
“Well, that’s a relief. …I’m sorry for earlier.”
After checking that Pang Soso was safe, Hong Yeonhwa apologized to Jang Munin with a noticeably softened attitude.
***
“Demons! The demons have returned! Kill them before they regain their strength! No, close the door so they can’t escape!”
“Ugh…!”
What the fuck.
I died from having my throat slit. I’m sure of it, but…
“Are you… alive?”
As I looked around in surprise, I saw Hong Yeonhwa and Pang Soso standing next to me with bewildered expressions.
“Yeonhwa! Soso!”
The last thing I saw was their tragic end, and I hugged them impulsively.
The soft touch, warm body temperature, and the mixed scent that stimulated my nose gradually calmed my anxious heart.
“What’s going on all of a sudden?!”
“Jin Gaga! Snap out of it!”
But their reactions were strange.
Pang Soso was hitting my back violently instead of hugging me like usual.
“Later, later! What are you doing in front of the enemy?!”
“Enemy?”
“Look up. We’re already surrounded, so they’ll be visible from anywhere.”
As Hong Yeonhwa said, I looked up and saw the disciples of the Murim League running towards us like madmen.
“Ah….”
At that moment, one word came to mind.
Regression.
Of course, it could be a hallucination. Jinbeop, poison, magic, sorcery… I could have been subjected to all sorts of methods without even realizing it.
But the sensation of the cold blade on my neck still lingered, and the image of my lifeless body was imprinted in my mind like a scar.
Is such a vivid memory really just an illusion?
Even if it is, our inner strength has evaporated, and we are still surrounded by the disciples of the Murim League.
We have to run away.
The dimensional portal may not be completely closed yet!
I grabbed Hong Yeonhwa and Pang Soso’s arms and turned around.
“Fuck.”
“My lord?”
“Jin Gaga?”
Although it was a swear word that I rarelyuse, I couldn’t help but say it.
“Let’s run. We have to find the dimensional portal and get out of here.”
As we ran, I couldn’t help but think about what had just happened. The memories of my death and the feeling of being surrounded by enemies were still fresh in my mind.
But I couldn’t dwell on it for too long. We had to focus on escaping.
As we ran, I noticed that Hong Yeonhwa and Pang Soso were struggling to keep up. They were both panting heavily, and their faces were flushed with exertion.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, my lord. Just a little out of breath.”
“I’m okay too, Jin Gaga. Don’t worry about me.”
But I could tell that they were both exhausted. We had been running for what felt like hours, and we still hadn’t found the dimensional portal.
Suddenly, we heard the sound of footsteps behind us.
“They’re catching up!”
I looked back and saw that the disciples of the Murim League were getting closer.
“We have to keep running!”
But it was no use. They were too fast, and we were too tired.
Just as I thought we were done for, I saw a glimmer of light in the distance.
“The portal! It’s over there!”
We ran towards the light, and as we got closer, I could see the outline of the portal.
“Quickly! Get in!”
We jumped into the portal just as the disciples of the Murim League caught up to us.
As we emerged on the other side, I breathed a sigh of relief.
“We made it.”
But as I looked around, I realized that something was wrong.
This wasn’t the same place we had left from.
“Where are we?”
“I don’t know, my lord. This doesn’t look like the same dimension.”
As we looked around, we saw that we were in a dark, desolate wasteland.
“What the hell is going on?”
“I don’t know, but we have to find a way out of here.”
As we walked through the wasteland, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease.
What had just happened? And where were we now?
I didn’t know the answers to those questions, but I knew one thing for sure.
We were in trouble.
The dimensional portal, which was barely big enough for one person to pass through, had shrunk by almost half.
It may not seem completely closed like before, but it still made it impossible for anyone to pass through properly.
…How could they squeeze in Hong Yeon-hwa, who was small in size? But even if Hong Yeon-hwa tried to escape alone… no, if she could save even one person!
It was when she was thinking like this and giving strength to the arm that held Hong Yeon-hwa’s hand.
“Hmm.”
Hong Yeon-hwa suddenly twisted her wrist skillfully and got away from me, then pushed me from behind with a swift kick.
Pan So-so, who naturally fell forward, was startled and flailed as she shouted.
“Kyaa! Hong unni! What is this…?”
“…Eit!”
Before Pan So-so could finish her sentence, Hong Yeon-hwa used the force of her falling body to throw her towards the closing dimensional portal.
It was half-closed, but it was large enough for Pan So-so to pass through like diving.
As Pan So-so flew away with a disappointed expression, the door closed completely.
Staring blankly at the place where the dimensional portal had been open, Hong Yeon-hwa smirked.
“You have broad shoulders, so you wouldn’t have been able to get in anyway.”
“…I was trying to throw you, Yeon-hwa.”
Hong Yeon-hwa looked at me with a stern expression and bit my lips.
“Oh my. Since I’m from this side and So-so is from that side, and she has family there, if only one of us can go back, So-so should go.”
“Brueh, eubu bu-bubu.”
Then I’ll distract them, so you run away, Yeon-hwa.
Although it was a moaning sound close to a whimper with my lips held, Hong Yeon-hwa understood what I meant and shook her head.
“Do you remember what they said at first? Their goal is probably me. Maybe, no, most likely the remnants of the Murim League. So you run away because I will be the bait.”
“That’s absolutely not possible. Even if you drop me, Yeon-hwa, I’ll chase after you.”
“…Well, I guess so. If I were in your position, I would have done the same.”
As much as I know Hong Yeon-hwa well, she also knows me well.
So instead of persuading me unnecessarily, Hong Yeon-hwa looked at the encircling net that was getting closer and closer with a bitter smile.
Hong Yeon-hwa’s gaze, which was clenching her small fist, stopped on the left.
“That side looks the weakest. We have to break through that side and get out of here first….”
“No.”
“Huh?”
“We’ve deployed our forces evenly in other places, so there’s no way they would have made a hole like that. It’s definitely a trap.”
Hong Yeon-hwa looked at me with a questioning expression, wondering what I was so confident about, but now was not the time for that. She sighed and nodded her head.
***
“No!”
The giant sword sliced diagonally from Hong Yeon-hwa’s chest to her stomach.
It was definitely a fatal wound.
We fought well, but with Pan So-so gone and the encirclement getting thicker, it took longer than expected to break through.
Even though Hong Yeon-hwa was still strong despite not being able to use her inner strength, her stamina was inevitably declining.
In the end, she left an opening due to exhaustion.
Hong Yeon-hwa, who sensed her impending death, smiled faintly as she looked towards me.
And then…
Swoosh!
A small head flew up. When I saw the pink hair flying in the air, I heard a sound like something snapping inside me.
“Aaaahhh!!!”
My vision distorted, my heart pounding like crazy, and my inner strength flowed differently than usual.
The faint sword energy became even stronger. However, it was no longer white but dark red.
Maybe this was what they called the “Ju-hwa Ip-ma.”
But it didn’t matter.
If I could use this power right now, if I could take down even one more of them, what did the Ju-hwa Ip-ma matter?
I used my last bit of strength to wildly attack. Slashing, stabbing, and slashing again…
But I couldn’t withstand the combined attacks of the newly arrived Divine Murim Prince and his surrounding allies.
Squelch.
“Kugh…!”
The arm holding the sword was cleanly cut from the shoulder. I tried to grab a nearby weapon with my remaining hand, but a spear pierced through my chest before I could.
“Aaaahhh!”
In the midst of the pain, I didn’t miss a beat as swords and spears rained down on me from all directions.
Shoulder, wrist, side, left eye, ankle, thigh, and finally, my abdomen.
I could endure the pain, but the daggers they had stuck into me like a hunter trapping its prey physically prevented me from moving.
No matter how hard I tried, all I could do was glare at the Divine Murim Prince with my remaining eye.
The guy who had leisurely walked over raised his sword with a sneer.
“You did well. But this is as far as you go. Do you have any last words?”
“…You son of a bitch.”
“Hah! This is why you people are called ‘Mines.'”
The flashing sword energy pierced through my forehead.
.
.
.
.
.
“Cheonma! Cheonma has returned! Kill them before they regain their strength! No, close the door so they can’t escape!”
This time, without hesitation, they threw Hong Yeon-hwa and Pan So-so towards the back.