Ch.11739. The End of the Struggle (2)

The swords of Soso and the Hell Blood Demon clashed in succession.

Fierce sword strikes exchanged between them, so fast that even afterimages couldn’t be seen with normal dynamic vision. My heightened physical senses, thanks to Hongok, barely managed to track the movements of their blades.

In terms of pure swordsmanship, Soso had the advantage.

Soso’s sword was sharp. Even a mere graze from the aura of her Heaven-Destroying Divine Sword would cause unavoidable injury.

As their blades continued to cross, I could see Lee Seon-woo’s injuries multiplying. Looking at just that aspect, Soso seemed to have the upper hand, but…

Lee Seon-woo was using Hell Blood techniques with the blood flowing from his wounds. He was actually accelerating his own bleeding.

‘A normal person would have died from blood loss by now…’

Yet the more blood flowed, the stronger his demonic energy became. Lee Seon-woo was now both a villain and a contractor with demons.

Although he hadn’t received all the demonic energy promised in exchange for his sacrifice, it seemed he could channel it through his blood without any special demonic arts.

‘This is bad. At this rate, our chances of winning are diminishing.’

I was focusing all my senses to find a blind spot in the Hell Blood Demon’s defenses. My Wind Cutter was waiting for an opportunity to intervene between the two fighters, ready to act on my will.

But the blood mist that had formed expanded the Hell Blood Demon’s field of vision dramatically. Within the space covered by the blood fog, he could detect attacks even from behind.

Clang—

The Wind Arrow spell I shot at the Hell Blood Demon’s back as a diversion was blocked when his blood mist solidified.

“Interferers, stay out of this!”

Just as the Hell Blood Demon shouted confidently, despite being outnumbered two to one, he was landing more effective hits now that he had begun using proper blood magic.

‘If Soso gets injured at this rate, we’re in serious trouble.’

In that moment, the Hell Blood Demon spotted my precarious position.

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!

A blood bomb flew toward me. Part of the steep cliff exploded, sending my body tumbling down the precipice.

“No!”

“Focus on the fight! I’m fine!”

Despite my reassuring words, I was in free fall toward the ground below. The bottom was a beach filled with dangerous rocks.

Even if I managed to land without injury, falling into the sea would mean being swept away by the waves and possibly disappearing forever—a truly dangerous situation.

But I didn’t panic as I plummeted downward. Rather, with my life in danger, my mind worked even faster.

‘Calmly now. We have no chance of winning like this.’

I hadn’t yet activated the spell inscribed on Wind Cutter’s surface. I had already consumed a large amount of mana during my earlier confrontation with Lee Seon-woo.

Considering my remaining mana, I could only use one powerful spell strong enough to create an opening against Lee Seon-woo.

But right now, the Hell Blood Demon was boiling with rage, squeezing every drop of blood from his body.

‘So I can’t see any opening to thrust my spell into.’

If I could create just one opening, Soso’s black blade could slice his neck.

But to make it a clean, effective hit, I needed to get as close to him as Soso was, ensuring my wind spell wouldn’t lose its power.

Aerial Blade. An attack-type wind spell of the same tier as Tempest. That single strike could penetrate the Hell Blood Demon’s solid blood defense, just like a high-ranked swordsman’s aura.

‘But Lee Seon-woo’s perception has already surpassed that of an A-rank awakened.’

So even if I approached stealthily from behind rather than from the front, his blood techniques would immediately detect and attack me.

If I could get close to Lee Seon-woo very discreetly, without him noticing me…

I could end this exhausting conflict today. No, I must do so for the episode to progress.

‘The original Lee Seon-woo never used the sacrificial offering. This Red Lake is definitely because of me…’

The story I’ve distorted. Just as the Doubt Demon was incomparably stronger than in the original work, the same applies to the current Hell Blood Demon.

Of course, Soso has become much stronger than in the original work and is fighting Lee Seon-woo as an equal, but it’s still precarious.

‘In the original work, Soso defeated Lee Seon-woo but suffered serious injuries right after.’

I don’t want Soso to get hurt. If the villains at the Red Lake we’ll face next are as strong as the current Lee Seon-woo…

Soso’s injuries would create yet another variable. No, honestly, I genuinely hate the idea of Soso getting hurt.

‘I must protect Soso.’

Whether it’s because I dislike seeing an original character suffer, or because of my own feelings toward her… though I actually know the answer.

Tap—

I landed at the bottom of the cliff.

***

It was a free fall from such a height that not even a corpse would remain intact.

Yet I landed safely without even minor injuries. Wind Cutter’s wind had helped me.

‘Right. The answer was there all along.’

The method to break through the Hell Blood Demon’s blood techniques and enter his blind spot—I already had it in my hands.

Whether using it was right or wrong… I had no time to contemplate that now. I opened the system screen.

==================

[Sub-quest clear reward has been activated.]

[Inventory reactivation is possible.]

[You can use one item from your inventory.]

==================

And the most decisive item that allowed me, a mere supporting character in the novel, to gain so many opportunities:

==================

[Using Fairy Queen’s Wings.]

==================

I activated that item, which was practically cheating. Though I could almost hear the system’s mocking laughter in my ears,

I warned it: “Shut up and be quiet. I’m definitely going to take this damn novel to its ending.”

And when this interrupted novel reaches its conclusion, the identity of this system that deceived me will finally be revealed.

Until then, I could work with this system even if it turned out to be a demon.

‘If that’s what it takes to save Soso.’

Wind Cutter responded to my will. I flew back up the cliff I had fallen from and spotted the two figures.

In that brief time, Soso’s sword had been rushing at the Hell Blood Demon. But she was clearly losing to the Hell Blood Demon who had abandoned his life and was prepared for mutual destruction.

And neither of them noticed that I had returned to the top of the cliff.

I quickly approached from behind Lee Seon-woo. Until just moments ago, the blood mist had prevented any approach,

But now I was as close to him as Soso was from the front.

Fairy Queen’s Wings. An item that could completely erase the user’s presence from the world for a short time. That item was now activated.

I aimed Wind Cutter at Lee Seon-woo. And the spell I had reviewed while coming back up here—

Aerial Blade formed on Wind Cutter’s blade.

SHREEEEEK—

Simultaneously, Wind Cutter drained all my remaining mana and cast the spell infused with resonance compression.

That spell left a deep wound on Lee Seon-woo’s back.

“ARGH! W-what suddenly…”

Lee Seon-woo’s body twisted from the unexpected strike. I shouted to Soso:

“Now!”

The trajectory of Soso’s aura drew the shortest line.

Lee Seon-woo’s severed head flew into the air.

***

I was wandering in darkness.

‘Where am I…’

My mind was hazy. My body felt as heavy as paper soaked in water. Still, I kept walking through the darkness without stopping.

Breathing was difficult. It seemed like I could stop and rest for a while, but I didn’t.

Even though there wasn’t even a small light visible in this place, I felt like I would stop breathing if I stopped walking.

‘Stop… breathing…?’

At that moment, I felt a squeezing pain in my heart. No, more precisely, in my mana heart. And recognizing the hot mana boiling there, I found a way to push back this darkness.

‘Blue Flame.’

I summoned that flame spell, the one most familiar to me, above my hand. But the Blue Flame didn’t activate.

‘Why won’t the spell…’

It felt like I was sinking in the middle of suffocating water.

The spell soon dissipated into the air. The dreamlike haziness and vagueness, the feeling of my body floating, continued.

‘A dream…?’

Only then did I realize why this darkness felt familiar. The very space I had forgotten since regaining consciousness in the hospital.

I had returned to that darkness.

The year in the hospital after defeating the Doubt Demon, when I lost consciousness. For that year, I wandered through darkness where I couldn’t see ahead, just like now.

‘Back to that time…? What’s happening now…?’

I desperately tried to recall my last memory. I was terrified that I might have returned to that time in the hospital when I couldn’t properly use mana.

Fortunately, the memories came back. My last clear memory was definitely the demise of the Hell Blood Demon.

Aerial Blade. Soso had successfully exploited the opening created by Wind Cutter’s spell. She had completely ended Lee Seon-woo’s life.

That meant everything in Busan was over.

‘So this is a dream…?’

But even realizing this fact didn’t change my surroundings. So when I could do nothing but walk silently through a place with no visible exit,

My mana heart reacted. A resonance that felt like Gear’s will. I could sense Hongok’s will in that moment.

“Hongok? Do you have something to tell me…”

And at that moment, the darkness around me changed. The background of that empty space transformed.

“This is… a temple?”

Just as I muttered to myself, I suddenly found myself in the middle of a temple. Not a bright midday temple.

An ancient temple with more Eastern than Western influences. The sky above the temple was dark like the darkness from before. It was probably night, as fires were lit throughout the temple.

But those fires burned so brightly that the temple wasn’t dark. And in the center of that temple, a group of people suddenly appeared.

And in the middle of that group stood a young woman with fiery red hair.

Not modern attire but a shrine maiden’s outfit. Although I had never met this woman in reality, I already knew the name of this beautiful woman with her somewhat sad expression.

“Hongok…”

My first Ancient Gear, Hongok. Though not in the form of a red bead but in human form, I found this image of Hongok in shrine maiden attire strangely familiar.

‘What’s going on? Where is this place… and Hongok’s appearance…’

And at that moment, my eyes met with the shrine maiden, Hongok. But she didn’t seem to recognize me and shouted to the people in priest robes around her:

“To save him, today’s ritual must…”

I had so many questions for Hongok, but at that moment, the surrounding scenery collapsed.

And then it changed to a snowy mountain with heavy snowfall.

“Let’s stay here… together.”

It was at that moment. In this place covered with so much snow it could bury someone, a silver-haired woman standing gracefully reached out both hands toward me.

Yuri Tarkovskaya’s blue eyes met mine.