Chapter 1249: Scorched World

“Kuaaaaaaak!”

Chu Yeong-yeon lets out a scream. Clutching his torn-off arm, he collapsed onto the floor.

“Kkeu… Kkeu-eu-geuk!”

His face was turning red, likely from the considerable pain.

“Th-this guy…”

He ground his teeth, kkadeudeuk. Seeing that, I laughed.

‘It works well.’

It works much better than I expected. I didn’t know he’d actually tear off and eat his left arm.

One thing I could tell from this was:

‘That guy.’

That silver energy from earlier wasn’t divine power, but rather…

‘His existence itself seems like divine power.’

A greedy hunger tells me this. Greed wasn’t triggered by the energy alone. My pounding heart and the hunger rising within me.

Somewhere between craving and thirst, I explore his body.

‘It’s divine power.’

I don’t know if it’s because he’s an Apostle, or if only that guy is like this, but.

‘That body is divine power itself.’

Greed reacted, indicating Chu Yeong-yeon’s body was divine power itself.

‘Then it’s a different story.’

Greed, which renders divine power useless and devours it, was optimized to devour someone like that.

“Yooooou bastard! What the hell did you do?!”

“What am I doing?”

Kkumteul.

The shadow wriggles again.

“I’m eating.”

“Bullshit!”

Chu Yeong-yeon lets out a roar and charges right at me.

He didn’t seem to care that his arm was torn off. He seemed intent on using his remaining arm to beat me up, but.

Kwadeudeuk.

“Keok!”

The shadow seeped out and grabbed his foot. His ankle was torn off, and Chu Yeong-yeon stumbled. Seeing that, I grabbed his neck.

“Kkeu-euk! This guy…”

He struggles to break free. With his already strengthened body, his energy would normally be overflowing, meaning he shouldn’t be able to hold onto me, but.

Woo-oo-oong.

‘Oh?’

“Kkeu-eu-geuk!?”

At the sensation felt in my heart, both he and I flinch.

Seu-eu-eu-!!

Energy started getting sucked in. Demonic Absorption Technique. The magic art, which rarely activated, kicked in the moment I caught him.

Energy flows in.

“Th-this is… Th-“

Veins bulged on his body.

“How…”

It’s murky energy. Should I say it tastes bad? The quality of the energy didn’t suit me, but.

‘Still.’

It was important that energy was coming in.

Energy gradually filled up near my heart.

“Kkeu-euk… Keu-eu-geuk! Th-!”

Kwak-!

With all his strength, Chu Yeong-yeon struck my arm away. He then created distance, and then.

“Heo-eok, keok.”

He clutched his neck, which had been grabbed, and coughed dryly. His condition was very bad.

“…What the hell, what the hell did you do to me?”

The veins standing out on his skin and his appearance, like he had rapidly aged. His trembling eyes showed that his condition had hit rock bottom.

“I asked what you did to me-!”

“…Hmm.”

I flicked my finger. The amount of energy devoured wasn’t bad, and more importantly…

‘My energy is returning.’

By draining energy from him, I recovered my own. Although it was a small amount, that was important.

‘It’s not decreasing.’

Unlike when I received it from Mother, there’s no sign of it decreasing.

‘Good…’

It’s not bad. Is this how I recover energy? Can the energy I found from that Apostle guy be replenished within my body? Or perhaps…

‘Is this just temporary use, too?’

“Answer me-!”

Chu Yeong-yeon shouts loudly. I clicked my tongue at this.

“You’re noisy.”

“I… received power from the Great One and became an Apostle… How could this happen…!”

“It must be because the power you received was insignificant.”

“That’s impossible. This body is beyond human. It shouldn’t be defeated by a mere weakling like you!”

“Seriously, you’re such a poser.”

A body beyond human?

That’s the most ridiculous bullshit I’ve ever heard.

“Someone half-baked is actually weaker because they’re incomplete from the start.”

“…Half-baked?”

“Forget it.”

Not worth explaining to him.

‘Since my energy has returned.’

Should I try using it?

I spread my hand.

“This is impossible…”

Just then. Silver energy surged from Chu Yeong-yeon’s body.

“I can’t accept this. Not this time… not again…!”

Whatever that guy said.

Hwa-reu-reu-reuk–!!!

I conjured flames for the first time in a while.

Clear, blue flames wrapped around my hand. They then gathered neatly in my palm, taking the shape of a sphere.

‘It really feels like it’s been a long time.’

Hellfire Prison.

I haven’t used it recently, so it feels awkward. Although a strange sensation brushes past.

Swiiiiiik-!!

That doesn’t mean I’ve lost the knack, though.

I immediately created a Sacred Lance.

“What is that…?”

Chu Yeong-yeon’s eyes flickered as he looked at the Hellfire Prison Lance.

“It’s a thing.”

I gripped the spear and aimed it at him.

“Is it coming?”

“…Kkeu-eu-geuk!”

At my provocation, Chu Yeong-yeon gritted his teeth hard. I could see more energy gathered than before. I thought I had drained a lot, but was there still this much left?

“…In the name of the Great One.”

The silver energy finally took a large form.

“Uwaaaah!”

Chu Yeong-yeon immediately thrust his fist at me. The light erupted. The moment a massive radiance poured towards me.

“Hup.”

I put strength into it and thrust the Sacred Lance forward.

Swiik-

With a short sound, the Sacred Lance pierced the light.

Then, as it touched his body.

Tung.

Kuaaaaaaaa—!!!

The flames exploded. The intense sound sent a shockwave sweeping towards the rear, blowing open the entire cave entrance. Although it didn’t contain that much energy, the destructive power, amplified by compression and rotation, was incredibly intense.

Kyaaaaaa–!!!

The monsters gathered there were swept away and disappeared, not to mention…

There were other survivors in the back as well.

“Oh no! The other people…!”

Tang Cheon-gi, whose consciousness was flickering in and out, shouts upon seeing the situation.

“Don’t worry.”

I waved my hand dismissively at Tang Cheon-gi’s concern.

“They won’t die.”

“What…?”

He reacts with confusion to my words, but explaining it would be too much trouble. I could just show him.

Hwa-reu-reuk…

The flames subsided. The aftermath of the explosion in front was intense. The cave had burst open, leaving a gaping hole, and Chu Yeong-yeon had long since vanished without a trace.

The monsters were the same.

“Huh…?”

“…They’re alive?”

The survivors who had been caught in the light were completely unharmed.

“H-how…”

Tang Cheon-gi says, sounding surprised. Hearing that, I answered curtly.

“What do you mean ‘how’? You just adjust it and make it miss.”

“…What?”

“You didn’t understand?”

“You mean… you controlled all that energy…?”

“Yeah.”

While firing it, I controlled the flames so the other survivors wouldn’t be harmed. That way, I could inflict damage solely on the monsters and Chu Yeong-yeon.

“You can’t do that?”

Is this difficult, though? When I asked why he didn’t understand…

“…”

Tang Cheon-gi just gaped, as if speechless.

“Wow…”

Meanwhile, Poison Phoenix was looking at me with admiring eyes. That gaze was quite burdensome.

“Hmm…”

Avoiding the gaze, I looked around. After checking briefly, I said.

“Is it okay to just stay like this?”

“…Huh?”

“The shock just now might cause monsters or other guys to come swarming in.”

“Ah…!”

At that, Poison Phoenix got up.

“…You’re right. We need to move, at least.”

Getting her tired body up, Poison Phoenix said.

“Everyone…! Help the injured! We need to move right now.”

At Poison Phoenix’s words, those who had been stunned came to their senses and started helping their comrades nearby.

“Do we have a place to go?”

The place called the hideout was destroyed. In this situation, is there anywhere to escape? At my words, a shadow fell over Poison Phoenix’s face.

“…It’s not that there isn’t one.”

“Not that there isn’t one?”

“Yes. However… it’s uncertain whether they’ll welcome us there.”

“That place…”

That means…

“We’re going to where the other people are?”

“…That’s right.”

Poison Phoenix said after hesitating. A place where other humans are? I recall there were a few more such places.

“Noona… surely not.”

Hearing this, Tang Cheon-gi raised his head.

“…Are you planning to go north?”

“It’s the only way right now.”

“No…”

At the mention of the north, Tang Cheon-gi reacts strongly.

“Even if we go there, outsiders aren’t trusted, let alone respected! It’s a place that doesn’t value human life. Why did we escape from there in the first place?”

His words were serious. A place that uses human lives carelessly?

“Rather… it would be better to make another hideout.”

“With our current numbers, it’s too much to set up another place. Moreover, if the Apostle has already figured out our location… we don’t even have time to settle somewhere.”

“But even so…”

“There’s no other way. As long as we don’t have a better plan, that’s the only option.”

“Hey.”

I interrupted their conversation.

“Where exactly are you trying to go that’s causing all this fuss?”

Where was the destination that caused such an argument? To that question, Poison Phoenix tried to speak to me but hesitated.

What are those eyes?

Why was she looking at me like that? I couldn’t understand.

Furthermore, she couldn’t answer and was fumbling. Out of frustration, just as I was about to ask again…

“The northern hideout… is managed by the young mistress of the Baekhwa Guild.”

“…What?”

My eyes widened at that. Who?

‘If it’s the young mistress of the Baekhwa Guild…’

One person’s face flashed through my mind in an instant.

“…Miss Mi?”

Mi Hyoran.

It seemed the north was where she was.