Chapter 23 – Day 23

Day 23

The number of villains who took over the competition venue was seven in total.
The number of fans who came to watch the competition and became their hostages was exactly 982.

Of course, among those hostages, Cheon Seoa was also included, as expected.

“Haa-.”

Cheon Seoa let out an unusually deep sigh.

After a long time, the emotion of ‘annoyance’…

“I feel it.”

Cheon Seoa muttered as if whispering.

Suddenly, Cheon Seoa’s way of speaking changed.
Always. Even if it was talking to herself, Cheon Seoa, who always used honorifics, for the first time didn’t use polite speech.

At the same time, although Cheon Seoa’s voice was so low that even those right next to her couldn’t hear it, everyone in the competition venue felt an inexplicable chill and shuddered.

Meanwhile, the villains who took over the competition venue kept shouting something and threatening the hostages.

“If our demands are not met, we will kill ten hostages every five minutes!”

The man who seemed to be the leader of the seven villains leading this attack on the competition venue.

A villain who looked to be at most 7th grade was communicating with the outside through cameras installed in the competition venue.

They had a very simple demand.

Release their brother who was imprisoned.

Of course, the prison wasn’t like Tartarus that Cheon Seoa had experienced once.

After all, a villain who is revered as a brother by villains ranked between 7th and 9th class wouldn’t be imprisoned in Tartarus, the worst and most terrible prison.

So, while the 7th class villain was constantly communicating with the outside through a camera.
The remaining six villains, who could be considered his subordinates, were walking among the hostages.

They scanned the hostages with sharp eyes, and their gaze contained the threat ‘If you do anything suspicious, we’ll kill you immediately’.

Of course.

“This is really annoying.”

Cheon Seoa, seemingly unaffected by the villains’ threats, simply expressed her annoyance outwardly.

“Didn’t you hear me say to lower your head?”

One villain shouted angrily at Cheon Seoa.

While nearly a thousand hostages all had their heads lowered, only Cheon Seoa didn’t lower hers.

No, beyond not lowering it, she was looking at them with eyes that showed deep annoyance.

At this, a short-tempered villain stopped abruptly in front of Cheon Seoa with a distorted expression.

“Kid. Lower your head while I’m asking nicely. If you cooperate well, we’ll let you go without any trouble.”

Crack-.
Crackle-.

The villain created a frightening atmosphere with eerie sounds by moving all the bones in his body.

To this, Cheon Seoa.

“It seems Earth is really peaceful. All kinds of pathetic bugs are acting up and causing trouble.”

She said that while looking at the villain in front of her with irritated eyes.

If the nine villains of Illuminati had seen Cheon Seoa like this, they would have been utterly shocked.

The behavior Cheon Seoa was showing now was so far removed from the Cheon Seoa they knew.

However, did such behavior from Cheon Seoa provoke the villain’s temper?

“You little shit, I’ll really…!”

Whoosh-!

Finally, the villain standing in front of Cheon Seoa lost control of his anger and swung his fist.

With a heavy sound, the villain’s fist extended towards Cheon Seoa’s face.
As the villain’s fist got closer to Cheon Seoa, it gradually swelled up to an enormous size.

But.

“Bugs should crawl on the ground like bugs.”

Thud-.

Cheon Seoa avoided the villain’s fist by taking one step, and in turn, she tapped the villain’s two legs that had swung a fist at her.

With a bang! sound, the villain’s two legs shattered into pieces.

Losing his legs in an instant and rolling on the ground, a terrible scream burst from the villain’s mouth.

“Aaaaargh! My, my legs! My legs!”

What, what’s going on?
What just happened?
Shit, who is that kid?
A hero? Is it a hero?
It’s not a hero!

The villains scattered around shouted in confusion.

They were snickering when their comrade swung his fist at Cheon Seoa.

However, the actual result was something that completely overturned their expectations.

They didn’t even see how Cheon Seoa moved.

In the blink of an eye, they only saw their comrade who had swung his fist screaming horribly as his two legs exploded.

Meanwhile, the leader of the villains who had been shouting “Release the boss!” through the camera.

He, the only 7th-grade ability user here, looked at Cheon Seoa with trembling eyes.

‘This, this is different from what I heard!’

The villain shouted inwardly.

He’s just a 7th-grade villain.
Besides, most of the villains he brought as his subordinates were around 9th-grade, barely worthy of being called ability users, just trash.

How could such a villain have taken over this place?

This is where the Valorant tournament is about to begin.
Therefore, numerous security guards were deployed to prepare for any contingencies, and among them was a 6th-grade ability user hired by the organizers at great expense.

Although it’s said that the grade difference doesn’t mean much for lower-grade ability users.
Nevertheless, there’s an insurmountable wall between 6th and 7th grades.

Add to that the presence of dozens of security guards.

In other words, what the 7th-grade villain had done was impossible from the start without the help of ‘someone’ or ‘some organization’.

Therefore, Cheon Seoa.

“Speak.”

“Y-yes? W-what do you want me to say…?”

In the blink of an eye, Cheon Seoa appeared before him, speaking in a cold voice. The villain’s dull eyes trembled frantically.

“A worm like you couldn’t have planned this. Who is it? Who dared to do such a thing?”

“T-that… well…”

Despite Cheon Seoa’s fierce questioning, the villain couldn’t readily open his mouth.

It’s true that he was afraid of Cheon Seoa standing before him.
However, the villain was even more afraid of ‘them’ who had helped him carry out this incident.

Due to that fear, when the villain couldn’t readily speak.

“Well, if you won’t talk, then don’t. Anyway…”

Bang-!

With a slight gesture from Cheon Seoa, the villain’s head exploded into pieces.
No, that wasn’t all.

Among the hostages, the remaining villains who were looking at Cheon Seoa with trembling eyes also had their heads explode in the same manner.

Thud thud-.

The headless bodies fell lifelessly.
The nearby hostages screamed.

Screams echoing from all directions, pleas for mercy, and even cries that disturbed the mind.

Annoyed by all of this, Cheon Seoa opened her mouth in a cold voice.

“Shut up.”

Shudder-!

A single word.
The moment Cheon Seoa uttered a single word in an incredibly chilling voice, the hostages who had been screaming and thrashing about all closed their mouths at once.

As a satisfying silence fell, Cheon Seoa.

“Why don’t you come out now?”

Cheon Seoa said, staring at the ceiling.

However, despite Cheon Seoa’s warning, no one revealed themselves.

At that, Cheon Seoa smiled.

A smile so beautiful. And an innocent smile without a speck of dust.
But beyond that smile, an undeniable massive malice was swirling.

“If you won’t come out, just die.”

Swish-.

Cheon Seoa gestured towards the ceiling.
An invisible wave was created and extended towards the ceiling in sync with that gesture.

Just as the mercilessly extended invisible wave was about to crush the ceiling.

Slash-!

A sword sprang out of thin air and cut through the invisible wave created by Cheon Seoa.

Simultaneously, three men and women revealed themselves.

“Tsk, how did you notice?”

Drei men and women gently landed on the floor.
Among them, the swordsman who had cut through the invisible wave created by Cheon Seoa while holding a sword in one hand clicked his tongue and said.

Their concealment had been perfect.

Even a first-class ability user shouldn’t have been able to notice.

How did that little kid manage to see through their concealment?

No, that’s not it.
The important thing wasn’t that their concealment had been discovered.

The important thing was.

“Kid, it would have been better if you had just stayed quiet. You’re going to die showing off your strength unnecessarily.”

Among the three men and women, the only woman.
A woman in somewhat vulgar attire and excessive makeup smiled and said.

“By the way, is it really true that the Seven Sword Emperor is supposed to appear here?”

“The information is accurate. Before the tournament started, the Seven Sword Emperor bought a VVIP ticket in his name.”

“Ha, shit. If you have eyes, look around a bit. There’s no Seven Sword Emperor, just a bunch of bugs everywhere.”

The conversation between the two men.

From that conversation, Cheon Seoa could understand why they had used the small-time villains to attack the tournament venue.

This is completely.

‘Because of me?’

Cheon Seoa muttered that and clicked his tongue with a ‘tsk!’

It seemed that his request for the Seven Sword Emperor to get him a ticket had created the current problem.

But.

“Who are you to target that poor child?”

“Huh? What’s this little brat babbling about?”
“Poor child? Poor? Who? The Seven Sword Emperor? Shit, say something that makes sense if you want a response.”

At Cheon Seoa’s question, the two men snickered.

Right. They have no intention of answering.
It doesn’t matter. I didn’t really…

“I didn’t ask because I wanted an answer.”

Flinch-!

When did she move?

The three men and women flinched as Cheon Seoa suddenly appeared before their eyes.

Although her actions might seem somewhat light and frivolous, they didn’t take their eyes off Cheon Seoa for even a moment.

And for good reason, Cheon Seoa’s strength, which had killed all seven villains, was clearly that of at least a 4th-grade ability user at a glance.

Moreover, she appeared to be a telekinetic user handling extremely powerful telekinesis.

Meanwhile, Cheon Seoa pointed at them as they quickly distanced themselves from her in caution and said.

“Spatial Separation.”

Zzzung-!

Cheon Seoa. Simultaneously, the three people Cheon Seoa pointed at.

The space of a total of four people separates from reality.
At that moment, as the three men and women widened their eyes in surprise.

“Come a little closer. Just a tiny bit closer, ‘Great Demon Heaven’.”

The eerie voice of Cheon Seoa echoed in the ears of the three men and women.

Simultaneously, the surrounding scenery changed drastically.

A barren land where not a single blade of grass grew stretched endlessly.
Above their heads, a black sky existed with a black sun and black clouds.

Black lightning was constantly falling from the black clouds like mad….

“An illusion?”

“Illusion? That’s rude.”

Flinch-!

The man who had muttered without realizing it.
Cheon Seoa smiled wickedly at the man who held a sword in one hand and had just cut through the invisible wave he had created.

But.

“You guys have learned ‘Cultivation’, haven’t you?”

Flinch-.

The moment the word ‘Cultivation’ came out of Cheon Seoa’s mouth, who had instantly distanced herself from the three again, their bodies trembled.

“Your level… you must have practiced quite diligently? Considering you’ve reached the 9th layer of Qi Condensation in a world like Earth with barely any spiritual energy.”

…!

The eyes of the three men and women widened more than ever.

Not only did she see through the fact that they were practicing Cultivation, but she also instantly grasped their level.

There was only one thing this meant.

The girl before them was also practicing Cultivation like themselves, and.
Let’s move forward, as that level surpasses the Yeongi-gi they have achieved.

Could it be….

‘Chukgi-gi?’
‘That’s impossible!’
‘There’s no way someone that young could have already achieved Chukgi-gi!’

While the three men and women were exchanging glances and having a silent conversation, it happened.

“Come to think of it, last time there was also a human who had mastered the Gwangryongmun’s body cultivation technique.”

Gwangryongmun.

No way…!

“When you mentioned a human who mastered Gwangryongmun’s body cultivation technique… are you referring to the ‘Gwangryongin’?”

“Gwangryongin?”

At the swordsman’s question, Cheon Seoa tilted her head.

If the person they call Gwangryongin is that woman who was cut to pieces and killed by the Seven Sword Emperor in the past.

“That’s probably right.”

‘What’s going on? Wasn’t Gwangryongin eliminated by the Seven Sword Emperor?’
‘Perhaps that girl could be a disciple of the Seven Sword Emperor.’
‘Or maybe to the Seven Sword Emperor…!’

“But where did you get the cultivation technique to practice? There shouldn’t be any cultivation techniques on Earth.”

“You also received the magic cultivation technique from the Seven Sword Emperor, didn’t you?”

“Hmm.”

Bak! At the woman’s shout, Cheon Seoa revealed a chilling smile.

That’s right.
They knew. No, more precisely, the organization they belong to knew.

The Seven Sword Masters. Furthermore, that those poor children who formed the small organization called Illuminate were learning magic techniques.

Moreover.

“It wasn’t just the techniques that flowed in. The Repairers themselves openly crossed over to Earth.”

Then, what would be the level of those Repairers?

If they were able to break through the pressure of the dimensional wall and come to Earth, would they have reached the realm of Mokhae or Jiseon? Or perhaps Cheonseon? Could they have even surpassed Taeulgi or Daeragi, and reached the realm of Dojogi like herself?

Ah! How curious.

At some point, a gleam of ecstasy appeared in Cheon Seoa’s eyes.

I’m so happy.
So happy I could go crazy.
For the past several tens of thousands of years…

“I haven’t been able to ‘eat’ a worthy immortal.”

Shudder-!

As Cheon Seoa spoke while wiping the drool from her mouth, the three men and women trembled with fear creeping up their spines.

Couldn’t eat?
What? What couldn’t she eat?

They couldn’t understand Cheon Seoa’s words.
No, they didn’t want to understand.

Now it’s just.

“This must be a space created by a formation! Let’s get out of here first!”

The swordsman shouted as he swung his sword towards Cheon Seoa.

With one swing, a total of five slashes were created and poured towards Cheon Seoa.

“You, you’re a Triple Spirit Root user? The spirit roots you possess are… Fire Spirit Root, Water Spirit Root, and Thunder Spirit Root? You have quite rare spirit roots.”

Flinch-!

The swordsman gritted his teeth at Cheon Seoa, who had seen through the fact that he was a Triple Spirit Root user at a glance.

As expected, that girl was dangerous.
He had to escape from here immediately and inform them.

It wasn’t just the swordsman who made such a resolution.

“Die-!”
“Perish!”

As the swordsman swung his sword, the remaining man and woman also attacked Cheon Seoa.

As the woman scattered talismans she took out from between her breasts into the air, the talismans burst into flames, and sharp wind blades advanced towards Cheon Seoa.

At the same time, the spear held in the other man’s hand, imbued with water spirit energy, aimed for Cheon Seoa’s heart.

“The rest are useless. One is a Five Spirit Root user, and the other is a Four Spirit Root user. You two won’t even be useful as materials. Oh, and by the way.”

Three men and women.
Three cultivators.

Cheon Seoa, who effortlessly received the attacks they unleashed, suddenly frowned as if displeased and said.

“This place is neither a mere illusion created by a formation nor anything else. This place is.”

This is the sky I created, the Great Magic Heaven.

With those words, Cheon Seoa suddenly grasped the empty air.

Grrrng-.

As Cheon Seoa pulled on the empty space she had grasped, the space trembled….

“Insane…!”

The three Repairers muttered as they looked up at the sky.

Black clouds floating in the dark sky. A massive meteor falls through the gaps between them.

What on earth could be the true identity of this girl?
What kind of evil and terrible magic technique did she learn, and through what evil and terrible training did she accumulate such power?

The moment they confirmed the falling meteor, the three Repairers gave up any further resistance.

From the beginning, the girl before them was not someone they could do anything about.

Cheon Seoa smiled at them, who had completely lost their will to live, and said.
“Come to think of it, there was a debate in some community. Whether Meteor is illegal magic, earth magic, or summoning magic. Let me tell you straight. Meteor is not magic at all. Meteor is.”
A technique.
And.

“I let go of that person’s soul last time. But now that I know there are Repairers here too, I’ll make good use of your souls. I should be able to extract some useful information.”

Cheon Seoa’s speech suddenly switched back to formal language.

At the same time, the massive meteor falling from the sky crushed the three Repairers.