The Black-Furred Dog Yokai (4)

After killing the Crimson Snake of the Five Colored Snakes,

The highest-ranking Martial Artist Yi Jeong-mae stood motionless, as if in a daze.

Observing him, the black dog spoke:

[Having achieved your great deed, return to the palace and report to the king.]

[The black dog has been exterminated,]

[And the Crimson Snake of the Five Colored Snakes has vanished.]

Yi Jeong-mae did not respond to the black dog’s instructions,

Simply turning his back on the black dog that had scorned the royal palace, tormented the people as prey, manipulated him into killing the spiritual beast Crimson Snake,

And retraced the path he had come.

---

Year 25 of King Jungjong’s Reign (中宗 二十五年) 1530 (Gyeongin Year)

[Jungjong Sillok Volume 68, July 22nd of the 25th Year of King Jungjong’s Reign, 1st Entry]

• • Yi Jeong-mae Reports on the Black Dog

Yi Jeong-mae, son of Yi Ju-mae and highest-ranking Martial Artist, reported:

“With the aid of the spiritual beast Crimson Snake, I have exterminated the black dog.”

To which the king inquired:

“Where is the Crimson Snake?”

Yi Jeong-mae reported again:

“After exterminating the black dog, the Crimson Snake of the Five Colored Snakes vanished. Since the black dog threatening Hanyang and the palace has been exterminated, I advise dismissing all the Martial Artists summoned to the palace.”

To which the king assented as reported.

---

The Martial Artist Seo Jin-hwan, in his early 30s, was quite experienced with yokai for his age –

Having exterminated over a hundred himself.

He could confidently claim to have encountered every known type of yokai in existence.

However, he was ignorant regarding ‘spiritual beasts’.

In fact, most veteran Martial Artists lacked knowledge about what spiritual beasts were –

As they were creatures shrouded in myth and legend, like goblins.

Spiritual beasts had indeed existed in the past,

With information about them recorded in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty and other ancient texts.

Unless one was an elder Martial Artist of great longevity like Baek Nam-hun,

It was natural to regard spiritual beasts as relics of the bygone era.

Yet for a spiritual beast to suddenly appear now…

While Lee Han-ul, the Jiri Mountain Office director, was undoubtedly capable,

It was difficult to readily believe his claims about a spiritual beast.

Worse still, this supposed ‘fox spiritual beast’ not only failed to appear and defend itself at the conference,

But was content idly spouting nonsense about a yokai appearing in Seoul.

Doubts inevitably crept into Seo Jin-hwan’s mind.

However,

The moment he came face-to-face with the spiritual beast Miho,

He realized his mistaken thinking.

An aura of profound power emanated from Miho, so much so that even the ignorant Seo Jin-hwan instinctively felt, ‘This woman is certainly no evil being.’

Himself included, the three Martial Artists resolved

To aid the unknown Miho and exterminate the black dog before them.

Lee Han-ul’s words had indeed been truthful, it seemed.

Yet,

“Get back!”

Why this spiritual beast was telling them to retreat

Was incomprehensible from their perspective.

With three Martial Artists assembled –

Not mere novices like Lee Ha-neul, but veteran experts many times stronger –

Even a Stage 2 yokai would be no match for their combined might.

As they prepared to disregard Miho and strike the black dog,

The black dog opened its mouth:

[Spiritual beasts.]

[Are the enemy of all.]

[The darkness of this world.]

That was the trigger.

Seo Jin-hwan and the other two Martial Artists simultaneously

Channeled their martial power into their fists, then

Unleashed those strikes not upon the black dog, but the spiritual beast Miho instead.

Spiritual beasts

Were the enemy of all,

The darkness of this world –

They had to exterminate her here and now.

---

“Kkhulkhulk… Kkhulkhulk.”

With each cough, crimson blood gushed from the depths of my gut.

Had my shattered ribs punctured a lung?

Breathing grew increasingly difficult.

Though I wished to collapse and recover my spirit energy lying there,

The three Martial Artists, eyes wild to kill me,

Relentlessly unleashed attack after attack, leaving no respite.

With three Martial Artists combined, their might exceeded imagination –

The Blue-Furred Fox itself could not have withstood their onslaught, let alone raw physical force alone.

“C, come to your senses! You’re being deceived!”

Even as I desperately evaded their blows, my earnest pleas fell on deaf ears –

Whether they could not hear me at all,

Or simply refused to listen to the ‘darkness of this world’, they left no room for discourse.

“Ryeok (力)!”

Crack!

One Martial Artist swept my right leg, shattering the bone.

Losing my balance, I crashed face-first into the ground.

Bang! Bang!

Two thunderous impacts assaulted my eardrums –

Martial strikes aimed at my heart and head that I narrowly avoided.

…A direct hit would have been fatal.

My spirit energy depleted,

Could I evade their next onslaught in this state?

With severe injuries and no physical advantage over them,

Agonizing pain brought me to the brink of losing consciousness.

The prior attack had pulverized my right leg, leaving me struggling just to stand.

Manifesting another tail would grant me a six-tailed yokai form with ample yogi to heal and subdue them, yet

Manifesting tails was the worst possible option, not a last resort.

As a yokai, I too would fall under that goblin’s eonryeong power –

Becoming another mindless puppet obediently carrying out its commands like those three Martial Artists.

Glance.

I glanced at the goblin.

Its personal might did not seem particularly formidable, for even the goblin appeared abnormal –

The spiral’s rotational force visibly weakening.

If I could just attack the goblin a bit more…

Killing it might dispel its eonryeong influence.

With that decision, I pushed off the ground to charge at the goblin, but

The instant I moved to claw its spiral, another martial strike inevitably struck my body.

I went tumbling across the ground, flung a considerable distance.

“Kkehek…”

Ah.

My vision blurred.

That last attack seemed to have ruptured my internal organs.

[Spiritual beasts.]

[Are the enemy of all.]

[The darkness of this world.]

The goblin’s eonryeong echoed once more – the signal.

To fully extinguish my life, the three Martial Artists

Began channeling martial power into fists larger than basketballs.

…There was no other way, was there?

Manifesting tails could preserve my life, but…

Rather than become the goblin’s puppet,

Death would be preferable.

Blink.

As my eyes opened, I saw the Martial Artists pushing off the ground towards me.

Blink.

They had closed to point-blank range.

Blink.

Their martial strikes were about to impact my head and heart.

Thunk.

Thunk thunk.

[You shall retreat.]

It was then

A familiar goblin wand sound began echoing from somewhere.

“…Ho-ya, Miho-ya!”

My blurred vision made it difficult to discern, but

Based on the voice, it seemed Lee Ha-neul had arrived.

The figure presumed to be Ha-neul carefully cradled my body, weeping uncontrollably.

“You’re in such a terrible state. Are you about to die?”

I also heard Ho Joon’s voice.

…Still as tactless as ever.

“H, healing! Master Ho Joon, don’t you have any healing spells or something?”

“Like I’d have such a thing.”

“What happened, Miho-ya… Why, why did those people attack you…?”

“Ha-neul ah, that fox is the yokai that appeared in Seoul!”

“W, what nonsense are you spouting! She is the spiritual beast Miho!”

“Exactly, and that’s precisely the issue! Spiritual beasts are the darkness of this world, so we must exterminate her right here!”

“Have you all lost your minds? You weren’t like this before!”

The agitated Lee Ha-neul was calmed by Ho Joon’s words:

“They’ve been brainwashed.”

“Brainwashed, what do you mean by…”

“It seems they fell under the goblin’s eonryeong power.”

“A goblin… Yo…?”

Indeed,

Having consulted the Taoist Society’s ancient tomes about goblins,

Ho Joon too appeared to have deduced the black dog’s true nature.

Lacking fortune but possessing formidable abilities, that man.

Ah.

That’s right.

If that goblin employed its eonryeong again,

Ho Joon and Lee Ha-neul would also try to kill me, wouldn’t they?

…Though being killed by Ha-neul did not seem so unpleasant.

But would Ha-neul grieve deeply after my death?

Would he even shed tears for a yokai?

One thing was certain – that bastard Ho Joon definitely would not cry.

[Spiritual beasts.]

[Are the enemy of all.]

[The darkness of this world.]

The goblin’s eonryeong continued.

Soon, Ho Joon and Lee Ha-neul’s attacks would rain down upon me –

Marking the end of this fox’s life.

Blink.

And yet,

No matter how long I waited,

Ha-neul and Ho Joon did not attack.

Ho Joon spoke again:

“I’ve cast Master Woo-sa’s eonryeong protection spell. I nearly failed learning it, but fortunately it proved useful here.”

Wow.

That lovable bastard Ho Joon, really.

I had absolutely

Zero faith in him, yet…

“Ha-neul, I’ll handle the Martial Artists. You keep watch over this vixen and the goblin here.”

“B, but don’t kill them!”

“Do I look insane to you? I won’t kill, I won’t kill.”

Crunch crunch crunch.

Even I could hear the sound of Ho Joon clenching his fists.

“…I’ll just vent a bit of stress, is all.”

For some reason, in Ho Joon’s voice resonated

A chilling, profound fury.