Chapter 187

Chapter 187. What’s bad?

My strike, packed with absolute earnestness, sent a massive tremor through the primordial structures with a deafening crash.

How could anyone’s true devotion be conveyed through a mere solitary blow?

Naturally, my barrage did not stop after the first impact.

BOOM, BOOM, BOOOOOOM——!

“Y-You, what did you just…!”

“Senior, do not get in my way. These ungrateful brats—I arrived here to rescue them, and they dare treat me with such disrespect?”

Indeed. This was my genuine intent.

My heartfelt honesty, directed at these thankless wretches.

I was already in a foul disposition.

I had journeyed to this place guided by righteousness. I placed my own existence on the line to rescue not just human crowds, but the elemental spirits themselves, extending a merciful hand.

Yet, what grievance did these unappreciative entities harbor to cause such an obstruction?

“C-Cease this! There is zero evidence that the spirits are responsible! Y-Yes! I have knowledge of ancient sites like this—places built specifically to repel outsiders based on their structural design…!”

“Are you implying the spirits are blameless… is that your claim?”

Freezing my knuckles mid-air, I glanced back at him. Senior Myseolne gave a desperate nod under my intense gaze.

“T-Exactly. It is merely your assumption that points to the spirits, correct? What reason would they have to behave this way? They desire liberation above all else.”

“In that case… the structure itself is the culprit.”

“Yes! Precisely!”

“And… if my suspicions are correct, this very site is what holds the spirits captive as well.”

“Th-That… quite likely?”

So the fault lies with the monument.

Giving an understanding nod, I shifted my focus to Demian. Swoosh—! I unleashed a wave of etheric energy, sweeping away the airborne debris to reveal Demian’s expression perfectly.

“Demian, you caught all of that, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I did.”

“So, what is the evil here?”

“The ancient site.”

Spot on.

What was Chenbi’s take on this?

The moment my eyes shifted toward him, Chenbi responded without a second thought, as though expecting the prompt.

“I concur that the structure is the villain here.”

“Correct. You agree? To be honest, that was my conclusion too.”

The malevolence doesn’t stem from the spirits. It belongs to this labyrinth.

What course of action remains?

“Akjeukmyeol. The finest approach is the immediate annihilation of wickedness.”

“Y-You… what on earth are you plotting…?”

“What do you think I mean? I am about to administer retribution. What fuels my hand right now is no longer mere earnestness—it is pure righteousness.”

Righteous fury saturated my closed fingers.

I launched that blow of retribution directly ahead. Regardless of whether the corruption lay with the spirits or the ancient walls, our objective remained unaltered.

Once more, the thunderous echo of judgment reverberated throughout the whole subterranean chamber.

“T-The ceiling might give way! Desist! We are going to bury ourselves alive at this rate!”

“My entire reality has already crumbled. I ventured here to rescue everyone, only to face rejection? If my temperament snapped in a heartbeat, the blame rests entirely with the spirits.”

“I just explained to you—the spirits might be completely innocent!”

“Lord, I am exhausted as well. I wish to take a break this very moment. I longed for them, but spirits are nothing more than a chore. Comrade, I shall assist you.”

“What have you even contributed—!”

Hurrying to my flank, Demian focused his entire power to shower me with restorative luminescence. Since I hadn’t sustained any injuries, the magic was unnecessary, though I appreciated the supportive gesture.

Immediately following this, Senior Myseolne directed his attention toward Chenbi.

“C-Chenbi. Intervene. Make him cease this madness!”

“Master Myseolne, you mentioned that we must heed the mandate of the era. If half of our group is in agreement, does that not constitute the will of the times?”

“What absolute rubbish—!”

“In the end, mortality claims us all.”

Precisely—excellent point, Chenbi!

With Chenbi adding his weight, a symphony of insanity commenced.

Whenever I shattered a section—crackle!—Chenbi accumulated the rising debris and pulverized rock, sweeping it aside. Glimmer, glimmer. Demian exerted every ounce of energy demonstrating how redundant he could be.

There is a proverb that many hands make light work, is there not?

It proved remarkably accurate.

On my own, my only capability was causing explosions. Yet, with the redundant duo of Demian and Chenbi backing me up, we steadily made headway.

We were drilling through the wall and pushing forward, even if only bit by bit.

During our progress, I cast a brief look behind me at Senior Myseolne.

‘Senior, what is your move now?’

The current has shifted.

Life resembles a massive torrent—if you remain stationary, you will simply be overwhelmed by the oncoming surge from the rear. Would it not be far wiser to ride the crest of that wave and dash toward the open ocean?

Meeting my eyes, Senior Myseolne’s gaze wavered with subtle tremors.

‘Must you really resort to this? Your actions are entirely too extreme.’

‘Transformation occurs in a single heartbeat.’

‘How can you focus solely on the end result? A righteous objective must maintain integrity through its methods as well!’

‘The methods? Does reality ever romanticize the path of those who fail? Chroniclers only write the tales of the triumphant.’

‘You are absolutely…!’

Within that silent dialogue shared through our locked gazes, an intense intellectual battle transpired.

Naturally, that entire exchange took place strictly within my mind. It deviated significantly from actual events.

Nonetheless, the outcome aligned perfectly with my internal monologue.

“…There is no other choice. Madlin.”

“An intelligent choice. In the grand scheme, narratives are framed by those who prevail.”

“…I have no idea what garbage you are rambling about, and I lack the energy to challenge it. Regardless, I am assisting. Excavating slightly more to the left flank would be more effective than your current trajectory.”

“Heh.”

A cynical chuckle escaped my lips before I could suppress it.

This paints me quite like an antagonist, does it not?

But that matters little.

‘Provided that my soul remains anchored in true righteousness.’

“Right along this side?”

“Indeed. That direction. Chenbi—assist me by stabilizing the passage so it remains secure. We will assign the clearing of dirt and fragments to Fury.”

Fury-rit!

Fury entered the fray immediately following Madlin.

Furthermore, that was not the end of it.

“Aiki, if you please.”

Aiki manifested alongside them—cleansing the thick coating of grime from our skin, rendering our labor far more pleasant!

Decent enough.

No—in fact, it was quite excellent.

Sensing the momentum of a new age within our synchronized spirits, a grin formed on my face.

‘The celebratory shouts of the spirits are audible even from this distance. Does this bring you that much joy?’

[No————!]

The combined entities burst into a violent display of absolute defiance.

Did our message get through?

The counteraction was instantaneous.

Aster ceased his relentless punching for a brief second to gather his respiration.

Rumble, rumble, rumble…!

A colossal reverberation tore through the entire cavernous structure—occupying an entirely separate tier of magnitude compared to the prior tremors.

If the previous noise was a mere preview, this felt as though the architectural foundations were undergoing a total restructuring.

If they possessed the capability to modify the layout silently at will, yet chose to generate this much clamor, it could only mean they were exceptionally stimulated.

While a smug, asymmetrical smile broke across Aster’s face, he was not alone in his amusement.

“Our genuine intentions have touched them.”

“The mechanism eludes me, but it definitely feels as though the message was received.”

Demian offered a pure, naive grin, while Chenbi smirked marginally.

Meanwhile, Myseolne stood as the solitary figure who grasped the gravity of the unfolding events.

‘This… this is highly problematic.’

The ancient site, which had remained tranquil until moments ago, had become incredibly chaotic.

Furthermore, the term “chaotic” did not merely refer to the echoing vibrations.

Even deeper than that… it felt precisely like crossing into a domain where the fairy dance manifests, with the collective consciousness of the spirits vibrating inside one’s mind.

That mental presence was agonizingly wretched.

[No, no, no…]

A frantic, aggressive refusal.

Gripping his cranium, Myseolne swayed unsteadily, as though the malice had materialized into a tangible force crushing his flesh.

“Master, are you alright? You mustn’t sustain any damage.”

Demian hovered close, continuously emitting waves of curative energy, though it yielded zero results.

The agony tormenting Myseolne was not bodily injury—it was a psychic trauma induced by the overwhelming dark sentiments of the spirits.

In Myseolne’s current state, this entire chamber was indistinguishable from purgatory.

It was akin to being cast into the absolute vortex of despair.

“Ugh…”

As Myseolne lost his footing and dropped to the ground, Fury rushed to his side with deep anxiety.

Madlin approached with measured strides, pressing her face gently against Myseolne’s cheek, while even the usually arrogant Aiki hovered in orbit with a shocked countenance.

Now that matters had degenerated to this degree, Aster was forced to recognize the severity of the crisis.

“Senior, are you okay?”

“I-I am… fine…”

Myseolne attempted to articulate a thought, but his words failed him halfway through.

Upon witnessing this, Aster’s expression turned grim.

‘This… was completely unforeseen.’

To think that mere ethereal voices could cause him to pass out?

Aster was well aware that Myseolne experienced immense strain from the spiritual presence tied to the fairy dance, but the spectacle before him far exceeded any second-hand descriptions.

Soon after, some time slipped away.

Rumble… rumble…

The shaking gradually diminished.

As the structural tremors ceased and the mental cries of the entities drifted away, the fallen Myseolne gradually regained awareness.

“…Are you okay?”

Had his mind gone blank for a brief period?

His darkened vision gradually cleared up, bringing Aster’s face into sharp focus.

Massaging his temples with his fingertips, Myseolne fought through the pounding migraine and pushed himself into a sitting position.

“I am fine… actually, no, I am definitely not.”

“…My apologies. I did not foresee—”

Aster attempted to express regret, but Myseolne waved it off.

“No. Do not worry about it. Categorically speaking, you are not to blame. It is merely… my unusually high spirit affinity that is the source of the issue.”

This was a statement of pure fact.

Myseolne’s connection to the spirits—which was already phenomenal—had intensified with every passing year, to the extent that he could no longer measure its boundaries.

He had omitted the specific details during his prior talks with Aster, but the heavy burden of the voice during the fairy dance was not merely a consequence of advanced age.

In any case.

“There is no requirement for an apology. The onslaught was simply too abrupt… your strategy was not entirely flawed.”

Myseolne offered comforting words to the remorseful Aster.

Realistically, if he himself lacked an obvious answer to their predicament, he would have adopted the exact same approach as Aster.

Naturally, the singular distinction—should there be one—lay in the fact that he would have exhausted alternative avenues beforehand.

“Nonetheless, this provides verification. For reasons unknown, the spirits are definitely spurning our presence.”

Extricating himself from the torment, Myseolne rationally evaluated their circumstances.

Yet, despite the alleviation of his suffering, his countenance remained downcast.

He had never anticipated that the entities would repel them with such sheer ferocity.

“What is your plan? If you wish, I can attempt to locate an exit route right now. Based on how the spirits behaved, if we choose to retreat, they likely won’t impede our departure…”

Prompted by Myseolne’s inquiry, Aster contemplated his options.

Or rather, he attempted to ponder.

‘If I simply followed my emotions, I would naturally slaughter these thankless—’

He reached that precise thought when—

CRACK, SNAP, CRUNCH!

A terrifying fracturing noise abruptly erupted from the other side of the stone barrier.

“…?”

Interrupted mid-thought, Aster whipped his gaze toward the noise. It was a purely reflexive action, driven entirely by the sensory input hitting his ears.

‘…What is that?’

The vibration was deeply unsettling, reminiscent of solid matter being pulverized or completely dissolved. Furthermore, Aster had encountered this specific noise on a prior occasion.

When did it happen? Yes—it was likely during the concluding moments of his past incarnation, during the battle against Paharen.

During that clash, when the molten rock conjured by Paharen consumed the surrounding earth, it produced a carbon copy of this sound.

Just as Aster retrieved that memory amidst the horrifying splintering noise—

BOOM——!

A single second passed before a section of the freshly excavated tunnel partition exploded outward.

CRASH!

“…Kgh!”

Merely two seconds elapsed as a malevolent limb lunged through the breach and clamped onto Aster.

In fact, it was shorter than two seconds.

CRUNCH, SNAP, CRACK!

Having secured its grip on Aster, the colossal entity instantaneously pulled back into the fissure it had created.

And—

By the third second.

“…Comrade?”

Demian’s pupils wavered erratically as he confronted the unfolding scene.

Or rather, Demian remained utterly incapable of accepting the truth.

Within a timeframe that seemed like an eyeblink, he replayed the sequence of events in his head, struggling to digest the horrific situation.

During that state of shock,

Myseolne, disregarding the panicked elementals around him, muttered as though under a hypnotic spell.

“Infernal…”

The title escaping his lips was that of an ancient entity from legendary epochs—

No.

To a corrupted spirit.