Chapter 73: Fox and dog(3).

Before Chayeon’s eyes was Jin Sira, dressed in mourning clothes and holding a hairpin.

“I’ve been waiting for a long time. If it’s you, Brother, you would definitely come here. Following that girl.”

“Are you also on Mephistopheles’ side?”

The girl called the strongest Ineungnyeokja in the world, and the 2nd Shinsu. The being who was trying to devour her own brother, who was a Shinsu as well while being her original goal.

Like the demons she had passed until now, the Baekgumiho was blocking Chayeon from moving forward.

Like Melara and Meridi, was the Baekgumiho also Mephistopheles’s subordinate from the start?

“Of course not.”

<<No.>>

The Baekgumiho and the Heukgu denied it at the same time.

“Mephistopheles and stuff, I don’t care about that at all.”

“Then why are you blocking…”

“You’re holding onto Brother and not letting him go!!”

Suddenly, a shout burst out. A face that had transformed in an instant. She stared at them fiercely with bloodshot eyes, and then returned to her original expression.

“Th, that’s, I’m sorryy…………My friend seems to be a little excitedyoo.

A tearful expression, drooping eyes. Jin Sira twisted her body, at a loss of what to do. Then she stopped abruptly and stared blankly at Chayeon.

“Give Brother back.”

It was a change that was hard to follow.

If she wasn’t Mephistopheles’s subordinate, then how did she get here? Was it that he hadn’t placed her here to stop her?

<<No.>>

The Heukgu answered Chayeon’s question.

<<That ignorant woman forcibly broke in here after ‘nullifying’ everything, hearts and stuff. To meet me.>>

‘Ha, is something like that even possible?’

<<It’s possible if it’s the Baekgumiho. She’s a girl who can nullify any power in the world unless it’s my Adaptability.>>

For such a Shinsu, such an Ineungnyeokja to be standing in front of Chayeon, who was trying to stop Hexennacht, was ironic.

“…You’re talking with Brother, right?”

Her violet pupils glistened.

“You’re talking with Brother, right? You’re leaving me, and only you…! Why, why, why!!”

The Baekgumiho started with a quiet voice and then became angry, and was eventually crying. Tears flowed down her cheeks, dropping down.

Chayeon drew her sword. Whether that crazy woman was Mephistopheles’s subordinate or not, there was no time to be held back here.

<<Chayeon, can you leave it to me?>>

A voice that echoed in her head. The Heukgu was requesting possession.

Chayeon nodded without saying anything, and eventually a black heterochromia burned in her eyes.

“It’s been a while.”

The moment those words came out through Chayeon’s mouth, the sobbing stopped with a ttuk.

“…Brother?”

“Yeoul. Has it been tens of years since we’ve talked like this?”

“……Aah…! Brother, Brother! You’ve finally, finally come out! To meet me!”

As if she had never cried, a rapture spread across Jin Sira’s face.

“Brother, Aah…! Brother! Yeah, I knew it would be like this. There’s no way Brother would abandon me. What kind of circumstances have there been until now? Were those b*tches holding Brother so he couldn’t come out? Brother, don’t worry.

This girl will take you out now. Aah, really, after how many years am I hearing Brother’s voice. I missed you so much. I missed you so much, I almost went crazy.

I want to sit side by side and look at cherry blossoms together like the old days. I want to hear Brother’s soul voice. Let’s become one. Brother, now we can become one. Forever with me…!”

“Move.”

The Heukgumiho coldly cut off the Baekgumiho’s words, who was spewing like a machine gun with a flushed breath. The Baekgumiho’s eyelashes fluttered.

“Correct that, move out of the way.”

“…Brother?”

“Time is of the essence. This child’s precious person is in a dangerous situation. I’m asking as your brother. Clear the way.”

While the Heukgumiho was asking while borrowing Chayeon’s mouth, the Baekgumiho was staring blankly at those black pupils only.

“…Ha, haha…….”

The Baekgumiho, Sira’s, shoulders trembled. The trembling started from her shoulders and spread to her arms and legs, and to her head. Hahahahahaha, the powerless laughter spread over the snow mountain.

“I’ll refuse. There’s no way I can send away Brother, who I finally met, for that reason?”

“…Is that so. It can’t be helped then.”

And so, the battle began.

Borrowing Chayeon’s body, the Heukgumiho drew her sword and rushed in. She surged in in an instant and released a black energy. But that energy scattered before it even touched Sira, and the plain blade that didn’t contain any power collided with Sira’s hairpin.

Kkang- and a clear metallic sound spread.

As soon as the sword was blocked, she lifted her front foot and kicked towards Sira’s hand. Through the gap that was seen over her arm that had been tilted up with a pak, the Heukgumiho spun her body as she was and scattered the black energy once again.

Sira twisted her body slightly and let it flow, and the black energy scattered into the air again.

Kkang, Kkang, Kkang.

The Heukgumiho’s sword, which was slashing down from various angles, was blocked by Sira’s hairpin every time. Likewise, the hairpin that Sira was jumping and swinging was also blocked by the Heukgumiho’s sword.

Adaptation and nullification. The two abilities that were on the extremes were constantly canceling each other out, and reversing the advantage of the battle.

A fight that was difficult to see as a battle between Ineungnyeokjas, a fight that purely relied on skill and physicality.

Tak-

The round kick that had gone towards her head after sliding down the hairpin that had blocked the sword was caught by Sira’s hand and blocked.

“Keuek!”

As she was grabbed by the ankle and pulled, she fell headfirst onto the snowfield. Not missing this opportunity, Sira twisted her ankle, but the Heukgumiho took advantage of Chayeon’s flexibility, and with the same movement as she, she flipped her entire body and kicked her head with her opposite leg.

Pak!

“Euk!”

While Sira was staggering after getting hit on the head, the Heukgu got up again and took a stance.

Again, she surged in with her sword.

The sword was met again and again, metallic sounds rang out, sparks flew, and even though they exchanged countless moves with back and forth, the battle still didn’t end. Sira also had a sense as distinguished outstanding as the physical sensations that Chayeon had.

The momentum didn’t tilt, and the moves were constantly exchanged.

<<Damn it, there isn’t much time left!>>

“I know that too.”

The Heukgumiho answered like that and jumped again. Sparks flew between the sword and the hairpin.

“Yeoul…! Listen well. You’re being controlled right now.”

“Controlled?”

Hwirik- At the same time as the Heukgumiho’s power was nullified, Sira swung her opposite hand. Chayeon’s right elbow was torn by the hairpin that she hadn’t been able to dodge, and blood splashed onto the snowfield.

“Mephistopheles, that bastard must have amplified your emotions. Get a hold of yourself!”

“I was wondering what you were saying.”

Pak!

With a hind kick that had been stuck in succession, Chayeon’s body was thrown back. Chayeon used her momentum and spun around to get up again.

“Listen to me, Yeoul!”

“Brother, do you really think that I’m being controlled by a demon, and that’s why I have these emotions?”

At that moment, the Baekgumiho removed her nullification. Black energy dug into the violet pupils on the opposite side.

At the same time, the Heukgu’s eyes widened.

“…You…!”

“Do you understand now? This girl’s feelings towards Brother are real. Even if these feelings are manipulated, what does it matter? Brother came to meet me like this, and I have been constantly waiting for Brother. We have finally met. Isn’t that enough?”

Jabak, jabak. The Baekgumiho, who had the appearance of Jin Sira, was approaching while stepping on the snow.

“…You really love me?”

“Of course. In the past, now, and in the future too. This girl will only love Brother forever.”

“Yeah, is that so.”

Jeobeok jeobeok.

Jin Sira was approaching without stopping. In those eyes, she could see the will that she would never step back.

“…I see.”

The Heukgumiho, who had seen those eyes,

Lowered the sword she had been holding up.

<<…Heukgu?>>

“That’s good.”

At those words of the Heukgumiho’s, the Baekgumiho stopped the steps she had been taking and stood in that spot.

“Brother?”

“I understand. If you’re that sincere, then I too will accept it. I’ll allow you to become one with me.”

<<You, what is this…!>>

On the Baekgumiho’s face, every time the Heukgumiho spit out one word at a time, at first bewilderment, and then shock, and finally rapture was rising.

“Aah, Brother! You’ve finally recognized me!”

“However.”

The Heukgumiho coldly cut off the Baekgumiho’s words once again.

“…After everything is over.”

At those words, Sira tilted her head.

“The one who would be this child’s teacher, a woman that could be seen as a mother, is captured over there right now. There isn’t much time. Right now, she is the most precious person to this young and delicate child in front of Yeoul, you.”

At the following words, Sira’s eyes widened greatly, and eventually became distorted.

“After all of this is over, I’ll dedicate my body to you. I’ll dedicate my soul to you. Without even needing to borrow your power, I will go to you with my own strength. I’ll spend my life with you forever as you want. I promise. Including my soul, I will give you everything. So………….”

The Heukgumiho, who had borrowed Chayeon’s mouth, continued with a voice where bitterness couldn’t be hidden.

“Please, clear the way.”

After that, silence flowed.

“…Why.”

The Baekgumiho’s voice, who had opened her mouth after a long time, was trembling.

“Why, why, why, why, why!”

That body too was trembling like an aspen tree.

“Just what, why! What is that human! Why does Brother care so much about that human……!!”

While the Baekgumiho was shouting with a fit of anger, the Heukgumiho was quietly looking at her. Like they were having an eye fight, they were glaring at each other, and the Heukgumiho averted his gaze first and looked up at the sky.

“Why, why can’t it be me. Brother. Why, of all people, that child.”

“Yeoul.”

“Why doesn’t Brother………”

“We used to sit side by side and look at the sky often.”

“…Even when looking from here, it’s still high.”

Eventually the snow stopped, and the wind calmed down.

When Chayeon, who had regained her body, looked forward again, Jin Sira had already disappeared somewhere.

“… Heukgu…, you…….”

<<I know what you want to say, but isn’t time of the essence right now?>>

It wasn’t just that she wanted to. There were a lot of words she wanted to say, but they were all only맴돌기만 할 뿐이었다hovering at the tip of her tongue. The Heukgu could read her thoughts, so he must have received them.

<<Let’s go quickly. Weren’t you going to rescue the teacher?>>

“…Yeah. I have to go.”

After swallowing all the words she wanted to say, Chayeon crossed over the snowfield that was sinking a lot, and started to climb the stairs one step at a time. Steep stairs that were floating in the air.

The higher she went up, the more the air thinned, and a faint fog started to settle in. The door was as far away as she could see, and before she knew it, the snow mountain she had been standing on just now was far away. She didn’t stop and kept going up.

Was this how Icarus felt when he flew towards the sun. The door that was over there looked like the sun. It was bright and dazzling. She felt like she was leaving the ground and heading to heaven.

After walking like that for a long time, she finally stood in front of the door.

She grabbed the doorknob. When she pushed the giant double doors, the doors began to open inward without a sound.

To heaven, beyond that.

Chayeon took a step.