Immortals vs. Grim Reapers - chapter 51
Chapter 51. Ghosts Die Twice (3)
An eerie creaking sound grated on his eardrums. Something soft and squishy was caught in his hand.
The Prince of Gangreung wondered what it was, then realized he had plucked out his own eye with his hand.
But he no longer had a mouth to scream or ears to hear it.
“Well, well.”
Tap, tap.
Only the strange sound of ashes being tapped off a cigarette could be heard.
“He’ll be here soon, but how impatient.”
A deep voice caressed the nape of the Prince of Gangreung’s neck.
At that moment, the Prince of Gangreung realized he was already dead.
***
Rap-tap-tap-tap-tap.
The rain, which had intensified, battered the containers fiercely. The wide-brimmed gat protected Ju Gangrim’s vision, but the heavy raindrops showed no sign of stopping soon.
Whoosh, bang.
An enhanced ghoul’s arm whipped past Ju Gangrim’s cheek like a lash, slicing through the raindrops.
The sharp arm cut off the corner of a container as if it were tofu. With a metallic clang, pieces of toy sets that had been inside the container fell out.
The enhanced ghoul howled ferociously.
“Gagaga!”
“Split.”
It was unclear whether the sound was laughing or crying, but Ju Gangrim responded casually as he dodged another hand thrusting towards his heart.
Two enhanced ghouls already lay fallen on the ground.
Even enhanced by the Prince of Gangreung’s talismans, they hadn’t overcome the weakness shared by all living beings except immortals… that they die when their heads are split in half.
‘But even so… these guys are a bit finicky.’
The number of enhanced ghouls was now down to five in total.
It was a level he could cut down and block with the Death-Summoning Sword enhanced by Blood Sucker, but they were pressing Ju Gangrim relentlessly with an intricate formation unlike zombies.
Taking down two of them in the midst of this was close to luck.
As their numbers decreased, they attacked Ju Gangrim with even more precision and coherence.
“Caw!”
Ttaekachi, mixed in with a flock of seagulls, pounced on the enhanced ghouls.
Ttaekachi’s talons and beak mercilessly scratched at the enhanced ghoul’s face, but couldn’t inflict deep wounds.
From the start, they didn’t seem to be looking at Ju Gangrim with their eyes anyway.
The enhanced ghoul swung its arm, mowing down the flock of birds. Ttaekachi barely avoided it and flew up.
The heavy rain also hindered Ttaekachi’s movements.
Swish, swish.
Kakagagak!
A whip-like arm grazed the tip of Ju Gangrim’s nose. Ju Gangrim tried to cut it by pushing the Death Sword into its trajectory, but it avoided being cut by withdrawing its arm at an unrealistic angle.
‘Especially that one swinging its arm like a whip is annoying.’
Its movements resembled the dance the Prince of Gangreung had shown in the museum.
It seemed this one was in charge of the main attack, while the others formed a formation to protect it while simultaneously restricting Ju Gangrim’s movements.
Normally, with a whip, movements should be restricted due to concern about entangling allies nearby.
However, this one freely swung its arms and legs to attack, while the other enhanced ghouls seemed to predict it, avoiding the whip and striking at openings.
‘It seems they’re under direct control of the Prince of Gangreung.’
It was a fight where one wrong cut could mean life or death. But the sensation Ju Gangrim felt was closer to annoyance than tension.
Although the level of the enhanced ghouls was remarkable, it wasn’t enough to threaten Ju Gangrim’s life.
The Prince of Gangreung’s bizarre dance in the museum.
Compared to that possessed sword dance that sliced through space with the whole body, this felt infinitely slower and more tedious.
Swish, kakgang!
Ju Gangrim dodged the incoming whip while simultaneously cutting off the leg of a zombie that was coming down like an axe.
The enhanced ghouls couldn’t respond for a moment to this nimble movement, completely different from before.
Ju Gangrim didn’t miss the opening and split the head of the enhanced ghoul whose leg he had cut, from chin to crown.
“Another one.”
Now there were four left. They didn’t panic at the reduced numbers but calmly reformed their formation as if in response.
Now their attacks would become sharper and more densely packed.
Ju Gangrim took his stance, thinking of the moves he could use.
That’s when it happened.
Suddenly, the enhanced ghouls began to stagger and shake violently.
Ju Gangrim thought this might be some kind of trap, but instinctively didn’t miss the opening in the enhanced ghouls.
Swish, thud.
The soul-binding talisman first pierced the solar plexus of one enhanced ghoul, immobilizing it, and Ju Gangrim immediately thrust down the Death Sword.
Only after beheading it did Ju Gangrim realize that the enhanced ghouls’ reaction wasn’t a trap.
Something was happening.
The enhanced ghouls stopped convulsing and looked around.
They immediately spotted Ju Gangrim and howled ferociously.
They charged again, but this time something was different.
It was just a mad rush, without system or calculation.
‘What’s going on?’
***
Though puzzled, Ju Gangrim dodged the haphazard incoming attacks.
He cut down the leading enhanced ghoul, then rammed into the corpse and threw it at the ghoul following behind.
The enhanced ghoul in the back wildly swung its arms, mangling what had been its comrade just moments ago.
In that interval, Ju Gangrim was able to plunge his sword into its head.
The last one remaining was the one that had been swinging its limbs like whips. Just then, as Blood Sucker’s effective period ended, the Death Sword changed back to its hand axe form.
Ju Gangrim readjusted his grip on the hand axe, then let out a long sigh as if annoyed and reached out towards the enhanced ghoul.
The blunderbuss in his hand spewed fire.
Bang.
With the explosion, the metal fragments loaded in the blunderbuss tore the enhanced ghoul apart.
Despite this, the enhanced ghoul tried to lunge at Ju Gangrim with a ferocious howl, but the evil spirits imbued in the metal fragments tenaciously bit at the enhanced ghoul, confusing it.
In that moment, Ju Gangrim’s hand axe came down on the enhanced ghoul’s head.
“Ah, tough one.”
Ju Gangrim muttered as he pulled out his hand axe after splitting the last enhanced ghoul’s head.
Wiping away the raindrops soaking his face, he had the leisure to look around. There didn’t seem to be any more appearing. But Ju Gangrim found the change in their behavior puzzling.
At first, they moved tactically as if under precise control, but suddenly they started slashing at each other and charging recklessly, going berserk.
‘Did the Prince of Gangreung abandon control and run away?’
Ju Gangrim worried that the Prince of Gangreung might have thrown himself into the sea to escape.
As an immortal, he wouldn’t die even if he fell into the sea, so he could drift for years waiting to reach land.
Of course, even if he chose such a method, the evil spirits in the blunderbuss would pursue him until death.
But if he sank to the seabed or drifted with the currents, it might exceed the week Ju Gangrim had promised Yeomna.
“Just don’t run away…”
“Aaaaaahhhhh!!”
At that moment. Suddenly, someone burst out of the container Ju Gangrim was heading towards, screaming.
Ju Gangrim startled and raised his hand axe, then realized it was the Prince of Gangreung.
“What the, this crazy…”
Ju Gangrim was about to attack the Prince of Gangreung but stopped when he saw his state.
The Prince of Gangreung was practically naked, having torn all his clothes off with his own hands. Moreover, his eyes seemed to have been gouged out, with only scratch marks and empty sockets remaining.
His head and entire body were covered in bloody wounds as if he had rammed into the container.
‘Did he finally go mad?’
He had heard stories of people with mental illnesses going crazy, but seeing it in person was quite bizarre.
But he had no intention of showing mercy just because the man was mentally incapacitated. His job was to capture this bastard, and the judgment would be made by the higher-ups in the afterlife.
“Lee Hwi!”
Sensing that the Prince of Gangreung’s condition was already in shambles, Ju Gangrim immediately began the soul summoning.
Crack.
Though no actual sound was heard, the Prince of Gangreung’s limbs twisted sharply as the soul summoning began.
When unbearable pain strikes in an instant, humans either stiffen or convulse.
Thud.
The Prince of Gangreung collapsed to the ground, foaming at the mouth and trembling violently.
Ju Gangrim was about to call the final soul summoning to complete the Prince of Gangreung’s death.
But he was curious about how he had ended up in this state. Ju Gangrim first struck down and broke all of the Prince of Gangreung’s limbs with his hand axe.
“Hey, snap out of it!”
“Save me, save me, save me…”
The Prince of Gangreung was pleading, blood streaming from his empty eyes. It was hard to believe this was the same Prince of Gangreung he had seen in the museum.
The arrogant Shaman King who had spouted nonsense about dreaming of a new dynasty was gone, leaving only a dying madman.
“Why are you in this state? Did you eat something wrong?”
Ding.
The spirit phone rang. Ju Gangrim checked the message.
«Yeomna: Sent a return because he was in a hurry.»
«Yeomna: Even if it’s bothersome, you need to follow proper procedures.»
«Gangrim: What do you mean?»
«Yeomna: Don’t bother asking questions, just send him here.»
«Yeomna: Whether he sees hell while alive or after death, it’s all the same.»
Ju Gangrim held the spirit phone, trying to guess the meaning of Yeomna’s words.
He could roughly imagine. The Prince of Gangreung must have tried something as a last resort and ended up offending Yeomna.
Of course, it made sense that he would upset Yeomna, talking about curses and such against a death messenger.
Ju Gangrim looked down at the naked, trembling Prince of Gangreung and clicked his tongue.
“If you had faced me head-on like before, it might have been a fight.”
“Save me, save me, save me…”
“Even if I granted every wish in the world.”
Ju Gangrim called the Prince of Gangreung’s last name.
“That’s the only request I absolutely cannot grant. Lee Hwi.”
Crack.
The moment the final soul summoning was completed, the Prince of Gangreung’s mouth gaped open and his body trembled violently.
Ju Gangrim struck down on the Prince of Gangreung’s neck in one motion, completely ending his life.
A black soul bead seeped out from the extracted Death-Summoning Sword, just like with Jang Han-taek.
It was the soul of an immortal, independent and not absorbed into the Death-Summoning Sword.
«Mission: Kill the Boss (BOSS) Success!»
«Objective: Capture the Prince of Gangreung»
«Reward 1: Death-Summoning Sword Enhancement Ticket (1 use)»
«Reward 2: Guaranteed Minimum Luxury Grade ‘Today’s Fortune’ (Advance)»
Reward 2 seemed to have been settled with Ttaekachi, and he could get the Death-Summoning Sword enhancement ticket.
It felt a bit like abuse of power to be able to enhance it even without the Death Sword’s acknowledgment, but he didn’t mind.
‘If I don’t enhance anything else additionally, what’s left is spirit power… but.’
Honestly, this was still a somewhat vague area for Ju Gangrim.
The other enhancements were intuitive, making Ju Gangrim’s body faster, hidden, or stronger.
But spirit power was a completely different realm. Ju Gangrim decided to consult with Yu Wolryeong before choosing what to enhance.
He sent a report first.
«Gangrim: Captured the Prince of Gangreung.»
«Gangrim: I’ve kept the remaining immortal in the car trunk for now, I’ll send them when I have time.»
«Wolryeong: Good work.»
«Yeomna: (Yeomna avatar with cat ears making a cute OK sign)»
«Wolryeong: (Yu Wolryeong avatar saying ‘You are this month’s legend’)»
Ju Gangrim seriously considered whether he should buy an avatar too.
***
“Whew…”
Ju Gangrim stepped into the container from which the Prince of Gangreung had burst out. The inside was as horrific as the Prince’s condition.
The floor was strewn with rice grains, sacred ropes, and headless chickens that seemed to have been offered as sacrifices. There were also bloodstains from where the Prince of Gangreung had rammed his own head.
Ju Gangrim was about to step forward mindlessly but stopped.
An eyeball was rolling in the spot he was about to step on. It looked like one of the Prince of Gangreung’s eyes.
Ju Gangrim roughly kicked it aside with his foot and looked around.
There were no particular traps or snares.
Those enhanced ghouls really were his last line of resistance.
It was a pitiful end for the Shaman King who had once dominated the country, but a miserable death befitting him.
“It’s fortunate there was no escort from the Vito Family.”
It seemed the motorcycle ninjas were all that had come to escort the Prince of Gangreung.
In fact, for an ordinary opponent, those two would have been enough. Assassins from the Vito Family could probably have dealt with the Prince of Gangreung’s organization with just the two of them.
Ju Gangrim rummaged through the belongings the Prince of Gangreung had left behind and discovered unidentifiable talismans, brushes, and various objects presumed to be used in rituals.
He had no idea what they were used for, but figuring that items used by a shaman of the Prince of Gangreung’s caliber might be useful, he decided to keep them for now.
That’s when Ju Gangrim discovered something in the Prince of Gangreung’s bag.
Unlike the other materials, it was an ordinary, untitled book that didn’t emit any strange energy.
Skimming through it, he found writings that seemed to have been penned by the Prince of Gangreung himself.