NOVPUBThe center of the garden, in front of the brazier.
The fire crackled and burned with a sound as if it were screaming.
It seemed the brazier had been damaged due to the use of a powerful force just moments ago.
Do-cheol did not glance at the brazier, instead distorting his face with an expression full of fury.
‘Why does a human possess such power...!’
Do-cheol had successfully trapped Seong Guk-eon and Jeon Mu-young with mental attack abilities.
Though the details were unclear, considering the surging mental energy and the thickening aura of doom, it seemed Seong Guk-eon was carrying great regret.
As soon as the ability was unleashed, Seong Guk-eon’s mind wavered greatly.
Among the Three Great Evils, Do-ol had warned that Seong Guk-eon’s mental strength was formidable, advising caution when using that power. Yet, Do-cheol laughed, saying that human mental strength was always the same.
However, no matter how long he waited, Seong Guk-eon did not make a different choice and was about to dispel the ability.
Luckily, as the ability was doubled with the power of Doom, they were able to prepare for it, but even that was blocked.
‘Even if I had dispelled it, I could have shown him the future and fear again. Why did he see through it?’
Do-cheol hurriedly intervened and confronted Seong Guk-eon.
Seong Guk-eon recognized Do-cheol’s presence and spoke.
Through the crack, Seong Guk-eon looked directly at him and smiled.
‘How could he have been aware of the number of noble families and members of Congress here... How...!’
The more shocking part came afterward.
Seong Guk-eon captured Do-cheol and attacked.
From Seong Guk-eon’s eyes, on the other side of the crack, immense power spread outward.
The power in those eyes made even Do-cheol, who had been through countless battles, feel overwhelmed.
Do-cheol barely recalled the abilities Seong Guk-eon had been described to possess.
‘That’s right, that congressman said that Seong Guk-eon was blessed by a higher being. He said there was a special power in his eyes! To grant such power to a human... What kind of higher being...!’
Of course, the power used by Jo Eui-shin at that time was not Seong Guk-eon’s.
The Eye of Life and Death used by Jo Eui-shin was a power bestowed by the gods of death, and though it was related to Seong Guk-eon’s blessings, it was very different. However, Do-cheol did not distinguish between the two.
Without thinking too deeply, he only wished to quickly eliminate that bothersome eye.
Do-cheol gathered the power of Doom and aimed at Seong Guk-eon’s eye.
Seong Guk-eon’s position was difficult to pinpoint, as if he were in the clouds, but the eye, which was radiating intense power, was easy to find.
Finally, Do-cheol succeeded in destroying the eye.
‘I only broke one of the two eyes. Moreover...’
Do-cheol recalled the moment when he pierced that eye with the power of Doom.
The moment the eye touched the dark clouds controlled by Doom, Do-cheol felt as though he was being pulled into an abyss.
A coldness that froze his entire body, along with a strange anxiety and fear, overwhelmed him.
It felt as if he had stepped into a dreadful pit.
It was as if he were feeling the sensation of death being imminent, so Do-cheol immediately pulled back the moment he shattered the eye.
Rather than taking the target’s life, Do-cheol chose to flee.
‘I’m running away... from a mere human... What’s the point of that higher being’s blessing...!’
Do-cheol was humiliated by his retreat, but in the grand scheme of things, it was a wise decision.
Do-cheol had mistakenly thought Seong Guk-eon’s eye was the eye of a higher being’s blessing, but it was, in fact, Jo Eui-shin’s Eye of Life and Death, a power from the gods of death.
By attempting to destroy the power allowed by the gods of death, Do-cheol had received a warning of death.
Since one eye was destroyed, and Doom acted as a medium, the warning was the only consequence.
However, if both eyes had been destroyed, no medium would have protected Do-cheol, and he would have been struck by a death curse.
And so, Do-cheol never realized that the Seong Guk-eon he attacked was actually Jo Eui-shin.
Moreover, in the midst of his response to that eye, Jeon Mu-young had escaped from the mental attack.
‘It’s not just the two of them, but the Floor Master has been defeated too. I heard those priests only have physical attacks as skills...!’
Do-cheol checked the seals inscribed on the brazier.
Some of the seals were still burning brightly, while others had been reduced to ash.
This indicated that another garden connected to the power of Doom had been destroyed.
Although he recognized that things were going awry, Do-cheol had no intention of retreating.
‘I destroyed one of those bothersome eyes, so it should be useless now. From the way he tried to find me, it seems he chose to resist rather than escape. In that case, I have a plan.’
Do-cheol placed his hand on the brazier and pushed in his energy.
The flames from the brazier began to change color.
Do-cheol gritted his teeth and prepared a new strategy.
Before this incident, when they held a strategy meeting, Hwang Ji-ho had attached a condition.
The condition was to coordinate the plans with Jeon Mu-young, and the content of that condition was to bring him along.
Though he intended to take someone strong with him to the Shadowless Time, he had never intended to pick Hwang Ji-ho.
‘But after giving it some thought, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, so I agreed.’
Up until now, he had been trying to hide the involvement of the noble families as much as possible.
Hwang Ji-ho’s negligence had caused many things to go awry, but at the same time, it made it easier to strike at the enemy’s blind spots.
It was best if the shadowy figures still thought that Hwang Ji-ho was negligent, and for Hwang Ji-ho’s safety, direct involvement had been avoided.
But this time, things were different.
‘If the enemy has figured out that the noble families are involved, there’s no need to hide it anymore. It wouldn’t be bad to actively employ Hwang Ji-ho. Of course, I still need to pay attention to his safety.’
If the shadowy figures still hadn’t realized the involvement of the noble families or our strategic moves, then if they were aiming for Seong Guk-eon’s side, that would be dealt with accordingly.
If they were unaware, the real Seong Guk-eon, hidden alongside Jeok-ho and Kim Shin-rok, would just have to deal with them.
But if the shadowy figures had caught on and were targeting him despite his efforts, then Hwang Ji-ho’s negligence wouldn’t matter much.
The active involvement of the noble families would have been exposed.
So, he decided it was okay to move with Hwang Ji-ho this time.
But soon, he regretted it.
‘I said it was fine, but now I’m showing a wounded appearance.’
His left eye was numb, and there was no sensation aside from pain.
Seong Guk-eon had used a recovery item he usually carried, so he had managed to stabilize it somewhat, but the wound was deep, and the bleeding hadn’t been completely stopped.
He had considered using Gwanglim, the 100 Seconds of Mercy, to enhance his healing ability, but couldn’t.
Since the enemy might think he was Seong Guk-eon, using a power that Seong Guk-eon shouldn’t have would likely reveal his true identity.
‘The reason I haven’t treated it is for many reasons, but I can’t explain it. If the enemy thinks I’m Seong Guk-eon, they wouldn’t suspect me of searching for Doom. In that case, it’ll be easier to retrieve Doom.’
While he was thinking this, Hwang Ji-ho moved.
In his twenties, Hwang Ji-ho had grown taller, and after only a few steps, he was already very close.
Hwang Ji-ho, now towering over him, looked down.
Seong Guk-eon, too, was tall, but now Hwang Ji-ho seemed even taller.
Hwang Ji-ho gazed up at the back of his hand, which covered his left eye, for a few seconds.
Hwang Ji-ho spoke.
“I’ll look at the wound. Lower your hand.”
Seong Guk-eon thought that he might be angry or disappointed, or perhaps worried, but Hwang Ji-ho spoke calmly, as usual.
He was relieved and tried to recall the attitude Seong Guk-eon might take.
If Hwang Ji-ho spoke like this, both Seong Guk-eon and he would probably respond the same.
“I’m fine.”
“You’re fine, huh?”
Hwang Ji-ho’s eyes, which had been fiery just a moment ago, calmed down.
He asked again.
“Did you say you’re fine now?”
Seong Guk-eon hesitated, considering his options.
The energy consumption of the mental attacks was high, and although the bleeding hadn’t stopped, he wasn’t immobile.
After objectively considering whether he was fine or not, he responded.
“I’ll stop bleeding soon. I can fight.”
“To know if you can fight is not why I want to see the wound.”
The answer must have been wrong. 𝚗o𝚟pub.𝚌𝚘𝚖
Hwang Ji-ho spoke somewhat harshly, but the words that followed were soft, as if soothing a child.
“You’ve just suffered a mental attack and received a heavy wound facing the enemy. I don’t want to lecture you right now.”
Hwang Ji-ho kept his gaze on Seong Guk-eon’s remaining right eye.
The golden light that had been flickering violently through Hwang Ji-ho’s eyes had now settled down.
The appearance of someone in their twenties, who looked about the same age as Seong Guk-eon, still seemed youthful, but despite the change in appearance, Hwang Ji-ho now looked much more mature.
He continued.
“Please, let me look at your wound.”
At those words, Seong Guk-eon had no further response.
Slowly, he moved his hand away from the place where his left eye had been.
Even after removing his hand, the feeling of not being able to see through his left eye made it feel strange.
When Hwang Ji-ho’s gaze reached where his left eye used to be, Seong Guk-eon couldn’t meet it.
Hwang Ji-ho said nothing and examined the wound.
Jeon Mu-young, who had been standing behind, looked at the wound and then covered his mouth, hiding his expression.
No matter how much they knew he was Jo Eui-shin, seeing him in Seong Guk-eon’s form in this state must have been unsettling.
Hwang Ji-ho did not take his eyes off the wound and kept observing.
After a long time, he finally moved.
Pah!
Hwang Ji-ho’s energy covered the wound on Seong Guk-eon’s left eye.
As golden energy enveloped his skin, the bleeding began to stop.
Seong Guk-eon recalled seeing Hwang Ji-ho stop the bleeding when Jeok-ho had been injured before, but it seemed that even if he couldn’t heal properly, he could at least stop the bleeding.
The noble families had gone through many battlefields, so it made sense that they had become accustomed to stopping bleeding.
With the bleeding stopped, and the warmth from the golden energy, it felt as if the pain in his left eye had lessened.
Whish.
Next, Hwang Ji-ho untied his tie and poured more energy over it.
After shaping the tie with his energy, Hwang Ji-ho tied it around Seong Guk-eon’s eyes, as if creating an improvised eye patch.
He inscribed a protective seal on the eye patch and spoke.
“I can only stop the bleeding now. I’m sorry.”
Why was Hwang Ji-ho apologizing?
Here, it should be Seong Guk-eon thanking him.
Seong Guk-eon thought that, but as he was about to say something, Hwang Ji-ho cut him off.
“You don’t think I’m apologizing for not being able to avoid the enemy’s abilities, do you? And it’s a shame about your eye. The reason your eye was injured is definitely...”
Hwang Ji-ho seemed to have figured out that Seong Guk-eon was trying to find Doom.
Given that Seong Guk-eon had used the Eye of Life and Death to look for Doom and the former head of the Korean branch, it wasn’t surprising that Hwang Ji-ho had realized it.
“I know, no matter how much I persuade you, you won’t back down.”
That was true.
Having found out where Doom and the former Korean branch leader were, there was no way Seong Guk-eon could retreat now.
Moreover, even if he wanted to escape alone, there was no way to do so, and acting alone was even more dangerous.
Now, staying together was the best choice.
‘Hwang Ji-ho must know that well, too.’
Hwang Ji-ho briefly closed his eyes and then opened them.
Since Jeon Mu-young was behind him, Seong Guk-eon could not see his face.
When he closed and opened his eyes, Hwang Ji-ho’s expression had disappeared.
It seemed he had suppressed his emotions before the fight.
“Let’s go. I’ll make the enemy pay for the blood you shed.”
