The 31st Piece Overturns the Game Board

Chapter 370

The Darkness Dweller, who had become Yaksha, was drooling.

"Shin Yu! Darkness Dweller! Answer me!"

Grrr...

Seol momentarily felt dizzy after seeing that horrible ghost sword be reborn.

'To think Yaksha has resurrected... Why now of all times?!'

Very few people understood Yaksha’s power as well as Seol did. The Darkness Dweller merely mimicked the movements of others, while Yaksha stole them.

A thief could be a righteous bandit or a villain, depending on their intent. However, that being was clearly evil.

[Yaksha connects to you to sustain its existence.]

[The summoner bears part of the price.]

...

'What...?'

Seol read the absurd messages.

In short, Yaksha needed a medium to exist in reality. And that medium was Seol, the summoner.

'What kind of nonsense... Ugh...'

Was it because Yaksha was with Agony?

Seol felt his heart tighten, followed by a piercing sensation in his brain.

"AGH—!"

- Agh—!

Yaksha's voice made no noise but echoed solely in Seol's head.

At the same time, the pain inflicted on Yaksha was so intense that Seol couldn't help but scream.

While grasping his head, Seol realized something strange about Yaksha.

'Yaksha... doesn't know who it is?'

Yaksha was currently feeling troubled, and it was constantly doubting its own existence.

'This... perhaps...'

To Seol, this revelation felt heavier than his headache.

Swish—!

The tentacles lunged toward both Yaksha and Seol.

Flinch...

Yaksha briefly hesitated but quickly countered them.

Clang—!

It drew its sword and slashed in a crescent.

Slash—!

It severed the serpent's tentacles in a single move.

Whoosh...

The severed Darkness was all absorbed by Yaksha.

[Yaksha has collected Darkness.]

[A small amount of Darkness has been accumulated.]

...

Screech—!

The tentacles were much smaller compared to the humongous black serpent. Yet, due to their sheer number, losing them all at once sent it into a frenzy.

Now enraged, the black serpent started to emerge further onto the surface.

WHOOM...

KIAAAAAA—!

It was so huge that one could have mistaken it for a mountain.

Krrr...

The two predators glared at one another. Yaksha seemed to have reacted to the hostility directed at it, while the black serpent seemed to oppose Yaksha's ominous presence.

Grin...

Seol could sense the smile on Yaksha’s mask.

'Is it conscious or unconscious?'

It was impossible to tell.

In a situation where he wasn't sure if Yaksha was an ally or an enemy, the black serpent launched its attack.

Swoosh...

WHOOSH—!

Its long, rotating tail swept through the ground.

Seol had already moved out of the attack's range.

The space between him and Yaksha stretched into a black line, almost resembling a shadow.

Grrr...

The serpent’s tail struck the drooling Yaksha.

BOOM—!

Its strike had enough power to decimate the forest.

However, the serpent emitted a scream.

KIAAAAAA—!

BOOM...

The tail that struck the ground didn't move as if it had been glued in place.

Crack...

'Yaksha cut it! But when...'

Not only had it dodged the attack almost instantaneously, but it had cut off the serpent's tail even faster.

Bubble...

Splash—!

The severed tail suddenly swelled before bursting, releasing a swarm of night beasts from within.

Grrr...

They all charged toward Yaksha and Seol.

'Ugh...'

If Seol summoned night beasts, they would be absorbed by the black serpent. The only choice he had was improvisation.

However...

Paaf—!

Yaksha stood before Seol.

'Yaksha...?'

Grrr...

Yaksha remained confused.

Its internal state was a chaotic mix of three divided entities.

At least, Shin Yu and the Darkness Dweller were Seol's allies.

KAAAA—!

The wolves rushed in toward him.

Slash—!

[Yaksha used Turin Swordsmanship: 13 Tributaries.]

[You unleash a sequence of 13 rapid strikes.]

[Total damage is the same, but damage can be distributed across each strike.]

...

Yoo Hyun, the previous master of Yaksha and a great swordsman, didn’t possess a body suited for his role. But now, the body Yaksha was in was a miraculous one Seol had painstakingly created.

Even though it was the same sword technique that Yaksha had used before, it would be able to deal damage on a whole other level compared to before.

Surprised by Shin Yu's sword arts technique, Yaksha’s consciousness had disappeared into the depths.

'Yaksha... felt fear.'

The mask's expression was now void of emotion.

Yaksha's consciousness had submerged upon witnessing Shin Yu's sword.

- Phew... It's finally quiet now.

Thanks to Shin Yu, the situation had calmed down.

"What happened inside...?"

- This guy kept asking.

By 'this guy,' he was probably referring to Yaksha.

"What did it ask?"

- Who it was, and what I thought about its sword.

"..."

It was definitely crazy.

And standing before Seol was someone even crazier.

'To such Yaksha...'

Even if it was only for a moment, Shin Yu had put the monstrous Yaksha to sleep by unleashing a sword arts technique beyond its understanding. Seol couldn't help but wonder how terrifying Shin Yu would be if he had a body.

At that moment, he heard a voice from afar.

"Seol! Are you alright?!"

"I'm here!"

Shin Rip and Shin Hyun rushed toward Seol at near-bullet speed.

Paaf—!

"Just what happened here?"

"Well..."

As Seol turned to look at Yaksha, it performed a bizarre act—or rather, Shin Yu did.

Slash—!

Yaksha severed its own arm below the elbow.

"Shin Yu...?"

Paf—!

Shin Yu jumped and escaped.

Shin Yu had given up Yaksha's body.

"Hmm... That guy..."

"Hihihi... It seems we'll have to hear from you what just happened. What exactly happened?"

Seol recounted everything that had happened without leaving a single detail.

He explained that he had a duel with Shin Yu, the results he achieved, and how they parted ways after that. Then, the ground beneath him suddenly began shaking, and a demonic beast appeared. Given its size, it was definitely the one that inhabited the underground.

"I see. It definitely seems to be the case."

"We rushed here as fast as we could after hearing the commotion, but it was already over."

If the Shin brothers had been present, things would have been easier.

'But now wasn't the time for that.'

It wasn't time to discuss such matters while the expressionless Yaksha was there.

Seol calmly explained Yaksha's origin and history, awaiting the brothers' judgment.

'If they deem Yaksha to be too dangerous...'

The three would need to devise a new plan.

However, Shin Rip and Shin Hyun reacted strangely.

"So, it's a cursed sword inhabited by a bloodthirsty demonic spirit?"

"Yes."

"Hihihi... Is it just that...?"

"Yes...?"

"It's no big deal. Didn't you say Shin Yu helped? It seems he started to open up."

Seol couldn't understand why Shin Yu's was mentioned. He didn't know enough about him to follow the conversation.

Shin Rip said.

"Cursed Swords do not affect Shin Yu."

"What...?"

"We confirmed this when he was still alive."

"He... I still remember how that kid swung around a cursed sword like it were a toy."

This was something Seol was hearing for the first time.

"There's no sword he cannot handle. By sword, I'm not talking only about sword arts. It applies to every sword."

Seol became speechless upon learning this about Shin Yu.

"Then, what happened to the cursed swords Shin Yu encountered?"

"Well... There haven't been many issues. But this is the first time he's been inside one. So, I can't say for sure. To think the cursed sword would faint from the shock."

"That aside... Shin Yu has escaped from an uncomfortable situation."

"Go after him. Quickly.

Shin Rip nodded at Seol.

Whoosh...

After briefly glancing at Yaksha, who had absorbed all of the Darkness of the serpent, Seol left to find Shin Yu.

* * *

Seol encountered Shin Yu near a new stretch of forest beyond the ones that had been cut.

From a distance, he found traces of Shin Yu.

"Shin Yu, I'm alone. Come out."

Psss...

Thud—!

A hand landed on Seol's shoulder.

- KYAA—! A hand!

- It's Shin Yu.

Leaving behind the viewers' banter, Seol began talking with Shin Yu.

"Why did you leave?"

Since they were now disconnected, Shin Yu wrote on the ground.

Scratch...

- Because I was sacred.

"Scared of what?"

- That situation, I.

Shin Yu momentarily paused.

- Will you listen to my story for a bit?

"Are you trying to continue what you didn't before?"

- Yes.

"Didn't you say we have to grow closer?"

- I won't say it.

Thud—!

Shin Yu slammed the branch he was holding onto the ground.

"I was kidding."

After a brief pause, Shin Yu began telling his story.

- I...