The Second Coming of Gluttony Chapter 322:
Chapter 322 . Immediate Battle (1)
Chwing! A metallic whistle of a sword being drawn rang out .
As soon as Seol Jihu gave his command, everyone cut off the rope and raised their weapons to prepare for battle .
‘I have to investigate a bit more…’
He didn’t feel right commanding everyone to charge forward out of the blue .
However, they didn’t have time . The Spirits were very clearly on the verge of death, helpless against the onslaught of the attackers .
‘If I can save even one of them, I should be able to get information on the current state of the Spirit Realm . ’
Thinking so, Seol Jihu kicked off the ground in full force . He planned to save the Spirits first .
With over ten people simultaneously making a move, the enemy noticed them instantly . They stopped their massacre and turned to look . Then, when they saw the members of the expedition team that were charging toward them—
[Hiiiiiiiick!]
They changed their course with a shrill, bone-chilling scream .
“They’re coming!”
Phi Sora shouted as strange gaseous lifeforms glowing blue shortened their distance in an instant like the blowing wind .
‘Will o’ wisps?’
At a closer distance, the creatures’ blue light was even more distinctive . Blazing like flames from a gas stove, the ghostly lights flew over like tiny comets .
Although Seol Jihu wanted to observe them a bit more—
Crackle! With the scorching fire nearly touching him, Seol Jihu stabbed forward with his tightly gripped spear .
“!”
Then, he immediately paused in hesitation . It would be normal to feel the spear blade penetrating something, but no such sensation was transmitted to his palms .
But he expected as much since he was stabbing a gaseous lifeform . The reason he paused was because the enemy froze as soon as his spear blade pierced it .
[Kirrrrrr! Kirrrrr!]
Unable to move an inch, the will o’ wisp let out a bizarre cry while convulsing painfully .
On closer inspection, holy energy could be seen flowing out of the evil-exterminating weapon, the Spear of Purity, and disturbing the will o’ wisp’s insides .
‘Don’t tell me . ’
Thinking what if, Seol Jihu immediately roused the anti-evil energy .
Then, as a golden current violently gushed out of the spear tip, a sound akin to a balloon-popping boom struck his ears .
[Kiaaaa… . Kiaaaa… . ]
The blue gaseous lifeform exploded, its color dimming in an instant .
The will o’ wisp seemed to be vanishing just like that, but then it disappeared into the horizon as if it was sucked in by something unknown .
Seol Jihu’s eyes narrowed, seeing the lifeform disappearing in an instant .
‘What was that?’
He couldn’t help but think that it was too easy . However, his hesitation didn’t last long . Not only was he still in the midst of battle, but another will o’ wisp had also flown toward him .
Seol Jihu pulled his upper body back and threw his arm up . As the spear blade emitting a golden light vertically swept the will o’ wisp, it was split in half and melted down without uttering its death throe .
Immediately afterward, four will o’ wisps simultaneously rushed at him from four directions, but the result was no different . When Seol Jihu swung his spear, they exploded with no resistance . It was really a piece of cake .
What was surprising was that Seol Jihu wasn’t the only one overwhelming the enemy . Chohong and Hugo were also pushing the enemy back, swinging the Thorn of Steel radiating white light and an axe carrying holy energy, respectively .
While they weren’t overwhelming the enemy like Seol Jihu, they were fighting them off with no difficulties .
Phi Sora had even run into the midst of the enemy forces and was showing off a sword dance in high spirits . As a sword scattering flames danced freely in all directions, any will o’ wisp that was touched by it was quickly devoured by the flames .
With High Rankers and even a Level 4 doing so well, there was no need to say anything about the higher leveled combatants .
The expedition team subjugated the enemy forces in an instant, and the battle ended earlier than anyone expected .
“What’s going on? Aren’t these guys too weak?”
“Yeah, that was too easy . ”
Chohong and Hugo, who had a good exercise, spoke with a laugh as they wiped their sweats .
They were rather nervous before the fight, but with such an easy victory in their first battle, they were overjoyed .
Seol Jihu kept silent as he was about to say something . Subjugating the enemy wasn’t a bad thing, and morale was an important aspect of any battle . He kept quiet, not wanting to ruin the festive mood, but it wasn’t that he wasn’t suspicious of the situation .
Some of the others seemed to be thinking the same thing as Agnes, Oh Rahee, and a couple of others were also silently in deep thought .
“Nightshades . ”
Philip Muller calmly spoke up .
“They’re Spirit Creatures[1] that subsist off of yin or negative energy . ”
“You mean the guys we just fought?”
“That’s right . There’s just one thing…”
Philip Muller trailed off, then smacked his lips .
“Something’s strange . ”
“?”
“I assumed there would be at least one Army Commander in the Spirit Realm . This isn’t just a guess . Although the Parasites have seven armies, two of them almost never appeared in the Material Realm, or the Middle World, since very early on . ”
“Two armies…?”
“The Fourth Army Commander, Raging Temperance, and the Seventh Army Commander, Twisted Kindness . ”
“… . ”
“These two didn’t appear even in the past all-out war when the Parasites conquered Tigol Fortress . Though it isn’t as if they’re completely shrouded in mystery, they’re still the hardest to see Army Commanders among the seven . ”
Seol Jihu nodded his head .
“So which part is strange?”
“Hear me out . From what we know, Raging Temperance is from the Mythical Beast race, while Twisted Kindness is the last member of the Dragon race . ”
Philip Muller continued .
“But the Spirit Creatures you just saw are normally from the Spiritual Dimension . They have nothing to do with Mythical Beasts or Dragons . ”
In other words, a race that should have no connection with the invading Army Commanders were in the Spirit Realm .
“Why would that be…?”
This wasn’t so unacceptable given the Parasites’ uniqueness as a species, but there were definitely more than one or two suspicious points .
As Spirit Creatures didn’t have physical bodies, it was hard to say they were a part of the Corpse Army, and they couldn’t be considered a reproductive species birthed by mother species for the same reason .
In that case, they had to be the army under the banner of an Army Commander .
“What are the chances that there is another Army Commander here?”
“There’s Exploding Patience who is also a Spirit Creature, but I heard her army consists entirely of Banshees . I’ve never heard of her leading an army of Nightshades . ”
As Philip Muller explained, Seol Jihu’s expression turned complicated .
‘It really is strange…’
“But it isn’t as if I’m out of guesses . ”
Philip Muller suddenly lowered his volume and whispered .
“Though there’s no way to be sure, I heard something from the previous Star of Sloth . ”
“The previous Star of Sloth?”
“I’m talking about the Executor who preceded Taciana Cinzia . ”
Philip Muller continued .
“After becoming an Executor, he fought the Fourth Army Commander once . He barely escaped death and came back . That was when he said that Raging Temperance was a Unicorn . ”
“Unicorn…”
“Here’s the problem . It’s true that Unicorns are of the Mythical Beast race, but they still have nothing to do with the Spiritual Dimension . ”
It was at this moment that Seol Jihu realized Philip Muller’s guess and what he was trying to say .
“You’re saying the identity of Raging Temperance might have changed . ”
“That could be it, or there might be something we don’t quite understand . We have to be open to all possibilities . ”
Seol Jihu bit his lip as something Gabriel told him in the past suddenly crossed his mind .
‘A new card…’
Survival of the fittest . It was a simple concept . If the Parasite Queen found a stronger race, there was nothing holding her back from changing out one of the Commanders .
In any case, nothing was confirmed yet . They couldn’t jump to any conclusions . They would have to see with their own eyes to be sure .
“I know you’re talking, but…”
At that moment, the silently-listening Kazuki cut in between them . He raised his finger and pointed to the front . A small group of Spirits that survived the Nightshades’ attack was murmuring among themselves .
[Humans? Aren’t they humans?]
[No way! How can humans enter this world…!]
Seol Jihu swallowed his saliva . Each of the Spirits shone in one of the five colors, having a wide variety of appearances ranging from animals to a small girl . They were all small . Frankly, they didn’t look all that powerful .
[They defeated those bastards! Maybe they’re here to help!]
[I might believe that if they were Sky Fairies . But humans?]
[But it’s true they helped! They saved us!]
[Wait, there’s an aura of a Spirit I’ve never felt before…]
Judging by the way they were talking among themselves, it was obvious that they were young . Still, they should be able to explain the Spirit Realm’s current state .
When Seol Jihu walked forward, the Spirits’ gazes all turned toward him . Looking up with unbridled eyes…
[Help us!]
[Please help!]
[Save the Kings!]
[Please save our world!]
They began to chatter in front of his foot .
As Seol Jihu stood in a fluster from the Spirits pulling on his leg, he flinched feeling something poking his neck .
“Partner . ”
Little Chick was standing on his shoulder before he noticed .
“Let me talk to these younguns . ”
“Y-You…?”
“Un . I’m curious about a few things . ”
Seol Jihu thought for a moment before nodding his head . Since Little Chick was also a Spirit, it should have an easier time talking with the Spirits .
Little Chick jumped down once it received Seol Jihu’s permission . As soon as it landed on the ground, the pestering Spirits were all shocked .
[Eh? Who’s this?]
“What do you think? I’m a Spirit, just like you . ”
[But I’ve never seen a Spirit like you…]
“That’s obvious . That’s the way it should be . It wouldn’t make sense if you younguns knew about me . ”
[Eeh? This smell… it’s the smell of the five elements and even the sealed light and darkness… Just who are you?]
“Quiet! Even your Kings wouldn’t dare to talk to me that way! A low-ranked Spirit should talk respectfully when speaking with their elders!”
When Little Chick raised its voice, the Spirits immediately quit chattering . They must have felt the difference in their leagues as they all looked dejected .
“…Anyway, I have a few questions to ask you all . ”
Little Chick cleared its throat and spoke .
“If you haven’t realized already, these humans are reinforcements sent by the Sky Fairies to save our world . Meaning, we are allies . ”
Hearing this, the Spirits’ complexions brightened .
“But we just got here, so we know nothing about the details . Every second of every minute counts . Answer to the best of your abilities, got it?”
[U-Un!]
“Good . First— where are the Spirit Kings?”
[… . ]
“I can feel them, but it’s too faint . Just what the **** happened for the Spirit Realm to turn out like this?”
[…They were captured . ]
“What?”
When a Spirit retorted in a dejected voice, Little Chick furrowed its brows instantly .
“Captured? Ifrit, Aqua, Terra, Ea, and Sylphid . All five were captured?”
[Uun . The enemy they were fighting was too scary…]
Sobs were heard from the small Spirits . Little Chick let out a dumbfounded laugh, then gritted its teeth .
“Damn it, then what about the two Spirit Lords?”
[?]
“I’m talking about Ophinü Odor and Diffidem Odor . ”
[We… don’t know . We were told we can’t unseal them so recklessly…]
“Idiots!”
Little Chick burst out before the Spirit finished .
“Those shit-for-brain bastards! Even in such a situation…!”
Its short hair stood on ends as it shook furiously .
“…Partner . ”
After muttering with a heavy pant, Little Chick turned its head and looked up at Seol Jihu .
“The situation is worse than we expected . If it’s okay with you, I’d like the team to prioritize rescuing the Spirit Kings . ”
Rescuing the Spirit Kings . There was no problem doing it if it would help with saving the Spirit Realm, but Seol Jihu asked regardless .
“Are they alive?”
“I can feel them . ”
Little Chick clicked its tongue and spoke .
“Spirits are mortal existences, but they don’t return to nothingness after death . Instead, they return to the World Tree and reincarnate . You can think of it as an eternal cycle of birth, death, and rebirth . ”
“But the World Tree is—”
“Dead . Since this cycle is broken, Spirits should disappear when they die . That should be the case, but…”
Little Chick paused before sighing .
“But…?”
“The Spirit Kings that were captured long ago aren’t dead yet . It’s also strange that they’re all in the same place . I have a bad feeling about this . If left alone, I’m afraid…”
Little Chick trailed off, but Seol Jihu understood what it was trying to say .
‘Well… I don’t see why not . ’
He also had a feeling that something terrible would happen if the Spirit Kings were left in the enemy’s hands . On the other hand, rescuing them quickly and receiving their help seemed to be a good idea .
As kings of a world, the Spirit Kings should be helpful in fighting the Commanders .
“Alright . Do you know where they are?”
“I do . It’s where the World Tree is . ”
Seol Jihu’s eyes lit up .
“Let’s go . There’s no need to delay then . ”
[Let’s go together!]
[We’ll help too!]
Hearing Seol Jihu’s reply to Little Chick, the young Spirits eagerly spoke . However, Little Chick snorted and refused adamantly .
“Don’t be ridiculous . You twerps can’t even handle a single Spirit Creature…”
[Still!]
“Listen to me . I’m not telling you to just sit here and do nothing . I’m sure you have your circumstances, but you must have been traveling to save the Spirit Kings because you were pushed to a corner and didn’t have any other choice . ”
The Spirits nodded carefully .
“…Tsk, if the lowest-rank and low-rank Spirits are doing this, it’s easy to see what happened to the higher-ranked guys . ”
Little Chick spoke regretfully .
“Dragging this out will only put the enemies in a more advantageous position . It’s a do or die situation now . You guys spread out and gather everyone . ”
[Gather everyone?]
“There must be other remnant groups in hiding . Bring them with you to the fight . At the very least, you can act as our shields . Even if you die, you’ll come back to life once the World Tree revives . ”
[You can resurrect World Tree-nim!?]
“I don’t have time to sit around and explain . Just do as I say . This is a pressing matter . The longer you guys take, the smaller the chances get of us saving the Spirit Kings . Got that?”
Little Chick emphasized the urgency of the matter multiple times, and the Spirits finally looked convinced .
[Got it! Then we’ll meet up at the World Tree?]
[We’ll hurry and bring as many Spirits as we can!]
It wouldn’t be strange for them to ask for protection since they could be ambushed again . Seol Jihu couldn’t help but feel a little proud seeing the little guys courageously scattering in all directions .
‘…No . ’
Perhaps this was only natural . Unable to see any hope for the future, they were charging forward with their lives on the line out of pure desperation . Since a lifeline was suddenly thrown at them from the sky, it made sense for them to grab onto with all their might .
‘If only Earthlings were half as courageous and resolute as them…’
Seol Jihu chuckled before shaking the thought off his head .
“Let’s go . ”
“I’ll take the lead, partner . ”
The expedition team began to march with Little Chick at the head . Seol Jihu fell silent, walking quietly while being wary of his surroundings .
‘Little Chick said the Spirit Kings are around the World Tree?’
This meant he could potentially achieve his two goals simultaneously .
‘If all goes well…’
The expedition they expected to be greatly difficult might just end easily . Just like how their first battle ended with an easy victory .
Of course, he wasn’t all that optimistic . It would be great if everything went smoothly like a sailboat following a fair wind, but the Parasites weren’t fools that could be looked down on .
‘I doubt they’d stay still…’
Just as he thought that—
[I…]
Suddenly—
[I have a theory I’ve kept to myself . ]
[I haven’t said it until now because it was all a conjecture . ]
Seol Jihu remembered the words Ian spoke before he died .
[Seol . Right now, the Parasite Queen, for whatever reason, is being greedy . ]
[The reason she’s left humanity alone as much as possible . ]
[The reason she suddenly abandoned Tigol Fortress and attacked Haramark . ]
And .
[The reason two of the Seven Armies aren’t in the Material Realm . ]
Mulling over each word he heard back then, Seol Jihu unknowingly bit his lower lip .
[If we think hard and connect these together, I believe we’ll be able to arrive at the answer— at the key to defeating the Parasites . ]
[Don’t try to understand everything now . If it’s you, you’ll be able to understand what I mean one day . So for now, just remember what I told you . So…!]
[So… run!]
‘…Master Ian . ’
His heart became heavy as he recalled the warm, genial old Magician .
In truth, he still wasn’t sure what he meant .
But…
[Then I will answer you . As everyone’s representative—]
He knew one thing for certain .
[Yes . ]
[It certainly is worth it to protect a Star that even the Parasite Queen fears . ]
“… . ”
…Right . There must be a reason .
A reason that Ian told him to abandon everyone and escape alone .
1 . Spirit Creatures are different from Spirits, as is explained further on .