I Became a Disaster-Class Sorcery Genius

Salvation (Death) (3)

At Kim Dojun's words, the eyes of Gatura of Salvation widened beyond belief.

The emotions filling those eyes were shock and confusion.

At the same time—

'Is this... really a human?'

A thought like that flickered through Gatura's mind.

The Kim Dojun standing before him now had already faced countless deaths.

Ten times?

No.

A hundred?

Not even that.

Hundreds—no, perhaps even thousands of deaths, Kim Dojun had met them all.

Yet, despite that, the Kim Dojun currently standing in front of him still looked unfazed.

He did not scream like the other sorcerers.

He did not cry out for salvation like the other sorcerers.

Kim Dojun simply gazed at the solemn-faced Gatura.

"So, is it really all over now?"

With infinitely upright eyes, that was all he said.

[!]

At that, Gatura instinctively thought,

'Dangerous.'

That is dangerous.

Gatura of Salvation looked at Kim Dojun.

He was undoubtedly human.

Look here—human.

Look there—still human.

The spattering blood and the thick scent of it each time he died told Gatura he was unmistakably human.

Yet, even with such clear proof that Kim Dojun was human, Gatura could not simply classify him as one.

Among the thousands—even tens of thousands—of humans he'd encountered, not a single one had ever shown such composure in the face of death.

And then—

BANG!

[!]

In the split second when he unconsciously flinched, Kim Dojun had rushed straight at him before he realized it; desperately, Gatura tried to focus and form a hand seal.

Thwack-!

But even faster, Kim Dojun reached Gatura, seized the hand about to form a seal, and—

"Got you."

Immediately hurled his fist towards Gatura's mouth.

Paack!

[Kkehak!?]

With his fist landing, Gatura of Salvation was sent flying.

But—

With Kim Dojun still gripping his arm, Gatura could not fly off, instead suspended in midair.

Kim Dojun balled his remaining fist and—

Started frenziedly hurling it at Gatura's face, which hung in midair.

Wham! Wham! Wham! Wham! Wham!

Gatura of Salvation took Kim Dojun's merciless blows again and again.

'If I can only manage a hand seal...!'

Desperately, he tried again to open the mouth attached to his arm and form a seal, but—

"Not a chance!"

[Kkeak!!]

As soon as Gatura thrust his hand from inside his mouth, Kim Dojun slammed his body into the ground, disrupting his focus.

At last—

Crack—!

A fissure began to spread in the world of Gatura of Salvation.

Realizing this, Kim Dojun swung his fists even faster.

Pak!

With one hit, thin cracks like threads began to form in the hundreds of eyeballs within this dark world.

Crunch!

With the next, the whole world began to split.

Craackkk!

With a final punch packed with all his strength, Gatura's entire world was completely shattered.

But even as the world was perfectly destroyed, Kim Dojun did not stop.

No, if anything, he gripped Gatura's hand even tighter.

"Huuurp...!"

And pulled his fist back.

Kim Dojun's arm drew back like a ballista.

Barely retaining his senses, Gatura instinctively sensed the danger and twisted his body in the air to strike back and escape.

But Kim Dojun, fully prepared, unleashed his fist at the speed of lightning at Gatura as he swung his leg at him.

KWA-AAANG!!!

With an ear-splitting sound like a bomb going off, Gatura of Salvation's head was utterly crushed.

Thud-!

A black-violet liquid gushed out with a sound like a watermelon splitting open.

Gatura's body, still in Kim Dojun's grasp, collapsed to the ground like a puppet with cut strings.

"Hoo...."

Thump.

As Kim Dojun let go, the body of Gatura of Salvation fell to the ground and began to disperse as dust.

Crack-!

Simultaneously, cracks began to appear in the red barrier.

Lifting his gaze to the splintering barrier, Kim Dojun looked up.

After some time—

Crackkk-!!!

He watched as the barrier shattered like breaking glass.

"Damn it...."

Kim Dojun let out a deep sigh and a soft curse as he collapsed to the ground, watching as Gatura of Salvation slowly vanished, and thought to himself:
'I really thought I was screwed.'

To be honest, when Kim Dojun was caught by Gatura of Salvation's Divine Construct Release, 'Unified Death Creation', just before—

And when Gatura of Salvation first activated its power on him, he truly felt he was finished.

Just experiencing it once was enough for him to grasp Gatura's ability.

'You never actually die, but that makes it all the more agonizing—a sorcery so painful.'

In reality, Kim Dojun experienced a staggering number of deaths there, and equally felt the pain.

Yet, despite the countless deaths and pain, the reason Kim Dojun could appear so composed was—

'If not for this, I would have been finished.'

All thanks to the necklace Kim Dojun possessed.

Kim Dojun drew out the 'Nameless Sorcerer's Necklace' from his clothes.

Unlike when he was inside the barrier before, the necklace no longer glowed.

'The reason I sought out this necklace was primarily to counteract Pleasure(樂), the technique Gatura uses, and also to defend against the mental attacks of other maglignant spirits.'

Thinking it was a relief, Kim Dojun exhaled deeply.

'But I never expected it would be useful even within Gatura of Salvation's Divine Construct Release.'

To put it simply, this Nameless Sorcerer's Necklace did not completely nullify all the pain.

He definitely felt the pain in the midst of those countless deaths.

However—

'It certainly offset the pain to some degree.'

Because the artifact's effect granted immunity against mental attacks, the necklace worked even within the trump card move, 'Unified Death Creation', wielded by Gatura of Salvation.

Thanks to it, Kim Dojun managed to keep his sanity through the thousands of deaths.

'Honestly, burning or freezing to death was still horrific, even with the necklace's effect.'

Whatever the case, the point was that he endured the pain and seized victory in the end.

And one more important thing—

'Finally, a proper step forward.'

Defeating Gatura of Salvation marked the first real step toward escape, so despite his exhaustion, Kim Dojun smiled brightly.

####

As Kim Dojun basked in his satisfaction—

[Monster, monster bastard...!]

Gatura of Salvation was still alive, near the walkway at the Sorcery Institute.

Of course, his condition was obviously abysmal.

His body was covered with grievous wounds, and most of all, his size was noticeably reduced.

Whereas before he had been massive enough to make Kim Dojun look up at him,

Now, he was barely the size of a small dog.

'If I hadn't chosen to escape at that moment, I would have died for sure...!'

Gatura of Salvation recalled just a moment ago.

The image of Kim Dojun swinging his fist at him.

Before that fist could land, Gatura had managed to shift his form into the right arm that was about to be blown away and survived.

On top of that, the moment the main body's skull was crushed, it used up all its remaining power to die completely—vanishing like dust—and turned that scene into a "paradise (極樂)" to show Kim Dojun.

He just barely managed to escape the scene that way.

But as a result, Gatura of Salvation had lost nearly all his spiritual power.

Left like this, his body would dissipate, and he would revert to a maglignant spirit, having to spend another hundred years or more to regain strength for another descent.

'To have finally descended, only to disappear so soon...!'

Loathing the loss of his body, he had escaped to such an extent.

'Just a little more energy and I can save the sorcerers. Save just a few, and I can create one more opportunity...!'

With such intentions, he thought he'd gather his strength once more.

'This time, I will absolutely save him.'

To save Kim Dojun, whom he had failed to save.

Yes, that was the plan—

Crunch.

[?]

—Gatura of Salvation's scheme,

Craackkk!

Failed to succeed.

[Kkyaaaaagh!]

Suddenly wracked by unspeakable pain constricting his body, he let out a scream before he even realized it.

It happened so suddenly.

Despite the agony, Gatura forced his eyes open to see who had attacked him.

And he saw it right away.

A single girl standing in front of him.

The girl gazed at Gatura with a nearly expressionless face before slowly opening her mouth.

"So it's you? The one who tried to kill my understanding one?"

[You... you are...!]

Gatura knew the girl.

It would be strange if he didn't.

From the start, when he tried to coax Ju Yu-dam, the word most frequently used was the girl's name before his eyes—Han Soyeon.

Crunch—!

[Keeuugh!]

"No use denying it. I couldn't enter the barrier, but—"

As she spoke, the force squeezing him tightened even more.

"I saw it all already."

[Y-you wretch...!]

Gatura gritted his teeth and twisted his body.

"You will pay dearly for trying to kill my understanding one. With your life."

But Han Soyeon seemed utterly indifferent to Gatura's feeble resistance as she spoke.

Facing her, Gatura soon realized escape was impossible and gave up twisting his body.

[Huh,]

[Hahaha!]

He began to laugh.

As if Han Soyeon grabbing him was foolish.

Gatura laughed for a long while, abandoning his earlier desperation, and said:
[Fine, I admit it. I can't escape from here. Luring this possessed entity, I gauged your strength well enough.]

"..."

[But just because I can't run, do you think you can kill me? No! No way!]

Gatura of Salvation stared straight into Han Soyeon's eyes, grinning in ridicule.

[I am a maglignant spirit! A maglignant spirit who has lived for centuries—Gatura of Salvation! You think you can kill me? No way! You cannot kill me! I will simply disappear from this era!]

[The next generation will come and I shall descend again! All you've done is temporarily defer this 'Salvation!']

Gatura mocked Han Soyeon to his heart's content.

Yet Han Soyeon remained expressionless.

And then, next moment.

Pfft.

A faint smile appeared on Han Soyeon's lips.

[...?]

As Gatura looked at her in confusion,

"Don't worry; as long as you have a body, none of that matters."

Still smiling, she spoke.

With that—

Saaa—!

Behind Han Soyeon, something began to materialize out of nothing.

Like something uncloaking, something several times larger than Han Soyeon slowly revealed itself.

At this, Gatura of Salvation—

[Ah?]

Unconsciously let out a sound.

And the moment the thing behind Han Soyeon was fully revealed—

[Wh-what, wh-what is that, how, what...?]

Terror filled Gatura's face.

[Wh-what is this! What are you! How can you— What in the world are you! Why are you here, now!!!]

But Han Soyeon merely smiled quietly, ignoring Gatura's terrified screams.

Snap.

She moved a finger once.

[Kiaaaaaagh!!]

Craackkk!

The thing behind Han Soyeon began devouring Gatura of Salvation.

And as Gatura, screaming horribly, was completely devoured and utterly annihilated—

Ssshhh—

The being that had revealed itself behind Han Soyeon slowly faded away.

"If only you hadn't touched my understanding one, things wouldn't have had to end this way..."

Han Soyeon muttered toward where Gatura of Salvation was completely consumed, then simply left the place as if nothing had happened.

In that place, no one was left behind.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
Soyeon is creepy as well...
Noone is normal...
At least, one boss is defeated...
Also, apparently Dojun endured with the help of the necklace...
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】