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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 27: Shooting, Star (2)
The Gwisin ranks among the top-tier warships within the legion.
It is one of the "Three Great Escort Ships," alongside Hades Corporation's Argo and Anubis Corporation's Bennu.
In particular, the Gwisin’s spiked deck, forged from black steel, lacked nothing in either intimidation or durability.
Vrrrrrrr—
Under the crimson twilight sky, a massive black turtle-like ship fled through the air, surrounded by birds.
“Close in on it!”
A sharp-eared man shouted, raising his staff high.
He was riding a wingless hawk-shaped hoverbike, with dozens more—smaller but similar—following in formation behind him.
These were elves who had abandoned the forest—Urban Elves, who had rebuilt and now lived in the ruins of ancient human cities.
They had completely surrounded the Gwisin.
“Hit it again!”
At the command of the Grand Warrior, the pursuing elves drew staff from the sides of their hoverbikes.
They unleashed elemental magic at the Gwisin.
From blazing fireballs to translucent ice spears—a dazzling storm of spells collided with the warship’s deck.
Boom—BOOM!
But the Gwisin held firm.
Enduring the bombardment on its deck, it continued to cut through the sky.
“Goddamn it…”
The Grand Warrior removed his goggles, his smoldering ash-gray eyes locked on the Gwisin.
He wanted nothing more than to land on the deck and infiltrate the ship, but it was impossible—there was no opening.
“Prepare to fire!”
At his command, the elves swapped their staff for bows.
Notching arrows to the string, they loosed them on cue.
Shreeee—
A rain of arrows fell upon the Gwisin.
Beads attached to the arrowheads burst upon contact with the deck, releasing thick spell smog—a black fog meant to seep into the ship, causing the undead inside to kill one another in a frenzy.
A signature, underhanded tactic of the Urban Elves.
“Keep firing! We must capture the Demon’s Seed!”
The elves unleashed a relentless barrage—firing spells, shooting arrows—raining down fury on the Gwisin.
‘How is it still intact…?’
The Grand Warrior’s sharp, handsome face twisted with frustration.
He knew the Gwisin was tough, but this was beyond reason.
He’d been confident he could destroy it once it was separated from the main fleet.
That’s why he’d rushed here the moment he received intel that Commander Baek’s son had moved outside Grave’s bombardment range.
Yet the Gwisin had barely taken damage.
Some scratches, but nothing serious.
It has to be that ominous dark mana cloaking the vessel.
Even from this distance, it made his skin crawl.
Just how powerful was Baek’s son now?
What the hell was he doing in there to be radiating such vile death energy?
＊ ＊ ＊
BOOM—BOOM—
The dark interior trembled with each explosion.
On a wall-mounted screen, they could see the elves surrounding the Gwisin.
Despite living in a high-tech metropolis, they rode hover bikes decorated with trees, wielding both mana-infused staffs and the latest compound bows.
They hated humans—yet mimicked them in every way.
Even their beauty felt grotesque.
“No… we have to stop… stop this…”
Frank pounded his head with his fists.
His necroshell shimmered and rippled—clear proof of extreme stress.
“At this rate, he’s really going to die…”
A Contractor and their familiar are bound by dark mana.
That means severe pain or stress is partially shared.
Worse, if the one wielding the dark mana—the necromancer—suffers, a significant part of that agony flows straight into the familiar.
“Frank said to go outside… this is all Frank’s fault…”
Next to the self-blaming Frank was a tightly shut metal door.
From within came a chaotic ruckus.
DOOM! DOOM-DOOM! DOOM! DOOM-DOOM!
A violent drumbeat.
The sharp clash of gongs.
On top of it all, the ringing of bells and Seonhwa’s chanting voice filled the space.
“No… Baek Ho, you mustn’t…”
Across from the sobbing Frank, the Liberation Army duo sat frozen stiff.
They’d intended to escape with the wounded Ox Mask, but it was too late—they had no choice but to follow Baek Ho.
“What the hell is going on in there…?”
“They said it’s a traditional Yeomra death ritual… a kind of exorcism or summoning…”
“Can the ship even survive something like that…?”
The Pig Mask let out a long sigh at Chicken Mask’s words.
“We have to trust Baek Ho…”
“Yeah… Baek Ho… still doesn’t feel real…”
Pig Mask got up and paced nervously.
From one side, the thunder of elf bombardment.
From the other, the din of instruments and murmured incantations.
There was nothing they could do.
They’d been ordered not to make contact with the outside, so requesting help from Liberation Army HQ wasn’t an option.
“…Damn it.”
Just as Pig Mask was cursing their helplessness—
BANG!
The iron door burst open.
A flood of noise poured out, and Seonhwa finally appeared.
Sweat trickled down and makeup smeared.
She wore a flowing red outfit, and in her hand, she held a shaman's bell.
“Bring me the Agoni Drink…”
With those words, she closed the door.
The Agoni Drink was a toxic substance used by necromancers to replenish their dark mana.
Why was she asking for it, though?
“…Ah!”
The Pig Mask clapped his hands.
He approached Baek Ho’s discarded clothes.
From the inner pocket of the coat, he retrieved the portable whiskey bottle he had gifted.
It seemed like she had told him to bring this after hearing about it.
…How should I deliver this?
He stood, holding it in his hands, deep in thought.
It seemed like he should bring it to her directly, but he was worried if it was okay to enter.
They had clearly instructed everyone not to come in before the ritual started.
They said a living person could be hit by the death energy.
So, he looked over at Frank.
As an undead and his only companion, he wondered if Frank could bring it to her.
But Frank, who was slapping his own head in despair, was too pitiful for him to ask.
In the end, it seemed like he would have to deliver it himself. He gulped nervously when—
“I’ll do it…”
Nana, who had been crouching in the corner, spoke up.
She had woken up not long after entering this place, and had heard a rough explanation of the situation from the Liberation Army.
Monsters, Baek Ho, elves, escape.
She believed that everything happening now was her fault.
Because she had tried to escape the life of a puppet.
“Nana, if a living person goes in there…”
“I’m undead. You know that.”
“Oh… right…”
Nana took the portable whiskey bottle from the Pig Mask.
She remembered Baek Ho’s last moments drinking this.
She remembered him sitting in front of the dying Ox Mask, praying, but since Baek Ho had passed on the dark mana to her, she couldn’t remember anything after that.
With a tense expression, she stood before the iron door.
The loud sounds from inside pressed against it.
Boom! Boom— Boom! Boom—
It was the first time she had heard music like this in her life.
It had a fast, upbeat rhythm, but instead of being exciting, it felt tense.
It made her head spin and her heart tighten.
And the voice of the woman, Seonhwa, overlaying the tune—
She mumbled like praying, but then screamed with fury.
Even hearing it faintly sent chills down her spine.
“Phew…”
It was scary, but she endured it.
She wanted to be of help, anything at all.
With that resolve, she opened the door and entered.
＊ ＊ ＊
Seven stars gathered in the Grave conference room.
The admirals commanding the large warships had come here to represent the seven mega corporations.
Seven pairs of eyes focused on the holographic screen in front of them.
The image of the Gwisin, fleeing from the elves, was displayed through the scout drones.
"It’s no use now."
"Still, making it this far is impressive."
"Why did they turn off the invisibility system? Was it inexperience?"
"Against elves who are masters of magic, it wouldn’t have helped. They probably just wanted to conserve energy. Didn’t you know that?"
"That’s not it. What I mean is, it’s strange that they didn’t use it at all from the start."
"...Are you two actually enjoying this?"
Just like the relationship between the admirals, the Gwisin appeared to be in a precarious state.
The ship's speed had slowed, and its exterior was dented.
It wouldn’t be surprising if it crashed at any moment.
Rather than fighting back, it seemed like the ship was focusing on running away, but that wouldn't last long either.
"It’s truly unfortunate."
The admiral representing the Izanami Corporation clicked his tongue.
"To think that due to Yeomra's mistake, we’ve lost 20 top-class Reapers and even a special escort ship."
"......"
"Of course, a promising child who was supposed to lead Yeomra’s future is lost too. It’s unfortunate, but what can we do? It’s their mistake for recklessly venturing outside."
The Izanami admiral's sarcasm made the Yeomra admiral’s beard quiver in anger.
He wanted to shoot him in the head right then and there, but he knew better.
After all, with this event, Commander Baek’s promotion to Supreme Commander would be negatively impacted.
He couldn’t afford to make things worse.
The Izanami side knew this as well, which is why they were acting so smug.
"Anyway, it’s impressive."
The admiral from the Anubis side showed a look of interest.
"To think a kid who hasn’t even officially become a commander is showing such a strong dark mana wave. Honestly, it’s quite shocking."
"I agree. Even if they are draining their life force, it’s hard to believe they’re just a cadet who hasn’t graduated from the academy."
"......"
The Izanami admiral fell silent.
It was such an obvious fact that he couldn’t come up with a response.
What if things had gone differently today, and the child had become commander without a hitch?
Would they have become a hero?
Would UnderHeaven and Grave have become Yeomra’s world?
From the perspective of Izanami, today’s events were actually a stroke of good fortune.
But then... surely, they can’t survive this, right?
As the seed of doubt began to take root in the Izanami admiral’s mind, a Reaper who had been monitoring the radar in the corner suddenly jumped to their feet.
"It’s here, it’s here!"
The screen displaying the Gwisin switched to the radar feed.
A red dot was rapidly heading toward the Gwisin.
"It’s the Urban Elves’ clan leader!"
At those words, the expressions of all seven admirals twisted in shock.
The one who had caused the Reapers to flee had finally arrived.
The mastermind who had caused hesitation in sending reinforcements had now appeared.
Some people lamented that it was all over.
Others secretly rejoiced that it was truly the end.
＊ ＊ ＊
The sound of drums echoed loudly.
The pounding beat seemed to hammer at Nana’s already racing heart, as if it would burst it open.
Boom! Boom— Boom! Boom—
Inside the dark space, countless candles flickered.
The four walls, devoid of windows, were plastered with yellow talismans, and the floor was marked with a large magic circle drawn in blood.
Around the edge of the magic circle stood 20 servants at regular intervals.
Some were beating drums and gongs, while others were playing bamboo flutes and pipes.
The rest of them sat with their hands pressed together, softly chanting the same words over and over again.
–Om Somani Hum Harihanna Banaya Barabe Sabaha… Om Somani Hum Harihanna Banaya Barabe Sabaha…
With a deep resonance, the necroshells of the servants glowed faintly with rhythmic pulses.
Inside the dark, bluish light, Seongyu was striking a large drum.
He hit the drum’s surface with his drumsticks, as if trying to tear through the skin, leading the ensemble.
Boom! Boom— Boom! Boom—
In front of Seongyu, his massive sword was planted in the ground, its blade pointing upward.
On top of that sharp blade stood Seonhwa, wearing a red robe, her bare feet firmly planted.
She jingled a golden bell in her hand, jumping and dancing in sync with the increasing drum beats, chanting in a low, raspy voice.
“The grudge formed into hatred, and hatred formed into a grudge—Grudge spirits, filled with resentment, descend upon this place…”
Nana’s heart pounded fiercely as she watched.
This place felt like a stage, and it seemed as though something incomprehensible was watching them from every direction.
She was terrified.
She wanted to run away.
Not because of the space filled with the stench of blood.
Not because of the pounding percussion that rattled her heart.
Not because of Seonhwa, shaking the bell on the blade.
But because, among them, sitting cross-legged in the center, was Baek Ho, his presence more unsettling than everything else.
His tightly shut eyelids.
His bare torso, covered in scars.
The red markings etched into his skin.
Needles and tubes were inserted into his body, and the IV bags hanging from the ceiling contained some mysterious liquid, bubbling and boiling.
Boom! Boom— Boom! Boom—
As Seonhwa stepped down from the blade, she continued her chant.
“If you’re thirsty and cannot come, fall into the River of Blood…”
She dipped her hands into a bowl filled with blood beside her and smeared it across her face, as if washing herself.
Without stopping her dance, she swiftly approached Nana, her eyes bloodshot as if trying to hold back tears.
“Give it to me.”
Seonhwa snatched the portable whiskey bottle from Nana’s hand as if pulling it away.
She opened the cap and poured the poison into her mouth.
Shaking her body, she walked toward Baek Ho, pulled a small knife from her robe, and sliced the tip of her lip.
After forcing open Baek Ho’s lips, she pressed her own against his.
She forced the poison into his mouth, her lips pressing tightly to his.
–Om Somani Hum Harihanna Banaya Barabe Sabaha… Om Somani Hum…
Baek Ho’s Adam's apple bobbed.
The eyeballs inside his eyelids shifted wildly.
Vibrant, dark veins spread across his upper body, originating from his heart.
Black, viscous dark mana spilled out of his skin like steam.
It devoured the surrounding candle flames and filled the room with a heavy presence.
Then, it seeped into the palms resting on his knees, as if being sucked into a drain.
“Phew…”
Nana broke into a cold sweat.
Her trembling hands tightened into fists.
She didn’t understand what this ritual was, but the longer she watched, the stronger her dizziness became.
It felt similar to the sensation she had just before her memory cut off while treating the Ox Mask.
Boom! Boom— Boom! Boom—
Nana tried to steady her swirling thoughts and focused on Baek Ho.
He remained completely still, like a lifeless body.
Suddenly, through her foggy mind, a conversation between Baek Ho and Seonhwa came back to her.
'Do a ritual? How could I harm the young master?!’
'To sustain dark mana, this is the only way.'
'That’s impossible. We priestesses have inherited this ritual for the prosperity of Yeomra. Never...!'
'Seonhwa.'
'...Yes, young master.'
'I can’t watch people die anymore. Not my people.'
'Our Chasa have died hundreds, thousands of times. Death no longer frightens us.'
'So, you're telling me to run away and leave you all behind? Someone will completely disappear. You might become an experiment for another species…'
'But young master...'
'Help me save everyone.'
'Even if you say that...'
'It’s an order.'
'You might die...'
'Don’t worry. Right now, saving everyone is the most important.’
Baek Ho was now using his life force to sustain dark mana.
He was killing himself to save others.
He was exerting far greater power than what he would normally use for necromancy.
"What are you doing…"
Nana didn’t know his past.
She didn’t really know who he was.
She couldn’t fully understand the weight of his choice—or how reckless it was.
But one thing she did know:
All of this was happening because of her own stupid decision to cut herself off from the world.
"I'm sorry... all of this... it's because of me..."
And that’s why she wanted to help this foolish man.
But how?
When she'd stood helpless in front of the dying Ox Mask, Baek Ho had said something to her.
‘Then do what you can. Even if it’s just a prayer.’
She had managed to save Ox Mask.
She still didn’t know how—but she did.
Baek Ho was human too. If she could do it then, maybe she could do it now.
Maybe she could stop him from throwing his life away.
"...Let me try."
Nana dropped to her knees.
She pressed her hands together and began to pray.
"To the heavens... light… wrap us in warmth…”
Nothing happened.
Her mind was blank—completely empty.
She didn’t even think about the chronic neurological issues that plagued Reapers. She was just panicking.
What now?
Do I have to sing? Is that how I trigger my abilities?
As her thoughts spiraled, her eyes were drawn to Seonhwa—dancing wildly, her movements fierce.
The chant filled the room.
Dark mana, drawn from deep within Baek Ho, was seeping into Nana—slowly, steadily.
Her eyes sharpened.
“…Tch.”
She licked her lips.
A crooked smile played at the edge of her mouth as she stared at Seonhwa.
...Should I try copying her?
I could do it better.
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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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