Apocalypse Hunter

Chapter 77: Strange Omen in the land of Sorcery (Part 2)

Leona vividly remembered the moment when the White Witch was looking at her as if she knew who she was. The witch was drawn by Leona’s psychowave, and so she approached her. Leona did not know the name of her mother.

Her father had always called her a bitch. Leona knew that this insult wasn’t her mother’s name, but Leona didn’t want to find out either way.

Her mother’s name was Eiel. Leona thought it was a strange name, and she felt strange that the White Witch was showing compassion to her because of the name and her mother.

In the end, Leona was able to survive because the White Witch had helped her out.

“The only way to defeat her is to seal a portion of the White Witch’s power, and then slay her with the Phantomvein.”

“So that’s why you need the power of a sealing force.”

The lord nodded in understanding. Zin was unable to cast sorcery powerful enough to seal an Immortal.

“What is the current state of the seal?”

“It entered into a stage where the soul has already disappeared a long time ago.”

The lord and Zin were talking in a language that Leona and Ramphil couldn’t understand.

“Then, it won’t be a big deal if I borrow a portion of the power.”

“Yes… but I doubt that you could seal such a dangerous devil with just a portion of the sealing power.”

“I don’t have much choice. I don’t know where the successor of the emperor is.”

“Are you referring to the successor…?”

The lord sighed. He wasn’t sighing because he was missing the emperor. He was feeling miserable to be exact.

“What happened?”

“In fact, about a year ago, a person who reached the higher levels visited the temple.”

“… I assume you’re talking about the high-level sorcerer?”

“Yes. And he claimed that he received the power of the emperor.”

It was considered as great news that there was someone who received the power of the emperor, also an Immortal hunter, as a successor. But the lord looked gloomy instead.

“… Please tell me what you saw.”

“He indeed had the power, but he didn’t seem to be a mature person who could have possibly gained the power.”

“Hmm… Could you explain what you mean by that?”

“He was asking for the Heavenly Wind. He was claiming for his right as the successor of the emperor…”

“Heavenly Wind… Isn’t that the charm that the emperor left at the temple?”

“Yes… But I didn’t expect the sorcerer to abruptly demand it…”

The lord seemed to be upset about the experience he had.

“He said that he was going to sell it and buy some drinks with the money.”

“… Who is this crazy bastard?” Zin was visibly upset as he yelled in anger. Leona had never seen Zin speak in such anger before.

The Heavenly Wind was not an ordinary item for one to joke around with.

Zin asked the lord again, “So, did you give it to him?”

“Yes, I had to give it to him because he was the rightful successor.”

“Hmm…”

Zin’s face had turned red with anger.

“Damn it…”

“What is that Heavenly Wind thing, mister?”

Feeling very curious, Leona looked at Zin and asked the question. Zin took a deep breath, and started to answer her.

“It’s the greatest charm that an Immortal hunter can use. It’s as powerful as my Phantomvein.”

The Heavenly Wind was the charm that the emperor, a high-level sorcerer and Immortal hunter, carried with him. The Heavenly Wind was one of the most powerful charms that contained enough power to destroy the devils. Zin wondered who’d be crazy enough to sell that powerful charm. But Leona was curious about the charm itself and asked, “What is it about that charm that would make it as powerful as your Phantomvein?”

“If an experienced sorcerer wields it, he can control the weather at his own will.”

The Heavenly Wind was a charm made with a dragon’s pearl, an Immortal’s skin, and a Vampire’s tendon. The charm contained the power of a dragon, and a high-level sorcerer could draw immense power using the charm.

Leona couldn’t understand how the charm could control the weather.

“No way, how is that even possible…?” Ramphil didn’t finish his sentence. He remembered the mysterious blue force field around the temple from before.

The Heavenly Wind was used to maintain a good climate for the Heavenly Power castle. The emperor used the charm to call for rain when there was a drought, and to clear up the sky when sunshine was needed.

Although there weren’t any high-level sorcerers in the temple to utilize the full power of the charm, the charm was a very important item for the temple.

“Wouldn’t you think that he had other motives? I can’t imagine someone selling the charm to buy some drinks…”

“I don’t know. He mentioned his reasons, and he appeared to be enough of a loser that’s capable of doing such thing.”

There were no monsters in the castle so it wasn’t possible to gain any chips. And in fact, people in the castle did not use any tool that required energy. They lived among nature without the help of technology. It was not possible for the lord to pay up the sorcerer who was demanding the charm.

In the past.

I will leave my Heavenly Wind here in order to tame the power of the Heavenly Power rock. If my successor needs the charm, please give it to him.

The emperor told the lord that he will leave the charm on one condition.

You should give the charm no matter what the reason is.

The emperor said that the lord needed to give up the charm when the successor came back to retrieve it. However, the lord did not expect to hear such a lousy reason from the successor.

Zin was extremely upset, his head facing down as he shook in anger.

“Okay, whether that punk sold the charm or not, I see that he’s not going to be helpful at all. That’s good enough to know.”

Zin was upset that he learned about the successor. He was in shock that the successor to the Immortal hunter had turned out to be an idiot.

“Let’s go to the seal.”

Zin was not the type of person to stay hung up on matters that were out of his control. He started to move to accomplish his original goal.

Zin stood up, and the lord followed him.

“Are the two guests also accompanying us?” The lord asked Zin, and Zin nodded after looking at their faces.

“It won’t be the best experience, but it will be worth it. Follow me.”

The lord was okay with the outsiders entering the seal as long as Zin gave permission. Leona and Ramphil wondered what Zin had done for the lord. Even though Zin was very demanding, the lord had accepted all of his requests.

The lord took a torch that somehow didn’t look like an ordinary torch. It gave off a pleasant scent.

“I’m not sure if this is going to be enough…”

The lord pulled the door handle located behind the temple.

—Creeeak!—

Leona was surprised by the sound, causing Zin to smile and say, “I think we need to replace the hinge?”

“Haha…But it alerts us when other people enter the temple. Sometimes, old things are better than newer things. Master Hunter, you know about this truth.”

Aged items had a power that newer items didn’t have. Zin smiled as he listened to the lord’s wise words.

“Lord, you’re now showing off your wisdom in front of an old man as well.”

“Haha, did I, Master Hunter?”

Zin and the lord started to walk down the stairs, with Ramphil and Leona following behind them. Leona looked at Ramphil and started to whisper to him, “Zin is starting to talk more like an old man after meeting that lord.”

“I think so, too.”

“…Zin is great at socializing with people of different age groups.”

“Indeed.”

As Leona giggled from behind, Zin sighed. He thought that it would be best to ignore the kid.

—Frrrrr! —

The lord lit the fire on the torch, illuminating the dark passageway. The underground passageway was barely wide enough for four people to walk side by side. And the passageway was shaped in a spiral towards the underground. The team couldn’t believe that there was such a passage leading down.

Then the lord’s face hardened.

“Master Hunter, would you please explain about the fortune and curse to the group?”

“Yes, I’ll do so.”

“Thank you.”

“From this point on, I prohibit you from taking any unlucky actions.”

As Zin talked in a serious manner, Ramphil and Leona became slightly nervous.

“We are now entering a very important place. Any small, unlucky action could cause harm to the seal. And I’m saying this so that we’re careful about our actions.”

Leona wanted to complain and ask why Zin brought them here in the first place, but she remained silent and continued to look at him.

“Don’t turn on any other lanterns and don’t illuminate other places because it’s dark. Don’t spit on the floor. Don’t drag your feet on the ground. Don’t talk unless it’s absolutely necessary. And you especially, Leona, don’t curse at all.”

“Oh, okay…”

Zin continued to talk about things to be aware of. He said that if someone sneezed, that person needed to sneeze two more times in a row. He talked about many things that made Leona question whether they really had to be careful about them. After Zin finished talking, he started to walk forward.

“W—what happens if we make a mistake?”

“Nothing will happen.”

“… What? Then why did you explain all those things earlier?”

“It is foolish to act in a way that could possibly bring disaster even though you know that there will be no disaster coming. It’s an unwritten rule among the sorcerers when they’re about to deal with sorcery. And we’re in a place where a powerful level of sorcery is at work. We need to be extra careful.”

Zin was saying that they had to be careful even though nothing was going to happen. Leona couldn’t understand what he was trying to say, but Ramphil was able to understand Zin’s intentions. He was simply saying that there was no harm in being extra cautious. Of course, Ramphil and Leona did not want to cause a disaster, and they carefully walked down the passageway.

After some time, nobody in the group was talking as they were following the torch in front of them. There was a heavy silence, and the group continued to march down. There was a reason the Heavenly Power castle was at the top of the ground. Leona had a feeling that the Immortal was sealed in the middle of the Heavenly Power rock. She thought that it should be hotter because they were heading underground, just like how she’d entered the cave ants’ hive.

But instead of heat, Leona sensed a chill in the surroundings. She wondered if she would hear the voice of the Immortal, but luckily she didn’t sense that.

Ramphil was thinking about many different things as he walked down the mysterious yet suspicious passageway deep under the ground. He thought about the Heavenly Wind charm that could control the weather and the mysterious power of sorcery.

Ramphil was always surprised to find unknown and new powers during his travels with Zin. And he was still confused by the fact that the White Witch was a byproduct of a Wargrave experiment. The Wargrave organization, which normally didn’t care much about what happened in the wilderness, had been fully aware of the White Witch.

Ramphil was mindful of his abilities and his position in the Wargrave. He had no intention to live for justice. Anyone claiming to work for justice was an idiot brainwashed by the Wargrave’s propaganda. It was not possible to live for justice.

But Ramphil wondered why anyone would choose to live an unrighteous life. He wondered what the Wargrave was planning to do with the White Witch. The Central Asia Division had conducted the experiment in secret, causing an internal conflict of the Wargrave organization as a result.

Ramphil was more affiliated with the CAD than the HQ. The Warlord Ramzier who gave orders to Ramphil was under the control of the CAD. Ramphil had no reason to live a righteous life, but he considered it pointless to live an unrighteous life.

As he thought about the White Witch, he realized that she was just a victim.

The White Witch went on a rampage to kill people because she was furious about the experiments conducted on her. Ramphil wondered if it was even right to hunt the White Witch.

The White Witch was created because of the Wargrave, and that White Witch killed many people. Who could say that the Wargrave wasn’t at fault?

A couple of days ago, Ramphil had killed the Reavers who put the family into the cage because Ramphil had felt obnoxious. However, now that he’d learned about the Wargrave’s deeds, he wondered how their organization was any different than the Reavers’.

If the order is unethical, or if the HQ is corrupt, what should a soldier do?

“Ramphil!”

“!”

Ramphil lifted his chin up as he heard the cry. Ramphil realized that he was lying down on the ground and Zin was holding onto him. The lord was waving the torch around him vigorously. The darkness was shrieking as the torch’s light brightened the area around Ramphil. He was astonished to see the darkness running away from the light.

Gwaaaaahahhahahaha!

As the lord swung the torch, the light ripped apart the darkness, and Ramphil continued to watch the scene. And shortly after, Zin yelled again.

“Wake up!”

—Slap!—

Leona slapped Ramphil’s face with all her might. He slowly stood up, his cheek bright-red.

“Why… why am I lying down?”

“Possession. Not even a minute has passed. Stand up now.”

“All sorts of spirits are wandering about because the Heavenly Wind is missing…”

“We can’t do much about it.”

The lord sighed, feeling distressed. In a split second, Ramphil was possessed by an evil spirit. Leona grabbed his throat and checked him here and there.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, except for my cheek.” Ramphil rubbed his cheek with his hand and stood up.

“It was brief, but you were possessed. Your powerful body may be safe from bullets, but you’re not immune from possession.”

“I know that… But I’ve never experienced this in my life…”

Originally at the Seoul fortress, Ramphil was part of the counter-spirit troop. He was used to fighting against ghosts and spirits, but he’d never experienced a possession.

“That’s because you’ve only ever encountered large ghosts that only attacked in full force. You’ve probably never encountered a sly and sneaky spirit.”

Ramphil was still feeling disoriented, but the group was safe since the lord scared away the spirits.

“This kiddo saved you. You need to thank her.”

“What? Me?”

As Zin explained how Ramphil was safe, it was Leona who was surprised, not Ramphil.

“The spirit that possessed Ramphil ran away because you yelled out loud.”

Leona knew what Zin was talking about. Ramphil lost his consciousness and fell down to the ground, and as soon as Leona shouted at Ramphil, it surprised the spirit and ran away because of the power of the witch.

“Thank… thank you…”

Ramphil thanked Leona, and he couldn’t believe that she saved him. Leona scratched her cheek since she didn’t expect to hear Ramphil thank her.

“You were just unlucky. As long as you’re fine now, I’m good.”

Leona laughed, and Ramphil also smiled as he tried to balance his body. Luckily, Ramphil was possessed for a very short period of time, and there were no issues with his body.

“That’s amazing. I can only fend off spirits, but she was able to scare away the spirits with a single cry…”

The lord seemed amazed at witnessing the power of the witch for the first time.

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