Chapter 68: Summoning Ritual (3)

Bright light from the hanging stalactites filled the giant cave.

Even though a group of people was inside a cave, the cave didn't feel dark at all. Rather, they felt it was dreamlike to be in a cave filled with mysterious light.

About twenty people were walking around the cave, placing mana stones on top of a summoning circle drawn on the floor. Others were pouring some kind of dark red liquid.

One man, who was looking at them from the side, took out a crystal orb from his pocket. A dry voice sounded from the crystal orb.

[How are the preparations going?]

The man, who had geometrical tattoos all over his face, answered respectfully, "We are almost done, but… because we've rushed the preparations, I cannot guarantee its success…"

[Hmm.]

You could feel that the person on the other side was annoyed.

[Make it a success. No matter the cost.]

"Understood," the tattooed man answered in a low voice.

[This summoning is only the first step of our great plan. Failure is unacceptable,] said the voice. Then, the crystal orb lost its light.

The tattooed man put the crystal orb back into his pocket and then walked toward the magic circle.

"Have you poured all the blood that came from the sacrifices?"

"Yes! All preparations are complete, Father Yoo Tae-Shik!"

The blood of the sacrifices who had absorbed demonic energy through the ritual was the most important catalyst for the demon summoning.

The tattooed man kneeled and placed his hands on the summoning circle where the blood of the sacrifices had been poured.

'Like I'd thought, we don't have enough sacrifices.'

As soon as the Demon Cult had heard that the leader of the Mir Guild, Kim Jae-Hyun, had been captured, they'd started to immediately prepare for the summoning. That was because there was a chance that the summoning would be canceled if Jae-Hyun gave away their information.

However, they hadn't been able to gather enough sacrifices because they'd hurried things. If they hadn't had the support of another major guild, they likely wouldn't have even been able to attempt the summoning.

'Tsk, what a useless bunch.'

Tae-Shik recalled the people of the Mir Guild confidently saying that they would provide them with a Player with an S-rank Trait as a sacrifice.

The Mir Guild had been so obsessed with obtaining results that the government had trapped them and ruined the Demon Cult's plan.

'It can't be helped.'

Tae-Shik's eyes shone wickedly.

The summoning ritual was possible with the materials that they possessed at the moment, but the chances of success weren't high. For it to be a success, they needed a few more sacrifices.

Stab!

"Kurgh!"

"F-Father Yoo?"

Tae-Shik stabbed one of his subordinates with a sharp dagger.

The subordinate's carotid artery was cut, and blood began spewing out of it like a fountain.

"Blame your own incompetence for not being able to obtain more sacrifices in time."

Tae-Shik looked at his subordinates with eyes full of madness.

Their faces paled.

"F-Father!"

"Please, mercy…!"

They began trembling in fear while kneeling.

Tae-Shik smiled while looking down at them.

"Don't worry. Your blood will become the demon's flesh, and you will enjoy eternal life through it."

What he was saying was nonsense.

They'd wanted to enjoy their current life for eternity, not enjoy eternal life by becoming the sacrifice for a demon.

They were taken over by their obsession and desire to live.

"Eek!"

The one who ran away first was a woman with freckles.

As soon as she realized something was wrong, she turned around and tried to escape.

Tae-Shik frowned while looking at her.

"Disloyal scum. Have you all already forgotten the words of His Eminence?"

"KYAAA!!"

He pointed a dagger at the back of the woman trying to escape.

Black energy elongated from the dagger's blade.

The woman's back was pierced, and she let out a scream.

"Being willing to sacrifice yourselves for a demon is one of the ten commandments of our cult. Tsk, tsk. To think that people who aren't willing to make such sacrifices dared to desire immortality…"

The slaughter began.

Tae-Shik killed everyone. The ones who tried to escape, those who took out their weapons to try to fight back, even those who became crazy and willingly offered their lives… everyone was killed.

Dark-red blood was splattered around the summoning circle.

"Hehehe, this much should be enough."

Tae-Shik put his hands on the summoning circle with a smile on his face.

A demon of the Ninth Hell.

It was about time they summoned the immortals worthy of worship to the modern world.

'Although it took us a bit longer compared to other branches.'

The Demon Cult was spread throughout the entire world. Compared to other branches, it took Korea's branch a bit longer with their preparations.

'From what I heard, the Japanese have already succeeded in summoning three demons.'

Although the circumstances in Japan were a bit different from Korea's, it still didn't change the fact that Korea had fallen behind.

'At the very least, we can't lose to them.'

He frowned while remembering the face of the Japanese cultists he had met once before.

Falling behind them was an insult to the cardinal whom he had pledged his loyalty to.

Tae-Shik drew forth the demonic energy within him and activated the summoning circle.

"Ered'achor! Havik! Galar!"

Shine!

The summoning circle that had absorbed blood began to shine ominously.

* * *

"Huff! Huff! Huff!"

"I-I thought I was going to die."

Cha Yeon-Joo breathed heavily after climbing down from Echidna. If she hadn't tied herself to Echidna with her chains, she might have fallen from several kilometers up in the air.

"Kang-Woo, how did I do?"

Echidna looked at Kang-Woo with shining eyes. She was asking for head pats.

Kang-Woo patted her head while smiling awkwardly.

"Hehehe… Next time…"

"Hmm?"

"You can fly a bit slower."

Echidna's cheeks became red.

"I see, you wanted to fly with me for a bit longer."

'It's because I want to live.'

"Okay. I'll fly a bit slower next time. I also want to be hugged for longer."

"… Okay."

Kang-Woo nodded with a troubled expression on his face. She seemed to have misunderstood something, but as long as she flew slower, it didn't matter.

'Even if she misunderstands, as long as she does what I say…'

He turned to the S-rank Gate while nodding.

Baek Hwa-Yeon walked toward the Hwarang Corps members guarding the S-rank Gate.

"How is the investigation going?"

"They haven't found them yet."

"Tsk… Okay. What about Captain Goo Hyun-Mo?"

"After hearing the news, he entered along with the squadron members."

"I want to talk to him."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Hwa-Yeon received the magic tool that could communicate with those within the Gate.

"Yes, yes… Understood. I will head there immediately."

After a short conversation, Hwa-Yeon walked toward Yeon-Joo and Kang-Woo.

"How is the investigation going?"

"They hadn't made any progress, but they apparently heard a huge explosion from within the cave just now. He also mentioned that he felt an inexplicably unpleasant energy from inside."

"An unpleasant energy?"

"He most likely felt… demonic energy."

Yeon-Joo's expression hardened.

Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to say, "It seems like the summoning has already begun."

"I've been given the cave's location. I warned the 2nd Squadron members not to approach until we get there, so we should also hurry."

Kang-Woo nodded and followed Hwa-Yeon into the S-rank Gate.

Inside the Gate was a massive hill riddled with numerous holes—it resembled an ant hill.

'Are those all cave entrances?'

Kang-Woo recalled that the 2nd Squadron had told Hwa-Yeon they weren't sure whether they would be able to find the Demon Cult members. Finding them among all the countless caves was almost impossible.

"Over there."

Kang-Woo followed Hwa-Yeon to one of the cave entrances.

There, he saw members of Hwarang's 2nd Squadron with their weapons out. They were preparing for battle.

"Oh! You're here! Ah, I apologize for how long the investigation took, Hwa-Yeon. There are just too many caves here…"

A blond man wearing sunglasses approached. He was the captain of Hwarang's 2nd Squadron, Goo Hyun-Mo.

"It's okay. That aside, is this the right place?"

"Yes! We clearly heard a loud boom from here! You all heard it, right?"

"Yes, sir!" the squadron members answered the loud man.

Kang-Woo looked at the cave entrance they were pointing to.

'Demonic energy.'

He could feel demonic energy gushing out from inside the cave.

"Let's go," Kang-Woo said.

"Understood. I will be counting on your support, Captain Goo."

"Haha! Of course I will since it's you who's asking, Hwa-Yeon! Squadron! Formation A!"

"Formation A!"

The members of Hwarang's 2nd Squadron assumed formation while making a loud shout. They moved fast as if they were just a single entity.

.

Kang-Woo looked silently at the Hwarang Corps members' cringeworthy poses, which made them look like a certain group of color-coded superheroes.

'Are these guys really going to be of any help?'

Judging by their outer appearance, rather than government agents, they looked like a group of crazy people.

"Let's go!!" Hyun-Mo shouted, then glanced at Hwa-Yeon. It seemed he thought that his Formation A looked extremely cool.

After he shouted, the members of the Hwarang Corps entered the cave.

Kang-Woo followed after them.

The inside of the cave was surprisingly not dark, and the stalactites were shining with green light.

It was beautiful.

"Kang-Woo, I smell blood."

Kang-Woo nodded. There wasn't even a need to use an Authority. Unlike their dreamlike surroundings, the entire cave reeked of blood. Kang-Woo followed the stench deeper into the cave. Deep inside, he saw a cavity more than a hundred meters deep. At the bottom of the cavity was a complex magic circle reeking of blood.

'Is that the demon summoning circle?'

Kang-Woo turned toward a man who was extending his arms out toward the summoning circle. The man's face was covered in tattoos that made it difficult to make out his facial features.

The man smiled at the people who had just arrived.

"Kekeke… You're too late."

Crack.

A black rift formed in the air as if a sheet of glass was breaking.