Chapter 215

They approached us slowly, holding the detonators in their hands. If we retaliated, they would press the detonator and blow themselves up, and if we didn't fight back, we would be taken hostage without putting up a fight. There was also the possibility that they would detonate even if we didn't fight back.

"Takbīr!"

"─────!!!"

"?XXXXhu ?akbar─!"

"Takbīr!"

They shouted incomprehensible words as they approached us with confident strides. The tide had turned.

At first, they took a step back when they saw Han Dae-Ho appear with a bright light, but now we were the ones stepping back, with them shouting words we couldn't understand.

Thump.

While taking a step back, I bumped into someone. It was Jin-Seo, and she was also moving backward. We ended up back-to-back. It wasn't just Jin-Seo. Dae-Man, Han Dae-Ho, and Min-Seo were all gathered together, taking hesitant steps back.

“..."

They closed in on us instantly. If even one of them pressed the button on the detonator, we would all be blown to pieces. The entire museum could collapse as well. As strong as Han Dae-Ho was, even he wouldn’t be able to withstand the explosion.

"────!!"

The enemy's encirclement had become tight. A man who looked like a boss with a goat symbol on his neck pointed and gestured at us, saying something. Naturally, we couldn't understand what he was saying.

I hoped Legba would interpret, but he didn't.

The man shouted again. "──, ───!!"

I saw who he was pointing at. His finger was aimed at Jin-Seo. The man continued to gesture toward Jin-Seo, extending his palm as if telling her to hand herself over. Then he pointed toward the exit with his thumb.

It seemed like he was saying that once we let Jin-Seo go, we would be free to leave.

"I think they’re telling us to give up Jin-Seo or something along those lines."

"Pretend you didn't understand. That way, we can buy some time."

I wasn’t the only one who understood his words. Min-Seo and Han Dae-Ho also vaguely understood what the man was trying to say. Min-Seo nodded as if she agreed with Han Dae-Ho.

Meanwhile, I called Ogun. At least one part of the explosives must be made of iron. If I used Ogun's power, I could render all the explosives useless, just like how I had turned their guns into scrap metal.

[No, it won't work.]

However, Ogun flatly refused. I almost cursed out loud out of reflex.

Ogun continued, [I want to help, but I am running low on offerings. Even if I force my power, I won't be able to disarm all the enemy's bombs.]

Hearing Ogun's words, I realized that I had been using Ogun's power without properly offering sacrifices lately. The Loa always complained about not having enough sacrifices during the most critical moments. I squeezed my eyes shut.

At that moment, with a puzzled expression, Dae-Man said, "Why do they need Jin-Seo? I don’t understand."

"Isn't it because she stands out the most? Just looking at her holding a spear would make someone want to kidnap her the most among us," Min-Seo said.

"No, it's not like that..." Dae-Man interrupted Min-Seo's rampant tongue.

I recalled the goat symbol I had seen on the boss of the enemies.

"It must be related to Satanists," I said.

"Satanists?" Min-Seo said.

Han Dae-Ho said, "Sun-Woo is right. I saw them using black magic earlier. The reason why they’re trying to take Jin-Seo away...”

He then glanced at Jin-Seo and added, "It seems like they have a clear purpose."

I nodded. The demons that appeared at the examination site had targeted Jin-Seo, and so had the Satanists.

Min-Seo looked at the enemies with determined eyes and said, "Then should we just give up Jin-Seo..."

"What? Hey."

"No, I meant we can pretend to leave and then take advantage of that opening and counterattack," Min-Seo quickly explained.

Han Dae-Ho shook his head. "That's too dangerous."

"Well... it’s just a thought," Min-Seo said.

"What if I charge in first, and you take advantage of that opening?" Dae-Man asked.

"No... I can't use you as bait. I'd rather..." Han Dae-Ho muttered with furrowed brows.

In truth, there was no way out. Using Ogun's power or stirring up Bade's wind could be a possibility. However, using Ogun's power might not yield significant results, and using Bade's wind was too risky of a choice.

My plan B was to use spells. I had practiced spells a lot, not only to reach a higher level but also because I simply wanted to increase my spell output and reduce the time it took to draw spell arrays.

Putting enemies in the museum to sleep was something I could do with just a flick of a finger. However, if I used spells now, I’d definitely expose my identity. I had to think of a method to put enemies to sleep using spells without exposing my identity, but I just couldn't come up with one. The situation was not looking bright.

At that moment, Jin-Seo looked somewhere and murmured, "Su-Ryeon?"

I followed her gaze, but Su-Ryeon was nowhere to be seen. Only the faint light of the Burning Bush Twig shimmered like a star in the darkness. Su-Ryeon was the one holding the Burning Bush Twig.

Min-Seo frowned. "What is she doing over there right now?"

"...No way," Han Dae-Ho muttered ominously.

Perhaps he and I might be thinking the same thing. I also felt like I knew what Su-Ryeon was up to. She unleashed her divine power and infused it into the twigs. Then, she hung onto the railing on the second floor and swiftly threw the Burning Bush Twig between the men in black.

The Burning Bush Twig emitted an even stronger light than before. Holy artifacts enhanced their performance in proportion to the amount of divine power infused into them. In the case of the Burning Bush Twig, the more divine power that was infused, the louder the sound became during communication.

"AAHAHHHHHH—!"

“AAHAHHHHHH—! AAHAHHHHHH—!”

Suddenly, I heard a scream. No, it was more like a shriek. It was undoubtedly Yu-Hyun's voice. His voice spread throughout the area through Su-Ryeon, Ha-Yeon, and Yu-Hyun's Burning Bush Twigs. The same voice echoed from all directions simultaneously.

We flinched.

The enemies closing in on us froze for a fraction of a second. Their hands, which were on the detonation devices, trembled. Han Dae-Ho didn't miss this opportunity.

He quickly drew a blessing array and enveloped himself in the light of blessing. And then, with my arms crossed in an X, I pushed the enemies aside and made my way through.

"Everyone, get down!"

The others reflexively found cover. As the students ran along the path Han Dae-Ho had created, they immediately dropped to the ground upon hearing his shout.

I prepared to unleash Voodoo magic and observed the enemy. Their hands were all on the detonators. The moment they slightly pushed the buttons, the museum would turn into a sea of fire, and we would disappear without a trace.

It was a critical moment. Han Dae-Ho must have thought that running away was no longer meaningful, as he tried to surround us with his entire body. However, even with his large frame, he couldn't envelop all of us.

Jin-Seo aimed her spear at the enemy, but it was already too late. Min-Seo and Su-Ryeon dropped to the ground. Dae-Man mumbled something and clenched his fist. Ma Yu-Hyun was still shouting at the Bush Twig. Ha-Yeon was nowhere to be seen.

At that moment, the buttons were pressed.

Click.

At the same time, the sound of droplets falling echoed.

Swish

.

And time stood still. Han Dae-Ho surrounded us, and Jin-Seo aimed her spear at the enemy. Min-Seo and Su-Ryeon remained on the ground. Dae-Man clenched his fist. Yu-Hyun brought his mouth closer to the Bush Twig. The enemies had their fingers pressed into the detonators.

Everything froze.

My body didn't move either. The only thing that flickered was my finger. Even that was a strange occurrence. The others didn't even blink, let alone move their fingers.

Thump, thump.

I could hear irregular footsteps coming from somewhere.

[Kid.] Damballa's voice echoed in my ear.

A dry and stiff branch touched my hand. I instinctively grabbed it.

[I brought it, just as you asked.]

I intuitively knew that what I held in my hand was the Staff of Reversal, the poteau mitan. However, immediately afterward, the staff disappeared from my hand.

I continued to grasp at the staff, but it was nowhere to be found. The staff had already slipped out of my hand.

Click, clack.

Irregular footsteps continued to echo. I turned my head in that direction. Legba was walking alone, crossing through the frozen space. He leaned on the staff and walked with a limp. The staff that had disappeared from my hand was now in his.

[Now I can walk a little.]

Thump!

Legba struck the ground with the staff. And with that, the scenery changed.

[Welcome to the Crossroads.]

My field of vision was enveloped in a purple mist, then quickly filled with darkness. The intersecting darkness created two paths. Red moonlight illuminated the dark path.

Dozens of pairs of stars emerged from the darkness. Red, green, white, and yellow stars formed pairs and glistened in the darkness.

They were the eyes of countless Loa: Granbwa, Sobo, Bossou, Marinette... and many other Loa lingering at the Crossroads. The Loa watched us from the same spot without approaching or moving away.

Yes,

us

.

[Everyone.]

I wasn't the only one invited to the Crossroads.