Chapter 13
—Whoosh!
A sharp sound slicing through the air brushed past Juhan’s ear.
He quickly leaned his upper body back.
Sharp claws narrowly grazed past his chin.
If he had been any slower, his head would have been cleanly severed.
“Tch! You’re pretty quick on the uptake.”
Dayoung clicked her tongue as she watched him.
The image of the crying child clinging to him moments ago was completely gone.
Juhan rubbed his neck and sneered.
“I’ve heard about a fox monster working for the Korean branch. That’s you, right?”
“If you already know, why don’t you just lie down and beg to be killed?”
At Dayoung’s threat, Juhan shot back mockingly.
“Oh wow, scary. So what are you going to do alone? You’re not actually going to kill me in a crowded airport, are you?”
“Who said I was alone?”
Dayoung snapped her fingers.
At that moment, Yoonseol and Wenling, who had been crouching behind a nearby pillar, revealed themselves.
They glared coldly at Juhan.
“You really screwed us over back there. Thanks to you, we almost died.”
“I told you before, didn’t I? If you tried anything funny, we’d chase you down anywhere.”
Hostility burned in both of them, as if they were ready to pounce at any moment.
Juhan looked back and forth between them and laughed awkwardly.
“Hahaha… Why so serious? There are a lot of eyes watching. Let’s settle this peacefully, yeah?”
As he spoke, he pulled out a small, gleaming box from his coat.
It clearly contained the stolen artifact.
Juhan waved it provocatively in front of them.
“This is what you want, right? I’ll give it to you. Take it.”
Yoonseol didn’t even blink.
“We went through hell for that thing. I don’t think just getting it back will satisfy us. What should we do? At the very least, we might need to rip off one of your arms.”
Wenling nodded in agreement.
“You think you can just toss that over and run away? Isn’t it about time you were handed over to the authorities and paid for your crimes?”
Neither of them had any intention of accepting his offer.
One against three.
The odds weren’t in his favor.
Juhan quickly scanned his surroundings, then suddenly thrust out his arm and shouted:
“『Like the surging waves of the overflowing Yellow River—』”
“Not so fast!”
This time, Dayoung was faster.
She leapt forward instantly and slashed at Juhan’s neck with her hand—precisely where his windpipe was.
A red spray of blood burst out along the path of her claws.
“Ghk!”
Juhan staggered and collapsed to the ground.
Blood poured out continuously every time he tried to breathe.
Dayoung immediately hugged him tightly.
“Dad!”
Then she turned to Yoonseol beside her and cried out innocently,
“Unni, something’s wrong with Dad! Hurry, call an ambulance!”
Still holding him tightly so he wouldn’t escape, she acted like family to draw attention away.
Juhan glared at her, coughing violently due to the wound in his neck.
“You bastards…!”
He forced himself to focus.
A burning pain suddenly erupted from his left hand.
Then Dayoung’s body stiffened.
“Ugh!”
She groaned and stumbled back.
Juhan raised his left hand toward her with difficulty.
An invisible force pressed down on her, forcing her to collapse to her knees.
“What is this…?!”
Her face was filled with shock.
Yoonseol gasped.
“W-what is that? Is it another spell technique?”
“No! There’s nothing like that in spellcraft!”
Juhan pulled off his glove.
On his left ring finger, a ring glowed with a burning red light.
“Everyone’s got a trump card, right?”
He grinned.
It was unmistakably the Solomon’s Ring—the artifact stolen from the Shaanxi branch.
Recognizing it, Wenling shouted in horror:
“Solomon’s Ring? You’re insane!”
“You do realize how dangerous that thing is, right?” Yoonseol added incredulously.
Juhan snapped back angrily:
“You think I want to use this? If I don’t bring back the Philosopher’s Stone, my employer will tear me apart. This is better than that!”
Dayoung glanced at his hand.
“Hey, take a look at his hand.”
As she pointed out, his hand was covered in swollen, blistering burns.
The blisters burst almost as soon as they formed, oozing pus and blood as his flesh rapidly decayed.
“I know what that thing is,” Dayoung said mockingly.
“And I also know you’re not qualified to use it.”
The ring still gleamed coldly, but the skin beneath it was rotting away.
“It’s said to subjugate all non-human beings. But if someone unqualified uses it, they rot alive. That’s why it’s classified as a highly dangerous artifact.”
Juhan trembled.
“S-shut up!”
Wenling stepped forward sharply.
“Only a descendant of King Solomon, a master of magic, or someone loved by the gods can use that ring. As a final courtesy—surrender the artifact.”
He glared at Juhan’s decaying arm.
“Or rot alive and die!”
“Hahahahaha!”
Juhan burst into manic laughter.
Despite his injuries, he forced himself to stand.
“Give up because of something like this? Don’t make me laugh! I’m a genius! I’m on a completely different level from failures like you!”
He focused on the ring and began chanting:
“『In the name of the great King Solomon, I call upon thee now.』”
A blazing light burst from between his fingers.
He poured every last bit of strength into his voice.
“『From all lands under heaven and across all that touches the earth, I summon you! Come! Bow your heads! Worship! Praise! Obey!』”
The moment the chant ended—
The entire airport began to shake.
Black cockroaches poured endlessly from every crack in the building.
Crows, pigeons, and other birds crowded the windows.
“AAAAH!”
“What is this?!”
“AHHHHH!”
Screams filled the airport.
Wild dogs and cats rushed in from the entrance.
Juhan pointed at them.
“Block them.”
Then he staggered toward the exit.
The animals swarmed toward the curators.
“Where do you think you’re going?!”
Yoonseol chased after him, but screamed as cockroaches crawled up her legs.
“AAAH!”
Wenling quickly drew characters in the air with his brush.
“『Retreat!』”
A powerful gust of wind swept forward, scattering the attacking animals.
“Uncle Dungsoe! He’s heading your way!” Yoonseol shouted.
Dungsoe blocked Juhan’s path.
“Where do you think you’re going, you rascal!”
Juhan calmly showed his bleeding neck.
“Don’t you see this? Blood!”
Dungsoe immediately turned pale and stepped aside.
“Oh my, that’s scary!”
Yoonseol groaned.
“He even knows how to deal with dokkaebi…”
Meanwhile, outside—
Juhan staggered through the crowd.
“Using my subjects so freely, huh?”
Hyelim appeared before him.
She leapt forward and kicked him hard in the chest.
“Gah!”
He was sent flying.
“I’m not as merciful as Yoonseol,” she sneered.
“All beasts in Joseon are my people. If you’ve got any shame, you should accept punishment.”
Juhan raised his hand.
“Stop!”
Hyelim froze in place.
“Not bad,” she smirked.
Juhan was barely holding on.
“Protect me!”
Animals gathered around him in a circle.
He warned them:
“If anyone so much as touches me, I’ll order all these animals to jump into the sea!”
