In an instant.
Clang!
With beast-like reflexes, Ito deflected Taeseong’s sword and growled.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Taeseong, having widened the distance, observed Yato and Ito.
‘So, he can react at this level. As expected, a Gamma-class is still a Gamma-class.’
A brief exchange that lasted less than a second.
Despite being a clear ambush, Ito managed to block Taeseong’s strike.
Yato’s sharpest blade and strongest shield.
That was exactly what the shikigami, Ito, was.
“Ito.”
“Yeah, sis.”
The real fight started now.
Grinning widely, Ito charged at Taeseong.
A massive blade over a meter long slashed toward Taeseong with the intent to rip him apart.
“You’re no different from a beast.”
“Looks like the same could be said about you.”
Had they both been hiding their true abilities when they first met?
Their battle now was on an entirely different level.
Each swing of Ito’s blade tore through the air, sending powerful shockwaves.
Taeseong evaded all the attacks with nimble movements, while the missed sword strikes ripped through the walls.
“Yes! This is it! You were hiding your strength too, weren’t you?!”
The longer the fight went on, the more excited Ito became.
Though neither alive nor dead, he had no real dissatisfaction with his current existence.
On the contrary, he felt immense joy whenever he faced a warrior of equal or greater strength.
“I don’t know why a Delta-class like you possesses such power, but don’t hold back! If you do, you’ll die! Manager of Joseon!”
“…Yato, can’t you tell your brother to shut up? He’s too loud, it’s distracting.”
Yato’s gaze grew even colder as she glared at Taeseong.
Meanwhile, Ito burst into laughter.
“Ahaha! You’re seriously nuts!”
To an outsider, it looked as if Ito was completely overwhelming Taeseong.
However, the fighters themselves saw things differently.
While Ito’s attacks barely grazed Taeseong’s clothes, Taeseong’s strikes were precise and razor-sharp.
Even Yato, who was watching, found herself shocked.
‘This is ridiculous. Even though Ito isn’t using sorcery, he’s actually being pushed back? Is that even possible?’
She didn’t want to admit it, but the truth was clear.
The arrogant demeanor and bold words Taeseong had displayed so far came from his absolute confidence in his own skills.
‘But that doesn’t change anything. No matter how strong you are, you can’t defeat us.’
Yato and Ito were strongest when they fought together.
Born as twins, even death had failed to separate them.
They defied the simple logic that one plus one equals two.
Yato swiftly formed hand seals and activated a spell.
“Diamond Spirit Art.”
The moment Taeseong’s blade struck Ito’s right arm, it bounced off with a metallic clang.
As if striking solid iron.
Even Taeseong, whose strength was far beyond that of an ordinary human, felt a sting in his hand from the impact.
‘This is troublesome.’
This was the reason why the Yato-Ito duo was so formidable.
Yato, as the sorcerer, constantly strengthened her shikigami and disrupted enemies, while Ito relentlessly attacked.
If one aimed for Yato first, Ito would tenaciously interfere.
If one tried to take down Ito first, Yato’s magic made it near impossible.
On top of that, they shared a single heart.
Unless it was completely destroyed, neither could die.
‘Their synergy is even stronger than I expected. I have to break one of them to disrupt the balance.’
With that decision, Taeseong drew upon the energy within him—whether it was “mana” or “ki,” it didn’t matter.
To Taeseong, it was merely a sharp blade, nothing more, nothing less.
And with his returning memories, he realized—this power wasn’t even his own.
It was a technique someone else had spent a lifetime mastering.
But what did it matter?
‘I’m just grateful to use it.’
Ito, mid-attack, suddenly stopped and quickly retreated.
“Ito? What’s wrong?”
“…I have a bad feeling.”
Taeseong noted it with interest.
‘Sharp instincts.’
By then, a faint blue aura had already begun to rise from the jagged blade in Taeseong’s hand.
‘But it’s too late.’
—
Taeseong swung his sword through the air.
Everyone’s eyes were on him, but except for Xiao Yun, no one else understood what had just happened.
To them, Taeseong was still standing in the same position.
Ito belatedly noticed something was wrong and looked at his right arm.
“Huh?”
A cleanly severed stump.
It was only after he spotted his arm lying on the ground that he grasped the situation.
“Wait… That’s my arm…? Hold on. My arm got cut off…?”
Diamond Spirit Art made a shikigami’s body as hard as iron.
Since receiving this spell, Ito had never experienced injury.
So now, he was utterly dumbfounded.
“How…?”
“Ito! Focus!”
The moment Yato’s warning ended, Taeseong had already closed the distance and swung at Ito’s neck.
Slash!
A chilling blade aura swept past his throat.
Coming to his senses just in time, Ito narrowly dodged the strike.
“You charged in like a wild beast, yet now you’re scared just because you lost an arm?”
“…Scared? Me? Don’t make me laugh! I’m just curious how you managed to cut through my body!”
“A man once cleaved a mountain in two.”
As Yato activated a new spell, a renewed fire lit in Ito’s eyes as he swung his blade once more.
“What the hell are you talking about?!”
“He cut through a mountain with his sword. So why would cutting through iron be impossible?”
“What the hell are you saying?!”
Before he knew it, Ito’s right arm had been restored.
‘Was one of the spells just used a regeneration technique?’
Looking closer, he noticed that Ito’s other arm was densely inscribed with unknown symbols. Judging by the way his speed and strength had significantly increased, it seemed to be a spell that enhanced physical abilities.
And that wasn’t all.
“Flame Dragon Curse Technique.”
Flames in the shape of a dragon engulfed Ito’s blade.
“Earthbound Restraint.”
The ground surged up like chains, binding Taeseong’s lower body.
“Heavenly Ice Rain.”
Spears imbued with chilling coldness rained down from above.
The sight was so grand that it was hard to believe a single human had created it. Even Yato, the spellcaster, had exhausted so much energy that she was kneeling, gasping for breath.
Taeseong, now restrained, his body covered in blood, stared straight ahead.
“…….”
Ito seized the perfect opportunity his sister had created and thrust his massive blade directly into Taeseong’s chest.
Puuuk!
As he looked at Taeseong, whose torso had been impaled, Ito spoke. By now, Taeseong’s entire body was in tatters.
“That was a good fight, Administrator from Joseon. If you heal quickly, you won’t die, so now just—”
What was happening?
Ito tried to pull out his sword, but it wouldn’t budge. Upon closer inspection, Taeseong was gripping the blade that had impaled his own chest.
“The fight is over, Administrator from Joseon. Struggling any further will only—”
“You people really are a hassle.”
Ito’s pupils widened.
Incredibly, Taeseong’s shredded body was rapidly regenerating. Even the wound where the blade was lodged in his chest had already healed in an instant.
“I’ve told you multiple times. It’s not Joseon—it’s the Republic of Korea.”
Taeseong’s entire presence shifted. Sensing imminent danger, Ito desperately tried to pull out his sword and retreat, but it was already too late.
Swoosh!
A streak of blue light swept across Ito’s legs, and he collapsed helplessly.
“……Huh?”
Taeseong didn’t stop there. He grabbed the blade that was still embedded in his chest—
And wielded it with his other hand.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
This time, he severed both of Ito’s arms.
Using the very sword Ito had wielded.
“I’ve told you before—you’re the ones who don’t know your place.”
“Ito!”
From afar, Yato screamed in despair, but Taeseong calmly continued what he was doing.
“Delta? Gamma? Do you really think those trivial ranks determine everything?”
Each time Ito’s severed limbs began to regenerate due to the healing spell, Taeseong cut them off again.
They grew—he severed them.
They grew—he severed them.
He continued cutting them off relentlessly, over and over again.
Until they no longer regenerated.
After about a minute, the effects of the regeneration spell had completely worn off.
Now, with both arms and legs severed, Ito could no longer move.
Taeseong considered whether to finish the job and behead him but ultimately remembered that this was a ‘sparring match.’
He turned away.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Do you feel wronged?”
“…….”
Yato, kneeling on the ground, glared at him with murderous intent. She had poured too much energy into her spells, leaving her powerless to stop her brother’s limbs from being severed.
Taeseong simply assumed she was angry.
He never imagined that what had just happened had triggered her past trauma—
Or that it would drive her to completely lose her sanity.
Or that this would lead her to step into a forbidden domain.
As Taeseong approached her, he suddenly stopped.
The space around Yato was distorting ever so slightly.
“This is…”
Blood dripped from every hole on Yato’s face as she muttered incomprehensible words.
“תענה לשיחה שלי. זאבי העולם הזה.” TL : Its hebrew and it translates to “Answer my call. Wolves of this world.”
It wasn’t a language of this world.
Just hearing it made his skin crawl, as if insects were crawling all over his body.
Its meaning was unclear.
He wasn’t even sure if it could be considered a language at all—
But one thing was certain.
The moment her chanting ended,
A new existence would descend upon this place.
As if to prove it, the space around her fractured.
From the rift emerged a colossal wolf.
Its entire body was composed of pitch-black smoke, and its crimson eyes gleamed as it fixated on Yato.
“[[האם התקשרת אליי? קַבְּלָן (Did you call me? Contractor.)]”
Yato, looking as if she would collapse at any moment, struggled to nod.
The wolf turned its gaze forward.
Taeseong stood still, facing the otherworldly beast.
“…….”
The wolf locked eyes with Taeseong and took a few steps forward—
Then suddenly rolled onto its back, exposing its belly, growling softly.
Upon closer inspection, its smoky tail was also curled between its legs.
“[The greatest entity!]”
It was a posture of submission.
