Chapter 10: Dan Ga-yeon(4)

Comet was feeling good.

Although Dan Ga-yeon still seemed dazed, it felt like he had successfully lightened her mood and eased her conscience.

Now, all he had to do was watch over her and pass the time. In this dangerous era, there was bound to be an opportunity for an inevitable death.

But he hadn’t anticipated this situation.

With a loud noise, the roar of a monster echoed. Dan Ga-yeon, who snapped back to reality, headed toward the rooftop railing.

Comet scratched his cheek and followed her to the railing. On the ground, at some distance, the air was distorting. Although Comet was seeing this phenomenon for the first time, he knew what it was— a rift in the multiverse.

Now that he thought about it, it felt like there was an overwhelming amount of magic in the air, as though a great spell had been cast. Though as a necromancer, Comet wasn’t as sensitive to such things.

From the rift, a monster’s claw emerged, followed by another loud roar.

Dan Ga-yeon, watching the distance, quickly opened the rooftop door and disappeared.

An alarm blared. It was the first rift humanity had faced since the calamity that had destroyed civilization.

As Comet tried to gauge the scale of the situation, he took out a soul orb from his pocket. He leaned on the railing and looked down at the ground.

Before Dan Ga-yeon could reach the rift, the monster fully emerged. It stood on two legs like a human but had the head of an animal.

With wings, a tail, and a body much larger than any human, it resembled a demon.

The demon opened its mouth, gathering energy before releasing a breath attack.

Comet’s jaw dropped.

A nearby building took the brunt of the attack, its walls melting. A few souls floated up and were absorbed into Comet’s soul orb.

He checked the distance between the building he stood on and the ground, wondering if it would be okay if it collapsed.

Satisfied it wouldn’t, he continued to watch the demon’s actions with his chin resting on the railing.

By the time Dan Ga-yeon arrived and saw the melted building, her sprint slowed.

Comet worried that she might die in vain, but his concern was unnecessary.

Dan Ga-yeon swiftly dodged another breath attack and charged at the demon. Her precise movements showed her hunting experience was top-notch.

She began by slicing through one of the demon’s legs, and the fierce battle ensued. Every time her magic-enhanced sword clashed with the demon’s sharp claws, small shockwaves rippled out.

The fight seemed to be in Dan Ga-yeon’s favor. Her attacks landed successfully, while the demon failed to deliver a solid hit. However, from Dan Ga-yeon’s perspective, it didn’t seem so one-sided.

Instead of pressing the attack, Dan Ga-yeon retreated, watching the demon intently. Comet, curious, examined the demon closely and saw its wounds healing rapidly.

Judging by the speed of its recovery, it seemed likely that the demon would heal faster than the damage Dan Ga-yeon could inflict.

Though it was a living being, so it couldn’t sustain that pace forever.

The demon flapped its wings and flew toward the melted building. Dan Ga-yeon chased after it, but it wasn’t necessary. The demon dug its snout into the molten concrete and gulped it down, causing its wounds to heal at an even faster rate.

The demon, now brimming with confidence, looked down at Dan Ga-yeon before flying forward and landing.

It was clear now… this demon could heal indefinitely. Dan Ga-yeon, on the other hand, would eventually tire.

And that’s exactly what happened. As the demon repeatedly recovered and fled, Dan Ga-yeon’s movements gradually became less precise.

She failed to dodge one of the demon’s attacks and was flung into a building. The demon roared, flapping its wings as it flew toward the building Dan Ga-yeon had crashed into.

It was a hasty decision. Before the demon could reach her, Dan Ga-yeon opened a window on the side of the building that was out of the demon’s sight and jumped out.

Comet, unable to see the alley where she had landed, tilted his head curiously but soon stopped. A roar echoed from inside the building—the demon had lost track of her.

Soon, Dan Ga-yeon reappeared a little further away, panting heavily. She seemed to be catching her breath. After a few deep breaths, she ruffled her hair and looked around, possibly searching for another awakened ally to fight alongside her.

Then, her eyes met Comet’s. She stared blankly at him as he stood on the rooftop, watching the whole scene unfold. Her expression quickly changed.

Comet knew exactly what that emotion was. It was anger.

While Dan Ga-yeon was coming up the stairs of the building, Comet twisted her side hair, deep in thought.

“What are you doing right now?!”

It was the first time Dan Ga-yeon used informal speech.

Comet glanced at the soul orb and then looked back at Dan Ga-yeon.

“Why aren’t you helping?!”

It didn’t seem like Dan Ga-yeon needed a response.

“You can handle this on your own!”

She continued to pour out her words in rage, not caring about the lack of response.

Comet leaned against the railing and listened slowly. After venting her emotions several times, Dan Ga-yeon let out a rough breath and approached Comet.

But before she could reach her, there was the sound of a building collapsing from below. Dan Ga-yeon quickly ran to the railing and looked down. Judging from the angle and the sound, it seemed like the area where the demon had been was collapsing.

Dan Ga-yeon spoke weakly as she looked down at the ground.

“Why are you just standing there…”

Her voice wasn’t filled with only anger. There were emotions mixed in that were directed at herself. Self-loathing and shame twisted the railing.

After mumbling a few times, Dan Ga-yeon grabbed her sword but then hesitated. She suddenly turned sharply toward Comet.

Comet flinched as she saw Dan Ga-yeon running toward her with the sword. Despite Comet’s attempt to disarm her, Dan Ga-yeon didn’t stop and tackled her.

With the weight of the impact, Comet fell.

The breath had passed through the spot where Comet had been standing. Comet stared blankly at the remnants of the breath attack.

Part of the railing melted away and fell to the ground below.

“Please, move.”

Dan Ga-yeon looked down, gripping the edge of Comet’s clothes. The pressure was palpable.

“Please, move!”

Her voice was mixed with tears.

“Save the people.”

The sky was covered with souls. They gathered around the soul orb.

It was a beautiful sight.

Comet was dazed for a moment, then gently lifted her hand to wipe away Dan Ga-yeon’s tears.

“Informal speech is fine. Shall we drop the formalities?”

There was no answer. Dan Ga-yeon only gripped Comet’s clothes tighter.

“You don’t like that? Then you can just drop the formalities by yourself. That works too.”

Comet hugged Dan Ga-yeon, rolled over, switched positions, then stood up, tidying her clothes.

“There was no need to save me, but you went out of your way.”

A knife was drawn.

Lying down, Dan Ga-yeon looked up at Comet.

“This time, I’ll help you, just this once. Next time, if you want to save someone, do it yourself. It’ll be better for both of us.”

Comet smiled brightly.

With the knife and soul orb in hand, she walked to the edge and looked down. The demon, seemingly uninterested, was continuing its rampage.

The soul orb floated up. The souls gathered around it, and the orb absorbed them. The wind howled, and Comet’s clothes fluttered.

Comet opened her mouth slightly and bit into the soul orb. With a loud crack, the orb shattered into pieces. Explosive soul energy spread, creating a small storm.

Comet slowly gathered the energy. As the energy accumulated, black wings unfolded, and her body began to levitate.

Comet closed her eyes for a moment.

She could feel the screams and anger of the souls.

Whether they were angry at the demon that ended their lives or at Comet, who ended their cycle of reincarnation, even the souls themselves wouldn’t know.

Now, it was up to Comet to decide that.

The sound of Dan Ga-yeon getting up was heard.

Comet turned around and smiled brightly.

“I’ll go take care of it quickly. Don’t get mad if I catch it too easily.”

The wind blew, and Comet flew toward the ground as if falling.

The demon looked up and screamed.

As the breath attack flew toward her, she flapped her wings to increase her speed.

When the demon fired its breath, leaving an opening, Comet maintained her speed, gripping her knife and preparing to throw.

Her wings scattered and disappeared as explosive soul energy gathered in the knife.

No incantation.

Soul Severing.

The knife flew with a black flash and collided with the demon.

Comet, now wingless, followed her momentum and swung her fist at the demon.

The demon, struck by the knife and spilling souls, staggered and crashed into the ground.

The ground collapsed, and the demon’s soul exploded outward.

Comet landed on a suitable spot and swept away the flying debris and dust with a small shockwave.

She dusted off her hands and picked up the knife she had thrown, blowing on it.

Turning around, she looked up to see Dan Ga-yeon watching from the rooftop.

Comet waved lightly but, seeing no response, slowly lowered her hand.

She clasped her hands behind her back and twisted her body slightly.

The damage caused by the demon came into view.

She had said she would catch it and return, so now she had to go back to the rooftop, but she was a little afraid of how Dan Ga-yeon would react.

Comet scratched her cheek, then pulled out a new soul orb from her pocket, gathering souls as she quickly walked out of the area.

Meeting Dan Ga-yeon could wait for another time.

Even after leaving the area, the chaos did not disappear.

The cracks in the multiverse must have affected the entire world, and there was no safe place.

Still, it didn’t seem serious enough to require full military mobilization, as there were no fighter jets or bombers in the sky.

Comet felt satisfied as she watched the souls being absorbed into the soul orb.

A voice came from the soul orb.

Comet’s eyes widened.

“Who are you?”

The soul was speaking clearly.

『I am the Princess of Blood and Shadow! Show some respect!』

It was a high-level soul.

Though it seemed mentally unstable.