Chapter 93 – Wrath of the Desert (2)
Kwahhng!
The first thing he saw was the scraps of meat scattering from the explosion.
Then, his Spirit Armor activated and the barrier of souls formed to block the shock wave.
It didn’t block repulsive force, therefore Woojin’s body was flung backwards, after which it was embedded into the hotel’s wall.
The explosive must have been quite powerful, since three cars that had been passing by Woojin was engulfed in the explosion. The overturned vehicles brought on a secondary explosion.
Poo-shee-shee-shee.
The dust from the crushed bricks settled on top of Woojin’s face.
He hadn’t suffered any damages from the explosion. He hadn’t receive any damage from being thrown against the wall either. The Spirit Armor had blocked everything.
Since the dust from the bricks weren’t counted as attack, the Spirit Armor hadn’t activated.
His body was fine, but he did receive some shock to his psyche. Woojin dumbly laid on the ground.
‘Jeez.’
It had only been couple months since he had returned to earth. However, everything had turned out like this.
He welcomed it, but at the same time, he felt bitter about it.
The clear soul floated up in front of Woojin’s eyes.
Her heart had been beating only a moment ago… Now, not even a corpse remained of the girl with the ridiculously clear soul.
[It hurts, ahjushi.]
It must be painful.
[I’m scared, ahjushi.]
Color started dyeing into the girl’s clear soul by small increments. It was as if a black ink was dropped on her soul. It turned gray, then black. It started to turn into a darker shade of black…
[Save me, ahjushi.]
He was tormented by his inability to do anything.
Who would want such a speckless and clear soul to fall into being an evil spirit?
Woojin wasn’t the only one who had been swept up in the explosion. There were already several casualties. The girl unknowingly had murdered people.
[Ahjushi….]
The girl’s soul was stained black and collapsed into itself. The soul had changed into a round evil spirit that started to circle around Woojin.
[Please save me.]
The evil spirit hung around him, but Woojin could only leave it alone.
How could he save this delicate evil spirit?
Woojin had no choice but to leave it alone.
The only thing he could do was to destroy it.
He couldn’t revert it back to its original form.
‘It’s my first evil spirit on earth.’
The evil spirits who appeared in his dreams had increased by one, so he didn’t attach too much importance to that fact.
Woojin was angry, because for the first time he returned to earth, he had felt a terrible experience that was comparable to what he had gone through on the hell-like Alphen.
“He’s over here. Hurry up. Bring a board, so we can carry him.”
The disguised US soldiers ran quickly towards Woojin to save him, but Woojin stood up as he dusted himself off.
“A…are you ok?”
“The perpetrator?”
“He killed himself.”
What a tenacious bastard. No, he should be called a crazy bastard instead of tenacious.
“Let’s go to the vehicle.”
“What? Yes.”
The explosion happened right in front of him, yet he was ok. The US soldiers were a bit intimidated by this Rank AA Roused who continued to show a calm exterior.
Woojin got on the van that acted as the command vehicle. Soon, Rachel got in the car with a surprised expression on her face. Rachel looked over Woojin as she asked a question.
“Are you ok?”
“Were they aiming for me?”
Woojin didn’t seem to be in a good mood, so Rachel immediately answered his question.
“No. There were 7 simultaneous explosions in the surrounding.”
“So 7 children died.”
“…….”
Aside from the children who had been used to carry the explosives, there were a lot of casualties Woojin didn’t care about people killing other people. There will always be conflicts, and fights always resulted in casualties.
Still, they were using children who had nothing to do with anything…
He was in a foul mood. What was so different about humans and Trahnet’s pawns?
“Let’s return.”
“Are you ok?”
“I’m not ok.”
“Are you hurt somewhere…”
“No.”
He wasn’t hurt. He was calm yet she felt a disharmonious feeling from him.
He look too unscathed, as if nothing had happened.
Was he hurt in a location where it wasn’t visible?
“Don’t talk to me.”
“…….”
“I’m in a foul mood.”
“…….”
Woojin crossed his arms then he looked out the window.
It had been a while. No, this was the first time he had felt such a feeling after returning to earth.
Some sticky and muddy feeling was fouling his mood, and he felt a pure rage rising up from inside of him.
*
After a day, they were back in the Bagram Air Base. All the officers were gathered in the room.
“It’ll be impossible.”
“Really? Then I’ll go by myself.”
The military officers were at a loss for words at Woojin’s ambition.
Woojin wanted to end the war by himself? This was a war even they could not end.
This wasn’t a problem that could be solved with firepower or manpower.
“It’s useless to fight them head on. The leadership group would just go into hiding.”
“Hoo-ooh.”
Woojin frowned.
The more he thought about it the more frustration he felt towards the terrorists.
The line between civilians and the rebels were ambiguous. A man, who looked like a civilian, could suddenly start shooting.
If one wanted to squeeze the pus out of an abscess, one basically had to amputate the whole arm.
If one wanted to round up all the bastards that were in hiding, one would have also have to kill all the blameless civilians.
“Try coming up with an idea.”
“What is there to think about? It is an impossible task.”
It was Rogers, who spoke.
If they had a way to end the war, they would have already done so. Currently, all they could do was to stop the influence of the terrorists from expanding. No, their continuous pullout from the region meant already 30% of Afghan’s territory was occupied once again by the rebels.
“The government is talking about dispatching additional forces. Why don’t we wait for that? I empathize with your anger, but this isn’t something you can handle on your own.”
General David’s words didn’t register in Woojin’s ears.
“I don’t care if you guys accompany me or not. I’m going by myself.”
“What are you going to do when you get to the territory held by the insurgent group? Are you going to kill them all? Do you want the title of being the most evil terrorist?”
“Sssoop.”
Was his name Rogers? Why is this bastard keep trying to get on his nerve?
“If you aren’t going to help, then stay out of this. I don’t need any help.”
Woojin exited the command room.
He would wait four days until Ggaebi gathered enough information. Once he found out who was behind his assassination attempt, he would kill that bastard. Then he would sweep the insurgency group that was carrying out the terrorist attacks.
He didn’t have a plan, but the end result wouldn’t change.
As Woojin exited the room, the mood inside the command room became heated.
“Are you just going to leave him alone like that? A Roused will be massacring the civilians.”
What defined a terrorist?
One became a terrorist when one killed the powerless without justification. In a flash, Woojin would become the most famous terrorist.
“Go after him. Try stopping him.”
At the general’s words, Rogers let out a sigh then he exited the command room. They had even asked for help from the Holy Maiden. However, she said the Air Base will be smashed into pieces if they got in Woojin’s way. It put the command group in a foul mood.
“Hey.”
Woojin stopped and turned around when he heard someone call after him.
Did they say this man was the leader of a special Roused team within this base?
“Do you have a death wish? Why are you keep trying to get on my nerves?”
“I’ll help you.”
“What?”
“I’m not talking about facing them head on. If you want to assassinate the high ranking members of the terrorist group, I can help you get close to them.”
Woojin smiled. Finally, he heard some welcoming news.
“Speak.”
“I’ll set it up, so they will kidnap you.”
Oh-ho. What a refreshing idea?
Woojin’s eyebrows arched.
*
After one week.
Dul-koo-dung, dul-koo-dung.
Woojin’s two hands were bound, and he was being transported somewhere with a stinky mask over his face.
“Hook hook hook..”
Woojin wasn’t the only one being treated like a luggage. There were four more people with him.
“My god. Please save us.”
The one mumbling was named Roman.
He used to illegally smuggle weapons. He failed to toe the line between the government and the insurgent group, so he had been singled out. Woojin hung around Roman’s vicinity, so he was kidnapped alongside Roman.
‘Ggaebi.’
He called Ggaebi, who was attached to Woojin’s shadow. As his senses revved up, Ggaebi’s consciousness woke up.
Woojin used his Points to increase Ggaebi to level 50. Ggaebi’s level would continually rise on its own in battle, so he had planned on saving the points. However, he had no choice but to use his points since he needed Ggaebi’s abilities right now.
Through one’s shadow, a parasite ghost of the host will be summoned.
It will read the emotions and gather information about the host. If the host is a corpse, then the ghost would be able to control it. If the corpse is revived with Resurrection, then the ghost can bring out a little bit more of the corpse’s original ability.
The Required Control decreased depending on the Summoner’s Loyalty and Trust. The summoned being that was controlled by the Summoner may be reformed into a true companion.
Number of Shadow : 6
Possessed Skills : Shadow Multiplication, Expanded Senses, Soul Exchange, Shadow Movement
Corpse Amplification : +50%
Needed Control 1(-99 Loyalty, -99 Trust)
Every 10 levels increased the Shadow Multiplication. Currently, Ggaebi could attach a total of 6 Shadows to people. He attached one to Nasser Saatchi, so he had 5 Shadows at his disposal.
The Expanded Senses wasn’t something used on humans. It allowed Ggaebi to gather information as he hid within the shadow of a building. As the name indicated, Soul Exchange allowed Woojin to switch soul with Ggaebi. Shadow Movement allowed Woojin to become a shadow, and he could move between the shadows of humans and objects.
‘Don’t cause any accidents. Just stay put.’
[Koo-koo. All right, master.]
Ggaebi was feeling good at the thought of possessing his master’s body, and his voice disturbed Woojin. Woojin became a Shadow, and he opened his eyes. He could see 5 people tossed in the back of an old truck like luggage.
There were 4 insurgents. One drove, and another sat besides him. Two were in the back to keep an eye on the cargo. There were 3 vehicles following the truck.
‘Let’s skip these small fries.’
He didn’t get captured so he could vent his anger on these guys. Woojin planned on pulling out the root of the insurgent group. Only then would his mounting anger be dissolved by a little bit.
The rebel’s truck stopped and Woojin’s Shadow headed inside the building.
He’d rather find the middle management than the low ranking officers. Moreover, he would prefer to find the leaders than the members of the middle management….
He multiplied his Shadow to attach it to people that looked important.
It took less than 20 hours before Woojin approached the leadership group of the rebels.
‘It’s these bastards.’
If he killed all the important figures in the insurgent group’s command structure, the rebels would fall into pieces. Then he’ll just leave the rest to the US army.
Woojin hid within the shadow of the rebel leader and mined information in earnest.
Woojin remembered the face of the people as if he was taking a picture with his mind. He made a hit list in a calm and orderly manner.
[Master. May I do as I please?]
‘Huh? Why?’
Ggaebi’s consciousness had been silent up until now. Woojin replied with an ill-temper. He didn’t like the fact that someone else was in charge of his body right now. In the past, Ggaebi occasionally used his body to carry out massacres.
[They are executing people with a firing squad. Master’s head is close to getting a hole in his head.]
‘…….’
He had heard that the insurgent group didn’t kill their hostages immediately after capture, but it seemed that wasn’t always the case.
‘Let’s switch.’
[Koo-kook. All right, master.]
Ggaebi could continue to gather information. Ggaebi couldn’t use Shadow Movement unlike when Woojin was in control. Still, the Shadow was attached to the rebel leader. At the very least, he didn’t have to worry about losing that bastard.
Pah-paht.
Since Ggabei’s Shadow and his real body was separated by long distance, the Soul Exchange disoriented Woojin for a moment.
A sack was no longer covering his face so he could see his surrounding.
Hoo-ooh-ooh-oohng.
The insurgents were lined up in the desert where heat was being emitted. Woojin and the other hostages were tied up and on their knees.
“I punish you in the name of our god. Revere our god.”
One of the insurgents held a camcorder and he was recording the execution. Woojin finished assessing his situation.
‘There are 25 rebels and 18 captives.
Moreover, he could see their base from across the desert. This was where they kept their captives, and it doubled as a training facility.
It was a place where the newly recruited insurgents could practice killing people.
He looked over the hostages, and Roman was missing. The people who were captured with Roman were considered useless, so they were being killed outright.
Woojin stood up in place.
“God my ass.”
Cable ties were fastened on both his wrists and ankles. Woojin wouldn’t be able to walk or take out his weapon.
There was a reason why the insurgents looked at Woojin in a leisurely manner.
“How many have you killed?”
A veteran rebel, who had been making a speech in front of the camera, responded to him.
“Hoong. You are quite fluent in our language.“
Of course. These Arabs had so many dialects to their language, so he had to drink numerous Language Drugs.
“Several thousand has received the punishment of our god. I’ve killed several hundred with these hands.”
He was boasting about killing people in front of the Immortal. How funny.
No, it was cute.
“Ah, I can feel them.”
He felt them. He felt the restless souls buried beneath the desert.
There were those captured as hostages, and the negotiation for their ransom had broken down. There were those killed as examples or for fun. Woojin could feel their vengeful spirits.
“Only a god can give a divine punishment.”
“I am the messenger of god.”
The word of the insurgent wearing the keffiyeh was funny to Woojin.
“Messenger of god….”
“You should feel honor from being killed by me.”
The veteran rebel pulled the trigger without hesitating in the slightest.
Teeng!
The bullet bounced off the Spirit Armor in front of Woojin. The number of souls possessed by him decreased by one.
“What…what the hell?”
Tah-ahng, tahng!
The veteran shot continuously, but the barrier was in the way. He took a step back when his attack was ineffective.
“H…he’s a Roused! Shoot him!”
Ta-da-da-da-da-da-dahng!
Several dozen bullets was shot towards Woojin, but none of them could injure him.
“You bastards don’t even deserve a punishment from god.”
This wasn’t a punishment. This was revenge.
The aggrieved vindictive spirits would be taking their revenge into their own hands.
The cable tie broke easily when Woojin tensed his body with strength.
Woojin immediately released his magic.
Pah-pah-pah-paht!
It was as if the sands of the desert were being bombarded. Skeleton Soldiers slowly started to rise up.
The captured US hostages, businessmen, tourists, civilian walking in the street, the hostages killed and thrown away in the desert….
All of them rose up. There were over 500 of them and increasing. Woojin replenished his magic as he raised more and more Skeleton Soldiers. At the same time, he summoned his Death Knights.
They were still very low level.
The average level was 8. Each level allowed 10 soldiers to be under the command of the Death Knight, so one could command 80 soldiers. Thus, he needed 4240 Skeleton Soldiers, but Woojin wasn’t too worried about it. The enemy’s corpses would reinforce his personnel.
All the Skeletons were auto-assigned under the 53 Death Knights.
When the tied hostages suddenly saw a massive number of Skeletons show up, they started crawling away like worms on the floor. The rebels didn’t even think about firing back with their guns. They quickly ran away towards their base.
Woojin looked at them with indifferent eyes.
“Sweep them all away.”
[As master wishes!]
Kiba and the other Death Knights simultaneously summoned and got on their Phantom Steeds. Then, Skeleton Soldiers followed after them as they charged. It was like soldiers charging behind their generals.
The festival of blood had begun in the desert.
