Chapter 43: History Flows (4)

『When Taejo was young. Princess Jeongan, Lady Kim, saw five crows on the wall and asked him to shoot them.

Taejo fired a single arrow, and the heads of all five crows fell. Lady Kim found this extraordinary and said to Taejo.

“Never speak of this matter lightly to anyone.”』

– From the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, Taejo General Records –

***

The interior of the exhibition hall had turned into a sea of flames.

[……Monsters are rampaging on Joseon soil.]

King Taejo Yi Seonggye walked out through the fierce blaze.

Dark blue steel armor covering his entire body.

A sturdy, robust physique and a face exuding the spirit of a tiger.

He looked exactly like the undefeated warrior who had never lost a battle in 30 years, Yi Seonggye, returned to life.

……To be precise, it’s merely a reproduction.

The Yi Seonggye manifested before me was neither real nor fake, but a separate entity.

Ding!

<Coffin of the Dead has replicated ‘Yi Seonggye’s body’!>

<『Archlich’s Finger has summoned the shadow of ‘Yi Seonggye’!>

An entity where the replicated body and soul shadow fused.

Featherback’s guidebook defined such a being as follows.

‘Shadow Knight’.

Black magic rising like heat haze over his entire body. Blue radiance flickering in his eyes.

His appearance resembled a Death Knight.

Except that he used a bow instead of a sword.

At that moment, Yi Seonggye began examining various parts of his body.

[Truly marvelous. It feels as if I’ve rejuvenated to the days of conquering Liaodong. Then, let’s see…….]

Yi Seonggye slowly raised the Royal Bow in his hand.

The Royal Bow looked completely different from when it was in the display case.

The bow stave overlaid with black magic had transformed into a longer, more massive form, and around the taut bowstring, pitch-black sparks continuously crackled.

As Yi Seonggye drew the bowstring, a shadow arrow materialized on it.

Soon.

Booom-!

A thunderous roar exploded.

Just the pressure from drawing the bowstring shattered the surrounding tiles, sending them scattering.

Shwwweeeek-!

The shadow arrow sped forward, cleaving through the flames.

Flames and smoke swirled around it like a vortex.

Thwack!

The shadow arrow instantly pierced the heart of one Flame Crow.

The Flame Crow flew with ferocious momentum until it crashed into the wall, denting it deeply, with cracks spreading around the impact.

But that wasn’t the end.

Shwweeeek~! Shweeeek-! Shwwweeeek-!

This time, three shadow arrows flew simultaneously.

One curving from left to right.

One surging from bottom to top.

One zigzagging in a Z-shape.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

The shadow arrows precisely pierced the hearts of the Flame Crows.

The Flame Crows flew in different directions, embedding into the walls like taxidermy.

……What the hell did I just witness?

Unlike modern bows, traditional bows have no aiming aids attached.

Yet hitting the bullseye every time, all at the same point. 

Archery skills bordering on the divine.

Yi Seonggye was toying with A-grade magical beasts like toys.

At that instant, notification windows appeared before my eyes.

Ding!

<Shadow Knight 『Yi Seonggye’s stats have been adjusted to values befitting the Lokpia Continent!>

<Shadow Knight Yi Seonggye has acquired the title ‘Bow Demon’!>

<Bow attack power increases by 50%!>

<Bow accuracy increases by 50%!>

It seemed the stat conversion occurred during the process of becoming a Shadow Knight.

Damn, starting straight from Bow Master level?

The result far exceeded expectations, filling me with delight.

Coffin of the Dead, Archlich’s Finger.

The Shadow Knight created through these two.

This might be a legendary combo discovery..

But then.

Fwooooosh~!

Pillars of fire soared simultaneously from the Flame Crows’ bodies.

The embedded shadow arrows turned to ash and scattered, and the pierced hearts healed in an instant.

Yi Seonggye chuckled and said.

[They don’t die even when the heart is pierced. What bizarre creatures. Warehouse Keeper, do you know their weakness?]

“The weakness of Flame Crows is…….”

I quickly recalled information about Flame Crows.

The suspected skill was the Flame Crow’s unique ‘Flame Regeneration’.

A skill that absorbs surrounding flames to heal wounds.

……But it shouldn’t regenerate fatal injuries, right?

Flame Regeneration is literally regeneration, not immortality.

Severed neck or pierced heart should cause instant death.

At that moment, Featherback’s journal opened on its own.

Flip-

[Life Sharing]

– This skill is an artificially synthesized ‘artificial skill’.

The result of grafting Phoenix’s ‘Flame Regeneration’ and Bloody Frog’s ‘Vitality Sharing’; individuals with this skill share vitality and regeneration with each other.

“Interesting. Attempting to replicate a Phoenix’s ability. Except that the result is a pathetic failure that can’t even be used alone.”

Featherback

……Artificial skill?

Similar to Cerberus’s miniaturization skill.

Anyway. For now, dealing with the Flame Crows comes first.

According to the guidebook, there’s one way to defeat them.

Kill all five Flame Crows simultaneously. Without a single error.

“……Can you do it?”

[You’re asking me that?]

Yi Seonggye smiled and countered.

At that instant.

Fwoosh-!

All five Flame Crows flew up into the air simultaneously.

Unlike before, they began flying at much faster speeds.

Moreover, they continuously changed trajectories, moving erratically.

Movements as if to hinder long-range sniping.

But Yi Seonggye calmly observed the Flame Crows’ movements.

Then placed his hand on the bowstring.

[Archery is not about the arrow finding the target, but the archer sending the arrow to the target.]

A single shadow arrow materialized on the taut bowstring.

Yi Seonggye slightly twisted the arrow fletching.

Soon.

Shwwweeeek-!

The pitch-black arrow began advancing, cleaving the wind.

As if aware, the five Flame Crows increased speed and scattered in all directions.

The Flame Crows far off the arrow’s trajectory.

At that instant.

Shwweeeek~!

The shadow arrow’s path changed.

It began speeding in an elliptical orbit like a spinning disc.

Soon, the shadow arrow flew toward the Flame Crows from the exact opposite direction of their flight.

I couldn’t help but doubt my eyes.

Because all five Flame Crows were on the shadow arrow’s advancing path.

Yi Seonggye had calculated the fleeting moment when the Flame Crows’ paths overlapped.

Thwack!

The shadow arrow pierced the heart of the first Flame Crow.

But the shadow arrow showed no sign of stopping.

Soon, a coin-sized hole appeared in the second Flame Crow’s chest.

Thwack!

Third and fourth.

Thwack! Thwack!

And the fifth.

Thwack!

The shadow arrow pierced the forehead of the last Flame Crow and vanished.

The heads of the five Flame Crows began falling to the ground simultaneously.

At the same time.

Flicker! Flicker~!

Dark red flames backflowed from the Flame Crows’ feathers.

Five fireballs plummeting to the exhibition hall floor.

The five Flame Crows turned to black ash in an instant and scattered.

And.

Sparkle!

A red glow flashed from the piled ash.

The Flame Crows had dropped a skill essence.

……Third one now.

Others might see a skill essence once every few years if lucky, but I’ve acquired three in a row.

Am I just lucky in this area?

Thinking that, I put the Flame Crow essence into inventory.

At that moment, a familiar voice came from behind.

“Master, I have collected all the items you instructed.”

Turning around, Jeanne stood with a heavily bulging bundle on her back.

“I’m sorry. Some masked individuals took a few items, so tracking and retrieving them took longer than expected. Were you unharmed?”

“It’s fine. This side is resolved too.”

As soon as the Vigilante attack began, I handed Jeanne a list.

Instructing her to recover the relics I’d noted from this exhibition.

I unfolded the received bundle.

Okay. Everything’s here. Then now the remaining is…….

Looking around, the exhibition hall turned into a sea of fire came into view.

Flicker~!

If left like this, most exhibited relics might burn away.

While pondering that, Yi Seonggye’s voice rang out.

[If we leave this fire demon, many people will suffer.]

Yi Seonggye glanced at the ceiling and continued.

[Fortunately, there’s something perfect up there.]

Then he drew the bowstring toward the ceiling.

Boom boom boom-!

The shadow arrow pierced a large hole in the ceiling and soared up.

At that instant.

Splashhhhh-

Water began pouring like a waterfall from the pierced ceiling hole.

As water rose to ankle level, the exhibition hall flames quickly died down.

Only then did I realize why Yi Seonggye pierced the ceiling.

He aimed for the water tank on the roof.

Wait, does that mean he could see the top from the first floor? 

Does he have x-ray vision or something?

But the problem is there’s too much water.

…..No, at this rate, it’ll flood?

As our eyes met, Yi Seonggye laughed heartily.

[I see. This should be sufficient.]

Yi Seonggye fired one arrow upward through the ceiling.

The shadow arrow soaring through the waterfall spread like a dense spiderweb near the water tank.

As it blocked the hole in the water tank, the water stream gradually weakened and soon stopped.

I looked at Yi Seonggye and said.

“There’s nothing you can’t do.”

[I can handle most things with ease. Except raising children.]

“You don’t seem to have failed at raising children either.”

[……Then that’s fortunate.]

Yi Seonggye stroked his beard with an odd expression.

With the exhibition hall fire resolved, escape before the Hunter Surveillance Bureau arrives for mission clear.

At that moment, someone staggered and blocked our path.

“Where…… do you think you’re going.”

It was Akaboshi, the Japanese Association hunter.

His face was covered in burn marks, and his upper body was charred black.

Soon, Akaboshi shouted in a voice full of venom.

“I’ll tear you to pieces. Vigilante!”

“?”

He seemed to have mistaken us for Vigilante members.

Yi Seonggye holding the Royal Bow. Jeanne carrying a bundle full of exhibition relics.

……There is a slight chance for misunderstanding.

Akaboshi showed no intention of listening to explanations.

Akaboshi drew his Japanese sword from his waist.

A fierce whirlwind raged around him.

“Die!”

Soon, as Akaboshi swung his Japanese sword, maple-shaped blades flew with ferocious momentum.

Slash- Slash- Slash- Slash- Slash-

Slash marks began appearing on walls, floor, and ceiling.

However.

Shwweeeek-

The pitch-black arrow released from the bowstring sped forward, and the raging blades vanished as if a lie.

Soon after, the shadow arrow embedded in Akaboshi’s left shoulder.

Thwack!

…..!”

Akaboshi’s face twisted in pain.

He glared at Yi Seonggye while clutching his shoulder.

Yi Seonggye smiled at Akaboshi.

[Countless years have passed, yet one thing remains unchanged.]

“Joseonjing……! An inferior race that can’t even protect one thing properly……! How dare, how dare……!”

[Both then and now, for the Japanese bastards…….]

Blue light flashed in Yi Seonggye’s eyes.

At the same time, the Royal Bow’s string was drawn.

Twang-!

[……Historically, this was the weakness.]

The shadow arrow precisely pierced the target.

Thwack!

Akaboshi could no longer move.