When the Black Moon Rises - Chapter 148
Chapter 148
Jae Munju, her eyes gleaming, quickly scanned her surroundings.
She had entered the forest earlier and was busily pouring the contents of a bottle onto the ground.
Dark shapes, drawn by the smell, began to gather beneath the trees.
The shadowy figures, their eyes narrowed, devoured the spilled liquid like ravenous beasts.
Dripping with the viscous substance, they gorged themselves, their bodies swelling.
Their hazy forms became more distinct, their shadowy auras growing more sinister.
Groan… Groooan…
A chilling, malevolent energy emanated from their gaping maws.
While they were feeding, Jae Munju applied something to the arrow on her bow.
Sizzle—!
The moment the excess liquid, which hadn’t been fully absorbed by the arrowhead and shaft, dripped onto the grass…
The withered grass sizzled and melted like acid, leaving only a black scorch mark.
The black spot, initially the size of her palm, began to spread.
A flicker of hesitation crossed Jae Munju’s eyes as she watched.
But she quickly made up her mind, her lips pressed into a thin line, and moved to another location to finish her preparations.
“Drive them to the left!”
“Damn it, what is—”
Baek Clan warriors on horseback galloped through the forest.
As they pursued the dark, viscous creatures, shadowy figures suddenly emerged from the trees and attacked them from behind.
“Captain! Behind you!”
Boom—!!
The Captain of the Baek Clan warriors, blocking the attack with his spiritual power, gritted his teeth and drew his bow.
Thwang! Thwang—!
The creatures struck by his spiritually imbued arrows exploded and disappeared.
But some of them, despite being hit, simply vanished into the shadows, their forms intact.
While the Captain was fending off the attack, the other Baek Clan warriors, who had been pursuing the remaining creatures, returned, their faces grim.
“We apologize, Captain. We lost them.”
“Any message from Elder Simjung?”
“Not yet.”
“......”
The Captain gritted his teeth.
The plan, which he had found disconcerting from the moment Elder Simjung had suggested it, was to release the evil shadows they had captured to drive away the Ju Clan woman.
Even though their power had waned since the night of the new moon, it was still a risky move.
However, most of the warriors had agreed that preventing the Ju Clan woman from becoming the Lady of the House was more important than the potential danger to the territory.
So he had reluctantly agreed, believing that they could handle the weakened shadows.
‘But why… it’s not even the new moon yet!’
He regretted his decision almost immediately.
Whether they had grown stronger while being sealed, or for some other reason…
The unclean shadows, far from being easily dispelled, were now actively attacking them, seemingly preparing to leave the forest as soon as the sun set.
Even their appearance was different from what they remembered.
They no longer resembled the small, crawling vermin, but were now ferocious and monstrous, their maws gaping wide, ready to pounce.
One of his subordinates gulped and quietly suggested, “…Captain, this is strange. Ju Clan woman or not, we need to capture them and seal them again, without waiting for Elder Simjung’s message.”
“…Indeed. If they escape the forest, it’ll be a disaster.”
The Captain gave his orders in a low voice, “From now on, we kill them on sight. Don't try to capture them. Their power is growing, and they can escape even after being hit with weaker spiritual attacks. Aim for maximum power from the start.”
“Yes, sir!”
The Baek Clan warriors scattered throughout the forest.
The Captain, his face grim, also disappeared among the trees, his bow drawn.
“Gasp… gasp…”
The Baek Clan warrior felt his breathing growing ragged.
He could usually calm his breathing with a few deep breaths, but not anymore.
‘Damn it, I’ve used too much spiritual power.’
With his horse lost to the shadows, he was now on foot, alone in the forest.
He would have fired a signal flare, but he couldn't risk attracting the black creatures.
‘If only that Ju Clan woman would bring her guards…’
But that was a hopeless wish from the start.
Those cowardly Ju Clan members wouldn’t help; they would run as far away as possible at the first sign of danger and never return.
Whoosh—
A cold wind rustled the leaves.
A malevolent aura approached. His legs trembled, but he had to stand.
What would happen if he ran out of strength?
The thought made his hair stand on end.
He might be torn apart and devoured alive, just like his horse.
‘I… I have to escape the forest…’
Just as he slowly stood up…
“......”
He felt a cold gaze upon him.
He froze, his heart pounding, his breath catching in his throat.
He slowly turned his head.
Groan… Groooan—
“!!”
A black shadow was there, staring at him.
Its form was more distinct than before.
It had four beast-like legs, and its yellow eyes glowed in the darkness.
The Baek Clan warrior held his breath, afraid that even the slightest movement would make it pounce.
The shadow moved.
One step, then another.
Another shadow, also with yellow eyes, appeared from somewhere and joined the first.
Another shadow, silent, joined them.
Seven shadows, their eyes unblinking, slowly approached him.
The warrior’s pale lips trembled.
Their malevolent aura was overwhelming.
He had thought he could handle one of them, but…
‘…It’s over. I’m done for.’
He had made the wrong choice. He shouldn't have released them, no matter how much he hated that Ju Clan woman.
They would claim more victims, including himself.
A wave of regret washed over him.
He discarded his bow, drew his sword, and held it before him, his eyes burning.
Shing—
He would take as many of them with him as he could. He unleashed his spiritual power.
As if taking that as their cue, the seven shadows lunged at him.
Roar—!!!
Leaping into the air, they revealed their sharp teeth, closing in on him from all sides.
Just as his shoulders slumped and he instinctively cried out for help…
Whoosh—!!
A whistling sound, like thunder, ripped through the air, even though it wasn’t raining.
Four arrows pierced through the shadows, hitting them precisely between the eyes.
Bang!
“!!”
Before he could even react, more arrows flew towards him.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The remaining three shadows were annihilated before they could reach him.
Whoosh!
The arrows, piercing the shadows’ bodies, burst into flames, incinerating even the smallest traces of darkness.
It was an overwhelming display of spiritual power, as if tiny suns had fallen from the sky.
Even Elder Simjung, whom he had been waiting for, didn't possess such power. This was…
‘My god! It’s the Clan Head! The Clan Head is here!!’
He heard the sound of hoofbeats approaching.
Overjoyed at having survived, the Baek Clan warrior turned his head.
But it wasn't Baek Giha he saw.
It was the Ju Clan woman, riding a horse.
Thump, thump, thump.
Sehwa, standing on the back of a bareback horse, one foot on the horse’s neck, the reins wrapped around her ankle, was galloping towards him.
As she rode, she took arrows from someone behind her and nocked four at a time.
She drew her bow and aimed.
Twang!!!
A deafening roar echoed through the forest, followed by a booming sound like a distant drum.
She nocked another set of arrows and disappeared among the trees.
“......”
The warrior, left behind, blinked, forgetting his near-death experience.
He couldn't comprehend what he had just witnessed.
Having received the Captain's urgent message, Elder Simjung hurriedly led his warriors into the forest.
Fortunately, they found the Captain before they got lost, but the warriors who had been sent in earlier were already severely injured.
Some had lost limbs, others had deep gashes on their faces.
“W-What…?”
The elder, his lips trembling, dismounted and rushed towards the Captain. “What happened?! They were just shadows! Did you release something else? How could this happen?!”
“Of course not! They were definitely shadows at first! But they started growing larger—”
“Growing larger? It’s not even the new moon yet, what are you talking about?”
“I don’t know. But one thing’s for sure, if these creatures escape the forest, we’re in big trouble.”
“!”
“It’s only been two hours since we released them, but they’ve already grown stronger and their forms are more distinct. They don’t dare leave the forest now because of the sunlight, but that could change at any moment.”
The Captain asked urgently, “We have to seal them again. Did you bring the sealing tools?”
Elder Simjung nodded.
When he received the Captain's message, he had thought it was absurd.
But he had sensed that something was wrong, so he had brought his guards.
He wanted to believe they were mistaken, but he couldn't deny what he saw with his own eyes.
The sinister shadows, far larger, stronger, and more monstrous than the ones he had released…
What was going on?
If he had known this would happen, he wouldn’t have done it, no matter how much he hated that Ju Clan woman.
“I brought the sealing tools, so let’s capture as many as we can—”
A clear voice interrupted him. “That won’t be possible.”
“…!”
Thud!
They heard a brief thud, and a shadow, an arrow protruding from its head, was thrown at their feet.
The shadowy figure, shaped like a beast, twitched and collapsed.
“W-What…!”
A colorful robe with intricate embroidery fluttered in the wind.
Sehwa, expertly riding a bareback horse, gestured towards the fallen creature. “Compare the power of that beast to the sealing tool.”
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