Requiem of Subdued Souls

Chapter 89: Flute Of Foreboding (9)

At that time, the sound of metal resonating loudly could be heard from inside the Sword Tomb. The swords continued to clash with sparks flashing.

“Senior! Calm down! It is me!”

Seo Geom was shouting as he hit the flying sword.

Six to seven of them would attack and bounce back. And they would crash to the walls, only to fly back at him again.

“Seniors!”

“Stop calling out seniors…”

Seol Young threw a demon-breaking talisman and stepped back.

As expected, the talisman fell without causing any damage. It was because the opponents were not evil spirits but sacred swords.

“What? What is…”

“That means we need to run.”

Seol Young swung his blue sword.

And it clashed with the other swords.

“This way, fast!”

But Seo Geom didn’t even move.

“Wait!”

He looked at the swords flying around them with sharp eyes.

“Isn’t this the right time? We cannot communicate with those seniors anyway. We need to go out, find the culprit, and get rid of it.”

He barely managed to break through the onslaught, and Seol Young turned around to get out.

But then…

“Not yet!”

Seo Geom pushed Seol Young aside with all his might.

Was he planning to use Seol Young as bait and get out alone?

The thought crossed his mind… but that wasn’t it.

Dozens of swords suddenly appeared in the spot that he thought was an escape route. They poured mercilessly at the spot where Seol Young was just about to pass. It was as if silver rain was falling.

‘Oh, God.’

Seol Young’s heart went cold.

If a human had been there, they would have been shredded to pieces.

“How can that be? A sword suddenly appeared out of thin air….”

“It is the Death Door.”

Seo Geom replied.

Seol Young finally realized it.

“Weren’t those swords flying randomly?”

“How can a Sword Spirit move that randomly? It is a Sword Formation. Among them, it seems to be the ancient one—the Hundred and Eight Cloud Dragon Great Sword Formation.”

Judging from Seo Geom’s tone, it seemed that he himself wasn’t entirely sure.

Then how could Seol Young know about this Sword Formation?

If Seo Geom didn’t push him away, then he could have been gravely hurt.

‘I was so shocked. He ended up saving me…!’

Seol Young decided not to say anything about it.

“Seo Geom-rang, where is the Life Door?”

“Damn it! That is the problem. My father passed away too soon, so I didn’t learn all the techniques.”

The two of them blocked the swords, but it was only to escape the crisis from time to time, and it did not bring about a big change in their situation.

The Sword Formation continued to change. They were pushed into a corner, and the swords continued to attack.

A sharp, booming sound echoed right next to Seol Young’s face.

One sword grazed his head with great force, and Seol Young urged Seo Geom while blocking it,

“Seo Geom-rang! I am an outsider, so I don’t know anything about this formation. Let’s try something quick! If we are found dead here, who will uncover the killer?”

Hearing those words, Seo Geom raised his energy to the limit. A low glow shone all over the chamber.

“If my calculations are right, the Life Door is there!”

And then he ran ahead while blocking off the swords.

Seol-young hurriedly followed and continued to observe the surroundings.

He didn’t learn the Sword Formation or know anything about it, so it was useless for Seol Young to continue observing it. It was clear that he couldn’t do anything, so he just gave up.

So instead, he looked back at the bloody mist.

The flow of the fog caught his eye.

It was spreading, stopping, and then spreading again.

It would become still and then move… It felt like it was moving, become still, and then moving and becoming still again.

It wasn’t unfamiliar.

‘That… is that it?’

Seol Young suddenly remembered and shouted.

“Seo Geom-rang! I think I know!”

“What?”

“I know what made them all move. I saw it last time.”

“Do not talk nonsense. Where in the world did you see the Sword Formation that is our troop’s secret?”

“Not the Sword Formation, but the fog. The movement of the fog isn’t so unfamiliar, so I thought about where I saw it and at the temple on Mount…”

When the story of him being humiliated during the match against Seol Young came up, he flinched. However, he immediately straightened his expression and asked coldly,

“What about the temple?”

“The flute that Seo Geom-rang played. The flow of the fog is so similar to the sound that controlled the demonic beings.”

“How can sight and hearing resemble each other?”

“It does. It is a melody. A melody that controls the Sword Spirits.”

“Then…”

A creaking sound cut off Seo Geom’s words. Sparks flew, and his body was pushed back a step.

The Sword Formation had changed once again. The swords rushed at them again.

There was no time to explain further. Seol Young quickly mumbled.

‘… answer the call!’

A gigantic figure appeared in the stone chamber, which glittered with sword light and aura.

It had a mane that blazed like flames and clear eyes. It was a lion with a wide chest.

The Sword Spirits of the Blue Dragon Troops flew like rain and pierced the body of the lion.

But the lion didn’t care as it opened up its mouth and roared.

Kwaaang!

The sound created an echo, and the Sword Tomb shook. The sound hit the walls, creating endless waves of sound.

At that moment, the swords that were flying toward them began to fall at once, and a clanging sound echoed in all directions.

“…!”

Seo Geom looked at Seol Young in surprise.

Seol Young explained,

“As I thought, my guess was right. A certain melody has been controlling the Sword Spirits. So I made a louder sound to stop the melody from reaching here.”

And he spoke with pride.

“Look, Seo Geom-rang. I am telling you to use your head.”

Seo Geom’s face crumbled. It was because what he just said meant that he had no brain.

Normally, he would have been angry at such words, but he couldn’t afford to do that now.

‘Let’s escape first,’ was what he thought.

Taking advantage of the moment when the Sword Spirits were on the ground, they escaped the chamber and ran through the aisle until they reached the entrance.

The door was strongly sealed, and Seo Geom raised his spiritual qi to the maximum.

“We need to break through!”

While the two of them tried to break through the door, they began to hear loud bangs from behind them.

Already?

When they turned around, the swords were flying again in the darkness.

But then they heard a deafening sound from the outside, and a brilliant golden light shone from the cracks of the door.

A blush spread across both of their faces.

“Here!”

They shouted while blocking the rain of swords. After a couple more hits, the sealed door broke open.

“Seol Young! Seo Geom-rang!”

The three White Tiger Hwarangs jumped inside, and their eyes widened as they looked at the swords flying toward them.

“I don’t know what the situation is…!”

Zaha swung his sword around again and again. A golden aura began to rise like a whirlwind and attack the swords.

Even the Sword Spirits couldn’t recognize this energy. The moment he paused, they were all swept away by the whirlwind. They were both pushed out right then.

Seol Young and Seo Geom pulled themselves up, and the three Hwarangs shut the door.

That was how they were able to get out of the chaos. It felt like years had passed inside.

‘How…?’

When Seol Young asked with his eyes, Zaha pointed to his chest. The Great Mother must have given him the hint. He felt grateful for it.

“I have nothing to say. I couldn’t control the situation….”

Seo Geom lowered his sword, and at that moment, everyone thought the same thing.

Seo Geom didn’t even think of using this opportunity to kill Seol Young, which meant that the situation was that dire. Zaha said,

“There is nothing to blame. At least Seol Young-rang must have been the one who did something.”

“No.”

Seol Young said.

“The Sword Spirits attacked first. I was just trying to look into the memory of Hae Cheon-rang, who died…”

“Memory Projection? What did you see?”

“That…”

But he didn’t have the time to tell them. Seol Young looked down at the bloody fog that covered the ground.

“First of all, it’s a big deal right now. What kind of sound awakened the Sword Spirits and manipulated them? Did you hear anything on the way here?”

“…”

Everyone went silent, and only then did they hear it.

A sound buried softly in the wind. A very low sound that seems to cut off but continues again.

A whistle.

It was a song on a flute. But it was being done in a different manner.

Its nature seemed extremely negative, so it had the opposite effect.

It wasn’t calming anything, but it was waking up the spirits instead.

“This…!”

Seo Geom was enraged.

Everyone followed him to the training grounds. They ran down the stairs and reached the Crystal Prison.

All the Hwarangs that were assigned there had collapsed onto the ground. The inside of the prison was empty, and they could see Euljae lying face down.

Seo Geom was shocked.

“Uncle!”