Chapter 18: Ghost
“How do you cut a ghost?”
The man asked.
He was someone I didn’t recognize.
“Those things aren’t affected by bullets or shells, not even by Magic, and you can’t kill them with all kinds of Miracles. So how on earth did you cut it, sir?”
At that, I—
No, Older Brother opened his mouth.
“The way to cut a ghost, huh.”
What Older Brother said next didn’t reach my ears properly.
Instead, the ghost’s horrific wail rang out, echoing right beside me.
“————!”
“Th-that thing is… what the hell…….”
Jason still hadn’t grasped what had happened and stared at the ghost with a dazed expression.
“Run away!”
At Diesel’s shout, Jason jolted in surprise, then turned around and started running.
Toward that orc, the ghost moved.
‘Crazy!’
Diesel hurriedly formed a spell.
A single strand of Mana, made of vivid blue lightning, flashed between Diesel and the ghost.
Rather than dealing damage, he poured everything into stopping its movement ‘Lightning Whip.’
He slammed Mana into it with everything he had and yanked hard on the whip strand connected to the ghost’s claws.
Pajijik!
With a crackling sound, blue sparks scattered in all directions.
But that alone couldn’t completely stop the creature’s attack.
At best, it only slightly deflected the direction of the strike.
“Kugh!”
Normally, the ghost’s sharp claws should have pierced straight through Jason’s spine.
But thanks to the magic Diesel deployed, it ended with a deep gash torn across his back.
He had subdermal armor implants installed and was even wearing a stab-resistant suit on top of that, but before the ghost’s slashing attack, it was torn apart like paper.
Thanks to Diesel, instant death was avoided, but if that orc didn’t receive proper treatment within a few hours, he would lose his life.
For now, that was enough.
‘Why did a ghost appear already?’
Ghosts had vanished from the world.
That was common sense among common sense.
But Diesel knew.
Someday, those things would reappear in the world and drive everything toward annihilation.
But already?
This was far too fast compared to what Diesel had anticipated.
‘Or maybe…….’
It might not have been a newly appeared ghost, but one that had been hibernating here all along.
Perhaps the deep resentment that spread when the Wastewater Spirit just now condensed into one had awakened it again.
If that was the case, it wasn’t difficult to infer the root cause behind all of this.
The team member who hadn’t said a word since earlier.
The prideful hacker who had been humiliated by Diesel multiple times.
‘Zeon.’
Most likely, Zeon had deliberately gathered the Wastewater Spirits together to create a powerful enemy called a condensate, all to put Diesel in a difficult position.
But had summoning a ghost also been part of his intention?
That, he didn’t know.
‘At least not right now.’
He would definitely get an answer later.
After dealing with the enemy right in front of him.
“————!”
The ghost’s dreadful wail once again echoed in all directions.
It stared at Diesel and scraped the ground with its long claws.
At the same time, the spirit Diesel had summoned began to reveal its form.
A type of spirit he had never summoned before.
He didn’t doubt for a moment whether it would respond to his call.
Because Diesel possessed spirit affinity superior to anyone else’s.
More important than that was what Level of spirit would appear.
‘At minimum, it has to be Level 7 or higher.’
The same Level that Director Siena had handled earlier—Level 7.
Only at that level could one hope to deal with a being like a ghost.
〈Hooah…….〉
The spirit that revealed itself was of an even higher Level than Diesel had expected.
〈It’s been so long since I was summoned.〉
A clear, refreshing voice echoed in his head.
A humanoid body that fully revealed its beautiful curves.
Pure streams of water flowing with noble grace, without the slightest hint of contamination.
Just from that, it was obvious that this spirit was on a completely different level from ordinary ones.
〈Are you the human who summoned me?〉
And it could even hold a proper conversation.
‘Level 8. No… it feels like Level 9.’
Judging by the power flowing through its body, that assessment was more than reasonable.
〈My name is Nereid. Nice to meet you.〉
After introducing herself, the water spirit stretched and looked around.
Then she spotted the ghost and frowned.
〈That thing…… it’s an impious being that once inflicted a great wound upon this land.〉
Spirit Nereid muttered as she read the ghost’s negative imprint.
〈Mage, don’t tell me you summoned me to deal with that? I’m sorry, but that’s…….〉
“No.”
〈Huh?〉
“I don’t have time to persuade you, so I’ll apologize in advance.”
Diesel immediately applied a spell formula he had learned moments ago during the battle with the Spirit Mage.
〈Ugh, what are you doing right n—!〉
“Just endure it for a bit. Once it’s over, I’ll return everything to normal right away.”
He drew the spirit’s power toward his own body.
Not merely the liquid flesh of its manifested form, but something more fundamental than that.
The spirit shattered into countless fragments and seeped into Diesel.
‘Kugh…… I have to gather it together.’
Bodies of completely different natures began to intermingle.
A technique that would normally require countless experiences and trials to master.
But his talent allowed him to leap over all of that in a single bound.
‘This…… this feeling is like…….’
A completely different kind of vision opened up.
All sorts of emotions flowing around him floated in the air as visual forms.
‘So this is the world as spirits see it.’
Just as a sense of curiosity arose over why he’d never thought of this before—
From within him, Nereid whispered in a flustered voice.
〈Mage, did you just merge with me……?〉
“Why. Is this your first time?”
〈It is……!〉
An experience even a Level 9 spirit that had lived on this land for countless years had never undergone.
A form of Spirit Art known as semi-spiritualization.
If a Spirit Mage like Siena had witnessed this scene, what kind of reaction would she have had?
Diesel had perfectly deployed spiritualization after seeing it only once from afar, something she had spent her entire life mastering.
And he had even gone further, applying it in a way that took only half, so as not to burden the body.
〈To treat me this brutally without even asking permission…….〉
“Lend me your strength.”
〈You’ve already borrowed it.〉
Diesel raised his hand and gazed at the newly overflowing power.
The things one could do with the freely shape-shifting power of water were endless.
And this spirit was a Level 9 water spirit with enough power to submerge an entire village.
In Diesel’s grasp, the water that had once been the spirit’s body compressed densely.
〈Mage, it’s coming.〉
Along with the spirit’s warning, the ghost charged in.
At an utterly ridiculous speed, even seeing it again.
In response, Diesel spun the spirit’s gathered power in his hand, spreading it wide into the shape of a sphere.
Trying to completely block its attack would be arrogance.
Those claws could pierce even thick steel as if it were tofu.
However, thrusting attacks had a clear weakness.
Because all the force was concentrated on a single point, the effective range was extremely narrow, so if it was lightly deflected or avoided, it became completely meaningless.
‘Just like a glancing bullet.’
The ghost drove its claws deep into the water barrier.
But it slightly lost its direction within the high-speed flowing liquid.
That slight deviation made an enormous difference.
The creature’s attack veered off to the side and sliced through empty air.
Then the ghost leapt far backward and retreated.
“————!”
It let out another horrific noise and grotesquely transformed its claws.
〈It’s decided its own claws won’t work as they are.〉
Along with the spirit’s words, several spikes sprouted from the ghost’s claws, jutting out like tree branches.
‘So it’s revising its strategy immediately.’
By increasing the number of attacking claws and widening the surface area, it could easily break through the water curtain Diesel had spread.
‘No matter how you look at it, this thing is absurd.’
The strength of a ghost didn’t come solely from raw physical power.
They fought intelligently, constantly analyzing their opponent’s abilities and changing their responses.
On top of that, they possessed bodies that could transform at will, making them truly deserving of being called beings of terror.
‘If I drag this out, it’ll only get more dangerous.’
Engaging in a prolonged battle with a being that grew endlessly stronger through combat was foolish.
Somehow, it had to be finished with the next strike.
Diesel solidified the thoughts that had formed in his mind and conveyed them to the spirit.
〈Can you do it?〉
〈Hmm……. Yeah. I don’t like it, but.〉
The moment consent was given, Diesel thrust his right hand forward.
The spirit’s body gathered together along his five fingers.
Before long, it formed a single shape.
A long blade made of liquid.
A water sword tinged with blue light was gripped in his hand.
But Diesel didn’t stop there.
〈Understand this.〉
〈*…….〉
He drew Mana up from within his body.
The power of Black Ice obtained from the Seolha Thousand-Year Ice gathered in his palm.
Diesel intended to freeze the spirit that had turned into a sword with Black Ice.
But it couldn’t be done like ordinary freezing.
If he did that, the water spirit wouldn’t be able to use its power.
He finely controlled the Mana of Black Ice and concentrated it on the blade’s outer surface.
Leaving its form intact so that the spirit’s energy could flow within, it froze pitch-black from the hilt to the tip.
A sharpness and hardness that defied belief for ice.
And within it, the living, breathing power of a Level 9 water spirit.
Diesel gripped the blade bristling with killing intent.
‘Black Ice Spirit Sword. Is the name too simple?’
It was the first sword he had ever held in his life.
Naturally, his movements should have been awkward, but the body Diesel inhabited was different.
From afar, the ghost with multiple branching claws charged again.
But before that—
The body once called the Supreme Swordsman moved.
‘Spirit-Carrying Sword.’
He recalled something from Older Brother’s memories.
Swordsmanship that wielded the energy of spirits.
Then came a single technique.
‘Tide-Splitting Slash.’
A sword strike that cleaved even unstoppable waves.
The black blade Diesel held drew a long arc, carving a beautiful stroke through the air.
Within it were the sword energy released by a high-Leveling spirit, followed by the Mana of Black Ice that froze everything.
An instantaneous slash where Older Brother’s swordsmanship, the spirit’s power, and attribute-awakened Mana harmonized swept across the horizon.
It struck the ghost’s body as it surged violently toward Diesel.
—The way to cut a ghost, huh.
I heard Older Brother’s voice.
—To cut a ghost…….
Diesel let out a hollow chuckle at the answer that followed.
—You must not try to cut a ghost.
‘What a ridiculous human.’
An answer that hardly qualified as an answer.
But then Older Brother added the rest.
—Rather than trying to cut the ghost, you must try to protect yourself from it.
Older Brother’s mornings always began with sentences like that.
—My sword is not a sword meant to harm, but a sword meant to protect.
A resolve that was truly like him.
‘Yeah. My sword is also for protecting something.’
For Older Brother, it was others.
For me, it was only myself.
With that thought—
The ghost’s pale body split apart.
“Thank you.”
Diesel said as he released the water spirit Nereid.
〈Hmm……. Well, it wasn’t a bad experience. But I’d like to decline a second time.〉
The spirit said, her watery hair swaying softly.
〈Let me give you one piece of advice. It’d be better not to use this kind of power so recklessly on other spirits. I accepted it because I’m a kind and gentle spirit, but others might swallow you whole instead.〉
“Yeah. I’ll keep that in mind.”
At Diesel’s words, the spirit left behind a gentle smile, then scattered in a spray of water.
“Whew…….”
When I turned my head, I saw Jason lying on the ground.
He had been unconscious and groaning just moments ago, but his breathing was gradually stabilizing as he recovered.
Since a Level 9 water spirit had healed him, his life wouldn’t be in danger.
Diesel sat down on the debris of a collapsed building and sorted through the aftermath of the battle that had just taken place.
He had to use an artifact.
He could feel the power stored in his molars had diminished.
An enormous amount of liquid Mana had been injected at once as an emergency measure.
For a while, he wouldn’t be able to take Mana supplements, and he would have to suffer the side effect of reduced Mana recovery.
Because he had moved so frantically to avoid the ghost’s attacks, his artificial muscles had been mercilessly torn apart.
At this point, replacing the prosthetic body entirely might be cheaper than repairing it.
And then……
An android had died.
Not just any android, but a half-android who believed himself to be human.
Now it was time to hear an answer.
From the mastermind who had caused all of this.
At that moment, Ar poked its head out from Diesel’s chest and spoke.
〈Master. Ar blocked a hacking attempt.〉
“……?”
〈Someone just attempted to hack control of Master’s body.〉
There was no particular firewall installed on Diesel’s prosthetic body.
The reason was simple.
There was no need for one.
Because Ar, a powerful living firewall, was protecting him.
〈Ar blocked another attempt just now. Should Ar perform a counter-trace on the hacker?〉
Even without tracing, it was painfully obvious who the culprit was.
“No. Wait.”
〈Hmm……?〉
“I have an idea.”
It was a good opportunity to get a proper answer.
From the mastermind behind everything that had happened.