Chapter 23: The Assassin in the Mirror

“…That’s what happened.”

As Yoo Kishin recounted his shocking experience, Hwaseo and Doryeong let out grim sighs.

“A ghost pretending to be human. Possession, maybe…?” Hwaseo mused.

“With fakes mimicking us and spreading, that’s the likely scenario,” Doryeong added.

“Then Seol Haru’s disappearance…?”

“Probably the same.”

As they exchanged quiet theories, Kishin raised a question he couldn’t ignore.

“But… who are you guys?”

“I just saw someone looking exactly like Doryeong, and you took it out. And you’re chasing it this late.”

“…”

The two hesitated, exchanging subtle glances.

Unbeknownst to Kishin, they were debating memory erasure.

It was on hold until the situation was resolved.

Not an easy task, and mishandling it could cause worse trouble.

“We’ll explain later,” Hwaseo said.

“Don’t go home. Hide somewhere safe. The salt was smart, but it’s temporary. If you meet another, run,” Doryeong advised.

Kishin’s occult instincts were sharp.

Few could escape a ghost in the familiar space of home.

But exorcists were on another level.

“Leave my dad like that? No way. And we need to find Haru,” Kishin protested.

“We’ll handle it…” Doryeong began, annoyed, as Hwaseo tried to calm him.

A sudden sensation made both exorcists frown.

Hwaseo turned to the clueless Kishin.

“Stick close to us.”

“What?”

A figure emerged from a round mirror on the pavement.

As if signaled, grotesque fakes appeared from all directions.

Already used to fighting fakes, the duo wielded their artifacts, gaining the upper hand despite the numbers.

Doryeong advanced with his spirit-infused golden cord, Hwaseo defended with cinnamon talismans.

Kishin, frozen, couldn’t apply his occult knowledge.

“What… what’s this?!”

He believed in ghosts, but superhuman exorcists were beyond his imagination.

Was this the world’s hidden truth?

The fakes didn’t falter despite their losing odds.

As they charged like zombies, a strange force swirled, pulling them in.

“They’re being sucked into the mirrors!” Hwaseo shouted.

“What? Wait, dodge it!”

The trio wasn’t spared.

The mysterious force was too strong, dragging them into the mirror world.

Opening their eyes, they were in Class 3’s room, but it felt alien.

Night had turned to dusk, with unconscious students lying silent.

The mirror world.

The exorcists, with Kishin in tow, left the classroom.

Unexpected, but maybe fortunate.

The incident’s secret likely hid here.

“Hm?”

Traces of movement stood out.

Significant in this warped world.

Following the trail led to the auditorium, where an unexpected figure trembled.

“You guys?”

Joo Kihyun, alone and shaken.

From a different class, Doryeong frowned, but Hwaseo whispered, “I know him.”

“Kihyun, what happened?”

“I… I don’t know. Woke up here. Didn’t realize it wasn’t our school until a ghost showed up and clued me in.”

“…Ghost? You mean the fakes mimicking people?”

“Fakes? No, a real ghost. Long hair to her waist, misty form, no feet—floating. Cold, mysterious vibe, but not evil. It helped me.”

The exorcists’ faces grew grave.

This description had no overlap with what they’d faced.

It deepened as Kihyun continued.

“And super strong. Moved heavy chairs and desks without touching them—like telekinesis. A female ghost, kinda pretty…”

A spirit with powers opposite to the fakes.

Could it be the culprit?

“Where’s it now?”

“Went in there. The door wouldn’t budge, but she passed through.”

As Kihyun pointed to the auditorium, a chilling explosion echoed, followed by dark energy.

Doryeong rushed to the door, grabbing the handle.

“Won’t work. It’s stuck tight,” Kihyun said.

Indeed, the unnaturally sealed door resisted normal means.

But Doryeong gritted his teeth, channeling full power.

Even Kishin, a normal human, felt the mystical energy surge.

Boom!!

The door burst open, revealing chaos.

“…!”

An unexpected trio—no, quartet with Kihyun.

The exorcists’ arrival was a surprise, but as I wasn’t Seol Haru, it was fine.

They stared, but the fakes attacked them too, leaving no time to gawk.

The auditorium became a chaotic battleground of three forces.

‘Chasing the fakes?’

The mirror ghost, feeling threatened, must’ve summoned all fakes, dragging them in.

They were investigating, as expected.

My goal stayed the same, but I needed a tweak.

“The female ghost is fighting the fakes!” Kihyun shouted.

“Ghosts fighting ghosts? Why?” Hwaseo asked, bewildered.

Even to exorcists, this was unusual.

The floating hand mirror unleashed more sinister energy.

Sensing new intruders, it gave me an opening.

– Don’t interfere! Don’t! Don’t! Don’t!!

– Not sure what I’m interfering with, but…

Ignoring physics, I dodged fakes, closing in on the mirror.

It was too slow to counter my speed.

It floated higher to evade, but I could fly too.

What followed was a ghost-on-ghost duel.

– Should’ve stayed here, not gone out.

The mirror dodged, blasting spiritual energy.

It was both crushing air pressure and a dark aura trying to consume me.

Not sophisticated, but as the creator of countless fakes, its power outclassed typical evil spirits.

– Annoying.

Seol Haru was a minor character.

Barely noticeable in years of playing Spirit Exorcism.

But I’d read the lore.

She was extraordinary.

Problem was, my power wasn’t at full strength.

‘Meant to store more.’

With exorcists here, I couldn’t delay.

Grabbing a silver hairpin, I released a soul.

The headless ghost from my second encounter at Paradise High.

Then—

– What?! What?! What?!

A panicked voice as my movements shifted.

The headless ghost wasn’t elite, but its strength and speed dwarfed the fakes.

Its resentment stirred, but it couldn’t overwhelm me.

Fakes fell powerlessly, and then—

– Let go! Let go! Let go!!

– This is it.

The mirror was in my grasp.

Before its final struggle, my energy shattered its core.

Fakes began collapsing, powerless.

Normally, I’d destroy the mirror completely.

Risky, but the exorcists’ arrival offered a better option.

“That mirror’s the key! Don’t let it fall to the ghost!” I shouted.

All eyes were on me.

Hwaseo’s usual warmth was gone, her face stern.

Kishin, a mere human, braced to fight.

Kihyun, who I’d helped, watched anxiously.

Doryeong radiated intense hostility.

‘He hates all ghosts.’

To him, I was no exception.

The gap between human and ghost was vast.

“I’ll start the sealing ritual. Hwaseo, help,” Doryeong said.

“…Got it.”

Wondering how to hand over the mirror smoothly, the wary exorcists began channeling power.

An invisible chain tightened around me.

“Not an ordinary ghost—stay sharp!” Doryeong warned.

Despite his youth, his exorcist talent was exceptional.

His sealing array could trap most evil spirits.

If it wasn’t me.

Still releasing the soul, I slipped out, leaving the chain to ensnare the mirror.

—!

The mirror ghost’s scream echoed as cracks spiderwebbed the mirror world.

As the shockwave forced everyone’s eyes shut, I slipped out of the auditorium.

‘Time to return as Seol Haru.’