Chapter 84
After successfully fending off the night raid…
The Nol Mil tribe collected the inner cores of the Fused Abominations and threw them into the blazing bonfire. This was to prevent other demonic beasts from devouring the grotesques’ cores.
“...Can’t we just throw them away?”
Braknark voiced his concern. The Great Nol Warrior’s gaze lingered on the Fused Abominations’ cores.
Woojin spoke as if it were no big deal.
“Don’t worry too much. I’ll manage them carefully so no accidents happen.”
“Understood.”
Braknark nodded. Woojin was not one to speak lightly, and even if something did happen, he trusted that Woojin would handle it.
After taking as many mutant cores as he needed, Woojin returned to his quarters.
‘What should I do with these…’
He stared at the Fused Abominations’ cores in contemplation. Originally, he had planned to chew and swallow them.
Humanoid mutant grotesques.
There was a high possibility that these creatures had been reborn through the erosion of Dark-Side Priests. In other words, by consuming these cores, he might be able to glimpse the memories of those priests.
‘It should be possible. I’ve peeked into Derek and Cedric’s memories the same way before.’
The two sons of the Golden Insect.
Derek and Cedric had been reborn as water after being struck down by a witch, and Woojin had once inherited their memories by consuming their cores.
So if he chewed and swallowed these mutant cores, he would likely inherit the Dark-Side Priests’ knowledge as well…
“…It still feels unpleasant.”
He stared at the Fused Abominations’ cores placed on the floor.
The cores pulsed like hearts. They writhed and squirmed, inching toward one another at every moment—like slugs crawling across the ground.
Grotesque cores possessed the nature of merging into one. Watching this, Woojin rummaged through his travel pack and took out another core.
This one was not from a grotesque. It was the core of a deer demonic beast he had hunted recently out of boredom. He placed it beside the grotesque core.
The reaction was immediate.
Crk—crrrk—
The mutant core slowly swallowed the deer’s core. Soon after, it grew slightly larger. Having consumed prey and gained strength, small bits of flesh sprouted around it.
‘If you consume a grotesque’s core, there’s a risk of being eroded by it instead.’
That was information Braknark had tipped him off about.
Eating a Fused Abomination’s core was considered taboo. Those who consumed one had a high probability of having their bodies stolen by the grotesque.
When grotesques finished a battle and left their kin’s cores behind, it was a kind of tactic. If some fearless life-form devoured the core, the grotesques’ numbers would increase.
For that reason, Woojin hesitated to casually put the core into his mouth.
‘Last time there wasn’t any major problem… but if I keep eating things like this, it might cause trouble.’
It was not something he wanted to do.
But to obtain information about the current situation, it was necessary. There was a high chance that the mutant Fused Abominations and the Dark-Side Priests were connected.
To eat, or not to eat.
As he pondered, Woojin suddenly gazed at the core with his Mind’s Eye, trying to estimate whether it was safe to consume.
Then…
‘…The feeling is strange.’
It was a sensation difficult to describe.
He had only slept three or four hours and was exhausted. On top of that, symptoms of mana overload had begun to manifest. Using the Mind’s Eye in such a hazy mental state…
‘It feels like I’m seeing more than usual.’
A peculiar sensation, as though dreams and reality overlapped. Woojin stared intently at the core.
But the level of his Mind’s Eye was insufficient.
It felt as though he could see something if he just pushed a little further, yet he couldn’t overcome that final limit. One step short of reaching his destination.
‘…Should I merge the cores?’
He suddenly recalled a large core he had seen recently.
The larger the size, the stronger the aura and presence it emitted. Perhaps a core with greater power would be easier to observe.
To test the hypothesis, he merged two cores.
It worked.
‘It feels easier than before.’
Then let’s merge the rest.
Five humanoid mutant grotesques. When he combined them all, the size became nearly that of a baseball. Woojin stared at the core with his Mind’s Eye.
Suddenly, the core began to move.
Crk, crrrk—
The core resting on his palm spread wide like pizza dough, gradually covering his hand. As though it desired the body of a living being.
He was about to tear the mass of flesh away, but then he paused.
“…I can see it.”
Perhaps because the grotesque was attempting to erode his body, it became clearer than before.
The mental landscapes of the Dark-Side Priests.
Because five cores had fused into one, multiple fragments of memory were tangled chaotically together—like looking into a kaleidoscope…
With both eyes closed, Woojin gazed at the knowledge and memories contained within that kaleidoscope.
* **
A great disturbance broke out in the depths of the Demonic Realm.
To investigate the cause, the Dark-Side Priests headed toward the depths. They stepped carefully into a forest brimming with endless malice.
The deep region was a place even high-ranking priests could not approach lightly. A single moment of carelessness would cost someone their breath.
The Dark-Side Priests were heading toward a demonic cavern that had long been designated a forbidden zone.
“Damn it… so it’s come to this.”
The priest walking at the front muttered with a sigh. His gaze was fixed far ahead—on a red rose blooming amid a massive thorn thicket.
The Domain of the Rose.
“The Capricious Nine Roses” was among the ancient beings—exceptionally powerful, unpredictable, and possessing dangerously volatile strength.
The Dark-Side Priests revered the beings from beyond the rift as gods and angels.
But the Nine Roses was an exception.
Most priests who stepped into her domain either vanished or returned half-mad. Thus, the priests deeply feared any contact with the Nine Roses’ faction.
“…How are we supposed to enter this?”
The man at the front muttered in frustration.
It was only natural. The Domain of the Rose was filled with enormous thorn thickets, and here and there spider demonic beasts sat motionless atop spidergrass as though asleep.
“Block your nostrils first.”
“Got it.”
The Dark-Side Priests plugged their nostrils with beeswax they had prepared beforehand. It was to prevent them from smelling the roses’ fragrance.
The roses here had the power to bewitch living beings.
Those who were enchanted by the scent and approached the flowers would become ensnared in the spidergrass set by the spiders—and devoured. Countless beings had lost their lives, enthralled by the floral fragrance.
“…Entering.”
The Dark-Side Priests stepped into the Domain of the Rose. Careful not to awaken the spiders, their movements were extremely cautious.
The ground was entirely covered in spidergrass, but this posed no particular problem. The priests had coated their gloves and shoes with a special potion beforehand. Even if they touched the spidergrass, they could continue forward without much difficulty.
The problem was that the situation was far more ominous than they had anticipated.
“These bastards… they’re all dead?”
Someone muttered in disbelief.
The spider demonic beasts that appeared to be sleeping motionlessly—something they hadn’t noticed from afar—were all collapsed on the ground, dead.
The spiders under the Nine Roses were extremely dangerous. Each one was more than twice the size of a bull and possessed tremendous power.
“Are the Outer Gods fighting over territory? Otherwise this makes no sense.”
“Who knows…”
An elderly priest examined the spider corpses. Wounds were carved all over their abdomens and heads. The long gashes looked like they had been made by blades.
Just who had caused this carnage?
“…Let’s confirm it with our own eyes.”
The battle did not seem to be over yet.
A thunderous roar echoed from deep within. The Dark-Side Priests followed the sound stealthily… and before long, they saw it.
Two beings were fighting.
A spider monster as massive as a cathedral. Upon its back bloomed a single enormous rose, and within the fully opened petals sprouted the upper bodies of women.
There were nine of them in total.
The women’s faces were covered with roses, as if blindfolded. Only their elegant noses and the corners of their lips, curved into alluring smiles, were visible.
‘The Capricious Nine Roses.’
The queen who ruled over the spider demonic beasts.
The Nine Roses possessed breathtaking beauty. Many Dark-Side Priests, bewitched by her appearance, had attempted to commune with her—only to vanish from the world not long after.
Like the song of a siren that lures sailors to ruin, the rose toyed with its prey through fragrance and beauty, making them approach the thorn thicket of their own accord—only to be pierced.
But such allure did not work on an equal.
Standing opposite the Nine Roses was an even older monster.
Crackle, crack—
A gigantic lizard cloaked in red lightning. Three pairs of wings sprouted from its back, and several long horns, like elephant tusks, jutted from its head.
Its sheer size made it seem like part of a mountain range. The silver scales covering its body gleamed like freshly forged steel armor. Its form resembled the dragons of ancient legend.
‘The Dragon of Heavenly Punishment.’
At the sight, the elderly priest felt deep emotion swell in his chest. The Dragon of Heavenly Punishment was one of the Outer Gods the Dark-Side Priests revered.
KRAAASH!!
Suddenly, the storm clouds turned crimson, and a blazing red thunderbolt struck downward. Hit by the bolt, the Nine Roses staggered back a step.
“Ahh, ahhh—”
The nine women cried out in unison like a chorus. The spider bearing them opened its maw as well. A shockwave burst forth from its jaws, warping the surrounding landscape as it surged forward.
But the dragon paid no heed to the shockwave and charged.
The two Old Ones tangled violently. Overwhelmed by the dragon’s momentum, the spider braced itself against a mountainside and engaged in brutal close combat.
BOOM— RUMBLE—
Soil and boulders cascaded down the slope. Lightning fell, and fierce landslides erupted as a result of the clash between ancient beings.
Watching this, the elderly priest murmured in astonishment.
“The Nine Roses… is injured.”
For some reason, the Nine Roses bore numerous wounds—slashes that looked like blade marks. Because of those injuries, her power seemed diminished, and she was being thoroughly pushed back by the dragon.
At this rate, the dragon might kill the rose without much difficulty.
Just as the priest thought that—
KRAAANG!!
Another bolt of fire crashed down to the earth. For an instant, the world was illuminated in brilliant light.
The priest’s eyes widened.
‘…What was that just now?’
It had been too fleeting, and heavy shadows lay over the battlefield. He hadn’t seen it clearly.
What had he just witnessed? He needed to confirm it.
The elderly priest stepped forward—only for those around him to grab him.
‘…It was definitely a person.’
A man had been standing there, holding a sword.
“Old man, we need to run now!! If this continues, we’ll get caught up in their fight!”
The aftermath of the battle was already reaching them. Relentless crimson lightning bolts fell from the sky, and the Nine Roses’ chorus birthed bizarre calamities.
They had to escape immediately. If they stayed, they would soon die meaningless deaths.
“But…”
The elderly priest hesitated. What he had just seen weighed heavily on his mind.
But the others had no intention of lingering.
“Let’s go!”
The Dark-Side Priests grabbed his arms and dragged him along. As they fled, a crimson thunderbolt struck the very spot where they had just been standing.
KRAAAAAANG!!
A deafening roar. The violent shockwave lifted the Dark-Side Priests halfway into the air. Screams erupted everywhere.
“Uwaaaah—!”
“Run faster!!”
The others ran in terror, shouting at the top of their lungs.
But even amid the chaos, the elderly priest could think only of the sight he had just witnessed.
When the lightning struck and the Demonic Realm lit up—
There had been something between the two Outer Gods.
That being had been far too small compared to them. So small it made him doubt his own eyes. It was very possible he had been mistaken. The distance had been great, and it had lasted only an instant.
But the silhouette he had glimpsed for that brief moment was unmistakably clear.
So clear that he could never forget it…