Chapter 54
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: Shadow Festival 4
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In the middle of the lake, something like a black flame flickered. It was like a campfire blazing for their own private festival. The blaze was enormous, large enough to envelop the entire vast lake.
No, it wasn't fire. Flickering like heat haze, swelling like a balloon, then deflating like a shriveled rag—that thing was one and all. A constantly shifting mass of shadows.
Every time it condensed and expanded, a single shadow would drip from the tip of the flame, like batter plopping from dumpling dough. The newly formed shadows clasped hands and spun circles around the fire, tracing rings.
Outside the lake, the infected wandered like souls in the underworld. People wrapped head to toe in bandages, those wearing grotesque masks, ones completely shrouded with sunglasses on, figures in mourning garb with heads bowed low, mouths torn open and splattered with blood.
They devoured one another, vomited each other up, merged, then split apart again, repeating the cycle endlessly.
10:50 p.m.
"Haa..."
A sound escaped her gaping mouth—half sigh, half groan. Ibi pulled her hand from the fence and straightened up.
First things first, they had to head inside. Sure, Ibi herself didn't have much to actually do. They'd only brought her along because leaving her alone would be dangerous.
But she couldn't just be baggage, either. Mina would be too busy protecting herself, so Ibi needed to stick close to Nati or Kang Areum.
The scene deeper in the park was utterly terrifying, but the group didn't hesitate. They stepped swiftly through the entrance.
"...Ah!"
Suddenly, Ibi let out a gasp of dismay and dropped to the ground right there. The others hurriedly scanned their surroundings, but nothing else had happened yet.
Ibi coughed in fits, as if struggling for breath. When she finally raised her head, her face bore an unexpectedly resolute expression.
"What? What just happened?"
Nati pressed her urgently. Ibi cleared her throat one last time and spoke.
"I died."
Nati's eyes widened just a fraction. Ibi repeated herself.
"Just now. Drowned."
Tension rippled through the rest of the group. They'd thought they were being cautious enough, but to go down this easily?
"Stay calm. Now, open your eyes wide. What exactly went down?"
"Well..."
Ibi, dazed for a brief moment, suddenly sprang into unexpected action. She shot to her feet from her seated position, eyes burning with determination.
"We need to move fast, before those things can react."
"What?"
Even Nati looked baffled by the abrupt declaration, but Ibi was already moving.
She seized Mina's wrist in a firm grip and bolted straight for the lake.
"Wha—huh—what are you doing, sis! Have you lost your mind?"
"I know where the bell is! I saw it right before I died!"
Still running full tilt, Ibi shrugged off her top and flung it aside. Mina spotted this and yelped in horror.
"Why are you stripping all of a sudden?!"
"Because..."
Her body lighter now, Ibi started to explain—but she'd moved too quickly, and there was no time left. The pitch-black lake loomed right ahead, its chill surface gleaming coldly.
Without a second's pause, Ibi kicked off her shoes and dove headfirst into the water.
"Sis!"
"I can swim!"
"I know that already!"
Splash. It was too early in the season for true midwinter chill, but the lake on this rainy night was frigid enough.
Her chest throbbed sharply for an instant, breath catching in her throat, but she clamped her lips shut and snapped back to focus. Then she forced her stinging eyes wide and scanned her surroundings.
Just moments ago—right before dying—Ibi had entered the park under the group's protection. She'd done her best to move carefully, but with the entire area dominated by the new moon demons, getting spotted was inevitable.
Her comrades had shielded her, of course, but in one fleeting gap, a black shadow had lashed out from the lake like a rope, coiling around Ibi and dragging her under.
Ibi had been hauled straight to the lake bottom and drowned. But in her final moments, she'd caught sight of it—that item. It had been only a glimpse, but she was certain.
The bell was definitely down here in this lake.
Up above right now, her comrades were holding off the new moon demons. Which meant she had to grab the bell as fast as possible and get back to the surface.
Her blurry vision quickly adjusted to the darkness. The final sight from before her death began to align with her current view.
There!
Frantic kicks propelled her to the target. Ibi clawed wildly through the sunken bricks and tiles scattered on the bottom.
And at last, it emerged from between them: a single battered, rust-eaten bell. If she hadn't been underwater, she would've let out a triumphant cry.
Either way, surfacing was the top priority now. Ibi kicked off the lakebed with every ounce of strength.
"Puha!"
The rain lashing her face even felt warm by comparison. Shivering violently, Ibi whipped her head around to take in the scene.
Shadows rampaged in a frenzy. The infected new moon demons—things that had been human just hours before, each one grotesquely unique—were lunging toward the lake. Holding them back were Nati and Kang Areum.
"Mina!"
Ibi spotted Mina standing at the lakeside and shot her hand up high. Hearing the call, Mina came toddling over.
"Catch!"
Ibi hurled the bell with all her might.
Mina's head split wide open at the crown, revealing a massive maw. The bell sailed through the air and dropped straight inside. Then it snapped shut tight.
"Gulp."
The bell vanished. Every eye turned to Mina. She showed no particular reaction—just stood there, rooted to the spot.
"Is... is it over?"
Ibi swam calmly to shore and climbed out. Regaining some breathing room at last, she surveyed the entire park.
The flame over the lake still burned, but it seemed to be dying down bit by bit. A wind-like wailing noise swept a full circle around them.
The bodies of the infected clogging the walkways began to melt away, little by little. They thrashed in what looked like a final spasm, desperately clinging to their forms, but they wouldn't hold out much longer.
"It's... over, right?"
Ibi approached the group timidly on foot. Kang Areum stared at her impassively. One moment charging like a maniac and diving into the water, now cowering in fear—what an inconsistent mess.
But rather than voice that, she just said curtly,
"You're a little off the rails yourself."
"...Huh?"
"Never mind."
Either way, it seemed like everything was finally done. That was the thought running through Ibi's head as she started to relax.
Then Nati, who'd been glancing around, suddenly reacted with puzzlement.
"Mina. What... what's wrong with you?"
The other two turned to look at her as well. How long had it been? Mina had dropped to her knees, both hands clamped over her mouth like she was fighting back vomit.
"Ugh... urp..."
The others instantly sensed something was wrong. Wisps of shadowy smoke leaked from Mina's mouth, little by little. At the same time, the flames over the lake flared up just a touch.
"Aaah!"
It was the first time Ibi had ever seen Mina scream. Her body hunched deep, back arching.
A vertical slit tore open along the line of Mina's spine. From within emerged something impossible to describe.
It was a kind of fleshy monster, shrouded entirely in deep gray. It stretched and swelled at random, then halted abruptly. The only thing clear about it was that the whole mass consisted entirely of 'mouths.'
The girl's body—meant for disguise—still dangled there, but for the moment, it didn't seem to function as flesh anymore. Like the lure of a deep-sea anglerfish, it simply hung with its head bowed.
Shadowy smoke seeped from the countless mouths dotting the flesh mass. It seemed to be struggling to hold it back, but not entirely successfully. The infected surrounding them began to stir back to life, bit by bit.
This time, even Nati looked rattled, unable to hide his shock.
"No single new moon demon could withstand a kuwaznyobo's disguise."
The smoke leaking from its mouth had gathered in the air, coalescing into a single form. And from there came a voice—cold as the dank air echoing in a tunnel.
「Wasn't this the first time you've gotten it wrong?」
At those words, every new moon demon in the park twisted its body and shrieked in unison. It sounded like thousands of windowpanes being raked by thousands of hooks.
They went berserk, merging into a massive black wave that surged straight for the group.
By that point, Mina managed to seal her mouth shut again. But the escaped clump of black smoke cackled madly as it shot out of the park.
"This is their last gasp. That's only half of it. The other half's still in Mina's gut! Chase it down, take that part out, and the piece in Mina will die too!"
"B-but..."
Forget chasing—they were about to get shredded by the oncoming shadow wave.
Then Kang Areum let out a snarl and shot toward the wave like a bolt from a crossbow. She slashed with her claws, but it did nothing. Like being glued to sticky mucus, the one-and-all new moon demons sucked her in in an instant.
Kang Areum tried to break free just like before, but this time the pull was dozens of times stronger. Her small frame vanished in moments.
"Wh-what do we do now?"
"...Grab Mina first."
Nati had his folded fan trained on the approaching wave. He seemed to be wracking his brain for an escape, but nothing solid came to mind.
"...Can't think of any fitting last words."
"Don't joke around at a time like this!"
She snapped in irritation, but the situation must be truly dire if even Nati was resorting to that—deepening her despair.
But it was only for a moment. Suddenly, a massive explosion roared from not far away. Startled, they whipped around to see brilliant blue flames roaring.
It was a fire she'd seen somewhere before.
"Kyeng."
Enveloped in the blaze was a single, pure-white fox. The graceful curve running from head to tail exuded an almost mystical aura. Its tails split into several strands, each tip crowned with a flickering flame.
The fox shook off the shadows clutching it and leaped high. One new moon demon blocked its path, but a single swipe of its forepaw tore the thing apart—literally.
The fox landed right in front of Ibi. It tucked its forelegs beneath it, threw its long head back dramatically to gaze at the sky, and unleashed a roar. It was like the bellow of a fury-maddened beast, yet strangely laced with a musical melody.
The shadow wave faltered and pulled back. At last, the fox lowered its head, jaws clamped around jade-green flames.
A strangely familiar voice emanated from the fox. The growling tone of a woman seething with rage.
"From here on, there'll be no mercy for you mongrels."