Chapter 376: Betrayal(2)
Chapter 376: Betrayal(2)
Demon worshippers possess abilities that defy the common sense of this world, as very little information about them is publicly known.
The most prominent example is necromancy. Even necromancy was treated as a top-secret art until it was eventually exposed to the world.
While it doesn't truly bring the dead back to life, it is an act that severely violates ethical boundaries. Scholars are still divided on whether it should be classified as magic or sorcery.
This is because using necromancy requires performing rituals like sorcery, yet it also possesses the systematic structure of magic.
As such, necromancy has become the defining identity of demon worshippers, and people are well aware of how dangerous it is.
However, necromancy isn't just about raising corpses. That is merely the ability known to the public; in reality, it encompasses a wide variety of powers.
It can be used to summon and converse with the souls of the dead, or to temporarily move one's own soul elsewhere.
In particular, those who have completely mastered necromancy can use it to swap bodies entirely once their physical lifespan reaches its limit.
Because of this, several demon worshippers have used this method to extend their lives, which is also why they made human trafficking their primary business.
While they do offer sacrifices to the 'Father of All Things,' the decisive reason was to find bodies suitable for themselves.
However, this insidious method was a feat that only a tiny minority among the demon worshippers could perform, so its very existence remained unknown.
"M-Mother! Wake up! Someone, get a priest over here, quickly!"
"Why—why did she suddenly collapse? Did you do something?"
"Do something? She was running toward us in a hurry, and the moment I caught her, she just went limp!"
Currently, the entrance to Halo Academy was in an uproar due to this untimely incident.
The knights guarding the main gate were flustered, hovering over an elderly woman who had collapsed on the ground.
They tried shaking her to wake her up and performed what emergency first aid they knew, but the old woman didn't budge.
[Of course she won't. She's dead, after all.]
There was a man looking down at them from above. He curled one side of his mouth into a smirk as he watched their helpless confusion.
Normally, one would take him for a mage, but his appearance was quite peculiar.
His entire body was stained a black so deep it could only be described as 'murky,' and his form was generally featureless.
Though he was completely naked, he lacked any genitalia; he looked like an unfinished sculpture.
His face was as smooth as an egg, with only a mouth attached, creating a truly grotesque impression.
[I'd better move fast before that woman arrives.]
The man muttered to himself as he moved into the Academy. That old woman was nothing more than a trap or a way to buy time.
His target was the greatest enemy within the Academy: Isaac.
[No matter how much the brat is blessed by those false gods, he won't be able to stop a soul. I've even done the prep work for this. Quantity cannot be overcome.]
How many tedious tasks had he endured for this great undertaking? He recalled the steps he had taken to eliminate this single target.
Normally, he would have swapped bodies like a doll whenever his physical lifespan ran out, but that had become nearly impossible after their human trafficking business was thoroughly exposed.
The Minerva Empire, which had been their sanctuary, had launched a massive crackdown, and neighboring countries had joined in to support the effort.
If things continued this way, the slave trade would be completely uprooted. That was why he had taken matters into his own hands.
[Living in that body won't be so bad. I hear there's no shortage of beauties around him. Even an Elf Queen. I should have done this sooner. Hehe.]
The man—or rather, the soul—let out a sinister laugh as he moved toward Isaac's location. He was currently filled with anticipation.
While the exposure of the demon worshippers' existence was a painful blow, fortunately, the full extent of their abilities had not yet been revealed.
He had exploited that very gap for this grand plan. Even when he had briefly possessed the old woman, the priests of the Order hadn't noticed a thing.
Not even the Grand Inquisitor, Kate. Unless the soul was exposed as it was now, it would take specific procedures to detect him while he was possessing someone.
[Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will always be victorious. This is no different from the past.]
He had gathered as much information as possible about Isaac, including the fact that he was favored by the gods.
If he had attempted possession without any prior preparation, this endeavor would have been in vain. Since Isaac was favored, his divine power would be formidable.
However, he had sacrificed countless offerings for this task, taking measures to ensure he could pierce through that divine power.
Once the divine power was breached, eroding the soul would be child's play. Divine power was merely a shield; it could not change the essence of the soul.
This was a fact he had learned while hopping through numerous bodies, and thanks to that, he had gained several insights.
[It's a relief the brat is human. If he were of another race, I wouldn't have even been able to try.]
First, the races had to match. What would happen if a human soul entered the body of an Elf or a Demon?
Since a human soul with a relatively short lifespan would be entering, the probability of mental collapse was extremely high.
Beastkin were somewhat better, but they were a race with animalistic instincts. That, too, would create a massive sense of dissonance in daily life, leading to problems.
Therefore, the necromancy the man used—possession—was only possible between the same race and gender, and the human population was overwhelmingly the largest among all races.
Of course, he could possess someone of a different gender for a short time, just as he had with the old woman earlier.
He had spent hundreds of years searching for a suitable body, and for this great undertaking, he had even used the old woman's body.
[Is it there?]
Following the information he had, the man eventually arrived at the dormitory where Isaac stayed.
The dormitory boasted a luxurious exterior and ironclad security, but there was no way it could block the intrusion of a soul.
This was an ability closer to 'sorcery' than magic. The man wore a slimy smile as he slipped inside.
Being a soul, no one could see or detect him, and even walls were no obstacle.
[Once I take the soul, all that's left is to toy with the rest.]
Once the body was stolen, the original owner would either ascend or wander the living world as a ghost.
In other words, the original owner was as good as dead. He, on the other hand, could simply find another body using his abilities whenever he pleased.
The man then began searching the dormitory room by room for Isaac. First, he checked the room located at the very beginning of the hallway.
[Not here.]
That was the room of Isaac's fiancée, Mari, but she was currently out for classes.
The man passed through the wall to the next room. As soon as the scene inside entered his vision, he couldn't help but flinch.
"Get up! You mustn't collapse from something like this!"
"Huff... huff..."
"There are many in this world stronger than I! Stand up at once!"
"Y-Yes...!"
A man's thunderous shout, like the roar of a lion. And a female knight collapsed before him.
It was Hawk and Adelia. While Hawk barely broke a sweat, Adelia was face-down on the ground, gasping for breath.
Even so, she never let go of the sword in her hand. Her posture spoke of a will that refused to give up.
The man looked back and forth between the two and instinctively realized something.
[Red hair and golden eyes... but they said he was a young man, so this isn't him.]
Based on the physical characteristics, the man resembled Xenon, but he wasn't young. Just as the soul was about to pass them by—
"..."
As if he knew the man was there, Hawk stared intently in his direction.
Hawk, who generally had a jovial image, looked incredibly imposing when he furrowed his brow in a grimace.
It was so intense that even the man, who knew he couldn't be seen, shrank back significantly.
Despite being in a spirit form, he felt like a herbivore before a lion; the blood in his entire body seemed to turn cold.
"Huff... huff... Where are you looking?"
"No. It's nothing. Must have been my imagination."
"Then, I'm coming at you again."
"Come."
Fortunately(?), it seemed to have been a mistake. The man stood frozen in place even as Hawk resumed the training.
Is this what they mean by 'knees knocking'? Just by meeting his gaze, it felt as if he had put his head into a lion's maw.
[W-What kind of bloodline is this...]
The man hurried out of the room. As they say, a lion begets a lion; the father was also extraordinary.
Perhaps there was something special about that bloodline. Shuddering, the man moved into the living room.
[...There he is.]
As soon as he entered the living room, he found the source of all his troubles: Isaac.
He was currently taking a nap on a small bed placed in the living room.
His hair, usually tied back, was loose, making his brilliant red hair stand out.
[...He looks annoyingly good.]
The man grumbled as he looked at Isaac, who was sleeping soundly, oblivious to the world.
He was so handsome it was irritating. A high bridge of the nose, a sharp jawline—the very symbols of good looks. And finally, eyelashes of just the right length.
Because his hair was long, the man almost mistook him for a woman for a moment. Though he had hopped through countless bodies, a handsome man like Isaac was extremely rare.
He had fame and wealth from the Xenon Biography, and on top of that, beautiful women, including his fiancée.
Before being the greatest adversary of the demon worshippers, he was just an annoying existence. The man nodded, thinking he had done well to proceed with this great undertaking.
Once he took over the body, everything Isaac owned would become his. Even if he were caught, it wouldn't matter.
If necessary, he could threaten them by harming the body, and if all else failed, he could just escape.
Just imagining the people who would wail while clutching the empty shell after the soul had departed made his whole body tingle with excitement.
[By the way...]
Who is this? Before taking over Isaac's body, the man looked at the figure Isaac was hugging like a doll.
The figure had red hair like Isaac and possessed a beauty that made it hard to tell if they were male or female.
Most notably, there was a sprout on top of the head and wings on the back.
Based on appearance alone, it was certainly an angel from the scriptures, but the man decided that couldn't be the case.
In his life, which had transcended human lifespan, he had never seen an angel.
He figured Isaac had a hidden child and had attached wings for them. Naturally, those wings wouldn't be real, but fakes.
[But didn't they say he wasn't even in his twenties? Then what is this thing?]
The man was feeling puzzled by a fact that hadn't been in his information when—
Flash—
Ariel, who had been sleeping soundly in Isaac's arms, snapped her eyes open. Golden eyes that resembled Isaac's.
Then, she turned her gaze and looked 'straight' at the man in his spirit form.
If Hawk had seen him by chance earlier, Ariel was undoubtedly facing the man directly.
[W-What...]
The man was taken aback. Ariel wiggled and slipped out of Isaac's arms.
Even then, Isaac didn't open his eyes. He had been through mentally taxing events recently and needed to recharge.
Ariel then stood up on the bed and reached her tiny hands toward the air.
Grab!
[W-What?!]
She caught him. No, he was caught.
The man couldn't help but be bewildered when Ariel grabbed his spirit form.
After all, in over several hundred years, the number of beings who could even see his spirit form could be counted on one hand.
Furthermore, even those who could see him couldn't directly influence him. But Ariel had touched him directly.
How could this be? While the man was panicking, Ariel, who was holding his foot, blinked a few times before taking action.
"Aah."
Chomp—
Ariel put the tip of the spirit's foot into her mouth. She didn't stop there; she kept going.
"Slurp. Slurp. Mph."
As if sucking on delicious food, she began to inhale him, starting from his toes.
It began with the foot, but passed the knee and thigh, finally reaching the groin.
[Aaaargh!! L-Let go!!]
The man screamed and struggled as if he could feel pain even as a spirit. He tried everything to escape, but it was all in vain.
In the end, he reached out toward Isaac to take over his body, but it was a futile gesture.
His hand, which had barely been about to touch Isaac, gradually moved further away. Ariel had finally begun to suck in his torso.
[W-What on earth...! What is this girl?! What is she?!]
"Mph."
[T-This... wasn't in the... plan...!]
Pop—
Ariel finally swallowed the soul's head as well. She chewed thoroughly and swallowed it down her throat, just as Isaac had taught her.
"Burp."
A refreshing burp followed.
Poot—
And a cute little fart. As soon as she farted, Ariel looked back.
Unlike the pitch-black soul from before, a pure white energy was drifting upward toward the ceiling, as if signaling its purity.
Ariel watched quietly until the energy passed through the ceiling and vanished, then turned her gaze back to Isaac.
Throughout the entire ordeal, Isaac remained fast asleep.
"Yawn..."
Ariel also wiggled back into his arms to get some more sleep.
As she snuggled in, Isaac reflexively gave her a gentle squeeze.
As if absolutely nothing had happened, the father and daughter continued their happy slumber.
"Lord Isaac! Lord Isaac! Please open the door, quickly!!"
Kate, arriving late, began to pound violently on the door.
