Devouring the False

Whether this bastard was a cult leader or a pope didn't matter in the slightest. What mattered was that he had tried to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠manipulate and swallow even me, and I had absolutely no idea what to do with him.

Can I win? Why did he choose to appear before me now of all times?

I didn't know. I couldn't tell if he wanted to talk or if this was just another ploy to buy time.

Strictly speaking, the only reason I had sensed something off and protected my soul with mental chains was because I had already experienced being possessed by Ryeo-ah.

Ryeo-ah.

The possession I had just resisted was remarkably similar to what Ryeo-ah had done to me. I didn't know if all possessions were just naturally alike, but if I failed to notice the connection after hearing the name "Hong Ryeo-ah," that would be a serious problem in itself.

However, now was not the time to play detective, press her for answers, or demand a detailed explanation.

"Fufu. I do love interesting children. Boiling young blood is quite delicious, after all. I also rather like that dazed, clueless look on your face. Though whining... well, that is the absolute worst."

"..."

"You are afraid. But this, too, has its own charm—clinging to the tongue with a thick, rich flavor. I quite enjoy it."

What mattered right now was escaping the board they had set up. Whether we talked or beat each other to a pulp, now was absolutely not the time. I fundamentally needed to break out of the enemy's trap and buy myself some time to sort everything out.

That was why I asked her just one simple question.

How, where, and when do we run?

Perhaps pleased by my swift and decisive judgment, she opened her lips in satisfaction.

That was more than enough.

"Fufufufu, are you scar—oh?"

The ink-black dokkaebi club I always carried in my robes expanded at a terrifying speed. Coiled within it was a violent wind, packed with enough pressure to claw and pulverize everything in sight.

Just before swinging it, my eyes caught So-wol and Jeongha, who still stood there with blank, dazed expressions. But if I didn't act now, it would be too late. I could only pray their bodies were sturdy enough to survive the blast.

BOOM!

A heavy, deafening explosion erupted, and the wind-infused sword qi began to grind the debris of the shattered building like a blender.

Screeech! Crunch!

"It's red."

It should have been nothing more than a wooden building, yet grinding it to pieces yielded a rather fascinating result. Only ordinary brown wood and fibers should have been tearing apart inside that storm, so why did it look like a mass of flesh being pureed?

If not for the voice piercing my ears, I might have wasted precious seconds just staring at the spectacle.

"And what about what I'm hearing right now?"

Should I believe this? After a brief moment of hesitation, I decided to follow her words unconditionally, just this once. I wasn't just escaping on my own; I had to look out for the others too. If I treated her as an enemy here, I would be completely helpless. It was time to test the weight of the trust we had built over our time together.

"Just for now, I'm putting my absolute trust in you. Help me."

"No time for jokes."

From the distance, it was approaching.

"My, my. What an exceptionally clever child. Who would have thought to destroy the entire building in that situation? Not to mention completely slipping past my control and possession."

Despite an attack that had literally pureed the entire building, the figure stood completely unscathed. No, let me correct myself. To be precise, everything below its knees had been completely shredded. It was just that the entity I was looking at now showed no signs of injury.

Sliiiither—

Blood vessels wriggled like snakes, covering the mangled area and instantly regenerating it. This was a level of art that even Ryeo-ah, when possessing Jeon Gu-seok, hadn't shown.

"Are you a child versed in the occult? But if I assume that, your past actions make no sense. It is more accurate to assume you have mastered a special cultivation method or possess a spiritual treasure. Perhaps both."

"What do you think?"

"Or, in very rare cases, you might have been born with a mutant, incredibly powerful mental-type divine ability."

"Fascinating imagination."

The saving grace was that this bastard loved the sound of his own voice. People like him had a habit of playing with those they deemed beneath them, kindly answering their questions as if to say, Look at how hard I worked. They were incredibly chatty, as if seeking justification to kill you from your own mouth. Thanks to his talkativeness, Ryeo-ah was able to feed me a wealth of information in the meantime.

What about the others?

No way. I have to take them with me.

"They call it atavism, do they not? I think I shall take you for myself."

"Give it a shot."

It was then that I felt a strange sensation, as if Ryeo-ah was curling her lips into a satisfied smile.

Ah, that's a bit much.

Just stay on standby.

First, I needed to see how far my attacks could actually reach him.

Thud!

I stomped my foot. Instantly, the ground beneath him vibrated, and sharp, qi-infused stone pillars erupted upward. It was an incredibly obvious setup—stone fangs that were far slower than my wind attacks. It was a highly predictable strike, one that even Jeongha could easily dodge if she was paying attention. It seemed only natural that he would avoid it.

Crunch!

"Mmh."

"What?"

...Until the stone fangs rising from below impaled him right through the crotch.

Instead of pausing to wonder why, I immediately launched a follow-up stone spike, aiming straight for his head.

Squelch!

Once again, the spike effortlessly pierced his skull, scrambling his brains. His body went limp, dangling lifelessly. It was such a blatant display of playing weak that it only fueled my suspicion.

"Just get to the point."

Yet, despite my doubts, the old man's life force had indeed completely vanished.

"Were you surprised?"

The owner of the voice was a completely different woman now—a housewife who looked like she belonged in a tavern kitchen, swinging a ladle.

"How long can you keep doing that?"

"Hmm, let's see."

But her eyes seemed to overflow with a thick, unmistakable scent of blood.

"Let's see. One, two... five, six, seven, eight, nine..."

She folded and unfolded her fingers as she counted. Finally, folding all the fingers on both hands to make ten, the housewife mockingly waved her clenched fists.

"...Ten. I'm sorry. If I had more fingers, I'd let you know, but unfortunately, I can only count to ten."

"Then die."

Was there any need for further conversation? A stone spike impaled the housewife's abdomen, shattering her spine as it tore clean through her back. She had tried to block it with a ladle she conjured from Lord knows where, but it was utterly useless.

"You certainly have energy to spare."

Dangling the broken handle of her ladle, the housewife's body collapsed.

"It's like watching a snake shed its skin."

That was the second one. But I couldn't celebrate. The third was already on its way.

What is it?

Explain in detail.

It was incredibly annoying, but did I have any other choice? I had to keep the girls alive first.

Turning around, I glared at the wave of countless monsters surging toward me from all directions.

"You all look somewhat familiar."

These were people I had occasionally seen in the market or around the merchant caravans. Each and every one of them was emitting the clumsy aura of the Core Condensation realm, their eyes bloodshot as they lunged at me.

"How strange. This was supposed to be an easy mission."

Why did this kind of shit happen every single time I took a job? Seriously, what a fucking joke. Swearing to demand massive compensation once I got back, I took my stance.

"Hello there."

"Over here."

"Are you really going to kill us all? Among us is the young street vendor who sold you those skewers."

"I sold you the ring you gifted to your woman."

"Wasn't my dagger quite exquisite?"

People I had briefly crossed paths with. Were they trying to shake my resolve with this? Well, if that was their game, I could play along.

I twisted my face into an expression of sheer agony, but at the same time, I visualized a set of interlocking, grinding buzzsaws that would shred anything they touched. I would puree them all.

Whoosh!

As I swung my club through the air, a massive gale shaped like a buzzsaw materialized, efficiently slicing through the oncoming wave. Normally, a wave cannot be cut by a saw, but since these had physical forms, there wasn't a single living thing left moving in front of me within seconds.

"Your control of qi isn't exceptionally refined, but your creativity is marvelous. Interlocking, rotating gears... a buzzsaw?"

Yet, the essence of it was still like bringing a blade to a wave. No matter how many times I cut, I knew the next wave would come.

You really want me to just throw myself into them?

I hate getting hurt, though.

Son of a bitch. Cursing whoever was controlling these bodies, I steadily depleted my demonic energy.

Crack!

Crushing them with my club.

Screeech!

Grinding bone and flesh to dust with the wind.

Thud!

Cladding my body in tank-like armor ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and ramming straight through them. No matter how weak they were as mere Core Condensation cultivators, my wounds steadily multiplied, and my demonic energy drained rapidly.

Are you sure about this?

I'm really trusting you here. If this goes south, I'm going to turn into a ghost and haunt you forever.

Before I knew it, I found myself standing atop a mountain of countless corpses, panting heavily.

Approaching from the distance, the entity using the form of a young girl—the false Hong Ryeo-ah—clapped her hands in genuine admiration.

"Impressive. I do not say this lightly. Your realm is merely at the start of Qi Circulation, yet your adaptability is outstanding. I cannot decide whether to say you fight well or utilize your power well."

"..."

"Does it hurt? It must. I can see your white bones peeking through your torn flesh."

"..."

"I shall relieve you of your pain. Had you fled, you would have alerted Kang Ha-yeon, which would have been quite troublesome. But since you stayed behind like this, what a wonderful blessing it is."

Splash, splash.

Stepping through the pool of blood with her bare feet, the false Hong Ryeo-ah reached out with a pale hand and cupped my chin, tilting my head ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up. At the same time, those ruby-red pupils—unhidden no ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠matter whose body she possessed—stared directly into mine. It was as if this was an indelible mark of her true identity.

"If I can bring a Qi Circulation warrior under my control, I can use you as a stepping stone to swallow Kang Ha-yeon's entire faction. It will take some time, but once it succeeds, it will be perfectly clear who the true master of the Kang family is, won't it?"

The Kang family... I see. So this person was also working under someone else? Perhaps the eldest young master, or the second young lady. Or maybe they were allies. After all, it was hard to believe this level of power belonged to a mere Qi Circulation cultivator.

"Whose side are you on?"

"What a delightful curiosity."

Did she think I was already a fish in her net? In truth, I had laid bare every single card in my hand during the fight. I was in a state where a mere flick of a finger would bring me crashing down. Thus, her actions couldn't really be called careless.

"I am on the side of the eldest child. I made a contract with him."

"Why is your name Hong Ryeo-ah?"

This was what I had been wondering all along. What on earth was her connection to Ryeo-ah that she used that name? If she had just said, It's just my name, I wouldn't have had a comeback. Fortunately, her expression shifted subtly, and she leaned in, her pupils boring into me as if trying to read my very soul.

"...Do you know something? 'Hong Ryeo-ah' is merely a pseudonym I made up on a whim. I simply chose it based on my mood the moment I opened my eyes."

"How strange. Truly strange."

"What is?"

"There's no way that's a coincidence."

The name, the tone of voice, even the personality. They were so alike they could have been twins.

"Speak."

"...Heh."

"Never mind. I shall read it myself."

When I simply smirked and remained silent, her patience finally wore thin. The false Hong Ryeo-ah grabbed my head, her eyes shifting like a kaleidoscope as she stared into me.

Whirrrr—

My vision warped. My nerves felt as if they were splitting apart, and my five senses blended together like dough. Every time her pupils rotated, my mind felt as if it were being turned inside out.

Resistance was impossible. Unlike when dealing with Jeon Gu-seok, her possession ability was on a completely different level, and my remaining strength was practically nonexistent. Every circumstance was stacked against me. Soon, a thread seemed to connect her to me.

"Ah. It is almost complete."

"Ah. It is almost complete."

It was at the exact moment when the same words left both my mouth and the girl's, as if our personalities were synchronizing.

"Now... hngh."

"Now... ugh."

The synchronization rate began to warp. Like a system error or a glitch, noise began to crackle through the invading consciousness.

"Grrgh!"

Crack!

Squeezing out the absolute last of my strength, I crushed the physical body before me and collapsed onto the ground.

Gulp.

The sound of something being swallowed whole. After a brief flurry of chaotic noise, only the sound of Ryeo-ah smacking her lips echoed in my mind.

...Senior. You do know your junior has always deeply respected you, right?