Chapter 448: The Stirring of Evil
My exchange with Locria had given me a clear picture of the situation.
First, one of the mad scientists was up to something suspicious in this city.
Second, there were signs that my adversary, the black worm-man, had been in contact with that scientist multiple times.
And finally, of the mad scientists, only The Slim One was active; The Bulky One hadn't been seen since his corpse was discovered.
Because of this, The Society had dispatched a large number of operatives to Dubai and was currently in the process of gathering intelligence.
Initially, there were no plans for all of The 13 Seats to be deployed.
"Everyone must go. Otherwise, the consequences will be irreversible," Shamania had advised, and so, every single one of them had moved to Dubai.
At any rate, all 13 Seats, the Thunder God, and even I had joined the fray in Dubai.
However, since the situation hadn't fully ripened yet, the stage for us to act wasn't quite ready.
As a result, the rooftop of the building had turned into something of a class reunion, with all the executives gathered in one place for the first time in a while.
"Don't you have any medicine for Quilp’s back?"
Old Quilp looked so pitiful groaning in pain that I asked Zandred, who had approached me smelling strongly of formalin.
"As you know, Ha-ram, for a drug to affect a powerful being, its potency must be equally high."
Instead of giving me a straight answer, Zandred launched into a lecture, speaking like the true man of science he was.
"Furthermore, by their very nature, painkillers eliminate negative sensations. Even if you remove the physical addictive properties, they still create a psychological dependency. Therefore, even with my skills, it is not easy to prescribe a medicine that can alleviate Lord Quilp’s back pain."
…What is he even talking about?
"So, what’s the bottom line?"
"To fix that, the medicine would have to be something I would classify as a narcotic. People always ask why I can't just erase the addictive effects, but as long as it remains a 'medicine,' there are limits."
Ah, I see.
I’d always wondered why these guys didn't just remove the narcotic components from their drugs, but it turns out it’s an inherent limitation of the category.
Just as I was nodding, finally satisfied after having a long-standing curiosity resolved—
"Of course, there is another way. If he drinks this Bulk-up MK-666 I made, his body will overflow with so much muscle that a trivial thing like a twisted spine will be supported by pure brawn…."
"What are the side effects?"
"His brain will also become muscular, turning him into an idiot."
"Give it to Al’shel."
This crazy mutt is always making the weirdest drugs.
As I was sharing this pointless conversation with Zandred—
"The Hammer…. Bring out the hammeeeer."
The voice itself was cute, but the tone was beyond creepy—it was downright terrifying. It seeped into my ears.
"Get lost, Kukururu. How many times do I have to tell you no?"
As far as I knew, there was only one being with such an obsession with that hammer. I addressed her by name.
"It’s not like it’ll wear out. Oh, I might shave off a little bit for a specimen, but it’ll regenerate anyway, so what does it matter?"
Kukururu began to whisper as she fluttered around my shoulders.
"Who is that? Poyo?"
Un-ho, seeing Kukururu for the first time, asked.
"Kukururu. She’s some kind of metal fairy. She caught one glimpse of my hammer and lost her mind. Now she follows me everywhere asking if she can disassemble it."
What a metal-obsessed freak.
"Disassemble? Please, call it reverse engineering."
It’s the same thing.
"She seems so dedicated, maybe it wouldn't hurt to show her once?"
Perhaps Un-ho had been infected by Kukururu’s passion, because he let that slip of the tongue.
"Even your partner says so! Just leave it to me for a moment. If you do it now, I’ll even throw in an overhaul and a greasing."
Kukururu flew toward me, drooling with a face full of unbridled greed.
I grabbed her by the face.
"Get lost."
And immediately hurled her toward the horizon.
Unlike Al’shel, however, there was no scream.
Despite that face, she was technically a fairy out of a fairytale, so she could fly.
Still, I’d thrown her with quite a bit of sincerity, so it would take her a while to get back.
If she just kept her mouth shut, she looked like the picture of a storybook character. I have no idea what it is about The Hammer that makes her act like that.
Anyway, that was the last of the people approaching me.
Now it was my turn to move and speak to the others.
"Ju-rung."
"Ah. Greetings, Grandmaster."
"Hello there, Dunmugun."
As I spoke her name, two voices answered simultaneously.
One was the voice of the woman holding the spear.
The other was the voice emanating from the spear itself.
Two beings who had become a team, each for their own purpose.
The spear moved to reclaim the Demonic Manuals that had been scattered across the world.
Ju-rung moved to hunt the monsters that were eating away at human society.
Though, tucked within those goals was a bit of revenge against those who had ruined her life.
"How is the recovery of the Demonic Manuals going?"
"It’s been relatively smooth lately. The number of Black Shadow Beasts parasitizing humans has decreased significantly, and it seems the Management Bureau has figured out how to handle the manuals as well."
"Thanks to that, I am hungry."
I see.
I really hope she can restore her honor somehow.
I first met Ju-rung when I was sent to assassinate her after she had been branded a villain.
The moment she saw me, she bowed her head and asked for my cooperation in her mission.
Unlike the Bureau’s records, she was perfectly sane, and I couldn't feel a single shred of hostility from her. Intrigued, I moved with her for a while.
I watched as she stormed into a prestigious sect, killed the master, and then pierced and destroyed the sect's Martial Arts Manual with her spear.
In that process, I saw for myself that she was right.
During the fight with the sect master, Ju-rung didn't pierce his body; she pierced his shadow. The shadow let out a grotesque roar and transformed into a beast, while the master died instantly, his life signs vanishing.
Then, after she defeated the shadow beast—which radiated nothing but pure malice—the shadow vanished, leaving wounds on the master's corpse identical to the ones it had sustained.
The Demonic Manual that rolled out of the master's robes, oozing an ominous energy, was silenced when the spear pierced its center, the dark aura absorbed into the weapon.
Having witnessed all of this, I urged her to return to the Management Bureau with me, promising to prove her innocence.
But she refused, saying that even if they were false parents, she had killed those who raised her and therefore could no longer walk in the world of light.
So, I let her go.
The next time we met, she had become an executive of The Society.
And she wasn't even a Mutant.
However, unlike myself, who was already stained black, I believed she could still wash away her sins.
"Still no desire to return?"
I asked her again.
"I am grateful for the sentiment alone," she replied politely.
"I think the food would be better at the Bureau," the spear added, sounding indifferent.
I let out a small chuckle and offered my parting words.
"Right. I’m counting on you for this operation too."
"I will do my best."
"How about a duel, Dunmugun?"
"Later."
A weapon asking for a duel instead of the warrior holding it.
It was a ridiculous situation, but now wasn't the time. I made the promise and moved away from her and the spear.
I then spoke to the being who had been bothering me—the one who seemed most out of place here.
"Odio."
"…."
It wasn't that he hadn't heard me.
The black mist standing at the edge of the building, looking down, shifted its glowing eyes to glance at me before returning its gaze to the ground.
I spoke once more to the Ancient God of another world who was ignoring me.
"So, will blood flow here too?"
Did my words finally reach the god?
"…If blood does not flow, I do not act."
A low, majestic voice, as if the sky itself were speaking.
Odio’s meaning is hard to grasp at first, but it makes sense if you know his nature.
The god of mercy, peace, and rage: Odio.
This black mist was a god from a now-destroyed world who presided over those completely contradictory domains.
They say this being would appear in regions where conflict was about to break out to lessen the intensity of the strife and express the folly of conflict through rage—an "Evil God."
In a world where war never ceased, Odio was classified as an evil god because he negated conflict.
To show the futility of violence, Odio embraced rage and became a god who used that power to end disputes.
And this is just my guess, but the reason Odio’s world didn't perish from war sooner was likely because he existed.
A world where exterminating The Enemy was considered a natural right, and the concept of a prisoner barely existed.
A world where even the creation myth stated that after the world was destroyed by a war of gods, the last man and woman stabbed each other, their blood mixing to create offspring in the foam—a world of nothing but war.
The fact that sentient life didn't go extinct in a world based on such a gritty myth was probably because Odio was there to stop the wars before they went too far.
The problem was that in our world, which didn't know that, the fact that Odio was always present where there was conflict led to the inverted interpretation that he was the one causing it.
In reality, if Odio hadn't appeared, those conflicts would have continued until everyone was dead.
Regardless, this being is a god.
It’s strange for someone weaker than me to be a god, but if that’s how they’re classified, what can I do?
Anyway, perhaps because of that, even though he belonged to The Society, his way of thinking differed from normal beings. He moved according to his duty rather than orders.
He occasionally participated in The Society's operations, but only when they involved areas where conflict might erupt.
In other words, the fact that Odio was here meant that some kind of bloodshed was going to occur in Dubai.
Having confirmed that, I spoke again.
"How big of a conflict?"
"…."
I asked again, but Odio didn't answer.
If anyone else had done this, my temper would have hit the ceiling.
But Odio was always like this.
"Fine. Do what you have to do. I’m going."
Just as I was about to walk away from the silent god—
"…Beware the whispers. They are watching you."
Odio stared intently at me as he spoke.
"What?"
I reacted in surprise.
"…."
But Odio just looked back down at the ground, offering no further response.
How anticlimactic.
Now, who’s left?
Shamania, Blur, and Ichili.
Ichili was pressed flat against the ground, pretending not to exist.
Shamania was sitting cross-legged in deep meditation.
So that left Blur.
Ah, of course, there were Seini and Liger too.
But Seini had vanished immediately after greetings to support the operatives.
And Liger had jumped off the building, saying he was going to find the fallen Al’shel.
So, of the beings currently present, Blur was the only one left to talk to.
There was just one problem.
…Blur was a bit awkward to deal with.
It wasn't that we were on bad terms.
And it wasn't like she was in an inaccessible place or doing something strange.
Blur was floating in the air as usual, chatting with the others.
She looked like a Great Archdemon of the Abyss heralding doom, but contrary to her appearance, she was quite social and had a perfectly normal way of thinking. There was no issue having a conversation with her.
However, she had one trait that made me uneasy, which was why I hesitated to approach her.
…Well, a brief chat should be fine.
Steeling myself, I took a step forward and called her name.
"Hey. Blur."
And I immediately regretted it.
Caw. Caw. Caw.
With the echoing cry of jackdaws, Blur appeared before my eyes, holding a brass scale.
"…You have slain another useless being."
It was a voice so beautiful and feminine that it was impossible to believe it came from that hideous, beastly demon face.
"Was the weapon a hammer? Or a gauntlet? Or perhaps…."
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Inorganic objects made of metal fell and vanished.
"Was it your conviction?"
Caw.
The dark ravens scattered around glared at me with red eyes.
"The Scales have not yet tipped. Therefore, this is merely advice, Lee Ha-ram."
From within the darkness, the crimson Blur glared at me, her voice rising.
"Please, do not make the wrong choice. I do not wish to become your enemy."
Uh. Yeah. Sure.
I mean, even if you become my enemy, I’d still win.
It’s absurd that someone with that appearance is supposed to be an Archangel of Judgment.
No matter how I look at it, she’s a Great Demon who forcibly drags innocent souls to hell.
"So, what is your business?"
Having finished her warning, she returned to her normal self and spoke to me.
"No, I just wanted to say hello since it’s been a while."
Only then was I able to calmly state my purpose.
Upon hearing that—
"Oh…. Dear. I’m sorry. I’ve gone and ruined the mood."
As if regretting her immediate lecture with The Scales, she twisted her body, her entire being radiating embarrassment.
Well. Yeah. That’s normal behavior for her.
In a way, it could even be considered cute.
…If the one doing it wasn't a monster with a demon's face made of jackdaw shadows.
At any rate, the reason she acted that way was partly my fault anyway.
"No, it’s fine. Anyway, you’ve been well?"
"Yes. There aren't many truly great villains in this world, and everyone in The Society is always so kind. It’s business as usual."
…Then why did you shove those scales in my face?
The question bubbled up in my mind.
But without giving it voice, I continued the small talk.