The Demon and the Serpent's One-Sided Clash
The Demon species and the serpent fought. Or rather, it was far too one-sided to call it a fight. The serpent sank its fangs into the demon's lower body and tore into its arm, grinding it mercilessly between its jaws. Black blood poured from the demon's wounds. Having lost its lower half and one arm, the demon could no longer fight. Riding its momentum, the serpent coiled around the demon's body and squeezed. With a sickening crack, the demon's bones shattered loudly. The demon stared at the serpent with its milky eyes, blinking endlessly, but the serpent didn't flinch. It simply tightened its coils slowly, methodically crushing the demon's form.
"Hah... hah...!"
Kim Jin-seo caught her breath as she watched the scene. It all felt utterly unreal. The demon that had killed her mother had brazenly appeared in the practical exam grounds. And now, an enormous serpent beyond all reason was devouring it. She couldn't make sense of what was happening. It was too vivid to be a dream—the pain in her ankle, lungs, and palms was crystal clear.
—Ahh.
In that moment, the serpent halted. It raised its head toward the sky and let out a sigh. Its flickering tongue lapped gently at the sun. The moist sheen of its radiant scales, glittering in the sunlight, began to fade, and soon the serpent's body started shrinking bit by bit.
—The contract's power has expired.
Krunch! With those cryptic words, the serpent plunged back into the earth. Massive holes gaped where it had emerged and vanished, leaving the surrounding area a ravaged wasteland. The demon, long stripped of its combat ability, coughed up black blood as it lay dying.
"The interloper that bastard mentioned... this was it."
Those were the milky eyes' final words.
Crack.
A fissure split the rigid carapace covering the demon's chest. From within, something like a dark blue heart writhed and crawled out. Four tentacles sprouted from the heart. Using them like legs, it skittered across the dirt and vanished into the distance in an instant. Its speed was blinding. Bereft of its heart, the demon spewed black smoke and dissolved. Even to Kim Jin-seo, it felt utterly detached from reality.
Serpent. Demon species. Contract. Interloper. She couldn't even guess what those words from them and the serpent truly meant. But one thing was clear: the demon wasn't dead yet. Its true body was the heart. Unless that was excised and utterly destroyed, the demon lived.
Not only had she let it escape right before her eyes, but she'd been toyed with. Kim Jin-seo loathed and despised her own pathetic weakness with every fiber of her being.
"......"
But there was no time to dwell. Blood still trickled from her eyes and mouth, and her limbs grew ice-cold. Stopping the bleeding and healing came first. Kim Jin-seo hastily tore her clothes into bandages. Her hands wouldn't rip the fabric, so she used her teeth. She wiped the blood from her face with her palm and wrapped her ankle with the makeshift bandage. She tried to stand, but it was no easy feat. She tumbled repeatedly, rolling in the dirt.
"O-over there!"
After falling about five times while struggling to rise, a familiar voice rang out. The child she'd told to flee first was approaching with Ha Ye-jin and Kim Bok-dong.
"Ha... ha...!"
Kim Jin-seo saw the trio and let out a hollow laugh. Ha Ye-jin rode piggyback on Kim Bok-dong, and the child clung to Ha Ye-jin's back. It was like the Bremen Town Musicians.
"Kim Jin-seo, you okay... Holy shit, you're not okay at all!"
Kim Bok-dong checked her condition and recoiled in shock. He eyed the demon corpse warily, then relaxed as it vaporized into rising black smoke.
"What the hell...? Where exactly are you hurt? Here."
Ha Ye-jin channeled divine power as she spoke. The light surged from her fingertips, instantly forming a healing circle. Her skill was as sharp as ever, unrusty even compared to her priestess order days. The healing light enveloped Kim Jin-seo. Though hastily drawn, the circle's effects were modest, but the pain eased considerably.
"......"
The child stared silently down at Kim Jin-seo. Her eyes and nose were red. She bit her lip, desperately holding back tears. Kim Jin-seo mouthed 'Good job' to the child. No sound emerged, but the message got through. Only then did tears start spilling from the child's eyes.
"You seem responsive to healing, but it won't fully mend here. You'll need a few days of bed rest."
Ha Ye-jin said. Kim Jin-seo nodded wordlessly.
"......Did you take down that demon species?"
Kim Bok-dong glanced between the broken whip handle in Kim Jin-seo's hand and the demon's vanishing smoky remains before asking. She shook her head. She wanted to give a proper answer aloud, but her throat was too hoarse—no voice came.
"Then, where did that demon—"
"Don't make her talk. The internal injuries seem worse than the external ones."
Ha Ye-jin scolded Kim Bok-dong as she continuously drew more healing circles. He nodded hastily and shut his mouth. He'd wanted to ask how the demon had infiltrated the exam grounds. If even one path was breached, others might have appeared elsewhere.
"We'll halt the exam first. I'll contact the other teachers."
"No, I'll handle the calls. You get her to the hospital now."
"Good call."
Thanks to Ha Ye-jin's healing, Kim Jin-seo's wounds had improved greatly. Proper treatment at the hospital would leave no aftereffects. Kim Bok-dong approached to carry her. Ha Ye-jin wiped her nosebleed— from drawing multiple high-level healing circles—with her hand and reached for her smartwatch to alert the teachers.
Roll...
Then, something tumbled toward them. The four froze. They stared rigidly at the rolling eyeball. Its sclera was white, its pupil grotesquely shaped. Kim Jin-seo knew what it was and desperately tried to avert her gaze, but it was too late. Her eyes were glued to the milky orb, unable to tear away. The eye blinked without lids.
Screeeeech—!
A deafening roar exploded in Kim Jin-seo's ears. Nails on chalkboard, metal clashing, a hoarse woman's scream, a dying chicken's death cry. An indescribably grotesque cacophony. Her vision swirled like a vortex. The world twisted, crumpled, compressed—and vanished. What remained was primordial darkness. A terrifying, unfathomable void where nothing was visible. All four, staring at the eye, heard the same sound and saw the same sight.
—Smells like rain.
There, they beheld fragments of their own misguided desires.
*
"The contract... how..."
[I've granted what you desired.]
Damballa said. I'd merely conveyed my wishes to her manifested form via the vèvè; I had no idea how the scene was unfolding. I could check with Granbwa's power, and I'd even intended to.
[No. Not this time. Absolutely not.]
"......"
But Granbwa flatly refused. She said lending more power might kill me. She seemed dead serious this time. Her tone was unusually firm and curt. I decided to trust Damballa. I had to believe she'd handled it well. There was no choice.
"Marinette."
Fwoosh!
Before leaving the building, I first summoned Marinette's flames to erase the vèvè traces. The fire burned just enough to consume the scattered bone dust on the floor, then fizzled out. I dragged my heavy steps outside. I planned to rejoin Team 'Paladin-D'. But even exiting the building was grueling. My body was drained from chaining Loa powers. Sobo, Damballa, Bosu, Granbwa, Damballa again, Marinette... Six off the top of my head. This was the first time I'd invoked so many at once.
Suddenly, Baron Samedi's words about my luck came to mind. How the hell is this lucky?
[Still believing Baron Samedi? That guy's full of shit lately.]
[No, my words about your luck were true. It just hasn't shown yet. In the end, things will flow as the prophet desires.]
[Big talk.]
[Heh. What's with you today? So prickly for no reason.]
Legba and Baron Samedi bickered. Their voices tangled chaotically in my head. I descended to the first floor and decided to rest briefly. Not out of leisure—I simply couldn't walk without it. There, I spotted a shattered mirror.
"......"
Blood from my eyes, nose, and mouth had painted my face—and even my clothes—bright red. My features were haggard. The reflection showed me in pieces: broken, shattered, misaligned. Seeing that familiar fractured self, an unbearable nausea surged. I dry-heaved, but nothing came up—not even stomach acid. I wiped the blood from my face with my collar and pressed on.
Outside, I breathed fresh air. It reeked of blood—mine, from my mouth and nose.
[One thing before I go. Summoning Damballa was a mistake.]
[It wasn't. No other option.]
[I think using Bosu would've been better!]
[Oh, Sobo agrees. Bade... Bade agrees too!]
[Little one, we need to talk about the price...]
[Rest a bit more in the building. The prophet's condition right now...]
The Loa voices overlapped. This happened mostly when my state was poor or when the intoxication spell hyper-awakened my mind. Especially since stepping into the Crossroads for the lion's contract and spending unknowable time there—eternity or an instant. It wasn't rare, so I could brush it off rationally. Logically, I should endure it.
But right now, I wasn't in a state for rational thought.
"Ah, please just—!"
[Shh.]
I nearly yelled in frustration, but a voice sealed my lips. Damballa's seductive, sweet tone demanded silence. Goosebumps prickled my ears as I clamped my mouth shut. Then I stared quietly at the person approaching from across the way.
"Uh... you."
"......"
"Why are you here? Huh? And your face..."
Jeong In-ah said in a trembling voice. She was so flustered her fingertips and lips quivered. Her face was deathly pale. I couldn't answer her question, just gazed at her silently. In her hand were handcuffs for capturing hostages. I glanced around furtively, scouting escape routes. They littered the area. The problem was my condition. I could barely walk, let alone run. Even if I fled, she'd catch me easily. Even if it was Jeong In-ah.
"A-are... you okay?"
Jeong In-ah inched closer, asking repeatedly. I didn't reply. Fleeing wasn't viable; fighting would end in certain loss. If I went all-out with resolve to die, I might eke out a win—but it wasn't worth it. Still, surrender felt wrong. I'd fought like a dog against the invading beasts and demons, only for the exam to flop? Too unfair.
Thud.
I staggered over and leaned my head on Jeong In-ah. Breathing heavily, I shifted my weight onto her shoulder. Startled by the sudden move, her body trembled finely. Silence fell. Once her shaking subsided, she sighed deeply.
"What the hell did you do to end up like this?"
Jeong In-ah scolded. She held the cuffs but showed no intent to cuff me. Her tone brimmed with worry. She was soft-hearted. With smooth talk, escape might be possible. Hell, maybe even capturing her.
"......Got beat by Kang Dae-man."
"What?"
I lied to her.
(Continued in the next chapter)