Flesh Sliced Clean
The flesh was severed cleanly, like meat sliced at a butcher shop. Indifferently. Matter-of-factly. I felt no different sensation from the cut. The beheading sword had been forged from intangible Voodoo Magic.
The reason I—who'd never wielded a sword in my life—handled it so deftly was the enhanced motor nerves embedded in Bosu's power. And the way So Do-jin had danced with his blade against the magic beasts in the barn... those movements had burned themselves into my memory.
Shwick! A chilling sound echoed relentlessly through the park.
Soon, all that remained were Go Jun-min's body, chopped into several chunks, and Kim Jin-seo, sleeping soundly.
"Grk. Grr, sa—! Save, me..."
Even with his head severed, Go Jun-min—the man who'd become a demon—let out guttural cries, desperately clinging to life. The chunks of flesh that had sloughed off his body writhed endlessly. Once demonized, those pieces didn't lose their lust even after separating from their host. Driven by pure instinct, they crawled toward Kim Jin-seo, slaves to their carnal urges.
Squelch.
I crushed one of the pieces inching toward her underfoot. It burst like an insect, life extinguished. The flesh dissolved into smoke and scattered into the sky.
"Hoo."
The crisis was over. Sword in hand, I walked toward Go Jun-min. He tried to back away at the sight of me, but with only his head left, even that was impossible.
[Are you planning to kill him?]
"Yes."
I answered Legba's question without hesitation.
[Right. That'll make things cleaner.]
For a human to become a demon species, they had to go through a sort of "contract." Satanists proposed it via black magic—become a demon species, or don't. Refuse, and you lost your reason, turning into a humanoid magic beast.
[Besides, this guy's the type who chose it willingly.]
Accept, and you ended up like Go Jun-min—a full demon species. He'd betrayed the greater good for immediate gratification, shaking hands with the Satanists. He deserved death.
"Please, ju-just once...!"
Shwick.
I cleaved his head in half. It shattered into dozens, hundreds of writhing chunks. They instinctively pursued Kim Jin-seo, but I wasn't about to let that happen. I crushed them like cockroaches skittering across the floor.
Squelch. Squelch.
The chunks burst with sickening pops. Some dissolved into smoke, others split apart. I methodically stomped them all out. The smoky ones faded without a trace.
Gurgle. Gurrgle.
I noticed something off when the bubbling sound started—like foam rising. I lifted my foot to crush another piece, but it wouldn't budge, stuck by some unknown adhesive.
"Huh?"
The black flesh slowly climbed me. My foot and ankle were already coated in it. A cold, repulsive sensation spread.
Shwick.
I sliced it off. No resistance, like cutting water. It regrouped, regenerated, and enveloped me again. Fluid like liquid, impossible to sever even with the beheading sword. I tried ripping it with Bosu's strength—useless. It just clung to my wrist, making things worse.
Voodoo Magic couldn't inflict real damage on the black flesh. Divine power wouldn't change that; if voodoo failed, holy energy stood no chance. Sheer brute force wouldn't work either. I was trapped in true despair—no way out.
The blackness rose to my chest. Breathing grew hard. My vision blurred. Panic hit.
But strangely, no fear. If anything, it felt peaceful. I almost wanted to surrender to it.
[Snap out of it! Get a grip!]
Bosu yelled, but I couldn't respond. The flesh had reached my mouth. It pried at my lips, trying to invade. I clamped my jaw shut. I'd die before letting that filth in.
Soon, it covered my face completely. Darkness swallowed my sight.
Blackout.
Breath stopped. Consciousness faded into the distance.
*
"Ugh, ah."
Kim Jin-seo awoke with a pounding headache. Clutching her head and grimacing, she quickly came to her senses and whipped her head around. No sign of Go Jun-min, who'd been choking her. Just black flesh chunks—presumably his—writhing everywhere.
Those filthy, pitch-black pieces were enveloping and devouring someone.
"...Do Seon-woo."
It was Do Seon-woo being consumed. She called out urgently, but no reply. His eyes, as the flesh devoured him, brimmed with terror and agony.
"Do Seon-woo! Hey!"
No answer, no matter how she shouted. The black flesh soon blanketed his entire body. Crunch, crunch—the sound of it gnawing away.
Kim Jin-seo lunged forward, clawing at the flesh. But it wouldn't budge. The more she tore, the more it split, regenerated, and burrowed deeper into him, stickier than ever.
"No. Please..."
Gurgle, gurrgle!
A grotesque noise erupted from Do Seon-woo's body. Something was terribly wrong. He might die right there.
She hadn't even said she was sorry. Not when she'd grabbed his tie and yanked his collar during the demon extermination drill. Not when he'd reattached her finger with healing and mended her wounds.
Do Seon-woo always gave for her sake, yet she'd only spat harsh words back. She owed the apology, but he'd been the one to voice it.
"Ugh!"
Thud.
The flesh swirling around Do Seon-woo slammed into her gut. She flew several meters, crashing to the ground. The solar plexus hit stole her breath. Stomach acid churned in her empty belly.
But no time for pain.
"Adonai, I beseech you..."
Kim Jin-seo invoked the Lord's name. She'd sworn never to use it again after that day. But she had no choice now. Hesitate, and Do Seon-woo dies. She didn't want to face another death.
Resolute, she closed her eyes, focusing her mind. Pouring her desperate wish into her heart.
Pling—.
A clear, refreshing sound rang out, like a water drop hitting a lake. Divine power flowed from her body as hazy mist, swirling upward. It shot into the sky, then plunged back as a pillar of fire.
Whoosh!
The flesh engulfing Do Seon-woo ignited in the blaze. Untouched by punches, tears, or slashes before, it now twisted, shriveled, and burned. As the black chunks turned to ash and vanished, Do Seon-woo's hidden form gradually emerged.
A miracle. More precisely, a miracle's recreation. The pillar of fire that had guided God's people through the wilderness, reborn through Kim Jin-seo's earnest plea.
The divine fire scorched only the black flesh, leaving Do Seon-woo's body unmarred—not even a singe.
Crackle...
The miracle faded, the pillar vanishing. The flesh that had gnawed at him was gone, incinerated.
"Ah."
Do Seon-woo regained consciousness. Bite wounds covered his body, but none deep. Mid-level healing would suffice.
But the wounds weren't the issue.
"Ah, ah. Heuk. Khek, cough...!"
Cold sweat beaded on his forehead. Sticky tears streamed down his cheeks. His breathing was ragged, vision distant. Panic—severe, beyond mere anxiety.
"Ah, why, there..."
Ashes from the burned flesh littered the ground around him. Do Seon-woo desperately gathered and clutched them, tears flowing endlessly. The ashes turned to dust, scattering skyward. He stared blankly at the drifting particles.
"...Ah."
Finally, focus returned to his eyes. After zoning out into space for a bit, he turned to Kim Jin-seo.
"...Passed out for a sec. You okay?"
He'd fought the demon. Nearly died under the black flesh. Yet here he was, feigning calm, worrying about her. It was so stupid.
"You."
"Me? What."
"Are you okay."
"Of course I am. See? Fine as hell."
Do Seon-woo brushed it off casually. A lie. He'd barely breathed moments ago. Shaking, sobbing his eyes out—and now he smiled like it was nothing. That familiar act just made her gloomier.
She didn't know his life. But seeing how naturally the fake smile came, she could guess at the scars.
"Ah."
Kim Jin-seo grabbed his tie. He stepped back, startled.
"Hold still."
"Ah, yeah."
Her firm tone made him slip into polite speech without thinking. She neatly retied his loosened tie. He was hopeless at it—always a sloppy knot. It'd bugged her forever.
"Oh, so that's how you do it."
"...Sorry."
She murmured the apology as he admired the tidy knot.
"Huh? For what?"
He blinked back innocently, blankly. Pure, without a trace of deceit. No clue why she'd apologize.
"Everything."
"What're you—huh? Hey!"
Thud.
Having finally apologized, Kim Jin-seo slid to the ground, legs giving out completely. Do Seon-woo stared, feigning surprise, glancing around anxiously.
"Can't stand? Want me to call 119?"
"No, just."
"Just what."
"Just stay."
She tugged his collar, pulling him down to sit. Too much had happened in too short a time. She was exhausted beyond measure. Not emergency services—just someone beside her.
"Yeah. Let's rest."
Understanding, Do Seon-woo sat silently until she could walk again.
(To be continued next time)