Eyes of Lust
I raised my head and stared into the massive eyes gazing down at me. There was a strange, sticky allure in that gaze, seductive enough to pull me right in. But I didn't look away.
I had killed the man in this place. Using Bosu's power, ripping out his heart. Yet the black magic remained intact. That meant the one who cast it wasn't the man I'd killed.
Which left those two eyes staring at me. Their owner had to be the source of the black magic—the true Satan Cult executive, Lust.
Aah, 'Envy.'I see why he told me not to touch you.
A seductive voice echoed in my ears. It sounded familiar, much like Damballa's sticky, alluring tone. The eyes narrowed.
Such a delectable mind. Not a single crack in it... A flower on a sheer cliff, forever out of reach.
It was the voice of the Satan Cult's true executive, Lust. I kept my head up, eyes locked on hers, racking my brain for a way to attack. From what I could tell, they were too high up—out of reach for most methods.
Thud. Thud.
"Grrr...!"
"Ah, aaah. Aaah, ah...."
But the biggest reason I couldn't target those eyes was right here beside me: the demon species and magic beasts filling the space. In the pitch darkness, I couldn't count them, but the approaching footsteps, the beasts' howls, and the demons' eerie voices told me there were hordes of them.
"Sobo, Bade, Dan Wedo."
I tested the trio of troublesome Loa.
[No! No clouds here!]
[Yeah! This world's weird! It's a whole other world!]
[I... admit... it......]
Their voices rang out, but no rain, no thunder, no wind appeared. Just as they said—no clouds, so their powers wouldn't activate. Or maybe because this was a black magic space, or some other reason I didn't know. Either way, some Loa powers were off-limits.
Which meant others should still work—like Bosu's, which I'd used earlier.
No plants here, so no Granbwa. The only one that came to mind right away was...
"Marinette."
Whoosh! Flames erupted from my hand. The fire clinging to my skin detached, moving on its own like it had a mind. It soon took the shape of a massive dragon, coiling around me.
As the blaze scorched the darkness, the demons and beasts hiding within were fully exposed. Just as I'd guessed—countless numbers.
"Good thing I didn't bother counting earlier."
Shrrk!
I muttered nonsense as I unleashed voodoo magic, drawing a spell circle. Recreation spell: Decapitation Sword.
Dozens of circles formed in an instant, birthing dozens of decapitation swords. Their piercing screams merged into a roar that drowned out the beasts' cries and demons' voices.
I gripped one. The rest hovered behind my back.
"Bosu."
[Lots of calls today!]
"Complaining?"
[Totally satisfied.]
Crack!
With Bosu's power, I hurled the sword at an approaching demon. It pierced its heart dead-center. The demon toppled backward.
I grabbed another from behind me and threw. Another demon down.
Keep throwing decapitation swords; resummon more spells when they ran low. Simple.
This was the space created by the Satan Cult executive, Lust. No one to rescue me, no one to see me. Perfect for me.
The Romanica clergy's eyes were shackles, after all.
Voodoo.
The eyes overhead blinked. The voice swirled in my head again.
Whoosh!
Meanwhile, Marinette's flames busily incinerated the advancing beasts and demons. The beasts backed away warily from the fire. Those that charged bravely turned to ash.
Some demons shrugged off the flames—I just stabbed their hearts with swords.
Why does a Voodooist like you aid Romanica?
"Ah, aaah...!"
"Kyak, kyeng!"
Demons and beasts fell, hearts pierced or burned.
Aah, I see. Love. Forbidden, and thus beautiful.
The voice kept talking to me. I threw another sword. Ran out, resummoned. Gripped a fresh one. Scanned for targets.
Most demons and beasts were dead. The survivors hesitated, cowed by the flames.
Who to throw at? I took aim at the creepy eye on the ceiling watching me.
Crack!
The sword slammed into the floating eye. Black blood oozed out, raining down like a storm.
The other eye twisted in agony. The voice in my head finally went silent.
"Quiet now."
I drew a new sword, aimed at the remaining eye.
* * *
While everyone craned their necks searching for Do Seon-woo, the priest corps Mun Yo-seop had called for arrived at the cathedral. Priests from the Central Priest Order who hadn't attended the promotion ceremony rushed in as well.
They were stunned by the carnage at first. Some rookies vomited in the corners.
But veterans remained composed amid the sea of clergy corpses. Death was familiar to them—comrades lost in battle or war was commonplace for priests. Instead of shock or nausea, they prayed silently for the fallen.
"......"
Kim Chang-won joined them in quiet prayer.
"Was Do Seon-woo with you?"
As the priests handled cleanup, Mun Yo-seop asked Seong Yu-da. Seong Yu-da nodded, face tense with anxiety.
"Yes, he came to the cathedral with me... The chairman saw it too. Surely he didn't..."
Seong Yu-da trailed off, eyes on the massive black sphere in the corner. He didn't know what black magic had created it, but Do Seon-woo might be trapped inside.
Seong Yu-da knew Do Seon-woo was the Voodoo Cult leader, yet he still worried. A Satan Cult executive was no pushover. Even as cult leader, Do Seon-woo could die.
He had to live—for Seong Yu-da's atonement.
"Well, even if he's inside, he's probably fine."
Mun Yo-seop dismissed Seong Yu-da's concern casually. He stared piercingly at the black sphere, as if peering at Do Seon-woo, the executive, and the hordes within.
"Or rather... he might smash the executive and hatch out himself. If it's Do Seon-woo."
More precisely, if Do Seon-woo was the Voodoo leader. Mun Yo-seop swallowed the rest. He wasn't fully convinced yet.
His suspicions grew daily, but he lacked hard proof.
Instead, Mun Yo-seop eyed Seong Yu-da suspiciously.
"But how did you end up coming with Do Seon-woo?"
Seong Yu-da fell silent at the question. He realized too late his slip-up.
Mun Yo-seop was probing ties between Do Seon-woo and the Purification Clan. Admitting they came together wouldn't help.
"Coincidence."
Seong Yu-da blurted after agonizing. Any longer, and suspicions would deepen. He had no better excuse.
Mun Yo-seop smiled at him—a chilling grin.
"......"
As the two traded subtle barbs, Kim Jin-seo whipped her head around frantically. Hearing Do Seon-woo had been there made her heart sink; she scanned desperately, then remembered something.
The child she'd come with for the promotion ceremony. Nowhere in sight.
Among the corpses and wounded strewn across the floor, that child had to be there.
"J-Jin-seo!"
Ignoring Kim Chang-won's call, she roamed the cathedral, checking every face. Some were blood-soaked or mangled beyond recognition. She scrutinized those hardest.
Her stomach churned—not from the gore, but fear the child was dead.
Her heart pounded.
Crack!
A sinister sound echoed from the corner. Priests, thinking the crisis over, whirled toward it, battle-ready.
Cracks spiderwebbed across the black sphere. They spread, engulfing it.
Craaack—!
The sphere shattered, and someone emerged.
"......As expected."
Mun Yo-seop murmured with a smile at the figure. It was Do Seon-woo, dragging a man's corpse by the hair in one hand.
The man he'd fought at the 'banquet' with Mun Yo-seop.
Do Seon-woo wasn't alone emerging. Dead magic beasts and demons spilled out too, spewing black smoke as they dissolved.
Do Seon-woo scanned coolly, assessing. His eyes swept the corpses and wounded coldly, face utterly expressionless.
Thud!
With detached calm, he tossed the corpse at Mun Yo-seop and Seong Yu-da's feet. They stumbled back in shock.
The body had a hole in its chest—no heart.
"This guy's not an executive."
Do Seon-woo nodded at it. Seong Yu-da nodded knowingly; Mun Yo-seop looked mildly surprised.
Mun Yo-seop glanced between corpse and Do Seon-woo.
"How do you know?"
"Too weak for one."
Do Seon-woo replied. Mun Yo-seop thought it curt but let it slide—this wasn't the time. He nodded, convinced.
Even during the banquet fight, Mun Yo-seop had thought the same: too weak for an executive.
But another doubt lingered. For a mere cultist, the black magic's scale was enormous.
Hiss...
Then, black smoke from the dead beasts, demons, and shattered sphere converged. Some rose from corpses on the floor.
Priests scrambled back from the smoke.
It snaked toward O Hui-jin at the entrance. He'd been staring blankly since the banquet evacuation, now rigid, tears streaming, mouth agape.
The smoke swirled before him, condensing into human form.
......Ah, aaah.
As it cleared, a nude, beautiful woman appeared. She wrapped her arms around O Hui-jin's neck and spoke.
Her voice was soft yet filled the cathedral. Everyone froze, entranced, eyes locked on her regardless of gender.
Rise, my child.
Crack, crunch—!
With her words, O Hui-jin's body twisted unnaturally. New flesh burst through his skin—not demon or beast, but something new: a reborn human form.
(To be continued next time)