Chapter 198

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Translator: Ryuma

Chapter: 198

Chapter Title: The Red Moon's Intrusion

-----------------------------------------------------------------

In truth, even though I'd dragged out the Sacheon elder's soul and granted it physical form so they could exact revenge, there wasn't much revenge they could actually carry out.

That said, Hwaryeong must have built up a ton of resentment, because she'd completely abandoned any pretense of elegance and was mercilessly pummeling the elder's soul.

Even as she beat the soul until she was gasping for breath, it was obvious this wouldn't bring her easy closure.

In my case, I had a wide range of options, so I'd ground Tibel into dust and then used him as raw material. But all they could do was grab hold of the elder's existing soul and beat on it.

Besides, that elder wasn't the extent of their vengeance.

"Young Master."

"Just watch for now. This is the end."

Cheonryeong let out a short groan in response.

Tears streamed down his face as he gazed at his youngest sibling, bound to the ground and howling in agony.

"Is there no way to reverse this? You seemed able to handle souls directly."

"Doesn't the Sacheon family wield spiritual powers?"

"We can only intervene in the most limited ways. Controlling souls is especially taboo."

That's why the Sacheon family only used exorcism to help departed souls find peace or purify vengeful spirits.

"Young Master Cheonryeong, as I said, interfering with someone whose soul has already departed shows no respect for the dead."

Even if it were possible, it wouldn't be easy—and Macheon's soul had already dissolved into the River of Reincarnation.

"......"

"What stands before you now is nothing more than a beast that stole your brother's shell."

"Then what should we do?"

"Bury or cremate the body. That's the answer. In this case, drag out whatever's inside, then cremate it."

Cheonryeong hesitated before slowly approaching Macheon.

Then he spoke.

"Miss Luna, I know this is an outrageous request, but..."

"Can't lift a finger."

Cheonryeong silently approached and embraced his grotesquely twisted sibling without another word.

Macheon shrieked and tried to tear into Cheonryeong's neck, but Luna's words weren't exaggeration—its mouth wouldn't even move properly.

-Grr... aaah...

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, Cheon-ah..."

He shed hot tears while holding Macheon close.

"I couldn't let you go like this. Blame your brother... blame this worthless brother of yours."

The two prepared to bid farewell to their youngest sibling.

"The more I see, the more they resemble each other. That's what makes it all the more tragic."

Unlucky Cascadia? Yeah, if I'd been too late, I might have been holding Arsha like that, tears streaming down my face.

However, for some reason, Macheon's resistance gradually faded during the process, until it fell completely silent without further struggle.

It wasn't some miracle born of their devotion.

Just an extreme coincidence.

We used Batra's soldiers and knights to handle the cleanup.

We disarmed and bound all the clan warriors, herding them into one spot.

We gathered the corpses and tidied up bit by bit.

Leaving the unresisting Macheon behind, I drew upon my elemental mana...

Preparing the cremation didn't take much time.

A body showing no reaction, like a stalled machine, could be incinerated in one magical burst.

The current Macheon wouldn't feel pain even as its flesh burned.

I aligned the elemental mana and set the formation.

A intricate red magic circle formed on the ground from the bottom up, completing itself.

I snapped my fingers, igniting the flame magic.

A scorching blaze erupted in an instant, enveloping Macheon's body.

That was when it happened.

"Hm?"

Something eerie reached me as I watched the corpse.

This foul sensation, like my magic was being interfered with before touching Macheon's flesh.

The moment I sensed it, I looked straight up at the sky.

The overcast sky...

...had already turned red.

The red, eye-like moon in the sky seemed to shift.

This had never happened before.

Normally, when the Red Moon's eclipse began, the cause of the eclipse would awaken, and monsters would pour out.

But it seemed the Red Moon's eclipse didn't always unfold that way.

A massive, eye-like moon hanging in the sky.

Even through the heavy clouds, it was too bright for daytime.

That moon was the same eye that always dyed the sky red in Labyrinthos.

Honestly, staring at it still gave me chills, like I was trapped in the labyrinth again.

Soon, the eye-moon slowly moved, focusing its gaze on me.

No—precisely on Macheon's burning body under my magic.

"Damn."

Kwaaaang!!

My judgment was swift, my actions even swifter.

I cast defensive magic on the Sacheon siblings in an instant, then a barrier over Macheon's body.

But I couldn't fully block the red mist pouring down like bloody tears from the giant moon's edges, seeping into Macheon in a flash.

The blood-like mist cascaded at tremendous speed, devouring my barrier whole.

Analysis was pointless here.

I abandoned Macheon's body without hesitation, putting distance between us. The red mist swirled like a vortex, completely engulfing it.

The Red Moon was visible only to me.

But the aftermath was plain for everyone to see.

"Wha... what's happening to Cheon?!"

"Young Master Leon!"

How did it look to them?

"Young Master Cheonryeong, what do you see right now?"

He gave me a puzzled look before cautiously answering.

"It looks like Cheon's body is wrapped in red mist."

Ah, so they can see that much? Still, what needs doing must be done.

"Fall back for now..."

Kuung!!!

A bizarre pressure swept over the area, and the Hwaryeong and Cheonryeong siblings collapsed on the spot.

They'd lost consciousness.

And from within the red mist, a grotesque something with crimson glowing eyes charged straight at me.

I hadn't foreseen any future this time.

But I didn't need to—it was clear I couldn't just let this thing be.

Kwaaaang!!!

Macheon was a fifteen-year-old boy, but through special procedures and rigor mortis enhancement, he'd gained power rivaling a Sword Master's.

At that age, possessing such immense strength was true, and it was also true they could further amplify it with the final element they'd sought.

But the current Macheon was Macheon... yet not Macheon.

That thing...

Was something that had seeped into the empty shell from an otherworldly power dripping from the Red Moon.

An empty husk without a soul.

Where Macheon's body should have been vacant, some formless, grotesque soul now resided.

What should I even call it?

Through Spirit Eye, the soul within Macheon's body felt like it would shatter my mind just by looking.

And moreover.

Whatever had taken root in that body was staring straight at me.

-There... you are.

A shock like my mind was being split hit me in an instant.

I recoiled from the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠horrific voice, grimacing.

A voice that ravaged my psyche mercilessly.

It wasn't Macheon's.

It came through whatever soul had lodged in Macheon's body...

The moon's voice.

Librarian's script flickered around me, but the spreading red mist—or perhaps the eye gazing down from the sky—filled it with vicious noise, making it illegible.

A bizarre phenomenon visible and audible only to me.

If someone overheard, they'd think I was insane.

Kwang!!! Kwang!!!

I focused on mana circulation in silence ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as Macheon's body unleashed a barrage at me.

One thing was clear: this Red Moon eclipse was different in method from the previous ones.

Different purpose.

-In the end, it will be futile struggling.

-The door is already open.

It spoke to me, yet felt directed at something else—a horrifically twisted sensation.

The eye in the sky now fixed on me.

At the same time, I seized the head of the charging Macheon and slammed it into the ground.

Forcing open its unyielding jaws, I said,

"Right now, you only have one option."

Kwaduk!!! Hwarrrruk!!!

"Get out of here, you bastard."

I infused my voice with power. Similar to Word of Power, but not usable that way.

As a torrent of immense force twisted against its own power, the red mist scattered like a lie.

In that instant, Macheon's body ignited and crumbled to ash. The Red Moon vanished just as abruptly.

For the first time, the eclipse halted right there.

But it left a foul taste knowing that thing had achieved its goal.

With the Red Moon's traces gone, only Macheon's body—ablaze from Astrafe's lightning—remained.

Its mere presence could overwhelm most people...

Undeniably different from anything spawned by past eclipses.

"Librarian, was that thing connected to the Red Moon itself?"

Script began appearing at my question.

"Didn't you say I had to handle it?"

I waved away the script with my hand and approached the fainted siblings.

Fortunately, it was just a knockout—they'd wake soon enough.

As I moved to tend to them,

Luna approached with a hardened expression, striding purposefully.

Arsha was nowhere in sight.

"Where's Arsha?"

"Put her to sleep. Got questions."

"About what?"

"That thing just now... how long?"

"Huh?"

"How long have you been in contact with it?"

Her serious expression suggested she knew something about the Red Moon.

Come to think of it, as a great angel, it was possible.

"You know what it is?"

She chewed her lip before slowly speaking.

"The power that destroyed paradise... and corrupted it."

She gripped my arm tightly.

"Promise me. No matter what, never speak to it."