Chapter 113
Chapter 113
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
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“What did you say...?”
Cecilia couldn't immediately comprehend what Ian had said.
The moon had become an anomaly. It was a simple sentence, but the implications it carried were profoundly complex.
But Ian didn't give her time to process it.
To be precise, he couldn't. He sensed a presence from deeper within the forest.
[Wait a moment. Cover your eyes.]
Ian left that message for Cecilia, then slowly rose to his feet. He aimed his gun toward the source of the presence and held his breath. Amid his inhalation, a thick sulfurous stench wafted in.
“Ah, aaah!”
Moments later, a Nazi officer covered in burns all over his body emerged, pushing through the underbrush. He clutched his head with an arm where skin and muscle were melting away, dripping pus, his body trembling. His staggering footsteps looked precarious.
“Why did you follow us!”
The officer shouted in a voice almost hoarse from exhaustion.
He wasn't looking at the sky, but all his emotions stretched toward it. Considering what hung in the sky now was the moon, it was probably directed at the moon.
A thin metal rod like a rod was lodged in the officer's ear. It seemed to have destroyed his eardrum, preventing him from hearing the agitation.
It was a fairly extreme method, but also a reliable one. Instead of killing him outright, Ian quietly listened to what he had to say.
“You who mimic the moon's form! We obediently handed over the moon!”
He wailed in sobs.
“But why! Why encroach upon Earth too! Wasn't the moon enough for you!”
“......”
“There are laws and boundaries for all things in the universe! Yet why do you disregard them so casually and invade our land! Is the name of God truly that mighty!”
The officer's cries were desperate and heartfelt. But the moon offered no reply. Instead, it showered him with moonlight.
“Ah.”
Blue moonlight pierced through the leaves and touched his skin. At that instant, the expression vanished from his face. The blankness soon turned into a smile, and the smile shifted into melancholy.
Instant mental derangement. Without spilling a drop of blood through his torn facial muscles, he jerked his head toward Ian with a force that seemed to shatter his neck. A clear cracking sound echoed.
“Tch.”
Ian clicked his tongue and planted a bullet between the man's brows. The body, which hadn't shed a drop of blood, collapsed lifelessly. Just to be sure, Ian fired a few more shots into the head and heart before turning back to Cecilia.
‘The reason the Nazi ghouls had no organs was because these bastards were anomalies from the start.’
Normally, any being with bones and muscles—human or otherwise—should have blood vessels along with organs. But the Nazis had none of that. They were truly hollow shells. Even when pierced, no blood flowed, and where a heart should have been, there was nothing.
Perhaps becoming ghouls brought them closer to being ‘human’ in their eyes.
Ian thought as much while kneeling before Cecilia, who still had her eyes covered. She sensed his presence and lifted her head.
“Ian...?”
[Yeah.]
He wrote on her small hand. Cecilia let out a sigh of relief.
“I-Is it safe now?”
[It's safe. Calmed down a bit?]
“Y-Yeah... It still hurts, but I can bear it.”
[Good.]
Ian exhaled and surveyed the surroundings.
Aside from the nearby Circulator, no other presences were felt. But he couldn't let his guard down. Tracking the long branches of the trees would reveal their position quickly. The moon floating in the sky was essentially an eye watching them, so staying in one place wasn't wise.
[Let's move for now. Hold my hand.]
Ian extended his hand toward Cecilia. She hesitated briefly before carefully grasping it.
From time immemorial, human warmth was like a medicine that soothed anxiety. Cecilia relied on the warmth from his hand, covering her eyes with her other hand as she moved cautiously. The Circulator followed behind them.
‘Still well-behaved.’
Among the Outer Sea creatures Ian had summoned so far, all except the Producer basically moved while devouring food. The Messenger had done so, and the Watcher too.
But the Circulator had only consumed a few dozen corpses. It wasn't actively eating while acting.
Yet it showed no violent tendencies, which was proof of its impressive fuel efficiency.
However, no one knew how long that would last.
Its eyes could suddenly roll back, and it might lunge at Ian with jaws wide.
‘If possible, I should fill its belly before that...’
Ian gripped Cecilia's hand tightly, thinking that. She offered no resistance, focusing her mind on the warmth transmitted through her palm. In a world deprived of sight and sound, Ian's warmth was her only anchor.
Step, step.
They encountered nothing during the move.
Thanks to that, he had some leeway. To ease the throbbing pain in his back, Ian leaned against a tree for a moment and flipped through the Grimoire, checking for hints about the current situation.
Rustle.
Fortunately, the Grimoire accurately read his intent.
[The Outer God ‘Song of Melancholy,’ hereinafter ■■■, can mimic entities with similar abilities to itself. Naturally, humans cannot withstand its presence and melt like candle wax, but powerful anomalies can endure.]
“...An Outer God?”
Ian furrowed his brow.
An Outer God? Wasn't the scale suddenly getting too grand?
“......”
But if it was the work of an Outer God, quite a few things started making sense.
The rapid mental domination. The attacks too swift to counter—all far too potent to attribute to a mere anomaly.
Moon-related anomalies were dangerous by nature, but seizing minds this quickly was overkill.
If it was an Outer God, though, he had no choice but to nod. Having directly wielded an Outer God's power once, Ian could feel it keenly.
‘So how do I kill it?’
But if it wasn't a mere anomaly but an Outer God, the situation grew even more hopeless. How could a mere human kill a god?
“Whew, fuck...”
The silver lining was that the Outer God itself couldn't intervene directly in this environment, and it was bound to the moon. It could taint Earth's life with madness, but apparently couldn't descend and wreak havoc personally.
‘Still just as unpleasant.’
Ian spat curses and closed the Grimoire. Cecilia, sensing his breath, gripped his hand tightly.
“What's... wrong...?”
[Nothing. Just frustrated.]
“...Sorry.”
[Not at you. Let's move.]
“O-Okay.”
The two resumed walking.
Ian explained the current situation and precautions to her along the way. Cecilia nodded gravely.
At that moment, the obediently following Circulator turned its head toward somewhere and let out a low growl. Ian followed its gaze.
In the direction of its sight.
In the village center, a black-haired girl, ghouls, and Nazi officers—all with melancholic expressions—held hands and spun in circles.
As if performing a ritual.
Regardless of vampire or Nazi, those fully brainwashed danced under the moonlight, spinning round and round. Ian clicked his tongue and carefully stepped to avoid detection. The Circulator lowered its massive body and followed.
Naturally, charging in to capture vampires now would be madness. Escaping this damned zone took priority.
The brainwashed group? Regrettably, they had to be left behind. Once resolved, he could retrieve them; for now, saving everyone was impossible.
Like Cecilia, a shattered head might snap them back, but they lacked regeneration. A broken head meant death.
‘At least I secured Cecilia.’
Ian thought as he slowly headed back toward the village entrance.
There was a chance of encountering the group, but staying isolated wasn't an option. He'd have to subdue them if needed to escape.
Fortunately, no living people were near the tunnel. Kim Yul with shattered knees and Albert were crawling along the straight road into the village, and the others had apparently moved on earlier—no sign of them. Only the corpses of Management Bureau agents with missing heads lay scattered.
‘The problem is the moonlight.’
Ian held Cecilia close and looked up at the faintly visible sky through the leaves. The moon hadn't vanished; it lingered in place.
If it spotted them, pursuit would be immediate. Ghouls, vampires, Nazis—whatever—would swarm to seize the Grimoire.
Annoying, but inaction wasn't possible. Ian engraved letters on the back of Cecilia's hand nestled against him.
[I'm going to run. The path's rough, so I'll carry you on my back. Okay?]
“Y-Yeah. Sorry. I'm such a burden...”
[Doesn't matter. Inside the tunnel, the moon won't be visible, so you can open your eyes. I'll pat your thigh twice—open then. Ears...]
“Don't worry about it. I'm grateful, actually.”
Cecilia smiled faintly.
“There must be a way to heal me. We'll find it together.”
[Yeah.]
Ian gave a wry smile and stroked her hair. Cecilia didn't reject his touch. As she said, touch-transmitted warmth was all she had now.
[Getting on.]
Ian notified her and called the Circulator.
Reading his will, it lifted Cecilia and placed her on Ian's back. She squirmed briefly, squeezing her eyes shut and wrapping her arms around his neck. Ian gripped her thighs firmly with his arms and stood.
Her small frame meant she wasn't heavy. Not light, but manageable while running. Confirming she was secure, Ian turned to the Circulator.
“Follow me. And hold position here, dealing with any that swarm. Got it?”
[Grrr.]
The Circulator tilted its head as if asking why not follow. Ian answered straightforwardly.
“Don't know the outside situation yet. Heading to Seoul, but can't bring you—too conspicuous.”
[Grrr!]
“So wait here for me. When I call your name, find me. Here's my scent.”
Ian offered his hand to the Circulator's nose. It sniffed through its small nostrils, then lowered its body, drooling profusely.
[Grrrrowl!]
“Good if you remember. Maintain satiety without overfilling. Promise—I'll call you back.”
Ian smiled faintly and patted its head. The Circulator nodded and revealed its hidden sharp claws. Ian exhaled deeply and patted Cecilia's thigh twice to signal departure. She hugged him tighter.
“Going.”
[Grrr!]
On Ian's cue, the Circulator spewed Outer Sea seawater as vapor. Feeling the bloody sea mist lightly envelop his body, Ian gritted his teeth and kicked off toward the tunnel.
[WAAAAAAAAAANG!!!!]
Simultaneously, the briefly paused siren blared again.
In the village where agitation and sirens rang out together, the ‘moon villagers’ wandering inside halted their actions and charged toward Ian.
Rapidly approaching footsteps. But Ian wasn't worried. No matter the moon villagers, they couldn't match Outer Sea denizens.
[Grrowl...!]
The Circulator ran alongside Ian before veering opposite. Cloaked in swirling Outer Sea particles, it charged at the oncoming Nazis and ghouls.
KABOOM!!
On impact, a massive roar erupted as the lead ghouls exploded. Blood, muscle, organs sprayed everywhere; the Circulator devoured them while tearing villagers apart with teeth and claws. Thick blood mist scattered with the Outer Sea vapor.
A massacre. Aptly named, but Ian didn't relax, sprinting toward the tunnel. Upon entering, he patted Cecilia's thigh twice.
“...!”
She flung open her long-covered eyes. Light returned to her amethyst irises, and in her unadjusted vision, she saw the moon-maddened villagers.
“Ian! Ahead!”
“Fuck, they blocked the path in advance?!”
Ian cursed at the Outer God's petty trick. Cecilia swiftly drew her hip holster pistol and fired at the villagers.
KABOOM!
The cannon-like bullet shattered a villager's skull.