Chapter 145
Chapter 145
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 145
Chapter Title: Aliens VS Aliens
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“Haa... haa...”
A narrow alleyway.
Marianne roughly wiped the blood dripping from her cheek with the back of her hand, gasping for breath.
Pain shot up from her crushed knee, but since she'd modified her pain receptors in advance, it wasn't unbearable. It just creaked a bit, but she could still move well enough.
“Tch...”
She clicked her tongue sharply and leaned her back against the wall.
Her thighs, back, stomach, arms, shins, and even her organs.
Not a single part of her was unscathed. Her entire body was soaked in blood. The black dress hid the stains, but the metallic tang of blood had long overwhelmed her scent. A nauseating yet faintly sweet aroma wafted from her whole body.
Thanks to transplanting some succubus fluids, her blood contained a mild aphrodisiac component. But rather than inducing sexual arousal, its analgesic effects were stronger, so she cupped the flowing blood in her palm and gulped it down.
Gulp.
The revolting taste flooded her mouth. A momentary pleasure made her head spin, and the pain throbbing through her body slowly subsided. Only then did Marianne's expression soften slightly.
“Damn bug bastard.”
She slid down to the ground and exhaled a bloody breath.
Rustle.
At the same time, a bug crawled out from the gaping hole in her thigh. Marianne furrowed her brow and thrust her fingers into the wound, yanking it out. The maggot-like thing thrashed, but she ignored it and crushed its body.
Squelch!
The bug's fluids and pus splattered onto her palm. She wiped it carelessly on her clothes and opened her parasol to create some shade.
“You, woman in the shadows. Become my veil.”
As she chanted the spell, the magic circle engraved inside the parasol glowed.
A stealth spell that warped external sight to evade observation. It wasn't her specialty, so her proficiency was lacking, but it was enough to hide her body. She took out the hemostatic agent she'd brought, swallowed it, and stared down the street beyond the alley.
“Where'd it go?”
“Team 2, head left. Team 5, right. Everyone else, follow me.”
“Yes, sir!”
Agents from the Management Bureau in black suits moved through the streets in perfect formation. It looked chaotic, but not a single passerby spared them a glance. They must have some tool that filtered perception.
The Management Bureau excelled at turning anomalies into tools through science—a skill unmatched by any other. Having strange gadgets was hardly surprising.
“...”
For a moment, she considered picking them off one by one, but dismissed the thought. No need to stir up trouble.
I've already drawn too much attention. Should've killed it quick and run.
Of course, Marianne wasn't so fragile that a bit of pursuit from the Management Bureau would leave her injured like this. She could have wiped them all out if she wanted.
She'd hunted down hundreds of trackers so far. No way she'd lose to bureau agents—especially not these grunts. Even if she tried, she couldn't lose to them.
So who had inflicted these mortal wounds on her?
Obvious.
Grotesque Insect Sorcerer...
A man in grotesque attire with a mantis mask flipped over his face.
His muttering “Transform” every time he switched masks was utterly ridiculous, but his skills were no joke. A mage who manipulated hundreds—maybe thousands—of bugs at once while unleashing martial arts couldn't be weak.
Korea's Grotesque Insect Sorcerer. His spells resembled those of Walpurgis's gravekeepers. Did he learn from them?
Walpurgis's gravekeepers.
A reclusive group in Germany specializing in repulsive magics shunned even by other mages.
Entry was incredibly difficult due to their secrecy, and they never leaked spells outside, making them a peculiar bunch unique to Germany. She hadn't expected to encounter one of their mages in Korea.
A runaway? Or just an exceptional freak among freaks.
No way to know.
Didn't particularly care. It wasn't important.
What mattered was that he'd dealt her a mortal blow—and he'd taken one too.
He was probably crawling around like her right now, shaking off the bureau's pursuit. Dumb bastard.
“Haa...”
Marianne exhaled and looked down at her body, which was starting to heal.
The regeneration from transplanting werewolf bones. She felt her severed nerves and tendons reconnecting as she pulled out her phone and dialed without hesitation.
[Hello?]
The voice on the other end spoke French. Marianne leaned her head against the wall and replied.
“Walter, it's me.”
[I know, Marianne. What's up?]
Walter.
The head of Laplace responded in his soft voice. Marianne continued.
“I'm in Korea. Came to retrieve Eddie's body.”
[...Hmm. Acting alone, eh? Why not report it first?]
“Do I have to report my personal business to Laplace? I just wanted to collect my dead lover's remains.”
[Haha, Marianne. We both know it's not that pure.]
Walter chuckled.
[You just want to use Eddie's corpse as material.]
“So what? Is that weird? It's just a woman who loves her lover's body even in death.”
[Normal women don't think like that.]
“I don't know what you want me to do about it. Anyway, I ran into a Grotesque Insect Sorcerer here. Used magic like Walpurgis's gravekeepers.”
[Oh? That's new. Why are there so many weirdos in Korea? Good land or something?]
“That mage is pretty strong.”
[Gravekeepers are all like that. Hmm, but Marianne—what's your point? Asking for help after getting beat? Want revenge?]
Walter asked in his still-amused tone. Marianne glanced at the bureau agents still scurrying about and answered.
“The Management Bureau's onto me. Need a place to hide.”
[Just check into a hotel. Or head to the countryside.]
“I need somewhere much safer.”
She tested her somewhat healed legs. The throbbing pain lingered, but she could walk fine now.
“That mirror world you made. Let me crash there. Tell me the entrance.”
[Mirror world... Oh, right, that exists. I ignored it as a failed experiment, but... yeah, perfect for a hideout.]
“...”
[I can make an entrance quick. Smash a nearby mirror and send me a photo.]
“Thanks, Walter.”
[No problem. We help each other out.]
Walter replied immediately. There was a rustling like turning grimoire pages as he continued.
[By the way, Marianne, since you're in Korea—could you team up with Irene? She's arriving tomorrow.]
“...Why's Irene coming here?”
[Same goal as you. Hunting Eddie's killer. Plus, gather some intel... Anyway, do me a favor.]
“...Fine.”
Marianne sighed in response.
Walter burst into laughter.
[Then, enjoy your rest in the mirror world.]
“The inside of the mirror world unfolds like a reality that's similar yet different. Think of it like a parallel world.”
Yu Eun-ha stood in front of the mirror, explaining.
She was now wearing a tight black leather jacket and pants—her work outfit. It could pass for combat gear.
“But it's not a real parallel world. Nothing like what scientists talk about.”
“Th-then...?”
“An incomplete copy of reality created by the anomaly. That's the vibe. Hard for me to explain in detail.”
“Uh, um...”
“It's not dangerous. I already sent in a demon to test it. You can enter and exit freely.”
Eun-ha secured Lemegeton to her belt and turned to Ian. He met her gaze with a serious expression.
“So, what's the goal?”
“Exploration and the demon contract. It's an anomaly from my house, so plenty of reason to scout it. And summoning a demon in a non-real space means no risk if it fails—safer that way.”
“Mm... Got it. How do we escape?”
“Find a full-length mirror inside and step through. It'll appear where we first enter.”
“No need to hunt around for it.”
“Right. And... this inner world has a heavy apocalyptic vibe. Buildings are all ruined, hardly any survivors.”
This was intriguing. Ian tilted his head slightly.
“A post-apocalyptic setting?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know the cause of the downfall?”
“Yeah. Aliens invaded.”
“...Pardon?”
Ian furrowed his brow, not grasping her words. Eun-ha scratched her cheek and replied.
“Reptilians showed their true colors and wiped out every country except the US. America's holding the last stand.”
“Wait... What about the Clock Tower mages and why is America...?”
“No magic in that world. Actually, nothing anomaly-related exists at all—not just magic.”
Ian let out a hollow laugh at her follow-up. Eun-ha packed the materials Ian had given her into her bag, a faint smile on her lips.
“Weird, right?”
It was definitely weird.