Chapter 155
Chapter 155
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 155
Chapter Title: Stone Lily
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The Reptilians' lair was located in Incheon's Namdong-gu, where the old city hall once stood.
It had once been land dominated by humans, but now it was a relic of civilization fully claimed by lizards. The Reptilians viewed these remnants as profane yet thriftily repurposed them to suit their needs rather than dismantling them. Parking lots had become training grounds, and nearby buildings served as barracks, warming the backs of the lizard soldiers.
[Feels good...]
[Glad the sun's out. It was cloudy just a few days ago.]
Reptilians lounged on the building's railings like wet laundry. Ian watched them from a distance, letting out a low groan.
He had no burning desire to liberate Korea from Reptilian rule or anything like that. Sure, his bloodline carried the fierce spirit of independence fighters, but that resistance didn't extend to fictional realms. He calmly assessed the situation.
'The barracks buildings can just be bulldozed... The real issue is the city hall.'
The city hall now served as the Reptilians' equivalent of the Blue House in Korea. But it wasn't just Reptilians inside. Humans they enslaved coexisted there as well.
[Move it! Keep slacking, and I'll toss you into the breeding pens!]
"...Damn lizard bastards."
"Wouldn't care if they all died as long as a nuke dropped..."
[What? You two. What did you just say? Get over here and repeat it.]
"Ah, aaah!"
"S-sorry! We're sorry!"
Reptilians might look like lizards, but their intellect went far beyond that. Over centuries infiltrating human society, they'd acquired cunning intelligence. They knew exactly how to handle the natives of conquered lands.
Just as the British had enslaved Native Americans, they were enslaving all humanity. Everywhere except the fiercely resistant United States had already fallen into their grasp.
A few held onto dreams of freedom and independence, but they'd all ended up as Reptilian fodder or breeding sacks. Now, only those stripped of free will remained. They grumbled, but open rebellion was a thing of the past.
Whatever. It didn't matter to Ian. What did was the presence of living 'humans' inside the city hall.
If they were blatant scum like cultists, he'd crush them without hesitation. But they weren't, so flattening them with a Circulator's raw power wasn't an option.
Of course, if he ignored the humans, he wouldn't need to overthink it. Just send in a Circulator and watch from afar—the situation would resolve itself. Simple and effective.
But that wasn't his preferred approach. If there were no alternatives, he'd do it in a heartbeat, but here, options abounded. No need to feed them all to a Circulator en masse.
"Time to use some proper magic for once..."
Ian muttered as he rose from the Circulator's back.
Come to think of it, he hadn't cast anything resembling true magecraft lately.
Well, he had, but mostly relying on Deep Sea Observation Record summons. They were simple and devastating—why bother with anything else?
So, oiling up his rusty spellwork wouldn't hurt.
"Alright, let's go."
Ian stretched his stiff body and opened his grimoire.
The grimoire that had been with him the longest.
Hand of Recreation glowed pure white in his grasp, its pages turning on their own.
It was a peaceful morning. At least, that's what the secretary-general of the Reptilian Korean branch thought.
He strode down the city hall corridor, his coat—tailored by a German Reptilian comrade—billowing behind him. Shoes custom-made for his massive feet clacked satisfyingly.
[Ah, Comrade Secretary-General of the Peninsula.]
A Reptilian approaching from the opposite direction spotted him and bowed deeply.
Secretary-General.
Originally a title for communist leaders, among Reptilians it meant the party member overseeing a nation. The term's inherent authority commanded respect. Even for the Peninsula Secretary-General, no exceptions.
[Hm. Good morning, comrade. Nothing unusual last night, I hope?]
The secretary-general spoke. His reptilian slit-eyes glinted menacingly beneath his brimmed hat. But the cadre remained unfazed, shaking his head.
[Nothing major. Some human remnants in Pyongyang stirred trouble, but we quashed it quickly.]
[Captured any?]
[No. Processed them as rations on-site.]
The two lizards walked together. Sunlight pouring through the windows pleasantly warmed their scales.
[Thought about herding them as livestock, but handing them out as rewards felt better. The troops loved it.]
[Human flesh is a delicacy. No wonder the local cult obsesses over it.]
[Exactly. They owe their survival to us, after all.]
A bizarre fusion of Buddhism and Christianity, the cult survived in Incheon by offering devotees as tribute. Otherwise, they'd have been torn apart and enslaved long ago.
Even then, the offerings weren't substantial enough to matter—they could ignore them and slaughter everyone.
But the idea of sacrificing kin for survival amused them, so they let it slide. And the cult obliged with more devotees.
What a joke.
The secretary-general chuckled, picturing the cult leader's sleazy face, then turned to the cadre.
[By the way, heard a monster rampaged nearby a few hours ago. What's the status?]
[Ah... Still untamed. Too fast—hard to capture or kill, they say.]
[Is that so?]
[Yes. A patrol unit nearby lost contact. It was near that cult... Probably...]
[Wiped out.]
The secretary-general clicked his tongue.
[Bus-sized, fast, strong, sharp teeth... Ridiculous creature. Does it even exist?]
[Just hearsay for me too. But likely real... Uh, hold on, Comrade Secretary-General. My vision's acting up—]
As the cadre adjusted his monocle, he vanished from the secretary-general's sight.
[...!]
The secretary-general's eyes widened. He sharpened his claws, scanning warily.
His comrade gone in an instant, yet he stayed calm, dilating his pupils and exhaling sharply.
Everything looked normal. Sense of smell fine.
Sound? Only silence. Heat sensors operational.
No anomalies anywhere. That very normalcy felt off. He advanced slowly, claws first.
[...No one's nearby?]
He bellowed.
No reply. His threat sensors buzzed instead.
[...Human or not, answer me!]
He shouted louder.
Still nothing. Only echoes off the walls.
[...Fuck.]
The secretary-general swore, inhaling deeply.
Reptilians couldn't teleport. Yet the cadre evaporated. Impossible without external interference.
Or drug-induced hallucination.
[No, I'm perfectly fine.]
He dismissed it. No drugs, no hallucinogens. He'd be mad otherwise.
Then what?
What had made his cadre disappear?
As he swallowed hard—
[...? What's that?]
Bottom right of his vision. Corridor end.
A spot that should be empty now bloomed with a single white flower.
Faint hyacinth scent from the full bloom. But it wasn't hyacinth.
Stone Lily.
Corpse flower, funeral flower, ghost flower, fox flower.
Many names, but most famous: Asphodel.
The beautiful red flower of the afterlife, bleached white, bloomed in the corridor. Entranced, the secretary-general approached and knelt beside it.
[...Ah.]
Thick hyacinth mingled with faint blood scent.
Exquisite aroma. He parted his lips slightly, brushing a petal with a sharpened claw.
The petal swayed without resistance. Slender white leaves spread, trembling with eerie resonance—like weeping, like screams.
A subtly captivating sound.
[...More. I want to hear more.]
His lips twitched as he prodded the petals repeatedly.
For a long while.
He looked up casually, beholding the corridor awash in white Asphodels. Never seen before, yet no unease—only heart-pounding inspiration.
[So beautiful...]
The missing cadre forgotten, replaced by white Asphodels. He grinned, treading the flower field carefully. Stemless blooms sang grotesque a cappella in response.
[P-please, spare me, Comrade Secretary-General!]
[From now on, you're the Peninsula Secretary-General. Let's get along.]
[Here. A uniform made by the German Secretary-General himself.]
[I don't want to die... Don't want to die...]
[A, aaaaaaah!!!]
Beautiful a cappella caressing memories' voices.
Ecstatic, he lay amid the flowers like a bed. They held him firm, singing impossible notes fervently.
Suddenly, the underside of a petal caught his eye.
Stemless and rootless, the Stone Lily bloomed on green-scaled soil. Reptilians identified kin by scale patterns—he knew instantly.
[Cadre...]
His long-time comrade, scattered as fertile soil.
Not just him.
Breeding pen overseer.
Kitchen manager.
Admin, military, legal experts—all slumbered here.
Realization ignited fury.
[How dare you! Merging with this splendor without me! Unforgivable! I'm joining!]
He tore off his uniform, slashing torso and limbs wildly. Red blood splashed, staining white Stone Lilies crimson. They sang in acclaim.
[Hahaha! You're happy too! Fine, I'll burn this body to unite with you! Louder! Even more beautiful songs!]
Splurt!
His gut split, organs spilling. He collapsed. Dormant lilies invaded, devouring flesh, muscle, bone.
[Take it! All of it! And sing for me—!]
Before he finished, lilies consumed his brain utterly. Motion ceased abruptly.
Voice cut, massive body slumped. Lilies spared only scales, absorbing all else as nutrients.
Soon, only green scales remained.
...Crunch.
Moments later, sunlight-glistened scales birthed white Stone Lilies instantly. Crimson-stained blooms reverted to pristine white.
And then, someone emerged at the corridor's end.
[...? Flowers here?]
Kyahahahaha!
The flowers erupted in spine-chilling harmony at fresh nourishment.