It had been a few days since our last encounter.
Perry’s appearance remained unchanged. His muscular body looked as though it had forgotten fatigue, appearing relaxed, and his skin was spotless, giving the impression that he had just returned from a vacation.
However, there was one noticeable difference.
A face that appeared not just dry, but desolate.
The man before me now bore a cracked expression, like mud that had been robbed of its moisture. The cause of this was glaringly obvious, requiring no further investigation.
That young merchant’s body bore the contract of the Dark Cult.
Soon, an inorganic voice greeted me.
“Master I-an, have you perhaps heard? It is always true that sad premonitions are rarely wrong…”
Meanwhile, Liya shuffled her bottom and slowly retreated. As she approached me, her eyes misted over with droplets of water. Her trembling, delicate fingers soon pointed at Perry.
A desperate plea, soaked in moisture, followed.
“Oh, b-brother… Sniff. That, that human… something’s wrong. It’s not human… it’s a monster!”
I chose to remain silent, offering no response.
I merely stared at Perry’s back with a hollow gaze.
His eyes were fixed on the blood-red sun in the sky, as if he were an artist admiring his life’s greatest masterpiece.
Whether Liya cried or not made no difference to the man.
In fact, Perry’s tone grew even more relaxed as he began to address me.
“Just as I suspected… everything fell perfectly into place. You deliberately accompanied me on my journey, then separated at an opportune time…”
“Were you aware?”
“To some extent.”
The man’s emotionless eyes turned to me. The pupils already lacked light, revealing that he was not in a normal state.
I had seen such an expression before.
It was identical to the faceless monsters who had attacked me and the Lady Virgin Saint by the river—the same look when one of them had been possessed.
Realizing this, my brow slightly furrowed.
I had expected something, but it wasn’t a pleasant feeling.
“…I see, we meet again.”
At this, a dry laugh escaped the man’s lips.
A voice devoid of emotion, one that might better be described as noise.
“Of course. I can’t even tell you how long I’ve been watching you.”
Slowly turning his body, Perry asked me with a subtle sneer in his tone.
“I didn’t expect to converse with you so soon… By the way, did I forget to introduce myself?”
“Were you watching me even back then?”
I ignored his previous words and directly questioned him about what had been on my mind.
This unexpected attitude seemed to catch him off guard, judging by the bewilderment in his eyes.
Regardless, my interrogation continued.
“Back in the town, remember? You kept staring at me.”
“Ah, you mean back then? Yes, absolutely.”
He shrugged, making a jest out of it. His tone was theatrical, akin to that of an actor.
“Was my gaze too intense? Hahaha, forgive me… After all, it’s irrelevant now, isn’t it?”
Immediately after speaking, a cruel smile formed on the man’s face.
Snap. With the clicking sound of fingers, all light and sound began to flicker.
Though for just a brief moment.
A low, groaning sound, “uuu,” tickled my ears. A smooth yet ominous tone passed over my eardrums, and then the light returned.
By then, the scenery around us had significantly changed.
Dozens of black shadows began to rise unsteadily.
Until that moment, I hadn’t sensed any movement or sound. If the essence of these shadows were indeed just shadows, then it made sense that there was no biological breathing to detect. This newly revealed secret almost made me chuckle.
Was this lack of reaction entertaining to him?
A strange ripple of emotion passed across Perry’s face, revealing a wave of joy that grotesquely distorted his muscles.
With exaggerated politeness, he bowed his waist, an action clearly intending to mock.
“For this rare meeting, I’ve prepared a simple game. The condition? How about you find my true body hidden among these?”
“True body?”
“Yes, as you can see, I have the ability to freely control my possessed forms. This means I can move between these puppets at will. However, a game without a prize wouldn’t be fun, so…”
The man’s hands clapped together with a sound.
Another sudden change occurred.
Pak, the lights flickered once more, and beams of bloody color stretched out from the red sun. Amidst the buzzing vibrations, faint screams were intermixed.
Cryaaak, Uaaack, Ahhhhaaaaack.
These sounds weren’t random utterances.
They formed specific rhythms—a grand yet sinister, and oddly lively melody that descended into the dim room.
It was distasteful.
To compose music with cries of pain…
The disgusting performance was accompanied by the appearance of bloody tentacles.
Tentacles originating from the blood-red sun swiftly wrapped themselves around a girl who had collapsed nearby. In no time, the monstrous entity enveloped her body like a cocoon and began to pulse ominously.
“What do you think? Let this girl be the prize. It is an excellent bet either way. If you rescue her in time, you might save her life. But if you’re too late…”
Kekkek, a vile laughter erupted from the man.
“…She will become a splendid gift, I assure you.”
“Then shall we start?”
Despite his blatant provocation, my voice remained calm.
This fact seemed to displease him. Perry clicked his tongue in annoyance but had no other recourse, merely sighing and shrugging.
“Huff, you’re unexpectedly dull. Doesn’t this thrilling challenge make your heart race?! Fine, let’s start…!”
Tak,
Before he could finish, my kick struck somewhere. An unidentified body soared into the air, and the man’s wide eyes locked onto me.
It was utterly unexpected.
No one could say a word, except for the figure sprawled on the ground groaning in pain.
The silence was broken only a few seconds later.
It was due to the broken gibberish emanating from Perry’s vocal cords.
“What are you doing…?”
“You suggested a game, right? ‘Find the True Body.'”
At that, my indifferent gaze shifted to a specific point—to a girl who was gasping for air after being kicked by me.
Suspicious golden eyes stared back at me.
Perhaps due to the sudden, painful kick, the hand pressing against her chest trembled. Closed eyelids, leaking tears, showed the agony she felt.
Gasp, gasp.
Her breathing was unstable from the blow to her abdomen. No matter how much she tried to steady it, the signs of pain did not disappear.
It was a heart-wrenching sight.
Yes, it would have been—until just a little while ago.
“…Isn’t that right?”
“Ho, how… how could you…”
While gasping, Liya voiced her feelings of betrayal and resentment.
Her hand, pressed against the ground, clenched tightly, leaving streaks of blood. Blood flowed profusely from her broken nails.
The golden eyes of the girl brimmed with tears.
Drip, drip. Each tear drop formed a mournful final wail.
Unable to comprehend, the girl let out a faint sob.
“How… how…”
It was the reaction of someone confronting an unthinkable reality.
For a moment, my heart wavered, but I quietly endured.
The blood-covered fists of the girl slammed repeatedly against the ground.
“How, how, how, how, how, HOWWWW…”
She cried as she sobbed.
Filled with anger, despair, resentment, and self-recrimination, the girl shrieked.
And when her cries had buried her voice so completely that her breathing was no longer even audible—
The shuddering of her pale shoulders finally subsided, and she slowly raised her head.
As I faced the girl’s face,
I could not help but wear a resigned smile, as if expecting this all along.
“…How did you know?”
With an unbearably sinister smile, the girl drew her lips upward with her index finger.
A disturbing blood-colored curve formed.
“Heheh.”
Along with an utterly unsuitable, cute laugh,
The sight of her winking and playfully sticking out her tongue was too whimsical.
I thought to myself,
This battle would certainly be exhausting.
The needle of fate was once again in motion.
