Chapter 78 – Unstoppable (8)
“Mom? Th-there’s nothing on the table?”
“Just sit quietly and wait. Something special is coming in from outside.”
Right after Lee Jin-ah entered the basement.
Yoo Ji-young went back upstairs alone, taking Park Tae-jun with her down to the kitchen. However, upon seeing the scene at the table, he could only feel bewildered.
There was nothing on the table but empty plates.
“Uh… Is it going to take a long time?”
“No, it won’t take long.”
Park Tae-jun sat down, unable to do anything else, but he instinctively sensed that the atmosphere was already strange.
After all, the Corrupted Bug Collective, which was wearing the shells of the household members, no longer tried to hide its true nature.
Cold sweat began to flow down Park Tae-jun’s forehead as he kept glancing around.
“…Mom, it seems like… there’s one chair missing.”
He cautiously opened his mouth. There were indeed fewer chairs and utensils than the number of people expected to eat.
The moment he mentioned this, Yoo Ji-young grinned, revealing her teeth.
Unlike before, her smile was forced and eerie, like a mask trying to mimic laughter.
“Mom… right?”
Unable to hold back, Park Tae-jun bit his lips and uttered those words.
While he doubted with reason, his desperate heart screamed internally that it couldn’t possibly be true. He would rather have her be indifferent to him as before than hope nothing had happened to his mother.
“Just sit still, will you?”
Yoo Ji-young seemed amused by Park Tae-jun’s reaction, her laughter not fading.
“Before I rip apart your arms and legs.”
However, what followed was a statement that made Park Tae-jun doubt his hearing.
“Uh, Mom…”
“You can look forward to it. The delicious food made from your lovely girlfriend you’ve caught is about to arrive. After eating that, you’ll become one of us.”
Now, Yoo Ji-young and the Corrupted Bug Collective that occupied her body showed no signs of hiding their true colors.
Park Tae-jun’s eyes widened, and he started to tremble. The aura she emitted felt predatory. His body froze as it was pressed down by that energy, making it hard to even speak.
‘Oh, no…’
In shock, Park Tae-jun’s mind went blank, and he unconsciously recalled the face of the girl he had brought home today.
“Ugh?!”
“What’s this!”
But in that moment, the atmosphere among the Corrupted Bug Collective in the kitchen shifted rapidly. They were a connected collective organism. Naturally, they could sense when parts of their group were in trouble.
“But the connection has been severed. What the heck happened?!”
“Shut up. Go check it out!”
But what was happening in the basement was something they completely did not expect.
A 50-something housekeeper grimaced ferociously, and Yoo Ji-young urged them on. Soon, the housekeeper and a knight dashed out of the kitchen heading for the basement.
“Seems like there’s been a minor disturbance. But don’t worry, the food will be fine!”
“What did you do to Jin-ah?!”
Now, all pretense was gone, and the grotesque expression on her face made Park Tae-jun clench his fists.
‘Don’t lose yourself. No matter what happens, overcome and become stronger. Only a strong man can obtain what he desires.’
In that moment, Park Tae-jun recalled what Lee Jin-ah had told him just earlier. A strong man obtains what he desires. That must certainly include his girl.
“What is going on?!”
“I need to go check on Jin-ah.”
“Are you daring to defy your own mother?!”
She watched Park Tae-jun, who sprang to his feet, shaking with rage, biting down on her elongated, darkened tongue as if amused by his bravery.
“You… you aren’t my mom.”
Park Tae-jun hurriedly grabbed something nearby. Despite shaking with fear, his willpower was ironically bolstered by his earlier experience of being possessed by Mamute’s demon.
At least he knew how dangerous this world could be and that anything could happen.
“Impudent brat! How dare you?!”
Furious beyond control, her veins bulging, she screamed as her elongated black tongue lunged at him.
Gulp…
“Ugh…”
But the tongue didn’t reach him.
An explosion erupted outside, specifically from the basement, and the shockwave hit the kitchen.
‘Oh… it hurts…’
Crashing through the not-so-thin kitchen wall, Park Tae-jun found himself slammed to the ground, surrounded by debris, wincing from the jarring pain throughout his body.
A ringing buzz filled his ears, and his vision blurred with dust.
In that situation, he saw a figure standing in front of the collapsed wall.
A girl with long black hair, trampling over the torn corpses of the Corrupted Bug Collective, revealed her hideous parasitic form and flashed her crimson eyes towards him.
Takilas.
He was unable to mistake that face.
Currently, she was the most famous magical girl. The strongest magical girl. The most terrifying magical girl.
And, oddly enough, she radiated a strangely familiar aura.
Takilas slowly walked towards him. Park Tae-jun found himself instinctively grabbing her ankle.
“Downstairs… someone… Jin-ah…”
“I know.”
Breathing heavily, he struggled to articulate his words. Takilas silently looked down at him and nodded.
“She’s safe.”
“That’s a relief…”
In the end, he couldn’t hold on any longer. Takilas watched as Park Tae-jun lost consciousness. He had indeed shown a strong side, just as he was supposed to.
“I find him intriguing as a Scouter.”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
“The boy has some penalties compared to the girl, but even accounting for that, he’s a fine specimen. Harsh wounds, overcoming them, mental fortitude… he might just become a decent magical girl.”
“You crazy perverts. You all are as cunning as they come.”
Takilas openly laughed at Ren’s words. Yet, she nodded nonetheless.
“Sorry, but I can’t give him to you. I find him intriguing too.”
She slowly lifted the unconscious Park Tae-jun into her arms. Although his height of over 160cm was taller than hers, that didn’t matter.
*
“What the hell is going on?!”
“Oh my gosh! Call 119 quickly!”
An explosion and fire erupted from the once pristine mansion. Such a terror-like event shouldn’t happen in this affluent neighborhood, home to powerful figures and the wealthy.
“Boss! Ma’am! Tae-jun…!”
Outside, the manager, Jang Woo-seok, who had been on the phone, dashed into the house, pale-faced, pushing through the crowd of gasping people.
The chaos within the home looked as if it had been bombed. If people had been caught in it, there was no way they could still be alive.
“Ah…”
“What are you standing there staring for, manager? Go get the paramedics!”
However, Jang Woo-seok couldn’t enter the house. A being walked out, kicking the thick front door open, tilting its head at him while commanding.
In that moment, his gaze froze harshly. The one falling unconscious in the grip of the absolute evil was someone he had to protect.
“She’s safe. Just fainted.”
“No, it can’t be you…”
“You must’ve sensed something strange. Excluding this girl, all the inhabitants of this house, including Park Ji-tae, are monsters, Corrupted Bug Collective wearing human skins.”
Takilas moved her shadow, tossing something to the ground. What fell with a splat and dripped was a gruesome creature, horrifically torn asunder, amalgamated with human form.
“Ugh…”
He grit his teeth, barely suppressing his urge to retch, but some residents watching this scene already screamed and vomited in horror.
“The paramedics are on their way.”
Keeping an eye on things, Jang Woo-seok managed to maintain his composure while carefully receiving Park Tae-jun from Takilas.
However, to his surprise, Takilas didn’t leave immediately but instead looked up at him and spoke.
“I forgot, call the police and the Management Bureau too.”
“What do you mean by…”
“I have something to inform those stupid fools. The ignorant citizens, you lot. I’m too lazy, so you handle it.”
Takilas ordered him as if sending him on a simple errand like to get some ice cream.
But Jang Woo-seok had no time to care about that now.
The weight of Takilas’ words just moments ago was that enormous.
For the first time, she—who had been treated like a disaster and had no proper communication—declared her intention to interact with the world.
“No, just tell them you’ll hold a press conference. I don’t have time to waste, hurry up.”
She bypassed all the intermediate steps as if they were of no concern.
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