Chapter: 168
At the highest floor of the Demon King’s Castle, a chilling ritual was unfolding—so terrifying that merely perceiving it could make one lose their mind.
The walls and floor of the room where the ritual took place were entirely made of a deep red-black stone, exuding an ominous vibe. Only a select few strong beings recognized by ‘That One’ could pass through here, so the gathering of cloaked figures in the room could rightfully be called ‘the strongest of the strongest.’
Illuminating the dark room that felt as if night had settled in was a massive purple flame burning in the fireplace. The cold warmth of that light shined clearly upon the altar.
The altar itself appeared to be made from the darkest material in the world, soaking up all light. Its smooth surface resembled that of polished marble.
Just like the black cat that roams gracefully through the darkness, the pitch-black altar looked so dark that it seemed more like a part of the shadows than a solid object.
Intricate golden patterns were engraved along the edges of the altar, interspersed with red jewels that helped convey its shape.
Underneath the altar lay a red carpet, and upon closer inspection, one could discern a Blood Magic Circle drawn in blood. Resting calmly on the altar was a human body—Lian, lying perfectly still.
Curiously, his left and right hands were covered in a black substance that looked like mud, obscuring the seals engraved on his hands.
“We shall begin the ritual,” one of the cloaked figures declared heavily.
Swish.
As they spoke, the flames in the fireplace flickered as if stirred by an unseen wind.
Gurgle…
Simultaneously, a suffocating pressure began to weigh upon the space. This was a crushing presence, far beyond the gravity that had been bearing down on the Duke’s party. Everyone present trembled slightly, entranced by a manic joy.
‘That One,’ a being revered above all, loomed over them.
The unbearable pressure was a signal that the ritual had truly commenced.
‘Finally, it descends upon the earth…!’
One of the zealots among the Outsiders, having stolen the body of a Dark Fantasy resident, approached the altar with a blissful smile.
‘Ah, I can already hear the song of despair praising That One ringing in my ears.’
Grinning wildly, the zealot lifted a colossal silver chalice, its body adorned with glowing green patterns that signified it was anything but ordinary.
Drip.
Black liquid began to flow from the chalice, spilling over Lian’s body. Following the predetermined steps of the ritual, the magic circle carved on the carpet below the altar began to ominously glow.
Squelch.
With a sound reminiscent of something viscous crawling, Lian’s body twitched slightly as That One began to invade him.
Crack.
‘…?!’
Just as a finger’s length penetrated, it felt as if it was being severed by some unseen force. The severed piece was absorbed into some hollow space within the human body.
Alarmed, the entity withdrew its main body. No, it tried to withdraw.
Crack, crunch!
It was as if something within was determined not to let go of its prey, gnawing and chewing on the entity’s form. It was only a sensation as if one’s hair or fingertips were being nibbled away, but the phenomenon itself remained undeniable.
Finally managing to cut off a piece and escape, the foreign presence occupying Lian’s body growled lowly and held back.
‘Hah…’
The being was momentarily at a loss for words in its astonishment. It seemed unable to accept reality, repeatedly trying to steal Lian’s body, but the more it attempted, the more it lost its own hair and nails.
Yet the entity was not the only one taken aback.
“What, what’s the problem?”
“What on earth is inside this body for such a thing to occur…?”
Those conducting the ritual couldn’t hide their own confusion and frantically pooled their knowledge, but none of it proved helpful.
Rumble!
Frustrated at not getting its way, the entity trembled with rage. The sky seemed to lament, and the ground shook as if an earthquake had struck.
Crack!
The entity violently shoved itself into Lian’s body, pulling out whatever caught its grip without restraint, intending to consume the thing gnawing at its being. But what emerged was nothing like what it had hoped for.
[ Waaah! ]
With wide eyes, struggling and flailing, it was Lian’s soul that shimmered a soft blue. He stared blankly at the entity, still unable to grasp the situation.
[ Um… hello? ]
‘…!’
As Lian calmly waved at the entity, it shook its hand as if it had just touched something disgusting.
[ Wack! ]
Since he was in soul form, Lian passed through the wall and flew away. The being briefly considered recapturing the human’s soul but decided against it, realizing that such a lowly soul would have probably already been devoured by its pet waiting outside the door.
What mattered now was to deal with the unknown entity that had dared to gnaw on a piece of its being.
Possessing an unapproachable level of superiority, the entity was exceedingly arrogant. It was so overconfident that it didn’t ponder why a human soul was capable of gazing back at it without going insane or being obliterated. After all, it thought, even if an insignificant bug behaved oddly, it remained just a bug.
As Lian soared out of the room, the entity erased him from its perception.
*
[ Huh? ]
After being flung out of the room, Lian collided with a massive dog standing right outside the door, coming to a halt. Given that his soul couldn’t pass through this creature, it certainly wasn’t a normal dog.
“Grr…”
The sight of a dog the size of a single-story house growling and drooling was a scene ripped straight from a nightmare. No matter how things were unfolding, Lian thought evading this beast and surviving was his top priority.
He bent slightly forward, palm outstretched as he backed away.
[ N-Nice doggie? ]
He muttered, starting to rummage through his pockets. Wearing clothes akin to his physical form allowed his hand to slide smoothly into the large pocket.
[ ‘…! Found it!’ ]
As he touched what he had been hoping for, an involuntary smile spread across his face. Lian began to back away slowly, pulling something from his pocket.
[ Here, look at this! ]
Suddenly, an enormous bone, impossibly big to have come from his pocket, started to emerge. The sharp gaze of the dog softened as it watched.
“Yip, yip.”
Wagging its tail and wriggling its body, the dog began to act cute.
‘Phew, thank goodness. The comedy filter is working perfectly!’
One of the features of the comedy world: dogs go crazy for bones. The better shaped and prettier it is, the more effective it is!
Before long, the creature showed its belly and gleefully danced around, looking incredibly adorable. Lian thought briefly about giving it a pat but worried it might bite him, so he tossed the huge bone out the nearby window.
“Arrooo!”
The excited bark echoed as the entity’s pet, known as a beast, leaped out of the window after the bone.
Crash, crack!
The window frame and ledge quickly fell apart, and a section of the wall crumbled down.
‘…Good call on not petting it.’
Relieved, Lian hurriedly shoved his face back into the room where his body lay.
[ ….! ]
What greeted him was his body, drenched in an unknown black liquid, sitting up with a blank expression on the black altar.
“I suppose I’ll need to find a new body now.”
A strange voice crawled into Lian’s ears, dripping with surprise. Looking toward the source of the sound, he saw a figure cloaked in black, its hood pulled down tightly, its voice laden with concern.
“Well, it’s fortunate you didn’t end up losing your body, but…”
“…”
“It seems your consciousness has vanished.”
Lian cautiously stepped further into the room to get a better grasp of the situation. Fortunately, the cloaked figures didn’t seem to notice his existence at all.
‘The entity’s gaze has vanished too.’
The heavy presence that had felt so palpable only moments before was now completely washed away. For reasons unknown to him, he realized that the entity had vacated its position.
Lian floated slowly toward his body, which was gently blinking. Then, sounds began to reach his ears again.
[ Damn, what the hell kind of body is this! ]
A voice from within sounded terrified and confused.
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