Moon Emperor Hall.
Somehow there was a reason why the place I was summoned was in a cave deep underground. The Moon Emperor Hall is embedded in the bottom part of stone pillars rising from lakes in the east and south.
After heading to the main hall with Heavenly Demon, we took an elevator down and then rode a boat. And from there we headed to a stone pillar even further out. Only then did we finally arrive at their location.
Of course, I knew this from Gu Seongyong and Heavenly Demon’s memories.
As soon as we stood at the entrance, a guide attached himself to us.
Following him while looking around, the atmosphere is different.
Unlike the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult people who walk around showing their faces in clothing full of individual personality, most here wear plain clothes that cover their faces.
But the clothes aren’t completely identical. Each person has different colored knots, or different shaped hats on their heads.
Probably they dress like this to make ranks easily distinguishable.
And everyone has 2 or more lights in their body.
Why do they live with so many things stuffed in there?
While looking around like that, we entered a room. The room is hazily covered in smoke. Is this an opium den?
And in the middle of the room sits a person with their face covered.
“Moon Emperor Hall Master.”
“Oh my, isn’t it Heavenly Demon? To come here with such a thing. What business brings you here?”
Not exactly a warm welcome.
From the voice, it’s a man. However, there’s no guarantee this person is the real hall master. Still, if I make him into a harvester, I should be able to get information.
“Hello. I came to give myself to you.”
With Heavenly Demon beside me, I get straight to the point.
If this person starts twisting words, I might not be able to win. And they might find some weakness in my words.
So I act first.
“Ah, you want to change me like you did with Heavenly Demon? Even though that’s not a blessing.”
Then the man called Moon Emperor Hall Master points out the danger of harvesters. The intention is clear here. He’s trying to plant doubts in Heavenly Demon.
I have no intention of letting this person keep talking.
Because once I make him into a harvester, I can get his memories without him speaking.
I stepped forward.
Then something clicks as some mechanism moves.
Slash.
Heavenly Demon immediately extended her sword and cut the steel wire. Heavenly Demon could see the mechanical device moving.
Of course, seeing how the world seems somewhat recovered, I could probably regenerate once or twice even if my head gets cut off, but since an injured part might become weaker than the original, I need to be careful.
I make it clear that I have no intention of dialogue.
“This is a notification.”
“My, my, Heavenly Demon. Are you just going to watch this? This is nothing short of an invasion of our Moon Emperor Hall. Haven’t you yourself seen what might happen if this monster is left alone?”
The content is urgent, but the tone isn’t at all.
Rather, it’s closer to mockery.
It means Heavenly Demon will be the one to regret it after doing something that shouldn’t be done.
“Do it. Moon Emperor Hall Master.”
But Heavenly Demon spoke calmly. At that, the Moon Emperor Hall Master flinched slightly and immediately lowered his voice.
“You will regret this.”
“Since when did the hall masters start talking back to my orders?”
As expected of Heavenly Demon.
Does she really intend to keep what she said then? The Moon Emperor Hall Master stared at Heavenly Demon.
“Thousand years, thousand years, thousand thousand years.”
And after saying just that mockingly, he walked toward me. I recited the contract words to him.
“I will give myself to you. In exchange, I’ll take everything you have when you finish everything later. How about it?”
After a long silence, the Moon Emperor Hall Master answered in a heavy voice.
“Always saying the same thing. Fine. Let’s do that.”
I grabbed the light inside his body and tried to dye it my color. No, I tried to, but something strange was attached and I could only dye half of it.
Ah.
This.
I know this. When I first entered this body, something like this was attached to one of my eyeballs. Someone has already contracted with this person.
That thing claims ownership.
I licked the light first. The memories obtained are roughly half of what I should have gotten.
It’s just half, but it’s as much as half.
There are many memories obtained. Above all, I learned that while this person holds the position of Moon Emperor Hall Master, he’s not the highest person in the Moon Emperor Hall.
“It’s a double contract.”
Through the faintly connected sensation, I can feel a smile of victory forming on his face.
“Double contract?”
Heavenly Demon asked as if puzzled. So I answered like this.
“It means this person serves someone other than Heavenly Demon.”
If it were just warmth, I could take it anytime even with this incomplete connection, but I decided not to do that.
Instead, I said this.
“Call the one you serve. Yin Simwon.”
“H-how do you know my name!”
For the first time, he shouts in panic. Looking at the half memories, this world has a culture that places importance on names. So they hide their names as much as possible, and he must be surprised that I know it.
I pointed at him with my finger.
“Just because it’s a double contract doesn’t mean the contract didn’t work, right?”
If we take time bit by bit, his light will be completely dyed dark purple. At the boundary of the light, another being’s touch is being torn away bit by bit.
Well, whatever.
Once I get the memories and steal the warmth, I can give up things like light.
Even if I try to negotiate like that, something remains unmoved. Maybe I need to talk to them directly, or they have no intention of letting go.
At times like this, there’s only one thing.
That too is a target to make into a harvester.
Anyway right now, the people here are likely to think I can only know names. There’s no need to hesitate using information that’s already spread.
Since this world’s culture values names, I make them misunderstand as if I’ve already taken everything important through my tone.
“Did you think you could get away with just making a verbal contract? Now. Hurry and bring them.”
Though I couldn’t find out where they are, I can at least tell if it’s the right person or not.
“Heavenly Demon! Kill this one immediately! This one is an unprecedented evil god sought from beyond the heavens! With just that contract, people lose all their being and become empty shells with nothing left! We have a way to escape its touch. If we don’t drive this thing out beyond this world quickly, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult will suffer great calamity!”
Yin Simwon shouted loudly like having a fit while trying to negotiate with Heavenly Demon.
I looked at Heavenly Demon while pointing at this person.
“He’s saying there’s someone more important than Heavenly Demon.”
“That’s how it sounds to me too.”
After saying that, Heavenly Demon extended her hand. Then dark purple energy covers the surroundings.
Oh.
This is me, but somehow different?
Like the difference between meat and amino acids. I’m the amino acids, and what’s around now is the meat. It’s not just protein alone, but mixed with other things.
And Heavenly Demon uses that to lift that person and strangle their neck.
What was this called again?
Force grip?
Right then, the faded man’s memories show me the word ‘separation’ several times, while telling me the term ‘Void Object Absorption’.
Wait, isn’t that the same thing?
Ahhh.
The faded memories rush in like a storm. At the same time, these memories were scratched.
While I was reflecting on those old memories, Heavenly Demon interrogates Yin Simwon.
“I didn’t know there was someone above me in this Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.”
While choking and scratching at his neck, it seems he can’t just grab energy with his hands.
Then one of the lights in his head moved quickly. Then it pierced through where his eyeballs are and came out.
Through the cloth covering his face, an eel-like fish rose up.
Yin Simwon only lets out pain-filled groans while gagging. Well, that’s natural since it’s stirring up his brain.
I can see movements meant to kill.
So I approached and grabbed the fish’s head part.
“You found-“
And I jabbed my fingers into its gills.
Since I grabbed it while it was speaking, it couldn’t finish its sentence properly. There are many like this. Just speaking through their subordinates.
I thought it was just behavior in fiction, but they do it in reality too?
Such things are just annoying elements.
“Come speak directly. How rude.”
The fish’s substance is trying to stab me? This is an attack, right?
I tore off its neck while stealing this creature’s warmth. Gotta collect the warmth. Hehe.
Immediately with a strong fishy smell, the fish died.
Then the man collapsed to the floor spewing bloody foam.
The man writhing and struggling in pain. I know the touch is slowly trying to grasp the light. The light can be taken, but here this is annoying.
“Yin Simwon. Poor human. If you want to live, deny the one you served and say you’ll serve me.”
There’s something I learned while handling contracts several times.
Words have more power than expected. Just as the contract words connect to me simply by reciting them while thinking of me.
“Say that I’m good. Say you’ll betray others for me.”
I urge betrayal.
“Then I’ll let you live.”
Though in reality, rather than me letting him live, it’s closer to him surviving on his own.
I grabbed his hand and spoke kindly.
“Just one word is enough. Say ‘yes’. Just one word.”
I whisper quietly.
To avoid the greatest pain, people will do anything. Whether it’s beliefs or faith doesn’t matter. In an unbearable situation, the body naturally struggles for survival.
Just like how I struggle to obtain warmth.
You should too.
If his head was a bit more intact, he might have chosen death, but in this situation with his brain damaged, what will happen?
I encouraged him several times and—
“Yes.”
He finally accepted while foaming blood.
Hehe.
The hand that was grasping his light was pushed away, and I filled the light with myself. So that no white part remained. I filled it completely tight.
I filled all the incomplete memories.
And simultaneously, his body cracked like pottery and tore his clothes. Blue skin was revealed between the cracks. And purple hair visible between the head fragments and cloth pieces.
“Uh, uh, uhhh?”
He blankly looks down at his fingers. The blue skin is visible.
“Congratulations on your betrayal. No, shall I say it like this?”
I stood in front of him and said this.
“You’ve abandoned your faith.”
Blood Vessel Secret Religion. This person believed in a different religion, not the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
The man in the faded memories ponders.
While having a Blood Vessel Secret Religion within an evil sect is tradition, is the tradition right?
If it’s a religion that believes in immortals rather than gods, isn’t it Taoism?
Are terms like Breathing Scripture and Bone Scripture just modified Taoist terms rather than martial arts novel terms?
Was this world even martial arts to begin with?
Though I don’t know why he’s pondering when he already knew it wasn’t.
While feeling memories popping up here and there, I removed the completely torn cloth covering the man’s head.
Then the man who abandoned his faith and chose reality looks up at me and Heavenly Demon with a terrified expression.
I met his gaze and smiled.
“Congratulations.”