We returned to Yin Simwon’s room.
In the room full of hallucinogenic painkillers, when he touched some device, stairs leading down appeared.
Though I know how to go down since I obtained Yin Simwon’s memories, I have no intention of showing that I know.
So pretending to know nothing, I followed Yin Simwon down underground.
There’s a cave below. If you listen carefully, you can hear the steady sound of mechanical devices. If the devices stop, the drainage system will break down, and this place will fill with water.
It’s a device made to prepare for contingencies.
If that happens halfway through the passage, there’s a high chance of drowning.
Unless you’re a species that can breathe underwater.
Thinking that, I walked through the damp cave with high humidity.
After walking along the path for a while, we come to a place built in an architectural style completely different from what we’ve seen so far.
When building with stone, it should be stacked with angular stones standing up, but here the architecture looks fluid as if waves themselves were turned to stone.
And as soon as we entered, several monsters appeared that looked like half-mixtures of seafood and humans.
Seeing their skin peeled off in places and exposed muscles, they’re not in a normal state. Like the girl who turned into a monster earlier, you can tell these too have lost their original form and transformed into monsters.
They charge at us showing needle-sharp teeth while staring with eyes covered in white film.
It was a good attempt.
But when Heavenly Demon spread her palm forward, a dark purple wave extended forward and disappeared without leaving anything behind.
It strikes me again, but she seems to be the strongest person I’ve seen when it comes to force.
Of course, there were those who could produce greater firepower. But this is the first time I’ve seen someone deal with enemies so cleanly without damaging the surrounding environment.
Yin Simwon stares at her with a dazed expression.
But instead of saying anything, he tightened his grip on the arm holding the girl on his back and walked forward.
Inside, the path is intricately twisted, but Yin Simwon has memorized the internal structure.
Drawing that structure in my mind, I can guess why it’s built this way using the faded man’s memories.
This structure wasn’t made simply to complicate the path, but to prevent water flow from becoming too strong when it fills with water later.
People who know would recognize it as what’s called a Tesla valve.
The path follows the valve’s center, and following it inside soon leads to a vast underground temple.
It’s designed like an amphitheater with steps focusing sight toward the center. But half of the levels are submerged in water.
No, strictly speaking, it would be more accurate to say this whole place was designed to sink.
People of the Blood Vessel Secret Religion gather where humans can stand, and below in the water gather those called monster immortals.
And Supreme Leader Tongcheon preaches from the platform in the center.
“This is as far as Blood Vessel Secret Religion members can go, beyond is the Absolute Sect’s domain. Humans must not dare approach.”
The boundary between water and land where Yin Simwon stands.
Many things happened here. It’s both a place where fully transformed humans cross over, and where sacrificial offerings are made.
Additionally, Supreme Leader Tongcheon’s sermon is surprisingly not that strange. It’s a well-explained story about training hard to become strong monster immortals.
And it’s also a place that tempts humans saying they too can become immortals.
“Let’s go then.”
“Right.”
While I was wondering if we should swim through the water, a dark purple curtain spread out from Heavenly Demon.
“Oh, ohhh.”
Yin Simwon looks at Heavenly Demon with a completely awe-struck expression. While trembling, his posture suggests he’s resisting some massive pressure directed from Heavenly Demon toward him.
There’s an actual physical force.
It’s strange that I don’t feel it at all.
Does it work selectively despite being a physical force?
While I was watching with questions about this strange law, Heavenly Demon stepped onto the water’s surface.
Keeek.
Keegigigigik.
Along with the sound of hard walls vibrating against each other, the water literally disappears.
It’s not turning to steam and flying away, nor is it being pushed away from Heavenly Demon. It just disappears.
The water disappears as if there’s a hole where Heavenly Demon is. At the same time, the fish inside and strange creatures that look like they have human limbs attached also disappeared.
And when the water completely disappeared, Heavenly Demon turned around to look at us and opened her mouth.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
I jumped down with a hop, then suddenly thought of Yin Simwon and turned around. He’s carrying the girl on his back with a confused expression, wondering whether to follow us. Seeing his gaze shift between us and the floor, he seems to be hoping someone will say something.
“Yin Simwon.”
“Y-yes!”
It’s funny how he can’t even answer properly because he’s so flustered. If he was the head of a place called Moon Emperor Hall, shouldn’t he at least pretend to keep his composure?
Or maybe the current situation is so confusing that he can’t even put on airs. I only said one thing to him.
“Choose what to do next for yourself.”
And I immediately followed behind Heavenly Demon.
The intention behind saying that?
It’s nothing special.
Since I decided on the value of freedom once, I plan to push it through to the end. Since I decided not to lie, I need to act so that everything I’ve said until now doesn’t become a lie.
And I’ve gotten all the information I could from him. I don’t want that much after all. So it’s fine whatever Yin Simwon does now.
Betrayal?
Yes. That’s allowed too.
If it gives me more warmth in return.
Thinking that, I proceeded through the place that was originally submerged in damp water.
Plus, there are glowing stone-like things embedded in the floor making it easy to walk.
Isn’t this radiating radiation?
But I understand since it’s a place where it’s hard to bring light.
So I walked while gathering warmth from creatures dying by being ground up by Heavenly Demon’s curtain far away.
Before long, a huge door appears and water disappears at tremendous speed as it hits Heavenly Demon’s curtain.
But at some point, the water hitting the curtain disappeared. Water spray is visible beyond Heavenly Demon’s curtain. It’s preventing any more water from disappearing.
And a dark shadow appeared on the other side of that water spray. Behind the water curtain is a massive humanoid sea creature that looks like it would dwarf dozens of people standing in a line. And I can see a brightly shining light inside its chest.
That monster burst through the water current. And as its size gradually decreased, it transformed into the form of a man wearing a scaled leather cloak.
“Those who inherit the name of Heavenly Demon still use unbelievable power.”
The man who said that waved his hand in the air. Then cracks appeared behind his back.
One of those lines flew forward and when it touched the barrier Heavenly Demon made, the barrier crumbled without a sound.
And that man walked steadily toward us.
“Are you Supreme Leader Tongcheon?”
The man with a wide brow and not a single hair on his body looked down at me with eyes white as film.
“Yes, having invaded my domain and laid hands on my possessions, you must be prepared for death?”
“Your possessions?”
Listening to him talk, he’s speaking as if this body was originally his possession.
“Originally that body was meant to be a vessel to hold our bodies. Yet you came arbitrarily, stole the vessel and used it as you pleased… It was a vessel we were carefully crafting using slaves, but now that something like you has entered it, we’ll have to make it again.”
By slaves, he means the group called Blood Vessel Secret Religion.
But there’s something strange.
“Why do you need a human body? Your current body looks bigger and more powerful.”
At that, he giggles.
“Ah yes. This body too is carefully crafted. But vessels that can hold gods are limited, and even those don’t last long. There’s a need to be born again.”
He stretched out his hand. But the position of his hand isn’t toward the head or body. He’s pointing at the lower abdomen. I understand what he wants.
Rather than being contained in a body like me, he wants to use this body to create the next body.
“Can’t you just come directly?”
If he needs a body, I’ll ask if he’s like me.
“Lowly beings of the human realm go mad just from directly looking at me. To prevent that, one needs to wear a body of this world. And isn’t that the same for you too, foreign god?”
He must be an unexpectedly powerful being. Going mad just from looking.
Yes. They say gods are indeed like that.
It was the same in the place with faded humans. The monotheistic god is described as impossible to look at directly, and in polytheistic religions too, they say humans burn up if they take gods into their eyes.
“No. I’m not a god. I’m just a monster that sank to the bottom. When I came down directly, people could look at me just fine.”
When I finished speaking, Supreme Leader Tongcheon smiled with an extremely pleased expression.
“Ah, you understand the difference in rank? Well then. Your ability is quite interesting. Making people all tattered and regenerating them. It’s quite a useful ability. I can treat you not badly.”
He speaks as if it’s natural that I would submit to him.
See?
“Most positions in the Ten Heavenly Army are empty, how about that rank? If you work hard under me, there’s nothing stopping me from raising your status.”
He’s talking as if I’m already his subordinate.
“Kehehehe.”
Laughter burst out spontaneously.
For some reason, Heavenly Demon retreated backward at an incredibly fast speed with a frozen expression.
“Oops. Running away won’t do.”
Then Supreme Leader Tongcheon swung his arm. Water pierced through the spray like a snake and headed toward Heavenly Demon.
Well, she should be able to handle that much. Indeed, when she drew her sword from her chest and swung it, the water burst apart. I ignored it and walked toward Supreme Leader Tongcheon.
The fishy smell gets stronger as I get closer.
After becoming this body, I hadn’t felt any emotions when smelling such odors, but I’ll try to remember this as dirty and disgusting from now on.
I approached him and grabbed his neck. But my arm strength is only at the level of a slightly strong girl.
“Oh? You’re going to resist?”
Supreme Leader Tongcheon opened his mouth while looking at me with an amused face. I don’t intend to strangle him either.
It bothered me as soon as I saw it earlier, but now I can tell seeing it up close.
When falling below the surface, there’s a massive lump of light similar in size to what I saw near the surface right before my eyes.
In other words.
“You have a lot of warmth?”