Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 322 – Fragments of Truth (4)

It was an occurrence brought about by an accumulation of killing intent.

Mok Gyeong-un had possessed a strong killing intent since childhood, to the point where it could be considered a murderous nature.

Due to the intensity of this killing intent, his grandfather had advised him to refrain from meeting others.

However, this wasn’t the case throughout his entire childhood.

Mok Gyeong-un had learned to control this innate killing intent through acquired means.

His grandfather had taught him to always imagine his state of mind as a tranquil lake, never allowing it to be stirred by turbulence. He had also instilled in him a sense of propriety, ensuring it permeated his daily life.

This had a significant effect.

As Mok Gyeong-un deeply respected the grandfather who had raised him, he eventually reached a point where he unconsciously adhered to those teachings.

However…

-Snap!

When his rage reached its peak and his unleashed killing intent became uncontrollable, something snapped within Mok Gyeong-un’s mind, no, his heart.

It wasn’t simply crossing a line deep within his heart.

It was as if something he had suppressed was erupting, and at some point, it began to take over his mind and everything else.

“You… those eyes… what the hell?”

Lee Gwang couldn’t hide his bewilderment at Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes, which had turned as black as obsidian.

Just meeting his gaze was enough to overwhelm him with an imposing aura, leaving his mind in a daze.

Then, Mok Gyeong-un scoffed and spoke:

“Thanks to you, I’ve awakened after a long time, but this situation is troublesome.”

“What?”

“I haven’t completely assimilated yet.”

“What are you talking about…”

“Humans are imperfect beings, but they find their path within that imperfection. That’s why I held high expectations for their potential and wanted to harmonize with you all.”

‘!?’

“But it seems you often disappoint me, perhaps because you’re always faced with a crossroads of binary choices.”

Lee Gwang’s eyes trembled violently.

The confidence and majesty filling his voice made it seem as if he was looking at an emperor.

This imposing aura could be described as domination, no, the presence of an absolute being. The moment he felt it, only one thing came to Lee Gwang’s mind.

-The sacred flame… shall be tainted by black evil… Beware the incarnation of Ahriman who will appear in this world.

“A… Ahriman?”

Lee Gwang spoke in a trembling voice, looking at Mok Gyeong-un.

At those words, Mok Gyeong-un raised an eyebrow and spoke:

“Ahriman? Yes, I was called that as well.”

‘!!!!’

It was unbelievable.

He had thought it was simply a prophecy signifying the birth of a great murderous being who would throw the world into chaos.

This monstrous bastard was undoubtedly that incarnation.

But…

‘Incarnation? Is this an incarnation?’

Can this even be called an incarnation?

No.

This is the real thing.

“Ahriman!”

As Lee Gwang became overcome with emotion, Mok Gyeong-un chuckled and said:

“Whether you call me Ahriman, Tianzi, a devil, or anything else, it doesn’t matter. Humans are beings that fixate only on the aspects they want to see anyway. However…”

-Swish!

As Mok Gyeong-un extended his hand, Lee Gwang’s body, with only one leg remaining, began to tremble violently.

Under the influx of black energy, his body not only shook but also swelled as if it would burst.

“You were prepared for the consequences when you killed him, weren’t you?”

“Kuuuuuh.”

It was too agonizing.

It felt as if every drop of blood was suffering.

It was a pain he had never experienced before, making him feel like he would die, unable to endure it.

“S-stop…”

Mok Gyeong-un whispered to the anguished Lee Gwang:

“With this level of power, I can not only shred your physical body but also your soul, annihilating it completely.”

“S-soul?”

“What do you think it means for a soul to vanish?”

“W-what…”

“It means your very existence will be erased, regardless of reincarnation or anything else.”

-Shudder!

Amidst the pain, Lee Gwang was gripped by a fear that made him suddenly alert.

“I… I…”

“Do you want to at least keep your soul intact? Then tell me. Where is the one who ordered you to kill him, no, Mun-no?”

“T-that person… kuuuuh.”

-Crack crack crack!

As he spoke, cracks began to appear on his swollen body.

As the cracks formed, the sensation wasn’t pain but a gradual loss of all feeling.

It was as if nothing existed.

Seeing this, Mok Gyeong-un grinned eerily and said:

“What should I do? It seems best to hurry. Your soul is already being torn apart.”

It was truly bizarre.

He was someone who had stubbornly clung to his loyalty to that person, even prepared to face death.

However, when the being before him said his soul would be erased and his existence would vanish, he was overcome with extreme fear and found himself speaking without realizing it.

“Ghost Blade… only the deputy leaders of the First Realm can directly contact that person.”

“How can I meet this human called Ghost Blade?”

“Ghost Blade… kuuuuh.”

“The time is approaching.”

“Ghost Blade will definitely appear if… if the Heaven and Earth Society Leader summons him. P-please spare me. I… I don’t want my existence to disappear.”

“Alright. I’ll do that.”

“R-really?”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, Lee Gwang’s face lit up despite his agony.

Having experienced all sorts of bizarre things while serving that person, he believed in the existence of the soul and reincarnation.

Thus, he wanted to avoid having his existence erased at all costs.

To him, Mok Gyeong-un smiled and said:

“But while I may do that, the ‘Right’ doesn’t want it.”

“What?”

“We’re still separate entities, you see.”

“H-hey, that’s different from what you promised. What are you talking about… urk!”

-Crack crack crack!

Lee Gwang’s swollen body crumbled into pieces, scattering like ashes.

The only part that remained was his head, but even that cracked and crumbled.

The shattered dust seeped into the rainwater pooled on the ground, fading away as if it had never existed in the first place.

Looking down at this with an indifferent gaze, Mok Gyeong-un spoke:

“If you’re awake, get up on your own, old woman.”

-Flinch!

At those words, the Holy Fire Priestess, who had been lying face down a short distance away, trembled.

Although she had fainted during Lee Gwang’s torture, she had woken up midway and heard their entire conversation.

‘Ahriman, he said? How could this happen…’

She couldn’t hide her shock.

Something that should never have happened had occurred.

That prophecy was originally…

-Wooooosh!

“Huk!”

At that moment, Holy Fire Priestess’s body rose from the ground.

Her body, now upright, directly faced Mok Gyeong-un.

Seeing the black energy flowing from his entire body and his obsidian-like eyes, she was so shaken that she lost her words.

As she stood there, shocked and at a loss, Mok Gyeong-un spoke:

“Although you have already strayed from my path, you sure made good use of the mission given to you. How does it feel to have lost the price you paid?”

At that question, the Holy Fire Priestess’s eyes widened as if they would burst.

Others might not understand if they heard it, but she knew what those words meant.

“Y-you are…”

“This is me, and that is also me. You know that well, old woman.”

“I…”

“Saying you have already paid the price cannot undo everything. I am not one to forgive.”

-Thud!

The moment he finished speaking, the Holy Fire Priestess fell to her knees and prostrated herself on the ground.

Then, she cried out in a pleading voice to Mok Gyeong-un:

“If you say you will punish my sins, I will gladly accept it. But I had no choice. I couldn’t lose what I had left. My one and only… urk!”

She clutched her chest, unable to finish her sentence.

Her heart was beating so violently that it felt like needles were stabbing it.

It was so painful that even breathing was difficult.

As Mok Gyeong-un made a gesture of clenching something with his hand, blood spurted from her mouth.

“Puh!”

Coughing up blood, she gasped in agony.

“Kuuuuh.”

“I don’t give a damn about your pathetic circumstances.”

“Kuuuh… p-please…”

“Because of your foolishness, the ‘Right’ lost something that shouldn’t have been lost, and I too had to experience the same pain as back then.”

“Spare…”

“Your words are meaningless. I am no longer a merciful being. So I will erase everything related to the seeds you sowed and that being to whom you wagged your crafty tongue…”

-Crack!

It was at that moment.

Something shattered within Mok Gyeong-un’s chest, and something revealed itself.

It was none other than Cheong-ryeong.

‘Huh?’

Holy Fire Priestess’s eyes, which had been gasping for breath due to the pain in her heart, trembled.

The pain had suddenly ceased.

Could it be that he was showing mercy?

As she raised her head in confusion, she saw Mok Gyeong-un staring into empty space, as if looking at nothing.

Why was he acting like that?

-…You mortal, no, what the hell are you?

Cheong-ryeong, who had forcibly broken free from the wooden puppet’s seal, parted her lips as she gazed at Mok Gyeong-un, whose eyes had turned as black as obsidian.

At her question, the obsidian-like eyes took on a strange look.

Cheong-ryeong’s eyes wavered as she watched this.

-Those eyes…

It was the moment she approached him, about to say something.

-Ssssss!

Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes, which had been like obsidian, returned to normal.

Then, as if experiencing an extreme headache, he clutched his head with one hand and staggered, his expression contorting.

Seeing this, Cheong-ryeong furrowed her brow and spoke:

-What are you doing now? Are you alright?

At that question, Mok Gyeong-un slowly raised his head.

‘!?’

As his eyes and expression returned to their usual state, she couldn’t hide her bewilderment.

Just a moment ago, Mok Gyeong-un had definitely become a completely different being.

He couldn’t even hear her voice from inside the wooden puppet.

That’s why she had finally intervened, but what the hell was going on?

She asked:

-…Is it really you, lmortal?

At her question, Mok Gyeong-un silently nodded.

-Do you remember what just happened?

At that question, Mok Gyeong-un held his forehead.

Then, with an expression of incomprehension, he communicated via voice transmission:

-It’s strange.

-What?

-I clearly had consciousness and memory, but I spoke and moved against my will.

-You remember?

-…Yes.

He remembered clearly.

He was aware of what he had said and the situation he was in.

He even felt the emotions and feelings with which he had spoken those words.

Yet all of this was unrelated to his own will.

It felt as if another being within him had shared a single body and carried out everything.

‘What the hell is this?’

For the first time, Mok Gyeong-un had questions about himself.

There was definitely another being within him that he hadn’t been aware of.

But this feeling wasn’t uncomfortable or foreign. It felt so natural, as if they had been one from the beginning, making it incomprehensible to him.

Then, Mok Gyeong-un looked at Cheong-ryeong.

‘What kind of feeling was that?’

Although it had been unrelated to his will, since the emotions and feelings of that moment had been fully shared, it was difficult to forget the last part.

It was close to an indescribable sense of nostalgia.

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