Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 323 – Fragments of Truth (5)

Mok Gyeong-un had felt this emotion before.

Whenever he thought of his grandfather, he would miss him.

Naturally, a sense of wistfulness was mixed into that feeling of longing.

‘What could it be?’

Mok Gyeong-un had strong doubts about the emotions held by this being that existed independently of his will.

He didn’t know how long this being had been inside him, but the feeling of wistfulness similarly arose from longing.

Cheong-ryeong was a spirit who had died long ago, so why did he feel such an emotion toward her?

He was only just turning 18 years old.

So how could he feel that way about Cheong-ryeong…

‘Could it be?’

A thought occurred to Mok Gyeong-un.

Could it be that a high-level spirit was possessing his body?

If it could seize control of his body when he was unconscious, it might be a spirit so powerful that even Cheong-ryeong couldn’t handle it.

However, according to Cheong-ryeong, once one surpassed the barrier, both the mind and soul would become stronger, making possession by spirits nearly impossible. Was that true?

The more Mok Gyeong-un thought about it, the more complicated his mind became.

Then…

-Mortal.

Cheong-ryeong approached Mok Gyeong-un and spoke.

-Yes?

-That being inside you… It doesn’t seem to be simply a matter of personality.

-What do you mean by personality?

-Have you ever heard of the term “split personality”?

-No.

It was the first time he had heard of it.

-In the past, there was a peculiar individual among the executives of the Heaven and Earth Society. Two different personalities existed within one person. Of course, it wasn’t a case of possession or anything like that. But what was strange was that both personalities had completely different ways of speaking, behavior, and traits.

-So it was called a split personality because there were two personalities?

-Yes. But in your case, it seems quite different. You said things that were completely incomprehensible as if you had become a divine being. Calling it a split personality doesn’t seem to capture the vast difference in the range of experiences.

-Could there be a possibility of possession?

-Possession? Absolutely not. No matter how high-level a spirit is, it’s impossible for them to seize your body. From the moment you surpassed the barrier, not only your body but also your soul became stronger.

-Then what could this thing inside me be?

-…

At Mok Gyeong-un’s question, Cheong-ryeong’s eyes took on a strange look.

Those eyes as black as obsidian.

The moment she saw those eyes, she was confused.

It was because a very old memory faintly came to mind.

However, since that memory was from the fleeting moment right before her death, it was hazy like a dream rather than clear.

In that hazy memory, she saw ‘him’ roaring.

While everyone was afraid and terrified of his roaring appearance, to her, that sight was more sorrowful than angry.

But why did that vague and inaccurate memory come to mind the moment she saw Mok Gyeong-un’s obsidian-like eyes?

-Cheong-ryeong?

Mok Gyeong-un called out to her.

At Mok Gyeong-un’s expression, which seemed to be asking her to tell him if she knew anything, Cheong-ryeong suddenly became sulky.

Why was she suddenly feeling upset with this guy?

She snapped at him:

-I don’t know! Do you think there’s nothing in this world that I, the Venerable One, don’t know?

With those words, Cheong-ryeong suddenly flew far away.

Watching her, Mok Gyeong-un shrugged his shoulders and muttered:

“…Well, that’s true. Anyway.”

-Swish!

Mok Gyeong-un lightly stretched out his left hand.

Then, Holy Fire Priestess’s body, which had been strenuously moving about twenty steps away in the direction Mok Gyeong-un had pointed, stiffened as if caught by something.

“Huk.”

“Where are you going?”

At that question, a chill ran down the Holy Fire Priestess’s spine.

She didn’t know why, but Mok Gyeong-un’s demeanor had returned to normal, and he was staring at the empty space in front of her like a madman, behaving strangely, so she had attempted to flee.

From the beginning, there was no hope that she could actually escape.

She had not learned martial arts, and her body was elderly, so she had moved with the desperate mindset of grasping at straws.

“I-I was just…”

-Swish!

“Eek!”

As Mok Gyeong-un made a pulling motion, the Holy Fire Priestess’s body rose and was forcibly pulled forward.

With no martial arts training, she had no strength to resist this.

Having been pulled right in front of him and forced to kneel, the Holy Fire Priestess trembled in fear.

To her, Mok Gyeong-un smiled and said:

“You have a lot to feel guilty about, so you’re trying to run away, right?”

“N-no, that’s not it.”

“Don’t deny it. What kind of mess did you create with that prophecy?”

“What?”

The Holy Fire Priestess made a puzzled expression.

Just moments ago, when Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes had turned black like obsidian and he had displayed an absolute demeanor, he spoke as if he knew everything.

But looking at his attitude now, it seemed like he knew nothing.

‘What’s going on?’

Come to think of it, the atmosphere had changed as well.

When his eyes were black, he exuded majesty and resembled an absolute ruler, but now, there was a contradictory brutality and madness hidden within his usual politeness.

The Holy Fire Priestess was bewildered by this.

‘Is he the incarnation rather than the being itself?’

If he were the being itself from the beginning, there would be no reason for him to show such completely different aspects.

Rather, it could be because he was an incarnation that he displayed an imperfect appearance.

In that case, could this be the only chance to save her life?

Observing his reaction, she cautiously opened her mouth:

“Listen…”

-Swish!

-Thud!

The Holy Fire Priestess’s face contorted in pain.

Her left ear had been cut off and fallen to the ground.

Although she didn’t scream, she clutched her bleeding ear and writhed in agony. Mok Gyeong-un spoke to her in a dry voice:

“Cut the nonsense and answer what I’m asking.”

At those words, Holy Fire Priestess raised her reddened face, gritted her teeth, and said:

“Uuugh… You can’t kill me, young man.”

“I can’t kill you?”

“If you kill me, it will be troublesome for you, who needs to take me to the Heaven and Earth Society Leader, as well searching for the sacred orb.”

It wasn’t yet certain whether Mok Gyeong-un was a supreme being or an incarnation.

However, she also had her own insight.

Judging from his conversation with Lee Gwang and the situation so far, Mok Gyeong-un needed her, if only for his relationship with the Heaven and Earth Society Leader.

She had to make that clear to protect herself from him.

But it was at that very moment.

-Swish!

‘!!!!’

-Splash!

Something with a different weight than before fell into the puddle of rainwater.

It was none other than…

“Aaaaaaah!”

Holy Fire Priestess let out a scream that sounded like a wail.

She had endured the numerous tortures in the underground prison with strong perseverance.

However, the torture and interrogation in the imperial palace could be said to have been carried out at a lower intensity, taking into account that she, an elderly woman, could potentially die.

Of course, that didn’t mean it was very mild.

At the very least, whipping and beating on the back were basic, and there were levels of piercing with needles and pulling out fingernails.

But having an intact arm severed was a pain of a different dimension.

It was beyond what she could endure.

“Kuuuuh…”

In too much pain, she clutched her chest and gasped for breath.

The great shock had caused paralysis in her heart.

Then, Mok Gyeong-un kicked her chin with his foot.

And he stepped on her chest as she fell backward.

-Thump!

At a glance, it looked like he didn’t care whether she lived or died, but soon, Holy Fire Priestess’s gasping breath stabilized.

It was because the stiffness had been relieved as Mok Gyeong-un injected energy into her heart along with a strong impact.

“Cough, cough…”

-Tap tap tap!

And thanks to him pressing her bleeding points, the bleeding from her arm stopped as well.

It felt like he was inflicting injury and then treating it, but there was a strong sense that he had intervened right before she lost her life.

“I-if you kill me, what you want…”

“Don’t try to bargain with useless things.”

“It’s not useless…”

“I don’t think the Heaven and Earth Society Leader needs you anymore.”

“He told you to bring me, so how can you arbitrarily…”

“Is it you that the Heaven and Earth Society Leader needs, or is it your prophetic ability?”

“All the more so…”

“It’s not because you lack the sacred orb that you can’t make prophecies, right?”

‘!?’

At Mok Gyeong-un’s sharp remark, the Holy Fire Priestess’s eyes trembled like crazy.

Does this bastard possess the memories of him as an incarnation of that being?

-Thump!

Mok Gyeong-un pressed down even harder on her chest and said:

“From the moment you lost your prophetic ability, you became a useless old hag.”

Although he had temporarily lost control of his body, he had been observing the entire situation, so he could easily infer her circumstances.

“And I don’t think it’s a good idea to provoke me any further.”

-Whoooosh!

A tremendous murderous intent rose, causing the surroundings to tremble.

Even Lee Gwang, who had surpassed the barrier, and Guyang Sa-oh, the Eight Poison Snake Staff of the Guyang Clan, couldn’t withstand Mok Gyeong-un’s murderous intent.

Naturally, there was no way the Holy Fire Priestess could endure it.

Her eyes reddened, and even vapors rose from her crotch.

The elderly woman couldn’t bear the fear any longer and had wet herself.

“I-I…”

“Ah, come to think of it, you said you had a connection with the Tang Clan’s leader and entrusted your granddaughter to him, right? What a coincidence. It seems that the Tang Clan’s leader used something called the Formless Poison on my grandfather.”

“J-Guardian Jang is your real grandfather…”

“It would be so delightful to tear off all the limbs of the Tang Clan’s leader and your granddaughter right in front of you.”

With those words, Mok Gyeong-un grinned eerily.

Seeing this up close, the Holy Fire Priestess’s face turned deathly pale.

Mok Gyeong-un whispered into her ear:

“So don’t test my patience and tell me. What was the real prophecy?”

Trembling at Mok Gyeong-un’s words, which were full of oppressive force despite his whisper, Holy Fire Priestess finally opened her mouth:

“The true… master of the sacred flame… shall appear in this world… On the day when… new wings sprout from… his torn wounds… all shall… worship him…”

***

Around the same time, in a hall filled with darkness.

-Crack!

A faint sound of cracking can be heard.

At that moment, the being shrouded in shadows, seated on the top seat of the platform, opened his eyes.

The being who had opened his eyes looked at the wall where six candles were lit.

In front of the last candle, there was a jade tablet with a red thread wrapped around it, and a crack had formed in its center.

The shadowy being stretched out his hand.

-Pak!

Then, the round jade tablet flew and landed in his hand.

The being holding the jade tablet was about to examine it.

-Crack crack crack!

The cracked jade tablet shattered, turning into powder.

At the same time, the head of the shadowy being suddenly tilted back.

The being slowly brought his tilted head back to its original position.

Something sticky flowed down from the being’s forehead.

Then, the being’s eyes sharpened, and…

-Crack crack crack!

As his forehead split open, a third eye filled with bizarre red spots was revealed.

The being who had opened his third eye crushed the armrest he was holding with his left hand, and…

-Crunch!

As soon as that sound was heard, a voice echoed from the ceiling.

-My lord, what has happened?

In response to that question, the being who had opened his third eye removed his hand from the shattered armrest and spoke:

“Summon all the deputy leaders of the First Realm that you can gather.”

-What? Why is that?

At the cautious question, the being who had opened his third eye spoke in a meaningful tone:

“What we feared has occurred.”

-Could it be?

“I felt ‘his presence’.”