Ch.175175. A Choice Between Two Options

“Where is the soul of Magan who just died?”

A question like a riddle.

Deus’s body trembles, feeling the shock as if his identity had already been penetrated.

What would happen if he said the wrong thing here?

Would they really let him go?

Despite these thoughts, he couldn’t help feeling greedy.

If she really was a demon.

Could she perhaps bring him back to life?

After all, demons in legends and fairy tales sometimes grant human wishes.

“Come on, answer.”

At the secretary’s question, Deus took a slow, deep breath. He couldn’t know the correct answer.

How would he know where Magan’s soul was? His head was burning, and just as he was about to blurt out that he didn’t know.

The throbbing in his right hand made him keep his mouth shut. The great demon that even the formidable Shinwoo Kim couldn’t kill despite risking his life.

The being who, despite using the Lemegeton jewel for soul binding, was now casually smiling and offering a handshake just days later.

‘Did he really die that easily?’

The great demon Magan?

He still felt oppressed by that eerie smile. His empty right hand was telling him the answer.

“It’s not here.”

At his abrupt statement, others looked puzzled, but the secretary’s eyes trembled slightly.

“Magan’s soul is not here.”

Reading the trembling eyes, Deia stood beside Deus. She was supporting his opinion.

Though she couldn’t see souls, Deia had reached the same conclusion.

“Because he’s not dead.”

His firm declaration carried weight. He had already spoken. Even if it wasn’t the right answer, he needed to act confident as if it were.

Those who didn’t know Magan was a great demon looked bewildered and checked Magan’s corpse again.

His body was still sprawled in a miserable state, but.

Just as the secretary’s lips twisted and she glared at him with contempt.

“Heh, hehehehe!”

Maniacal laughter echoed from the darkness. That laughter, filled with immense joy, instead gave everyone a sense of unease.

“Hahahahaha! Yes! That’s right! You are Deus Verdi! You must be!”

From the opposite side of the secretary.

The voice echoing from the darkness belonged to a man everyone already knew.

President Magan.

Hidden in darkness where light couldn’t reach, he continued to burst into laughter.

“That’s how I’ll taste you again! That’s how I’ll be able to eat you, a special delicacy!”

The great demon was truly rejoicing. He was convinced that Deus Verdi was real.

“Has your spirit and atmosphere softened because your right hand was cut off? How human! Truly human! That makes you even more delicious!”

“……”

“Nothing is more special than a human who carries karma, overcomes hardships, and holds firm beliefs.”

Whoosh!

As a strong wind blew, the white light created by the Saintess’s holy power disappeared, and thick darkness descended.

“You’re annoying, Saintess.”

As the holy power vanished, they realized Magan was moving.

Deia urgently tried to shout to protect Lucia, but it was already too late.

“Ugh!”

With Lucia’s scream, flames rose again, illuminating the surroundings.

But this time, it wasn’t the white light made of holy power, but purple flames created by Magan.

In front of the rising flames stood Magan, holding the collapsed Lucia in his arms.

Seeing this, Feiren rushed forward, swinging his staff, but.

“Shh.”

He had to stop when he saw Magan’s hand gripping Lucia’s neck.

“I’ll break it if you move even slightly.”

Magan’s long tongue licked the cheek of the unconscious Saintess as he giggled.

“H-how is this possible?”

“What’s going on here!”

“The President was supposed to be dead……”

People were bewildered seeing the living President.

The secretary stepped forward, calming them.

“This is the substitute I mentioned. Even if all of you die here, we can create identical dolls and send them out.”

“Dolls?”

“This is insane.”

“Did anyone suspect that President Magan who announced the start of the banquet earlier was fake?”

The secretary’s words immediately silenced the criticism. It was true.

Somehow, they hadn’t realized that the assassinated Magan was fake until they were told.

What if they died here.

And fakes created by the Republic of Clark returned to their respective countries?

The sound of swallowing saliva echoed loudly.

These were influential figures in their respective countries. It was terrifying to imagine what would happen if they were replaced by fakes loyal to the Republic of Clark.

“Do you understand the situation now? We’re giving you an opportunity. Will you become cold food for insects here or will you survive for now?”

The identity of the crawling things heard earlier was revealed. Hundreds of insects crawling underfoot as soon as the Saintess’s holy power disappeared.

They were crawling around excitedly, as if eager to devour humans immediately.

“What do we need to do to survive?”

Jordia from the Kingdom of Jerman raised his hand slightly and asked. Though others gave him disapproving looks, he remained calm.

“How wise you are, Desert Divine Beast. Do you remember the tobacco we gave you before the banquet started?”

“You mean the drug.”

“Hehe, it’s legal in the Republic of Clark. Though it’s different from what’s available on the market.”

The secretary slowly took out tobacco from her pocket.

“You just need to smoke this. Then you’ll have no choice but to follow our orders. And you’ll do it happily!”

Even Jordia’s eyes wavered at what was essentially mind control, but the exclamation came from elsewhere.

“W-wait. Tobacco?”

Tom, the Shield of the Valestan Duchy and the only one who had smoked tobacco here, looked around his body in panic.

Seeing this, the secretary smiled and extended her hand.

“Ah, let’s see what happens to you.”

Snap!

With a snap of her fingers, Tom’s expression gradually became calm. He slowly bowed his head and then let out a chuckle.

“This is ridiculous. Why was I so panicked? I was being foolish.”

“Tom?”

When the duchy’s heir cautiously called Tom, he spread his hands with a bright smile.

“This is it! This is what I’ve been searching for all my life! Ah, why was I afraid? This is truly delightful!”

“T-Tom?”

“There’s nothing to fear. Ah, I’m even embarrassed now about how panicked I was.”

Tom was smiling brightly and rejoicing. He wasn’t a different person from before. That was definitely Tom, and he was genuinely happy.

“Tom! Snap out of it!”

At the heir’s cry, Tom merely shrugged.

“I am in my right mind. I’ve just realized the truth and reality. Ah, I think my life until now has been truly foolish.”

Tom’s sudden change.

Naturally, others didn’t take this change well, but.

The secretary smiled and proposed.

“Now, will you smoke the tobacco and join us? Or will you die coldly here and become food for insects?”

The devil’s dilemma was presented.

In the quiet banquet hall where only the sound of crawling insects could be heard, the first to walk toward the secretary was an old man from the Han Empire, Han So.

“I’m going to die of old age anyway. I, once called a martial god, can at least take revenge on the empire that discarded me.”

“Lord Han So!”

“How could you do this!”

Criticism erupted from the Han Empire delegation toward Han So, but the bent-backed old man stood before the secretary without hesitation.

The secretary smiled and handed him the tobacco.

“Welcome.”

“Ah.”

Han So’s hand, which was reaching for the tobacco, shot upward.

Bang!

In an instant, his clenched fist accurately struck the secretary’s chin.

“How dare you test my loyalty!”

Han So continuously struck the floating secretary. The Han Empire delegation cheered when they realized that he, who they thought had changed sides, was actually risking his life to resist.

Martial God Han So realized that this was his peak moment, the point where he was burning the last flame of his fading life.

A final burst of brilliance.

He was displaying the spirit of his past when he was called a martial god, but.

Crunch!

Seeing insects suddenly flying to his feet and eating his flesh, he gritted his teeth.

Boom!

He stomped the ground roughly, pushing them away with mana and air pressure, but.

“…!”

Only a few were pushed away, and more insects behind them pounced on his body.

“A-aaaaargh!”

Screams erupted and blood splattered. The secretary frowned while rubbing her struck chin.

“The old man is strong.”

Crunch!

The secretary’s hand pierced Han So’s heart like a spear as he was covered by insects.

The life of the man once called a martial god who had dominated an era ended miserably.

Becoming food for insects, not even his corpse could be found.

“Alright, kill everyone from the Han Empire.”

The first to move at those words was Tom from the Valestan Duchy. He immediately rushed in and tore apart the Han Empire delegation.

His massive build was indeed worthy of being called a bear, and so was his fighting style.

Even as the massacre took place, others couldn’t move freely.

The secretary’s eyes were staring at them, daring them to move.

It felt exactly like Medusa’s gaze that turned people to stone.

And shortly after.

The insects that had devoured all the Han Empire personnel gradually took on human forms.

Starting with Martial God Han So who died in struggle, to the other delegates.

The secretary pointed at them with a smile.

“See? Whatever choice you make, it doesn’t matter to us. Things will flow as we want anyway.”

Yet the reason they gave such a dilemma.

Was because they were demons with a nature that enjoyed playing with humans.

“That’s what you’d think.”

A calm woman’s voice broke the heavy atmosphere. Deia’s eyes, standing between her brothers, reached straight to the secretary.

“Because you’re demons. So it seems like you’re going through these complicated procedures to play with humans.”

“……”

“Do you really think you’ve placed similar values on the scale? From what I see, you want us to smoke that tobacco.”

A choice between certain death and giving up humanity to have some chance of survival.

But looking deeper, it could be seen differently.

If they smoked the tobacco, they didn’t know how their minds would be controlled, but at least there was a future.

They might return to their countries later and possibly be cured.

In essence, smoking the tobacco meant hoping for such a future and abandoning their current selves.

Hope.

They were subtly urging everyone to smoke the tobacco, suggesting that if they survived this place, something could change.

And indeed, most people were thinking they couldn’t let completely fake versions of themselves be sent to their homelands by losing their lives here.

Deia’s finger pointed at the fake Han Empire delegation standing emotionlessly.

“There must be something wrong with those, right? Isn’t that so?”

“Hmph.”

“While pretending to give us a choice, you actually just want to handle things your way.”

The secretary’s lips, which had been curled up, slowly, very slowly came down.

“You siblings are really annoying.”