The Outer God Needs Warmth – Chapter 96

By the way, there’s nothing left in his body now.

But seeing how his whole body is dyed blue, his life must have really been in danger. When insects inside the body go wild, it’s hard for people to survive.

They had put such insects inside. To control people.

“No, no, there’s no way I could have betrayed that person!”

Yin Simwon denies his own actions. Then suddenly he stood up and rushed at me.

“You! What did you do to me!”

As Heavenly Demon was about to cut him down, I raised my hand to calm her. Yin Simwon grabs my collar and shouts loudly. He seems unable to handle what he’s done.

Though it would be fine if he died since I’ve already gotten a lot of information.

But I should use it sparingly.

I placed my hand on the shoulder of the man grabbing my collar.

“That one left you to die. Wouldn’t you say they abandoned you? So I decided to save you.”

They probably didn’t actually intend to abandon him. They were desperately exerting force to take the light. But he gave it up to survive.

The one who abandoned was none other than Yin Simwon himself.

“No! Turn me back to how I was! I’ll go back to that person’s embrace! Do that. Please! No. If I’m any later, I’ll surely be punished. Before that, I must return!”

He shouts as if having a fit. His face is full of terror, falling into panic saying he’ll be punished if he doesn’t return like this.

Ah, right. People of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult have parasites in their bodies, and they control people through them. When you torture people from childhood, it leaves irreversible wounds in their hearts.

There are experiments too. They say if you torture dogs with electric shocks in a place with nowhere to escape, even when you later open a door allowing them to escape from the electric shocks, they don’t run away and just suffer in place.

Was it called learned helplessness?

They just modified that slightly. They cause pain if you don’t show loyalty to them, and kill a few as examples.

When that continues for a long time, even if they have the power to escape it, they can’t even think of resisting.

Because it’s already embedded in their minds that they can’t escape.

So I told him one fact.

“There’s nothing left in your body that torments you. From now on you can live freely.”

He looks at me with an expression saying that’s impossible. But the strength gradually leaves his hands.

He must know too. That nothing remains in his body anymore.

“Yin Simwon.”

I tell him.

“Is there someone you want to save?”

Yes.

He too has someone precious. It’s someone I couldn’t have known about. Usually when people rise to high positions, they naturally gain something precious, and fortunately for this person, it’s people who are precious to him.

Though to begin with, it’s a space where there’s nothing but people that could be felt precious.

Due to dress regulations, they can’t wear valuables. There’s no private property to begin with. The only thing they can obtain is rank, and even that requires receiving horrific procedures.

Even after receiving all those procedures and rising to a high position, there’s nothing but their name. People are the only things left they can become attached to.

Perhaps that’s also why Heavenly Demon became attached to Jeonyang.

Anyway.

When I asked Yin Simwon, he grabbed his head with an extremely pained expression. And after a very brief deliberation, instead of opening his mouth, he raised his head and covered his lips with his index finger.

Then he pointed to three specific places on the ceiling and walls with his finger.

It means there are people hiding and watching.

“Let’s clear them out.”

“Right.”

When Heavenly Demon stomped her foot, crushing sounds were heard from all directions.

What?

No, I thought she would swing her sword or use something that used me like before.

No, strictly speaking, did she use me?

Blood flows from several places besides where he pointed.

Curious, I went toward where blood was flowing and opened the door, and was greeted by a shattered corpse.

The corpse has human form, but there are many impurities mixed in the body.

Strangely deformed arms, intestines that are colorful like they’re rotting, insects with multiple legs extending along the spine, and so on.

But nothing’s alive – they all died from just one stomp of Heavenly Demon’s foot. Of course, I know she killed quite a lot since I obtained a large amount of warmth.

“The insects are the main body.”

Heavenly Demon who followed looks down without much interest.

“That’s natural in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. Still, even I didn’t know they were this infested.”

I returned to Yin Simwon.

And I grabbed his hand, brought it close to his face, and smiled.

“The person you want can live.”

If I said this after just killing people, it would sound like I’m saying I won’t kill them, but seeing the blue skin color, he’ll understand my intention.

Only I can save them.

To make it appear that way.

He nodded obediently. And still as if afraid, he asked me in a small voice.

“What do you want?”

Following his lead, I answered in a small voice too.

“Take me to your master.”

He bit his lip for a moment, then looked straight at me and opened his mouth. There’s a grave determination.

“Save them first.”

“Alright.”

As if he hadn’t expected me to answer immediately, he looks at me startled.

Finding that strange, I asked.

“Why are you so surprised? Isn’t finding people who can live more important than finding enemies?”

Heavenly Demon is laughing behind me. No, of course I know my words might sound like they’re for people’s benefit.

But isn’t that meaningless among people who know what I am? Yin Simwon knows what I am too.

There’s a reason he shouted to Heavenly Demon earlier. All attempts to do something to me through strange sorcery had ended meaninglessly.

No, though I didn’t feel it, they had tried to test me using curses or esoteric arts of the secret sect.

But they all failed.

It wasn’t that they didn’t activate – Yin Simwon remembers they just disappeared meaninglessly like throwing an egg at a wall.

At least if they had attacked, I would have felt it, but it seems curse methods using my harvesters don’t even register as attacks.

What a shame.

Anyway, it’s fine if they misunderstand. I walked through the Moon Emperor Hall with him and Heavenly Demon. There was no one interfering in between. He soon found the person he wanted.

It was a young girl.

She’s not his lover. Not his daughter either. They just happened to meet, and were merely someone he had meaningless conversations with.

Everyone is pitiful.

How do they all act like they’re willing to open their hearts and give everything just from making a friend?

But, we were too late.

“I’ll make you pay the price for betraying me.”

This time something like a moray eel shot out through that person’s face.

At the same time, the girl’s body swelled up, her brow widened, and scales burst out. But as if her body couldn’t endure it, parts of her body had exposed muscles hanging loosely.

Her body is collapsing, unable to withstand the transformation.

“You who wear human disguise.”

The thing attached like an anglerfish’s lure on top of that monster’s head speaks to me.

“Though I don’t know what you are, don’t think you’ll be able to return safely after entering the territory of the Ocean Way Sect.”

Ocean Way Sect?

Ah. Is it Investiture of the Gods this time? There’s really all sorts of things mixed in.

Or maybe parts of this place flowed into the world I knew, but that’s not particularly important.

“Are you at the very top?”

That thing laughs at my question.

“Yes. I am the Supreme Leader of the Absolute Sect. Tongcheon. Are you afraid now?”

So that really was the title. But Supreme Leader Tongcheon. This one was closer to being a god, right?

“If you were a god, I might be afraid.”

At that, it burst into loud laughter. The contrasting groans of pain from the one attached below makes the laughter stand out more.

“Ah yes. I am the god that you fear.”

Kehehehe.

“Yes. I understand.”

I see. So you’re a god.

Can I take that to mean you’re the god who gave this cold?

Can I understand that to mean you’re the god who gave this freezing cold that drives one mad?

It’s fine even if that’s not true.

Because I just need someone to take out my anger on.

“Heavenly Demon. It’s fine as long as they’re alive.”

Heavenly Demon stepped forward. Then the moray eel on the head looked at Heavenly Demon and opened its mouth.

“You’re like a corpse. Did you use the heaven-defying technique that raises the dead? But if you’re Heavenly Demon, there should be an agreement with the Absolute Sect. If you violate that, shall we consider the connection severed as of today? Don’t regret it when we take away everything you enjoy in this land.”

But Heavenly Demon swung her sword while looking at that moray eel.

In an instant, the limbs of the girl who had transformed into a monster turned to dust and disappeared.

Yes. Rather than being cut, they turned to dust while scattering black particles.

Yin Simwon also looks at Heavenly Demon with an extremely shocked expression. It’s really funny how his gaze is full of awe.

Heavenly Demon approached the fish speaking from atop that monster’s head.

“I know about that old agreement. So this is the final advice from the side breaking it, immortal.”

The fish writhes as if amused.

“Advice? From a mere corpse patched together with messy life? Go ahead and try.”

At those words asserting superiority, Heavenly Demon strangely smiled.

“Run. If you can.”

And with a swoosh, the fish turned black and disappeared.

Heavenly Demon turned around, looked at me and pointed to the monster that had lost its limbs.

I approached her and made a contract.

Can’t communicate?

Brain too destroyed to think?

Do you think contracts can’t be made because of that?

That’s not true.

If I directly touch the light, it’s fine even with severe physical damage. How do you think I’ve been talking to those above the surface until now?

I recited the contract words.

Like pottery, the flesh shattered, and from within emerged a naked girl with blue skin.

I approached Yin Simwon who was crying.

“Now let’s go meet the god.”

I said that while stopping Yin Simwon who was pressing his head to the ground.