episode_0248

“Baekgwi… you must die here.”

The large man standing in the center took a step forward.

He exuded the strongest aura among the three. At a glance, he seemed to be the leader. He was cloaked in a black mantle, so his entire body wasn’t visible, but his outline revealed well-defined muscles.

I slowly rose to my feet. flinched. The fallen was intermittently trembling.

“Before that… let me hear your name.”

“I have no name to bestow upon you.”

“…Really?”

I smiled wryly. It was a feigned disappointment.

However, I was beginning to get a sense of his identity. He also appears in Akastos. Among the , he is the one with the highest potential. The right-hand man of the Seeker, the leader, and despite his bulldozer-like appearance, he’s said to have a rather cold personality.

“Agu… right?”

“Hoho, you know my father?”

“I know a few things.”

Agu餓鬼. A demon reborn by offering their body to a god, bearing the sin of gluttony.

Uniquely, this is not an individual name but a species name. Agu are a collective; the whole sustains the one. Agu beget Agu, and what an Agu consumes belongs to the Agu.

Their greatest characteristic is that they possess the power of the beings they consume. They devour anything and make its power their own. Their survival and reproductive rates are exceptional, making them notoriously difficult to exterminate among the demons.

I’ve already seen the work of Agu in this world. The whale fiend, the demon realm, I saw during my summer vacation, is a prime example.

The man before me is an Agu, a human who has embraced demonic energy.

‘Among the Nameds, the most troublesome… .’

That was his name.

A fun thought suddenly occurred to me.

“But… are you really sure you can kill me?”

“The ultimate goal is to obtain information. Even if you’re torn to shreds here, the Seeker will resurrect you.”

“No, no. That’s not what I meant.”

I channeled demonic energy, enveloping my body in a shadow armor. Black shadows seeped into the edges of my clothes. Once armed, I looked like I was wearing a black latex suit.

Taat-!

‘My goal is escape. There’s no need to kill them all now.’

I dashed across the shadows of the forest towards the fallen . The moment I grabbed her nape, a massive arm flew towards me.

Hwooong-!

It possessed immense destructive power. A single hit would be fatal.

‘But it won’t reach me now.’

My ki is at its limit due to the pain throughout my body. The intense demonic energy is bound to be felt from the moment one moves. I easily dodged the man’s attack, quickly retreated while holding .

Tadadat-

“Do you think you can get away…?!”

persistently pursued me. His guard was slightly down. If my body was in peak condition, this would have been the perfect opportunity for a surprise attack and kill, but my condition is a bit lacking.

Also, since he’s been killed before and still came back, a successful surprise attack is meaningless. That’s not important right now.

Phook-!

I pierced with a shadow blade, causing her to bleed. I poured my demonic energy into her scarlet blood and focused my mind.

‘Ryuud… did she do it like this?’

『Acquiring new skill: [Blood Fiend Assault]』

Having swallowed Ryuud’s soul, I can mimic his techniques. Because I am the master of souls.

’s blood spurted out. Streams of blood flowed together like a river, forming a sphere of blood that enveloped me.

Blood Fiend Assault極技, Blood Consumption血食.

I burst from the blood cocoon. The shadow armor dissipated, revealing my body, as good as new. I had completely healed the wounds I’d sustained through Ju-eon. However, I couldn’t transform like Ryuud. It was my first time using this technique, so I had no choice but to focus on recovery.

’s eyes flickered from within the black mantle.

“Th-that…”

“That’s right. It’s the power of that girl’s boyfriend, whom I ‘ate’.”

He froze. Agu take the powers of the beings they consume as their own. In his worldview, there’s only one explanation for this.

Agu. In other words, a fellow member of the species.

began to panic for the first time.

“No… that’s impossible. I don’t sense my father’s aura in you.”

“Of course not. Because the bloodline is too thin. I was a worthless life discarded by that trash. The day I devoured my abandoned brothers, I vowed to make everything that stands in my way my food.”

“…That’s entirely plausible.”

My somewhat amateur acting training proved helpful. My teacher was Yuri. Even Narita Princess, famous for her reckless behavior, actually attended countless social events. She knew how to wear a mask in front of people.

Of course, it wouldn’t easily fool someone as cold as . Conversely, it means my act could work the moment his mental fortitude falters.

And it succeeded.

“Are you insane?! Hey, Baekgwi killed countless of our comrades-!!”

“I know, I know.”

I chuckled quietly. My words and actions don’t match. If I were the enemy, he should attack and kill me immediately, but he’s not moving.

Instead, he’s trying to avoid battle. The fact that he maintains cool judgment while his mind is shaken is remarkable.

“Brother, my name is Khan. It’s the name I was called during my orphan days before embracing demonic energy and becoming my father’s offspring.”

“Now you want to exchange pleasantries? I don’t like it. I won’t tell you my name.”

“Fine… that’s enough.”

He withdrew his demonic energy, quietly suppressing the murderous intent. Things went too well, I almost laughed. I had to work hard to maintain my composure.

The warm atmosphere didn’t last long.

“No… nothing has been resolved!!”

, who had been watching quietly, increased his demonic energy.

He sprang from the ground. His acceleration was truly worthy of being called Divine Speed. Faster than before.

It was so fast that his presence split into multiple streams. Afterimages lingered in the air, making him appear multiple times. Numerous figures cloaked in black mantles surrounded me.

“Die-!!”

Voices echoed from all directions. Immediately, countless afterimages of lunged at me. I can’t tell which one is real. Even if I choose the real one, it would likely switch places with a fake one faster than my senses could perceive. A fatal move that would trap any ordinary person.

‘If they were ordinary people… indeed.’

I was actually grateful they were making it easy for me to attack. I drew up the shadows along with my demonic energy. Shadow armor enveloped my entire body, and sharp blades rose from the deep darkness.

Shadow Fiend Blade暗影鬼檢, Full Bloom滿開.

Countless shadow blades spread from me. All the afterimages split in two, and after the shadows dispersed, only the upper body of remained before me.

Tuh-buk-

I stepped forward, crushing his head under my foot. A look of helplessness filled his distorted face.

“You… aren’t going to die, are you? If you swear not to interfere with my brotherly chat here, I won’t crush this head of yours.”

“Shut up… damn it…!! You’ll be destroyed someday-!! The Seeker won’t let this go… I’ll get revenge for this insult someday-!!”

“It’s better to talk less. A piece of life advice from your elder.”

I infused my voice with a curse. Or rather, a spell intended to harm him. I poured demonic energy into the incantation of [True Words].

「Shut up.」

Kudeuk- Kududuk-

Veins bulged in ’s neck. He opened and closed his mouth intermittently but couldn’t even make a wheezing sound. He could only writhe in agony, spitting blood.

“You’re using True Words too…”

“Because I ate this woman too.”

I continued my lie without even hesitating, kicking the limp body of .

Moriarty possesses the art of revival. Though I drained her blood, her body is not that damaged, so she’ll recover easily. Though there might be some side effects.

“You’re truly my brother. My body doesn’t acknowledge it, but my mind recognizes you as my brother.”

Only was unharmed. He continued to observe me with a calm demeanor. No use watching, I decided. I can’t make a pass at him. He’ll definitely kill me.

“So… I want to leave now, what about you? My body is all stiff from working overtime.”

“Excuse me. I never imagined I’d meet a sibling in such a place. I was overly surprised. It’s not that I want to oppose this new emotion, but…”

Kwaduk-!

, Khan, clenched his fist and channeled demonic energy. It wasn’t an impulsive, emotionally driven reaction like the others who were torn to pieces. He was choosing to fight me based on a purely rational judgment.

‘No, the underlying meaning isn’t that.’

He assumed a fighting stance and slowly opened his mouth. His tongue and teeth were not visible. As his name suggests, ‘Deep Hunger,’ an endlessly deep abyss, was present.

“…Being siblings, you should understand. My instincts are commanding me to crush you to death, devour your flesh. And I even believe I can.”

“Just get to the point, get to the point.”

“There are only two paths for us Agu.”

Thick darkness enveloped the surroundings. He was immersed in that darkness, only his red eyes glowing. The blend of malice and hunger looked like salivation from souls.

“To die, or to be eaten.”

“Simple and I like it. I like it!”

“Indeed… indeed you are my brother-!!”

Tu kwaang-!!

Emitting an earth-shattering shockwave, the hungry demon lunged at me.