episode_0280

The being that had taken over the body of the lover twisted its joints strangely. On its hand, particle fragments that were clearly aimed at the short-haired man were being created.

However, the particle fragments kept breaking apart before they could even be created. The witch looked down at her trembling hands in wonder.

“Anti-hostile, hostile, action, rejection, reaction. What the hell?”

“… ”

The captain stared blankly at the scene without even pulling out his blade. He had lost his sense of reason in the irrational and unrealistic loss that had come at him in an instant.

“Body, body memory.”

The witch tilted her head and muttered. Soon, with a cracking sound of skin being torn, the thing’s one remaining eye completely rolled back. As if it was trying to directly view the brain’s memories.

“Object, awareness, residual, residual hormone levels, sudden, rapid, increase. After reverse calculation, inference. ”

The voice that had been splitting like dry land gradually regained its original form. This made the captain despair even more. The being in front of him was now speaking the voice of the one who had once been his lover.

“… ”

My heart ached. Even I could not fathom the extent of the despair he was feeling right now.

Only one thing is certain. The heteromorph eats the human brain, takes over the body, and is reborn as a witch.

That is, his lover is already dead.

All that remains are corpses that cannot die no matter how dead they are.

“Hyuk!!”

“That’s…!”

The older sisters who followed the captain arrived at the scene. They seemed to immediately understand the situation just by looking at the stern captain.

The older sisters, their expressions hardened, were about to surround the captain as if to protect him.

Swish, swish.

The witch’s empty eye sockets seemed to sprout new flesh, and before long, perfect pupils filled their places. Soon, the thing that had been watching the director mimicked its clear voice from when it was alive and greeted him as if nothing had happened.

“I missed you, Hyuk.”

“… !”

The captain flinched. With that, the back of the witch who had been silently smiling split open, and five thorny tentacles that looked like deformed vertebrae emerged.

-Wedge!!

“Be careful!”

“The barrier…!”

The tentacles fluttering in the air rushed towards them all at once. The sisters were about to respond right away.

-Bang!

Suddenly, a shadow leapt out from behind and swung its blade. The tentacles that had been rushing at him sharply lost their strength with a thud and fell to the ground.

A thick cloud of dust rose. The leader, who had pushed aside his sisters and stepped forward, was gripping his blade tightly with trembling hands.

“… You guys don’t come out.”

He opened his parched lips and spat out his dry lips. His eyes were completely lifeless, like those of a corpse.

“But alone… ”

“Never, never interfere.”

“Hyuk-ah… ”

“At least the last one… I have to send it.”

He remained steadfast despite his sisters’ persuasion.

It is an astonishingly transcendent willpower, especially considering that his heart has already been torn to pieces.

A drop of blood flowed from the corner of the mouth of the captain who had bitten his teeth. He aimed the tip of the blade straight at the witch’s head.

The witch’s attitude of imitating memories seemed to have only aroused his anger.

“Hmm… Isn’t this it? I remember it right… but why is the reaction so… ”

The witch pursed her lips and shook her head. The leader didn’t respond and just pounced on it.

“… ”

The witch stared at him with a faint smile. This time, ten spines sprouted from its spine and rushed at the captain.

-Wedge!!

-Bam! Kwaang!!

“Gyah… !”

With each collision, a heavy shock wave spread in all directions. The wind was so loud that it was deafening, making it difficult for the sisters to keep their composure.

“Dare, dare…!!”

The leader kept muttering with bloodshot eyes. He and the witch exchanged rough attacks dozens of times per second.

-Whew!

The serrated tentacles slid across his body, leaving deep gashes, some of which I recognized.

Every time I asked about its origin, the captain would just yell and grab my head instead of answering. However, I still clearly remember those eyes, which were filled with a sense of nostalgia.

Now I think I know the reason for that vagueness.

“Dare, dare, dare… !”

But the witch was no match for the leader. Every time he swung his arm while letting out a roar mixed with tears, the tentacles were cut off one by one. The speed at which he swung his blade far exceeded the witch’s regeneration speed.

In a short time, the winner and loser were decided, and his blade was finally about to stab the disabled witch’s head.

“Hey, save me, Hyuk… ”

A pitiful voice full of fear was heard. The witch wearing Seol Yu-jeong’s skin turned over and appealed to him with tears.

“I, I’m so scared… Please, please help me… ”

“Ugh… ”

The captain’s face twisted painfully. He could not have been unaware of the obvious. The lingering tears only dulled the tip of his sword for a moment.

But even that moment was enough time for the monster to plot.

-Phew!

For a moment, an evil laugh covered the tears. Then, the sound of skin being torn echoed through the night forest.

And then the captain suddenly vomited blood from his mouth.

“You got fooled?”

“Cough… !”

“How stupid. Falling for such shallow tricks? Well, I guess that’s because I’m a lower-class creature… ”

The witch’s long nails, twisting the corners of her mouth, gnawed at the commander’s chest. His limbs lost their strength and fell to the floor.

“Hyuk-ah!”

“No!!”

The sisters who were watching the scene screamed in shock. They forgot the leader’s instructions and rushed at the witch. And just as the witch was about to raise her left hand and shoot particle fragments at the sisters,

The commander’s right arm, which had been hanging limply, flinched, and then in an instant, he stabbed the blade directly between the witch’s eyebrows.

-Phew!

“Squeak!! Squeak!!!”

The captain rolled on the floor. The witch who had thrown him writhed in pain, clutching her face with both hands. She let out a grotesque scream that was as if her ears were being torn apart.

“Ugh… Gulp, gulp… !”

“Hyuk! Are you okay?”

“Blood, blood… !”

The older sisters who came closer soon looked at the leader. Push-shuk- Their faces turned pale when they saw the blood gushing from his chest.

And then I heard the voice of someone dying.

“The river, it’s strong… My, man.”

The witch was still taunting them even as her body twisted and shriveled. Her appearance was even more horrifying because her skin had melted away along with the gas.

“Congratulations. Squeak, you, you stabbed your girlfriend in the head with a knife. Ha, haha.”

“Don’t listen!”

Sister Sehwa covered the captain’s ears. He was looking at his lover’s body losing its shape with blank eyes.

“Don’t think it’s the end, the end. Squeak, squeak.”

“Even though I told you not to listen… Gosh!”

The captain pushed Sehwa away and got up in a hurry. He approached her almost as if crawling and reached out to his melting lover.

“No, no… ”

“Well, what we’re giving you is despair.”

“No… Yoojung, no… ”

“That, sweet taste… Knock, knock… ”

And the witch died. The leader stood motionless, staring blankly down at the corpse.

“No, no… ”

Chewing-hot steam rose up and soon its body began to melt, just like Betelgeuse, who had been killed in the First City.

-Chiiik…

The captain screamed, but the body disappeared without a trace in an instant. His lover was no longer anywhere in this world.

“Ah, ah, ahhh… !”

The night air was filled with the sound of a man crying in pain.

***

“The bleeding is so severe… ”

The older sisters were leaving the forest, supporting the leader. Chaewon bit her lip as she saw drops of blood dripping onto the floor, not to mention the bandages that were stained.

Likewise, Jin Noona, whose expression was clearly anxious, nodded to her.

“The 12th Regiment’s garrison is just 3km away. If you can get there, you’ll be able to survive.”

“Let’s hurry… ”

The 12th Regiment, commanded by Baek Yu-jun, the captain’s close friend and spiritual supporter, was nearby. The older sisters took turns supporting the captain and walked briskly toward it.

But what greeted them was the sight of a garrison in shambles, covered in blood and fire.

“Huh… ?”

The older sisters let out a blank voice. The heavy air of death lingered on the tip of their noses.

-Ji-ik, Ji-ik.

And amidst the piles of hundreds of corpses, they hear the sound of someone approaching them in confusion.

Two shadows soon appeared. The person standing behind was a short girl. A string was extending from the teddy bear in her hand, tying the man in front of her tightly.

Even in this hellish situation, the girl had a cheerful smile on her face. Every time she twisted the joints of the teddy bear, the man in front of her also showed strange movements following her.

And Baek Yu-jun, who had been tied up with the witch’s thread and turned into a puppet while slaughtering his own unit members, finally aimed his blade at them with a blank look.

“No… ”

The captain sat down with a blank expression on his face.

***

-Chiiik…

Another fight broke out. At the end of it, the corpse of the girl holding the teddy bear was melting. Finally freed, Baek Yu-jun lay on the floor and spat out blood.

“Grrrr, ugh… ”

“… ”

The captain sat before him, kneeling in silence. His eyes were so dark that they did not even show despair.

There was a deep wound on Baek Yu-jun’s chest. The shape of the scar was exactly the same as the blade the captain was holding in his hand.

It was the only way to save him from the witch’s tricks.

“Keuk, Jae, Jaehyuk… ”

Baek Yu-jun opened his mouth with a little light returning to his eyes. The captain, who was watching him, nodded his head with difficulty.

“… Okay.”

“Oh, what happened, ugh, my, my unit members… ”

“… ”

Baek Yu-jun, who had spat out a piece of lung from his mouth, turned his head with difficulty. After checking the mess of the garrison, he quietly opened his mouth.

“Did I, did I, kekekeke, kill you?”

“… ”

“No, that won’t work, but, father, it’ll be a bother.”

“… ”

“Our, our, dream, my, I… ”

“… Don’t worry.”

Finally, the captain answered with difficulty. He lifted the blade and aimed it at Baek Yu-jun’s Adam’s apple, who was lying down.

His life was already in danger of slipping away. Ending it quickly would ease his suffering.

“You didn’t kill anyone. Your family’s honor will not be tarnished. And you will remain praised forever.”

-Phew!

And the blade’s edge dug into the neck of the lying man. His body flinched once, then froze and did not move at all.

***

“… Defendant Sa Jae-hyeok is sentenced to 8 years in the penal corps.”

The military court. The gavel struck three times to announce the final verdict. The officer in the restraints was shaking like a ghost, not even looking at the judge.

The witch hunt operation was over, but the leader was brought to court on charges of breaking the witch’s oath. He never said anything during the interrogation about the reason for Baek Yu-jun’s murder.

The public speculated that they had been looking for an opportunity to weaken the momentum of their rival family, the Paechun, and that they were planning to finally eliminate their successor while the witch hunt was wrapping up.

“Although I have violated the presumptuous taboo, considering that the Black Lotus has made great contributions to the Republic… ”

“This is ridiculous!!”

And then there was a commotion in the corner of the courtroom. The image of the man standing up and screaming was all too familiar.

Baek Yu-jun and his half-sister Yeon-i’s father.

After that, he borrowed the power of the witch and tried to put the Republic in his hands. Baek Il-yong of Paechon.

“The author killed my son!! My precious eldest son!!”

He was shouting and swearing at the captain. No matter how you look at it, it didn’t seem like acting. That’s what Baek Yu-jun said before he died… Up until this point, he might have been a person who truly cared for his children.

“But a mere 8 years in the penal corps!! Even tearing his limbs apart and killing him wouldn’t be enough!!”

“Be quiet! Even if you are the head of a noble family, it is unacceptable to disturb the order of the court like this… ”

“My son, my son… ahhh!!”

The commotion showed no sign of abating. In fact, his argument was more justified. Black Lotus barely managed to prevent the execution of the leader after using all his power.

However, what the captain who had lost everything wanted was the opposite ending.

“I curse you, Black Lotus! I curse you…! I will make your eyes shed tears of blood just like that! I will definitely…!”

“The defendant will be traveling the border for the next eight years, protecting the Republic from external enemies. Please faithfully carry out your duty and repent for your crimes.”

“… ”

The captain was shaking as if he had no ego, oblivious to the commotion. The scenery of the courtroom was reflected in his blank eyes.

On one side, Baek Il-yong is crying and pulling out his hair, and on the other side, his classmates, including Professor Kwon Chan-yeol and Professor Shin Jae-yu, have gathered to appeal for him.

And now Haewolhwa has become the headmaster of the cradle.

“… Disciple.”

Haewolhwa stood in front of him as he was dragged away tied with rope. She called out to the captain in a voice that seemed to contain guilt.

“… Master.”

“I’m sorry… If I had not defended the capital and gone out to punish them myself… This would have happened… ”

“It’s okay.”

The captain muttered softly.

“It’s not the Master’s fault. I don’t blame you.”

“Ah… ”

The principal walked away, leaving the sighing principal behind. Outside the courtroom, another familiar man and woman were waiting for him.

These were people I also knew well.

“Hey, hey… ”

The captain’s mother’s appearance was not much different then or now. The captain turned his numb eyes to her cautious voice calling him.

It was a gaze that left no trace of emotion. Not despair, not anger, not even shallow familial love.

“I, I… I never thought it would turn out like this… ”

“Congratulations. You finally achieved what you wanted.”

His mother was about to open her trembling mouth. A dry voice, colder than the cold winter wind, covered her words.

“From now on, there will be no dirty blood mixed with the Black Lotus. Ever.”

“More, dirty piranhas… ”

“Why are you saying that all of a sudden? Isn’t that what you said to that kid yourself?”

“I, I… I… ”

The corners of the captain’s mouth twisted coldly as he saw his mother, who could not even respond properly. After passing the couple, he headed towards the escort vehicle that was waiting for him.

And just before boarding, he stopped dead in his tracks and turned his head to speak.

“I will never forgive you. Ever.”

“Ah, ahh… ”

His mother collapsed, screaming almost like a scream. The captain didn’t even look back at her and just got into the vehicle.

And time passed. Paragraphs from newspaper articles flashed before my eyes.

Black Lotus gave up all his positions and went into a long period of seclusion. And the newly emerged Reds and Paechun fought fiercely every day to take away the vested interests they had left behind. The witch hunt operation was over, but the chaos in the Republic showed no sign of ending.

The leader who once shined brighter than anyone else fell to the bottomless bottom. Even after his sentence in the penal corps was over, he did not return to his family and stayed in the outskirts. He just killed and killed all the evil things in the world as if to vent his anger.

And the older sisters, giving up all their positions and authority, followed the captain to the outskirts. After some time, the captain regained his emotions, but the empty sense of loss was still unfillable.

The surroundings gradually became darker. Finally, as if the doors of a theater were closing, my vision went black.

***

And then I woke up from a dream and jumped up.

“Oh my… !”

With a deep breath, the air was sucked into my lungs. I instinctively turned my gaze to look around.

And in the unfamiliar environment that unfolded before me, I couldn’t help but let out a voice of bewilderment.

“Huh… ?”

-Clang…

The shallow water, reaching up to my ankles, stretched endlessly beyond the horizon. The clear blue sky and fluffy clouds reflected on it, giving the illusion that I was floating in the sky.

I was extremely embarrassed by the sight I had never seen before. In the midst of all this, what brought me back to consciousness was someone’s voice coming from my bedside out of nowhere.

“Oh my, you’re awake?”

“Gasp!”

I turned my head and took a deep breath. Now a very familiar-looking woman was looking down at me, carrying her bags behind her back.

It’s a face I’ve stared at so many times in past memories and faded photographs that I’m sick of it. I even know her name.

The captain’s lover. And an unfortunate woman who had her body stolen by a witch and ended up dying at the captain’s hand.

Seol Yu-jeong.

“… ”

My head is spinning for a split second. Seol Yu-jeong is already dead. It is absolutely impossible for her to be talking to me now.

So what we have in front of us now is…

“This witch bitch!”

After making my decision, I immediately stood up and took a stance.

“This is really fucking annoying! How did you survive? Huh? This time, it’s really over… !”

-Okay!

“Ouch!”

But just as I was building up my momentum, a sharp pain in my forehead suddenly appeared, along with stars appearing in my vision.

I instinctively touched my forehead. The woman in front of me was looking down at me with her hands on her waist.

“This guy! What kind of habit is that to use when talking to your sister!”

“Who… Me?”

I muttered in bewilderment. And you’re looking down at me?

Suddenly, I turned my gaze downward and saw my reflection in the water, which was as clear as a mirror.

“Huh?”

I let out a blank voice. Reflected on the surface of the water was a short, gaunt little boy.

Me, exactly two years ago, at my most pathetic and weakest.

His well-trained upper body and tall stature were nowhere to be seen. And come to think of it, his voice was also very young.

…what on earth is going on?

“… ”

I turned my gaze back to the woman in front of me. She was still looking at me with a pained expression, but there wasn’t a hint of evil in her appearance.

Only then did I ask her, my hostility softening a little.

“… Is that you?”

“For now.”

She sighed and only then stopped glaring at me.

“Should I call it a residual memory? Or a remnant? In any case, it’s exactly the same as the original… ”

“Remaining…remember?”

I was trying to understand what Seol Yu-jeong’s answer meant when memories that had come to me belatedly began to surge into my mind like waves.

I was finally able to recall everything. I still didn’t know what the unfamiliar space I was in was, but the cause and effect of my arrival here was clear.

Because I could still feel someone’s warmth on my palm.

“Am I… dead?”

I had already guessed it, but I asked the question to be sure.

The woman nodded with a faint smile.

“Well, that’s right.”