episode_0462

Slowly, very slowly, he gathered the energy that squeezed his heart.

“Cough, gasp, gasp…!”

The lad shook his head violently, exhaling rough breaths as the pain gradually intensified.

In his eyes, staring back at me, there was a deep sense of fear.

He recognized it.

The fact that I, a mere human, could snatch away the very foundation of his current existence.

Perhaps death wouldn’t have been as terrifying.

But losing everything and facing a bleak future filled with despair instilled fear.

…I know because I’ve felt it myself.

“How does it feel to have your life ripped away from you?”

“…Absolutely filthy.”

A fitting expression.

Filthy indeed.

“Those who had their lives taken away through manipulation probably felt the same way.”

“….”

Yoon Myeong-ho turned his head in silence, lips sealed shut.

Well, just because he understands how it feels doesn’t mean this wretched soul will turn over a new leaf.

If he had been capable of such redemption, he wouldn’t have escalated to an S-class villain.

Nevertheless, someone has to make him realize.

He needs to understand how much filth he spread around and live with that knowledge.

That’s the only way to endure what remains of his life amidst suffering.

“Keep your promise. No, you must keep it. If you don’t want to lose even the slightest bit of hope left.”

Struggling to open his mouth, the lad who had been meticulously chewing on his lips finally spoke.

“…Just one request.”

“Go ahead.”

Responding readily as if out of pity, he continued after the lad closed his eyes tightly.

“P-Please, at least spare me from the Prison Belt… Oh, but that’s impossible, isn’t it?”

“Hmm.”

Look at this.

People must realize that where they stand isn’t always rock bottom.

Avoiding the Prison Belt is not so difficult.

Negotiations were already settled with the higher-ups before entering here, using it as a bargaining chip.

Then suddenly, a good idea struck him.

“Alright. I’ll do my best to help with that.”

“…Th-Thank you.”

“It’s nothing.”

Living in a special form of prison, especially one that confines awakened individuals, cannot be described as pleasant.

However, compared to the Prison Belt, South Korea’s prisons are practically heaven.

Unlike places that dehumanize individuals, at least this country’s prisons respect the rights of criminals.

That’s a good thought.

As he begins to adapt to life in the relatively comfortable South Korean prison.

If news suddenly arrives that he’s being transferred to the Prison Belt.

What expression would he wear then?

It would be nice if it became a catalyst for him to regret his past life as a villain even slightly.

Concealing such thoughts, I place my arm around his shoulders with a friendly demeanor, smiling warmly, before speaking.

“Shall we start by undoing the brainwashing?”

“…I’d like to draft a pledge first.”

“….”

Can’t trust people; you can’t trust them at all, fearing they might still be villains.

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An interim detention center where faithful followers of Gwangmyeong Church, brainwashed devotees, are gathered.

Even now, many of them cry out for their leader.

“Release our leader, release him… *cough*!”

“Free our leader, you wicked…!”

Despite their voices growing hoarse from shouting, their cries persist.

Seeing this relentless outcry, one truly realizes the immense power these individuals possess.

Have they transformed these once ordinary people into those who would defy death itself for their cause?

If they had waited a little longer and pushed a bit further, he would surely have become a calamity that swallowed this nation whole.

It’s a relief that he was stopped in time, preventing a disaster.

Yet, greed creeps in.

“It’s undoubtedly a useful thing to have… But…”

The desire for authority.

In my heart, I truly wish to rip it away completely, but…

“There’s no way that could happen.”

In truth, it’s all a lie.

With my current abilities, I cannot steal away another’s authority.

The power wielded by 권능 can be absorbed, but it is impossible to take away the origin itself.

If that were possible, why would I have bargained or threatened with that guy?

It would’ve been enough to snatch it away and undo the brainwashing directly.

In short, the actions taken against him were a gamble, a bluff.

By rapidly absorbing the energy and magic originating from the source, it made him feel as if his strength was fading, but in reality, 탐식 couldn’t even reach the source to devour it.

If the situation had continued a little longer, would he not have noticed if the guy had remained a bit calmer?

“That’s the ability to not let him notice.”

Still, it’s not bad.

I only absorbed the energy, not the source itself, but I gained quite a bit from it.

When I greedily consumed the energy of sloth, a message popped up that made me feel quite hopeful.

[Consuming the energy of sloth.]

[Some properties of the excessively inhaled energy are merging into magic.]

[Time remaining until digestion: 22:11:10]

Some properties of the slothful energy I absorbed are merging into magic.

This is similar to when I devoured the energy of anger while facing Yeopo’s subordinates.

Having imbued some of that power, I will once again achieve growth different from others.

Brushing the belly where consumption settled, 탐식 smiles contentedly.

“I should be satisfied with this for now.”

탐식 always dreams of the future.

No, it keeps showing me possibilities, making me peek at them to be able to covet more in the future.

Looking at those possibilities, I am convinced.

Future 탐식 will become so huge that he can swallow even the opponent’s source in one gulp.

That’s why.

The reason I relatively kept Yun Myeong-ho alive and captured is that he is the prey for my future self to devour.

Imagining that moment, I forcibly suppress the boiling greed and lightly pat Yun Myeong-ho’s back.

“Let’s finish this quickly.”

The guy walks with a heavy expression, almost unable to speak due to the weight on his shoulders.

All of Yun Myeong-ho’s followers in the prison rush towards the iron bars.

“Leader!”

“The leader has come!”

“They must have come to save us!”

“We believed in you, Leader!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Mad cries.

Amid the clamor of hands and feet banging on the iron bars, Yun Myeong-ho’s adam’s apple trembles at the center.

He sneers at the scared guy’s back of the head.

“Why, are you scared now that I’m about to release you? Afraid they, who followed you so obediently, might kill you?”

“….”

The guy grimaces, tightly shutting his mouth.

Seems like he hit the nail on the head.

Well, he must be scared.

Those who were cheering for him until now would pounce to tear his throat out at any moment.

“But don’t worry. You won’t die here because of me.”

I won’t allow such a death.

He’s my prey.

Within the spreading madness, the guy slowly raises the power of his ability.

The expanding grayish energy.

The moment it touches the heads of the zealots beyond the bars.

He murmurs.

“Please return, my brothers.”

As soon as those words end, the gray energy disperses like smoke, and those who were calling out the leader’s name moments ago start collapsing one by one, their eyes rolling back.

Thud! Thud!

Thunk!

They lie sprawled in disarray.

Watching them in a puzzled expression, Yun Myeong-ho turns towards me.

“…It’s all over.”

“It’s not just the people here who need to be freed from brainwashing.”

The hunters who acted as his bodyguards are just a drop in the bucket.

Underneath them are thousands of ordinary believers.

“…They’re all free too. If you don’t believe it, you can check for yourself.”

Not long after he utters those words, an association member who was on standby in armed readiness for contingencies approaches and whispers in his ear.

“It seems to be true. Reports are flooding through 119 that someone suddenly screamed and collapsed.”

The scene unfolding before my eyes seems to be happening nationwide.

“Okay. Since the situation is over, I’ll return to custody.”

“Yes.”

As soon as I finished speaking, restraints were placed on the guy who had briefly regained his freedom.

Yoon Myungho, who was losing strength again and being led away by the hunters, urgently opened his mouth.

“Promise me… you must keep it.”

“Of course.”

Summarizing the contents of the oath made before coming here, it goes like this:

In exchange for releasing those brainwashed, he would be imprisoned in a domestic correctional facility.

“Your charges are clear, so we will quickly conclude the trial, and you will be imprisoned in a domestic penitentiary. The discussions with the higher-ups are already over.”

“…I understand.”

Yoon Myungho, now with a more relaxed face, is led away by the hunters.

As he is about to leave, the guy, who had stopped abruptly and turned his head, speaks.

“Let me give you one last piece of advice.”

A faint smile graced the guy’s lips as he spoke.

“The false peace will soon come to an end.”

It was a mockery.

Filled with a sneer that seemed to mock the turbulent future ahead of me endlessly.

“A fierce storm of bloodshed will begin. No place in this world will be safe from the impending storm of blood.”

Clack clack clack clack!

The guy, laughing maniacally, glares in this direction with eyes filled with madness.

“I will be watching. How long can you survive!”

Finally, he left me with parting words.

“I hope you live long. Preferably until my chosen number is called…!”

With that, he walked away without looking back.

“Clack clack…, hahaha!”

I twist my lips into a smirk, hearing the mad laughter echoing in the now silent temporary detention center.

“…Did you think I would be scared?”

Sorry, but I knew it a long time ago.

The current peace is just a facade.

And it will soon come to an end.

“You should worry about yourself first rather than worrying about me.”

Sincerely concerned about his future, I click my tongue.

The chosen number?

Even if he reaches that point, he won’t even get a chance.

Following the terms of the agreement, he will be imprisoned in a domestic penitentiary, avoiding the Prison Belt.

But you know what?

“We didn’t discuss what would happen after that process, did we? Probably…?”

Enjoy it for a moment, even if it’s brief.

The happy prison life of a country that respects human rights even for criminals.

Later, he will live a life worse than a bug’s, until death.

Around the time when a deep smile forms on my lips.

Wooong-

My smartphone in my pocket loudly rings.

Taking it out and checking, it contained the news I had been eagerly awaiting for days.

It was none other than…

“Oh, it’s here.”

News that the elixir had arrived in the country, eagerly waiting for its owner.