Chapter 136 : Chapter 136

136: In the Name of Father (3)

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“…What is all this, Young Master?”

Kuhn stood blankly, asking.

She held a linen cloth in one hand and a small water bottle in the other, as if she’d been cleaning.

“Good. The plan worked.”

“...?”

Kuhn blinked, her expression unusually vacant.

I decided to answer later…

I turned around.

Facing it up close, I could barely hold back nausea.

Swoosh—!

Tens of thousands of snakes, insects, and small demonic beasts writhed, tangled together.

It looked like a black, viscous mass boiling.

“…Poison.”

“What?”

“The filthy remnants left by what I suspect is the Poison Demon.”

True to their venomous nature, they were all disgustingly grotesque.

Just looking at them stung my eyes.

These are the source of the poison.

This was my subconscious world, where lost souls were confined.

So, the true form of Human Gu was revealed.

In other words, these were the essence of the poisons I saw as threads through Ghost Eye.

“Poison Demon…”

“Kuhn, you know what Human Gu is, don’t you?”

“You mean the poison brewed with humans as vessels?”

“Exactly. That’s what these are.”

“So, Young Master, you’re saying you took on Human Gu directly while fighting an enemy that might be the Poison Demon?”

I only nodded.

Kuhn let out a sigh-like sound.

After a brief pause to catch her breath, she spoke quietly.

“I understand. Human Gu is a poison that devours the soul.To fully dominate you, it would need to infiltrate the core of your subconscious.But this is your inner world, untouchable by anyone.

Normally, the subconscious is an unreachable realm, but…”

Kuhn stared into my eyes and continued.

“You’re different, Young Master.Your bloodline is close to spirits, with a temperament to govern lost souls…Here, you are absolute.You deliberately lured the poison in, leveraging your compatibility.”

I gave a slight nod.

“Sharp as ever.”

“It’s beyond my comprehension.Taking on poison with your bare body.What if it wasn’t Human Gu?”

My instincts are rarely wrong.

Add to that the suspiciously erudite advice of a certain physician and I had no reason to hesitate.

Kuhn looked away, continuing softly.

“…You were too reckless, Young Master.But that’s why I can only call it impressive.”

“Impressive, huh.”

“So, how do you plan to deal with these?”

I turned back.

The writhing mass struggled to tear into me.

I looked down at them impassively.

They couldn’t approach, as if blocked by an invisible barrier.

This was my world.

Unless I allowed it, not one could touch me.

“Well, tossing them to the lost souls outside would be the quickest and cleanest way…”

I glanced at Kuhn.

She was staring blankly at the Human Gu, blinking when she noticed my gaze.

“What?”

“Got any good ideas?”

“What?”

“I’ve caught this legendary poison alive.It’d be a shame to just destroy it.”

“You sound like you’re deciding how to cook a hunting prize.”

“Something like that.”

“…?”

“Do your part.”

We stared at each other, then turned back to the Human Gu, still writhing in place.

“I hate insects the most.”

“Who asked about your preferences?”

“To be honest, I’m more scared of them.”

What am I supposed to do with that?

My brow furrowed.

“That’s your problem.”

“…”

Kuhn let out a small sigh, her shoulders slumping, though her face remained expressionless.

I was about to press her again when she opened her mouth slightly, as if struck by an idea.

“I’ve got a good idea.”

“What?”

“I was about to mention, a brazier just sparked to life.”

“A spark?”

Pat-pat-pat.

Kuhn hurried off somewhere.

Before I could follow, she raised her hand.

“Here.”

I looked into the brazier.

Tiny sparks glowed red, ready to ignite into flames.

The brazier’s flame…

When did it ignite?

When I threw myself into danger, not for myself but for someone else.

After such moments, a new flame would appear in a brazier on the altar.

A symbol of overcoming a crisis and growing stronger.

A trace of my desire to remember.

Born from selfless resolve for others.

Frost Sword, Quake Earth, Blood Points—all were like that.

This time was likely the same.

I’d acted stoically, but stepping into Human Gu’s trap, I was somewhat prepared to die.

I didn’t know exactly how it would affect my body.

“Let’s put them in here.”

I snapped out of my reverie.

“Are you crazy? Put what in there?”

“I told you before, I’ve been studying this subconscious world diligently.”

“…And?”

“Trust me.”

Kuhn approached the Human Gu again.

She held a talisman in one hand.

Snap.

She extended the talisman toward the Human Gu, forming a sword-hand gesture with the other, raising it quietly to her face.

“Seal, subdue, bind, soul, accept, chain, shadow, realm…”

Kuhn slowly lifted her eyelids.

Her obsidian eyes gleamed for a moment.

“Swiftly, as commanded.”

The moment she finished.

The writhing snakes, venomous insects, and grotesque forms twisted violently.

A sudden wind surged, and with piercing screams, they swirled into a vortex.

Whoosh—!

Black and green poisonous vapors intertwined rapidly.

Scales, fangs, wings, and tentacles were all swept into the whirlwind.

At its center was Kuhn’s talisman.

Shwooo—!

The vortex surged into the talisman.

Every trace of malevolent energy was sucked inside.

Sssss.

The chaos subsided like a lie.

Between Kuhn’s gently fluttering hair, a sly smile appeared—a sorceress’s wicked grin.

“As expected, a success.”

“I don’t know what that was, but it worked?”

“Yes. Normally, Human Gu would be impossible to handle.But this is your subconscious world.

As a part of it, I believed I couldn’t fail.”

…Good, I guess.

Kuhn turned and headed back to the brazier.

Her steps carried a strange fervor.

Crackle.

She lit the talisman.

Staring at the burning red, she dropped it into the brazier.

The charred remains melted into it, as if alive.

Hummm.

A deep inhalation sounded from the brazier’s depths, like a furnace on the verge of explosion.

“Young Master, step back.”

Then, a vivid green spark coiled at the brazier’s base and shot upward.

Whoosh—!

The green flame roared fiercely.

Like a raging wave calming into the sea, the violent blaze settled quietly in place.

I stared blankly at the flame, a gasp escaping.

It was massive.

Kuhn clapped lightly.

“Success.”

“…This actually worked?”

“I told you to trust me.”

My gaze wandered, catching Kuhn with her chin propped between her thumbs and forefingers…

Never mind, that’s not important now.

“…So, I can use poison techniques now?”

Kuhn tilted her head, looking at me almost pityingly.

Maybe it was my imagination.

“You’re a novice in sorcery, so I doubt it.”

“Hm.”

“Think back to your other achievements.”

Other achievements…

I turned, scanning the braziers.

Frost Sword, Quake Earth, Blood Points—all defensive abilities gained from countering foes.

I muttered unconsciously.

“…Immunity to Ten Thousand Poisons.”

Kuhn nodded slightly.

“If the Poison Demon exists, you’ve gained an invaluable achievement before facing it.”

“Well, I had your help.”

“Thank you.But it’s too early to relax.”

I was too engrossed in the green flame of Immunity to Ten Thousand Poisons to look at Kuhn.

My lips curled upward foolishly.

“What about your body?”

“What’s the problem? The Human Gu is gone.”

“It’s true Human Gu devours the soul, but its corrosion starts with the body.”

Only then did my gaze shift.

Kuhn spoke impassively.

“It may not kill you, but it’s likely to leave severe scars.

Like your skin burning away or organs necrotizing…”

My heart sank.

* * *

“Sir Bihen—!”

Linda shouted, turning back.

Bihen stepped toward the beast’s corpse.

At that moment, the green heart trembled irregularly, and the surrounding toxic mist surged toward him.

The mist clung to Bihen like a living organism, enveloping his entire body.

Bihen stood frozen like a statue.

“No—!”

“Sir Roberto!”

As Roberto tried to grab Bihen, Karim rushed to stop him.

Karim was just as shocked.

Why such recklessness…!

The three onlookers were stunned, frozen in disbelief at the incomprehensible scene.

Amidst it, the beasts’ roars grew louder, snapping them back to reality.

“Everyone, stay sharp!”

Linda’s shout struck Roberto and Karim like lightning.

Her gaze returned to the beasts ahead.

With a tearful expression, she gripped her sword tightly.

Slash! Stab—!

Beasts crossing over Moldnak corpses were cut down in one stroke.

Sir Bihen said to trust and hold them off…!

Linda gritted her teeth.

While slashing the approaching beasts, her eyes kept darting back.

The toxic mist engulfing Bihen began flowing along his form, like a green-tinted shadow.

“Damn it!”

Roberto swung his Bastard Sword.

Even slight movement sent excruciating pain through his ankle.

Karim, frantically conjuring flames, shouted in panic.

“Sir Roberto! Don’t move! You could permanently…”

“I don’t care! Now’s not the time for that!”

Roberto glared.

Linda fought fiercely alone against the beasts, but it wasn’t enough.

The horde grew, surrounding them completely.

They keep coming endlessly. We’re doomed…!

Roberto glanced back.

The toxic mist continued to converge on Bihen, as if driven by a single will.

…

His eyes caught the green heart pulsing in the beast’s chest.

The sound had become so familiar it barely registered.

The mist is noticeably thinner than before.

Roberto narrowed his eyes, swallowing hard.

…It’s all focused on Sir Bihen.

Bihen remained motionless, shrouded in the mist.

Roberto couldn’t fathom why he’d acted so suddenly.

An ordinary man like me shouldn’t try to understand with logic.

Until his forties, Roberto had dreamed of joining the Royal Knight Corps.

Having faced countless failures due to his lack of talent, he learned that following fleeting instincts gave him an edge over rational judgment.

That instinct now spoke to him.

I need to destroy that sinister heart.

Without the mist concentrating on Bihen, it would’ve been impossible.

The poison wasn’t gone, but weakened now, he might reach it and strike.

“Teacher Karim.”

Without turning, Roberto spoke lowly.

When he felt Karim’s gaze on his back, he continued.

“Tell Joseph his useless father is sorry.”

“Sir Roberto…?”

Roberto raised his Bastard Sword beside his face with both hands.

Step, step.

The urgent voices of Karim and Linda faded behind him.

Their cries were drowned by the beasts’ roars, the sound of footsteps cutting through the mist, and one man’s unyielding will.

Splatter—!

As he stopped, blood gushed from his nose.

Tremors coursed through his limbs.

He felt the poison climbing his veins—a fear he’d never known.

“Aaah!”

To stay conscious, Roberto bit his lip hard.

The taste of iron spread in his mouth.

It helped.

He gritted his teeth again and shook his head.

Then he saw it.

Bihen, standing like a statue.

Looking at his own feet beside him, Roberto smiled quietly.

Now I stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them.

He took a step, moving ahead at last.

“Guh, ugh, guh…”

His breath caught.

A crushing pain gripped his heart.

His tongue lolled out, and his vision turned red, as if submerged in blood.

He was before the altar.

Each staggering step up the tiers felt like his organs were shriveling.

As his breath faltered, the flickering light drew closer.

In his fading consciousness, his son’s face held him together.

That image, buried deep in his heart, surfaced.

He was grateful, until the very end.

Boom—!

Roberto drove his sword into the green heart.

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