Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 251 – Demon (1)

[All this old man can see from that person is a blood-stained throne.]

[A blood-stained throne?]

A throne is a symbolic seat for monarchs like kings, emperors, or feudal lords, is it not?

What does it mean for a human who embodies the very essence of a demon to be connected to a throne?

No, to be exact, it was called a blood-stained throne.

“Blood-stained…”

The throne symbolizing the pinnacle stained with blood held great significance.

After all, countless bloody struggles would have taken place to claim that seat.

Though the time period remained vague, these words definitely narrowed down the scope.

‘It’s not that old man, Zhou.’

Although he completely degenerated, indulging in wine and women, how could that dying old man possibly fulfill her wish?

In the first place, how could a mere human grant her desire?

It was a mystery, but this man was practically a sage.

He wouldn’t speak nonsense.

[Kang Sang[1]. Let’s hope your words prove true.]

With those words, the nine-tailed golden fox concealed herself through death and left the kingdom, as a long time passed.

At first, she simply observed to find the human from the prophecy.

However, such a person did not appear.

Suspecting that he might have deceived her, she took out her anger on all sorts of Taoist priests.

Then, she changed her mind.

If she couldn’t find him, she would create him herself.

Thus, the nine-tailed golden fox altered her approach and playfully corrupted the beings called monarchs, one by one.

This applied not only to the feudal lords of the Central Plains but also to all the nearby countries like Dongyi, Dongying, and Xizhang.

Nevertheless, none of them brought her what she desired.

They merely degenerated and led their nations to ruin.

‘A human who is the embodiment of a demon.’

Judging solely by this fellow’s memories, he certainly comes close to evil or demonic.

However, this guy had little to do with a throne.

Then, is he simply an inherently wicked human?

If she delved to the end of his memories, she might uncover the origins of his evil nature.

The nine-tailed golden fox dove into the depths of Mok Gyeong-un’s mind.

-Swish!

Quite an intriguing fragment flowed in among the incoming pieces.

‘Oh-ho. Look at this.’

Was that raccoon bastard here?

That unworthy brat who pompously called himself the King Slayer or whatnot was causing a ruckus, but to think he was trapped here.

But did this guy absorb the raccoon’s demonic energy?

Memory fragments are literally like shards.

They appear disjointed, but it seems the raccoon had part of his demonic energy absorbed by this fellow.

‘What’s this?’

How did a human absorb the energy of a demon beast, no, an Imae Mangnyang?

Come to think of it, as she delved deeper into his memories, this guy was even absorbing the energy of the dead.

How is this possible?

In the first place, a living being cannot coexist with the energy of the deceased.

The more she explored his memories, the more astonishing things appeared one by one.

‘Is this really a human?’

While puzzled, she went back a long way and saw Mok Gyeong-un’s deceased grandfather.

For the first time, she felt intense anger.

This seemed to be the point where his suppressed evil erupted.

However, since it was still repressed, she would need to examine earlier memory fragments to find the more fundamental part.

‘Show me. Your origin….’

The nine-tailed golden fox delved into Mok Gyeong-un’s memories.

But while digging deeper, she encountered a colossal wall spanning the entire space within the darkness.

‘Huh?’

The existence of such a wall within one’s mind and memories signified that something was artificially blocking it.

The nine-tailed golden fox grew intrigued upon seeing this.

What could be the reason for sealing off his earlier memories?

Whether he did it himself or it was a taboo imposed by someone else, she didn’t know, but…

‘Reveal yourself.’

The nine-tailed golden fox attempted to forcibly pierce through the wall of memories.

For her, who had lived thousands of years, this was not a difficult task.

Just as she was tearing down the wall of memories, at that moment…

-Rooaaar!

Right then, from within the cracking and crumbling wall of memories, an atrocious and utterly evil energy began to surge out.

‘What’s this?’

As she tried to breach the sealed memories, why was such a wicked energy gushing forth?

Is this fellow truly human?

This ferocious energy was attempting to block her from infiltrating his mind.

It felt as if this existence was alive within him.

‘All right. Let’s see who prevails.’

The nine-tailed golden fox drew upon more of her demonic energy.

If it could block her to this extent, there must be something it didn’t want to be seen. Did it think it could stop her like this?

-Swooosh!

Although it was within his mind, the nine-tailed golden fox manifested in her original form.

Her appearance as a nine-tailed golden fox reaching seven zhang (丈) in size was majestic, befitting a great Spiritual Beast bearing the titles of Demon[2] and King[3].

As she opened her mouth in her true form, vast demonic energy gathered, forming an enormous sphere.

-Whooosh!

It was dazzling enough to illuminate the darkness.

-Try to stop this.

-Boom! Kaboom!

The sphere of demonic energy instantly collided with the wall of memories.

Intense explosions erupted in succession as the wall, struck by the energy sphere, collapsed, creating a massive hole.

Not missing this chance, the nine-tailed golden fox entered through the hole.

A breach had been made in the blocked memories.

Now she could see what memory fragments would be revealed.

At that moment, a bizarre scene began to unfold within the incoming fragments.

It was…

-Crack!

The sight of an intact sky distorting.

Through the crevices of the distorting fissures, a mass of black flames surged upward like erupting volcanic lava and plummeted to the ground.

‘!!!!!’

What the hell is this?

Why does such a scene exist within a mere human’s memories?

Right then, another fragment flowed in.

-Swish!

Within a vast pit, black flames were blazing fiercely, and someone was gazing at them with a face filled with awe, then promptly prostrated.

That someone was none other than this fellow’s murdered grandfather.

Why was that old man showing such a reaction towards the black flames?

As she wondered…

‘What?’

The nine-tailed golden fox’s golden pupils trembled violently.

Within those black flames, a gaze was felt.

It wasn’t just flames?

No, in the first place, the ominous and pure energy emanating from those black flames did not exist in the human world.

No words like ferocious, vicious, or evil could define it.

It was as if the very existence itself was……

-Flinch!

Right at that moment.

The gaze felt from the black flames directly met the nine-tailed golden fox’s eyes.

‘Huh?’

This was a memory.

Yet, how could it be staring at her?

She could be considered a third-party spirit merely observing the memories.

As she found the situation incomprehensible and bizarre…

[Get out.]

A voice resounded within the nine-tailed golden fox.

Simultaneously, the black flames suddenly spread in all directions, instantly engulfing the space filled with memory fragments within the darkness.

-Fwoosh!

At that instant, the nine-tailed golden fox couldn’t hide her bewilderment.

This heat should have been a memory fragment, but its intensity felt as if it had materialized.

And the black flames were gradually encircling her.

The nine-tailed golden fox spoke while gazing at them.

-Just what are you? How can an existence as foreign as you reside within a mere human?

She believed this existence was not merely latent within his memories but actually alive within him.

Otherwise, it couldn’t have such an impact even on the spiritual realm.

Her words were met with no response.

-Fwoosh!

The black flames simply kept devouring the space itself, as if trying to engulf even her.

The nine-tailed golden fox then roared and unleashed her demonic energy.

-You think you can do anything to me?

A dazzling golden demonic energy gushed out from her, who had transformed into her true form.

That golden demonic energy collided with the black flames, clashing.

-Swoosh!

Her golden demonic energy, which had reached its peak, forcefully pushed back the black flames that tried to devour her, exuding the majesty of a great spiritual beast known as one of the Six Demons.

Although weakened by the seal, even the Assassin King of the Sea, the Restraining Badger Celestial-Dog couldn’t withstand her.

Instead, she pushed back the black flames and tried to glimpse more of the memory fragments.

-You’re just trapped within a human, yet you think you can challenge me!

As the nine-tailed golden fox further intensified her demonic energy, the black flames fluctuated.

The corners of her mouth in her true form curled up.

Whatever was inside this bastard, did it think it could match her, who had accumulated demonic energy for thousands of years since ancient times?

Reveal your identity right now…

-Thud!

At that very moment, the nine-tailed golden fox’s golden pupils trembled.

This wasn’t due to the battle unfolding within his mind.

At some point, her consciousness had split in two, allowing her to simultaneously view the memories and reality.

In reality, the nine-tailed golden fox had her hand placed on Mok Gyeong-un’s head, maintaining the state of entering his mind.

However…

“You……”

Mok Gyeong-un, who should have been unable to move with his mind suppressed, moved.

He only moved once, but the stimulation there was so intense that her focus couldn’t help but be divided.

The nine-tailed golden fox looked at Mok Gyeong-un’s face.

‘This is……’

Mok Gyeong-un’s dilated, hazy eyes had regained vitality.

But along with that vitality, something had changed.

His pupils had turned entirely black, resembling lustrous obsidian, and those eyes held a viciousness akin to the black flames.

‘Is it you who were trapped within the wall of memories that have taken over that body?’

So, by stimulating the physical body in reality, you intend to drive me out.

As if I would be so easily…

-Thud!

“Haak!”

At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un’s lower body moved roughly.

Simultaneously, the nine-tailed golden fox unknowingly let out a moan.

The nine-tailed golden fox glared at Mok Gyeong-un with trembling breaths.

“Haa… haa… you…”

-Thud!

“Heuk.”

With a single movement of Mok Gyeong-un’s waist, her mind seemed to scatter from the excitement.

Perhaps because of that, the force of the black flames, which had been pushed back by the golden demonic energy within his mind, suddenly intensified.

The nine-tailed golden fox’s golden pupils trembled.

Her transformation technique had already been undone, reverting her to her original appearance, yet he was making such rough movements against her, indicating that it wasn’t his original self.

It was the ferocious and vicious self within those black flames.

-Thud!

She tried to push Mok Gyeong-un’s body away.

Simply touching or doing something like that was one thing, but if he stimulated her so roughly, her mind would scatter in the power struggle with the black flames…

-Thud!

“Ack!”

At that instant, the nine-tailed golden fox’s slender back arched like a bow.

Her head tilted back, and her breathing grew ragged.

‘What is this?’

-Sizzle!

Amidst the power struggle within his mind and the exciting stimulation, she had failed to notice that her demonic energy was being absorbed by Mok Gyeong-un’s hand grasping her chest.

Simultaneously, the black flames within his mind not only regained momentum but also expanded, pushing back the golden demonic energy.

‘…… This is disadvantageous.’

With him pressuring her from three directions—mind, stimulation, and absorption—it would become difficult for her to confront him, no matter how powerful she was.

The speed at which her demonic energy was being absorbed was also accelerating.

In the end, she judged that it was impossible to immediately see his fundamental memories.

Thus…

-Swish!

She withdrew the spiritual body that had assimilated into him.

Then, she grabbed Mok Gyeong-un’s cheeks and pulled him in for a kiss.

Their tongues softly intertwined and tangled as her demonic energy flowed through Mok Gyeong-un’s mouth, spreading to his head and entire body.

With that…

-Sizzle.

Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes, which had turned black like obsidian, returned to normal.

‘!?’

Mok Gyeong-un, who had regained his senses, furrowed his brows.

After all, he had become one with the nine-tailed golden fox.

He didn’t expect to be kissing her as well.

-Thud!

Mok Gyeong-un forcibly separated from her.

She licked her lips as if savoring them, then grinned and spoke.

“Have you regained your senses, dear?”

“Dear?”

“We’re already so passionately entangled, so it’s okay to call you that, right? Or should I call you something else?”

-Grip!

Ignoring her words, Mok Gyeong-un tried to detach his body from hers.

However, he couldn’t do so because she was embracing him with her legs.

He tried to draw upon his demonic energy, but she clung even tighter to him and whispered meaningfully into his ear.

“I thought about calling you ‘Jeong’, but that doesn’t suit you either.”

Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes sharpened.

Regardless, she hugged Mok Gyeong-un tightly and spoke.

“I’m not sure about the throne, but you might be the very human embodiment of a demon that I’ve been searching for. Ah! Yes. The title that truly suits you is none other than ‘Demon’.”