Chapter 179: Chapter 56. The Holy Woman (1)
Griffin, Gigantes, Hydra, and Lyhee…
There were only four of them, but they were extraordinary creatures. They came out from the dungeon. Hydra was particularly huge, beyond anyone’s imagination. Its body could be seen from a distance. Actually, except for Lyhee, they were all hard to conceal.
Immediately after they left the dungeon, loud sounds filled the air. As Hydra passed, everything on the ground was smashed. Griffin flew high in the sky.
Boom! Boom!
They wandered at the outskirts of Seoul. As the three highest grade monsters appeared at the same time, no other monsters came closer. Upon seeing them, humans were filled with fear.
***
“Guild Master, what should we do? We are all prepared to fight, but…,” Yoo Eunhye muttered.
Yoo Eunhye, Edward, and many other elite members from the Guild of Heaven’s Will were going after the highest grade monsters at the moment. Their task was to observe them without getting closer. Fortunately, the monsters were only wandering around Seoul, but there was always a chance that they could suddenly change course.
“How terrible…”
But Kim Yongwoo could not respond to Yoo Eunhye. He was able to feel how strong the monsters were. The monster with nine enormous heads especially caught his eyes. His instincts warned him to not get too close or to even look at it.
“Is this a monster wave?”
Even the now stronger Yoo Eunhye could not pursue any of the highest grade monsters alone. She might be able to buy time, but that was it.
Kim Yongwoo shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. It seems to be related to the changes that the dungeon underwent recently.”
It was difficult to know what was going on. He could not comprehend why the three monsters had gathered or what they would do. Hence, he and the others just observed them from a distance.
The three monsters encountered a group of orcs that could not escape yet.
Boom! Crack!
Gigantes rushed at them first. Griffin used a breath attack from the sky. Dozens of orcs melted down before they could even wince. Hydra had not struck yet, but people could sense that it was the strongest one among them.
Kim Yongwoo had goose bumps all over his body as he watched them slew the orcs. It was not just him. All of the elite heroes watched the slaughter with fear.
“What the hell!”
There was no need to think twice. Kim Yongwoo immediately ordered his guild members, “Tell the other team members to never, ever touch or get near those monsters.”
***
“Lyhee-hee.”
Lyhee was excited. This was the first time that she left the dungeon and explored Earth. This was a new and thrilling experience for her. She had always felt joy when exploring or discovering unknown things. Now everything seemed lovely in Lyhee’s eyes. She sat on the head of Hydra, looking down at what she perceived a nice ‘view’.
She said suddenly, “Lyhee thinks it would be a great idea to make a garden in this place, too. What do you guys think?”
Orc corpses were everywhere, but she did not mind. She saw dead bodies every day. She was used to them.
“Little fairy! You will be scolded by Master!”
Gigantes dissuaded her. Gigantes had been patient with Lyhee’s unreasonable playfulness.
“What? Are you saying Lyhee is doing a bad thing or something?”
“You will! I know!”
“Nope. Lyhee will only do good things from now on. The garden is…hmm…yes! It’s that. You know that.”
“What is that?”
“You don’t know that? Lyhee-hee-hee. You are just big, but a fool—a big fool. Yes, you are! How could you not know when even Lyhee knows?”
Lyhee teased Gigantes. She actually had no idea what she wanted to say either. She just did so because she thought Gigantes’s reaction was funny.
“Bad little fairy!”
Lyhee pretended not to hear anything. She was certain that she would establish her base here. Her eyes shone. She grabbed a few seeds. Then she sneakily planted the seeds on the ground, avoiding Gigantes’s watchful eyes.
“Lyhee-hee-hee-hee-hee.”
***
I watched the movement of the monsters from a distance.
“What will you do now, Duke Martin? Will you just sit back and watch?”
For the past three days, Lyhee took the monsters around as I commanded. They were just going around the outskirts of Seoul, killing monsters that escaped from the city. But I was sure that Martin would hear about them and keep an eye on their movements.
“Where are you hiding, Martin? What’s your goal? Show me your next move,” I said as I look around.
I searched the areas where Martin might be hiding. I wanted the others to think that I was getting rid of the monsters lurking outside my dungeon. But my purpose was to kill Martin.
“Martin can foresee a certain future. He is the most elusive one from Pandemonium’s demons. I must use this opportunity to kill him.”
He could predict the future, but he had restrictions in doing so. For example, he could not see an indeterminate future. However, when it came to matters concerning his “life,” he could sense them very quickly. That was why he was one of the demons who survived until the end in my previous life.
Martin had been attacking Seoul with the monsters. He suddenly withheld as soon as my highest grade monsters appeared. However, I had a feeling that he would not retreat to his dungeon. He was more likely hiding somewhere in Korea, waiting for an opportunity to strike. But what really bothered me was Martin’s goal. What motivated him? I could not guess what it was, so it would be best to wait for his next course of action.
“Huh? What is that?”
A few days had passed. I found a group of goblins carrying something. They were moving a few female humans. I immediately noticed that the women were awakened heroes.
‘What are they trying to do by catching awakened heroes?’ I wondered.
I frowned. It was true that the Korean awakened heroes had remarkable growth compared to the awakened heroes of other countries, but there was no reason to capture them. If Duke Martin wanted points, it would be better to wipe them out. Awakening wasn’t hereditary, so there was no need to kidnap them, especially the women. Besides, if it was just a matter of lust, I could see no reason to only choose the awakened heroes.
“There must be something else…”
My curiosity piqued. I slowly and quietly followed the goblins. Martin might vanish if I hastily take action. Thus, caution was key.
***
In a cave in the mountain, one lich examined the women captured by the goblins.
“Tut. It’s hard to distinguish the age of these bronze-skinned females.”
The lich looked over the women carefully. Eight women trembled with fear, avoiding its gaze. They wanted to beg for their lives, but, as they looked around, they could not say anything. Dozens of naked women, perhaps more than a hundred, were lying everywhere. They were all pale as if their blood had been drained from their bodies.
Some weren’t dead but locked in a cage. The monsters were molesting them. They would eventually die soon.
“O-oh no…”
“P-please spare my life.”
The women burst into tears. They were all awakened heroes, but they could not do anything at the moment. They did not want to die miserably like the other women in the cave.
The lich laughed cynically, “Don’t worry. If you turned out to be the ‘one’, you will be treated like a royal. I need to check first. You have to answer honestly. Humans in their 20s, raise your hands.”
Six people hesitantly raised their hands.
The lich nodded, pleased. “Goblins took the proper ones this time.” It reached out its hand to the two women who did not raise their hands.
Slash! Slash!
They were beheaded. It happened in the blink of an eye.
“…!”
The remaining women were full of fear. They wanted to scream, but nothing came out. As they were awakened heroes, their mental strength was strong. However, it proved to be useless in the face of death. One of them even peed herself.
“There is no need for them. Now, the rest are in their 20s, correct?”
There was only silence. The lich shook its head. “You guys are not answering me.” It clicked its tongue.
“Y-yes, I am.”
“I’m 23…”
The six surviving women responded. Then, the lich took out a small water bottle from its robe. It contained a liquid that looked like some sort of white mucus.
“See this?” the lich asked. The women looked up. “I will make you drink this potion. If you are the one we’ve been looking for, a sign will appear somewhere on your body. If you are not, you will lose your intellect like the women over there.”
The women who lost their intellect became playthings of the monsters. Their body parts were amputated. Some of the monsters were doing unimaginable things to them. Nevertheless, the women could not do anything, not even utter a word. They were just waiting to die.
The newcomers thought this place was worse than hell. They had killed monsters to help people, but now they were captives in this foul place.
“Drink this.”
The lich forcibly put the bottle to a woman’s mouth. She tried to resist, shaking her head and refusing to open her mouth. But the lich forcefully pressed her jaws and poured in the content of the bottle. Some of the mucus made its way into her mouth.
The woman coughed.
As soon as the woman swallowed it, her body started twisting in strange directions. She collapsed on the ground, wiggling. Thirty seconds later, her eyes rolled back, and her mouth was wide open.
“She’s not the one. Oh, well,” the lich said apathetically. “On the bright side, I still have five more to go.”
“What the hell do you mean by the right one?” a woman asked boldly.
The lich paused, somehow surprised with the woman’s audacity. It then answered, “My master, Duke Martin, can see the future. And he predicted that the ‘Holy Woman’ would be born in this small country. I am trying to figure out if you are that Holy Woman. Has that answer your question?”
“Holy Woman?”
The lich laughed roughly, “Well, I have to see if the Holy Woman on Earth would be as strong as the one where I came from. But since it was my master’s prophecy, it should be right.”
The lich once again shook the bottle. The ladies looked away and bit their lips with gloomy expressions.
***
“Holy Woman… I see.”
I was lurking in the dark, listening to what the lich had said. It was now clear to me as to why they were attacking the humans relentlessly.
Holy women… Saints… They were the complete opposite of demons. Holy women had access to divine power like angels. Sometimes, they were even more powerful than them. The demons found them as very tricky enemies.
I didn’t know such a being was born in Korea. However, the timing was strange. Was it because of the Trees of Life and Death? If so, there was a high probability that the Holy Woman had not appeared yet.
“There’s a chance that Martin might be working independently. Pandemonium might not be involved with this.”
Although there were lots of limitations to his skill, Martin could predict the future. All the more reason to kill him as soon as possible. As far as I knew, he could not foresee the uncertain future, but he was good enough to avoid my chase.
‘I guess he has not figured it out yet that I’m going after him…’ I pondered.
If he knew, he would have probably put all his activities on hold. I assumed he might sense the danger, but he was not sure what exactly it was. Certainly, Martin’s ability was limited. I hesitated for a moment. I was trying to decide if I should catch that vile lich now or later.
“Well, now that I know what Martin’s goal is, I have to find that Holy Woman before he does.”
I wanted the lich’s potion that could recognize the Holy Woman, but I did not want to act without making any plans first. If Martin got wind that I was going after him, he would flee and hide. I would have a harder time locating him. Rather, I wanted him to stay put where he was until I could get a definite opportunity to catch him.
“He probably has other domains than this. I have to find them and monitor his actions. Find the Holy Woman first, then catch Martin.” Pleased with my plan, I decided it was time for me to leave.
“Got a lot of things to do.”
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