FLIA 153

They headed straight for the rally site. At times like this, Lee Chanha’s ability proved truly useful. It was perfect for slipping out unseen, evading the eyes of reporters always stationed outside the guild. But his ability wasn’t omnipotent.

‘It blinds human eyes, but it can’t deceive machine eyes.’

Moreover, an ability useful to allies meant it became a headache when wielded by enemies. Just look at the parasitic corrupted moving among the citizens, concealing their own bodies.

They swiftly reached the vicinity of the gathering site and hid on a nearby rooftop. To Yohan, it appeared as an ordinary street. The man who had once threw his comrades in the Flood with his ability addressed Yohan.

“Yohan-gun, I’ll show you this place’s original form.”

“The original appearance?”

Lee Chanha immediately used his hallucination ability to reveal the scene that should have been visible to Yohan and his companions. Yohan swallowed hard. Looking down from the rooftop, Yoon Seungryong clicked his tongue.

“It’s a complete mess…”

Near the building, the corrupted wandered, reeking of foul odors. As if that weren’t enough, they distributed flyers coated in sticky corrupted liquid to passersby. Even as pedestrians accepted the flyers, so smudged the text was illegible, they, like Yohan moments before, sensed nothing amiss.

“Awakening… Ooooh. Hee-hik. It’s real ooh. Hee-hik.”

“Awakening… Is this real?”

“Real, yeah, it’s real. Hee-hee-hee-hee. Look at me. I’ve awakened. Hee!”

The pedestrians who took the flyers from the corrupted soon lost focus, their eyes glazing over. Then, forgetting their original destination and purpose, they entered the building as if spellbound. Worried about them, Yohan couldn’t sit still and focused intently on the building.

He understood why Lee Chanha had called it a trace of the Flood. It felt exactly like shaking a carbonated drink vigorously and slightly opening the cap, the bubbles escaping. And even if the Flood was only that much, it was still dangerous enough for living beings. Lee Hyunmook nodded, satisfied with his observations, and gave the order.

“Now, let’s wait until the event. We need to see what they’re planning to do.”

For the first time since escaping the Abyss, tension hung heavy among them all. Staring at the building that gave Purifier Yohan an unpleasant feeling, he spoke to Yoon Seungryong.

“Hyung, could you get my spear out for me?”

“Oh, sure. Better safe than sorry.”

Yoon Seungryong thrust his hand into the air, rummaged around, and pulled out the spear he had stored there. The weapon, reunited after so long, seemed to greet him warmly. Yohan stroked it, easing his own tension. Dark thoughts filled his head, but he believed that even if the Flood appeared, they could overcome it, just as they had survived the Abyss, the worst environment imaginable.

A cluster of light flashed from the crown of Yohan’s head as he steeled his resolve. His teammates watched, so engrossed they didn’t notice the tension easing from their own bodies.

Shortly after sunset began, people poured out of the building. The number of corrupted individuals was far greater than expected. It seemed anyone who had entered and exited the structure must be considered at least mildly corrupted.

“Over there, Park Seungmin and Go Jaewon. “

Yohan whispered softly. Among the crowd, Park Seungmin looked somewhat anxious, glancing around nervously. Even as a low-level purifier, he must have felt that unpleasant, irritating sensation. But, seeing the corrupted individuals without fleeing, he was clearly under the influence of hallucinations. In contrast, Go Jaewon’s face was radiant, almost as if something joyful had happened, and he was smiling. Perhaps the corruption level was high enough to affect his mind, as his skin was blotchy.

“There are too many people…”

Yohan muttered anxiously. From the ordinary, not particularly large commercial building, people poured out endlessly. It looked like something forced inside was being violently expelled. As the street began filling with people, nearby pedestrians stopped and murmured. Ju Hoyoung, who had been observing the crowd closely, spoke up.

“Huh? Isn’t that a congressman? Near the pharmacy building.”

“Right. It’s Congressman Kim Jaehoon.”

Lee Hyunmook confirmed the face and nodded. A rally even involving a congressman? It felt far more dangerous than he’d imagined. Moments later, people surrounded the commercial building. As they watched, a corrupted individual crawled out. Struggling to steady a body that seemed to constantly dissolve like liquid, the corrupted person raised a megaphone.

-Attention, attention, attention. Everyone, come on over. Come on over. Come on in! Today we’ll accomplish a great mission! Let’s turn everyone into… Awakeners! Shout it with me!

His lips were so swollen his words slurred. The crowd below the building cheered and chanted: Turn everyone into Awakeners! Turn everyone into Awakeners! Let’s do it!

-Le-ts li-ve! Glor-i-ous, awak-en-ing! Be-come! One of us! That’s right! Come here! Every-one, come here!

Despite the speech bordering on incoherent rambling, the crowd murmured in admiration, gathering closer to the building. Watching this bizarre scene unfold, sweat beaded on Yohan’s palms. Sirens wailed in the distance, likely responding to a report. The slimy, dripping corrupted person gestured.

-Co-me out! Park Seungmin! Come out, come out!

Park Seungmin, mesmerized by hallucinations, pushed through the crowd and stepped forward.

-Who am I? I’m a Purifier! A Pu-ri-fier! Hello, I’m Purifier Park Seungmin.

The crowd erupted in enthusiastic cheers at Park Seungmin’s words. They vomited foul-smelling substances, screamed, and howled. They stamped their feet and hurled joyful curses. Park Seungmin, lost in his hallucination, watched this repulsive spectacle with satisfaction, as if seeing fans gathered to witness him.

-Hello, I’m Purifier Park Seungmin

Encouraged by the crowd, someone stepped forward. The corrupted clapped and shouted.

-Sacrament! Eat the Sacrament!

He vomited a mass from his mouth. A mass seemingly made of sewage, mud, and flesh, which he offered to the citizen aspiring to become an Awakener. Watching this, Yohan’s face turned pale. Lee Chanha closed his eyes shut, and Seo Yakrin grimaced.

“Ugh! What a crazy thing to do.”

The hallucinating citizen devoured the mass with relish. Instantly, his corruption levels skyrocketed, and his body began to contort. The corrupted shouted at Park Seungmin.

-Baptism! Let us baptize him!

Park Seungmin walked forward majestically and purified the man who had just consumed the ‘Sacrament’. A faint, ember-like light seeped into the man. People cheered as if witnessing a tremendous light, but Yohan instead confirmed from this scene that Park Seungmin’s purifying power had truly reached its absolute limit.

“I’m stronger! I’ve awakened! I’m an Awakener now! Mom! Dad! I’ll make you rich! Kyahahaha!”

The hallucinating citizen jumped for joy. Yet, on the back of the shouting citizen, strange flesh had begun to grow, dangling in clusters that stretched the clothes taut.

Park Seungmin emitted a spark-like light as he purified. Even in his hallucinatory state, he sweated profusely, striving desperately. A feeble, flickering light, barely brighter than a streetlamp… Yohan watched Park Seungmin’s efforts with a cold gaze.

People cheered, each in their own corrupted state, claiming they had awakened or reawakened. They raved and wept. The stench of decay grew stronger. Those watching from afar began to instinctively sense the unsettling atmosphere and slowly started to flee.

“Haha! That’s right! I am the Purifier! The nation’s top-tier Purifier!”

Park Seungmin spread his arms wide in ecstasy. He looked intensely happy. Surrounded by the corrupted, he grinned broadly at a false happiness that would soon end. All around, dull, off-beat applause clapped. They chuckled while screaming in agony. Soon, the corruptedemcee shouted:

-To-day, the high-light! Of the event! Clap! Clap! Clap!

The excitement grew as people clapped in unison and stomped their feet on the floor. What on earth was about to happen? Amidst the tension, the building’s windows creaked open simultaneously. A sickening dark purple mist poured out. Then, the corrupted began throwing something from the windows. Plop, plop, plop… They were wriggling, insect-like mushrooms.

“The Holy Eucharist! Receive the Holy Eucharist!”

“Share the Eucharist and awaken together!”

“Eat the delicious Eucharist! It’s tasty!”

Whoosh! A massive cloud of mushroom spores, like black mist, poured down. It resembled horrifying black confetti raining down. Screams of agony and shouts of joy erupted simultaneously. Disgusting black tentacle-like growths sprouted from human bodies.

As the dark purple mushroom spore mist thickened on the ground, passersby watching from afar screamed and fled. Yet, soon, they began returning, as if spellbound. Yohan, momentarily stunned by the spectacle before him, could no longer bear it and jumped to his feet.

Until now, he had concealed his identity to avoid becoming a government target, to exact revenge on Park Seungmin, and to evade the attention of the parasitic corrupted. But he had no intention of stepping back even in the face of this unprecedented catastrophe.

The intensely toxic mist spread rapidly in all directions. If this situation were left unchecked, victims would pile up in droves. Moreover, it was about time he revealed his true identity anyway, so Yohan acted without hesitation.