For a few seconds, everyone was silent. Eyes followed the path from the leathery tentacle that had emerged from beneath the old man's foot to the creature's back. Then, right next to it, a second tentacle sprouted. Two appendages had now sprouted from the creature's body, which lay sprawled on the ground.
"GRAHH!"
The hideous scream that tore from the creature's throat was like a storm tearing through the sky. As the sound spread, the officers' knees weakened. The stench of gunpowder, which had permeated the air only seconds before, still hung in the air, but the roar of the guns had silenced.
The people they were supposed to be protecting had long since fled; only the officers remained, their legs trembling and overcome by their own fear. Some stood frozen in the creature, their mouths agape, their eyes wide. Others fell to the ground, staring trembling with fear on their knees; some even looked as if they had shamefully ejaculated.
Even those holding their weapons were no different. They had aimed, but their fingers were frozen on the trigger. The icy chain of fear would not allow them to press.
Ryu, noticing this, became very angry and started yelling at the police:
"What are you doing, you idiots! Instead of just standing there like that, shoot!"
The police looked at Ryu one by one. But their eyes were more like disgust. Ryu was momentarily surprised when he saw those eyes, and then he focused on one of the policemen. The gun in his hand was still shaking. Although he aimed it at the creature, he seemed hesitant to pull the trigger.
"What are you waiting for? Shoot!"
Ryu's voice boomed like a knife through the darkness. It was lacerated with rage, but he couldn't suppress the panic within him. The shout shattered the silence and the nearest cop jerked his shoulder. He gripped the trigger tighter, but couldn't summon the courage to fire.
"Fire already!"
The cop was panting.
"Why are you still standing there? Fire already!"
The man glanced sideways at Ryu for a moment. His eyes held a flickering spark of both fear and hatred. Finally, he blurted out,
"Shut up! Can't you see our situation?! Is a sewer rat like you supposed to give us orders?! We're risking our lives here, and you're just hiding behind us!"
His voice cracked, but every word was laced with rage. Some of the other cops around him averted their eyes, while others remained fixated on the creature, their fingers trembling on the trigger.
Ryu's face contorted with rage. His heart was pounding. The only thing going through his mind was:
"Are you seriously yelling at me when so many people are dead?! Are you serious?"
"Have you really lost your minds? Is this the time to fight!?" Ryu said.
Ryu's voice was torn between anger and panic. His chest heaved, every word that came from his lips falling like a stone to the ground.
The policeman in front of him gritted his teeth and grabbed Ryu by the collar. There was no logic left in his eyes.
"We're here because of you! We're dying in these streets because of sewer rats like all of you!"
With these words, he shoved Ryu. Ryu staggered, almost falling to the ground, but quickly regained his balance and grabbed his injured arm.
"Stupid bastard, is he seriously focusing on this when there's this creature right in front of us?"
Ryu turned his head toward the creature. Its two tentacles, which had sprouted, were dangling unconsciously in place, but the creature itself remained standing like a statue. Then Ryu scanned the square. There was almost no one left, only the dead corpses that lay around.
Then…
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sound of bullets echoed in the street. A group of police officers had opened fire on the creature. The screaming gunshots filled the air along with the smell of gunpowder.
"Keep firing! We have to at least hold out until the captain arrives!" said one of the police officers who had fired.
The others nodded and continued their support. The creature just stood there, like a statue. Imagine if it worked: the cops who had opened fire kept firing.
But the others—the ones gripped by fear—Ryu and his frantic cop tried to hold them back.
"Stop! I said stop!" one shouted, pushing his gun down his colleague's barrel. "What do you think he's doing to him!"
"Let me go! I don't want to die protecting these sewer rats!" the cop who had attacked Ryu replied, his finger on the trigger.
"What are these cops doing?" asked the old man who had appeared behind the counter, his body torn apart, and the little girl holding his hand.
"Is there anyone still here? Ah-! That damn thing again!"
The pain that had set in when his eyes turned yellow had hit Ryu again. He fell to his knees, clutching his head in pain, and began to groan inwardly.
The cop, who had just tried to prevent Ryu and the policeman who had begun to go crazy from fighting, noticing Ryu's pain, bowed to him. He placed his hand on his shoulder and asked, "Kid, are you okay?" Ryu, however, chose to remain silent due to the pain. The cop, who had begun to go crazy, glanced at them and said,
"Let the bastard do whatever he wants," still not having regained his composure. The police officer who was helping Ryu, while trying to help Ryu, answers the other police officer with confused eyes:
"What's happening to you? Why are you blaming this little kid-"
While Ryu put his hand on the police officer's body and tried to push him away, he said with a pained and sarcastic smile to the police officer who had regained his sanity, "What a loser you are. You're one of those bastards who only thinks about himself, aren't you?"
The crazy police officer got very angry with this answer and started to lose control completely, pointing his gun directly at Ryu's forehead and started shouting.
"You idiot, what are you doing!" snapped the police officer who was helping Ryu.
...
The other group was still raining bullets down on the creature. The square was filled with the sounds of combat. But just then, one of the police officers standing in front squinted at the creature.
"Something seems wrong..."
For a moment, he seemed to notice something in the chaos. But he still wasn't sure. He took a step closer to the creature, and then another...
Another step. "Hey, what is it doing?" a police officer from behind asked, intent on what he was doing. His breath caught, his pupils dilated.
"Wait... a minute..." he muttered. Then, raising his right hand in the air, he shouted with all his might,
"Cease fire!"
The gunfire stopped suddenly. It was as if the entire street had been silenced. The smell of gunpowder hung in the air, the smoke from the still-burning bullets... Everything grew heavier with the silence.
The police officers turned to each other in shock. Some were gripping the trigger, others holding their breath. The creature remained in the same place, black liquid pouring from its body slowly dripping onto the floor.
"What's wrong? Why did you stop shooting?!" a police officer asked in a voice mixed with anger and fear.
The front row officer raised a trembling finger at the creature. His eyes were wide, his voice caught in his throat.
"Don't you see… look at its face!"
The others, hesitantly, turned their heads and focused on the creature's face. And in that moment… the same expression passed through all of their eyes. Shock.
The creature's face… it was no longer a face.
Its skin was ripped apart, chunks of flesh spreading sideways, as if it had exploded from the inside. Its jawline was distorted, bones protruding crookedly. One eye seemed almost melted; the other glowed with rage from an empty socket. The smell of rot and burning mingled with the stench of gunpowder, making the air unbearable.
Some involuntarily stepped back. One officer felt sick and retched. Another clapped a hand over his mouth.
But the creature… it still stood tall. Despite its shattered face, it was breathing, its chest heaving like bellows. It was as if it felt no pain, only fueling its rage.
"We fired all those shots, but it wasn't even damaged. Why did its face shatter so easily?" one cop asked.
"What does it matter? We only did damage!" another said.
The cops looked at each other. Some clenched their teeth, others swallowed in fear. But in the end, they all seemed to have come to the same decision. A silent agreement flowed from one to the other.
They raised their weapons simultaneously.
The barrels were pointed at a single point—the creature's shattered head.
And just as fingers were about to press the triggers…
"—Huh!?"
A police officer let out a surprised exclamation. For the creature's head had been silently separated from its body.
It had been severed in a seamless line, as if cut by a knife.
The head fell heavily to the ground. A thud echoed as it hit the concrete floor. The impact sent its half-melted eyeball sliding out of its socket, and it rolled on the floor, black liquid spraying.
One of the police officers dropped his gun.
"W-we haven't fired a shot yet…!"
Despite its head being severed, the creature's body still stood upright. Its chest was heaving, its muscles tensing. Its arms were shaking involuntarily, writhing as if it were still alive.
.
.
.
A dark room…
A place forgotten by time, its walls were blistered with damp, the plaster was cracked and flaking in places. The moisture seeping from between the stones gave the room a heavy musty smell.
In the very center of the room stood a gigantic clock, almost reaching the ceiling. The rusty gears turned slowly but stubbornly, each movement sending a heavy echo.
Tick… Tock… Tick… Tock…
This sound was like the heart of the room. Time seemed to flow differently here than it did outside.
Tall bookcases lined the walls. Old books, their bindings worn, the corners gnawed, some completely illegible. On the spines of some glistening symbols written in unknown languages.
In the corner of the room stood a large table made of dark oak. A single, flickering candle on it barely banished the darkness from the room. The table's surface was etched with scratches, as if someone had been stabbing a knife in the same spot for years.
Behind the table was a wide window...
Beyond the glass lay all of Blight. The city's decayed, bloody, and fog-choked face radiated a gnawing darkness even from above.
And deep in the room, amidst the shadows, sat a looming figure.
Tick… Tock… Tick… Tock...
The clock grew heavier and heavier. Each stroke seemed to squeeze the heart, steal the breath.
The door opened with a painful creak of ancient hinges. Someone entered, stepping heavily.
"..."
In her early thirties… Her long brown hair spilled over her shoulders. The long black cloak she wore concealed the clothes beneath. Her brown eyes, tired but intent, scanned every corner of the room. The lines on her face were those of a woman who had not yet abandoned her youth, but the deep dark circles under her eyes testified to sleepless nights and tireless study.
In her left hand, she clutched a black Bible. Its cover was worn, its corners worn, as if it had been opened and closed countless times, some of the pages swollen with moisture. The Bible was both a burden and her only support.
She bowed her head slightly as she entered the room. The tick… tock… of the enormous clock accompanied her steps. For a moment, those sounds seemed to beat in time with the rhythm of her heart.
As she approached the table, her eyes briefly wandered beyond the window. She could see the foggy, blood-scented streets of Blight from above. A bitter curl curled the corners of her lips, as if she were no stranger to the sight…
Finally, she stopped in front of the table. She gently placed the Bible in her hand on the table. The sound of the book hitting the table was the only echo that broke the silence in the room.
The woman's gaze fell into the shadows. She looked at the figure hiding in the darkness as if she had known him for a long time. And she spoke quietly, in a low voice:
"Will you ask for something again, Black Panther?"
The woman's voice was the echo of a soul weary yet still erect.
Steps appeared from the shadows. Slow, almost cat-like silence… When Black Panther emerged from the darkness, he wore that familiar mocking smile. That smile wrapped like a noose around Fiona's throat.
"Oh, don't be afraid just yet, Fiona," Black Panther said, his words flowing like silk, leaving thorns in his wake.
"You did what I asked, didn't you?"
Fiona was silent for a moment. She looked into Black Panther's eyes; the bottomless darkness in those eyes weighed more than any answer. Then she closed her eyes. She took a deep breath. She pulled her leather bag forward behind her waist. It dropped onto the table with a thud. He took out a blood-stained knife and a small, empty syringe.
"As agreed," he said. His voice held neither fear nor hope. Just an accepted burden.
"After I decapitated the corpse golem, I stuck it with this syringe you gave me."
Black Panther's smile deepened. He took Fiona's chin in silent satisfaction and lifted her head. Fiona stiffened involuntarily as his cold fingers glided over her skin.
"Good work, Fiona," Black Panther said. An irrepressible joy shone in his eyes. As if the stone she had been waiting for had landed in the right place.
Black Panther's hand slowly withdrew from Fiona's chin. A shadow curled and waved in his left palm, then slowly shrank into a dark sack.
"Here you are," he said. His voice echoed with both a blessing and a threat. He gently placed the sack on the table.
"Twenty silver coins, as agreed. I hope you will perform as well… in future endeavors, my dear Fiona."
His gaze never left hers, and a thin smile curled at the end of the words. Fiona's eyes drifted to the sack on the table. With a trembling finger, she untied the string and palmed a few coins. Feeling the cold, heavy metal, she began to count. Just as Black Panther had said, there were exactly twenty.
A fleeting flicker of happiness crossed her face. But it didn't last long. When she returned the coins to the sack and closed the lid, that joy gave way to a confused expression. Curiosity twitched her lips involuntarily.
"If…you don't mind," she said tentatively. "I'd like to ask you something."
Black Panther's eyebrows rose slightly.
"What do you want to ask? Do you think that amount of money is too little for such a purpose?"
"No, not that." Fiona paused briefly. Even her own words felt heavy in her throat.
"Speak now," Black Panther's voice cracked. This time, his tone wasn't impatience, but a harsh pressure.
Fiona kept her gaze on him.
"A normal golem's core," she said slowly, "is in the abdominal area. For energy flow and a strong bond with its creator. But… corpse golems are different. Initially, their cores are similar to humans' spiritual cores… right next to the heart."
Black Panther listened quietly.
"Of course," Fiona continued. "That only applies to their first form. With each new form, the core gradually moves toward the skull. That's why their heads… are much harder than other golems."
Fiona held her breath for a moment. Then the words flowed from her lips in a rush:
"What I don't understand is… why did you ask me to cut off the head of a corpse golem that was about to transform into a new form?"
"…"
Black Panther was silent for a few seconds after the question. He moved in front of Fiona, his steps slowing, closing the distance between himself and the table. His eyes locked on Fiona's.
Beads of cold sweat appeared on Fiona's forehead. The knot in his throat was growing heavier. 'Did I ask something I shouldn't have?' she thought.
At that moment, Black Panther's lips parted slightly. Fiona held her breath. But the harsh reply or threat she expected didn't come. Instead, a roar of laughter echoed through the room.
"Ahahahaha! You really… wondered about that!?"
His laughter sent shivers through Fiona. For a moment, it seemed as if the shadows in the room were laughing along with him. Black Panther cocked his head slightly to the side and regarded Fiona with a wry smile.
"Ah," Black Panther said, a sly smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Let's just say it's a new experiment. I got bored so I felt like… creating a new form."
Fiona's mind froze briefly. "...What kind of person would create a new alien form out of boredom?" he thought, too stunned to even hear his own heartbeat.
She was silent for a moment, then, trying to pull himself together, he asked again,
"So... what kind of form is it?"
A wide smile spread across the Black Panther's face at this question.
His teeth gleamed briefly in the dim light, before his eyes—those chilling yellow eyes—lit even brighter for a moment.
"This..." he said, his voice hovering between a near-whisper and a roar.
"It's better for you to see for yourself."
***
Half the police who had gathered around the creature's corpse hurried to Ryu and the crazed cop in the ensuing chaos. Some were struggling to snatch the weapon from their distraught colleague, while others were trying to treat Ryu and help the remaining civilians.
A young cop knelt down next to Ryu, pulling first aid supplies from his pocket and wrapping his arm tightly around him. His fingers were trembling, but he tried to complete his task. He knotted the bandage one last time and gently pressed it, then supported Ryu to his feet.
"Are you feeling better now?" he asked, his voice laced with concern and exhaustion.
Ryu narrowed his eyes slightly and nodded. He couldn't bring himself to reply, only feigning agreement.
"Fuck…" he thought to himself, biting his lip tightly. "This pain in my head… it hurts worse than anything my body has ever experienced!"
He lifted his head, his blurry eyes slowly scanning his surroundings. The creature's massive corpse still lay on the ground; a thick, sticky fluid had spread from its body onto the ground, releasing a foul odor into the air. Two police officers standing nearby were examining the body intently, occasionally exchanging brief glances.
"I guess it's finally over…" Ryu said, his voice a whisper hoarse with exhaustion.
But at that moment-
"No."
A cold, high-pitched female voice echoed directly into his mind. It was as if it had clawed at the very core of his being. Ryu shuddered and turned around suddenly. But no one was there.
"…Did I hear you wrong?" he asked himself, scratching his head. But the uneasiness within him wouldn't allow him to deny the reality of the voice.
And at that moment, the ground began to shake. The ruined houses, the old stone statue in the square, the toppled stalls… Everything trembled violently.
'Earthquake?!' Ryu thought, his eyes wide.
Everyone around him was screaming in panic; some were falling to the ground, while others were running left and right, unsure of where to run. Some people were trying to embrace their children and protect them, while others were trying to get away from the structures about to fall on them like rubble.
"Girl, are you okay?!" a man shouted, searching for his child under a collapsing wall.
"What's seriously going on today!?" a tearful voice rose from the crowd.
But Ryu ignored all the commotion. When the tremors stopped, everyone gasped and stared at each other in horror, but his expression changed: as if lost in deep thought.
He turned his head back to the creature. And that was when Ryu's pupils dilated in terror.
The creature's corpse... It was slowly being pulled underground! As if the ground itself were swallowing it. But that wasn't the truly terrifying part. The two police officers standing nearby didn't even realize what was happening as black, leathery, thorny tentacles suddenly shot out of the ground and pierced their bodies.
Blood spurted out.
"R-Run!" Ryu shouted with all his might in the direction of the people.
But the crowd froze at first. No one could comprehend what was happening. They stared only at Ryu, then at the ground... and then at the other tentacles shooting out before their very eyes.
And at that moment, those black, leathery tentacles, sharp as spikes, reached into the crowd. Screams erupted. Before people could escape, they were impaled one by one, their bodies pierced, and they lay bleeding on the ground.
Within seconds, the square had become a living hell.
Black, leathery tentacles sprouted from the ground one after another, lashing out left and right as if they were alive, attacking everything. What had once been a vast, empty square was now slowly resembling a dark forest overgrown with thorns. The screams grew louder as each new tentacle rose, blocking the way for those who tried to escape.
The head of the praying stone statue in the center had already been severed. The severed head lay on the blood-stained ground, while the tentacles wrapped around the statue's body, turning its stone body into a bloody altar. It was as if a sacrifice was taking place in the center of the square, not to the gods, but to this hideous being.
The screams, the blood, the shattered appearance of the stone statue… Everything was spiraling into the darkest reaches of the nightmare.
"Huff… Huff…"
Ryu struggled to catch his breath. He lay exhausted on the cold stone floor, his chest heaving with every breath as if it were about to explode.
"Am I still… alive? How… still alive?"
That was the only thought running through Ryu's mind. Ever since the watch had arrived, he had been teetering on the brink of death. A typical fifteen-year-old boy would have been dead long ago. But Ryu was still here. Alive, feeling the pain, breathing. So… he could say he had been standing, at least until a moment ago.
His eyes saw everything as if through a blurry fog. His body slowly began to regain its senses. First, he felt his hands… he could move his fingers. That was a good sign. Ryu ran his trembling fingers down his torso, running them over his ribs. There seemed to be nothing more than superficial scratches and bruises. He relaxed slightly.
Then he brought his hand to his face. He touched his jaw, his neck, his temples… it wasn't shattered. His skull was still intact. "There's no problem here either…" Ryu muttered to himself.
But the most important part remained.
"Huff… Huff… All that's left is my legs…" He could barely whisper the words. His vision was still blurry, some parts of his body barely responding. His fingers dragged themselves slowly across the icy stone floor, working their way down to his legs.
With every movement, pain burned Ryu like a flame rising from his chest to his throat.
"Huff… Huff… I'd suffer less if I died!" he tried to cry out, but the only sound he could make was a low, muffled whimper. Still, he dragged his hands stubbornly. He pushed himself up to his legs, pushing himself against his waist. The moment his finger touched the skin of his legs, his blurred vision suddenly cleared. And the sight flashed through his mind like lightning.
Ryu's eyes widened. The frozen expression on his face was suddenly distorted by pain and terror. His breath caught, and a scream ripped from his throat echoed through the square:
"AHHHHHHHH!"
Both his legs had been severed—shattered into pieces. Flesh was plastered to the stone floor, and bone fragments were scattered everywhere. The sight was so horrifying that Ryu's mind was reeling, as if he were about to tumble off a cliff at any moment. The pain assaulted his mind with such force that he felt as if it would explode from within his skull. His eyes were bloodshot, blurry with tears. His pupils were trembling, threatening to pop out of their sockets.
"Huff... Huff..."
His trembling breaths burned his lungs. He tried to suppress the pain, to remain calm, but his efforts were futile. His body was screaming, his mind was being torn apart.
"Ah... Ah... Please... Someone... Someone save me... Please! Anyone!"
Cries for help filled the square, but no one answered. People had long since fled from the attack or were left injured amidst the piles of stones, groaning for their lives. Even the police had dispersed; some writhing in agony, others immobile, as if petrified with fear. Ryu crawled, scraping at the bloody stone floor with his hands. It was a relentless effort. A desperate, painful, futile effort. But still he dragged his fingers forward, trying to pull his body over the stones. Blood trails left a dark trail behind him.
Then…
The square trembled once more. The debris, the toppled stalls, the stones of the shattered statue all jumped with the tremor. Everyone screamed in panic again.
"What's happening… again…" Ryu's voice was now only a hoarse whisper. There was no life left in it. His pupils were blurring, his breathing unsteady, his chest heaving and nearly giving out. His body could no longer resist from the loss of blood.
Then…
The stone floor began to crack around the creature's collapsed corpse. Deep cracks spread like a spider's web. At the same time, the creature's massive body began to swell; bulging veins stretched violently, enough to shake the stone. As it swelled with each breath, the tremor grew in intensity.
An explosion ripped through the stone floor. Long, thorny tentacles burst from within. A slimy black, leathery liquid sprayed everywhere. From behind the tentacles, a sickening mass rose to the surface.
Its skin was coated in a sticky, bloody film. He resembled a mass of half-melted flesh. Tentacles were shooting from every side of his body, digging into the ground. A soul-shattering roar echoed around him.
In the center of the square, a new form had risen from his old body. A gigantic, terrifying form, a form more hideous than any human mind could conceive… It resembled an octopus, only not fluid like one, but grotesque, bloody nightmare.
"GRAHHH!"
The hideous scream echoed off the walls of the stone square, shattering our ears. The tentacles lashed out in anger, shattering stone and shattering fallen structures. But for some reason… as if they were deliberate, they were targeting only those around Ryu.
When the fleeing people realized this, a fleeting glimmer of hope gleamed in their eyes. "He's not attacking us! Run!" they scattered through the dark streets. Left alone in the square was Ryu, legless and struggling to crawl, covered in blood. Prey… victim.
"D-don't come! Please don't come!" The voice was muffled, weak, almost nonexistent. He desperately slammed his hands against the stone, trying to drag his body. But he had no strength. He had never imagined he would breathe his last like this.
At that moment, a tentacle darted forward and pierced Ryu's chest.
"Ah—!"
The thorny tip, piercing his heart, lifted Ryu's body into the air. Blood spurted from a gaping hole in his chest, and drops of blood fell from his mouth, eyes, and severed legs onto the stone floor. The sight was like an animal being sacrificed in an ancient ritual.
Ryu's body was now almost unable to react. His trembling fingers hung powerlessly in the air.
At that moment, a grotesque gash opened up in the middle of the creature's body. Countless sharp teeth stared inward from the torn flesh, arrayed in rows like an endless eternity. As its mouth opened, a sickening stench of blood and decay enveloped the area.
Ryu's blurry eyes turned to that maw. His vision was deteriorating more and more with each passing second, the colors blending together. His mouth opened in a blood-filled snarl.
"…If only I could at least eat something decent…"
The tentacle flung him forward. Ryu's lifeless body fell into the creature's disgusting maw. The sharp teeth snapped shut in an instant. The sound of blood and bone echoed across the sky.
And Ryu's vision… went completely black.
.
.
.
"Haha…"
First, a muffled, almost inaudible laugh echoed.
"Hahaha…"
As the sound grew louder, the tentacles began to quiver. The laughter echoed against the creature's slimy skin, as if it were issuing from its own internal organs.
"Hahahahaha!"
It had now become a laughter that filled the entire square.
A laughter that could tear at people's eardrums, a disturbing, stomach-churning laughter…
The source of the sound was clear. It was coming from inside the creature's gaping, disgusting mouth.
The tentacles stopped abruptly. The creature fell into a trembling silence, only the laughter echoing.
Then… amidst the laughter, a voice called out:
"This body… is too suitable."
At the very center of the creature's swollen body, the bloody gash opened further. A figure shrouded in black shadows slowly began to emerge from within. Teeth and flesh were spewing forth, as if giving birth to the figure.
And suddenly, a figure burst from that crevice.
When it touched down, there was not the slightest unsteadiness in its fall. It was a graceful, controlled descent.
"Ugh… I wasn't really expecting such a repulsion," the figure grunted, surveying the blood and goo that covered it with a disdainful gaze.
Up close, you could tell the figure resembled a child. Fourteen, fifteen, but the darkness in his eyes… nothing childish.
With a single wave of his hand, he flicked away the drool that coated him; the liquid dissipated in black smoke the moment it hit the ground. Then he began to crack his knuckles. He rolled his shoulders, wiggled his fingers up and down as if he were chopping something. Every movement was filled with the awkwardness of someone adjusting to a new body.
"Hmm… perhaps a minute's adjustment will suffice," he said calmly.
And then… an aura appeared around him. It was like a clash of contrasting colors; Sickly green flashes seeped into the inky black shadows. As they spread across the stone floor, the air of the square seemed to grow heavy.
The cracked stones trembled, tentacles involuntarily retracted, and the creature's remains fell silent, as if subservient to the figure's presence.