Chapter 747

“Damn it! What the hell!”

“Vanusa!”

Beric and the mages gasped in shock, calling out her name. In all their years, none of them had ever seen a human body dissolve into pieces so smoothly. Even Ian, usually so composed, was caught off guard, his lips parting slightly in disbelief.

Vanusa’s body lost balance and slowly toppled backward. The moment she hit the ground—

Shhhhhh!

Her shattered form liquefied, spreading across the floor like water. Beric and the mages clung to each other, screaming in terror.

“Ahhhh!”

“Shit! Shit!”

What the hell was that? Was this some kind of resurrection like Old Lady Darci’s? Even battle-hardened veterans like them had limits to what they could handle.

The liquid writhed and squirmed, then, as if time reversed, reassembled itself back into Vanusa’s body. She gasped for breath and collapsed onto her knees, her face pale and drawn.

“Hah… hah… damn, I almost died.”

“You didn’t… come back from the dead, did you?”

“Felt like I was halfway to the afterlife and then dragged back.”

Vanusa stared at her trembling hands, muttering to herself. If her reflexes hadn’t kicked in the moment those sharp threads touched her, she would have truly died—her body shattered, her life snuffed out in an instant.

Exhausted, she collapsed fully onto the floor, wheezing. A mage approached cautiously.

“Snap out of it, damn it.”

“I’m awake. That’s why I’m like this.”

“Brutal. Is the whole palace going to be like this?”

“Don’t know. Whatever it is, we need to focus on maintaining the barrier. Especially if you’re not someone like me who can move their body freely.”

“Yeah, I’m already on high alert, putting my life on the line to keep the shield up. Ian, we’ll have to go in and sever or burn those threads. Not sure if it’ll work, though.”

“Agreed.”

There was no other choice.

Ian flicked his fingers lightly, summoning flames. Invisible threads suddenly shimmered in the air, twisting and burning away. They were far more intricate and dense than expected.

“Wow. This is no joke.”

No kidding—if it weren’t for Vanusa, he might have died right there.

The web-like strands fell apart weakly, crumbling like shattered glass as they hit the floor.

“Puppeteer’s work?”

“What else? Of course.”

“Not sure. If puppeteers had this ability, the ones we’ve met would’ve shown it by now. Especially Old Lady Darci, who’s been on the brink of death so many times.”

“He’s the king, though. It must be something else.”

“True. The power that struck the outer walls was something new, too.”

“Ian, what do you think?”

Screeeak.

Ian watched the door slowly close and replied, “I don’t think it matters.”

Whether it was the king’s doing or someone else’s, distinguishing the source was pointless now. Everything was just a pebble on the path he had to walk.

Once the door shut completely, Ian turned around. The silence was so thick that the sound of the mages’ footsteps echoed sharply. Beric muttered, puzzled.

“Where did all the humans go?”

“Yeah.”

“Did they get eaten?”

“What? Eaten by what?”

“This is the king’s palace—full of monsters. Wouldn’t be surprising.”

“Ugh, that’s disgusting…”

Ian stopped walking.

Had he relaxed too much? Beric and the mages immediately fell silent, watching Ian closely, but Ian seemed unfazed. His gaze was fixed on Vanusa.

“I heard there’s a secret passage underground.”

“Oh?”

“You know about it?”

“Just rumors. Who told you?”

“The king’s half-brother. Said there’s an underground path leading north from the palace. I doubt they moved without the king, but we should keep the possibility open—”

Tap tap tap!

Suddenly, faint footsteps echoed nearby. Ian signaled quickly, and everyone held their breath, trying to pinpoint the sound.

Where was it coming from? That way? Or this way? Their eyes darted in all directions. Beric sniffed deeply.

“Over there.”

A door on the left side of the corridor.

No sooner had Beric said that than the door burst open, and a servant rushed in, looking like she was being chased. She was panting, disheveled, barely able to keep herself upright.

The mages narrowed their eyes, wary.

“What’s going on?”

“Ah! M-mages?”

“Are you human? Damn underground beast, get her!”

“Please! Please save me! Everyone’s gone mad!”

“Hey, don’t come any closer. Stay where you are.”

The servant sobbed, begging, but the mages kept their distance, cutting her off sharply.

She pointed back the way she’d come, and everyone’s eyes landed on a man standing far off in the distance. Beric gripped his sword.

“Who is that?”

“They’ve all gone mad, tearing each other apart—”

“What?”

Then the man’s head twisted sideways. Slowly, unnaturally.

It seemed like his ear was touching his shoulder, then it kept twisting down, making a full circle.

“Seriously, this place is disgusting.”

Shlick.

Beric tightened his grip on his sword as the man’s mouth snapped open. A long tongue shot out, snatching the woman’s ankle.

“Ahhh! Help me!”

She screamed, struggling to grab something.

Vanusa instinctively grabbed her, then slashed the tongue with her sword.

Shhhk!

“Hey, it’s running away.”

“Ian! What do we do?”

Ian frowned, scanning the area. He couldn’t make sense of it. A monster, but in human form.

But Ian knew this: the fact it was showing itself and fleeing meant it was a low-level creature.

“Most of the king’s retainers come from the Masantar Temple. They’re from the monster’s homeland, so many of them are not quite human. Could that have been one of them?”

“Don’t let it get too far.”

Ian ordered, and the mages gave chase.

Beric followed, peeking around corners, but all he saw were the backs of the running mages.

“Ian, I think… huh?”

Beric stopped, staring not at Ian but behind him—at Vanusa.

Ian turned, puzzled, and couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Well, this is something.”

There were two Vanusas.

Both looked at Ian with the same confused expression. Reading their bewilderment, they glanced at each other—and then, startled, both fell backward.

“Gah!”

“What the hell—!”

Their appearance, voices, behavior, even their clothes—everything was identical.

The Vanusa on the right pointed at the one on the left, horrified.

“You’re a monster!”

“Shut up! If I’d known, I wouldn’t have saved you!”

“Sir Ian, don’t be confused. That one’s a monster!”

“No, look carefully! Don’t be fooled!”

The two Vanusas drew swords on each other, teeth clenched tight.

Beric lowered his sword and shuffled over to Ian. “Ian, this day just keeps getting weirder.”

“Ian, if they’re monsters, don’t you sense something?”

“You’d know better than me.”

“Right, you’re Athan, after all. You feast on monsters.”

Beric scratched his nose awkwardly.

“Exactly. I should know better, but I don’t feel anything.”

“Same here. Nothing unusual.”

The woman said they’d gone mad, eating each other. Was that a clue or a trap? If so…

‘They’re taking human form.’

The king’s retainers might be monsters disguised as humans, or monsters might have infiltrated the palace by possessing the servants. Either way, a hybrid had appeared—something straddling the line between human and monster.

The two Vanusas stared at Ian, exasperated.

“Do something!”

“Stop just standing there!”

“Ugh, shut up. Wait. I’m thinking.”

Who? Ian. Beric just kept the two from rushing in with his sword.

Tap tap tap!

The mages who had chased the monster returned.

“Ian, it vanished as soon as it rounded the corner.”

“Without a trace, so definitely—”

“W-what? Two Vanusas? How did that happen?”

They looked between the two Vanusas, baffled. Beric shrugged and urged them to put their heads together.

“Figure out who’s real. Don’t just stand there.”

“Yeah, but how…?”

Tap tap tap!

Another set of footsteps approached. Ian and Beric turned sharply. The sound came from the direction the mages had come from. A bad feeling settled over them.

“Ian! That thing was so fast, we lost it right in front of us.”

“What the hell is it trying to do?”

“Beric, you—if your legs work, you should be chasing it too.”

“Huh?”

More mages appeared—identical to the ones who had just returned—mouths agape in shock.

They, too, stared at the two Vanusas with horrified expressions.

“Damn it! You, you bastards!”

“They’re monsters! Ian, they’re monsters!”

“Wow, this is ridiculous. Aren’t you going to peel off your skin?”

“Ian! Don’t be fooled! I’m the real one!”

“No, I’m the real one! Memorize my details!”

“My name’s Kanchi. I live on Merril Road, 2nd Street!”

“This is insane! Ian, I’m Kanchi! How the hell do you know my address, you bastard?”

Suddenly, chaos erupted all around. The mages grabbed each other by the collars, shaking violently, and some even unleashed their magic.

Watching this, Beric pointed his finger mockingly.

“Oh, magic! Yeah, you mages always think magic solves everything!”

Zzzzz! Zzzing!

But as both groups unleashed their magic, Beric’s finger drooped weakly. What the hell was going on? How could monsters do that?

“It was like this with Arsen too, Beric.”

“Oh, right.”

Arsen was a monster as well, but he strutted around claiming he could use magic. Back then, even the mages couldn’t tell the difference, and only under the light of the Oracle could his true nature be revealed.

“Don’t you have anything like that here?”

“Do you think so? This is a den of monsters. Use your head.”

“Still, that guy’s way too annoying. I think he’s the real deal.”

Ian sighed, pressing his brows tightly. It was absurd to waste time on such petty tricks.

‘Looks like they even have memories.’

Did they copy abilities too? That wouldn’t be easy. If that were possible, there’d definitely be a time limit on how long they could maintain their form.

But they couldn’t just sit back and wait for the bastards to tire themselves out and reveal their true forms.

“Ian! I’m telling you, these guys are monsters! Don’t be upset!”

“Upset or not, Ian’s not listening?”

“You’re out of this, idiot!”

“Damn, this one’s annoying too. Might actually be real.”

The only relief was that, for now, none of them seemed intent on harming anyone. Otherwise, this place would have turned into a battlefield in an instant.

Ian motioned for everyone to calm down. Meanwhile, the groups mingled and mixed so much that it was impossible to tell who belonged to which originally.

“Alright, everyone, split back into your original groups.”

“Got it—huh?”

“Ugh, damn it!”

One mage slapped his forehead and pointed behind Ian. Small gasps broke out here and there.

“We’re screwed. There are two of that guy.”

“What?”

“Look beside you, human.”

Beric’s eyes widened in shock as he glanced to the side. There, staring back with wide eyes, was someone who looked exactly like him. One of the mages had transformed into a copy of Beric.

“Y-you—!”

“Bastard—!”

Before either could say a word, the two Berics charged headfirst into each other with a loud crack!