Warning: This chapter contains graphic content. Readers who are uncomfortable with such material are advised to skip ahead.
The scream came without warning—and just as suddenly, it was stifled. As if someone had forcibly silenced it.
But I hadn’t misheard, nor was I the only one. The faces of my companions, who had been joking and squeezing water just moments before, had instantly hardened.
The brief joy of having truly found the Shrine Maiden’s Valley was snuffed out. The lighthearted atmosphere gave way to a heavy tension.
Shhhrrrk.
The sharp sound of a blade slicing through something. No need for words—the scream alone was enough to tell us what was happening.
We moved cautiously, minimizing any noise as we crossed the bridge toward the Ice Temple. I could feel my comrades doing the same, suppressing their footsteps. The occasional drip of water echoed like a pounding heartbeat, but there was no room for hesitation.
When we reached the end of the bridge, we paused.
“This is…”
Before us stood an ice sculpture about two meters tall and four meters wide. It resembled an animal, but the shape was familiar. The mane, like icicles dripping beneath its jaw, immediately brought one creature to mind.
“Isn’t that the monster we fought as soon as we entered the snowy plains?”
Chaso-rim’s voice was cautious, hesitant to name it precisely—since it hadn’t been officially identified, she simply called it “that monster,” not the Lycan. Still, why this ice statue was here was a mystery, though I had a hunch. After all, we had obtained the ‘key’ during the process of defeating and butchering the Lycan king.
Wait a moment.
Suddenly, an unexpected question surfaced in my mind—a feeling I couldn’t quite put into words. It was as if the well-oiled gears in my head had suddenly jammed. The gap between past and present swirled confusingly in my thoughts.
But I chose to press forward. I needed to assess the gravity of the situation first. Though conflicted, turning back now was not an option.
Silence enveloped us. The scream from earlier felt almost like an auditory hallucination in the eerie stillness. No signs of movement, no presence besides us. This suffocating quiet only heightened my unease.
After a moment, we ascended the ten-tiered, angular ice steps beyond the bridge and stood before the temple’s door. The entrance was a translucent ice portal, glowing faintly with a cool blue light. Its thickness obscured any clear view inside.
Two things stood out: the door emitted a refreshing, almost invigorating scent, and it bore a raised carving of a Lycan figure. At the center of the design was a curved groove, shaped like a fang, deeply etched into the ice.
Kim Han-byul stared at the door, her voice almost entranced.
“There’s an incredibly strong magical aura coming from this door.”
“I agree. This isn’t an ordinary door. We can’t just touch it recklessly. There must be some kind of unlocking mechanism.”
Just as Ha Seung-woo spoke, a thought struck me—not because his words were necessarily the answer, though his deduction was impressive—but because hearing him made that strange gap I’d felt earlier become clearer.
I had assumed we were the first to discover the underwater Shrine Maiden’s Valley. After all, none of the exploration records I’d read mentioned finding an underwater cave.
But there was mention of capturing the Lycan king and obtaining the key inside its body. Yet, in the place we’d mistaken for the Shrine Maiden’s Valley within the path’s barrier, there was nowhere to use that key.
What was really going on here?
“Clan Lord.”
I snapped back to reality. Despite my intention to weigh the situation carefully, I’d drifted off. I glanced to the side and saw Jegal Ha-sol pulling something from the Chaos Mimic.
“This.”
He suddenly extended his left arm, holding a pale, fang-like object that shimmered faintly. Though we’d pretended it was just a trophy from butchering the Lycan king, it was actually the sealed door’s key.
I was relieved we didn’t have to search for it again—but how did Ha-sol know to bring this out now?
“Seeing the groove in the center of the door reminded me of this. The shape and size are pretty similar, aren’t they?”
As if reading my thoughts, Ha-sol added, “Now that you mention it… yeah, it does look like it.”
I barely managed a nod.
“Mind if I give it a try?”
“Go ahead.”
He stepped forward, making way for him. Twisting the fang in his hand, he carefully inserted it into the groove.
Then—
Ka-kwang!
Ding, ding, ding, clang!
“Ahh!”
A sudden explosion rocked the area. The once-solid door trembled violently, a vertical crack splitting it open. There had been no warning. Ha-sol stumbled backward, his back hitting the ground hard.
“What happened?”
“I-I don’t know! There was a sudden shock…!”
“Where did it go?”
“It bounced down below just now…!”
Chaos erupted instantly.
“Quiet!”
I raised my left hand to calm everyone and stared ahead.
The once-pristine ice door was now stained red, as if splattered with blood. Like ink dropped into water, the crimson spread, soaking the surface. A faint metallic scent of blood stung my nose.
It might have been an illusion, but for a brief moment, I thought I saw a flash of silver light before it vanished.
Gripping my sword tightly, I spoke quietly.
“Get it back.”
In the commotion, Woo Jung-min swiftly retrieved the fang that had bounced away and handed it to me.
There was no time to waste. I reinserted the fang into the groove and shouted,
“Everyone, prepare for battle!”
Wooooooom!
Grrrrrrr!
With a deep, resonant hum, the door—once tightly sealed—began to move slowly. The grinding of ice filled the air as the crack widened bit by bit.
This was no good sign. The door opening like this meant the earlier explosion was abnormal. Something was definitely happening inside the temple.
Finally, a gap about thirty centimeters wide revealed the temple’s interior.
At that moment—
“…!”
I gasped involuntarily.
The first thing I saw was a naked woman hanging upside down in midair, like a puppet with its strings cut.
Her radiant silver hair cascaded downward like a waterfall. Her arms hung limply toward the floor. Her head was twisted completely backward, stained with blood and pain. Her exposed, full breasts trembled, and her slender abdomen rose and fell in a relentless rhythm.
And then—
“Ah, ah, ah, ah…!”
Her legs were stretched unnaturally wide, as if her ankles were bound and pulled in opposite directions. Despite the tension, they continued to be torn apart.
Eventually, unable to withstand the force, her oval-shaped genitalia split open.
In the next instant, I knew what was about to happen. The horror I dared not imagine was already unfolding.
Zzzzzzzzt!
“Ah… Aaaaaaahhh!”
The sound of flesh tearing mixed with a heart-wrenching scream. The split between her thighs curved sharply as her legs were violently ripped apart. Blood exploded from the torn groin like a fountain. The woman’s upper body plummeted downward, while her displaced intestines scattered chaotically.
Thud!
At the same moment, the door fully opened.
All of this had happened in less than five seconds.
—Kik-kak-kak-kak! Kik-kak-kak-kak! Kik-kak-kak-kak-kak-kak-kak-kak!—
Suddenly, a grotesque laughter echoed. Something was laughing with cruel delight at the blood-soaked, horrifically mutilated woman.
My heart dropped. An unknown force surged through me, pressing down on my entire body. It was savage, ferocious—pure evil creeping up from my toes to choke my heart. My knees trembled. It was the exact same feeling as before.
And instinctively, I knew.
The seal had long since been broken.
We had failed to prevent the resurrection of the ancient evil god.
“Damn it!”
Hwa-jeong suddenly flared with rage.
Only then could I turn my gaze toward that presence—no, that evil god.
But I couldn’t see it clearly. Its form was obscured.
A massive shadow writhed, filling the vast ceiling above us. It looked like a black liquid taking shape, or perhaps smoke flowing in the air. Or maybe something amorphous and indistinct. Whenever I thought I caught sight of an arm, a torso, or a leg, it shifted position in an instant.
It was an entity beyond description. But one thing was certain: it was an evil god. That strange form was devouring the pure, sacred space with its malevolent energy. Its presence was so overwhelming it crushed all of us beneath it.
Then—
Kaak!
The evil god abruptly stopped laughing and opened what I assumed was its mouth wide. It lifted the silver-haired woman—now only a torso remained—in its grasp. The woman’s body twitched briefly, as if still alive.
But the evil god, as if he were the victor, lifted the woman with an unbearably casual air, then took her limp, broken neck entirely into his mouth. He bit down hard.
CRUNCH!
With the sound of something shattering to pieces, blood gushed out in a flood. At the same time, the woman’s body, which had been twitching faintly, froze with a clatter before going completely limp.
But the evil god’s actions didn’t stop there.
Slurrrrppp!
Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp!
He sucked in the rest of her body, even drawing in her dangling organs as if slurping noodles, then chewed and swallowed her torn legs without hesitation.
Finally, looking thoroughly satisfied, he smacked his lips and turned to face us.
His snout, slick with bright red blood, curled up slyly.
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
Ah… thank you.
I never expected you to remember, but surprisingly many readers did. Haha.
I almost got a little choked up. ㅜ.ㅠ lol
Thank you so much for the birthday wishes. :)