Call of Abyss

Chapter 19

A worn-out sedan came to a stop at the fog-covered entrance of Gangneung Cheonghae Village.

The car remained motionless for a while, its headlights illuminating only the village entrance.

It was as if it hesitated to move forward, sensing something ominous.

Time passed without incident until, at some point, two men in black suits stepped out of the car.

One of them had a silver sword strapped to his waist, while the other carried a silver bow on his shoulder.

"Hyunmu, it seems this village is already undergoing Abyssforming little by little."

The man with the silver bow on his shoulder observed the fog enveloping the village as he spoke.

Hyunmu nodded and pulled out a small leather pouch from inside his coat.

"Let's check what kind of Abyssal creature we're dealing with."

Hyunmu opened the leather pouch, pinched some yellow powder with his fingers, and scattered it into the air.

The yellow powder dispersed in all directions with the wind, and the moment it touched the fog, it emitted a blue glow before vanishing instantly.

"This is..."

"The entire village is under the control of a powerful and malevolent entity with an unfathomable force.

Byeokwoon, if this continues, the village is doomed."

"Should we request reinforcements from Ada Mansion?"

"Even if reinforcements come, they will be far too late.

This isn't on the level of the monsters we've faced before.

If we don't resolve this by tonight, this village will become an Abyssal land ruled by a powerful Abyssal entity."

"It seems that you and I have no choice but to handle this ourselves, Hyunmu."

Byeokwoon sighed, lowered the silver bow from his shoulder, and gripped it firmly in his hand.

Hyunmu retrieved a flashlight from the car, illuminating the path into the village, and unsheathed his silver sword from his waist.

"There's a woman standing over there."

After walking for a while, Byeokwoon pointed to the side of the road and spoke.

"Byeokwoon, put this rosary on your wrist.

It's an item imbued with Ada's power.

I'm fine, but you will need it.

The entity controlling this village is extremely powerful, and without Ada's blessing, it will be difficult for you to endure mentally."

Hyunmu took out a small yellow rosary from inside his coat and handed it to Byeokwoon.

Byeokwoon, heeding Hyunmu's words, placed the yellow rosary on his left wrist.

"Do you still see the woman?"

"No, she's gone now.

Just a moment ago, there was a woman in black staring at us from the roadside."

"Be careful not to be deceived by illusions created by malevolent entities.

The more you succumb to them, the easier it becomes for the entity to control you."

"Understood, Hyunmu."

Byeokwoon nodded at Hyunmu's words and touched the yellow rosary on his left wrist.

Knowing that it was imbued with Ada's power gave him reassurance.

At that moment, a gunshot rang out.

Without hesitation, Hyunmu and Byeokwoon rushed toward the direction of the gunfire.

Even as they ran, the gunshots continued to echo, and as they got closer, they began to hear groans and screams.

"I see a group of people armed with shotguns."

After passing through a dark thicket, they arrived at a cluster of houses where Byeokwoon pointed at people standing in the middle of the road, holding shotguns.

Around them, several villagers lay on the ground, bleeding.

"Byeokwoon! I'll charge in first.

Support me with your silver bow."

Before Byeokwoon could respond, Hyunmu dashed toward the shotgun-wielding group and swung his sword.

In an instant, two of them collapsed, blood spurting from their wounds.

"Hyunmu... You always act impulsively in moments like this."

Byeokwoon muttered as he released a silver arrow at a man aiming a shotgun at Hyunmu.

Among Ada's knights, Hyunmu was known for his rigid personality, but in moments of crisis, his hot-blooded nature often emerged.

Many worried about this trait of his, but some Abyss Hunters like Byeokwoon admired Hyunmu for his boldness and bravery.

After some time, the shotgun-wielding group was completely wiped out, and Byeokwoon approached Hyunmu.

"Byeokwoon, look at them.

They seem to have already partially awakened as Deep Ones."

At Hyunmu's words, Byeokwoon examined the fallen bodies.

Most of them had grotesque features, as if their faces were a fusion of human and amphibian, their eyes rolled back to reveal only whites.

Known as Abyssal residents, Deep Ones were creations of the Great Old One, Cthulhu, and usually continued their lineage through interbreeding.

However, when an exceptionally powerful Abyssal entity exerted its influence, ordinary people could forcibly transform into Deep Ones.

In such cases, Abyss Hunters generally eliminated even those who had been forcibly turned, though it always left them with a sense of sorrow and unease.

"This is horrifying.

These were once ordinary people.

Hyunmu, we must find the source of this disaster and eradicate it as soon as possible."

"The strongest malevolent energy is emanating from that Church.

The Abyssal presence responsible for this village's downfall must be there."

Hyunmu spoke as he gazed at the Church, which stood higher than the surrounding buildings.

Byeokwoon also sensed a darker, more ominous aura enveloping the Church compared to the other areas.

"I smell blood coming from the Church. We should hurry."

As Hyunmu moved towards the Church, Byeokwoon nodded and followed him.

The closer they got to the Church, the stronger the scent of blood and the more oppressive the ominous aura became.

"Hyunmu, there are people gathered in the Churchyard."

"They're all Abyssal residents—Deep Ones.

It looks like they're about to offer a sacrifice to that grotesque idol."

As they neared Gangneung Cheonghae Church, Hyunmu and Byeokwoon crouched and hid in the nearby bushes.

Around thirty people had gathered in the Churchyard, where a stone altar and an idol with a tentacled goat head stood before them.

"Brothers and sisters, the day has finally come to purify this village through a blood sacrifice, following the will of the Abyssal Apostle, Lee Yesung."

A middle-aged man stepped forward in front of the tentacled goat-headed idol and spoke, prompting the Deep Ones to respond with eerie, animalistic cries.

"Bring them to the altar."

At the middle-aged man's command, some Deep Ones dragged two bound men with their eyes and mouths covered in cloth to the altar.

The man forced them to kneel before the altar and removed the cloth covering their faces.

"Detective, please spare us!"

"Detective Nam Seunghoon, we surrender! Just send us to prison!"

The two men, now uncovered, began pleading desperately with the middle-aged man.

"Kim Judong, Baek Kangyoon, your crimes cannot be absolved by mere imprisonment.

Do you think the sin of kidnapping and murdering a young boy before throwing his body into the cold sea can be washed away in prison?

The law of this nation won't impose a severe enough punishment on you.

Even the judges here are too concerned with their future careers and human rights organizations to give you fitting sentences.

Your sins can only be cleansed through blood, pain, and death."

As Detective Nam finished speaking and raised one arm, the Deep Ones around Kim Judong and Baek Kangyoon began stabbing them with kitchen knives.

The two men screamed in agony, writhing in pain.

After repeatedly stabbing them, the Deep Ones retrieved a gasoline canister from somewhere and doused their bodies with gasoline.

"Abyssal Apostle, the offerings are prepared. Please present them as a burnt offering to our dreaming master of the Abyss."

As Detective Nam called out towards the Church behind the tentacled goat-headed idol, a man in black robes and a young girl, seemingly an elementary schooler, emerged hand in hand.

"Detective Nam, today is truly a joyous day.

Our connection with these two sinners could only have ended in blood and death.

Offering them as burnt sacrifices is deeply meaningful.

You did well capturing them."

"No, it was all thanks to Apostle Lee Yesung's grace."

"Before we offer them to our dreaming master of the Abyss, I have an important announcement.

From now on, my daughter and I shall use the power granted by our master to reshape the world.

Detective Nam, you must join us as well."

"I will follow as the Apostle guides."

"We intend to establish a religious order devoted to our dreaming master of the Abyss, Cthulhu.

The name of the organization is the Medici Family, and its purpose is to bring true justice and peace to this land.

Furthermore, from now on, my name is no longer Lee Yesung.

I abandon the name that once followed the powerless Christian god.

From now on, I shall be known as Giovanni.

And my daughter's name is no longer Lee Seoyeon, but Katerina.

The Medici Family will be led by me, Cult Leader Giovanni, and my daughter, Vice Cult Leader Katerina. Keep this in mind."

"Cult Leader Giovanni, I, too, will abandon the name Nam Seunghoon.

I will discard the name of the weak and powerless man that was Nam Seunghoon and follow the Medici Family.

Please grant me a name within the Medici Family as well."

"Detective Nam, you understand the suffering my daughter and I have endured.

You also deeply feel how weak the law and public authority of this land truly are.

You are someone who will have many roles to fulfill by our side.

From now on, I shall call you Elder Lorenzo.

Elder Lorenzo, devote yourself until the day the Medici Family purifies this world and creates a place where the powerless can live in peace."

"Understood. As Elder Lorenzo, I will now dedicate all my strength to aiding Cult Leader Giovanni and Vice Cult Leader Katerina in changing the world."

"First, let us begin the Medici Family's first task.

Place the offerings on the altar one by one."

"Yes, understood."

Elder Lorenzo responded to Cult Leader Giovanni's words and dragged the fallen Kim Judong to the altar first.

Cult Leader Giovanni gazed at the groaning Kim Judong with an expressionless face for a moment before finally extending both arms toward him and beginning to chant an incantation.

"Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn."

At that moment, flames erupted from Kim Judong's body on the altar, and soon, the fire grew large and fierce enough to brightly illuminate the church courtyard.

Kim Judong screamed loudly within the flames before falling silent.

"Hyunmu, shouldn't we at least contact the police?"

"Byeokwoon, look to the left of that group.

Do you not see the people in police uniforms gathered there?

It seems that all the officers in this area have already fallen under the control of the Abyssal entity.

I will take down that Cult Leader Giovanni in one swift move, so Byeokwoon, use the Silver Arrows to eliminate those who try to attack me.

If we can just take down Cult Leader Giovanni, the Deep Ones will be easy to defeat."

"Understood, Hyunmu. Please be careful."

Hyunmu nodded at Byeokwoon's response and slowly rose from the underbrush.

"Hyunmu! Look to your side!"

At that moment, Byeokwoon shouted while pointing to Hyunmu's side.

Hyunmu quickly turned his head in response to Byeokwoon's warning.

A woman dressed in black stood beside him, her eyes showing only the whites.

Startled, Hyunmu reached for the Silver Scabbard at his waist, but the woman was faster, swinging a large kitchen knife she held in her hand.

In an instant, blood spurted from Hyunmu's chest.

"Hyunmu!"

As Byeokwoon's cry reached his ears, Hyunmu felt his consciousness gradually fading.

"Byeokwoon... run away quickly..."

"Hyunmu, the Deep Ones are rushing toward us. Damn them!"

From behind Hyunmu, Byeokwoon continued to fire Silver Arrows at the approaching Deep Ones.

The Deep Ones struck by Byeokwoon's Silver Arrows collapsed on the spot, but the problem was their sheer numbers.

With so many Deep Ones charging at once, it was difficult for Byeokwoon to hold them all off with the Silver Arrows alone.

"Servants of the Abyss, perish!"

Hyunmu swung the Silver Scabbard at the woman in black.

However, due to excessive blood loss, Hyunmu's attack was slow and inaccurate.

The woman in black effortlessly dodged Hyunmu's strike and then reached out with both hands, wrapping them around his throat.

"Hyunmu!"

As his consciousness faded, Hyunmu saw the Deep Ones swarming toward Byeokwoon.

He regretted not acting with more caution.

Perhaps it would have been wiser to follow Byeokwoon's suggestion and request reinforcements from Ada Mansion or even call for police from another district.

But it was already too late to undo what had been done.

Hyunmu suddenly felt a deep fear for what might happen to him and Byeokwoon next.