Call of Abyss

Chapter 20

"Hyunmu! Hyunmu! Please open your eyes."

"Byeokwoon... Where are we?"

Hearing Byeokwoon's cry, Hyunmu barely managed to open his eyes and looked around.

He was lying in the middle of a spacious lobby, with Byeokwoon and an unfamiliar man sitting beside him.

"This is the Education Center of Gangneung Cheonghae Church.

Nice to meet you, Hyunmu.

I am Deacon Son Gyuhyung, in charge of managing the Gangneung Cheonghae Church building.

I heard the story from Byeokwoon.

Knowing that you are an exorcist puts me somewhat at ease, but given the dire situation here, I am also worried that you may be in great danger."

"Exorcist?"

Hyunmu questioned Deacon Son's words and glanced at Byeokwoon.

Byeokwoon shrugged lightly, looking a bit awkward.

"Hyunmu, are your wounds all right?"

At Byeokwoon's words, Hyunmu touched his chest.

The wound on his chest had already healed.

"Yes, it seems to have healed.

I have no idea how this happened."

"That girl named Seoyeon used her ability to heal you.

And now, she has locked us in here and is keeping watch over us."

Byeokwoon pointed toward the entrance of the Education Center, where a girl dressed in black was standing.

Beside the girl, an adult woman in black was standing with a large kitchen knife in her hand.

It was the same woman who had attacked Hyunmu in the church courtyard.

"Jo Heeyoung, Seoyeon...

I have no idea what is going on.

They both seem like completely different people."

"The adult woman is no longer alive.

Her body is merely being controlled by an abyssal entity.

The girl is still alive, but she too is being controlled by an abyssal entity."

At Deacon Son's lamenting words, Hyunmu looked at Jo Heeyoung and Seoyeon in turn and spoke.

"Hyunmu, is there a way to return Seoyeon to normal?"

"The root cause of all this is that man, Lee Yesung.

He now calls himself Cult Leader Giovanni of the Medici Family.

In any case, if we eliminate him, there is a high chance that the girl will return to normal."

"Pastor Lee Yesung... He was such a kind and devout man...

This all feels like a dream...."

Deacon Son sighed at Hyunmu's words and wiped away his tears.

"Hyunmu, my Silver Bow was taken by the Deep Ones.

I'm sorry, but I won't be able to help you."

"It seems the enemies have also taken my Silver Scabbard.

But I'll manage with this, so don't worry."

Hyunmu drew a silver dagger from his waist and spoke to Byeokwoon.

The silver dagger, about one-third the length of the Silver Scabbard, was short but adorned with even more ornate decorations.

Before Hyunmu set out on his nationwide patrol, Ada had specially bestowed this dagger upon him, imbued with her power.

"Hyunmu, knight of Ada, you still defend that rotten man.

A man who isn't even worth protecting."

Seoyeon approached Hyunmu and his group alongside Jo Heeyoung.

"What do you mean?"

"That man, Byeokwoon, has been taking large sums of money from people in exchange for exterminating abyssal monsters.

From those who had no money, he took sexual favors instead.

He trampled on wives, on daughters, with his filthy hands."

"What? Byeokwoon! What is she talking about?"

"Hyunmu! Don't listen to her. It's all lies.

Do you believe the words of an abyssal servant, or do you believe me?"

Byeokwoon shouted desperately at Hyunmu, his voice filled with injustice.

At that moment, Seoyeon extended one hand toward Byeokwoon.

Byeokwoon let out a scream and collapsed to the ground, his face contorted in pain.

"Now, look at these photos that were in his possession.

Hyunmu, see for yourself what happened to the women you saved with him."

Seoyeon tossed a bundle of photos toward Hyunmu.

With trembling hands, Hyunmu picked up the scattered photos and examined them.

The photos vividly depicted the naked bodies of the women he and Byeokwoon had saved from abyssal monsters.

The women ranged in age from married women to young girls, but they all shared the same terrified expressions.

Hyunmu barely managed to suppress his nausea by covering his mouth.

"Hyunmu, proud knight of Ada...

Who is the real monster here?

Is it us, trying to rid the world of evil and make it a better place?

Or is it people like Byeokwoon, who pretend to be kind but use their power to trample on the weak behind closed doors?

Foolish Hyunmu...

You probably lived with pride, believing you were protecting the weak from abyssal monsters.

But the lives of the women violated by Byeokwoon became an even greater hell than before you saved them.

You defeated abyssal monsters, only to deliver these women into the hands of a devil."

"Byeokwoon! You filthy traitor!"

Hyunmu gripped the silver dagger tightly and shouted at the fallen Byeokwoon.

Byeokwoon opened his mouth as if to speak but lacked the strength to respond, only staring at Hyunmu.

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

Seoyeon extended one hand and began chanting toward Byeokwoon.

Byeokwoon writhed on the ground, letting out strange noises.

His face transformed into that of an amphibian, and his body grew larger.

Soon, Byeokwoon had completely turned into a Deep One and slowly rose to his feet, staring at Hyunmu.

"Now even your body has fully become a monster.

Byeokwoon, do not resent me.

Ending your monstrous life here is the last mercy I can grant you."

As soon as Hyunmu finished speaking, he gripped the silver dagger and charged at the transformed Byeokwoon.

Byeokwoon let out a monstrous scream and swung his fist at the approaching Hyunmu.

Hyunmu twisted his body at the last moment to dodge the punch and swiftly slashed with the silver dagger.

A silver flash and a crimson spray painted the air as one of Byeokwoon's arms fell to the ground.

"Byeokwoon! Atone in hell!"

Hyunmu shouted at the staggering Byeokwoon and swiftly drove the silver dagger into the back of his neck.

Byeokwoon shuddered once before collapsing to the ground.

"Byeokwoon...."

Hyunmu gazed at Byeokwoon's lifeless body, his expression complicated.

Memories of fighting abyssal monsters alongside Byeokwoon flashed through his mind.

The things they had accomplished together, the people they had saved together...

What did all of that mean to Byeokwoon?

And what would it mean to himself now?

For the first time, Hyunmu felt doubt about his work.

"Mother, I believe you must step in now."

At Seoyeon's words, Jo Heeyoung, who was standing beside her, gripped the large kitchen knife and charged at Hyunmu.

Her speed was incomparable to that of Byeokwoon as a Deep One.

"Damn... A walking corpse, huh...."

Hyunmu swung the Silver Dagger multiple times at Jo Heeyoung.

However, each time, Jo Heeyoung lightly evaded the Silver Dagger swung by Hyunmu.

"Hyunmu, become one of us. Join the Medici Family.

I already know that a small disturbance has begun within you.

I will rid you of your anguish.

I will show you what true justice is."

"Stop spouting nonsense. I am Hyunmu, Ada's Knight.

Do you think I would become a servant of the Abyss?"

"Will you live your entire life deceived by Ada Mansion? Or will you live for true justice?

Hyunmu, the justice and nobility you think of do not exist in Ada Mansion."

"I know better about Lady Ada and Ada Mansion.

Don't think you can deceive me.

I won't fall for the lies of a servant of the Abyss."

"There's no choice, then. It might be better to kill you here before you end your life in regret and despair later.

At least, this way, you can die thinking you were a noble knight of Ada."

As Seoyeon reached out her hand toward Hyunmu, his body instantly froze, unable to move.

Jo Heeyoung didn't miss that moment; she rushed at Hyunmu, knocked him to the ground, and pointed a blade at his neck.

"Oh, come on... I thought you could handle this alone, so I was just watching...

I didn't expect someone called Ada's Knight to be this weak."

At that moment, a clear female voice was heard from somewhere, and a large black snake appeared, swallowing Jo Heeyoung whole.

The black snake thrashed around the lobby for a moment before returning to where the female voice had come from.

From within the dense darkness, the black snake vanished in an instant, and a woman in a black dress and a black veil appeared.

"It's been decades since I sensed the aura of the Necronomicon, and the state of the village is truly a spectacle.

If support had been sent from Ada Mansion a bit earlier, the situation wouldn't have deteriorated to this extent."

"Thank you for your assistance. I am Hyunmu, one of Ada's Knights.

Ada Mansion is unaware of the current situation.

We came here while patrolling the region and sensed an evil and powerful aura, which led us here."

"Hello. Just call me Nia.

If you knew what was ruling this village, you wouldn't have come here with just an Ada's Knight and an Abyss Hunter.

The Abyssal being ruling this village, the Necronomicon, though it takes the form of a book, possesses power comparable to the Great Old One.

It's not something the two of you can handle on your own."

"Then, Nia... what should we do?

We can't just leave the village like this."

"First, we need to bring this girl back to her senses."

Nia said, looking at Seoyeon, who was visibly wary of her.

"She hasn't had Cthulhu's power for long, so she's not yet accustomed to using it, but she has great potential.

If left alone, she'll become a very troublesome enemy.

But if we think the other way around, she could become a very reliable ally if she joins us.

There's still a trace of goodness left in her heart.

Let's trust in that."

As Nia finished speaking and reached out her hand into the air, a long, slender black sword appeared in her hand.

"This sword, Nia Sword, is designed to remove the Abyssal poison from those who still retain some humanity. It won't work on beings who were monsters from the beginning or those who have fully transformed into servants of the Abyss."

Nia gripped the Nia Sword, took a stabbing stance, and dashed toward Seoyeon in an instant.

Seoyeon screamed and extended her hand forward, firing blue orbs at Nia. However, the blue orbs couldn't hit Nia, who moved swiftly, leaving afterimages, and instead struck various parts of the lobby floor, creating loud explosions and leaving holes.

"Take this!"

Nia extended the Nia Sword forward as she spoke.

The Nia Sword suddenly transformed into a snake, stretching forward and biting Seoyeon's neck.

Seoyeon struggled to shake off the Nia Sword, which had turned into a black snake. After a moment, she let out a sharp cry and lost consciousness, collapsing to the ground.

"Seoyeon!"

Deacon Son called out Seoyeon's name and ran toward her as she lay on the ground.

"Most of the Abyssal poison controlling her mind has been extracted.

Though it will take some time, she should be able to live according to her own will from now on."

Nia said as she turned the snake-form Nia Sword back into a sword.

At that moment, a beast's howl echoed from outside the Education Center.

The sound, which seemed like a mix of a land predator and a bird of prey, triggered primal fear in humans.

"What... what is this terrifying sound?"

Before Deacon Son could finish his sentence, the main entrance of the Education Center was smashed, and a black beast, resembling a bear, charged into the center.

This beast is something I cannot defeat.

Hyunmu thought to himself, feeling indescribable terror as he looked at the beast, whose face was entirely covered in tentacles.

The beast glanced at Nia once, then grabbed Seoyeon in its mouth and swiftly exited the Education Center.

"I never thought I'd witness a Cthulhu Star Spawn.

Anyway, wherever that beast is heading, the Necronomicon, the root cause of all this chaos, is likely there.

Let's follow it."

"Nia, Hyunmu, I'll take you there in my car.

I don't have the strength to fight alongside you, but please allow me to help in this way."

Deacon Son looked at Nia and Hyunmu with pleading eyes as he spoke.

"For a human, you have remarkable mental fortitude.

It's impressive that you haven't run away after witnessing all of this.

Alright. Although I don't need a car, I'll ride with you since Ada's Knight Hyunmu is here as well."

"Yes, I'll go get the car right away."

While Deacon Son went to get the car, Nia planted the Nia Sword into the floor of the Education Center and began chanting something.

Hyunmu felt the evil aura surrounding the Church and the Education Center being rapidly absorbed into the Nia Sword.

Moments later, a refreshing energy began to fill the Education Center. Nia pulled the Nia Sword from the floor and looked around with a satisfied expression.

"This should have absorbed most of the Necronomicon's aura that was covering the village.

However, to fundamentally resolve the current situation, we must seal the Necronomicon itself."

"Nia, who... who are you?"

"That... I'll explain to you later."

Nia said with a smile as she spoke to Hyunmu and raised the Nia Sword toward the sky.

In an instant, the Nia Sword disappeared completely from Nia's hand.

At that moment, the sound of a car stopping outside the Education Center could be heard.

"Nia, Hyunmu, get in the car."

Hearing Deacon Son's voice from outside, Nia and Hyunmu nodded to each other and quickly exited the Education Center, getting into Deacon Son's car.

"The Cthulhu Star Spawn, or rather, that black beast, is heading toward the Beach.

Coincidentally, today is also the day of the lunar eclipse.

I have a bad feeling about this.

If we're not careful, the worst-case scenario of Cthulhu awakening from its long slumber could occur."

"What? Nia, is that true?"

Hyunmu shouted in shock, but Nia simply looked up at the full moon and nodded without a word.

"A boy died here, didn't he? You should head to the Beach where his body was found.

It's the place in this area most steeped in despair and sorrow, making it the most likely location for the Cthulhu summoning ritual."

"Yes, I remember where that is.

I'll take you there."

Deacon Son responded and quickly drove away from the Church.

In the Church courtyard, the blood ritual had concluded, leaving only a statue of a goat-headed figure with tentacles and an altar drenched in blood.

Hyunmu continued to stare at the full moon outside the window, his eyes filled with concern.

A strong sense of unease gripped him, fearing they might be facing a catastrophe beyond their ability to handle.

As Nia had said, if Cthulhu were to awaken, the world could face complete destruction.

Hyunmu silently blamed himself for not requesting support from Ada Mansion earlier.