The Grill-Wielding Saintess of the Dead

Chapter 124 – Black Ice Flower

Shia.

Shia.

I miss you.

I miss you so much.

I will come.

I will come.

Don’t worry.

We will meet soon.

Wait for me.

I’m not okay.

I want to be okay, but I’m not okay at all.

Shia.

Shia.

Wait for me.

○○○○

At that time, Yeonhwa, who was patrolling inside the dungeon, searching for any doppelgängers or monsters, suddenly saw a giant ice flower rise between the buildings.

“….Ice?”

It wasn’t just regular ice.

The powerful ice flower, infused with mana, was incredibly similar to Yeonhwa’s freezing abilities.

It wasn’t just at a similar level, it looked as if someone had copied her ability exactly, spreading it indiscriminately without distinction.

The ice flower expanded like a contagious plague, engulfing the massive buildings around it and rapidly reaching the spot where Yeonhwa was standing.

She didn’t know how far this black ice would spread, but the shelter for civilians wasn’t that far from here.

If the ice continued to spread, it could potentially cause casualties.

Ha, ice in front of me?

Although Yeonhwa wasn’t someone with an arrogant personality, she at least had a sense of pride and confidence in her abilities.

In the country… no, after becoming the youngest S-rank hunter in the world, she had grown stronger than her sister, who she lost long ago.

Although she wasn’t quite as strong as her grandmother, she was at least capable enough to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with her.

For someone like Yeonhwa, there was no way she would back away from a single ice flower approaching her.

“Is this how it’s done?”

Yeonhwa conjured an ice flower in her hand and lightly scattered the ice into the air.

As the freezing particles, charged with mana, touched the ground, they bloomed into a sea of blue ice around Yeonhwa.

The blue ice, spreading like a wall around her, collided with the approaching black ice, but neither side shattered.

The spread of ice stopped there.

Whoever bloomed that ice flower had a good idea.

Saying that, Yeonhwa slowly drew out her sword from her side.

She had no idea who had detonated a massive ice flower like a bomb in a place where people could be.

‘Could it be a doppelgänger?’

According to the information gathered by the trainee agents dispatched by the association, the doppelgängers found in this Corrupted Dungeon had an average level of power equivalent to an A-rank monster, including their mana reserves and physical abilities.

Doppelgängers could replicate everything from a person’s DNA to their fingerprints.

Even though their blood was a sticky black liquid unlike human blood, when tested, the doppelgänger’s blood type would match the human they copied, demonstrating their exceptional ability to mimic.

However, that didn’t mean they could copy everything perfectly.

For instance, if they mimicked a soldier holding a gun, the doppelgänger could use their mana to copy the soldier’s body, uniform, equipment, helmet, and even the gun they were carrying.

But if the soldier didn’t have ammunition, the doppelgänger would have no choice but to swing an empty gun.

And if an A-rank doppelgänger copied an A-rank awakened being, while they could use that person’s abilities, they would lack the same level of skill and proficiency.

Since the doppelgänger had to rely on its own mana, there were clear limits.

For the same reason, even if a doppelgänger copied the body of an S-rank hunter, it wouldn’t be able to use their powers at an S-rank level.

An A-rank doppelgänger couldn’t possibly match up to an S-rank hunter.

“Could it be a variant…”

If it was a variant, that was a different story.

If a doppelgänger had absorbed the dungeon core and became the master of a large-scale Corrupted Dungeon, capable of engulfing the entire Mapo District, then the boss here wasn’t an ordinary doppelgänger.

Mimicking an S-rank hunter like her and freely using their abilities?

At that point, it would be safe to assume it had intelligence on par with a human. If it used Yeonhwa’s abilities to target the civilians in the shelter, the danger would become uncontrollable.

Unexpected variant types popping up constantly was something nobody could predict.

But dungeons and monsters were still largely unknown territory for humanity, so there wasn’t much anyone could do about it.

“I should go check it out right away.”

Yeonhwa, speeding up with ice beneath her feet, quickly made her way toward the center where the ice flower had bloomed.

○○○○

Now that she had realized that the creature in Yeonhwa’s form was a monster imbued with a fragment of the Demon King, there was no need for mercy.

Even though it wore Yeonhwa’s face, that didn’t matter.

It was simply a doppelgänger, taking on the appearance of the most suitable target to mimic.

Originally, Shia hadn’t intended to kill the Demon King’s fragment so easily, but unfortunately, this area was experiencing severe dungeon encroachment, trapping an unknown number of civilians in the shelter.

So…

‘I will kill it.’

Boom!!!

Every time Shia’s holy power-infused fists clashed with Yeonhwa’s black ice-imbued sword, the ice that froze the ground shattered along with the earth.

Though she tried to force her stance and overpower it, Yeonhwa, with dark blood streaming from her eyes, didn’t budge an inch.

It was surprising.

Despite Shia’s confidence in her strength, after exchanging blows several times in a short moment, she realized that the creature in Yeonhwa’s form was not significantly weaker than her.

Crack, crack, crack!

Of course, Shia was slightly stronger in a direct confrontation.

But the black ice, like a plague, spread across both living and non-living things.

Every time Shia’s fist, sword, or kick struck something, the ice fragments tried to invade her body.

The frozen buildings and ground around her sought to encroach on her as well, which was highly irritating.

If it hadn’t been Shia… it would have been a formidable opponent.

‘Is it the fragment’s power…’

Even though it was just a fragment of the Demon King’s power, the fragment alone was a massive source of energy.

If this power were harnessed to run a nuclear power plant, it could supply energy semi-permanently.

The doppelgänger had swallowed this fragment and was mimicking Yeonhwa, so it wasn’t strange that it was this strong.

The mutated raid dungeon boss in Andong had been easy to defeat because it had been careless.

If it had fought with the full power of the Demon King’s fragment from the start, there would have been significant collateral damage.

‘No, it’s not really Yeonhwa. It just looks like a corrupted version of her… Let’s call it Black Yeonhwa.’

That name sounds pretty, like a flower.

Of course, its actions are far from pretty.

“You’ve found a good host, haven’t you?”

“A host, huh. Yeah, you could say that.”

The ice tried to eat away at Shia’s arm, and in turn, Shia’s holy power crept over Black Yeonhwa’s body, attempting to corrode it.

The intense struggle for dominance didn’t last long.

The white holy power and the darkness-laced ice gnawed at each other for a few seconds.

Then, at a certain moment, the air burst apart as neither could withstand the pressure, pushing them both away.

“Freeze.”

Crack!

Black Yeonhwa, standing on the ice-covered wall after being flung back, drove her sword into the ground.

At that moment, Shia felt the icy grip of the black ice clutching her ankle.

‘…Ah, it’s cold.’

In a place entirely engulfed by ice, this was essentially Black Yeonhwa’s domain.

Snap!

That hurt.

Shia forcibly moved her leg and tore the ice off, ripping some frozen skin away with it.

If the ice had sunk deeper, it would have severed her Achilles tendon or leg muscles, leaving her helpless.

Falling on this ice would only let Black Yeonhwa’s icy touch creep up again like a virus, spreading over any exposed area.

‘This is really annoying.’

The Saintess of the Dead, Shia, was strong.

But that didn’t mean she was invincible.

Her holy power could resist most abilities.

If Black Yeonhwa’s power were ice magic rather than a freezing ability, Shia would have crushed it using her holy power, a superior form of mana.

However, this freezing ability was closer to manipulating natural elements than casting a spell.

Mana was only a material to reinforce the ice.

“Well, it’s nothing more than that.”

Shia brushed off her hands, checking her leg, which had already healed, and bent down.

‘I don’t plan on dragging this out… I’ll finish it in one blow.’

The muscles in her thighs bulged through the slit in her skirt. Her boots had long since shattered from the ice, and her bare feet tensed like a predator ready to charge forward.

Crack!

“…!”

The moment the ice shards beneath her bare feet shattered, Shia charged toward the Demon King with a merciless expression.

Boom boom boom boom!!

Shia didn’t excel in finesse.

But she didn’t need finesse.

She preferred to overpower her opponent with overwhelming holy power and brute strength, and that single blow was powerful enough to wipe out the complete form of the Demon King in the previous world.

Her straight-line speed was just as intense.

The sheer power behind her step was immense.

In the blink of an eye, Shia was right in front of Black Yeonhwa.

But Black Yeonhwa wasn’t just standing idly by.

‘Unavoidable. Cannot counter.’

Calculating Shia’s speed in an instant, Black Yeonhwa twisted the sword she had driven into the ground.

‘Then, I’ll stab you.’

[Skewer]

The ice embedded in the ground surged up as if alive, hundreds of icicles shooting toward Shia like bullets.

The black icicles flew toward her like spears.

Most shattered against Shia’s skin, which was tougher than steel, but some managed to pierce her arms, shoulders, and joints, exploiting her weaker points.

However, that wasn’t enough to stop her.

The ice that had frozen the ground and walls shattered.

Even as Black Yeonhwa’s ice tried to climb up her body to hinder her movement, the ice gnawing at her legs and arms couldn’t stop Shia.

Even though parts of her arms and legs were frozen and crushed, Shia’s regenerative power allowed her to maintain her momentum.

“…!”

Seeing that Shia hadn’t been stopped, Black Yeonhwa hastily twisted her sword, raising a massive ice wall, but Shia shattered it with a single punch, like sweeping aside a curtain.

Pain is a blessing. Let me remind you that you’re alive!

“Ha, you monster….!”

Several icicles were lodged in Shia’s knees, shoulders, and arms, but her unstoppable charge rammed into Black Yeonhwa.

Thud!

“Ugh?!”

The moment Shia collided with Black Yeonhwa, the space around them ruptured.

Boom!!

The three-story restaurant behind Black Yeonhwa crumbled, and Black Yeonhwa was buried under the wreckage of the buildings and ice after being blown through another building.

Shia, shaking off the ice, clenched her hand.

Her holy power materialized, tearing through the air in response to her call.

Normally, I’d listen to what you have to say.

But right now, I have no intention of showing mercy.

No, you don’t even deserve to be here.

A fragment like you.

A fragment has no right to defile the world where I belong.

With a chilling murderous intent, Shia gathered her physicalized holy power and commanded.

“I, Shia, the Saintess of the Dead, declare you [Malevolent].”

I will narrow the range.

The target was designated.

“You fragment of malevolence, wailing so wickedly.”

Destroying the surrounding buildings would be meaningless.

The target was Black Yeonhwa.

And her heart.

“Return to the place where you belong.”

Holy power surged from her heart.

The holy power materialized at her fingertips and filled Shia’s body, imbuing her with strength.

[Miracle – Sliver Blade]

As Shia pointed her finger in the direction of Black Yeonhwa, the light shot out in a straight line, splitting the world behind it.

The thin line that cut through the world pierced through the ice and buildings, accurately reaching the place where Black Yeonhwa was buried.

Thud!

The first attack shattered the black ice.

Splat!

“Ugh…!”

The second light caused black blood to spurt out.

Plunge!

The third light pierced through the place where the heart should have been.

“Ah… Ugh….”

The fourth light elicited a groan of pain.

Black Yeonhwa felt her strength draining from her body.

Even the black liquid couldn’t heal her wounds quickly.

How absurd.

At the very least, I thought I would take much more and die, but I barely managed to kill this much.

Ha…

Is it painful?

‘Yes.’

Was this the path you chose?

‘Yes.’

But you’re lacking in power.

‘Indeed.’

What will you do now?

‘Give me more.’

More of what?

‘Power.’

Very well.

‘I will no longer lose anything.’

It shall be so.

○○○○

Honestly, it was an unpleasant experience.

Even if it was a doppelgänger, even if it was a creature with the Demon King’s fragment inside, it still had Yeonhwa’s face.

“Unnie?”

“Oh, Bingu~”

At the familiar voice, Shia waved her hand.

As Yeonhwa approached from a distance, Shia erased the expressionless face she had just worn and brightly smiled.

“I fought the dark version of our Bingu?”

“What? Could it really have been a doppelgänger?”

“Yep!”

Shia’s invisible tail seemed to wag as if seeking praise, and Yeonhwa awkwardly smiled back, patting her on the shoulder.

Boom!!!

“…!”

“Oh, the ice…!?”

With a violent blast, the black ice and the remnants of the buildings were blown away, and what emerged was a galaxy of purple stars.

No, rather than a galaxy, they were dark stars.

At the spot where Black Yeonhwa was buried, the dark stars bloomed like flowers made of ice. In the center, a writhing mass of black malevolence lurked.

The ice then erupted like lava from an exploding volcano, spewing in all directions.

The ice, which had been melting on the ground, froze solid again, now completely ignoring Shia and Yeonhwa as it spread over the buildings and ground.

“This is crazy. If this keeps up, it’ll reach the shelter…!”

[I’m not going to lose anything anymore.]

I’ve lost enough already.

[Now, I will take everything!!!]

And so it shall be.

The incarnation of malevolence had appeared.

It abandoned its humanity and spread its wings of ice and malevolence.

The enormous wings of darkness and ice, far larger than Black Yeonhwa’s body, began to devour everything around them, growing ever larger.

It consumed the frozen doppelgängers as well.

It devoured the frozen humans from earlier.

Swallow everything with ice.

Devour them.

It’s not enough.

More, more… I need more humans.

Ah, there they are.

There are so many.

Thousands… no, tens of thousands.

Let’s freeze them all.

Let’s devour them all.

And so, let’s take everything.

Until this life runs out.

Let’s kill everyone.

Let’s take everything.

I don’t need to worry about that so-called Saintess of the Dead, whom the fragment mentioned.

The ice is faster.

The ice is already spreading.

There it is.

The shelter.

Fortunately, the location of ‘my world’ matches exactly with the shelter!

Just like this, I will… take everything….

“………”

And at that moment, Black Yeonhwa and Yeonhwa’s eyes met.

Ah….

At that moment, the thing with the wings of black ice stopped moving.

The ice, which had been heading straight toward the shelter where the civilians were, also halted.

“……..Yeonhwa?”

“…….”

Yeonhwa and Black Yeonhwa stared into each other’s eyes for a moment.

The eyes of Yeonhwa, who was looking up at her, were clear.

Still… so clear.

[…….]

Sensing something unusual from Black Yeonhwa’s sudden strange behavior, Shia loosened her clenched fist slightly.

Of course, her holy power remained ready to act, still manifesting as a physical force that could be deployed at any moment.

[….Gr…andma…]

“…What?”

[How… is grandma… doing…?]

What did it just say?

Is the doppelgänger actually talking?

No way, could this high-level doppelgänger have absorbed the memories of the human it copied… No, if that were the case, it would never ask about Yeonhwa’s grandmother, Yeonseo….

“………”

However, Yeonhwa felt something strange.

She knew logically that this was a doppelgänger, just a monster that deserved to die, imitating her appearance. But… Yeonhwa felt a peculiar sense of kinship with Black Yeonhwa, something indescribable.

Pity? Sympathy?

No. It was something more complicated…

[Answer me.]

“……Yes, she’s doing well.”

[…………What about the others?]

“……Who?”

[Mom, Dad? Friends? Unnie Yeonju? Director Lee? Are they all… are they all doing well?]

Just moments ago, Black Yeonhwa had unleashed a massive burst of malevolence, as if intent on freezing the entire world. But now, she suddenly descended to the ground and approached Yeonhwa.

Throughout this process, there was no sense of hostility or aggression.

“They’re doing well… Mom passed away in an accident when I was a baby… but everyone else is doing well, mostly….”

[…….]

Upon hearing that, black tears began to flow from Black Yeonhwa’s eyes.

Whether she was crying out of genuine sadness, or because she couldn’t control the overflowing malevolence within her, it wasn’t clear.

[That’s… good to hear…]

Why?

You’re a monster.

You’re nothing but a doppelgänger. Why would you say you’re glad…?

‘…Wait, why do I not sense a lie…?’

At that moment, Shia realized something was wrong.

There was no sense of deceit coming from Black Yeonhwa.

‘…..Could it be?’

If that thing isn’t a doppelgänger, or the dungeon boss…

○○○○○○

“Director! The corruption rate has exceeded 120 percent!”

“…Isn’t that a serious problem?”

“No, it’s not that big of a deal. Although the corruption rate has never reached such an unprecedented level before… it’s still just a dungeon. The corruption rate being high doesn’t necessarily mean it’s uninhabitable.”

“Then what’s the issue?”

“It just means… we’re no longer on Earth.”

“Not on Earth?”

“……Hmm, how should I put this…. Ah—right.”

“This place is already a different Earth. Or maybe a parallel world… No, calling it an intersection of dimensions might be more accurate.”

○○○○○○

[……Unnie…?]

Unnie… Unnie…

Yeah, she’s probably talking about Yeona Unnie.

The kind sister who died in my place when I was young…. a face I can barely remember now.

“I lost Yeona Unnie too.”

[……Then why…?]

“She died protecting me.”

[..You… you…!]

Despite it being a monster, Yeonhwa felt like it was speaking to her own self.

Yes, exactly… it was like how she pushed herself, before meeting Shia, chasing after power without regard for her life, placing blind faith in strength.

[Everything was taken from me. Everything was stolen!! What’s wrong with me trying to take back what was taken from me now!!]

“Is that really what you wanted to do with the life Yeona Unnie saved for you?”

[……..!]

The me I could have become.

Yeonhwa approached the version of herself that was shedding black tears.

“I don’t know what happened to you.”

[….]

“I won’t dare say I understand.”

[How can you…? I lost everything, but you act like you haven’t lost anything…]

“Maybe because I haven’t lost anything yet… Maybe because I still have an unnie.”

[Un…nie…?]

“Right here.”

As she said that, Yeonhwa gently clung to Shia’s arm.

“She’s the unnie who saved a foolish little brat who only chased after power. She’s the unnie who showed me the view behind when I was only focused on running forward. She’s not Yeona Unnie, but Shia Unnie is already a precious unnie to me.”

[……….]

“She’s also an unnie I’m thankful for. A role model. She does some weird nonsense sometimes, but still, she’s a really good unnie.”

Black Yeonhwa alternated her gaze between Shia and Yeonhwa.

[That’s… good to hear….]

The black ice of Black Yeonhwa began to melt slowly.

She gave a sad smile, as if she might break down in tears at any moment.

[The contract… is violated…!]

[I don’t need it. No matter how much I lose my mind, I won’t take this anymore.]

Crack, crack…!

Her body began to crumble from the breach of contract.

As the contract broke, her body disintegrated, unable to handle the overwhelming malevolence.

It’s okay.

She had already used up her lifespan long ago.

[Let’s go together…!]

[Let go, let go!!]

There were no lingering regrets.

She had already committed acts for which no one could forgive her. The result was this pitiful and miserable end.

But she was content with that.

[Take care of… grandma…]

“….!”

Ah, right.

[And do better for that unnie of yours…]

“Wait, hold on…!”

Crack!

With those final words, Black Yeonhwa’s body shattered into pieces like ice.

‘A saintess who couldn’t even save a single person….’

Shia sighed softly to herself.

“…It was all true.”

“Was it?”

Yeonhwa nodded, knowing that Shia had the power to discern truth from lies.

Yes, it wasn’t a lie, but the truth.

Everything Black Yeonhwa said was true… which meant she was no longer just a mere monster. She wasn’t a doppelgänger.

She was another Yeonhwa.

A Yeonhwa who had lived, who had a life, in a different world.

‘Am I still far from being a true saintess?’

A saintess who saves people.

A saintess who performs miracles and brings hope… and yet, this time, I couldn’t save her.

No, instead of saving her, I heartlessly drove her away, treating her like a monster.

“It’s okay, Unnie. I don’t know what happened to the dark version of me, but this is enough.”

“Is it okay?”

“Yes, I don’t know why… but I feel it.”

The feeling that it’s okay.

The feeling of contentment.

The emotions filled with guilt and regret.

“She probably did things for which she could never be forgiven. And she likely went through things that led her to do those things.”

Yeonhwa lightly slapped her own face, as if trying to shake off her gloom.

“This is probably the first time I’ve seen something like this, but it seems like this dungeon had a serious dimensional shift.”

At that moment, a spatial crack appeared in the sky of the dungeon.

“Ah, but I guess that was treated as the boss. The space is already starting to crack.”

“Looks like it.”

Ha, I never want to deal with this kind of dungeon again.

The Demon King really left behind a troublesome dungeon.

I thought the doppelgängers, having absorbed the Demon King’s fragments, were trying to toy with me, but in reality, they had opened a massive hole in the dimension, turning this place into an entirely different world.

“Ha, let’s go back. Things got a bit complicated, but at least now…”

[Sha….]

“…..?”

At that moment, a familiar voice reached Shia’s ears.

What?

Did I mishear…?

“It sounded like someone… was calling for you, Unnie?”

No, Yeonhwa heard it too.

Why is my name being… called here?

[I missed… you.]

The Demon King or the Demon King’s fragment had been destroyed along with Black Yeonhwa.

Even if the Demon King’s fragment were calling me, it wouldn’t call me by the affectionate name ‘Shia.’

It would mock me as a ‘fragment of God’ or ‘the abominable Saintess of the Dead,’ but very few would call me by my name.

More importantly, this voice… I’ve heard it somewhere before….

“Menelapie…? Teresa…?”

This is a dimensional rift.

This is a dungeon undergoing dimensional assimilation.

Could it be…

Oh no, could it be…

Just like how I returned to Earth…

Did Menelapie and Teresa too?

No, it can’t be.

It’s impossible.

The odds are astronomically low.

That rational judgment was already crumbling.

Drawn in as if mesmerized by the voice calling my name from beyond the rift, I moved forward.

“…..!?”

Menelapie…? Teresa…?

Is it you?

Did you really… really come… come to see me?

“Unnie, stop!”

The shattered space fractured like broken glass.

Beyond the cracks, I saw someone.

A familiar yet not unfamiliar silhouette.

Ah…….

[I really missed you…]

[Truly.]

Huh…?