Failed Possession Chapter-59

## 59.

—

The underground cavern that had held hundreds of cultists now contained only three people and a heap of corpses.

Even if the three of them rampaged, killing every last one of the hundreds of cultists would have been difficult.

And there was no need to kill them all.

Even Sword Dragon alone would not have had it easy—but once Yuri and Haryeong barged in as well, the cultists chose to flee rather than continue fighting.

However, the blue-braceleted Fifth Ranks and the red-braceleted Possessors who had first attacked Sword Dragon were all dead. Sword Dragon had not been able to catch those who fled from afar, but he had not allowed those nearby to escape.

Yuri looked at the corpse of a Possessor whose ID—let alone name—he had never even heard. A faint unpleasantness stirred within him. After all, they were from the same world—victims abducted into this one by sheer misfortune.

But he did not dwell on that sentiment.

Unpleasant or not, they had been enemies who needed to die.

“So.”

Sword Dragon still held his sword, yet not a drop of sweat ran down his face. There were no wounds, of course, not even the slightest sign of fatigue. His breathing was steady.

“Who are you?”

It irritated him that he had failed to slaughter every cultist with his own blade, but capturing the rest was only a matter of time. Having seen the ugliness of this city, he would need to advise his family to purify the outer district.

That was something to deal with after returning to the Orsia household.

For now, these two concerned him. They did not appear to be cultists—but their identities were unknown.

“You. Woman. Why do you not remove your mask?”

“Our noona’s face is not fit to be shown before others.”

Yuri answered in Haryeong’s stead.

Haryeong snapped her head toward him and glared.

[Suddenly, I feel the urge to become a cold, merciless, terrifying assassin.]

[I didn’t mean it seriously.]

He brushed it aside and continued speaking. Sword Dragon seemed flustered, as though he had not expected such a reply. After a brief silence, he fixed his gaze on Yuri.

“Then who are you?”

Of course he would ask that.

Yuri fell silent for a moment. Should he use the alias *Crimson Leg*? Or would it be better to reveal himself as Thundercloud?

There was little need to lie to this man. Yuri had altered his face with disguise arts upon entering Evil Hamlet to conceal his identity when dealing with cultists or Possessors. He had sealed his fist techniques and focused on legwork and foot techniques as part of training.

‘It’s not like I’ve done anything shady.’

On the contrary, he had aided in hunting cultists—something deserving praise and reward.

“It’s not over yet.”

He rubbed the blood-sticky soles of his shoes against the floor.

“The bishop hasn’t shown himself.”

“The bishop…?”

“Yes. A Sixth Rank mage. The one who governs the cultists of this district.”

All Yuri had heard from the now-dead Point Ignition about the bishop was that he was a Sixth Rank mage. Even Point Ignition had not known much about him.

“The one I killed first said the bishop would soon descend from above…”

Yuri slowly lifted his head and looked at the ceiling. Haryeong and Sword Dragon followed his gaze.

“He’s not coming.”

“…”

“Maybe he saw you rampaging and fled.”

“Are you blaming me?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Sword Dragon glared fiercely, but Yuri did not avert his eyes.

“The ones you and I killed were ordinary cultists.”

“…”

“I infiltrated this assembly to kill the bishop. I didn’t care if the others escaped—as long as the bishop died. What do you think, Sword Dragon?”

Sword Dragon bit his lip, unable to answer.

He thought the same.

They had killed only a few dozen. More had fled than died.

And they had not even seen the bishop. Ordinary cultists could be hunted down—but a bishop whose identity was unknown might well escape entirely.

“My mistake.”

After a moment of silence, Sword Dragon spoke.

“I apologize for ruining your plan.”

He let out a long sigh and scratched his head.

Yuri hadn’t expected such a straightforward apology. Perhaps the scion of a prestigious house truly was raised with proper education and decorum.

‘Seems Namgung Jin was just an exceptional bastard.’

That man’s character had rivaled Yuri’s own upbringing as an orphan without parents.

“I’m going to find the bishop.”

Yuri said it simply.

“I said he might have fled—but that’s only speculation. He might simply not have come down yet.”

“…”

“So I’ll search. We can exchange names after the search is over.”

He naturally postponed it. If the situation allowed, he would reveal himself later. If not, he could simply slip away.

“I will come with you.”

Sword Dragon said.

“You said he’s a Sixth Rank mage? I admit you two are among the strongest of the Fifth Rank, but you lack the strength to fight a higher-ranked mage.”

“So you’ll help?”

“This was my responsibility—and the Orsia family’s—from the beginning. If the bishop escapes, that too falls upon me.”

He turned on his heel.

[For the Orsia family’s young master, he’s more decent than Namgung Jin.]

[Please refrain from speaking to a woman with a shattered face.]

[I didn’t say shattered…]

[Regardless. Don’t speak to me.]

A chilling gaze emanated from behind the mask. As she followed Sword Dragon, she replaced the cultist’s mask with her original fox mask.

“?”

Sword Dragon sensed it and glanced back.

“Why the mask…?”

“My face is too ruined to show to others. So at least I wear a cute mask.”

“Actually, Sword Dragon, noona’s face is perfectly fine—no, beautiful. She just has her reasons for not removing it.”

Yuri quickly added.

Sword Dragon blinked.

“What are you talking about…?”

“Anyway. Let’s move.”

Yuri glanced sideways at Haryeong. Though her expression was hidden, the icy sharpness in her eyes seemed to have softened slightly.

[I know very well that I’m pretty.]

Apparently her mood had improved.

[But Yuri. Do you even know where the bishop is?]

[We’ll go up and search—]

—KUUUNG!

A massive tremor shook the entire structure.

—

—

Among the many mage towers across the continent, the **Rudella Mage Tower** is regarded as heretical.

The truth they pursue is the transcendence of mortality—the denial of the law that all who are born must one day die.

At higher ranks, aging can be overcome. At the Sixth Rank, aging slows. At the Seventh Rank, one may achieve *rejuvenation*, restoring the body to its prime.

Though rejuvenation grants a lifespan far beyond ordinary humans, it is not true immortality. What the Rudella Tower seeks is complete immortality of body and soul—defiance of death itself.

Thus, they handle corpses and study souls. Corpse-handlers who collect the dead for various reasons have long been customers of both the Medical Guild and the Rudella Tower.

Though not openly hostile, most mage towers keep their distance from Rudella. Many religious orders outright reject and despise them. For those who serve gods, the Rudella Tower’s research, magic, and philosophy are intolerable.

Had they not allied with the Heavenly Demon Cult, the Rudella Tower might long ago have been destroyed by the bombardment of the churches.

‘To think she would seek refuge in the Chaos Cult.’

Bi-yeon had never met the Withered Old Crone directly. She had only heard of the old woman for the first time now.

The Lord of the Rudella Mage Tower, Corpse Immortal Spirit Harein Rudella.

Just as the Rudella Tower had long been an ally of the Heavenly Demon Cult, that unsettling archmage too was an old companion of the Heavenly Demon. But companionship did not mean constant closeness. Harein rarely left the tower.

It was Bi-yeon’s master—the Heavenly Demon—who had summoned her.

Without warning, he had called both Bi-yeon and the Corpse Immortal Spirit to his chamber, then pointed at Bi-yeon and ordered her to kill the Withered Old Crone.

‘All of a sudden?’

The Withered Old Crone had never been an enemy of the Heavenly Demon Cult. The old witch had fled the Rudella Tower ten years ago.

And yet the Rudella Tower had left her alone.

But now, suddenly, the Heavenly Demon had issued the order for her death.

‘Is there any need to keep her alive?’

‘She didn’t run off with anything remarkable. We just left her alone because it was troublesome.’

‘Then killing her is fine.’

‘Yes.’

That was the end of the conversation.

“As I thought.”

Bi-yeon frowned and muttered. Why had her master suddenly come all the way out here and ordered the death of a deserter from the Rudella Tower—someone with little connection to the Heavenly Demon Cult? Only now did she understand.

“Because of the Chaos Cult.”

Two years ago.

Bi-yeon had accompanied her master to the sanctuary of the Church of Order.

There, she had met the Archbishop of the Order and the Calamity Saint, Lorellia.

Among the Martial Zeniths, she was said to be even more ferocious than the War Church’s Battle Saint—hence her epithet, Calamity Saint.

Bi-yeon had never imagined that the Calamity Saint would be her *sago*—her master’s martial sister—but she could not bring herself to ask her master about it.

Near that sanctuary, a training ground of the Heavenly Demon Cult had since been completed. Boys, girls, and even young prodigies of coming-of-age were being forged into poison insects through brutal competition. Yet Bi-yeon had not returned to the sanctuary since that day.

But she remembered the conversation from two years ago. The Archbishop of the Order of Order had said that the one closest to killing the Evil God was the Heavenly Demon—and her master had not denied it.

‘Does Master truly intend to kill the Evil God?’

He had shown mild interest in the wish granted by the Goddess of Order—but surely he would not wage war against the Evil God for something so trivial. Even Bi-yeon, his disciple, did not know his exact rank—but his goal was to challenge the divine realm of the Tenth Rank.

Blocked by the wall of divinity? No. He simply wished to confirm something. Whether he himself could achieve god-slaying. Whether power gained through mortal life could render immortality no longer immortal.

Sending Bi-yeon here—was a declaration of war from the Heavenly Demon Cult to the Chaos Cult. For her master to personally kill a mere bishop would be excessive beyond measure. So he sent his young disciple to convey his will.

“Are you still going to follow me?”

Bi-yeon turned, irritation etched in her brows. A shadow stood behind her—Sword Shadow smiling faintly.

“I understand why Master sent me here. As his disciple, I will deliver his will alone.”

“I know the Young Cult Leader’s strength is outstanding, but the Withered Old Crone is a seasoned mage.”

“Surely Master did not send me here hoping for my death.”

“Haha. Of course not. But if, in the worst case, I fail to protect you, then I will die by the Cult Leader’s hand.”

Sword Shadow answered with a smile.

Bi-yeon glared at him briefly, then turned sharply and fixed her gaze upon the building.

Beneath that structure, the Chaos cultists were preparing their assembly.

She narrowed her eyes.

At that moment, the surrounding mana convulsed violently. Magic manifested. A gray, umbrella-like construct appeared above the building—then plunged downward, crushing the entire structure.

—KURURURUNG!

The building shook as if struck by an earthquake, then began to collapse.

Bi-yeon’s eyes sharpened. At the center of the raging storm of mana stood a robed mage.

The Withered Old Crone.

She did not know why the old woman had suddenly decided to crush the entire building—but there was no doubt.

“Ha.”

Even Sword Shadow sounded startled.

Bi-yeon did not hesitate. She unleashed the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

Kwaaaaar!

Jet-black aura engulfed her entire body. From the eyeholes of her pure white faceless mask, crimson light poured forth.

Bang!

Wrapped in the Heavenly Demon’s protective aura, Bi-yeon kicked off the ground and shot upward.

The Withered Old Crone noticed her approach. The face revealed beneath the fluttering robe was not the gaunt old crone Bi-yeon had imagined.

She was thin—but her appearance seemed considerably younger, as though she had rejuvenated over the past decade.

But it was not true rejuvenation. The Rudella Tower sought immortality. This was merely excessive suppression of aging through magic. A forcibly maintained shell. Even after ten years, she had failed to surpass the wall of the Seventh Rank.

“And who are you?!”

Though her face was youthful, her voice was that of a hoarse old woman.

Bi-yeon did not answer. Instead, she concentrated the Heavenly Demon Divine Art into her right hand.

Heavenly Demon Spirit-Extinguishing Palm.

From her thrusting right hand, black aura exploded.

KWA-GWANG!

The Withered Old Crone’s body lurched violently from the opening strike. She immediately armed herself with a barrier and swung her staff at Bi-yeon.

—

—

 

—Kururur…

It was difficult to immediately grasp what had happened.

Just minutes ago, Yuri had managed to persuade Sword Dragon. They had agreed to join forces and kill the Sixth Rank mage—the bishop—and were about to leave the underground chamber.

Then suddenly, the building shook. The ceiling collapsed.

“Go—”

Haryeong, who had deftly avoided the falling debris, hesitated. She could not call him “Cat Panties” in front of Sword Dragon. Nor could she call him Yuri. Should she call him Crimson Leg? But she doubted that alias would last long.

“Are you alright, younger brother?”

She chose the safest option and omitted a name entirely.

“Yes, noona.”

Yuri brushed stone dust from his shoulder as he answered. Sword Dragon, who had sliced through the falling debris with sword aura rather than evade it, was unharmed as well.

“Doesn’t seem like he fled.”

Sword Dragon muttered, sensing the oppressive magic in the air.

“It seems that bishop intended to trap us inside the building itself.”

Yuri thought the same. Had the spell completed, the three of them would have been sealed underground. The bishop likely intended to escape during that time—

‘The spell wasn’t completed.’

He hadn’t changed his mind midway. Was he interrupted?

Just then—

KWAAANG!

More of the upper floor collapsed, and someone fell through.

It was Bi-yeon.

She landed without rolling disgracefully and immediately prepared to leap again—then paused, startled, as she looked around.

‘What is this?’

Several crushed corpses lay nearby. Not victims of the collapse—they had already been dead.

That alone made no sense. Why were cultists gathered for an assembly already dead? And their numbers were too few. There should have been at least a hundred.

‘Those people…?’

Bi-yeon’s eyes widened.

Three figures stood untouched by the debris.

The man she had seen two days ago on the street—the one who had stirred her competitive spirit.

And the woman in the fox mask.

The remaining one—blond—

“Sword Dragon?”

Bi-yeon’s voice escaped her in surprise.

Of course she knew the title Sword Dragon. Though Bi-yeon herself, disciple of the Heavenly Demon, was not yet widely known, Sword Dragon was already famous.

Naturally, she had considered him someone worthy of comparison.

But to meet him here?

“You dare interfere…!”

The Withered Old Crone descended slowly, her hoarse voice trembling with fury. Killing Sword Dragon would make her the mortal enemy of the Orsia family. She had intended to seal the building and flee—but that girl had interfered.

“You wench—who are you to obstruct me?!”

It was too late to seal. Escape was no longer simple.

The Withered Old Crone trembled with rage as she looked down.

Sword Dragon, the two who had rampaged before the assembly—and now this girl.

Five of them.

Rage swelled uncontrollably.

“Sword Dragon, you insolent brat…! Hiding behind your family’s glory, running wild like a naked thunderhead! I had intended to spare you out of fear of your family—but now that is no longer possible.”

If escape was no longer feasible, she had no choice but to choose the second-best option.

Even if she became the Orsia family’s mortal enemy, she would kill Sword Dragon.

And the others as well.

The girl who forced her into this difficult decision.

And those two who had rampaged alongside Sword Dragon.

She would kill them all and seize their souls.

Sword Dragon especially—she would take not only his soul, but his corpse.

Even if she became the Orsian/ family’s eternal enemy—if she possessed Sword Dragon’s soul and body… and if she caused this much chaos…

The Cult would protect her.

‘Perhaps I might even become a Saint.’

The thought eased her boiling fury slightly.

—KWA-RURURUR!

An ominous gray light spiraled around her.

“I’ll kill you all—every last one!”

KYAHAHAHAHA!

Within the gray radiance, ghostly faces manifested, and a chilling scream tore through the space.

“Mother of—”

Haryeong flinched and pressed herself against Yuri’s side.

“?”

Already tense, Yuri startled at the sudden voice and weight against his arm. Though he could not see her expression beneath the mask, her shoulders were slightly hunched.

“W-What is it?”

“It’s nothing.”

Haryeong quickly straightened herself and stepped away.