Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 304

304. Really?!

Rembrary couldn’t understand what the Demon King was trying to achieve. However, he had no desire to heal someone who didn’t genuinely need help, especially someone who was in Woo Yeon-woo’s body but contained a fragment of the Demon King.

“No.”

Rembrary refused flatly.

But the Demon King tilted his head slightly, smiled again, and in the blink of an eye, gripped Rembrary’s wrist as if to break it.

“!”

Rembrary thought he was about to have his wrist broken, but instead, the Demon King placed Rembrary’s hand on his cheek, precisely over the wound, and demanded again.

“Do it.”

When he felt the damp blood on his palm, Rembrary felt a surge of anger and poured divine power into his hand. Not the kind of divine power used for healing, but the kind used to attack demons.

‘Again.’

However, just like when facing the demons or the stone monsters in the ‘Singing Forest,’ the divine power had no effect this time either.

Instead, the wound on the Demon King’s cheek devoured the divine power and even healed itself.

Rembrary, forced to obey the Demon King’s command against his will, felt annoyed and pinched the Demon King’s cheek hard. Not just a light pinch, but hard enough to tear the flesh.

However, the Demon King smiled brightly as if it didn’t hurt at all.

“Where did the thorns go?”

Rembrary was somewhat shocked by the mockery that followed.

‘Doesn’t it even sting?’

He had so much divine power, but he was confused because its purpose was different from what he expected.

‘Does Yeomra [the ruler of the underworld in Korean mythology] see Redrin, the Demon King’s fragment, and those frog eggs that crossed the rift as all the same?’

But Rembrary didn’t reveal his confused feelings. Demons are good at unsettling people by exploiting weaknesses or confusion. He had to keep his eyes open and act calmly in front of such beings.

“Your subordinates are all in different worlds. What are you doing here alone, having been ejected here?”

Rembrary didn’t act surprised that his divine power wasn’t working, as if it was all his intention, and instead mocked the Demon King with a calm voice.

“Ah. Right. You didn’t come here to do anything in particular. Were you just unable to return?”

Even as he asked the question, Rembrary raised his hand and smeared the blood from the Demon King’s cheek onto his thumb. He drew on the Demon King’s cheek with the blood, invoking the authority of God strongly.

He was sure that even if divine power attacks didn’t work, the authority of God, which worked on other demons and monsters, and even allies, would work.

However, the Demon King didn’t budge. Instead, while Rembrary was moving his hand, he lowered his eyes with an expression that said, ‘Let’s see what you’ve got,’ and sneered when Rembrary used the authority of God.

“Is that the only thorn you have left?”

“!”

This time, Rembrary was genuinely surprised. He was just a little confused earlier, but this time he was really shocked. He never imagined that even the authority of God wouldn’t work.

In fact, Rembrary had somewhat underestimated the Demon King’s fragment. When he tried to examine the shadows using divine power while it was inside Woo Yeon-woo’s body, the Demon King’s fragment hid behind Woo Yeon-woo as a shield. Redrin also didn’t seem to care much about the Demon King’s fragment hiding in the shadows.

But the ‘authority of God,’ which suppressed everyone, friend or foe, didn’t work.

‘How is this possible?’

At that moment, the Demon King’s hand grabbed Rembrary’s neck. When Rembrary’s usually smooth forehead furrowed slightly, the Demon King, seeing that expression, said mockingly.

“No matter how great you are, you are ultimately just vessels. Pitiful beings who can only shine when filled with someone.”

“!”

As the Demon King’s eyes curved into a crescent shape, the pupils inside turned purple. The hand gripping his neck tightened, and Rembrary struggled to breathe.

‘I must be the biggest threat, so he’s trying to kill me.’

“I will empty your vessel.”

However, the Demon King didn’t break Rembrary’s neck. But he couldn’t relax. A strange and acrid sensation began to emanate from the captured neck area. Rembrary’s eyes widened.

‘What is he……?’

“Be honored. You will be completely reborn through me.”

Before he could understand what this meant.

“Woo Yeon-woo!”

Someone shouted from behind. At the same time, the acrid sensation that had been piercing Rembrary’s skin disappeared completely.

The hand holding his neck loosened slightly, and Rembrary gasped for air. The Demon King’s pupils, which had been purple, returned to their previous color, and the corners of his lips, which had been raised eerily, lowered again.

Tsk. The Demon King clicked his tongue softly, and at the same time, Rembrary saw Jong-woo standing behind him.

“Woo Yeon-woo, are you crazy? What are you doing?”

Jong-woo, unaware that the other party was the Demon King, bravely grabbed the Demon King’s arm and pulled it away.

“Even if you hate him, you can’t strangle someone! Let go! Let go now!”

The Demon King briefly looked annoyed, but when he met Rembrary’s eyes, he soon smiled and released his hand. Then, he winked and got into the back seat of the car that Jong-woo had brought from the parking lot.

Thump. The sound of the door closing echoed in the deserted space.

“Are you okay?”

Jong-woo finally calmed down a bit and asked Rembrary.

“He’s not usually like this, but what’s wrong with him today? Did he have a bit of… day drinking? He drank a lot earlier. That must be why.”

And when he thought Rembrary looked okay, Jong-woo babbled, trying to somehow smooth over Woo Yeon-woo’s actions earlier.

But the words that came out were clumsy lies. Lies that sounded like lies to anyone who heard them.

“Yes. I smelled alcohol.”

However, Rembrary knew how much Jong-woo suffered alone when problems arose at Wild Animal, so he calmly agreed with the clumsy lie.

“!”

Jong-woo was even more surprised and stared at Rembrary. In fact, he didn’t expect his excuses to work at all, but he was so surprised that the other party accepted them so easily.

For some reason, Jong-woo thought that the blonde hunter and the amnesiac Woo Yeon-woo were quite similar, so he didn’t think he would be so generous. In fact, even if someone had a generous heart, they would have no choice but to get angry if someone strangled them.

“I…….”

Jong-woo opened his mouth hesitantly. He was going to apologize if he got angry, but he was confused because the other party was trying to let it go so easily. What should he say? What should he do? Was he suddenly going to get serious and get angry? Eye-콕 [a Korean internet slang referring to poking someone’s eye]? Is he going to do eye-콕 to me too?

Meanwhile, Rembrary stared at the Demon King, who was no longer visible in the tinted car, and warned Jong-woo sincerely.

“Jong-woo. That person. He’s dangerous, so it would be good to be careful.”

“Huh?”

Jong-woo, who had naturally answered in informal speech for a moment because the way he called him ‘Jong-woo’ felt familiar, belatedly said, “Uh, yes,” and hurriedly took out the business card he had given him once in the waiting room and handed it to Rembrary again.

“Here, this. If you have any problems with your neck bones or anything, contact me.”

* * *

The Demon King was watching the scene with his hand on the window frame.

Tock, tock, tock. He whistled softly, tapping the window frame with his fingertips.

But his gaze was fixed on the world beyond the darkened window, and even in that world, on the solitary, heterogeneous existence, without moving.

“Why did you reveal your identity to that hunter?”

The road manager, who was sitting in the passenger seat, asked, finding the Demon King strange. In fact, he was a demon whom the Demon King had personally brought and employed, though he was called a road manager.

“Hunter?”

The Demon King smiled and asked back at the road manager’s question. In a somewhat mocking tone.

“Does that look like a hunter to you?”

But when the road manager just blinked, he smiled happily and pointed at Rembrary with his finger.

“Remember well, as he is someone you will have to serve someday.”

“Is he a human who made a contract with you, Your Majesty?”

* * *

‘What did the Demon King’s fragment mean by those words?’

While riding in the car sent by Worldboom back to the company building, Rembrary kept fiddling with the business card he received from Jong-woo.

‘The vessel seems to refer to the priest. And what is contained in the vessel… must be divine power. Then, does the statement that he will refill the vessel mean that he will make me his priest?’

As Rembrary frowned, the driver, who saw the expression through the rearview mirror, asked.

“Did something unpleasant happen at the broadcasting station?”

“No.”

Rembrary answered simply and analyzed the Demon King’s words again on his own.

‘Is it possible to make me his priest? Even if it is possible, what can he do if I refuse?’

That acrid sensation he sent to my neck. Is it related to that?

Rembrary also recalled the story he heard when he returned to his original world.

‘The Demon King’s subordinates captured other high priests. Is this also related to that?’

Even as the car arrived at Worldboom, opened the door, and got out, Rembrary still couldn’t stop worrying and blankly entered the company building. And then, as he trudged towards the elevator.

“Mr. Rembrary.”

Jung Seo approached and called Rembrary in a firm voice. When Rembrary looked over, Jung Seo gestured to a deserted place and asked.

“I’d like to talk to you for a moment.”

If Jung Seo’s expression hadn’t been so stern, Rembrary would have just gone inside, saying he would do it later. That’s how much Rembrary didn’t want to talk to anyone right now. He just wanted to go back to his room and pray to Redrin and sort out the situation.

“I understand.”

However, Rembrary was concerned about Jung Seo’s dark expression, so he nodded and followed him.

‘This is it!’

And the cameraman from , who had rushed out with his camera after hearing that Rembrary had arrived, quietly cheered with a clenched fist when he happened to see this scene.

‘Interpersonal relationships! Fights! Drama!’

The cameraman thought that Rembrary was finally going to fight with someone and quickly suppressed his presence and followed behind.

He was looking forward to finally seeing Rembrary’s private interpersonal relationships, as he had only been eating, sleeping, and resting inside Worldboom.

Besides, that atmosphere. Isn’t it the atmosphere right before a fight?

The cameraman squatted down and watched them with a pounding heart.

It was a place where people rarely came and went, and the cameraman was convinced that the two would fight and rejoiced.

He squatted down and watched them with a pounding heart.

“I know I’m saying something crazy. But can I ask you something?”

It was Jung Seo who called Rembrary who opened his mouth.

The cameraman’s heart was pounding so hard that he held back a laugh. Are they going to fight and talk about secrets?

“Ask.”

When Rembrary answered calmly, the cameraman put his hand to his ear, throbbing. What question will Han Jung Seo ask?

Although they were one family, the cameraman didn’t know much about Jung Seo yet, as he was a new guest this time. Therefore, he had no idea what Jung Seo was going to say. He only expected it to be a serious topic based on his expression.

“You, by any chance…….”

‘By any chance? By any chance, what?’

“Are you a sloth?”

However, the question Jung Seo asked Rembrary was not serious at all.

The cameraman, who had been holding his hands together tightly, lost his balance for a moment and staggered. He almost fell sideways from squatting.

‘What are you talking about? Why is the story of a sloth suddenly coming out here?’

The cameraman steadied himself by grabbing the wall and was dumbfounded that Jung Seo had suddenly brought up the story of a sloth.

He didn’t even have to see how Rembrary would react when he heard those words. Hunter Rembrary would probably get angry…….

“How did you know?”

How did you know he would press…….

‘What?’

The cameraman’s eyes widened at Rembrary’s next words.