Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 634

◈ 634. An Unwelcome Reunion

Seeing Moroso, Rembrary unconsciously smiled brightly.

They weren’t particularly close, but he felt a slight sense of familiarity since Moroso was from his original world.

However, the moment Rembrary smiled, Moroso’s face twisted into a fierce expression.

“Moroso, hello.”

When Rembrary greeted him, Moroso strode over and grabbed Rembrary’s collar roughly.

“Hello? Hello?”

Moroso mimicked Rembrary’s words, sneering.

“Can you say that to me so easily after what happened?”

Rembrary looked back and forth between Moroso’s orange hair and his hand gripping his collar, then exclaimed in admiration.

“Wow, that’s amazing. You’re exactly the same.”

‘The prophecy Woo Sung-woo told me wasn’t complete nonsense after all.’

Moroso’s canines were fully visible between his lips.

“Amazing?”

Moroso asked fiercely, pulling Rembrary closer and staring at him with menacing eyes.

“Rembrary. What’s so amazing? That I’m alive? That I’m in one piece? Huh? Tell me. What’s so amazing?”

His attitude was so ferocious that Ki Sung-hyun, who was standing next to him, couldn’t stand still.

Ki Sung-hyun kept fidgeting with the chain in his hand, wondering if Rembrary and Moroso would start fighting.

Rembrary looked back and forth between Ki Sung-hyun and Moroso, then at the other hunters huddled together in the distance.

There seemed to be seven or eight of them, and they all seemed embarrassed by Moroso’s sudden outburst, constantly glancing their way.

Thinking that Moroso would die of anger before they could even catch the demon, Rembrary decided to calm Moroso down first and then talk.

Making a quick decision, Rembrary reached out and warmly cupped Moroso’s cheeks with both hands.

“I’m glad you’re safe, Moroso.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Moroso threw Rembrary to the ground.

After landing on his feet, Rembrary turned around and saw Moroso glaring at him, his neck red.

“You’re trying to get away with that again…!”

“Why would you throw someone because you’re embarrassed?”

“I’ll kill you!”

Ki Sung-hyun quickly grabbed Moroso from behind as he charged forward.

Moroso wasn’t really planning to kill him, so he reluctantly stepped back while huffing and puffing.

Seeing that Moroso had calmed down a bit, Rembrary leisurely straightened his clothes and asked.

“But what’s this about a hotel demon appearing here? What’s going on? I only heard that you needed help, but I didn’t get any details.”

Moroso didn’t answer, so Rembrary looked at Ki Sung-hyun.

Ki Sung-hyun slowly released the hand that had been firmly holding Moroso, and then, seeing that his superior seemed to have calmed down, answered Rembrary’s question.

“I didn’t see it myself. I received a report. It seems that there are many people reporting it right away because the video of the incident at the time was uploaded.”

“Were they all real reports?”

“There were some prank calls, but most of the reports had similar circumstances and situations. So, I sent an investigation team here first.”

Ki Sung-hyun had only said that he would move to investigate the demon.

But listening closely, it seemed that other investigators had come and gone before him.

“Things didn’t go well, I see. Seeing that you and Moroso came here directly.”

“Yes. We only confirmed that the demon definitely appears in this area. The only gain we got was capturing one victim. Although I don’t know if it can be expressed as capture.”

“Capture?”

Rembrary recalled the demon’s appearance and the way it attacked people.

Everyone who was touched by the demon disappeared as if erased with an eraser. But they captured a victim?

“Did you stop the demon during the attack like me, so some were erased and some were unharmed, something like that?”

Moroso’s expression darkened.

Seeing the change, Rembrary detected a strange nuance in Moroso’s words.

‘Come to think of it, do people usually say ‘capture’ a victim? Don’t they say they rescued or saved them?’

“But how did you capture the victim? Did they disappear and then reappear?”

It wasn’t a question he asked expecting it to be true. It’s a bit strange for a person who disappeared to reappear.

However, Ki Sung-hyun’s expression changed suspiciously. The word ‘capture’ seemed to have a significant meaning.

“You have to tell me everything to get help.”

When Rembrary rebuked him, Moroso, who had been quietly watching the situation, turned around and coldly ordered.

“Follow me. I’ll show you.”

* * *

Rembrary followed Moroso and Ki Sung-hyun, but the hunters who were standing at a distance did not follow.

“Who are they?”

He thought they were the ones who came with Ki Sung-hyun, so he asked curiously. Ki Sung-hyun lowered his voice and replied.

“They are hunters from the Lyra team. My colleagues.”

“But why are they so far away?”

“They are working in their own way.”

To Rembrary’s eyes, they just seemed to be watching him.

However, it didn’t really matter even if that was the case, so Rembrary nodded and continued to follow Moroso.

“This is it.”

Moroso stopped in front of a large container warehouse.

“Did the survivor turn into this?”

When Rembrary exclaimed, Moroso glared at him as if telling him not to talk nonsense and opened the warehouse door.

“Go in and see for yourself.”

Rembrary slowly walked towards it.

As soon as he went inside and turned his head, an unusual sight caught his eye.

Someone was tied up while standing, and people wearing white gowns were gathered around him, holding charts and discussing with each other.

However, what surprised Rembrary was not that the person was tied up.

“You… aren’t you…?”

It was because the director of the official hunter research lab, whom Rembrary had targeted to save the people from another world who had been captured in the past, was there.

The director of the research lab also smiled brightly when he saw Rembrary and shouted.

“It’s Mr. Rembrary!”

“You’re Song…?”

“Song Seo-ho.”

Song Seo-ho put the chart down on the silver cart next to him and approached with a welcoming face.

“I’ve seen you on the news several times, but it’s even nicer to see you in person. I didn’t like that you suddenly disappeared.”

“Why would you care that I disappeared?”

“I joined Redrin [presumably a hunter support organization] after seeing Mr. Rembrary, so I was upset when Mr. Rembrary disappeared. But I still pay my donations regularly even if I don’t go to the gatherings.”

Rembrary’s expression softened a bit when he realized that the other person was a believer [in Redrin].

“Redrin will love you.”

Other researchers exchanged envious glances, seemingly jealous of Song Seo-ho, who would be loved by Redrin in the future.

Rembrary smiled contentedly and pointed to the tied-up person.

“But why is that person tied up? Moroso said he had captured a victim here. He looks more like a criminal than a victim.”

“Aren’t you surprised?”

“Surprised? What should I be surprised about?”

Song Seo-ho looked at Rembrary with strange eyes and said.

“This person’s skin is translucent like a jellyfish, and his blood vessels are black.”

“Ah.”

At Rembrary’s exclamation, the people wearing white gowns also glanced at each other with unknown gazes.

He wondered why, so he stood there blankly, and Song Seo-ho raised the corners of his mouth and said.

“You’re a strange person the more I see you.”

Rembrary moved closer to the tied-up person.

The appearance of black blood vessels under the skin that had become translucent like a jellyfish was a combination he had never seen in Earthlings after hearing about it.

“Is this person really a victim who was attacked by the demon that appeared in the hotel?”

“Yes. He disappeared and then reappeared like this. That’s not all.”

Song Seo-ho looked around, then brought a long wooden stick from one side.

When he poked the person’s cheek with it, the person, who had been staring blankly, suddenly tried to bite the wood like an animal.

“Besides, he’s become very violent.”

“Anyone would become violent if you poked their cheek with that.”

“Ah, of course, that’s true. But this person… should I call him a person? Anyway, this person seems to have an excessively high level of aggression and no reason. He can’t even speak, and he tries to bite anyone he sees. Just like a zombie.”

Rembrary frowned at the word zombie.

Zombies were not as strong as individual demons, but they were monsters that were difficult to deal with because they were highly contagious.

But this jellyfish-like person is like a zombie?

“Is it contagious?”

“I was wondering about that too. Whether other people turn into that when they are bitten or not. If they turn into that, they really look like zombies, right? Although the appearance is very different.”

“Does it change?”

“I was going to test it, but…”

Song Seo-ho closed his mouth in dissatisfaction. It seemed that the test he was trying to do had met with great opposition.

“So, you don’t know if it’s contagious.”

“When I analyzed the blood, there were many differences from ordinary people’s blood. Something was missing, and something was added… That’s the state. It would be nice to have more samples. But for now, it’s just this person.”

Song Seo-ho smiled and tapped Rembrary’s arm a couple of times.

“If you find something like this again, capture it and bring it to me.”

It seemed like there was nothing more to hear, so Rembrary went out of the container warehouse.

Ki Sung-hyun and Moroso seemed to not want to check inside, so they were wandering outside. When Rembrary came out, they finally approached.

“Did you see it?”

“I saw it.”

Rembrary gestured towards the container warehouse and asked Moroso.

“Moroso. Do you know where and how that rift demon will appear? When I saw it before, it came out randomly.”

“I know it comes out randomly. But anyway, it comes out in this area. So, I sent the people living in this area far away. Since that demon only comes out through people’s hearts, it will choose one of us to attack.”

Rembrary understood why Ki Sung-hyun, who always traveled alone, had brought Moroso and his other colleagues this time.

It was to attract the demon’s attention.

Ki Sung-hyun, with a dark face, asked Rembrary, who was nodding.

“The person inside is my colleague.”

“There were more than one or two people.”

“The victim… We must catch that demon. If it’s not a demon that just kills people, we must, must catch it here to prevent further damage. Please take care of it.”

Afterward, Ki Sung-hyun gave Rembrary a map of the nearby area.

A crooked circle was drawn on the map with a marker.

“Based on eyewitness accounts, this is the range where the demon appears.”

“Is this the central point? Should I wander around this area and look for it?”

“No. Mr. Rembrary, please stay at the central point, and if someone asks for help, please go there and draw out the demon.”

* * *

“Damn Rembrary.”

What could be more annoying than receiving help from someone you resent?

Moroso recalled Rembrary, who was acting gentle and soft as if he didn’t remember what he had done, and walked through the alleyway nervously.

Seeing that bright smile after a long time, he was reminded of Kamuel, and his heart ached and became painful.

He also resented the past when he believed in that kind of thing. Because of that crazy guy wearing a kind mask, Mary…

At that moment. Moroso heard a short scream not far away.

‘That demon?’

Moroso turned urgently.

Before long, Moroso saw the demon’s hand trying to dig out the heart and the appearance of his subordinate hunter in agony.

Moroso urgently knocked away the demon’s hand that had stretched out from his subordinate’s heart and tried to turn it into powder.

However, unexpectedly, instead of the demon’s hand turning into powder, Moroso’s hand poured out blood and disappeared.

It was the same phenomenon as when the person next to the victim and the demon’s hand touched at the previous hotel.

Moroso, who had thought he would be fine because the high priest Rembrary had grabbed the demon’s hand and was fine, was flustered but calmly drew his sword.

If he can’t touch it, he can use a weapon.

In the meantime, more of the subordinate hunter’s body was disappearing.

Moroso carefully raised his sword.

He had to avoid the subordinate who was twisting his body wildly and only attack the demon’s arm. He had to concentrate.

At that time. A gentle voice was heard from above.

“Need some help?”

When he turned his head, he saw Rembrary sitting on the wall.