Chapter 97

‘Panz, the god of evil is about to awaken through your body.’

 

‘Can you hear me, Panz? You’re being used by the dark sorcerer!’

 

Panz, eyes still closed, faintly furrowed his brows at the voices of Silri and Rahar echoing one after another.

 

His eyelids felt unbearably heavy, making it impossible to open them at once—but their voices were so vivid, so clear, that he couldn’t block them out even if he wanted to.

 

‘Panz, both your body and your mind will be devoured by the god of evil.’

 

At Silri’s words, Panz scoffed inwardly.

 

God of evil? What on earth were they talking about?

 

But Rahar’s next words instantly hardened his expression.

 

‘Look at the fire attribute swirling inside you! Even though it’s the element you’re supposed to control, it’s no longer obeying you!’

 

That, Rahar said, was proof that Panz was being used as a vessel for the god of evil.

 

Only then did Panz realize just how violently his fire attribute was raging inside him. His eyes snapped open in shock.

 

And there he saw Pahomel—with his back turned—chanting an incantation meant to bind Panz’s consciousness.

 

Pahomel clearly assumed Panz wouldn’t wake so soon, and had already begun the ritual.

 

Above Pahomel’s head, a thick black smoke was forming: the dark spell meant to drag Panz’s consciousness out of him bit by bit.

 

The moment he saw it, Panz understood exactly what Pahomel was attempting.

 

He jerked his body upward and cast a fire spell toward Pahomel.

 

But his entire body was already bound by dark magic—his flames didn’t reach Pahomel at all.

 

Startled by the sudden attack, Pahomel tightened the dark bindings around him.

 

“Why did you wake up?”

 

‘Damn!’

 

Struggling uselessly against the dark restraints, Panz quickly decided this couldn’t go on and shouted desperately: “Rahar!”

 

‘Rahar! Summon me! Right now!’

 

Startled, Rahar responded instinctively to the call, and Panz was pulled straight to Rahar’s location.

 

Pahomel’s eyes widened in disbelief.

 

Panz had escaped—but since he was still bound by a contract with Rahar, responding to Rahar’s call meant he could be summoned instantly.

 

‘I forgot about that for a moment,’ Pahomel muttered with a click of his tongue as he withdrew the dark spell.

 

Even though Panz escaped, it didn’t matter much anymore.

 

Panz’s body was already complete—crafted perfectly as a vessel for the god of evil.

 

All Pahomel needed now were the souls required to break the god’s seal.

 

Wherever Panz went, whatever his contractor or companions tried, in the end Panz would be consumed.

 

Pahomel dissolved the ritual calmly and turned toward the window.

 

***

 

 

Summoned by Rahar, Panz appeared and froze at the scene before him.

 

All the humans and spirits—except Enria, Belona, Roseanne, and Tearen—were gathered in one place, staring at him.

 

Enria had gone straight to the infirmary with Roseanne to heal the nearly unconscious Tearen.

 

Belona, exhausted, followed them as well.

 

Panz instinctively sent a flicker of hostility toward Hayden, the holder of the Oracle—only to freeze when Hayden casually reached out and touched one of his horns.

 

“It’s hard.”

 

“Don’t touch that, Hayden. It’s a symbol of demons.”

 

“Symol of demons?”

 

“Yes. Only bad ones have it.”

 

“Ohh.”

 

As Caldeon spoke, Hayden puckered his lips in a tiny sigh of wonder. Silri smiled faintly, finding Hayden’s reaction adorable.

 

“Let go of it for now, it’s dirty.”

 

Caldeon pulled Hayden’s hand away from Panz’s horn as if handling something filthy, even flicking his hand afterward.

 

Panz stared upward at his own horns, as if checking whether they were really dirty.

 

Then Silri, Undy, Lonn, and Rahar—still technically his contractor—started nagging him just like they had before he fell into the dark sorcerer’s grasp.

 

Their bond hadn’t fully vanished after all. For people who had been trying to kill one another moments ago, the reunion was oddly normal.

 

“Dark magic has seeped into your entire body.”

 

Caldeon ran a hand around Panz; the places his hand passed cleared instantly—but the deep-seated dark magic remained untouched.

 

He expected this.

 

He looked at Silri.

 

“The moment the god of evil is unsealed, he’ll be devoured.”

 

“Yeah, that’s what it looks like,” Silri said, her expression heavy.

 

Panz turned to her.

 

“Are you saying… my body has already become the vessel for the god of evil?”

 

“Unfortunately, yes.”

 

“……!”

 

“It’s useless to run. The moment the sealed god awakens, your body and mind will be consumed.”

 

At her words, Panz’s face hardened to terrifying stillness. His expression hollowed with despair.

 

Then Hayden spoke.

 

“Baby can erase it.”

 

All eyes turned to Hayden.

 

“Baby can erase.”

 

“You can?”

 

“Mm. Baby has holy power and black power, two kinds. Baby can erase bad dark magic inside horn.”

 

At that, Eva snapped her fingers.

 

“Right! I read that once. If both holy power and black power enter the body at the same time, even internal dark magic can be purified.”

 

Hayden nodded once and looked at Panz.

 

“But you disappear.”

 

Panz—and everyone else—stared wide-eyed.

 

Hayden explained that if he erased the dark magic inside Panz, the vessel would collapse, and Panz would be completely annihilated.

 

So Panz had to choose.

 

Panz frowned deeply.

 

‘Choose? As if either choice leaves me alive…’

 

It was a choice only in name; both paths ended in his disappearance.

 

Caldeon, unbothered by Panz’s dilemma, asked Hayden: “How do you know that?”

 

“Read dark magic book.”

 

He said it with simple cheer, referring to the book he’d read during his kidnapping.

 

Caldeon let out a quiet sound of amazement.

 

“Remembering that is impressive.”

 

Graum muttered in awe, while Silri corrected him:

 

“No, the impressive part is that he can even read a dark magic book.”

 

“Genius, genius—they said it, but to think he was this genius.”

 

Even Rahar muttered in admiration.

 

Silri, oddly smug, smiled.

 

“He received the blessings of countless spirits the moment he was born! And I named him myself—of course he’s special.”

 

Eva frowned.

 

“Why are you acting like you’re the one being praised?”

 

But Blizzan shrugged.

 

“She was there when he was born, she named him… she’s closer to him than any of us. It’s natural she’s proud.”

 

“Still not his parent.”

 

“But as close as one.”

 

Even Windel added in agreement, and Eva’s expression soured further.

 

At that moment, Lonn—who had been watching Panz’s expression—finally spoke.

 

“You’re wondering which choice is better.”

 

Panz looked at him.

 

“When gods created you, it was to help humans.”

 

“You devoured humans and your companions out of greed, and became a being of evil. Accept annihilation as atonement.”

 

“…….”

 

“God will welcome your annihilation—and grant you rebirth.”

 

Panz stiffened.

 

Lonn wasn’t wrong.

 

But whether the gods would truly grant him rebirth after annihilation was uncertain.

 

If they did, Lonn’s advice would solve everything.

 

But Panz still longed for strength—and he still wanted revenge against the dark sorcerer and the Oracle’s holder.

 

He couldn’t accept annihilation so easily.

 

Then Hayden tilted his head at Panz.

 

“Baby can use absolution.”