I'm the Only One With a Different Genre - Chapter 168

Chapter 168

Thank you for the daily bread.

***

At the topmost floor of the Demon King’s Castle, in a tower that seemed to pierce the sky, a chilling ritual was taking place—so terrifying that just perceiving it made one feel like they might lose their mind.

The walls and floor of the room where the ceremony was being held were made entirely of dark red Blood Obsidian, exuding a foreboding atmosphere. Only a select few, recognized by ‘Him,’ could enter this space, and the group of black-robed figures gathered here were all beings who could easily be called ‘the strongest.’

The dark room, as if night had fallen, was illuminated by a massive brazier burning with purple flames. Rather than warmth, the fire radiated a cool, eerie energy, casting light on the altar.

The altar was so black that it seemed to be made of the darkest substance in the world. Its glossy surface resembled the cut face of marble.

Just as a black cat wandering through the darkness is hard to distinguish from the shadows, the pitch-black altar was so dark that it appeared less like an object and more like part of the shadows themselves, or something sculpted from them.

The intricate gold patterns etched along the edges of the altar and the red jewels embedded at intervals helped to outline its shape.

A red carpet was laid beneath the altar, and upon closer inspection, one could see a magic circle drawn in blood. On top of the altar lay a human—Lian—resting peacefully as if in sleep, his body positioned straight.

The only peculiar thing was that both his left and right hands were smeared with something like black mud, completely covering the seals engraved on each hand.

“Let the ceremony begin.”

Whoosh.

One of the black-robed figures spoke in a heavy voice, causing the flames in the brazier to flicker as if stirred by a sudden gust of wind.

Rumble…!

At the same time, a suffocating pressure began to weigh down the space. It was a presence far beyond the gravity that had oppressed the Duke’s party—it was an overwhelming force that made everyone in the room tremble with ecstasy.

The Existence, known as ‘Him,’ looked down upon them.

The oppressive aura, so intense that it was difficult to even speak, signaled that the ritual had truly begun.

‘At last, He descends to the mortal world..!’

One of the Outsiders, a fanatic who had taken over the body of a Dark Fantasy resident, approached the altar with a blissful smile, lost in rapture.

‘Ah, I can already hear the despairing hymn of praise for Him ringing in my ears.’

The fanatic, unable to hide his twisted grin, raised a large silver goblet in his hand. The goblet, clearly no ordinary item, had patterns engraved on its surface that glowed faintly green.

Drip.

The black liquid inside the goblet began to flow down Lian’s body. As the ritual proceeded according to the predetermined steps, the magic circle beneath the altar started to glow ominously.

Squelch.

Along with the sound of something slimy crawling, Lian’s body twitched slightly. The Existence, known as ‘Him,’ began to force His way into Lian’s body.

Crunch.

‘…?!’

Just as He had pushed in about the size of a finger, He felt the tip of it being severed. The severed part of His being was absorbed into the human body—into some void within.

Shocked, the Existence hastily tried to pull His essence back out. Or rather, He tried to.

Crunch, crack!

Something unknown, as if unwilling to let go of its prey, began gnawing and devouring His form, refusing to release Him. Though the sensation was limited to something akin to hair or fingernails being chewed off, the fact remained that this was an impossibility.

Barely managing to sever a small part of Himself and escape, the Existence growled as the entity residing within Lian’s body fell silent once more.

‘Hah…’

For a moment, He was so taken aback that He was at a loss for words. Even after several more attempts to reclaim Lian’s body, He could only lose more bits of Himself, like strands of hair and nails.

The Existence wasn’t the only one who was flustered.

“W-what could possibly be the problem?”

“What’s inside him that’s causing this…?”

The black-robed figures performing the ritual were equally bewildered, frantically searching their knowledge for an explanation, but to no avail.

Rumble!

As the situation spiraled out of control, the enraged Existence trembled. The sky wept, and the earth shook as if an earthquake had struck.

Crunch!

The Existence violently forced His way into Lian’s body once again, blindly grabbing hold of something and yanking it out. His intention was to devour whatever was gnawing at Him from within.

But what He pulled out was something entirely different from what He had expected.

[ Aaaah! ]

Lian’s soul, glowing faintly with a blue light, emerged, flailing in confusion. With wide eyes, Lian stared directly at the Existence, his face blank as if he couldn’t comprehend what was happening.

[ Uh… Hello? ]

‘…!’

As Lian casually raised his hand in a friendly wave, the Existence frantically shook His hand as if something disgusting had touched it.

[ Ugh! ]

Lian’s soul, seemingly unbound by the laws of the physical world, floated right through the wall and vanished. The Existence, belatedly contemplating whether to retrieve the human soul, decided against it, thinking that a soul of such low rank would have already been devoured by His pet waiting outside the door.

What mattered now was dealing with the unknown entity that had dared to bite off a piece of Him.

Being a being of such supreme rank that even looking upon Him was impossible, He was far too arrogant. As a result, He didn’t question why a mere human soul could stare at Him without going mad or disintegrating. To Him, a bug was still just a bug, no matter how strangely it behaved.

As Lian’s soul flew out of the room, the Existence erased him from His awareness.

***

[ Huh? ]

Lian’s soul, having been flung out of the room, came to a halt when it collided with a massive dog standing just outside the door. Judging by the fact that his ethereal form couldn’t pass through it, it was clearly no ordinary dog.

“Growl…”

The sight of the dog, as large as a small mansion, growling and drooling, was the stuff of nightmares. Though Lian still didn’t fully grasp the situation, his immediate priority was to avoid getting bitten and survive.

Lian bent slightly at the waist, showing his palms as he slowly backed away.

[ E-easy there… ]

Muttering softly, he reached into his pocket and began rummaging around. His hand slid easily into the large pocket, perhaps because his soul was still wearing the same clothes as his physical body.

[ …! Got it! ]

A bright smile spread across Lian’s face as his fingers brushed against the item he had been hoping for. He cautiously took a few steps back while slowly pulling something out of his pocket.

[ Here, here… look at this. ]

What emerged from Lian’s pocket was a bone, as thick as a human arm, far too large to have fit in there naturally. The dog’s sharp gaze gradually softened as it watched.

“Whine, whimper.”

Its tail began wagging, and it even rolled its body playfully, begging for attention.

‘Phew. The gag filter is working well.’

One of the characteristics of the gag world: dogs and puppies go crazy for bones. The straighter and prettier the bone, the better the effect!

The dog, now rolling on its back with its belly exposed, looked incredibly cute. Lian considered petting it for a moment but decided against it, fearing he might get bitten. Instead, he tossed the bone, as large as his torso, out of the nearest window.

“Howoo!”

The dog, letting out an excited howl, leaped out the window in pursuit of the bone. The creature, known as a Behemoth and the Existence’s pet, crashed through the window with a loud thud.

Crunch, crack!

The window frame and railing were instantly shredded, and part of the wall crumbled away.

‘…Good thing I didn’t try to pet it.’

Lian breathed a sigh of relief and quickly poked his head back into the room where his body lay.

[ ….! ]

His physical body, soaked in some unknown black liquid, was sitting up on the black altar, staring blankly into space.

“It seems I’ll need to find a new body.”

A voice unfamiliar to Lian echoed in his ears. He turned toward the source of the sound and saw a figure in a black robe, with the hood pulled low, speaking in a troubled tone.

“At least the body hasn’t been completely lost…”

“….”

“It seems the mind has disappeared, though.”

Lian, wanting to better understand the situation, cautiously floated back into the room. Fortunately, the black-robed figures didn’t seem to notice him, showing no reaction to his presence.

‘His gaze is gone too.’

The suffocating presence that had been so palpable just moments ago had completely vanished. Though he didn’t know why, Lian could tell that the Existence had left.

He floated toward his body, which was hovering in midair, its eyes blinking slowly. As he approached, sounds he hadn’t been able to hear before began to reach his ears.

[ Damn it, what the hell is wrong with this body! ]

A voice, trembling with fear, echoed from within his own body.

End of Chapter