Chapter 66

Through the mask, I looked at my old comrades—no, my original comrades—from Division 3.

My heart pounded nonstop at the reality that, once again, I had to fight them in order to save them.

Surely this pain in my chest came from being forced to play the role of a villainous black mage—something far from my temperament. My pure and gentle heart was simply suffering.

When I asked the Tentacle of Suggestion for confirmation, ninety-eight out of a hundred tentacles agreed. That meant it was definitely true.

As for the one percent of conscience that disagreed—the Tentacle of Digestion—I buried it underground.

“Everyone, it’s truly an honor to meet you aga—”

“Evil black mage! Take the axe of Alexei Mikhail Gorgochov!!”

“Alexei! Tch!”

Before I could even finish my greeting, Alexei charged with his axe raised.

I barely managed to parry the blade with my tentacle as he leapt almost ten meters high toward the ceiling, but before I could even breathe, Kang Ha-neul’s spear was already flying my way.

I ducked quickly, yet the spear—dragging a pale tail of smoke—twisted mid-air and attacked again.

Unlike the Spear of Thunder, this one focused more on technique than speed or power.

I dropped from the ceiling to widen the distance, but the moment I felt a chill down my spine and turned around, Yoo Se-byeol was already in a sword-drawing stance.

“Now, Deputy Commander!”

“Got him!”

The instant her blade was drawn, the space-shift I had prepared activated.

Yet the strike that sliced even through her own space left a shockwave that reached me.

The clear ring of metal clashing against metal echoed through the cavern.

Yoo Se-byeol looked bewildered when she saw me stumble back—because from my chest, where blood should’ve been pouring out, nothing came.

“How…?”

“Heh heh. Sharp as ever, but … I’m afraid that won’t be enough to kill me.”

Thirty-ninth Tentacle — Tentacle of Armor.

It formed a full-body suit from my toes to my neck. Soft on the inside, yet the hardened outer shell was solid enough to serve as armor.

Its only flaw was how it tended to wiggle on its own.

Still, when I wore it personally, it listened to me fairly well.

When others wore it… The results were so horrific—and indecent—that I couldn’t bring myself to describe them.

“For an ambush, that was impressive. Now then—shall I show you my true strength?”

“He’s coming!”

“Mages, form groups! Counter his spells in sequence!”

As I formed hand seals and unleashed black magic, the agents swiftly responded.

Yoo Se-byeol led the charge, her vanguard withstanding my attacks through sheer resistance while the rest scattered to exploit any opening.

When coordination faltered, facing even one opponent as a group could become difficult—but they were perfectly in sync, tightening their formation until they encircled me. It was a level of teamwork that even large guild raiding parties rarely achieved.

“He even uses the ceiling—don’t let him escape!”

“Open a path for Alexei’s attack!”

Except for me, who was often dispatched to other divisions, the members of Division 3 usually operated together—so their coordination was remarkable.

“Argh! I’m caught!”

“T-Tentacles?”

“He even summons monsters now… filthy to the soul.”

“Rookies, stay back! Handle the monsters first, just like in training!”

By coincidence, they had been studying for months how to fight against mages ever since the reinforcement training. Each of them knew exactly what to do in this kind of situation.

“Good! He’s weakening!”

“Not one step back! If you retreat, your comrade dies!”

“Ugh—keep the formation till the end!”

“Don’t give up!”

And on top of that, their bond—tempered through countless snack parties—had made them so united that even in hopeless odds, they fought side by side against a stronger foe.

“Senior Kang Ha-neul! Look out!”

“What are you doing here!? You’re supposed to stay back with the wounded!”

“Cough… How could I just leave you, senior?”

“You realize it, don’t you? All the brutal training we went through—it was so we wouldn’t die like dogs against monsters like that!”

“You bastards knew that and still…!”

From the day they enlisted until now—all that time stacked up.

And so, by sheer irony of fate, every single one of them in Division 3, except me, became bound together by true trust at this very moment.

Truly, such irony…

“I won’t forgive you.”

“Uwaaaagh!”

“Damn it—he was holding back this whole time!”

“What is that thing!? How can a mage be that strong!?”

“The bond you worked so hard to forge—that’s all it amounts to. Heh heh. Now accept your end.”

Unfortunately for them, I was just stronger.

Originally, I planned to hold back, claim my wounds from Moon Ah-rin hadn’t healed, and guide them safely toward the exit.

But jealousy stirred—the evil inner Patel within me burst out—and I ended up wiping everyone out.

Why did I have to be the raid boss here?

When I came to my senses, every agent except Yoo Se-byeol lay defeated by my hand—no, by my tentacles.

“Now there’s only you left. Heh heh, why not surrender quietly?”

“I won’t. Not until I bring you down here and now.”

Yoo Se-byeol raised her sword toward me—the black mage I had become completely absorbed in playing.

Even in the face of hopeless odds, her unwavering eyes were the same ones that had once earned the trust of every member in our division, myself included. As she herself often said, she was the very model of what a Special Unit officer should be.

Of course, from my point of view, that respect came from her personality—not her skill.

“You hesitate too long, yet your thoughts are too short.”

“What… ngh!”

When I closed the distance, her eyes flashed as she threw a clumsy punch. But before she could follow up with a counter, I deflected lightly—and sent her flying into the far wall.

“Cough! Cough! How…!”

“Did you think a mage couldn’t fight hand-to-hand?”

Thirty-second Tentacle—Tentacle of Parasitism.

It was the same type I had implanted in Seona before—but this time, I used it on myself.
By letting the tentacles root inside my arms and legs, I reinforced my muscle fibers.

Sure, embedding tentacles into my own body came with risks. And though my physical strength rose, my combat sense hadn’t improved—so against a seasoned swordsman, I was still at a disadvantage. But for catching someone off-guard like this, it was more than enough.

After fighting nonstop, falling into traps, and pushing herself beyond exhaustion, Yoo Se-byeol struggled to stand. Yet even then, she refused to let go of her sword—that same unyielding spirit she’d shown during her entrance test. It stirred my own sense of rivalry all over again.

『Fear not.』

『Of course, I know. If possible, I’d like to draw out more of her power—but this is far enough.』

I reassured my concerned Outer God, closing one eye.

Through the vision of my clone, I checked the surface. Norkel and her demons were clashing with the rescue team.

She had originally planned to trap Division 3 here and flood the area with monsters—but I had stolen that role from her and sent the troops underground instead. True to her nature as a succubus, she was no match for direct combat—and the looming fear of the Saint of Salvation arriving any moment had already made her consider retreating.

“You’re lucky. Your comrades are almost here.”

“You… I’ll… defeat you… someday…”

“Oh, I’d love that. But let’s save it for next time. This place will soon disappear—by the hands of monsters far beyond either of us.”

Time was running short.

In downtown Daegu, Flauros was slowly awakening her power in preparation to face the Apostle of the Outer God. The heat was already reaching this underground cavern. If I didn’t leave soon, it would be too late.

Just when I was about to send Division 3 to safety—something went wrong.

“It’s been fun, Deputy Yoo. If we both survive, let’s have a proper duel next time.”

“……”

“Deputy Yoo?”

Her head drooped—she’d fainted.

She’d been marching south nonstop for the railway restoration, then got caught in a trap and wandered underground for two days straight. And after all that, she fought me. Her stamina had simply run out at the worst possible moment.

“What should I do, Mala-nim?”

『Fear not?』

“I didn’t misjudge my strength!”

Sure, my Outer God was right—but in my defense, she and her team were the ones shouting things like, “We’ll overcome this with the power of friendship!” and “Hayan’s not even here, so he doesn’t count!” They practically provoked me!

Well, there was no helping it now.

I’d just have to throw her toward the exit myself. She wouldn’t be able to bring everyone to the surface alone anyway, so maybe this was for the best.

There were other demons and Awakened up there, so I used the Tentacle of Transparency to stay unseen.

“Hmph. Weak. That’s all you’ve got…?”

After casting a sleep spell to keep the fainted agents under longer, I carried them up to the surface. Thankfully, Norkel seemed to have already withdrawn.

After moving the agents to a passage where the rescue team would easily find them, I went back down again—to bring out the last one remaining: Yoo Se-byeol.

A little away from the wall where she had collapsed, I spotted her sword sheath lying on the ground.

“Must’ve come loose when she went flying earlier.”

I picked it up and checked inside.

The sheath, saturated with the blood of a Star, looked old and ordinary at first glance—but I could feel the dense trace of divinity within.

“Think this one’s absorbable too?”

『Fear not!』

“All right, all right—no need to get angry.”

『Mala!』

Apparently, according to Velada, the blood of a Star equaled a Star Scar, so I thought I’d ask my dear Outer God. But my Outer God made it very clear this wasn’t one—and even sounded offended by the suggestion.

That meant it had nothing to do with me.

I wasn’t about to make a Philosopher’s Stone out of it or resurrect a dead Archduke anyway.
Besides, this sheath was clearly meant to suppress the Incarnation dwelling inside Yoo Se-byeol.

From above, I heard the distant footsteps of the approaching rescue team. I extended my Tentacle of Transparency.

All I had to do was toss Yoo Se-byeol, along with her sheath, to the exit, and everything would end neatly.

I was just starting to feel lighter when—

Slash!

A sharp sound cut through the air, followed by the jarring sensation of a tentacle being severed.

When I turned, the tentacle I had stretched toward Yoo Se-byeol was dissolving into transparent liquid as it died.

“Deputy Yoo…?”

“……”

She slowly rose to her feet—as if she’d never collapsed at all.

But her movements were wrong, like a puppet’s body moving without a soul.

Then I saw it—a horn sprouting through her bangs, twisting upward—and instantly knew something had gone terribly wrong.

I tried to pull back, but—

“Die! Die! Die! Dieeeee!!”

“Guh!?”

The blade swung with monstrous strength, shredding my Tentacle of Armor to pieces.