Obsession... What's That? I Just Wish Someone Would Help Me Escape - Chapter 74
I stepped closer to Number 25, who was frozen like a rusted statue. He recoiled, trembling.
Why is he so scared?
“You… You’re a demon! A vile, wicked demon!”
“Who’s calling who a demon? Do you just label everyone you dislike as one?”
“Guards! There’s a demon here! Guhk!”
“Calm down!”
I only slapped him to snap him out of it, but Number 25’s front teeth scattered like apples in a storm.
[Mercury’s Wind, Wind of the Forge.]
Whoosh― A gust of wind blew from somewhere, ruffling my hair.
Noticing a reaction from the ability control collar, I opened my hand and realized, startled, that it was charged with magic.
Did I just use a weapon enhancement skill? Does it count because my fists are considered weapons?
“Did I just use my ability?”
Did my anger and filthy temper push past all pain and restrictions, causing me to awaken?
So now, I’m not even human—I awakened while saving a kitten?
It was ridiculous but oddly fitting for me.
“Awakening wasn’t all that special after all.”
“Sthop there! The holy Eroasterth God will sthmite you!”
With his missing front teeth, Number 25 unintentionally blasphemed as he tried to call out the deity’s name.
After spitting out several garbled, inappropriate words, he gave up.
I smirked.
“Executioner. You’ve always believed yourself to be superior to us, haven’t you? Deluded into thinking you’re some grand judge with the right to pass judgment on others. But in your arrogance, you let your guard down and revealed yourself to the lowest-ranking member—and that’s why you’re in this position now.”
Number 25 muttered something angrily, but it was incomprehensible.
I looked him up and down with a pitiful gaze.
Now that I had the upper hand, there was no need to hide the fact that I knew he was an executioner.
So that’s why Number 27, who was also an executioner, had told me about the sacrificial offerings and all that.
I could understand the superiority and ease they felt, knowing that their opponents wouldn’t be able to do anything anyway.
Number 25’s face was filled with visible confusion.
I smiled, letting my emotions show on my face.
“Sometimes, there are demons who mistake themselves for gods. And you, who inflicts violence and verbal abuse on weaker beings to flaunt your superiority—you’re probably the kind of demon most in need of exorcism.”
When you strip them down to their core, they’re all the same.
Everyone has at least one or two pathetic flaws.
Time to finish him off and take his ability.
By my standards, Number 25 deserved to die, but a notification appeared, stating that he didn’t meet the conditions for ability retrieval.
There’s no way he doesn’t harbor murderous intent toward me. Or does it require something explicitly defined as “clear intent to kill”?
If that’s the case, I’ll just have to provoke him until he genuinely wants me dead.
I decided to test my hallucination ability.
The hallucination was simple: the two of them were secretly in love and had snuck out for a clandestine rendezvous.
Under its influence, Numbers 25 and 32 gazed deeply into each other’s eyes and began kissing passionately, as if the world were about to end.
“My love, should we just run away together?”
“Yes!”
They looked so disgustingly perfect together it made me want to swear.
I watched them with a blank expression.
The hallucination’s effect seemed temporary—maybe the narrative was too short?
The two men, still clinging to each other, wore bewildered expressions.
“What the hell are we doing? Move out of the way!”
“Ugh! What did you do to me? Why did I kiss him?”
Having tested it out, I decided to try something else. I turned my attention to Number 32.
“You’re an executioner too, aren’t you?”
“What the hell’s an executioner?”
I frowned and waved my hand dismissively at him.
“Forget everything you saw today. Go back, get some sleep. You dreamed that you kissed Number 25 during a secret rendezvous. The dream was so vivid you couldn’t tell if it was real or not, and ever since that day, every time you see Number 25, your heart races, and it feels like there’s an annoying splinter you just can’t ignore. That nagging feeling… those undeniable emotions…”
Number 32, his face flushed and dazed, wandered off without another word.
Number 25 pointed at me with horror, his face contorted in disgust.
“What sort of vile thing is this? You accursed demon!”
Smirking leisurely, I tilted my chin up at him.
“You fell and broke your arms and legs.”
“Aaaagh!”
He collapsed to the ground, clutching his arm and writhing in pain, screaming and rolling around in agony.
Drool and tears streamed down his face as he glared at me with bloodshot eyes.
“You… How do you possess the sacred powers of Isichil Seven…?”
“Want to get hit by a truck next? It hurts like hell.”
It seems hallucinations can manifest based on images and memories I already know.
Lying on the ground, he experienced the vivid sensation of being hit by a truck, staring blankly at the sky with hollow eyes.
This power is perfect for situations like this, where I can’t kill him because of the karmic backlash.
“Ugh… How dare an Inmaz use divine powers for such petty revenge… This is blasphemy against the gods… There will be divine retribution…”
Even as he writhed in pain, I felt no sympathy. Instead, I beamed cheerfully.
“Did you know? Most divine retribution doesn’t come from gods but from other humans. Just like what’s happening to you now.”
Which means, at this moment, I’m the one acting as judge.
