What has happened?
The space Kang Sihyun entered was Septimus's domain. It was beyond common sense why an Irregular that had already been defeated was sitting there, causing his eyes to tremble from side to side. Rubbing his eyes, thinking he might have seen a mirage, the Irregular sitting arrogantly on a chair was indeed Dekumanus. His voice trembled with perplexity.
“What in the world is going….”
“What’s wrong?”
Despite nothing having happened yet, Lee Hamin grabbed his arm as Kang Sihyun showed great agitation. The grip was so tight it caused a numb pain.
“What’s that about?”
He asked in a lowered voice. Kang Sihyun slowly detached Lee Hamin’s hand from his arm and took a breath.
“Dekumanus.”
The lord of the first dungeon that appeared in Egypt.
Son of Gula.
As each sentence was added, Lee Hamin’s gaze shifted from Kang Sihyun to Dekumanus.
“Is that the guy you and Kang Haewoon met?”
“...Yeah.”
“How is he here?”
Lee Hamin furrowed his brows in confusion, voicing the same question Kang Sihyun had. Kang Sihyun shook his head horizontally, meaning he had no clue.
That was exactly what he was wondering.
How could someone who had already died be in this dungeon?
Was he not really dead then?
A thought arose, making his heart pound rapidly. Perhaps, upon their death, the children of Gula’s souls were bound to a higher-ranking sibling.
Or maybe the siblings had the ability to revive their younger ones.
Or else.
His head felt like sparking with the multitude of hypotheses, causing a headache and an involuntary groan. None of these seemed realistic, but with Dekumanus alive and in front of him, dismissing other hypotheses seemed premature.
Silence.
Thinking he might have seen wrong, he moved closer, and the outline of the Irregular became clearer. The half-beast, half-human body was unmistakably Dekumanus.
It seemed like he had noticed him too, as for a moment, their eyes seemed to meet. The corners of Dekumanus's eyes stretched long.
That smile froze his rapidly turning thoughts.
His mind went blank, leaving only impulses.
A fleeing impulse wanting to immediately turn around and leave this place.
And a murderous intent to overpower Dekumanus and decapitate him.
The fear he experienced and the shock from Egypt intermingled, producing contrasting emotions. Caught between the two feelings, his vision narrowed. Neither Lee Hamin by his side nor Pia flying above was visible anymore. It was as if only a straight line existed, with the gigantic Irregular sitting, laughing mockingly at him.
His fingertips trembled with embedded thoughts.
He had to run.
No, he had to kill.
If he didn’t kill now, the same situation might recur.
He might lose someone.
As anxiety grew, his ears felt blocked, as if he had climbed a high altitude. It seemed as though someone was whispering in his ear, stirring ominous feelings. Just when Kang Sihyun clenched his fist,
“Kang Sihyun!”
“Tch!”
Lee Hamin grabbed Kang Sihyun’s shoulders with both hands and forcefully turned him around, while Pia pecked his head. The attitudes of the two beings, as if reprimanding him, helped his blue eyes to focus. Kang Sihyun took in Lee Hamin’s face, now close in front of him.
“Aren’t you coming to your senses?”
The boy who slightly shook his shoulders frowned and rebuked. Whether it was nagging or concern, his ears and vision cleared. Pia fluttered its wings around Kang Sihyun’s ears alternately.
“...Ah.”
“Ah, my ass. Think calmly. The children of Gula can use mental abilities, right?”
“...Yeah.”
“Then, that thing is probably similar. Why would the guy from Egypt appear in this dungeon? If it were about seeing guys from previous dungeons, then the ones you met in Russia or the Philippines should have been here too.”
Unexpectedly sharp. Kang Sihyun cleared the impulses and thoughts that had clouded his mind. Pushing aside all less realistic hypotheses, leaving only the most plausible one.
It’s a hallucination.
Everything seen here.
It was likely a hallucination created by Septimus.
“...You’re probably right. It must be a hallucination.”
His previously dazed voice became a bit clearer. Lee Hamin glanced at Dekumanus.
“Why make us see that guy, though?”
“He must have interfered with my mind.”
Though Pia had helped him escape numerous times, he had indeed allowed Dekumanus to find an opening before. Stating this calmly, Lee Hamin scolded him for being so nonchalant about it. It was him who had been spied on, yet he was the one getting angry.
If it was just
a simple hallucination, it shouldn’t be too concerning.
The more he acknowledged its existence and perceived it, the stronger the hallucination's power would grow. Trying to ignore it and move forward, Lee Hamin grabbed Kang Sihyun. Suddenly, his forearm was seized, turning him around. The boy with dark eyes narrowed them and looked ahead.
“Hey, wait a…”
“What now?”
“...Doesn’t that hallucination seem a bit too real?”
“What do you mean?”
“...It feels like it’s really alive.”
The boy muttered, watching with wary eyes as Dekumanus, like a sovereign, crossed his legs and propped his chin. Kang Sihyun looked at Dekumanus again. Certainly, his posture had changed from before.
Is it not a hallucination?
Suddenly filled with doubt, anxiety ignited.
“Could it be….”
At that moment, Dekumanus tilted his pupils to acknowledge Lee Hamin's presence. Grinning, the creature's mouth grotesquely split. Kang Sihyun felt a shiver down his spine as he grabbed Lee Hamin’s hand.
“Run!”
Their movement was so rapid and agile it was almost as if they flew rather than ran.
Boom!
Whether acting on instinct was the right decision became apparent when, shortly after they moved a certain distance to the side, a massive stone flew towards where Kang Sihyun and Lee Hamin had been standing. Had they remained there, they would have been struck without a chance to react.
“What is this…!”
Lee Hamin gasped in astonishment. The surprise attack did not end with just one.
Click, as Dekumanus, still seated, moved his finger, stones flew at them from all directions again. The boys’ feet moved quickly.
“It’s alive!”
“It’s not real!”
“What are you talking about!”
“It’s a hallucination, just that it moves!”
Feeling the attack, they were convinced. The Dekumanus they had met in Egypt and the one before them now felt fundamentally different. Unlike the overwhelming pressure that made even breathing difficult back then, now, despite the memories of Egypt causing his body to stiffen slightly, there was no real sense of pressure. Even considering his own growth, the difference was clear.
So, it’s a fake.
It just moves.
“What’s the difference then!”
But fake or not, if it could attack, it was as good as real. Kang Sihyun bit his lip at the outcry that sounded almost like an accusation.
The Dekumanus before them was an illusion created by Septimus. That fact remained unchanged. To verify his thoughts, he called for Pia, and the phantom species, fluttering its wings as if they might fall off, met Kang Sihyun’s gaze.
“Pfft!”
What it said was unclear, but it seemed to agree. Then, Pia turned around and pointed its wings at Dekumanus. Kang Sihyun easily interpreted its meaning.
A similar idea had occurred to him.
This place was an illusionary space created by Septimus. To maintain the illusion, a medium was necessary, and in this place, there was only one thing that could be called a medium.
The fake Dekumanus.
They had to defeat it to escape from this illusion.
Just then, the attack ceased, giving Kang Sihyun and Lee Hamin a moment to catch their breath. They moved to a spot where Dekumanus couldn’t see them and set down Ban Haru, who was unconscious. It was already challenging enough without having to protect an unconscious Ban Haru during the fight.
“Pia.”
“Pya?”
“Protect him.”
He gently grabbed the phantom species fluttering by his side and placed it on Ban Haru’s stomach. As their eyes met, Pia looked up at him with its characteristic clear eyes and then spread its wings wide. The phantom species grew larger. Pia, now at its maximum size as Kang Sihyun had seen, sat next to Ban Haru and opened and closed one wing as if to say, trust only in itself.
Touched, he stroked its horn and checked on Ban Haru. Lee Hamin checked Ban Haru’s breathing and heart rate and signaled that there were no problems.
“I’ll be back.”
Though it was unlikely to be heard, he whispered it anyway, in case it felt neglected, and untied the rope that had bound the boy. The shining rope returned to its familiar staff form in Kang Sihyun’s hand.
With the patient laid down and the weapon secured, all preparations were complete. Kang Sihyun, now wielding a sword instead of a staff, and Lee Hamin turned back towards where Dekumanus was.
From a distance, Lee Hamin drew the sword he hadn’t been able to use because of carrying Ban Haru and held one in each hand.
“...Can we handle that thing on our own?”
“Not sure.”
Honestly, he couldn’t guarantee they could take it down. He couldn’t remember
how they had defeated Dekumanus last time.
Moreover, their numbers and strength were much less than usual. The only consolation was that the fake Dekumanus, being an illusion, couldn’t fully exert its original power.
If anything, it was like a degraded version of the actual Dekumanus. Stronger than catastrophe-class but weaker than Gula’s actual children, so it wasn’t impossible.
Agreeing with his thoughts, the weapon hummed. Kang Sihyun gripped the sword tighter. Victory wasn’t certain, but it was also too early to decide on defeat.
They didn’t have this weapon when they faced Dekumanus before.
“We have to make it so we can.”
Finishing his thought, Kang Sihyun responded slowly to the boy’s question as they walked forward. The distance closed. Both Kang Sihyun and Lee Hamin tensed their toes, and Dekumanus’s fingers moved.
Boom!
The world of illusion created by Septimus trembled.
The boy with dual swords and the boy surrounded by radiance charged at Dekumanus together.
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