Chapter 139

I wandered in the middle of the desert until I found an oasis, could the feeling be similar to this? No, no matter how much I think about it, it doesn’t seem to match the pleasure I’m feeling now.

Even though I’m fighting desperately against the transcendent entity that has manifested through Dominus’s body.

When I couldn’t inflict any fatal wounds on the bastard and only met his curious gaze, growing increasingly restless with each passing moment.

Just when things were getting dire, a timely ally appeared, capable of delivering a convincing blow to the enemy.

“Master, you’ve been struggling.”

Podio, who greeted me warmly, landed gracefully before me, showing off movements that seemed to erase any distance between us.

Even when he suddenly appeared, compressing hostility to launch an invisible blade, I couldn’t sense any trace of him.

Though my spiritual sense failed to grasp Podio’s presence, even as my eyes clearly saw him standing proudly before me.

“My lady has arrived; there’s no need to worry anymore.”

The confident voice that encouraged me echoed clearly in my ears.

‘… It can’t be felt.’

That energy which had startled me when we first met in some unknown space now felt incredibly faint.

Or should I say, it wasn’t faint at all, but so overwhelmingly strong that it paralyzed my spiritual senses?

If my assumption was correct,

How much power did Podio conceal while living?

Facing just a fraction of the power displayed by the transcendent entity that descended through Dominus’s body already left me trembling with fear.

Seeing such immense power unveiled right before my eyes made me realize how oblivious I had been to such strength.

Repeatedly reflecting on my complex inner thoughts, I wondered if my expression betrayed anything.

“…Oh.”

Podio turned his head to look at me, his face revealing a faint satisfaction as he smiled.

“Seeing you perceive even this much, I feel gratified knowing I chose you well, Master.”

With a statement filled with joy, he praised me, and then gently tapped my chest with his right palm.

Though it was described as a tap, it was neither painful nor even itchy enough to be described as such, yet there was a deep affection in his touch.

Praise… Praise. I never imagined receiving such praise from her, who had treated me with a prickly attitude from the start.

Since I hadn’t experienced much praise, I was unsure how to react to Podio’s sincere compliment.

‘What is it?’

A sudden chill ran down my back, interrupting my thoughts.

At first, I suspected the transcendent entity, who had controlled its aura freely, was responsible for the coldness.

“……”

Despite Podio’s silent, displeased demeanor upon appearing suddenly, there was no sign of him releasing overwhelming power from his body.

Thus, I knew this coldness didn’t originate from him.

A momentary relief washed over me, knowing I was no longer in immediate danger of his surprise attack.

But that relief was short-lived.

Then, who could be causing this spine-chilling sensation?

Realizing this, my head turned toward the source of the coldness, despite the ominous feeling.

“………”

Aslin, whose cheeks were puffed up impressively despite being unable to move properly, was speaking rapidly towards me, even though she couldn’t produce any sound.

I could easily tell what she was saying just by looking at her lips.

The sentence was composed of three characters.

‘Who is it?’

Aslin perfectly conveyed her immense wariness towards Podio’s close and familiar mannerisms with me through her expression and those three characters.

Come to think of it, this was the first time I saw Aslin, who had taken on a human form, interacting with Podio.

Seeing Aslin express discomfort at the sudden familiarity, I felt both relieved and worried.

On one hand, it was pleasant to see her reaction to the sudden closeness.

On the other hand, I felt a bit concerned seeing her prioritize worrying about me befriending a stranger over overcoming the entity that had taken control of her body.

Podio, however, laughed playfully despite the coldness emanating from Aslin behind me.

“…You must have seen your wife chatting and becoming friendly with a strange man. I doubt it would be any less shocking than this.”

His words prompted me to imagine the situation, causing my expression to frown involuntarily.

I didn’t want to delve deeper into that thought.

While watching Aslin’s eyes narrow as she continued puffing her cheeks.

‘I’ll explain everything later, so be careful.’

I responded with my lips, mimicking Aslin’s gesture.

“…….”

Aslin stopped her lip movements, nodding her head slowly, her icy presence gradually dissipating.

Though her cheeks remained puffed up like a balloon, I decided to let it slide for now.

“There’s so much I want to hear…”

My scattered thoughts were refocused as Podio, who had appeared cheerfully at first, now stood calmly, ready for action.

His right hand pointed towards Dominus, specifically the transcendent entity residing within.

“Let’s talk after removing ‘that’ from inside Dominus.”

Even though he hadn’t witnessed the entity entering Dominus’s body from the beginning, he immediately identified something had entered and referred to it as ‘that,’ deciding his course of action.

His effortless movement, seemingly unaffected by the constraints that prevented anyone else from moving, was both simple and elegant, almost breathtaking.

Of course…

“Damn thing!”

Seeing the transcendent entity in front of me, I called it a damned thing while launching a compressed blade of hostility with a gesture.

It was a thought that her movements were nothing special, but even so, the precision with which the vacuum blades were honed was far sharper than the initial attack.

So sharp that my attempts to track them with my eyes were futile.

“…?!”

The transcendent entity, who had been displaying displeasure continuously, momentarily abandoned that stance to respond to the newly arrived threat.

Even though it was briefly startled by my attack, Podio’s high-level release of ki far surpassed anything the entity had encountered before, leaving it in awe.

Watching this, I couldn’t help but wonder if this might be the moment to defeat or subdue the entity.

After all, it’s not uncommon for a supporting character to defeat the enemy in one blow in a cliché story.

Yet, the world is not as simple as a paper novel, where even the sight of a deadly hostility can make one tremble.

Even when the entity visibly panicked more than when it faced my attacks.

No matter how obvious the panic, the entity was not someone to be underestimated.

While my attacks were effortlessly absorbed without leaving a mark, the entity struggled desperately to avoid contact, showing that Podio’s attacks were perceived as more dangerous than mine.

This realization left me with a bitter taste in my mouth, acknowledging my inadequacy.

However, beyond the criticism, Podio’s nonchalant demeanor in the face of the entity’s chaotic attack was reassuring.

“Ha! Who is coming? And why are you here?”

Even as the entity displayed no sign of surprise, Podio confidently identified it, acting as if he knew exactly who it was.

“Who are you? What makes you pretend to know me?”

The entity openly showed its displeasure.

“…This fool, pretending not to know. Even a blind man can see the gloomy space around us.”

Podio replied with a coarse tone, mirroring the playful smile he had shown when he first appeared.

Perhaps the unexpected response left the entity speechless.

“….”

The entity’s face, which had been marred by impatience, revealed a hint of unease.

Why was this transcendent entity, who maintained composure despite its exalted position, showing such anxiety towards Podio?

Was Podio’s unfamiliarity a deception, or was the entity genuinely confused by Podio’s confident attitude?

“…Pathetic.”

The entity stepped forward, having deflected Podio’s attacks, and expressed its disdain.

Even during our previous confrontation, the entity had only moved slightly, maintaining its stance.

But now, the heat and pressure were suffocating.

Yes, when the entity revealed its disdain earlier, I could feel an overwhelming heat rising from within.

Now, showing displeasure as it moved, the absence of such heat would be truly strange.

Dominus’s body, borrowed to house the transcendent entity, was filled with endless curiosity.

The golden eyes of the entity flickered with a different light than the original owner’s.

A fiery red, more intense than rubies, blazed in the entity’s eye.

“Who are you…? In normal circumstances, it would be rare for someone not close to her to meet her more than once.”

Despite the calm tone, the entity’s patience was wearing thin.

“But no matter how hard I think, I can’t recall a white-haired woman like you in my memory…!”

The entity’s rage erupted, red flames gathering in its right hand.

“If you fight me, even if you forget me, I believe you’d remember me after a while…”

Unlike when he spoke to me, the entity’s eyes now held a volcanic fury.

“Your hair makes my head spin… I could remember you if you were to lose consciousness after fighting me.”

The entity mocked Podio with a sneer.

“You’ve been beaten up everywhere, did you hurt your head badly? I can’t even recognize you.”

The entity’s voice dripped with mockery as it addressed Podio.

“Kraaaah!!”

The entity lunged forward, screaming incoherently, a madness reminiscent of Dominus’s own.

There was one difference.

While Dominus’s attacks had left severe wounds, Podio only managed to inflict a diagonal slash on the entity’s left eye with his palm.

The cut on the entity’s eye, visible even when compared to the entity’s flawless appearance, remained despite the entity’s frantic attempts to soothe it.

“Y…you…”

The entity’s hands, trembling in horror, could not erase the scar.

“How could you know the damage to my astral form?!”

Despite the entity’s deep-seated trauma, Podio remained remarkably calm.

“Because I heard it from a thousand-year-old friend.”

Facing the entity’s seething anger, I responded cryptically, indicating I knew everything about it.

“Cutting your face like that, it’s quite a spectacle.”

Podio was a mischievous trickster.