Chapter 266: Decay

Byung stared at the robed figure, his heart pounding heavily in his chest. Something was deeply wrong. The air felt heavier, colder, and saturated with an ancient, suffocating malice that made his corrupted mana twist uncomfortably inside him.

"What the fuck are you talking about!?" Byung shouted, immediately getting defensive. "What are you?"

The creature gave no reply. It simply stood there in complete silence, its small frame draped in the tattered dark robe from head to toe. Two large, blackened horns curved upward from beneath the deep hood, but no face, no breath, no movement was visible.

Byung's eyes darted around nervously. Everywhere the creature stood, the grass had turned black and withered. Flowers crumbled into dust. Nearby bushes rotted and collapsed. A ring of death was spreading outward from where it stood.

"I'm standing out of range…" Byung muttered to himself, trying to reassure his racing mind. But when he looked down, his stomach dropped. The ground beneath his own feet was already beginning to darken. Small cracks spread across the earth, and tiny plants near his boots were wilting rapidly.

He was well within range.

The creature still hadn't moved or spoken. It simply existed, radiating pure, silent decay.

Byung took a huge step backward, trying to create distance. But before his foot could even fully plant on the ground, the being appeared inches away from his face.

There was no sound. No blur. No flash of magic. It had moved faster than teleportation itself — an instantaneous, unnatural shift that defied logic.

"Shit—!" Byung stumbled violently, losing his balance. He fell hard onto his back, the feral mask cracking slightly against the ground as he looked up in shock.

The creature now towered over him… except it wasn't towering at all.

Up close, Byung realized just how small it actually was. No bigger than a goblin — perhaps even slightly shorter. Its robed frame was deceptively petite. Yet the sheer weight of its presence made it feel enormous.

Byung's breathing was ragged as he stared up at the figure. Strangely, the death effect that was destroying everything around them didn't seem to touch him directly. His skin wasn't rotting. His body wasn't weakening. The corruption in his veins even seemed to pulse in strange resonance with the creature rather than fighting against it.

With trembling hands, Byung reached up and slowly pulled his damaged mask off, revealing his face.

The creature leaned forward slightly. For the first time, the deep hood shifted just enough for Byung to catch a glimpse of what lay beneath.

His eyes widened in disbelief.

It looked like… a child?

A small, pale face with delicate, almost innocent features stared down at him. Smooth skin, framed by the massive, ominous horns. There was something unnervingly childlike about its appearance — like a young boy no older than ten or eleven — yet its eyes held an ancient, bottomless void that belonged to something far older than time itself.

The child-like entity tilted its head slowly, studying Byung with quiet, unnerving curiosity.

Byung's voice came out hoarse, barely above a whisper.

"What… the hell are you?"

The creature remained completely silent. It simply continued to stare at him, its small robed form radiating an aura of inevitable death while its childlike face remained eerily calm. But it's horns cracked to reveal a vibrant new color.

And in that moment, Byung understood one terrifying truth:

This thing was not here by accident.

And it had come specifically for him.

-

Grishka stood motionless behind the bone throne, her sharp eyes scanning the ongoing orgy. What had started as a night of celebration was now stretching longer than expected. Minutes had slowly bled into nearly an hour, and her worry for Byung grew with every passing moment.

Byung would never stay away this long — not during something this important. He was obsessive about control, especially during rituals that involved his blood and future army. Something was wrong.

Grishka turned and gestured sharply to Naruz, who was standing near the front of the ceremony. Her massive hands moved with clear authority in their shared sign language.

"Take over. Watch everything. Ensure the ceremony continues properly. Do not let them stop."

Naruz blinked once, then bowed her head deeply without hesitation. She knew exactly who Grishka was. The strongest orc she had ever seen — even stronger than the famed Maui. That natural respect ran deep. Naruz also understood a harsher truth: if Grishka ever decided to slaughter everyone in this settlement tonight, there was no one here powerful enough to stop her.

"As you wish," Naruz replied softly. "I will guard the ritual in your place."

Grishka gave a single nod of approval and immediately stepped down from the raised platform. She moved with surprising silence for her massive size, slipping away from the roaring bonfire and the loud moans of the breeding pairs. Her eyes were locked on the direction Byung had gone earlier.

She followed his trail with ease — crushed grass, faint footprints, and the lingering trace of his essence in the air. The further she moved from the settlement, the heavier the night felt. An unnatural stillness hung over the forest.

Just as she reached the main gate, a pale hand suddenly grabbed her thick wrist.

Grishka stopped instantly, her body tensing as she looked down. Valera stood there, still visibly weak, her silver hair messy and her posture slightly unsteady. Yet her eyes were sharp with urgency.

"Grishka," Valera said quietly, her voice low but firm. "Don't go alone."

Grishka signed quickly with her free hand.

"Byung has been gone too long. I must find him."

Valera had no idea what she was saying but had enough mana to read her mind, she tightened her grip slightly, refusing to let go.

"I know. But there is something out there. Even in my weakened state, I can feel it. My magic is almost gone, but this… this doesn't need magic to sense. It has a familiar feel. Something dark, twisted, and older than this realm itself. Older than most things that should be walking this land."

Grishka's eyes narrowed. She signed again, more urgently this time.

"What is it? Is Byung in danger?"

Valera shook her head slowly, her expression troubled. "I cannot say exactly what it is. But it feels… wrong. Like death given form. It called to Byung. That's why he left. I felt the pull too, but I'm still too weak to follow it properly."

Grishka looked out into the dark forest, then back at Valera. Her hands moved with rare hesitation.

"I cannot leave him out there alone."

"I'm not asking you to," Valera replied. "But rushing in blindly may make things worse. This thing… it's not like the dwarf's companion. It doesn't rage. It doesn't hunger. It simply exists, and everything around it dies. Be careful, Grishka. Byung needs you alive."

Grishka stared at Valera for a long moment, weighing her words because she had no idea what half of what she said meant, all she knew was she needed to find Byung now more than ever. Finally, she gave a firm nod and gently pulled her wrist free.

"Stay here. Protect the ceremony if anything happens. I will bring our King back."

Grishka showed her respect because Byung had established her as one of her mates.

Valera released her grip, watching with visible concern as the towering orc woman disappeared into the darkness beyond the gate, heading straight toward the source of the unnatural presence.

The night felt colder than it had any right to be.