Chapter 237: Saving Hwi

The unknown whispers were like invisible claws, already firmly gripping Hwi in the palm of their hand, leaving him with no way to escape.

"What should I do?..."

Joo Joowon fell into a state of confusion.

There was no doubt that he had arrived too late.

His attention had never been focused on Hwi in the first place. It was only after obvious abnormalities had appeared in Hwi that he finally took action. Naturally, there was no way for him to turn the situation around at the last moment. What he was facing was already a soul that had been eroded until it was covered in countless wounds.

The soul now displayed before Joo Joowon was even questionable as to whether it could still be called "Hwi."

The maddening whispers echoed all around him, but Joo Joowon’s will was as firm as a rock, so he would not be shaken by whispers of this level. It was simply that everything before him left him in a difficult situation.

Hwi seemed to have already reached the point where saving him was no longer necessary.

This was his soul. Therefore, as long as Joo Joowon killed Hwi here, even if his soul had already undergone distortion, it would no longer be able to threaten him or Byeol in reality.

Joo Joowon had only known Hwi for a few days, so naturally, his feelings for him were not as deep as those he had for Byeol. He could completely bring himself to do it.

...That should have been the case.

However, whenever he thought of Hwi throwing himself toward him without hesitation when the Fatty Boss caused the building to collapse, or remembered how Hwi had completely lowered his guard against him with his Mental Power, he simply could not bring himself to strike decisively.

Hwi had never abandoned him even once. He was also desperately resisting this danger. He did not want to become a monster controlled by the Supreme Sovereign of Profound Darkness. He was merely a little cat with limited brain capacity, whose mind was filled with nothing but eating and drinking.

But what could Joo Joowon do?

What could he possibly do?

The Mental Power that had been cut off from its supply and could no longer connect with its main body was unable to borrow enough energy to think. It was even continuing to dissolve away. He desperately thought about whether there was any way to solve this situation. Even if he could not solve it completely, being able to suppress it temporarily would be enough.

No one knew how much time had passed when, suddenly, he spread his arms and embraced Hwi’s distorted and terrifying soul.

If Hwi was destined to fall, then why did he have to believe in that so-called Supreme Sovereign of Profound Darkness?

Then let Joo Joowon become the beacon of Hwi’s soul, the anchor of his mind, and the place where his soul could return.

He could take Hwi’s place and endure the whispers of the Supreme Sovereign of Profound Darkness.

Joo Joowon smiled.

A gentle, yet firm smile.

Joo Joowon did not care in the slightest about how ugly Hwi had become. He simply embraced him.

"Good Hwi, come here to me..."

"Don’t resist. Don’t be afraid..."

"That’s right. Just like a baby that has not yet been born, return to my embrace..."

Filthy blood dripped onto his body, corroding it and producing wisps of white smoke. Tentacles pierced into his body, bringing an indescribable pain. The overwhelming stench made anyone instinctively feel disgust toward the ugly creature in their arms, yet Joo Joowon held him tightly, his voice gentle as he repeatedly comforted him through his pain.

Hwi’s breathing gradually became heavier. Two different voices echoed beside his ears, and his soul seemed to have been torn into two halves. His hazy consciousness sank into darkness as thick as ink. With nowhere to resist, he could only gradually accept reality within the endless darkness.

"...Reverently receive the Supreme Sovereign of the Profound Darkness, humbly beseeching you to listen..."

"Humbly beseeching you to listen..."

No one knew how much time had passed. Amid these terrifying whispers, another faint rustling sound suddenly appeared.

It was so familiar, and yet so warm...

What was that...?

The tentacles on Hwi’s body danced wildly, stabbing into Joo Joowon’s body like countless needles and bringing him to the verge of fainting.

Yet his emotions remained stable, and his tone remained as gentle and calm as ever.

The blood flowing out continued to eat away at Joo Joowon’s "clothes." Before long, his entire "body" was completely exposed.

The suddenly intensified rejection was as though heaven and earth themselves were refusing to allow him to exist in this world. An excessively sticky and disgusting sensation spread from the creature in his arms, yet he acted as though he could not feel it at all, completely ignoring it.

He continued soothing Hwi with a steady calmness that was like gentle spring rain nourishing the earth.

Scene after scene, both familiar and strange, surfaced in Hwi’s heart.

The imposing big brother, repeatedly emphasizing...

Protect...

He had to protect...

Protect...?

What was that sound?

Hungry...

Eat...

No...

It hurts so much...

The tranquil whispers, as quiet as a spring flowing through a mountain valley, continued to echo without stopping. Compared with the voices from before that had made the cat restless and afraid, this voice made him feel much more at ease.

His body seemed to have fallen into the warmth of the sun. Almost instinctively, he stuck out his rotten tongue and began licking the ball of light that was holding him.

Within this light filled with warmth and healing, the pustules and tentacles covering his body quickly faded away. It was as though time were flowing backward. The bubbles disappeared, the ugly scars rapidly scabbed over and healed, and the familiar fur that made the cat feel an overwhelming sense of safety grew back once more.

He opened his clear golden cat eyes and let out his first meow, as though he had just been born: "Meow..."