DEB 110

The Waiting One swam swiftly into the depths of the lake as soon as the two entered. 

Though underwater, Moot skillfully followed, holding onto Huiyun tightly. 

As their eyes adjusted to the darkness, they began to feel a faint thump, small vibrations.

“……”

The group exchanged glances, gave each other a nod, and resumed moving. 

Only upon reaching the lakebed could they confirm the source of the tremors.

Thump… Thump.

A massive, pulsing entity clung to the lakebed, expanding and contracting like a beating heart made of tough, fibrous muscle. 

Even without explanation, it was clear—this was the source of the swamp.

Then who was the ruler of the swamp?

Turning to investigate, they saw a large figure curled up like a fetus, floating in the water some distance away. 

His long hair drifted lazily with the current. 

Huiyun, struck by a sense of familiarity, retraced his memory and quickly realized who it was. 

He tapped Moot’s shoulder.

There.

When he pointed, Moot blinked in acknowledgment. 

A moment later, the Waiting One approached and pointed at Huiyun, then at the one presumed to be the ruler of the swamp, then motioned downward, indicating he’d head to the source. 

Huiyun nodded, and the Waiting One swam off. 

Huiyun and Moot began approaching the ruler.

That’s when it happened. 

Something…

……

A clear yet sorrowful voice pierced his mind without warning. 

It was just like when he had spoken with the eyeless bird.

Moot flinched, seeming to have heard it too, and halted. 

They had gotten closer, but the swamp’s ruler remained motionless.

“Something broke the order of the swamp.”

The voice continued.

“An overwhelming wave of death came, one I couldn’t control. From that, a second ruler was born, but neither of us could stop it. So I called you.”

You called me? How?

Focusing on the voice made its resonance stronger.

“The swamp is collapsing. Guardian of the Earth, kill me and stop the swamp’s wrath. If you don’t, the overflowing death will seize the world, and everyone will surrender their will to live.”

Shhhk.

The swamp ruler’s eyelids lifted. 

The eyes that emerged were a deep, pupil-less gray as he stared at Huiyun.

“Fortunately, your other self has already guided the souls here. Now the swamp can be brought down.”

“…”

“Kill me. The swamp will always return. I will be reborn there.”

And just like that, the one-sided conversation ended. 

The swamp ruler said nothing further, simply hugging his knees like a child as he gazed at Huiyun.

His gray eyes seemed to plead: “Please, grant my wish—kill me now.”

Huiyun rubbed his chin, not hiding his troubled expression.

Kill the swamp’s ruler and suppress the aftermath of its collapse? 

How did he get roped into something this complicated?

He had only come to deal with a headache for the Bureau, but ended up caught in a massive event. 

Killing the ruler and returning was supposed to be it, what was this talk about the swamp collapsing? 

And how was he supposed to clean that up?

Even thinking about what needed to be done made his head pound, and he squeezed his eyes shut.

It seemed the ruler had lost the power to control the swamp due to the unexpected change. 

If he, as its ruler, had chosen to abandon it and rebuild elsewhere, what could outsiders like them possibly do?

The only choice was to respect the domain’s owner and honor his request.

Leaving the swamp unattended would only invite greater disaster.

Better to trigger the collapse now, while they could still contain it, rather than risk it happening when they were gone.

Resolved, Huiyun tapped Moot. 

Understanding his master’s intent, Moot snapped his fingers. 

From the lakebed, hundreds of skeletal soldiers rose, each wielding weapons made of bone.

“Will this be enough?”

His expression seemed to ask. 

Huiyun nodded. 

With the ruler having lost the will to resist, taking his life would be easy.

Before initiating the attack, Huiyun looked toward the Waiting One’s direction. 

If Moot had heard the swamp ruler, surely the Waiting One had too. 

He assumed he’d either completed his investigation or was on his way. 

His judgment was right, he was surfacing with visible urgency.

Huiyun pointed at the swamp’s ruler. 

Wondering how to convey his intent effectively, he finally drew his thumb across his throat. 

The Waiting One approached the ruler.

He gestured and moved his limbs to communicate. 

Though no words were heard, it was as if he understood the swamp ruler’s intent, nodding, shaking his head, then finally returning to Huiyun and making a circle with his fingers.

“It’s done.”

Huiyun signaled Moot again, and he ordered the skeletal soldiers to attack.

Suddenly, the two of them were grabbed by the collar. 

“……?”

The Waiting One urgently dragged Huiyun and Moot toward the surface. 

As he blew bubbles, seemingly shouting something, Moot continued to move the skeletons. 

Huiyun lowered his head to see what was happening below.

The skeleton soldiers surrounded the swamp ruler and attacked all at once, ending his life.

The being, who had been taking shallow breaths, sank to the bottom. 

Had he wished to live, he wouldn’t have died so easily. 

But since he willingly gave up his body, no miraculous resurrection occurred.

Thud!

The moment his body touched the lakebed… 

Woooooom!

The entire lake shook violently. 

Only then did Huiyun realize why the Waiting One had so urgently dragged them upward. 

The source, quaking from the tremor, exploded, and a massive geyser shot up from below.

Now Moot looked more desperate than the Waiting One. 

He quickly enveloped Huiyun and surged toward the surface.

“Pwah!”

Breaking the surface and catching his breath, Moot climbed ashore. 

The Waiting One followed, panting heavily.

“So… what happens now?” 

Huiyun wrung water from his soaked clothes.

SSHHHHH!

The geyser that shot up nearly touched the ceiling before collapsing in a loud crash, sending waves everywhere. 

In the sudden chaos, the group quickly retreated. 

The Waiting One finally spoke as they moved.

“The swamp ruler abandoned the swamp, the source exploded, and the prisoners here will rampage. The swamp itself has gained will and will try to escape this space. We must stop it.”

“Wait, prisoners? But the ruler said my other self had already guided all the souls away?”

“There are two kinds of sinners here. Those who can atone for their sins and reincarnate, and those who will wander this place forever. The former were saved by him. But the latter… they can’t be saved. They’ve remained here too long, lost their memories, their sense of self, even their emotions. They’re no different from monsters now. We’ll have to erase them to avoid disaster. For now, let’s head to the surface. We must block the swamp’s exit and end everything related to it there.”

“If we go up, what are you planning to do?”

“…Unfortunately, I don’t have the strength to help you. As someone born from this swamp, all I can do is witness what happens.”

“You won’t become the new ruler of the swamp?”

Huiyun asked just in case, but the Waiting One shook his head without a trace of hesitation.

“This swamp has already been tainted by something from the outside. I’ve already spoken with the previous ruler. I… will leave the swamp and head upward.”

“…So you’re saying you’ll go to the outside world.”

“Yes. I need to find out why the swamp turned out like this.”

“Did you find anything at the source?”

“I did. The power of the Demon Realm is at work here. Most of the new souls that entered recently also came from there. Something suspicious is definitely happening. To understand the situation, I’ll need to investigate more thoroughly.”

“I understand.”

“…You’re more composed than I expected. I thought you’d be a bit more surprised.”

At that, the Waiting One sounded genuinely surprised, but Moot let out a cold snort.

“When things go to hell like this, there are always only two options. Either some massive idiot screwed up, or the demons got involved. I was already guessing the latter, so I’m not exactly shocked.”

The Black Swamp had originally been a domain within the Demon Realm. 

The fact that it suddenly manifested aboveground through a gate and became unstable gave more than enough reason to suspect the demons had a hand in this.

“…I see. I’ll open a path to the surface.”

The Waiting One explained that the underground tunnel had been created by him. 

And he wasn’t lying, once they returned to the place where Huiyun had first encountered him, a single wave of his hand split the ceiling open, creating a passage leading upward out of the swamp.

“Oh, that’s handy.”

Huiyun offered praise without holding back and sprang into action. 

Pop!

Kicking off both walls of the passage, Huiyun launched upward. 

With one final push, he leapt as if levitating and exited the tunnel. 

His stifled vision opened wide, and the gritty air tainted with death mana rushed into his lungs.

“Huh? Yasha!”

“Master Yasha!”

“Thank the heavens, you’re safe!”

As he continued to ascend into the air, familiar voices echoed from below. 

His disciples.

Seeing his disciples completely unharmed—with even the faint swelling around their eyes clearly visible—Huiyun gave them a faint smile and greeted them.

“It really feels like it’s been a while! Perfect timing. Get ready for battle!”

“Huh?”

“…?”

The disciples looked utterly bewildered at the sudden and outrageous request, but Yasha paid them no mind and landed on solid ground alongside Moot, who was carrying the Waiting One.

Kwaaaaaang!

Black water surged through the passage behind them.

“Well then. Let’s do this.”