Chapter 129: Tree Live's For Only 24 Hours...

Inadu stood before the mansion's grand doors, her fingers twitching, ready to blast them open with magic.

But she paused.

She turned and glanced over her shoulder at Kang, who was grumbling behind Jenny.

A plan formed in her mind.

A scene from a detective movie she had watched with Alex yesterday surfaced in her thoughts.

The detective had outsmarted the culprit by tricking them into opening the door—rather than forcing their way inside.

Her eyes lit up.

This could work.

She snapped her fingers.

"Jenny, you're with me."

Then, she turned to Kang with a devilish smirk.

"Kang, you're the decoy."

Kang froze, pointing at himself.

"Me?"

He let out a dramatic sigh, rubbing the back of his neck.

"If it were a sexy woman, I'd say 'my pleasure.' But an old man? Jeez…"

He grumbled under his breath, shaking his head.

But after a moment, his expression changed.

A wicked grin spread across his face.

"Well, whatever. That half-dead geezer's about to be fully dead with just one punch."

Kang cracked his knuckles.

His self-defense training—learned from watching karate shows on TV every evening—was finally about to pay off.

After that horrifying ghost house incident, where he had almost sacrificed his soul because his wife conned him into believing a monster house was an angel, he had vowed never to trust her judgment on anything supernatural.

But now?

Now, he had a chance to prove himself.

Even if his opponent was just an old man.

"Sorry, buddy, but I need to show off in front of my wife."

Still grinning smugly, Kang pressed the doorbell.

The Door Opens… Slowly

RING~ RING~

Inadu cast a concealment spell on herself and Jenny, ensuring that the old man would unconsciously ignore them.

There was no response from inside.

Kang frowned.

RING~

He pressed the doorbell again.

Then—

CLICK. CLICK. CLICK.

The sound of multiple locks being unlatched filled the air.

A second later, the door creaked open just a fraction.

A pair of cold, calculating eyes peered through the gap.

The kindly old man who had welcomed the two teenage girls earlier was gone.

Instead, there stood a different person entirely—

His face was expressionless, his voice flat and monotone.

"How can I help you?"

He did not open the door fully, only just enough to observe Kang.

Kang's eyes narrowed.

"Can you send the girls out?"

He folded his arms, trying to look intimidating.

His voice was firm, serious—pressuring the old man to comply.

The tension crackled in the air.

Neither side moved.

The game had begun.

"____"

Kang's eyes sharpened as he closely watched the old man's reaction.

When Kang mentioned the girls, there was a flicker of hesitation—just for a second.

But Kang caught it immediately.

The brief pause before the old man answered told him everything he needed to know.

Then, the old man spoke—his voice calm, almost rehearsed.

"No... there are no girls in here."

He shook his head, his face unreadable.

Kang scoffed, crossing his arms.

"Do you think I'm blind, old man?"

His voice hardened.

"I saw them enter this house with my own eyes. If you don't call them out, I'm calling the cops."

The air grew heavy.

Kang wasn't backing down.

Jenny and Inadu, still hidden under Inadu's spell, exchanged a glance.

This confirmed it.

This old man was hiding something.

And whatever it was—

It was linked to the missing teenage girls.

The old man let out a deep sigh, his shoulders slumping like a man burdened by life.

"Give my old bones some rest, will you?" he said, rubbing his temples.

"I'm just a family man. My wife is in the kitchen right now, cooking something special for our anniversary."

He adjusted his glasses, his expression seemingly helpless.

"There are no girls here—except my wife. But if you don't believe me…"

His lips curled into a small, knowing smile.

"Come in and check for yourself."

As if to prove his innocence, he stepped aside, fully opening the door.

Kang hesitated for a moment—then nodded and stepped inside.

His eyes darted around, scanning the house.

Inadu and Jenny slipped in behind him, unnoticed, thanks to Inadu's earlier spell.

Inside, the house was clean. Too clean.

Everything was perfectly arranged—except for one thing.

The couch.

Its fabric was wrinkled—as if someone had just been sitting there minutes ago.

Kang narrowed his eyes.

Before he could say anything—

Click.

The old man shut the door.

And then—

Click. Click. Click.

He locked it.

Not just with one lock.

But several.

Kang spun around, his instincts flaring.

And then—

Tick. Tick. Tick.

A timer started.

Kang's stomach dropped.

It was a timer lock.

The door wouldn't open until the time ran out completely.

The locks clicked into place—one after another.

Kang's gut twisted.

Then, he noticed something strange.

The old man subtly moved his hand across the table—

Picking up two cups.

Before Kang could even register what he was doing, the cups were gone.

But Inadu and Jenny saw everything.

They exchanged a silent glance.

This man was hiding something.

"Can I know why you're looking for the girls?"

The old man's voice was warm, his smile kind—

But his eyes were sharp.

Kang clicked his tongue, smirking.

"I have no obligation to tell you, old man."

His tone was cocky, but deep inside, something felt off.

The old man chuckled, shaking his head.

"Fine, fine… It's a rainy day, and we rarely get guests. Why don't you wait here? I'll make you some coffee."

He turned and disappeared into the kitchen.

As soon as the old man was out of sight, Jenny leaned in.

Her voice was barely a whisper—

"Kang, he's the one."

Kang's eyes darkened.

This was not just an old man.

This was the monster they had been searching for.

Without hesitation, Kang started searching the living room.

But it was too clean.

Suspiciously clean.

There was nothing out of place—

Like someone had wiped away all traces of evidence.

His fingers twitched.

"Damn it... Where's the proof?"

he muttered under his breath.

Then—

A small glint caught his eye.

Something shiny—wedged under the sofa leg where the old man had been sitting.

Kang knelt down and reached for it.

His fingers closed around cold metal.

He pulled it out.

It was a silver cross necklace.

And not just any necklace.

It was small. Delicate.

A girl's necklace.

Kang exhaled sharply.

A clue.

But before he could examine it further—

Thud. Thud.

Footsteps.

The old man was coming back.

Kang shoved the necklace into his pocket.

He leaned back on the couch, stretching his arms casually.

Then, just as the old man entered—

He grinned and cracked a joke, acting like he hadn't just found evidence of something sinister.

The old man's eyes flickered—as if he was watching Kang closely.

Something about his smile felt wrong.

The old man returned with a tray.

On it—

Two cups of steaming coffee.

He placed them carefully on the tea table.

Kang grabbed one and lifted it—

Then—

"Don't drink it."

Inadu's voice was low but firm.

Kang froze.

His grip tightened around the cup, but he didn't sip.

Instead, he tilted it slightly, pretending to take a drink.

"Can I ask you something, Mister…?"

The old man's smile was calm, but his eyes weren't right.

Kang's brain spun for a fake name.

"Jason."

The old man nodded slowly.

"Jason… Do you believe in God?"

His voice was casual, friendly—but there was a flicker of something else.

Something… unstable.

Kang's stomach churned.

This guy was off his rocker.

"My patience is running low, old man."

Kang's tone turned sharp.

"Call the girls."

He was done with the mind games.

No more distractions.

No more stupid questions.

Where the hell were they?

The old man sighed—his shoulders slumping.

"Alright, alright. You win."

He gestured toward the back door.

"They left through there. They seemed scared of you. Asked me to stall you until they got far enough away."

A friendly shrug.

A casual tone.

Like he was just a helpful old man.

Kang, Jenny, and Inadu didn't even need to exchange glances.

This was it.

The proof they needed.

Because every single word that just came out of his mouth—

Was a lie.

And now, he had nowhere to run.

The old man thought he had fooled Kang.

What he didn't know—

Kang was lying too.

He had seen through the old man's excuse from the start.

"Is that so?"

A calm, feminine voice cut through the air.

The old man's body tensed.

He whipped around—

And his blood ran cold.

Two women stood behind him.

They had appeared out of thin air.

His jaw fell open.

"How did—"

THUD!

Before he could finish, a violent force slammed into his chest.

BOOM!

He flew backward like a ragdoll, crashing hard against the wall.

The old man's body hung suspended, pinned to the wall by an invisible force.

Then—

SLAM!

The door he had pointed to burst open—the lock shattering from the sheer force.

Inside—

The room was chaos.

📜 Framed pictures of gods from countless religions.

📖 Stacks of ancient books piled high.

🗿 Statues of deities lined the shelves.

A place of worship—

But also a place of obsession.

And then—

On the floor—

A dark, crimson trail.

Blood.

Leading to another door.

Inadu wasted no time.

She flung open the next door.

A staircase spiraled downward—

Disappearing into pitch-black darkness.

Kang, Jenny, and Inadu descended, the old man still floating helplessly behind them.

His mouth opened and closed, but—

No sound came out.

Heavy chains clanked.

Two teen girls sat on the damp floor—bound in iron shackles.

Their eyes went wide with terror.

At first, they thought—

The old man was coming back to torture them again.

But then—

They saw—

The strangest sight imaginable.

The psycho who captured them—

Floating in the air.

His limbs twitching.

His face twisted in silent horror.

"Phew~ Finally found you."

Inadu sighed in relief.

With a single flick of her wrist—

CRACK!

The iron chains shattered into dust.

The girls were free.

The rescued girls clutched each other, their bodies trembling.

They were free—but their eyes were still haunted.

Inadu could feel it—

The deep, lingering fear in their souls.

Then—

THUD.

A muffled sound echoed from the far wall.

A sound of life.

Then—

Mumbling.

Faint. Weak. Desperate.

Inadu's eyes darkened.

She lifted her hand—

And—

BOOM!

The iron door exploded inward.

The sight that met them—A nightmare.

Iron cages.

Row after row.

Each filled with young girls.

Some clutched the bars, eyes wide with fragile hope.

Some huddled in corners, too broken to react.

Others—

Their eyes were dim.

Like empty shells.

Like they had accepted death.

"FUCK... YOU FUCKING PSYCHO!"

CRACK!

Kang's fist connected with the old man's jaw, sending him sprawling.

His easy-going nature was gone—

Only rage remained.

Spitting on the ground, Jenny growled,

"We should take him to Jojo... he'd make his death more painful."

Her teeth clenched, eyes burning with fury.

Inadu, however—

Her face was calm.

Too calm.

"Why take him?"

she said, voice cold as ice.

"I'll make sure his death is the most agonizing one."

With a simple gesture, she released the old man from the spell—

Letting him collapse to the ground.

The old man gasped for air, his body trembling.

Then, with curious eyes, he asked—

"Are you God's messenger?"

His voice was steady, as if he had finally found his answer.

Inadu frowned.

Even now, in his final moments, the old man was still rambling nonsense.

Then—

"You remind me of someone..."

His voice weakened, but his eyes gleamed with eerie fascination.

"A priestess. Worshiped as God's messenger. They tried to burn her alive as a witch—"

"But she wouldn't die."

"Not until they gouged her eyes out."

He let out a wheezing laugh.

"I wonder... if you are the same—"

SNAP!

Inadu's hand shot out, gripping the old man's throat.

His laughing stopped.

Then—

Screams.

His life force drained at an alarming speed—

His flesh withered, his healthy body mummified before their eyes.

Then—

CRACK!

A tree burst from his abdomen.

It grew rapidly, its roots binding him to the ground—

Unmoving. Unrelenting.

The old man screamed.

But the worst was yet to come.

Inadu watched him struggle—unblinking, emotionless.

"The tree will live for 24 hours."

"Every minute, a leaf will fall."

"With each fallen leaf, the pain will increase."

"And when the last leaf falls..."

She met his terrified gaze.

"You die."

The old man's pale face twisted in horror.

Then—

He screamed.

A sound so horrific, it sent shivers down the spines of everyone present.

But Inadu turned away.

They escorted the girls out, not sparing the old man a single glance.

They sealed the basement door shut.

The screams continued—

But no one listened.

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(Author's POV)

(A/N): 

Thanks for reading the chapter!

Please give a review and power stone!!!