Making Seo Ji-yeon an Ally.
I’m not going to turn her into a monster, but it’s worth trying to negotiate.
As they say, "Strike while the iron is hot," I left Songdo and followed the strong demonic aura, which seemed to be purging the demons again.
One side was already stationary, which likely meant that Choi Sia was fighting.

"This must be the place."

If that's the case, then Seo Ji-yeon must be in this direction.
There’s a presence moving a lot to the east of Yeonsu-dong.
If she’s trying to provoke me, it’s a good tactic. Maybe Yoo Jin-seok told her I’d appear if she hung around here.
It’s not far from Songdo, after all.
Honestly, even if I got lost, I was planning to find my way. Seo Ji-yeon is one of my favorite characters. Who wouldn’t want to toy with their favorite character, right?
So, I came.

"Heh. Is this the right answer?"
"The Photographer of Death. Seo Ji-yeon."

She’s practically one of the top two Hunters in South Korea.
Even Noah, the Flower of Death who kills people with a scent, or the master hunters from other guilds, would get caught by her camera and fall under her spell.
She’s someone who should never be made an enemy.

"Oh, you knew, huh? Does that mean negotiations are possible?"
"Yes. I came here to negotiate too."
"Join us in Seoul?"
"No."

Joining Seoul was impossible.
At my words, Seo Ji-yeon gave a bitter smile.
How would a woman like Seo Ji-yeon react in bed?

"Then does it have to be force?"

Force could hurt.

"I don’t really want to fight."
"Well, as a monster, I have no choice but to follow Hunter rules. Despite the appearance, I was a candidate for the Apostle."

Before I knew it, I had entered her camera, her finger poised at the lens.
And then she spoke.

Click!

In that moment, I fell into her inner world.
It was a pure white space, but it was filled with frames, as though it was showing me her mind's eye.

Clap clap clap clap clap

Seo Ji-yeon clapped her hands.

"As expected, impressive. It’s been a while since someone resisted my click."
"Oh my, that’s too much. Even though we’re women, this is straight-up kidnapping, isn’t it?"

I never imagined I’d end up in Seo Ji-yeon’s mental world.
Was it just an empty space, like it was described in the original?

"It can’t be helped. Am I not enough of a match?"
"Can mental attacks even work here?"

This is why Seo Ji-yeon is a terrifying woman.
A strong opponent can trap someone in their inner world and unleash any kind of attack. They can mentally kill their opponent.
To overcome this, you need to withstand until Seo Ji-yeon drops out, or you need to have similar mental manipulation abilities to match hers.

"Yeah. For example, something like this."

Snap!

Before I knew it, the surroundings had turned into ruins.
It seemed like the setting I created for Baekhwa, and in the background, the remnants of the Black Cult and Hunter forces were fighting amidst the rubble.
The Hunter forces, led by Yoo Jin-seok, had some of the most formidable Hunters. Although the leaders of the Black Cult were all dead, they still fought valiantly, using monsters to resist the Hunters.

"What are you doing? Kill the Black Cult bastards!"
"P-please, we didn’t do anything!"
"Don’t mess with me! You women have caused so many Hunters to die with your suicide bombings!"

Even civilians living near the Black Cult’s territory were slaughtered by the Hunters.
Was this meant to upset me? Or was it just to show off her mental manipulation abilities?
But wait. If this is the stage, I can attack back too.

"I’m good at mental attacks too, you know."

It seems like I can do whatever I want in this mental space.
Why? Because this space is similar to Yoo Eun-ha’s domain. The atmosphere and the feel of this space are identical.
During the 100 years I spent with Rachel, I’d entered Yoo Eun-ha’s inner world a few times.
The concept of a mental world was created by Yoo Eun-ha, and as a reflection of her, I can control this space with my will.
So, is Yoo Eun-ha Angra Mainyu? I said that once and got a few hits for it. Ah, memories.
The very concept of a mental world is tied to me.

"No matter how much you attack me mentally, it won’t work on me?"
"This is my space, after all."

That means I can control this space too.
At my words, Seo Ji-yeon tilted her head.

"What do you mean?"

Snap!

"The Garden of Lilies!"

I lightly flicked my fingers and showed her a new world.
Two women, passionately kissing, intertwining, fingers probing each other’s most sensitive places, pleasuring each other in sweet, tender sex, while a man’s genitals were left out of the picture.
I showed that fantasy directly into Seo Ji-yeon’s mind.

"W-what is this? How… how is this possible between women?"

Seo Ji-yeon reacted unexpectedly.
Usually, when someone uses her abilities like this, they’d be shocked, but she was reacting to the yuri aspect.
This is how she always was.
Curious. Even if her life was at risk, she couldn’t resist trying something that seemed interesting.

"Of course. If women are in love, anything’s possible."

I want to pounce on her right now.

"I think I’ve learned too much. Who are you?"
"Don’t you know?"
"I’m someone who has manners, you know."

Manners? Don’t look for manners here.

"Before I tell you who I really am, there’s something I’d like to ask."
"What is it?"
"Join the Baekhwa Cult."

Be my ally!
In other words, I’m asking her to be my ally. Even the Demon Dragon Azidahaka bowed down this much.

"You want me to join a villain organization??"
"The Baekhwa Cult isn’t a villain organization. It’s a villain group made mostly of women. A group where women love each other?"

I said it somewhat jokingly, but aside from the men who remained from the Black Cult, the majority are women.

"Isn’t that strange?"
"If it’s strange, why are you wet down there?"

The dampness visible above the hot pants was impossible to ignore. It wasn’t just wet—slick moisture streamed down her thighs, an undeniably lascivious sight.

"No, I mean, this is, uh, a physiological issue," she stammered.
"Either way, it’s because you got sexually aroused and it started flowing, isn’t it?"

Of course, that wasn’t something she had actually leaked. I’d simply manipulated her mind to make it feel as though she was wet.
At the very least, she currently likes Yoo Jin-seok more. All I did was spark her curiosity about a relationship between women, nothing more.
However, at my words, she adorably shook her head and then snapped in irritation.

"Anyway, it’s not what you think! This place is a world of pure consciousness. I don’t know what tricks you’re pulling, but you didn’t just mess with me, did you?"
"Hah. You caught on?"

She noticed. This might not be as easy as I thought. Unlike the other heroines who had excuses to be devoured, in every sense of the word, from the start, Seo Ji-yeon is solid. She needs proper buildup.

"You’re caught red-handed! Alright, let’s have a battle of wills for the first time in ages!"
"No, honestly, I’ve been targeting you for quite some time now."
"What could you possibly know about me?"
"Let’s drop the pretense and see if you can figure out who I am."

At my words, Seo Ji-yeon pouted and stared at me intently.

In that moment, the veil over my body dissolved, and my appearance shifted from that of a nun to Yoo Eun-ha, Yoo Jin-seok’s younger sister.

"!!"
"Judging by your reaction, it seems you recognize me."
"Wait, hold on. Isn’t this weird? Why is Baekhwa Yoo Eun-ha? Wait, then crossing beyond the barrier… Unless you explain this properly, I’ll spank you before dragging you to Yoo Jin-seok!"

Watching her mimic smacking someone’s rear with her small hands, I couldn’t help but think she was adorable.

"Alright, alright. Have a seat. I’ll explain as much as I can for you to understand, Sis."

I shared a small glimpse of what was to come. I explained how I had peered into the future through the Akashic Record at the cost of nearly breaking my mind, and that preparations needed to be made because the Sin of Lust could invade.

Since she is my equal in this mental world, I was confident she would recognize the truth in my words. After hearing everything I had to say, Seo Ji-yeon nodded thoughtfully before opening her mouth to speak.

"If what you say about the Akashic Record is true, then wouldn’t it make more sense to join forces with Seoul? Growing a villain faction is a bad thing!"
"Honestly, the villains under me right now are people who had no choice but to act like villains. The real trash? I’ve already taken care of them myself. Now let me ask you this: do you really think the associations are in good shape right now? And what about the Blue House's dog? Don’t you think they’d use this situation to their advantage instead?"

Ha Jung-seok—if he finds out I have the Akashic Record, he’ll undoubtedly try to exploit me. That’s just the kind of person he is. For his own ambitions, he’d use capable individuals like tools until their dying breath.
There’s no room for negotiation with someone like him, and Seo Ji-yeon knows it.

After all, she had suffered because of Ha Jung-seok’s greed for her abilities in the previous timeline.

"That’s true, but… hmm."

She’s starting to waver.

With tears welling up in my eyes, I clung to Seo Ji-yeon, putting on the most pitiful expression I could muster. With a face like mine, even women couldn’t help but fall for the act when I turned on the waterworks.

"At least until we deal with the Sin of Gluttony, can’t you let it slide?"
"But as a hunter for the association, I can’t just turn a blind eye!"

She’s unnecessarily righteous—really, it’s almost frustrating. But I don’t hate women like her. She’s worth the effort of coloring in my hues.

"I’ll make it up to you with my body."
"I’m not falling for that! Besides, I’m straight!"

Even if she’s straight, once she’s caught by me, she’ll no longer need a man’s... equipment.
One swipe of my tail, and that’ll be it! It’s a flawless tail, one that even Geum Taeyang would cry in envy over.

"Come on, just give it a try. You’ll understand if you enjoy it once. Don’t you want to?"
"Wait a second. Were you always into this kind of thing?"

The fact that she’s only realizing it now feels a bit disappointing.
Isn’t it obvious? What did she think I was trying to show her earlier?