The Cat is on Strike 80

Could that thing even still be called human? The malice pinning Edler to this world seemed to have burned away every last shred of his humanity.

The thought barely formed when a chill raced down Ries’s spine.

—Dodge!

Sefiut’s voice rang out, and in the blink of an eye a massive hand lunged into Ries’s vision.

“Kyeng!!”

Startled, Ries leapt high. His agile feline body twisted out of the way with ease, but the assault didn’t stop there. Those murderous hands came again and again, relentless, leaving him no time to breathe.

He bolted for the tightly shut door, pawing frantically at the handle, but it wouldn’t budge. He tried to dart for the window, but Edler—like he had eyes in the back of his head—blocked every escape as if it were nothing.

“Kuhahahaha!”

Far from frustrated, Edler was enjoying himself. It was clear he was savoring this cruel game—terrifying his prey, driving it into a corner, relishing the chase.

If the office had been smaller, if Ries had been a little slower, or if his body weren’t so small, he might already have been caught. The thought alone sent ice trickling down his neck.

Sefiut tried to draw Edler’s attention but only ended up being kicked across the room a few times. The dusty shoe marks smudging the carpet stuck out strangely vividly in Ries’s eyes.

Then suddenly, moving faster than Ries had ever seen him, Sefiut zipped up to his ear and whispered:

—I’ve got a way.

“Waowong? Myak!”

A spark lit in Ries’s mind. In the chaos he’d forgotten—but of course, they had a ghost on their side.

A power that bent cause and effect. Hadn’t Sefiut mentioned it himself? But all Ries got was a sharp denial.

—No. I told you already, didn’t I? I can’t use that now. I burned it all putting that descendant brat into a deep sleep. Tsk, tsk. All muscle, no brains, that one… Anyway, I’m just a haunted doll now. I can fly, I can talk, and that’s it.

“……”

Ries darted under the desk and squeezed his eyes shut. Then what the hell was he supposed to do?

He had good instincts, decent luck, and thanks to his feline body, reflexes sharper than ever. Dodging Edler’s clumsy grabs wasn’t hard.

But his stamina was limited. His focus was fraying fast. He was starting to wear down.

That’s why he’s enjoying this so much.

Anxiety gnawed at him.

Should I just hold out until someone comes?

With Edler tearing the office apart, maybe the racket would draw someone to open the door.

Or maybe those who discovered Count Averitt’s escape would search the mansion and eventually storm in.

No. Ries quickly dismissed the thought as he dodged another kick that rattled the desk above him.

It was possible. But if Edler could cause this much chaos without being noticed, it meant he’d already taken precautions.

Which meant no telling when help would come—or if it would come at all. Waiting it out was nothing but a gamble, and not one Ries trusted himself to win.

His thoughts were a tangled mess, but Sefiut’s voice remained calm.

—I’ll hold him down. You slip out and find my descendant. If you stay near him, that thing won’t dare show its face.

The words carried such firm conviction they almost inspired trust. Ries hesitated only for a moment—until a metallic screech split the air, making him snap his head up.

“Drawn out too long, a final amusement before annihilation. Nameless spirit beast, your sin is this: you stayed by my son’s side, followed him, taught him happiness! He has no right to that. No right! He should never have it. He stole my world from me… Heh. Heheheh.”

Edler—wearing Averitt’s skin like a mask—grinned. The sword in his hand gleamed cold and merciless.

Damn. Just when it seemed he was easing off, he decided to bring out a weapon.

“Don’t worry. I’ve no taste for tormenting the weak. I’ll end you quickly.”

His tone was gentle, almost tender, utterly at odds with the weapon in his hand and the murderous aura pouring from him.

But only for a moment—then his demeanor snapped. Shaking his head like a lunatic, he suddenly shouted, voice feverish with excitement:

“No. No! I can’t do that! I’ll peel off your skin, carve away your flesh layer by layer, crush your entrails, gouge out your eyes! Only then will he suffer as I did—no, worse than I did! Ahh, why did it take me so long to think of this!!”

The words stabbed into Ries’s ears, so cruel they hardly seemed real. But Sefiut’s scathing reply followed right after.

—Not even worth listening to. You feel it too, don’t you? That thing can’t be called human anymore.

In the reflection of his own round, simple, catlike features, Ries could almost see a mocking smirk staring back. Strangely enough, it steadied him, pulling him back from the edge of panic.

In both life and death, the malice Edler had nursed for countless years had eroded his very essence, clouding his soul and driving him into madness. Spirits without bodies were always more easily swayed—but in the end, this was nothing more than the result of his own choices.

Sefiut’s body floated higher, his voice firm, as if entrusting Ries with a final command.

—Ries, you remember what I told you, don’t you? When the time comes, escape this place and find my descendant. He’ll be able to protect you. And you—since you’ve always proven reliable when it comes to Justyn—I believe the two of you will take care of each other.

“…Myak? Wae-ooong! Ang!”

Something was wrong. Ries could feel it in his bones.

Sefiut’s voice, when he called Ries’s name, carried a strange warmth. That warmth lingered in his words, seeping into every syllable. And with it came an unfamiliar unease that wrapped itself around Ries’s legs like heavy chains.

Why was he speaking that way? Like he wouldn’t be here much longer.

“You’ve been a nuisance from the start.”

The chilling words cut through the air. Gone was the frenzied, mad shouting from before—Edler’s voice now was flat, emotionless.

His hand clenched the sword tighter. His wrist twisted. Every moment etched itself into Ries’s eyes in unbearably slow motion.

I have to pull him down.

The decision came instantly. Drawing attention in front of a man ready to strike with a blade was insanity—like throwing a lamb before a starving wolf.

If this went on, Sefiut would be split clean in two. Ries had to leap, grab him, and run. Everything else could wait.

His hind legs coiled, ready to spring—when Sefiut’s voice dropped from above, heavy with bitter resignation.

—Now I understand. The curse binding my descendant wasn’t just one.

Ries’s breath caught. The air seemed to dim as though the sun had slipped behind the clouds, shadows spilling across the world.

—This body’s been nothing but bones for ages. I thought I had no right to meddle in the struggles of the living… But you, you’re no different from me. A corpse that walks.

“A-ah… ahh… ahh…”

—And unlike me, you’re a fool. After all these years, you should’ve realized by now: when you curse someone, when you wish misery on them, you must be ready for that malice to come back and destroy you. Today, you’ll pay for every vile act you’ve committed.

A strange, alien energy spilled out of Sefiut, devouring the light in the room.

Then, in an instant, the world shifted.

Before Ries could blink, black tendrils burst from Sefiut’s body, streaming outward.

They surged like a ravenous tide, ready to consume everything, or like flames so fierce they threatened to devour even their own source.

“Ghh… grrrghhk!”

Edler, already unstable, began to convulse violently. His eyes rolled back, his body twisted in agony, and he trembled like a man shackled by massive chains. He couldn’t move an inch.

And Ries realized—this was the moment Sefiut had spoken of.

I can escape.

With Edler bound so tightly, there was no way he could be caught. Ries remembered the path; if he bolted now, he’d reach the council chamber and find Justyn safely.

He only had to bring him back. The unconscious guards would be healed, Count Averitt would be thrown back into prison with heavier charges, Edler would lose his puppet body and vanish, and Sefiut would—

“……”

Ries’s paws pressed hard into the floor.

…What about Sefiut?

The unease came crashing back. That same cold dread he’d felt earlier—the certainty that something terrible was about to happen. His instincts screamed:

He had to stop Sefiut.

His memory stirred. He had felt this before.

—You hailed me as a hero once, and now you call me a plague? You rats, hiding in your holes, dare to judge me?

That furious voice echoed in his head. He remembered the brief flicker of raw emotion in Sefiut’s eyes, the black flames that had burned brighter because of it.

Back then it was only a fragment of his power, yet even that had been terrifying—like he was carrying part of Justyn’s curse himself. A weight so heavy it was impossible to measure.

Now it was worse. Perhaps because he had a body again through the doll, that same oppressive force was even sharper, clutching at Ries’s legs like iron chains.

The truth was obvious: If this continues, it’ll destroy him.

If Sefiut poured out any more of that power, he’d disappear. The talking, flying doll that people once mistook for a fairy would collapse back into nothing more than a rag stuffed with cotton.

That couldn’t happen. Ries had known it from the moment he grew attached—this was the only possible ending.

But he had a better plan.

Just you wait. The moment this is over, I’m tossing you straight into the laundry room.

With a calm recklessness only he could manage, Ries darted—not toward Sefiut, but to the toy chest in the corner of the office.

Pababat! He flung the lid open, grabbed the topmost item in his jaws, and bolted back.

With supplies secured, the next step was simple.

Back in position, he sprang high into the air.

Whack!

He didn’t hesitate. His paw swung with everything he had.

—Urgh!

He hadn’t unsheathed his claws, but it was a full-force blow, an unexpected strike from an angle Sefiut hadn’t anticipated.

The spirit was knocked aside almost too easily.