Chapter 24
— — —
Chapter 24: Destiny
— — —
Se-ah’s mind was in turmoil as she listened to Yeon So-hyeon’s words.
His story, a chaotic blend of past and future, was impossible for her to process.
"Are you truly prepared to see your 'righteous' cause through to the end, even if it demands countless sacrifices?"
Se-ah had assumed that if there were to be sacrifices, they would be limited to herself and those who shared her convictions.
"Even if your actions lead to the deaths of innocent people who had nothing to do with this?"
"That could never happen!"
At her reply, So-hyeon turned to look at her.
"Urgh?!"
Se-ah’s pupils dilated.
Her vision was filled with a stark white mask—clumsy and crooked, yet terrifyingly eerie.
Yeon So-hyeon, wearing the mask, slowly raised his hand.
"That must have been why. Those who kept such good hearts buried deep within themselves were destined to vanish alone."
As he raised his hand, a frigid winter wind brushed past his fingers.
"In the end, to change the flow of the great river that is history, a commensurate amount of blood must be shed."
He gestured with his hand, and for some reason, the wind seemed to grow stronger.
Se-ah shivered in the freezing gale.
"But those good-hearted souls cannot bear to watch such a vast number of innocent people be sacrificed just to twist the river’s course."
He tried to grasp the cold wind, but it merely scattered and flowed through his fingers.
"And so, even if their names were left in disgrace and tarnished, they sacrificed only themselves."
He lowered his hand, having merely stirred the empty air.
"Even though, in the end, nothing changed."
His masked face tilted to the side.
"...Was that a futile sacrifice? Was that, in the end, the unavoidable destiny of you sisters?"
Se-ah could not follow Yeon So-hyeon’s train of thought.
"I do not know what you are talking about..."
But Yeon So-hyeon was already gone.
"In my youth, I dreamed of changing the world, but I realized it was a misguided dream."
His voice was profoundly gloomy.
"Since then, I have lived with the sole wish of finding peace in poverty and contentment."
Se-ah hurriedly turned her gaze toward the direction of the voice.
"?!"
So-hyeon was already standing atop the wall, looking down at her.
She could not fathom what kind of trickery Yeon So-hyeon had employed.
Was the Swordless One of the Luoyang Sword Clan hiding his true martial arts?
Yet, she felt a dark shadow cast by him that went beyond mere martial prowess.
"But because of the status I was born into, peace and contentment were impossible."
Though the distance between them was great, for some reason, she felt as if his voice were echoing right beside her.
"So, I sought tranquility. I hoped that if I discarded my desires again and again, I could be as free as the wind passing through a net."
His voice was laced with a metallic rasp that grated against her eardrums.
"I failed."
He spread his arms toward the sky with an exaggerated gesture.
"I ultimately failed to change the destiny I was born with. In the end, I knelt beneath the star that governs me."
The movement was like that of an actor on stage—theatrical, yet not ridiculous; it drew out a deep, emotional tremor.
"...However, the destiny of you sisters has not yet been decided."
It was no longer the voice of the Young Master.
It could hardly be called a human voice at all.
Composed entirely of a deep, metallic resonance, it was harsh, cruel, and filled with a strangely sorrowful echo.
"I shall watch over your destiny."
There were no eye holes to be found on that mask.
Yet, for some reason, Se-ah felt a gaze far more piercing than if she were looking into someone’s eyes at close range.
"I shall see whether your destiny will intersect with mine, or if it can be intertwined."
Wearing the white mask and the white robes of a scholar, his figure began to melt into the darkness.
"My path is the Path of the Demonic Underworld, where a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood lie in the Demonic Realm Beyond Humanity."
Into the deep darkness, into the blade-like winter wind, his figure vanished as if melting or scattering away.
"I pray we do not meet upon that path..."
Were his parting words a prayer born of concern, or a mockery of fate?
Se-ah stared blankly at the wall where the Young Master had vanished, as if under a spell.
Before long, the clouds parted, and the moonlight beautifully illuminated the tiles on the wall.
But beneath that soft, gentle moonlight, the Young Master was nowhere to be seen.
— — —
* * *
— — —
As long as an organization like the Black Bone Faction operated primarily in the back alleys, rapid personnel turnover was inevitable.
Nevertheless, the Black Bone Faction was the easiest organization in all of Luoyang to recruit new members for.
Luoyang was a massive, luxurious commercial city with a population of millions, and what supported that splendor was an even greater darkness.
People whom even the government offices dared not attempt to count lived in the slums.
'Do you want to survive in the slums? Then join us.'
The Black Bone Faction was not the kind of organization that required special skills to join.
In fact, it didn't matter if you were lacking in more than one area.
It was actually better that way.
It was far more advantageous for recruitment if one lacked things like empathy, common sense, or mercy.
And such "lacking individuals" were rotting away in the slums in abundance.
The rest didn't matter.
Once you joined and spent time with your brothers and sisters, you would naturally be molded into a fine member of the Black Bone Faction.
And so, their numbers were growing smoothly again today.
— — —
* * *
— — —
Amidst the common scenery of the slums found anywhere in Luoyang, there was a Black Bone Faction branch.
They called it a "branch" with a fancy name, but it was nothing more than a den, even by generous standards.
"Yawn..."
The brute guarding the entrance to that den was a prime example of someone who had become a fine member through the aforementioned process.
His father had lost his life to bandits while working for a transport agency (or so he had been told).
While his mother did her best to survive, he, too, had done his best on his own, managing to scrape by somehow.
In the process of growing up, he realized that he had far more things he lacked than things he possessed.
He also realized that this was an immutable law.
That was why he had joined the Black Bone Faction.
Together with his new brothers, he became obsessed with venting the resentment and bitterness he had accumulated over the years.
The skull tattoos etched onto his body grew one by one.
He was grateful that this path was surprisingly well-suited to his aptitude.
'Finally, just a few more jobs and I’ll be promoted. Heh, then I can take the underlings I get and get my hands on that wench next door...'
He even had constructive future plans like this.
Just thinking about walking the streets leading his future subordinates made his chest swell with pride.
Once that happened, there would be no one in the neighborhood who would dare look down on him.
Actually, it didn't matter if they looked down on him a little.
He was more drawn to that.
Wasn't that why he wanted to crush that wench next door even more—the one who always looked at him as if he were filth?
"Is this the Black Bone Faction branch?"
He was in the middle of imagining things to do with the wench next door, and his groin was beginning to feel heavy.
He waved his hand dismissively.
"Get lost."
But the stranger was persistent.
"I asked if this is the Black Bone Faction branch?"
He sighed.
"Kid. We don't recruit scrawny little runts like you, so get lost while I'm being nice."
"I didn't say I came to be recruited, did I?"
The boy, head held high, shrugged his shoulders.
Under normal circumstances, he would have beaten anyone wearing such an "unpleasant mask" to a pulp the moment he saw them, but he was in a very good mood right now.
"Fine. This big brother will give you a special interview."
He held up a fist, calloused at every joint.
"Try to endure two hits. If you do, I’ll personally recommend you so you can get in."
From beneath the mask that shone stark white in the moonlight, a sound of blatant mockery leaked out.
"I told you I didn't come to join. You dense fool."
"You little sh*t, then what are you here for?!"
Beneath the mask covering half his face, the boy’s mouth tore open, revealing sharp teeth.
"Huh? Uh...?"
The brute wanted to scream, but no sound came out.
It wasn't just his voice that failed him; he couldn't move his body either.
He could not understand what he was seeing.
"I'm telling you kindly because you're a 'gatekeeper'..."
The thing that had approached his side in an instant stood on its tiptoes and whispered in his ear.
Its breath was a chill that could slice through flesh.
"I have come to devour you all."
"...?!"
As the thing gave the brute a light push, an irresistible, massive force sent him flying.
He flew effortlessly through the entrance he had been guarding, and only stopped after bouncing two or three times in the filthy, narrow hallway.
"Ugh, uh..."
He couldn't even breathe from the shock.
Pain surged through his brain.
While he writhed on the floor like a worm, rubbing his back against the ground, the thing approached with a light gait.
It smiled as it looked down at him.
It was a pure, innocent smile, but inside its mouth, teeth like needles and awls were packed densely.
He felt a terror he had never experienced before from that smile.
"Now, now, sing me a song."
"Ugh!"
What kind of song was he supposed to sing in this situation?
Soon, he would have the opportunity to understand the thing's words all too clearly through his own body.
"If I were to name what's important when singing, the first is, of course, breathing."
Its hand crept toward his abdomen.
"And breathing starts right here."
The scene had a comical air, like actors performing a play.
"Now, take a deep breath—."
The hand that reached the center of his abdomen dug into him without mercy.
"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!"
The hand that had burrowed into his belly was chillingly cold.
And then, a searing, scorching energy began to melt his internal organs.
"You've mastered the first step perfectly!"
The brute’s movements ceased as his internal organs were melted away by the Demonic Qi of the Darkness-Suppressing Heaven-Shaking Classic.
"Unfortunately, you won't have the chance to learn the second step."
*Kik-kik-kik*, the mask rattled, letting out a grotesque laugh.
The mask, which had never been completed, had finally reached its full, grotesque potential upon meeting the madness and resentment of its wearer.
"W-what is that?!"
"Which bastard is it?!"
Startled by the death throes of their massive comrade, the members of the Black Bone Faction rushed out, weapons drawn.
The scream had been so harrowing that some had even sprinted out barefoot from their sleep.
However, despite their relatively swift response, they were all forced to stop dead in the hallway.
"U-uh, uh?!"
They were all struck speechless.
The abdomen of their fallen comrade was blown wide open, and melted entrails and bubbling blood flowed sluggishly down the slanted corridor.
And that thing, which looked as if it had just crawled out of a nightmare, waved a hand drenched in crimson blood to greet them.
"How are you all doing? Isn't it a lovely night?"
0 Comments