Death

Chapter 3 — Death

After I got sent flying, I felt my vision growing hazy. I wanted to stand up but found it difficult.

My muscles were screaming painfully after getting torn. Some of my bones were also broken.

Damn it.

I was so close!

Is everything over?

As my thoughts grew muddled, I saw a black hand trying to come out from the red gate.

Using its hand, it slowly started to exit from the gate to come into this world.

What…?

I felt my heartbeat increasing rapidly as anxiety flooded my heart.

A terrifying pressure descended upon the entire area.

The temperature also dropped several times.

And due to the suffocating pressure and chilling atmosphere, Tang Jin and the others were slowly roused from their deep slumber.

"What's going on!?" Tang Jin muttered confusedly while slowly standing up. But she soon realized that the situation was now dangerous.

The others were panicking after noticing the unknown thing that was coming out from the red gate.

Everyone's face were ashen with their legs trembling from fear.

Tang Jin soon saw that I was in a really bad condition. Scared, she ran towards my location.

"W-What happened to you!?" Tang Jin asked worriedly.

I tried to speak, but with my tongue horribly wounded, I could barely make coherent sentences.

Tang Jin saw the state of my tongue with her eyes widening. She somewhat guessed what happened.

"You don't have to speak!" She said with her eyes reddening. "Let's escape now!"

Tang Jin placed my arm around her shoulders to carry me.

No, leave me behind.

I will just hold you back.

I struggled from her grasp.

However, she ignored my struggles and just continued carrying me.

"You guys! Help me carry—" Tang Jin tried to ask for help, but a powerful earthquake suddenly erupted, causing both of us to trip on the ground.

I raised my head to look at the red gate where the unknown thing was trying to leave.

And after looking at that place, my heart sank to the abyss.

There, I saw it.

A devil.

A real devil.

It was just before our eyes.

A devil that towered over us with its suffocating pressure. It had black horns that curved to the back like a crown like its slender black tail.

A cruel smile surfaced on the face of the devil.

A devilish face that was covered with a skull of a dragon. There was a pair of blue flames flickering at the depths of the skull's two empty eye sockets.

Behind it, a large bat-like wing silently unfolded to cover the grandeur of the moon.

"Who dares to make me rise from my grave?" It asked with a low and captivating voice.

Silence.

There was no reply.

Its pair of blue flames slowly turned to a pair of red flames.

Those were the eyes of the devil.

And it was angry.

Its eyes soon landed on the Dark Spirit Master who was trembling fearfully.

"It's you." Its eyes shone with a menacing light. "Hmmp. A trash vessel that is not worthy for me."

The devil's right black hand slowly morphed into a sharp claw that approached the man.

"Disappear."

The man knew he was gonna die.

"Fuck you! Don't decide whether I'm worthy or not!"

The man cursed angrily.

"Only I get to decide my worth!"

"You're just a mere soul! I'll control and turn you into my power!" The man felt confident with the power of the black book.

"-----------!"

He quickly recited the incantations written in the book to control and fuse with the summoned devil.

"Useless."

The devil's cold voice resounded. Its eyes looked at him mockingly.

"I don't know where you got that forbidden book, but you have failed to successfully finish the ritual."

A sneer formed as it said those words.

"You can't control me."

"Impossible!" The expression of the man became ugly.

He slowly stepped back in fear, however, the large black claw quickly covered his vision.

The devil has grabbed him.

"Farewell."

It then sucked the lifeforce of the man, leaving him nothing but a bunch of skin and bones of what he used to be.

Thud!

The man fell to the ground with no signs of life. He was sucked dry.

A powerful Dark Spirit Master died like that.

Burp!

The devil let out an unsatisfied smile.

"He tasted like rotten trash."

It then looked at us.

"At least, he prepared a nice feast for me to eat."

The devil loved to eat young innocent children.

It slowly approached us with a malicious smile. However, a surprise gasp leaked from its mouth after closely looking at me.

"Such a pure amount of negative spiritual power!

"A suitable vessel!"

The devil approached us excitedly.

"Ahhhh!"

"It'll kill us!

"No! No! Ran away!"

The other kids screamed loudly as they started to run away.

Tang Jin also became desperate and scared, she pushed her body to the limit to carry me away faster.

Swooosh!

A violent gale passed next to us.

Both of us looked behind, seeing the devil vanishing from there.

"Where…?" I asked blankly, but after looking ahead again, I felt my blood running cold.

The others were now in the air with their chest impaled by the sharp claw of the devil.

I could clearly see the expressions they made as they died.

It was seared deeply into my mind.

The devil quickly sucked all of their lifeforce.

"Mmmnnm!" The devil moaned in pleasure while licking its lips. "They were extremely delicious."

The devil waved its claw to the side, causing the dry corpses of the kids to be thrown harshly toward the ground.

It then looked at us silently with a small smile.

We were next.

The sensation of death quickly overwhelmed our frail mind.

"Nine, I'm sorry…" Tang Jin grabbed my hand.

I could feel her trembling violently while hugging me.

I silently stared at the devil that slowly approached us with a cruel grin.

Ah… is this the end?

I wondered, and then glanced at Tang Jin beside me.

A sigh escaped from my mouth.

The devil now stood tall before our shaking eyes.

We were looking at him in horror.

Swoosh!

A large claw pierced both of our chests at the same time.

I widened my eyes in shock.

It hurts!

My body felt extremely painful.

IT HURTS! IT HURTS! IT HURTS! IT HURTS!

I DON'T WANT TO DIE! I DON'T WANT TO DIE! I DON'T WANT TO DIE! I DON'T WANT TO DIE.

I raised my dangling arm with my last remaining strength.

My hand held the large claw that pierced my chest.

Drip… Drip…

A large amount of my blood was spilling on the ground.

"I-I donn wanna dwie….." I mumbled incoherently while trying to push the claw out of my chest.

However, my last remaining strength gradually slipped out of my body.

I felt tired.

I want to close my eyes and just rest peacefully.

And just like that, I slowly closed my tired eyes.

Everything went black.

I died.

…

"Nine…" Tang Jin weakly called out for the boy's name.

She was still alive, barely hanging on, but she was desperately reaching out for the boy's hand.

"Die? You won't die." The devil grinned wickedly. "I will become you. To take your place in this world."

"Thanks for the meal."

The devil turned into a dense cloud of black smoke that rapidly poured inside the boy's eyes.

Shortly afterwards, Tang Jin and the boy landed on the ground.

Despite becoming extremely skinny and having a huge hole on her chest, Tang Jin was still alive even now.

She crawled toward the boy.

The devil had vanished.

No, it entered the body of the boy through his eyes. The window to the soul. It was trying to take over the boy's body.

The boy was motionless for a time but his hand suddenly flinched.

And then suddenly, the boy abruptly opened his eyes widely.

The black pupils were slowly dyed red.

It was a pair of crazed eyes.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

No matter what happens, I will survive and live.

I will defy death.

I WON'T DIE!

I WON'T DIE!

I WON'T DIE!

I WON'T DIE!

I WON'T DIE!

I WON'T DIE!

I WON'T DIE!

I WON'T DIE!

I WON'T DIE!

I WON'T DIE!

I WON'T DIE!

I WON'T DIE!

I WON'T DIE!

I WON'T DIE!

I WON'T DIE!

"T-The Cursed Star? H-How is this possible!?"

I WON'T DIE!

I WON'T DIE!

I WON'T DIE!

I WON'T DIE!

I WON'T DIE!

I WON'T DIE!

I WON'T DIE!

I WON'T DIE!

I WON'T DIE!

I WON'T DIE!

I WON'T DIE!

I WON'T DIE!

I WON'T DIE!

I WON'T DIE!

"AGHHHHHH!" My body convulsed violently on the ground as I resisted with all of my strength.

The devil?

I will not bend to you!

My hands that had somehow healed reached toward my eyes. My fingers touched it before suddenly digging my two eyes out ruthlessly.

KILL!

KILL!

KILL!

KILL!

KILL!

KILL!

KILL!

KILL!

KILL!

KILL!

KILL!

KILL!

KILL!

"FUCK! Why must it be you!?"

KILL!

KILL!

KILL!

KILL!

KILL!

KILL!

KILL!

KILL!

KILL!

KILL!

KILL!

KILL!

The devil's power was constantly restoring my body to normal except for my heart.

And thus, It regenerated my eyes again and again, but I continued to dig it out again and again without caring about the pain it inflicted me.

I will not end here. I will survive. I will take my revenge.

I will survive. I will survive. I will survive. I will survive.

My fight with the devil continued on endlessly like a never-ending cycle. It felt forever to me.

Gradually, I started to feel my mind getting worn out from resisting so madly.

I…

I'm losing the fight.

"Nine…"

That voice…

Tang Jin?

You're still alive?

I couldn't see her face as my eyes were gone. It was regenerating much slower than before.

"You're missing your heart. Without it, you won't win…"

Heart?

Then… is it impossible to win?

Will l die for real…?

She continued to speak.

"If you somehow survive this, will you keep me a promise…?"

What promise?

Tell me.

"....Take me to the stars. You see, my dream was to see the sea of stars."

It sounded nice.

But now, it's just a pipe dream.

It's over.

"No, it's not over yet…"

I then felt Tang Jin opening my mouth and putting her arm inside it.

"Eat me…" Tang Jin said with her voice shaking heavily. "If you eat me, I can become your heart!"

Eat your flesh?

What do you mean?

Why?

You're alive, so survive without me.

"I'm already dying, but you're different from me. You can still live. Just like how I promised you at the start."

"Eat me, Nine!"

Her warm tears landed on my face.

And so, I ate her.

I swallowed as blood streamed down my bloody eye sockets.

I ate.

And ate.

Crunch. Munch. Swallow.

My mouth was bloodied as her screams full of pain filled my ears.

Her screams gradually died out, but I continued to eat her flesh.

I ate savagely.

As we hugged each other.

I was no different from a beast.

I…

To keep surviving…

I consumed her flesh and drank her blood to live.

And she became my heart.

.

.

.

.

.

.

I've defeated the Devil.

But at what cost?

I've gained a new heart but I was empty.

Am I… broken?

[Volume 1: Scar Of Rage, ends]

[Volume 2: World Of Ordinary, begins.]

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