Chapter 1403. Crimson Ball (13)

—

Heh... ugh... uh... hehehehahahahahahaha!

‘No matter how I look at that bastard, he’s insane.’

He was the kind of human one ought to always avoid.

‘He's just completely insane.’

Without a doubt, he was the kind of person one ought to avoid talking to on the streets. Logic and negotiation would never work on him. Normally, people obsessed with a single goal would have the same gaze as him, but the bastard’s condition was even more serious than I had expected.

With nothing but revenge on his mind, it made sense for him to act that way, but he seemed even more unhinged than anticipated.

It wouldn’t be unreasonable to judge that he was suffering from some kind of mental illness. How could anyone think he was normal after seeing him like that?

How could anyone judge him as sane when he kept chopping at the lump of flesh that had already lost its human shape with an axe while erupting into a peal of clownish laughter?

First Ki-Young was already exhausted, but he kept lifting the axe with his trembling arms, chopping down on the lump of flesh before him. He looked so unstable that it felt like he was relying on the weight of the axe itself to chop down, but he never let go of the monotonous task.

The corners of his mouth were lifted, and excitement glimmered in his eyes.

Someone once said that revenge was futile, but it clearly didn't apply to him. What lurked in First Ki-Young’s expression was delight, joy, and a sense of accomplishment.

It was the sense of accomplishment of finally driving the blade he had sharpened for such a long time into the bastard’s neck. Song Jung-Wook hadn’t been moving for quite some time now.

His final words were something about Ki-Young meeting the same end as him.

Even so, the insane bastard didn’t stop bringing the axe down.

Splat, splat, splat

...

The grotesque noises were nonstop.

Eventually, he wiped away his sweat while breathing heavily. His face looked as if he had just finished a difficult job. Naturally, First Ki-Young was covered in Song Jung-Wook’s blood and flesh. As if pieces of the bastard’s meat had gotten into his mouth, he kept spitting out.

He also picked off the sticky "things" stuck to his clothes.

— Looks like... I got a little too heated.

‘That's more than just a little too heated.’

Soon, he carefully lifted what could only be called lumps of meat with his hands. I wondered what the hell he was trying to do, but when I remembered he said he would send a message, I nodded to myself. Like an artist working on some kind of piece, he began fixing each part of the guy’s body onto the wall.

Then, he stepped back and took a wider look at it to see if anything was crooked. The sight looked extremely grotesque.

‘Talk about twisted taste.’

Like an insect specimen pinned to the wall, Song Jung-Wook was displayed on a perfectly fine wall with his arms spread wide. His lower body was in such a ruined state that it couldn’t even be hung up properly, and as if that still didn’t satisfy him, First Ki-Young even began writing letters in blood next to it.

The title of the "piece" was...

[Seventeen Heroes Who Saved the Empire.]

‘Does he not realize how outdated that sounds?’

It had a kind of classic feel to it. It was a declaration of war on the Empire and practically an announcement that there was a survivor or someone connected to the incident. As a message to the seventeen people who had agreed to the cleanup, it couldn’t be more fitting.

If there was a problem, I'd say the method of expression was too brutal and grotesque. Of course, that was probably intentional. It was designed to provoke disgust just by looking at it, perhaps in the hopes of eliciting fear or regret for what they had done.

I couldn’t, for the life of me, understand why this bastard later chose Kim Hyun-Sung to become the regressor.

‘What kind of change of heart had he gone through?’

Why would he choose Kim Hyun-Sung? Kim Hyun-Sung was one of the leaders of the cleanup incident, after all. Had he softened over time? Had his desire for revenge faded away, as he lost Kasugano Yuno and Lee Ji-Hye?

‘No. Maybe he simply thought that was the most efficient choice.’

At a glance, he seemed like someone incapable of rational judgement, but that wasn’t the case at all. The most terrifying thing about this insane axe murderer wasn’t his cruelty, savagery, or his blind obsession. It was the fact that he could act as if he were normal; he could pretend to be a calm and reasonable person.

That was what sent chills down my spine more than anything else.

Sure enough, he began putting on his mask again.

Once he confirmed there was nothing left to hack, his expression slowly returned to its original state. The crazed clown who had been laughing moments ago was gone. In its place was a quiet, composed man.

Watching his face shift so naturally was unsettling even to me; even the way he picked up the mask that had fallen to the floor during the hard work and slipped it onto his face felt wrong.

He brushed off whatever was stuck to his clothes one more time and quietly opened the door.

Then, I heard a voice.

— Are you finished with your business?

The one who spoke to him was Jung Jin-Ho, drenched in blood. He answered in the same casual tone he always used, the kind of voice meant to win favor and make himself likable.

— Yes.

— How are you feeling, Mr. Ki-Young?

Instead of answering, he tapped the mask with his finger. He pointed at the smiling mask, as if that alone should be enough of a reply.

— I was worried I might’ve taken too long. Is the situation under control?

— You don’t need to worry. I just finished my own business as well, so you wrapped up at exactly the right time.

— That’s good to hear.

— ...

— ...

‘They really could be friends.’

The one staring at the "artwork" without looking away, and the artist... none of them were normal.

— Excellent. That's...

— ...

— Truly excellent, Mr. Ki-Young.

Hahahaha... haha... ha!

‘I swear this is going to give me a mental illness, too.’

—

Hahaha... hahaha!

Seventeen Heroes Who Saved the Empire,

even the title sounds fitting!

‘No. That is not it. He wrote that to mock them, and you shouldn’t treat it like an actual art piece. Do not take that seriously.’

— This is the most impressive piece I have seen in a long time. It’s a shame we can’t show it to everyone. I’m very satisfied. Yes. I feel like an idiot for even hesitating over whether I should bring you into the Brigade, and it's not just because of this piece, Mr. Ki-Young.

— Everything about this incident and the later plans feels like puzzle pieces falling perfectly into place.

— Thank you, Mr. Jin-Ho.

— I should thank Miss Ji-Hye and Miss Hee-Young, too. They were the ones who strongly recommended you. Of course, it’s not as if I never feel like you are using me... but that doesn’t really matter. Your role was to create a better stage, and you carried it out perfectly.

‘This bastard is getting excited because he saw something he liked.’

— I suppose I need to try a little harder myself. I can’t lose to you, after all.

‘That’s something you can lose, idiot. Why are you trying to compete over something so weird?’

— By the way, did you know Kim Hyun-Sung is still inside the castle, Mr. Ki-Young? It seems he hasn’t escaped and is staying on the fourth floor. Apparently, he’s protecting some nobles who couldn't evacuate.

‘Ki-Young, damn it.’

— Isn’t it ridiculous? A man who drenched his hands in blood more times than I can count is playing the hero of justice.

— ...

— How about we change the plan a little? Opportunities for a stage like this don’t come often, and it seems you still have unfinished business with Kim Hyun-Sung. If you want, I can arrange something for you again.

— ...

— ...

- We need to go back right now, Mr. Jin-Ho. The plan will not change.

The psychopathic killer looked like a child begging to play just a little longer at the playground. Staring at Ki-Young with the same pleading look a kid would give their parent. As surprising as it was, the description was perfectly apropos. I couldn't think of a more accurate way to describe his gaze.

He probably brought up Kim Hyun-Sung just to provoke First Ki-Young.

— If there’s a way, I think you can find it, Mr. Ki-Young.

At this point, he was just whining. When the huge guy leaned in close to First Ki-Young, it almost felt like he was trying to intimidate, even if that wasn’t what he intended. It was probably a side effect of Ki-Young showing him something he liked too much.

One could tell he was too worked up to stay still. He really couldn’t stay still. He kept forcing down the corners of his mouth with his hand to stop himself from grinning, and he began fiddling with his sword for no reason.

It turned into a subtle war of nerves.

First Ki-Young looked him straight in the eyes and finally spoke.

— I’m the brain, Mr. Jin-Ho. I remember you promised to follow my plan exactly... This is troublesome.

— Plans can change anywhere and at any time, and it’s a problem if the Brigade thinks they’re just convenient chess pieces for you to move around. The reason the Brigade needs a head is exactly for situations like this, Mr. Ki-Young. You don’t need to say anything. You just need to find a way.

‘That is why people cut you off, seriously.’

— My stance hasn’t changed. We have a new variable, and we cannot afford to waste any more time. I can see lights coming up from below. If we miss the timing, it will be difficult to escape this place.

— ...

— There’s a limit to how many expendables we can throw away, and the confusion and disorientation spells spread across the castle are about to lose their effect. The choice is yours as commander, but I believe you know better than anyone what the correct decision is.

— ...

— You aren’t stupid enough to ruin a nearly finished job, are you?

— ...

— ...

— I suppose we have no choice.

Of course, he didn’t really have a choice. There was no reason for him to kick over the board he had so carefully prepared—the very board he could enjoy even more later.

This incident was only the starting point of larger events to come.

It was just the first step into continental war and revenge. Ruining everything just because of a momentary desire wouldn’t be like him. He was excited, yes, but Jin-Ho wasn’t foolish enough to lose all sense of reason.

He began walking, and the Brigade members drenched in blood appeared behind him.

The familiar twins, the tall man looking like a scarecrow, and Sun Hee-Young. I even saw a few members who weren’t present during the Young Death event. I also saw ones who probably died before that point in time.

— What’s next?!

— Next?

Huh?

What’s next?!

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

—

Whoo

... a-are we heading back now? But... it feels... like we’ve barely done anything...

— Could we stay a little longer, Captain? It looks like there are still people coming up.

— Calm down, everyone. According to Mr. Ki-Young, this is the best moment to retreat. Maybe it’s because the expendables didn’t do their job properly, but it seems a lot is happening on the lower floors.

— What’s in this room?

—

Hahaha.

Please be careful. A rare work of art was created here.

Meanwhile, Sun Hee-Young was staring at what used to be Song Jung-Wook as if something had captivated her.

‘What is wrong with her now?’

She even put her hands together quietly, like she was moved by it. It was ridiculous.

— I guess it captured your heart as well, Miss Hee-Young.

She was even shedding tears, and I had no clue what was going on in her head.

‘Damn it, things are moving too fast. I’m going to lose my mind, too.’

— It’s desperate and sublime, right?. Beautiful and progressive. Noble and vile and sacred all at once.

‘Stop trembling. It is creepy as hell.’

— I-I don’t really get it, but if the captain says so...

—

Hahaha.

One day, you will understand as well.

— ...

Jin-Ho looked at the piece like he didn’t want to leave. Still, he ended up looking away, turning to everyone.

— Then let us leave one last gift before we go. Your dear nobleman, Count Kim, might get injured or even die... but that sounds entertaining in its own way.

‘I knew it.’

I knew these bastards were up to no good.