Chapter 30: To Fix What One Has Tied

by Afuhfuihgs

To Fix What One Has Tied

“Ahah! 180 kills!”

Yellow-dyed hair.

A man in military tank top, military pants, and military boots laughed madly.

Hwaryuk-

“Kyuiiiik…!”

A burning Death Worm wailed faintly, raising its head and tail.

Eventually, it shriveled up as its strength drained.

Passuk!

The form that had become a black lump of charcoal was crushed under military boots.

The man who took the Death Worm’s life burst into laughter while raising both arms.

“This is why I slaughter! I didn’t expect it, but it’s surprisingly fun, isn’t it!? Huhahahahat-!”

The dog tag hanging around his neck merely as decoration dangled.

Former S-rank villain, current punishment soldier of the People’s Republic of China Hunter Army.

He Chen was truly having an enjoyable time.

Jagreureuruk-

Blazing sunlight from the deep blue sky.

Endless sandy fields like gold dust spread out.

The desert scene had transformed into a burning hell-fire.

The air was filled with such extreme heat that it was difficult to breathe properly.

“Hmm, it’s my first time in Elzeria’s Shahar Great Desert…”

“They say expensive oil comes from here?”

“Oh? Isn’t it quite valuable then?”

“Kyaa~! It’s so hot I can’t even breathe!”

Behind He Chen follow four figures.

A-rank Barrier Mage Jin Qunlin.

B-rank Elemental Mage Yang Juyuan.

C-rank Lightning Mage Ji Ushan.

C-rank Hypnosis Mage Wang Ling.

All belonging to the same Hunter Army Punishment Corps as He Chen.

The perpetrators who were notorious in Hebei, China until five years ago.

Then at some point, they were arrested together with He Chen.

‘Good decision to desert.’

‘I was sick of the army!’

‘Why did we decide to come to a place like this?’

‘Back to living exciting and fun lives!’

Their unbuttoned military uniforms, similar to He Chen’s, were messy.

Some even wore their flashy civilian clothes from their active duty days.

The villain party Six Demons (六鬼子) had been revived.

“Wenxiang! Can you see anything!?”

He Chen shouted towards the sky with his hand shading his eyes.

“Hmm, it seems all the worms in this vicinity have been eliminated…”

He Chen’s most excellent loyal subordinate and right-hand man.

Liu Wenxiang, an A-rank Wind Direction Mage specialized in wind attributes, stroked his chin with his arms folded.

He was standing on a platform of wind that rippled like a green vortex 300 meters in the air.

He was observing the desert land beyond the distant horizon that had not yet burned.

With his aptitude, he rises at regular intervals to conduct ground reconnaissance.

Eventually, Liu Wenxiang came down lightly like the wind.

“Let’s move. There are no more in this vicinity.”

“And the White Sovereign?”

“Likewise, not even a trace.”

“That’s a shame?”

He Chen, with his hands interlocked behind his head, walked ahead.

The rest of the members followed.

‘I wonder where it could be?’

He Chen advanced while burning the truly vast desert.

On top of the 40-degree extreme heat standard for the desert daytime, with the addition of blazing fire magic, it became a furnace.

Murderous heat haze rippled in the heat approaching 100 degrees.

This was truly a hell-fire that had come to the desert on earth.

He Chen looked around the burning desert and muttered.

“Where the hell is it? I need to kill the White Sovereign quickly…”

“Kyop! Kiiiiii-!”

The unlucky Death Worms nearby died again, painfully burning in fire.

A foul stench vibrated as if burning rotten blood.

He Chen walked with his hand on his side, trudging along.

Pushwook-

“Ugh, boring.”

Along the path of He Chen’s footsteps, sand undulating in the flame’s extreme heat melted like mercury.

In fact, the state of the ground was no longer properly walkable.

He Chen advanced by solidifying the liquefied sandy field with telekinesis.

Six figures in a wedge formation break through the burning desert.

Around them, piles of corpses of slaughtered Death Worms and Sand Worms were scattered.

The combination of telekinesis and fire magic was terrible.

No one could oppose it.

The reason for suddenly thrashing the worms living in the desert after crossing through the gate leading to otherworld Elzeria?

If asked for a special reason, there isn’t really one.

This was He Chen’s basic logical structure.

‘Just because it’s fun.’

And in doing so, the White Sovereign, the leader of the worms, might be lured out.

He was extremely curious about the one who had defeated Wang Junlin and the Three Battle Wolves.

His whole body was really itching with anticipation.

Would it be much different from what was known in reality?

What habits would it have living here?

Ultimately, could it provide enjoyable fun?

That was the interest He Chen was most concerned with currently.

Other things didn’t matter much anyway.

Because He Chen was originally that kind of character.

‘After all, it’s similar to me, so I, a similar being, should handle it.’

To fix what one has tied.

The responsible party directly resolves it.

It was an idiom He Chen particularly liked.

Within his reckless logic, he intended to take the White Sovereign’s life.

“…There’s a reaction from worms nearby. They’re hiding in the ground to escape the surface heat.”

“Oh! I’ll eat them! I’ll kill them!”

Hwaryuk-!

He Chen immediately ignited flames all over his body.

Then he jumped into the flames in the burning front.

“220 kills!”

“Kyuiiiik-!”

“Kyu, hwaaaak-!”

Eventually, He Chen’s exclamation echoed beyond the barrier of flames along with the worms’ screams.

A subtle burning smell of a viscous substance similar to blood wafted.

The Six Demons members smiled bitterly.

“5 hits for 225 kills at once! Wow!”

He Chen’s exclamation was higher than ever.

He had discovered a hole of Death Worms hidden under the sandy field.

Hwaryuk! Hwaaaak-!

Tremendous heat rushed into the Death Worms’ hole.

“Kiiiik-!”

“Kyuhwak-!”

“Kyuuu-!”

The Death Worms that were mixed and clumped together in the hole were cruelly burned at the stake.

The sight of worms burning while wiggling their exposed bodies was reminiscent of a scene from hell.

There were especially small ones in the hole.

They were Death Worm offspring.

“Ahah! Fun! Fun! It’s fun, I tell you!”

He Chen shot a more intense baptism of flames into the hole.

A foul burning smell that made it difficult to breathe thoroughly vibrated.

“Especially making the babies die more painfully by burning! Instant baby worm charcoal barbecue~! Huhahahah-!”

The members watching his appearance were slightly disturbed.

Even for the notorious Six Demons.

They recognized the minimum line that should not be crossed.

Eventually, Yang Juyuan’s brow furrowed.

“Even if they’re disgustingly formed monster worm babies, isn’t this crossing the line too much?”

“Hm? What’s the difference between killing worms and humans?”

“Sigh, forget it… crazy bastard.”

Yang Juyuan simply gave up on speaking.

Because he knew He Chen too well.

‘This is why even those who trusted you are terrified and betray you.’

Yang Juyuan poured out curses inwardly instead.

“Rather, it’s you all who don’t properly know something. I’ll explain, so listen carefully.”

He Chen, licking his lips like a wolf, instead delivered a lecture.

“Originally, whether human or animal, the reactions of young ones are more interesting. There’s… a primitive, raw emotional release that you don’t see in corrupted adults? Children’s reactions when they’re poked and killed little by little are really fun. Ah… memories.”

He Chen smiled deeply as he recalled his final memories before being caught by police hunters.

Memories of murders committed at an orphanage.

It was a pleasure he would never forget in his lifetime.

“Can’t resist juvenile slaughter.”

He Chen’s eyes rolled upward and fluttered as he reached ecstasy.

The Six Demons members recalled shared thoughts.

‘You truly are a person who never changes.’

‘This is why you get betrayed.’

‘Does he even see us as comrades?’

‘I follow for the money.’

‘I’ll betray him too if it gets dangerous.’

Though all were heinous criminals, there were degrees.

All members except He Chen were the same.

At least they didn’t harm children.

That was He Chen’s danger—the non-existence of minimal human limits.

“Oh? By the way, this one is somewhat different? What is this?”

He Chen, with his hand on his side, showed great curiosity.

He was encountering a type different from the existing ones.

It was the only being that withstood He Chen’s attack.

“Kyururururuk…!”

In the face of the tremendous slaughter, the final Death Worm remained.

A being who was performing the mission of gathering feral worms while the White Sovereign was out for Worm Rider training.

It was Tarkhan, the first intel Death Worm to be born.

‘Bad luck.’

During a routine mission, an urgent telegram came in.

Uninvited guests from Gaia were slaughtering feral worms.

Tarkhan, who happened to be on site, had to step forward directly.

The current situation was the confrontation that ensued.

‘How can such a being exist?’

He had already attempted resistance, but all were in vain.

The He Chen before him was too strong compared to himself.

‘Strong. Absurdly, tremendously so.’

He believed without doubt that his master, the White Sovereign, would win.

Nevertheless, the strong enemy was enough to cause some concern.

Indeed, it’s unreasonable for an A-rank force to face an S-rank.

‘At least it’s fortunate that everyone else escaped.’

He had already diverted the intel worms except himself.

By now, the news should have reached the White Sovereign.

…However, his own fate was hanging by a thread.

Tarkhan was once a common Death Worm that lived by digging through sand.

Recalling previous memories, it’s vague like a dream.

It’s unclear whether he even had reason and intellect.

The motivation that dragged his will to live was meager survival instinct.

And intense destructive urge and appetite.

That was all.

The desert magical realm where slaughter battles occur daily.

During the day, maddeningly hot with parched throats, and at night, freezing cold sweeps through.

Tarkhan struggled desperately to survive.

On lucky days, he could perfectly capture relatively small creatures like Dust Boars, Sand Dire Wolves, or Desert Deer.

However, on unlucky days, he would fail in hunting, or the prey he had hunted would be snatched away countless times.

With a tier of just 15 meters, certain survival couldn’t be guaranteed.

At such times, he had to double as a large scavenger.

To survive, he had to indiscriminately take dead bodies in the desert.

He would willingly feed even on the carcass of a Camelodon infested with maggots and flies.

A life lived just to avoid death.

It was a life far distant from the blessing of light.

The drastic opportunity came recently.

The White Sovereign’s sudden message was as follows:

‘Do you desire power?’

Though lacking in intellect.

Tarkhan expressed his fierce longing.

He wanted to escape the life of a mindless magical beast.

So Tarkhan expressed vehement agreement.

‘Then, would you join me?’

Then the White Sovereign’s voice changed.

The expression of indulgent goodwill, incomparable understanding, and magnanimity.

Tarkhan responded with a soul-burning joy.

At that moment, a new world opened up.

He gained human intellect, and reason emerged.

He shared the knowledge and skills the White Sovereign had accumulated thus far.

He even acquired countless information about the otherworld called Gaia beyond the gate.

However, to prevent confusion, only the White Sovereign’s true origin and identity were omitted.

‘So this is the end.’

Immeasurable understanding settled on Tarkhan’s face, which lacked vision.

The incredibly brief and rough life as a Death Worm.

Now, it seemed he had reached the end of the journey.

He couldn’t say there was no regret.

‘My lord… please achieve the great task of unifying all the worms of the Shahar Great Desert and the unification of the world.’

He Chen, who had been bouncing fireballs in his left and right hands, tilted his head.

“Are you done? Shall I proceed?”

Just as Tarkhan resigned himself to death.

Kwass-!

“Kyuhwaaaak-!”

“Ugh! Wh-What!”

Jin Qunlin, who had been standing absentmindedly, suddenly struggled as he was dragged into the ground.

Shwaaaa-!

“Kuk! What is this!”

Yang Juyuan also followed, being dragged into the ground.

His limbs were in a state of being bitten by something.

“Hm? What’s happening?”

He Chen, who was about to finish Tarkhan, turned to look at his members.

Chwak!

Ji Ushan’s head was bitten by a large red circular-toothed mouth that rose from the ground behind him.

His limbs were also bitten as if crucified like Jesus.

Kwassssss-

Ji Ushan, lying spread-eagled like Jesus nailed to the cross, sank into the sandy field.

“How strange. Why is everyone acting like this?”

He Chen was merely watching blankly.

To begin with, the lives of his subordinates were not much of a concern.

“Kyak!? N-Nooo-!”

Wang Ling screamed in terror and stamped her feet on the sandy field.

Kwadeuk! Kwadeudeudeudeuk-!

She too had her entire body bitten by circular teeth surging from around her.

Wang Ling, whose head was finally bitten whole, sank into the ground as if falling forward.

Beyond, Liu Wenxiang was also already having his left and right ankles chewed and being sucked into the sand.

“Ku, heok! Boss!”

Liu Wenxiang, who had finally recalled his former title, screamed calling for He Chen.

Chwak chwak chwak chwak chwak-!

His entire body was immediately chewed and crushed by teeth that rose from all directions.

Liu Wenxiang, fallen into silence, was sucked into the sand vortex below his feet.

Kwassssss-

Those who were dragged deep underground and suffocated were all predated at once.