Chapter v15c11

* Act 3, Scene 2 *

The Reaper Descends

“Come on, someone grab her! We’re moving out! The Boss is waiting!”

Gwang-hae ordered. If Do-gok had been there, he would have smacked him for questioning his authority.

“Aye-aye!”

One of the pirates, dressed in yellow, stepped forward to pick up Dokgo Ryeong’s unconscious body. But then…

Thwack!

“Aaaargh!”

The pirate screamed, a bloodcurdling shriek of agony. It was a sound that belonged in the depths of hell.

“Wh-What happened?”

Gwang-hae turned to look at his subordinate, his face contorted in confusion.

“Gasp!”

His eyes widened in horror. The pirate was clutching his right arm, which had been severed cleanly below the elbow. Blood spurted from the wound.

[Don’t touch her!]

A voice, echoing from all directions, filled the air. It was as if the voice were coming from eight different places at once. It was impossible to pinpoint its source.

“Wh-Who’s there?”

If Gwang-hae had been more polite, more intelligent, he might have asked, “Which senior is this?” But he didn’t have time for that.

[Don’t touch her! Don’t lay your filthy hands on her! It is an unforgivable offense! You have overstepped your bounds! You have forgotten your place! You have insulted her! You have defiled my sanctuary! Your crimes are unforgivable! You shall pay with your lives! Death is the only atonement! Only death can cleanse your sins!]

The voice was amplified by some kind of internal energy, its power resonating through the air. It was a voice that commanded respect, a voice that instilled fear. It was like the voice of a god of war, issuing a divine decree.

“S-Six Harmonies Sound Transmission…?”

It was a secret technique that used internal energy to create an echo effect, concealing the user’s location and disorienting the enemy.

“Sh-Show yourself!”

Gwang-hae shouted, his voice trembling. He felt a strange unease, a creeping fear that gnawed at his insides.

“F-First Mate! Over there…”

He followed his subordinate’s gaze.

A figure emerged from the bushes. He had been tense at first, but as he approached, his tension seemed to dissipate, replaced by a look of disbelief.

It was a young boy. He looked to be in his late teens or early twenties. To Gwang-hae, a veteran of countless battles, he was just a kid.

It was the boy Dokgo Ryeong had named Eunmyeong. Gwang-hae had underestimated him, judging him by his appearance. It was a fatal mistake.

Appearances could be deceiving.

‘Never judge an opponent by their age or appearance in the martial world.’

Outward appearances didn’t always reflect inner strength.

A treasure chest didn’t have to be made of gold and jewels. It could be a simple wooden box. The important thing was to know what was inside before you opened it. That was the true skill of a martial artist.

He had forgotten that lesson. But he wasn’t the only one. Many people forgot the obvious. But he would pay the price for his mistake.

Eunmyeong glanced at Dokgo Ryeong’s unconscious form, then turned his gaze to the pirates.

His face was expressionless, but his eyes burned with a cold, murderous rage. They were the eyes of death.

[You will pay!]

His eyes, glowing in the darkness, were filled with an inhuman fury.

Gulp!

The pirates swallowed nervously. They could sense the shift in the atmosphere, the sudden chill that emanated from the boy.

‘How can a boy like him possess such power?’

Gwang-hae had to revise his initial assessment. The boy’s presence dominated the clearing. The pirates were frozen in place, their gazes fixed on him, afraid to move.

The reaper had descended.

“Y-You… boy… state your name!”

Gwang-hae blustered, but he couldn’t hide his fear. He had lost the initiative. It was a critical mistake. But he couldn’t afford to lose any more ground. It was a matter of life and death. But the situation was spiraling out of control.

“You are not worthy to know my name.”

The boy’s voice was cold and emotionless, as if it came from the underworld.

“You have only one thing to do, and one thing you can do.”

He pronounced his judgment.

“Atone for your sins with your lives!”

The verdict was final.

No creature in the food chain wanted to be eaten.

But a tasty morsel was bound to attract predators. And Mount Putuo Temple was a prime target. But the Sword Clan had made it untouchable.

But the gold-hungry predators wouldn’t give up. They had tried and failed many times, but they always came back. Their persistence was what made them truly dangerous.

But tonight, the pirates were the ones who were in danger. They had encountered the reaper.

“Aaaargh!”

Another scream pierced the night.

The sound of waves crashing against the rocks drowned out the scream.

“Ugh… ugh…”

Gwang-hae was in a state of panic.

His teeth chattered uncontrollably. He had seen his share of carnage, but he had never been so afraid. The boy, with his slender frame, was death incarnate. No one could withstand his touch.

He didn’t even know what was happening. He couldn’t see how the boy was killing them. There was no trace, no sign.

The boy simply flicked his wrist. And with every flick, a life was extinguished. He showed no mercy. He wasn’t using a sword, or a saber, or any other weapon. It wasn’t palm strikes, or fist strikes, or kicks. But death was rampant among them, like a wild beast.

Was there an invisible blade, a hidden weapon? Those who were touched by his hand were cut cleanly, as if by a razor-sharp sword. It was as if the reaper himself were reaping their souls.

It was fast, precise, and brutal. By the time the tenth pirate fell, Gwang-hae realized the truth.

‘He’s going to kill us all! He’s going to keep his word!’

He was consumed by terror.

“Attack him together! We can’t take him alone! We have to overwhelm him!”

They fought back, desperate to survive.

“Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

They charged at him, roaring and screaming, trying to overcome their fear. But Eunmyeong didn’t even flinch. A rock wouldn’t budge, no matter how many eggs you threw at it.

He flicked his sleeve again. A silver whirlwind erupted, tearing through the air, severing eight throats.

Eight heads flew into the air, blood spurting from their necks. It had all happened in an instant.

“Nine more to go.”

He said, his voice flat, his eyes cold and merciless.

“R-Run!”

Gwang-hae shouted, his eyes wide with terror.

But the reaper wouldn’t let them escape. He kicked up a spear that one of the pirates had dropped and hurled it at them.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Three pirates screamed, impaled on the spear.

It wasn’t a battle. It was a massacre.

“Uwaaaaaaaaaaa! We have to run! We can’t fight that monster! He’s a demon! He’s the reaper!”

Gwang-hae ran, his fear propelling him forward. He didn’t look back. He couldn’t afford to. He ran towards his ship, his only hope of escape.

‘If I can just reach the ship…’

He reached the ship, his heart pounding. It was his ark, his salvation.

But the reaper was faster.

“You’re the leader?”

“Gasp!”

Gwang-hae looked up, his breath catching in his throat.

Eunmyeong was standing on the prow of the ship, looking down at him. His eyes were cold and empty, like chips of ice.

“…But not the captain. Where’s the captain?”

He saw through Gwang-hae’s lie instantly.

“H-He’s… he’s on the main ship… out at sea…”

Pirates had no loyalty. Loyalty was the first thing they discarded in a crisis.

Eunmyeong followed his gaze, his eyes piercing the darkness. He could see the faint outline of a ship in the distance, illuminated by the starlight. It was an incredible feat of vision.

Pirate ships never entered ports directly. They couldn’t dock at a regular harbor. They were too large, and they risked running aground or getting stuck in the sand. That’s why they had used smaller boats to reach the shore.

“Good. I’ve confirmed it. You can go now.”

Eunmyeong said, his voice flat.

“Y-You’re letting me live?”

A glimmer of hope appeared in Gwang-hae’s eyes. He started to get up, his hands clasped together in gratitude. But he couldn’t move.

‘What’s going on?’

He couldn’t raise his hands. He would never be able to raise them again. Because they were gone. Severed at the shoulders. But he felt no pain.

It was a strange, terrifying sensation. He could hear the footsteps of death approaching, louder than thunder. He wouldn’t be granted the mercy of a quick death, like his subordinates.

Thud!

He fell to his knees, his legs gone. Still no pain. It was a bizarre, horrifying experience. To be dismembered while fully conscious… It was a nightmare.

His face contorted in agony, his eyes wide with terror, tears streaming down his cheeks, saliva drooling from his open mouth.

And then…

The pain hit him, a wave of agony that crashed over him, emanating from his severed limbs.

“Aaaargh!”

He screamed, a primal scream of unimaginable pain. It was a sound that would make even a demon shudder.

Thud!

His head rolled on the sand, his eyes still wide with terror. It was probably the happiest moment of his life, to be finally free from the pain.

“I warned you. You would pay.”

The reaper, wearing the guise of a boy, said, his voice emotionless. His work wasn’t done yet.