Chapter 11
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Strongest Squad (1)
Clank!
The sound of the lock being undone echoed through.
'Once.'
Rrrumble...!
The door slid open smoothly.
Prison guards always fumbled twice midway when opening cell doors. It never opened on the first try.
Yet this time, it opened without a hitch, gliding effortlessly.
The one who just unlocked it possessed remarkably steady inner energy.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Footsteps followed.
Some were familiar from long ago, others heard just a day or two prior. All of them were remarkably light.
'Hoo!'
He drew in a deep breath.
The urge to stay hidden from the world, the reluctance to kill—those instincts made him hold his breath.
Please, just leave me be like this. Please.
"Fatty? Fox of Bireung Mountain? This is unexpected."
A woman spoke, her expression mildly surprised.
"Truth be told... it caught me off guard too."
The Fox of Bireung Mountain flashed a wide grin as he replied.
And it was the truth. In terms of raw power, he was the weakest among them. Surviving the Life-Death Trial was a miracle. Not a drop of blood on him, emerging unscathed. If that wasn't a miracle, what was?
But the danger wasn't over yet.
'What the hell are you lot!'
The Fox of Bireung Mountain eyed warily the woman who had addressed him and the warriors lined up behind her. These people... To survive against the ones who had just entered through that door, that was the real test.
"Eagerly gobbling up goodwill... Can't say it sits right with you."
The woman glanced at Fatty the prison guard as she spoke.
The guard twitched as if to say something but promptly shut his mouth.
"Where's Four Thousand Four?"
The woman asked indifferently.
"Four Shadows!"
The Warden snapped irritably right away.
"Four Shadows? He survived too?"
She glanced toward the stairs leading underground as she said it.
"He finished fastest. He's around here somewhere. I know he's here, but damn if I can find him."
Fatty replied.
'One strike to the throat!'
Vanguard surveyed the dead bodies on the underground fourth level.
Not from the front, but starting from the back... from the fourth cell where Four Thousand Four had been housed.
He pieced together the fight from Four Thousand Four's perspective.
Examining how he had killed ten Death Row inmates, and by what method.
Deepest in lay one corpse, head twisted fully backward.
Instant kill.
When the lead man drops dead in one blow, those following plunge into sheer terror.
Paralyzed, unable to move.
The second inmate's bones were shattered entirely.
Neck, spine, arms, shins... far more bones broken than necessary.
It meant he'd continued crushing them even after death. Targeting the noisiest spots deliberately.
By swiftly executing the first to shatter their momentum, then brutally demolishing the second to instill horror in every inmate in the Life-Death Trial.
The moment the second man died, the fight was over.
After that, the Death Row inmates would have rapidly lost their will to fight, bitterly regretting their participation. No, they'd have hidden desperately just to survive.
Four Thousand Four had turned into a cat hunting mice.
The sprawled corpses on the underground fourth level vividly recreated the slaughter from mere hours ago.
Brr!
Vanguard shuddered involuntarily.
'This guy's a real killer!'
Four Thousand Four knew how to kill people.
His martial arts weren't even that strong. Everyone fought under equal conditions here. A naturally brawny brute might be different, but those were classified separately and handled with care.
Ways of killing varied for everyone. But no one locked in Death Row was inept at murder.
"Hmph! That 'Thousand' in his name isn't there for show. He can't be let loose into the world. You've used all your authority on him, so I can't complain... but it's not too late. Think it over again. He's beyond what you can handle, Vanguard."
The Warden, who had inspected the fourth level with Vanguard, said.
"Is this... even possible?"
Vanguard eyed the Warden as he asked.
"I'm asking if it's possible for one man to kill ten."
"Impossible before today. No one had ever survived the Life-Death Trial. As I said, definitely impossible until today."
"Hmph!"
"Sigh!"
Vanguard groaned, and the Warden let out a heavy sigh.
Having endured the Life-Death Trial, Four Thousand Four's release from Thunder Prison was a given.
Now, Vanguard had to manage him.
Vanguard scowled as he spoke.
"Unless he somehow has martial arts..."
"Don't go questioning the Heavenly Annihilation Division like that... I'll pretend I didn't hear it this time."
The Warden scowled back.
Captured inmates were first interrogated by the Heavenly Annihilation Division.
Once they extracted all intel, they decided: kill or imprison.
If marked for death, they vanished without a trace.
Utterly erased from the world, not a single hair left behind.
If spared, their martial arts were sealed first.
The Heavenly Annihilation Division wielded a unique technique, unpublished to the world, that sealed vital acupoints... controlling true energy without bodily harm.
Once sealed by them, not a scrap of true energy could be mustered.
This sealing method was exclusive to them—no other group or warrior could undo it. Only the Heavenly Annihilation Division could seal or release it.
Thousands had been sealed over the years, yet none had ever broken it themselves or with a master's aid.
It was their secret technique.
No expert trained by the Heavenly Annihilation Division could doubt their specialty.
Still, Vanguard couldn't believe it.
These bodies on the underground fourth level hadn't even resisted before dying.
Equal conditions? Hardly.
Killing them this easily was like a warrior swinging a sword at common folk.
Vanguard ground his teeth.
'I need to see how he fights. This time, with my own eyes... No harm in that.'
The woman strode toward Cell 1 on the first underground level, where the Fox of Bireung Mountain had been housed.
The Fox flinched involuntarily.
She was heading to his old cell. Why? Puzzled at first, he soon realized.
Four Shadows was there.
He had clearly passed them all, outpacing Fatty and the other Life-Death Trial inmates. So he should be near the cell door.
Yet he'd slipped deepest in again.
When?
The Fox hadn't detected Four Shadows moving at all.
He prided himself on sharp ears—among Thunder Prison inmates, he could identify anyone by a fart.
'Four Shadows... One to watch out for.'
The sound of neck bones crunching still rang vividly in his ears. Four Shadows's deeds in Thunder Prison were etched indelibly.
He was a merciless killing demon.
If such a monster could hide this thoroughly from him... That meant he could kill anyone he targeted.
Extreme caution required.
Not that it mattered... These warriors spotted him effortlessly.
The woman passed the Fox and Fatty without a glance, entering Cell 1.
Whish! Thud thud thud!
Wind whistled, followed by meaty impacts like punching sand.
Whoooosh! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Fists exploded without mercy, body unable to resist.
Wind stirred inside the cell. Flesh smacked flesh. Clothing fluttered amid successive strikes.
The woman and Four Shadows were properly going at it.
No, not equals. Four Shadows was formidable, but... his inner energy was clearly gone. To a warrior's eye, his movements were sluggish.
The woman, however, was overwhelmingly powerful.
Her fists weren't feather dusters. Like a giant wielding heavenly might, each blow felt like a hammer strike.
Four Shadows was getting pummeled to death right now.
Whish! Thud thud thud! Whoooosh! Thud thud!
The thrashing sounded like pouring rain.
That many hits—wouldn't his organs be mush?
Did she have a grudge against Four Shadows? Why beat him so viciously? Were they next?
'What a unlucky bastard.'
The Fox of Bireung Mountain shook his head.
The woman wasn't fierce. She was stunningly beautiful. Just that her features were sharply defined, skin like white jade, and devoid of any smile, giving her a fierce air.
Prickly, maybe? Either way, not the type to chat up easily.
Thud thud thud! Thud thud thud! Thud thud!
No more movement sounds. Just impacts. Four Shadows had given up resisting, taking the beating.
Half an hour? An hour maybe?
Whatever the time, an eternity for the one enduring it.
The thrashing stopped.
No movement. No breathing. Only dead silence.
"He's out cold."
"That much damage... He'll be bedridden for months... Was there reason to go that far?"
"Handling him lightly defeats the purpose. Unless you beat him like that, he'll show his true colors."
"Hahaha! Still think the Heavenly Annihilation Division slipped up? Hah! They didn't slap 'Thousand' on him lightly. He's definitely lost his martial arts."
"Maybe too late to regret, but I wonder why you didn't heed the Warden."
"Hahaha! Second piece of advice: If he acts up, cut him down without mercy."
"Mm."
Vanguard sighed and headed to Cell 1.
No sign of anyone inside. Of course not. No person remained.
A blood-soaked monster lay crumpled on the floor.
A statue drenched in red, as if painted from the start, stood stark.
Blood dripped thickly from the statue like spilled paint.
Not his own blood, but others'—yet it poured as if he'd been hacked apart himself.
Vanguard said,
"Good work."
The woman shuddered as she replied,
"Vanguard, you gonna take this bastard now, right?"
"What're you talking about?"
"This guy's pissing me off. Took all those hits without a single groan. Resist? He didn't even twitch a finger. Just took the brutal beating meekly. Really pissing me off."
Vanguard frowned at her words.
Four Thousand Four knew how to fight. Breezed through the Life-Death Trial. Yet he took the mindless beating without question or struggle. Why?
He should've asked why.
Should've thrashed to avoid it. Fought back at least. But no. Why?
Squelch! Squelch!
Vanguard heard the woman's retreating footsteps, like trudging through mud. Blood dripped from her clothes with each step, pooling underfoot. She stalked off irritably.
"Hmph!"
Vanguard shook his head and hoisted the bloodied monster onto his shoulder.