The End of the Hell Realm
"S-Suhwa?! It's me! Don't you recognize me?! I'm so sorry about back then! The Red Fang Gang bastards were just too terrifying!"
"I... know. I... understand."
"T-Then why...?"
"So... you... must understand... why I... am doing... this... too."
Spurt!
Those who had cultivated even a shred of internal energy and could resist the flow of blood energy were ruthlessly turned into Blood Jiangshi by San Suhwa. However, those who had never learned martial arts and could not control the flow of qi had their life force drained simply by inhaling the blood energy drifting along the ground, quickly turning into Blood Jiangshi themselves.
Because the blood energy had spread throughout Wuyuan County, the life force of most of the villagers was drained in an instant, turning them into blood ghouls. The martial artists of the Black Summit Sect would also soon transform into Blood Jiangshi. As long as they remained in Wuyuan County, they would be exposed to the blood energy, making it impossible to escape San Ireong's pursuit.
I followed behind San Suhwa and San Dogang, who had both become Jiangshi, watching their progress. But the fellow beside me, Lee Hak, was chattering so incessantly it was practically deafening.
"My, my! The power of an Extreme Blood Jiangshi is truly magnificent, isn't it?!"
"Aha! To think one could create Jiangshi so effortlessly. As expected of the Lord Blood God's power! By any chance, could you turn me into a Blood Ghoul as well?"
"Oh, look at those claws! Have they grown longer? I must say, this is my very first time seeing a Jiangshi capable of physical mutation!"
"Is there truly nothing that blood energy cannot accomplish?!"
"Could you perhaps turn me into one of your Extreme Blood Jiangshi, my Lord?"
I hadn't uttered a single word in response, yet he carried on a monologue so lively it was bordering on obnoxious. Down below, San Ireong was enacting a tragic, rage-fueled play of vengeance, and this guy was completely ruining the mood. His constant, noisy interruptions made it impossible to focus.
When I gave a subtle nod of my eyes, Biwol let out a deep sigh and addressed Lee Hak.
"How on earth did you find this place? We haven't even sent a letter yet."
At Biwol's words, the bright smile on Lee Hak's face instantly shifted into a look of deep disappointment.
"I am disappointed, Lady Biwol. Why didn't you contact me? Well, actually, I had a rough idea of what was happening, so I simply brought myself here."
"...Lord Unwol, my apologies. That fellow is simply... like that."
"In short, he is quite the troublemaker."
"Oh, I do enjoy a bit of mischief! Though you need not worry, my Lord, as none of it will ever be directed at you!"
I pressed a hand to my forehead and asked, "I was under the impression that Lady Biwol was the sole surviving member of the Blood Heaven Sect. It seems I was mistaken."
At that, Biwol slightly averted her gaze and mumbled evasively, "Ah... My apologies. That bastard spends so much of his time operating externally, and since he hadn't shown his face at the sect at all recently, I assumed he had simply apostatized."
Lee Hak gasped in dramatic shock.
"What? No, absolutely not! I have never apostatized! Why would you make such a wild assumption? Besides, since when was one allowed to just leave the Blood Sect whenever they pleased? Isn't the sect rule that leaving requires forfeiting one's life?"
"To be frank, no one would object to your apostasy. I am certain the previous Leader of the Blood Heaven Sect would have felt the same way."
"I am afraid I must disappoint you, for I intend to bury my bones within this sect."
"Then allow me to bury them for you right here, right now."
"Ah, that would be rather inconvenient. From this moment on, I, too, am a loyal servant of the Blood God! I fully intend to become a Blood Ghoul and serve the Lord Blood God for-e-ver!"
"Lord Blood Demon? Why don't we simply excommunicate him? It would make things much easier for you as well."
"E-Enough, both of you."
I was a bit flustered by how chaotic the atmosphere had suddenly become.
"I wish to watch the story of the one I aided to its very end. Please, do not interrupt any further. The person down there is fighting a life-and-death battle; how can you all ruin the gravity of the moment like this?"
Though San Ireong's vengeance was nearing its end, it was not yet complete. How frustrating would it be to have the climax of a movie ruined by chatter? Perhaps my irritation had gotten through to him, for the squinty-eyed, talkative Lee Hak nodded and finally held his tongue.
"My deepest apologies."
I immediately turned my gaze back, focusing once more on the movements of San Suhwa and San Dogang. Before long, they had located the headquarters of the Black Summit Sect, situated in a mountain valley on the outskirts of Wuyuan County.
"Who the hell are you?!"
With the Extreme Blood Jiangshi at the vanguard, San Ireong led the village's Blood Jiangshi to storm the Black Summit Sect's headquarters. As the Jiangshi surged forward like a crimson tide, the clashing of blades and the screams of men echoed from the sect's manor and pavilions like the wailing of ghosts.
"Aaaargh!"
"Th-They're madmen!"
"What is this crimson smoke—cough!"
"M-Monsters!"
Splat! Slash! Clack! Clack! Squelch!
Not long after, a man who appeared to be the leader of the Black Summit Sect rushed out of a pavilion and began to flee in a frantic panic.
"D-Damn it! You monstrous freaks!"
However, his desperate struggle did not last long, as San Dogang quickly overtook him. When San Dogang's emaciated hand pierced straight through his abdomen, the leader's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed.
After a short while, every last martial artist of the Black Summit Sect had their life force drained, dissolving into the blood energy to become Blood Jiangshi. With the death of the Black Summit Sect's leader, San Ireong had finally completed his family's vengeance. In the end, using the bodies of his own family, he had cast an eternal curse upon the entirety of Wuyuan County—the very people who had turned a blind eye to their plight. And so, his story reached its conclusion.
Having completed her vengeance, San Suhwa stood in the courtyard of the Black Summit Sect's manor, gazing up at the sky for a moment before closing her eyes. She seemed lost in deep thought. Only after a shroud of crimson clouds drifted past the full moon did San Suhwa open her eyes, calling out to me in an eerie, hollow voice.
"Blood God... It is finished."
The moment I heard the call, I rode the blood energy and materialized directly in front of her.
Whoosh!
I offered a gentle smile and asked, "How do you feel? Though it may not be the ending you truly desired, has the resentment in your heart been appeased?"
"...I wonder. Though I have... cursed... everyone who... abandoned us..."
A dark shadow fell over San Suhwa's right black-red eye.
"For some reason... the rage... filling my heart... does not... fade."
"Ah... That must be difficult for you."
"..."
For some reason, a faint sense of hollow futility seemed to linger on San Suhwa's pale face. Seeking to offer some comfort, I spoke slowly.
"Rage is much like a raging wildfire. Once it has burned itself out, nothing remains but black ash."
"Are you... mocking me?"
I waved my hand dismissively. "Of course not. Even so, I respect your choice. It is the life you chose, and the story you chose to write. It is not my place to judge."
At my words, San Suhwa let out a hollow chuckle and fell silent.
"Yes... My... choice."
"What do you intend to do now?"
San Ireong's vengeance was complete. I was curious to see what he would do now that he possessed the power of a Blood Ghoul. He seemed to ponder for a moment before slowly speaking through San Suhwa's lips.
"Now... I want... to rest... a little. I am... too tired... to do... anything more."
"So you intend to remain in this village."
"...There is... something... I must... show you."
"What is it?"
"Wait... two days. If you come... to the Red Fang Gang... in two days... I will give you... something... you will like."
Leaving those words behind, San Dogang's body headed toward the Black Summit Sect's pavilion, while San Suhwa's body walked toward the Red Fang Gang's pavilion.
"Understood. I shall look forward to a wonderful gift." I nodded with a faint smile.
Is it like a quest reward? Since I helped him, I guess he's going to give me something.
Moments like this really made it feel like a game. I headed toward Gangwan Village to rest nearby for the next two days.
As I walked, I could see that Gangwan Village had transformed into a completely different place. The ground was entirely blanketed in crimson blood energy, and Blood Jiangshi corrupted by the malevolent force wandered aimlessly through the streets. It was like stepping into a dungeon.
If there were players, this place would definitely be a hunting ground.
It was an honest thought. But that realization also meant the risk of me being subjugated had risen significantly. I decided I would leave this place immediately after receiving San Ireong's gift.
Still, it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
It was a somewhat unsettling conclusion. With this, San Ireong's story came to an end.
The kind-hearted boy, consumed by utter betrayal and despair, ultimately fell into the path of an evil specter.
His only wish was to see his family once more, but though God granted the boy's prayer, it was never in the manner he had desired.
Thus, reflecting his hellish existence, the boy became the Blood God's second of the Six Paths Blood Ghouls: Jigok-do, the Hell Realm.
The Unorthodox martial artists who persecuted his family, and the villagers who stood by and watched their atrocities, would all be trapped forever in bodies neither dead nor alive, serving as the eternal minions of the Hell Realm.
Wuyuan County, once a harmonious blend of natural beauty with its blue lakes and mountain ranges, was transformed overnight into a demonic land echoing with the wailing of ghosts.
The meadows and bustling village streets grew bleak and desolate, consumed by the blood energy, while the once clear and transparent sky was shrouded in crimson clouds.
The song-like chirping of birds flying through the sky vanished, replaced only by the cawing of crows feasting on corpses and the occasional, chilling voices of the Blood Jiangshi.
In the bleak pavilion of the Black Summit Sect, nestled in the mountain valley on the outskirts of the village, stood the father, clad in a black cape and a ghost mask.
In the ornately decorated pavilion of the Red Fang Gang, located in Gangwan Village, stood the sister, dressed in meticulously adorned dark red robes.
They would remain in Wuyuan County for eternity, staying by the side of the boy left all alone, even in death.
As a family.