The Cruel Symphony
“Aaaargh!”
“Keeeeeek!”
The once-arrogant members of the Gold Taeyang Clan were now crawling on the ground, wailing in inhuman, ugly shrieks of agony.
At first, they had all stood against Drae. They thought, He’ll stop eventually. He’ll give up. They fought with the desperation of men begging for their lives. But then, they watched as Yeodre carved out the eyes, the genitals, and the hearts of dozens of their comrades, laughing maniacally even as he suffered the same wounds himself.
Should he be called a Berserker? No, unlike those mindless beasts, Yeodre was precise. He targeted the most excruciatingly painful spots, systematically neutralizing their defenses. His attacks weren't born of mere combat instinct; they were fueled by pure, unadulterated malice that chipped away at their sanity.
And that laughter. That maniacal cackle—the only way to describe the smile he wore as he swung his blade without pause—made him appear as something beyond human comprehension.
“Ugh, ughhh…”
“Aaaaaah…”
Those who fought the hardest received the most intensive destruction. If anyone tried to retreat without fighting, he would pursue them with relentless persistence until he had carved a piece out of them. Furthermore, there was the existence of his skill, Severing Blade. Even though Rikka’s technique was active, the sight of dead comrades lying motionless—their corpses a testament to the failure of the healing—kept the word "death" hovering at the edge of their minds.
A terrifying enemy before them. A constant, intimate contact with death. It was a combination guaranteed to shatter anyone’s spirit.
“Yeodre is bound to tire first! Keep pushing him!”
Whatever else might be said, this technique—this Divine Rite bestowed by the gods—was powerful enough to suppress even Rankers. There was practically no way to dispel it, which meant it was a technique that guaranteed at least a draw against any opponent. Rikka, trusting in the performance of the rite, continued to encourage her subordinates and comrades to keep fighting.
How much time had passed since then? Thirty minutes. An hour. Two hours...
As time dragged on, the members of the Gold Taeyang Clan lost their will to fight, one by one, then two by two, then ten by ten. The number of those who gave up on the battle increased exponentially. By the time five hours had passed, those still moving could be counted on one's fingers.
Even then, most were executives, and they were clearly exhausted and terrified. And Drae? He was still running wild, crazed. He would deliberately attack the Gold Taeyang members who were just standing still, shouting in a cheerful voice.
“What’s wrong? Let’s keep going!”
No, was it just my imagination, or did he look even more energetic than when he started? At that sight, the remaining executives and the rest of the Gold Taeyang members stopped in unison. Even Rikka, who had been urging them to find their strength, stopped, gasping for air.
“?”
Drae, with a genuinely puzzled expression, slashed at Takashi’s leg.
“Gaaaaaah!!”
How many times had he felt this pain now? It was sickening. With that thought, Takashi gave up on resisting.
“What are you doing?”
Drae’s low voice echoed, but no one answered.
“I asked what you’re doing, you sons of bitches. Are you not going to fight?”
They trembled with their heads bowed, no different from before or after the rite was activated. Drae strode up to Takashi and thrust his face close.
“Come on. Smash my head in.”
“……”
“Your fists are strong, right? Smash it. You can do it in one hit. You hate me, don’t you?”
“……”
“You asshole. Can’t you hear me?”
He grabbed Takashi by the collar and hauled him up. The undershirt stretched and was on the verge of tearing, but Takashi didn't move.
“Hmph.”
Drae released his collar and stood tall. Then, he raised his sword for all to see.
“If you don’t attack, I’ll keep cutting.”
Immediately after, Takashi’s head was split in two.
“Gaaack...!”
By the time he screamed, the Super-Regeneration effect of the rite had already restored him to normal. Rikka looked closely at Drae. A red line was etched across his face—the exact location where Takashi had been slashed. The rite was functioning properly. Drae had even staggered slightly, as if he truly felt the pain. So, this guy... he was running wild and having the time of his life while simultaneously enduring the agony of nearly two thousand people.
Humans are creatures that wail over a single fingernail, or even a tiny scratch. But what was this? Was he truly human? No, even among beings with bodies and minds superior to humans, was there any creature capable of enduring such pain indefinitely?
“Huff... huff...”
Rikka, having lost her will to fight, collapsed to the floor. The warning from Shin Jin-pae played back in her mind.
“Huff, huff...”
Did he know that if he provoked this man, things would turn out like this? He must have known that this man was a monster who should never be touched. If he knew that, he should have warned them properly... Resentment toward a man who wasn't even there began to bubble up, even though they were the ones who had caused this mess.
“Gyaaaaaah! Aaaaaaaah!”
Takashi’s scream shattered Rikka’s thoughts. Takashi was being shredded. Drae was screaming just as loudly.
“It hurts! It hurts, it hurts! It hurts!”
“Gyaaa! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!”
“It hurts, Takashi! Doesn’t it hurt for you too?! It pisses you off, doesn’t it, you fucker?! So attack me! Get up!”
“Gyaaaaaaaaah!”
Takashi writhed, tears streaming from his closed eyes as he let out a miserable scream. Even then, he didn't attack; he just squirmed. Drae dropped his sword, grabbed Takashi by the collar, and raised his fist.
“You, son of a bitch.”
THUD!
Takashi’s nose and mouth were crushed, and an eyeball popped out.
“Guh...”
THUD! CRACK! THUD!
“It hurts. It hurts! It hurts!”
“Guh. Ugh. Gaaack.”
“Hey! I said it hurts! It hurts because of you, Takashi! What are you going to do about this, you asshole??”
“Gaaack...”
Tremble.
All the Gold Taeyang members began to shake. They felt an indescribable madness. This man, who would turn Takashi’s bloodied face back into a bloody mess every time it regenerated, who wouldn't stop punching even while his own face twisted in agony from the rite’s effect—at that moment, the Gold Taeyang Clan acknowledged their defeat deep in their hearts.
Unless it was ‘Him,’ no matter what the clan sent, they would never be able to stop this man.
“S-stop, it.”
The tearful voice belonged to Takashi. He had humbled his pride as much as he could, but that attitude seemed to stimulate Drae’s sadistic nature even more; the man who transcended humanity grinned.
“Stop what! What! What!”
“Guh, s-stop, it. Now... enough, guh!”
“You guys! The victims you hurt and wounded! Take this! And this!”
THUD! THUD!
“Guh, guh...”
“Did you stop when they told you to? Huh? Did you stop?”
THUD! THUD.
And so, time flowed. Only after several dozen minutes did the beating stop.
Slide.
Takashi, his wounds fully regenerated but his spirit completely broken, sobbed.
“S-stop it. Please...”
“What a pathetic piece of shit.”
Drae clicked his tongue as if dumbfounded and scanned his surroundings. Seeing them shrink back to avoid his gaze, Drae spread his arms wide.
“Come on! Come at me.”
“……”
“Come at me as much as you want. You beat me, or I beat you, let’s just kill each other to our hearts' content. Yeah? You get to vent, I get to vent. Isn’t this some kind of creative economy?”
There was no answer. A sobbing sound could be heard from somewhere, and Drae let out a groan.
“……”
“……”
“You sons of bitches. You’re not coming in? Why? We need to beat the shit out of each other so my guilt fades, and that’s the only way we can keep going. Isn’t that right?”
They didn't understand what he was talking about. But they couldn't say anything. They didn't want to face that thing.
“……”
Drae looked over the faces of the Gold Taeyang Clan once more and then let out a sigh.
“Pathetic bastards. No backbone at all...”
Clang. Drae picked up the sword he had left on the floor, cracked his neck, and said,
“If you’re not going to fight, let’s go back to what we were doing before. You all jumped in while I was playing a game, so everyone gets the penalty, not just the liar. Got it?”
There was still no answer. They only exchanged silent glances with anxious eyes. Back to what we were doing before? Did that mean he was going to continue that grotesque, insane act?
Everyone thought it was absurd. And no one could utter a word. They couldn't argue.
“...Ah, come to think of it, I killed them for nothing.”
Drae clicked his tongue, scratching his head as if troubled. His gaze was fixed on the corpses of the Gold Taeyang members. Seeing that, Takashi harbored a sliver of hope.
As expected, he’s a human who at least pretended to be good. Does he have a conscience? Such moral sentiments were easy to exploit. He wasn't thinking about winning anymore. He had to buy time to escape somehow. So, he had to find a weakness, anything at all...
“I should have kept them alive and tortured them; they went too easily. Right?”
“……”
“Isn’t there some way... yeah? Oh, sorry. Did I keep you waiting?”
Feeling the terrified gazes of hundreds, Drae laughed.
“Now, let the penalty begin.”
A smile as bright as a child’s. That was more terrifying than anything else.
“Now, one, two, three, four.”
In front of Drae was a piano. The strings connected to the ceiling were bright red. Every time he struck a key, music rang out.
“Twinkle, twinkle, little star.”
“Augh.”
“Guh...”
The notes were off-beat. Drae let out a groan of disappointment and laughed.
“Now, again. Twinkle, twinkle.”
“Gya.”
“Aah.”
“Aah. Ah...”
Rikka thought that no matter what happened, nothing could be more sickening than this. What a mistake that was. Why had she thought she knew the depths of the man’s cruelty?
The bright red strings hanging from the ceiling. They were all intestines. The Gold Taeyang members were hanging from hooks, their entrails connected to the piano, and every time a key moved, the connected member let out a groan.
A performance of madness and slaughter.
That expression came to mind. What was even more terrifying was that he hadn't released the rite yet. In other words, Drae was performing while tasting that same agony himself.
Just what is wrong with his nerves...
She thought it was a phenomenon that already transcended the issue of nerves, but she wasn't in a situation to think any deeper.
“...Ah, this. I tried to copy something I saw in a manga, but it’s not working well.”
After playing a few more times, Drae kicked the piano away as if bored, and the connected intestines snapped with a pop-pop-pop.
Gyaaaaaaah.
A chorus of groans of pain and despair.
“Ah, fuck...”
Drae rubbed his stomach, winced for a moment, and said,
“Now. Let’s move on to number 12.”
“……”
Number 12. It meant there had been eleven similar acts before this.
A day had already passed since the ‘game’ began. The Gold Taeyang Clan, having suffered agony beyond torture all that time, was exhausted to the point of collapse. If it weren't for the mental protection skills unique to Outsiders, they would have gone insane long ago.
Thinking that far, Rikka shuddered once more. Outsiders usually had mental protection skills as a passive, and the level of that protection grew stronger with their level. Everything related to the mind—fear included—fell under the scope of what needed to be defended. Even though Drae was low-level, he possessed such mental fortitude, and they were terrified of this man despite having skills. The class difference was fundamental.
Tremble, tremble.
This couldn't go on. She couldn't feel an end to this man. She didn't know how long this pain would last. There was only one way to break the situation. Calling ‘Him.’ She would have to pay a huge price, but it certainly wouldn't be worse than this situation.
“Yeodre, sir...”
Rikka’s words were cut off by tension. Yeodre turned around with a What? expression.
He was currently twisting and pulling off the arm of Black Nungar, which had just regenerated. Watching him commit such a horrific act so casually, ignoring his own pain, Rikka spoke in a voice so small she wasn't even sure if she could hear it herself.
“If you continue like this... no matter how much an Outsider is protected by mental skills, there will be problems with your mind...”
“Is that so? And?”
“Gyaaaaaa NOoooooo...”
Drae listened to the story while thrusting his foot into the gut of Black Nungar, who was wailing and crying, and looked down at him as he foamed at the mouth and thrashed about, as if it were interesting. Her body trembled. Rikka hadn't been touched yet. How long would that last? When would that cruelty, which surpassed mere violence, turn toward her? Perhaps, if she said this, he would start torturing her for being insolent. Her body trembled at the thought, but Rikka mustered her courage.
“How about you take a break?”
“A break, huh.”
Hmm. Drae pondered, stroking his chin. And the Gold Taeyang members looked at him as if begging for salvation.
“Fine. There was something I had to do anyway.”
“Th-thank you!”
Good. I bought time. During this short permission, I must break through this situation somehow.
“So, whatever it is, do it well.”
Her heart felt like it had frozen at his words. Yeodre knew well that Rikka was plotting something. Even so, he told her to do it. If that absolute confidence didn't look like arrogance or insolence, but just something natural, had Rikka’s senses been broken? Rikka, thinking that wasn't the case, turned her head away, and Drae pointed to the majority of the Gold Taeyang members.
“Follow me.”
“Y-yes, yes...!”
“By the way, those of you thinking of running away, listen up. My Ki-sense is spread throughout this entire hideout, so even if you run, I can catch you really quickly. Well, if you scatter in all directions, I might miss a few...”
Drae’s face as he turned back was as calm as a still lake.
“In that case. When we meet again later, you can look forward to it. I’ll play with you so much that this will feel like a joke.”
Without looking at the Gold Taeyang members’ reactions, Drae headed forward. And he said to the Gold Taeyang members following him,
“Open all the rooms down there.”
“All... of them?”
The honorific came out naturally. Drae nodded.
“All.”
That meant the Gold Taeyang Clan’s new forces would be coming out. But it would be a useless gesture against Yeodre. And they arrived at the ‘room.’
“Good. If I release these guys, it’ll be like this, and that will be like that...”
Whatever he was thinking, it would surely be horrific. To the trembling Gold Taeyang members, Drae said,
“Go into the room and fight your comrades.”
At the sudden words, one Gold Taeyang member asked back as if he had misheard.
“...Yes?”
CRACK!
The Gold Taeyang member, whose neck was twisted and teeth were knocked out, and whose eyeballs even popped out, collapsed and let out a delayed scream.
“Gyaaaaaa...! Ugh!”
Drae kicked his face repeatedly and said gloomily to the remaining Gold Taeyang members,
“If you don’t like it, don’t do it.”
“......!”
“W-we’ll do it!”
“That’s right. If you finish successfully, well. I won’t touch you for a few hours.”
It wasn't a reward that could be called a reward, but in the current situation, it was the best motivation possible. Watching the Gold Taeyang members pour into the room without hesitation, Drae entered a certain room. Inside, there was Bold.
“Uh, uh?”
Bold, who was enjoying lust even in a maggot-like state with his limbs severed. The white-haired mage. He, who had been moving his waist while riding on top of Haina, widened his eyes.
“Wow. The soundproofing is perfect. I didn't think you’d know until right before I came in.”
“Wh, what?! Yeodre?!”
Bold wasn't an executive of the Gold Taeyang Clan, just a member, but he was a man treated almost like an executive. Not only was his combat power high, but he was a great help to the clan because he mobilized mercenaries and had extensive knowledge of monsters and medicinal herbs. In other words, it meant he was a guy who needed to be tortured more painstakingly than a typical Gold Taeyang member.
“Hello. Bold... what was it?”
Bold, who had been dazed, shouted as if having a seizure.
“Ugh, Gyaaa! Hey! Het! Block him! Haina! Block him!”
“......!”
“Ah, ah?”
Het, who had been crying while grabbing and shaking his penis, saw Drae and had eyes like a startled rabbit.
“Ye, Yeodre... sir?”
The last word went beyond puzzlement and was closer to a question. Well, he had only seen him once a few days ago, but the atmosphere was different from the one he knew.
“Wow. Anyway, Bold-something. Your other comrades are shitting blood, so is it right for you to be enjoying yourself here alone?”
“……”
Bold’s gaze scanned the surroundings busily.
‘Sword. Sword!!’
He was looking for the sword that had rolled somewhere while he was enjoying himself passionately with Haina in front of Het earlier. He wondered what he could do in a state where his limbs were severed, but he wasn't in this room in this state of mutilation for nothing. He had brought high-performance mechanical arms and legs. If he attached the prosthetic limbs, he could fight. Or run away. He had to buy time to find and attach his two arms and legs.
“Haina! Buy me time!”
At her master’s words, Haina had a determined expression.
“...! If you intend to torment Bold-nim, I’m sorry, but I won’t forgive... ugh.”
“...Ah?”
SHOOOOOOOOT!
Haina’s face flew off. Bold, hit by the blood fountain, let out a delayed scream.
“Hyaaaack!”
“Haina!”
Het also screamed, and Drae tilted his head as if puzzled.
“Oh my. Does the rite not reach here? Or can’t it pierce the wall?”
Drae, muttering that Rikka’s rite might be unexpectedly sloppy, walked leisurely, then reached out and touched the face of Haina, who was sprawled on the bed, trembling.
Whoosh.
Mana flowed, and her face regenerated in an instant.
“Oh. It works, it works. With this, Blan’s arm too... um... is this for Outsiders only?”
‘What kind of skill is that?’
Bold, watching, swallowed his saliva. Anyway, it was clear that it was a skill of a high level.
‘Let’s be calm.’
He was surprised when he attacked Haina without hesitation, but seeing him heal her, it seemed he had no intention of killing her, so he would order her to buy time again...
Stab.
“Ugh, kya?!”
Haina’s forearm was pierced by the sword. Was it a mistake? Or was there a reason? When he thought that, Drae’s sword was shredding her arm mercilessly.
Stab, stab, stab, stab, stab.
“Aah! Aaaah! Aaaaaaaaaaaah!”
Haina writhed in pain as her whole body was stabbed. Bold, who had lost his words, and Het, who was crawling and begging in a small voice to stop. Drae, who stopped only after Het grabbed his pant leg, laughed.
“No. I have a question. How is it now, Haina?”
“Augh?! Aughhh?!”
Drae asked her, who was full of doubt and fear, brightly.
“Do you still want to protect Bold?”
“......!”
Haina looked at Bold, then looked at Drae again, and shook her head quickly.
“You, incompetent bitch... guh!”
Bold, whose neck was grabbed and lifted. Drae put away the sword and instead picked up Bold’s sword that had been placed nearby.
“Wow. In manga, women who are corrupted and soaked in lust do anything for men, right? So I tested which is stronger, pain or pleasure, but um.”
“Wh, what are you...”
“It’s not certain with just once, so I’ll have to test it more.”
“W, wait! Wait a second! Outside, my comrades. U-gak! Stop! Stop it, aaaaaaah!”
Bold was terrified. It was natural. Because Drae was holding the sword to his anus and gradually pushing it upward.
“Pl, please! Stop! It hurts! It hurts! It huuuuuurts!”
“It’s okay. I’ll hurt the same way in a little while.”
Guaack!
“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaack!!”
Bold, who had become a skewer from the anus, trembled. Drae, who whistled watching that, shouldered him and walked away happily.
Haina collapsed and peed, and Het opened his mouth wide.
“I wonder if our Rikka has finished preparing~”
Coming outside, it’s a spectacle. The state of the Gold Taeyang members dragging their former comrades out is just...
Looking at it, they’re covered in blood everywhere. The suppression process must have been quite rough... As expected, there’s no way these things would have a sense of camaraderie. I, who expected such a thing from those who gathered only for pleasure...
...Huh? Did I expect it?
What?
...Well, whatever.
It seems Rikka, no, our Rikka-chan did her job properly.
Wow, calling her -chan makes me feel sick myself. How did that bastard Takashi do it? Well, he’s Japanese, so maybe it was a daily honorific.
Now. Then.
This ominous energy that just appeared. A sticky and dark power as if the world were dyed in black blood. It’s an energy that wasn't there even a few minutes ago.
It would be very fun if the Gold Taeyang members had transformed like monkey aliens just now, but that won't happen.
Is it the arrival of the ‘Him’ they were calling for until their mouths went dry?
Glancing to the side, the Gold Taeyang members all had expressions of I’m fucked. As if fearing that a traitor would be punished.
I thought I had instilled quite a bit of fear, but this reaction. At the very least, in the Gold Taeyang members’ perception, there must be that much of a difference between me and that ‘Him’ bastard until now.
When I glare at them, they flinch and focus on the work they were told to do. Well, a fist nearby is scarier than a law far away, right?
That aside, they’re calling me from over there. The waves are being felt openly.
...Hmm. What should I do?
It would be fun to go right away and crush that ‘Him’ or whatever, but I don’t want the Gold Taeyang members to run away in the meantime...
Besides, it’s a problem even after winning against that ‘Him’ or whatever. Until now, I’ve been torturing them to my heart’s content, relying on Rikka’s rite, but that rite seems to be reaching its limit too. If it goes on like this, I won’t be able to torture the Gold Taeyang members anymore. Is there some good way? These fucking assholes. A way to trample these trash who have been trampling the weak to their heart’s content, believing in their meager power, several times over...
Skill 'Vengeance' is being reactivated. Would you like to activate Vengeance?
...Aha. I see.
So the skill activates whenever vengeance arises.
Poise’s information revives. The story that it would be possible to contract with some demon. If I accept this skill, maybe the gods won't like it.
But so what?
I activate ‘Vengeance.’
Mana swirls as if responding to the positivity in my heart.
Guaaaa.
Pitch-black darkness leaks from all over my body. According to Poise’s information, ‘Vengeance’ must be a contract with a Demon King. I’ll decide whether to contract or not depending on what kind of Demon King it is.
> Searching for a Demon King suitable for the target's wishes.
> Search complete.
> Demon King of the 2nd Purgatory, 'Permitter of Death', 'Demon King of Glory', Josa is summoned.
Whoosh.
The darkness that leaked from the space at close range was unpleasant. I slashed it with my sword.
Kaack.
The darkness disappeared in an instant, but it seems the summoning wasn't canceled. I felt someone new standing by my side.
“....This is rude. It seems you were displeased.”
“……”
Heterogeneous. A being with a status high enough to make the working Gold Taeyang members stop and tremble without knowing it. A person with a sleek physique and red skin who couldn't be distinguished as a man or a woman. Wearing clothes like a gentleman’s suit from the Middle Ages, they bowed with one hand behind their waist and one hand on their chest, showing the utmost courtesy.
“Greetings. Contractor.”
“Good manners.”
They grinned even at my sarcastic remark.
“Thank you for the compliment.”
Why are they so humble? I thought they would be pissed off and attack if I acted this crazy. Well, whatever. Let’s get straight to the point.
“You came to contract, right?”
“That is correct.”
“So, what can you do?”
“What you desire right now.”
“What is that?”
“You wanted to temporarily revive the dead and torment them, didn't you? I...”
“Okay!”
Josa widened his eyes, a little surprised by the loud voice that suddenly burst out. Whether or not that was the case, I shouted joyfully.
“Accepted! Let’s contract!”
Good. Now it seems I can properly crush ‘everyone’ in the Gold Taeyang Clan.