Chapter 130
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 130
Chapter Title: Don't Regret It!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Oh, don't come any closer, ya hear! One more step and I might just slice ya up for real!"
"Hmmm, well now..."
A face pale as a ghost.
Pupils shaking like there'd been an earthquake.
Lips and voice parched dry as bone.
Rimon scratched his cheek as he watched Ryu Gangcheol embody the perfect picture of a cornered criminal.
"Look, I get it. You're on edge, I really do... but still."
Rimon had already cut down at least several dozen of his clones.
And Ryu Gangcheol's skill seemed to share memories and thoughts in real-time across clones.
For him, that meant dozens of brutal torture-like deaths in quick succession, without even putting up a fight.
No wonder he was on the verge of a breakdown.
Even resorting to a hostage situation.
Of course, to Rimon, this was nothing new—just another day at the office.
"But come on, even so, what good's grabbing that guy as a hostage gonna do ya?"
Still, Rimon couldn't help feeling a bit awkward.
The hostage Ryu Gangcheol had grabbed was just too out of left field.
"Ain't that right, Boss Wang?"
The middle-aged man with a mustache, his arms severed from the elbows and shoulders, knives embedded all over his blood-soaked body, clutched in Ryu Gangcheol's grip.
Wang Gineung spat up a gush of blood.
Then grinned through it and played along.
"Who ain't sayin' otherwise?"
"Shut yer trap!"
Maybe he didn't like how nonchalant the hostage was being.
Ryu Gangcheol yanked Wang Gineung's hair in irritation and nicked his throat with a knife, drawing blood.
A show of force to prove he could kill Wang anytime.
But it was all for nothing.
Not even Wang himself paid the blood trickling down his neck any mind, just kept talking.
"Man, it's been a minute, and look at the sorry state yer in."
"Embarrassin' to show ya my ragged self like this. Managed to take down a good ten of 'em fightin' hard, but any more than that was too much for these old bones."
"Ho, not bad for a last stand."
"I'm the head of the Shanghai Wang family, after all. Gotta put up some kinda fight or I lose face, right?"
"Face? Yer lost that the second he took ya hostage."
"Ouch, that cuts deep."
Was this a hostage standoff?
Or just two old pals chatting?
Rimon watched their eerily calm exchange with a blank look for a moment.
Then Ryu Gangcheol bellowed.
"Hey! Ya blind or what? Don't ya see this knife?"
"See it clear as day."
"Then why ya actin' all chill? Keep it up and I might just off this pal of yers for real!"
"Go ahead."
And he lost his train of thought again.
"...What'd ya just say?"
"Kill him. I don't care."
"Ya say that with a hostage right in front of ya?!"
"Sorry to disappoint, but Black Dragon Construction ain't under contract with my security firm. No reason for me to protect him."
With all the sincerity of someone who truly didn't give a damn.
Ryu Gangcheol gawked at Rimon's deadpan response, then ground his teeth and shot back.
"Hah, drop the tough act! Yer pretendin' not to care just to save the hostage, right?"
"If ya think that, just kill him already. What's a mass murderer like you hesitatin' for?"
"That...!"
Ryu Gangcheol was finally at a loss for words.
Wang Gineung cackled at the sight.
"Shoulda picked yer hostage more wisely if ya wanted this stunt to work."
"...Yer laughin'? This punk just told me to kill ya!"
"If I'm dyin' anyway, might as well go out smilin'."
"Why ya givin' up so easy!? At least beg for yer life or somethin'!"
"Ha, ya got some jokes."
Wang Gineung let out a chuckle.
Then he glanced sideways at Rimon and continued.
"Ghost sir, take a good look at them eyes. Do they look like the eyes of someone here to rescue me?"
"..."
Ryu Gangcheol clamped his mouth shut.
He'd glanced over following Wang's gaze.
And seen it.
Rimon staring right at him.
No worry, no concern, no impatience.
Just lazy, sunken golden eyes—so serene they bordered on chilling.
Ryu Gangcheol, who'd seen plenty of criminals and lunatics in the Liberation Brigade, knew instantly.
Those were the eyes of a killer.
Eyes that would cleave through him and the hostage in one stroke if he used the man as a shield—eyes that valued human life like so much firewood.
"Woulda been better off grabbin' some random passerby."
Wang Gineung had realized it the moment he saw Rimon.
And given up on rescue long ago.
His words made Ryu Gangcheol finally erupt in rage.
"What kinda bullshit is this?!"
His dozens of clones raiding subsidiaries—wiped out in mere minutes.
And now his last resort hostage play had bombed spectacularly.
He was beyond frustrated; he felt like crying.
"Ya get what ya deserve, dog. What, thought you'd get some karma outta this?"
"Didn't see this comin', no."
"Yer in no position to talk."
"That's why I'm sayin' it. Never felt more ashamed of not bein' White Dragon Clan."
"Eh? If a guy like you was born among those idiots, I'd bet my neck you'd die frustrated."
"Fair point."
Rimon smirked briefly while chatting with Wang Gineung, ignoring Ryu Gangcheol.
Then he asked casually.
"So, last words done?"
"The vanquished have no words. A family head who couldn't protect his kin or even himself—what's there to say? Just make it clean."
"You got it. One clean stroke so they can stitch the body easy later."
"Much obliged."
A chill ran down Ryu Gangcheol's spine.
Not just from the sharpening sword aura emanating from Rimon, sword dangling loosely at his side.
It was Rimon's casual acceptance of Wang's death.
And Wang thanking him for it.
Their utter incomprehensibility hit like facing madmen beyond reason.
'...My mistake.'
You couldn't judge lunatics like this with common sense.
Hell, he should've just let Yujin and Bellos charge in and stayed out of it himself.
Too late now.
"Well, no more clones left to cut down, looks like..."
The moment he realized his error.
The reaper with black light gleaming in golden eyes had his sword trained on him.
"Time to end this."
Ryu Gangcheol ground his teeth.
Having died dozens of times to Rimon already, he knew.
That blade couldn't be blocked.
Flee, fight, beg on his knees.
Once Rimon decided to cut him down, all "this him" could do was thrash and die.
That's why venom filled his eyes.
"Fine, if ya wanna end it that bad, I'll show ya. But don't ya dare regret it!"
Rimon barely registered the shout.
Villains always spat curses or rants in their final throes—it was routine.
"Hm?"
But right after.
Rimon narrowed his eyes.
Not just from Ryu Gangcheol's sudden shift, gripping his knife tight.
His constellation sight, used to check for clones, caught something eerie.
This was indoors.
Yet stars twinkled in a night sky overhead, one beaming down like a spotlight on Ryu Gangcheol.
'What the...?'
Rimon moved instantly.
Swinging at Ryu Gangcheol.
A lightning-quick slash—even this Ryu couldn't have reacted; his head would've flown.
CLANG!
But the blade didn't connect.
Starlight enveloped Ryu Gangcheol, repelling the sword.
As Rimon recoiled from the unexpected rebound, raising a brow.
Ryu Gangcheol ruthlessly hurled the hostage Wang Gineung aside and opened his twisted grin.
In the depths of Leviathan's underground palace.
Bellos, the long-haired man locked in fierce combat with Li Chingwei despite being on the defensive, suddenly froze.
Then looked up.
"...That idiot."
No sky here—just a vast ceiling far underground.
Yet he stared as if seeing something beyond.
Bellos scowled fiercely.
"Borrowin' 'above's power without even askin' permission. Keep gettin' called a fool and he really turned into one."
His displeasure lasted only a moment.
Blocking Li Chingwei's strike with his grimoire as a shield, Bellos felt the heavy impact and hardened his gaze.
Fool or not, Ryu Gangcheol was a Liberation Brigade ghost.
If even he was breaking brigade rules this badly, things outside must be dire.
He didn't need to see to know.
'Normally forbidden... but.'
Ryu's line crossed.
His own desperate position.
The mission's gravity.
Weighing it all, Bellos muttered low.
"Very well. We'll settle this here and now."
Bellos stopped dodging Li Chingwei.
Instead, he stood firm and focused his will, activating a skill.
"What the fuck?"
Yujin, rampaging in search of Youin and the Black Dragon guards, muttered absently.
Trapped in black mist devouring all light, she still sensed a star exploding high above.
'Why?'
She was baffled.
But only briefly.
Before she could process, a second star throbbed violently, leaving her stunned.
"...Curledred, you're insane."
A forbidden power.
The very reason they were called ghosts—and one even commander Bellos couldn't touch lightly.
Even if the mission succeeded, it could mean execution for rule-breaking.
She'd never dared use it herself.
"Total drowning ghost."
But with Ryu then Bellos committing, she had no choice.
She couldn't dodge joint responsibility by sitting it out.
Besides, things were in motion—she hated dawdling anyway.
"Not my style... but sorry."
She'd rather fight to the death, but duty called.
Swallowing her reluctance, Yujin connected to 'above' and whispered.
『Constellation Descent XII』, Fool
『Constellation Descent V』, Judgment
『Constellation Descent III』, Berserker
As the three voices echoed with slight delays, three brilliant stars plummeted from the distant sky.
KABOOM!
―Roots engulfed the earth.
―The laws of the world twisted.
―Crimson madness exploded.