Challenge: The Fool with the Surname Okayamine

Interlude to Chapter 86: Cruelty and Suffering

The night after Tohka was sealed away, darkness quietly descended. The pitch-black sky, like a huge and mysterious curtain, slowly enveloped the entire earth.

1:20 AM

"Huff...huff..."

Outside the Gangfeng family compound, Ming, panting heavily and swaying precariously, slowly approached like a walking corpse.

Not long ago, in the rather cramped room of the Itsuki family home, Ming was sitting quietly on the bed, engrossed in reading the novel in his hands.

However, without warning, a sudden, intense pain shot through his head, as if countless steel needles were piercing it, threatening to shatter his skull at any moment.

The sudden, excruciating pain made Ming's already pale face even paler, and cold sweat poured down his forehead.

"Aaaaaaahh ...

"Damn it... what's going on?!"

Ming endured the pain, not wanting his unusual condition to cause worry or attract the attention of the Wuhe siblings and others.

So he gritted his teeth, slowly put down the novel in his hand, and with trembling hands, supported his body as he struggled to get up from the bed.

Every step he took felt like walking on a knife's edge; excruciating pain assaulted his nerves, yet he persisted, walking step by step toward the door.

Finally, Ming managed to leave the Itsuka family and, under the cover of night, forcibly flew back to the Okamine family.

Upon entering the mansion, Ming's eyes were already stained with scarlet sheep pupils, different from his original crimson sheep pupils, with even the whites of his eyes completely replaced by black.

"Just like the ghouls in Tokyo Ghoul."

Upon entering the house, the pain intensified once more, as if every pore of his body was on fire, and a surge of murderous intent flooded his mind.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-"

"boom"

Ming slammed his head heavily on the ground in an attempt to calm himself down. Blood flowed out, but when the black flames ignited, the wounds healed again. However, the pain of slamming his head on the ground returned a thousand times more intensely.

As for the ground that was smashed, it was dented with a hole the size of a head, and bloodstains remained.

"Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Ming looked towards Er Ya inside the room, his mind already filled with murderous intent. His remaining rationality held him back, and he was on the verge of losing control.

Just before Ming was about to completely lose his mind, he rushed into his room and, looking at the room full of photos of Saeko, managed to keep himself in check.

"Oh dear, you're really in a sorry state... Gangfeng Ming."

As Ming suffered, Asmodeus's incredibly mocking voice echoed in his mind.

"What exactly did you do to me?!"

Ming gritted his teeth and roared, his fists clenched. Suddenly, he felt as if he had been pierced by several spears, but his body was not injured at all.

"Ahhh!"

Asmodeus burst into wild laughter.

"Don't wrong an innocent person. I didn't do anything. It's just that you've gotten to this point so quickly."

"What is it? Speak quickly..."

Asmodeus stopped laughing and said slowly:

"Your fifth spirit crystal, forged from your body, is linked to the [Cruel] particle. This power is now driving your evolution while simultaneously devouring your sanity. But this is also your destiny—to become a vessel for all the malice in this world."

"What surprised me, however, is that you only evolve slowly after each death or extremely severe injury. I didn't expect you to evolve so quickly."

Upon hearing Asmodeus's words, Ming was filled with anger and resentment.

"Not now... not yet, not until I see [her] again and have truly atone for my sins..."

As Ming spoke, he thrust his hand directly into his chest. Because he had no heart, it felt like he was probing into the void, slowly sinking inside.

Ming closed his eyes, and when he opened them again...

It is a fire that ignites in a sea of ​​flowers in a mind completely polluted by cruelty, where countless wars and everything else are played out, and in the end, those malices become countless soldiers holding long spears.

Ming roared and charged toward the soldiers. Despite the increasing pain in his body, his eyes were filled with determination.

He swung his arms, fighting against the soldiers formed from malice. Each attack was accompanied by excruciating pain, but his movements did not falter in the slightest.

His body, which had been mercilessly pierced by the enemy, healed rapidly at an astonishing speed! He possessed an immortal body, which was astonishing.

Immediately afterwards, his eyes widened in anger, and he unleashed an unparalleled power, charging directly at the enemies with his bare hands.

His hands, like steel clamps, gripped an enemy tightly. Then, with a sudden burst of force, accompanied by a shrill scream, the enemy was torn apart alive!

However, this did not stop his killing spree. He seized a spear from another enemy and wielded it like a whirlwind. The spear seemed to come alive in his hands, flying up and down, its cold light flashing.

Each thrust pierced the chest of one attacker after another with unerring accuracy, drawing out a trail of scarlet blood.

As Ming continued to slay the soldiers formed from malice, the surrounding scenery began to distort and deform.

Suddenly, a dazzling light shone from the center of the battlefield. Looking towards the light, the invisible and mysterious [Reverse Kabbalah Tree] pattern appeared before his eyes.

The position representing "strictness" is stained black, and what appears before you is the source of "cruelty," with black mud flowing down from it.

Ming tried to transform into his own spirit costume, but to no avail.

The black mud material transformed into flames, which instantly spread and swept towards Ming. Ming's eyes narrowed, and he tried to dodge, but found his body as if frozen in place, unable to move.

The raging flames seemed to come alive, intertwining and entwining, eventually converging into a thick and scorching chain.

This chain of flames radiates a chilling heat and dazzling light, like a weapon in the hands of a demon, carrying boundless power and malice.

The chains swung through the air, making a crackling sound, and each swing brought a blast of scorching air as Ming was bound and torn.

"Aa ...

Just as Ming was nearly driven to despair by the torment of the fiery chains, Sahe's smile suddenly flashed through his mind. That warm image was like a ray of light shining into the dark abyss, infusing him with new strength.

“I said I would see her again. If my legs are cut off, I will claw with my hands. If my hands are cut off, I will crawl twisted and twisted. So I will never give up!”

After breaking free, Ming stood up again, his body covered in wounds but his gaze unwavering. He stared at himself, now formed from the black mud, a powerful fighting spirit rising within him.

"No matter what you are, you can't stop me."

Ming roared in a low voice, a faint light emanating from his body. Although the light was not strong, it contained an unyielding will.

When Ming opened his eyes again, he was back in his room. Asmodeus, with only his head showing, was looking at him with that same mocking smile on his face.

"Alright, alright, it seems the malice accumulated in your body isn't enough to break you down yet. I thought I'd see you turn into a complete monster and destroy everything, but it seems I came too early."

Ming stared coldly at Asmodeus.

"roll!"

"Alright, alright, it seems it'll be a while before I get to witness your tragedy. So please don't disappoint me, give me the most delicious negative emotions!"

As he spoke, Asmodeus disappeared, leaving Ming alone in the empty room.

The crimson in his eyes gradually faded, and Ming, dragging his heavy body, picked up Sawa's photo, his eyes filled with only regret.

"...With my current physical condition, it seems the plan to gain more power will have to be put on hold. Originally, I wanted to revive Sawa to eliminate any future troubles and deal with Takamiya Mio, but...I don't know how long I can hold on in my current state..."

"It's alright, just wait for me... Sawa..."

As the boy's body transformed into an elf, he gradually lost his basic emotions, and even his memories of meeting "her" became hazy.

The boy didn't know how much longer he could hold on. For others, death might be a terrifying disaster, but for him, it was a peaceful sleep that he would have to spend half his life longing for.

Ming had considered being killed by Tohka in the afternoon, but for Sawa's safety after her resurrection, he had to continue living to gain more power to protect her.

What a tragedy... what a cruel tragedy. In her past life, Ming was ostracized by the world, and now she is alive again, fighting for her future.