On the northern side of the Wall of Sighs, at the entrance to the Voiceless Rift.
The environment here was even more deathly silent than the Wailing Corridor.
A darkness as thick as ink swallowed almost all light, and the ground was covered in cold bones and shattered rocks.
A thick, soul-shuddering malice hung heavy in the air.
At this moment, on the shattered clearing just outside the entrance.
A silent confrontation had been going on for an unknown amount of time.
Gusion floated in midair, his silver-white hair swaying gently in the darkness as his crimson eyes stared coldly down.
A thin, nearly transparent wave of energy enveloped him, perfectly concealing his figure and presence.
Even so, he made no rash movements.
For the situation below was extremely bizarre.
The mage Jesse and Modo both bore wounds.
Severed limbs of knights were scattered across the ground.
And most bizarre of all was the Vampire Bill.
His neck had been completely snapped by a colossal force, his head tilting at an impossible angle.
The flesh of his limbs was torn and peeled back like tattered rags, exposing the pale white bone beneath as if he had undergone the most brutal execution by a thousand cuts.
By all accounts, such injuries should have killed any living creature instantly.
And yet...
Bill's snapped head was actually smiling.
The corners of his mouth stretched into an exaggerated arc, revealing sharp fangs.
The crimson glow in his eyes flickered, holding no pain, but only a chilling madness and mockery.
His chest heaved slightly, emitting a wheezing, raspy sound.
Then, his broken windpipe actually squeezed out a hoarse, halting, yet exceptionally clear voice:
“Lord Gusion... stop hiding...”
“Come out... and let's talk...”
The voice echoed at the entrance of the deathly silent rift, carrying an inhuman, viscous quality.
“You... wouldn't want to see...”
He paused, a strange gurgling sound coming from his throat, as if he were enjoying some twisted pleasure.
“...their souls completely chewed to pieces by 'the End,' would you?”
“Turned by It into spectral demons, never to pass on to the afterlife of specters.”
At the edge of the entrance to the Voiceless Rift.
Beside Jesse.
Three figures were tightly bound by crude shadow chains, suspended over the bottomless chasm.
They were the Demon Hunter Cass, and his two children—Alan and Rosa.
All of them were unconscious, their faces pale and their bodies covered in wounds.
One of Cass's arms was twisted unnaturally, clearly broken.
The other end of the chains was wrapped around several hideous bone spikes protruding from the rock wall.
Though seemingly fragile, it was enough to keep them suspended above the fatal abyss, swaying slightly in the wind.
The Vampire Bill used his only remaining intact hand to hold his tilted head.
Then, slowly, accompanied by the grating sound of grinding bones.
With a sharp crack, he twisted his head back into its proper position.
The smile on his face grew even more playful as his crimson pupils scanned the surroundings.
He knew Gusion had to be hiding in some corner, watching him.
“Lord Gusion...”
“You really are... soft-hearted.”
His voice was still hoarse, but much smoother now.
“This Demon Hunter has hunted you for so many years.”
“Yet you still... can't bear to see him die, can you?”
Bill licked his split lip, revealing sharp canine teeth.
“After all... you personally taught him everything he knows.”
“He was your proudest student, and a pawn you personally 'shaped' to deal with us.”
“You spent years of painstaking effort, carefully guiding and polishing him.”
“Planting the skills of a Demon Hunter, the art of tracking, and hatred for the Demon Race...”
“Bit by bit, you personally sowed it into that boy's heart.”
“You watched him grow, watched him burn with 'justice.'”
“Watching him become a sharp, relentless blade, 'loyal' to you.”
“And this blade did indeed clear away a lot of trouble for you, drawing too much of our attention.”
He paused, savoring the sudden intensification of the cold ripples in the air, the sarcasm in his tone growing even stronger:
“And then?”
“Because of an unplanned exposure.”
“The 'Hero' you personally shaped instantly became an 'insider' who had to be eliminated.”
“So, you personally... destroyed everything he had.”
“Killing his companions, killing his family, destroying everything related to him.”
“He went from a Demon Hunter full of faith to a vengeful ghost with nothing left but bone-deep hatred.”
“Truly... a masterpiece.”
Bill shook his head, genuine confusion in his crimson eyes.
“I don't understand.”
“Why did you let him go, when he was the one who most needed to be eliminated?”
“You clearly had the opportunity to completely resolve this future trouble.”
“Yet you only injured him and let him leave.”
The confusion in his tone was quickly replaced by a pure, cold desire to exploit.
“But I don't care.”
“I don't care about your complex, conflicted Demon King's heart.”
“I only know that I have found your weakness.”
“That is enough.”
He looked up, his gaze seemingly piercing the darkness to lock precisely onto a certain direction.
“So, Lord Gusion, stop hiding.”
“Let's talk.”
“Actually, there isn't much of a conflict of interest between us.”
“In fact, you could say... our goals are aligned.”
“We both want to go inside and find It.”
“To use It to deal with our common enemy.”
In the darkness, the nearly transparent wave of energy slowly dispersed.
Gusion's figure materialized.
His silver-white hair seemed slightly dimmer.
His crimson eyes remained cold, but the faint creases at the corners of his eyes betrayed a trace of imperceptible pain.
When he landed, his feet faltered for a barely noticeable instant.
Roger and Hannah stepped out from the shadows behind him, one on each side.
Roger's face was tense, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
Hannah narrowed her eyes, her gaze piercing toward Bill like needles.
“Do you know...”
Gusion spoke, his voice calm yet carrying a heavy pressure.
“...what the consequences of doing that are?”
Bill watched Gusion reveal himself, his gaze lingering on the demon's slightly pale face for a brief moment.
Then, his lips pulled back as he burst into loud laughter.
The laughter echoed through the deathly silent rift, exceptionally grating to the ears.
“Haha... Hahaha!”
“Consequences?”
He laughed so hard he could barely breathe, his damaged chest heaving violently.
“Lord Gusion, are you joking?”
“Of course we know the consequences.”
He stopped laughing, his crimson pupils shrinking into dangerous slits.
“But... we're both in the same boat, aren't we?”
“Don't you want to use It as well?”
“Otherwise, why would you leave the corridor a month ago and risk coming here... just to take a stroll?”
Rate on N.U.
