When I awoke, it felt as though my heart was trying to escape a hurricane. From the fury of those who waged war against God, filled with faithless rage.I had hidden in the Lotus Cemetery to survive.Soldiers were on my trail—their heavy footsteps beat against my ears like war drums. Fear was no longer a sound. It had become the coffin in my chest.
And yet, the weight of my faith made me lighter. That's how I kept moving forward—even if just one more step.I didn't know how much longer my legs could carry me.Panting, I ran on. I stepped on brambles, and the grass hissed beneath me.My legs disappeared under the tall, whip-like weeds.A tiger's roar echoed behind me—deep, violent, trembling my bones.It felt as though a quake from seven hundred layers below the earth was about to erupt.But this would not only crush buildings.It would shatter souls.
"There's nowhere left to run, Tsuyika! Surrender!"The roar of the tigers. I could almost see the deadly curve of their claws—sharp enough to bring death with a single swipe.This kind of fury could only belong to a demon.Not a god.
The thought didn't break me. It fueled me.I lunged forward and jumped across the edge of a pit shaped like a cauldron.Its bottom stretched endlessly—perhaps straight to the hells.A shadow of something massive and vile brushed against me, wrapping me in its malicious aura.I kept running. Kept my pace. But my legs were aching now, maybe from the erratic way I moved.
Roars closed in from behind.
I felt cornered.Panicked, I dashed down one of four random paths branching before me.If it was a trap, so be it.My conscience would be clear.Because my battle was clear:To shatter the idols of the faithless.
To crush the corrupted enchantments etched into tiger statues.To expose the schemes those beasts had woven beneath their masks of divinity.And to drag them before the true throne of God to answer for their arrogance.
I lunged forward into the unknown.Like a bullet, I soared through the air.Then, like a squirrel, I grabbed onto a tree trunk and scrambled upward.My hands clung to the wooden limbs.I needed a place to observe, to hide.Leaves fell around me as I climbed, covering the earth in a green like military camouflage.From below, I could hear the sharpening of claws—soft and slow against the tension of the air.
"Hear our judgment, Tsuyika!" the tigers growled. "We were born to serve the Tiger King. Those who disobey him are traitors. Look upon the vastness of earth and the endless sky. Have mercy on those who serve in God's name!"
"No," I hissed through clenched teeth.What I wanted to do was scream—break their idols, tear down their lies.But I kept quiet.If they heard my voice, they would capture me.Throw me into the dungeons sealed with Fire Locks—prisons so cursed no one dared speak of them.And there, I would grow old with my faith fading in silence.
Tears streamed down my cheeks.When had they built up?
My thoughts shattered when the tree shook at its roots.I pressed myself deeper into the leaves, praying my shield would hold.But it was breaking apart.I could hear the low growls now—closer.Several tigers had gathered below.Their striped orange bodies glowed under the melted peach tones of the burning sky.They gleamed like cursed jewels.
That's when I knew.Everything was rushing toward a horrific end.
The tree's trunk snapped with the force of a violent quake.I flew through the air—only for a few seconds—then plummeted.The image of the tigers below grew larger and larger.
"No!" I screamed.My blood was boiling.I had drunk from the poison of fear.
The last thing I remember was my head smashing into a rock like a bolt of lightning.And the sound—the awful sound—of roaring, bursting my eardrums.
That was all.
🦞
At the edge of the labyrinth, there were trees with metallic trunks and branches like peach limbs.A mechanical bird flew from branch to branch, creaking as it moved.I realized I wasn't dreaming.I was truly trapped.Surrounded by towering walls.
I tried to collect myself.My joints ached.My knees felt weak.My hands were numb, rusted like corroded iron.
Then—I felt something cold on my shoulder.A metallic bird had perched there.
"Welcome to the Tiger Kingdom!" it said.
I couldn't even tell if the voice came from the bird or not.
"W-where am I?" I stammered.
"This is the Entrance Guide to the Call of Judgments—also known as Labyrinth One.If you wish to pass, you must obey the rules:
Whatever the Tigers say is true.
Whatever the Tigers do is right.
Whatever the Tigers think is divine."
"Tigers?" I repeated, as the memory hit me—Falling from the tree.Those creatures had surrounded me, eyes like ravenous predators.One by one, the memories returned.
In the 30th century, tigers gained consciousness.Not only did they reach the level of humans—they surpassed it.
The world was swallowed by storms.The crowned ruler of the tigers, Kiyomasa Kun, slaughtered the Kinya natives at dawn—Without shedding a single tear.
This wasn't a war.It was a massacre.
There was no battlefield.No side to fight back.Only the Kinya natives, falling lifeless to the ground.
Once Kiyomasa Kun seized control of the system, he introduced something called the God System.He claimed to be a divine being—one who could see the future, deliver punishment and reward, and wield infinite power.
But the Kinya people, believers in the true God of the Heavens, were not swayed by his arrogance.
To them, Kiyomasa Kun was nothing more than a blasphemer.
So they rose up.
In response, they were starved.Thirsted.Left to die of disease and despair.
Kiyomasa Kun was determined to prove that everything existed under his rule.
But even with all his cruelty, he failed to crush their faith.The Kinya natives died as they lived—believing.
When that didn't work, Kiyomasa turned to another method.
The Labyrinth.
A brutal system designed to break the spirit and train people into obedience.He called it the "Art of Discipline."But it was a theater of torture—a film stitched together with screams.
To him, physical pain would eventually make people blind.Deaf.And ultimately, faithless.
Now, hearing the echoes in my ears, I understood—
This place was the Art of Discipline.
My first trial was to follow the metallic bird's orders.
But I refused—fiercely.
How could I, blessed by the sacred traditions of the Kinya bloodline, become a pawn in this cheap trick?
The Kinya people are born to fight enemies of God.And if they ever fail in that mission, they offer their own flesh in repentance.
I looked into the small eyes of the bird. Its tiny wings clicked.
"I reject all of this," I said.
My voice grew firmer.
"Every single word."
The bird didn't seem the least bit surprised.
"I've seen it before. Humans always struggle at the beginning."
"Whether it's the beginning or the end," I snapped,"In no world, under no sky, will I ever accept this."
"No need to get so worked up," the bird replied as it flapped its wings and rose off my shoulder.
Its feathers sliced the air gently.
I watched it vanish through a hole in the ceiling.Gone.
I was alone now.Utterly alone.
What would my first horror be?
I didn't have time to finish the thought.
The heavy door on the far side of the chamber creaked open.
Had that been a door moments ago?
The platform beneath my feet began to shift—rotating like a giant mechanical box.From each opening in the floor, creatures began to crawl out.
Centipedes.
I couldn't say anything except:
"Oh, God."
My legs nearly gave out beneath me.
They were all heading straight toward me.Their copper-colored bodies looked inverted—like molten bowls turned inside out.Their limbs were shaped like split forks.I told myself I wouldn't scream.I would only pray.
But the truth was...I was terrified.
Just the thought of them crawling across my body made me tremble.I felt disgusted. Sickened.
The hunger in their eyes—Their wild advance—It broke me.
I needed to think. To act wisely.But there was nothing to be done.
I was face-to-face with a swarm of centipedes.And it felt like my fate had already been written.
🦞
My first attempt at overcoming the fear began with one simple thought:
They're not that terrible.
Just legs. A few more legs.Bodies the color of alcohol.Ordinary motion.
Yes. That's right.Add a few more legs.Pretend it's normal.Those eyes, that skin—nothing strange.Nothing to fear.
Let them crawl.Let them move.If I'm not afraid of a cat, why should I fear a centipede?
God created them all.
That mantra became my shield.I clung to it like a child clings to a prayer.
But every time I looked into their eyes—watched them slither closer—I felt a door creaking open to another world.
A world of Death and Filth.Of Horror and Soul.Blood and Shame.
All layered over each other.All clawing at my spirit.
It didn't take me long to realize their joints were metallic—Just like the bird's.
They walked with a sickening rhythm.Click, tick, snap.Their movements were arrogant and sluggish, but calculated.They were watching me.
And I... didn't know what to do.
Finally, one of them reached my feet.
I closed my eyes.
I took a deep breath.The air burned in my lungs—like breathing in fire or gas.It scorched. Tore. Ignited something inside me.
I tried to feel like someone getting a needle before a blood draw.You don't flinch.You don't move.The needle pierces the vein—but you remain still.
Then I felt it.A strange sensation brushing against my skin.
Something with weight climbed onto my shoe.It was just metal, I told myself.Then it crawled up the fabric of my pants.I felt a tightness behind my knee. A cramp spreading up my leg.
Don't be afraid.Just a few legs. A few joints. A little yellow color.Bright yellow—like sunlight.If you're not afraid of ants, then this is just a... variation.
When I dared open one eye, they were already everywhere.
Crawling across my arms.My back.My neck.
"God created them all," I whispered again."I'm not afraid of them. Not afraid... of anything."
One brushed its mouth against the inside of my vein.Another pulled a tiny hair from my skin with its pincers.
It stung.Not just physically—emotionally.
It was the sting of fear.The spine of terror.The unseen net that wraps around your throat and squeezes when you try to speak.
After a few seconds, I was finally able to open my eyes.
Sweat poured down my face.The chamber was now almost completely filled with the swarm.
I looked at them—and trembled.Yet...
They started to seem... normal.
I would not give up my faith.
The tigers were not gods.They were beasts, consumed by fury.
They wanted to break me.Make me curse the very God I loved.Force me to bow.Take control over my body and soul.
Cheap tricks.Cruel illusions.Just another trap, using creatures God Himself had made.
I stared at the incoming swarm.
They would not take my faith.I would not trade it for a parade of crawling insects.
A soft movement stirred at my lips.A slight tremble.Not from fear—but from faith.
A drop from the infinite ocean of belief that flowed through the Kinya people.
I felt Him—closer than my own breath.
God was with me.I could hear Him.Feel Him in the beating of my heart.
My blood pulsed faster.Not from panic—but from something holy.
Perhaps... perhaps God let me fall into this labyrinth to free me from fear.Perhaps He allowed it—so that I could find myself.
Tears streamed down my cheeks.It hurt.Because even with all my strength—I was still afraid.
It was like staring through the iron bars of a cage, watching the sky turn pink and yellow in the distance.
I shut my eyes tight.
When I opened them again... my body was clear.The weight was gone.No centipedes.
I checked everywhere.They were retreating—slithering away.
Then—I heard a hiss behind me.
Something coiled around my leg.It was cold.Slippery.
I turned and saw a sudden flash of light.
It was a snake.Its scales shimmered like my father's golden belt.
And I knew...This was not punishment.
This was mercy.
The snake slithered ahead, almost as if it was trying to show me something.
I followed its gleaming, scaled body through the ruins—ancient walls that reminded me of temple stones, etched with forgotten symbols.It led me to the edge of a worn structure... then disappeared into a crevice.
I stood there, baffled.Head tilted upward.
Drops fell from the ceiling.Drip. Drip. Drip.
A leak, maybe.The ceiling was impossibly high, lost in darkness.
That's when I heard something.
A pattern of movement.Footsteps. Soft but rhythmic—moving back and forth.
I focused all my senses.Water continued to drip somewhere in the distance.A strange humming followed, like something out of an old sewer tunnel.
The footsteps returned, circling now.Anxiously, I pressed my back to the wall.
Breathe, Tsuyika.Just breathe.
"Hey. Who are you?"
The voice made me jump.
I turned around—trembling.
A young man stood before me.Blonde. Dirty. Dressed in gray rags.
"I just got here... or rather," I stammered, scanning the room, "I woke up and found myself here."
He narrowed his eyes.
"You don't believe in the tigers, do you?"
I nodded.
"No. I don't. What about you?"
"Those who come here are like patients in the same asylum," he said with a sly smile."We've all committed the same crime. We just didn't know it yet.""Does that explanation work for you?"
I ignored his metaphors and blurted out the first thing on my mind.
"When did you get here?"
"Long story," he shrugged. "Have you met my snake?"
"T-the snake... that was yours?" I asked, eyes widening.
"Of course. Mine."
"How did you tame it?"
"Tame?" he laughed softly. "All animals are tame. You just have to listen."
My question seemed to disappoint him.The look on his face... a slight crease on his forehead... he was judging me.His sharp eyes swept over me.
"You collect obsidian, don't you?"
I blinked, surprised.
"That's right... but how do you know that?"
"Your skin's slightly bronzed—from heat.Your fingers have thin cuts—from handling delicate, glass-like material.And your lungs..." he leaned closer. "I'd bet they still carry the scent of sulfur."
He smiled.
And something in that smile... chilled me.
"You've read me like an open book," I said. "Aren't you going to tell me anything about yourself?"
He held out his hand.Wrist marked with scars.
"The snake tamer, at your service.""Name?"
"Tsuyika."
"Beautiful name," he said with a soft nod."I'm Kiyomasa Kun."
The name hit me like a thunderclap.My blood froze.
Kiyomasa Kun?
The Tiger King?
How could someone so full of demonic rage... smile so gently?
"You've gone quiet," he said."Most people don't enjoy watching me tame snakes."
His lips curled into a wicked grin.
"Demon," I spat through clenched teeth.
"Demon? That doesn't suit you, Tsuyika."
The weight of his presence crushed me.Seeing him in human form was worse than a thousand roars.
"I thought you were a tiger," I said.
"You wouldn't like me as a tiger," he replied calmly."Besides, I am merciful. God always warns before He punishes."
"You're not God!" I snapped, disgusted.
"I understand your resistance. But I wouldn't advise pushing it," he said.His eyes darkened—filling with dusk.Dust and smoke began swirling in the air.
The air vibrated like a distant drum.
I stepped back.
Before me, a tiger began to form—massive, striped, crowned with pure gold.
"What would it take... to make you believe in me, little one?"
I was shaking.His form kept growing—larger, heavier, divine yet monstrous.
"G-God doesn't have a body.He is everywhere and always.He knows everything.He isn't proud. He is powerful."
"Ah... such stale tales," Kiyomasa growled.
What do you call someone who defies a god?
"Kiyomasa Kun!" I shouted.
In that moment, I felt something spark within me—A whisper from the true God.He was watching.He was listening.And He would show me the way out.
With unshakable faith, I stepped forward.
"Tell me, Kiyomasa—when someone becomes your disciple, what do you feel?Is it satisfaction? Does it feed your ego?"
He growled.His claws sliced the air—a show of threat.
"Obey," he hissed."Or my serpents will devour you piece by piece."
"I have an offer," I said, holding my ground."If you are as mighty and unreachable as you claim—then you shouldn't fear a game with a mere mortal."
He tilted his head, considering.
"Tsuyika... your parents are safe at home," he whispered, almost mockingly.
"You always resort to threats, don't you?"Tears welled in my eyes, but I refused to be weak."Because without fear, no one would ever accept your fake kingdom."
"Careful with your words, little one," he warned."Very well. I'll lower my guard. I am merciful."
I stared at him with disgust.
"I have a die in my pocket. We'll both roll it.If I get the higher number, you'll let me leave the labyrinth.If you win… I'll accept you as God."
"Hmm…" he mused. He licked his lips and chuckled."Not bad. A clever little game.And while we play, I'll entertain the other rebels trapped in here."
"Ready?" I asked, lips trembling.My hand slipped into my pocket.I felt the edges of the cube.
I whispered,
"My Lord… please. Let the highest number be mine.I know Your power."
I drew out the die.Its sides shimmered under the blue light in his eyes.And I threw it with all my might.
My blood surged—Every vein boiling.This was divine judgment.
Kiyomasa Kun stared at the die with regal amusement.It spun mid-air.It struck the ground with a crisp clack.
This was it.
The true God would respond.
I would roll a 7.
I would end this madness.Free the people.Break the illusion.
The die landed.I looked.
"One."
My stomach turned.I gagged and vomited.
One?
One?!
Kiyomasa Kun leaned in, chin resting on his finger.
"Ah... what a pathetic sight. Don't you agree?"
Was God trying to tell me something?
He picked up the die.Rolled it into the air.
I was already cursing fate.It was over.He would roll higher. I could feel it.
He threw it with his claws.
The cube hit the ground.
Then—
Something unthinkable happened.
Every number on the die vanished.The faces turned blank.Like mist covering the sky.All meaning was gone.
What remained… was not a number.Not a fate.Not a truth.
Only one thing:
The die of madness.
End of Chapter One🌪️🕊️🐅