The Unnamed Priests took no action beside the fear. Unbecoming of the name 'priest,' they did not offer prayers, clasp their hands together, or even close their eyes. They just stood still. Surrounding the fear in a circle.
"..."
"..."
There was no exchange of conversation. An extreme silence drifted among them. Black earth moved as if spreading, and the white sky scattered like smoke. Trees drawn as if with a brush swayed, and black smoke rose from the mountains.
Several hours later, all the priests simultaneously raised their heads. Then they lamented.
"He betrayed us."
"The monster refused the deal."
"A variable."
"We must return. It's the monster that killed the Princess."
"We must return to the Nameless Godㅡ"
The moment they uttered it.
*Crunch!*
An arm shot out from within the fear. A pure white hand clutched the face of one priest. Cracks formed on his white mask. The priest stretched out both hands as if to remove the arm gripping his face, but a surging black energy immediately snapped both arms vertically.
"G-gurgle..."
Blood flowed from behind the priest's mask. Bloody phlegm boiled, and his dangling arms fell limply downward. Kenji confirmed that sight and grinned.
"You were still here."
Beyond the shattered fear, black eyes gleamed menacingly. The priest tried to react immediately, but Kenji was faster.
He added force to the hand gripping the priest's face. Then, the cracked mask gradually crumpled before finally shattering the skull. But no brain matter or blood poured out. Instead, it vanished without a trace. Whether it was originally such an existence or because this was a psychic world, he didn't know, but frankly it didn't matter. Kenji retracted his extended hand and forcefully struck the fear with his other hand.
*Kwarrrr!*
The fear crumbled entirely. Kenji smiled with satisfaction and stepped beyond it. Crossing the white space, the monochrome space where he had crawled earlier welcomed him. Kenji brushed off the fear residue on his hand and quickly scanned his surroundings. He had killed one, but priests still remained.
Kenji stared at the priest who had grabbed his wrist and spat out.
"Don't we have unfinished business?"
"Don't be arrogant!"
"Bullshit." ZllVbDNVeVJURGlQRmw3RlFaNlkyZGZlSDJtdlIvVTNSd2MvU280TFNWUVlleUlpTlZQdDlIdDlrcTFNb0NCSQ
Kenji laughed weakly, "Heh."
He shot his clenched fist straight forward. He had instinctively grasped how to handle fear. How to move to use it efficiently, what to utilize. The intricacies were embedded in his brain. In a wuxia novel, one might say he gained enlightenment. Coincidentally, the method of using fear also resembled martial arts.
White Lotus Demon Arts - Ink Shadow.
As his fist extended, a shadow followed. The shadow pierced the priest's chest like a sharp spearhead. *Whoosh*, his body vanished like smoke. Whether he killed him or he escaped, he didn't know, but it didn't matter either way. His goal was to drive those bastards out of this place anyway.
He turned his head. He saw those who were turning into smoke from their feet as if trying to return. He threw a punch toward them. *Kwaang!* With a tremendous noise, holes were pierced in their abdomens. One fell face-down on the ground, and the other flew far away and slammed into a tree. Immediately after, both vanished.
"Four."
Six remained. Kenji smiled fiercely. He kicked off the ground and charged. His body, connected like a flash, advanced by literally bursting through one priest's body.
"Five."
He clenched his fist. Dripping ink soaked the ground before refluxing. Merging in that state, it dyed his arm black. A subsequent fist strike followed.
White Lotus Demon Arts - Serpent Ink Shattering Fist.
The ink wrapped around his arm took the form of a serpent and shot forward. The serpent's maw gaped wide and swallowed two priests whole. With the sound of flesh being crushed, *squelch*, the two vanished.
"Seven."
He twisted his body. In that state, slamming the ground powerfully caused the earth to tremble greatly. The balance of the remaining priests wavered, and Kenji grabbed the heads of two of them and burst them. For the last one, he swung his leg, separating the upper and lower body.
Ten.
All priests had vanished. Kenji spat out black smoke and retracted his thrown fist. The ink-colored aura enveloping Kenji's body subsided. The fighting spirit calmed, and extreme silence arrived. Kenji stared at the mountain drawn as if with ink, then turned his head back.
Where the fear had been positioned, nothing remained anymore. Surely because he had completely absorbed the fear. He didn't need to suspect it was hiding elsewhere, waiting for an opportunity. Not even a trace of fear residue could be felt here. Still, he wouldn't lower his guard. Kenji looked at the place where the priests had stood with cold eyes, then silently moved his steps.
This is a psychic world. Literally, a world materializing the inner self. Therefore, here Kenji could create anything and do anything. It's a place like the paradise everyone dreams of, but Kenji had no intention of staying here.
This is power obtained through all sorts of hardships. Wouldn't it be too wasteful to use it only here?
Moreover, there are too many attachments left behind in reality. For their sake, he couldn't rot here. That didn't mean he intended to leave immediately. There were a few things only possible here, so he had to achieve at least those before leaving.
'First, I need to get accustomed to the power.'
The intricacies are all stored in his head, but applying them in actual combat is a different story. It was right to leave after becoming as proficient as possible. Fortunately, the flow of time here and outside is different, so he could stay for several months or even years without issue.
'Might as well organize my thoughts while I'm at it.'
The future. Another 'me' who has accumulated more experience than I have.
What that guy said bothered him. The words 'color' and 'teacher.' And the remark, 'I lost everything.'
"...What am I worrying about."
Kenji snorted a laugh and focused his mind. On the black ground, a monster worthy of fantasy rose. It was a monster materialized by his imagination. It stared intently at Kenji before letting out a monstrous scream enough to tear ears. Kenji also smiled chillingly and clenched his fist.
"I must protect them."
Kenji closed his eyes.
White Lotus Demon Arts - Demon Heaven Creation.
The sky turned black.
*
August.
Three months had passed since Kenji was consumed by fear. The flower that bloomed on his chest disappeared at the end of May, yet he showed no signs of waking. Still bound to the experimental table, he showed no movement. Fortunately, life signs were still detected, but no one knew when they would vanish.
Thus, someone had to watch over him. But recently, Maestro was busy with other experiments, so the only one relatively free to watch was Black Suit. He was also busy with matters concerning Abydos, Kaiser PMC, and Decalcomania, but he still had the leisure to stay by Kenji's side.
"Hmm."
Black Suit let out a thoughtful hum as he read through the newspaper in his hand. Recently, quite a few interesting topics had been coming up, so reading the newspaper was somewhat enjoyable.
[Trinity General School. Many students voice concerns about a talent shortage as the new student council presidents are all first-years. Moreover, an anonymous informant states, "We suspect all three might be suffering from mental illness." Remarks become a hot topic.]
[General Student Council President announces a treaty to mediate between Gehenna and Trinity. All eyes are focused on whether it can succeed.]
[The Fox of Calamity finally apprehended. Suspension is a bonus?]
Black Suit took a sip of coffee and folded the newspaper. Interesting topics caught his eye, but unfortunately, he had no leisure to intervene in other incidents besides the matters currently in progress. Joining hands with Kaiser PMC to bring Horus was tough enough, and on top of that, Decalcomania's affairs got mixed in. Even having two bodies wouldn't be enough.
"Come to think of it, we also need to do something about the Princess sleeping in Millennium..."
Black Suit let out a sigh and tapped the operating table with his finger. His head was complicated one way or another. He had no intention of revising the plan, but it couldn't be helped if greed arose. It must be all because 'Kivotos' is such an interesting place. Black Suit chuckled and stood up.
Before he knew it, the time was past 6 PM. To not be late for the meeting with Kaiser Corporation, he had to move now. Black Suit put on the gloves he had briefly taken off and fixed the position of his disheveled tie.
It was then.
*Gurgle.*
A sound came from the experimental table. Black Suit's movement stopped abruptly. He turned his head and stared at Kenji lying on the table. He still showed no movement, but Black Suit stretched the corner of his mouth into a grin and took out his smartphone. Then he called Kaiser Corporation.
[Helloㅡ]
"An unavoidable matter has come up, so I'll cancel the meeting. Let's meet next time."
[Huh? Wait a moment, what did you justㅡ]
*Click.*
Black Suit put the smartphone into his pocket. He looked down at Kenji, chuckling.
*Gurgle*, the sound came again. Kenji's body twitched once. Black Suit took a step back and clasped his hands together like a schemer.
"Kuk-kuk..."
Kenji's body convulsed. The black ink covering him turned into smoke and scattered into the void. The first to be revealed was his arm. The arm that had been only skin and bones was now developed with muscles and bulging tendons. Next, the legs, abdomen, and chest, in that order, the ink disappeared.
"You're later than I thought."
"...Ah, damn it."
A voice came from beyond the ink covering his face. Kenji stretched out his hand and tore off the ink. His face, which had been as gaunt as his body, had also returned to normal. A face fierce but undeniably handsome. A man like a rough beast. He squeezed the ink stuck to his palm, then sat up on the experimental table. Then he looked at Black Suit and clicked his tongue.
"Why is it your face I see as soon as I open my eyes?"
"My apologies for that. More importantly... did you finish the task well?"
"Well, I'm alive, aren't I?"
Kenji answered while shaking out his tousled hair. Then, grinning, he continued.
"I'm hungry. Get me something to eat."
Three months in reality. After spending three years in the psychic world, his wish was exceedingly simple.