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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: The Chosen People (4)
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"That guy."
As Vanguard stepped into the Thunder Prison, a voice suddenly spoke up.
In this darkness!
Vanguard was startled deep down.
The inmates of the Thunder Prison had all their martial arts crippled. They couldn't muster even a scrap of inner energy. So the only senses they had left were the innate ones they were born with.
The hearing of an ordinary person, the smell of an ordinary person, the touch of an ordinary person...
Vanguard had no flaws in his martial arts. He could unleash a killing strike or unfold his movement technique right now if he wanted. Even his perception of his surroundings relied on his true energy.
Yet Vanguard hadn't sensed the Thunder Prison inmate.
He knew there was some living creature inside, but he had no idea exactly where it was or what it was doing.
Ah! Of course, he knew now.
The guy was leaning halfway against the opposite wall, lying there at an angle.
The inmate had spotted him first and called out.
In the darkness? No. Wrong guess.
People often say that you get used to the dark when you're in it. That once you adapt, you can pierce through it like a bat, moving even without a speck of light.
That's nonsense. Human eyes never truly adapt to darkness.
Getting used to the dark only works if there's at least a tiny bit of light.
Torchlight was forbidden in the Thunder Prison.
This first underground level corresponded to the third subterranean layer in the prison's design.
The Thunder Prison had been built deep underground, and the descending stairs were twisted to let in not even a single ray of light.
Here, there was only perfect darkness.
In such darkness, with not a hint of light seeping in, movement was extremely limited. You might want to move, but you couldn't. No matter if years or even millennia passed, your eyes wouldn't adapt.
In that case, humans develop their ears.
This guy had recognized him by the sound of his footsteps.
Vanguard spoke.
"That guy? Do you know me?"
"I just saw you today for the first time. Of course not."
"Then what's with calling me 'that guy'?"
"Talking to myself. Take it as white noise."
"Seems like you've got a rough idea about me. Care to describe me?"
"Doesn't feel great getting talked down to by a stranger, and I've got no reason to play along. For guys dragged down here, death's the only thing left. If you wanna kill me, go ahead."
The Thunder Prison inmate spoke indifferently, as if he couldn't care less.
This guy! He's the real deal!
Vanguard felt a surge of strong curiosity toward the inmate.
He'd been intrigued ever since hearing it was Four Thousand Four instead of some random prisoner... That's why he'd come all the way into the Thunder Prison to talk... But even then, he hadn't expected much, figuring anyone who'd flip out at the mention of murder was probably just a lunatic...
Yet the guy's voice was calm, unlike any inmate in the Nineteen Hells.
There wasn't even the slightest tremor in it. Normally, when a stranger entered the Thunder Prison, inmates would cling to it like a lifeline. But not this one.
It carried the kind of nonchalance only someone who'd given up on life and lost interest in the world could show.
Had he abandoned life?
Second, after entering the Thunder Prison, Vanguard hadn't taken a single step further.
Unlike the inmate, he could see in the dark.
His true energy-dependent senses picked up the opponent even in pitch blackness.
The inmate couldn't see him, but he could see the inmate.
Yet he couldn't move his feet. Instinctively, his body demanded he keep a safe distance in case of a fight. That alone made the guy... threatening.
It was abnormal to feel this level of wariness toward someone just lying there doing nothing. It felt like facing a true master. And this from a guy whose martial arts were completely crippled.
Why this wariness?
Because the guy was a beast. A born predator.
The Warden was right. This is someone we have to keep caged. If we let him loose... he'd slip control, and recapturing him wouldn't be easy.
As Vanguard fell silent, the inmate spoke.
"You're a pain. About five feet tall?"
Vanguard was startled again.
Was the guy really seeing him with his naked eyes? The description was spot-on.
"You're underestimating me. Five foot seven."
"Nah. Five five."
"Say it again."
"Your body's hard as a rock... but you took a hit to the right side."
"How'd you know that?"
Not long ago, during a mission, One-Four-Six had died. He'd taken a blow to the side then too. The wound still hadn't healed, and any hard movement would reopen the stitches.
He'd even guessed that?
"Not hard. You're putting too much weight on your left leg when you walk. And there's nothing wrong with it."
"Say it again."
"What're you making me repeat?"
"It's fun. Makes me think humans can sharpen their ears this much."
"If it's fun, sit here yourself. Now you talk. You came to find me. So you've got something to say. I don't."
"Fair enough. Then I'll talk. First off, I'm Vanguard. I'm here to take you out and put you to use. You're the star of the Life-Death Trial happening here."
Vanguard got straight to the point.
Before seeing Four Thousand Four, he'd been full of doubts. The Warden had leaned on him hard.
Opening the Life-Death Trial under the Warden's authority felt like all-or-nothing.
He'd thought of it as a gamble: snag a good one, or flip his whole life upside down.
After meeting the guy, his worries changed completely.
This one would escape the Life-Death Trial relatively easily. If anything, he was concerned about the Deception-Strength pair in the two-man alliance. This guy? Not at all.
The issue wasn't the Life-Death Trial anymore. It was whether he could control this monster.
Even with his martial arts crippled, the guy was a beast. Once he recovered even part of them, he'd fly wild. He probably still wouldn't surpass Vanguard... but.
Vanguard watched Four Thousand Four's reaction as he mentioned the Life-Death Trial.
Normally, Thunder Prison inmates reacted one of two ways.
If they lacked confidence, they'd beg to be excused.
If they were sure of victory, desperate to get out, or preferred death over this hell, they'd say something like, "Don't worry about me, I've got this."
Four Thousand Four lay back down and said,
"Don't wanna go out. Don't wanna fight."
"Heh! Hah!"
Vanguard let out a chuckle.
"The Life-Death Trial's already open. Fighting or not isn't your choice. If you wanna die like this, just take the beating. If you wanna live, fight. Let's see... what you've got."
Vanguard finished speaking and turned to leave.
At that moment, the guard who'd led him and opened the Thunder Prison door shouted loudly.
"Death Row! Prepare for the Life-Death Trial starting now. Anyone itching for a taste of blood, stick your hand out beyond the cell door. We'll open your doors, but stay put inside until all ten are open. Move, and you're dead!"
"Woo! Great! Open my cell first!"
"Kakakaka! Open mine too!"
The Death Row inmates went berserk.
Vanguard frowned as he walked out of the Thunder Prison.
The Death Row inmates' morale was sky-high, their killing intent piercing the heavens. But he wanted to give extra points to Four Thousand Four's chilling calm, comfort, and cold precision.
A beast isn't any less dangerous for being quiet.
Then, from behind, the guard shouted again.
"Listen up! This Life-Death Trial's different. By special order of the Warden. The mark for this Death Row Trial is Prisoner 404, Cell Four. Beat him to death, and all survivors walk free!"
The guard called Four Thousand Four "404." No point highlighting him specially.
"Waaaaah!"
"Yes! Hell yeah! Open my cell already!"
The Death Row inmates were already hyped. The guard's words were like pouring oil on flames.
Damn it!
Vanguard grimaced and glanced back.
Announcing that would make every participant desperate.
The Warden was cheating.
His intent was clear: keep Four Thousand Four in the Thunder Prison no matter what. He'd release ten other killers before letting this one go.
Why's the Warden going this far...
Vanguard tilted his head.
Four Thousand Four was vicious. Dangerous. Even he, who prided himself on strong martial arts, felt the need to hold his breath and stay alert around that aura.
But even so, the Warden was overdoing it.
This wasn't official policy. Was it because he'd killed too many One-Four-Six? Partly. But still overkill.
"Me! I'm in! Why isn't my door open?!"
"You think you're the only one? Everyone here signed up. Gotta pick the strong ones, right?"
"What do you take me for? I'm strong!"
"You ever smashed a guy's skull with your fist?"
"Why smash with a fist? One stab with a blade ends it."
"Gonna use a blade here too?"
"Just hand me one."
"The guy next door crushed one with his fist. Wanna go first?"
"Damn it! Forget it! I'm out! It's cheating!"
The guard selected inmates and opened their cell doors.
The Warden must've already picked who to throw in—probably the best at bare-handed combat from Death Row. At least he wasn't slipping them blades... blades... blades hidden...
"Heh!"
Vanguard chuckled again.
He hadn't thought they'd go that far, but with the Warden opposing this strongly, it wasn't impossible.
A few of those guys would get blades.
Four Thousand Four was in for a brutal fight.
Damn it!
He sat up from where he'd been lying.
He wrapped his arms around his knees and rested his head on them, sitting lost in thought.
The man who'd introduced himself as Vanguard had spoken sincerely.
He planned to drag him out and make him fight.
People like Vanguard mostly did work that required fighting.
Vanguard had come specifically to assign him that job.
He figured laying it out straight and asking for cooperation was best. A bit rigid. Proud of his work. Nothing to hide.
But that Vanguard guy... does he know what kind of person I am and still do this?
Once out in the human world, people he wanted to kill crawled everywhere. So many he couldn't handle them all. If he didn't kill them, his mind itched, keeping him from sleep.
He could just look away and pass by. But he couldn't.
Old folks, women, kids... and martial artists.
It felt like the whole world was begging him to kill them.
Why just him?
The doctor called it a mental illness.
Wrong diagnosis. Definitely not.
Though... there were crazies who admitted they were mad. Does that make it real?
This place is good.
Being locked up means the worst environment. Yet it's good. Dropped into the lightless Nineteen Hells means life's over. Still good.
It was peaceful and nice...
- Stay in forever. I'll make sure you never get out. Rot in the dark until your flesh peels and bones crumble.
Does he know what's happening here today? Probably not. If he did, he wouldn't let a guy like Vanguard take him out. What? Take him out and use him?
Vanguard made a mistake.
He doesn't know the higher-ups are gnashing their teeth over him.
That's why this is happening...
But those guys... why no double locks? They could've barred escape from the Thunder Prison, prevented guys like Vanguard from taking him. Did they think this place was secure?
"Kekeke! Hey! 404 punk, show your face!"
"Hehehe! Fresh air's calling. Let's take him down quick and breathe it in. Hehe!"
The inmates released from their cells approached him.