Yang Gun, the head of the Hangzhou branch of the Black Ghost Tower, turned his head slightly.
'I think I just heard something.'
He thought he heard the distant rumble of thunder and lightning, but he soon dismissed it. He didn't have the energy to worry about trivial matters right now.
"My head hurts."
With the Four Sect Alliance occupying the Yangtze River, even the Black Ghost Tower would have to make a decision sooner or later. The decision of the Black Ghost Tower lord would determine whether they would bow and surrender to the Ten Thousand People clan, which had swallowed up the pirates, or whether they would engage in a decisive battle.
'No, no.'
If one can survive, the world doesn't always unfold in such extremes. Perhaps they would continue to operate within the framework of the Black Ghost Tower, maintaining their relationships and keeping a suitable distance.
Maybe that is the most realistic prediction he could make.
"The more I think about it, the more my head hurts."
Yang Gun let out a deep sigh.
To be honest, he didn't want to worry about the upheaval in the Jangzhu region. Just managing Hangzhou well and occasionally hunting down members of the Lower District sect, who were sneaking into the back alleys to reclaim Hangzhou, was enough to make his head spin.
Yang Gun was one of those wise men who knew very well that understanding one's place and being content with what one has was the way to become a winner in life. However, unfortunately, those in an organization were not given a choice.
"What decision will the great leader make…."
Yang Gun, mumbling to himself, licked his lips.
Actually, the state of affairs in Kangho and elsewhere might not be particularly important. What mattered to their lord was which decision would benefit the Black Ghost Tower the most.
However, Yang Gun found it challenging to predict which choice would bring their fort more wealth in the future.
"Phew."
He ended up shaking his head.
No matter what choice he made, he hoped that the end wouldn't be bloody. He was now in the final years of life, and he absolutely couldn't stand to die on the battlefield.
Just then, Yang Gun was about to stamp his seal on a document.
Kwang!
The door opened as if it was going to shatter, and a pale-faced man rushed inside.
"B-branch leader!"
"What is it?"
Yang Gun pretended to have a cold expression and shouted.
"Sigh, t-there are these people in Hangzhou? These insane bastards are killing everyone, regardless of age and gender!"
"What?"
Yang Gun suddenly stood up from his place.
No matter how much they were people of Evil Sects, he must prevent cruelty from happening in his own land.
Furthermore, Desolate Gold Elder knows the simple truth that people are money. In Hangzhou, which is managed by the Black Ghost Tower, people who are like money are dying? That would all be the responsibility of Yang Gun, the branch leader of Hangzhou.
"What insane bastards are daring to do that!"
A spark flew in Yang Gun's eyes.
Those who have been around for a while in Kangho do not dare cause trouble in the Hangzhou region. Causing trouble within the territory of Black Ghost Tower means turning the clan into an enemy.
But sometimes, those who do not understand the situation in Kangho do not grasp the invisible balance of power and do such things.
"Gather all the guys."
"Uh? All of them?"
"Yes."
Yang Gun retorted coldly.
"I felt that the atmosphere has become lax recently. I think we need to fix it."
"Ah, I understand."
"Move!"
"Yes!"
A sigh escaped the lips of Yang Gun as the man dashed out.
"Tsk."
He scratched his head with an exhausted look, unlike before.
"What kind of brats are these new ones?"
Actually, even though he gave orders while shouting, he wasn't particularly angry. Just like bees swarming flowers, Hangzhou's night streets attract those who consider themselves strong. It is a familiar scene. This time, he just needed to sort things out a bit.
However, showing his inner feelings to his subordinates was a separate issue.
He was good at separating his real feelings from his outward appearance.
With that, Yang Gun left the room with a light heart.
"… branch leader."
"…."
"… Branch leader. What is…"
Yang Gun stared blankly at the scene before his eyes.
The first time he thought things were worse than he had anticipated was when he first encountered the crowd running away in fear.
Hangzhou is a city of pleasure. As such, it is a place where big and small incidents occur at times. It is just something to watch for fun when people get into fights on the streets and die.
And Yang Gun swears that since becoming the branch leader here, he has never seen Hangzhou's people this terrified.
He was briefly shocked but then steeled his resolve. He told himself that no matter what happened before his eyes, he would never be surprised and would respond calmly.
However….
That firm resolve melted away the moment he faced the situation in Hangzhou.
"… Thi… this…"
Yang Gun's hands trembled.
Everything he saw before his eyes was crushed.
The trees, buildings, the ground, and even the people inside.
Among the ruins of the buildings, which were torn apart as if they had been swept away by a terrible typhoon, limbs that had been clearly moving before were now mixed together. People were torn apart along with the buildings.
"Euk!"
The sound of someone retching pierced his ears.
They are Evil Sect people. They have no particular aversion to killing. Yang Gun also couldn't count the number of people he had killed in his life.
But…
What he had done was murder.
When Yang Gun killed someone, he was acutely aware that he had taken a human life.
But what was this sight before him?
Could this scene of collapsed walls, roofs, pillars, and piles of dirt, chaotically mixed with what once was alive, truly be called 'murder'?
'No…'
This was a disaster.
Sweeping away the living and the non-living without distinction is something only a being devoid of emotions could do.
Tuek. Tuek.
Red blood dripped from the fingertips of a corpse protruding from the rubble. Even Yang Gun was silenced as nausea rose within him.
Hangzhou, the sleepless city.
From the sky, one corner of the vast expanse of light would appear dark, as if bitten by a beast.
Distinguishing between beasts and humans, Yang Gun thought of fire. No beast could ignite a flame like a human.
Darkness had now descended. This meant there were no more humans around.
"These insane people…"
Yang Gun suddenly snapped back to reality at the sound of someone's groaning words.
Right. A human did this. That meant the person responsible for this horror wasn't far away.
The thought sent goosebumps across his body.
'What do I do now?'
Should he run? Or attack?
Logically, he should find and confront the perpetrator. He was the branch leader of the clan responsible for the port.
However, faced with this scene of utter destruction, doubt clouded even his natural judgment.
Could a human really create such devastation? Was it a person wearing a façade?
If he attacked such a being…
"Branch leader!"
Someone jolted Yang Gun from his thoughts.
"O-over there…"
And then Yang Gun saw.
A world where everything was mixed and ashen. Except for the light visible in the distance, at the end of that completely dark space, someone in a blood-red robe was slowly approaching him.
Yang Gun could tell intuitively.
It was that man.
The man was the evil person who had done all this.
Step. Step. Step.
Yang Gun, who was staring at the man in the red robe as he calmly approached, flinched involuntarily and took a step back. As a result, his back hit the chest of the person standing behind him.
It was shameful to retreat in fear when facing the enemy. However, Yang Gun did not have the energy to worry about his pride right now.
His face gradually turned pale.
He had overcome countless crises to get to this point, but he did not know what to do in this situation.
All he could do was borrow the power of the strongest thing he knew.
"Y-you know this is the territory of the Black Ghost Tower, and you still act like this!"
Then, the man who had been walking slowly stopped.
He slowly raised his head. The moment he met those red eyes, Yang Gun felt his heart ache.
"… Black Ghost Tower?"
The man mumbled absentmindedly.
"Was there a place like that…"
"… Yes, you…"
"It doesn't matter now."
The moment Yang Gun tried to speak, the man cut him off absentmindedly.
"No matter what your affiliation is, no matter what your gender, no matter what your age… that doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is that you are alive now."
"…."
Yang Gun was at a loss for words for a moment. The man spoke in a flat voice.
"Looking at you… you guys seem to have quite a reputation. That is good."
Someone called Yang Gun, almost screaming.
"B-branch leader!"
Yang Gun, startled for a moment, looked around with bloodshot eyes. A group of people wearing black clothes had suddenly appeared and surrounded them.
'Just when did…?'
"Kill them all."
As soon as the man finished speaking, a vicious killing intent poured out from all directions. It was more like something raw, like something from a hungry beast, rather than the killing intent that a human exuded.
As soon as the deep, suffocating qi surged up, the group of people wrapped in demonic qi rushed toward Yang Gun and his men like a black wave.
"Eukkkkk!"
"Ackkkkk!"
The man in the red robe, who had been watching them as they were swept away in an instant, slowly turned around.
At that moment, a monster wrapped in black clothes knelt down on one knee in front of him. His head was bowed, as if he couldn't even look him in the eye.
"High priest."
"… What is it?"
"Are you thinking of doing something else?"
The cold gaze of the one called the high priest bore down on the back of the man who was bowing.
"If you have any complaints, go back now. I won't take your life."
"How could I have any complaints? I am a follower of the high priests. However… according to the sacred message, we must hide ourselves and wait for his second coming…."
"Are you going to repeat the same old, boring words that the old men of the Cult babble?"
"I just…."
"Such stupid talk."
The high priest coldly rebuked him.
"If He is so omnipotent that He can find us, who have hidden themselves, why did He meet His doom at the hands of those unbelievers?"
"That is…"
The man couldn't answer easily.
No matter what he said, it would be against the teachings. He was not yet in a position high enough to clear himself of the stigma of being an apostate.
"Do not doubt it!"
The eyes of the high priest gleamed with blood.
"If we truly call ourselves His faithful servants, it would be natural for Him to let us know of our existence!"
"…."
"Kill and kill again, everything that you see. So that no one in the world can know that we are here. The blood of those you kill, the sacrifices you offer, will be the one light we offer to Him. Only then will we truly be witnessing His second coming."
"I will follow it."
The high priest turned around, his long robe fluttering.
The Cult simply endures and endures. It waits and waits, waiting for the survivors to die and the newly born to grow old.
He could no longer endure.
'If He has truly returned, He will surely respond to our voices.'
Absolute.
Because that is the duty of 'God'.