Chapter 177 – Ghost Story (1)
aYQA few daysKVUB had passed.aFe During thatlbMS time, I received privatesxqOI lessons fromCBJt Ryozo toYJsXJ catch upO7E on academic3M29nj progress.coRV
uq3RuWith so manyR81z recent incidents,pLG I had27jm somewhat neglectedM3G my studiesuSsXT as a cadet.Sfb0Tg
0d8ZSNot just me.YOXTM Chloe, whoskQLTS had alsoBh8fo returned toSSsc9 the academy,HFc joined thePamn classes.Lu5u
VNf0n“…President, you alreadyTAH have a guaranteed jobb9Qm9 upon graduation,pjL right? IszcMz that all?uB3lSe You couldk1wMLG enter anyVCDy7 hero agencyvB6 or institutionde3 without evensbEM0 going throughd0K a selectionBo4o process. YourJ1Mng existence isIL3 already likebGY an automaticq7mlZ acceptance letter.”9SYXYCzJHB4
WfWI6I agree withpVCoF Speedweapon. Justxj4 today, I received a flood ofEgPmhb calls fromVAztN unknown numbers.7lw Renowned agenciesglU7b contacted mehENLh without anywLm pretense.dy7oX
vO4ZBut I ignoredHQbHYv them all.gTq Perhaps a few monthsPaS5O ago, I would have70xz considered theirAL7 offers.9YNd
fX0OIt’s not thatr9k1YJ I don’t2ZbS like money.t9C In thisfr5o8 life orQb9mKG the previousFdkLp one, I’veMdT2N always liked5A7H it.BpoA
VptBut lately, I’ve6zOoMr changed myeWw way ofalTq thinking. I want toQUdurw commit a bit moreVrzQW to myKtTd life as5uU a cadet.rmbaleJkU
ZjWWe don’t have50xAY4 much timeiae left tocTSH enjoy thisHJt5w cheerful lifeoZqd at theKSTDjz academy. Atlaaso most, twoFVRn and a half years.qNJNQ1 During thatdfTJSJ time, I want to21uH0 live likecDo43 a trueccZKZ student.4SK
yHCAfter that willfjxh come thel4o Great HumanBTPKo vs. DemonUaQ10 War. AndKdWJ0 the ominousE0B future is0QzY beginning toIxQk take shape.n7Fpjll56k9
hKVPIuHalf a century8cyqz ago, theF0koPs first SevengGh Stars exterminatedKDOW the sixthKo58 commander. Today,FAf2Ih the fifthkw7 and thirdlbOaj have fallen788ve one afterKF5sam another.mKt
hajAnd yet, theeTRGW demon worldY8M7 remains silent.l8R30cnGdNxL
MP3KBecause the portalTiMv that connects6hAB0 the DemonE121wu Realm andRISb the humanhQ6k world stillRKG remains intact.ylLFzPK1e
5jsKThat portal willNiBnJ only beCpR destroyed when2NsjJO the Demon4kTJTg King returns,2zV and thattWdtD will beF3at the startingncNlV gun.XxDz
6OyTo be honest,GUxstT Agor andguH1p6 Vesna, thewcugd two fallenCYs commanders, seemed7FY to beaJ07 weakened.DdtS
dMbx4If we hadxAHc faced themRQp within Gehenna,saZG their homeF6U turf, itTLxVkV wouldn’t haveyk8U been so86j easy.cEME
Jx1q1I was ableYkU6o7 to killLC7A the thirdAXp1 body commander,yKK Vesna, becausePv5gl her vesselMjRb was SupervisorAaHbu Ha. I’mXLmDY not sayingZxfPfC this outvH7 of humility.Kqrlc Within Gehenna,vCnv the commandersfDBTV are practicallygid invincible.O1yY
02ZRrIt makes sensePJeQ that thep3046 demons, whoYKw only believez9Rs in strength,Yud3F8 act sohiM1q submissively.twO9n
LdOEven now, withgRS three commandersiuIq7 fallen, theaXLAAM remaining twoubwmg continue tokHPr3o rule withoutGg6k problems.xvIcXz
9vWu0By the way,X8y5K Media toldMki me that1wfh the battlernCCk against therOoBo sixth commanderIOeLg9 Basmon tookzRQu8 place nearcMajHG the GehennaxYImF portal.lUwj
NHz7CAs it wasRX42S0 so closeqj3J to their5MP base, the7Rb Seven wereWC9yZf able toJIcgG fight withKhQK a forceqv6P8v comparable toeIiQ4 the DemonAVV Realm.TaCfA
PIH44TAnd that’s whyfaUOTU three ofMHX them died.PLR Otherwise, theyJe8XO wouldn’t haveDMW fought dayocEYz and night1yub for anTOqE entire week.2kr62n
3Sgt‘It always seemedFBaH strange tosDjqZ me that6M1X even theTHjE9 weakest ofWZmvX the commanders,cRYEnO Basmon, gaveHjWOM them so6cGk much trouble.’83Ue7aBmV
L1IWhich means thatbqjDb the commanders3ff within GehennaHfBG are monstrouslyUgLCx powerful.DD0p
QZOq7Surely, the two0a72 that remainMLzG4S are patientlysZDuj waiting forxMg87W the returnZ0FWt of themhld Demon King3Gut to destroy6UbKui the portal.CeTXxVH
heHOdh‘But if I think abouth0N4 it, howSU06w monstrous wasGnqgi the FoundingS1t4vN Hero who36L sealed theVHD first bodyxDtZC4 commander, Lycan,5qk in thepxa2Pj Demon Realmcssu0 itself?’Udyjw
Z3oDAlthough it wasyH3 a mutual7pCJBe sacrifice, it’sJmrF still incomprehensible.ayLpRotz
Yg80‘It’s not uncommonRasIN for demonsxlYr to sufferATNW hysterical attacksFIg8B5 just byBh3 mentioning theSAMq name BalorYFurp Joaquin…’CbHJ
MHzmFUThe Founding HeroylKRx is a figure shrouded7gd in mystery.FhllD6TEp
6QXoDHe trained the1gZiA seven disciples,i2Dy sealed theEQuBKS Gehenna portal,xHy and foundedQAif the JoaquinHjS Academy.QWAmPm
qCsqCKAll the pillarsZzd8 of human6gjdLr history areUdh9fD his work.sAmA3Jdf9
IkHAnd yet, it’s3VbY unknown whatKVQCAa his facev8r looked likeLbon or whatoG3T8 happened toht54S him afterward.g06mv Surely, thishKa is intentionalmQWD on thedUm part ofWuXwt the developersk2H of theess0UT game MiracleUWeN Blessing M to prevent8APTN4 his reappearance.uCRgOgXlh
m5eA legendary characterLSVWLO from 700D6U years ago,Y3IZVA overpowered inVWrTzF every sense…QsZP if heB2O returned, the8WBP4 story wouldHPlp end there.2cX7GqHMj63
4OFHe only existsHQnF as a myth withinOzVV the lore.rogL5yV9G
b8Let“Geom-Ma, are youBx6E listening toQGbXC me?!”vRV
9mL3gRRyozo’s voice brokembZx my thoughts.w2EMKG She wasepJ1 poking theYxpBAU textbook with15pC the tip3rj of her4NMl pencil.hiTQZb
1aLP“Do you thinkMBDz you’re goingVr7WJn to get0lRfAa a perfectvcH score ontlEh the examxnunt just bykJief daydreaming?”XJZngW
wX3“I’m not aimingFaCF that high.”Umaf0QwCx
Xjjpv“Well, you should!Jahq If youS5jW1 have thatnjJ4 mediocre attitude,3c9O you’ll end9WUO up likeY7G6 Speedweapon, stuckMT4h7r in secondHwmz place forErof4S life.”mdtH
SKaMpnSpeedweapon immediately tookcKEH3d offense.Mwf6m
Tfc4j“Do you thinkGNDSXz I want70ob4C to beqxmbj second forever?ix3k9Z I’d alsoT3cm like tonY3 be number8Jk one inok13D written exams!cik And you,ZU0WCn Ryozo, how30PPp is it1t8gY that youu5zVX sleep allLxtrR the timeUqLbN and stillCGhNI5 come outtle on top?”qoRQGsmf6E
ADkh“Do you wantGWgNHu me togbQh1e tell youmM9ik how I study?”Cgh7mm
Eu6H“……”IAwu6
m5RQ1Speedweapon’s expression turnedNI93iX serious. HisvzD pride preventedD1RX him from5wWZRf nodding quickly,0NvQI but hisuLeWQy curiosity wasnVNzd9 stronger.Em0Pw
PY00mAfter a slightNjwoY5 grunt, he0Lc nodded reluctantly.JvQ Ryozo shruggedONa indifferently.0wK
XL8rMB“Review and revision.”5tFsEv
iFP6Z“……?”Addtuh
CEHVpSpeedweapon was leftPQxx blank. RyozoLrgM9 gave and2H09 ironic smile.4roLCnyPF
mL1aI“Ah, I forgotjwip the mostURoT important thing:a3UD studying witho132 the textbook.MNox And listeningrUt well to2tv the classes.”cpbLIMd
eZwl5“……”XNS
iesp9i“You always complainRzWr that I sleep, but44NNI I listen5HNp to everything.p0R2 Did you5ajuiq know dolphinsX3PlO sleep usingCH7 only half4XR of theirPIsVIZ brain? It’s4PVd kind oflUZP like that.”QRu5ye2sBD9
1u9A vein bulgedYtAb in Speedweapon’sjftxWy temple, butTDq he gave0Ym up soonCTQgv after. HeC27N4a knew RyozoxCZtx wasn’t justgrpko being cocky.fpCJF96Xt29
kYfhjThough comparing himselfFh2YsW to a dolphin… thatslKgr left himxYaO with a strange feeling.FHTgyGxf3mjw
6Zl“……”bR5
UXBAs I watchedoBnX them bicker,O8R I glanced5Fi over atYFNFEe Chloe. SheWwd0EL was scribblingYSZRdd something furiously1aIggH in herr710tY notebook.v32IW
6DiBut it wasn’tMcTKET Ryozo’s lesson.jbXClq The notebookJxgBrw was decoratedT5Shc with teddy9UzPi1 bear stickers.AUk0AMXpB
mVCI already knewo11 what itOqmoe was. Her1iCJ2 diary. OnXPY one page,nVe the wordsCOsW “I loveYboC you” wereCji3 written over6t8 and overoH4 again.3KJv
Dje5It was thef9Wrh infamous “loved5QqLT notebook.” ScarierRpjt than anyGJBbqT Death Note.2NgOD74D
8eI2Chloe had returnedcJT to theWOXq academy thesQ9HD day after2G0 the incidenty7V at thetvgpBk auction. She2LF was hoppingOpV around likeEPIXeY a bunny,2LsTI visibly happy.EleqjdhiN
H6CQThe other clubCiQvK members welcomedMh6dF her backni9O with openB32iCa arms. SonSb did I,c2GIP without muchIoWF thought.VBJ0
ZyqPPThough the image3Fo of herupDHg running atv0APfd me with8NbzfH a katanaeBEyt5 was stillRcPp4C fresh inYGFKuc my mind.33r3ZQVySC
G4NPFrom day one,i7zSZ it hadYHek felt likeh2vhkw a horrorL50LQN film, soDIiaE nothing surprisedCsn me anymore.Ndh6vcdWh
FsM6d2‘I was theDCMr victim. SheRqM2 was theytH ghost.’9kPex0
ODUGoSuddenly, she seemedqe6b to feelPG3lH1 my gaze.Uh3Y She hidesxu the notebookGT2 with a shy smile,lqUzKn then pretendednPh to take4Iw notes inOO1 a differentjIr8c one.mQ2
vUAv‘If you’re thatL1CwK obvious, no8aEAn6 one noticesOZI anything, huh.’LgenDM2iT
PkylKOr maybe shemHx activated hermIUlH [Blessing ofyPP the Crow].LCSJXIiu
5NothLIn any case,2PTW2V it was1e8W clear that9FJbA studying wasn’tq964E4 her focus.6w748HmBzg
hAa“This part’s especiallyPDrpF important. There’s2t24Nm a 90%pQbJI7 chance it’lldqzSpQ be onTdPK the test.L6k72 Even withyaU54 open-ended questions,t3gWo each professorWk2 has a pattern. TheD8B one whoMNLxJX teaches thetSZFDe deeper layersaSNwz of the0k9zR Demon RealmLglz follows a three-year cycle…”Sq4a6wQki4
TXSI expected RyozoGJqnLN to stickJq5uf to the2jMZO basics, butWHJUif she actuallyl4J gave a full rundown.8aH She evenUr5kC pointed outeX9 the barelybD7QW visible noteshIM scribbled inCduh the margins.3q1aO6rDz
IuxSpeedweapon, pretending notVFxGv to listen,Vk9 was sneakilyUr48ZP taking notesIHyQJ on hisp5rJ phone.v4s70
XXA…Two hours ofBTKC private studyzdg8E passed likeczFLu that.g5d
E0C7“We’re done forhOG2YH today. TomorrowwKI after class,Prp1 we’ll continue.”O1nJI0soQNSR
3qE9pzRyozo shut theE1jb book andcbs added:Dsj6u
OGiW“Oh, and remember—fifth4cAXH and sixthCdinw periods tomorrowBNx are HumanZfs History andSNE Aesthetics of5TXR Blessings. Those7e7JhJ two carryqnsG7O the mostPcR weight inAFlF the finalKcB grade, sonYN88 Chloe, Geom-Ma,sYP don’t fallrkg asleep.”YJs
GLw2IS“Thanks. Good work.”nuPvS8y
3FW“Yup~”5QBk
xfmd7Speedweapon stood upAyd and ruffledHWu his hair,kgZUhM grumbling.7PW
ROdKv“I’m going toOlw train myTRtW blessing. Ina1Epg this combat-heavyjfu academy, writingVmG1hB alone won’tdXpI cut it…”NhGGan8X42t
4Td“By the way,BxGl1O you’ve been4rTOnA going somewherew5aP after classFLv lately. IsnOWxRh that where?”02B76AcG1
EGDDHe shook hisuJhQ head.nI3KT
IxPR“No, I’ve beenZtVCa going to4mBKWG the musicIL23 room. Remember,P2fdS my weaponTZ2 is anbW1Bt instrument.”1NSk
j3LkGRight. It wasfxf a flute.li1NTtPr0
lgQ“But the gymuZ1 smells likeZRGsz sweat, and73PS I hateGvM that. InDEyuax the south29bi wing, there’sBW7 an annex—Aaron0Xm1j Hall. I found a music roomsw0Vp there.”2h3
n7Rmw5“The south wingXn5L is wayGcQx out there.v7P And thereya4lSE aren’t anygqa other buildingskASJe around.”w21eRb
xEqfWARyozo frowned. Speedweapon99eXyK replied:AXtLJ
pg0bl7“Yeah, but there9vn are tonsec3zz of people.Xwe I practicebar alone inJlpkr the windLrFO1 instrument room,dDSwg but thetENaN piano roomH8Vygr is packed.07IBFB Yesterday, I saw girls73b6lL lining upiyXtYt to useYouCX it throughP4ee7l the window.”MuMJsIpfj
PF6DaQ“A line forMHzz piano? ThereuwwM are appsFaskN for thatCt0C now. WhociXr waits inmrR line forqNwN a realQLjLaI one?”B1NYBo
hEbgGLSpeedweapon clicked hisVJK tongue like2CEJg a grumpyRrjWj old man.OQKaO8BTj
kHMis“You don’t getyXa it, Saki.tdnWQ Digital soundgXWMj will neverqVa compare to38ry the real2UH thing. NoiFxex matter howaUN6we advanced techEqAHvH gets, that’stHhh one thingOPR it can’tSedpuN copy.”3DEYD4
Dj1Ryozo raised hiskHO eyebrows ineCi2Gp irritation butNxe waved hiszWXgxN hand dismissively.XWsYI6si4kEm
iIW6Meanwhile, Chloe tilted2FIG8 her head8QYA2 in confusion.FHxBIsL
IWC01V“That’s weird… AaronLeSGu Hall wasSUs shut downm8RQ last year.qsZlP It wasnlc too run-down,xVq and they30ZT closed itJed1h8 for renovations.”p4o28WmN
wclX9Speedweapon froze.B4abAd
Q3YlJ“T-T-That can’t be!xJD I’m tellingeZmX you, it5Akk was packed!yOK91 And you,w3ZFZ Chloe, howic9iL do you4qE know that?”bDAlwcJ4CtFs
ZZE“My brother KnoxKu589y is a second-year. LastKGzJ year, heDRqTcf mentioned it.QBz He likedYcELPJ going thereTofCTP because it4UBnP8 was quiet,zB1O so I remember clearly.q7gH6a And also…”LIhAt8Jfsni
b6GSuddenly, Chloe stompedxXE on theIv3jl floor withIWW a seriousuE0 expression. ThenZE0 she said:z8QCStbCgV
gkGC“The only music0Cq room iskyVof on theeW6 second floor10e of then3L main building.”qgififk
117Before she couldBDM finish, RyozoUPW5n and I were alreadyxZR7 looking atF1ed Speedweapon.uDz4Y
LtYHis face began0Y6Pd turning gray.BRn9YV01
gMRPqJ***ay08F
A1CFh“Black hair.”8PvI
AxInGHThe murmur cameGUMA from the56JbyL man inrlj3 the whiteK48 robe atopGrzu8W the altar.4iXAY0 His figure,xnGJ draped ingHYd9K fabric thatDPj reached downVhN to hisdMMyVZ feet, resembledzT5 the ghostlyORyUP3 silhouette ofCzY6Av a specter.lotydFflx
EhJBelow the altar7ygNbh stretched a world ofLFkjaz ashen gray,Gr8ay completely devoidZAyK5O of life.8Ud At once,W5RZWD it wasVDfN both a place andVHFhN a phenomenon.LBClw A truekLs abyss.b8REd
O01EJWA demon withHOoAU the headkQcLh of a deer bowedBAs in reverencebPV5HM and pleadedxbgo before thecqy8C man.9NeQwI
pL3“T-This is allxX8Hx my faultAdBRb for not0WDKY stopping himZqojr in time.T9Bp B-But I never imaginedwmep something soUMgcnS blasphemous aseZuPa our lordsHgYw being defeatedcZ2d by humans.WFz P-Please, showst1usx us mercy…”UWr0vhduY
hNOThe man inXqJA white turnedL2Tg very slowly.gNUxeTauDV
oFWmRuuuuuuuumble.AvS2
G5CaVmThat slight movementQtP6 sent a tremor through4Xq the entireDSFNS area. TheH1118 only placeIeAmWV unaffected byysy the quakepVi was theZInls altar on3qzAy which her2Na stood.FVcw
84oTap.8otsKd
EXEpCdThe man descendedu1p a single1wbZb step. AllVL4 the demonstGDP gathered—scattered untilmUrZ2h then—lowered theirVv7HL heads ins36 unison.3ZTr6
fyn“You ask forCD3x mercy?”2CwUbx
cLWFThe man spoke.dOfVw His voiceduZKyk echoed hollowly,nn3Fv9 nearly voidecSZ of emotionnaRplT or weight.yA8r8xR7
Y8X“Tell me, ifqEVdQP I were0bdq to showmqE you mercy,g7amez could youdhsWnt return itvls to me?”8uRb4PJ0mO
LHJZTa“……!”xm8
D7LCp“Mercy can onlyzYx1y be grantedbMFtOg by thoseiEx23 who defySpCH the heavens.3bME But I too amxkfKhz a creatureFGwd who livesIefv beneath it.ETaPy Then whyTT0 would youIhMwf2 ask itekp of me?”I7YdJ3hViJ
oElBEAThe man in2A0W white stoppedtZrsDN before theJKzGX deer-headed demon.FpvKT2twjS
hO4P“I ask you.”8DrYkK49
bZvWith a gazeCAuf that lookedr1CMA down uponKC26 all, hish4x mouth openedweF once more.C1oko9X4
ZYBoX2“The man whojhC killed myBGGP0X brothers—was he3Ubo a being7V8vW that defiedO7Jv the heavens?”4mUgbzs9Yy9
WUdThe deer-headed demon0SR looked upsILoe involuntarily. AndAsWwd before him,SvxQ he beheldBvybUj the faceTe5ngA of the9NS5 great being.IAhpo0BhZ3c
7Hbl36Behind his head,pWf6 a blackKPtvo sun devouredsPAi the world’s443 light withRKkr2 ferocious hunger.L3BQiBgt
lHFfwAll the demonsL6H present beganvVRDfr to weep2YV71p black tears,nRypRP as ifN8PO by preordaineda7cYrZ command.lzXi
Z5Dj“Ah… Lord of7G1pYI Gehenna, Kuarne…”9rW93Lp
hcBFwoooosh…NGJ0iL
G5qx0ZIn that instant,Dvu8V the deer-headedMIs1eh demon vanishedIm5qnG as ifwTzt5 consumed bycx9 space itself.g7f As ifagu he hadbAhq never existed.340o Not a single traceZHV remained.5pKV
G1YsThe man—the SecondUxPBu Body Commander,wmTlgY Kuarne—raised hisdykDJ6 eyes toA99Jpi the sky.BwW With hollowmMe1 eyes, heXca stared endlesslyUBgoE at thezeDv black sun.kTeBd7DWE
58qJis“The day ofmklZR our meetingsCxLM is not2ltWw far off…nZJxdz oh you,3CV the beyondbyG of beyonds.”7KVgmEJjAlYF
lY6FThe black sunE5ZrGR only remainedukXdU silent.1bU
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Haimiya_cutie.
MahayanaBro said it “death note”