PASSION Chapter 5 Part 5

Chapter 5 Part 5

Yes, if he could catch up even now and change his direction, just keep that man from going to the martial arts room on level 3. No need for unnecessary words. Just make that plan impossible to execute.

Suddenly he felt urgent. The man blocking his way with a knife was extremely annoying.

"Listen, I'm sorry but could you move aside and we meet again later? I just remembered something urgent."

"What nonsense are you talking, you unlucky Asian bastard!"

But the man seemed unwilling to listen. His grip on the knife grew fiercer.

Tae-ui clicked his tongue. During this time, Ilay would still be going up. Would he be passing level 4 toward level 3 now? Maybe he had already reached level 3 and was walking to the martial arts room.

He grew anxious. He needed to quickly draw that man elsewhere. Even if he started running now, he didn't know if he could make it in time. If things went according to their plan, even that man would have trouble surviving. No, he couldn't survive.

Tae-ui clicked his tongue. This really looked like it would require sacrificing flesh to carve bone. Though he had briefly thought about it earlier, it was just meant as a passing joke, not something he actually wanted in reality.

Tae-ui sighed and aimed the iron pipe's end at the man's neck. The man frowned while adjusting his grip on the knife. Offering my flesh to crush his neck bone…

Making such violent thoughts, he shook his head and simultaneously rushed forward. He charged while thrusting the pipe at the man's neck. The man flinched and quickly dodged. The pipe missed but that was expected. Now came the problem... where should he sacrifice flesh.

Though the weapon's length was advantageous for Tae-ui, the narrow space to move was clearly a handicap. The one with the knife could move more efficiently while the one with the long stick had restricted movement.

The man before him wasn't a fool. When Tae-ui started moving to escape that place, he too tried to fully utilize that advantage. Targeting Tae-ui's limitation of only being able to swing the iron pipe vertically or nearly vertical diagonally, he dove for the side.

"Tch... Getting the side flesh cut would be troublesome for a long time..."

Tae-ui clicked his tongue. Though he wanted to say if that's what you want then take it-- but the side really wouldn't do. Getting wounded in the torso would make things difficult for a long time. With this ordeal still having a week left, being unable to move properly would be no good at all.

He couldn't dodge either. In this narrow space, neither Tae-ui nor the man could dodge easily. Tae-ui pondered while barely avoiding the knife by hairsbreadths. Like this he couldn't repel this man either, just time passing.

Though waiting for time to pass until attack times switched would be desirable, not now. He needed to hurry up. Yet this bastard kept targeting his body. Naturally, he too knew which wounds would have the biggest impact.

What to do about this. Time passed while hesitating and wavering. He grew increasingly anxious.

That's when a huge explosion sound came from above.

Both Tae-ui and the men froze their movements for an instant. Another explosion sound followed right after. And faint shouts and screams could be heard.

"...!"

Tae-ui clenched his teeth. His heart sank.

"Damn it. This happened because you bastards blocked my way, move aside, you idiots!!"

Tae-ui shouted angrily. As his chest turned pitch black, anger surged. Anger at no one in particular, or perhaps at everyone. For reasons unknown.

Tae-ui swung down the pipe as if to smash the man's head. The man hurriedly bent his waist. Then he dove into Tae-ui's chest swinging his knife.

Tae-ui offered his arm. Blood sprayed from his deeply cut upper arm and burning pain struck, but that didn't matter. The moment the man's knife sliced his arm, Tae-ui struck the man's exposed crown with the pipe's end. With a short "Ugh" the man collapsed, and two others rushed in behind him.

But the narrow path had already ended. There was nothing to restrict Tae-ui's body movements. Plus he had the perfect weapon in hand.

Though he didn't like fighting and would choose to avoid it if possible, not now. Even with one down, the remaining two wouldn't move aside.

Tae-ui clicked his tongue. Then he slashed sideways at the height of the men's necks in one stroke. Thwack, quite a heavy impact sound rang out. Meanwhile Tae-ui also took a hit to his waist, but it was light compared to the other guy getting his solar plexus struck.

"Should have moved when I asked nicely, you idiots."

Tae-ui spat roughly at the men sprawled on the floor, then roughly wiped his blood-streaming arm and ran full speed toward the stairs.

Since the stairs were right beside, reaching basement level 3 was quick. Plus the martial arts room was just steps from the west stairs. Tae-ui chewed curses in his mouth while running toward the martial arts room that would appear right ahead after turning the corner from the stairs.

Damn it. Though whether that guy got hurt or died didn't matter at all—no, rather if he died it would only leave Tae-ui feeling lighter—why was he going through this trouble getting injured.

No matter how he thought about it, there was one conclusion. This was all because of his uncle.

Though fortunately it didn't seem cut deeply, blood wouldn't stop, perhaps from damaged blood vessels. Well, it was foolish to expect blood to stop while swinging his arm and running like this without tending the wound.

Perhaps he would see a horrific sight when reaching the martial arts room. The entire interior blown away with flesh pieces stuck to blood-covered walls everywhere, human forms completely unrecognizable, like the video he had seen long ago in school.

He couldn't eat that day. Many guys immediately ran to the bathroom to vomit. Though Tae-ui wasn't quite that bad, he gave up on meals that day and couldn't eat meat for a while.

If he saw such a sight again. And if the victim was a familiar face.

"..."

Tae-ui emptied his complicated thoughts and just ran. Just the vague imagination arising made his spine cold. His chest felt chilly.

As he neared the martial arts room, no one was visible. Seemed no one had rushed over yet. But in this building with such thick walls and high floor heights, for an explosion sound loud enough to be heard two floors below, it wouldn't be long before people gathered.

The surroundings were a mess. Blackened wall fragments were scattered everywhere. One wall of the martial arts room was completely blown away with a hole, and nothing maintained its proper form. Nothing was moving.

Complete stillness.

Tae-ui approached while clenching his fists with increasingly cold fingertips. Crunch crunch, scattered stone pieces were crushed under his feet. The inside of the martial arts room finally came into view.

There was nothing inside. Besides shattered fragments and pieces of now unrecognizable objects, nothing remained whole and nothing living moved. And the walls were stained pitch black, and bright red. Blood streams that looked almost black like red paint spilled on blackened burnt walls flowed down. And pieces of flesh splattered here and there.

Something soft squished under his foot. Tae-ui looked down with a bloodless face. A piece of flesh burnt black and cut off was under his foot. Which body part it was couldn't be known. A flesh lump the size of a child's fist drew blood on the floor as it was crushed.

This must be a fragment of Ilay. This tiny piece, now unrecognizable and too horrible to touch.

He didn't feel nauseous. Though torn flesh pieces were scattered everywhere, he felt neither nausea nor the urge to vomit. His mind felt frozen.

"...Ilay."

Tae-ui muttered softly. No answer came. While glaring at that flesh lump under his foot, this time he shouted loudly with suddenly surging anger.

"Ilay!!"

That's when some low, dull sound reached his ears. Tae-ui flinched, stopping his movement.

The sound of people gathering could be heard from far away. But that recent sound wasn't like that. That sound from closer--

Then again there was a thud sound. This time he heard it clearly. It was from the room beside the martial arts room. That was a small break room. Something was making movement sounds there.

Tae-ui broke into a run. Crossing over the collapsed wall to the adjacent break room, he flung open the door that unrealistically remained intact compared to the martial arts room.

And he saw.

A man was standing inside. He was soaked in blood from head to toe. In that state without a single spot unscathed, he stood there gripping some man's body with one hand. Crunch, crack, crackle, horrifying sounds came from there each time he applied force to the neck in his grip. That neck was already bent at a strange angle with red drops flowing down bones protruding through flesh.

The man slowly turned to Tae-ui. Then he carelessly threw aside the body in his hand that had already become a corpse. Tae-ui could recognize that corpse. It was one of those men he had met in the bathroom earlier.

"Did you call me? Do you have business with me too?"

The man spoke softly. As he opened his mouth, blood drops clinging to the tip of his nose and lips went into his mouth. Even inside his mouth was stained red.

Like someone who had emerged from a sea of blood.

It was Ilay. With crimson hair, crimson hands, crimson body, without a spot untouched by blood color, he took a step toward Tae-ui.

Ilay cracked his neck as if stiff while massaging his nape. While doing so, he slowly approached Tae-ui.