Kugh, kuk! H-How?

The mans eyes widened and he grasped the spear that pierced his abdominal region.

Blood gushed everywhere.

Intense pain spread throughout his body.

However, more than the pain from his pierced abdomen, he received a greater shock from the fact that Ohjin had come from inside the cave.

I think you have a little misunderstanding.

Splat!

Ohjin roughly twisted the spear pierced into the mans abdomen.

Kugh!!! Kuhak!!!

Im the one asking the questions here.

With a fishy smile, the man lowered his head.

Nonsense!!

Hwoong!

The man wildly swung his fists.

From the swinging fists, a creepy black aura bloomed.

However

Before the fiercely swung fists even made contact

Crack! Crackle!!!

Arugagaggagagak!!!!

Blue lightning sparked from the spears blade that pierced the figures abdomen.

Flop Flop

His body flopped like a freshly caught fish, and he soon laid flat on the ground.

Well, its okay if I talk nonsense now, right? Ohjin asked, pressing down on the mans chest with his knee.

Tell me everything you know about the Black Star Organization.

Hah

The man chuckled like he had heard something ridiculous.

He looked at Ohjin with arrogance in his eyes. I have no reason to answ KYAaaaaaaaak!!!

Crunch

Ohjin grabbed the mans left index finger and twisted it off.

Really? Well, I guess I cant do anything about that.

He hadnt expected the man to obediently open his mouth anyways.

You dont want to talk?

Huff! Huff!

Then, from now on

In times like this, the quickest and most efficient method

dont speak a word.

was primitive violence.

Crunch, Cruuunch!!

One by one.

He twisted them off.

Kiyaaaaaaaak!!!

One. Two. Three.

The pulled apart fingers rolled around on the floor.

And just like that, after every finger on his left hand had been removed

Urggh uh.

with white foam dripping down, he opened his mouth.

I, Ill talk.

Huh?

I said Ill t-talk.

Dude

Gripping the fingers on the other side, Ohjin shook his head.

what are you talking about?

what?

Didnt I tell you not to speak a word?

Crunch!!

Breaking a finger on the other side, he smiled brightly.

Uugyayayayatak!!!

Didnt you say that you didnt want to talk? Then dont say a word.

N-No. Thats

Cruuunch!

One by one.

Just like the other side, Ohjin started to twist off the fingers.

Ahhhhhhhh!! I-I said Ill talk!!!

Hey, theres no need to.

B-Black Star Organization!! Ill tell you everything about them!!

Didnt I say that theres no need?

P-Please!!! Ill answer to everything, so

I said theres no need to talk, you fuuuuuuuuck!!!!

Bang!!!

Holding onto the mans head, he violently slammed him down onto the floor.

Why!

Bang!!!

Do you!

Bang!!!!

Keep trying to talk when I said theres no need?!

Exploding out a fanatical scream, Ohjin continuously slammed the mans head down.

Although it was more than enough impact to instantly kill a normal person, the opponent wasnt a normal person but an Awakener.

Although his rank was unknown, as Awakeners received superhuman bodies together with their awakening, he wouldnt die from this amount of impact.

Kkrhuk ghuk I-Ill t-talk. P-Please, I want t-to talk.

The shivering man pathetically opened his mouth.

The man who had stared at him with an arrogant attitude cried pathetically like a three-year-old baby that had accidentally stepped on a lego in the living room.

Should I end things here?

Ohjin looked down on the pathetically shivering man and smirked.

Indeed, this has the most direct effect.

Unreasonable and irrational violence.

People met with fanatic violence outside the scope of common sense and reason were bound to be swept by fear close to that of trauma.

There isnt anything scarier than a psycho who refuses to communicate.

The effects looked certain, judging by the fact that the mans pants were wet.

You want to talk now?

Yes, yes! I-I want to talk!

Alright then, give it a shot. What is the Black Star Organization, and what the fuck are the black stars?

The man slowly nodded his head.

T-The Black Star Organization is an organization created by Black Stars celestials.

Black Stars celestial?

Yes, yes!

The hell is a Black Stars celestial?

I-In the past when all the stars were swallowed by darkness t-the celestials born in that time are the Black Stars celestial.

Fuck, how will I understand if you put it in that way?

Hiiiik!! I-I have simply only heard it that way from the Templar!!!

The man curled up like a mole exposed to cold air.

Anyways. Alright. So youre telling me that youre all Awakeners that follow the Black Stars celestial or whatever?

Yes, thats correct.

Alright, then, tell me the scale and where you guys are hiding.

M-Mt. Baekunsan! Mt. Baekunsan located in Cheorwon-gun is where our branch is located.

Is the entire mountain yours, you dumbass? You need to tell me the precise location, you dumbfuck.

Aahhhh!! I apologize!!!

Screaming from the threatening voice, the man pulled out his hair while shivering.

There is a run-down observatory at the peak of Mt. Baekunsan! I-Its in the basement of that place!!

The scale?

A-Around fifty.

Shit.

Thats quite a lot.

Thats the branch, right? Then wheres the headquarters?

I-I dont know.

You dont fucking know?

Lets go for the toes this time.

I-I-I really dont know!! Only the Templar knows of the headquarters location!! Im telling you, an underling like me wont even be told the locations of the other branches!!

Hm

It didnt seem like he was lying.

Well, theres no way they would reveal all that information to this small fry.

Bastards that babbled about making celestials pay for their sins would definitely operate with thorough security.

Is that Yujin bastard a Templar?

T-Thats correct!

The man quickly nodded his head like a broken metronome.

But I seriously dont understand.

Which part?

Why are you following those suspicious bastards in the first place?

He couldnt come up with a reason why they would plead loyalty to an organization that looked no different from a pseudo-religion.

The man shut his mouth tight for a while and soon said out in a low voice.

he gave it to us.

What?

Sir Yujin has granted us stigmas.

Ah.

A short exclamation flowed out of Ohjins mouth.

He recalled the image of people gathering and desperately praying to the celestials in front of the Sanctum.

So they were using stigmas as bait.

Although he didnt know what methods they used to grant stigmas, he could definitely understand why people were following such a suspicious group.

The world is probably packed with people that will willingly kill either their parents or children in order to become Awakeners.

It was that kind of world.

Well, I dont think theres any more information left to gain.

It was time to finish things up.

Shove

* * *

Yanking out the spear in the mans abdomen, Ohjin aimed at his head.

W-Wait!! Wait a minute!!!

The man urgently screamed out.

I-I have a single daughter with me!! Please please spare my life!

Drip Drip

The man dropped his head while pouring out tears.

You have a daughter?

Yes, thats right. The truth is the reason I joined the Black Star Organization was all for that child.

Biting his lips, he tightly closed his eyes.

If if I disappear all of a sudden, that child

There was no way a parentless child would be able to live well in this hell-like world.

That was something Ohjin himself knew better than anyone else.

Bang!

The man roughly ground his forehead into the hard stone floor.

I beg of you!! At least for the child, please spare my life!

Hm.

Or in the least let me have time to say my last farewells to my daughter!!! Please!! Im begging you earnestly!! he cried out with a wretched expression.

Ohjin narrowed his eyes and looked down at the prostrating man.

Name.

Yes?

Whats your daughters name?

Yerin. Its Choi Yerin.

Age?

S-Shes nine! Its still too young of an age to live alone in this world

Whens her birthday?

Yes?

He urged the man that had an expression that seemed to ask why he was asking such questions.

Quick. Answer the questions I ask. Whens her birthday.

Its on December 14th

Favorite food?

Why are you asking that?

You wont answer?

Pizza n-no its chicken!

Height and weight?

Uh 131cm and 2-28!! Shes 28kg!!

Is that right?

Ohjin nodded his head as if he had understood.

Choi Yerin, aged nine, birthday on December 14th, favorite food is chicken, 131cm, 27kg.

Well, then.

Smirk

He grasped his spear as the edge of his lips tilted up.

Answer the questions I have asked so far in reverse.

A silence settled down like time had frozen.

what?

The mans mouth and two eyes opened wide.

His legs shook like leaves in the wind.

Weight and height, favorite food, birthday, age, name. Answer it.

T-Thats, uhh. 28kg and. W-Wait wait a minute!

Why? Dont remember?

Well.

It was understandable that he couldnt remember, because

Lying backwards is hard by nature.

Although I can.

Thrust

Blood poured down the spears blade that had slightly penetrated the mans flesh.

A-Agh. P-Please spare me! I dont want to dieeeeeee!!!

The man fell into panic as soon as he felt the touch of the spears blade on his skull.

One last question. Where was your branch located again?

C-Cheorwon. The peak of Mt. Baekunsan

Alright.

So that wasnt a lie.

Psshk!!!

Kugh, kuk!

The blade precisely pierced through the middle of the mans forehead and crushed his brain.

Fuu.

Snap

Once the moment of tension was undone, a drowsy sensation enveloped Ohjin.

Black Star Organization

Sweeping back his hair, he furrowed his brows.

What a pain in the ass.

He ended up standing out to the suspicious group.

No, it wouldnt matter that much if it finished on the note of simply standing out, but

I thought theyd be great pushovers to take advantage of, but I ended up provoking a beehive.

he ended up scamming a group filled with dangerous beings.

Ugh.

Feeling light-headed, Ohjin placed his hand on his forehead.

Theres no way theyll let this be, right?

Revenge, blackmail

Whatever the reason, they would appear before him once again.

But its not like I can face them alone either.

Fifty was too many.

Ill need to prepare countermeasures.

There wasnt anything he could do right now.

Well you could also call this a good opportunity.

Ohjin removed the dead mans robe.

On his left chest was a stigma with a shape he had never seen before.

So this is a Black Stars stigma.

Spreading out his hands, he placed it on top of the stigma.

Rumble

The black cloud that flowed from his palm enveloped the stigma.

Mana flowed into his body with an unpleasant feeling, similar to that of the star relic he had absorbed.

-Ring!

[The Black Heaven is absorbing the stigma of the Owl Nebula!]

[The amount of the stigma of the Owl Nebula is too insignificant to activate.]

Stigma of the Owl Nebula

What kind of abilities will a Black Stars stigma have?

Smirk

Ohjin stuck out his tongue and greedily licked his lips.

* * *

The radiant Milky Way that split up the night sky.

Looking up at the uncountable amount of stars shining in the night sky, a white-haired elder narrowed his eyes.

Flutter!

Then, a black owl landed on the elders shoulder.

Hmhm. So he has arrived?

The elder nodded as if sharing a conversation with the owl, then slowly turned his body to face a black-robed youth respectfully kneeling with one knee on the ground.

Holholhol, the mans peculiar owl-like laughter emerged. Have you come, Yujin?

Yes, Executor.

Gulp

Kneeling in front of the white-haired elder, Yujin swallowed nervously.

Even though he had worked under the elder for a couple of years, he felt a pressure that stiffened his body every time they met.

its only natural.

The elder standing in front of his eyes was the Black Star Organizations 6th ranked Executor

King of Owls, Cheon Doyoon.

However

Today, he possessed a card that would relieve him from some of the intense pressure.

Alright so did you bring the object?

Of course.

Yujin took out the star relic from his robe and carefully placed it down.

A black drinking glass slightly larger than the size of a fist.

Inside of it dwelled the Black Stars power.

Holholhol!!

Letting out a peculiar laugh, the elder smiled brightly.

Well done, Yujin.

Fufu. It wasnt anything too difficult.

Shrugging proudly, Yujin shook his head.

Owls.

The elder slightly raised his hand up.

Flutter

Together with the sound of flapping wings, dozens of beings wearing black robes appeared from the dark.

The elder sent a hand signal towards Yujin.

Nodding his head, Yujin carried the black drinking glass towards the complicated and bizarre magic circle engraved on the ground.

At last, after the long wait, this day has come.

Yujin placed the black drinking glass in the middle of the magic circle and spread his two arms with a proud expression.

Do you see this! That detestable sky!

Flap

The robe Yujin was wearing fluttered from the strong wind.

That radiant night sky will be covered with black stars!!!!

Powerful gazes shone under the deeply worn hood.

Although there were no words

Dozens of Black Star Organization members observed the ritual with their breaths gradually growing more rapid.

Now!!, Yujin shouted, pouring mana into the engraved magic circle.

Look here!! The appearance of the Black Stars blessing our path!!!!!

Owoong!!!

As the magic circle engraved onto the ground shone with black light

This is nothing but the beginning!!!

nothing happened.

Soon, more objects engrained with the blessing with appehuh?

Yujin looked down at the magic circle which had stopped giving off a black light with a confused expression.

What?

Knock Knock

No matter how much he looked around and touched it, it showed no reaction.

Whys it like this?

The gaze of dozens pierced him.

He could see the expression of the elder distorting.

Uh, uhhh? W-Wait!!

He was fucked.

T-This cant be!! Theres no way!!!!

Yujins half-shut eyes opened to their limit.