Zhang Yong jumped from the roof of a building, then a black, octopus-like arm that looked as if it were made of shadows shot out and gripped the side of the wall.
Then another arm extended from his other hand and stuck to the opposite wall, and he began to swing through the streets.
'Just like Spider-Man,' Zhang Yong said quickly.
Today had arrived – the long-awaited moment: the time to confront the serial killer Zank, according to the story's events.
The capital's streets were eerily quiet at night. A light mist swayed over the damp pavements, and the air carried a faint metallic scent.
Zhang Yong stood on the roof of a building, his purple eyes gleaming in the darkness as he watched the street below.
"It's time," he whispered to himself.
Then he jumped and used the Phoenix Wings to make his descent slow as he landed on one of the houses.
Above him, Zank stood on the clock tower. He had two blades on each arm, an eye on his forehead, and two tufts of hair that looked like horns.
"Oh, an unexpected visitor," Zank said in his hoarse voice, slowly turning to face Zhang Yong. "And the one who managed to escape even from General Budo himself – oh, how lucky I am!"
Zhang Yong paid no heed to his words and stared sharply at Zank.
Heavenly Demon Records – White Tiger Claws
Zhang Yong pounced like lightning, his phantom claws tearing through the air towards Zank. But at the last moment,
Zank vanished from his spot, appearing behind Zhang Yong with unnatural speed.
"Excellent, excellent!" Zank laughed as his blades glinted in the darkness. "But you are slower than I thought!"
Zank's third eye glowed; Zank had predicted his next move. His two blades struck like snakes towards Zhang Yong's neck.
Heavenly Demon Records – Black Turtle Shield
A semi-transparent black shell formed around Zhang Yong at the last moment, deflecting Zank's deadly strike with a sound like a bell's chime.
However, the force pushed Zhang Yong several meters backward.
'Spectator Teigu... reading thoughts and muscle movements, making it impossible to attack unless your physical ability is extremely high,' Zhang Yong thought quickly. 'Fine then, I won't think!'
Zhang Yong's face turned into a blank slate. His eyes became completely expressionless, as if his soul had left his body. Even his breathing stopped.
Zank, who relied entirely on his Teigu to read his opponent's thoughts, was momentarily horrified. "What...? No thoughts?!"
Zhang Yong seized the opportunity.
Tai Yin Si Xiang – Dragon Devouring
A black image of a dragon appeared behind Zhang Yong and pounced on Zank. But the latter regained his focus quickly.
Instantly, Zank's image transformed into that of Zhang Yong's younger brother. It was the Spectator Teigu's hidden card: creating illusions.
It was clear Zhang Yong was slightly affected, but he did not hesitate; his claws shredded the illusory image without pause. "A cheap illusion."
Zank grew angry. "How dare you! Excellent, excellent! I will make your death slow!"
Spectator Teigu – Precognition
Zank began attacking Zhang Yong with illusory speed, each strike targeting the weaknesses in his defense.
Zhang Yong defended fiercely, but wounds began to appear on his body.
Zhang Yong jumped back and stared at Zank. His gaze was domineering.
"Oh, come on. I'm finally starting to enjoy this," Zank said, his face twisted in a grin.
Zhang Yong grasped his sword and stared at Zank. "Fine. I will fight you seriously now."
Heaven-Smash Sword Art – Fourth Sword: Twilight Gleam
Zhang Yong lunged with agility, his sword leaving a trail of blue spiritual energy that painted the air like an aurora.
'I will attack with slashes from left to right,' Zhang Yong thought.
But Zank moved quickly and defended his left side.
At that moment, Zhang Yong's heel struck Zank's jaw.
"What?!" Zank looked on in disbelief.
"Believe it or not, I can think one thing and move another way. I don't intend to kill you anyway," Zhang Yong said coldly, looking at him.
Path of Salvation – Light of Salvation
A pure white light emanated from Zhang Yong's palm. At that moment, Zank couldn't stop himself from looking at it.
He was tormented by the screams of the people he had killed for years, but in that light, the voices gradually began to disappear.
He was not an evil person; he was merely suffering from psychological trauma that had caused him to develop a split personality.
That was a result of his guilt over killing and beheading prisoners.
In that respect, he and Zhang Yong were not so different.
That light brought great relief to Zank's soul, as all those voices were now gone.
Then Zhang Yong closed his palm, and the light was extinguished.
After the white light disappeared, Zank fell to his knees, his eyes closing slowly.
"What... what did you do to me?" Zank whispered in a hoarse voice, his hand trembling as it touched his forehead where the Teigu lay.
Zhang Yong approached him with heavy steps, his sword still firmly gripped, but his expression was ambiguous.
"I gave you temporary relief. Those voices are nothing but your guilt haunting you."
Zank raised his head, his natural eyes carrying a look Zhang Yong had never seen before – the look of a sane person for the first time in years.
"I didn't... I didn't want to kill all of them. But the voices... they never stopped asking..."
At that moment, Zhang Yong felt something he rarely experienced: pity.
"Death or service," Zhang Yong said suddenly, his voice like cold iron. "Choose."
Zank did not answer immediately. A look of internal conflict passed over his face.
"If you choose death, I will grant you a quick one," Zhang Yong continued, his sword glinting under the moonlight.
"But if you choose service, I will free you from those voices... but you will become my slave."
Suddenly, Zank screamed, pressing his head as if trying to crush something inside it.
"Stop them! Stop the voices! I can't!"
Path of Salvation – Light of Salvation
As soon as the light appeared, Zank fell to the ground, breathing heavily, but his expression became clearer.
"They're... gone," he whispered, looking at his hands. "The voices... they're all gone."
"Now, choose," Zhang Yong said, holding his sword to Zank's neck.
"I will serve you," Zank answered without hesitation this time. "On one condition: do not make me kill the innocent again."
"Good. Then I will teach you the Six Desires Mantra. It will stop the voices, and I will give you the Hellish Heavenly Art and the Grand Circulation of Spiritual Energy."
Zhang Yong extended his hand, placed his finger on Zank's forehead, and implanted a Soul Seal on him.
'I wasn't planning to recruit him, but I need every combat capability I can get. It's not as if the main purpose of the Six Desires Mantra is to prevent Heart Demons; it's merely a side effect of its true ability.'
Then Zhang Yong took the Spectator Teigu from Zank's forehead.
"I will take this and fake your death in front of the others. Go to the slums and wait for me there."
After Zank disappeared as Zhang Yong had ordered, he headed to the capital's streets, specifically to the area where Tatsumi and Akame would be.
"The timing is perfect," Zhang Yong whispered as he heard the sound of hurried footsteps approaching.
Akame and Tatsumi appeared around the corner of the alley. Tatsumi was breathing heavily while Akame held her sword with her usual coldness.
"Zhang Yong?!" Tatsumi exclaimed, his eyes widening at the sight of the corpse. "Is this... Zank?!"
Akame didn't say a word, but her narrowed eyes carefully examined the scene. "So the mission is complete."
Zhang Yong picked up the Teigu from the ground and raised it towards the moonlight.
"Yes, the mission is complete." Then he began walking away from the corpse.
"But how did you kill him? Akame said a Teigu user is stronger than an ordinary person," Tatsumi said, seeming impressed.
"Have you already forgotten? Teigu are made from Danger Beasts, and I am fused with one, which makes me an indirect Teigu user," Zhang Yong explained.
Akame closed her eyes for a moment.
"There was a project in the Empire years ago where they forced children to take a drug to enhance combat abilities. Are you familiar with it?"
"I haven't heard of it, and I didn't take any drug. Rather, it's not a drug, but the beast's own blood," Zhang Yong twirled the Teigu between his fingers.
"Now, let's return to the hideout. The boss will be eager to see our prize."
Upon their return, the rest of the Night Raid members were gathered in the main hall.
Najenda sat at the head of the table, her narrowed eyes following Zhang Yong as he tossed the Teigu onto the table.
"Zank is no longer a problem," Zhang Yong announced.
"Good," Najenda said with a smile. "Did you try using this Teigu?"
"Actually, I did. I was curious about the Teigu, but nothing happened when I wore it," Zhang Yong said, shrugging his shoulders.
"Do you have any idea what its abilities are? They aren't mentioned in the Teigu book," Sheele asked curiously.
Zhang Yong held his forehead. "I recall there was illusion, mind-reading, and muscle reading. In total, there are five abilities."
Najenda stroked her chin. "Oh, this is an interesting Teigu. Tatsumi, why don't you try it?"
"Really?!" Tatsumi looked excited. "Why doesn't someone else use it?"
"Each person can only possess one Teigu because they consume mental and physical energy," Bulat explained with a bright smile.
Tatsumi reached his hand out towards the Teigu and placed it on his forehead.
Akame jumped in with a strange smile. "It can read minds, right? Try reading mine."
Tatsumi looked towards Akame, then announced, "You're thinking about eating meat for dinner!"
Akame's face looked surprised. "Exactly. Amazing."
Zhang Yong lightly tapped Tatsumi's head. "You haven't done it properly yet, you idiot. Try to focus more."
Tatsumi closed his eyes with a frown. Then, in an instant, his eyes opened and he looked towards Sheele, Akame, and Mine. In a flash, he jumped backward in fear, his face turning completely red.
"Ah... I can't watch this," Zhang Yong turned away, fully aware of what was happening.
But in an instant, Tatsumi fell to the ground, and those around him rushed to remove the Teigu from him.
"It seems it doesn't agree with you," Akame said as she removed the Teigu from Tatsumi.
Then Mine explained, "You were thinking it wasn't great, right? The first thought about the Teigu is important."
"Gah," Tatsumi felt those words stabbing him. He had indeed been thinking it wasn't great.
Zhang Yong looked using his Heavenly Demon Eyes towards Tatsumi and the Teigu.
The Teigu was emanating a purplish aura mixed with a faint red around it. 'I understand. Compatibility. If the traits are similar, then the compatibility is high.'
Then he looked at the others and their Teigu. There was a significant degree of compatibility between them.
He then activated the Eyes of Life and Death and quickly saw shadows of beasts on the Teigu. There was a Grim Reaper's aura next to Murasame, a ghostly beast next to Pumpkin, and some lion-like creature next to Ecstasy.
After finishing his examination of the weapons, Zhang Yong noticed that the atmosphere had shifted.
There was a silence as the meeting had ended.
Zhang Yong didn't ask what was happening. He quietly returned to his room.
He opened the door and greeted, "I'm back."
Zhang Yong walked and touched the surface of a rock that was on the side of the bed. "I know, I didn't mean to be late."
Zhang Yong looked at the rock, then sat cross-legged on the bed. "Yes, another training session. Can you blame me?"
Zhang Yong looked blankly at the rock. "You realize that I'm the only one who hears you. If I weren't here, you'd be like someone talking to himself."
Zhang Yong looked angrily at the rock. "There's no one here to call me crazy."
Path of Earth – Voice of the Mother
This was the skill Zhang Yong had obtained. And guess what? It allowed him to talk to rocks. Of course, the downside was that rocks that find someone to listen to them are very talkative, but the best thing is that no one pays attention to them, which made them perfect spies.
"Oh, what? You want me to eat you? That would be a great addition to the Elephant Devouring technique," Zhang Yong said dryly, looking at the rock.
"Forget it. I won't talk to you." Zhang Yong closed his eyes and began to meditate.
When midnight came, he opened his eyes. "Time to find Doctor Stylish."
Zhang Yong left his room and jumped from the hideout.
Path of Wind – Road of Wind
Tai Yin Si Xiang – Phoenix Wings
Two black wings extended from Zhang Yong's back, and he rose again as if he were flying.
This was the effect of the Road of Wind. It looked as if he was being pushed through the air, and the wings helped him move with precision.
He couldn't truly fly, but it looked as if he were flying, though he was descending gradually. The difference was that he wouldn't land immediately.
He then headed to the slums and found Zank.
"My lord," Zank bowed to Zhang Yong with respect.
Zhang Yong put on his mask and walked through the slums, signaling Zank to follow him.
After arriving at a tall building in a deserted part of the slums, Zhang Yong opened the door.
The young man he had saved days earlier was there.
The moment he appeared, the young man knelt down. "My lord, thank you for that day."
Behind him were a total of seven people. They looked bewildered but immediately followed the young man in bowing.
"What is your name, boy?" Zhang Yong's voice sounded as he placed his arms behind his back.
"Rain, my lord," the young man said, not daring to raise his head.
"It seems you obeyed me. That is good. You children must grow. This God here has chosen you for a reason. This man here is my subordinate. From today, you will train with him."
He then turned his head to Zank. "Train them well and help them gather members quickly."
Zank nodded his head and struck his hand over his heart. "You can count on me, my lord."
Zhang Yong nodded, placed his finger on Zank's head – "Good follower" – and used the Light of Salvation on him.
This was a way to make Zank his slave, akin to a drug. After tasting it the first time, he would become addicted to it and would have no choice but to obey him in order to find relief.
"I will leave now." Zhang Yong turned and began to walk away.
"Wait!" Rain's voice sounded as he remained kneeling. "My lord... actually... we... we are suffering from hunger and some problems... so... we were hoping, that you would show us your kindness, please..." Rain began to beg.
Zhang Yong sighed inwardly. In any organization, money was essential for its development, and this was an unavoidable rule.
Zhang Yong took out a purse of money he had stolen from a noble's house during the mission and threw it to him.
"Take it. It contains enough for you for months. You'd better use it well."
Rain caught the purse and bowed again. "Thank you... thank you, my lord." His eyes appeared to fill with tears.
Zhang Yong turned and left the place. Truly, no matter the world, there would always be a dark, somber side. Not everyone was lucky, and not everyone was cursed.
This was the rule of the world.