Fear had this strange side to it.
The fear felt when all alone was far, far greater than when you were in the company of other people.
One didn't need personal experience to figure out that watching a horror movie in a packed cinema was less frightening than in an empty one. Because, being alone amplified one's fear by a massive degree.
The same scary movie would feel less frightening if you had someone to share the experience with. You'd feel more secure in the company of others.
However, there was a flip side to that equation. Fear could be contagious.
Even if one didn't feel anything about something in the beginning, one would still get sucked into mass hysteria and fear if others got scared by that same thing.
...Just like right now!
Kazeichi could acutely sense the fear spreading among everyone. Not even he could tell when this phenomenon had begun. However, was there a need to figure that out now?
After all, what was happening in this place was closer to "resonance" than "infection," now wasn't it?
No one could be seen as the patient zero in this case. Kazeichi didn't want to admit it, but even he was not spared. He could feel his heart being invaded by this contagious fear!
Kazeichi bit his lower lip.
'No, this should not surprise me.'
He told himself not to fight this feeling. He must not view his current emotions as dishonorable and try to overcome them through willpower alone. Doing so would mean his body and mind would be out of sync. And that would dull his senses and reflexes.
'Yes, this much is expected when...'
...When looking at that monster!
Who wouldn't be scared by the sight of Kang Jin-Ho? Absolutely everyone would be helpless against it. So, the important thing right now isn't whether one felt scared or not, but... But, whether or not Kazeichi and his men could still kill that monster with their own hands!
Killing that monster... Yes, they must do it, no matter what!
'However... Can we even succeed?'
Kazeichi couldn't think of a way.
He had killed countless people up until now. He didn't differentiate who he killed as long as his targets were hindrances to his gumi's existence in some way.
Some of those hindrances were regular people with no martial arts. Some were top-tier experts requiring Kazeichi to bet his everything to win.
Only by carrying out all those assassinations without slipping up once did Kazeichi manage to survive and reach this point in his life.
Killing someone had become an intimately familiar act to him now. Unsurprisingly, Kazeichi had long reached a realm where he could instinctively calculate his odds even before carrying out his missions.
This time was no different. Using the information his gumi had obtained, Kazeichi calculated that three teams of highly skilled assassins should be enough to eliminate Kang Jin-Ho.
The name of the group of assassins Kazeichi had brought along was... the Dark Moon Squad!
The Shinichi-kai spared no resources to create and nurture this particular group of highly skilled warriors. As such, calling this group the strongest in Japan wouldn't be an exaggeration. With each team composed of twelve powerful individuals, they should be capable of killing any target under the heavens.
Kazeichi brought with him three such teams. So, his confidence in being able to fight anyone seemed well justified. He even believed that three teams from the Dark Moon Squad would be swift and strong enough to kill China's Three Kings, never mind a measly little target like Kang Jin-Ho.
That had been Kazeichi's belief until now. But the events so far had proved that his beliefs had been misplaced.
'However, it's no one's fault.'
A part of Kazeichi wanted to blame someone. However, his cold-as-ice rational mind had already finished analyzing his situation. That was why he could say no one was at fault for this slip-up.
The proof was standing right there. How was anyone supposed to describe Kang Jin-Ho? Even Kazeichi didn't feel confident of accurately describing this spectacle despite witnessing everything with his own two perfectly functioning eyes.
Maybe someone more silver-tonged than Kazeichi could find a way to convey an accurate verbal description of Kang Jin-Ho to the people back home. However, what about the fear one felt after looking at that terrifying creature? Even if the brains of the witnesses here were cut out and presented as evidence, the fear they felt would still never be conveyed in full.
This... This goosebumps-inducing terror! It had already surpassed the boundaries of human comprehension.
Kang Jin-Ho's ridiculous strength wasn't the reason, though. Even if he didn't have any strength, the fear stabbing into Kazeichi's heart would still be just as intense.
"Fuu-woo...!" Kazeichi quietly regulated his breathing.
A man like him, who had basically exorcised all semblance of human emotion from his heart, still felt crippling fear. So, it was easy enough to guess how others must feel. The longer Kazeichi wasted time, the more frightened his subordinates would be even before the battle could get underway.
Obviously, he couldn't allow that to happen!
Skrieeek...!
Kazeichi unsheathed a sharp dagger dangling around his hips, then pulled out another. He felt his mind regain some of its tranquility when the sensation of daggers' grips registered in his palms. His favorite weapons reflected the moonlight and gleamed eerily.
'Now... Calm yourself, Kazeichi. Remember, he's only a human.'
Even if Kang Jin-Ho didn't resemble a human being right now, he was still definitely a human, just like everyone else. Since he was a human, he could be stabbed with a blade. And a blade stabbing his vital spots would surely kill him.
As a result, he could see it. He could see that his strike... had worked!
Rumble!
The black flames couldn't withstand the weight behind the chop and split apart into two halves.
'Yes, it worked!'
A momentary burst of excitement swept across every Dark Moon Squad member. They had gotten the confirmation that their attack worked on Kang Jin-Ho's surreal black flames.
Even if they were dealing with ghosts, spirits, or even devils, victory could still be theirs as long as their attacks worked. There was no need to fear an existence they could stab and kill!
However, it didn't even take a split second to transform hope into despair.
KWA-AAAAAAH!
Despite being chopped in half, the black flames didn't lose their forward momentum while swallowing up the Dark Moon Squad member.
"Wu-huht?!"
The unexpected movement of the flames took the shinobi by surprise, and he gasped loudly in shock. Unfortunately, he had poured all of his strength into the previous strike, making it impossible for him to dodge the black flames.
The black flames rapidly dug into the shinobi's body in the blink of an eye. He quickly realized dodging was out of the question, so he clenched his teeth to endure. If he could endure what was to come, maybe he...!
However, the shinobi immediately realized something when the flames touched his flesh. That these black flames were... not real flames!
Although these things took on the outer appearance of a flame, their true form was highly compressed and condensed demonic qi. Such was its concentration that it no longer resembled the typical strands of qi but those of billowing licks of flames.
These fake-but-deadly Demon Flames boasted hardness and power that surpassed the defenses afforded by most body-strengthening techniques. The cost of trying to defend against arguably the pinnacle of demonic qi utilization with nothing but his body proved too much for the shinobi.
"Kkuwaaaaaaaahk?!"
The shinobi genuinely tried to endure the pain. However, his mouth opened on its own. And screams exploded forth from his throat regardless of his intentions.
Every single rib in the shinobi's chest cracked before shattering to pieces. The demonic qi didn't stop there and dug even deeper into its victim's flesh before ripping apart his organs.
The shinobi's arms and legs didn't just snap and break but got crushed into mush. His flesh was squeezed and pummeled until splitting apart and exploding into bloody chunks.
Crack! Cruuuunch!
What could a man do against unimaginable pain? Nothing but scream his lungs out!
There was nothing the shinobi could do other than clench his teeth. His body was supposed to endure the pain, but it had stopped listening to the brain's command.
Soon, his body stopped functioning altogether, its role reduced to nothing more than a medium to transmit soul-crushing pain to his brain!
Despair quickly flooded the shinobi. And he kept despairing.
"Kkeuh...! Kkeuuuuh...!"
The once-proud member of the Dark Moon Squad unceremoniously fell from the air and weakly slammed into the deck below.
"Huph... Huff... heuh..."
The shinobi's body spasmed and shuddered completely out of his control. As he lay there spasming, the shinobi's clouded eyes spotted something. And his spasming immediately stopped.
The devil enveloped in the black flames was looking down at the fallen shinobi.
It was as if he was staring at the "death" that had been rolled into one creature. If... If the term "death" was pulled out from the pages of a dictionary, it might look like this!
The god of death? Was there any other term better suited to describe Kang Jin-Ho?
The god of death silently stared at the shinobi. That signaled the shinobi's consciousness to start fading away. He instinctively knew what was happening to him.
He was dying. He was about to leave this world for good. However, the shinobi was not afraid. Because death would be the sweetest release imaginable compared to getting tortured at the hands of this devil.
As such, death couldn't come fast enough for this shinobi...!
That was when a goosebumps-inducing voice akin to rusted nails scratching on coarse metal tore into the shinobi's hearing.
"Death isn't the end."
"...!"
"Soon, you will find out for yourself."
The last thing the shinobi saw as he breathed his last was the pair of crimson eyes burning eerily.
He wasn't even allowed to die in peace.