The Universe Is Innately Just 131 Trial By Fire Part Two

Although danger was present everywhere, he was strong and clever enough, so much that living in the Core didn't matter much, he could live freely as the law of the jungle prevailed, the strongest lived happily. It was a free for all, where one prevailed over the other while plundering him from any resources. He knew that his mind was damaged compared to his other human counterparts, but he also knew that here, it was more of an advantage, and being emotionless had shown him several times how effective it was here. He didn't bat an eye when killing and could think in the most efficient way without being hindered by empathy.

His name resounded through the core, and myths and rumors made him even grander — the legendary man, cold as ice, with an itchy trigger finger. From being just a simple sociopath that couldn't bond with other human beings, he was transformed into the grand Blank-Faced Joe, a fearless leader whose cunning plan extended past normal logic. But he knew they were wrong, he had felt fear many times during his dangerous life, and he was always thankful that he wasn't genuinely fearless. His mind reminisced about that event when he had talked with them, with no actual leverage and basis. He had felt as if he could die at any moment, but he managed to push through skillfully. He knew that without fear, he would have died eons ago, and a few fearless individuals showed him that it only leads to death. Being fearless meant being reckless.

As he walked through a narrow street, he felt his mind freshened as he had stayed in that bas.e.m.e.nt for too long. While he was taking a deep breath, he felt something in his pocket vibrate. His hand moved as he took an old looking phone from his pocket. He pressed a dial and moved the phone near his ear. "Boss, we have acquired the location of the key from one of the generals!"

"Which one?" he asked as he was interested in which general had lost his leverage in Filthy Jade Palace.

"The Opiate General has been found dead near his house!", Blank-Faced Joe's eyebrow rose from surprise. He hadn't thought that they would act so soon, he had only begun his plan a day ago, and they had already started moving.

"Wait… He didn't have the key on his body?", he asked as his mind felt that the matter was strange.

"No Boss… He did have the key on his body… And it wasn't hidden at all!" his underling's tone changed slightly as he also knew that the matter was too strange.

Blank-Faced Joe stopped in his track for a few seconds, before a large devious smile was drawn on his face. This hidden party knew his goal all along, and he felt as if this person was showing off in front of him. Everyone in Filthy Jade Palace knew that the key represented the general's authority, owning the key was the equivalent of taking over that general's position. It even meant that you owned the general's underlings and business.

The generals of the Filthy Jade Palace were well known through the Core. They weren't known individually as persons, but their businesses were known to all. There were seven generals; Luxury, Weaponry, Opiate, Information, Gambling, Human Traffic, and the infamous. .h.i.tman. Filthy Jade Palace's business extended to every range of the underground world, and the balance of power in Filthy Jade Palace was maintained due to the Seven Keys.

Blank-Faced Joe had now acquired another key on top of the one he already owned. And with the two general he had imprisoned, it wouldn't be long before he owned four Keys. With that, he would be the general with the most keys. Blank-Faced Joe calmly gazed at the phone he had in his hand, before ordering his underling to take the key then get rid of the body. Even if it was a scheme from someone, he wouldn't back out from a free key and was fully ready to face whatever would be coming at his face.

Time ticked as he resumed his steps. He knew that things wouldn't take long before the grand ending. He was ready and had always been since the day Filthy Jade Palace had taken roots in the Core. He knew that was going to happen wouldn't just hit the Core, and that even the main districts would forever be changed from the events that would happen in the near future.

Inside of Battle League, Fell endlessly slew skeleton soldiers without any second of rest. It had been a long time since he lost track of the days that pa.s.sed; the sun never moved, and his focus wasn't put on his internal clock.

"Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill.", Fell constantly repeated himself as he bathed in the sea of undead corpses. He had already grown numb from the constant rattling. Although the h.e.l.lish atmosphere would have shaken more than one, his mind didn't take too long to get used to it. The constant fighting had tired him mentally beyond any point he had attained before. However, the gains couldn't be ignored as he had never executed this many sword strikes successively.

He had already been feeling like his sword was an extension of his limb. But now he had gone past that step; in his psyche, his sword was an organ on its own. Every single vibration and every minute information that the sword received when pa.s.sing through the air would swiftly be a.n.a.lyzed and used by his mind. At this point, the endless sea of skeleton soldiers only meant constant training. The only danger was his mind that grew tired after days of slaughter. Thankfully, his iron-will made it possible for himself to support the absurd and abnormal rhythm of the ma.s.sacre.

"How long had it been…", he thought as he felt like the sea of white skeleton soldier finally begun opening in front of him.