0105 : Dark Heaven Village
The pirates seemed to have united in purpose. From their perspective, surviving by sacrificing the commanders was far more advantageous than facing the naval forces with no chance of victory. As betrayal unfolded in an instant, I chuckled to myself.
“Ahahaha. Cornered, are we?”
“Ugh… Don’t make me laugh!”
Suddenly, the garments of the pirate chiefs burst apart dramatically as their bodies expanded. The appearance of the Fish Monster I had seen before manifested on the deck. Their physiques had grown to an enormous size, making it impossible to regard them as human any longer.
[ Gulug… Gulug… ]
Boom!
“ Aahhhh!”
As the pirate chiefs swung their swords, a loud explosion followed, and several pirates nearby were torn to shreds. It appeared that their transformation granted them immense power at the cost of their rationality. Realizing it wouldn’t do to have all those capable of providing information killed off, I leaped forward.
“Step aside!”
Thunder Call
Lightning surged through my body. My speed increased immensely, allowing me to dash past a chief like an illusion. One pirate fell victim to the Ten Thousand Success Sword Technique, while another was struck by the Heaven Thunder Infinite Spear. Moments later, their bodies exploded into pieces with a deafening noise.
Boom!
Swoosh –
The foul-smelling blood of the Merfolk gushed forth from the severed bodies. The remaining pirates were horrified, retreating in panic. One of the pirates then charged at me furiously.
[ Kiiiii – !! ]
Unleashing the Thunder Shadow Step, I deftly evaded the attack from the Merfolk pirate chief, severing his left arm. As the severed limb shot upward, he writhed in pain, and I followed up with a powerful kick that shattered his right leg.
I could have killed him then and there, but I refrained. If that were my intention, I would have resorted to indiscriminate slaughter from the very start.
[ Kuaaah! ]
The pirate chief collapsed. Perhaps the effects of his berserk state were wearing off; his physique gradually shrank back to human size, and he rolled his eyes in anxiety while struggling with the pain. It seemed he realized I had spared his life on purpose, and he asked,
“W-What do you want?”
“Everything you know!”
“If I tell you, will you spare me?”
“Of course. I mentioned I would, didn’t I? What were you listening to?”
With a fierce glint in my eyes, I added,
“Tell me your base and how you came to be like this.”
“I understand… I will tell you everything.”
The pirate chief hesitated for a moment, but eventually began to reveal what I had been curious about. As I listened to his story, I found it hard to believe and questioned him.
“What did you say?”
“I swear it’s true.”
In disbelief, I scratched my head,
“Are you really saying there’s a city of Merfolk under the sea?”
The pirate chief nodded.
“Yes…”
The other pirates listening nearby murmured in surprise. The chief explained that the three of them had been plundering when they were approached by the Merfolk. Claiming to be descendants of the Sea God, they demanded that the pirates serve them in exchange for bestowing great power. Ever since, the pirate chiefs had accepted the Merfolk’s physical transformations, building an undefeated legend through their plundering activities. Furthermore, they had been able to navigate the seas with great ease, occasionally avoiding maritime natural disasters thanks to the Merfolk’s assistance.
The pirate chief, who had transformed into a Merfolk, revealed that they occasionally visited the Merfolk city under the sea to report on their status or receive knowledge.
“Where is this underwater city located?”
“It’s beneath the island in the Special Trade Region next to our base…”
“Right below?”
“It can be found to the northwest…”
I pressed further,
“Alright. Then why did you attack the naval forces this time?”
“That’s because the Sea God’s kin issued the order.”
“They gave the order directly?”
“Yes… They said there are essential items included in this expedition for the Sea God tribe.”
I widened my eyes; this seemed like crucial information.
“Essential items? What are they?”
“They’re things that were accidentally imported from the Western Region… a peculiar vessel.”
“What does this vessel look like? Hey, bring it over.”
As I commanded a nearby pirate, one rushed inside and returned with paper and ink. As the pirate chief grasped the brush and began moving it, I observed his condition. Strangely enough, despite having his arm severed and his leg shattered, which would typically lead to fatal blood loss, his wounds had already begun to heal.
Soon after, the drawing was completed, and I memorized the shape. Indeed, it was a bizarre vessel like nothing I had seen since my birth. I examined the drawing closely and asked,
“Why do you need this vessel?”
“I don’t know…”
“Hmm. I understand.”
With that, I swiftly swung my spear, beheading the pirate chief. It was done so quickly and cleanly that he likely felt no pain. He was doomed, regardless; I simply decided to grant him a swift end.
This was the price for my information.
I spoke to the remaining pirates,
“Raise the white flag.”
“Yes.”
Swoosh!
Shortly after, I raised the white flag on the pirate ship and returned to our side. Vice Commander Ahn Hyeon was astonished at my appearance.
“Did you really subdue the flagship all by yourself? That’s impressive martial arts!”
“Oh, it’s nothing… But I have urgent matters to discuss.”
“What is it?”
“I would like to speak privately.”
“Understood.”
Vice Commander Ahn Hyeon left the handling of the aftermath to his subordinates and took me to his office. When we were alone, I unveiled the severed heads of the three pirate chiefs, causing Ahn Hyeon to frown.
“What is this? What kind of monsters are these?”
“They are the pirate chiefs.”
“What?!!”
“I assure you, if you question the Blood Saber group’s officials who surrendered, you will find that what I say is true. These are the chiefs who led the Blood Saber group.”
“Hah…”
Soon, one pirate was brought in for confirmation and testified in agreement before leaving. Realizing the truth of my words, Ahn Hyeon slouched in his chair, looking exhausted.
“Alright then, just put their heads away. The stench is overwhelming.”
“Understood.”
As Vice Commander Ahn Hyeon opened the cabin window to ventilate, he remarked,
“How could such monsters exist in this world?”
“Vice Commander Ahn, we must suppress their base. It’s not far from here.”
“……”
He displayed hesitation. While he had succeeded in victory without any losses, launching an attack on the pirates’ stronghold was beyond his expectations. I decided to persuade him further.
“Think carefully. If we don’t strike at their base, the Blood Saber group will continue to be reborn. Damage to the merchant factions will continue as well. Wouldn’t it be better to achieve a significant accomplishment before that troublesome situation arises?”
Vice Commander Ahn Hyeon seemed to have perked up at the mention of “significant accomplishment.”
“I see… Alright, let’s go suppress them.”
I detailed the location of the pirate chiefs’ stronghold that I had learned from the pirate chief. Ahn Hyeon unfolded a nautical map and quickly identified the location. We set off towards the Pirate Island, which served as their stronghold.
We arrived at the Pirate Island in less than half a day. As soon as the naval forces approached the island, they fired a warning shot to signal the commencement of battle.
Boom!
The pirates on the island scrambled in confusion, but soon, the naval forces, including myself, landed and began to overpower them. There were about a hundred pirates left, but it took less than half a shichen to subdue them all.
With the suppression of the Pirate Island concluded so easily, Ahn Hyeon walked to the shore and sat on a chair. In a stern voice, he commanded,
“Behead them all.”
Swoosh!
Swoosh!
One by one, the heads of the pirates fell on the sandy beach. The sandy shore was indeed a suitable location for beheading, suggesting that this was intentionally chosen. After the successive beheadings, Ahn Hyeon led his subordinates to further explore the Pirate Island, where hidden buildings were discovered, along with captured slaves and women.
The condition of the slaves and women was horrific. The male slaves looked like they were on the brink of death due to extreme overwork, and some had become disabled due to the pirates’ wrath. Additionally, it was evident that the women had been violated by the pirates, many of whom were pregnant.
Even more gruesome were the “trophies” scattered throughout the pirates’ quarters, indicating that slaves had been killed for amusement. There were numerous signs of torture evident as well. The tales of the pirates’ brutal treatment of humans were indeed true.
As Ahn Hyeon witnessed this atrocity with his own eyes, he trembled with rage.
“I’m glad I acted as you advised. These scoundrels are not worthy of living.”
“Mm…”
“Hey! Bring the captured officials from the Blood Saber Group.”
Upon his command, the naval soldiers brought in the Blood Saber officials tightly bound. They had thought they would save their lives but appeared confused instead. Ahn Hyeon, looking down at them with cold eyes, announced,
“I am Acting Commander Jang Gyeong-ik of the Left Army Command. Thus, in wartime, I can execute punishments without the approval of the Left Army Command, nor do I need the court’s consent. I will act according to my personal conscience regarding this dreadful tragedy.”
The pirate officials trembled in fear and exclaimed,
“My lord! What do you mean?”
“Listen here.”
With Ahn Hyeon’s next words, the pirates became frantic with terror.
“Execute Lingchi on these scoundrels.”
“Ahhhh!!”
“No!!”
Some even bit their tongues and fell lifelessly to the ground. Biting one’s tongue was not an act taken lightly, but it illustrated how brutal Lingchi was as a method of execution.
First, the naval soldiers brought out a cross-shaped torture device from the ship. Due to a lack of manpower, they hastily fashioned a makeshift version using wood to bind the officials of the Blood Saber Group.
Then, they brought a white powder which they forced into the officials’ mouths. Curious, I asked Ahn Hyeon,
“What is that?”
“Opium.”
“……!!”
“The essence of Lingchi is to prolong life as much as possible.”
As Ahn Hyeon replied nonchalantly, preparations for Lingchi continued. Eventually, they tightly gagged the Blood Saber officials to prevent them from biting their tongues any longer. As the opium began to cloud their senses, the execution of Lingchi commenced.
The sharp sound echoed…
The naval soldiers, wielding thin blades resembling razors, began to slowly peel away the flesh. It resembled the act of filleting fish, and despite the heavy dose of opium dulling their immediate pain, the officials of the Blood Saber Group seemed to realize what was happening to them. While they widened their eyes in panic and flailed about, the execution continued.
Vice Commander Ahn Hyeon commented,
“Traditionally, we start at the less critical extremities, like fingers or toes.”
Swoosh!
Some blood oozed out, but each time, a drug was applied to staunch the bleeding. As beads of blood formed, flesh fell away like strands of hair, landing on the ground. While their fingers and toes were gradually sliced away, the expressions of the Blood Saber officials approached the brink of madness.
To be unable to move, slowly filleted like a fish, and die would instill an unimaginable sense of terror.
“After peeling away all the muscles, we will smash the joints and so forth.”
“Wouldn’t you die first?”
“That’s why we give them opium, to keep them alive as long as possible.”
Soon, I learned more from Vice Commander Ahn Hyeon about Lingchi.
Lingchi was a punishment in which the flesh of a living criminal is peeled away, literally separating the bones from the flesh. In the past, it was referred to as gouging punishment, as it involved peeling the flesh from the bone, and it was noted in the legal text known as the Great Ming Code under the term Lingchi chusi (凌遲處死). Although originally too cruel to implement arbitrarily, it was made feasible by Vice Commander Ahn Hyeon having the general’s full authority.
Known by the aliases Hundred Cuts Punishment (백각형) or Killing with a Thousand Cuts (살천도), it signified a punishment involving a hundred or a thousand cuts leading to death. It was said that a eunuch named Liu Jin, who had abused power through corruption, underwent Lingchi, receiving a staggering six thousand cuts.
The next day, I found that more than half of the Blood Saber officials had died. However, the unfeeling sight of the naval soldiers continuing to peel away flesh and muscle was terrifying. A couple of them had already laid bare the ribcage, with one naval soldier chuckling as he poked the exposed bone into the eyelid of the deceased Blood Saber official.
When this soldier noticed me, he said,
“Ah! My apologies. Please don’t tell anyone.”
“But wouldn’t they feel little pain if they were given opium before dying?”
The naval soldier grinned.
“Not quite. I heard of someone who endured two hundred cuts under Lingchi but was eventually released. As the effects of the opium intermittently wore off, they began to feel the agony of insects consuming their entire body. These scoundrels will scream of great pain and even vomit their hearts before they die.”
“……”
I was struck dumb by the nonchalant demeanor of the naval soldier; it was clear he had experienced such horrors before.
Lingchi was completed by the morning of the third day. After the Lingchi process concluded, the bodies of the Blood Saber officials were reduced to mere bones. The dismembered corpses, now only skeletal remains, were placed in a large basket with the clothing they wore just before execution, along with their entrails and heads, hanging at the end of a pole.
The crusade against the Blood Saber had come to an end.
—————————= Author’s Note —————————=
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