SSS-Class Sui**de Hunter - Chapter 115

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 115: The Black Wedding (1)
1
—O God.
—Help me.
A girl once offered up a prayer, and it was answered.
And so.
—O God.
—Help us.
A boy who had stood at that girl’s side as her butler and childhood friend offered up a prayer of his own, and it too was answered.
2
“I’ll need to rearrange the seating at the wedding venue.”
Rabiel murmured the words almost to herself.
“Now that we know where the Apostles will appear, we can concentrate the Special Forces Unit and our martial masters in those locations.”
It had come to me while preparing for the wedding—the bride and groom wield tremendous power. We can arrange the guests we’ve invited to the ceremony however we please.
If we wanted, we could seat rival nobles at the same table. Yes, our reputation might take a blow and we’d catch some grief, but did it matter? Crushing these otherworldly Apostles came first.
‘If only I could copy her Blessing as well, this would be so much simpler…’
Unfortunately, my skill, I Want to Become Like You, couldn’t replicate the Blessing that Geumsamae wielded.
—I told you, zombie. The Tower is coldly ruthless in the strangest ways.
The Backhoe Spirit seemed delighted that I couldn’t just take what I wanted—its expression was practically smug.
—Right now you’re already receiving multiple Blessings. Like when you fought that demon, and even now—the Blessing of the Beauty God, the Blessing of the Snake God, and all the rest.
‘Right, right—those receive separate treatment from my own skills, don’t they?’
—Exactly. Those, to be precise, belong to the category of ‘buff effects granted by a Constellation using a skill it already possesses.’ Since that’s how the mechanism operates, what can you do? If you’re upset about it, go pick a fight with the Constellation that granted the buff in the first place and get yourself killed.
‘I understand, I understand.’
I grumbled. When it explained mechanics like that, it sounded like some computer game, but what lay before me now wasn’t a game—it was reality.
The Heresy Inquisitor drove that reality home.
“If there is an Apostle skilled in spiritual attack, we must significantly reduce the number of guests! Especially if that Apostle’s Blessing involves recreating the person’s happiest memories!”
Candlelight flickered and danced, illuminating the Heresy Inquisitor’s face.
Night had fallen.
The three of us gathered in Rabiel’s dressing room, heads bent close together. Spread across the table were the seating plans for the wedding venue and the guest list. Rabiel’s dressing room had become our secret war room.
“The deadliest poison in the world never causes pain. It brings happiness! Few can escape the poison of joy spread by the Eternal Apostle of Happiness!”
“…And here lies the problem.”
Rabiel tapped the guest list with one long finger.
“The smaller the guest list, the harder it becomes to deal with the Apocalyptic Cavalry of the Endless Plain. That Apostle summons up to ten thousand troops. If we increase the numbers, we fall victim to the spiritual attack. If we shrink the numbers, we’re crushed under sheer weight of numbers.”
“Mm, a fair point indeed. This is quite the dilemma…”
Both of them sank into thought. The candle burned lower.
“Leave that to me.”
I opened my mouth.
Both of them turned to look at me.
“Do you have a good idea, Four Kings?”
“I do.”
I nodded. Then I explained my plan. As I spoke, Rabiel and the Heresy Inquisitor’s expressions shifted by degrees.
“…Indeed.”
Rabiel’s face showed wonder.
“My lady truly has remarkable connections. If we execute the operation according to your plan, there’s no problem at all.”
I respect her without artifice, and she gave me praise without hesitation. I felt a little embarrassed.
“There is one condition, though.”
“What might that be?”
“Please allow me to wear black as well, Rabiel.”
“……”
Rabiel’s lips fell silent.
In the Empire, only the one who will become head of a house can wear black on a wedding day. It’s a color I, as duchess, should not take. And yet, I had no choice but to wear black.
“It’s not that I suddenly want to play the master of the ducal house. It’s just that…”
“No, you needn’t explain. I’ve known since my previous life that you are not one to crave power.”
Rabiel shook his head.
“I was only hesitant about the Empire’s customs and traditions. But I cannot ignore my lady’s wishes for the sake of custom and convention. I shall prepare the black garments for you myself.”
“Thank you.”
The three of us locked eyes and nodded together. It was mere chance, but at the very instant we bowed our heads, the candlelight on the table flickered.
All preparations were complete.
3
Evening descended.
The Empire’s most distinguished nobility began filing into the Wedding Venue.
From announcement to preparation, it had taken barely a month. A remarkably hasty wedding by any standard, yet not a single aristocrat possessed the audacity to refuse an invitation to the Ibantia Family betrothal. No matter how much they sneered at Rabiel in private, their public faces had to beam with practiced smiles.
Power was a bludgeon.
“…The arrangement of the venue seems odd to me.”
Even those nobles found themselves tilting their heads once they entered the Wedding Venue. They could understand holding the ceremony outdoors rather than in a temple—such unions between nobility and commoners rarely received blessings.
And yet.
“What possible reason could there be for gathering all the warriors in one place?”
The Chief Attendant entered the groom’s dressing room. My adoptive father posed the question.
“Moreover, this positioning… if I may speak frankly, it appears designed as though for battle itself. The useful fighters have been concentrated at the front, while ordinary nobles remain relegated to the rear.”
“I’m not sure what you’re implying.”
I replied with studied innocence while attendants fussed over my appearance. The old man let out a thin laugh.
“It looks as though you’ve cleared away the troublesome deadweight and assembled only the worthwhile pawns at the front. I hope you don’t take offense at my directness?”
“My husband surely has his reasons.”
“And yet the lady herself wears a sword at her hip.”
“Yes—I’m fond of cultivating martial arts. Should the Moon of Ibantia appear frail and wan? Besides, one never knows when ruffians might attempt to disrupt the ceremony. It’s best to be prepared.”
“Indeed. Prepared for unforeseen circumstances, as it were….”
The old man’s smile turned wry.
“I understand. Then I shall inform my colleagues to stand ready for any unforeseen circumstances as well. My, my. To think the Duke of Ibantia chose me as the lady’s adoptive father for reasons such as these….”
The Chief Attendant bowed to me and left the dressing room. No doubt he intended to instruct his Special Forces Unit subordinates to prepare for combat.
Everything up to this point had been orchestrated.
‘The more people who maintain composure even if something unexpected occurs, the better.’
Rabiel was already moving people from the shadows.
[Malcontents opposed to the marriage are plotting a terrorist attack.]
Such rumors filtered through the crowd gradually. Few would believe them outright, yet nobles were creatures of psychology. Plant a seed of wariness in their hearts, and the effect would surely manifest.
“Screeeeeam!”
The effect arrived faster than expected.
‘They’ve come.’
I shook off the attendants and rushed from the dressing room.
At that same moment, a voice echoed across this world—audible, perhaps, only to the Heresy Inquisitor and myself.
[An Apostle of ‘The Ox That Harvests Ruins’ manifests.]
[An Apostle of ‘The Warhorse of Endless Plains’ manifests.]
[An Apostle of ‘The Eternal Preacher of Bliss’ manifests.]
The same sunset I had witnessed yesterday unfolded across the sky. The heavens fractured, and through the jagged seams—like shattered glass—the three Apostles descended.
“Good heavens….”
“Blessed gods, what in creation is that….”
The guests rose uneasily. Their shock was universal, yet their movements told a different story. The warriors instinctively clustered together, hands on their hilts, while the nobles—those trained in no martial art—glanced about for escape routes.
And.
“Heresy Inquisitor!”
My own behavior, above all, had changed.
“Yes, Four Kings!”
The Heresy Inquisitor, who had been waiting outside the dressing room, answered immediately.
“I’m riding on your back from here on out!”
“Roger!”
“Sacred Rite: Send-Off Divine Technique!”
In that moment, I realized for the first time that the Heresy Inquisitor was a psychopath. It was the same Sacred Rite she had used when the Demon King of Autumn Rain and the Guardian Goddess had tested us, driving us into division.
The effect: instantaneous translocation.
-What?
The destination: a crimson sky.
-What, what is this!
Directly behind the Hammer Apostle—the young Baroness Geumsamae.
Geumsamae spun in alarm to face me. Clang! My Holy Sword and her raised Hammer collided. The crushing gravity of the upper sky bore down on me. I felt my body plummeting vertically, and I shouted:
“One more time!”
“Ahahah! Yes! Sacred Rite: Send-Off Divine Technique!”
The Heresy Inquisitor cried out with unbridled delight. The next instant, we materialized once more behind Geumsamae’s back. I drove my blade downward with all my strength toward her now-defenseless form.
-Hyak!
Geumsamae barely deflected my attack this time as well. But those two unexpected strikes had been catastrophic—her stance crumbled.
Whoooosh!
She had intended to make a dignified descent from the upper sky, but now, robbed of her balance, she simply began to fall.
-Whatever trick you’re using, it won’t matter! It’s futile anyway!
Geumsamae’s cry pierced the air. The wind generated by her descent whipped her golden hair into a wild tangle.
-My body is Unbreakable! Now nothing can wound me! I am invincible! The Lord Who Reaps the Wasteland has granted me a body that cannot be scarred!
“So you sold your soul to an Apostle just to avoid getting hurt?”
-What’s it to you!
Geumsamae let out a bitter laugh.
-Everyone only has eyes for Rabiel Ibantia! That infuriating woman! She’s nothing but a product of her family’s fortune, yet she struts around as if she understands all the world’s suffering! I’ll kill her! I’ll strip away everything she has!
Crude and sordid desire.
But I didn’t mock Geumsamae for it. No matter how much you paint over it, what ultimately drives humanity is naked want. I know this because I’ve been the same.
Only.
“You should have known there are countless people worse off than you! Young Lady of the Barony!”
And that’s why I could say it aloud.
I tightened my grip on the Holy Sword’s hilt.
“People understand the suffering they’ve endured! So when another screams under the weight of their pain, we grasp how lonely it is—and we find compassion. Your birth means nothing! All who cry out in agony are my fellow human beings!”
-Ha, listen to you preach! Who lives a life like that!
Geumsamae sneered. A gust of wind pressure bore down. She plummeted through the air, looking up at me.
-Besides, you can’t even hurt me! I am Unbreakable, Indestructible, and Deathless!
True.
If a person could be changed by mere words, they would have been already. Words are powerless. To answer a scream, one needs force. That is why the Shadow’s Doctrine grips a blade.
“Sparkle!”
[Sparkle answers the Hero’s call.]
“Change from the Sword of Idols to the Sword of Compassion!”
The moment I gave the command.
[Yes, Hero.]
Black turbidity flowed from the Holy Sword. Glug! The sacred blade was instantly corrupted by a murky darkness like sewage.
The opponent’s ability was powerful but simple.
『The subject bears Invulnerability, one of the blessings of Mutia!』
『Literally—she cannot be wounded.』
But I had a way to break through it.
『My ability is pain.』
The sword I gained in my Master’s world.
『Those cut by me shall feel agony,』
『Yet no scar shall mar their flesh, nor shall death take them.』
『Woundless pain—that is my ability.』
The second power held by the Goddess of Protection.
Compassion itself.
“Sylvia Evanaile!”
I called out Geumsamae’s true name and brought my blade down.
“I kill you now!”
-Ha.
Geumsamae laughed mockingly. She didn’t even attempt to dodge my strike. Her expression said: go ahead and try. Absolute trust in the blessing she had received. Utter confidence sustained her.
-Go ahead and kill me if you can…….
Geumsamae didn’t finish her words.
Instead, a scream tore through the air.
-Aaaaaagh!
My blade pierced straight through her heart. Not a mark appeared. The sword passed through Geumsamae’s chest as if invisible, drawing no blood.
-Ugh, ah, ack?
But the pain existed.
-Aaaaagh! Aaaaaaagh!
Against the crimson sky, a screaming voice of blood tore through. Like a single meteor falling, Geumsamae shrieked in agony. Her cries pierced the wind and scattered across the sunset.
“Heresy Inquisitor!”
We were plummeting from the sky. The ground rushed up rapidly. I stabbed through Geumsamae’s heart once more.
Just before impact with the earth.
“Now!”
“Holy Incantation—Send-Off Divine Technique!”
The Heresy Inquisitor cried out as if he’d been waiting. He repeated the sacred incantation several times. Whoosh! Whip! Each teleportation lessened our falling speed. At the last moment, we touched down gently. We had escaped the fall.
But Geumsamae did not.
Boom!
The ground shook as if a small meteorite had fallen. Dust rose into the air. Unlike the previous round, Geumsamae’s fall became a true crash. The person who had been caught in the hammer’s strike vanished.
-Gasp, hhh, cough… th, ah……?
Only an Apostle convulsing from the piercing pain of her heart remained.
I adjusted my grip on the blade.
“Does it hurt?”
Then I walked slowly toward Geumsamae.
“It must hurt.”
Hearing my footsteps, Geumsamae flinched. A strangled gasp tore from her throat, and she struggled to her feet, swaying.
—Please, help me!
Geumsamae didn’t listen to my words. She simply cried out desperately for salvation—toward the evening sky, toward the servants of other Constellations.
—It’s an agreement! A contract! If you leave me like this, Mutia won’t tolerate it! Your Constellation will disapprove too!
—Hmm.
The General, astride his Pegasus, spoke.
—Curious. Not a Constellation itself, but a Fragment of a Constellation. How you acquired such an artifact, I cannot fathom.
The General raised his flag slowly.
—Yet it remains an obstruction to be eliminated. Warriors who follow the war-horse, awaken.
Then the summoning unfurled.
—Groooaaahhh!
Hundreds, thousands of ghosts materialized. Caught in the crimson sunset, they resembled murderers drenched in blood. Screams of horror erupted from every corner of the Wedding Venue.
The opponent’s power was absolute.
『Sacred Battlefield is an area-wide technique. It affects the entire vicinity.』
『The effect is remarkable—it fixes summoned beings at the peak of their power in life!』
『Each of those ghosts is an elite among elites—the spirits of warriors who followed Mahos!』
But I had a counter.
“Gongja.”
Rabiel had quietly stepped behind me. When I turned, she held something in both hands.
“Put it on.”
It was a black cloak.
Rabiel draped the cloak around me as if fastening a scarf. My white tuxedo was soon hidden beneath the black fabric. On the dark background, the coat of arms of the Ibantia Family was embroidered in silver thread.
Even as she did this, the legion of ghosts drew ever closer.
“D-Duke Your Grace!”
The guests, composed of skilled warriors, looked at Rabiel in confusion. Unlike the previous occasion, they’d formed proper ranks and erected barriers, but the ghosts’ advance was terrifying in itself.
“What should we do? Please give us orders—”
“Be silent and stay put.”
……
Rabiel replied curtly and finished dressing me in the cloak. Her manner suggested she gave no thought to ghost legions whatsoever.
“Mm.”
She examined my appearance and nodded.
“The cloak suits you well.”
“Thank you for honoring my request. Still, there’s something I need to protect, no matter what.”
“I understand. End this however you see fit.”
“Yes.”
I smiled and turned away.
An enormous tide of ghosts was rushing toward me.
『Sacred Battlefield is an area-wide technique.』
『It fixes summoned beings at the peak of their power in life.』
『It affects the entire vicinity.』
I slowly raised my black sword.
And I spoke.
“Hundred Ghosts Resurrection.”
From beneath my feet, shadow spread like gathering dusk.
[Activating skill.]
Evening.
The sky was stained crimson with sunset, and the Horizon was shrouded in darkness.
—What—!
The General, who had been charging forward confidently astride Pegasus, halted. The ghosts trailing behind also stopped. Their confident assault, meant to slaughter us with ease, was blocked by shadow that had swallowed the Ground.
“My sovereign.”
One of the shadows spoke.
“You called for me.”
The Hungry Ghost knelt on one knee.
Her appearance was different from usual. Not the delicate form of Estelle. Dark crimson mud coated her entire body, flowing endlessly. She was the very image of the Autumn Rain Demon King I had once faced.
『It fixes summoned beings at the peak of their power in life.』
She was not alone.
Behind her as she knelt stood warriors in dark purple robes—each bearing a different face, from a different origin, having lived different lives, yet all unified in black.
“I pay my respects to the Lesser Doctrine Master of Demonic Heaven!”
These people who serve as proof of my existence.
I spoke while wearing the black cloak.
“Fight for me.”
The faithful who follow the Doctrine of Shadows raised their fists in unison.
“We receive the Lesser Doctrine Master’s command!”
The moment to begin war had arrived.
SSS-rank Hunter: I Live Only by Dying (Serial Publication)
Author │ Shin Noah
Publisher │ Kim Ju-hyung
Published by │ J Plus Media Co., Ltd.
Marketing │ Han Jae-hyuk
Address │ 204, 288 Digital-ro, Guro-gu, Seoul (Guro-dong, Daelung Post Tower 1st)
Email │ [email protected]
Website │ www.jayplemedia.com
ⓒ Shin Noah 2019
※ This work has been published by J Plus Media Co., Ltd. in accordance with a contract with the copyright holder. The contents may not be used in any form or by any means without permission from our company and the author.
Violation of these terms may result in criminal and civil legal liability.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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