Martial Arts Worlds - Chapter 799
Chapter 799: Constant Pain
Julian frowned while looking at the strange woman.
There was powerful energy coming off the woman as she had stopped hiding her incredible energy.
“…Miss Renette?”
Jock asked with a shaky voice.
He was also able to sense her energy, and they’ve always thought of her as Non-Martial Artist as her energy was always so low.
However, now she was emitting more energy than ever before.
In that moment, Renette ripped off the flesh mask off her face and looked into them with a smile on her stitched-up mouth.
“It’s been a long time.”
“…It is you.”
Julian sweated heavily.
They had always thought that Renette—the Killer of the Red Sun—had just disappeared into some foreign corner of the world.
Instead, she had been here all this time!
‘She is working in Kiernan’s dojo? Did they make some kind of deal? Why would she be working for him, and especially now… since he is already dead?
‘Why is she here?’
Julian simply couldn’t understand.
“T-That face!”
Jock dropped to the ground and recognized that face from all the newspapers, bounty posters, and news.
That face belonged to the infamous Killer of the Red Sun, who escaped from the Downed Prison ten years ago!
“…Five years ago, I also received a dream quite similar to that of Jock. It was of Kiernan in a prison.
“I never received that dream again, so I completely forgot about it. I guess I understand now why it never reappeared…”
Renette said.
“…Why?”
Jock asked.
“There always needs to be about three requirements for Mindbreaker to be able to make a person dream. Every Mindbreaker has that ability.
“First, the dream will stretch a person’s mind very thin, and if they cannot handle the pain, they may go insane.
“Second, the person will have to be in a dark mindset in order for the Mindbreaker to manipulate their dreams effectively.
“Third, the person needs to have complete trust in the Mindbreaker for the dream connection to last.”
Renette said.
Julian and Jock listened intensely, and their hearts started beating rapidly, as they began to think about the possibility.
It sounded like Kiernan could still be alive!
“Five years ago, I was in a dark mindset. A depression hit me like a truck. It allowed Kiernan to break through my mind barrier and show me the dream he wanted me to see.
“I didn’t receive that dream again because I left that dark mindset, and honestly, I don’t think I also have ‘complete’ trust in Kiernan.
“I honestly thought he was still dead, but now hearing young Jock talk, it does sound like that little bugger somehow is still alive.”
Renette said with a smile.
“What now? We must talk to Aoi, right? She might believe us, and we have to think of a way to go rescue him!”
Jock said.
“…No, Aoi will lose her mind if we talk to her about any of this. She has been in so much pain that she hates the concept of hope.”
Renette said.
“I would still think that even if there is a sliver of hope, Aoi would go to Dead World alone if she could, but now with Ellie… She won’t leave her daughter.”
She said.
“Let’s keep it between us for now. Nobody needs to know. It is still just a theory, and telling Aoi about this is just cruel.”
Julian said.
“What are we going to do now?”
Jock asked with a frown.
They just couldn’t stand still and do nothing!
“…The three of us can go to Dead World. Jock, with those dreams, you have a connection to Kiernan.
“If you ‘feel’ Kiernan’s presence in Dead World, it means that he is alive, but if you don’t, we will leave right away.”
Renette said.
“I don’t want him to come. He is just a kid.”
Julian said.
He was still completely against Jock going to Dead World.
“Without him, we cannot find Kiernan. If those dreams are replicas of the real world, he is being held captive somewhere. Dead World is a big place.”
Renette said with a soft expression.
“Please, Julian, I must go!”
Jock said.
“…Shit, fine.”
Julian said with a heavy sigh.
Jock cheered silently, happiness radiating off his face, and he looked at his hands, which looked calloused like he had been working hard all his life.
It was the result of countless hours of training Iron Style.
‘…With the style you taught me, I will save you!’
Jock clenched them hard and looked extremely serious.
“What is your plan then, Julian?”
Renette asked.
“…I don’t want to go that mist, no matter what. I have a bad feeling about that place for some reason. I want to avoid that.
“Thus, I thought about stealing a flying ship and flying over the mist altogether. I don’t think anyone has tried that.”
Julian said.
“…Oh, that should be easy enough.”
Renette said with a smile.
“You know where to find a flying ship? They are extremely rare and difficult as hell to find because they are so quick.”
Julian said.
“…I will handle that.”
Renette smiled, pinched him on the cheek, and then started floating up from the ground and sped into the sky.
She flew off.
“I want you to say your farewells to your loved ones. It might be the last time you will see any of them ever again.”
Julian said.
“…Yeah.”
Jock’s excitement slowly died off as he realized the enormity of the situation.
Even the man whom he idolized—Kiernan Hunter—didn’t manage to leave Dead World, and they somehow had to do a feat that he failed to do.
‘…We are coming, just wait.’
…
In the bedroom of the dojo, Ellie lay down on her futon and was reading a book—it was the autobiography of Kiernan Hunter.
To honor his name and legacy, New Rakuya’s government made one about him, and it talked everything from his early life to becoming one of the greatest talents in history.
“Haah…”
She finished reading it for the fourth time, turned around to lay on her back, and hugged the book against her chest.
‘…Mom loved him a lot… Everyone talks about how great he was… Is he really dead then?’
Ellie pursed her lips, like she was trying to hold back tears, and she then heard footsteps outside.
She quickly put the book away, turned off the lights, and faked sleeping.
The door opened, and Aoi entered the room.
She saw her sleeping daughter, gave her a kiss on the cheek, and then lay down beside her to sleep.
‘…She was again reading that book…’
Aoi thought with a sad smile as she noticed the book behind Ellie’s backpack. She thought she hid it well because it was dark.
However, Aoi was a Martial Legend, and she could see in the darkness as well as a cat could.
‘It hurts…’
She touched her chest, but it felt like someone was stabbing her heart. It hurt every time she thought about Kiernan.
And the worst part was she couldn’t stop thinking about him, so she was in constant pain every day.
“Mom, are you alright?”
Ellie turned around, saw her mother in pain, and hugged her tightly, which eased some of Aoi’s pain.
The only way she was able to get rid of that pain was by having her daughter hug her.
“Yeah… I am better now.”
Aoi said with a smile, hugged her daughter back, and drifted asleep, but her tears fell down her cheeks.
The tears of pain… longing… and sadness.