Garden Of The Abyss

"...It looks like the worst of the worst has happened…"

"Huh…?"

Ren looked over at Yuri, though it was hard to hear her words through the beating of his own heart thumping against his ear drums.

"They dragged everyone in this building into whatever domain this is...we're in their territory now."

Yuri squinted her eyes at the aberration as if trying to understand its form, but only sweat left her pores as she failed to make sense of the existence all around them.

Despite this, it was Jae-Seong who stepped forward without a second thought--standing before the colossal entity that seemed slothful in its malicious approach.

"...Is that so? All that means is we're bringing the fight to them then."

"Jae-Seong…Don't be reckless!"

Yuri's call to the man was too late; Jae-Seong already slid his coat from his body, throwing it to the side as all he wore beneath it was a black tank top. Even in the haze of horror, Ren was perplexed by Jae-Seong's unveiled form.

Scars layered his arms and neck, but what was surprising was the build he possessed; he had the body of an athlete in peak condition.

Just what the hell is he?...How can he still be so confident in a place like this? Ren thought.

Lastly, Jae-Seong discarded his shades as his irises that shined with a golden radiance were on full display.

"It's about time I get a real warmup...Ren, keep your eyes on me; let me show you what a Heavenly King is made of!

Pointing to himself with his thumb, Jae-Seong turned back to give a smile to the white-haired young man.

"Cover the small fry for me would you?"

Jae-Seong asked, aiming the request towards the other three as he cracked his knuckles, beginning to approach the colossal, maddening entity.

As the curly-haired otherworlder rolled his shoulder in preparation of his fight with the grotesque, giant entity that was clad in rotten, stitched together flesh, he stopped as something seemed to be moving within the mouth existing on its abdomen.

It was unmistakably something resembling a human, crawling out on all fours like a mindless animal before it finally stretched its limbs out to reunite with the outside world beyond the creature's bowels. A curtain of pale, lifeless hair draped over the person's face before with a chilling crack, their face shot up with a wide, twisted grin revealing itself behind the veil of pale locks.

Using his hands to flip over unnaturally and seamlessly onto his feet, the man coated in black gunk faced the group with his wicked smile. Catching Ren's eye was the symbol etched onto the man's malnourished-seeming chest.

That sigil...what is it? Ren squinted.

It was a hooded woman, seeming to be carved directly into the enigmatic man's chest. Perhaps even more confusing than that, a fleshy, black string resembling an umbilical cord connected the mysterious man's navel to the innards of the monster behind him.

Around his limbs were bandages that had been tainted by the brownish-red tinge of dried blood, wrapped around him plentifully.

"Who the hell are you?"

Jae-Seong asked, clearly set on fighting whoever he had to.

"Oh! That look! It's delectable! Delicious! Savory! Such pretty eyes; I'll enjoy plucking them right from your sockets...oh, what a grand meal they'll make!"

His response had little correlation to what was asked, but it somehow answered anyways; the man was crazed beyond repair as he cackled, embracing himself as if bathing in the glare he received from Jae-Seong.

--Then, without missing a beat, his laughter stopped as a dead serious, idle expression inhabited his pale, bony face.

As if completely natural, the man began rapidly, aggressively scratching at his forearms that were already layered in scabs, causing blood to profusely leak from his reopened wounds as his smile returned, with such a sudden, sharp bow that it seemed he'd snap his own back, he bowed, "Welcome to Hell's Hell! I'll be your guide today! Yes! I! Will! Oh, forgive me, pardon your contempt, bestow me your forgiveness! I am Liber Quintus, The Fifth Marquis of Belmon!"

"Belmon…? Shit, you weren't kidding, were you?"

Jae-Seong muttered to Sicarius, who had taken a position closer to the curly-haired man with both of his blades drawn.

"...Don't get the wrong idea. I wasn't exactly planning on running into one of the Marquis. But...what a good opportunity this is!"

Contrary to his usual demeanor, Sicarius smiled as he was faced with the enigmatic man hailing from Belmon.

Hearing the twisted introduction resound from the fiendish man's scabbed lips, Ren finally drew his blade as "fight" won over "flight".

His already rugged breathing fell still as he watched Liber point his bony finger directly at him, pointing right past the other two in front of him with a devilish smile plastered across his lips.

"Ren Nakamura! There you are! Oh, what a miracle! A blessing! A divine gift that you've landed right into my lap! Come, Ren. Make this easy and I will spare your companions here the rondo of death."

Liber gave this ultimatum, coiling his fingers like snakes curling up as his pale locks obscured his eyes--but not fully; as bloodshot and wide as could be, they stared directly at the young man.

"I…"

Ren looked down at his hand that was wrapped around the handle of his blade, watching as it quivered. Perhaps worst of all, the putrid miasma inhabiting the secluded, dreadful realm attempted to reel the bile from his stomach with each breath.

It's even worse than the Butcher's Domain…! It's rotten, spoiled...the stench feels like it's trying to forcibly squeeze my stomach dry! I can't do anything. My body won't listen to me. I can't...I can't see us walking out of here. So maybe I should...Ren thought.

"Why me…?! What do you even want?!"

He yelled out to Liber; it was the one question he wanted to ask the most. As his words reached the ears of the crazed, bandage-wrapped man born from wickedness itself, Liber smiled even wider than normal, raising a single of his long, bony fingers to his lips.

"Can't say. Such delicate, precious, absolute information isn't meant for their ears."

Liber spun his eyes between the others as his words were obviously referring to them. Given this answer, Ren huffed as his breathing was paced unevenly.

I don't know. I don't know what to do. I don't know…! He thought.

These thoughts were interrupted as he witnessed Jae-Seong, Sicarius, and Yuri place themselves in front of him without a word.

"No…! Don't!"

He pleaded to them, though by Jae-Seong's smile he gave to him, he knew his request was futile.

Not again...I promised myself--I promised I wouldn't let anyone else die for me! He thought.

"I won't let any of you get hurt because of me…!"

Ren pleaded, keeping his eyes on his trembling, sword-wielding hand. Even if he tried to say this, he could hardly find the fight buried with him as the very ground he stood on was built upon depravity.

"How beautiful! Truly a heartwarming sight! Three, strong warriors protecting one of their one in the face of such hell! Ah, even if it is a useless, pointless, vain, purposeless effort, it brings me to tears no less!"

Ranting with words that shot from his mouth rapidly, Liber caressed himself before bringing his hands up to his face, tearing at his cheeks as blood traveled down his face like crimson tears.

"What a damn freak…"

Jae-Seong muttered before turning his next words to the young man behind him, "If you don't want us to get hurt for you, then fight. I'm not forcing you to do anything, but the choice is yours to make, Ren."

It was another ultimatum, but one he wasn't new to. Even so, this situation was like none other he had faced.

"...I'll fight."

He didn't know whether he was telling that to himself or the others, be he gripped his blade as tightly as he could with his fingers that wanted to resist such an outcome. Of course, Jae-Seong smiled at this decision as Ren took his place amongst the other three.

Standing across from them, it seemed Liber was content waiting for them to come to him as he waited with an unnerving smile, twisting his limbs around as if the concept of joints didn't apply to him.

"So...just what the hell is a "Marquis", anyway? I'd like to have some semblance of an idea of what I'm fighting...though that seems like a bit too much to ask right about now. But, you seemed to recognize that title, Sicarius."

Jae-Seong whispered to the dual-blade wielding assassin standing shoulder-to-shoulder beside him.

"In a way, I guess you can call them transcendent humans...no, I guess humans that have descended is a more apt way of putting it. Belmon seeks the ultimate depravity; they want to sink the world into hell. The Marquis are the second highest order within Belmon; they've reached a plane of aberration that shouldn't be touched. From the intel Osmanthus has gathered, it's likely each Marquis possesses some sort of "authority" from Hell."

Even though Sicarius selectively chose his word only to reach the ears of those standing beside him, the Marquis cackled from his distant spot as he clawed at his bony forearms until he peeled his skin like a potato.

"Are you talking about me? I'm so honored! You'll make me blush! More! More! Say my name, say my name! I am the Marquis of Rot, Liber Quintus! Say it, say it!"

It was with those words spoken so fervently and full of passion did his intrusive curtains part from his eyes, revealing the spiral that made up his dilated irises.

"Marquis of Rot? Do you think…?"

Ren began to ask, though it seemed the others reached the same conclusion as him.

The curly-haired, golden-eyed man who took the vanguard nodded, "He probably has some sort of ability that lets him decay things. I'm not really excited to find out the details of it, though."

"Have you finally found the laden courage, buried within your guts? I've been oh-so patient with you all...so please, return the favor, come to me, show me something truly delicious. I want to rot away that resolve; I want to watch it wither as the fight vanishes from your eyes--as you accept your fate within the bounds of Hell's Hell. Come! Come!"

The Marquis coaxed Jae-Seong into a confrontation, watching as the pale-skinned man slowly approached the wretched man with Sicarius following close behind, but lacing his step with much more caution.

"Shut up already, would you? You've stirred up enough of a headache as is."

Jae-Seong honed his eyes as the frivolity he usually held was lost on his determined expression, cracking his knuckles as he drew in a breath through his barely parted lips.

I've never seen him fight...by the looks of it, he's a brawler--should he really be the one to fight the Marquis of Rot then…? Ren thought.

"If you're worried about Jae-Seong--don't be."

As if reading his mind, Yuri spoke without turning a single eye towards him, only watching the two men closely as they approached the stationary Marquis.

"Huh?"

"Jae-Seong is a Heavenly King; you're an Outlander, aren't you? Well, to put it simply, the Heavenly Kings are superior. And Jae-Seong is not an exception to that rule; he is the very example of it."

Though Yuri's words were still spoken with that direct coldness, it was the first time he had heard her speak so highly of the man she didn't seem to get along with.. It wasn't exactly news to him; he surmised just from the confident aura of the man that he was powerful, but looking just how well that confidence stood in the dreadful hellscape they existed in now--Ren was beginning to understand.