Yama Rising
Yama Rising - Chapter 50: Hell's Emissary vs Hell's Emissary

鈥淲hat鈥檚 the meaning of this?鈥?Qin Ye asked with a faint smile on his face.

鈥淣othing much. I鈥檇 like to be given the chance to know your name, but I鈥檒l first need to know that you鈥檙e willing to stand by my side.鈥?Cao Youdao smiled faintly back, 鈥淟ook, all you need to do is to give your saber a light swing and destroy his soul. It鈥檚 simple. The fact that I鈥檓 not killing him doesn鈥檛 mean that you can't.鈥?/p>

Of course it was simple.

Killing Zhang Baoguo was tantamount to declaring war against the government. He was the deputy attorney general after all鈥?Regardless of how magnanimous the government was, there was no way they would stand idly by as their authority was challenged like that.

鈥淵ou鈥檝e got five minutes to make your decision.鈥?Cao Youdao sat down, picked up his wine glass and swirled its contents leisurely.

Qin Ye was silent.

Killing Zhang Baoguo was the most reliable means out of this predicament. The potential price to pay for any other answer was simply too large.

As soon as he revealed the slightest trace of the shard of King Yanluo鈥檚 Seal in his possession, there was no doubt that Cao Youdao would never rest until he had finally seized it for himself!

No鈥?quite apart from whether he disclosed the existence of the shard in his possession, the moment he rejected Cao Youdao鈥檚 offer would be the moment that they shed off all pretension of cordiality with each other!

All eyes were on Qin Ye right now. As time trickled by, Cao Youdao鈥檚 expression slowly grew cold and frigid.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 understand.鈥?Cao Youdao sighed begrudgingly at the four-minute mark, 鈥淚t鈥檚 just a mere mortal. I don鈥檛 know what kind of relationship you have with him, and I don鈥檛 understand why, given the limitless potential ahead of our partnership, you鈥檇 even consider the life of a mere mortal with such hesitance.鈥?/p>

Four-minutes and thirty seconds in, Qin Ye finally spoke up with a faint smile on his face, 鈥淪enior, do you know something? Even die-hard otakus have their bottom lines鈥︹€?/p>

鈥淥h?鈥?/p>

鈥淔or instance, the lacewear from Ladies vs Butlers, or their Hatsune Miku bolster - if you ruin these things, even otakus would throw caution to the wind and fight you with all they have鈥︹€?/p>

鈥淚鈥檓 sorry, I don鈥檛 quite understand the references you鈥檙e making.鈥?/p>

鈥淗ah鈥?I鈥檓 just saying.鈥?Qin Ye scratched his head, and the tension in his smile eased up somewhat, 鈥淚鈥檓 generally quite an easygoing, adaptable person, not quite the same as the run-of-the-mill Emissaries of Hell you might have encountered. There are even times when I don鈥檛 mind betraying my friends here and there. But when you put the soul of a confidante of decades of standing and tell me to take his life, you really put me in a spot.鈥?/p>

Cao Youdao stopped smiling, yet he continued to swirl the contents of his glass about, 鈥淪o?鈥?/p>

Before Cao Youdao could even continue, a gale of Yin energy began to rush towards Qin Ye. A silver light flashed with a dull, resounding thud. In an instant, Cao Youdao鈥檚 hand was pinned firmly to the table in the room.

The hook ran straight through the wooden badge on the table.

Soul shackles.

Simultaneously, a massive tidal wave of Yin Energy engulfed Qin Ye鈥檚 body and swept straight towards Zhang Baoguo鈥檚 soul.

Rumble! Yin energy was so vast and boundless that the ordinary ghosts around were immediately incinerated and reduced to dust. Qin Ye was already clothed in his Hell鈥檚 Emissary uniform half a second later. His large saber flickered quickly, and the two humanoid paper effigies restraining Zhang Baoguo鈥檚 soul were instantly sliced apart and reduced to ashes!

By Hell鈥檚 dictum, all rabble must disperse!

鈥淟et鈥檚 go!!鈥?Without ascertaining whether Zhang Baoguo鈥檚 soul could respond to his cry or not, Qin Ye grabbed hold of him and rushed straight towards the entrance like lightning.

Back on the second floor, Cao Youdao stared at his own hand, completely stupefied. The soul shackle extended out of the void, piercing straight through his hand and nailing it down onto the table below. Unfortunately, not a trace of blood seeped out, and the only thing that continued to flow was the boundless Yin energy from his body.

鈥淚 poured out my heart to the moon.鈥?He shut his eyes and sighed wistfully, 鈥淵et the moon shines only on the ditch below.鈥?/p>

Boom!!!

As soon as he finished speaking, the second floor quaked violently and collapsed altogether, and a massive tsunami of Yin energy that was ten times greater than that of Qin Ye鈥檚 filled the entire area!

All of the Yin spirits trembled in fear and prostrated themselves in the ground. A dark figure emerged from the heart of the roiling Yin energy and shot straight towards Qin Ye, leaving a trail of dark light behind him.

He wore an asymmetrical black robe embroidered with three round black-and-white patterns and a black fretwork chinese skullcap. Wisps of visceral nether energy continued to pour out from the seven apertures on his face. The only difference between Cao Youdao and Qin Ye was the fact that Cao Youdao was carrying a sword on his back instead of the demonhead saber.

鈥淏y Hell鈥檚 dictum, all rabble must disperse!!鈥?/p>

With a furious cry, he swung his sword gently and instantly reduced all of the Yin spirits around him to nothing more than wisps of smoke.

This was the furious pursuit between two Emissaries of Hell.

In fact, this was probably the first time since the establishment of Hell that a Soul Hunter was going after the life of a Netherworld Operative.

Qin Ye fled desperately. He knew just how powerful a Soul Hunter was. If he was caught, death would almost be certain. The only way out at that time would be to activate the shard of King Yanluo鈥檚 Seal. But even if he did that and got away this time, he would still have revealed his possession of the shard, and there was no doubt that Cao Youdao would come after him no matter what the cost!

After all, Cao Youdao鈥檚 survival of Hell鈥檚 collapse must have been a result of his possession of one of the shards of Hell鈥檚 primordial treasures.

Since that was the case, was there any possibility that Cao Youdao would spare Qin Ye after learning of the shard in Qin Ye鈥檚 possession?

As soon as he learns of this fact鈥?the entire vortex of evil ghosts that permeated every corner of the City of Salvation would immediately arise from their hiding and shift their focus onto Qin Ye!

Therefore, he must never activate the shard of King Yanluo鈥檚 Seal unless it was absolutely necessary!

Faster. Faster! All of the ghosts in the long stone corridor were momentarily taken aback when they saw Qin Ye charge straight towards them. However, in the very next moment, they roared madly and rushed straight towards Qin Ye.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh鈥?The lights along the entire corridor were extinguished one after the other. A massive wave of Yin energy followed closely behind, and the cold gleam of the tip of a blade was pointed straight at Qin Ye鈥檚 back. It was as though Death itself had stepped out of the darkness and was hot on Qin Ye鈥檚 tail.

鈥淪cram!鈥?Armed with a saber in hand and Zhang Baoguo鈥檚 soul in the other, Qin Ye鈥檚 flurry of attacks blossomed like a flower at night. None of the Yin spirits stood a chance against him, and he shot into the elevator without skipping a beat.

Hurry up鈥?His eyes were somewhat bloodshot as he hammered hard on the mirrored wall. With a dull buzz, the number 鈥?6鈥?appeared faintly on the mirror once more. The door shut promptly, and the elevator began to ascend quickly.

-5, -4鈥?Yet before Qin Ye could even catch his breath, the lift suddenly paused at -3.

鈥淣aive.鈥?Cao Youdao鈥檚 voice echoed from all around the lift, 鈥淭his place is my territory after all. Don鈥檛 you think that it鈥檚 far too disrespectful to leave as and when you wish, without giving a proper account?鈥?/p>

Haa鈥?Qin Ye was on the verge of handing over Zhang Baoguo鈥檚 soul to Cao Youdao. Qin Ye had always been under the impression that he was an incredibly selfish person, and he hardly had any qualms with betrayals, even if the target of betrayal was Wang Chenghao. Yet, despite all of that, he had still rescued Zhang Baoguo鈥檚 soul on impulse.

That said, even if he were given a chance for a re-do, he would probably still have done the same thing.

鈥淚t seems that the core values of socialism have already pervaded the netherworld as well鈥︹€?With a bitter laugh, Qin Ye鈥檚 grip around the hilt of his demonhead saber tightened once more. In the very next moment, the lights on the roof of the lift suddenly changed into a miserable, jade-coloured hue!

The temperature in the elevator suddenly dipped, and a bone-chilling gale began to blow. If a human were around right now, the bizarre events in the elevator would most certainly cause him to scream at the top of his lungs and break out with profuse, cold sweat.

Just then, a crimson-red blood mark slowly appeared on every panel of mirror around.

It was almost as though a ghost were drawing these marks with a brush, stroke after stroke. What was initially nothing more than an ordinary mirror reflecting his image suddenly transformed into a long, endless corridor that was devoid of any sources of light apart from the miserable jade-coloured glow of netherworldly flames. Black clouds of Yin energy continued to billow menacingly like a growling beast, Just then, a figure appeared in every panel of mirror around, shooting straight towards him with something aimed straight for Qin Ye鈥檚 throat.

It was a sword.

In the very next moment, Cao Youdao鈥檚 clearly discernible figure appeared in every panel of mirror around. Qin Ye鈥檚 heart skipped a beat, and he swung his demonhead saber horizontally with wanton disregard as to whether he struck anything or not. Shortly after that, he immediately felt an excruciating pain surge from his shoulder.

Everything went dark for just an instant.

Qin Ye didn鈥檛 even have time to care about the blood that was now flowing profusely from his shoulder. Cao Youdao鈥檚 appearance in the mirror was simply incredible - he stood upside down on the ceiling, and he appeared to be hidden in the realm of mirrors.

鈥淒on鈥檛 you know鈥?this is why they say that you will be able to see your past life if you comb your hair in front of the mirror at 2.30 a.m.鈥?Cao Youdao lifted his sword and held it vertically in front of his chest, 鈥淪ince time immemorial, mirrors have been one of the main mediums connecting the netherworld and the mortal realm. And I, standing where I am right now, can incidentally see your next life.鈥?/p>

鈥淵our future鈥?is completely non-existent.鈥?/p>

Before he even finished speaking, the tens of Cao Youdao鈥檚 reflections in the panels of mirrors around stabbed straight at Qin Ye鈥檚 head once more. The talismans on the mirrors fluttered wildly, and the netherworldly flames overhead flickered unstably.

I can鈥檛 avoid it鈥?/p>

Qin Ye felt an immensely powerful source of Yin energy weigh down on him as soon as Cao Youdao made his move. The difference between their levels was far too wide. An Operative was equivalent to a village official, while a Hunter was akin to a county official - they were hardly entities on the same planes of existence.

WHOOOSH! The Yin energy arrived before the sword. Qin Ye鈥檚 uniform fluttered wildly, and the void around him even began to crack. Gritting his teeth, Qin Ye no longer hesitated. The shard of King Yanluo鈥檚 Seal erupted instantly!

BOOM!!!

A wave of violent black light erupted, causing the entire lift to quake violently for a moment. Seconds later, the talismans on the wall settled down, and the blood-red number in the mirrors began to rise once again.

-2. -1鈥?1!

Ding dong鈥?As the elevator doors opened, Qin Ye hobbled out, gasping for breath. He could finally heave a sigh of relief. All of the mirrors in the elevator-room were completely shattered in pieces, revealing an ink-black wall behind them.

As the remnants of what used to be talismans scattered into the surroundings, he continued to fight back the excruciating pain from his shoulders and released Zhang Baoguo鈥檚 soul, watching it wistfully as it drifted into the air.

Meanwhile, back at where -6 was located, Cao Youdao stared blankly at his sword, before turning his equally blank gaze into the empty elevator shaft in front of him.

Escaped?

A mere Operative-class Emissary鈥?has actually eluded me?

No鈥?that鈥檚 not important. What鈥檚 important is the frightening energy that erupted from his body just before he escaped. That energy is鈥?incredibly familiar.

鈥淪hard of a primordial treasure!鈥?His arm wielding the sword trembled vigorously as he growled hoarsely, 鈥淭his is one of the shards of Hell鈥檚 primordial treasures!!鈥?/p>

鈥淗e actually has a shard on him!!鈥?/p>

鈥淣o wonder鈥?no wonder he had the guts to enter this place to begin with. And here I was, wondering how exactly he survived Hell鈥檚 collapse too! You may have escaped today, but do you really think you鈥檒l be able to escape from the City of Salvation?鈥?/p>

Cao Youdao shut his eyes for a long while. When he finally opened them once more, the bulging red vessels in his eyes had already faded. Even as weak residual wisps of Yin energy continued to linger about him, Cao Youdao had already reverted to his original form, bearing the appearance of a successful businessman. He snorted coldly, 鈥淟ike I鈥檝e mentioned before鈥?we鈥檙e the only two who can see each other.鈥?/p>

鈥淚 will find you, even if I have to go to the ends of the earth!鈥?/p>

Qin Ye had already reverted back to his human form. He was originally wearing a white T-shirt, but half of it was now dyed red with blood. He glanced at his phone and learnt that it was still 3 a.m.

鈥淚 told you鈥?that it wasn鈥檛 wise to mingle with humans for too long鈥︹€?/p>

鈥淭o think that you鈥檇 even acted on impulse just to save a human鈥?Comrade Qin, things have just gotten incredibly dangerous for you鈥︹€?/p>

鈥淭he first principle of survival is to learn to turn a blind eye to things around you. How could you have entertained such dangerous thoughts?鈥?/p>

Qin Ye continued to mutter aloud, castigating himself for all that he had done. Old Man Liu was seated at the desk on the first floor. He was already asleep with a smile on his face. Qin Ye slowly dragged his heavy legs upstairs.

Old Man Liu was no more than a medium.

Second floor鈥?Third floor鈥?As soon as he arrived on the third floor, an unknown student suddenly cried out at the top of his voice, 鈥淕HOST!!鈥?Following that, the student immediately turned tail and dashed away.

Qin Ye chuckled bitterly and examined himself - his clothes were covered in blood, the lighting around was dim, and he even dragged his feet, walking as though he had a limp on his foot. He truly looked no different from the ghosts portrayed in modern horror films...

1. Both references to animes.