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The story has come to an end.

The Avenger was finally able to lay down his vengeance. The man who lost something precious vowed to live with only the value of what he had now gained.

A happy ending. If this were a movie, the emotional BGM would be playing as the credits rolled by now.

“Still, we need to make the arrest.”

But this was reality. Kwon Tae-ho pulled out handcuffs from his coat. Lee Ha-yeon looked at him hesitantly, but Kwon Tae-ho paid her no mind. This was his job.

“Effective immediately, I am exercising the arrest authority of the executioner to—”

As Kwon Tae-ho recited the principles of arrest, a furrow appeared on his brow.

“By the way, what’s your name?”

“…Baek Seong-cheol.”

“Right, Baek Seong-cheol. Effective immediately, I am exercising the arrest authority of the executioner to arrest you. You may exercise your right to remain silent and have an attorney appointed. Any statements or resistance made from this point on may be used against you in court. Do you understand?”

“I understand.”

Baek Seong-cheol willingly extended his arms. Click! As the handcuffs clicked shut, Baek Seong-cheol looked at them with a puzzled expression.

“…I can’t seem to gather any strength. What’s this?”

“It’s a special handcuff developed by the Magic Department. It saps the vitality and willpower of the person cuffed. If you exert strength, they will come off, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Attempting to escape during the arrest process could add a lot to your sentence.”

“Adding to the sentence, huh?”

A smile crept onto Baek Seong-cheol’s lips. Saying his sentence would increase wasn’t really a threat. Considering his charges, the minimum would likely be life imprisonment or even the death penalty anyway.

However, he had no intention of fleeing. Trying to run away in this condition would only get him caught sooner, and he didn’t want to commit any more crimes.

It’s time to pay the price for his sins. Baek Seong-cheol, having shed all his lingering attachments, stood up with Kwon Tae-ho’s support.

“Um, um…”

Pay-Pay, who was unsure of what to do, approached the two. After looking at her for a moment, Kwon Tae-ho sighed and said,

“Can I go with you…?”

“……You can accompany us until we leave Chinatown and hand you over to the police.”

Pay-Pay timidly approached Seong-cheol. Seeing this, Lee Ha-yeon tugged at Kwon Tae-ho’s collar.

“What is it?”

“Uh, can we walk a little apart?”

“?? You’re suggesting we let the criminal walk alone? Are you out of your mind?”

“I don’t think he’s going to run away now. Moreover, I think they need a little time to talk alone.”

After a moment of contemplation, Kwon Tae-ho sighed and stepped back.

“Just keep walking straight along the road. No funny business.”

“…Thank you.”

“Thanks, Executioner…”

“Thank our new guy, not me.”

“Hee hee…”

What was so funny? A few steps away from the two, Kwon Tae-ho let out another sigh as he watched Lee Ha-yeon.

“You don’t need to show consideration for an executioner. Being friendly towards a criminal is forbidden.”

“Is that so? But isn’t this level of kindness okay? They care for each other a lot, so at least before the arrest…”

“Today is fine. But if you keep that naive attitude while being an executioner, you’ll eventually be in for a rough time. Not all criminals are like Baek Seong-cheol, who knows how to repent.”

Hearing Kwon Tae-ho’s words, Lee Ha-yeon shrank back like a child who had done something terribly wrong.

Maybe I was too harsh. Seeing her like this made me feel a hint of pity. Kwon Tae-ho cleared his throat and added,

“Well, there are various ways for executioners to do their jobs. I can’t say your way is entirely wrong. I suppose I was too severe.”

“Right? Executioners like me are necessary! Hee hee.”

“But you should fix that cheeky attitude.”

– Bong!

“Ouch!”

Kwon Tae-ho gave Lee Ha-yeon a playful slap on the head. While it was a lighthearted jab, he was, after all, the strongest executioner. The pain echoed in her skull, and Lee Ha-yeon teared up as she glared at him.

“Why, why are you hitting me…?!”

“Objectively speaking, your performance today is near failing. When we get back, I’ll list everything you did wrong and the mistakes you made on this mission, so you can become a better executioner.”

Even disregarding everything else, she definitely needed to be warned about rashly throwing herself into a combat situation. It could endanger not just Kwon Tae-ho but also Lee Ha-yeon herself.

“I’m close to failing… But you are going to give me a bonus, right…?”

“…….”

“Hey, you promised! You’re not going to try and backtrack on that, are you… Eek!”

As Kwon Tae-ho raised his fist lightly, Lee Ha-yeon hid her head and retreated. Being with Lee Ha-yeon made Kwon Tae-ho feel childish, and he worried about the training ahead.

How long did they walk?

The four of them passed through the entrance of the town. Ahead, the police were waiting, having received prior notification. Among them, Yoo Seol was waiting with a leisurely expression.

“Oh, you’ve arrived.”

Upon seeing Kwon Tae-ho, Yoo Seol approached with a casual gait. However, her expression darkened when she noticed the numerous cuts and blood on Kwon Tae-ho’s body.

“…Your injuries are worse than I thought. Are you alright? Should I call an ambulance? Or should I use an emergency potion to stop the bleeding first—”

“Do you have any idea how much that costs? I’m fine, it’s not a serious injury, so don’t make a fuss over it. A little saliva will do to heal this.”

“……Are you telling me to lick your wounds? No matter how devoted of an assistant I am, that’s only something “daring” in the office, not out here in public….”

“What?”

“Eh, eh?!”

Seeing Yoo Seol’s serious expression, Kwon Tae-ho furrowed his brows in disbelief. Yoo Seol, realizing it was a joke, chuckled softly and spoke in a calm voice.

“Well, it’s a relief if it’s not a big injury. It’s quite rare for the executioner to get injured on a mission, so I inadvertently overreacted.”

“Yeah. Since we have a new recruit with us, try to keep those kinds of bad jokes to yourself.”

“I thought these little jokes and witticisms are what lubricate the stiff atmosphere of the field.”

“Making the superiors a pervert is neither humor nor wit.”

Kwon Tae-ho dismissed Yoo Seol’s joke and handed over Baek Seong-cheol to the police. Fortunately, Baek Seong-cheol was quite cooperative, allowing the police, who were trembling with fear at the name of the Ghost Blade, to breathe a sigh of relief.

“Sir….”

“I’m fine, so just don’t worry about me. It’s late, so hurry home.”

He might not see them again once he was arrested. Baek Seong-cheol’s farewell to Pay-Pay was strikingly mundane. But with the disparity of emotions, tears streamed down Pay-Pay’s face as she embraced Baek Seong-cheol tightly.

“Sir, if I can visit you, I will definitely come… No matter how many years or decades it takes…”

“……Haha, thank you.”

He didn’t say things like to forget him and live her life, as he didn’t want to give up on Pay-Pay who had come into his life so deeply.

It felt extravagant for someone like him to be allowed such a luxury, but still, Baek Seong-cheol didn’t want to let her go.

“Please start to let go now.”

“Right, Pay-Pay. See you next time.”

“Yes, see you next time, Seong-cheol uncle….”

After parting from Pay-Pay, Baek Seong-cheol got into the transport vehicle for returnees. At that moment, Kwon Tae-ho approached him and asked.

“Hey, even though you’ll hear this during the interrogation, can I ask you one thing before you go?”

“…What is it?”

“I want to know how you obtained your avatar powers. As you know, that ability is too convenient for crime. I personally want to know what kind of guy is passing on such powers illegally to others.”

Once the police get wind of this, an investigation into the illegal power implantations will definitely start. The country was particularly sensitive to the indiscriminate spread of abilities, especially psychic powers.

“So? Who were they?”

Kwon Tae-ho personally wanted to keep tabs on them. Who knows, maybe he would end up participating in the investigation after solving the Ghost Blade case.

“Even if you ask who they were… Honestly, I don’t know much. I didn’t go looking for them. They approached me first when I was planning revenge on the criminals.”

“They approached you first?”

“They asked if I needed powers. They said they had just the right ability for me. Now that I think about it, it was strange. How did they know about my plans, and how did they hand me the perfect avatar powers for hunting down criminals…?”

Baek Seong-cheol hadn’t told anyone about his plans. Yet ‘they’ seemed to know his plans intimately, coming to offer him the avatar abilities he could use to effectively dodge the police investigation.

“And they even visited me a few more times after giving me the powers. They said it was some kind of experiment. They had to check in periodically to see how things were going…”

“Anything you know about them?”

“Not particularly… They only ever said what they wanted to say before leaving. At that time, I wasn’t curious. The guy I met always wore a mask, so I never even saw his face.”

Having said that, Baek Seong-cheol seemed to remember something.

“Oh, by the way, the guy I met said something similar. He thought my powers had settled in better than expected, and that the Apostle was pleased…”

“Apostle?”

It was at that moment that Kwon Tae-ho found the title odd.

-Thump!

“Ugh?!”

Suddenly, Baek Seong-cheol clutched his chest with a pained expression.

“Wait, Baek Seong-cheol?”

“Ku, cough! Crumble!”

Right after, Baek Seong-cheol collapsed, vomiting blood.

Kwon Tae-ho instinctively wondered if it was a result of his battle injuries. However, it clearly felt like a different reaction. He had just been stable a moment ago, so how could he suddenly vomit blood?

“Uggghhhh!!!”

Baek Seong-cheol then let out a dreadful scream, rolling on the ground. Yoo Seol, Lee Ha-yeon, and the police, who had been chatting elsewhere, rushed over.

“Hey, Baek Seong-cheol! Get a hold of yourself! What’s happening all of a sudden?!”

“Ugggh! Something, weird, cough! What’s going on…?!”

-Bubble bubble.

At that moment, Baek Seong-cheol’s skin started to swell. The anomaly that began in his chest quickly spread throughout his face and body.

-BAM!!

“Ugh, huh….”

Then, like a balloon bursting, Baek Seong-cheol’s body exploded. Blood and flesh that had once belonged to Baek Seong-cheol scattered everywhere inside the transport vehicle.

“What the hell—”

“Executioner! What’s going on?!”

“Eek! What in the world…?!”

The faces of Yoo Seol and Lee Ha-yeon, who rushed over to assess the situation, turned pale with shock. Even Lee Ha-yeon, an apprentice executioner, and Yoo Seol, who had been through countless battles, couldn’t bear to look straight at the horrific sight of Baek Seong-cheol.

“Sir…?”

And just a beat later, Pay-Pay approached. The moment Baek Seong-cheol’s form reflected in her eyes, a scream escaped her lips as if it would implode.

“Ah, aaaaah! AAAAAAH!!! Sir! Sir!!!”

“Call an ambulance immediately! Start with emergency treatment using the emergency potion! Hurry!!”

Following Kwon Tae-ho’s orders, the police began to act in a frenzy.

“Damn it, what on earth is happening….”

Kwon Tae-ho muttered in utter shock at the sight before him.

*

Four days later.

Kwon Tae-ho was briskly walking down the hospital corridor. The sound of his footsteps was so loud that the nurses frowned at him, but Kwon Tae-ho paid no mind.

Eventually, he stopped in front of a private room. A sturdy police officer was standing guard at the entrance.

“I’m Executioner Kwon Tae-ho.”

“…….”

Since they had agreed beforehand, Kwon Tae-ho was able to enter comfortably.

-Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

Upon stepping into the sickroom, the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor filled the air. In a room that wasn’t small, a middle-aged man with graying hair lay with his eyes closed on the only bed.

“Baek Seong-cheol.”

At Kwon Tae-ho’s call, Baek Seong-cheol slowly opened his eyes. His gaze was devoid of life—so unlike the strong fighter Kwon Tae-ho remembered.

‘Seeing him like that, how could he be otherwise?’

Baek Seong-cheol’s condition was indeed dire.

Multiple hemorrhages covered his entire body. One eye had burst and been removed, while his left arm had to be amputated below the elbow due to severe damage.

“…………It’s been a while. It’s nice to see a familiar face…”

As he spoke, raspy, painful breaths escaped Baek Seong-cheol’s lips. Though he looked utterly pitiful, Kwon Tae-ho wasn’t one to express sympathy easily.

“Seems like they amputated your arm. At this rate, you can’t brag about your dual swordsmanship anymore. If we were to fight again, I wouldn’t worry about losing.”

“………Cough. To say such things in front of a dying man, are you really an executioner…?”

“We’re not in a situation where I can ask about your health and worry over you, are we?”

“That’s true…!”

Baek Seong-cheol, who had been chuckling at Kwon Tae-ho’s remark, winced in pain.

“Well, I suppose it’s a relief… If you can call it that. Power tempts people to fall into vice… If I can finally put down the sword, that wouldn’t be such a bad thing…”

If his body were fine, he might be at risk of falling back into the obsession of revenge.

Kwon Tae-ho shrugged at Baek Seong-cheol’s words.

Considering he had said those words while crying and embracing Pay-Pay, to become obsessed with revenge again would be the exact definition of irredeemable. However, Kwon Tae-ho did not see Baek Seong-cheol as such a foolish person.

“Have you heard the cause of your injuries from the doctors?”

“……I have a rough idea. They said it was due to my powers running rampant…”

“In precise terms, it was the psychic energy that fuels your powers surging uncontrollably. This can occur when one uses powers excessively or receives powers that aren’t originally theirs without caution.”

However, saying that was the cause didn’t seem entirely convincing. Baek Seong-cheol had handled his avatar abilities well, and he had never experienced any rejection after acquiring them.

Thus, Kwon Tae-ho suspected a third cause, separate from the first two.

“However, in your case, it’s possible that someone intentionally induced the psychic surge.”

“Is it those guys?”

“Yes. The guy who called himself an Apostle and his minions. After you shared information with me about them, it was right after that the surge occurred. If it was to silence you, then it fits.”

Usually, psychic surges lead to the demise of psychics. Their frail bodies simply could not withstand the indiscriminate explosion of uncontrolled energy.

However, Baek Seong-cheol was both a psychic and a skilled fighter. Thanks to this, he barely managed to survive the psychic eruption. If it was orchestrated by someone, then that individual’s goal was likely foiled.

“Anyway, we’ve learned one more thing. Those who gave you your powers are trash beyond imagination.”

“Are you going to catch them…?”

“If I get the chance. The police are about to start investigating it in earnest. Once the outlines of the investigation are clearer, I plan to volunteer to participate.”

“Heh, for you to say you’re going to take my revenge. That’s reassuring….”

“Revenge? What are you talking about? I’m just doing my job. Don’t drag me into this.”

“Is that so? Got it. So, what’s the main point…? It doesn’t seem like you’ve come just to talk about trivial matters…”

“Heh. As I felt when we fought, you’re quite perceptive.”

With a smirk, Kwon Tae-ho withdrew a piece of paper from his pocket.

“What’s that?”

“I don’t know if you know, but right now, South Korea is severely lacking in prisons that can accommodate Class A or higher ability holders. While executing them all like in the U.S. is one option, the judicial system here is quite lenient. In other words, even the worst criminals are given a second opportunity.”

“…So that slip of paper is that opportunity?”

“Usually, they would send you to prison for decades, waiting for you to reflect and repent. But your situation is special. I think the higher-ups in the judiciary are offering a more favorable proposal.”

With great power comes great responsibility, and although he’s a serial killer, the fact that his targets were limited to criminals should provide some grounds for consideration.

“…So? What’s the proposal?”

“Simply put, if you sign this document, you can serve your sentence through military service instead of going to prison. There’s a punishment unit exclusively composed of ex-criminals like you. Essentially, you would still be a prisoner and wouldn’t be able to leave the unit freely, and due to the nature of the unit, you would likely be deployed on risky missions… But in return, you could get out in a much shorter time than a prison sentence. Even with monitoring, you would have occasional outings.”

“That sounds like an appealing offer for a criminal…”

“Honestly, I don’t like the idea of using criminals like this. But, well, I think you might be okay with it. At the very least, I don’t think you’ll do something foolish again.”

Even though Kwon Tae-ho said that, the fact that Baek Seong-cheol received such a judicial deal was a hefty testament to his trust in Kwon Tae-ho as an executioner who had captured him and found him amenable to conversation.

“So? What are you going to do? The sooner you decide, the better. This is a shady offer, and once the trial starts, there will be many eyes watching, so it’s likely to be retracted.”

“……Is that so? Well, there’s not much to think about.”

Of course, that was what Kwon Tae-ho expected, and he nodded.

But…

“I refuse.”

“……..What? You’re saying you refuse? You’d rather serve time?”

“That’s right.”

“Even though I mentioned there are grounds for consideration, that only applies to this deal. Once it moves to formal trial, you’ll be facing life imprisonment without exception. And you still refuse?”

“Yes.”

Baek Seong-cheol’s attitude was resolute. Kwon Tae-ho looked at him, perplexed, and Baek Seong-cheol chuckled lightly in response.

“That punishment unit… Given how shady this offer is, it’s probably a unit that specializes in dirty deeds, right?”

“……While it may involve doing something for the state and the people, it won’t be purely righteous work.”

“And that’s why I’m refusing. I don’t want to wield my sword for any nefarious purpose anymore. No, I don’t want to harm anyone at all, even if it’s the right thing. I want to put down the sword for good. That’s all.”

“I see.”

At his words, a faint smile appeared on Kwon Tae-ho’s lips. While he thought that a second chance for Baek Seong-cheol might be alright, he also felt that this was perhaps a better conclusion for him.

“As I’ve mentioned, this country is extremely short on prisons. If you act like a model inmate, you could have a parole hearing in about 20 years. Maybe even sooner.”

“……20 years, huh. When I returned after 14 years in that world, everything had changed drastically. This time, it’ll be even more so.”

Watching Baek Seong-cheol gaze into the distance, as if he were measuring the passage of time, Kwon Tae-ho turned to leave.

“Oh, and I almost forgot to mention.”

As he was about to exit the sickroom, he remembered and turned back to Baek Seong-cheol.

“Originally, you wouldn’t be able to have visitors due to your status as a criminal. But since that girl has been causing such a scene, I’ve put time on the schedule for you tomorrow morning under my authority, so take note of it.”

Though he had somewhat forced that outcome, it was nonetheless accomplished due to Kwon Tae-ho’s words, sparking a look of surprise on Baek Seong-cheol’s face. As he was about to speak, Kwon Tae-ho abruptly turned.

“I’m leaving.”

With just those words, Kwon Tae-ho exited the hospital room. Left alone, Baek Seong-cheol stared at the door for a long while before squeezing his fist and muttering.

Thank you.

I really appreciate it, Kwon Tae-ho.

Tears streamed down his cheeks, still stained with blood.