As Cola tells Gin and Kame the tragic story of the Lamp Ghost, "Tamanna," they are still in shock at the cruelty of this world. The silence lingers until Gin breaks it and asks Cola, "Shouldn't the Gods and Emperors have punished him?"
"Gods?" Kame replies coldly. "It's been 1,000 years since the HistoricalWar (H.W.). There are no gods anymore."
"What about the emperors?! Huh?!" Gin shouts, refusing to let Kame downplay his idols.
"Don't raise your voice against me!" Kame warns, summoning his scythe and points towards him. His cold, deathly gaze locks onto Gin.
"If you wanna do this, I'm not backing down," Gin retorts. He isn't going to just sit idly by—he's ready to fight, gripping his DivineDualAxe.
"Hah, you're nothing more than a wea—"
"Shutup!"
Cola suddenly yells, frustrated, cutting them off before they can fight just to impose their thoughts on each other.
"Different people have different thoughts. Forcing one's beliefs onto another isn't right," she says, disappointed in them for arguing over something so trivial.
Her expression turns grim as she continues, "But for now, you need to stay alive… and stay away from TheButcher."
Her voice trembles. Her eyes widen in fear, and cold sweat drips down her forehead as she speaks his name.
"The Butcher?!" Gin repeats, taken aback by how terrified she looks just from mentioning him.
The Butcher was once a cruel man who ran a meat shop in a nearby village. He often secretly mixed human flesh with animal meat and sold it to both nobles and common villagers. One day, while minding his own business, a handsome nobleman arrived at his shop.
"M-My lord! My lord! What brings you here instead of one of those fancy meat shops?" the Butcher grovels, knowing that he might receive something valuable.
"Cut the act. You already know I have something for you, you filthy pig," the nobleman sneers, tossing a large sack onto the counter.
The Butcher's face lights up with glee. "Hah! Thank you, my lord! I will never forget your kindness, not even in my last breath!"
But inside him, his twisted thoughts runs wild.
"I'll rip your limbs apart with my own hands and boil your pathetic little brain into a stew!"
Of course, he doesn't say it aloud. He simply bows in gratitude, hiding his true nature. The nobleman leaves without even looking at him
The Butcher picks up the sack, noticing the red liquid seeping through the cloth. It has a foul stench, but that only excites him. He carries it down to his basement, where he does all his dirty work.
Inside, the room is a nightmare. The stench of rotting flesh is unbearable, and the floor is slick with blood. Bones and intestines—both human and animal—are scattered everywhere.
"Ahh!, it's quite cleantoday," he chuckles, satisfied with the state of his workspace. "Now, let's see what's inside my gift bag!"
As he unties the sack, a devilish grin spreads across his face.
Inside lies the bloodied body of a young girl. Her face is burned beyond recognition, her clothes tattered. It's Tamanna.
The Butcher's lustful eyes gazed her body from head to toe, lingering on her exposed skin. Even in death, she arouses him.
He places her lifeless body on the chopping table, ripping away the last bits of fabric covering her.
"I like it better without clothes, baby!," he sneers.
Summoning his massive MeatCleaver, he prepares to defile her.
He strips off his own clothes and forces himself onto her cold corpse. His breathing grows heavy as he indulges in his depravity. Then, as he raises his cleaver to chop off her hand while assaulting her—
A finger twitches.
"Ahh? You're still alive?" He laughs maniacally. "That means you can still feel pain! Ahaaa… ahaha!"
He presses a hand against her and, without hesitation, gouges out one of her eyes.
"Do you feel that? But aren't you dead?" He Taunts her lifeless body, reveling in every second of his cruelty.
When he finally exhausts himself, he cuts her body into tiny pieces. Half of her remains are mixed with the other meat at his shop, sold to unsuspecting customers.
---
Gin's expression darkens. "So… he's a ghost, right? Then how did he die?"
Cola's face pales. She hesitates before answering.
"No… he's not a ghost."
After defiling Tamanna's corpse, the Butcher had other plans for her remaining flesh. He had acquired something rare the previous day—a Silver Rank Mutant Core.
" A Silver Rank?!" Gin exclaims.
The Butcher used her flesh and the core to make a curry, adding an unknown potion given to him by a mysterious man. He was a madman—completely deranged, with a heart as black as the abyss.
But the moment he ate it, something horrible happened.
His body began to glow red. His skin started to rot away, and a dreadful smoke emitted from his flesh. Before he could react, the red aura completely engulfed him.
The entire shop trembled. Customers froze in fear as the oppressive presence washed over them.
"Wh-What… what is this ominous presence?!"
Some workers and a few brave customers gathered the courage to investigate. As they descended into the basement, they were met with a nightmarish sight—
Blood, bones, and organs littered the floor. And in the center of the room, hidden within the thick red smoke, something lurked.
As the smoke began to fade, they saw it.
A being so horrifying that just its presence is enough to give a heart stroke.