In a dark alley within the Higashiyama District side streets, the wind suddenly shifted.
An invisible and overwhelming force wrapped around the men. In an instant, they began to slowly rise into the air, as if something unseen was pulling them upward.
Ken slightly raised his right hand—relaxed, yet filled with an eerie authority.
With the slightest movement of his fingers, it felt as though he controlled how high the men would levitate.
Behind him, his aunt staggered back, her face filled with shock. She couldn't comprehend what was happening.
Meanwhile, Ken's face showed no emotion. Cold. Merciless. Like a completely different person.
Slowly, he opened his mouth.
"Abyssyron Judgment."
At that moment, the sky seemed to twist. The air itself tore apart, and darkness swallowed everything around them.
In the blink of an eye, the men vanished from the world.
When they opened their eyes, they found themselves in a horrifying place.
The ground flowed like molten lava, boiling and releasing unbearable heat.
The air was thick and heavy, filled with the stench of ash and burning.
The men could feel the intense heat, as if their bodies were being burned alive—yet nothing was burning. Nothing was being destroyed. Only pain consumed them.
They dropped their weapons. One by one, they fell to the ground—only to be instantly swallowed by the blazing flames.
Behind Ken stood his aunt. Neither of them were affected by the heat. It was as if an invisible barrier protected them.
Moments later, the ground began to move. From the burning earth, skeletons emerged—bones crawling, struggling to rise, as if desperately trying to escape from hell itself.
The men stepped back in terror. They never imagined encountering such creatures.
"Please forgive me! I only did it because he ordered me to!" one of them shouted, pointing at his companion.
Chaos erupted among them. They blamed each other, desperately trying to save themselves.
Ken spoke slowly, his voice cold and completely devoid of emotion.
"You are now in Infernum… I will judge you and impose punishment based on the sins you have committed."
In his vision, something strange appeared.
It was as if knowledge flowed directly into his mind. All their crimes—m*rder. R*pe. Theft. Intimidation. Torture.
His eyes widened slightly—yet his expression remained cold.
"Because of the weight of your sins…"
"I sentence you to one thousand years of suffering in this place."
The men broke down in despair.
"For one thousand years, you will endure agony… until you beg for death."
"Please! Have mercy on us! We won't do it again!"
Ken responded without hesitation.
"I am not a god to show mercy."
"And the sentence I have given… cannot be undone."
Slowly, he lowered his right hand.
In an instant, the men fell into the blazing ground. Flames consumed them. They screamed, cried, twisted in unbearable pain. Yet they did not die.
In Infernum, time flows differently.
One second in the real world is equal to an entire day of suffering in this realm.
Moments later, the darkness disappeared.
Ken and his aunt returned to the real world, to the same alley where they had been walking earlier.
A few minutes passed—then suddenly, the men reappeared, unconscious, without a single burn or wound.
But their bodies could no longer endure a thousand years of suffering. One by one, they died.
Ken slowly returned to his senses. "Are you okay, Aunt?"
Shock was still visible on her face. "Uh… y-yes, I'm fine, Ken…"
"W-what happened? What was that?"
Ken scratched his head, completely confused. "I don't know either, Aunt… my body just… moved on its own…"
He couldn't believe what he had done.
His aunt looked around, then whispered softly, "Destry…"
"What was that, Aunt?"
"Ah… it's nothing. I just can't believe what you did."
"Aunt… please keep this a secret."
"I really don't understand what happened… I want to figure it out on my own."
She smiled. "I promise. I'll keep it a secret."
"You saved my life… and what you did was justified."
"Come on, let's go home. Your grandmother is waiting."
"Okay, Aunt."
The next day, while Ken and his family were eating together, the news played on TV.
"Six men were found dead in a street in Higashiyama District. There were no signs indicating how they died…"
Ken and his aunt exchanged glances.
"It was later discovered that the group were most wanted criminals… all CCTV footage in the area was mysteriously erased…"
Ken's grandmother spoke, "That's very close to here. Good thing you weren't involved."
Luna smiled. "That's true, Mom."
Ken let out a small laugh.
That night, Ken sat in his room, thinking about what had happened.
"Do I really have powers…? I'm actually amazing…"
He tried to use his power again—but nothing happened.
There was a knock on the door.
"Son, is something wrong?"
"No, Mom! I'm just fixing something."
"I see… then go to sleep. It's late."
"Yes, Mom."
He sighed. "I feel like an idiot… I wonder how Lucy is doing…"
The next day, Ken went to Lucy's house. He knocked on the door.
"Lucy…"
She opened it. "Ken? Why are you here?"
"Can I talk to you?" he asked.
"Sure, come in," she said.
Ken sat down. "Last Friday… some men blocked my aunt and me…"
He told her everything.
Lucy listened—but with doubt in her eyes.
"Wait… are those the ones from the news?"
"Yeah, those were them," Ken said.
"Good thing no one saw you… or that the CCTV was broken," Lucy noted.
"Exactly. They said the CCTV footage from that day was erased, and all the cameras were mysteriously damaged," Ken explained.
"Hmm… if you think about it, your story really isn't believable," Lucy said. "Are you sure you didn't just make that up?"
"I'm serious, I promise," Ken replied.
"Then why don't you show me that power you're talking about? Even something simple."
"Hmm… try moving this glass on the table," Lucy suggested.
"Okay… I'll try," Ken said.
He focused his gaze on the glass, concentrating deeply. He tried several times—but nothing happened.
"Damn… I can't do it," he muttered.
"Maybe you're just messing with me and just wanted an excuse to come here," Lucy said. "You're not planning anything weird, are you?"
"I'm telling the truth, I swear!" Ken insisted.
"Hmph… who would even believe your story?" she scoffed.
"It's true. My aunt saw everything that happened," Ken replied.
"Ugh… just leave already. I still have to clean the house," Lucy said, pushing him out the door. She immediately shut it.
Muttering to herself, she said, "Ugh… why did he come here without telling me? I didn't even get to fix myself… this is so embarrassing."
Meanwhile, Ken stood outside the house, sighing.
"Sigh… what's her problem? Why is she always so hot-headed?"