Chapter 211 - Witness
3 hours ago.
The reason Christine had come to Korea was simply to hear the next prophecy from the seer.
And also to inquire about Black Scythe.
"But..."
As soon as they arrived at the airport, she met someone she never would have imagined.
"How did Jeffrey know I was here...?"
With a bad feeling, Christine's expression changed drastically.
"Did you follow me? By my father's order?"
"No, it's not like that. I came here following Black Scythe's instructions."
"Black Scythe?"
Christine's anger subsided upon hearing the name Black Scythe.
She never would have imagined hearing that name from Jeffrey's mouth.
Could it be?
Soon, her gaze became filled with suspicion.
"How does Jeffrey know about Black Scythe? What's their relationship?"
"We were teammates in Round 12. Then, when he found out I knew Christine, he asked for my phone number."
"What?"
Did they exchange numbers without her knowing?
Momentarily, envy overcame doubts, but soon she was able to regain her composure.
"Don't lie. According to my information, Black Scythe avoids meeting other people in reality..."
It was then that Jeffrey suddenly pulled out his phone.
"I just had a video call with Black Scythe. See for yourself."
"Really?"
Surprised, Christine accepted and saw a person with a white mask on the screen.
Is this Christine?
"Black Scythe?"
On the screen, Black Scythe stood with the same familiar attire she had seen in the other world.
The scythe was also the same as she had seen back then.
"Are you really Black Scythe?"
-Yes. You have the same face, whether in this world or the other.
"Although I changed my face a little and the texture of my skin..."
It was disappointing not to be able to notice the differences, but what mattered now was the long-awaited conversation with the lifesaver she so desired.
"I never imagined talking to Black Scythe in reality."
-Me neither. I never thought you'd be involved with Jeffrey.
"Did you exchange numbers after hearing my story? For what...?"
Christine asked with an expectant look, but the response was different from what she expected.
"I have something to show you. I'll give you the location, and go out to meet me there. Jeffrey will guide you."
"Oh, I see."
After the call, Christine smiled satisfactorily.
"I'm sorry for doubting, deacon. Did you really contact Black Scythe?"
"Yes. It's a strange fate, isn't it?"
"It seems so. How was the party with Black Scythe?"
"I'll talk about that on the way. For now, let's move."
Christine got into the car prepared by Jeffrey, and they headed to someplace.
"What does he want to show me? Will Black Scythe also come?"
While suppressing her curiosity, the car inadvertently turned onto a mountain road.
"We've arrived."
"Here?"
"Yes. Get out."
Finally, Christine climbed the hill along with Jeffrey.
If she had come with a stranger, she would have had doubts, but Christine trusted.
She had talked to Black Scythe, and the one guiding her was Jeffrey, no one else.
"Jeffrey is not someone who would harm me."
She had seen it since she was young. She was sure he would be someone who would protect her.
That was why Christine could follow him without worries.
"Eh? Is someone there?"
Behind the trees, two people were visible, a man and a woman.
Especially the woman was someone Christine knew well, Seo Arin.
"Seo Arin?"
"Christine?"
When they met, they both called out each other's usernames at the same time.
They couldn't be strangers after forming a group together in Round 12 a few days ago.
"Hello. I didn't expect to meet Seo Arin here..."
"Me neither, Christine. I was told another person would join, but I didn't know it was Christine."
Christine was surprised to hear Seo Arin's fluent English pronunciation.
"You speak English so well?"
"I learned it while taking acting classes. If there are English dialogues and the pronunciation sounds strange, you know."
Christine already knew that Seo Arin was an actress. She found out during conversations and exchanging stories when they formed the group.
"It's amazing how much you resemble reality."
"You too, Christine."
"Well, I made some adjustments..."
"Really? I didn't know. You're so beautiful both in reality and in the other world..."
Was it because they formed a group together or because they had Black Scythe as a common denominator? Although they had met recently, their relationship was not bad at all. Rather, they were busy complimenting each other like old friends after a long time.
"And the person next to you..."
"Oh, he was introduced by Black Scythe..."
"I'm Joo Sung-taek. I teamed up with Black Scythe in Round 12."
Joo Sung-taek introduced himself with a gesture to Christine while Seo Arin translated with her gaze.
Although they couldn't communicate verbally, Seo Arin's presence ensured there would be no problems in the conversation.
"Oh, this is Jeffrey. Greetings between you two..."
Jeffrey and Joo Sung-taek barely glanced at each other, without exchanging any words. They didn't need to speak or greet; they already knew who they were to each other: slaves of Black Scythe.
"You two were called here for a reason. Black Scythe has something to show," said Joo Sung-taek.
"What does he want to show?"
Joo Sung-taek pointed beyond the forest.
Under the slope, there was an old warehouse, and in front of it, a familiar man was waiting.
"Why is Ma Gyeong-rok there?"
Seo Arin answered Christine's question.
"Black Scythe said the person he wants to show us is Representative Ma Gyeong-rok."
"Representative... of what?"
"He said we'll find out if we watch. That's why I'm waiting here too."
Christine didn't know what specific aspect of Ma Gyeong-rok they were supposed to observe, but that's what Black Scythe had said.
At that moment, Ma Gyeong-rok spoke with someone on the phone before entering the warehouse.
Since they were over 30 meters away to avoid being detected, they couldn't hear the conversation.
"Oh, who's coming there?"
A van arrived on the mountain road, and someone got out.
Someone Christine also knew: An Sang-cheol, Ma Gyeong-rok's right-hand man.
Drrrrr-
He opened the back seats and carried two seemingly dead, unconscious individuals into the warehouse.
"What's that? Kidnapping, maybe?"
"No, I don't think so. It can't be."
A while later, An Sang-cheol came out, guarding the entrance with a military team.
It was then.
Suddenly, screams were heard from the warehouse.
They were screams so distressing that they resonated to this place dozens of meters away.
"Were those the screams of those people before?"
"What the hell is going on inside...?"
Despite the screams, An Sang-cheol, outside, stood still like a house watchdog.
As if he knew what was happening inside.
Christine and Seo Arin, unable to see inside the warehouse, had to contain their hearts behind a tree.
"Miss Seo Arin, can't I peek a little using that fairy?"
"It's no use. I have no communication with the fairy..."
The screams ceased, and shortly after, a man, one of the kidnapped, emerged from the warehouse.
"Boss An Sang-cheol."
"Yes, CEO."
"Block the exit for this guy. I'm going to kill him with my own hands."
An Sang-cheol blocked the man with his shield.
Ma Gyeong-rok chased after the man and cut his knees.
"Aaaghhhh!"
"Now you can't escape?"
"Please, let me live! Brother!"
Upon hearing the man's pleas, Seo Arin, who finally discovered his identity, translated it with surprise to Christine.
"That man... says he's Ma Gyeong-rok's younger brother."
"Brother? Family?"
"It seems there were issues due to the successorship matter."
"Still, killing your own family...?"
Watching as Ma Gyeong-rok cut the man's legs, Christine felt chills.
Was this man so ruthless and cruel?
The Ma Gyeong-rok she saw now was not the fiancé she had known so far.
He was just a psychopath who seemed to enjoy human suffering.
"Eat him."
"No, please! Aaah!"
When Ma Gyeong-rok was about to devour the living person, Christine intervened.
"Stop!"
"Christine?"
Surprised by his fiancée's unexpected appearance, Ma Gyeong-rok was taken aback.
It was even more shocking when Seo Arin joined her side.
"Even actress Seo is here?"
Though he was surprised, he did not retract his order with his dark aura.
"Haha... hahaha..."
"Mr. Ma Gyeong-rok, stop! You may not understand the circumstances, but we've reached the limit here."
Though Christine stopped him, it was already too late.
Ma Gyeong-su finally died, devoured by the dark aura.
"What the hell are you doing..."
"Mr. CEO..."
As the two looked at him with incredulous eyes, Ma Gyeong-rok decided to abandon the idea of asking how they got here.
He didn't know why they were here, but for now, it was important to convince these two.
"I know what you're thinking, Christine. But it's a misunderstanding."
"A misunderstanding?"
"As you can see, it's true that I killed a person. But he wasn't an innocent person."
"If this man I just killed is my younger brother. But he was trash who tried to kill me. He even killed his own brother inside that place."
There was no need to worry, as there was evidence. However, the sense of disdain didn't disappear from Christine's face.
"Do you understand what you're saying right now? You're saying you killed your own brother and still insist you did nothing wrong!"
"Because it's true. I didn't make any mistakes."
"Even so, you should try to explain it with words. How could your family do that...?"
"He tried to kill me first, you know?"
"Did you see when I kidnapped him here?"
"I brought him here because he was trying to assassinate me. I wanted to ask him why he was doing it. But he attacked me first with a knife, and as you'll see, he ended up dead in a tragic accident."
"Accident? Wasn't it intentional murder?"
"That's right. I had no choice but to kill him."
"You had no other choice? Even though you were laughing like a psychopath when you killed him?"
"It wasn't like that. You've misunderstood."
Christine was surprised to see how he lied with an unperturbed face.
"The truth is he tried to kill me first. Please take that into account."
"That doesn't justify murder."
"And so what? Should I openly say to the world that I killed my brother and it was in self-defense?"
At that moment, Ma Gyeong-rok's expression turned cold.
There was no way to talk about it openly.
If he did, he would lose everything he had achieved so far, like heir status or accomplishments.
There was no gain in killing family, and he wouldn't gain public sympathy.
"Even though he was about to kill me."
"There were other ways to resolve it."
"No, there weren't."
"Then, can you say openly to the world? I killed my brother and it was just in self-defense?"
Ma Gyeong-rok was instantly speechless.
He couldn't say it openly.
Otherwise, all the murders he had committed here in the past would also come to light.
Even if he tried to destroy the evidence, he didn't know what would happen with a police investigation.
"The cleanest way at this point would be to leave no witnesses..."
In Ma Gyeong-rok's determined gaze, the intent to kill arose.
"Sigh. I really didn't want it to come to this."
Ma Gyeong-rok's sword headed towards Christine.
"If I have to be regarded as the villain, there's no other choice. It has to be this way."
An Sang-cheol cleverly intervened, blocking the path behind the two.
Then, Christine and Seo Arin grew nervous.
Unless they were foolish, they knew what Ma Gyeong-rok intended to do in this place.
"Before I kill you, I have a question. How did you know about this place? Did you follow me?"
"...."
"Well, you don't need to answer right away. I'll give you the chance to do so soon."
Ma Gyeong-rok was determined to truly kill them.
After all, he felt no personal emotion towards Christine.
"If I have to become the bad guy, there's no other option. It has to be this way."
At this point, he should kill them and find another fiancée.
Right now, the most urgent thing was to protect his secret.
But Ma Gyeong-rok didn't know.
Ching!
He discovered the truth after suddenly dodging the flying knife.
"It seems there are more comrades."
Jeffrey and Joo Sung-taek were present.
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