Hunter: I became stronger even after I died.

Chapter 193 The Color of Revenge

The Soul Returning Ceremony is an ancient memorial ceremony popular in some areas of the Kajin Kingdom.

This ritual originated from a belief——

People believe that through physical and mental pain, they can resonate with the souls of the deceased.

The core of this ritual is a special tool called a "pain scar tool", which is a palm-sized stone with a simply polished surface covered with fine protrusions.

The priest in charge of the soul-returning ceremony will use a pain-marking device to press specific parts of the participant's body.

Gradually increase the force to produce severe pain.

Different areas of the body can cause different forms of pain, such as dull, stabbing, or cramping.

When the pain reaches a certain level, the sufferer's consciousness will be between blurred and clear, entering a special state.

In this state, they seem to be able to see the souls of the deceased returning and establish some kind of connection with them.

With the changes of the times, this ancient memorial ceremony has been marginalized, and now only a very few areas still adhere to it.

However, in some places, the form of the soul-returning ceremony has changed.

After obtaining "permission", the people in a few areas of Kajin Kingdom used the perpetrators who endangered the lives of others as sacrifices, using pain scar devices to make them fall into the abyss of pain.

In this way, the perpetrator, with his body riddled with wounds, can personally confess his crimes before the deceased.

After the ceremony, the perpetrators will be thrown into the fire.

As the knight had guessed, Feitan's interest in the Soul Returning Ceremony stems entirely from the cruel methods used in the ritual to torture the perpetrators.

Feitan didn't care about the cultural significance or spiritual sustenance behind the Soul Returning Ceremony at all. The only thing that attracted him was how to create pain efficiently.

He thought this technology would help him in his torture methods.

However, although Feitan was quite fond of the Soul Returning Festival's activity format, he scoffed at the use of the so-called "Pain Scar Device".

In his opinion, any means intended to cause pain should be accompanied by scenes of flesh and blood being torn apart.

The torture method of the Soul Returning Ceremony is:

There is no blood.

Therefore, Feitan plans to improve this technology immediately after mastering it.

The so-called torture must have more bloody and violent elements to make the pain more intuitive and impactful.

Feitan had already planned it.

After he improved the use of the "Pain Scar Device", he randomly found a few people to experiment with it.

4 month 24 number.

The day of the Soul Returning Ceremony.

The sky was gray and covered by a thick layer of clouds.

The air was filled with a moist scent mixed with the smell of earth and grass.

The location of the Soul Returning Ceremony is in a cemetery.

The gate of the cemetery is supported by two mottled stone pillars, on which a few vague words "the place where souls return" can be vaguely seen.

Feitan arrived outside the cemetery gate.

He was wearing a long black trench coat with a high collar that looked like a mask, covering half of his face.

After only stopping to look at the gate of the cemetery, Feitan walked into the cemetery.

Just then, drizzle began to fall.

Feitan didn't care, nor did he open the "umbrella" in his hand. He just walked along a winding cobblestone road in the drizzle.

There are densely packed tombstones on both sides of the stone road.

Some of the tombstones have tilted, and some are covered with moss.

Feitan's gaze did not stop as he walked along the jagged stone road under his feet, all the way to the open space in the center of the cemetery.

Unlike the crowded tombstones on both sides when we arrived, the open space in the center of the cemetery seems particularly spacious.

Even though there is an ancient altar standing in the center, the surrounding area can easily accommodate hundreds of people.

Residents of nearby towns who came to participate in the Soul Returning Ceremony were all dressed in black, standing quietly around the altar, waiting for the ceremony to begin.

On the quadrilateral altar, more than twenty criminals were kneeling on the ground, wearing white hoods with strange characters painted in blood on their heads.

Their bodies trembled slightly, and they were obviously filled with fear for the upcoming ceremony.

In front of the criminal stood a priest in a white coat.

The priest held a black pain-scarring device in one hand and a torch in the other, chanting unclear sacrificial words in a low voice.

Feitan quietly approached the crowd.

Wearing a black windbreaker, he did not look out of place in this environment.

There is a conspicuous skull pattern on his collar, which is shaped like a mask.

Feitan wanted to see the situation on the altar clearly, but due to his height problem, he had to change positions several times before he found a less crowded area where he could see the situation on the altar clearly.

As he watched, the priest raised his torch and lit the kindling beneath the four stone pillars at the corners of the altar.

The flames quickly moved up the stone pillar and ignited the flammable materials in the hollow interior above the pillar.

Suddenly, raging flames gushed out from the top of the stone pillar, the firelight reflected on everyone's face, and enveloped the entire altar in a blazing light.

Feitan's mouth corners turned up, and his eyes curved slightly.

He knew that this was a sign that the ceremony was about to begin.

A moment later, the heart-wrenching screams of the criminals echoed above the altar.

The voice was shrill, desperate and creepy.

The participants of the Soul Returning Ceremony around them just stared coldly, their eyes full of hatred and indifference.

Feitan stood in the crowd, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, and the curves of his eyes became more and more obvious.

His eyes were fixed on the altar, observing every detail intently.

The screams of the criminals gradually became hoarse, and finally only faint groans remained until they disappeared completely.

Their bodies trembled violently under the pressure of the pain-marking device, as if every inch of muscle was suffering extreme pain.

Feitan's attention was not on the pain of the criminals, but was completely focused on the pain-scarring devices in the hands of the executioners.

He carefully observed the squeezing points of each pain-marking device and memorized those precise techniques.

He realized that creating such intense pain not only depended on the stone-polished pain-marking device, but more importantly, it was the precise squeezing of specific parts.

Only by getting the strength and position just right can the effect of pain be maximized.

"interesting."

Feitan's eyes gleamed with excitement.

He had already started thinking about how to improve this technique, and he couldn't wait to try it out himself.

The gray clouds in the sky are becoming thicker and thicker, and fine raindrops are falling from the clouds, gradually becoming more dense.

As the Soul Returning Ceremony came to an end, a pile of highly flammable firewood was piled up in the center of the quadrilateral altar.

Despite the increasing rain, the woodpile continued to burn.

The criminals were tortured to the point of being unconscious, their bodies were soaked, and it was hard to tell whether it was sweat or rain.

They were thrown into the fire one by one, their bodies twisted in the flames, and the sparks that were shaken up were lifted up by the hot air currents and quickly extinguished in the rain.

At this time, the participants of the Soul Returning Ceremony began to turn around and leave one after another, with complicated emotions on their faces.

Feitan retreated to the corner and watched everything coldly as a bystander.

Until the firewood on the altar burned out, the participants of the soul-returning ceremony and the priest who presided over the ceremony had left, and Feitan was the only one left in the cemetery.

He walked slowly up to the altar and glanced at the pile of uncollected black embers.

Feitan didn't care about the pile of remnants that would be left here for seven days and seven nights. He walked straight to the corner of the altar, bent down and picked up a pain-scarring device.

Next, just pick a few test targets...

But there is no need to look for it specifically.

Feitan held the pain-marking device lightly in his left hand, and casually held the umbrella in front of him with his right hand. He turned his body sideways and slowly looked in the direction of the cemetery gate.

"Have you seen enough?" His voice was sinister and cold, mixed with an uncomfortable aura.

Next to the mottled stone pillars at the cemetery gate, a figure slowly walked out from behind the stone pillars.

wow-

The sound of chains colliding lightly came through the rain and reached Feitan's ears clearly.

Feitan narrowed his eyes and looked at the blond boy who walked out from behind the stone pillar.

The person who came was Kurapika.

Kurapika walked on the chipped stone road, his steps steady and firm.

The rain slid down his golden hair, dripped onto his shoulders, and soaked his clothes.

He looked at Feitan on the altar with a cold and expressionless look.

"I need to confirm one thing first. Are you a member of the Phantom Troupe?"

The calm and clear voice penetrated the noise of the rain.

Swah——

Feitan was too lazy to talk nonsense. As his mental energy was stimulated, he disappeared out of thin air like a ghost.

The next moment, he appeared beside Kurapika, and the umbrella in his hand hit Kurapika's carotid artery like a sharp blade.

In order to test the torture techniques he had just learned on Kurapika, Feitan showed his cold murderous intent, but he only wanted to knock Kurapika out.

Facing Feitan's ghostly quick attack, Kurapika seemed unable to react and stood there motionless.

But the chain in his hand seemed to have its own consciousness. It arched like a snake with a rustling sound, and the lock accurately caught the end of the oncoming umbrella.

Immediately afterwards, more chains spread out from Kurapika's body and attacked Feitan who was close at hand like a snake.

"To fight against the search type..."

Feitan's eyes turned slightly cold, and he decisively withdrew his hand. He flashed back more than ten meters away and stared at the chain in Kurapika's hand.

A chain with such ability characteristics is most likely a materialization ability.

As for something materialized by thoughts, the wisest thing to do is to try to avoid attacks before you fully understand its capabilities.

This is also a tricky point for materialization-type ability users.

Their abilities often come with special effects or rules, and if you're not careful you could end up being passive or even hit.

We need to capture this guy who uses chains alive after finding out his true abilities...

Feitan sneered in his heart, thinking that this was totally unnecessary.

There are plenty of mice that can be used to test torture techniques on the street, so why take such a big risk?

After seeing Kurapika's materialization ability, Feitan decisively gave up the idea of capturing him alive.

Therefore, the murderous aura emanating from him became more intuitive.

Kurapika retracted the extended chain, his eyes still stern.

"Ring Finger Soul-Chasing Chain"

This ability was supposed to be used for tracking or lie detection, but under the influence of the butterfly effect of Moro and Biscuit, Kurapika gave it the ability to automatically defend and search for enemies.

However, this ability only works on "Phantom Troupe members".

In other words, the Soul-Seeking Chain's defensive and enemy-seeking capabilities are actually a byproduct of the oath and restriction of the chain that binds Kurapika's middle finger.

With the restraint of risking one's life, the birth of this automatic defense and enemy detection ability was not too difficult.

"It seems that there is no need for confirmation."

Kurapika stretched out his arms, the chains wrapped around his fingers gleaming coldly under the splashing rain.

This person was very fast. Although it was impossible to confirm whether he was the fastest member of the brigade, the previous confrontation had already tested the Soul-Seeking Chain's ability to intercept and search for enemies.

The next step is to test the control strength of the middle finger restraint chain.

While he was calculating in his mind, there was suddenly a hint of blood in his eyes as he looked at Feitan.

The result of the first round of confrontation made Kurapika trust the power of the contract chain that he created with the determination to risk his life without reservation.

Now, he just wanted to use this ability to control the spider in front of him as soon as possible!

"Oh? Seeking revenge? I thought he was a reckless bounty hunter."

Feitan suddenly felt the hatred beneath Kurapika's calm and cold expression, and was immediately surprised.

Then he keenly noticed that there was a slight red glow at the edges of Kurapika's eyes, as if his original appearance was obscured by contact lenses.

"your eyes……"

Feitan narrowed his narrow and sinister eyes, revealing a hint of surprise.

The fiery red eyes of the Kuruta tribe?
Is there a fish that slipped through the net?

He was deeply impressed by the existence of this group of people.

Kurapika looked at Feitan's reaction, and while quietly preparing himself, he slowly took off his contact lenses with his left hand right in front of him.

As the contact lenses were removed, the pair of breathtakingly beautiful fiery red eyes were completely revealed.

However, Feitan was not fooled.

His eyes were fixed on Kurapika's.

"It is indeed the flaming red eyes of the Kuruta tribe."

There was a hint of amusement in Feitan's voice, and when the corners of his eyes curved, a sinister smile appeared on his face, as if he was recalling something pleasant.

"When I see your eyes, I can't help but think of the torture of those people. Their wills were very strong."

"I tried so hard to make their fiery red eyes appear, and in the end I had to use heavy hands on the children. Well, if I had this thing in my hand at that time, the difficulty would be much lower, and I should be more satisfied when torturing them."

As he spoke, Feitan raised the black pain-scarring device in his hand, like a cunning and cold fox deliberately showing off his prey.

Kurapika's fiery red eyes suddenly ignited with uncontrollable anger and hidden pain.

He subconsciously tightened his fingers, and the chain suddenly made a slight rustling sound in the rain, revealing his uneasiness at the moment.

During the previous training, Bisky saw Kurapika's weakness, so he trained Kurapika's emotional control specifically.

This kind of special training did bring about obvious changes to Kurapika.

This is also the reason why Kurapika was able to face Feitan calmly at the beginning.

But when he knew——

When Kurapika learned that Feitan was the instigator who tortured his compatriots, those tragic scenes that should have been suppressed deep in his memory inevitably emerged in front of his eyes.

Like blood, it dyed his eyes red.

How can humans be as rational as robots...

This sudden anger burned away Kurapika's sanity.

And this is Feitan's intention.

Swish!
Feitan seized the opportunity and attacked suddenly. A slender sharp blade was pulled out from the umbrella. With a flash of cold light, it instantly shattered the layers of raindrops and slashed straight towards Kurapika's neck.

However, despite Kurapika's rage, his chains did not lose their proper functioning mechanism.

"clang!"

The chain once again accurately blocked Feitan's attack, making a crisp metal collision sound.

Sparks flew in the rain, illuminating Kurapika's eyes burning with anger.

Feitan failed to hit the target with his first strike, so he didn't want to fight any more and simply retreated again.

His figure retreated more than ten meters away like a ghost, staring at Kurapika with cold eyes.

"With such a messed up mood, how can I still maintain my ability to search for enemies?"

Feitan whispered to himself.

He originally thought that Kurapika's loss of control of his emotions would weaken the strength of the chains, but the facts were beyond his expectations.

And the obvious entanglement intention during the defensive counterattack...

This guy's ability must have been subject to very strong oaths and restrictions.

(End of this chapter)