Chapter 41: The sword of judgment
Go Nana had just witnessed three people pop like bubbles right in front of her. The stench of copper and iron filled the air as warm droplets of crimson splattered everywhere. The tattooed woman was definitely not human.
Somewhere between all the chaos and screaming, the people suddenly became obedient. A small queue formed on its own, everyone in line taking a kneeling position, afraid of becoming the next blood paste.
Yet the tattooed woman didn’t care for any of it.
She looked around at the mess of blood, splattered bodies, and vomit covering the area before casually waving her right hand. Immediately, a golden light washed over the place. All the grisly scenes of blood, scattered body parts, and even the vomit around the area were cleansed away, leaving behind a woody scent that smelled soothing, somewhere between a perfume made of roses, lilies, and perhaps lotuses.
Standing in line, Go Nana was next to have her heart measured by this demon-like being.
She lowered her head, going through every sin she could think of. She wasn’t a bad person in every sense, but she also wasn’t a good person. There were some things that even she herself wasn’t proud of.
Her eyes lifted toward Ryu Seong Hee, who stood on the left flank of the woman, daring not even to kneel before her. He wasn’t doing anything—just watching.
Had her delusions become this bad?
She thought to herself.
Then again, maybe the stories of Ryu Seong Hee having the ability to see the supernatural hadn’t always been figments of her imagination.
Go Nana looked back at her birth name being reflected on the screen.
Ryu Dal Mi.
She stared at it for a second before turning her gaze to the icon in the top-right corner. The upper icon still displayed the white, blindfolded woman. She had noticed earlier that the figure shifted between the black version and the white version.
Maybe there was a time limit to this balancing of the scales.
Her resolve hardened as the person before her finished.
She was now about to go under the scrutiny of Lady Justice.
She looked at the girl humbly kneeling on the right of the tattooed woman before turning to the tattooed woman herself. She gave three bows and waited.
The woman softly helped her up as the golden scales settled before her, emanating brilliance and waves of unfamiliar energy that seemed able to sink into the deepest parts of her being.
She hesitated for a moment. She had just seen multiple people have their hearts ripped out, but then again, they all seemed to be fine with no complications. And no one had been punished by the scales so far.
So she must be good... right?
"I... I gave up my sick younger sister to a rich family to be used for experimental treatments."
The ball of light began to crystallize as the golden scales tipped to one end.
Yet when she waited to feel that intrusive hand penetrate her left chest and pull out her heart, the feeling never came.
Instead, the air suddenly grew heavier as the entire area turned cold.
"Did you say you abandoned your sick sister?"
The voice asked, that warm, divine indifference seemingly cracking into subtle anger.
Go Nana immediately picked up on it.
Her fear shot through the roof as she felt her heartbeat quicken. Cold beads of sweat formed on her forehead and trickled down her back.
Was she about to become another crimson balloon?
She immediately dropped back onto her knees. Opening her mouth, she was ready to say something—perhaps defend herself by saying it was due to the circumstances.
But now that she was here...
Face to face with her sister...
She felt it was right.
After all, who would sell their little sister to some rich people, thinking they would treat her better?
She just didn’t want the burden of caring for her mentally unstable younger sister.
Maybe she did deserve to be punished.
If it wasn’t for the chat, would she even have come here?
She came because of the money, right?
Sure, she wanted to see if it truly was her younger sister, but that wasn’t her real goal.
After all, she was no longer Ryu Dal Mi.
She was now Go Nana.
And Go Nana had nothing to do with Ryu Seong Hee.
That was why she never once cared whether Ryu Seong Hee was still trapped in this death hole.
She only cared about how to get herself out of this place.
Go Nana felt the woman’s hands wrap around her neck as the woman lowered herself to meet her at eye level.
She then leaned in until her lips were beside Go Nana’s ear, her warm breath brushing softly against her skin.
"Coming from one big sister to another... You are a failure of a big sister."
The words landed with a cruelty that couldn’t be described.
Go Nana could feel something begin flowing through her, something hot and searing, yet there was no fire anywhere. She wanted to scream in agony, but she couldn’t.
The golden scales that had been before her suddenly transformed into a sharp, flaming sword.
Looks like this is it.
Go Nana thought death was finally coming.
She turned to look at Ryu Seong Hee. She now truly wanted to know how her younger sister had been living all this time. Asking for forgiveness now would be hypocritical. All she wanted to know was whether she had ever suffered.
At the time, when Ryu Dal Mi had given up her sister to those rich people, they had promised they would adopt her and take good care of her. She hadn’t the ability to take care of both of them and genuinely believed it was for the best.
But she had indeed been a bad sister.
She deserved what was coming.
Go Nana felt tears welling in her eyes, but she held them back.
She simply closed her eyes and waited for the end.
"Your Ladyship... may you sheath your sword and give her another chance to balance her scales?"
Ryu Seong Hee suddenly spoke as she lowered herself into a deep bow.
Cha Hwa Rim looked at her for a moment before turning back to the woman before her.
Dan Woo wasn’t sure why he felt so enraged with this woman.
Maybe it had something to do with Cha Hwa Rim’s own younger sister, Cha Ha Rin, being missing. That frustration was leaking into him.
From the glimpses of the woman’s life Dan Woo could perceive, he could tell she truly believed it had been the best solution at the time.
But still...
He could only relent.
The flaming sword dissolved, transforming back into golden scales once more.
Cha Hwa Rim plunged her hand into the girl’s chest, removed her heart, and placed it upon the scales.
The scales began to sway in a slow seesaw motion, balancing back and forth before gradually teetering toward one side.
They weren’t balanced.
Go Nana was about to ask what that could possibly mean, but before she could, the PA system blared once more.
"We are arriving at Confession Station. Those who are alighting at Confession Station, please get ready."
Suddenly, a loud alarm blared from Go Nana’s phone as one of the three skeletons on her wrist disappeared. In its place, a strange sigil branded itself onto the back of her hand.
Immediately afterward, another wave of notifications echoed throughout the train.
The same sigil appeared on everyone’s phones.
Go Nana wanted to understand what was happening and why her situation was so different.
But she didn’t dare utter a single word.
She simply stepped aside.