“Survive.”
Lorde raised a single finger and calmly said,
“That’s all you have to do.
Just survive.”
“Bakudō #1: Sai.”
“Bakudō #61: Rikujōkōrō.”
A pair of invisible restraints instantly bound Frank’s arms behind his back, sealing his movements with Kidō.
Thud!
Frank stared at Lorde in disbelief.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“You’ll understand soon enough.”
Lorde snapped his fingers.
Snap!
The Abyss of Despair suddenly opened beneath Frank’s feet.
The ground disappeared in an instant, and Frank plummeted into the darkness like a falling meteor.
Several seconds later…
A loud crash echoed from the depths of the pit, followed immediately by Frank’s furious scream.
Without hesitation, Lorde stepped off the edge and calmly descended after him.
At the bottom of the abyss…
Since he was now a soul, the hundred-meter fall caused little actual damage.
Even so, cold sweat covered Frank’s forehead.
A free fall lasting several seconds…
Even during his days as a Marine, his parachute jumps had never felt this terrifying.
Once he caught his breath, Frank looked around.
The darkness was absolute.
The oppressive silence was enough to make anyone’s skin crawl.
What exactly was Lorde planning?
Frank’s expression gradually became strange.
First, Lorde tied his hands behind his back…
Then he threw him into a deep pit…
The whole thing felt strangely familiar.
“…Wait.”
Frank’s eyes widened.
“Isn’t this exactly how we treated prisoners back in Vietnam?”
A terrible feeling settled in his stomach.
“Lorde…”
His eyelids twitched uncontrollably.
“Don’t tell me you’re expecting me to climb out of this place.”
Lorde rested both hands on his cane and nodded.
“Very good.”
“I want you to climb out.”
“…”
A vein bulged on Frank’s forehead.
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
“My hands are tied behind my back!
How the hell am I supposed to climb out of a hundred-meter pit without using them?”
Lorde raised an eyebrow.
“Who said I was joking?”
“I’m completely serious.”
“…Have you lost your damn mind?”
Sweat rolled down Frank’s face.
“This pit is at least a hundred meters deep!
No human being can climb out without using their hands!”
Lorde replied without changing his expression.
“Then stop being human.”
“…”
Frank felt his blood run cold.
He knew Lorde wasn’t joking.
“…You’re serious.”
“I am.”
Lorde smiled faintly.
“If you want to survive…”
“If you want revenge for your wife and children…”
“Then climb out of this pit with your own strength.”
Frank swallowed hard.
“…And if I can’t?”
“Do I just stay down here until I starve to death?”
Lorde narrowed his eyes.
He gently tapped the chain protruding from Frank’s chest with the tip of his cane.
“Frank…”
“The first stage of the Chain of Fate’s encroachment…”
“…is about to begin.”
“The Chain of Fate?”
Frank barely had time to ask before an unimaginable pain erupted from the depths of his soul.
“AAAAAGH!!”
The agony was indescribable.
Even a man as unbreakable as Frank Castle collapsed to the ground, writhing in unbearable pain.
His teeth ground together so hard they nearly shattered.
He had once dug bullets out of his own body without anesthesia…
Compared to this…
That pain wasn’t even one ten-thousandth as intense.
Just as suddenly as it began…
The pain disappeared.
Frank lay motionless on the ground, gasping for air.
“What…”
“…the hell…”
“…was that?”
Lorde looked down at him calmly.
“The encroachment of your Chain of Fate.”
“I told you before.”
“The chain doesn’t merely connect your soul to your body.”
“It also represents whether your heart…
and your soul…
remain whole.”
“Normally, this process takes a very long time.”
“But inside the Abyss of Despair…”
“The chain’s erosion is accelerated.”
“It will be completed in seventy-two hours.”
“When the chain disappears completely…”
“You will lose your heart.”
“Your memories.”
“Your past.”
“Your love.”
“Everything that makes you who you are.”
“You’ll become a Hollow.”
“A mindless monster driven only by instinct…”
“Feeding on human souls forever.”
This method was incredibly dangerous.
But Lorde had no other choice.
At the moment, it was the only way to turn an ordinary human into a Soul Reaper.
After all…
He was completely broke.
He didn’t even possess a basic Asauchi.
Even if he wanted to imitate Rukia and transfer his Soul Reaper powers directly…
Frank’s soul would almost certainly collapse under the strain.
Not everyone could become a Soul Reaper.
Nor was everyone like Ichigo Kurosaki, born with overwhelming spiritual power capable of handling such strength.
Lorde couldn’t have done it.
Frank certainly couldn’t either.
After several moments of silence, Frank finally asked,
“…And if I become a Hollow?”
Lorde’s expression turned cold.
“Then…”
“I’ll kill you myself.”
He wasn’t joking.
Frank could clearly sense the faint killing intent hidden behind Lorde’s calm eyes.
Oddly enough…
He wasn’t afraid.
Instead…
He felt strangely at peace.
His wife and children were the last precious memories he still possessed.
If he were to lose even those…
Then there would be nothing left worth living for.
The Punisher never feared death.
He only feared failing to avenge his family. The source of this chapter is g.com.
He only feared justice never being served.
Frank slowly grinned.
“Then let’s do it.”
His white teeth showed as a fanatical determination filled his eyes.
“I’d rather die by your hand…”
“…than live as some mindless monster that can’t even remember my family.”
Frank understood one undeniable truth.
Power always came with a price.
And now…
His chance had finally arrived.
All he had to do…
Was pay that price.
A trace of admiration appeared in Lorde’s eyes.
“That’s the resolve I wanted to see.”
“Since you’ve made your choice…”
“I’ll give you one final piece of advice.”
Frank nodded.
“I’m listening.”
Lorde continued,
“The chain will finish eroding in about seventy-two hours.”
“But the exact speed depends on the individual.”
“And each wave of encroachment will become faster…”
“…and far more painful than the last.”
“The final one alone…”
“…will be worse than all the previous stages combined.”
“If you want to avoid becoming a Hollow…”
“There’s only one path.”
“Find the power sleeping deep within your soul.”
“It may appear as a person…”
“An animal…”
“Or even an object.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It is the physical manifestation of your soul.”
“The embodiment of your convictions.”
“When you find it…”
“Speak with it.”
“And then…”
“Call its name.”
Lorde chose not to explain any further.
Some things had to be discovered personally.
Whether Frank succeeded…
Would depend entirely on him.
Frank nodded calmly.
“So…”
“If I find that power hidden inside my soul…”
“I’ll survive…”
“And gain the strength I need for revenge.”
Lorde gave a small nod.
“That’s the idea.”
He turned toward the wall of the abyss.
“I’ll be waiting for you at the top.”
“I hope you succeed, Frank.”
“…Because I’d rather not be the one forced to kill you.”
Frank laughed loudly.
“Haha…”
“Sorry to disappoint you…”
“But I don’t think you’ll ever get that chance.”
A faint smile appeared on Lorde’s face.
“We’ll see.”
Step…
Step…
Using platforms of condensed Reishi beneath his feet, Lorde slowly ascended toward the surface while Frank silently watched from below.
Seventy-two hours later…
Everything would be decided.
Would Frank Castle, the Punisher, lose himself and become a Hollow…
Or would he awaken as a Soul Reaper?