The Dangling Man

The elevator ascended with a soft, rustling sound.

Inside the confined space, only the overhead light remained illuminated.

Not a sound could be heard.

The two people present remained in silence.

Their gazes were vacant, lifeless.

Unfathomable emotions brewed within that stillness.

It was like the calm before a storm.

Dark clouds gathered.

Eerily terrifying.

The elevator rose floor by floor, the crimson numbers ticking over slowly.

The tall man lowered his gaze, staring expressionlessly at the child standing beside him, who seemed entirely devoid of any sense of danger.

He couldn't help but let out a mocking sneer.

The next moment, he slowly extended his iron hook, then struck out in a flash.

Metal hissed through the air.

Clack.

The sensation was wrong!

The man's eyes widened, then narrowed into a deep frown.

No, this wasn't right—he'd dodged it!

Before he could even process what had happened, his body, tempered by years of licking blood from the edge of a blade, moved faster than his thoughts.

He twisted instinctively, a sharp pain radiating from his waist.

It was the sensation of muscles tearing from being pushed beyond the limits of human rotation.

He hooked the elevator wall with his iron claw, attempting to right himself.

Unfortunately, Coleman's blade was faster.

Clang.

Short blades clashed.

Forced to the floor, the man held his short blade with one hand, bracing against the dagger.

Sweat dripped down his face; he hadn't expected this child to be so fast.

In just a few seconds, the advantage had completely reversed.

Because the elevator was so cramped, the man on the floor could no longer utilize his physical stature.

Swallowing hard, the man narrowed his eyes and, with a surge of strength, ripped the iron hook from the elevator wall.

He swung it with all his might.

To this, Coleman merely offered a faint smile.

He leaped upward.

His body flipped, yet his feet remained firmly stuck to the ceiling of the elevator.

He hung there, inverted.

His smile widened; Coleman could already imagine this man's blood spraying three feet high.

It would be a nuisance for the staff, though.

Cleaning an elevator was quite the chore.

The man looked up at the child and laughed as well.

The pressure of his Nen instantly filled the entire elevator.

The terrifying killing intent rendered Coleman unable to move almost immediately.

"Kid, I admit you're talented."

The man grinned hideously, watching the startled Coleman.

He swung the short blade in his hand.

"But it's a shame—someone bought your life!"

Increasing his force, the man could already picture the child's head rolling onto the floor.

But the moment the blade touched the boy, the man realized that the child was actually smiling!

It was a smile both eerie and dangerous.

His blood-red pupils shimmered with a strange, flowing light.

It looked as if fresh blood were coursing through them.

It was as if an evil spirit were roaring, denouncing the injustices of the world.

Those pupils seemed capable of containing an entire world.

Like hell itself.

The man, drawn in by those peculiar pupils, paused uncontrollably for a fleeting moment.

Yet, that single instant cost him his life.

The man felt his limbs suddenly unable to move, accompanied by the sensation of being constricted by something.

Moreover, he could not struggle.

The pressure of that constriction grew stronger as time passed.

Crack.

His bones were crushed.

Only then did the man realize with a jolt that, at some unknown point, these invisible, thread-like wires had already embedded themselves into his flesh!

Why hadn't he felt it?

As the doubt arose, the man felt a sharp pain in his neck.

In a daze, he saw his own body from a strange angle!

Had his head been severed?

This was the man's final conscious thought.

Following that, he plunged into boundless darkness.

The elevator directly facing the man's body was already stained with blood.

The moment his carotid artery was sliced by the wire, blood erupted like a fountain.

It splashed everywhere, like a grand brushstroke, painting the metal exterior a vivid red in just a few swift motions.

Ding.

The elevator stopped.

A white-haired child walked out slowly.

A few specks of blood were splattered on his body.

He took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood away bit by bit.

With a nonchalant expression, he tossed the soiled cloth aside.

He then threw a short blade, wedging it into the elevator gap.

This prevented the elevator from closing or moving up and down.

The white carpet around the elevator was gradually dyed red by the seeping blood.

Inside the elevator was a corpse bound by various wires.

Drip.

Drip.

The red liquid flowed down the wires, pooling into a small puddle.

With limbs tightly entangled, the corpse hung suspended at an angle that defied human anatomy.

The head was held on by only a sliver of flesh.

Click.

The sound of a camera shutter rang out.

"Perfect!"

A small, satisfied voice echoed outside the elevator.

Putting away his souvenir, Coleman smiled slightly.

He walked to the only telephone booth on the floor.

Without dialing, he simply picked up the receiver and held it to his ear.

"Hello, how can I help you?"

"Elevator 213 in Sector B, please take care of it."

"...Understood."

"Thank you."

"It's no problem, it's our duty."

"Oh, and please wear a gas mask when you handle it."

"...Understood."

Coleman offered a word of thanks and hung up the phone.

Looking out the glass window, this was the top floor of Heavens Arena.

A place for handling administrative affairs.

"Tsk, how boring."

Stretching his back, Coleman sauntered slowly toward the stairs.

He shuffled downstairs, his face full of lethargy.

Thud.

The very moment Coleman left the area.

A head hit the floor.

It rolled slowly toward the elevator entrance.

Its gaze was fixed precisely on the stairwell Coleman had just descended.