Chapter 168 Kurokawa Iori’s Past
March 14th. This was a day Kurokawa Iori would always remember, or rather, it was the beginning of all his sins.
Gloomy weather always seemed to accompany events of unusual significance, as if the light novel author had deliberately imposed environmental effects to enhance the atmosphere, or was it just an over-interpretation by readers of the originally blue curtains?
In any case, under this sky that felt like the end of the world, Kurokawa Iori was born in the delivery room of Kyoto City Third People’s Hospital.
Compared to a young boy, well, if his appearance back then could even be called a young boy.
Compared to the fact that Kurokawa Iori possessed self-awareness right from birth, perhaps the more terrifying thing for Kurokawa Iori’s birth mother was that after giving birth to a child from her body in such a dangerous manner, she discovered that the flesh and blood emerging from her body was a monster with no facial features except for a mouth filled with sharp teeth!
Kurokawa’s mother, who had already lost a lot of vital energy due to childbirth, fainted directly after seeing her child’s appearance.
And logically speaking, the doctors and nurses in the hospital should have been quite calm. After all, for them with rich experience in this area, encountering a few gifted individuals who displayed abilities from birth during labor was not particularly uncommon.
Gifted individuals were always the term used for infants who exhibited ability traits from birth. In this world filled with supernatural powers, some exceptionally gifted people might already display the characteristics of their abilities at birth, even before their adolescent development was complete, such as having a small foot on their head or a small tail on their buttocks.
And the most commendable gifted individual in hero history was the fire user [Flaming Emperor], who lived in the same era as [Thundery]. It was said that when he was born, flames ignited all over his body for several minutes after his skin came into contact with the air, even slightly bending the iron bed frame.
The achievements of this powerful hero later reached a level that many heroes strived for and used as a benchmark for their efforts.
However, for the doctors and nurses, whose eyes were now filled with terror, a common question probably lingered in their minds.
Could this thing, with a head that only had a mouth and a body composed of disgusting tentacles, truly be called human?
…
The misfortune of a miserable person always runs through their entire life.
And for Kurokawa Iori, his misfortune should have begun the moment he was born.
With the intelligence he possessed from birth, he experienced the death of his birth mother due to bleeding caused by shock, was labeled a monster and resented by his birth father, and finally was confined to a laboratory for endless observation and analysis.
Although the final conclusion only proved that the series of changes in his body was caused by the premature awakening of his abilities.
Perhaps Kurokawa Iori should have realized at that time that the man who took him home from the laboratory had never looked at him as his own flesh and blood with those cold eyes.
He confined himself to the storage room of the house, feeding himself with leftovers, and punishing himself with cold water and sticks every few days, viciously cursing the freak who caused his wife’s death.
In the end, this freak, who would not make a sound no matter how much they beat him, could no longer satisfy or vent the man’s anger. The man essentially gave up beating the unresponsive pile of rotten flesh.
Young Kurokawa Iori’s heart was simple. Having already gained intelligence, he knew that his mother’s death was largely his fault, and his father’s hatred towards him was completely understandable.
If beating and scolding him could make his father feel a little better, then let him atone in this way.
Time could always dilute everything. The man who had endured the pain of losing his wife eventually suppressed his grief in his heart under the washing of time and lived his life like a walking corpse. The only thing that remained unchanged was Kurokawa Iori, who was still locked in the storage room.
Young Kurokawa Iori’s heart was also very small, so small that it was just enough to fill the storage room of less than ten square meters. In his innocence, he thought that the man abandoning the beatings was his forgiveness. Believing he had received his father’s forgiveness, he experienced the emotion called “joy” for the first time.
And the time that excited him the most every day was lunchtime, not only because he could occasionally eat delicious vegetables but also because it was the few times he could see his father each day.
He originally thought that such happy and fulfilling days could last forever, until one day, his father, with an expression Kurokawa Iori had never seen before, appeared outside the storage room with a short boy.
The man, with a cigarette in his mouth, held a shovel and, as if casually disposing of garbage, put the monster on the ground into a rope and cloth bag. He then took the boy who had newly appeared beside him into his car, and like all fathers taking their children on an outing, they embarked on a picnic trip together.
The man then casually dumped the trash bag from the car trunk into a river in some wilderness. He returned to the car and took out various foods he had never seen before from the back seat, offering them to the boy who was sitting quietly on the mat. The expression on the man’s face was one Kurokawa Iori had never seen before, warm, yet also carrying a vaguely disgusting taste.
And in the last moment when the water flowed over the tongue sticking out of the cloth bag, the eyeball at the top clearly read the lip language of the man he considered his father calling out the name of the boy in front of him.
Kurokawa Iori.
…
The method of obtaining happiness is really simple, so simple that one only needs to extend their tentacles from their mouth, dig everything out, and then stuff themselves in.
In this regard, the difficulty is not much different from putting an elephant into a refrigerator; the truly important thing is just to take the first step.
Children’s possessiveness is pure and terrifying, but also very effective, isn’t it?
After becoming Kurokawa Iori, or rather, since he had no name to begin with, he probably could only choose to use the name Kurokawa Iori.
From then on, Kurokawa Iori began to enjoy everything he had never imagined: food that was indescribably delicious, TV programs that were infinitely more exciting than the world outside the storage room window, and also, the disgusting care accompanied by a smile on his father’s face.
The game called family affection is quite boring, especially when you see through its hypocritical nature.
The price of precociousness is to see through everything earlier. And Kurokawa Iori, possessing intelligence from birth, was only momentarily immersed in this lie called family affection before quickly emerging from this boring game.
He himself could not remember exactly when that was.
Perhaps it was the last glint of malice in his father’s eyes when he looked at a photo of his deceased wife, or when he realized that everything about him was only due to the outer skin, or perhaps when he personally demonstrated his abilities to his father?
The aftermath of pleasure is always desolation, even for the family affection that is called the warmest harbor in the world.
Because Kurokawa Iori knew that all of this, from beginning to end, did not belong to him, did not belong to the core of his monster-like body.
And the external skin? It could be changed whenever he wanted.
Later, Kurokawa Iori experienced many lives, whether it was a glamorous star on stage, a respected official, or even a king ruling a country, he had experienced corresponding [skins].
The more he enjoyed such lives and felt the respected gazes, the more he realized that some things were probably destined a long time ago.
His world might truly only be as big as that ten-square-meter storage room.
Until one day, a man emanating black mist all over his body appeared before him. He easily tore apart the shell outside him, but only looked at him with firm yet peaceful eyes.
“We need you.”
This was probably the reason why Kurokawa Iori finally chose to join [Shadow]. There were no reasons of deep-seated hatred, nor was it a savior needed by villains to redeem the wicked. There was only a simple need and equal treatment. That man regarded him as his own kind, and that was enough.
Kurokawa Iori himself did not understand why, after experiencing so many things, he would recall so much of his past because of a few short words from a distant girl.
But the burning emotions that the girl’s hood could not conceal were completely felt by him.
“A boring pretense?”
He sneered inwardly, and a wicked smile appeared on the corner of Kurokawa Iori’s lips. Perhaps even he himself would not believe that there were people who would praise him in such a state.
His legs, encased in a restrictive bodysuit, bent slightly, then pushed off forcefully, and he shot up into the air, leaping towards the direction of the girl.
The huge sound and Kurokawa Iori’s movements instantly attracted the attention of everyone present. Even those who were unable to move due to fear could not help but look at the figure in the air.
“Hiss—” “Bang—”
Then, the next moment, the tightly bound bodysuit seemed to be propped up by something. The tough outer skin emitted a chilling tearing sound, followed by a mass of grotesque, fleshy matter squeezing out from within.
A nauseating smell, so foul that it made one’s soul revolt, instantly permeated the entire space. Tentacles, arms, thighs, and even heads were assembled in a chaotic and disordered manner, creating an indescribable body shape.
Kurokawa Iori’s body also seemed to be compressed by space. As the restrictive suit expanded, it instantly swelled several times, looking like a disgusting mountain of flesh.
“Gag—” “Ugh, gag—”
The sounds of vomiting, rising one after another, immediately erupted in various parts of the factory. Even a brief glance at it sent a feeling of disgust from the depths of the soul that completely ignored the physical constraints, directly expressing the trembling from body to soul in the most direct way.
Some students with weaker mental strength nearby even fainted under the influence of the aura, only their bodies twitching and writhing unconsciously.
Looking somewhat vexed at the ugly body filled with screams and ancient, mad fear beneath him, Kurokawa Iori thought that if it weren’t for it growing on him, even he himself might not be able to tolerate this repulsive body.
Perhaps he had been temporarily blinded by this girl who loved to pretend, what was he even hoping for!
Even the man standing at the peak of darkness, whom he regarded as his own kind, could not directly face his body now expanded to this extent.
And how could a girl whose ability had only just awakened bear all of this?
A trace of regret flashed through his mind, and he briefly justified his rare irrational behavior before Kurokawa Iori decided to retract his exposed body.
This girl in front of him was definitely beyond saving and would go mad from shock like all his previous experimental subjects. However, the people beside her could still be saved. If all these newcomers were lost here, it would be troublesome to be blamed by Boss Kuromon.
With these thoughts in his mind, as Kurokawa Iori was about to retract his body, an unprecedented cold sensation came from below, disrupting his thoughts.
He turned his head in disbelief and saw a girl who was both familiar and strange.
Her hood, blown off by the blast wave, revealed her plain face filled with a cold aura. Her obsidian-like eyes, however, emitted an incredibly fervent glow, as if she were a fanatically chasing her favorite celebrity? Or a otaku who saw their favorite character’s model?
Kurokawa Iori found it difficult to describe his feelings at that moment, just as he couldn’t find words to describe its terrifying and grotesque body.
But undeniably, the girl in front of him possessed genuine emotions, to the point of being overwhelming for Kurokawa Iori, who had never experienced anything like it?
A slight tremor was transmitted from one of his tentacles. The girl’s hand was small and cool, even a bit unattractive, but the excited emotion was unreservedly conveyed to Kurokawa Iori’s heart.
The girl’s mouth opened slightly, seemingly nervous because the “monster” in front of her had arrived, but it was a nervous tension tinged with excitement.
Finally, she firmly and resolutely grasped the tentacle that had just reached in front of her, and looked up at Kurokawa Iori, who was much taller than her.
“Lord Shell… May I be so bold as to ask, could you take a photo with me later?”
(PS: I don’t know why, but recently I’ve been writing 4k chapters when I intend to write 2k, what the hell, Yugan.)
