He couldn’t believe it. The crushed and bloodstained white bird with a missing wing had its eyes closed. It neither moved nor breathed.
Clone 2 dazedly turned to the sky.
– Diiinnnnggg–!
A sound of a bell ringing noisily in his ears,
The world wobbling in his sight,
In front of the lonely corpse of the white bird placed in the midst of all that, Clone 2 had no idea what he was supposed to do.
It was then. Clusters of information began flooding into his empty mind.
<A [Personality] is an existence that supports the target existence by conveying relevant information of the authority.>
<You have discovered the inheritance left behind by the [Personality] of the Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)].>
<Information about the killer of the Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)]’s [Personality] will be revealed.>
<Records of [Hostility] and the [Great Hostility] completed by [Vintage Clock (EX)] will be disclosed.>
<The final words of [Vintage Clock (EX)] will be conveyed.>
Among those, the first he saw was the one with the least amount of information disclosure.
Firstly, details of the one who killed Vintage Clock started flowing into the mind of the clone like an illusion. Flying through the air, Vintage Clock turned around and looked at the one enveloped in golden light.
The outsider who had infiltrated the clock tower (Vintage Clock’s workshop) used its golden radiance like outstretched tentacles to grab the white bird. It then crushed its body.
At the same time, the golden pillar of light murmured to itself.
‘That’s why you should have listened to my orders.’
‘You shouldn’t have trusted the authority that much. Did you think you would live forever or something?’
‘It’s possible if you push your own self to the brinks of death. Seems you didn’t know that, did you? You foolish birdbrain.’
‘I’ve been waiting for you to be weakened.’
After it disappeared,
The fractured bird raised its body and started crawling. It fell, and fell over and over again. Powerlessly and with much difficulty, the bird headed to the ‘cuckoo’s nest’.
Watching all that happen was the golden existence. Soon, the existence locked the clock tower from inside and broke the hour hand after leaving through the doors of the cuckoo.
Clone 2 panted in an attempt to soothe his surging fury. It felt as if someone was using a blender to shred his brain; as if the world was shattering like glass windows.
He was about to go crazy from anger. In the literal sense of the word, he could feel himself going crazy and losing his mind.
He couldn’t collect his breath and could only feel clogs of blood dizzying his sight. Even though he didn’t know what that existence was, one thing was certain.
That guy killed the white bird.
That motherfucking trash of a bastard was the one that killed the white bird.
“Haak…”
Clone 2 clasped his chest. His mind was already turning blank but thinking of what now had to be done added boulders of pressure to his stifled heart.
Vintage Clock was murdered.
How was he supposed to tell him that?
– Diinngg—!
After the last sound of the bell, when the cuckoo’s nest gradually returned to the clock tower.
“U, uhuk, uhbb…”
Unable to hold it in, Clone 2 vomited outside the nest.
The clone knew Yu Jitae’s life had been a repetition of misery. Even though no-one in the world might know about it, that was definitely not the case for Clone 2, an existence created based on the memories of Yu Jitae.
For a very long time he had been by himself and very lonely. The only existence that could understand him was the Vintage Clock. Vintage Clock was his sweet orange tree; the only one he could depend and rest on.
The Joseon dynasty lasted 519 years, and Goryeo 475. The years Yu Jitae had lived was longer than the addition of those two dynasties.
All that time was full of suffering and despair.
Despite the countless abandonments, countless failures and unfathomably long years of pain, who was it that soothed Yu Jitae, raised him up and helped him live?
It was none other than Vintage Clock, was it not?
If so, then how could he, the clone, as someone who knew the entirety of the man’s history…
How was he possibly supposed to…
Tell him all this stuff…?
“Uhk, uhp… Uuugkk—”
Thus, Clone 2 had to vomit for a long time and wipe his endlessly flowing tears. His empty mind turned completely blank as the clone wiped his mouth, discarded his clothes and crawled on his knees to the centre of the nest. He then raised the dead white bird into his arms.
He looked down at the tiny white bird resting on his arm.
From the very first moment of his birth, the clone had received his memories.
Even though every breathing moment of his life was nothing but despair, those times where he would at least give an empty smile were all those spent together with the white bird.
Tears bursted out again and he just couldn’t stop them. The young Yu Jitae apologised to the old and wounded Yu Jitae.
“I’m sorry… I’m, I’m sorry…”
Because despite all that, he couldn’t stay silent.
“Sorry……”
He had to convey the truth.
***
Standing still, Oscar gazed at the sky. The long session of questions and responses had come to an end.
[In consideration of the responses to the raised doubts, I shall proclaim the final conclusion.]
Within that world of wobbling ambience of light, he quietly despaired before even hearing the conclusion.
[The defendant, Yu Jitae, has ruined six iterations due to his incompetence, and has hunted several sovereings of other dimensions in that process. Thus, he has indirectly influenced the dimensions outside Providence, invoking an uncertain element referred to as ‘Hostility’ that tainted the 7th iteration’s Providence.]
Oscar glanced at Yu Jitae, who still had his eyes closed.
[Even if the baby dragons caught in the disjointment of dimensions are to return home, the ‘Hostility’ will not disappear. The polluted earth will continue killing the planted seeds out of our control, and we have thus come to the conclusion that the filth must be removed.]
Suddenly, Oscar started finding himself laughable for telling him to stay still. If he knew it was such a disgusting event with a predestined outcome, he would have taken a different route.
[We do not wish to reside in limited, insignificant, veiled and sloven Providence. Any uncertainty must be accurately severed and therefore, I as the strict Punisher will assign the final sentence.]
“…”
With a myriad of emotions filling his heart, Oscar heaved a deep sigh – disappointment that he had let Yu Jitae down; frustration of having all of his preparations rendered worthless; powerlessness as an attorney and all those added under the name of despair.
[Hereon, the ‘Temple of Providence’ will sever the 7th iteration of the defendant, Yu Jitae.]
Due to all those negative emotions, he was glued to the ground unable to proceed. Unable to respond, he remained silent and his eyes that were unable to gaze up slowly came to a close.
His eyes no longer had to see the nauseating world of golden light.
[Additionally, the 8th iteration will begin in consideration of his involvement in Providence. However, the Temple of Providence will promise utmost support in the 8th iteration… The Keeper of the Clock may start your closing argument… for your… final defence…]
Sound was being cut off within the darkness.
Oscar thought to himself – maybe it was because he existed currently as a concept, that feeling despair was scattering his senses.
[…What are you doing.]
But no, that was wrong. Oscar widened his eyes.
The crimson face of the Punisher was facing them with abundant killing intent. In surprise, Oscar looked away from that glare and coincidentally glanced at Yu Jitae’s face.
“…”
There was no expression on his face; only his eyes were half open. The sharpness in his gaze was the same as usual and the white parts of his eye beneath the iris were also the same.
However, Oscar had a strange feeling the moment he looked at those eyes. It felt as if he was looking into the eyes of a corpse, not a living human.
Yu Jitae appeared dead in his eyes.
In alignment with the bursting explosion of the Punisher’s light, Yu Jitae’s black pupils contracted. Seeing that, Oscar felt goosebumps. Something dead was moving… that was the impression he received.
[I have asked what it is that you are doing, Keeper of the Clock.]
Oscar finally realised that Yu Jitae was spreading something into the entirety of the Temple of Providence. The aura wasn’t being omitted intentionally, so it took time for him to notice it as a human with a volitional mind.
Yu Jitae had seized the Temple.
That was when his pale lips cracked open.
“I will start my final defence.”
A weird voice resembling that of a stiff broomstick scraping past the dry asphalt left his mouth.
“First. You said I was incompetent, but looks like you guys are not that omnipotent either.”
Oscar widened his eyes.
What was he talking about?
At the same time, the Judges also started whispering to themselves in befuddlement.
“This is not my seventh life. I have lived at least a thousand and six hundred lives from what I remember. Same for the number of regressions.”
“What are you talking about, you wretched human!”
“I thought about why all of you and this man here were considering this my seventh life like it is a matter of fact. It seems Vintage Clock’s personality had left behind a separate record. You were hostile to the personality with no mutual communication. The personality distanced itself from you; that explains why you wouldn’t know about this.”
His dry voice continued pouring out words without any intonation, which increased the confusion of those listening.
“Second. My defence about Hostility. I do not know. And what.”
[Keeper of the Clock. How dare you try to play with words at this sacred temple?]
“Third. My opinion on uncertainty is the same as yours. The 7th iteration has been damaged. It is unclear how Hostility will act even if the baby dragons are to return home.”
[…]
Silence was hovering over the crowd. The existences inside the authority were feeling their discomfort rising up as killing intent. They were listening because of how absurd everything was, but the real reason they couldn’t punish him was because of the strange aura permeating across the Temple. It was a gloomy, sticky and unpleasant aura…
…That somehow stimulated their inner fear.
“But I do not agree with severing the 7th iteration.”
[That is the conclusion drawn after the appropriate procedures of the public trial.]
“And how is that any important, when I don’t want to.”
Their killing intents were growing bigger and bigger as their emotions exceeded confusion into the realms of anger. The lights of the Judges were increasingly becoming brighter and the Punisher’s killing intent was enormous enough to squeeze Oscar’s heart.
“Kuhk…” Oscar fell with his hand gripping his chest as he then shivered like an epileptic patient.
However, Yu Jitae was still gazing at the sky with the same hazy expression.
“It is now time for you to defend yourselves.”
[What do you mean?]
“There is an existence out of the 12 Judges here, that murdered the Vintage Clock’s personality.”
His words were met with sudden shouts, ‘What blasphemy is this!’ ‘This insolent human!’. Without listening to their words, Yu Jitae continued.
“Since you all share the same power within the World of Providence, someone must have been jealous. That must be why the personality distanced itself and didn’t allow you to enter the workshop. That’s why you opened a different door of the clock tower to kill the white bird inside.”
He apathetically continued his explanation.
“My subordinate has found the corpse inside the clock tower and that has just been relayed. It’s one of you shrewd ones that stopped the hour hand of the clock and killed Vintage Clock’s personality while it was weakened by the 30 second gap. And now you’re blaming it on me.”
Yu Jitae manipulated his authority. Seemingly due to having their own doubts, they couldn’t reply to his question – actually, they might be replying to him right now.
“Start your defence.”
In fact, Yu Jitae had been unable to neither see nor hear anything for a while at this point. Even though things were entering his sight, he had no idea what he was looking at, and he couldn’t interpret the sounds even though his ears were picking them up.
“What is wrong with that! It was nothing but an attempt to remove an unnecessary existence from the Temple of Providence.”
“Oi…!”
“Don’t stop me! Did you ask who did it? Well. I didn’t do it, but what if I did, huh? What can you do there with all your limbs restricted? How dare you damn mortal do this in the Temple of—”
That was the end of their chance to defend themselves.
There was no reason to listen any further.
“Are you really a judge? Do you dare say you have the right to inflict punishment?” Yu Jitae interjected.
Since they were under the impression that he had only lived 7 lives, they had a wrong understanding about his power. That was why they were using such a sloppy device to restrict him.
“I’ve always thought that only the qualified ones may assign punishment.”
Yu Jitae reached out.
The mana restricting him – those nails of the cross started to tear apart.
Rip–
Hearing that, the Judges all turned their dumbstruck eyes to him. With another tearing noise, the ropes binding his legs started to shatter.
“Impossible!”
“H, how in the…”
Their astonished voices echoed in vain.
[Bridle]
This device in the human world would be considered either a Level 7, or a Level 8 artifact. It was an equipment that completely restricted an existence that could forever lock them down after being applied once.
Even the chief of a dragon tribe wouldn’t be able to move after being restricted by this device.
Tuduk, tududuk–
And yet here, Yu Jitae was tearing it down.
“But if an unqualified one may also assign punishment–”
Trepidation and astonishment spread apart like scorching embers. Everyone inside the courtroom was astonished including Oscar Brzenk.
He said after destroying the [Bridle].
“Then I will punish you.”