"The worst of souls are in hell, and the worst of hell is on Earth."
All dark.
All silent.
Only a single thing was visible in the utter darkness.
A metal chain.
It was no ordinary-sized chain. It was tremendous—large enough to hold up an entire continent.
This chain hung in the abyss, with no sight of its start or end.
As the chain went deeper and deeper, an orange glow became noticeable.
Soon, the silence of the abyss broke—faint screaming echoed.
The several-kilometre-long chain finally reached an end.
It was holding up an enormous cauldron—the size of multiple cities.
The orange glow poured from inside it.
Within the cauldron boiled an ocean of lava.
And inside that lava were...
Humans.
Their naked bodies were nothing but nerves, screaming in agony as they sank and floated in the molten ocean.
"Someone save me!!"
"I want to go home!!!"
"Forgive me!!! It hurts!! It hurts!!"
They shrieked, struggling not to drown.
But while they screamed, one man sat silently at the edge of the cauldron.
One of his eye sockets was hollow. Most of his face and hair had melted away. Only his brown right eye remained, gazing weakly at the others.
"Annoying as hell," he muttered. "These fucking idiots have been in this ocean for years and still struggle. They act like they can die from this lava."
I used to scream too, he thought. But I realized it just drains stamina faster. And the faster that goes, the sooner I sink—and the worse it burns down there.
He looked up.
The top of the cauldron wasn't even visible.
His gaze shifted to two women swimming toward the wall. They touched it—and instantly, their hands melted off. Their screams echoed as they sank.
"Yeah... I tried that too. Ended a bit less tragically for me," he muttered, staring at his three-fingered right hand.
Suddenly, winged, purple-skinned creatures descended with bowls of salt.
Long horns. Unhinged jaws. Spidery limbs.
They perched on the cauldron and poured salt down.
Screams intensified. Many sinners dove deeper into the lava, trying to escape.
The man clenched his jaw as salt scorched his own raw flesh.
What... what did I do to deserve this? Who was I before this? What was my name...?
He began to sink.
This pain... it's exhausting. If I just sleep, maybe I won't wake up. Or maybe I'll wake up somewhere worse.
His eyes closed.
I don't know who I am but...
I must've hated myself.
"The chain… grab it," a woman's voice whispered in his ear.
His eye twitched, but he didn't respond.
"I'm talking to you, sinner. Climb the chain. Escape this place," the female voice urged.
"Everything... too hot... will... melt off," he mumbled as his skin continued dissolving.
"Your skin might. But we can work around that."
Above, the monsters were laughing.
"Look at those pests squirming and begging!"
"They cry for mercy like I'm gonna help them!"
"Maybe their greatest sin was stupidity!"
"And what's yours?" the white-haired woman's voice cut through them.
The three monsters froze.
"Who the hell said that!?Another voice in the sin furnace!? Am i going mad!?"
"No, I heard it too!"
Then they looked up.
Floating above was a barefoot, pale-skinned woman with long white hair covering her eyes and a chilling smile. She wore a purple dress, arms behind her back.
"Who are you!? How did you get here!?"
Suddenly, one monster clutched his chest and screamed, plummeting into the lava.
Sinners swarmed his corpse, tearing into it.
The remaining two turned to the woman.
"What did you do!?"
"I don't do. I just watch," she giggled.
"You killed a hellspawn! Do you have any idea—"
"Messing with things is my nature. Forgive me, children."
"Let's throw her in the furnace!"
"I'm not in the mood to bathe. Maybe next time, boys~" she teased, flying off.
They chased after her in rage.
Back in the lava, the man kept sinking—his wounds grotesque.
"Wake up," her voice echoed again. "You've got a way out."
"Who the fuck are you...? Let me suffer in peace," he muttered.
"Make an effort or spend eternity here. Your choice."
His eye opened.
"How... how can I escape?"
"The answer's at the surface. Now go. Before it's too late."
He began swimming upward, pushing through lava.
His foot—just bone. Ribs visible.
How am I even alive...? This place only wants us to suffer.
At the surface, he saw sinners brawling over something.
He got close—shoved away.
Diving beneath, he spotted it: the monster's half-eaten corpse. Missing an arm. Half its face gone.
He grabbed the leg and pulled it down with him.
It's not melting. Why?
"Wear it and climb out, dear."
"W-What!?"
"You want to get out or not?"
"But... the walls can't be climbed!"
"Climb them."
"GET HIM! HE STOLE OUR FOOD!"
A mob swam toward him.
"You can still die here—just not by lava. Only by another sinner. So kill them. Make them your ladder."
"T-There's too many!"
"They're older, weaker, limbless. You're stronger. So fight. Escape or die. Either way—it's a win."
He gulped.
Can I really escape...?
"Stop thinking. Start acting."
He clenched his fists. Sinners closed in.
He punched one—broke her jaw.
Another lunged. He snapped their neck and tossed them aside.
A flurry of blows followed.
He blocked, countered, smashed faces, broke bones, roared in defiance.
One sinner got behind—choked him.
Bit his ear off.
Others joined in, pummeling him.
Teeth broken. Rib cracked. Jaw dislocated.
"We eat this bastard first!"
Someone bit his shoulder.
He screamed.
"What a waste," the woman's voice sighed. "Thought you were worth something."
He snapped.
Bit a throat. Crushed skulls. Headbutted. Ripped limbs. Used heads as weapons.
I won't die here.
I can't.
Hundreds swam at him.
He screamed—and fought them all.
6 HOURS LATER
The man floated, head down.
Right arm missing. Body torn.
Hundreds of corpses surrounded him.
"What a performance, my dear. No wonder I chose you," the voice cooed.
His eye closed. He sank.
Just let me rest...
Corpses surrounded him as he descended deeper.
"Don't worry. I'll do the rest. You've earned your sleep."
Near the bottom, the white-haired woman appeared below him—arms gently wrapping around his limp body.
She began swimming up.
And with her—millions of corpses began rising.
"Your suffering isn't over, my dear.
From this moment on...
You'll start paying the real price for your sins."