Chapter 43: The Crimson Full Moon
The moment the Thousand Poisons Old Demon collapsed, I dropped to the floor as well.
“Haa... haa....”
The poison from the Purple Blood Destruction Palm was tangling with my internal energy inside my body.
My arms and legs trembled as though they no longer belonged to me.
Then murmurs spread through the stone chamber.
“The... Thousand Poisons Old Demon...?”
“...Impossible....”
The people who had been fighting moments ago stopped and stared at me with frozen expressions.
Shock.
Disbelief.
Both were written plainly across their faces.
Hyeongwon and Yu Seola were no different.
“H-Han Mujin....”
“...Senior Brother Mujin.”
Three of the Thousand Poisons Old Demon's subordinates who had been fighting the two of them began approaching me.
They looked shaken for a moment.
But they quickly regained their composure.
“...The Thousand Poisons Old Demon is dead.”
The man in front muttered expressionlessly.
Another subordinate beside him casually shrugged.
“He must've let his guard down because the kid was young.”
He sounded almost indifferent.
“It doesn't matter if he dies anyway.”
“Our mission was to secure the materials.”
The third man glanced at me.
“This one was hit by the Purple Blood Destruction Palm too.”
“He'll be finished soon.”
“Kill him quickly and move the materials.”
Their conversation made suspicion flash through my mind.
What the hell?
Why aren't they shaken by the Thousand Poisons Old Demon's death?
It was bizarre.
They spoke as though his death had nothing to do with them.
Their leader had died...
yet I couldn't sense the slightest emotional change from them.
Is there... someone else behind the Thousand Poisons Old Demon?
An unsettling suspicion began crawling through my chest.
But I had no time to keep thinking.
“We should finish him quickly.”
One of them raised his weapon.
“Looks like Kunlun has already caught our scent.”
The jackals aiming for my life were approaching.
“Ghk....”
I forced my trembling body upright.
Every breath sent a gnawing pain through the deepest part of my lungs.
The poison from the Purple Blood Destruction Palm was invading my organs.
But I couldn't collapse here.
I have to survive.
And I have to save those two.
I couldn't fall.
I had to struggle.
Claw my way forward.
And save my companions.
I raised my sword.
My hand trembled so badly that the blade shook.
But strangely...
my mind grew clearer.
One of the men sneered.
“You're stubborn.”
“Wouldn't it be easier to just give up?”
I shouted at them.
“Come...!”
One of them charged.
A sword filled with sharp killing intent flew toward my neck.
I swung with everything I had.
CLANG!
The instant our swords collided...
blood surged up my throat.
My body couldn't endure circulating internal energy while poison ravaged me from within.
I forced the blood back down and pushed forward.
“AAAAAAAH!”
My sword thrust out from my desperately clenched hand.
STAB!
The blade pierced straight through the enemy's throat.
He died instantly and collapsed.
I gasped for breath.
“Haa... haa....”
I barely kept my swaying body upright and glared at the remaining two.
“One....”
Then I raised my blood-covered sword.
“Two left.”
Their expressions twisted.
“That... lunatic....”
“He's practically dead already... how is he still moving?”
I answered by charging.
CLANG! CLANG! KLANG!
The sounds of weapons colliding echoed throughout the chamber.
I poured every ounce of strength I had into each technique.
Slash.
“Ghk!”
My blade cut through the second man's throat.
But at the same time...
the final enemy's blade sank deep into my shoulder.
“Die, you stubborn bastard!”
“Ghk...!”
Blood sprayed.
My vision turned red.
Just before collapsing...
I squeezed out the last of my strength and thrust my sword forward.
STAB!
My blade buried itself in the final enemy's abdomen.
“This... this crazy...”
He stared at me as though unable to believe what had happened.
That was the end.
Blood spilled from his mouth.
His head dropped.
“Haa... haa... haa....”
Harsh breaths kept tearing from my throat.
There was no strength left in my legs.
No...
I can't collapse here....
I turned my head.
Hyeongwon and Yu Seola were still surrounded.
Both of them were covered in blood.
Three corpses lay around them.
They appeared to be subordinates of the Thousand Poisons Old Demon.
But seven enemies still remained.
Hyeongwon's arm trembled around his spear.
Yu Seola was breathing heavily as well.
Both looked close to their limits.
I have to help them....
If this continues... they'll die.
I tried to force my body toward them.
Then...
“Ghk...!”
A sharp pain suddenly stabbed into the back of my side.
My body lurched.
I instinctively turned around.
Damn... he was still alive...?
It was the subordinate whose abdomen I had pierced moments ago.
Using the last of his strength...
he twisted the dagger in his hand and shoved it deeper into me.
“...Come with me... Kunlun bastard....”
I tried to raise my sword.
But there was no strength in my arm.
My body wouldn't obey me anymore.
I collapsed onto the floor.
And the blade meant to end my life drew closer.
The man looked down at me with a bloody smile.
“...Heh... die....”
He raised the dagger in a reverse grip.
Its blood-red tip filled my fading vision.
Maybe I had lost too much blood.
I couldn't even react.
I didn't have enough strength to dodge.
All I could do was stare blankly at the blade of death descending toward me.
Damn it...
Is this really how it ends?
The dagger was about to pierce my forehead when...
