Chapter 119

Shnk!

A sharp tingle ran through my fingertips—a familiar sensation I’d felt thousands, even tens of thousands of times before.

It went in.

The instant I was certain, I twisted the dagger buried in Pung Yang’s side. A scream burst from his mouth.

“Graaaargh!”

The dagger itself must have hurt like hell, but the strike had also inflicted a serious internal injury. His Body-Protecting Qi scattered like smoke before it could fully form, proving as much.

That was close.

Pung Yang’s instincts were no joke. If the dagger hadn’t pierced him in that split second before his Body-Protecting Qi formed, I would have been the one in trouble.

“Guh!”

Pung Yang spat out dark blood and reached out with one arm. In that instant, a flash of light burst from inside his pitch-black sleeve.

Shweeeeeek!

I instantly stepped back and tilted my head back. A throwing knife shot from Pung Yang’s sleeve and narrowly grazed the bridge of my nose.

That was dangerous.

If I hadn’t stepped back, it would have struck my throat instead of my nose.

I’d only managed to dodge because I’d already seen Pung Yang use throwing knives. I stuck out my tongue and licked up the blood trickling down my nose.

“Thanks. I was thirsty anyway.”

“You little rat bastard…!”

Pung Yang backed away and ground his teeth.

“Was this your plan from the beginning?”

“Yeah. Hurts, doesn’t it?”

“Just wait. I’ll pay you back a hundredfold.”

“There’s no need to go that far between friends. You can keep it.”

“Grrrrrgh!”

Teasing him was surprisingly satisfying. It would have been nice if he dropped dead from rage, but I doubted I’d get that lucky.

It was a good opportunity.

I’d succeeded in drawing Pung Yang in with Taunt, but I’d failed to finish him off. Even after taking the Blazing Flame Divine Pill, there was still a huge gap between us.

And more importantly—

This is getting rough.

My entire body was hot as a furnace. The thirty years of Scorching Yang Qi that I hadn’t been able to control from the beginning was now running wild of its own accord.

It would have been touch and go even if I’d tried to suppress it with my existing internal energy, but I’d fought Pung Yang at close quarters with the reins completely off, and my condition was steadily worsening.

Damn it. I wish it had been a Temporary Strength Pill instead of the Blazing Flame Divine Pill.

The two pills had been created for entirely different purposes.

Was the Temporary Strength Pill a stimulant that temporarily awakened latent power and raised it to its limit? To put it simply, the difference was like that between traditional herbal medicine and a stimulant.

Does that bastard not have any side effects? He’s still disgustingly lively.

I was looking at Pung Yang with a trace of envy when—

“Cough.”

Oh? What was this?

As Pung Yang coughed, the whites of his eyes showed for an instant.

His eyes had been completely blood-red the entire time. No matter how I thought about it, there could only be one reason for this change.

The Temporary Strength Pill is wearing off.

Pung Yang was flustered. He immediately recognized the abnormal signs appearing in his body.

Already?

The Temporary Strength Pill’s effect lasted a little over one shichen. Yet now, after barely half a shichen had passed, the power that had been surging through his entire body was gradually fading.

Fatigue he hadn’t felt before pressed heavily down on his shoulders, and pain that had seemed distant began to prick at his nerves.

“Cough.”

On top of that, he had suffered a considerable internal injury.

Pung Yang bit his lip at the dark-red blood mixed into his cough.

I’ve expended too much strength.

The Temporary Strength Pill was a wondrous object that could draw out twice, or even more than twice, the strength a person possessed—but it demanded an equal price.

In exchange for temporarily granting tremendous power, it weakened the body’s physical abilities. If the user’s body could not support it, the effect would disappear.

Taking Temporary Strength Pills back-to-back was the problem.

First the Tiger of Mount Heng, Cheol Mubaek, and then these young brats from the Jin Family of Taiyuan. Without the pills, Pung Yang would have died long ago, but he knew their price and feared the backlash.

At this rate, the effects will last no more than one meal’s time…

He had to settle the battle within that time.

He must not use the last Temporary Strength Pill. Taking three in succession could put his life at risk.

“One meal’s time…”

Pung Yang muttered under his breath and glared at the remaining prey.

“That’s more than enough.”

The flash of white vanished as his eyes filled with blood-red light once more.

Had I imagined it?

When Pung Yang raised his head again, his eyes were red, and an overwhelming aura poured from his entire body.

“I’ll kill you with a single stroke.”

I watched his curved saber and opened my mouth.

“I thought you needed the martial arts formulas.”

“It doesn’t have to be you. Why do you think I went to the trouble of keeping Jin Mukyung alive?”

“Because you love him.”

“I swear by the gods of heaven and earth… I will cut out your tongue.”

Pung Yang raised his curved saber.

Shweeeeeek! Clang!

He caught the iron arrow that came flying at him with tremendous force and frowned.

“There’s no shortage of bastards eager to die. No, is it a bitch this time?”

The owner of the arrow slowly walked over and stood beside me. Her footsteps were light as down, and the top of her head barely reached my shoulder. Even in this desperate situation, her beauty was enough to steal my gaze for an instant.

Lee Seowol, Sect Leader of the Mount Heng Sword Sect, whispered to me.

“We’ll buy you some time.”

By we, she meant herself and the surviving martial artists of the Mount Heng Sword Sect.

There were only ten of them. Every one was a First Rate master, as one might expect of those who had survived such a brutal battle to the bitter end. But against Pung Yang, the outcome was obvious.

They’ll be wiped out.

How much time could they buy even if they stepped forward? They were more likely to get in my way. It was coldhearted, but that was reality.

I shook my head.

“That won’t change anything.”

“We’re not saying we’ll fight alongside you.”

“Then?”

“Take your brother and run.”

Pung Yang stood only a little over ten zhang—about thirty meters—away. No matter how quietly she spoke, there was no way a Peak master like him hadn’t heard her.

“What, run? Hahahaha!”

Lee Seowol ignored his booming laughter and continued.

“It may only be for a fleeting moment, but we’ll buy you time. Run as far away as you can.”

I looked toward the fortress gate. It was about one hundred zhang—three hundred meters—from here. Just beyond it were Wolhwa, Hyuk Mujin, and the horses waiting to carry us away.

It’s worth a try.

I was already suffering internal injuries from the Blazing Flame Divine Pill, but I could still endure them to some extent. If I squeezed out every last bit of strength I had, I might be able to escape even while carrying Jin Mukyung on my back.

But…

They’ll die.

Every last one of them. Not a single exception.

Lee Seowol herself was included in that we. She had stepped forward prepared to die as well.

Why?

The Mount Heng Sword Sect and the Jin Family of Taiyuan were bitter enemies. Even if they had been manipulated by the Head Elder’s schemes, they had killed one another, and both sides had shed a great deal of blood.

And yet Lee Seowol was trying to save me.

Even if it meant sacrificing her life and the lives of her subordinates.

“You don’t need to look at us like that. I reached this conclusion after careful consideration. In return, may I ask you for one thing?”

I asked her,

“What is it?”

Avenge us in our place.

Lee Seowol stared coldly at Pung Yang.

Kill that bastard. As cruelly as possible.

Ten people were throwing away their lives for one person’s death.

I could feel the hatred Lee Seowol held in every word. As I stood there speechless, Pung Yang, who had been watching us with a mocking smile, opened his mouth.

You’ve come up with quite the bold idea, but it won’t happen. You’ll all bury your bones here.

One of the Mount Heng martial artists shouted.

“Shut up, you vicious bastard!”

Thwack!

The next instant, the martial artist’s head snapped back. The iron arrow Pung Yang had been holding was embedded in his forehead.

“Senior Brother!”

As the belated scream rang out, Pung Yang smiled.

“I was just about out of throwing knives… Thank you, Sect Leader.”

Lee Seowol bit her lip.

“Go! Hurry!”

I took a deep breath. I had already mapped out every step in my head.

Jin Mukyung lay only about twenty zhang—sixty meters—away. If I drew up as much internal energy as possible and ran with him on my back, enduring the internal injuries, I could reach the fortress gate in no time.

Pung Yang might catch up by then, but if they bought me just a little more time, I could survive.

I can go back.

Back to the Jin Family of Taiyuan, where Jin Wikyung was. Back home, where my mother and Hayeon were waiting.

If I lived to fight another day, I was confident I could return far stronger—strong enough to make Pung Yang look insignificant.

That’s enough.

I drew another deep breath and turned toward Lee Seowol.

“I’ll avenge you. I swear.”

For the briefest instant, I thought she smiled.

Perhaps I imagined it. The moment passed too quickly, and when I looked again, only firm resolve remained on her face.

“Go. Hurry.”

Her words were the starting signal. The Mount Heng martial artists charged with furious shouts, Lee Seowol at the front.

Yes. I have to go.

I drew up every last bit of internal energy in my body. Sharp pain tore through me as the internal injuries left by the Scorching Yang Qi sent dark-red blood flowing from my nose, but I endured it.

It only had to last a moment. A very brief moment.

Inventory open. Equip spear.

The cool shaft settled into my grip.

Then I pushed off the ground once.

Boom.

I shot forward like an arrow—no, faster than an arrow.

Not toward Jin Mukyung.

Toward Pung Yang.

I could see his broad smile.

“That’s more like it!”

“Shut up, you son of a bitch.”

“Ha-ha-ha-ha!”

Pung Yang’s curved saber was larger than ever before. Brimming with red saber qi, it swung toward me.

Whoooosh!

The wind exploded, and even the air seemed to vanish.

I gripped the iron spear hard enough to crush it.

Please. Just this once.

I poured all fifteen years of my internal energy into the spear. Drawing my shoulder and waist as far back as they would go, I sent everything I had flying forward.

One Annihilation.

Rumble-rumble-rumble!

The immense saber qi collided with the vortex.

A thunderous roar filled the world, as though the sky itself were splitting apart. Through the raging wind, I saw it clearly.

Kaboom!

The white vortex shattered into pieces before the red saber qi. The massive concentration of qi completely pulverized One Annihilation.

Pung Yang whispered with an ecstatic expression,

“This is as far as you go.”

The next instant, Pung Yang’s internal energy surged along the spear and slammed into me.

Boom!

Blinding pain and ringing ears rolled over me like waves.

Ding.

System

• You have suffered Internal Injury! Your condition is extremely serious!
• Scorching Yang Qi is running wild!
• You have suffered a Severe Injury! All stats have dropped significantly!

The System notifications rang out one after another, mingling with the Mount Heng martial artists’ shouts, Lee Seowol’s scream, and Pung Yang’s laughter.

It’s over.

The instant my legs gave out despite my will, a powerful hand clamped around my throat.

“Guh. Guhh.”

“That was fairly impressive. If I’d been even a moment slower, you might have won.”

Pung Yang bared his teeth in a grin. The red light in his eyes was slowly fading.

Damn it. I was so damn close.

I wanted to say it aloud, but my mouth was full of blood, making even that difficult.

“I swore by the gods of heaven and earth, didn’t I? I swore I’d pull out your tongue.”

Had he said that? By now, I could barely remember who I was.

Pung Yang pried open my mouth with his other hand. His rough fingers seized my blood-soaked tongue and pulled.

“Ghh…”

“When you were running that mouth, didn’t you know this would happen? Huh?”

“Ghaa… hahahaa.”

“Hahaha! What the hell are you babbling about? Shall I let you say your last words?”

Pung Yang laughed heartily and released my tongue. Only then could I speak. I swallowed the blood in my mouth and said,

“Salty.”

“What?”

Damn salty.

“What kind of bullshit is that?”

What do you think?

I’m saying the taste of your fingers brought me back to my senses a little.

Half-conscious, I muttered,

Inventory open. Summon anything.

Ding.

System

• No item named Anything can be found. The oldest item stored in your inventory will be summoned first.
• The Unnamed Sword has been summoned.

The Unnamed Sword? What was that again?

Whatever.

I gathered the last of my strength and thrust the sword in my hand at Pung Yang’s chest, shrouded in Body-Protecting Qi.

It was a futile last-ditch attack with an obvious conclusion.

Damn Body-Protecting Qi.

But this was enough.

I had no regrets left.

It was at that moment, as my head slowly drooped—

Shnk!

Ding.

System

• The Unnamed Sword has satisfied a specific condition.
• Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron has destroyed Body-Protecting Qi.

…Huh?