Chapter 148: If I Feel Like I’m Dying
Chapter 148: If I Feel Like I’m Dying
I steeled my resolve.
With a formidable enemy before me, I couldn't afford to worry about the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon. I had to focus entirely on my own battle. I had to trust him. Instead, my attention remained partially fixed on Yang Cheo-gi.
He was the type to slink into the shadows and launch a surprise attack the moment an opening appeared.
Strange Demon donned gloves fitted with blades that split like skeletal fingers. It was his signature weapon: the Sky-Falling Flying Claws. The eerie, blue gleam shimmering along the edges was bone-chilling.
“Let’s see if your blade can keep up with your mouth,” Strange Demon hissed.
The moment he finished speaking, the air exploded into motion.
Kaaak! Kak! Kaaaak!
The Sky-Falling Flying Claws tore through the air, emitting a bizarre, shrill whistling sound. It was an attack designed to shred flesh and bone with the slightest graze.
I shifted into the footwork of the Dark Shadow Step and launched my counter-assault.
Clang! Clang! Cling! Clang!
Sword and claws clashed incessantly. I struggled to maintain my distance while he desperately tried to close the gap. Since the Sky-Falling Flying Claws were shorter than a sword, he held a lethal advantage at close range.
In the midst of that heart-stopping exchange, I entered that state again.
Just as it had been during my fight with Baek Mang-gi, the world narrowed until only Strange Demon existed in my vision.
The surroundings fell silent; I could only hear and see the movements of myself and my opponent. I fell into the illusion that time was flowing like honey. But time had not slowed. It was merely that my concentration had reached its absolute zenith.
Right then, a sharp scream tore through the silence!
“Urgh!”
The moment I realized the scream belonged to Smiling Demon—
Flash.
Instinctively, I triggered the Blink Step. Before I knew it, I was thrusting my sword toward the Iron Chain Master’s exposed back.
Swoooosh!
The chains that had been lashing toward the staggering Smiling Demon whipped around toward me with predatory speed.
Swoooooosh!
Clang!
The moment my sword was deflected by the Iron Chain Master’s chains, I felt a surging, murderous presence behind me. I twisted my body mid-air to dodge.
Strange Demon’s Sky-Falling Flying Claws raked through the empty space where I had stood a heartbeat ago.
Having escaped certain death thanks to my intervention, Smiling Demon fired a Blood Calamity Finger at Strange Demon, who was already lunging for a second strike at me.
Swish.
Strange Demon twisted his body, narrowly avoiding the concentrated wind of the finger strike.
Taking advantage of that brief opening, I leaped back with Smiling Demon, putting distance between us and our two enemies. If I hadn't intervened, Smiling Demon would have been gravely wounded. The Iron Chain Master’s martial arts were far more oppressive than I had anticipated.
As the battle reached a brief lull, Yang Cheo-gi laughed aloud. He was certain of his victory. Not only him, but Strange Demon and the Iron Chain Master were also brimming with lethal confidence.
Catching my breath, I looked at Yang Cheo-gi. “Are you the Leader of the Heavenly Mandate Society?”
While he was intoxicated by his own triumph and arrogance, I tried to pry out whatever secrets I could.
“I am not the Leader of the Heavenly Mandate Society,” Yang Cheo-gi sneered.
“Then are you the Master of Villain Valley?”
“I am not him either.”
“Those two must be among the top experts of Villain Valley. How on earth were you able to command them?”
Yang Cheo-gi didn't answer, but I quickly made an educated guess.
“Then the Leader of the Heavenly Mandate Society must have joined hands with the Master of Villain Valley. Just as he recruited you.”
A flicker of admiration crossed Yang Cheo-gi’s eyes. From that reaction, I knew my guess had hit the mark. This was a secret that even Tongcheon Pavilion hadn't uncovered yet.
I had always known the Heavenly Mandate Society was no ordinary organization, but they were far more formidable than I had imagined.
In the past, the mission had simply ended in failure. Since Smiling Demon’s seal hadn't been broken back then, this specific situation wouldn't have even occurred. However, one thing was certain: judging by how they were plotting now, the Heavenly Mandate Society must have been active in the shadows even then.
Before resuming the fight, I looked at Smiling Demon. He nodded silently. His gaze told me he was fine and not to worry.
The battle began anew.
The Sky-Falling Flying Claws shredded the air, and the Iron Chain Master’s chains lunged like living serpents raising their heads to strike.
The claws grazed Smiling Demon’s arm and flank, while a Blood Calamity Finger brushed the Iron Chain Master’s forehead.
Sword Qi flew across short distances, finger winds were discharged, chains imbued with Gang Qi lashed out, and the Sky-Falling Flying Claws left dozens of jagged marks in the earth. It was a chaotic flurry of secret techniques.
The fight was neck and neck. Smiling Demon and I had only fought together once before, yet we moved in sync as if we had practiced combined attack techniques our entire lives. Strangely, fighting alongside him felt natural—comfortable, even.
Then, Smiling Demon let out a second cry of pain.
He slumped down as if his legs had given out, and the chains flew toward him to finish the job.
I rushed in, blocking the path of the chains with my back.
Thud!
I endured the impact with my Body Protection Qi, but I felt a shock so violent it felt as if my shoulder was being torn from its socket.
Thud! Thud!
The chains struck repeatedly.
Though the metal lashed my body, the Body Protection Qi surrounding me deflected the worst of it. However, it was a massive drain on my internal energy.
Watching this, Yang Cheo-gi marveled with an impressed expression.
“To manifest Body Protection Qi at that age... you really are an extraordinary brat.”
However, this situation was exactly what we intended. A moment ago, I had sent a message via Voice Transmission to Smiling Demon, telling him to feign a hit one more time.
With my back turned to the enemies, the sword in front of me was already splitting.
I was manifesting the Seventh Form of the Flying Heaven Sword Technique: Flowing Heaven Form.
Shhhk!
I didn't split the blade many times—just two, right in front of my chest where they couldn't see.
The moment the sword-shaped Qi was complete—
Swish! Swish!
The two streaks of Sword Qi shot backward as if they possessed a will of their own.
Splurt!
One pierced the shoulder of the careless Strange Demon, and the other flew through the air, severing the Iron Chain Master's chains in half.
“Damn it!”
Strange Demon grimaced, frantically pressing on the pressure points of his shoulder. If he hadn't instinctively twisted his body, his throat would have been pierced.
The Iron Chain Master discarded the severed length of his chains and gripped the remaining portion short.
“Blast it!”
We also let out sighs of frustration. Our decisive strike hadn't killed them. At the very least, it was a relief that I had pierced Strange Demon’s shoulder and damaged the Iron Chain Master’s weapon.
I reached out to the seated Smiling Demon, and he took my hand to stand up. The light in his eyes had grown even more intense. Both he and I were burning with the heat of the fight.
Strange Demon and the Iron Chain Master opted for a war of attrition. Judging that they had superior internal energy, they intended to bleed us dry. Having suffered wounds and weapon damage, they also began to fight with newfound caution.
As a result, Smiling Demon, who relied on finger winds and palm force, was bound to run out of internal energy first.
At the very moment of crisis, when his energy depleted and his movements slowed significantly—
Shhh.
Smiling Demon looked at me with a startled face.
We were now within the world of the Space-Time Displacement Technique.
“We are inside the space of the Space-Time Displacement Technique,” I whispered.
“Even the Space-Time Displacement Technique?!”
“There’s no time to explain. This is a Quick Recovery Pill. Take it and restore your internal energy immediately.”
I gave him the Quick Recovery Pill I had received from the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
“You should take it, Second Young Master.”
“I still have energy left. We don't have time. Hurry, take it and recover. Even at this moment, my energy is being consumed to maintain this space.”
Smiling Demon immediately swallowed the pill and completed one circulation of his True Qi.
I could hear their muffled voices from outside the barrier.
“It’s an illusion technique.”
“The brat can even use illusions? He truly never ceases to amaze.”
“An advanced illusion like this must consume a vast amount of energy. He won't be able to maintain it for long. It’s essentially a suicidal move.”
If I hadn't absorbed the Paradise Demoness’s internal energy, I wouldn't have been able to deploy the Space-Time Displacement Technique at this moment.
A short while later, Smiling Demon, having rapidly recovered his energy through the pill, opened his eyes and stood up.
“We must end this within a hundred exchanges.”
“Yes! Let’s go!”
I held out my sword, and Smiling Demon flicked the blade once more.
Ting!
With a clear metallic ring, the Space-Time Displacement Technique unraveled.
The moment we emerged, I charged at the Iron Chain Master like a madman.
Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang!
I exerted the absolute limit of my concentration.
The surroundings vanished; only the Iron Chain Master and his chains remained in my sight. And soon, even the man disappeared. Only the chains moved with flamboyant, lethal precision.
I heard nothing. Only the sound of my sword clashing against the metal reached my ears.
If I’m struggling, you must be struggling too. If I feel like I’m dying, you must feel like you’re dying too. I don’t believe for a second that you’ve worked harder than I have. I believe in myself, and I believe in all my efforts.
And then, I experienced something incredible once again.
I was already fighting at the maximum speed I was capable of, yet the speed of my sword began to increase even further. It was a result born of pure desperation—a miracle created by my desperate wish not to let Smiling Demon die.
I could feel the movements of the chains becoming frantic.
As if pushed to the brink, the Iron Chain Master unleashed his hidden technique. He caught my sword between his chains. At that exact moment, as if a coiled snake were wrapping around the blade, the Black Demonic Sword was snatched away.
I saw the look of pure joy on the Iron Chain Master’s face.
Swish! Thwack!
In the next instant, a dagger was buried in the Iron Chain Master’s throat.
He had unleashed his trump card, but so had I. In that split second when my sword was taken and he let his guard down, I had thrown the dagger.
“Gurgle...”
The dagger lodged in his throat was made of Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron. Since I hadn't used a single flying dagger technique since the start of the fight, he had failed to account for such a sudden attack.
The Iron Chain Master pulled the dagger from his throat, his movements jerky, like someone trying to scratch an unbearable itch.
The moment he pulled it out, blood erupted like a waterfall, and he collapsed. Not wanting to waste internal energy on Telekinesis, I ran over and snatched the Black Demonic Sword from the coils of the chains.
Then, without hesitation, I lunged toward Strange Demon.
Smiling Demon was facing the stronger Strange Demon with extreme focus. We now fought as we had when facing Baek Mang-gi.
The two of us drove him back relentlessly. I was wary of Yang Cheo-gi intervening, but for some reason, he did not join the fray.
As we pressed the attack, the tide of battle turned in an instant. Though these men were strong, they were ultimately not as powerful as the Sword Emperor, Baek Mang-gi. Conversely, our coordination was even better than it had been then.
At the very moment Strange Demon opened his mouth to cry out to Yang Cheo-gi for help—
My sword slipped through a microscopic opening in the blades of the Sky-Falling Flying Claws.
Stab!
My sword buried itself in Strange Demon’s shoulder.
Ping! Thud!
Simultaneously, the Blood Calamity Finger fired by Smiling Demon pierced Strange Demon’s forehead.
With eyes wide and filled with resentment, Strange Demon fell backward.
“Huff... huff...”
Smiling Demon and I panted heavily. His internal energy was completely spent, and I had very little left myself.
“You truly are persistent brats!”
At Yang Cheo-gi’s exclamation, I turned to him.
“You are the more persistent one. To just watch without helping them?”
“Why should I bother intervening when I can kill you more safely and easily once your internal energy is gone?”
I didn't think that was the real reason. Remaining alone to face the two of us was a variable that was just as dangerous.
He didn't stop those two experts from dying? It’s as if he wanted them to die. Why?
Then, a thought struck me like a bolt of lightning.
“You... was what you were promised by the Leader of the Heavenly Mandate Society the position of Master of Villain Valley?”
“!”
He had wanted to be a Demon Lord, a Sect Leader, and an Alliance Leader—I wondered if he had also coveted the position of Valley Master.
From the look in Yang Cheo-gi’s eyes and his reaction, I knew my guess was spot on. He had undoubtedly used this opportunity to cut off the Master of Villain Valley’s right and left hands. All to make it easier to take over the valley himself. These villains were gathered together, only to stab each other in the back.
“You truly are a man who only dreams of things he can never achieve in a lifetime.”
“That mouth of yours will be your undoing.”
“You are trash.”
“Fine. Go to hell and curse me all you want.”
Smiling Demon stepped in front of me.
—Second Young Master, now is the time to use your running skills. I should be able to hold him off for a few exchanges.
He believed we couldn't defeat Yang Cheo-gi. His internal energy was already at rock bottom. He judged it impossible for me to face him with the little energy I had left.
—I should save those running skills for our rematch, Smiling Demon.
—Don't be stubborn and go!
—My Demonic Path doesn't involve breaking tables, but it also doesn't involve abandoning a friend in danger.
—!
I could feel Smiling Demon’s agitation at the word 'friend.'
—Since when was the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon so sentimental?
Smiling Demon’s gaze, which had been fixed on me, turned toward Yang Cheo-gi. Then, words I never expected to hear flowed from him.
“Please let the Second Young Master go, Senior Uncle.”
To save me, he was making a request he absolutely loathed to make.
Yang Cheo-gi replied with a mocking look. “Take off your mask and kneel, and I might let him live.”
I saw Smiling Demon’s back as he hesitated.
Ah! Even if the whole world pointed fingers at him for being evil, I alone could never do so.
I quickly went to him and grabbed his arm. “He won't let us live even if you do that.”
Smiling Demon pulled his hand from my grip and said, “I had no intention of kneeling. I know better than anyone what kind of person my Senior Uncle is.”
“Then why?”
“I was trying to buy even a little more time. Since the Second Young Master is clever, I thought you might find a way.”
Smiling Demon laughed soundlessly. A deep sense of regret flickered in his eyes behind the mask. Regret that we didn't have more time. He was sensing the end.
Yang Cheo-gi gathered a massive amount of internal energy into one hand. I also channeled my remaining energy into the Black Demonic Sword. How many exchanges could we last? Could I kill him with this much energy?
“Have a pleasant trip together!”
He unleashed his palm force. It was the Demon Extreme Wild Rage Palm, backed by his full internal energy.
Just as I was about to release my Sword Qi to block it—
Boom!
The incoming Demon Extreme Wild Rage Palm was neutralized and vanished.
It wasn't me who blocked it. Something had flown in from the distance and intercepted Yang Cheo-gi’s attack.
It was a blade. A massive great blade imbued with Gang Qi was embedded in the ground before us, acting like a shield.
Amazingly, it was the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s Heaven Extermination Great Blade.
I looked up to see the Blood Heaven Blade Demon descending through the air on the wind.
“I knew this would happen,” he said.