Chapter 713: Do You Think You Have a Chance Even Now?
Chapter 713: Do You Think You Have a Chance Even Now?
The Extreme Evil Smiling Demon, who had been sitting before Geom Mu-geuk, slowly rose to his feet.
As he stepped forward, the Faceless Guests surrounding them tightened their circle, sealing the perimeter. To an outsider, it appeared as though they were determined to protect the Young Cult Leader’s corpse, but their true intent was to shield Geom Mu-geuk from prying eyes.
At first, even the Faceless Guests had been shocked. When they had looked back earlier, they had seen the Smiling Demon plunging a dagger into Geom Mu-geuk’s heart.
But now, they understood.
They could see that Geom Mu-geuk, though sitting with his head bowed, was still breathing. They knew their mission was to protect him until he regained consciousness.
The Smiling Demon’s eyes met Cha Yi-ran’s as she stood among the assassins. If she hadn't brought Geom Mu-geuk this far, he might have missed his narrow window of opportunity.
Cha Yi-ran felt a shift in the air—the gaze the Smiling Demon directed at her was soft. Recognizing the silent gratitude in that look, she finally felt a wave of relief wash over her.
The Young Cult Leader is alive.
Indeed, if the Smiling Demon had intended to kill him, he never would have asked her to bring him here in the first place.
Cha Yi-ran turned her gaze toward the Faceless Guests. They stood in a dense thicket of bodies, completely obscuring Geom Mu-geuk from view.
The contract is successfully completed.
For the first time in her life, she had succeeded in a contract to save a life rather than take one. Furthermore, thanks to the intervention of the Faceless Guests, all the assassins—including those of the 1st Gyo—were safe.
Just then, the echoes of combat drifted over from a distant alley. The battle over there was far from over.
The Smiling Demon spoke to Cha Yi-ran with formal politeness—a mark of respect for the woman who had saved Geom Mu-geuk.
"We will take it from here."
It was a signal for her to go rescue her subordinates.
Cha Yi-ran didn't hesitate. Staying here with her internal injuries would only make her a burden to the Smiling Demon. Besides, Hwa Do-myeong clearly had something up his sleeve; even with the Smiling Demon standing right in front of him, he wasn't even considering flight.
She offered a respectful fist salute to the Smiling Demon.
"Then I shall take my leave."
With those words, she turned to go.
"Let’s move."
The female assassins saluted the Faceless Guests as they followed her. Thanks to their timely arrival, not a single assassin who had come on this mission had perished.
The 17th Gyo, who had joined the fray late after ensuring the 5th Gyo was safe with her comrades, bowed deeply to the Crescent-Moon Faceless Guest. She owed him her life twice over.
Don't die. I still have a debt to repay.
Whether he read the sentiment in her eyes was impossible to tell. Cha Yi-ran and her subordinates leaped toward the alleyway, vanishing into the shadows.
Even as she departed, Cha Yi-ran saw a new side of Hwa Do-myeong. He didn't spare her a single glance as she left. They had acted like friends, then he had tried to kill her—and now, he didn't even acknowledge her existence.
Was it because he was consumed by the shock and rage of his failing mission? The relaxed, sly demeanor he usually wore was gone. The composure he had shown before was merely the ease of a man who held all the cards. Adversity, it seemed, always revealed a person's true character.
I wonder if the desperate greed you hide behind that fan can overcome the loyalty behind that smiling mask.
With that final thought, she left without worry.
*
At that moment, Hwa Do-myeong was seething. He truly couldn't contain his rising fury. With the Young Cult Leader dead, Cha Yi-ran was the furthest thing from his mind.
"What will your Cult Leader say when you return?" Hwa Do-myeong spat. "'Ah, as expected of your reputation!' Will it be something like that?"
The Smiling Demon actually found the situation favorable. If the enemy mistakenly believed Geom Mu-geuk was dead, they would be less concerned with his safety. Though he wanted to charge in and slaughter them all immediately, the Smiling Demon did not rush. Time was on his side. The enemy remained only because they were confident in their hidden strength.
"It is already over," the Smiling Demon said, his voice cold.
Just as he spoke those words, a voice rose to contradict him.
"That is a lie."
The speaker was the man among the three bamboo-hatted figures who had yet to step forward. His voice sounded remarkably young. All eyes converged on him.
"The Young Cult Leader is alive."
The man had sensed a faint trace of life energy despite being a considerable distance from Geom Mu-geuk. It was an impressive feat, especially since the Faceless Guests were surrounding him specifically to mask his presence.
Hwa Do-myeong’s eyes widened in surprise. "Is that true?"
The man was certain. "I am sure of it. I feel neither rage nor grief coming from the Smiling Demon right now. The Young Cult Leader is alive."
He wasn't just sensing a presence; he was reading his opponent's emotions. He was clearly someone extraordinary.
"How could he survive being stabbed in the heart?" Hwa Do-myeong demanded.
The answer was even more startling. "I no longer feel the energy of the Flying Blood Snake within the Young Cult Leader’s body."
Hwa Do-myeong’s eyes grew even wider. "Is it because he’s dead that you can't feel it?"
"No. He is definitely alive."
Hwa Do-myeong’s expression brightened instantly. If he was alive, it meant the energy could still be recovered.
The man turned his gaze toward the Smiling Demon. Staring into the eyes behind the mask, he said, "The Smiling Demon must have used that dagger to kill the Flying Blood Snake inside his heart."
It was hard to believe, but Hwa Do-myeong trusted the man’s words. This man was the disciple of the person who had created the Flying Blood Snake. In fact, he had assisted his master in its creation. Since the Flying Blood Snake was central to this plot, he had come along to oversee the results.
Then, he dropped an even more shocking revelation.
"Right now, the Young Cult Leader is likely absorbing the energy of the Flying Blood Snake."
Hwa Do-myeong’s face hardened. "Didn't you say the energy of the Flying Blood Snake is too massive for a human to absorb?"
"That is true." He said the words, but for the first time, his voice lacked certainty. However, one thing was clear. "If the Young Cult Leader wakes up, we have no chance of winning. We must finish this before he opens his eyes."
Just as Hwa Do-myeong was about to order the deaths of the Smiling Demon and the Faceless Guests, the Smiling Demon let out a cold laugh.
"Do you think you have a chance even now?"
The moment the words left his mouth, the Smiling Demon gave the order.
"Kill them all!"
At the command, the ten Faceless Guests lunged forward simultaneously. From the other side, the dozen or so surviving warriors charged to meet them.
The Smiling Demon watched the battle unfold. The morale of the Faceless Guests was sky-high. Even though they had been fighting alongside the assassins earlier, these ten Faceless Guests had already killed ten enemies without suffering a single casualty.
The Faceless Guests fought like true villains. They focused solely on winning. They rolled on the ground to fire Finger Wind; they threw dirt in their enemies' eyes if they were at a disadvantage. They had no hesitation about stabbing someone in the back, and they felt no resentment if a comrade stole their kill. They possessed neither the ego nor the pride that demanded they be the one to deliver the finishing blow.
And yet, they did not fear death.
The two bamboo-hatted warriors tried to jump into the fray, but the Smiling Demon stopped them with a single sentence. It wasn't a "if you move, I move" kind of warning.
"If you move, that man dies."
It was a flat promise that he would kill Hwa Do-myeong. The threat worked perfectly; they froze in place.
Having cut down all the remaining enemies, the Faceless Guests leaped back.
Step, step, step, step!
They once again formed a protective circle around Geom Mu-geuk. Even amidst the chaos of battle, Geom Mu-geuk remained still, eyes closed. The Faceless Guests shielded him, their masks becoming increasingly stained with fresh blood.
Once the path was cleared of the lesser warriors, the Smiling Demon strode toward Hwa Do-myeong. Seeing the white mask approaching without a hint of hesitation, Hwa Do-myeong felt a surge of fear and snapped his fan open.
Shhhhk!
From behind the fan, he barked an order. "Hurry! Didn't you say the Young Cult Leader is alive?"
The two bamboo-hatted warriors standing side-by-side stepped forward. Dark energy began to billow around their bodies. The reason Hwa Do-myeong didn't fear the Smiling Demon was because of these two. They were masters of the Dark Palace’s Dark Divine Art.
The Dark Divine Art was a martial art passed down to the elite warriors of the Dark Palace, boasting truly formidable power. However, such immense power came with strict limitations and side effects, meaning it couldn't be used recklessly. It was a technique reserved only for the most critical moments. The moment one succumbed to the temptation of its strength, only destruction awaited.
Ssssh.
As if tattoos were being etched into their skin, long black lines appeared on the cheeks of the two figures beneath their bamboo hats.
The technique that granted explosive speed: the Dark Ghost Movement Art.
But that wasn't all. This time, a circle was drawn over the lines.
The technique that made skin and muscle as hard as steel and enhanced the power of Body Protection Qi: the Dark Iron Body Divine Art.
As the circular shapes were etched over the long lines, they looked like the wind brushing across a full moon. With two layers of the Dark Divine Art overlapping, they became incomparably faster and stronger than before.
Whoosh!
The two of them charged with incredible speed. It was on a completely different level than when they had fought Cha Yi-ran. The woman, who was already fast, moved like a literal bolt of lightning.
In a flash, the two bamboo-hatted warriors were attacking the Smiling Demon from both sides. Their coordination was perfect, like partners who had practiced combined attack techniques for decades.
Screeeech! Shhhhk!
A blade flew in from the left, and a sword from the right. It was a flawless pincer attack with no room for escape. A smile touched Hwa Do-myeong’s lips as he watched.
How will you block this perfect combined attack?
The Smiling Demon blocked it while standing his ground.
Clang! Clang!
He parried the blade from the left and deflected the sword from the right in a single fluid motion. A flicker of joy crossed the faces of the two warriors. If an opponent didn't escape this combined attack on the first move, they would never get away. He should have retreated, even at the cost of an injury.
The sword and blade worked in tandem, raining a high-speed barrage of attacks upon the Smiling Demon. There was no way he could withstand this speed and power.
Clang-clang-clang-clang!
Dozens of Sword Lines and Blade Lines clashed, met by the precise arcs drawn by the Smiling Demon's dagger. The surrounding area was instantly engulfed in the flashes of steel.
When they first launched their assault, they hadn't expected the Smiling Demon to hold out so well. The woman couldn't believe it. He was fending off a combined attack from two people using the Dark Ghost Movement Art?
The Smiling Demon was fighting two ghosts. No—it felt like they were the ones fighting a ghost.
We can't go on like this!
The two made a swift decision. The Dark Divine Art was not meant for prolonged battles.
Ssssss.
Another line appeared on the woman’s face. She was intensifying the art, risking internal injury to stack another layer of the Dark Ghost Movement Art to increase her speed.
The man’s face changed as well. Instead of movement, he reinforced his Dark Iron Body Divine Art, pushing it two stages further. Three circles overlapped on his face. He knew that overexerting himself like this would result in severe internal injuries once the art wore off, but he had to make his move now.
The woman understood his intent. Just as the sword, blade, and dagger were weaving a fantastic tapestry of combat... someone threw a brush into the painting.
The man threw his blade at the Smiling Demon and lunged forward at the same time. It was an unexpected feint—throwing his primary weapon to catch the opponent off guard was a move no one anticipated. He would be cut, but if he could just grab the Smiling Demon in that moment, it would be over. The woman would take the Smiling Demon’s head in a single stroke.
He was confident. With the third stage of the Dark Iron Body Divine Art, he wouldn't die. In this moment, he was invincible.
The Smiling Demon’s dagger slashed toward the charging man.
Flash.
A single line drawn by the dagger. The man, now weaponless, naturally couldn't block this strike.
Creeeeeak!
The sound of metal grinding against metal erupted from his body. The man felt he had succeeded.
I did it!
Since he hadn't died from this one strike...
You’re the one who dies!
The man locked his arms around the Smiling Demon’s body in a crushing grip. In his vision, he saw the woman flying in to decapitate the Smiling Demon. Both the man and the woman were smiling.
In that split second, the Smiling Demon’s arm moved forward.
The man was struck with horror. He was holding him with a grip that should have crushed bone—how did he pull his arm free?
In the next instant, an ear-splitting explosion erupted.
BOOM!
The man standing behind saw it—the Gang Qi erupting from the Smiling Demon’s palm. He saw the Demon Extreme Wild Rage Palm blast directly into the woman’s face.
Splat!
Struck by the Demon Extreme Wild Rage Palm at point-blank range, the woman’s face vanished without a trace. Her headless body sprayed blood as it collapsed backward.
The man couldn't understand it. Why... why can't I feel any strength in my arms?
Even now, he couldn't put any power into his grip. Only then did the bamboo-hatted man feel something hot flowing down his chest.
Drip.
His steel-like skin had been split wide open. Blood was gushing out from a jagged rent.
I was cut?
He was in deep shock that his third-stage Dark Iron Body had been sliced through in a single move. But how could that seemingly ordinary strike be ordinary? It was the Laughing Fragrance Dagger Technique, performed with the Smiling Demon’s Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron dagger.
The Laughing Fragrance Spear.
Then, the agony hit him. It wasn't just a wound; it was a wound inflicted as his Dark Divine Art shattered, making the pain incomparable to a simple sword cut. It was an excruciating, unbearable torment.
"Aaaaaagh!"
A wretched scream tore from the man’s throat. The pain was so intense he wished for a swift death.
Suddenly, someone covered his mouth. Before he knew it, the Smiling Demon was behind him.
"Shh."
Muffling the man’s mouth, the Smiling Demon drew his dagger across the man’s throat without hesitation.
Sliiiice.
It wasn't to ease his suffering. Standing behind the man as blood sprayed from his neck, the Smiling Demon whispered softly.
"You'll wake the Young Cult Leader."