Chapter 216
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 216
Chapter Title: Dark Annihilation (1)
Assassins must possess an exceedingly strong will.
They must win without fail. They must kill without fail. No matter what torture they endure, they must never betray their client.
Assassins are required to maintain unbreakable mental fortitude to protect the elements they must safeguard. They have to grit their teeth, whether by their own choice or due to unavoidable circumstances.
However, there's one fact that is often forgotten.
No matter who they work with or what mission they undertake, in the end, it's always "me alone."
There is no one to help. They must never expect assistance. Even when moving with comrades, they have to overcome obstacles on their own. Comrades might help, or they might turn their backs.
There is no one to help!
They must not rely on others, not even by a speck of dust.
In matters of life and death, they must never forget the ironclad truth that it's "me alone."
This is the simplest thing to grasp, yet the most commonly overlooked.
"Kuh!"
Jaja let out a groan as she slammed her sword into the ground.
She planted the blade in the earth and leaned her body against it. The fight was already lost long ago... She was barely holding on against the agony of her guts being torn apart.
"Ho! The Dread Agony Powder is tough even for a man to endure, yet you're holding out pretty well. Haha! Now I'm even more curious about who you are. Come on, little miss. Why don't you start by telling me your name? What did they call you in the Heavenly Annihilation Division?"
"M-Messenger."
"Messenger? You mean the kind who just relays orders from above?"
"That's right."
"Hahaha! Looks like the pain from the Dread Agony Powder is still bearable for you. It's no good lying right from the start. I've got plenty of time, you see. Really plenty. I can wait all day if I have to."
"I-I'm telling you... I really... am a messenger."
"Fine, let's say you're a messenger. Then who's your boss? The one who gives you your orders."
"King Yama."
"What? Ha... Kuh!"
The man burst into laughter but cut it short with a sharp grunt.
He hadn't seen when or how she moved... but Jaja's sword had already pierced his chest.
"I am a messenger. The messenger of the underworld."
"Kuh! How...?"
The man stared at her in disbelief.
His eyes were filled with doubt, like someone who had witnessed the impossible.
And rightly so... Jaja looked far too composed. There wasn't a trace of the poison's effects anywhere on her. Composed didn't even begin to cover it—she was pristine.
"Y-You used a trick...!"
"It's life or death. What can't I do?"
Shuuuk!
Jaja pulled her sword free.
The man collapsed, blood gushing from his chest like a fountain. In that instant,
"Krrk!"
Jaja clutched her abdomen and staggered.
She had used a trick. That final thrust was her trump card deception.
The Dread Agony Powder? How could anyone dodge the poison dust scattered through the air? If she had known in advance, maybe—but caught completely off guard... she had no choice but to take it.
She was poisoned. That much was true.
The calm composure she showed after stabbing him?
Pure willpower alone.
The malicious resolve she had honed while slaying the waiting assassins—her unique, unyielding will.
Never show weakness, no matter the circumstance. Even if she hadn't ingested the Dread Agony Powder and her guts were being shredded by a blade, she had to wear a smile on her face.
Composure was the deception.
She acted as if the poison hadn't touched her at all, utterly unflappable. Otherwise, she wouldn't have had a chance to counterattack—they would have broken her spirit from the outset.
There was a second deception as well.
In truth, this second trick preceded the first. It went all the way back, before the fight even began.
When the man concealed his powder, she had smelled the Dread Agony Powder on him.
Assassins training in the Heavenly Annihilation Division's martial camp had to be familiar with all manner of poisons. They needed to handle every toxin used in the Central Plains. No method was off-limits when it came to assassinations.
If that was the case, how could they not recognize a poison from the Sachon Tang Clan, the greatest poison sect in the Central Plains? Only a fool wouldn't know the Dread Agony Powder, one of the Tang Clan's Ten Great Poisons.
She smelled the Dread Agony Powder on his body.
A rusty iron scent prickled at her nostrils.
From that moment, she knew. He would use poison. Those who know poisons can't resist the temptation to deploy them.
She had anticipated the Dread Agony Powder's torment from the start.
She had steeled herself for its dangers.
Shuuuk! Puk!
Jaja drew a dagger and plunged it deep into her own abdomen.
It hurt. It hurt so much!
This pain would drown out the Dread Agony Powder's agony for a while. The dagger wound was so deep that it forced the other torment from her mind.
Normally, she'd treat the poison immediately, but the situation was different now. There was still one more enemy left.
"What a ridiculous scene."
Another man appeared.
Jaja clutched her abdomen.
The sword embedded in her gut was clearly visible. Blood streamed down steadily.
Her face was ashen.
She gritted her teeth against the pain, thick sweat pouring from her forehead. Yet the poison seemed to have spread to her heart—her breaths were faint and shallow.
Hoo... Hooook...
She exhaled weakly, then gasped in surprise as she drew a ragged breath.
Death was closing in.
"The pursued turns the tables. Survives the Dread Agony Powder and keeps breathing. Heh heh heh! Shame I didn't see it from the beginning. Would've been quite the show."
The man didn't approach. He narrowed his eyes from a distance, watching the dying woman.
"Wh-What... are you?"
Jaja asked.
"Who we are? You must have already figured that out."
"What I'm asking is... you're... assassins, right?"
"Assassins? Hahaha! We do the same work as you, but we don't call ourselves that. We rarely use titles, but if we had to pick one... 'executioners' would do."
"Hmph!"
Jaja let out a short scoff and turned her head away.
She had no intention of fighting. Leaning against the wall, legs stretched out, clutching her abdomen—she looked every bit the gravely wounded woman on the brink of death.
"How'd you take her down?"
He nodded toward the fallen man.
"Carelessness."
"Ah, carelessness. But... I know this guy. He's not the type to crawl into sword range if he thought you could resist. You lured him into dropping his guard... That's a half-hearted answer."
"Grit your teeth... and the Dread Agony Powder's pain is bearable."
"You endured the agony and swung your sword? No, no—the Dread Agony Powder's no joke, even for me. You can't just grit through it. If it were that mild, it wouldn't be one of the Tang Clan's Ten Great Poisons."
The man kept talking but showed no sign of advancing.
'Cautious bastard...'
Jaja didn't rush him.
In truth, her body couldn't afford to wait any longer. But she lacked the strength to chase him either. Unless he came closer, she had no way to strike.
So she baited his carelessness again... but he wasn't biting.
Her opponent wasn't a warrior. He was an assassin.
He had no desire for a fair fight. His sole focus was killing the target.
"Whatever you think... I need a little rest..."
Jaja murmured sleepily, her eyelids drooping slowly.
"I get that you're from the Heavenly Annihilation Division, but I've never seen a lone operator. Did they change their policy?"
"..."
Jaja didn't respond.
Eyes closed... shallow breaths from her lips... head nodding forward.
The opponent wanted to know more about her. Otherwise, he'd have used his poison dart already.
The dead man hadn't used antidote-destroying powder, opting for the Dread Agony Powder to loosen her tongue through pain. This one kept yapping from afar to pry clues from her dying words.
"Why don't you tell me why you killed Hancheong?"
Nod!
Jaja's head drooped again.
Partly to bait him... but she really was sleepy. The flank wound was severe, the Dread Agony Powder's pain beyond endurance... She just wanted to sleep like this.
Shhht!
Suddenly, killing intent flared. Movement too. An attack!
Nod!
Jaja made no reaction.
She had already abandoned her body. The Dread Agony Powder had burrowed too deep—no curing it now. She'd missed the treatment window. And the self-inflicted wound to overcome the poison only pushed her deeper into despair.
What was the point of resisting in this state?
She waited until the sword was upon her. No—until it sliced into her flesh.
Shuuuk!
The killing intent surging forward suddenly withdrew.
The man had tested her with killing intent, checking if she was truly spent.
His caution was extreme.
Someone who prioritized safety over a warrior's pride? An assassin, no question.
Armed with the Five Great Clans' martial arts, but assassins at heart.
'Tired... Hurry up and come.'
Srrek! Thud!
Jaja let her right hand drop limply.
The hand clutching her flank wound. It had been stemming the blood.
It was over. She was on death's door.
Yet the man still didn't approach. Instead, he hurled flying daggers.
Shieee! Shht!
The air whistled. Daggers incoming.
Those daggers... She couldn't dodge even if she wanted to. Nor should she. She had to take them. Without flinching. Like a stone statue feeling no pain, utterly serene.
Puk! Puk!
The daggers embedded in both shoulders.
The man had pinned her arms. Doubting her total collapse, he'd severed any chance of counterattack. Only then did he start walking over.
Step... Step...
The sound of his footsteps reached her.
Not heavy thuds. Very light. He planted one foot fully before lifting the next.
Even with her utterly defenseless, he hadn't dropped his guard. Every step prepared for instant retaliation if needed.
Drip!
Dark red—almost black—blood trickled from Jaja's mouth.
The poison had drained its color. Survival odds: near zero.
Shuuuk!
The man closed to within one step.
"Can't have you dying just yet. That'd make chasing you all this way pointless. And if you've got an underworld companion, the least you can do is satisfy my curiosity before you go."
Puk! Puk!
The man struck without hesitation.
His hands hit precise pressure points.
It slowed the poison's spread but focused mainly on acupoint strikes.
"Krrk!"
Jaja spat black blood, her eyes slitting open.
"You heard it from her, right? Dread Agony Powder victims don't die easy. I don't plan to let you go quick either. If you wanna die... Kuh!"
Mid-sentence, the man clutched his chest and staggered.
"Carelessness."
Jaja murmured softly.
"I told you earlier. I lured her into it. Didn't believe me? What about now? Still don't?"
"Grrraaah!"
The man roared, eyes bulging.
"I don't wanna kill you quick either. So... let's sit face-to-face and chat. One of us'll crack eventually. The pain's too much not to."
Jaja raised her upper body, leaning against the wall.