I Can't Possibly Be a Demon!
The clash of two hands steeped in potent venom took the shape of a near pitch-black butterfly.
Unlike a butterfly fluttering through the air, however, these two black hands strained to crush each other’s flesh. And the power residing in those hands was far too immense to be called a light flap of wings.
BOOOOM!!
The sudden repulsive force sent Poison Demon Dang Cheol-hwi and Liz flying backward. Yet neither of them faltered from the impact; their stances remained perfectly composed.
The two demons quickly regained their balance, landed on the ground, and stared at their new enemy.
How long had they been standing there motionless, glaring at the stranger’s face?
The familiar scent of poison reached them. The young family head, Dang Cheol-ak, who had been chasing after them, brightened and shouted.
“Father!”
Even at his son’s delighted voice, Poison Demon Dang Cheol-hwi didn’t spare him a glance. He simply waved a hand.
“Take Seol-ah and leave this place at once.”
“What? But—”
“If you stay here, you’ll only become a handful of blood. Do you truly wish for that?”
“No.”
In truth, the young family head Dang Cheol-ak had been eager to flee as quickly as possible. He answered instantly.
“We will retreat.”
“Good. A wise choice.”
“Please take care of yourself, Father.”
“I will.”
Once the brief father-son exchange ended, Dang Cheol-ak bowed his head, signaled his sister atop the tree, and began putting distance between them.
By the time their figures vanished from sight, Dang Cheol-hwi looked at the young girl who still stood ramrod straight and curled his lips into a mysterious smile.
“You don’t look much older than my own children, yet your martial prowess is truly remarkable. Just where did you spring from? I’ve never heard of a monster like you.”
At the subtly friendly tone, Liz narrowed her eyes before murmuring quietly.
“You’re incredibly strong too.”
“What? Kha ha ha! Thank you for the compliment. To be praised by a promising junior like yourself really fires me up. Hmm, already at the Supreme Peak at your age? No… judging by that subtly mixed aura, you’re closer to a jiangshi.”
“Hmmm.”
Thinking the man was talking far too much, Liz began to show clear signs of displeasure. That was when Poison Demon Dang Cheol-hwi spoke again, his face overflowing with delight.
“And I truly appreciate you waiting until my son and daughter could get away.”
“It was nothing.”
Liz answered without much emotion, but Dang Cheol-hwi shook his head as if that wasn’t the case.
“No, it really is something to be grateful for. No matter who I am, killing my own firstborn with my own hands would be a heartbreaking affair.”
THUD!
Dang Cheol-hwi stamped his foot, flashed a smile full of madness, and gestured. Sensing the blackened earth and ominous energy around him, Liz shuddered and turned her head.
A dragon’s head formed of pitch-black extreme poison was rushing toward her, ready to devour her whole.
Venom Dragon
Poison Demon Dang Cheol-hwi moved both hands with a triumphant smile, controlling the poison.
On the other hand, Liz’s eyes widened in surprise at the familiar form before the corners of her mouth lifted.
“Blood Dragon.”
Two dragons made of crimson blood surged from her body.
Blood Dragon
CRUNCH!
A black hand suddenly burst from the poison mist and shattered the head of a Sichuan Tang warrior. The warrior beside him swung his sword in terror, but the old woman’s next strike tore out his intestines. He collapsed to the cold ground just like his comrade.
“Huu…”
The old woman shook the blood from her hands and let out a breath.
The pursuit squad from the Sichuan Tang Clan. Among the enemies she had anticipated while fleeing from Cheonsan, the chance of them turning hostile had seemed extremely low. Their sense of justice wasn’t high enough to chase a runaway from the Divine Cult, nor were they reckless enough to covet demonic arts.
That was why she had settled in the slums of Chengdu. Had she miscalculated?
She kept sighing when she suddenly sensed two energies moving away. They were larger than those of elite warriors but not by a huge margin—clearly direct descendants.
‘…What is this?’
Why were they increasing the distance in the opposite direction?
While the old woman was following the fugitives’ energies with a puzzled mind, a massive presence suddenly appeared beside the girl who had been traveling with her.
Black Hand Old Woman’s eyes widened as she whipped her head around.
BOOOOOOM──!!!
A sudden explosion erupted. Two opposing waves on the hillside collided, spreading a storm of poison and blood across the opposite ridge. The old woman stepped back slightly and observed the scene.
She blinked her wrinkled eyes, finally understanding the situation.
The energy that had appeared on the mountain was not something that could be compared to mere warriors.
“…It’s the Poison Demon.”
If it was a member of the Sichuan Tang Clan whose strength rivaled hers before her decline, there was only one possibility. Black Hand Old Woman instinctively realized the family head had come himself—and understood one more fact.
The Poison Demon had not come to capture her.
He had come to hunt the girl she had somehow ended up traveling with.
The old woman recalled the secret technique she had seen the girl use before and roughly pieced together the situation.
She had been mistaken for a moment, but the Sichuan Tang Clan had never been interested in her to begin with. Therefore, she was essentially free.
If she ran away now, they would have no reason to chase her with their lives on the line. Killing a few warriors wouldn’t be enough for them to want a prolonged pursuit.
Besides, if she stayed here any longer, she would eventually have to exchange blows with the Poison Demon. For an old woman whose realm had declined, that was something she would rather avoid.
Was there any need to risk her life?
“…Haa.”
Black Hand Old Woman let out a short sigh. She scratched her snow-white hair, alternating her gaze between the two enormous energies clashing on the mountainside and the two energies gradually moving away.
Having made her decision, the old woman began to move.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Dragons made of poison and blood bit and tore at each other in a frenzied dance. While they swirled and intertwined, the two demons exchanged blows within the dark-red blood mist.
Most of the clashes were hand against hand, but when Liz suddenly radiated red energy and swung her sword to bisect the Poison Demon’s hand, Dang Cheol-hwi swiftly withdrew it and shouted.
“Hoh, how underhanded! How can a martial artist swing a real sword at someone who is empty-handed!”
What the hell is he saying?
Liz’s eyelids twitched. She poured even more power into Excalibur (No. 4) and swung it. She had originally used her palm to avoid damaging the blade, but her mind had changed. It had been a while since she faced an opponent far stronger than a troll. Wouldn’t it be better to test things out before climbing to the middle floors?
Besides, the way he kept staring at her with those lecherous eyes was getting on her nerves.
Having decided, she aimed her sword with a pitiful smile.
“Just die.”
Liz burned her crimson eyes even brighter and awakened the Asura energy within her dantian. It was power without regard for the future.
CRACK—!
As the dark-red energy wrapping her body grew noticeably denser, Dang Cheol-hwi clicked his tongue. He had first thought she was a sorceress, but she was stronger than expected. And now, instead of being shaken by his provocation, she seemed to have pulled out something strange.
‘…What is that?’
CRRRRACK—!
Watching the blood gradually take shape, Poison Demon Dang Cheol-hwi hardened his expression. Something was wrong. It was completely different from a jiangshi or anything of the sort.
Heavenly Slaughter Star, Blood Seed, and Asura Divine Art are harmonizing.
On the other hand, Liz saw the message floating in her vision and gradually formed a deeper smile. Even then, the dark-red blood and energy continued to envelop her body.
“You know, mister. This is my first time using this in actual combat?”
The girl, wrapped in black and red death energy, demonic energy, and the aura of an asura, suddenly murmured. She lifted the treasured sword that had become sticky with blood and dark-red energy. It should have been uncomfortable, yet the sensation was as comfortable as if she had returned home.
The woman brushed up her flowing black hair and radiated ominous red eyes.
“Try to hold out as long as you can.”
The moment their eyes met, Poison Demon felt as if red light had poured down from the sky. At the chilling sensation, Dang Cheol-hwi tensed his entire body. At the same time, the girl brought her sword down.
The Poison Demon threw himself to the side in shock. And the sword reached the hillside.
─────CRRRRRACK!!!
In that instant, a canyon was carved into the spot.
“…What the hell is this!”
The Poison Demon’s eyes bulged at the mountain splitting and convulsing along the sword’s trajectory. He soon ground his teeth.
That was no prey. It wasn’t a sorcerer from the Western Regions, nor an ordinary jiangshi from the Blood Cult, and certainly not some junior expert.
…That was a monster.
If the age visible to the naked eye was real, in just a few more years a monster would appear that would make the ‘Ten Great Masters of the World’ seem trivial.
‘A few years?’
No. It wouldn’t even take that long. With the right trigger, it would quickly surpass its limits and become a true monster.
It was not a being that could be captured and raised. Having realized this, Dang Cheol-hwi abandoned his plan to capture the girl alive.
“Brat, have you ever seen a flower blooming in the sky?”
The Poison Demon finally unleashed killing intent. Dark weapons rose around him on their own, and the Venom Dragon crumbled into the form of a wave. The family head of the Sichuan Tang Clan ground out the words.
“Full Sky Flower Rain.”
A storm of hidden weapons and poison rained down.
Immediately afterward, a storm of hidden weapons and poison swept over her. The woman gripped her sword tightly at the majestic sight. The solid sensation of the blade and her arm. And certainty.
“Flower? As if.”
She simply swung her sword downward.
SWOOSH—!
And the storm was sliced apart.