Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: The Six Paths Blood Demons
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The Six Paths Blood Demons
Unmyeong looked down at Mun-u, the leader of the Red Feather Gang, who had lost the will to live.
At first, he had resisted and shouted, but after being put in his place a few times, he had quieted down on his own.
"I told you to speak about the one who gave you the power of a Blood Demon."
"Didn't I say I don't know..."
"Even trivial details like their appearance or attire are fine. Tell me everything."
"...They wore a grotesque, crimson mask and had black hair that fell to their waist. It was a woman with a rather striking figure."
"What else."
"Her voice was beautiful, but her speech was halting. It felt... disjointed."
"Hmm."
As he conducted the interrogation, Unmyeong was suddenly reminded of the innkeeper.
*I thought she was suspicious, but to think she was from the Blood Cult.*
[Isn't that the woman who showed you to your room? She was definitely suspicious. So there was something more to her.]
"So, where did you meet her?"
"She suddenly appeared in my office. She gave me a red pill and vanished as soon as I ate it."
"And that pill turned you into a Blood Demon?"
"Yes. After I took it, a high fever wracked my body, and a day later, I had become a Blood Demon."
"One day. I see. Is there anything else you know?"
"Nothing. That's really all I know. Cutting and slicing me more will only get you my screams, so stop tormenting me. I don't know anything else."
The arrogant and vile attitude he'd worn earlier was gone, and the leader of the Red Feather Gang, now a bloody mess, had given up on everything.
Unmyeong had broken the will of countless people, so he could tell the man's demeanor was genuine, not an act.
[He doesn't seem to be lying. His eyes are those of a man who has given up on everything.]
Soul-Severing Sword shared his sentiment.
"Alright. You've done well."
Mun-u, the leader of the Red Feather Gang, slowly lifted his head and cautiously opened his mouth.
"Could you, perhaps, spare my life...? If it's something you want..."
But he couldn't finish his sentence.
The look in Unmyeong's eyes was just too cold.
Sympathy, pity, compassion, anger, guilt—
None of the emotions one might feel when killing someone existed in them.
It was pure apathy.
What could he possibly expect from begging a person who didn't even see him as human?
And so, Mun-u let out a hollow laugh and lowered his head.
*Life is full of ups and downs. One moment, I had the town in my grasp, and the next, I'm ruined overnight.*
That was his last thought before he felt a blade pierce the top of his head.
*Boom—*
Unmyeong concentrated demonic energy into his blade and detonated it, blowing Mun-u to pieces.
When a body was shattered so completely that not even a trace of its form remained, even a Blood Demon with its superior regenerative abilities could not survive.
Especially not one that had already exhausted all its stored power.
Just as Unwol finished dealing with Mun-u, Sohwal returned.
"Master Sword Demon, I have dealt with all the remaining members of the Red Feather Gang."
"Good work. We've found a clue about the Blood Demons, so we'll continue the chase..."
Just then, the sound of someone's shout and the clash of blades reached them.
Unmyeong and Sohwal turned toward the noise and saw Yuhwa, sword in hand, fighting a thug from the Red Feather Gang.
"Where do you think you're going! After all the evil you've done, you think you can just walk away alive?! Don't make me laugh!"
"Sh-shut up! Get out of my way, or I'll kill you!"
Looking closer, they saw it was the same thug who had been assaulting Yuhwa when they first met her.
His face and body were covered in bruises, but Unmyeong and Sohwal, remembering his voice, were certain.
[Now this is getting interesting.]
"Hmm."
Unmyeong watched silently, assessing the situation.
*That Red Feather thug is badly injured, so he can't use his full strength. Even so, he'll be a handful for the girl, Yuhwa.*
At that moment, Yuhwa's eyes met Unmyeong's.
The girl's eyes were burning with fighting spirit.
He had seen that look countless times before.
[The girl's eyes have changed. Those are the eyes of a warrior.]
Yuhwa held a relatively thin and short straight sword, pointing it at the thug.
"You and me. One of us is dying here."
"What is this crazy bitch talking about! Get out of my way! Those demons over there... damn it! They've already seen me! Piss off!"
The thug's eyes met Unmyeong's, and he panicked, trying to run right past Yuhwa.
Instead of running in the opposite direction from an armed opponent, simply trying to push through was a dangerous choice, but the fear Unmyeong had instilled in him made him ignore even the blade right in front of him.
And that judgment was fatal.
*Swoosh—*
Yuhwa held her straight sword firmly and thrust it at the charging thug.
The blade deeply gashed the thug's thigh, spraying red blood.
"Aaargh! Aack! My, my leg! My leg!"
As skin and muscle were torn together, an immense wave of pain shot through him, and the thug let out a loud scream.
Yuhwa's hand trembled for a moment as she looked at the man she had cut down, but she quickly approached him again and raised her straight sword.
"Don't ignore me. Did you think I wasn't a worthy opponent even with a sword in my hand?!"
*Slash—*
Yuhwa slashed at the thug's arm with all her might.
"Aaargh! You bitch! Aaargh!"
Not stopping there, Yuhwa continued to hack at him relentlessly to make sure he was finished.
"St-stop! Stop it! Aaaaaargh!"
But it was already over.
Blood gushed from his limbs, and his stomach was sliced open, spilling his internal organs.
Yuhwa, splattered with blood, had lost her reason and swung her sword wildly.
The obsession to ensure the one who had tormented her in the past was truly dead kept her from stopping.
At some point, the thug's breathing had clearly stopped, and he showed no reaction, yet Yuhwa continued her frenzied attack.
"Die! Die! Just die!"
*Grab.*
"That's enough. The enemy is already dead."
As Unmyeong grabbed the girl's arm, she finally regained her composure and looked at the fallen thug before her.
Nausea churned in her stomach at the sight of the grotesquely mangled corpse, but she held it back.
She had no intention of running away from the consequences of her own actions, so she stared at it with her eyes wide open.
"Hah...! Hah...! I, I won...!"
Seeing her almost manic state, Unmyeong spoke calmly.
"Yes. The enemy has fallen. So calm down. Stamina is precious to a warrior."
Hearing this, Yuhwa immediately turned her head to look at Unmyeong, who had called her a warrior.
"Am, am I now..."
"Yes. You've finally stepped into the world of martial arts. For better or worse, you are now a warrior."
Hearing those words, Yuhwa stared blankly at Unmyeong for a moment before her legs gave out and she collapsed.
She gasped for breath and slowly opened her mouth.
"Th-then can I... follow you... now?"
"Ah, that's a different matter."
Faced with the crisis of an unplanned companion, Unmyeong wore a troubled expression.
Watching this, Soul-Severing Sword spoke in a playful tone.
[Kekeke. Why not take on a disciple while you're at it? Masters of your level usually raise at least one.]
"A disciple? I have no intention of taking on a disciple..."
Unmyeong was speaking to the demonic sword, but Yuhwa thought he was talking to her. She grabbed the hem of his pants and pleaded.
"I don't have to be a disciple! Just let me follow you! I can learn martial arts by watching over your shoulder! I'll do chores, cook, anything, please...!"
Hearing Yuhwa's desperate plea, Unmyeong clicked his tongue and turned his head away.
[Oh, my heartless master. Are you going to ignore a girl begging you like that? As expected, you have a knack for treating women harshly...]
As Soul-Severing Sword spouted nonsense, Unmyeong had no choice but to answer.
"Fine! I get it! I'll take you with me. But remember this. Never bother me. And if a dangerous situation arises, save yourself. I can't stand being put in danger because I'm looking out for you."
Sohwal had expected the Sword Demon to refuse, so she was quite surprised to see him accept Yuhwa's request.
*He seemed like such an emotionless person. Maybe he's changed a little...*
Hearing Unmyeong's reply, Yuhwa gasped and asked again.
"R-really?! You won't take it back?"
Unmyeong scratched his head and turned away.
"Now I've ended up with an unplanned disciple because of you."
[That's just how it is. When you become an adult, you end up taking care of children.]
"Stop calling me a child and yourself an adult. You're the only one who says such arrogant things."
[With great power comes great responsibility. Fulfill that responsibility as one of the strong.]
"Hey, if you suddenly put it like that..."
Since their conversation by the lake, Unmyeong's relationship with Soul-Severing Sword had improved considerably. Hearing her speak without her usual venom always left him feeling confused.
Feeling awkward, Unmyeong turned to Sohwal and said.
"Ahem, anyway, is the carriage we left behind safe... Sohwal?"
She was staring at something, lost in a daze.
Noticing something was wrong, Unmyeong quickly turned his head to see what Sohwal was looking at.
She was looking at the blue moon.
Or more accurately, a blue moon that was gradually turning red.
*Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.*
*Jingle, jingle, jingle, jingle, jingle, jingle.*
Red smoke began to rise from the ground, and the clamorous sounds of chimes and bells echoed from all directions.
A sinister energy began to consume the surroundings.
Unmyeong felt a sense of déjà vu as he watched the moon turn completely red.
"This feeling, it's definitely...!"
Something terrible, something that should never happen, was unfolding.
As the moon became fully crimson, the sky began to turn black and red.
Even the countless stars vanished, hidden by red clouds.
And in the moment that everything was swallowed by the crimson energy.
*Rustle, rustle.*
Someone in the middle of the road began to walk slowly toward Unmyeong and his party.
Everyone tensed and looked toward the sound as a figure gradually emerged from the red smoke.
*Dingdingdingdingdingdingdingdingdingdingdingdingdingdingdingding.*
*Jinglejinglejinglejinglejinglejinglejinglejingle.*
The sound of the bells and chimes grew more intense.
*Rustle.*
A moment later, the source of all this revealed itself.
The instant it did, the clamorous noises fell silent.
"As expected, trash is, ultimately, just trash. Nothing more, can be, expected."
A grotesque crimson mask etched with bizarre patterns.
A piercing glint shining from two red pupils.
Black hair cascading down to the waist.
Clothing of a simple yet elegant design.
Holding a strange lantern that billowed red smoke in all directions, she slowly approached.
Soon after, people with dazed expressions and glowing red eyes began to emerge from between the buildings.
"Guuuhhh."
"Kahaak. Keuk."
"Ah, ahhh, ah, ah."
They were the townspeople, consumed by blood energy.
Then, with the sinisterly glowing red moon at her back, the masked woman—no, one of the Six Paths Blood Demons—opened her mouth.
"That is enough. Your, one and only lives, end here."