Madness and Killing Intent

The moment our lips met, Jeong So-yun's body jerked upward as if struck by lightning. She clamped her mouth shut in shock and held her breath, but I paid her no mind. I gently bit down on her tightly sealed lower lip and pushed my tongue inside.

-Chuuuup.

As if ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠savoring her rigid reaction, I softened my approach, gently rubbing our lips together like a mother bird tending to her young, persistently knocking at the firmly closed door.

"Mmph?!"

The gap that formed when her teeth, clenched in surprise at the unfamiliar sensation, parted for just an instant. I didn't miss it. My tongue slipped through the opening and invaded.

"Hngh...!"

A suppressed moan escaped from deep in her throat.

Inside her hot mouth, the metallic tang of blood from her bitten lip mixed with her saliva, creating a strangely sweet flavor.

As if savoring that taste, I swirled my tongue, brazenly licking across the roof of her mouth and along her gums.

'Heh heh. Just like old times.'

I hadn't even used any significant inner energy. Simply by intertwining our tongues, the body of the Vajra Flower—the woman who could shatter boulders with her bare hands—had melted like candle wax.

I swallowed a mischievous smile and wrapped my tongue around hers, which had nowhere to run, licking upward with enough force to suck it in down to the root.

-Chuuup, chup...

In the silent prison, the wet, viscous sounds of friction echoed softly.

Her mouth had grown feverishly hot. Yet the way her tongue moved to greet me was heartbreakingly clumsy and awkward.

'Pfft. Still the same as ever.'

Memories overlapped in my mind. The night I had shared my first kiss with her under the moonlight, back when I was still Wi Yeon-seol, flashed before my eyes like a lantern show.

'Exactly like back then.'

Perhaps it was because she had spent her entire life trusting only in her fists, living among rough men in a world of blood-soaked blade fights.

She had reached a higher realm than me when it came to beating people senseless, yet she was as ignorant as a newborn babe when faced with the affairs between men and women, or even a simple kiss.

"Hngh... mmmph... haa...?"

Where had that murderous glint in her eyes gone? After just one gesture, one kiss, her face flushed bright red like a ripe tomato, looking utterly lost and adorable. That fresh, sweet sensation had crossed decades of time and was vividly reviving on the edge of my lips right now.

Yes. I had missed this sweetness. Missed it like madness.

I gently scraped the roof of her mouth and pushed my tongue even deeper.

"Mmm... ngh...!"

A stifled cry burst out.

Jeong So-yun was now clinging to my neck, barely holding herself up. The monstrous strength that had earned her the name Power to Pull Mountains seemed to have vanished. Far from pushing me away, she was so intoxicated by the pleasure of her first kiss that her legs had gone weak. I had to wrap my arms firmly around her waist to keep her from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠collapsing.

'Ha, seriously...'

It was an unexpected joy. To think I could steal this clumsy, innocent first kiss from her again—something I thought I'd never see again—by turning back the hands of time.

'Shall I make her cry a little more?'

Her transparent reactions triggered both sadistic urges and a mischievous impulse at the same time.

I caught the root of her retreating tongue, gave it a light bite, and refused to let go, tormenting her even more persistently. I gave her no room to breathe, continuing my indulgence until tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.

-Chuuut...

Eventually, our wet lips parted, and a long, transparent strand of saliva stretched between us.

"Haa... haa... ugh..."

Jeong So-yun panted harshly. Her eyes were half-rolled back, her cheeks burning crimson. With a dazed expression, she collapsed against my chest as if melting.

-Rustle.

But only for a moment. Perhaps the heat from our pressed bodies snapped her back to her senses, because she suddenly jolted and shoved me away violently.

"...You, you...! You crazy bitch...!"

She scrambled out of my embrace, looking ready to throw a punch as she screamed at me. But her movements suddenly froze in midair.

"...Huh?"

Her pupils shook as if an earthquake had struck.

With an expression of utter disbelief, Jeong So-yun clenched and unclenched her fist, then lightly rolled her shoulders. The body that had been so ravaged by torture she could barely move a finger was now moving with surprising fluidity.

"What the hell is this...? Why is my body...?"

Watching her withdraw her killing intent in an instant and fall into confusion, laughter bubbled up from deep in my stomach.

"Heh heh. How about it? You can move now, right?"

The deep, intense kiss I had shared with Jeong So-yun hadn't been merely to satisfy my lust. During our contact kiss, I had circulated the Heavenly Color Phantom Art and sent pure, refined true qi flowing into her body.

Starting from her depleted lower dantian, which had been ruined by prolonged torture, I had guided the energy through the life gate acupoint—known as the gate of life—and the empty sea of qi acupoint, finally reaching the curved pool acupoint in her arm. The energy flowing through her meridians should have replenished her dried-up vitality. Walking on her own two feet should no longer be a problem.

"...Uhhh...?"

Still unable to comprehend the changes in her own body, Jeong So-yun stared up at me with wide, rabbit-like eyes, completely dazed. Her foolish expression was so lovable that I struggled to hold back my laughter as I approached and gently stroked her flushed cheek.

"Hoo... hoo... hoooo...?!"

Along with a bizarre groan that sounded like someone's soul was escaping through their mouth, the sound of something collapsing came from the side.

'Hm?'

When I turned my head, I saw Yeon So-ha sitting on the floor, his legs having given out beneath him. His face was flushed red like a perfectly ripened persimmon, and he had both hands covering his eyes. Yet the gaps between his fingers were wide enough to barely steal glances at me and Jeong So-yun.

The unfocused pupils ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠visible through those gaps were spinning round and round like whirlpools. He looked like he might faint at any second.

'Oops.'

Only then did I realize. We weren't the only two people in this narrow, enclosed space. And that the scene we had just shown was far too stimulating for a boy who hadn't even lost his baby fat yet.

'Did I show this little rascal the adult world a bit too early?'

I scratched my head with an awkward smile, but seeing his stupefied face stirred up my mischievous side again. I deliberately curved the corners of my eyes, putting on a seductive expression as I flashed him a bright, innocent smile.

"Our little brat got to see something you couldn't even pay for. Hehe."

"......!!"

At my teasing, Yeon So-ha's pupils shook violently as if struck by an earthquake.

He seemed to want to say something, opening and closing his mouth, but his mind must have gone completely blank because no words came out.

In the end, the moment his eyes met mine, he whipped his head around with an audible snap.

"Kyuoooooo..."

One boy buried his head between his knees and curled up into a ball like a pill bug. Even though he was covering his ears with both hands, the tips of his bright red ears were clearly visible even in the darkness.

"Pfft...! Puhahahahaha!"

And so, unable to hold it in any longer, I burst into loud laughter.

After that, I wrapped my arm around Jeong So-yun's flushed shoulders and deliberately hardened my expression. Thanks to the intense kiss and the resonance of our inner energies, the narrow prison was still thick with sticky, heated air. But I couldn't afford to simply enjoy the afterglow.

"Hey, brat. Are you planning to become friends with the floor? Get up already."

I lightly kicked Yeon So-ha's backside with the tip of my foot as he crouched there.

"H-Hiiik?! B-Big Sister?!"

He let out a startled scream. It was quite a sight—his face burning red as he kept stealing glances at Jeong So-yun, who was leaning against my chest, completely unsure where to look.

"Get a grip. We're not planning to live here forever."

I grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet, then firmly supported Jeong So-yun's waist, since her legs still hadn't fully regained their strength and she was staggering.

"Let's get going."

"W-Where to? If all three of us move together, we'll get caught right away..."

Yeon So-ha whispered with a tearful face. It seemed he was worried that Jeong So-yun, still hindered by her injuries despite regaining some energy, and himself, who knew no martial arts, would only slow me down like dead weight.

"Don't worry. There's a path."

I looked down at Jeong So-yun in my arms and murmured quietly.

"Behind this prison, beneath a dead, dried-up old tree, there's a secret passage that leads straight to the foot of Cheonmok Mountain. If we take that, we'll reach the bottom of the mountain in no time."

"......!"

The moment I finished speaking, Jeong So-yun's body, which had been slumped against my shoulder while panting, stiffened like a statue.

"Wait."

She grabbed a fistful of my clothes. The dazed, hazy look in her eyes from the heat of our kiss had vanished. When she lifted her head, a sharp killing intent—like that of a wild beast—flashed in her eyes.

"How do you know about that path?"

Her voice trembled like a blade.

"That's a passage only my father and I know about. How could an outsider like you know a route that even the executives of the mountain stronghold don't know about?!"

"Ah."

At Jeong So-yun's sharp suspicion, I let out a soft chuckle.

Of course I knew. In my previous life, on that desperate night, the path Jeong So-yun and I had taken after barely escaping this prison had been exactly that one.

But I couldn't possibly tell her my entire complicated and bizarre story right now. I grinned and playfully tapped the bridge of her nose, which was scrunched up in tension, with my index finger.

"I'll tell you that later. For now—"

I was about to brush it off as a secret when—

-KWAaaaaang—!!!

With a deafening roar that threatened to burst our eardrums, the massive steel door was torn from its hinges like a sheet of paper and flew through the air. A tremendous shockwave swept through the prison.

"!!"

Dust billowed thickly at the entrance. Beyond it, sharp killing intent surged forward.

'It's here.'

My instincts screamed a split second before my mind could react.

Without even time to think, I grabbed Jeong So-yun's shoulder and roughly shoved her toward Yeon So-ha. At the same time, I drew the sword from my waist and swung it backward.

The white trajectory drawn by Seol-hye's sword. Its tip was aimed at the blood-red weapon held in the hand of a crimson shadow that had torn through the darkness.

-Kaaang—!

When the two blades collided, bright red sparks flew, illuminating the dark prison as if it were midday.

"B-Big Sister!!!"

"...That bastard...!"

Yeon So-ha's scream as he tumbled across the floor intersected with Jeong So-yun's horrified gaze as she lifted her head from where she had been slammed into the ground.

-Kagag, kak...!

A horrifying scraping sound rang out like tinnitus.

The weapon locked against my sword was a hideous red blade resembling a saw, with jagged, missing teeth. Beyond it, the eerie glow of a monster's eyes shone from beneath a blood-soaked, dark crimson straw raincoat.

"Hup!"

-Kaduk!

I stabilized my stance by drawing qi from my dantian. As I poured energy into the blade and gripped the hilt tighter, the red blade locked against mine was slowly pushed back.

'How the hell did this bastard get here so fast...?'

The unidentified monster wearing the dark crimson raincoat.

According to my memories from my previous life, this guy hadn't even shown his face when Jeong So-yun and I escaped. So how did he know exactly where we were and come charging straight in this time...?!

"Kiiik, kuk, kahahaha...!"

The monster glared at me with horrifyingly red eyes, a bizarre smile splitting his torn lips.

"Disgusting... so pure... inner energy... kuh, kaak...!"

A cracked voice reminiscent of a dying animal's howl.

"You... are the bitch... from the Sword Pavilion...!"

The monster's gleaming eyes suddenly stopped dead on my face.

"But... something's strange... kuh, kuk... from you... somewhere... familiar... energy...!"

He sniffed like a dog, flaring his nostrils as if trying to catch a scent.

"Shut that filthy mouth!"

I cut off his nonsense by exploding the qi in my dantian.

-Kwang—!

The stone floor cracked like a spiderweb beneath my vibrating foot. Using the recoil as propulsion, I shoved his blade upward from below in one swift motion.

-Kaaang!

The moment my sword sent his blade flying high into the air, the heavy impact caused his upper body to bend backward, leaving his chest completely exposed.

'Now!'

The instant his weakness was revealed, the martial arts engraved in Seol-hye's body unfolded on instinct.

-Sarak.

The instant the monster's eyes were dazzled by the dazzling sword flowers, I raised my sword like flowing water and thrust a single strike through the gap between the blooming petals!

-Pat!

A thrust like lightning flew toward the monster's throat from beyond the sword flowers.

'Got him!'

The tip of my sword was just about to reach his Adam's apple, victory all but assured.

-Kakang!

A spine-chilling metallic clang rang out as sparks flew.

Even with his vision completely obscured, the monster in the dark crimson raincoat had swung his blade purely on instinct and deflected my killing blow.

No. This movement wasn't just instinct—

"K-Kuk! I know this...! The Sword Pavilion's... sword...!"

"You recognize this sword...?"

The monster bared his teeth in a thick sneer, his red eyes flashing.

I gritted my teeth, pulling my sword back to assume the upper stance of the Great Compassion Thousand-Hand Sword again, when a scream-like shriek erupted from behind me.

"B-Big Sister! It's him! He's the one who killed the Head Escort—!"

Was that voice the signal? The monster's gaze, which had been fixed on me, shifted toward Yeon So-ha behind me.

"Kie, ii, eh, you little brat!! Blood!! Fresh... blood!!!"

"!!"

Like a starving demon whose reason had vanished, leaving only gluttony, the monster let out a monstrous roar and kicked off the ground, charging straight at Yeon So-ha in an instant.

-Shweeeek!!

The blood-red凶 blade fell toward the crown of Yeon So-ha's head with a horrifying sound—

"You son of a bitch!!!"

I spat out a curse through clenched teeth and kicked off the ground hard enough to shatter the stone.

-Pat!

The footwork I unfolded was the Lotus Blossom Step, the foundation of the Sword Pavilion's sword arts.

My body, light as a single flower petal, left only a faint afterimage in the air like wind skimming over water as I slipped between the monster's blade and Yeon So-ha.

-Kaaaaang—!!!

Sparks flew as the red blade, which had been about to split the boy in half, was knocked away.

"B-Big Sister...!"

Yeon So-ha behind me collapsed, trembling like a leaf in the wind. His face had turned deathly pale from the terror of having a blade fall right before his eyes.

It was that instant—the moment the monster's center of gravity faltered after his strike toward Yeon So-ha was blocked.

-Tadat!

A black shadow shot out from behind me.

"?!"

It was Jeong So-yun, her body ravaged by torture yet wrapped in inner energy.

"You fucking bastard!!!"

With a scream filled with rage, her form dove into the monster's opening. Staring directly at his face with bloodshot eyes, she poured what little inner energy she had left into her trembling fist and drove it straight into the monster's face, whose posture had collapsed.

"Black Wind Strike!!!"

A heavy iron fist capable of shattering boulders struck true. With a dull impact, the monster's face caved in and snapped backward.

"What?!"

Or so I thought.

"K-Ki, haaaa!"

-Wooduk.

With the sound of bones shifting out of place, the monster's upper body bent backward at an angle that should have been impossible for a human. A movement far beyond the bounds of humanity.

"Ah?!"

Jeong So-yun's fist, having cut through empty air, lost its target. Having poured all her strength into that single strike, her body lurched forward, leaving her back completely defenseless.

"Die... kaha, heh!"

In that bizarre posture with his waist bent backward, the monster twisted his wrist. The red blade with its saw-like teeth curved toward the back of Jeong So-yun's neck like a venomous snake.

"Hup!"

My body moved before my mind could think.

-Chaechaechaechaechang—!!!

In the darkness, steel clashed against steel like mad, erupting in blinding flashes of light.

I blocked all sixteen of the beast-like slashes aimed at Jeong So-yun, each one coming so fast it was nearly invisible, gritting my teeth as I deflected every single one.

"Huu...!"

I knocked away the pouring sword strikes and barely managed to pull Jeong So-yun behind me. Without turning around, I shouted.

"You're in the way! I'll handle this bastard and catch up, so get to the escape route now!"

"B-But how can I leave Big Sister behind...!"

As Yeon So-ha stood there sobbing, unable to move his feet, Jeong So-yun—who had been bracing herself against the floor—gritted her teeth, stood up, and looked down at the fist that had cut through empty air.

"...Damn it!"

Jeong So-yun spat out a short curse, then grabbed Yeon So-ha by the waist as he stood there stupidly and hoisted him up like a sack of rice, tucking him under her arm.

"W-Wait?! H-Hey?!"

"Shut your mouth, you little whelp from the Cheon-un Merchant Group. Unless you want to bite your tongue off."

After speaking, Jeong So-yun looked back at me. Through her disheveled hair, her eyes swirled with complicated emotions.

"...I owe you one."

"..."

"I'll pretend that shameless kiss never happened, so finish up quickly and follow us. As for me... I can't beat that thing."

A bitter admission. She bit her lip, then broke into a full sprint toward the stairs with Yeon So-ha tucked under her arm.

"K-Kaaak! W-Where... are you... going, kiiiaaaa!!"

The dark crimson monster, unable to stand by and watch his prey escape, let out a scream and spun around to target Jeong So-yun's back.

"...!!"

A clear opening had been revealed.

There was no way I would miss that instant when he turned his back to me.

"Your opponent is me!"

With a roar, I gathered the inner energy from my dantian into my empty left hand. A golden current of qi swirled in my palm, pressing down on the air itself.

-Kudangtang! Kwajik!

The monster's body flew straight across the prison and slammed into the opposite wall. The thick granite wall cracked like a spiderweb, and stone dust poured down from the force of the impact.

"Cough... kuaaaa!"

The monster rolled across the floor, vomiting a mouthful of dark red blood. The horrifying sounds of his shattered ribs and twisted organs rang out even more clearly than his screams.

"Kihi, hihi...! It hurts... it hurts...! Disgusting... Sword Pavilion...!"

Yet even while staggering, the monster forced his mangled body to stand.

-Wooduk, deudeuduk...!

The horrifying sound of misaligned bones snapping back into place. Even as black blood dripped from his mouth, the monster stretched his torn lips all the way to his ears and let out a bizarre, maniacal laugh.

"K-Kuh, huhuhu!"

-Kiiiiing...!!

At that moment, dark crimson inner energy coiled around his red blade like a snake, rising in a haze.

'As expected.'

I clicked my tongue at the anticipated sight and readjusted my grip on my sword.

'Peak realm.'

After hearing Yeon So-ha say that the monster had taken the head escort's life in a single strike, I had already guessed he could manifest sword energy. In my previous life, we had only crossed paths briefly without ever crossing blades, but now that we were fighting directly, his level of inner energy surpassed even that of the Deputy Leader of this place.

'But something's off.'

I tilted my head. For a peak-level expert to allow such an easy hit to his back without even activating his protective qi... it didn't make sense.

'Does he enjoy pain? Or does he simply not care if his body is destroyed?'

The martial arts of a beast whose rationality had been worn away.

'Fine.'

I gripped the sword hilt so tightly it felt like it might shatter and twisted one corner of my mouth into a sneer.

-Uuuuung.

Clear killing intent, sharp enough to tear apart peaceful daily life, slowly spread outward with me at its center. This was the first life-or-death battle I had faced since taking Seol-hye's body. Memories from my previous life, the sensations from that hellish battlefield of the Righteous and Demonic Great War, were reviving within me.

The moment I released my red sword energy, the blood throughout my body began to boil fiercely.

"Come at me, you monster."

"Kaaaaaaa!!!"

Our gazes intertwined in midair.

In the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠narrow prison, two shadows charged at each other, intent on tearing one another apart.

-KWAAAAAANG!!!

The monster's madness and my killing intent collided head-on in the heart of the darkness.