A Madman Who Wants Both Dead

Boom!

"Kill them all!"

"In the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠name of the Demon God, purge the heretics!"

Thud!

Whoosh—roar!

Corpses littered the ground. Flames roared up from every direction inside the cult compound. New Age operatives and Demon God Cult members were locked in a savage, tangled free-for-all.

Soft footsteps.

Fighting exactly as expected.

Melted into the darkness, Do-ha watched the two factions slaughter each other and smiled.

He had come to the location he had wrung out of Shurike, and the cult's scale turned out to be considerable—large enough that handling it alone would have been genuinely taxing.

New Age is making this almost too convenient.

A low hum of power.

Finger Flick Art.

A shrieking whistle of air—

Thud!

At Do-ha's strike, a New Age operative and a cultist both dropped with holes punched clean through their skulls.

With a chaotic brawl already raging, hiding and sniping was almost too easy.

No wonder the Sichuan Tang Clan never gives up on assassination. It's sneakily fun.

It was the kind of remark that would have made the Tang Clan furious if they had overheard. They used assassination techniques, yes—but they rarely operated as pure assassins the way Do-ha was doing now.

Hey now. You can't go down that fast.

A soft shift of energy.

A surge of light.

A soft, bubbling glow.

"?"

A New Age operative who had been a heartbeat from dying under a cultist's blade suddenly found his wounds knitting shut. He whipped his head around, scanning the chaos.

Who had just healed him?

"Die!"

"You die first!"

Thud!

The New Age operative who had just been healed and the cultist stabbed each other at the same time—and both went down together.

That's the spirit. Healing him was worth it after all.

A low, grinding thrum of power.

Having roughly mapped the situation ahead, Do-ha drew up his energy. His body began to sink into the shadows.

It was the secret art of Salma, the Killing Demon—the greatest assassin of the Central Plains Murim: Shadow Stream Kill.

He moved through the shadows that rippled with the light, and anyone who saw his form was doomed to die.

Of course, the ones who had once tried to assassinate Do-ha himself had been the ones who ended up dead.

A sharp rush of air—

Do-ha slipped deeper into the cult compound and stepped out of the shadows. The entrance was nothing but small fry.

I felt a strong presence further in… There. Found them.

Concealed behind a pillar, Do-ha watched the two figures clashing near the plaza.

"The boss was right. You people are fanatics who should never have been allowed to exist."

"The Demon God would have killed you all eventually anyway… The fact that you came looking for death yourselves only proves how stupid your organization is."

A screaming rush of force—

KRAAAAAAASH!

Leonard, New Age's European Branch Manager, collided head-on with Gerick, the Sub-Bishop in charge of the cult.

Both of them packed power on par with SS-Rank Awakened—but Gerick, as Sub-Bishop, held a slightly deeper well of strength.

Matchup-wise, though, Leonard has the easier fight.

Compatibility favored Leonard. Raw power favored Gerick.

A whistling cut—

A thin line of blood.

"Heh. You're that slow and you still think you can protect yourself?"

A small cut opened on Gerick's neck, and Leonard laughed. The man couldn't keep up with his speed—he was crawling.

"You little gnat. Your attacks are light."

"And you're as slow as a sloth."

The Sub-Bishop was trying to drag his opponent into a heavy, grinding exchange. Leonard read the move, stabbed in at blinding speed, and slipped back out again.

A heavy coiling of power—

"Putting force into the legs, are we?"

Rapid footfalls—

A shrieking whistle of air—

The moment Leonard backpedaled to open distance, Gerick's body launched forward like a sprung coil.

BOOM!

"Heh. Looking at you now, you're not a sloth—you're a damn bear."

Leonard laughed as Gerick smashed into a pillar. What was this supposed to be? Those sluggish attacks left him completely unharmed.

"Playing with you is entertaining enough… but I should kill you quickly and wipe out the rest of the cultists too."

A tightening grip.

A roaring surge of aura.

Leonard reset his grip on his sword and thrust at Gerick's throat with blistering speed. The collapsing pillar had kicked up a cloud of dust that was blotting out Gerick's vision.

This was the opening.

What the hell is that idiot doing?

Watching from the dark, Do-ha sighed at Leonard's judgment. He had been doing fine—so why the sudden blunder?

A whistling cut—

A thin smile.

A hand closed.

From inside the dust cloud, Gerick smiled and caught the blade racing for his throat bare-handed.

"Finally got you."

Charging the pillar had been planned from the start. He had deliberately raised the dust to create an opening and bait ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Leonard into attacking.

"Let go!"

A sharp kick—

Unable to wrench the sword free, Leonard drove a foot at Gerick's jaw.

Boom!

"Heh. I told you. Your attacks are light."

Gerick's head snapped back—and he laughed. The kick had landed clean on his jaw and done nothing at all.

A whip of motion.

A crushing grip.

Still holding the sword bare-handed, Gerick snapped his arm around and seized Leonard's wrist.

"A bug like you is best beaten to death. That's the only way it feels right."

A yank—

Gerick hauled Leonard in and drove a fist into him.

Boom!

"Ghk—!"

"Don't be dramatic. We're just getting started."

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Gerick's fists hammered Leonard's face again and again. The power behind them was monstrous—every blow sent teeth flying, caved bone, and sprayed blood in every direction.

A casual fling.

A crashing tumble.

"Heh. Yes. That look suits a creature like you."

Gerick tossed Leonard aside like trash and laughed. A few punches and the man couldn't even move—just twitching on the ground like an insect.

"Time to send you on your way."

Ugh. What an idiot.

Tap.

Do-ha sighed and kicked Leonard's sword with the tip of his foot, sending it sliding to where the man lay.

A soft scrape of steel.

"Urgh…"

The moment the hilt brushed his fingertips, Leonard managed a weak reaction. He still didn't have the strength to close his hand around it.

Keep fighting.

A surge of light.

A soft, bubbling glow of restoration.

"?!"

As Leonard's body knit itself back ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠together, both his eyes and Gerick's went wide.

At the same instant—

A low hum of power.

A sharp crack—

A shrieking whistle of air—

Thud!

"Gaaah!"

Do-ha flicked his finger and sent a shard of stone screaming through the air. It punched straight through Gerick's right knee.

I spoon-fed you this much. If you still can't win, I really will beat you to death myself.

Do-ha relocated a short distance away and snarled under his breath in Leonard's direction. He had wrecked one of Gerick's legs, restored Leonard's body, and even delivered the man's sword. He had practically chewed the food and put it in his mouth. Losing after that would make Leonard a genuine waste of space.

"Who the hell was that?!"

"Who's there?!"

Contrary to Do-ha's hopes, Gerick and Leonard immediately started scanning their surroundings. Fortunately—or unfortunately—they were not complete fools, and they realized at once that someone was stirring the pot.

"Ugh, seriously! Nothing ever goes the way I want."

A sharp pivot.

A light step.

In the end, Do-ha stepped out of the shadows and stood in front of them both.

"Who are you?"

"You healed me. That means you want us to keep fighting."

"Bingo. Watching two wastes of space thrash around is pretty entertaining."

"……"

"……"

Do-ha grinned as he spoke, and neither of them could find a reply. His tone, his casual manner—and the way he wasn't merely pretending to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠look down on them, but genuinely was—left them silent.

"Who are you? I know every face among the Cheon-oe-cheon… Don't tell me you're New Age—"

Gerick turned his head toward Leonard, then cut himself off mid-sentence. He had half-expected an elder-class Awakened from New Age—but one look at Leonard's expression made it clear the man had never seen this stranger either.

"Me? Let's just say I'm a madman who wants both your groups dead."

A smooth motion.

Do-ha pulled a black mask from inside his coat and put it on.

"Korea's Cheon-oe-cheon…"

"It's you. A."

"Correct."

Do-ha took the mask back off and clapped. These days, people only recognized him when he wore the damn thing.

"New Age I can understand. Why make an enemy of the cult as well?"

He had watched the livestream of A's fight against Shurike, who had been embedded in New Age. Shurike had been a cult member too, but only as a disposable piece. From the cult's perspective, killing Shurike had never made A their enemy.

"Seems there's a misunderstanding. I've always hated the cult more than New Age."

"Always?"

"Yeah. Always. That's why I killed Belial too."

"?!!"

The moment he heard Belial's name, killing intent exploded off Gerick. The reason the war with New Age had started—the reason Alfheim was still standing—this man was the root of it all.

A shift of stance.

Leonard readied himself at the same time.

A surge of power—

A sharp crack—

A shrieking rush of air—

Gerick drove force into his thigh and launched forward. Leonard threw himself at Do-ha in the same instant. Gerick still needed killing, but the Cheon-oe-cheon came first.

A casual catch.

"?!"

"?!"

Do-ha caught them both lightly in his hands, and Gerick's and Leonard's eyes went huge.

What had just happened?

Why were they both in this man's grip?

"Seems you're in a hurry to die… Fine. I'll oblige."

A deep thrum of power.

A surge of light.

Do-ha channeled his energy—martial arts in one hand, magic in the other.

WHOOOOSH—ROAR!

"GAAAAAAH!"

"Ghk—!"

In a single instant, fire engulfed them from head to toe. Gerick and Leonard screamed. They tried to force it off with aura. They rolled on the ground. The flames would not go out.

"They say the worst pain a human can feel is searing pain."

A surge of light.

When their flesh was nearly melted away and their thrashing had dwindled to weak twitches, Do-ha restored them both.

New Age or the cult—both of them had the nerve to expect a comfortable death.

"GAAAAH! Please, just kill us!"

"St—stop!"

Their consciousness had nearly cut out. When it slammed back into place, both of them howled. Why heal them? Why not just let them die?

Whoosh!

Roar!

Every time they thrashed, the flames only burned hotter.

In that moment—

A screaming rush of air—

Thud! Thud!

Boom.

From the tallest building far across the compound, someone came flying in and drove a sword through both Gerick's and Leonard's hearts.

"At… last…"

They crumpled.

With their hearts pierced, both men died smiling. At last—release from this unspeakable agony.

"Well, well. Finally decided to show yourself?"

Arms folded, Do-ha smiled at the newcomer.

The strongest presence in this place.

Bishop Fallen stared expressionlessly at the still-burning corpses.

"……Fire……"

"Fire?"

"Warm fire…… but it hurts…… So I set them free. Because I'm the Bishop……"

"Hah……"

Do-ha's face twisted with irritation at the Bishop's manner of speaking. Back in Belhart, there had always been one of these—someone whose rambling made no sense, a true fanatic drowning in the Demon God. The man in front of him was exactly that type.

"Damn it. These are the most annoying ones to deal with."

A sharp flash of steel—

Do-ha sighed and drove his sword straight at the throat of Fallen, who was still staring blankly at the corpses.

A soft shift.

Rapid footfalls.

Fallen slid sideways, still expressionless, and slipped the blade, opening distance.

"Did you…… attack me……?"

A vast, rising pressure.

A cracking surge of power.

Fallen turned his head toward Do-ha. Enormous killing intent and raw energy began to pour off him in waves.