chapter 63
63 – The Uninhabited Graveyard (3)
‘…Dual spears?’
Two short spears emitted a sinister aura as they swung through the air.
Whether originally designed to separate into two, there was no sense of discomfort.
‘But the distance must be shortened.’
The short spears sacrificed the advantage of distance for speed. Despite the apparent proficiency in handling them, they weren’t the best choice against short swords. Just as he thought so.
Something closed the distance in an instant, aiming for Lian’s forehead. Lian hastily stepped back, tilting his head backward.
Sschaeeaak!
A breeze passed over his forehead. It was close. Even though it wasn’t within reach.
‘Is he toying with the distance completely?’
Lian frowned, stepping back a bit. The length of the spear had been extended by infusing magic into the spear’s edge.
“…”
The Blood Demon’s eyes contained a sharp light. The attack just now wasn’t meant for evasion. No matter how skilled a martial artist was, it was normal not to adapt well when the type of weapon suddenly changed.
However, Lian effortlessly avoided my attacks, as if nothing had happened.
Simply relying on his peripheral vision.
The Bloodfiend, charging at high speed, swung its sharp spear blade toward Lian.
Instead of stepping back, Lian rushed forward, meeting the attack head-on. The clash of the spear and the dagger tore through the air.
Crack!
As if waiting for it, the Bloodfiend thrust the spear in its left hand toward Lian’s chest. The rotating blade swiftly reached Lian’s nose.
‘Can I block this?’
Lian narrowed his eyes. If it were two daggers, he might not have known, but with just one, he couldn’t block simultaneous attacks from both sides.
Lian’s decision was swift. Quickly gathering magic, he spread his hand wide, deflecting the spear to the side. Lian’s assault didn’t end there. His grip, with a graceful motion, struck the Bloodfiend.
‘…Is it Golden Lotus?’
The Bloodfiend thought so. A martial art used to seize or counter an opponent using hands. Even though the Bloodfiend identified the nature of Lian’s martial art, its face remained impassive, even more rigid than before.
Because there was a novice of his own martial art.
Understood!
The only reason the Bloodfiend could avoid Lian’s grip was that. Given the situation, the Bloodfiend had no choice but to admit it.
In that brief moment, the boy in front of him had truly imitated his martial art.
“I understand why you use a spear as your weapon now.”
“…What did you say?”
“A dagger doesn’t really suit your martial art. The attacks are cut off before reaching the striking point.”
“…!!”
But before the Bloodfiend could become enraged, Lian’s squire moved first.
Sizzling!
As the brainwave surged, it instantly enveloped Lian’s physique. In accordance with his will, magic resonated as if it were alive.
“If the path is short, narrow the distance accordingly.”
How to utilize the new knowledge of martial arts. The only thought that crossed Lian’s mind at the moment. There was no intention to provoke; it was purely out of genuine regret.
If there were shortcomings, they would be corrected. If improvements could be made, they would be implemented. Though he had grasped it for only a few seconds, Lian’s talent made it possible.
The irregularly moving brainwave gradually took shape. Converging from the entire body to a single point.
It repeated the process of compression.
“…”
The lips of the vampire slightly parted. Being a talented martial artist, he could instantly comprehend what Lian was up to.
Creating a new martial art.
Mastering an existing martial art with diligence could be achieved with a certain level of talent, but creating a new one was different.
It was not about following a path paved by others but being a pioneer in forging one’s own way.
A grandmaster.
A prodigy bestowed by the heavens once every few decades or centuries.
“This, this is unbelievable. How could a monster like you be doing such things in this remote village…!!”
The opponent who was initially considered inconsequential.
There was no chance of losing against an exposed target unless caught off guard.
But at this moment, Lian vehemently denied such thoughts.
…What if it wasn’t an exposed target from the beginning?
There was no possibility that a monster like him would engage in such actions in this remote village.
“No.”
If I kill him, I rise. Just kill him. The vampire calmly feigned composure, muttering such words.
Lian.
Instead of staring at the vampire, he calmly scrutinized my inner self.
How to move, how to attack, how to defend.
Because just organizing the incessant inspirations was busy enough.
Life attacked. Lian stopped thinking and raised his head.
Understood!
A spear whizzed past Lian’s cheek. The vampire had thrown the spear.
‘Throw the spear.’
Once thrown, the spear doesn’t come back. The vampire must have known that simple fact.
But even so, choosing to throw the spear meant that his state of mind was focused enough.
“Kha, hahahahaha! Huhahahahaha!”
To endure such a risk, the attack itself must have had significance.
Judging by the reaction, it seemed to be the latter.
‘Is it poison.’
Just grazing, yet the cheek turned crimson, bubbling and boiling.
“You careless fool.”
A malicious smile appeared on the vampire’s face. The poison on the blade differed from ordinary poisons.
It was an extremely potent venom made directly by the Vampire Guild.
The goods received as payment from the client. Naturally, there was no antidote.
A mere touch could kill. As soon as the poison began to spread, the skin would turn black and the blood vessels would reverse, turning into a handful of blood.
There were no exceptions. Even the men who had some resistance to the poison could not last more than a few seconds before dying.
If it were a boy with a much lower blood volume than an adult, he would melt away even faster.
Sssss!
The poison spread from Lian, radiating outwards. The steam that flowed out from the open wound combined with the mist and instantly started spreading to the surroundings.
The vampire blocked his respiratory system and quickly retreated.
Even though he had enveloped his body with magic, his skin still stung. Even touching the mist that contained a trace amount of poison was this painful, so what about Lian, who was directly attacked?
He must have melted away without leaving a trace.
But even while having such thoughts, the vampire did not move his feet.
“….”
Gunshots constantly echoed through the mist. Considering that the mercenaries were still holding on, quite a number of dark mages must have died as well.
Now that the situation had turned like this, it was impossible to deliver the bodies on time to appease the dissatisfaction of the clients.
At the very least, they had to take Lian’s remains with them.
If the bodies had been intact, they would have made a killing, but they weren’t particularly disappointed. If they hadn’t used the extreme poison, they might have been the ones to suffer instead. With that thought in mind, they were about to take out a glass bottle.
Beyond the mist, a green light spread out and filled their vision.
aaah!
At the same time, a calm sound of footsteps came from beyond the mist.
The vampire swallowed his dry saliva with an expression of disbelief.
Lian, who should have turned into a handful of blood, was walking towards them as if nothing had happened.
“How….could this happen?”
A face that couldn’t comprehend the current situation. His eyes, looking at Lian, were filled with obvious terror of death.
The vampire’s gaze slowly shifted to the dagger in Lian’s hand. The blade was stained with a vivid green color. The moment he confirmed it, the vampire muttered in a horrified voice.
“T-This can’t be true….”
In that moment, one possibility invaded the vampire’s mind.
While Mandokmun was undoubtedly one of the top poison gates in the continent, it was not the number one gate in the world.
Because the position of the number one poison gate in the world, the Heaven’s First Poison Gate (天下第一毒門), already had an owner.
The Sachendangga.
The prestigious clan that dominated the pharmaceutical market of the entire continent, and the giant of the martial world.
A group where monsters who had suppressed the Five Great Families to become the Three Great Families resided.
If it wasn’t for those who had been injected with poison since they were young, cultivating immunity, there was no way to explain the current situation.
“…Are you a person from the clan?”
Instead of answering, Lian bandaged his wounds. The pain was incomparably agonizing and bitter compared to before.
“Why is the color like this again?”
Perhaps due to the poisoning, the color of the blade had turned green.
Lian concealed his complex expression and stared at the vampire. It wasn’t a matter of immediate concern.
As Lian remained silent, the vampire began to speak as if he was waiting to defend himself.
“If…if I had known you were from the clan, I wouldn’t have done this. I-I made a mistake. I won’t step foot here again!”
Fear.
“I won’t reveal anything I know. I won’t say a word about the trading partners. It would save valuable time, wouldn’t it? S-So, if you spare me…”
Desperation.
“Ar-Are you not a human?”
It was a familiar sight to Lian.
Sometimes, those who were lucky enough to survive would beg for their lives like this.
Every time, Lian would respond in the same way.
“You bastard! I’ll tell you everything, so please spare me! f*ck… f*ck…!”
Gripping the dagger tightly.
“Ah, ahhhhh!”
The spear, swung out like a raging beast, was shot forward.
[Flash]
The dagger, imbued with a thick venom, split the vampire’s vision in half.
*****