-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Escape (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
It was back in middle school.
I got into a fistfight with a close friend over something stupid.
Objectively, I was scrawny, but I thought of myself as the agile type back then. I seized the early advantage, landing a flurry of good hits on my chubby friend, but the tables turned the moment he landed a single punch.
My head rang, and the world started spinning.
That's when I realized.
No matter how nimble you are, you can't beat raw power.
Why am I suddenly telling this story?
Because I'm facing the exact same crisis right now.
Forget seizing the initiative with a surprise attack. I was too busy running for my life from the giant axe that Killing Axe bastard was swinging around.
CRASH! BOOM!
"Holy shit!"
Whoosh!
The axe, heavy with baleful energy, aimed for my head with swift, deadly precision.
I moved quickly, but.
Swish. Shing!
This time, the swords of Killing Axe's underlings blocked my escape route.
I couldn't retreat backward either. After a few steps back, my back was against the wall.
Killing Axe to my left, the Demon Guard warriors to my right, and a wall behind me.
It was a classic checkmate situation.
In the end, I chose to move toward the swords.
Clang, clang. Clang.
Using the Black Lotus Gauntlets I'd borrowed from Bukgung Baek, I frantically parried the incoming blades.
But these were the Demon Guard, protectors of the Ten Demon Alliance's Great Young Lord. The sword paths woven by these first-rate warriors were ruthlessly sharp.
Schlick. Thunk.
Ultimately, two swords sliced into my abdomen and thigh.
'Hngh.'
I can't just run away like this.
I've given up some bone; I have to take some flesh in return.
Rumble, KABOOM!
I channeled my true qi, unleashing the War King Arts' Explosive Death Force into the air. It was a technique for facing multiple opponents by spreading my qi wide.
The force, extending like a tempest, swept over two of them.
They collapsed, vomiting pieces of their internal organs.
"You baaastard!"
I heard the enraged shout of Killing Axe.
'Agh!'
If I stood still, the axe would surely fall on my back.
I used the War King Step once more, moving forward.
I heard the voice of Killing Axe, who had just lost sight of me.
"You slippery eel! Your footwork is quite something!"
"It's called the Ten Demon Trampling Step. Anyone can learn it once they join the Nine Dragons Fortress."
"Ten Demon Trampling Step?"
"It was created with the will to thoroughly stomp the Ten Demon Alliance into the ground. What do you think? Pretty neat, huh?"
"You madman! What are you all doing?! Take his head, now!"
The battle began anew.
Whoosh! KABOOM!
Swish. Shing!
Killing Axe's axe cleaved the air while the Demon Guard's swords targeted me in a chaotic flurry.
"Whoa! Heh!"
I used the space to its fullest, dodging and dodging again.
"Hiyah! Take that!"
I accumulated damage on my enemies.
I couldn't find a perfect opening, so I wasn't able to land a major blow like before.
Instead, I relied on constant movement to deal steady damage.
As proof, four of the five Demon Guard members, excluding Killing Axe, were bleeding from the corners of their mouths. They all had internal injuries.
"Hah... Hah! You rat-like bastard! Do you think you can survive just by dodging?!"
"Don't you know all combos start with light punches and kicks?"
Looks like the bastard's never even played King of Fighters.
"This son of a bitch!"
A deep red baleful energy coated Killing Axe's giant axe.
He looked utterly exhausted, but it seemed he still had some fight left in him.
Even with a rare item like the Black Lotus Gauntlets, a direct confrontation would get me sliced in two instantly.
"Ugh!"
I quickly backed away, getting out of his range.
But this attack was different from the ones before.
Shwwwing! Shwwwing!
Killing Axe was one thing, but now streaks of sword qi shot out from the blades of the Demon Guard.
I tried my best to dodge, but in the face of this unexpected attack, I ultimately...
Slish! Schlick!
"Gah!"
I ended up with deep sword wounds on my back and side.
On top of that.
"Khahahaha! Serves you right!"
Killing Axe's axe was still falling.
A mere graze would chop me to pieces, and a direct hit would shatter me completely.
"!"
It was too late to dodge.
I summoned all the true qi I had refined from the Frost Yin Elixir since the start of the battle.
Simultaneously, I pulled my body back, swung the blade of my hand from left to right, and immediately unleashed the Explosive Death Force.
The explosively discharged true qi hung in the air.
Immense pressure from above and below compressed the qi, sharpening it.
The projected Explosive Death Force struck the back of the qi, spreading it out in a fan shape.
As the qi instantly spread and flew toward Killing Axe, it collided with his energy-wreathed axe.
BOOM!
With a loud explosion, the qi split in two.
But its sharpness remained, slicing through both of Killing Axe's flanks and the torsos of the Demon Guard behind him.
This was the second form of the War King Arts, the Ultimate Death Force.
An ultimate technique of the War King Arts that I wouldn't have even dreamed of using without having taken the Frost Yin Elixir.
The ultimate technique succeeded in heavily wounding Killing Axe and slicing all of the Demon Guard members in half.
The hot, coppery smell of blood filled every corner of the secret passage.
"Hah! Hah!"
Of course, the true qi in my body was completely depleted.
A wave of emptiness washed over me from the qi exhaustion, making me feel like I could collapse at any moment.
The problem was.
"Kuaaargh!"
Killing Axe was still moving.
What looked like intestines were spilling from his sliced flanks, but somehow, he was getting back up.
'He's like a damn zombie.'
In the end, there was only one way to finish this fight.
I had to kill him.
And just as I expected, he lunged at me.
THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD!
He'd channeled so much true qi that the stone floor of the passage cracked with his every step.
And so, Phase 2 began.
Whooosh!
Dodging the brutally flying axe.
Thwack. THWACK-THWACK-THWACK!
I struck with the Dragon-Slaying Thirteen Strikes, breaking his stance, and simultaneously unleashed the Explosive Death Force.
Rumble! KRA-BOOM!
However.
"Kraaagh!"
The energy-wreathed axe cleaved the force of my attack in two, and at the same time, his torso slammed into me.
BAM!
It wasn't a technique. It was just a body slam.
"Keuk!"
Have you ever heard the saying?
That even a basic marketplace sword form can become an ultimate technique when performed by a supreme master.
My current situation was exactly like that.
CRASH!
The body slam was so powerful it sent me flying into the wall.
"Guhk!"
The immense impact made me black out for a second, but when I barely regained my senses and looked forward, I saw the axe blade again.
"…!"
THUD!
I quickly rolled away with a move from the Descending Dragon Evasion, and the axe crashed down, shattering the floor where I had just been lying.
"You bastard!"
He kept swinging his axe.
"Just stop already, you son of a bitch!"
Facing his charge, which was like that of a wild boar, I quickly got to my feet and poured all my strength into the Dragon-Slaying Thirteen Strikes.
THWACK-THWACK-THWACK! THWACK!
"Kuaaargh!"
But it seemed I couldn't stop his advance, as his axe fell as if to split my skull.
'I can't dodge this.'
A perfect timing born from a series of coincidences.
This very strike he unleashed was just that.
In the end, there was only one option.
'Attack.'
The best defense is a good offense.
To stop his breathing before the axe falls.
But I lacked the strength.
Even though I was continuously refining the qi from the Frost Yin Elixir, the amount was too trivial to perform a War King Arts technique.
My stamina was also at rock bottom, and with sword wounds all over, my body wouldn't move as I wanted.
But I couldn't just sit here and die.
"Die!"
I had to at least struggle.
As a minimal defense, I thrust my left hand up while punching out with my right.
My left arm would be gone, nine times out of ten, but living as a one-armed man was better than dying, right?
'Can I still get married if I become Captain Hook?'
However.
My worries were unfounded.
"Puuuuuh!"
Because Killing Axe suddenly vomited blood and stopped moving.
"…?"
He'd voluntarily stunned himself. Why hesitate?
THWACK!
Seizing the opportunity, my punch pierced straight through Killing Axe's heart.
Hot blood splattered in all directions.
Thud.
My body went limp, and I collapsed to my knees without realizing it.
"Young Master Jin!"
Cheong So-so burst through the iron door and ran over.
"Are you okay?! Oh my god, look at your wounds!"
"I'm… dying…"
It wasn't an exaggeration.
I really had been stabbed in the abdomen, thigh, back, and side.
The wounds on my back and side, in particular, were from sword qi, causing internal injuries as well.
"Miss Cheong…"
"Yes? Yes!"
"You're the only daughter of the Cheong family, so you can treat something like this, right?"
"I'm not the only daughter! I have three older brothers… I'll try to treat you. I've never dealt with wounds this severe, but I think I can do it."
Something about that felt unsettling, but with no other choice, I entrusted my body to Cheong So-so and closed my eyes.
Or rather, I tried to.
Until my true qi began to run rampant on its own.
"Cough!"
Fssshhh. Crrrackle.
As I coughed up clotted blood, I saw it freeze as it spread through the air.
Just as my eyes widened at the unheard-of phenomenon.
"S-Suppress your qi!"
Cheong So-so's urgent shout rang out.
Swallowing the lump of blood rising in my throat, I forced my mouth open.
"Ugh! What's happening?"
"I think it's a side effect of the Frost Yin Elixir!"
I knew it was too convenient to find it right when I needed it…
Just as I was despairing at the limits of an unlucky bastard like me, Cheong So-so followed up with more information than I needed.
"The Frost Yin Elixir is an elixir of extreme yin, so it should have been taken with an elixir or spiritual herb that boosts yang energy. I think this happened because you skipped that process."
"Is… is there no way?"
Cheong So-so bit her lip. Her expression told me everything I needed to know.
'There isn't one!'
Sh-sh-sh.
As time passed, my body began to tremble. The yin energy had penetrated to my very marrow.
"Ugh…"
The cold was so intense, like I was crossing Siberia in nothing but a tank top and boxers, that my consciousness began to fade.
"I told you to suppress your qi!"
Cheong So-so's shout made me feel wronged.
'I've been trying to!'
I wanted to argue back right away, but even the saliva in my mouth was freezing, so I couldn't open it.
It went on like that for a moment.
Eventually, the yin energy began to invade my dantian.
If this continued for just a little longer, it would be the end.
'To think I'd be reincarnated into a martial arts world just to end up a frozen virgin.'
At least I won't have to worry about sperm preservation.
If I knew I was going to die like this, I would have lived a little less diligently.
I should've found a pretty wife and run off to live in the boonies.
Why did I have to dream big and put myself through all this trouble…?
Sensing the end was near, I looked at Cheong So-so and saw her frantically searching for something.
Seeing her even search the pockets of the blood-soaked Killing Axe, it was clear she was doing her best.
"If only I could find something with yang energy…"
It seemed there was hope if she could find a spiritual pill containing yang energy.
'There's no way he'd be carrying something like that.'
The most representative spiritual herb with yang energy is wild ginseng, and what kind of madman would carry that around… There is one!
"Mmph! Mmph!"
I remembered receiving the Blue and Red Twin Pills from Jeok Hwa-ran in exchange for kidnapping the master of the Golden Flower Pavilion.
And of those Twin Pills, the Red Pill was the one made from spiritual herbs based on yang energy.
I brought it with me, wondering if I'd get a chance to sell it on the way, but who knew it would be used like this!
As I shouted something unintelligible, Cheong So-so ran over.
"Huh? What did you say?"
"Mmph! Mmmph!"
Crack.
With continued effort, the corners of my frozen mouth ripped open, and my voice burst out.
"In my… robes… wooden box…"
Was it because I pushed myself too hard?
With those words, I lost consciousness.
'Damn it…'