Ep424 - I Became a Drunkard in a Martial Arts Novel.

The ground around turned a pitch black. Emanating from it were stench and malice. The stench, sharp enough to make one's nose crinkle, was the sickening odor of decaying corpses. It was certainly fitting for someone who had taken countless lives all for pleasure. "Heh heh..." With a chilling laugh, the Dark Demon steadily expanded his field of influence. It was no different for the Power Demon, who stood blocking the Blood Witch from behind. The sky had turned to a grim gray. And from above, a giant statue descended slowly. Six arms, a face shaped like a fiend, and a body gleaming with ashen light. A yaksha, bizarrely strong, forged from his twisted mind and desire for slaughter. Screeeech! Its six arms swung at the Blood Witch with a piercing screech that sent chills down one's spine. 'Are they trying to stop my sister?' Their plans were now clear. No matter the cost, they intended to kill him here and now. To that end, the Power Demon stopped the Blood Witch, and the Dark Demon had wagered his life. "Aren't you still so relaxed, observing elsewhere?" The speed at which his mental projection spread accelerated. "Let's see how far that smugness can take you; I'll watch till the very end!" Something began to creep and rise from the blackened earth, revealing itself. Sensing the eerie presence, Baek Woojin furrowed his brows as he looked down at the ground. "...Hands?" Emerging from the earth were none other than human hands. A staggering number, potentially in the thousands or even tens of thousands, made Baek Woojin fight back a wave of nausea. The number of hands represented those he had killed, and those he still wished to kill. Just from that, one could clearly see the life he had led and the kind he wanted to lead. 'A being who must never live.' As resolve filled his gaze upon the Dark Demon, the hands wriggling on the floor began to move. Their target was Baek Woojin's ankles. He immediately leaped to escape the looming threat. Squelch! "...?!" His soles stuck to the ground, refusing to lift. The problem was assuming he wasn't already caught. The overflowing hands had already ensnared his feet from beneath the earth. In the fleeting moment of realization, hands lunged at his feet without mercy. Tight! Grip! "Urgh...!" Furrowing his brow at the intense pressure from the clinging hands. The Dark Demon, witnessing this, smirked slyly and stretched his hand towards the sky. "Come forth." A brief command. Simultaneously, the dark clouds covering the sky split apart, and a sword descended. A sword so blunt that it had no shine whatsoever. A massive sword, capable of cleaving everything around it in a single swing, was instantly recognized by Baek Woojin. He understood what that sword was made of. "A filthy bastard. Even if it’s mere mental projection, to craft a sword from human bones." It was a sword crafted from the bones of the humans he had slaughtered. Roaming through his warped mentality, what the Dark Demon desired was singular. Kill. And not just that; a sure-kill that would inevitably end his chosen target. "Heh heh heh, can you possibly block this sword in your current state?" The scene before him was precisely what he had longed for. Resentful hands bound the enemy's feet in place. And with a sword forged from their bones, he would swiftly strike down the immobile enemy. If that wasn’t a sure-kill, what was? "Ha-ha-ha!" He laughed joyfully. For being able to kill the adversary who would otherwise pose a colossal threat to the future of his sect. Although he had drained all his internal energy—practically his life-force—to solidify this mental projection. Well, so what! For the sect that had supported his reign of atrocities for over a hundred years, sacrificing everything wasn’t too bad a picture. "Heh heh." His life burned vehemently. Crimson eyes, painted by his burning life force, fixated on Baek Woojin, ensnared by hands of resentment. "Let's go to hell together." Just as he was about to move the colossal sword forged from his stubborn life’s desire. Baek Woojin, with indifferent gaze, opened his mouth. "Unfortunately, you won’t be able to kill me." "What? Ha-ha-ha!" The Dark Demon responded with laughter to his words. Isn’t it hilarious? To talk such nonsense while stuck and facing imminent death. Yet, Baek Woojin’s words carried not a shred of falsehood. "Let me tell you why." Simultaneously, his mental field extended beneath his feet. "First, because you’re weak." The blackened ground became covered with dark-hued earth. At this moment, Baek Woojin unfolded his second finger. "Secondly, after a century of training, you're still weak." The Dark Demon was both startled and enraged. There was no way he could endure the humiliation from a young upstart who had barely lived a fraction of his lifetime. "Die, you wretch-!!" The colossal sword, which had been momentarily still, finally swung. Within it lay a deep and intense intent to kill. Yet, it wasn’t the only thing present. Tension, unease, and anxiety. Emotions felt from the emergence of Baek Woojin’s presence piercing through his own mindset mingled faintly. Baek Woojin, unfazed as the enormous sword threatened to split his head, unfurled his third finger. "Thirdly." As the giant sword tilted downward. Boom-! A sword manifested from his mental imagery blocked its path. It was a single sword, indeed. Not massive, nor sharp; just a rusted sword cast aside within his mind's landscape. With just this one, Baek Woojin shattered his opponent's supposed sure-kill move. "Even burning through every ounce of life you have left, you're still weaker than me." "This, this...!" Veins bulged at his throat. He was about to spew curses at Baek Woojin, but was not given the chance. Slash! A rusted sword that had blocked what might have been his life's masterpiece now pierced through his heart. "Cough…!" Drip! His heart was pierced. And dark-red blood trickled from his mouth. Gazing at this, the Dark Demon offered a wide, deranged grin. "Blood…, it’s blood…!" Laughing at his own blood, the dying villain was approached by Baek Woojin. "And one more thing." The Dark Demon lifted his head at the words spoken to him. Baek Woojin continued. "I'm a good guy, and you’re a bad guy, so we can't fall into hell together." That was it. Splurt-! Blood burst forth from the pierced heart. Feeling intense pain, the Dark Demon trembled fiercely, eyes wide open, as he slowly fell. Thud! The fallen body became just a corpse. Its eyes never closing. Baek Woojin looked down with an indifferent gaze at the corpse that had been animated just moments ago. "……." Sins are committed while living. He usually closed the eyes of those who had stood against him with such thoughts. "Leave as you are." But he couldn’t bring himself to do so for someone who had lived in slaughter for a hundred years. Baek Woojin quietly passed by him. * * * Meanwhile. The battle between the Power Demon and the Blood Witch was also nearing its conclusion. A monstrous yaksha with six arms. Though its massive limbs wreaked havoc on the surrounding land. "Ha…, just a dusty, crude endeavor." The Blood Witch stood unharmed amidst it all. Fighting a master of such caliber isn’t an easy feat. Their numbers are so few, and once their full might is unleashed, poorly controlled combat can have unpredictable repercussions for both sides. "I thought it was a good opportunity, but alas…." That was why she fought up till now. Even if he was a vile old man, it was for the experience of battling a master. But now even that had become pointless. His intent was grotesque, insignificant. Twisted by slaughter, chasing a singular ideal that stalled at mere pleasure, going no further. Because of this. Crunch! The seemingly indestructible statue in the form of a yaksha. Slash! Crack! Was effortlessly destroyed by the fangs of the crimson wolves that stemmed from her presence. The firmness of the mind is the sturdiness of one’s presence. But had there ever been true anguish in someone who lived doing only what they wanted? "N-no…, my presence…!" The arms were bitten, the legs ripped apart. The seemingly impenetrable abdomen was split like a radish, the stiff neck was mercilessly torn. His mental projection crumbled and deteriorated helplessly. Thud! The Power Demon, kneeling in disbelief at this devastating scene, muttered incredulously. "It can’t be..., th-the difference in mastery was so slight, how...?" There wasn’t a vast difference in mastery. Just a slight slip from one could mean death. Then, why did his projection crumble so easily? Approaching to finish him off was the Blood Witch. At that moment, while finishing off the Dark Demon, the words uttered by Baek Woojin drifted from the opposite side. Words and tone so incisive, they could utterly plunge an opponent—a warrior—into the depths of despair. "……." Blushing slightly, she opened her mouth. "Because you're weak." It was something she had wanted to try at least once. "And because you're foolish." To completely unravel someone’s composure, just like Baek Woojin. "Your life, from beginning to end, was fundamentally wrong." The Power Demon's face twisted with malevolence, just like the yaksha moments ago, upon hearing this. "You damned woman-!" She realized. It was exhilarating. The satisfaction Baek Woojin might have felt every time he struck his opponent with words. Displaying a charming smile, she cut off his words. "Depart to where your wicked friend awaits you." Simultaneously, a concentrated energy the size of a fingertip emanated from her index finger. "To hell." The energy pierced through the very center of the Power Demon's forehead. Swoosh! "Urgh…!" With a deathly scream. Thud! His body fell to the ground, his eyes never having closed. "……." Casting an indifferent glance at her fallen opponent, the Blood Witch then turned her head. Soon, Baek Woojin came into her line of sight, smiling. And not just any smile, but a sly, highly entertained one. It seemed he had overheard everything she had said to the Power Demon. Seeing him approach, she let out a groan. "Ugh…." How was she going to maneuver out of this situation? She started to regret her recent behavior. Author's Note I will return with the next chapter. Thank you for always reading. Have a peaceful night. (_ _)