Chapter 39 : The Whole World Was Crimson

My backup for the backup was flight. In other words—running for my life.

It wasn’t unfamiliar. Nor was it shameful.

In the end, survival was what mattered most.

So I ran. Without delay. Without hesitation.

But the moment something snapped in my head and my vision turned crimson, I stopped.

The chaos in my mind settled into a calm, frightening clarity.

Thoughts flowed simpler, sharper.

Why am I running? I could just cut them all down.

The qi in my dantian roared like a furnace.

It felt maddening.

I turned back, ready to slash through anything in my path.

The world was drenched in blood-red.

Ice arrows that carried freezing death, massive boulders that could shatter skulls, blazing crimson fireballs—they all mixed and surged together like a tidal wave crashing toward me.

Arrows, rocks, fire—all red.

I looked upon it with the Heavenly Demon’s mindset.

I asked, “What sorcery is this?”

I answered myself, “Magic, Master.”

I muttered indifferently, “Annoying. Cut it down.”

I replied in bewilderment, “Master, how do you cut magic? Such a thing has never been done.”

I commanded coldly, “What cannot be cut? Just slash.”

And arrogantly, I added, “There is nothing I cannot cut.”

I gripped my sword hilt tightly. “Yes, Master.”

I muttered like a madman, conversing with myself.

To catch a mad mage, one must become a mad swordsman.

To slay a monster, one must become a monster.

I slid my blade into an imaginary sheath at my waist, channeling the boiling qi through my entire body.

Fwwiiiing—

The sword sang, a chilling note.

Its blade glowed, stained red deeper than before.

I admired its hue, then swung forward.

Slash!

Scarlet sword-qi exploded outward, scattering across the crimson world.

Like the fiery horizon at sunset, it carved through the incoming wave.

The tidal surge of magic met my strike—and split in two.

Whsshh!

The spells dissolved, cleaved cleanly, vanishing as though sliced at their core.

From afar, I glimpsed the mad mage’s mouth fall open.

To cut magic itself…

That hadn’t been in his plans.

Hell, it hadn’t even been in mine.

The sundered wave came crashing down around me.

BOOOOM!

Dust billowed high.

The mage, chugging down potion after potion, unleashed spell after spell blindly into the haze.

Those potions wouldn’t last forever.

But if I wasn’t careful, I’d be dead long before they ran out.

Within the dust, I sent my qi into the paths of the wind.

It wrapped me violently, howling.

Kyaaa! Kkrrrk!

The sound was sharper now—not a ghost’s cry but a scream.

Before his spells could reach me, I kicked off the ground, body launching like a bolt.

The dizzying burst of speed almost stole my breath.

But I exhaled with a laugh, turning terror into exhilaration.

“Hahaha!”

My chest soared. My heart raced.

I was faster than ever before.

A crimson afterimage trailed behind me.

Suddenly, a massive fireball loomed before my eyes.

It wasn’t that it was fast—only that I had run into it so quickly.

“Well, damn.”

I slashed.

Crash!

My scarlet blade struck its core, cleaving it apart. The fireball vanished into nothing, dissipating back into nature.

As I carved through more spells, I cleared a path.

Lightning fell again and again, but struck only my afterimages.

And then, without realizing, I was right before the mad mage.

Would he teleport? Or not?

Either way, it didn’t matter.

Our eyes met.

I grinned.

He flinched in shock and swung his staff.

Just before my sword shattered his barrier, blue light flared—and he reappeared only a short distance back.

Something had gone wrong.

He coughed up black blood, body doubled.

“Oh dear. Old man, are you alright?”

I dashed closer, almost ready to pat his back in sympathy.

The mage panicked, fumbling for another potion, gulping it down greedily.

Thick, dark liquid spilled down his chin.

I sprinted at him—then leapt high.

“Crimson Thunderstrike—here it comes!”

I became a bolt, plunging from the heavens.

The mage raised his staff in defense, but it was useless.

CRAAAAACK!

This time, the entire barrier shattered.

Cracks raced across it, then—

SHATTER!

The translucent shield broke apart completely.

The mage coughed black blood, staggering.

But my strike didn’t stop.

BOOM!

He dropped to one knee, gripping his staff in both hands to block.

Either the staff was unnaturally strong, or he was channeling mana into it, or it was enchanted.

It didn't matter.

I smirked.

“Oops. My hand slipped.”

My blade twisted, sliding off-angle—then sliced clean through his wrist.

Shhk!

“Gaaaaah!”

The staff clattered to the ground as black blood gushed from his stump.

“This is the Great Snake—no, the Serpent Coil Sword. Old man, never look down on it again.”

He howled, clutching his ruined arm.

I kicked his staff far away, then paused, breathing, surveying the crimson-drenched world.

“Hahahaha…”

The sun was setting.

I laughed freely at the blood-red sky. My heart soared, light and wild.

Why? I didn’t know. Did it matter?

“Aaaaagh!”

I looked down at the mage, writhing as though his world had ended, clutching his severed wrist.

Has he never been cut before?

I kicked him in the chest as he rolled, pinning him down.

“Old man. Back with me yet?”

He glared up, no trace of smugness left in his eyes.

“Y-you… you demon… how could you…”

I tapped my shoulder with my blade.

“Is that your last word?”

Suddenly, he dropped, kneeling before me.

“Spare me! Please, spare me! Gold? Knowledge? Women? Power? I’ll give you anything—just name it!”

I grinned wide.

“Your life.”

“…”

Despair fell like a shadow across his bloodied face.

“Afraid? Of death?”

“……”

“You never even lived, yet you clung to life. What’s more hollow than that?”

He opened his mouth, but no words came.

And since it was rare to lecture someone without shame, I spoke freely.

“The moment you donned that hood, you sank into darkness. You’ve looked dead for a long time. Your robe is black, your face is black, your heart is black. You don’t even realize it, but night fell on you long ago. Living out of fear of death isn’t living.”

I turned toward the dying sun.

It slipped beneath the horizon, and the blood-red sky dimmed into shadow.

“Old man. The sun has set. Night is here.”

At last, he looked west, trembling violently.

“Ah… ahh…”

I leaned to his ear and whispered.

“The brightest hour is gone. Night has come. Darkness arrives.”

“No… no…”

“Night comes for everyone. No matter how you ran, it’s here for you too. Welcome the Queen of Night, cloaked in shadow. She comes for you.”

“Ghk… ghrk… gkk…”

I murmured like a priest reciting rites, “Cold Goddess of the Night, Ketel… here comes one. Take this wretched soul.”

The old man’s eyes rolled back.

A wet rattle slipped from his throat, then he slumped over sideways.

Thud.

“…Huh?”

I pressed fingers to his neck. No pulse.

Dead—before my blade could even finish him.

“……”

For a moment, I just stared blankly at the corpse.

I hadn’t meant to kill him like this. Somehow, words had done it for me.

Awkward, I scratched my cheek, then reached down and closed his bulging eyes.

“Rest in peace, old man. Though I doubt the underworld welcomes latecomers.”

Then again—this was the bastard who had kidnapped children.

Anger welled up, and I kicked him hard in the gut.

“You miserable bastard. Why torment innocent kids?”

His body rolled across the ground and flopped limply to a stop.

“……”

The fight was over.

The one still standing was me.

The one fallen, the flute-playing mage.

It had been a battle so brutal, it felt strange to still be alive.

I exhaled a long, heavy breath.

“Fuuuh…”

Relief flooded me, sapping the strength from my legs.

I collapsed where I stood, gazing up at the darkening sky.

A crimson sunset.

The dead mad mage beside me.

And in the red glow, I remembered another mage—one with bright red hair.

The greatest mage I had ever known.

“…Are you doing well?”

I hadn’t expected to say it aloud.

And yet—suddenly, I missed those idiot Sherwood mercenaries.

Then, the crimson world around me shifted, colors bleeding back to normal.

The earth tilted, lurching under me.

“…What?”

The ground reared up and smacked me across the head. My vision plunged into black.

Perhaps… darkness had come for me as well.

Crackle. Crackle.

The sound of firewood burning.

Snow drifted gently from the sky.

I exhaled pale clouds of breath, watching fat flakes tumble down.

A quiet night.

My hands felt cold, so I reached toward the flames for warmth.

And then I saw him, sitting across the fire.

A massive frame, a ragged beard, a great black sword leaning by his side.

It felt like I hadn’t seen him in years. Strange, that this brutish face could stir such a pang of longing. Had I gone mad?

Without thinking, I called out.

“Captain.”

He looked up from the fire’s dance, as if to ask what was on my mind.

What had I meant to say?

Before I could gather the thought, the words slipped out.

“Captain… How are you so strong?”

He stared at me for a long moment, then asked,

“Do you want a serious answer?”

I nodded solemnly. “Serious.”

“You’ll just make a joke of it.”

“I won’t.”

He sighed, splitting a log with his bare hands and tossing it into the fire.

“No matter what I say, what use is it? I can only speak from my life. I’m me, you’re you. Our paths were different. What meaning does my answer have for you?”

I frowned.

“Captain. Cut the wise-man bullshit. Tell me. Now. Or I’ll kill you.”

He chuckled.

“The way you talk to your captain.”

“First day or last day, it’s the same.”

“You call me captain, but that’s about it.”

“Then appreciate that much.”

He clicked his tongue. “You never let me win.”

“Got to win at something.”

He smacked his lips, then finally spoke.

“It’s mindset.”

“Mindset?”

Words uncharacteristic of him spilled forth.

“Everyone stops eventually. They settle, they’re satisfied. And when they stop, that’s it. Some live happily in that peace. But they never grow stronger. Me—I just kept walking when others stopped.”

I mulled that over as he went on.

“‘Isn’t this enough?’ ‘I’m the strongest here.’ ‘Damn it, I can’t keep going.’ Everyone hits that wall, looks back once. But if you don’t look forward again, it’s the end. You build the wall yourself. And how can you move forward when you’ve bricked yourself in?”

I thought hard.

“…Did I build a wall without knowing it?”

He snorted.

“No, you’re just a hopeless idiot.”

“……”

I hurled a rock at him.

Without even glancing, he tilted his head and let it sail past.

“As I said—I can only speak for me. I never settled. I looked back, yes, but I always turned forward again. I kept testing my limits. I threw myself into death’s reach, again and again. And by clawing through each time, I made it here.”

“…Why?”

He scratched his chin.

“Guess I’m just greedy.”

“……”

Crackle. Crackle.

Silence stretched as we watched the fire dance.

Then he looked at me.

“If you were given talent—say, if you could feel mana—when would you stop? When would you be satisfied?”

I answered without hesitation.

“Me, Ashuban? I’m a man who never knows satisfaction.”

A grin spread across his face.

“Hold tight to that. Who knows—you might stumble on a great chance someday.”

“…Maybe.”

Crackle. Crackle.

I stared at the flames, quiet.

But something was wrong.

No matter how close I held my hands, I felt no warmth.

What is this…

Then the captain called to me.

“Ashuban.”

I jerked my head up.

He was watching me with an unreadable expression.

“…Where are you right now? What are you doing?”

(End of Chapter)

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