Chapter 149 : Chapter 149

Chapter 149 : Krause (4)

I quickly turned my body after shaking off the female assassin.

I barely parried a dagger that had flown at me from behind.

"Seven Dragon Poison!"

As soon as they shouted in unison, I immediately activated my Ghost Eye.

Seven enormous centipedes were revealed before my eyes.

If I had been using my naked eye, they would have only looked like a hazy, poisonous fog.

The centipedes crawled as if gliding through the air.

Since they were originally a hallucination, a physical manifestation of a poisonous aura, there were no physical constraints of space.

Crunch.

They quickly swirled around me.

Their writhing bodies entwined, enveloping me like a massive sealing formation.

I felt as if I had been caught in a sealing spell that used chains as a medium for binding.

The poison, which rose like steam, flickered blackly, and the gaps were instantly sealed.

Soon, my vision was completely blocked.

'...Can I cut it?'

I raised my Heavenly Demon sword in front of my eyes.

A faint, white light quickly coiled around the blade.

The sword was answering me. It was more than possible.

I raised the Heavenly Demon over my head and swung it powerfully from left to right.

The crescent-shaped trajectory split the darkness, flickering white.

The single sword strike that sliced through the air instantly cut through the black, tangled poisonous aura.

The darkness that surrounded me like a curtain shattered.

The fragmented centipedes and black smoke scattered like ashes.

Tzzzzt—

When I deactivated my Ghost Eye, I saw a different sight with my naked eyes.

It wasn't the hallucination of centipedes but the hazy gray smoke that had clumped together.

They sank into the ground like a collapsing sandcastle.

"The Heavenly Dragon Poison is... is gone...!?"

"How can this happen? It doesn't make any sense...!"

I realized one thing.

I could now cut things that weren't even visible to the eye.

As long as I could sense them with my Ghost Eye.

'An achievement of Benkou Swordsmanship.'

Could I do the same with magic?

A sword that cuts spells.

'I'll have to check with Kuhn.'

The joy of a rise in my level of mastery often came at the threshold of death.

The last task was always not to lose my composure.

I gripped the Heavenly Demon again and slowly turned my eyes.

Front, back, left, right, even the ceiling and walls.

I was completely surrounded.

'These guys are highly trained for group combat.'

One by one, they were just average youngsters, but when they came together like this, their momentum was noticeably different.

'They really are an assassin family.'

Especially the girl in front.

'... '

She definitely wasn't like this just a moment ago.

Now, she was at the level of a beginner Peak Expert.

"You."

I pointed at her with my finger.

One of her eyebrows twitched.

"Did you gain some sort of enlightenment in the meantime?"

What a goddamn difference in talent.

Then, she lowered her chin and held out her fist toward me with the back of her hand facing up.

"Let's see how long you can stay so calm, Bihen Benkou."

Clang―!

A hidden weapon instantly sprang from between her fingers.

It looked like horns growing from her fist.

She bent her knees slightly and immediately rushed in.

There was not a moment of hesitation.

Clang―! Clang! Clang―! Ang!

She seemed to be using some kind of fist technique.

Every time her hidden weapon and my Heavenly Demon clashed, a clear metallic sound rang out.

The combination of her unarmed combat and hidden weapons was as smooth as flowing water.

'...! '

It was after we exchanged about three blows.

This time, two people came flying from either side at the same time.

"Now, Anne!"

The moment I heard the voice, I realized that my gaze had been distracted for a moment.

The moment I turned my head, a sharp point of light flashed directly in front of me.

It was the female assassin's sword. It wasn't a hidden weapon this time.

She had closed the distance and was right in front of my face.

Clang―!

I barely blocked it with my Heavenly Demon.

Since I was being pressured from three directions, I had to quickly leap backward.

The female assassin also leaned forward and followed, her sword still locked with mine.

"Hidden weapons from a distance, poison up close."

"?"

"You've been hit."

She curled her lips into a confident smile.

She was sure of her victory.

At that moment, she quickly pulled her sword away from my Heavenly Demon.

The sound of clashing blades scraping against each other filled the air.

Krrrrr―!

Sparks flew loudly along the blade.

I felt a strange sensation in the air.

The quality of the air that brushed past the tip of my nose was different from before.

'Poisonous aura?'

I activated my Ghost Eye again.

A dense swarm of tiny flying insects was covering my head.

A mix of moths and butterflies was flying in between them.

Every time they flapped their wings, a red gas spread in all directions, making them look like a swarm of insects dancing in a fire.

"How's that! The pain of your eyes burning out! Struggle all you want!"

"It exploded at point-blank range! It got him for sure!"

The assassins chattered excitedly.

Some worried about getting caught in the attack and decided to wait for the poison to evaporate.

Others were high-fiving each other in celebration.

'Is it based on the principle of vaporizing the poison on the blade with the friction heat? That's clever.'

No wonder they kept trying to get so close to me.

They were aiming for this.

Of course, my eyes weren't burning, and I felt no pain at all.

Shing.

I thrust my Heavenly Demon into the swarm of insects.

I was sorry, but it was time to break their delusion.

Since they were around the same age as me, I didn't feel as guilty.

'Frost Sword.'

The pure white light that colored the blade spread outward.

In an instant, the frozen swarm of insects fell like ice shards.

"Wha...?"

"?"

"What is this?"

"The Seven Dragon Poison and the Fire Poison don't work...?"

"Th-that's impossible."

I lightly shook my arm, brushing off the residue from the Heavenly Demon's blade.

"It works."

I swept my gaze over the astonished group.

Their faces were all pale.

"Why doesn't any of the poisonous techniques work?"

"This shouldn't happen unless he has a body immune to all poisons."

Yes, immunity to all poisons.

If I hadn't achieved that at the Labotas Mine, no matter who I was, I couldn't have guaranteed a victory against these guys right now.

'... '

This was the right choice.

If I had obediently agreed to the trial by combat, Jayden and Janson would not have been able to escape with their lives.

Of course, even if that wasn't the case, I had no intention of being played by Noser's trickery.

"What's your purpose, Bihen Benkou? Why are you doing this? Didn't we agree to a fair duel?"

It was the female assassin in front of me.

The shock of the poison not working had subsided, but her voice was still full of emotion.

"...I wonder."

What would she say if I told her it was a cursed fate that had been going on since my past life?

I let out a deflated snort.

"I'm similar to you guys."

Just then, a roar echoed. It was from the ceiling above my left shoulder.

"Don't you dare insult the Krause family―!"

"Wait! Don't―!"

A figure came charging down from the ceiling.

It seemed like a reckless move.

Their faces were contorted with rage.

I lightly raised the Heavenly Demon, which I had been holding loosely in both hands.

From the lower right to the upper left.

Following the crescent trajectory my Heavenly Demon drew in the air, the person's body was sliced in half.

Thump―!

Like the rain outside, blood poured down in a torrent.

I slowly lowered the Heavenly Demon to my chest again.

"If you leave your arms and legs, I'll spare your lives."

"..."

"Yes. That's more like the Imperial assassins I know."

Rumble―

The sound of them all charging at me at once was drowned out by the thunder outside.

"Forget the poisonous techniques! Subdue him with unarmed combat!"

Bang―!

A roar, the clang of metal, screams, and thunder all crashed together at once.

The sound of the wooden floor rattling and cracking was mixed in as well.

The six of them, without a moment of hesitation, plunged into my space.

They looked ready to go down with me.

Clang! Clang―!

The female assassin focused only on pinning me down from the front.

The counter-attack was the job of the other five.

They quickly attacked and retreated, aiming for my openings, but the daggers flying from all directions were difficult to predict in terms of speed and direction.

'Not bad.'

They were able to fight on equal terms with me, who was close to reaching the Late Peak Expert stage, led by a single person who was only at the early stages of the Peak Expert stage, with the others being first-rate masters.

They were closing the huge gap with flawless teamwork, without a moment's rest.

If the situation were different, I would have clapped for them.

It's always harder to perfect teamwork than it is to raise one's individual level of mastery.

Slash―!

A head spun in the trajectory of my Heavenly Demon. Well, that's enough praise.

Whoosh!

My footsteps and my sword clashed quickly, and the battlefield shifted.

I suddenly heard the loud sound of rain. It was a corridor built over a pond.

Thump!

In a flash of moonlight from the side, one of them showed an opening.

The guy's severed upper body crashed into the pond.

'Now there are four.'

We entered a stalemate as if we had agreed to it.

We kept our distance and caught our breaths.

The four of them slowly widened their distance from each other.

It looked like they were trying to surround me.

They moved cautiously sideways, their eyes sunken like starving animals.

It was as if their bodies were only moving on hunting instinct.

"You've truly become assassins."

Her expression was unwavering.

These were people who didn't even flinch when their comrades, who were like family, were being killed in such a horrific way.

Even if they somehow managed to defeat me here...

They would now have a hard time living with a sound mind.

'Is this the crossroads?'

I shifted my grip on the Heavenly Demon from two hands to one, and brought my right hand to my waist.

Shing.

I drew out my Blood Lion in a reverse grip and turned it around to point the tip upwards.

Even as I did this, my eyes and their eyes were constantly moving.

Even the slightest twitch of a shoulder became a target for the other.

The air was cold, but our breaths were hot.

Thump―!

A sound that tore through the silence.

A guy with his neck pierced by the Blood Lion collapsed.

He had willingly sacrificed himself to show his comrades my new move, switching to dual swords in the middle of a fight.

He was probably the weakest of the group.

I slowly withdrew the Blood Lion.

It would be quick. They would charge again.

Definitely from both sides at the same time...

Slash―! Thump!

I plunged the Blood Lion into the chest of the guy who charged first and then used the Heavenly Demon to cut the neck of the guy who was charging from the opposite direction.

Then I simultaneously retrieved the Heavenly Demon and the Blood Lion, staring at the lone female assassin who was left.

"Hah."

I deliberately let my guard down.

These were people who had been pushed to the edge.

A grand movement would only provoke them. It was better to move just like this.

"Last chance. Where is Valen?"

Instead of an answer, a roar came back.

I cut down the person who came flying at me with all her might, and she spun in the air, scattering blood, and fell at my feet.

My eyes met hers.

"Come to think of it, I never formally introduced myself."

She seemed to be having a hard time answering.

I said, raising my Blood Lion.

"My name is Bihen Benkou. The eldest son of the Benkou family."

Thump―!

She was worthy of hearing my name.

***

The Krause mansion was ridiculously big.

I didn't see any sign of the family head, Valen, and only innocent people continued to die by my sword.

I passed through a corridor, crossed a hallway, and entered a large courtyard.

"..."

"Kiiilll himmm!"

A swarm of them came rushing toward me and were wiped out again.

I was tired, but as someone who had seen a future where these people would pretend to be Kingdom nobles and kill people with cruel methods...

I regained my energy.

I didn't have to worry about getting lost.

People were gathered at every path like signposts.

Following that trail, a majestic gate appeared before my eyes.

The massive doors were so tall that I had to tilt my head back to see the top.

Rumble.

The inside was chillingly silent.

The air that flowed through it was also cold.

I felt as if I had entered a different world.

'...'

I slowly stepped inside, looking around.

The interior decoration of the ancient Empire was strange yet gave me a sense of comfort.

My footsteps stopped.

At the very end of the hall, a huge mural was floating in the dim light.

The torchlight flickered in the wind, casting a long shadow.

My trembling breath scattered in the air.

I stood there blankly, blinking at the mural.

'...Mystic Turtle.'

It was just one of the common demons from the ancient Empire.

Before, I would have had no emotions about it.

Just like when I accidentally saw the Blood Devil's painting in the basement of the Roxley Family hideout.

It was different now.

Because I had finally confirmed with my own eyes that the Krause family was deeply related to the Poison Demon.

"Were you waiting for me?"

I turned my head at the voice that rang out from behind me.

In the distance, Valen Krause was standing there.

The whole scene was absurd, as if the roles had been reversed.

Tip: Tap/click the left or right side of the screen to go to previous/next chapter.