Chapter 311 – Blood Demon (5)

I don’t have wings, but I’m fighting in mid-air… What the hell is going on?

I raised my sword with the intention of enduring this fight against the blood demon, having developed some tactics to fight it.

And then, without thinking, I swung my sword towards the approaching chains.

But instead of using the blade, I pushed them away with the flat of my sword.

Quaang!

The white sword energy clashed against the blood-red chains, causing me to be pushed back.

As if chasing after me, the chains descended from the sides towards me, so I spun my waist to avoid them. Then, I struck with my sword for the second time.

Kaaang!

Once again, I used the chains to create distance between us. But it seemed that two strikes weren’t enough.

Anticipating my movements, the chains were already swinging towards me for the third time, so I used them to my advantage and pulled out my sword as far as I could.

Kagak.

I plunged my sword halfway into the chains and put my weight into my elbow.

“Ugh!”

Using the point where my sword was stuck, I drew a large circle and escaped.

Although I avoided a direct collision, my acceleration was practically gone.

I floated in mid-air, waiting for the chains to come at me from both sides.

It was like being covered by a wall made of blood on both sides. The determination not to let me escape was palpable.

But where there’s a will, there’s a way.

I swung my sword towards where Hong Yeon-hwa was.

The line that went from left to right. No, the line that should have gone from left to right.

At the center of the trajectory, when the tip of my sword was pointing directly at Hong Yeon-hwa, I used my inner strength to make my body as light as possible.

When the sword I swung with more force than my body weight met my lighter body in mid-air, I was propelled forward.

It was like a single arrow… a little slow, but still fast enough to avoid immediate danger.

Quaaaang!!!

The sound of my ears ringing from behind and the fragments of the blood energy hitting my back.

And the sound of the chains colliding with each other and losing their power.

Good. Just a little more.

If Hong Yeon-hwa can’t come to where I am, then I’ll go to her.

Above all, it would be safer to head towards where Hong Yeon-hwa is than to fall to the ground like this.

Swinging my sword, twisting my body here and there, sometimes trusting my instincts and dodging by a hair’s breadth, I gradually made my way towards Hong Yeon-hwa in mid-air.

Suddenly, a foul smell filled my nose, and I felt my vision start to spin.

“What… is this?”

If I had just gone a little further, I could have reached Hong Yeon-hwa’s range.

I quickly checked the location where I received the talisman from Myung Wol-jin, which I had experienced before.

There was no longer any sensation of the talisman’s touch or the heat it emitted from the pouch of my clothes.

All that existed was a shapeless black ash.

…Damn it.

The talisman that had been blocking my blood flow had been consumed faster than I thought, due to the fight in the area with the thickest blood energy.

Of course, the opening I revealed wasn’t that big.

Just for a moment. It was only a moment when my strength momentarily weakened, but… the problem was that even that moment was fatal in the current situation.

Ssssssh!

I closed my eyes for a moment and opened them again, only to see the iron chains approaching me.

I didn’t even have time to swing my sword.

“Kuh…!”

I crouched down as much as possible and invested all the inner strength I used to maintain my sword energy into my protective qi.

And then.

????????????!!!!

“Aaaah!”

My vision turned pure white, my ears ringing. And the shock that felt like my whole body was breaking apart.

When I came to my senses, I was lying on the ground.

“Ugh.”

Did I lose consciousness for a moment?

As soon as I opened my eyes, I immediately got up.

If I stayed still, I would be attacked again. So I had to move first. But…

“…Huh?”

There was no pursuit.

Hong Yeon-hwa, who had rushed to me even to the point of releasing the Heavenly Demon Possession, had bounced off all the iron chains.

But I couldn’t be too happy about it.

The blood demon that had been holding onto Hong Yeon-hwa was now unleashing all sorts of martial arts and giant fists towards her.

Towards Hong Yeon-hwa, who still hadn’t used the Heavenly Demon Possession.

***

Was it because I lost consciousness for a moment? My head still felt foggy.

But as soon as I saw the fierce attacks of the iron chains raining down on Hong Yeon-hwa, my body moved on its own.

Thump!

The ground crumpled under my strong step.

My body shot out like an arrow, protecting my people and cutting down my enemies with my sword.

The feeling that I had long been aware of burned more vividly than ever before, scratching at my insides.

Faster, stronger.

I focused solely on my sword, pulling out the full power of the Ghostly Spirit Skill.

And then I took another strong step on the ground.

Kwoong!

By the third step, I was already in the midst of the dust.

I could see Hong Yeon-hwa’s figure, which was not visible from the outside.

Wearing thin armor made of hosin steel and with a demonic hand-shaped steel on my arm, I blocked the punches of the Samdugyubbui with all my might.

Thank goodness. It seems like I’m still safe. However, I won’t be able to hold on for much longer.

The massive chunks of steel were falling continuously at a speed that was barely visible to the naked eye, leaving no room for error.

The hosin steel was cracking fiercely, unable to withstand the force, and even the thick demonic arm that had been protecting me was starting to show signs of wear and tear.

If things continued like this, Hong Yeon-hwa would undoubtedly be hit head-on. However, if there was even the slightest opening, the situation could change.

If it was Hong Yeon-hwa, she could somehow manage to escape.

And with my current strength, which was greater than usual, I might not be able to defeat the blood demon, but I could at least land a blow.

Wooong.

The sword began to emit a familiar resonance, trembling in my hand.

It was similar to what had happened when I fought the Bloodthirsty Demon Horse.

Then, my inner strength was drained out of my body, and a brilliant white starlight shot up from my sword.

Even though I was pushing the limits of my Mu Ryeong Shin Gong, the massive inner strength was being sucked into the sword in an instant, leaving me feeling empty.

As the white starlight that expelled all the crimson energy shone brightly, Hong Yeon-hwa and the blood demon, who had turned to look at me, were both illuminated.

Passing by Hong Yeon-hwa’s surprised expression, I swung my sword.

“Haahh!”

The shining sword struck the side of the massive crimson fist.

Kwaaang-!!

As I had expected, I couldn’t completely deflect or cut through it, but the trajectory of the fist was deflected, passing over my shoulder and crashing into the ground.

Although we hadn’t discussed it beforehand, my intentions seemed to have been conveyed to Hong Yeon-hwa, who had distanced herself.

I, too, surrendered to the recoil that was bouncing up my wrist and even lifted my body lightly, thinking that if I used the recoil, I could pull my body back in the opposite direction.

“Hehe… no one can escape from my grasp.”

Just as I thought I had almost gotten out of the blood demon’s attack range.

In a moment that lasted less than a second, the voice of the blood demon was clearly audible. And then.

Crunch.

A small sound came from the ground. A flimsy chain, as if it had been hastily put together, grabbed my ankle.

Although it was weak and looked flimsy, it was enough to drop me to the ground.

Rolling on the ground and getting up, it was already too late. The massive Samdugyubbui fist was right in front of my nose.

It was possible because I had filled the gap between the attacks with another arm.

Ugh.

I gritted my teeth and tightly gripped my sword, trying to come up with a plan. But before I could even unleash its power, it clashed with the blood demon’s crimson arm.

My body was pushed back, and I couldn’t escape the recoil. The sword strike was sloppy, and a hastily made chain suddenly wrapped around my ankle.

My already injured body couldn’t withstand the impact and collapsed on its own.

“Ugh…”

I knelt on one knee, and as I saw the second fist coming towards me, I realized that I couldn’t block it.

Even if I managed to block it, the relentless attacks and techniques that followed would surely kill me.

Is this where I die?

The strength in my hand holding the sword suddenly disappeared, and the sword lost its light.

It wasn’t that my spirit was broken; I just poured all my remaining strength into my neck to catch a glimpse of Hong Yeon-hwa.

But all I saw was a wave of pink that resembled her hair, and a floral scent that lingered in the air.

I wanted to see Hong Yeon-hwa one last time, but even she couldn’t run at this speed.

Unless she used all her inner strength, as I did just a moment ago.

Suddenly, Hong Yeon-hwa ran past me, grabbing my neck as she passed by.

It was a weak grip, like when she called out to me and grabbed my collar, but my body was already in shambles, or maybe it was just a habit.

Without realizing it, I took a step back.

Hong Yeon-hwa turned around to face me, smiling awkwardly, and said, “My love…”

But before she could finish her sentence, the massive Samdugyubbui fist slammed down on the spot where Hong Yeon-hwa was standing.

A sickening sound echoed as blood splattered everywhere.

It wasn’t the stench of rotten blood, but the fresh blood of a living person.

I was frozen by the warmth of the blood on my cheek.

The Samdugyubbui collapsed, and Hong Yeon-hwa lay motionless in its grip.