"I will accept exactly seven survivors from among you as my group members." '!?'
The boys had been tense, wondering who Mok Gyeong-un would choose as his group members. For a moment, they were utterly dumbfounded by the words that came from his mouth. Dawn was about to break, and he was telling them to kill each other?
'Th-this bastard?' 'For real!'
From their perspective, they had every right to be angry. They had stayed up all night, defending the flag until now. But he had suddenly appeared and, like a newcomer ousting the old guard, was now completely toying with the situation.
No, it was worse than that.
"Are you serious right now....."
Mok Yu-cheon, who like the others, had felt a surge of anger and was about to lash out at Mok Gyeong-un. But the moment he saw Mok Gyeong-un’s face, he was at a loss for words.
'Ha...'
That face, with the corners of its mouth stretched to its ears, was enjoying this situation. It was far from feeling like a joke. It was the face of someone who genuinely seemed to want them to kill each other.
A shiver!
As that conviction took hold, a chill ran down Mok Yu-cheon's spine, and goosebumps covered his entire body. More than questioning if this was really that Mok Gyeong-un, it felt like he was looking at a being filled with nothing but pure malice. Just then, Mok Gyeong-un opened his mouth.
"You all seem to have plenty of time. It looks like dawn will break soon."
The eastern horizon, where Mok Gyeong-un was pointing, was tinged with vermilion. Everyone's expression turned grave. It truly looked like the sun would rise soon.
'Damn it.'
'Do we really have to do as that bastard says?' It was at that very moment. A boy, unable to contain his anger, finally shouted and charged at Mok Gyeong-un.
"You son of a biiiiitch!"
In the boy's hand was the stone axe that Yeom-ga of Killing Curse Valley had thrown. The boy, who had lost his mind, wasn't thinking about the sunrise or anything else. It was an impulsive act, driven by the feeling that only by smashing Mok Gyeong-un’s head with this stone axe would his anger subside.
However,—Clang!
"Huh?"
Just three steps away from Mok Gyeong-un, the boy’s body was frozen by iron chains.
"Wh-what is this..."
The strange sensation of his entire body being bound. He couldn't see anything, and he couldn't understand it at all. Just then, the Green Spirit, Gyu So-ha, who had her hand extended toward the boy, spoke in a cold voice.
Master.
Shall I kill him? To this, Mok Gyeong-un shook his head. It wouldn't be bad to have Gyu So-ha kill him, but there was no need to reveal that his Spirit Guardian had reached a rank capable of killing someone yet.
Therefore,—Thud, thud, thud!
"L-let me go. Th-this isn't right."
The boy, bound by Gyu So-ha's chains, seemed to have regained his senses, as he trembled with a pale face. Mok Gyeong-un snatched the stone axe from the boy's grasp and raised it as if to strike him down at any moment. The boy, terrified, pleaded.
"Hic! I... I was wrong. I'll do as you say."
"It seems you flared up like an iron pot, only to cool down just as quickly."
"Please, spare me."
"Then you should have aimed for someone else, not me."
With those words, Mok Gyeong-un brought the stone axe down on the boy's head.
Squish!
"Kkeugek!"
A grotesque scream escaped from the mouth of the boy whose head had been crushed. The expressions of the other boys watching were horrific. They too had killed other boys from the first gate until now to survive, but those were killings for a purpose.
But Mok Gyeong-un's actions were different in nature.
'C-crazy bastard.'
He was enjoying the act of killing itself. For a prime example, smiling so brightly while watching a boy die brutally with his head crushed was completely beyond normal thinking.
"..."
The boys, seized by a sense of intimidation, no longer had any thought of trying to do something to Mok Gyeong-un. That thing was completely in a league of its own. As things turned out this way, the first to move was— Pak!
Crack!
"Keok!"
Yeom-ga of Killing Curse Valley snapped the neck of a boy standing right beside him.
"You!"
The boys who followed Yeom-ga couldn't hide their bewilderment at the betrayal. Then Yeom-ga spoke in an annoyed tone.
"Fuck. Are you going to play friendship games after coming this far? If you bastards want to live, you'd better do as he says."
"Keuk!"
There was no way to deny it. Charging at that bastard Mok Gyeong-un was useless, so to survive now, they had to kill until only seven remained, just as he said.
Papak!
"Sorry!"
"Heok! You... you!"
The other boys also began to choke and launch surprise attacks on those next to them. The boys who were even a little slow immediately became prey. This wasn't just limited to Yeom-ga's side from Killing Curse Valley.
"Daaaaamn it!"
The boys who had defended the flag from a scattered semi-circle formation also, with a 'to hell with it' attitude, attacked the boys next to them.
Pat!
"Die!"
"You, you too?"
"Shut up! Is this any time to question that?"
They didn't want to admit it, but Yeom-ga was right. 'We came here to compete by killing each other anyway, what's the point of friendship now?' They had to survive.
If they died, cooperation and friendship meant nothing. They had to be among the seven before dawn.
"..."
At this sight, Mok Yu-cheon, who was carrying Mo Ha-rang on his shoulders, bit his lip hard. In an instant, everything felt futile. They may not have been people of the righteous path, but the companions who had shared life and death for six hours to survive together had instantly turned on each other to kill.
Just two incenses ago, these were the same people who had promised to stick together until the end. That was why Mok Yu-cheon had thought that regardless of the righteous and demonic paths, people were people everywhere.
But.
"Die! Die!"
"Uwaaaaaaah!"
"S-spare me. I... I helped you too."
"So what!"
They were killing each other as if that had never happened. Everyone's eyes had changed.
Grip!
His fingernails, tattered from the battle for the steel beads, dug into Mok Yu-cheon's palm. All of this was because of that bastard. Because of him, the field where they competed by joining forces had turned into a bloody pandemonium.
He had turned everyone into beasts with only the instinct of survival of the fittest, not humans. If he could, he wanted to beat the bastard down.
However, '... Qi gates.'
His Qi gates were blocked, and it seemed Mok Gyeong-un was using some kind of strange magic art. Recalling the incident at Lotuswood Sword Manor, it was probably one of the occult arts.
'Damn it.'
He didn't want to be dragged around by that guy, but there was no other way. For a moment, Mok Yu-cheon unconsciously glanced at Mo Ha-rang, who he was carrying on his shoulder. Then, as if realizing his mistake, he shook his head.
'No.' For just a moment, he had unknowingly entertained the thought of killing her. Was something wrong with him? As he was thinking that, he saw a boy approaching with murderous eyes.
"Hoo... hoo..."
"Ma-sang."
Mok Yu-cheon called his name. He was one of the three who had survived with him from the beginning. In Ma-sang's hand was one of the two stone daggers that Mo Ha-rang had been carrying.
Grind!
Mok Yu-cheon gritted his teeth. Having already stained his hands with so much blood to get this far, he knew well that there was no way to persuade Ma-sang in this situation. That was why this situation made him so angry.
Just then, Ma-sang let out a ragged breath and scanned his surroundings. And then he opened his mouth.
"... Yu-cheon. Finish Ha-rang off."
"What?"
Mok Yu-cheon's voice rose. They had escaped danger several times thanks to Mo Ha-rang, and he never expected to be told to kill her without any hesitation. Moreover, hadn't she been injured while trying to help a comrade?
"No. Let's leave Ha-rang alone and fight each other instead."
"Hoo... hoo... Cut the crap and kill her."
"I told you no." At Mok Yu-cheon's words, Ma-sang shouted.
"You son of a bitch! With her injuries, that bitch won't survive anyway. If that's the case, shouldn't you and I at least survive by killing her!"
At the cry that was close to a scream, Mok Yu-cheon muttered with difficulty.
"I know. Fuck, I know that too."
But he couldn't do it. He could perhaps kill someone by fighting them, but he couldn't bring himself to kill a girl in such a dazed state. Then, "Then I'll kill her."
With those words, Ma-sang charged. At this, Mok Yu-cheon quickly put down Mo Ha-rang and blocked Ma-sang. The boy had already killed another, so he had no hesitation in killing the injured Mo Ha-rang to survive.
Papat!
His Qi gates were blocked, but this was Mok Yu-cheon, who was called a genius. He lunged at the charging Ma-sang, grabbed his wrist with a grappling technique, and twisted it back.
Crack!
"Let go!"
Mok Yu-cheon urged Ma-sang to release the dagger in his hand.
"If you don't let go, your arm will break."
"Kkeueueu."
"Ma-sang. Calm down. Let's join forces and deal with the guys from the other group instead..."
Before he could finish his words, Ma-sang sneered and spoke.
"Kkeueuu. The sun is rising, what are you going to do? And even if it's not me, it's already too late."
At those words, Mok Yu-cheon raised his head. And there, he saw another boy charging toward Mo Ha-rang, who was lying spread-eagled on the ground. It was a boy who had also been in their group.
The boy, charging with an apologetic look on his face, held a stone in his hand as if to smash Mo Ha-rang's head.
"Stop!"
Mok Yu-cheon shouted urgently. But it was already too late.
'Noooooo!'
The boy's crude stone was just about to smash Mo Ha-rang's head. It was at that very moment.
Clang! '!?'
Just as the stone was about to make contact, the boy's body froze in place.
"Th-this is..."
The strange feeling of something binding his body. This was that same thing from before.
Thump!
"Ha... haa..."
Stopped at the last possible moment, Mok Yu-cheon collapsed to the ground and began breathing raggedly, as if hyperventilating. He had been extremely tense, and when the tension was suddenly released, he couldn't control his breathing. If he had been just a little later, Mo Ha-rang would have died.
Just then, the boy whose movements were restrained shouted as if filled with rage.
"What are you doing? Didn't you say you'd give us a chance by letting us fight each other?"
Surely he wasn't spouting nonsense about showing consideration for the injured or for a girl, was he? As he was thinking this, he heard a sound. Clap, clap, clap!
He could move his head, so he looked over and saw Mok Gyeong-un clapping. While he wondered why he was doing that, Mok Gyeong-un smiled broadly and said.
"Congratulations."
"What?"
"The quota is full."
At those words, the boy swallowed and looked around. Mok Yu-cheon, Ma-sang, Mo Ha-rang, himself who was trying to kill her, Yeom-ga of Killing Curse Valley, and two of his cronies had survived.
'Ah!'
Having forgotten to count how many were left while desperately trying to kill others to reduce the numbers, they finally realized that only seven remained. Truly, the human heart was fickle.
"Haa..."
"We survived."
All of them, who had been trying to kill each other until just now, let out sighs of relief as their expressions brightened. They were swallowed by the thrill that came from surviving the competition. So great was that thrill that they completely forgot the fact that they had engaged in their own slaughter at Mok Gyeong-un's behest.
'Interesting.'
The corners of Mok Gyeong-un's mouth twitched and rose. He felt a small bit of amusement at their behavior. Just then, dawn was breaking.
In the vermilion sunlight of the slowly rising sun, the mountains of Corpse Blood Valley, once shadowed in darkness, gradually brightened. Along with that, Papakakakapat! Before long, as if they had been waiting, guards wearing red sashes appeared, executing a light body technique.
The guards who appeared surveyed the area, checking the flag and the survivors. Then, their expressions stiffened as they spotted something. '!!!!!' It was because of the giant monster wolf, no, the fierce Beast Horned Beast, lying dead with its snout torn apart. '...
Who in the world?' This fierce Beast had not been released to be killed. It had been released so they could survive from it.