"Ugh... ugh..." It was exhausting. His insides felt like they had been turned upside down, and his lungs seemed on the verge of tearing apart. His limbs, which had been pushed to their limits, now dangled limply like withered grass. Even the long blade he once wielded as lightly as a whip now felt as heavy as a hundred-pound iron block. He waited for his erratic breathing to calm down, but suddenly, something surged up from deep within his chest.
"Ugh...!" Damn it, did I eat something bad this morning? His vision blurred. He must have lost too much blood in an instant, making it hard to regain his composure.
'Move, move!' He bit his tongue. The sharp pain jolted him awake.
Snap! He started running forward again, the scenery on either side of him rapidly changing.
'Just a little further...' If he could just get out of this forest, he would reach the safe house he had secretly prepared. There, he had stored all sorts of rare medicinal herbs and elixirs. If he could make it there, he might be able to breathe life back into his nearly lifeless body.
Just then—'Huh?!' Someone leaped down, blocking the bright moonlight.
'Damn it. What a flawless stealth technique.' Without any warning, a pitch-black sword came slashing toward his shoulder like lightning.
Cheon Hajin's eyes flickered. 'The Death Lord!' The strongest assassin from the southern region of the Central Plains, striking at the perfect moment.
Instinctively, Cheon Hajin twisted his body.
Swoosh! The masked figure collapsed, a deep gash now carved into his chest.
He had killed one of the top three assassins in the world with a single strike. Under normal circumstances, he might have spared a glance, but now wasn't the time. The situation was far too dire for such reflections.
Thud, thud, thud! How long had he been running?
Huff! Suddenly, Cheon Hajin stopped and looked around. The forest at night. His vision wasn't clear. Though his eyes could pierce through the darkness better than most, the dense trees made it difficult.
'......' His frantic breathing came to an abrupt halt. Pushed to the brink, his body instead grew calm.
Cheon Hajin exhaled deeply and closed his eyes.
A moment later. "Come out," he said calmly.
From far ahead, an admiring voice echoed. "Impressive."
Step, step. A woman approached, making no effort to conceal her presence. The thick trees on either side of her path seemed to tilt as if bowing under her immense aura.
Cheon Hajin's face twisted like crumpled paper. There were many people he disliked in this world, but she was one of the worst.
"Flying Demon Queen," he muttered.
The woman smiled faintly. "I'm honored you remember me. It's been about five or six years, hasn't it?"
She looked to be just over thirty, exuding an elegant and virtuous aura. But Cheon Hajin wasn't fooled by her appearance. Though she seemed incapable of harming even a fly, she was, in reality, a deranged murderer who couldn't sleep if she didn't kill at least once a day.
Swoosh. Cheon Hajin raised his blade toward her, and the Flying Demon Queen chuckled.
"Planning to fight?" she asked.
"We don't have the habit of meekly offering our necks," he replied.
"Just give up. You won't last more than a few exchanges anyway."
"Whether it's long or short, you won't know until you try."
"Why bother trying when it's obvious?"
"Must be nice to know so much. Will I become as wise as you when I hit sixty?"
The Flying Demon Queen's face turned cold. Though she appeared to be in her thirties, her actual age was over sixty. She maintained her youthful beauty through a secret technique. Naturally, she was sensitive about her age.
She snorted. "If you want to die, there's nothing you can't do."
"You think begging will save me?"
"At the very least, I can show you the mercy of not tearing out your ribs before you die."
What a cruel woman. Cheon Hajin's eyes turned bloodshot.
"Enough. If you're coming, just come, you hag."
"Oh? Do you really have some trick up your sleeve?"
"An old hag like you, who only knows how to flap her mouth, isn't scary at all."
The Flying Demon Queen stared intently at Cheon Hajin, who was spewing harsh words as if he had made up his mind.
'...This isn't good.' Cold sweat dripped down Cheon Hajin's back.
The Flying Demon Queen was one of the Ten Great Masters of the World. In the vast Central Plains, being ranked among the top ten was akin to being a monster. Of course, Cheon Hajin was no different. He, too, was known as the "Killing King" and was counted among the Ten Great Masters.
The problem was that his martial arts were specialized for assassination rather than direct combat. Moreover, his body was in the worst condition after days of relentless pursuit.
To anyone, the outcome of this fight was clear.
Of course, things might change if he used that one move that had helped him survive countless crises before.
Whoosh. A blue aura began to emanate from Cheon Hajin's blade, and the Flying Demon Queen's eyes gleamed with interest.
The energy radiating from the blade was extraordinary. To draw out such power from a body on the verge of collapse was proof of his status as one of the Ten Great Masters.
But what surprised her wasn't Cheon Hajin's strength.
"So it's true," she said.
"What?"
"That you were an assassin trained by the Righteous Heaven Alliance."
"......!" Cheon Hajin's face stiffened.
The Flying Demon Queen smiled. "No wonder the Iron Blood City hired me."
If the Righteous Heaven Alliance pursued righteousness, the Iron Blood City leaned toward the path of tyranny, straddling the line between justice and evil. The reason the Iron Blood City had directly hired the Flying Demon Queen was simple.
"Your energy carries the stench of righteousness and immortal energy. It's definitely from one of the Nine Great Sects."
This was because the Flying Demon Queen had inherited the legacy of the Evil God, a former hero of the demonic sects. Aside from the demonic arts of the Heavenly Demon Sect, which had been inactive for over thirty years, her martial arts were the most sensitive and accurate in detecting orthodox techniques.
"Knowing that changes nothing," Cheon Hajin said.
"It changes everything," the Flying Demon Queen replied, her eyes gleaming.
"Many things can change."
Cheon Hajin didn't ask what she meant. After steadying his breathing, he spoke.
"So it was the Iron Blood City that recruited the Death Lord and the Accumulated Kill Pavilion."
The Flying Demon Queen smirked. "Correct. And the elite forces of the Iron King Eight Forces that you slaughtered over the past three days were also under the Iron Blood City's command."
"......"
"Truly impressive. Even though your goal was to capture them alive, I'm curious how you managed to kill so many masters."
It was no wonder the Flying Demon Queen was surprised. The Iron King Eight Forces were the eight pillars supporting the Iron Blood City. Though their numbers were small, each member was a peak master. Cheon Hajin had single-handedly killed over two hundred of them and escaped.
Just the day before, he had even slaughtered the Heaven and Earth Twin Freaks, whose strength was said to rival the Ten Great Masters, in less than half a round.
Considering his physical condition, internal injuries, and exhaustion, it was a terrifying feat. He was more deserving of the title "Death God" than "Killing King."
There was only one reason this was possible.
"You definitely learned the martial arts of the Nine Sects. And not just any techniques—secret ones."
Cheon Hajin didn't respond. Denying it would be pointless, and it was the truth anyway.
As he silently glared at the Flying Demon Queen, he suddenly chuckled.
"Now I understand why you, who usually prefer bloodshed over conversation, have been blabbering so much."
"What? Take a guess."
"It's an extension of the Iron Blood City's desire to capture me alive, isn't it? You want the martial arts of the Nine Sects and confidential information about the Righteous Heaven Alliance."
The Flying Demon Queen smiled. "Clever."
It was a fact that anyone with half a brain could figure out. But Cheon Hajin had been fighting non-stop for three days without sleep. To remain so calm and analytical in a body that could collapse at any moment was a feat few could achieve.
But Cheon Hajin's insight didn't end there.
"Of course, you don't plan to stop there, do you?"
"What?"
"You're not just going to hand over the martial arts and confidential information to the Iron Blood City, are you? You plan to take everything for yourself."
The Flying Demon Queen's face stiffened.
Cheon Hajin sighed as he looked up at the sky. "Why are there so many ungrateful people in this world?"
The Righteous Heaven Alliance had trained assassins like him under the guise of righteousness. But it wasn't just training—they were thrown into a hell where they had to kill each other to survive. Cheon Hajin was only thirteen at the time.
The Righteous Heaven Alliance had one goal: to kill the leaders of the Iron Blood City and the Heavenly Demon Sect, the other two major powers in the martial world, and establish a world ruled solely by the Righteous Heaven Alliance.
And Cheon Hajin had grown incredibly strong, fulfilling the Righteous Heaven Alliance's wishes.
The Flying Demon Queen licked her lips. "You're quite sharp."
"Thanks for the compliment."
Somehow, he looked as if he had already accepted his fate.
The Flying Demon Queen tried to placate him with kind words. "I don't need anything else. The Righteous Heaven Alliance's confidential documents are nice, but what would I, a lone wolf, do with them? However..."
Her eyes sparkled. "The martial arts of the Nine Sects. Just give me that, and I'll spare your life."
"My body is already on the verge of death. That's not a very appealing deal."
"Is it because of the Blood Gu?"
Cheon Hajin's eyes widened. "You know about the Blood Gu?"
The Flying Demon Queen snorted. "I inherited the Evil God's legacy. I'm well-versed in demonic arts and all kinds of poisons."
"...I see."
"And with my demonic arts, I can remove the Blood Gu from your body."
The Blood Gu. It was the worst method the Righteous Heaven Alliance had used to control Cheon Hajin after he became too powerful. As long as the Blood Gu remained dormant in his body, he could never betray the Righteous Heaven Alliance.
That is, as long as the Blood Gu existed.
Cheon Hajin chuckled.
The Flying Demon Queen flinched. "Why are you laughing?"
"Hey, Granny Flying Demon."
"......"
"Did you really think I was only being chased by the Iron Blood City?"
"What?"
Cheon Hajin playfully flicked his blade. "You kept mentioning three days, so I wondered. That's right. For three days, I was only being chased by the Iron Blood City."
"And?"
"Today marks seven days. I've been chased by the Righteous Heaven Alliance."
The Flying Demon Queen felt a chill run down her spine at Cheon Hajin's words, spoken with a tone of disgust.
If that was the case, did that mean he had killed all those masters while evading the Righteous Heaven Alliance's forces?
"Why would the Righteous Heaven Alliance...? Did you... neutralize the Blood Gu?"
Cheon Hajin remained silent.
She was right. Seven days ago, he had neutralized the Blood Gu.
The Righteous Heaven Alliance had immediately noticed. Like other Gu poisons, the Blood Gu was divided into male and female. If one died, the other would not survive.
'Damn it.' He gritted his teeth.
He had spent thirty years in hiding, biding his time to escape the hell that was the Righteous Heaven Alliance.
He had learned how to neutralize the Blood Gu five years ago. But back then, he wasn't confident he could escape their all-encompassing net.
That's why he had trained relentlessly for five years.
In any case, he had broken through the Righteous Heaven Alliance's net in just four days.
Who would have thought the Iron Blood City would get involved in this mess?
'Damn this life, damn this world.' At first, he had lamented.
As time passed, he even considered giving up on life.
But now?
Whoosh. The Flying Demon Queen unconsciously took a step back.
Cheon Hajin, gripping his blade tightly with his eyes closed, exuded a terrifying killing intent. It was the killing intent of the world's greatest assassin, the Killing King, who also held the secret teachings of the Nine Great Sects.
Cheon Hajin opened his eyes.
Flash! His blazing gaze was filled with explosive rage.
"The martial arts of the Nine Sects? Spare my life? Don't make me laugh. Do you think I don't know your filthy intentions?"
The Flying Demon Queen swallowed hard.
If they fought, she would undoubtedly win. But in the face of such overwhelming killing intent, her body momentarily froze.
"I've lived for thirty years with my life in others' hands. Now, I feel sorry for my own life."
Whoosh! The light emanating from his blade grew brighter until the blade itself became invisible.
"Let me say this one last time. Step aside and quietly leave this stage."
"......"
"Then at least you can keep your wretched life."
The Flying Demon Queen's face twisted into that of a demon. "A dying man still dares to boast!"
Cheon Hajin growled. "You stupid woman! The problem isn't me! The Righteous Heaven Alliance's forces that I shook off are catching up again!"
"What, what?!"
"And if you have half a brain, think about it! Do you really think the Iron Blood City doesn't know about your greed? They'll discard you once they're done with you!"
The Flying Demon Queen's eyes wavered. Her arrogance and high martial arts had blinded her to the possibility that even a powerful organization like the Iron Blood City might discard her.
"Step aside! Let's each find our own way to survive!"
"......"
"If you don't, we'll all die..."
"Don't worry," the Flying Demon Queen said with a sly smile.
As she slowly raised her hand, her well-manicured nails grew longer and turned crimson.
"I'm not a fool like you. And I've never spared anyone who insulted me."
Whoosh! A thick demonic aura erupted from her body.
It was a unique energy, far more sinister than killing intent. Sensing this aura, masters from far away began to converge on their location.
"You won't tell me, will you? Your eyes say it all."
Flash! Beyond the suffocating demonic aura, a savage killing intent also emanated.
"Then die, you useless brat."
Cheon Hajin smirked. It was a laugh mixed with anger, sorrow, despair, and resignation.
"I'll prove my worth, you hag."
Whoosh! Cheon Hajin charged at her.
The Flying Demon Queen also rushed toward him.
Their blade and claws clashed head-on.
Boom!