Chapter 428: Why Fight Like This?

TL: FoodieMonster007

Sparks flew as the Drunken Demon's hand and the blood thread clashed, as if enhanced qi met enhanced qi.

SIZZLE!

Since the fight began, the Blood King had never been more surprised. He hadn't expected the blood thread to be caught with bare hands. And that wasn't all.

RIP!

The Drunken Demon gripped the blood thread with both hands and tore it apart.

"UGH!"

The Drunken Demon let out a scream of pain, yet he did not release his grip on the blood thread. At the peak of his cry…

SNAP!

The blood thread, capable of slicing through steel with a mere touch, snapped.

As the blood thread severed, a short cry burst from the Blood King's lips this time. "UGH!"

At that moment, the Blood King had connected the Clone Blood Net to his own qi to unleash even greater power. This single move was meant to kill the Drunken Demon. The snapping blood thread, however, sent a severe shock through the blood vessels.

The Blood King gritted his teeth and endured.

Surely he wouldn't tear it again?

The completely intoxicated Drunken Demon saw nothing but his target. Forgetting the pain he had just felt, he fiercely seized the second blood thread as if grabbing a clothesline, with as much force as his painful scream.

RIP!

Again, he tore it apart.

"UGH!"

As the second blood thread snapped, an even louder scream erupted from the Blood King than before. This time, he suffered a greater shock, and his blood vessels twisted. Ultimately, the Blood King could no longer endure and abandoned activating his technique.

WHOOSH.

The blood threads all around vanished.

At that very instant, the Drunken Demon began charging furiously toward the Blood King. This was no movement arts for unleashing martial arts. The Drunken Demon charged forward like an enraged bull, scattering his frenzied intoxication.

The Blood King was one who could block incoming sword qi and enhanced sword qi without even blinking. A sudden fear, however, gripped him now. He feared the Drunken Demon, who had torn the blood threads with bare hands and was now charging.

Not now!

He had consumed the Blood Tear wine and torn the blood threads. In other words, if the Blood King were caught by that crazed state, he too could be torn apart. Such power, however, could not possibly last.

There's only one way!

Just as the Drunken Demon, charging like a bull, prepared to throw a punch…

WHOOSH!

Something unfolded from the Blood King's body like wings, engulfing the Drunken Demon as if to devour him. It was the secret technique of the Infinite Evil Blood Art, the Human Blood Armor, being unleashed.

The Drunken Demon thrashed wildly within.

"Let me go! You bastard! You're dead if I get out!"

The Drunken Demon cursed and roared like a drunken lout. Just as the thrashing inside the blood membrane seemed to quiet, however…

RIP!

The Drunken Demon tore through the blood membrane and thrust his head out.

"You bastard, you're dead!"

The Blood King, without hesitation, unleashed a palm technique toward the Drunken Demon.

WHOOSH! THWACK!

Struck by the Blood King's single palm, the Drunken Demon was sent flying, his head still protruding from the blood membrane. The blood membrane rolled across the ground. As it lay motionless, one might have thought him dead. The Drunken Demon, however, began to crawl out of the blood membrane like a slug.

Leaping into the air, the Blood King continuously unleashed his blood qi.

CRASH! BANG! CRASH!

The ground ripped open, and dust clouds billowed. He poured out his blood qi, intending to obliterate everything in that spot.

After that barrage of attacks ended, the rising dust began to settle. From within, rough breathing could be heard.

As the dust cleared, the Drunken Demon stood amidst the deeply gouged holes in the ground. Having somehow escaped the blood membrane, he had endured even the torrent of blood qi.

Despite this, a smile played on the Blood King's lips. His strategy had succeeded.

Earlier, when the blood threads were severed, the Drunken Demon's surrounding qi had been black. Now, however, it had returned to purple.

The effect of the Wine God Art's final technique, the Drunken Wine God, had vanished. This ultimate technique required immense inner arts, and thus was never unleashed unless one faced imminent death.

Gasping for breath, the Drunken Demon spotted an unbroken wine bottle among those scattered at his feet and walked toward it. Though broken glass pricked his sole, drawing blood, the Drunken Demon paid it no mind.

This was also why the Blood King dared not rush him. The Drunken Demon was still completely intoxicated, still consumed by madness.

The Drunken Demon lifted the bottle and gulped down the wine.

From the start, he had placed dozens of wine bottles in this courtyard and drank from them. While fighting the Northern Blood Sect martial artists, he had protected his wine bottles even amidst torrents of sword qi. Now, however, most were drunk or shattered, with only a few remaining.

When the Blood King first heard that the Drunken Demon had arrived with the Young Cult Leader, he had secretly dismissed him. After all, he was considered the most easily dealt with among the Eight Demon Supremes. His true strength, however, was such that one could guarantee he was no less formidable than any other Demon Supreme.

Furthermore, their martial arts compatibility was critically poor. The vile scent of blood qi, which should have suppressed any opponent, was utterly overwhelmed by the Drunken Demon's alcohol fumes.

Their temperaments were likewise incompatible. The Drunken Demon simply didn't align with him. The fear instilled by the Blood Art, which should have been potent, had no effect on this alcohol-crazed man. That must be why he acted this way.

"Want some too?"

The Drunken Demon's tongue was so slurred from intoxication. He was clearly drunk enough to collapse at any moment, yet his eyes remained transparently clear.

The Blood King shook his head. Drink? In his current state, he wanted to kill anyone who dared drink in front of him. Wine? He didn't even want to smell it.

Blood streamed from the Drunken Demon's palm. It was a wound sustained when he tore the blood threads and blood membrane earlier. Even in his drunken state, he should have felt the pain. His soles, arms, and sides were also soaked in blood.

"Why are you fighting like this?"

"Because if I don't win, the Young Cult Leader will have to fight. Because I want to finish off a persistent pest like you with my own hands."

One cannot simply understand human relationships. It's only when things explode like this that one truly knows. How much one cares for another.

How much do I care for Geom Mugeuk?

"If the Self Destruction Art is unleashed, let it be on me!"

Such was his sentiment. After all, he was also protected by the Top-Quality Heavenly Silk.

"Is it because of the Young Cult Leader? What exactly has the Young Cult Leader done for you?"

The Drunken Demon swayed, reeking of alcohol, and slowly began to walk closer. "You can say that again. He only ever comes to me as a last resort."

The Drunken Demon's staggering wasn't solely due to intoxication. He was utterly exhausted, and his inner arts were nearly depleted.

Watching the Drunken Demon approach, the Blood King felt, for the first time in his life, a premonition that he might lose to someone. That fear ignited fury within the Blood King.

I'll kill him. This drunken lout, I'll kill him with my own hands! I'll beat him to death with my fists. Let's see what kind of expression your Young Cult Leader makes then.

Blood qi, brimming with killing intent, erupted from the Blood King's eyes.

The battle between the two was a clash of blood and wine. Their fight resembled those stimulating, primal scents, more emotional than logical. Curses came before words.

It was a battle where the outcome of 'must kill' preceded any 'why kill.' The conflict of blood and wine seemed destined to be such a relationship.

Both men channeled their remaining inner arts into their fists. They were not the Fist Demon, yet they fought with their fists like him.

THWACK!

The Blood King's fist struck the Drunken Demon's chest. Despite the heavy impact, the Drunken Demon did not retreat.

Was he enduring the pain, or was he too drunk to feel it?

The Drunken Demon did not dodge. Instead, he swung his own fist in return.

The Drunken Demon's first punch missed. His second fist, however, directly slammed into the Blood King's face.

The Blood King reeled as his jaw twisted. Though the punch landed squarely, he remained on his feet, dodged the Drunken Demon's follow-up punch and counterattacked.

Their fists intertwined, then one struck the Drunken Demon's shoulder.

They struck well and dodged well. Though it seemed like a wild flurry of punches, they were a Demon Supreme and the Blood King. It was then, as their spirited fisticuffs continued, that they seemed to be testing who would prevail.

THUD!

The Drunken Demon staggered.

Just as the Blood King lunged, unwilling to miss the opportunity…

CRACK!

The Drunken Demon's headbutt exploded against the Blood King's face. It was truly an unexpected attack.

A headbutt? The Blood King was utterly dumbfounded and enraged.

SQUELCH!

Simultaneously, the sound of tearing flesh echoed.

The Blood King, retreating while touching his nose, saw it. The Drunken Demon had suddenly leaped back a considerable distance.

Why?

When the headbutt attack had succeeded just moments ago, it should have been his chance to press the advantage.

At that very moment, the Blood King caught the scent of unfamiliar blood. The Blood King slowly looked down at his chest. The area over his heart was thoroughly soaked in blood. He felt something hot trickle down from his chest to his abdomen.

The Blood King's eyes widened.

When?

In the very instant he was struck by the headbutt, the Drunken Demon had, with lightning speed, stabbed his heart with a dagger.

From the beginning, the Drunken Demon had aimed for only that one move. Though seemingly unconscious from drink, it was his unique state of extreme intoxication.

The Drunken Demon had charged like a bull, not toward the Blood King himself, but toward this specific outcome.

Only then did the Blood King see the dagger clutched in the Drunken Demon's hand. It had been plunged so deeply that the entire blade was stained with blood.

"Didn't I tell you before? A drunkard's fight is this messy."

The Blood King had felt nothing until the moment he saw that dagger. Then, the strength drained from his legs, and he collapsed.

He hastily pressed his acupoints to staunch the bleeding. The wound, however, was in his heart. Merely stopping the surface bleeding would not suffice.

I'm dying like this? To that drunken lout?

In this place, on this day, wine proved thicker than blood.

The Drunken Demon stood a good distance away. Despite the success of his fatal attack, or rather, because of its success, he remained cautious. He didn't know when the Self Destruction Art might be unleashed.

From afar, his eyes met the Blood King's. As he quietly gazed into those eyes, one thing instinctively became clear.

"You mean to say…?" The Drunken Demon's eyes widened with genuine disbelief. "You haven't mastered the Self Destruction Art?"

Just as one comes to know an opponent better after a fight, he had a premonition that this was the case.

And from the Blood King's expression, he knew. The Blood King truly had not mastered the Self Destruction Art. He didn't want to die by blowing himself up.

"You, no matter what, this isn't right. Even if it's not for others, you, of all people, should end in a truly spectacular and grand explosion, shouldn't you?"

Even though he had made his subordinates explode with the Self Destruction Art.

The Drunken Demon slowly walked closer. "Before we fought, I told you, didn't I? Why I didn't want the Young Cult Leader to fight you. This is why. You and I, we're too…"

The Blood King gritted his teeth and mustered his inner arts. Though he hadn't mastered the Self Destruction Art, he had one last move to kill the Drunken Demon: the Flying Butterfly Blood Poison.

Using the Flying Butterfly Blood Poison would permanently erase half of his lifespan, so he couldn't use it recklessly. However, since he was going to die anyway, he could take the bastard with him.

A little closer. Just a little more.

As the Drunken Demon approached, he suddenly took a step back and retreated.

"What reason do I have to trust someone like you?"

The Drunken Demon, when drunk, could smell death even more acutely.

He retrieved a broken stone lantern from the ground. It was the very lantern he had thrown earlier during their fight, which had split in half.

The Blood King, guessing what the Drunken Demon intended, cried out, "No! Kill me like a martial artist!"

"No. This is perfect for you!"

WHOOSH!

The stone lantern, imbued with the Drunken Demon's last remaining qi, flew toward him.

CRASH!

The stone lantern crushed his face and upper body. Blood flowed from beneath the stone lantern. Far more blood than from ordinary people gushed from the Blood King's corpse.

The Drunken Demon staggered over, leaned against the stone lantern, and drank his wine. Finally, the battle for their lives was over.

Blood flowing from the ground soaked his buttocks. The Drunken Demon silently gazed down at the flowing blood. His own face was reflected in it.

WHOOSH! CRASH!

Two figures dropped down onto the spot.

The one who slammed his opponent into the ground as if throwing him away was Geom Mugeuk.

The man who lay dead in the deeply gouged ground was the very cook who had killed the innkeeper earlier. He had come here at the Blood King's summons. He died, however, without even seeing his master's face.

Geom Mugeuk and the Drunken Demon's gazes met.

Though there was so much he wanted to say, the words that left the Drunken Demon's lips were, "You're late again."

A surge of emotion swelled in Geom Mugeuk's chest. The Drunken Demon couldn't know how much he had longed to hear those words again.

Geom Mugeuk walked over to the Drunken Demon and sat down beside him. The Drunken Demon silently offered the remaining wine to Geom Mugeuk.

Geom Mugeuk took a long drink, then handed it back to the Drunken Demon. "I actually arrived a while ago."

Beyond the broken wall, corpses lay scattered. Like the cook who had died last, they were all subordinates summoned by the Blood King.

"Quite a few showed up."

They had continued to arrive throughout the two men's fight, and Geom Mugeuk had dealt with them as soon as they appeared.

The Drunken Demon knew. If even a few of them had interfered in that tense battle, he would have died.

Geom Mugeuk gazed intently at the Drunken Demon. "You were amazing, Hyung."

An irrepressible smile spread across the Drunken Demon's lips. This was the real answer to the bastard's question that he hadn't spoken.

Why did I fight like this for the Young Cult Leader? It was to hear these very words, "You were amazing, Hyung."

The Drunken Demon lifted the wine bottle, then winced. "Ah, now that the tension's gone, it hurts so much. I'm just going to lie down. My whole body feels like it's been beaten. Oh, right, I really was beaten half to death, wasn't I? Ugh. I'm going to die trying to look cool."

Feigning exaggerated pain, he lay down. The ground was soaked in blood. He paid it no mind, however, as he settled.

"If you arrived, you should have come to save me first."

Geom Mugeuk knew well that these words were not his true feelings. The Drunken Demon had genuinely wanted to kill the Blood King himself.

While the Blood King's subordinates were indeed a factor, there was another reason Geom Mugeuk hadn't joined the fight.

It was due to his concern that another of the Twelve Zodiac Kings might intervene. During the previous fight with the Brawling King, someone had rescued him at the end. There was ample possibility of that happening again. They could even intervene directly in the battle.

Therefore, to prepare for anyone disrupting the fight, he had meticulously guarded the perimeter. Even while dealing with the Blood King's subordinates, he had constantly watched for anyone approaching.

Was that why? Or was there another reason? This time, no one appeared.

Indeed, just as their side had changed incomparably from before, the enemy's circumstances must have also shifted greatly. Those who should have been alive were dying, and they must have failed to obtain what they sought.

"Snore…"

Turning at the sound of snoring, he saw the Drunken Demon was asleep. Having completely expended his inner arts and mental energy, he was utterly exhausted.

Geom Mugeuk started to lift him from the blood-soaked ground where he slept, then stopped. The sleeping Drunken Demon's expression looked too peaceful.

He wasn't lying in a pool of blood. He looked as comfortable as when he used to jump into the lake in front of the Drunken Dream Palace after drinking.

It was the very expression he wore while lying in the lake, gazing at the night sky's stars. The blood soaking his back seemed to evoke that very moment, like lake water.

Geom Mugeuk also quietly closed his eyes. He drank the remaining wine, recalling the stars in the night sky they had watched together while lying in the lake.

"The wine tastes good."