Chapter 713: Do We Have a Chance Even Now?

TL: FoodieMonster007

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon, who had been sitting before Geom Mugeuk, rose to his feet.

As he walked forward, the Faceless Warriors closed their ranks to seal the entrance. They appeared to be protecting the Young Cult Leader's corpse, but their true aim was to hide Geom Mugeuk from outside view.

At first, the Faceless Warriors were also surprised. They had turned around only to see the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon stabbing Geom Mugeuk's heart with a dagger.

But now, they understood. They knew Geom Mugeuk, sitting with his head bowed, was alive. They had to protect him until he regained consciousness.

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's eyes met Cha Yiran's, who stood among the assassins. If she hadn't brought Geom Mugeuk here, they might have missed their chance.

Cha Yiran could feel the gentleness in his gaze. Knowing what the gratitude in his eyes meant, she finally felt a sense of relief.

The Young Cult Leader is alive.

Yes, if he was the type to kill her, she wouldn't have asked to be brought to the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon in the first place.

Cha Yiran's gaze turned to the Faceless Warriors. They stood packed so tightly that Geom Mugeuk was completely hidden.

The contract was completed safely.

For the first time, she had succeeded in a contract to save a person. Thanks to the Faceless Warriors' efforts, all the assassins, including the First Bridge, were safe.

Just then, the sound of fighting echoed from a distant alley. The battle there had not yet ended.

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon addressed Cha Yiran politely, a courtesy for the one who had saved Geom Mugeuk.

"Please leave this place to us now."

It was his way of telling her to go and save her subordinates.

Cha Yiran didn't hesitate. With her internal injuries, she would only be a burden. That Hwa Domyeong clearly had something he was counting on. He wasn't even thinking of fleeing, despite the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon standing right before him.

She politely bid him farewell with a clasped hands greeting.

"Then, I'll be on my way."

After her farewell, she was the first to move.

"Let's go."

The female assassins gave a clasped hands greeting to the Faceless Warriors. Thanks to them, not a single assassin who came here had died.

The Seventeenth Bridge, who joined late after getting the Fifth Bridge to safety, bowed politely to the Crescent Moon Faceless Warrior. She owed him her life twice.

I have to repay this debt, so don't you die.

She couldn't tell if he had read the sentiment in her eyes. With that, Cha Yiran led her subordinates and leaped toward the alley.

Even as she left, she was seeing a new side of Hwa Domyeong. He didn't spare her a single glance. They had acted like friends, and then he tried to kill her. Now, he wouldn't even look at her.

Was it because he was lost in the shock of a failed mission? His usual sly demeanor was gone. The composure he had shown before was only for when things were easy. Adversity always reveals a person's true character.

I wonder, can your desperate desires hidden behind that fan truly overcome the loyalty behind that smiling mask?

With that thought, she could leave without worry.

At this moment, Hwa Domyeong was seething, unable to contain his surging anger. With the Young Cult Leader dead, Cha Yiran was the last thing on his mind.

"When you go back, what will your Cult Leader say? Ah, you truly lived up to your name! Will he say that?"

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon actually considered this a good thing. If they misunderstood that Geom Mugeuk was dead, he would have to worry less about his safety.

He wanted to rush in and kill them all, but the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon did not hurry. Time was on their side. The enemy clearly had something they were counting on, which was why they weren't fleeing.

"It's already over."

Just then, a voice emerged, contradicting the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's cold words.

"That's a lie."

The words came from the man among the three wearing bamboo hats who had not yet stepped forward. His voice was very young.

Everyone's attention focused on him.

"The Young Cult Leader is alive."

The man had sensed an overflowing vitality from Geom Mugeuk, despite the distance. It should have been even harder to read that energy with the Faceless Warriors surrounding him.

Hwa Domyeong's eyes widened in surprise.

"Is that true?"

The man was certain.

"I'm sure of it. I can't sense any anger or sadness from the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon right now. The Young Cult Leader is alive."

He could read not only presences from afar but also the emotions of his opponents. He was clearly a very special person.

"How could he survive after being stabbed in the heart?"

An astonishing answer came to Hwa Domyeong's question.

"I can no longer feel the energy of the Flying Blood Snake from the Young Cult Leader's body."

Hwa Domyeong's surprised eyes grew even wider.

"It's not because the Young Cult Leader is dead that you can't feel it?"

"The Young Cult Leader is definitely alive."

Hwa Domyeong's expression brightened. If he was alive, it meant the energy could be recovered.

The man's gaze turned to the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon. Staring at the two eyes behind the mask, he said, "The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon must have stabbed him with the dagger to kill the Flying Blood Snake in his heart."

They were hard words to believe, but Hwa Domyeong trusted the man. This was because the man was a disciple of the one who created the Flying Blood Snake. In fact, he had helped his master create it. He had come along because this plot involved its use.

Even more shocking words flowed from his mouth.

"Right now, the Young Cult Leader is likely dissolving the energy of the Flying Blood Snake."

Hwa Domyeong's expression hardened instantly.

"Didn't you say the energy of the Flying Blood Snake is too immense for a human to dissolve?"

"That's correct."

Although he said so, his tone lacked its previous conviction. However, one thing was certain.

"If the Young Cult Leader awakens, we have no chance of victory. We must finish this before he wakes up."

Just as he was about to order the deaths of both the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon and the Faceless Warriors, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon laughed coldly.

"Do you think you have a chance even now?"

Before the words could even finish, he commanded his subordinates first.

"Kill them all!"

As the order fell, the ten Faceless Warriors leaped forward in unison. From the other side, a dozen or so surviving martial artists rushed out.

It was a battle watched by the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon. The morale of the Faceless Warriors soared. These were the warriors who had faced over twenty enemies, killed ten, and suffered no deaths themselves.

The fighting style of the Faceless Warriors was truly that of villains. They focused solely on winning, rolling on the ground to fire finger bullets or throwing dirt if at a disadvantage. They had no hesitation in stabbing someone in the back and felt no aversion if a comrade killed their opponent the same way. They had no pride about having to kill the opponent themselves.

And yet, they did not fear death.

In the middle of the fight, the two martial artists in bamboo hats tried to jump in.

But the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon stopped them with a single phrase. It wasn't 'If you move, I move'.

"If you move, that man dies."

It was a warning that he would kill Hwa Domyeong. The threat worked perfectly. They could not move.

After felling all the enemies, the Faceless Warriors leaped back. They once again surrounded Geom Mugeuk, who remained as he was, with his eyes closed. The Faceless Warriors protected him, forming a circle again as blood was continuously painted over their masks.

Once all the martial artists were dealt with, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon strode toward Hwa Domyeong.

Seeing the white mask approach without hesitation, Hwa Domyeong felt a sense of fear and opened his fan.

CHWAAAK.

From behind the fan, his command was given.

"Hurry. Didn't he say the Young Cult Leader is alive?"

The two martial artists in bamboo hats strode forward, a black energy rippling around their bodies. They were masters who had learned the Dark Black Divine Art of the Dark Palace.

The Dark Black Divine Art was a martial art passed down to the martial artists of the Dark Palace, boasting truly immense power. However, its great power came with definite restrictions and side effects, so it could not be used recklessly. It was a martial art that could only be used in moments of absolute necessity. The moment one succumbed to the temptation of its strength, only ruin awaited.

SEUEUK.

As if a tattoo were being carved, a long black line was drawn across the cheeks of the two people beneath their bamboo hats. This was the Dark Black Ghostly Steps, a Dark Black Divine Art that dramatically increased one's movement speed.

That wasn't all. This time, a circle was drawn. This was the Dark Black Iron Body Art, which made the skin and muscles as hard as steel and strengthened their protective qi. As the circle was engraved over the line, the shape looked like wind brushing over a full moon.

With two Dark Black Divine Arts layered, they became incomparably faster and stronger.

SHWIIIIK!

The movements of the two rushing forward were fast, a different level of speed from when they had fought Cha Yiran. The woman, who was already fast, moved like a flash of lightning.

In a flash, the two martial artists were attacking the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon from the left and right. They were perfectly in sync, like people who had practiced coordinated attacks for a long time.

SHWAAAAEK! SHWIIIIK!

A dao flew from the left and a sword from the right. It was a truly perfect attack with no room to escape.

A smile formed on the lips of the watching Hwa Domyeong.

How will you block this perfect coordinated attack?

How? The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon blocked it while standing in place.

KANG! KAANG!

After deflecting the dao from the left, he struck away the sword from the right.

A flash of joy crossed the faces of the two martial artists. If one didn't escape this joint attack on the first move, they could never escape. He should have fled, even at the cost of injury.

The sword and dao linked together, pouring a barrage of attacks at incredible speed upon the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon. They were sure he could never handle this speed and power.

CHAENGCHAENGCHAENGCHAENGCHAENGCHAENG!

Dozens of lines from the sword, the dao, and the dagger blocking them filled the air. The surroundings were instantly engulfed in the glint of steel.

When they first launched their attack, they had no idea the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon would hold on this well.

The woman couldn't believe it. He was blocking a joint attack from two people using the Dark Black Ghostly Steps, not just one. The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon was currently facing two ghosts. No, they were the ones facing a ghost.

This can't go on!

The two made a quick decision. The Dark Black Divine Art was not meant for a prolonged battle.

SEUEUEUEU.

Another line appeared on the woman's face. She layered the Dark Black Ghostly Steps, increasing her speed at the risk of internal injury.

There was a change on the man's face as well. He strengthened the Dark Black Iron Body Art by two more stages. Three circles now overlapped on his face. He knew this would result in severe internal injuries, but he had to make a decisive move.

The woman understood his intention.

Just as the sword, dao, and dagger created a fantastical picture, someone threw a brush into the painting.

The man in the bamboo hat threw his dao at the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon and lunged at the same time. It was an unforeseen surprise attack, designed to startle his opponent.

He would be cut, but what if he could just grab the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon in that moment? Then it would be over. She would sever the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's neck with a single strike.

He was confident. With the third stage of the Dark Black Iron Body Art, he would absolutely not die. In this moment, he was invincible.

A dagger slashed toward him as he rushed in.

FLASH.

A single line created by the dagger. The man, now without his dao, naturally couldn't block this move.

KAAAAAANG.

A metallic sound erupted from his body. The man sensed that he had succeeded.

I did it!

If I didn't die from this one move.

You die!

The man grabbed the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's body tightly with both arms. In his eyes, he saw the woman flying in to cut the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's neck. Both the man and the woman were smiling.

In that fleeting moment, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's arm pointed forward.

The man was startled. He was holding him so tightly it felt like he would burst, so how did he get his arm free?

The next moment, an ear-splitting explosion erupted.

KWAAAAANG.

The man standing behind them saw it. He saw the enhanced qi flying from the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's palm. He saw the Extremely Savage Demonic Palm blasting into the woman's face.

PEOOOONG!

Struck by the Extremely Savage Demonic Palm at such close range, the woman's face was blown away without a trace. Her headless body spewed blood as it fell backward.

The man could not understand it at all.

Why can't I put strength into my arms?

Even at this very moment, he couldn't put any strength into his arms. Only then did the man in the bamboo hat feel something hot flowing down his chest.

JUREUREUK.

His steel-like skin was split wide open. Blood was gushing out from between the split.

It was cut?

He was deeply shocked that his third-stage Dark Black Iron Body Art had been sliced through in a single move. But that seemingly ordinary move was no ordinary attack. It was the Laughing Fragrance Dagger Technique, unleashed with a Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron dagger.

The Laughing Fragrance's First Extreme.

Pain flooded in afterward. It wasn't just a wound, but one created by the shattering of his Dark Art, so the pain was incomparable. A truly unbearable, excruciating pain washed over him.

"Uwaaaaaaah!"

A desperate scream erupted from his mouth. The pain was so agonizing that he wished for a quick death.

Just then, someone covered his mouth. The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon was suddenly behind him.

"Shh!"

Holding his mouth shut, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon slit the man's throat with his dagger without hesitation.

SAAAAIAK.

It wasn't to lessen his pain. Standing behind the man who was spewing blood from his neck, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon said softly.

"You'll wake the Young Cult Leader."