The instant his blade had come into contact with the assassin's body, Lei's eyes had widened.
The way his legs lost strength right away.
The way he squeezed his own neck.
The way his face contorted and twisted from the pain.
All of it was...
Just a couple of seconds ago, he was coming at me, not an ounce of fear or doubt on his face.
Fearlessly, he had swung his blade to kill me.
But he turned out unable to.
Squeezing your neck because you can't breathe? Why?
Why do you look this way? Aren't you a Warrior of some kind?
You were trying to kill me. I killed you.
Why are your hands reaching towards me? Why do you look like you're asking for my help?
It's all incredibly...
But that's death, isn't it?
Looking for help wherever you can. Willing to accept any help or assistance offered. Seeking... Seeking. Holding on for as long as you can, hoping that help is on the way. No, you're not hoping that help is coming. You're sure that it is. Yes. You need that certainty in order to hold on for as long as possible.
Can't you die proudly? Die with the same expression you had when you swung your sword at my neck?
Men die badly, don't they?
I'm sure it was the same for me. I'm sure I reached in every direction looking for help too.
And I'm sure it was the same for you too, Zhao Laohu.
Men die badly.
And too easily.
"Pathetic." The Young Master whispered, before swinging his weapon.
And that's without even counting the fact that they're Martial Artists. Didn't you dedicate your life to this? How can you die that easily? The Master's son is stronger... But I only have his body. A whole life spent training... Only amounted to this much?
The crimson droplets splattered onto the ground.
His gaze shifted, and all realized that they had stopped moving.
'We came unprepared...'
'We were sent for the poser, not the Young Master...!'
'He should be dead! Or at the very least unable to move!!'
At once, the assassins pushed their weapons against those of the Disciples and turned away.
"Magnificent, Young Zhao! They witnessed your might and couldn't help but run-"
Zhao Laohu stepped forward, guided not by his reason, but by something else.
"Follow." The Young Master ordered.
"Young Zhao?"
He pointed with his Saber, and the jingling of its rings resonated.
"Kill them all."
"Yes, Young Master!" The Disciples shouted before Ui Feng could retort.
It's not like the latter was completely wrong. They had been repelled. Why take unnecessary risks? Let's go back home, grab a couple of jugs, and get drunk like we used to, no?
...
'Fuck. Fuck... Fuck!'
One by one, they had been picked up. Or rather, put down.
'This isn't what we signed up for!! It was supposed to be an easy mission! An easy-'
He suddenly tripped and fell to the ground. His hands sank into the cold and muddy earth. His heart was beating faster than ever! He had run as fast as he could for so long! And yet, he could feel it. He could feel that death was nibbling at his heels. He could feel that it would devour him soon. Because,
Ring-
Cold sweat immediately covered his already-drenched back.
Despite being plunged into the darkness of the forest, despite being hidden by the countless trees, he felt completely naked.
Completely naked,
Ring-
And at the Young Master's mercy.
'Please...!'
He rose to his feet, slipped on the muddy ground, managed to gain back his balance, took a step forward, and,
Ring-
Terror.
His eyes widened, pupils dilated, and color drained from his face.
'The ringing... Why...?'
It started at the tips of his fingers.
'Why...?'
It didn't take long for the trembling to spread.
'Why is the ringing...'
His breathing quickly became erratic, shallow gasps struggled to find their way out and escape between his parted lips.
'Coming from in front of me??'
He felt his legs turn into wet noodles. Wobbling and struggling to support his weight, they left him on the brink of collapsing.
His shaking hands gripped his torso.
'It's coming from in front of me... But he was chasing me! But... Have I been running in circles? Did he somehow go past me and is now coming back? Which is it? Which is it? Was it really coming from in front of me? Was I just confused-'
Ring-
His lips quivered as he stepped back.
"Aaaahhh... Aaahhhh...!"
He wanted to scream. But he couldn't let himself do so. His grip over his torso tightened. His hands moved up to his skull.
He wanted to hold on to them.
The ribcage of his comrade that had been shattered.
The skull that had been split.
"Aaaahhhh...!"
Ring-
He turned around and started running!
He fell to the ground!
It wasn't to see it in the darkness, but as he tried crawling forward, he did.
What made the ground muddy wasn't the rain, but blood.
Inches away from him, the headless body of-
"Aaaahhhhh!" Guttural cries he couldn't hold back.
He shut his eyes and crawled. Crawled and crawled on the bloody earth!
Ring- Ring-
It was getting closer and closer!
He clenched his teeth and rose to his feet.
Run! Run!
Ring.
His heart stopped suddenly.
That 'Ring' would be the last.
An ethereal blade cut his flesh, shattered his bones, and slashed his left lung. But it didn't stop there. The ethereal blade was raised up into the air, and was slammed against the top of skull, splitting it. As if that wasn't enough, it was then directed at his neck, cutting his head off. It wasn't a clean cut, but a rough one.
The deaths of those before him, he could feel.
His body had suddenly become incredibly cold. His jaw muscles tightened and relaxed repeatedly, in short intervals.
Clank- Clank-
His lower teeth collided with the upper again and again.
Clank- Clank-
The fear was making him mad!
He started turning around.
And as he did,
Bam- Slshh-
His back slid against the muddy earth!
On top of him, the one that had taken a plunge in his direction.
"Found youuu!" The Young Master shouted cheerfully.
How could his voice be so merry? How could the smile on his face be so...?
A Devil! A Demon! The Fiend held its weapon to the man's neck, reading to bring it down!
"Aaaahhh... Aaaahhh..." Tears started going down the man's face. "This isn't what... What I signed up for... This was supposed to be... Supposed to be... An easy job-"
The man's cries were suddenly halted.
His body had frozen in both time and space.
"Now, now..." The Young Master's hand gently rested on the crying man's cheek. "There's no need for all that, is there?"
How could a man's hand feel so delicate?
How could a man's face look so bewitching?
How could a man's touch feel so appeasing?
A face and body that had been rid of all impurities during the last forty days. Every imperfection, every damaged cell, had been devoured by the rest.
"Please... Please..."
"Shhh..." The Young Master tenderly caressed the man's cheek. "Tell me who sent you, and I'll let you go without hurting you."
"Please..."
"Now, now. Tell me that, and I will let you go."
There was not a hint of malice or animosity in the Young Master's voice.
The man cried as he smiled weakly.
He was saved.
"The Flamboyant... Vermilion Tiger."
"Mm." The Young Master nodded as he caressed the man's cheek one last time. "Good job."
Like a bread cutter behind pushed down, the Saber was pushed down by the Young Master's other hand.
[You have killed a man.]
[You have gained 100 Villain Points.]
[The man had surrendered.]
[You have gained an additional 200 Villain points.]
[You have broken a promise made before death.]
[You have gained an additional 100 Villain points.]
"Broken a promise...?"
The Young Master pushed himself off the ground.
"I did let him go easily though?"
A figure appeared in the darkness.
"Young Master!"
"Take their clothes and weapons." Lei ordered as he walked away, feeling slightly irritated.
'These Disciples and that Ui Feng are barely stronger than these guys. What have I been playing the part for? Tsk. I was scared of them finding out that I wasn't Zhao but... What can they do anyways?'
He banged on his forehead with a fist.
"Politics... Politics... It's more fun this way anyways."
The Young Master feared none in the area. Not his enemies, and not his allies.
But there was one.
Only one that could pose an issue.
Only one for whom he would continue playing the part perfectly.
'Broken a promise... I wonder if their mindset matters. If he hadn't believed me, would I have still gotten points for that?'