Love Ballad of the Tyrant King

Chapter 252: Water, Rises

Pwoosh!

Dan Woobin felt the back of his head grow hot. The sudden, overwhelming scent of blood.

‘It doesn't even hurt to die by a sword!’

It really didn't hurt at all.

Perhaps his head had already fallen, making it impossible to feel pain. It seemed he could still think for a very brief moment. Dan Woobin recalled his precious people for the last time.

First, he felt sorry for Lee Jaseung.

‘Please achieve the great cause safely, even without me.’

And he was worried about Baek Seolyoung, who remained.

‘Dammit! Where on earth is Captain Mook?’

And finally, the woman he loved more than anyone, Songhwa.

‘Lady Song, I'm sorry. In the next life, I'll definitely stay with you until the end.’

There wasn't enough time for Mujin and Ma Young-gi...

‘Wait? But I can keep thinking?’

It was strange that he could keep thinking like this even though a person's head had been cut off.

Then he’ll continue to think. Mujin next.

‘I've been really grateful for everything. And please, settle down with one woman!’

He could still see Baek Seolyoung standing ahead.

He was even being allowed to say goodbye to Ma Young-gi.

‘Captain Ma, let's become closer in the next life.’

Despite everything, the surroundings didn't grow dark.

Before he knew it, the howling wind had also stopped.

Right then, something touched his back.

Startled, he turned around to find a man leaning against him with his face buried in Dan Woobin’s shoulder.

Surprisingly, it was Wind Demon. Blood continued to pour from his neck. The blood sprayed on the back of Dan Woobin’s neck wasn't his own, but Wind Demon's.

Slide.

Wind Demon slid down Dan Woobin’s back and slammed his face into the ground. He had already breathed his last.

Behind him, Mook Young stood holding a blood stained sword.

Mook Young had been waiting in hiding without revealing himself, solely for this one moment.

It was also Mook Young who first noticed that three Demonic Humans had intruded here. Upon Mook Young’s report that the intruders were formidable experts, Baek Seolyoung gave one command.

It was to never step forward, but to wait and seize the chance to kill one of them.

She judged that it would be difficult for her and Mook Young to face three top tier experts in a direct confrontation. She lacked real combat experience, and Mook Young was a warrior specialized in protection. He would likely be unable to focus on his own fight out of fear that she might fall into danger.

And there were more weaknesses.

Even Dan Woobin, who could become their hostage at any moment.

That's why she gave such an order. To hold out without appearing until the end and definitely deal with at least one.

Fortunately, the opponents didn't appear all at once.

It was because they looked down on her for being alone.

If they had revealed themselves together with Mook Young from the start, they wouldn't have been able to carry out such a plan, and the situation would've been much worse than it was now.

The core of this plan was for her to hold out well and give Mook Young the chance to launch a surprise attack. Fortunately, she performed that role brilliantly. It wasn't just holding out; she finished off Strange Demon very cleanly.

Mook Young quickly moved back with Dan Woobin.

Only then did Dan Woobin understand why Mook Young hadn't appeared.

But the situation wasn't over yet.

Baek Seolyoung looked into the darkness and spoke coldly.

“Why don't you come out now?”

Then, a person walked out from the darkness. It was the Water Demon. The smell of fishy water filled the air as he appeared.

The Water Demon couldn't believe the deaths of Strange Demon and Wind Demon. Especially Wind Demon, who met such a vain death despite his skill.

However, considering the concentration of Mook Young, who had been aiming only for that one moment, his death was only natural.

“Did you bait us from the start?”

“We never baited you. You got baited on your own.”

It wasn't a wrong statement. They should've all stepped out together from the start and just swept through to kill everyone.

But it didn't matter. Now that the opponents had all revealed themselves, today's result wouldn't change. He had intended to use his most powerful technique from the beginning anyway.

The Water Demon stretched his right hand straight forward.

Next moment.

Splaaaash!

Water began to rise from the ground. It wasn't an illusion. It was real, cold water.

Baek Seolyoung quickly leaped into the air.

Baek Seolyoung, who tried to fly up onto the side wall, fell back into the water. A stream of water grabbed her ankle and dragged her back down.

She cut with her sword, but the stream wasn't severed.

She tried to escape by raising her inner Qi, but the water wouldn't let her go.

She was flustered. A fight in the water against an opponent who controlled water at will?

The water rose to her waist in an instant.

Mook Young and Dan Woobin, who had climbed onto the wall, were greatly shocked by the unfolding situation.

They had heard much about the sinister nature of demonic arts, but suddenly having water rise from all sides was truly a first. Water was rising from everywhere as if a flood had occurred.

Mook Young agonized.

Whether he should jump in immediately to help Baek Seolyoung, or find a way to break the opponent's illusion from the outside.

But that agony was meaningless.

Splash!

A stream of water shot up from below the wall, entwined around the two of them, and dragged them down.

Mook Young struggled to escape, but the water held his body tight. It was no use cutting with a sword. The target was water.

Just like that, the two were also submerged, and even in the process, the water continued to rise.

Whoosh!

Baek Seolyoung fired Sword Qi toward Water Demon. It was a self-evident fact that this situation would only end if Water Demon was killed.

Splash!

Water shot up around Water Demon.

Thump!

The water and Sword Qi collided. Surprisingly, the Sword Qi vanished into the water.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Baek Seolyoung fired Sword Qi repeatedly, but it was to no avail. The water shield was solid and bizarre.

The flustered Baek Seolyoung now unleashed a Sword Force. She tried to escape by cutting the surrounding water with a sword imbued with Sword Force, but that also didn't work.

The Water Demon laughed wickedly.

“It's no use. Once you're contained in the Heavenly Water, you can't get out alive.”

The warriors of the Guard Hall appeared on the wall.

Swish swish swish!

They all fired hidden weapons toward the Water Demon at once.

But before the hidden weapons could reach Water Demon, the water surged up and swallowed them. Like a living creature, the water shield protected the Water Demon thoroughly.

The guard warriors tried to jump down and attack him directly.

Right then, Mook Young shouted.

“Retreat! It's an order! Retreat!”

Having been dragged into the water himself, he realized that simply rushing in recklessly would be of no use.

At Mook Young’s command, the Guard Hall warriors quickly leaped and flew up onto the rooftops of the buildings.

“Further away!”

The Guard Hall warriors vanished from sight again.

Mook Young could tell. As long as the opponent used such a bizarre demonic art, numbers meant nothing. Rushing in blindly would only result in the sacrifice of precious lives.

Meanwhile, the water rose to their necks.

* * *

Lee Jaseung concentrated all his mental strength.

If he didn't reclaim his inner Qi within an hour, he'd die here.

He emptied his mind and continued the agony he had before.

But no matter how much he agonized, he couldn't find a way.

Lee Jaseung changed his method.

He focused all his mental energy on his Dantian. He tried to have his mind pierce through the membrane to wake the inner Qi in his Dantian.

But the Dantian didn't budge, as if it were dead.

The heartless time just kept slipping away.

The hour was almost up, but he hadn't found a way. He was someone who didn't know how to give up, but now he felt there was nothing he could do.

The man's words were right.

He was too arrogant.

He had a belief that he would definitely find something here. Even a belief that he could overcome any difficulty. Because he'd always lived with this belief. Because this belief had never betrayed him once.

But this time, he failed. He realized that there are realities he cannot overcome.

Lee Jaseung thought of Baek Seolyoung.

He felt regretful at the thought of dying and leaving her behind.

Rather, the person who dies is just gone.

The sense of loss and pain that the person left behind must endure would be much greater.

He was worried about her, who would be left behind. Left behind...

Right then.

One thought flashed through Lee Jaseung’s mind.

Could it be?

* * *

Mook Young drew up all his inner Qi.

Holding one's breath underwater for a long time was one of the basic virtues of a protective warrior. Especially Mook Young, who could hold his breath underwater for quite a long time.

The problem was that Baek Seolyoung couldn't hold hers that long.

They were already completely submerged. Baek Seolyoung and Dan Woobin wouldn't last long.

It was a sorry thing for Dan Woobin, but Mook Young was thinking only of Baek Seolyoung. He'd save Baek Seolyoung first and, if time remained, he'd save Dan Woobin.

First was Baek Seolyoung.

But this water called Heavenly Water bound Mook Young and wouldn't let go. Mook Young and the warriors of the Guard Hall knew many defensive martial arts to deal with dark arts.

But they couldn't break the demonic art of Water Demon.

By nature, dark arts belonged to a level below demonic arts, so unless it was a dark art used by someone at the Transcendent Peak Realm like Lee Jaseung, the demonic art of Water Demon, who belonged to the Asura Three Demons, couldn't be canceled.

He could see his subordinates firing hidden weapons from the rooftop through the water. But they were all deflected by the water shield.

The warriors who flew directly toward Water Demon were dragged into the water. He couldn't blame his subordinates for disobeying orders.

Because he would've rushed in himself.

This place they had fallen into wasn't water, but like a swamp. It was a swamp that made even the body of a warrior with inner Qi feel incredibly heavy. And yet the water was so transparent that everything around them was visible.

Mook Young gnashed his teeth.

He couldn't ever give up. He wasn't afraid of dying himself. But he couldn't let Baek Seolyoung die. He wouldn't be able to face Lee Jaseung later in the afterlife.

Moreover, Baek Seolyoung would die first. Because she wouldn't be able to endure the water longer than he could.

It's the worst case scenario for a protective warrior. Watching helplessly as the person one must protect dies.

‘No! I must solve this somehow.’

It felt like his limbs would be torn apart, but Mook Young gnashed his teeth and walked. Step by step, he approached Baek Seolyoung. He'd lift her and get her out of the water.

Somehow.

Even if Water Demon attacked and his whole body was torn to shreds, he'd at least send her out.

But the speed of his approach was too slow.

‘Dammit!’

Baek Seolyoung was looking at the desperate Mook Young with sorrow.

Don't come. Just run away.

But Mook Young had no concern for his own life. He only had the heart to save Baek Seolyoung somehow. Behind him, he could see Dan Woobin struggling after swallowing water.

The sight looked surreal, as if time were flowing slowly.

Baek Seolyoung’s heart ached at the thought that they were dying because of her. It was pitiful that the dying Dan Woobin and Mook Young would all die while having the same thoughts as her.

They're all good people.

She wanted to move even a little for Mook Young’s sake, but the water didn't allow any movement.

She felt it earlier when her ankle was grabbed while flying up. That unless she found a way to fundamentally break this, any resistance would be useless.

Neither Sword Qi nor Sword Force worked on Water Demon.

She raised her head. She could see the blue sky above the water.

If it were her husband, he'd know several ways to overcome this crisis. No, he wouldn't have fallen into such a situation in the first place. Water Demon would've already been a corpse lying on the ground.

Gradually, she began to suffocate.

In the distance, she could see the Water Demon laughing underwater.

She thought of Lee Jaseung one last time.

Then, that day suddenly came to mind.

As if fate was giving her a last gift.