Chapter 25: A Night Without the Guilty (2)

Something wasn’t right. As if a mechanical part had been forced into the wrong place, everything was misaligned.

W-What’s going on?

Leaving aside how Lee Woo-Hyuk had found the hideout, throwing money around and suddenly asking where his brother was made no sense at all.

“W-Wait!”

Yoo-Jin reached out to stop Lee Woo-Hyuk, but Lee Woo-Hyuk’s blade energy shot toward Yoo-Jin like the sharp claws of a beast. The thick trees, larger than a person’s body, snapped and violently flung aside.

Crack!

“Damn it!”

Yoo-Jin extended his arm in desperation. The Stigma on his left chest glowed brightly, and dozens of black feathers formed in the air.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

However, Lee Woo-Hyuk’s sword shredded the black feathers effortlessly.

Yoo-Jin turned even paler.

He’s strong!

Black Lion, Lee Woo-Hyuk, was every bit as monstrous as rumored.

“

Ugh!

”

Creating more black feathers, Yoo-Jin barely managed to slow down the sword strikes. He rolled across the ground to create distance between them.

“How disappointing. You dare target me with such pathetic skills?” Lee Woo-Hyuk growled coldly as he effortlessly followed Yoo-Jin.

Rage boiled up inside him. Thinking about how this whole situation would torment his brother, Lee Shin-Hyuk, who was already suffering from an inferiority complex, made him furious.

I had just started to see a glimmer of hope—to dream that we could finally return to how things used to be—but it was all ruined.

Yoo-Jin’s eyes widened in shock.

“W-What?”

I targeted Lee Woo-Hyuk?

What nonsense was that?

No way...

Too many things were out of place about all this. The sequence, the flow—it was all twisted, which only meant one thing.

Someone... is using the Black Lion.

Though Yoo-Jin didn’t know who, it was the only explanation that made sense.

Slash!

“Kugh!”

Lee Woo-Hyuk cut a deep gash from Yoo-Jin’s chest to his belly button, causing blood to splatter everywhere.

“W-Wait! This is a misunderstanding!” Yoo-Jin shouted desperately. “I didn’t do anything!”

“You didn’t do anything?” Lee Woo-Hyuk sneered coldly. “Stop lying.”

Under different circumstances, he might have listened to such a pathetic excuse, but now wasn’t one of them.

Slash!

“Aaaargh!”

This time, he cut Yoo-Jin’s side, causing more blood to pour out.

D-Damn it!

Yoo-Jin didn’t know how the Black Lion got convinced, but Lee Woo-Hyuk was dead set on blaming Yoo-Jin.

This won’t do.

There was no time to solve this misunderstanding. Lee Woo-Hyuk would just keep tearing him apart even if he tried to explain.

I have to run away!

He couldn’t win against such a powerful opponent.

Panting heavily, Yoo-Jin crossed his arms over his chest. He knew he only had one chance.

Unleashing every last ounce of mana he had, he focused on the Stigma burning on his chest. He knew that he couldn’t even scratch Lee Woo-Hyuk, but he had one last trick up his sleeve—something he kept saved for moments just like this.

If I can just create a small opening!

Slash! Stab!

“

Aaaagh!

”

Even in the brief moment that Yoo-Jin focused, Lee Woo-Hyuk’s claw-like sword tore into him again.

“Black Wing Scatter!”

Boom!

Yoo-Jin swung his crossed arms downward in an X shape, unleashing a storm of hundreds of black feathers in all directions.

“It’s useless.”

Despite the black feathers completely blocking his vision, Lee Woo-Hyuk still stepped forward. It truly seemed like a rather powerful skill, but it was all worthless to him.

The Stigma of Leo on his chest glowed fiercely.

The wind from his sword compressed, taking the form of a beast’s claw. It then collided with the storm of black feathers.

Crash!

The ground, rocks, and trees around them were shredded as if thrown into a blender. Dust filled the air, obscuring the view, but with a casual swing of his sword, Lee Woo-Hyuk dispersed the cloud of dust.

“Hup!”

In the brief moment it took for Lee Woo-Hyuk to clear the dust, Yoo-Jin quickly pulled out a black dagger from his clothes. Without hesitation, he then stabbed himself.

“What the...?!”

Lee Woo-Hyuk quickly rushed toward Yoo-Jin.

Whoosh!

However, before he could reach him, Yoo-Jin transformed into a flurry of black feathers and instantly disappeared.

“Damn it!”

Lee Woo-Hyuk bit his lip in frustration.

“W-Where did he go?”

He frantically scanned the area, but whatever ability that Yoo-Jin had used made it impossible to find him.

I can’t let him escape.

He gritted his teeth in anger.

He couldn’t have left the mountain.

Lee Woo-Hyuk had asked the association to besiege the mountain in case of situations like this.

Boom!

The Black Lion sprinted through the dark forest.

***

Whoosh!

Hundreds of black feathers swirled through the air, gathering into one spot and forming the shape of a person.

“Huff, huff.”

Yoo-Jin had now turned back into his human form. However, with no time to rest, he sprinted through the forest while gasping for air.

Tap, tap, tap!

His vision was blurry, and he felt as if he couldn’t breathe.

“Damn it!”

Just where did it all go wrong? When did things start falling apart?

He tripped over a tree root, sending him tumbling to the ground. His wounds split open, and blood spilled out.

Thud!

“

Ugh!

F-Fuck!”

He quickly glanced behind him but couldn’t sense anyone chasing him.

“Did I make it?”

Plop.

As the tension left his body, a wave of exhaustion hit him hard.

“Hah... Hah...”

His heart pounded so violently that he felt as though it was going to burst. Moreover, his legs trembled so profusely that they could no longer support him.

Yoo-Jin groaned, clutching his wounds.

His body was wrecked, and he had wasted his most cherished Astral Relic.

Still...

A faint smile crept onto his lips as he clenched his fist.

I did it.

He managed to escape from that crazed beast.

“W-Why is this even happening to me?”

However, though he survived, he had lost everything else—even his subordinates and the chance to fix his mistake.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!”

He pulled at his hair, swearing non-stop.

Not only had he failed to retrieve the Black Star Astral Relic, but he also lost his hideout and his men—all because someone had played him like a fool.

“What do I do now...?”

He blanked out. Even if he went back, he was bound to die in Cheon Do-Yoon's hands.

“...”

Yoo-Jin bit his lip hard.

Ashad Khan.

As much as he hated the idea of asking that bastard for help, he wasn’t ready to die. He would have to beg for help.

“Damn it,” he muttered as he reached for his phone.

Rustle.

Yoo-Jin turned toward the sound.

“W-Who’s there?!”

Standing before him was the scammer who had sold him the fake Astral Relic.

“You... Why are you here...?”

The bastard, whom he couldn’t hate enough, was now casually walking toward him.

“

Pfft! Haha!

” Kwon Oh-jin’s shoulders shook as he laughed at Yoo-Jin, who was slumped on the ground. “Looks like you’ve had a rough time,

huh

? You look like a mess.”

“W-What the hell is going on...?” Yoo-Jin’s eyes widened as his mind raced. “Wait a minute.”

He pressed down on his forehead, his face scrunched up in a puzzled expression.

“N-No way. It can’t be...”

Chills ran down his spine.

Suddenly, all the puzzle pieces that hadn’t matched up started to fit together. The gears that had been out of sync began to turn smoothly.

Is this all part of his plan?

He hadn’t been able to think straight earlier because of how chaotic everything had been, but looking back, the only person who could have known the location of his hideout was this bastard. After all, two of his men had died tracking him.

“

A-Ah...

”

Yoo-Jin had anticipated his hideout being discovered, but he couldn’t care less at the time. He thought it wouldn’t matter since the one being chased was the man who now stood before him, not him. He was strong, and that bastard was weak.

That was how it should’ve been, at least. If so, then why was the weak one—the one who should’ve been crushed by now—standing over and looking down at him?

“Have you figured out why I’m here now?” Kwon Oh-Jin calmly asked.

Yoo-Jin trembled as he slowly looked up.

“

Aaaaaarghhh!

” Yoo-Jin launched himself off the ground and squeezed out every last bit of his mana to create black feathers.

Thump!

“You’ve still got some fight in you,

huh?

”

Smiling smugly, Kwon Oh-Jin deflected the black feathers aimed at his vitals.

Clang! Clang!

“You probably shouldn't be moving so aggressively, though,” Kwon Oh-Jin remarked. He lowered his spear to the ground and casually swept it in front of him.

“Kugh!”

Yoo-Jin quickly retreated to dodge the attack. He then clutched his chest and winced. The wound inflicted by Lee Woo-Hyuk had reopened, allowing blood to seep out again.

“See? Told you it was a bad idea to keep moving like that,” Kwon Oh-Jin said mockingly.

“Y-You bastard...”

“So, why’d you do that?” Kwon Oh-Jin clicked his tongue and shook his head in mock pity. “Did you really think you could mess with the Black Lion?”

“W-What?”

“

Oh

, come on. Don’t play dumb.”

“I’m not fucking playing dumb!” Yoo-Jin’s anguished shout echoed through the forest. “You’re the one behind all of this!”

“

Huh?

What are you talking about?” Kwon Oh-Jin shamelessly shrugged. “You did this to yourself.”

The truth didn’t matter. There wasn’t ever a time that it mattered, not even once. All that was important was what seemed like the truth.

“It was the Black Star Society that kidnapped Lee Woo-Hyuk’s brother and held him hostage, wasn’t it?”

“Y-You filthy piece of shit!”

“

Hahahaha!

”

After a burst of laughter, Kwon Oh-Jin ruthlessly kicked Yoo-Jin in the stomach.

“

Kugh!

”

With Yoo-Jin now on the ground, Kwon Oh-Jin firmly stepped on his chest.

“I have a lot of things I’m curious about. Mind answering a few questions for me?”

“What?” Yoo-Jin stared up at him in disbelief. He then laughed, his face twisting with rage. “Is this how you got the location of my hideout?”

Yoo-Jin was so shocked that he could barely speak. Hence, he instead spat a thick glob of saliva at Kwon Oh-Jin’s leg, which was pinning him down.

“

I’m telling you nothing, you conning bastard.”

Even though he had been tricked and left in such a pitiful state, he had no intention of telling him anything about the Black Star Society.

“No matter what you do, you won’t get a word out of me.”

Yoo-Jin was genuinely loyal to the Black Star Society.

“Is that so? If you don’t want to talk, I guess there’s nothing I can do.”

“What?”

Yoo-Jin looked up at Kwon Oh-Jin, meeting his cold, black eyes.

“Huh?”

For some reason, the sky had turned pitch black. Not even a trace of light remained from the Milky Way decorating its vast expanse or the countless stars that had been sparkling elegantly all over it.

Why is it so...

Kwon Oh-Jin grabbed one of Yoo-Jin’s fingers. He then smiled brightly.

“Now, then. Do your best not to say a word, okay?”