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Ch. 028 - Dying

Dying felt akin to the sensation of Qi moving through his body, yet wholly opposite.

Sun Tie felt life seeping from his neck through the monster’s bite, the initial bliss fading away, leaving only despair behind. He attempted to move his hands, but nothing happened.

He knew he still clutched his [Rusted Sword] but couldn’t mobilize it for anything. His neck went limp, and his view fixated on the ceiling, illuminated by the flames of his blade.

Life was departing from him.

Everything felt lost, and he couldn’t even resist. Anger began to kindle in his heart. Sun Tie tried to close his eyes and succeeded; he felt in control as the numbness started seeping into his fingertips.

I can control my eyelids. What a relief… Sun Tie mused with himself, unable to refrain from joking at his impending doom, dying in the middle of a cave in this damned place.

He was dying as a [Swordsman] who couldn’t suppress the urge to help—dying because he dared to try and save a friend. His grandfather might be ashamed, but Sun Tie didn’t care.

I still have to make Sun Li pay for his crime. I still have to acquire my core back. I need to save Cole, and I need to save the kid.

Even thinking about the child, hidden in the dark corner, caused Sun Tie’s heart to sink more. The young master heard the kid crying, coming from Cole’s direction, and felt a tear forming in the corner of his eye.

Save him, Cole. You can do it, old man. Sun Tie thought, feeling life departing his body, similar to the flow of Qi.

Just like Qi,

Like mana, Sun Tie realized as he assessed his new level 10 skill.

[Blade Mana Flow] - Hidden level 10 skill

Description: [Mana Seers] can channel mana from their mana pools into their bodies and swords using the body's mana channels.

Cost: 1% mana per second.

The monster biting his neck was doing precisely that, but inversely, it was draining mana from his mana pool. Sun Tie felt a flicker of hope ignited within him.

He concentrated on his mana pool and began channeling it again into his sword, feeling his fingertips twitch. His mana, being slowly taken away, came to a halt.

Sun Tie pushed his will against the intense desire to surrender and drove more mana into his sword. Although the young master couldn’t see it directly, the light in the room was intensifying. It was working.

Abruptly, he regained movement, his arms thrusting the monster away. Sun Tie realized that the bite had consumed mere seconds, yet it felt like at least an hour had elapsed while he perished in her grip.

Shock painted itself across the female monstrosity’s face as Sun Tie thrust his sword forward.

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“He has the blood of the de—”

She never completed the sentence.

Sun Tie’s blade pierced her heart with inhuman speed. The young master clenched his teeth, feeling her body sag onto the sword's weight.

He locked eyes with her and glimpsed into her soul, encountering only despair.

“I’m afraid,” she whispered, a tear forming.

“You should be,” Sun Tie replied, thrusting the sword deeper into her heart. “Die, filthy creature. If your soul persists in hell, know that I will come for it too.”

Her body became flames as her tears downed on her monstrous face. She neither screamed nor thrashed; she was in shock. Sun Tie doubted she could even feel pain—only fear.

And he reveled in it.

In a moment, she was nothing—just ashes flickering in the cave’s depth.

The other vampire unleashed a scream, to which Sun Tie responded with a smile.

“Your time to die,” he stated, gulping down a mana potion from his pocket and aiming his sword at the beast.

The monster shrieked, reassuming an attack position. It was time to finish this.

Feeling the confident surge of mana through his body, Sun Tie braced himself to slay the monster. There was no need to use his [Mana Seer] skill. All that was required was a strike through the beast’s heart, and it would be dead.

Positioning himself, he assumed a battle stance, the blade fitting perfectly in his right hand. Sun Tie held it to the side, pointing at the ground, ready to execute a [Whirlwind Strike].

The sword, designed for one-handed use, was modest. The hilt was white as if made of bone, while the blade was slightly curved and completely rusted. When Sun Tie first swung it, he was surprised by the dust it shed, but despite its appearance, the blade was sharp— as sharp as any weapon the young master had ever encountered.

The rust's brownish hue only enhanced the beauty of the flames and mana coursing through the blade. To his grandfather's eyes, Sun Tie would be committing a grievous sin, yet he found satisfaction within it.

Before, following the sword's path might have been the easy path; now, it was the only one. Sun Tie would work with what he possessed.

The male monster before him crouched on all fours. Its breathing was labored, and its health slowly regenerated due to the system's recovery. The young master noticed the creature's back bulging as though expanding in size, its eyes protruding, and drool seeping from its maw.

"Hey! No need for all that anger; you’ll meet your friend soon enough,” Sun Tie didn’t want to wait to see what the creature would become.

He charged, flaming sword in hand, swinging it towards the beast’s heart. It flapped its wings, soaring just above the attack, taking momentum to spring towards Sun Tie.

The young master unleashed a [Whirlwind Strike], the blade slicing through the air, its power extending beyond the metal’s reach. The strike hit the monster's mana pool, and Sun Tie activated his new [Mana Seer] ability.

A [Whirlwind Strike] against a mana pool behaved like three weaker strikes instead of one, not inflicting much more damage, but it gave Sun Tie an opening. He pressed on, this time aiming for the beast’s head.

It ducked the blow, but the blade severed one of the monster's ears, eliciting a piercing scream.

Sun Tie executed another [Whirlwind Attack]; this time, air and blade cleaved through the enemy’s shoulder. A substantial portion of its flesh plummeted to the ground, yet the monster did not flinch.

It lunged at Sun Tie, claws aimed at his throat. Although he attempted to parry the strike with his blade, the monster halted his arm mid-swing. These creatures surpassed Sun Tie's challenges until this moment, yet he felt more than ready.

The creature thrust its other hand toward Sun Tie's belly, its claws seemingly intent on piercing his belly, but the young master managed to restrain it as the monster drove him toward the wall.

Sun Tie’s knee was already rising when the monster's back arched. It had been hit.

Glancing over the creature’s shoulder, he saw Cole nocking another arrow. Sun Tie shoved the monster away, freeing himself from its grip, and pressed the attack. It tried to dodge backwards, but another arrow lodged in its shoulder.

Flames seared the creature's chest once again, an [Echo Strike] propelling it backwards, but a [Charged Shot] from Cole halted the creature mid-flight.

Sun Tie dashed forward and swung his sword. As the blade severed the creature’s head from its body, another arrow embedded itself in the beast’s eye.

The young master gazed at the monster’s head on the ground. No ashes, no flames. It was dead like any animal.

Locking eyes with Cole, all Sun Tie could hear was his own breath.

Not a single cry emanated from the child’s mouth.

Sun Tie couldn’t contain the gigantic smile spreading across his face.