Chapter 35: Four Tails

“Damn it!”

Khan recoiled in shock as the blade lunged at him like a beast’s claw.

The dagger stretched out, chasing Khan like a serpent.

Clang!

The spear Khan held drew a crescent in the air. Two daggers aiming for his legs embedded themselves in the ground.

Of the two flying toward his arm, he dodged one, but the last dagger left a shallow cut.

“Impressive…”

Though wounded, Khan didn’t even utter a groan.

Instead, his eyes flashed with excitement. He was thrilled to be fighting a worthy opponent.

The dagger Jin Tae had plunged into the ground silently targeted Khan’s back.

Half a turn.

Khan’s body twisted clockwise. The raised blades scattered into the air.

One full spin, back to facing forward.

Kraaang!

The spear tip in Khan’s hand clashed against Jin Tae’s dagger.

The crossed blades pressed down on Khan’s spear.

At the same time,

the deflected energy dagger aimed for Khan’s back again.

This time, there was no way to retreat.

It was a flawless combination!

“Hph!”

Khan swallowed empty air.

But he did not give up.

He put strength into his arm.

A chilling sound of flesh tearing rang out as the shallow wound he’d received earlier reopened.

The blood pouring out soon moved behind Khan’s back—and quickly formed into a shield.

A power that manipulates blood.

Among its qualities, the unique fluidity of liquid was on full display.

The shield blocked the blade and extended into four tendrils that transformed into weapons.

Four tails.

They lashed out like whips.

Khan’s spear twisted like a scorpion’s tail and jabbed at the opening in Jin Tae’s defense.

Jin Tae’s energy daggers and Khan’s blood-made weapons split the engagement evenly.

Even the number of weapons was tied.

Their high-speed duel was too fast for the naked eye to follow.

The spectators could only track the sparks flying up.

Instinctively, they all knew their lives depended on the outcome of this battle.

Not a single person broke their focus.

Because of that,

no one noticed the abnormality befalling the fallen children on the stage.

From the blind spot of all eyes, blood gushed from every orifice—the children’s eyes, noses, mouths, every hole.

The blood that spilled out pooled into a puddle.

It soon took shape.

Jin Tae, concentrating all his senses on Khan’s attacks, didn’t notice.

The blood flowing from the children instantly formed hundreds of crimson thorn clusters that surged toward Jin Tae.

It was like a tidal wave of spikes crashing down.

The power of Dantalion used blood.

That meant the user didn’t have to rely solely on their own blood.

On the contrary, the power of Dantalion was maximized when using the blood of others.

Once over level 20, one could raise this ability to such a level.

‘It’s possible to do all this?’

Jin Tae swallowed dryly.

It was too late to block—the mistake was made.

Among Belial’s abilities, there wasn’t an area skill strong enough to fend off all the incoming spikes.

But,

‘If I can’t block everything, I must minimize the damage. There’s only one skill I can use in this situation…’

This wasn’t an unmanageable situation.

‘The risk is high. I need to end this with this.’

Where had this guy suddenly popped out from?

Clearly, they hadn’t accurately gauged the level of the family member.

But it seemed they had a definite read on his own level.

‘Definitely. This guy is targeting me and sent someone accordingly.’

Doubts started to pile up.

But for now, Jin Tae had to bury those questions.

He clenched his teeth.

At the same time, the whites of Jin Tae’s eyes darkened into deep ink-black.

His pupils lost focus.

Jin Tae’s eyes saw the shadow.

[Skill ‘Shadow Puppetry’ activated!]

Belial’s power was shadows.

Every object had a shadow, and the Blood Hounds, the source of Khan’s blood supply, were no exception.

•If those guys became Khan’s weapons,

then for Jin Tae, it wouldn’t be impossible either.

‘Move!’

Every ounce of power except the mana needed for a single strike rushed out of Jin Tae’s body.

Overload hit his head, and a nosebleed burst forth.

At the same time,

“What?”

A hoarse sound escaped from Khan’s mouth.

Something had changed with the children.

The children—who were the source of blood and should have been unconscious—suddenly moved.

Because of the children’s sudden motion, the blood spikes rushing toward Jin Tae shifted direction.

The daggers that had poured from all sides, aiming for Jin Tae, collided overhead.

Squelch! Squish!

The sound of breaking glass echoed throughout the Arena as red shards scattered like fireworks.

Each fragment was a razor-sharp blade.

If they hit head-on, Jin Tae would be riddled with wounds.

“What the…”

Unexpected events overlapped multiple times.

Khan, watching the shards storming toward him, had no choice but to release his power.

If they had collided in this state, it would have been mutual self-destruction.

The solid blood shards melted back into liquid and fell like rain.

The iron-rich scent of blood filled the air, and sticky blood soaked the surroundings.

The spilled blood turned into mist, obscuring the vision of both Jin Tae and Khan.

And Jin Tae seized the moment with unclear sight.

He poured all the remaining power into the dagger in his hand.

The shadow’s power imbued the dagger.

Jin Tae’s silent strike plunged into Khan’s ribs!

Thud!

“Ugh!”

Khan swallowed empty air.

It was a technique that maximized the use of his own ability, which he understood better than anyone.

To have his ribs pierced by such a strike was, in a way, only natural.

But Khan also had strength that wouldn’t lose to Jin Tae.

He had an equally deep understanding of his own powers.

‘Damn it… So they sent us both here to die together.’

Feeling a burning pain beyond mere soreness, Khan sensed it instinctively.

‘What a damn unlucky family. Heh heh.’

Khan had no regrets.

He worshiped strength above all and loved to fight.

If there was anyone to blame, it was himself for not having greater power.

Yes, knowing that, they must have sent him.

If the higher-ups sent him to die in a fight, then he’d be a fine companion on the journey.

‘Still, if by some chance I survive… they’ll pay dearly.’

Khan knew well that this was a futile vow.

That Nam Taehoo had never seen Khan in his past life was no different.

Because Khan had died amid similar turmoil in his previous life.

‘I’ll give you all my ribs. If you want, I’ll give you other parts too.’

Khan’s will was simple: as long as his breath remained, he didn’t care.

Khan grabbed Jin Tae’s shoulder tightly to prevent his escape.

When he forced their bodies closer, he felt the dagger push deeper, almost reaching his heart.

“Guhk!”

Blood spilled from Khan’s mouth.

Fresh blood surged from the pierced abdomen.

Along with the rain of blood from before, Khan was literally soaked in blood.

Right now,

to the one who controlled blood, Khan’s entire body was the sharpest weapon.

Bloodburst.

Dantalion had been a family that grew through espionage.

Naturally, a self-destruction device existed as well.

A self-destruction that increased in power the stronger the user was.

Jin Tae’s dagger finally reached Khan’s heart.

The dagger inside was a fuse, and the pierced heart was the explosive.

“Dieeee!”

Khan let out his final scream.

The blood spikes that originated in his heart spread in every direction.

An attack sent out with the resolve to self-destruct.

Jin Tae, who had exhausted all his strength, had no chance of escaping the current situation.

“Damn it!”

[Constellation ‘Belial’ does not wish for your death!]

[Constellation ‘Belial’ grants you strength!]

A message echoed inside Jin Tae’s mind.

The sound of his flesh bursting like a balloon.

Suddenly, his vision was stained red.

Even in this situation, the Constellation did not wish for his death.

Jin Tae recalled the first time he received such a message.

He was the child of a murderer, born in prison.

A woman who massacred 150 civilians after receiving power from an unknown constellation.

That was the brand on his mother.

Even in a world overrun by monsters, a daily routine following natural order existed.

The child born in prison carried the stigma of being a murderer’s offspring.

The world always held a knife to his heart.

Just like the knife he once aimed at the VIP’s throat.

Having no dreams, no heart capable of being surprised.

It was only natural for him.

He was barely alive.

So he lived however he could, and when he came to his senses, everything was a mess.

Jin Tae slowly died that way.

Then it happened.

That message reached him again.

[Constellation ‘Belial’ does not wish for your death!]

[Constellation ‘Belial’ grants you strength!]

With the power he first obtained, Jin Tae killed his own mother.

Why Belial chose him, he didn’t know.

Maybe they needed a ruthless human, maybe the most brutal one.

Or maybe it was just for amusement.

The reason didn’t matter.

For the first time in his life,

there was a being that reached out to him.

On the day he became an adult, Jin Tae vowed to restore the Belial House.

And now, here he was.

Jin Tae’s vision returned.

The bloodstains spread like a fan.

No trace remained of Khan’s corpse.

From his left, the sound of water splashing came.

Turning his head, he saw his entire left shoulder was gone.

The sound was his own blood hitting the ground from the torn limb.

Is this the end?

Was the revival of the family only to reach this point?

As that thought crossed his mind, a face appeared in his head.

At the same moment, someone approached.

It was Juhyeok.

Not the person Jin Tae had thought of.

“Joseph?”

So he asked.

At the same time,

“He’s back here.”

A familiar and welcoming voice.

Because of that guy, Jin Tae had been able to push things this far.

Ignoring the pain, Jin Tae tried to turn his body.

No—he was leaning first.

He fell face-first onto the blood he’d spilled.

“Hah…”

He was not yet dead.

But death was just steps away.

Juhyeok turned Jin Tae’s body to face forward.

There, looking down with eyes like his own, was Taehoo.

From the moment Jin Tae saw Taehoo, he felt they were similar.

There were many reasons Jin Tae chose Taehoo.

But among those countless reasons, perhaps the fact that they resembled each other played a part.

“Joseph, it was you.”

Facing death, Jin Tae could now sense that Taehoo was the one who leaked the information.

“Pff”

A bitter laugh escaped.

Blood boiled up his throat.

His consciousness blurred.

If there was someone to take his place,

someone who could raise the Belial House even if it wasn’t him.

He had no regrets about life.

Only a fleeting hope flashed foolishly through his mind.

But it was a meaningless assumption.

Taehoo looked down at Jin Tae’s half-gone will.

Then,

Thunk!

The Fallen Flower Sword pierced his heart.

“Not Joseph, but Nam Taehoo. Remember that.”

Nam Taehoo?

The name felt familiar… Jin Tae thought in the fading edges of his consciousness.

But the pain of the pierced heart muddled his mind.

[Quest failed!]

[Constellation Belial is enraged!]

[Quest penalty activated!]

Messages he couldn’t comprehend.

Yet Jin Tae was not allowed even to cling to consciousness.

[Descent (Provisional) begins!]

[Servant’s state unstable!]

[Restrictions imposed on constellation power acceptance!]

Jin Tae’s consciousness couldn’t endure the Constellation’s power and was swept away.

At the same time, his presence, which flickered like a candle in the wind, surged upward.

[Dare… to ignore my warning and bring my first servant to this state?]

A voice not of a human flowed through Jin Tae’s throat.

In the transcendent voice, there was only one thing:

Burning rage.

Taehoo faced Belial for the second time.

Not in the sanctuary, but in reality.

For Jin Tae, rest was death.

But, then as now,

his Constellation refused to accept that.