Bab 27: Chapter 27: Sky Looking Down
The old man's thinking shifted as they began focusing on when he would reveal himself. That's when the old man initiated his plan and sprinted towards a nearby assassin, swiftly slitting the assassin's throat. The assassin couldn't even scream; the old man covered his mouth in silence and took his life without hesitation.
The enemy did not seem to notice, as they remained in their positions, waiting for the old man to present himself. The old man took it for granted and saw it as an opportunity to eliminate as many of them as possible.
In the darkness, the lives of the assassins disappeared silently. It didn't take long until their numbers were halved. Only then did the remaining assassins realize that there were only five of them left and alerted the others.
At that moment, the old man came to the conclusion that he had to fight them head-on now. The remaining assassins were nearly too close to each other for assassination to be an option.
The old man had to risk it and fight now. His breathing had become rougher, as if he was struggling to catch his breath. If he didn't control it properly, the assassins would hear his rough breathing and take it as a chance to kill him.
He knew he could only last for a maximum of 20 minutes. If he got wounded further, that would be the end of him. The old man had to end all of this quickly.
The old man readied his daggers and blended into the darkness once more. He sprinted towards a nearby assassin and threw a dagger at another before taking both of their lives.
The other assassins finally found him and shot their arrows.
The old man deftly deflected the two arrows coming from the front and immediately fled back into the darkness. However, before he could disappear completely, he forgot about the third assassin, who managed to shoot his legs.
"Eurgh…"
The old man groaned in silence. He removed the arrow in agony and gathered the strength to stand up. Fortunately, it hadn't hit any vital organs, so as long as he added strength to it, he should be able to move at a slower speed for a few minutes.
The old man knew his time had come. It was now or never.
He readied his daggers once more and marched forward. The grin of determination on his face terrified the assassins, to the point where one of them couldn't take it anymore and began running on his feet.
"Fool!! Don't run!"
They tried to warn him to come back, but before he could even turn around, a dagger flew so fast that it pierced him before he knew it.
The two remaining assassins took it like professionals and readied their bows before facing the old man.
Swoosh!
The old man menacingly flashed forward and jumped at the assassin in front of him, cleaving down. At this point, he could barely control his body, yet he continued to push beyond his limits.
For what purpose was he fighting? For the young man? For his master?
No, right now, he may have been fighting to ensure the young man's survival, but in other ways, he was fighting for his pride. The pride of a warrior who wouldn't fall without a fight.
It was a defining moment in the old man's life, his last stand. He knew that even if he survived today and defeated them, it wouldn't end there. The poison would take over his already weakened body and kill him. So, the least he could do was fight until he fell and die on the battlefield, fulfilling every warrior's wish.
The assassin tried to parry his blade with his bow, but the dagger was unstoppable. It sliced through him, along with the bow, and soon, blood gushed from head to toe, and he lost his life after a loud shriek of agony.
Now, all that was left was him and the last assassin. The assassin seemed to be thinking of something else and soon returned to his professional state. He threw away the bow and drew a dagger from his back.
He refused to fight cowardly now and run away. It would be a fight to the death, as true warriors should.
The old man responded with respect and got into position.
The two warriors readied themselves for the fight to the death. Both had respect for each other as they refused to fight dirty any further.
The moon cast its light down upon them, revealing the two warriors to each other. The darkness that covered the forest was momentarily dispelled.
With a rustling leaf on the ground, both warriors marched forward and began to fight.
The assassin slashed forward, but before he could reach the old man, the old man kicked him in the stomach, sending him stumbling back.
The old man mustered every last drop of strength he had and leaped forward in an attempt to pierce the assassin's head from above.
The assassin didn't retreat and braced himself, catching the blade of the dagger with his left hand.
The dagger pierced through the assassin's hand, and a low groan resounded beside the old man. The assassin had managed to catch the blade using his hand, a clever move. Fortunately, the old man didn't have enough strength to cut his hand in half, and the assassin managed to retaliate with a stab.
The dagger dug deep into the old man's stomach, and soon, like a fountain, the old man coughed up blood. He summoned every last ounce of strength he had, retracted his blade, and stabbed the assassin in the heart.
With a fierce battle, the two of them fell to the ground, both on the brink of death.
The assassin struggled before letting out a final laugh, acknowledging the strength of the warrior he had fought.
"... You, it was… A great fight…"
The old man struggled to open his mouth in response before replying in a sarcastic way.
"... You weren't half bad either… If… I didn't have the strength to commit that… Eurgh… Last attack… You would've won and survived…"
The assassin chuckled despite the deep pain and smiled.
"... If you weren't poisoned from the start, we would never have had a chance to even scratch you… No..?"
The old man seemed to be a little pleased that the enemy at least acknowledged his strength.
"You also did your best… You almost killed me a moment ago…"
"It was by a miracle… Still… Thank you for granting me that last fight…"
Both of them panted heavily as they struggled to breathe. However, they chose to show respect and talk to each other until the end.
"... I should be the one thankful… It was a moment of my life, my last fight… I'm glad… I wouldn't die of poisoning…"
Hearing those words, the assassin couldn't help but smile. And with a bit of struggle, the assassin spoke his last word.
"... Thank you."
A word of appreciation. With those last words, the life of the assassin finally faded away. The old man struggled to move his hand but finally managed to close the eyes of the proud warrior.
And with the sky looking down upon them, the old man finally lost consciousness… entering the thing he longed for the most… Eternal peace.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone