Slaughter

Sui Ming strolled through the fallen leaves, his fingers dancing casually along the pristine white hilt of his blade.

His expression was relaxed, and he even twirled the blade, spinning arcs in the air as if to amuse himself.

He didn’t look like someone preparing for a battle to the death.

No, he looked like a boy taking a leisurely walk through his backyard—completely unbothered by the killers stalking him.

Rustling came from a patch of grass nearby, as if someone could no longer resist moving.

Sui Ming merely scoffed.

“That kind of cheap misdirection? Please—I could see through that when I was three.”

With that, his hand suddenly darted in the opposite direction of the grass.

A startled black-clad figure froze as Sui Ming gripped his arm with terrifying precision.

Before the man could react, a swift motion from Sui Ming’s right hand left a bright red line across his throat.

Not a word spoken.

His life slipped away—just like that.

Wiping the blood from his blade, Sui Ming let out a troubled sigh.

“Xiao Bai Ling… Xiao Bai Ling… can’t you change colors or something?”

“Running around slicing people with a glowing LED flashlight of a knife—it’s really not subtle, y’know?”

As if it had heard his complaint, the dagger suddenly shifted from pure white to a pitch black hue, blending perfectly into the shadows of the forest.

“Now that’s more like it.”

He turned to face the darkness of the woods, a faint mocking smile on his lips.

“So… are you all coming at once or what?”

“I’m on a tight schedule. Let’s move this along.”

A glint of cold steel flashed—an arrow screamed through the air, heading straight for his face.

He sidestepped effortlessly, catching the arrow mid-air.

Using the momentum, he flung it back toward where it had come from.

[Inch Force – Return to Sender]

The arrow tore through the air, exceeding even the speed it was launched with.

A scream rang out in the darkness, and Sui Ming’s lips curved into a satisfied smile.

“If you’re not coming to me… then I’ll just have to come to you.”

“He’s a demon… a monster!”

“Monster or not, it doesn’t matter! We kill him tonight, no matter what it takes!”

Several black shadows surged into view, surrounding Sui Ming from all sides.

The silver-white blade in his hand gleamed menacingly under the moonlight.

The air itself felt colder, heavier—drenched in death.

They had never encountered someone like this.

He looked like he was born to kill.

His eyes didn’t even twitch when he took a life.

“All at once!”

Cold steel sliced through the night from every angle, rushing toward him.

Sui Ming chuckled softly and drew the short blade at his waist.

“Let’s see… just how far you can go.”

Power surged into the blade, his unique [Inch Force] technique fueling it.

As Sui Ming infused mana into [White Cry], the dagger radiated a crimson glow.

A wave of heat shimmered in the air.

[Inch Force – Flame Waltz]

In a flash of orange-red, streams of searing heat exploded outward, engulfing the attackers’ weapons.

The sound of air being ripped apart filled the woods.

One by one, their blades melted into formless sludge.

“What the hell is that weapon?! Fall back! That thing’s not normal!”

“Too late!”

A crescent of searing flame arced through the sky.

Blood erupted like a fountain, painting the forest red.

Sui Ming struck five more times in quick succession.

Bodies collapsed to the ground in thuds, lifeless.

Only one figure remained—frozen in place before the boy.

“Looks like it’s just you left.”

“Let’s end this quickly.”

“Don’t underestimate me, you bastard!”

A dark golden light flared from the man’s back.

A spectral beast appeared—muscular, feral.

[Soul Invocation – Darkgold Tiger]

This man was a [Mortal Dust] Tier 4 Soul Invoker.

He had awakened his Soul Invocation early—something usually only done at the [Gold Vein] stage.

Why?

Because before that, the soul isn’t fully formed.

Forcing an awakening could shatter it, making future advancement impossible.

Trading your future for power in the present…

How utterly foolish.

The man thrust a glowing palm toward Sui Ming.

The air warped around it as it crashed into the steaming dagger.

BOOM!

The heatwave and golden energy collided, sending shockwaves ripping through the forest.

Trees bent. Earth trembled.

But the equilibrium lasted barely a second.

Soon, Sui Ming’s side started to falter.

After all, he was only Tier 2 in [Mortal Dust].

He didn’t even have proper mana—he couldn’t push [White Cry] to its limit.

“You think I’m gonna go head-to-head with you like an idiot?”

With a sudden twist, the dagger pivoted downward, slicing clean across the man’s arm.

[Borrowed Strength – Redirected Strike]

The blade followed the momentum of the man’s own attack, sliding up his forearm with practiced ease.

Effortless. Precise.

A gash split open, followed by a jet of blood.

“My… my arm! AAAAGH!”

The man clutched his now-severed arm, screaming.

The dark golden light began to fade, weakening with his injury.

If he had known it would turn out like this—

If he had known the target was a monster—he would’ve refused the mission outright.

But now it was too late.

His comrades were all dead.

He himself was crippled for life.

Everything ended… under the pale moonlight.

“Talk.”

“Who sent you?”

Sui Ming’s voice was colder than death.

Not the seductive kind of devil.

The judging kind.

“I—I’ll never tell! Haha… Even if you survive this, what about next time?!”

“Our guild still has—”

Silence.

The boy sheathed his blade and turned away without a word.

For people like this—

Men who lived and died by the blade—threats meant nothing.

They didn’t treasure their own lives.

What could you threaten them with?

No point in asking questions.

Quicker to just end it.

Just then—

A rustling in the brush.

Sui Ming’s hand flew to his waist.

He dropped into a combat stance.

“…Still not cleaned up?”

“Persistent ghosts,” he muttered.

A blood-soaked old man staggered out from the trees and collapsed before him.

“Y-Young master… she’s been taken.“

In that instant—

Sui Ming’s expression twisted into something utterly demonic.