On Hiatus: God's Personal Reasons

Chapter 105: Can You Really Handle God’s Wrath?

I browsed the God’s Shop, looking for a certain item.

Let’s see... There it is! World-Binding Snake’s Rope!

I’d used this to subdue the Cheol Siblings and seal their powers. I had no intention of killing the cultists. After all, not only was murder a crime, Korea was also a country with strict laws.

“Ugh, these imbeciles. They left me out only to get their asses handed to them.”

An innocent voice, yet twisted tone. A girl emerged from the fog.

Slash slash!

At the same time, the heads of the two collapsed men rolled across the ground like soccer balls.

“...What?”

My mind went blank.

W-what just...? Did the two of them... die?

Chills!

The next moment, a wave of bloodlust hit me, sending goosebumps across my skin.

“...!”

But I wasn’t the target.

Ssss—!

Xu Zhu stared at me in a daze, before falling to the ground. The shapeless, ghostly figure behind her brandished her sword with a smile.

“No! Run, Xu Zhu!”

I leaped at Xu Zhu, reaching for the blade that was about to sever her head.

Slash! Clang!

A sharp explosive sound resounded as the sword and my hand collided!

“Argh!”

I could barely parry the attack! It pierced through my steel body, digging into my wrist.

“Hee~ Daring to block my attack with bare hands...”

Gritting my teeth, I swung my uninjured left fist at the ghostly figure.

“Fuck off!”

Vrooom!

My fist ripped through the air, determined to crush the ghost’s head.

Flick!

Suddenly, the ghostly figure withdrew at an incredible speed!

“Heehee! I haven’t had this much fun in a while!”

I was furious, but I was more concerned about Xu Zhu right now.

“Xu Zhu, are you alright?”

Trickle—

Xu Zhu, usually full of ignorant bravado, struggled to speak. As she gazed at me, tears welled in her eyes.

Pwoosh! Plop!

Then, blood splattered in my face like a fountain.

“...!”

Plop! Thud!

Her neck had been sliced midway. In the next moment, she collapsed. I was stunned momentarily, but quickly regained my senses and pointed my ring finger at her.

“H-Healing Ring Finger of God!”

Please, please!

Tzz!

A blinding white light enveloped Xu Zhu, healing the injury on her neck.

D-did it work!

Ding!

[Healing failed. A Low-tier God can’t revive the dead!]

A message of despair flashed across my eyes.

Dead?

“X-Xu Zhu?” I reached out to her, my voice faltering.

No, no. She can’t be dead. She looks like she’ll wake up at any moment! There has to be a mistake...

“That’s some interesting power you got there.” The ghostly figure shook off the blood on her sword. “Hoohoo, but I’m still a step faster. What a pity~”

Xu Zhu’s heart had ceased beating.

Ding!

[The innate power Blind Eyes of God has been activated.]

Then, Xu Zhu’s life unfolded before me like a panorama. She grew up miserable. In order to cure her sickly mother, she endured hellish training at the organization. Compared to that, her life as a student at the academy was like a dream. She even made some friends there! But then, under the organization's duress, she was forced to bring me here.

Lastly, were her final words for me.

“Hic, hic, hic... Teacher, please forgive me. I-I was wrong.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong...”

I didn’t blame her. If I were in her shoes, I’d have done the same as well.

Moreover, before she was blackmailed by another Black Demon, she’d tried to protect me as much as possible.

I closed her tearful eyes as she laid motionlessly on the ground.

“I’m sorry, Xu Zhu.”

I wasn’t able to save this poor little girl. How could I call myself her teacher? I’m disqualified to be a god!

“Why are you apologizing?”

Flick!

I turned to glare at the ghostly figure.

Drip drip drip!

I saw a long-haired woman in a red cheongsam that revealed her white thighs. She kicked the heads of Dae Gak and Peng Murim as if she were juggling balls. Her action was horrid, yet her expression was bright.

My appraisal skill kicked in.

-----

[Lin XiaoMing]

A female human. Around for 36 years.

Special note: Has the blessing of King of Asura Versatility.

-----

Even without the appraisal, I recognized her. She was Lin XiaoMing, China’s strongest S-rank Qigong-type Hunter. In the media, she was often portrayed as a shy, innocent girl in her 20s, which couldn’t be farther from the truth.

“I really don’t understand. Why would you feel sorry for a traitor?”

Swiiiish!

“Moreover, instead of killing them, you merely restrained them.”

Kicking the heads into the air, Lin XiaoMing skewered them with her red sword.

Ssss!

The heads melted, absorbed by the sword. Soon, all that was left was a few droplets of blood.

“Mm~” Lin XiaoMing applied some of the blood to her lips like lipstick. “Losers die. Such is the nature of a death match between martial artists. Do you understand?”

“...Then why did you kill Xu Zhu? She didn’t do anything.”

Lin XiaoMing grinned. “Cause’ I feel like it. Don’t glare at me like that. Be grateful that I killed the traitor~”

Then, she pointed her sword at Xu Zhu.

“Now, give me her head. My sword, Asura Spiritwalker, loooves the head of a young girl. I’ll bring you to the Three Pure Ones alive if you do. Besides, we only need the Mount Hua Sect’s book. How does that sound?”

Drip drip!

The slash wound on my right hand was still bleeding, dying the ground red. I clenched it tight and said, “Skill Sharing, Il-Ho’s Super Strong Body.”

Crunch crunch!

My giant muscles compressed, transforming into a lean, battle-efficient body. Like turning coal into a diamond, my muscles were condensed indefinitely. Now, my strength had grown incomparably.

My right hand no longer bled.

Slam!

At the same time, the ground under my feet exploded! Instantly, I arrived right in front of Lin XiaoMing. I reached for her head with my bloody fist, about to crush it.

Widening her eyes, Lin XiaoMing parried it with her sword.

Claaaaang! Trickle—

A metallic sound rang like a thunderclap, pushing Lin XiaoMing back by ten meters.

“Wow! You suddenly got faster!” she exclaimed, rubbing her wrists to ease the stiffness.

I was slightly taken aback. Even though I’d activated Il-Ho’s Super Strong Body, she could still block my attack?

“Nevertheless...” Lin XiaoMing’s eyes suddenly glowed an eerie red.a “You’re still much slower than I am!”

Flick!

With a red flash, Lin XiaoMing transformed, before vanishing from my sight. She was even faster than the S-rank Hunter Sung Mi-Ri, who was apparently the fastest of all Hunters!

Darn it, I lost her!

“What are you looking at? I’m right here.”

I looked up reflexively.

Lin XiaoMing flew overhead, pulling her cheongsam aside, and revealing her white thighs.

“Hohoho! Heavyweight Hammering!”

Unbefitting of her cheongsam, her red heels trampled me.

Slam!

”Uurgh!”

I clenched my jaw, struggling to block her attack with my arms.

“...?”

I felt like I was being crushed by a giant building! I couldn’t believe my opponent was a woman a head shorter than I was!

Baaaam!

“Aaaargh!”

As if nuked by a bomb, the ground beneath me gave way, sending my body plunging deep into the earth.

Lin XiaoMing looked down and smirked.

“Looks like the rumors about you defeating an SS-rank monster are true. Still, you’re no match for me. Do you know how many SS-rank monsters I’ve captured behind the scenes? Now, will you follow me quietly, or do you want to be fed to my sword like the others? This Noona doesn’t really care.”

While I was buried, I pondered for a while. I could get angry as much as I wanted, but it wouldn’t change the fact that she was stronger than I was.

“...Equip malevolent god title: Brutal Killer.”

So much so that I needed my divine power to overpower her.

Lin XiaoMing tilted her head. “What? Title? Brutal Killer? What nonsense is that?”

Wooooo!

The moment I equipped it, a surge of madness and bloodlust swept through me, along with a sense of omnipotence that made me feel like I could do anything. I usually felt repulsed by it, but not for this bitch.

“Uurk...”

How dare she dirties this heavenly body. Death is the only fitting end for her.

I raised my middle finger at her.

Lin XiaoMing’s expression became twisted.

“This fucking bastard! Do you have a death wish—”

“Convicting Middle Finger of God.”

Burn to death, insect.

From the pit I was buried in, flames of inferno burst out.

“Ugh!”

Flustered, Lin XiaoMing arched her back at an extreme angle to dodge the flames. The black flames erupted like a volcano, greedily devouring the dense fog, threatening to pierce the sky.

Lin XiaoMing turned pale as she panicked. “You broke through the Eight Battle Formation barrier?”

I leaped into the air, swinging my fist at her.

“Ugh!”

Baaam!

Lin XiaoMing narrowly dodged, causing the ground to explode in her wake.

How frustrating! I was confident I could finish her in one fell swoop, but she was like a rat, scurrying around! Unforgivable! How dare this bitch dodge a god’s attack?!

As I grew angrier, tiny horns sprouted from my head. The memories of the sacrifices I’d slaughtered rose like steam from within.

The soldiers and apostles from God-Maker let out pitiful wails of pain.

-Kyaaaaak!

“L-Lord Asura?” Lin XiaoMing, who was wary of me, was stunned briefly. “...Amazing!”

What did that crazy bitch say?

Slam!

I took the opportunity to close in on her.

“Ha!”

Flash!

Finally coming to her senses, Lin XiaoMing flashed with a red light, disappearing once more... Nôv(el)B\\jnn

“Huh?!”

I caught up with her in less than a second. Sticking my head in front of her, I let out a cruel laugh.

“Who’s faster now?”

“Hyiii!”

“Answer me.”

Grab!

With a devilish look on my face, I snatched her left arm with my blackened fingers.

“Let go!”

Unnerved, Lin XiaoMing swung the sword in her right hand at my neck.

“Hmph!”

Before it could touch me, I swung her left arm like a whip.

Slam! Crack!

“Kyaaak!”

A pitiful scream echoed as she was slammed to the ground, followed by the sound of breaking bones.

“Cough cough!”

Lin XiaoMing coughed up blood. Bone shard must’ve pierced through her lungs. But I didn’t stop there.

Flick!

I slammed her back into the ground like a toy.

Bam!

“P-please stop! Kyaaa!”

Of course, I had no intention to stop.

Bam bam bam!

“Hmm.”

I did that a couple more times, and soon, the pathetic cries stopped. I looked down at Lin XiaoMing, who lay motionlessly on the ground. Her beautiful cheongsam was now tattered like rags, revealing her blood-drenched body. Her face was covered in the same liquid, making it difficult to recognize her original face.

To her credit, she still didn’t let go of the sword in her right hand.

Ssss—

I lifted her by her limp left arm, forcing the mangled woman to make eye contact with me.

“You dead already?”