The Support Ate it All
Chapter 71: No.104 Black Death (3)

A group of individuals clad in black surged out and crossed the flames to gather in front of the main gate (what remained of it).

With the crowd being large, it was easy to spot several skilled individuals among them.

Master level, Grand Master level, and Elder level…

A warrior who seemed to be of elder level repeated the question that had just been asked.

“And who are you?”

“The enemy attack.”

“…. Madman.”

“I won’t argue with that.”

I readily agreed with that since my current actions bordered on crazy.

Realizing I was not someone to reason with the Elder issued an order.

“Attack.”

The figures in black spread out like a fan around me and launched a coordinated attack.

Several blades were aiming at me from all directions.

After skillfully maneuvering through the gaps, I channeled [Wind Force] into my hand and struck a figure in black on the right.

Bang!

The figure of the black-clad man tangled with those of his comrades behind him, and they all tumbled to the ground together.

Seizing that brief opening, I slipped through the encirclement and delivered a second [Inferno Fist] to the one who had pursued me the closest.

Booooooom!

In an instant, about a dozen figures in black were reduced to ashes.

In contrast, those ranked as masters or higher showed their skill by swiftly evading the range of the fiery storm.

It was clear that such attacks were less effective in a B-rank dungeon.

Although the encirclement quickly reformed, having witnessed and experienced what had just happened, they hesitated to advance rashly.

The Elder guy who had first addressed me attempted to initiate a conversation. Even though he called me a madman earlier, his tone was now surprisingly polite.

“Could you possibly be a descendant of the ‘Flame Emperor’?”

Flame Emperor?

What was that supposed to mean?

Did the Inferno Fist which was a fire-type attack make him think of such nickname?

If they were to misunderstand me in such a way,

I would actually prefer it.

It meant that attracting their attention had become easier.

I deliberately adopted an even more arrogant expression on my face.

“I have no answer to give to mere scum of the heavenly demon cult.”

“……..”

Upon hearing those words, the figures clad in black exchanged glances among themselves, seemingly coming to an understanding.

The atmosphere tensed up considerably, and it seemed I was firmly labeled as a descendant of the Flame Emperor.

Normally at this point, any typical martial artist of demonic sects would scatter to save their own skin, but not one of the figures in black fled; they all stood their ground.

The Elder quickly instructed someone who appeared swift,

“Hurry and bring back the leader.”

Everyone began to burn their fighting spirit as if they were determined to fight to the death.

Shiiik!

This time the Elder took the lead and came in thrusting his sword at me.

I narrowly dodged the blade and lunged forward, but the Elder exchanged several blows with me even with the hand not holding the sword.

However, after a few exchanges, he was ultimately struck in the chest by a forceful wind and sent reeling backward in disarray.

Of course, my opponent was not the Elder alone.

As I immediately kicked the ground to evade, the spot where I had just been was savagely torn apart by the swords of the figures in black.

Seizing one of the pursuers close behind me, I hurled him away and launched a blast of compressed air along with him.

The figure shot away like a cannonball, but the others did not catch him; they simply stepped aside.

Eventually, the figure disappeared into the distance.

Come on, isn’t he your friend?

Such heartless bastards.

Nonetheless, this created a brief moment of respite, and seizing this opportunity, I clenched my fist and thrust it forward with all my might.

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“Dodge it—!”

The masked people scurried out of the way in front of me.

…Yet, nothing happened.

I didn’t use the Inferno Fist, after all.

I couldn’t help but smirk with my fist still extended.

“Scared, aren’t you?”

“!!”

“This bastard…!”

The faces of several of the figures in black turned a shade of angry red, but they managed to maintain their composure and waited.

Just by observing their demeanor, one could tell how well-trained they were.

However, it seemed unlikely that it would be the turn of the figures in black any time soon.

A heavy presence could be felt from the direction of the entrance.

Standing there was a middle-aged man dressed in black, and his snake-like appearance and sharp aura were reminiscent of a coiled viper.

The leader of the Black Death Clan.

The head of the Black Death Clan and the final boss of this dungeon had finally revealed himself.

The Black Death leader didn’t repeat the questions that others had asked.

He must have heard something from his subordinates on his way here.

“A disciple of the Flame Emperor?”

“Not at all.”

I’m not that man’s disciple. It’s a misunderstanding.

The leader of the Black Death Clan turned his head towards his subordinates.

“What has happened here?”

“It’s certain he’s a disciple of the Flame Emperor. It just seems his mind is somewhat disturbed.”

At those words, everyone in the room silently agreed.

The Black Death Clan leader addressed me once more.

“After causing such a ruckus, do you think denying it now will spare your life?”

“It doesn’t seem like you plan to spare me either way.”

“That’s right. You will pay for the damage inflicted upon our clan with your life. And since you’re a disciple of the Flame Emperor, it wouldn’t be a bad deal.”

“If possible—”

While I was speaking, I suddenly jerked my head aside.

A black object whizzed past, narrowly missing my chin.

“—let me finish speaking.”

“To dodge that, impressive indeed.”

The fingers of the Black Death Clan leader were curved like the talons of a hawk poised to clutch its prey.

His martial arts specialized in claw techniques.

Martial arts designed to slash and inflict wounds upon his opponents.

He also had the tips of his fingers and fingernails stained pitch black, which was evidence that he had practiced very vicious poisoning techniques.

A mere scratch would allow the deadly poison to seep into the wound, and before one could finish a bowl of duck soup, they would be reduced to a mere puddle of blood.

“Try dodging this as well,”

Five fingers filled with extreme poison reached out to my chest.

With a slight sidestep, I focused my Wind Force to nudge the passing arm away.

Just as I thought I had created some distance, his arm twisted in a bizarre manner before coming back at me with a slash.

I had no choice but to take a few steps back, but the Black Death Clan leader pressed on relentlessly, giving me no room to breathe.

He stretched out both hands and aimed for my left shoulder and right arm at the same time.

I retreated as vigorously as if I were competing in a backward-running race.

The Black Death Clan leader persisted in his pursuit, slashing with both hands, but all he managed to grasp was the empty air.

He was clearly frustrated by the situation.

“You slip away like an eel.”

“I’m rather fast.”

He must have thought he could easily catch up with me with just a few steps backward, but as I continued to slip away from his grasp, his frustration seemed to grow.

I couldn’t resist adding fuel to the fire in such a situation.

So when I caught a glimpse of his blackened fingernails as they whizzed past my face, I couldn’t help but comment.

“Wow, look at those nails. They’re pitch black. You should consider trimming them, or maybe scrub them hard with a toothbrush.”

“What did you—”

For a moment, the Black Death clan leader’s face went blank.

It seemed he had never got some verbal thrashing before.

After all, who would dare to comment on his nails in his presence?

Even the slightest provocation could lead to a deadly poisoning.

Nevertheless, I continued with my trash talk.

“Eating with those hands could get you sick, seriously sick! You’re looking at a case of food poisoning!”

“I will ensure your death is excruciatingly painful.”

The Black Death clan’s leader’s face was distorted viciously.

He was so angry that his fingertips began to tremble.

He then attacked with even greater ferocity.

Still, I’m faster.

Despite my taunts, I hadn’t been using my full strength either, so the same scenario unfolded.

As I retreated, the Black Death Clan leader pursued me relentlessly while slashing through the air.

After this bizarre chase went on for some time, he suddenly asked,

“How long do you plan to keep running?”

Until I hear from Go Hyeon-woo.

Once I received the signal, I wouldn’t just retreat and dodge around; I planned to turn my back and sprint away at full speed.

But until then, I was intent on biding my time.

However, being too overt might raise suspicions of an ulterior motive.

It seemed the leader of the Black Death Clan was beginning to sense something was off, so it was time for me to land a significant blow.

“If you truly wish to see my real strength, then I shall show you.”

At the sight of my fist turning a dark, blood-red color, the Black Death Clan leader momentarily slowed his offensive to prepare for what was to come.

But instead of unleashing the flames that enveloped my fist, they were absorbed back into my body.

[Overheat]

The flames spread throughout my body and provided me with immense power.

The Black Death Clan leader’s expression hardened as he observed the flames.

“…. So, you are indeed a disciple of the Flame Emperor.”

“That’s not it at all.”

“You’re still going to deny it—”

Before the Black Death Clan leader could finish his sentence, I made a surprise move.

In an instant, I compressed space and reappeared behind him.

He turned swiftly to claw at me but his reaction was a beat too slow.

When I moved again to the opposite side and extended my hand, a compressed air burst exploded right in front of the Black Death Clan leader.

Boom!

It wasn’t meant to cause damage, but merely to make him squint momentarily.

That was enough.

I had successfully created a blind spot in his field of vision, however brief it was.

I seized this fleeting opportunity to move directly in front of the Black Death Clan leader.

[Inferno Fist]

[Wind Force]

A burning fist followed by a gust of wind infused with physical force struck squarely into the abdomen of the Black Death Clan leader.

Kaboom!

His figure was instantly sent flying into the distance before crashing into the Black Death clan.

A storm of flames ensued and the buildings near the impact site crumbled into ruins.

“……..”

Despite the dramatic turn of events, the reaction from the members of the Black Death Clan was overly dry.

Their leader had just been sent flying, yet they all stood firm and maintained a fan formation without a hint of emotion.

Not a single one cried out in concern for their leader.

This implied one thing clearly.

They harbored an unshakeable belief that their leader could not possibly be defeated by such means.

I also didn’t have much expectations.

This won’t be enough.

The [Inferno Fist] skill, while boasting immense destructive power relative to its rank due to its severe penalties, still fell short of taking down the final boss of a B-rank dungeon.

This raised a question.

If a fairly large tribe’s priest is a D-rank boss, how does a single leader of a Black Death Clan warrant a B-rank?

And how could he remain unscathed after taking a direct hit from the Inferno Fist?

The answer was surprisingly simple.

This is not a Black Death Clan.

Boooom!

From the spot where the Black Death Clan leader had crashed, a surge of dark energy erupted explosively.

Debris from the collapsed building scattered in all directions as a figure shrouded in black energy walked directly toward me.

Dreadful demonic energy was streaming out from every part of the Black Death Clan leader’s body.

After the great demon war, the once mighty Heavenly Demon Cult had been shattered and divided.

And the true identity of the Black Death Clan leader was that of a high-ranking official who once oversaw the Black Death Sect of the Heavenly Demon Cult.

The Black Death Clan Leader, or rather, the Black Death Sect leader glared at me and spat out his words venomously.

“If I don’t tear you to pieces today, I swear I’ll grind my bones to dust.”

My response remained the same.

“Save such threats for after you’ve caught me.”

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