Kingdom: The Black Moon Assassin

Xia felt a tingling in her head as the situation around them suddenly changed.

She tried to grasp what was happening while taking in her surroundings in a half-asleep state, but it wasn't easy.

It was a natural reaction. How could she have known she'd be on horseback when she opened her eyes?

All she heard was that their pursuers had caught up with them. At the very least, Xia could infer that it was an emergency.

The horse galloped at full speed, its body jolting up and down. The cold night breeze tickled her cheeks.

Jun's voice sounded in Xia's ear, serious and tinged with danger.

"Hold on tight, Xia."

"Don't worry, god. I'm strong." Xia replied quickly.

Jun's tone was graver than usual. It was the first time Xia had heard him sound this way. Feeling a growing unease, she wrapped her arms tightly around his waist for comfort.

"Um… is something wrong?"

"There's nothing to worry about. No matter what happens, nothing will hurt you. Just hold on to me so you don't fall off the horse," Jun said, having not heard her address him as "god," all thanks to Shen.

"Yes…" Words that made her feel safe were just what a girl like her needed. Xia listened to Jun's instructions, nodded slightly, and took a shaky breath.

'I'll be okay.'

Didn't Shen say Jun was one of the strongest in the world? No matter how many enemies come after them, Jun wouldn't lose.

Xia's heart began to race wildly.

She dismissed it as a reaction to her anxiety and fear.

Riding the horse, Jun thought quickly: "All we have to do is cross the border."

They'd have troops stationed at the border. Before he left, he had ordered his generals in command to be prepared, and once he reached the assassin clans, he informed them through Shen. Unless they were ambushed on the way to Wei, they should be safe.

"At this pace, we should be able to reach the border in an hour," Jun thought, tightening his grip on the horse's reins.

The problem was…

"The assassins pursuing us are clever…"

They hadn't been following them from the beginning; they'd tracked them down midway.

Knowing this, those people's horses would now be in better condition, giving them a high chance of catching up.

The martial artists of the King of Zhao, those who live in the shadows.

It was they who were chasing them through this starless night.

'Battle… seems inevitable,' Jun thought, taking a deep breath to stay calm.

No matter how fast someone is, you can't outrun them at night with exhausted horses.

"It's only a matter of time before they catch up with me. What I have to do now is protect Xia as best as I can while heading for the border." Jun just wanted to keep his promise to Xia.

And for a moment, such thoughts flooded Jun's mind.

"Enemy arrows!"

Hearing a cutting sound, Jun's horse suddenly lost its balance.

"No, no!"

At that moment, Jun's muscles tensed, his eyes widening as he spotted a shadow that had risen from the ground and sliced through the horse's knees.

It wasn't just arrows; there was an ambush ahead.

"Now!"

They had enough time to prepare for this.

The horse staggered forward.

Jun quickly let go of the reins, wrapped his arms around Xia, and jumped off the horse.

Crack!

When Jun landed on the ground with Xia in his arms, he drew his sword, tension seizing his body. Then he looked around.

Swish, swish, swish!

The howls of the wind. In those howls, something distinct overlapped with the breeze.

'They're here…'

The martial artists under Ri Boku's orders, who Jun had mistaken for the King of Zhao's followers.

"Xia, wrap your arms around my neck. You have to hold on tight, do you understand?" Jun shouted, knowing the battle was imminent.

"Yes!"

Jun felt Xia's arms tighten around his neck. He looked ahead, his hand firmly gripping his sword's hilt.

"Shen, get ready."

"Yes."

Shen, who had remained silent until Jun's command, drew his sword. An extraordinary event began to unfold before their eyes.

Shadows rose from the bushes, taking on human forms one by one, eventually numbering in the dozens, and the tension mounted.

"Can we just take your head?" a deep voice resonated throughout the clearing.

Xia's body stiffened at the sound of the voice. Sensing the girl's reaction in his arms, Jun gritted his teeth and looked toward where the voice came from.

At the end of his gaze was a middle-aged man with striking red eyes and a large, somewhat comical-looking cape.

"Drugs…"

The assassins pursuing them were drugged; clearly, whoever sent them knew Jun well.

Had someone betrayed him?

Undoubtedly, the only possibility now in Jun's mind, racing with the events around him, was betrayal.

He glanced at the one-armed man who brandished his knife, then clicked his tongue and frowned.

"That's a ridiculous offer."

"We're negotiating. Isn't it beneficial for you to surrender your life to guarantee the safety of that girl and your follower, while we, on the other hand, would be satisfied with completing our mission? Isn't that a fair deal?"

"Nonsense. Can the creepy old man not hear what he's saying? Or is he troubled by the thought of getting closer to his grave?" Shen cut in, interrupting the elder's arrogant attempt.

The elder flinched, glaring at Shen in anger.

His provocation had awakened a humiliating memory more painful than anything else he'd ever experienced.

Fifty years ago, when he barely escaped an encounter with the assassin clans, his fury nearly cost him his life, and it was that same taunt that Shen was now echoing.

The elder spoke again, displaying even more ferocity than before. "In any case, it seems that those who serve the new God of martial arts mean nothing to him."

"Oh, you have no idea," Jun replied, raising his sword.

'I want to fight until I drop, but…'

His movements were restricted with Xia in his arms. Moreover, the fact that an assassin appeared here meant at least a few hundred troops were waiting.

The best option now was to escape.

Thinking quickly, Jun signaled his intention to Shen with a glance and looked at the elder, speaking softly so that only Xia could hear.

"Girl."

"Yes…"

"Hold on tight."

Just after those words, Jun swiftly turned and began running toward the border.

And along with the sound of Jun running...

…

No matter how much they tried to escape, they couldn't outrun the mounted assassins.

As he ran, Jun began to swing his sword at the enemies closing in from all directions.

With his back, ankles, and head covered, his senses heightened as assassins aimed dark projectiles at Xia.

Assessing the situation, Jun gritted his teeth. "We're still far from the border."

It was still worth trying to reach it, but if this kept up, their retreat would be blocked. So, moving faster was essential.

Jun glanced at Shen.

"He's reaching his limit."

Shen was different from him. He hadn't properly rested since Zhao began their invasion, leaving him with no backup for his physical abilities.

While continuing to reflect, a shadow flew directly toward Jun's right thigh.

Jun swung his sword, deflecting the flying shadow in the opposite direction, then spoke as he ran, "Girl, I hope you don't get too used to being carried by me."

"No, I don't want to."

To steady herself, Xia held on even tighter to his neck, feeling Jun adjust his grip on her body.

She trembled. Xia tried desperately to calm herself, wondering if her trembling would make Jun worry more, but it was impossible.

It was a crisis brought on by her blindness.

All she could hear were the sounds of something being slashed, screams, and the howling wind, muffling everything else.

All she could feel was the cold air around her and the sensation of liquid splashing against her body occasionally.

Because it was unseen, she couldn't process it.

As a result, the unknown paralyzed Xia with a morbid fear, even greater than reality.

Jun, who had become a God of Death, wielded his sword in his right hand and a glaive in his left.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

In less than a minute, over a dozen assassins had been dismembered, but he hadn't come out unscathed.

"Shen, take Xia. I'll handle this." Jun's tired gaze turned cold as he ran and handed Xia to Shen.

In that moment, Jun became a residual shadow, beginning to slay everyone around him.