Chapter 403: The Morning After
Lian’s eyes flustered opened, as the morning sun rays shine on his face through the half opened curtains of the motel room. He blinked, groggily turning his head on the crumpled bed, seeing it empty. The lingering warmth was the only proof he hadn’t imagined the night before.
"...?!"
Feeling a sudden, intense pressure bearing down on him—a pressure so dense it felt like gravity had localized in the room—Lian snapped his head to the only sofa in the bedroom. He was utterly stunned, staring at Red Thorn, who sat perfectly still. A long red sword was resting on her laps, the crimson blade glowing like death. It pulsed with an eerie, rhythmic heartbeat that seemed to suck the light out of the room.
He blinked, still profoundly shocked. The weapon the lady was holding was clearly a Supreme Class artifact. Not to mention, the suffocating aura she passively leaked meant she was now a million times stronger than last night... He couldn’t even dare try to sense her true strength without risking his own mind collapsing.
Lian cautiously sat up, staring at Red Thorn, her eyes still closed in meditative silence. He slowly, deliberately moved his hand to his neck, tracing his own pulse.
’I am not dead... Yet, so I can still think of something.’
"There is nothing to think about."
"....?!!"
Lian blinked in pure shock, staring at Red Thorn in absolute horror: "Did you just hear my thoughts?!" He asked, pointing a shaking finger at his nose.
"Normally, the plan from the start was get drunk. Clear my head by feeling alive again, and lastly, kill the man."
"....?!"
Lian was stunned for the third consecutive time, his heart beating so loudly in his chest it felt like a war drum. Her cold, detached words, and closed eyes showed him she wasn’t joking in the slightest; she actually planned to kill the man who slept with her the following day to erase all traces of her indulgence. He felt his neck again, tracing the unbroken skin, and nodded grimly.
He was still alive. In a world governed by apex predators, there must be a specific reason for that anomaly.
"Okay, why haven’t you killed me yet?" He asked, calculating his exact distance to the window.
Red Thorn finally opened her eyes. The hollow, bloody red gaze fixed heavily on him: "I can’t." She said, a little bit of genuine irritation mixed with her otherwise dead tone. It wasn’t a matter of mercy; it was a restriction she hadn’t anticipated.
"You can’t? I don’t understand?" Lian said, quickly jumping to his feet.
This definitely wasn’t the time to bathe or relax. He had to quickly get dressed, strap on his hidden gear, and prepare for what will happen next.
Red Thorn narrowed her terrifying eyes at him, her gaze fixed sharply on his face: "Did you do something to me, Last night? Apart from the sex?" She asked, her tone deadly cold, ready to unsheathe the crimson blade.
Lian blinked. Even if he did do something, only a suicidal fool will admit to such a thing... He kind of felt the very moment he said yes, his severed head will be on the ground before the sound left his lips. So he simply, smoothly shook his head:
"With your terrifying strength, you would have already located anything strange, and if it’s linked to me." Lian answered logically, raising his hands in a placating gesture, and continued:
"Besides, I am not that kind of a person."
Red Thorn stared at him for a long, agonizing moment, searching for any lies, and finally exhaled a breath she seemed to have held for centuries:
"Last night, I sealed 99.9% of full powers... If I didn’t, I won’t have gotten a bit drunk." She finally stood up, the crimson sword floating effortlessly to her side.
Lian moved his observant gaze on her body. She was dressed in practical black pants, and a white sleeveless crop top, topping it up with a black leather jacket, and scuffed sneakers; her hair was styled in a simple ponytail, and as usual, absolutely no makeup. But still, to Lian, she was the most breathtakingly beautiful anomaly in this ruined world. He would give anything to grabbed her, and take her to bed again, but he knew the final outcome to that reckless fantasy will be his head rolling.
He watched in silence as Red Thorn walked slowly towards the door, her footsteps making no sound. Then she paused, and looked over her shoulder at him, her expression unreadable:
"You have been following for three months now... You might have helped from the shadows, but I don’t need a secret agent." She said, effortlessly opened the door, and walked out into the corridor.
’She actually knew I was following her all this while? But I can’t do any other thing than to follow her.’ He thought, quickly picking up his shirt on the bed, and rushed to the door, only to freeze in the empty hallway:
’Where did she go?’ He sighed deeply, his carefree facade dropping. The next moment, he effortlessly shattered into dark smoke, chasing behind her.
___
[Korean Peninsula.]
Thousands of miles away, on a lush Hill overlooking the vast sea, and a deeply scarred valley below, a solitary figure stood, her sheathed sword hovering faithfully beside her like a loyal guardian.
"I am here again."
Red Thorn stood silently before a beautifully crafted golden tombstone, staring blankly at the familiar name written on it.
"I promised to visit you twice every month... I won’t fail this promise." She said, her voice cracking slightly as she was holding her chest, feeling the phantom pain of a shattered heart that no amount of divine energy could heal.
’He is here again, Master.’
The red blade vibrated with lethal intent, flying instantly out from the sheath, and shot towards seemingly thin air with the speed of a meteor.
BAM!!!
The crimson blade violently smashed right into Lian’s materialized blade, the resulting force of the attack sending him sliding violently some steps backward, tearing up the grass.
’What can I expect from a Supreme Class artifact, it’s too powerful, even when attacking on its own without a wielder.’ He thought, his arm entirely numb as he sheathed back his vibrating sword in surrender, and turned to Red Thorn, who completely ignored them both to focus on the golden grave:
"How the hell did you travel the world in less than five minutes?!! From Canada to Korean!" He asked, his jaw dropping in disbelief, conveniently forgetting he just did the exact same impossible thing to catch up to her.
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