Chapter 92 - 70 : The End of the Hunt

Chapter 92: Chapter 70 : The End of the Hunt

His eyes widened, but the surprise lasted only a moment before his expression twisted with anger. His grip tightened around the heavy blade as he stared at Ethan, his breathing growing heavier.

"So it’s you."

It wasn’t a question. The words came out low and bitter, filled with the anger of someone who had finally found the person responsible.

Ethan said nothing.

The boss’s gaze dropped to the short dao in Ethan’s hand, then slowly returned to his face. The sight of the weapon seemed to confirm everything in his mind.

"You blood demon!"

The words came out like an insult, his voice filled with hatred.

Ethan’s expression hardened.

They chased me through the night, attacked me first, and now I’m the blood demon because I fought back?

He tightened his grip on the short dao.

"Funny. You came after me, yet I’m the monster."

The boss’s eyes burned with rage as his grip tightened around the heavy blade. He attacked without hesitation, bringing the weapon down toward Ethan. Ethan moved aside, and the blade struck the stone with enough force to crack the rock beneath it.

The boss twisted his body and swung again, the heavy blade cutting through the air with a sharp whistle as Qi flowed along its edge. The weapon moved far faster than its size suggested, forcing Ethan to raise his short dao just in time. Steel collided with a loud clang, and a burst of force ran through Ethan’s arm as the impact drove him backward. His boots scraped over the loose gravel, scattering small stones across the ground, but the boss was already pressing forward.

Another slash came.

Ethan stepped back, feeling the blade pass across his chest close enough to stir his robe. Before he could fully recover his footing, the boss attacked from the opposite side. Ethan ducked, and the heavy weapon swept over his head, cutting through the air with enough force to make the nearby leaves tremble.

Ethan moved inside the man’s reach.

His short dao flashed forward and cut across the boss’s side.

The man grunted and stumbled, one hand tightening around his weapon as blood appeared beneath his torn robe. His eyes hardened, and he turned immediately, swinging again before Ethan could create distance.

Ethan shifted aside.

The blade crashed into the ground where he had been standing, sending small pieces of stone flying. Ethan stepped onto a nearby rock, using the uneven ground to keep his footing while the boss followed and swung again.

Their weapons collided.

The impact rang through the ravine.

The boss’s greater strength forced Ethan’s arm downward, the edge of his heavy blade grinding against the short dao as Qi pulsed along the steel. Ethan’s boots shifted against the rock, and for a moment, he felt the weight of the man’s strength pressing directly against him.

He’s stronger than me.

Ethan shifted his footing and turned his wrist. The heavy sword slid away from his blade, and Ethan twisted with the movement, sending his short dao toward the man’s shoulder.

The boss turned just in time.

The strike missed his shoulder but sliced through his robe, leaving a shallow cut beneath it. He stepped back, and both men paused. The boss breathed heavily, his chest rising and falling as blood slowly darkened the side of his robe. Ethan kept his eyes on him, but his attention gradually shifted lower, toward his feet. The man favored his right side, and whenever he changed direction sharply, his left foot dragged slightly over the loose stones.

Ethan noticed it and kept watching. A small weakness, but in a fight, a small weakness was enough. The boss attacked again, but this time Ethan waited. The heavy sword came toward his ribs, and Ethan shifted aside at the last moment. The blade missed him by inches, and he immediately moved in, ready to take advantage of the opening.

But the boss twisted faster than Ethan expected. The Qi-reinforced blade caught Ethan across the ribs, and pain tore through his body. His breath caught as the force of the strike sent him staggering sideways, blood quickly spreading across his robe. The boss advanced, his heavy blade still raised.

"Got you."

The next strike came toward Ethan’s chest, the heavy blade cutting through the air with a sharp force that made the loose leaves around them scatter. Ethan moved at the last instant, twisting his body away from the descending blade, but he was still a fraction too slow. The edge caught his side and tore through his robe and flesh. Pain flashed through him as he stumbled a step away.

Then he felt the warmth beneath his skin.

Living Blood moved through the wound almost immediately, flowing into the damaged flesh and pulling it back together. Ethan steadied himself and looked down as the torn skin slowly closed, the blood on his robe remaining as the only sign that the blade had struck him.

The boss stopped.

His heavy blade remained raised, but his eyes were fixed on Ethan’s side. He watched the wound disappear before his eyes, his breathing slowing as his expression changed from the satisfaction of landing a hit to something far more serious.

He stared at Ethan.

His face tightened.

"What...?"

Ethan straightened. The boss took half a step backward, his eyes still fixed on Ethan’s side where the wound had disappeared. For the first time since the fight began, the man’s confidence seemed to crack. His lips parted slightly as his grip tightened around the heavy blade.

"You really are using some kind of blood technique."

Ethan said nothing. The boss’s breathing had changed, becoming faster and less steady as his eyes moved over Ethan’s body, as though he were trying to understand what he had just witnessed. Then his expression hardened, and he attacked again.

His technique remained disciplined, but something had changed. His strikes were harder now, carrying more force and less patience than before. The heavy blade came down, scattering loose stones beneath their feet as Ethan moved aside. The blade passed beside him, and Ethan stepped around it, but the boss turned immediately and followed with another slash.

Ethan stepped back, ducked beneath the next strike, then retreated farther up the slope as another attack came toward him. The boss followed closely, his heavy steps becoming less steady as the uneven ground forced him to adjust constantly.

Ethan didn’t have the same problem. He had already learned the terrain, knowing where the stones shifted beneath his feet, which roots rose above the soil, where the ground dipped, and where the trees were close enough to restrict the heavy sword’s movement. When the boss swung again, Ethan moved around a tree, forcing the blade to crash into the trunk. The man pulled it free, but Ethan was already moving. His short dao flashed forward and cut across the boss’s forearm. The man grunted and stepped back, blood running from the wound as his breathing grew heavier.

The boss looked at Ethan again, but something had changed in his eyes. The anger and determination were still there, yet beneath them was something Ethan hadn’t seen before. Fear. The boss’s gaze flicked toward Ethan’s side once more. The wound was already gone, leaving nothing but the bloodstained robe as proof that he had ever been struck.

He tightened his grip around his weapon and took another breath, but it came unevenly. He had seen Ethan move faster than he could follow, watched his attacks miss again and again, and now he had seen Ethan recover from a wound that should have slowed him down.

Maybe there had been some truth in the rumors after all. Maybe the others hadn’t exaggerated as much as he had believed. The thought showed in the way his eyes lingered on Ethan, and for a brief moment, his confidence seemed to waver. The man took a step back, his breathing heavy as he looked toward the entrance of the ravine. Then his eyes returned to Ethan. He seemed caught between staying to fight and getting as far away from him as possible. Whatever thought finally settled in his mind, it was enough to make his decision.

He suddenly turned.

He ran.

Ethan followed.

The boss moved quickly despite the weight of his heavy weapon, his steps becoming faster as he pushed through the uneven terrain. He knew he only needed to reach open ground, where the narrow trees and uneven stones would no longer restrict his movements.

But the path ahead narrowed further.

Roots twisted across the ground, forcing the boss to watch every step as he pushed forward. He stepped over one, but his next foot landed on loose gravel and slipped beneath him. His body lurched sideways, and for a brief moment his heavy weapon nearly threw him off balance. He caught himself, pushed back onto his feet, and kept running. His breathing was rough now, and the sound of his hurried steps echoed between the rocks.

Then he saw it ahead

The pale moonlight spilling through an opening between two towering rock walls. Open ground. The exit. Hope flickered across his face, and he accelerated, putting whatever strength remained in his legs into reaching it.

A thorn-covered branch caught his sleeve before he could reach the opening. He tore himself free with a frustrated pull, only for another branch to scrape across his cheek. He cursed and pushed through without slowing. The moonlight grew brighter ahead, close enough now that he could almost feel the freedom waiting beyond the narrow path.

Then Ethan emerged behind him.

The boss heard him and began to turn, but Ethan was already closing the distance. He moved alongside the man and drove his shoulder hard into his side. The impact knocked the boss sideways. His feet slipped across the loose stones, and his body crashed against the rock wall beside the opening. The heavy blade jerked in his hand as he struggled to keep his balance.

He pushed himself away from the wall and turned toward Ethan, his chest rising and falling heavily. His hands were shaking slightly.

Ethan noticed.

The boss looked toward the path behind Ethan, then toward the moonlit opening beside him. The escape he had been reaching for was right there, yet Ethan stood between him and it.

The boss raised his blade. There was nowhere clean for him to retreat, so he attacked. The heavy weapon came sweeping toward Ethan with the remaining strength in his body, but Ethan shifted his weight and stepped just outside its path. The blade tore past him and crashed into the rock wall with a violent crack.

The impact pulled the boss’s arms wide for a moment, and before he could recover, Ethan stepped forward into the opening in his guard. His short dao rose from below, his body turning with the movement as he drove the blade across the man’s throat in one swift motion. The boss’s attack stopped before it could begin again. His eyes widened as the weapon slipped from his fingers, and he looked down in disbelief before slowly raising his gaze back to Ethan. His knees weakened, and his body sagged against the rocks.

Ethan stood still for a moment, the short dao hanging loosely at his side as he looked at the man who had chased him through the night. Only a short while ago, the boss had ridden after him with confidence, certain that Ethan was the one who should be afraid. He had called him a blood demon and treated him as though killing him would be simple. Now the same man was lying against the rocks, his life fading away.

He simply watched him.

There was satisfaction in knowing the threat was finally gone, but it was mixed with the quiet weight of what he had just done. He had not wanted this fight, but the man had chosen to chase him, attack him, and refuse to let him escape. Ethan lowered his eyes to the fallen cultivator, remembering how desperate the man had been to reach the exit. For a brief moment, he wondered whether things could have ended differently. Then the thought faded, leaving only the quiet ravine and the body at his feet.

He listened.