We Won

Spear throwing.
It was a technique unfamiliar to martial artists.
The flaming spear pierced the pupa and struck the creature inside.

“…! …!”

The surrounding mosquitoes began moving more violently.
Thanks to the wound, the poison that had seeped into the pupa was also entering its body.
Pungdeong!
Someone nearby pulled Shin Yul out of the water.
Shin Yul rose again atop a pupal shell.

“Heh, it looks like it’s dying of joy.”

She grinned as she watched the creature thrashing inside the pupa.
Then she held out her hand to the side.

“Mister.”
“Yes.”

A member of the Shin Clan Unit handed her a spear.

“It’s a little inconvenient since we’re not on solid ground.”

Shin Yul moved from one pupal shell to another.
Since she could not brace herself with her feet, she intended to make up for it with speed.
Had she thrown it from solid ground, it would have passed through the creature rather than merely lodging in its body.
The spear shot out once more.
However, it lacked the same force as before.
It only managed to pierce the pupa.
Seeing that, Seo Jong-dae shouted.

“Use me and this guy as stepping stones.”
“What?!”

The response came not from Shin Yul, but from Bong Seok.
The suggestion had come completely out of nowhere, and he blinked at suddenly being volunteered as something to step on.
Seo Jong-dae spoke coldly to Bong Seok.

“We’re the least useful ones here right now.”

They had no effective means of attacking it.
Their attacks could only pierce the pupal shell.
The Black Snake Guard’s throwing knives were the same, but they had poison.
Even if it could not inflict major damage, it was gradually eating away at the creature.
Realizing that, Bong Seok pulled a miserable face.
However, Bong Seok’s opinion was not important.
The moment Seo Jong-dae finished speaking, Shin Yul was already running.

“Damn it. Just you wait.”

In the end, Bong Seok also ran toward Shin Yul.
His movements were so smooth that it hardly seemed as though he were running across water.
His lightness art was superior to that of anyone else present.

“Here I go.”
“Mm!”

Shin Yul stepped on Seo Jong-dae’s shoulder and leaped upward.
She spun through the air as she drew back the spear.
Bong Seok launched himself toward her.
He spread both arms and legs wide to make himself easier to step on.

“Ugyak!”

The moment Shin Yul’s foot landed on Bong Seok’s back, the spear shot forward. Bong Seok’s body also sank beneath the lake.
Along with an enormous splash.

Shin Clan Secret Fire Spear Art.
Heavenly Flame, Single Spear.

The violet flame pierced through the pupa.
The Violet Flame Hell-Shattering Spear, the hereditary martial art of the Guizhou Shin Clan.
The martial art Shin Yul displayed appeared in no way inferior to the Guizhou Shin Clan’s technique.
That was because the two martial arts shared the same origin.
Thanks to Bong Seok’s sacrifice, the spear not only pierced the creature but flew out through the other side.
The creature began thrashing after part of its body was torn away.
Bodily fluids poured through the hole in the pupa.

“Good. One more time.”

Shin Yul climbed out of the lake and took her stance again.

“Damn it.”

Bong Seok let out a brief sigh at the sight and prepared to run.
However.

“Everyone, get away!”

Seo Jong-dae’s shout rang out.
Tuk, tuduk.
The pupa was splitting apart. Then the creature stopped moving.

A moment later.
Kwang!
The pupa burst apart with an explosion.
Kugugugung!
The lake heaved as though an earthquake had struck.
A creature spread two pairs of enormous wings.
Four eyes gleamed red upon a head that was small compared to its massive body.
Sharp spikes protruded from its six legs.

“Kkieeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”

The mosquito yokai shrieked as though roaring.
Not only the humans, but even the other mosquitoes collapsed, unable to endure it.
It was a being beyond the norm.
The people could not even think of resisting it.

“Get a hold of yourselves! It isn’t unharmed either!”

Seo Jong-dae’s shout brought everyone back to their senses.
As Seo Jong-dae had said, the creature was not in normal condition.
One of its four wings was mangled, and Shin Yul’s wound remained on its body.
Looking closely, the movements of its legs also appeared awkward.
It was clearly being affected by the poison.
Hope appeared in the people’s eyes.
But it lasted only a moment.
Chwaaaak!
The mosquito yokai’s foreleg swept toward those nearby.

“Dodge!”
“Keuk!”

The Black Snake Guard hurriedly tried to evade.
However, several failed to escape and were impaled by the spikes on its leg.
Their bodies shriveled in an instant.

“…It can suck blood through its legs too?”

More precisely, it was not the legs themselves.
They hung limply from the spikes protruding from its legs.
It defied the laws of living creatures.
Several people hurled throwing knives, but the beating of its wings made it difficult for them even to approach.
The Black Snake Guard Unit Leader made a quick decision.

“Everyone, get out of the lake!”

They had no chance of winning if they fought on the lake.
Moreover, the mosquito corpses and discarded shells were being steadily pushed away by the wind.
Those on the lake began leaping away in every direction.
The mosquito yokai’s four eyes flashed at the sight.
Then it began flying toward one particular place.
It was heading straight for Shin Yul.

“Why me?!”
“You’re the one who put a hole in it!”

Bong Seok shouted as he suddenly found himself fleeing alongside her.
The mosquito yokai rapidly closed the distance.

“Eit!”

Deciding that she could not escape, Shin Yul turned and hurled her spear.
The mosquito yokai knocked the incoming spear aside with its foreleg.
Although she had been unable to properly imbue it with internal energy, the creature blocked it far too easily.

“Damn it.”
“Duck!”

At the sudden shout, Shin Yul, Bong Seok, and Seo Jong-dae all lowered their heads.
The moment they ducked, a spear swept past above their heads.
It was not alone.

“Shin Gi-yang!”
“…I told you to call me Brother.”

Shin Gi-yang, standing at the lakeside, sighed.
At some point, the sky had become clear.
They had eliminated all the other mosquitoes.
The mosquito yokai knocked aside the incoming spear.
However, it wasn’t the only one. Other spears flew alongside the Violet Flame thrown by Shin Gi-yang.
Puk, pubuk!
Most of the spears struck the mosquito yokai’s body and bounced away, but several lodged in it.
Considering the mosquito yokai’s size, the damage wasn’t significant. However, it allowed the group to escape the lake safely.

“Kkieeeeeeeee!”

The mosquito yokai shrieked furiously at the group.
Then.

“Young Master Shin, Young Lady Shin.”

A gourd flask flew toward them from the side.
Shin Yul caught the heavy flask and turned to see an exhausted Tang Ho.

“It’s Tang Clan Secret Poison. It should be effective if you apply it to your spears.”

Shin Gi-yang’s eyes widened.
It was poison bearing the Tang Clan’s name. However, that name was no small matter.
The Tang Clan did not attach its name to just any poison.
It meant that this was one of the deadly poisons created by the Tang Clan.

“Wait. You threw something this dangerous?”

The horrified Shin Yul handed the flask to Shin Gi-yang. Naturally, his expression became uncomfortable.
However, he did not delay what had to be done.
When he opened the flask, a foul odor rose from it. Shin Gi-yang dripped the liquid inside onto the spearhead.
Chiik!
The spearhead began corroding instantly.
That was how potent the poison was.
Shin Yul and the members of the Shin Clan Unit also applied the poison.
The Black Snake Guard, watching from a distance, also distributed poison to the surrounding martial artists.
Some of them were Unorthodox martial artists.
If they turned their blades against the Black Snake Guard, the unit would also be in danger.
However, there was no hesitation.
They had already fought side by side.
Both the Unorthodox and the Orthodox martial artists.
After applying the poison, they stared at the mosquito yokai.
The mosquito yokai hovered over the lake.
Despite being surrounded by countless martial artists, it remained imposing.
If anything, its presence overwhelmed theirs.
The mosquito yokai soon shot toward the group.
The beating of its wings made it difficult even to remain standing.
Its leg swept through the fierce wind.
The martial artists quickly evaded.
Those who failed to escape shriveled in an instant.
At that moment, an attack came from behind.
The martial artists swung their weapons at the mosquito yokai’s back.
Their weapons were coated with various poisons.
Tang! Tadang!
The weapons of those with weaker internal energy simply bounced away.

“What kind of body is this?!”
“It’s like steel!”

Had Shin Yul really pierced a body like this?
They were once again reminded of how formidable the Shin Clan was.
Its body was not merely tough.
Every time it absorbed a martial artist’s blood, its wounds healed instead.

“At this rate!”

There would be no end to it.
Seo Jong-dae’s eyes flashed as he watched the battle.

“…The wings! Target its wings first!”

Unlike its body and legs, its wings were weak enough to be cut even by blades that bounced off elsewhere.

“We have to bring it down into the lake!”

Mosquito larvae.
Mosquito larvae could swim, but adult mosquitoes could not.
Its wings were also the reason the martial artists could not approach it easily.
They provided not only mobility, but powerful winds as well.
The martial artists’ eyes lit up at Seo Jong-dae’s words.
Every martial artist still present was skilled.
Anyone who was not had already been killed.
Therefore, not one of them failed to understand Seo Jong-dae’s plan.
They changed their movements.
They persistently attacked the wings.
Every time the mosquito yokai moved, their companions died, but they didn’t stop.
They knew that the moment they stopped, they too would be finished.
No, it wouldn’t end with only them.
Their families and friends would also be in danger.
For the first time, the mosquito yokai appeared flustered.

“It’s flying up!”
“It’s trying to escape!”

The martial artists’ gazes grew even fiercer.
It was working.
The creature had revealed its weakness.

“Bring it down!”
“If you can’t reach it, throw something!”

Their efforts proved effective.
The mosquito yokai began descending unsteadily.
Eventually, the mosquito yokai’s legs touched the lake. It did not sink into the water.
It stood atop the lake on four legs.
But that alone was enough.
Four of its six legs were now effectively restrained.

“Now!”
“I know!”

Shin Yul had already begun running before Seo Jong-dae shouted.
She threw herself back toward the lake she had only just escaped.
Shin Yul and Seo Jong-dae weren’t the only ones.
Shin Gi-yang, Tang Ho, and even Bong Seok were running as well.

“Daaaaamn it!”

As Bong Seok ran, he wrapped both hands in internal energy. Unlike the others, he didn’t even have a weapon.

‘When I get back, I’m going to learn the Dog-Beating Staff or something.’

He bit his lip and continued running.
The other martial artists followed behind them.
Even now, its wings were gradually recovering. The wound on its chest was almost completely healed.
If they did not act now, they would lose their chance.
The mosquito yokai swung its two free legs.
Then.
Kang!
Shin Yul and Shin Gi-yang blocked them.
A metallic clang rang out even though they had blocked its legs.
Shin Yul and Shin Gi-yang were driven straight into the water after blocking the attack.
That was how powerful the impact was.
Had they been standing on land, the force would have sent both of them tumbling.
Thanks to them, an opening appeared.
Seo Jong-dae and Bong Seok quickly headed toward the creature’s back.
At that moment, another leg appeared from the side.
The creature was supporting its body on only three legs.
It staggered because of that.
However.

“We expected that!”

Bong Seok unleashed a palm strike toward Seo Jong-dae.
At the same time, Seo Jong-dae swung his iron fan toward Bong Seok.
Before the leg could tear through them, their bodies were knocked away in opposite directions.
And then.

“……”

Tang Ho’s impassive face entered the mosquito yokai’s sight.
However, it was too late for the creature to move.
From the beginning, Shin Yul and Shin Gi-yang, as well as Seo Jong-dae and Bong Seok, had all been bait.
Tang Ho’s hand flashed, and black liquid burst from the mosquito yokai’s eyes.
Seeing the result, Tang Ho frowned.

“Only two?”

Tang Ho fell into the lake.
The mosquito yokai, meanwhile, thrashed in pain.
The Black Snake Guard Unit Leader’s eyes flashed.
A throwing knife left his hand and lodged in the creature’s abdomen.
The mosquito yokai convulsed.

“As expected of something only recently born, it is weak against pain.”

Despite possessing such regenerative power, it had behaved cautiously.
Had it acted more aggressively, the situation would have been different.
It had lost two of its eyes.
That created a gap in its vision.
Its legs swung wildly.
Those who remained were skilled enough to avoid such blind attacks.
One by one, they climbed onto the mosquito yokai.
Each time their swords and spears pierced it, the mosquito yokai thrashed even more violently.
But they didn’t give up.
Even when they fell from its body, they climbed back on.
If they lost their weapons, they struck with fists and palms.

“Die, you monster!”
“Because of you, my brother…!”

Under their assault, the mosquito yokai’s body was reduced to a mangled wreck.
The emotion in its remaining two eyes.
It was fear.
Gradually, even that fear faded.
It had died.
The people continued attacking long after the mosquito yokai stopped moving.
They were taking precautions against the unexpected.
Only after a long while did they begin stopping one by one.

“…We won.”

Someone muttered.
That became the signal.

“We fucking won!”
“Oooooh!”

When Shin Yul raised her spear and shouted, the survivors also erupted in cheers.
The long battle had finally come to an end.