Toxin

Bang—!! Clang—!! Bang—!!

Instead of answering, the Black Martial Emperor fired at Raonhiljo. Raonhiljo dodged with a grunt. The missed bullet crashed into the muddy ground, creating a large splash. Just as the Black Martial Emperor continuously pulled the trigger, there was an empty

. It seemed like he had run out of bullets. That’s when Raonhiljo’s fierce assault began. A sharp blue flash mercilessly charged at the Black Martial Emperor.

The Black Martial Emperor blocked it with

. The two weapons exchanged a flurry of attacks and defenses. The way the Black Martial Emperor deflected Raonhiljo’s fast and precise strikes was almost godlike. Though it was clear that the tide of battle had turned completely, the Black Martial Emperor showed no signs of backing down. On the contrary, he moved faster and struck harder than when he had

in hand. It was as if he was mocking me for hoping his bullets would run out.

Raonhiljo’s sword slashed through the muddy water, baring its sharp claws at the Black Martial Emperor. At the same time,

shot upwards as if it would pierce the sky and fiercely deflected the sword’s attack. Sparks of blue fire scattered as the two clashing weapons scraped against each other. Raonhiljo’s sword changed direction and grazed the Black Martial Emperor’s waist, drawing blood. In response,

barrel crushed into Raonhiljo’s collarbone and neck. Raonhiljo spat out dark red blood. As they both stepped back from each other, I instinctively ran toward Raonhiljo.

“My lord…! Are you all right?”

Raonhiljo wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and let out a faint chuckle.

“No, I’m not all right. Make sure you treat me with care later.”

His words, spoken so casually, carried a shamelessness that was different from the Black Martial Emperor’s. His once dignified face was now contorted in pain, showing how severe the injury was. I stood there, unsure of what to do. Meanwhile, the Black Martial Emperor inspected the gashes on his thigh and waist, then clicked his tongue. He pulled an oval-shaped stone from his pouch and rolled it around in his hand. Neither of them seemed ready to stop until one of them was dead. Then, from afar, I heard the sound of someone approaching.

“What in the world is this noise?! Where on earth…!! What were you all doing instead of protecting His Majesty?! You useless fools…!”

“How were we supposed to stop him when he disappeared while we were having dinner?”

“Dinner! Dinner! Have you all been possessed by the ghost of someone who died of starvation?! What is wrong with you all…?!”

From around a bend in the fortress wall, the Grand Chamberlain and the three escort brothers appeared, only to stop dead in their tracks when they saw us. The Grand Chamberlain’s face went pale as he looked back and forth between the Black Martial Emperor and Raonhiljo.

“Y-Your Majesty…! No, Your Highness! Are the two of you… right now…?!”

The Black Martial Emperor glanced around before calmly loading each bullet into his weapon. Then he slung

over his shoulder and aimed it at the Grand Chamberlain and the escorts. They flinched, as if on cue.

“Why don’t you all take a stroll about two leagues from here?”

“W-What do you mean by that…?”

The Grand Chamberlain’s voice trembled as he asked.

“I heard the artillery was upgraded to increase the range and firepower of

. But I haven’t tested it yet.”

The Grand Chamberlain gasped so sharply it was audible, and the faces of the escorts turned ashen. The Grand Chamberlain’s eyes darted around before he burst into a hearty laugh that shook his double chin.

“Haha…! Your Majesty… such a… hah… mischievous joke…!”

fired before the Grand Chamberlain even finished speaking. The bullet pierced through the ceremonial hat on the Grand Chamberlain’s head, creating a large hole, and blood began trickling from his temple. The Grand Chamberlain’s legs trembled as if he might wet himself.

was about to change direction again.

The merciless bullet hit the kneecap of a sentry in the distance.

“Ahhhhhh…!!!”

“Garon! What are you doing?!”

Raonhiljo tried to stop him, but the Black Martial Emperor was faster. The soldier, now missing everything below his knee, writhed in agony. The other soldier, standing nearby, was frozen in place, unable to approach his thrashing comrade. The escorts, too, were as stiff as stone. The Black Martial Emperor, without flinching, rested his finger on the trigger again.

“Hurry up and cooperate.”

For a moment, a wicked madness flashed in the eyes of the murderer.

“Because if I don’t see blood soon, I’m going to lose it.”

The escort warriors gritted their teeth and bolted without looking back, and the Grand Chamberlain clutched his head and scurried away. The sentries, pale with fear, abandoned their injured comrade and started fleeing. At that moment, the metal monster, now fully loaded, reached me first. Behind it arrived those unreadable, pitch-black eyes.

—the sharp sound of a mechanism echoed.

“How many times do I have to say it? I told you, prey that doesn’t move isn’t fun.”

Just then, Raonhiljo swiftly blocked

with his sword.

“Go, quickly.”

My feet wouldn’t move. I looked at Raonhiljo’s sturdy back in distress. I couldn’t just run away and leave him to face this terrifying situation alone. Especially when the opponent was none other than the Black Martial Emperor. Raonhiljo turned his head slightly and spoke quickly.

“Hurry, go.”

“My lord…”

“Go, I said!”

The Black Martial Emperor’s lips twisted into a mechanical smirk.

“This is too pitiful to watch.”

The muzzle of the gun slid past the sword and aimed directly at me. Raonhiljo didn’t miss a beat, knocking it away with his sword.

That madman…! That lunatic…!! There were no words other than that he was completely insane. Cursing under my breath, I started running with all my strength. Behind me, the sounds of gunfire and metal clashing assaulted my ears.

“Hah… hah…”

I ran without looking back. I always forget that letting your guard down in a relaxed situation means getting torn to pieces. I had been foolish, feeling relieved because things had been quiet for a while. The murderer must have decided that it was best to snuff me out entirely.

The ground shook with the gunshots, and I froze in place. The sound of

being deflected by a sword was no longer there. My body went cold as the muddy water beneath me sapped all my warmth. No way… it couldn’t be… My legs felt like lead as I tried to force myself to turn back.

“Don’t do anything stupid. Just hide and stay out of sight.”

I turned towards the voice and saw Unsa hiding behind a tree. He glanced in the direction of the noise and said quietly.

“His Majesty’s way of handling things is simple. You either submit to him or choose death. But Raonhiljo isn’t someone who would go down easily, so if he’s lucky, he might only lose a leg or an arm.”

Only losing an arm or a leg would be considered lucky…? Is he serious right now? Looking at him speak so nonchalantly about someone’s life made me understand why people say “birds of a feather flock together.” Unsa sighed deeply, his large eyes narrowing in frustration.

“Hey. Nameless Imae. Why don’t you hide somewhere before you catch the eye of that crazy lord of yours? I’d rather not get caught because of you!”

In the distance, I heard several faint gunshots. Biting my lips in anxiety, I hid behind a tree opposite from Unsa. But even hiding like this, I’d be found out soon enough and end up dead. Maybe it would be better to just escape beyond the fortress…

“I wouldn’t dream of trying to escape outside. Even those of us who’ve lived here for over a decade still get lost easily. More importantly, once His Majesty marks someone as his target, he won’t stop until he finishes the job.”

Unsa spoke abruptly, as if he could read my thoughts. His resigned expression made it clear he’d been through situations like this more than once.

“Why do you stay by such a dangerous person’s side?”

Even though the question was direct, Unsa responded with a peculiar smile.

“Because it’s dazzling.”

The flashy titles attached to the Black Martial Emperor, along with the wealth and power he held, were things any man would envy. But surely, they weren’t risking their lives just for the glamour. There had to be something more to it. From what I’d seen of the escort warriors, they didn’t seem to have any special loyalty to the Black Martial Emperor. If I wanted to get close to him, I’d have to figure out his inner circle first, but the escort warriors remained an enigma.

At that moment, the sound of someone running urgently reached us. Both Unsa and I held our breath and focused our hearing. A long shadow scaled the castle wall. It was Raonhiljo. I let out a sigh of relief. I had imagined the worst, but thankfully, he was safe. However, unlike before, he was now limping slightly. He was breathing heavily as he scanned the area.

“Where are you?”

“I…”

Just as I was about to rise and call out to him, I sensed another presence and swallowed my words, lowering myself again. A little while later, the Grand Chamberlain appeared, flustered and frantically looking for a place to hide. When he spotted Raonhiljo, he gave him a perfunctory bow and cleared his throat.

“Your Highness, why do you always side with that monster and provoke His Majesty’s temper…?”

“I don’t know. He just makes me do it. If you see him, tell him to hide properly.”

Raonhiljo scanned the surroundings once more before running off into the darkness. The Grand Chamberlain watched him disappear with squinty eyes, then quickly dashed behind a tree. He came face-to-face with Unsa, who had already taken cover, and shouted angrily.

“What is this?! Get out of the way!”

“Grand Chamberlain, you should go somewhere else.”

“You insolent wretch…!! Do you even know who I am…!!”

A gunshot rang out in the distance, and a large shadow appeared. Step, step… The sound of the pursuer’s footsteps grew closer, and the Black Martial Emperor emerged from the darkness. The moment he did, the Grand Chamberlain rolled his eyes and fainted on the spot. With one foot on the unconscious Grand Chamberlain’s stomach, the Black Martial Emperor scanned the area while loading more bullets into

. Unsa and I hid behind a tree, not daring to move a muscle.

I was hidden behind the Black Martial Emperor, so I wasn’t in his line of sight, but Unsa was different. He was only a few steps away from where the Black Martial Emperor stood. Unsa carefully shifted his body to hide further behind the tree. At that moment, the killer sensed the slight movement and immediately fired

. The bullet struck the tree trunk, spewing out white smoke. Fully exposed, Unsa quickly threw himself behind another tree.

The Black Martial Emperor didn’t miss his movement. In that instant, a figure darted forward like lightning, grabbing the defenseless Unsa and rolling into the muddy ground with him. The two tumbled for a moment before quickly regaining their footing.

“Hyung-nim, are you okay?”

Even though it was Usa who had been hit by the bullet, he was the one checking Unsa’s body for injuries. Unsa glared sharply at his younger brother.

“What’s with you…!”

Unsa wrapped his arm around his brother’s shoulder to stop the bleeding. Usa’s uniform was already in tatters, likely from being battered by the Black Martial Emperor. Before the smoke from the stray bullet had even dissipated, the Black Martial Emperor trained his gun on his subordinate once again. His merciless actions left the escort warriors bracing for death.

I don’t know what came over me. My legs just moved on their own. Without thinking, I clenched my eyes shut and started running. The Black Martial Emperor’s head turned slowly in my direction, but his hand was much faster.

—the sound of metal sent chills down my spine. I rounded the corner of the castle wall just in time to escape his range. I ran blindly along the labyrinthine walls. The sound of footsteps closed in behind me, and just as they grew dangerously close, a hand reached out and grabbed my torso. At the same time, I collided with a chest as solid as a wall.

“Ugh…!”

I struggled with all my strength to free myself from the arm choking my neck, but it didn’t budge. The blue gleam of

pierced my vision. Terrified, I clawed at the arm wrapped around my neck and bit down on his fingers. A horrid crunch of bone and flesh echoed, and the metallic taste of blood spread in my mouth. The chest pressed against my back flinched, and I heard a stifled groan. As the grip on me loosened for a moment, I seized the chance and ran with all my might.

***

“Hah…! Hah…!”

I gasped for breath until my lungs felt torn apart. It felt like an invisible specter could snatch the back of my neck at any moment, so I just kept running like mad. I barely managed to keep my shaky legs moving, leaning against a tree for support. I was completely drained, like prey driven to the brink of exhaustion. Once I gathered my senses, I realized I was in a forest I had been to before—where the Black Martial Emperor had first hunted Imae.

The night sky was a blinding white, filled with stars like a vast Milky Way, making everything seem even more distant. I had been so busy clinging to a thread of life that I hadn’t even been able to touch the murderer’s hair. Had my mother run like this that day too? Had she struggled with all her strength, or had it been a swift end? How lonely and scared must she have been… The dizziness made it feel like I was standing on the edge of a cliff. As I stared blankly at the Milky Way, I heard the sound of footsteps crunching on branches. At the edge of the slowly revealing shadow, the demon caught his breath and clicked his tongue.

“I hate running.”

His eerie eyes glinted through his disheveled hair, binding both my body and soul. His footsteps drew closer, crushing the pathetic fallen leaves beneath them. Would everything become easier if I just stabbed this murderer and ended it here? But I’d left my mother’s white horn dagger in my room, and I was too weak to even break a twig right now. My clothes, soaked in sweat, clung to me like lead weights. Through my blurry vision, a large foot suddenly appeared before me. Looking up, I saw the murderer towering over me like a dark figure standing above the gates of hell. He calmly aimed

at my head.

“Why… do you hate us so much?”

I wanted to ask him sincerely. Why did he despise us so much? Why was he so desperate to kill us? If he gave me the same nonsense again, I’d kill him and die right here myself.

“Did Imae do something bad to you? Or… did someone you cherished suffer at the hands of the Imae Tribe?”

His cold eyes pierced through me.

“You’ve been overthinking. Do you really need a reason to hate something?”

“…Yes. There must be one.”

Otherwise, it would be too unjust for my mother. All the filth in the world was borne by the weak. We couldn’t overcome it by fighting head-on because the heavens were never on our side to begin with. If there really were gods, they wouldn’t have allowed my mother’s end to be so brutal. The pain of my heart being hollowed out gnawed at my body. The warmth of the moisture on my cheeks trickled into my mouth. The tears were incredibly bitter. The Black Martial Emperor stared at me with an expressionless face.

“When a bunch of bugs swarm together in one place,”

Slowly lifting his head, he began to speak languidly.

“You just want to crush them. You can’t stand it until you see their heads smashed and their guts spilling out.”

There was no tragic backstory, no elaborate reasoning. To him, we were just like insects. A bitter smile spread on my lips.

“For someone as learned as you… it seems you haven’t been taught that even lowly creatures feel pain and have emotions…”

His eyebrows arched arrogantly.

“You shouldn’t expect someone to be human just because they have a heart.”

His voice, filled with conceit, acknowledged his own lack. The ruthless cruelty, without a shred of guilt, sent shivers down my spine. Cornered with my back against the cliff, I felt the meaninglessness of it all more acutely than ever. Even the killing intent and anger seemed to have turned to ashes. I caught sight of his finger on the trigger. Blood dripped from the torn flesh of the hand I had bitten earlier. I don’t know why I felt this impulse. Maybe I wanted to dig a little deeper, to uncover something more, like how that torn skin revealed a glimpse beneath. This eerie forest seemed to be pushing me in that direction with its strange power.

“So, am I one of those bugs you hate so much…?”

My voice, weak and lifeless, didn’t feel like my own as it echoed back to me.

“Am I so repulsive… that you want to kill me like this…?”

His hard, guarded eyes wavered ever so slightly. But that was all. I stared at the gun barrel stubbornly aimed at me. Slowly, I raised my hand and wrapped it around the muzzle. Then I gently pulled it toward my forehead.

—the hollow sound of the metal echoed through my skull. The Black Martial Emperor’s hand noticeably hesitated. I reached out my other hand and placed it over his finger, which was resting on the trigger. My fingers were trembling uncontrollably, but my mind felt strangely calm. I looked into his eyes with detachment. His face, expressionless, swayed in the blur of my vision.

“Then… do as you wish.”

I closed my eyes and pushed the trigger for him, just as he had done without hesitation.

The sharp crack of the gunshot echoed through the forest. The vibrations shook the leaves, causing the drops of water hiding on them to scatter in all directions. After what felt like an eternity, as the echo of the Jincheonroe’s scream faded, I slowly lifted my head. The bullet, which should have pierced me, was embedded in a nearby tree trunk, releasing a wisp of smoke. Jincheonroe, which should have been aimed at my forehead, was now pointed off into the air.

Beneath the towering Jincheonroe, a hardened face pierced my vision. I could hear the sound of his teeth grinding. The once vacant eyes now blazed with a flame resembling murderous intent. It was as if… he was shocked by something completely unexpected.

After the silence of death passed, he regained his unnerving calm as if nothing had happened. The hand holding Jincheonroe slowly lowered. Only then did I allow myself to breathe, and my limbs began to shake uncontrollably. My breathing gradually settled, and my halted blood flow resumed, surging rapidly.

Before I knew it, a hazy mist had wrapped itself around the forest, him, and me. I reached out and gently grasped the injured hand of the Black Martial Emperor. He neither recoiled in disgust nor pushed me away mercilessly. His finger, which I had bitten so harshly, was bleeding profusely, the skin torn open. I lifted his hand to my chest and quietly cradled it.

His hand twitched violently as my tongue touched it. I ran my tongue over it again, gently cleaning the blood from between his fingers and carefully licking the wound. The taste of iron filled my mouth, but I swallowed it all. His hand, now slick with my saliva, was drenched more in that than in his blood.

The wet sound, combined with the drops of water falling from the leaves, created a seductive rhythm. Under the eerie moonlight, the Black Martial Emperor watched me with unreadable eyes. I flicked my tongue like a snake, red against the darkness of his gaze. Tears welled up in my eyes and streamed down my cheeks. His expression twisted dangerously, and a chilling voice dripped with warning.

“You’re… too dangerous.”

His hand, which had been trapped in mine, swiftly withdrew, wrapping around my head. His dark eyes surged toward me, and in an instant, something warm and wet covered my lips. Flesh, dripping with moisture, slid into my mouth. His body pressed fiercely against mine, already swollen with a violent heat. His hot tongue invaded deeply, ravaging my tongue and mouth with relentless aggression. It felt as if he was trying to conquer me, his tongue forcefully moving inside, overwhelming mine. My stomach churned. He gnawed and scratched at me with savage teeth, sucking fiercely as if he were a bloodthirsty killer obsessed with my tongue.

“Mmngh… Haa… Haa…”

My jaw ached from how wide my mouth was forced open, saliva dripping down my chin. The ravenous predator licked it all up greedily. His tongue stabbed back inside, coiling around mine and delving even deeper. Instinctively, I recoiled, but I couldn’t stop swallowing his tongue. The Black Martial Emperor’s breathing grew erratic. His grip on the back of my head tightened, pressing deeper as if he wanted to devour my entire face. My lungs felt like they were about to burst. I barely managed to move my slippery tongue against his. In that instant, his body, pressed against mine, swelled even more ferociously, as if he could no longer hold back.

“Haa… Haa…”

“Haa… Ugh… Haa…”

Our frantic breathing tangled together, hot and thick in the air. Jincheonroe slipped from his grasp. His hands, gripping my waist, tightened as if he wanted to crush me, his lower half grinding harder between my legs. The constant motion left me reeling, and when I weakly sucked on his tongue, it seemed to break the last thread of his restraint. His tongue lashed against mine with ferocity. His hand snuck inside my clothes, fingers roughly twisting and pinching my nipples. The sharp sting made my shoulders jerk back. Just then, I faintly heard someone gasping for breath, their voice echoing through the forest.

“Oh, Your Majesty~! Where are you, Your Majesty~~!”

Even as someone called out to him, the Black Martial Emperor refused to stop, devouring my lips with relentless intensity. Only when the footsteps grew dangerously close did he finally release me, his tongue dragging slowly over my lips before pulling away. Our breath mingled in the air, and I looked up at him, panting heavily. He stared back at me, his expression unreadable.

“…Haa… Haa…”

I finally managed to breathe, but my lips, damp with saliva, quickly grew cold. His dark eyes, as deep as death, watched me intently.

“Oh, Your Majesty~! There you are?! We’ve been searching for you for so long…! Huff…! Huff…!!”

The Grand Chamberlain came running through the bushes, panting heavily. His face and beard were a mess of blood and muddy water, and the guards and sentinels following him looked similarly disheveled. The Grand Chamberlain looked bewildered at the sight of me, still trapped in the Black Martial Emperor’s grasp, then suddenly clapped his hands.

“Oh my~! Has our great emperor finally captured the evil spirit?! How magnificent! Truly, a genius of the hunt!”

The Grand Chamberlain glared at the guards and soldiers, forcing them to join him in offering mechanical applause. Without taking his eyes off me, the Black Martial Emperor spoke. His lips still glistened with someone else’s saliva.

“Yes, I caught it.”

The Black Martial Emperor roughly grabbed my clothes and surveyed the bedraggled crowd surrounding us.

“Now, I’ll have it stuffed and put on display in my room.”

Still clutching my collar, he began to walk briskly through the crowd. As he marched forward, the wet scenery blurred past us. I was dragged along carelessly, my clothes gripped tightly by him. Though I couldn’t see his expression, his back was stiff and he seemed anxious. Struggling to keep up with his quick strides, I nearly tripped in the muddy water several times, but each time, he pulled me up and steadied me.

We passed through the imperial gardens and along the long veranda. When we reached the door, the sudden entrance startled the court ladies and sentries, who stared at us wide-eyed. A court lady quickly regained her senses and spoke.

“Y-Your Majesty… Lord Raonhiljo was just here. It seems he was gravely injured…”

“Is that so?”

The Black Martial Emperor responded dryly. I froze at the court lady’s words. My heart sank as I saw the floor stained with someone’s blood. He had come here. Was he badly hurt? How much? The Black Martial Emperor glanced back at me. His grip on my collar shifted to twist my arm. Before the court lady could open the door, the Black Martial Emperor stepped forward and violently flung it open.

Before the deafening noise faded, the next door, and then the next, were swiftly thrown open. The moment the final door shut, sealing us off from the outside world entirely—

“Ugh…!”

As soon as we stepped inside, the Black Martial Emperor devoured my lips, thrusting his tongue into my mouth. His frantic tongue scraped and ravaged my throat and the roof of my mouth.

As he violently ground his hips against mine, the door behind me groaned under the pressure. I hurriedly pushed him away.

“Y-Your Majesty… wait… Mmngh…!”

The hand gripping my hair tightened, forcing my head back sharply. Something hot covered my lips again, and his stiff tongue scraped my throat. I nearly gagged, but I squeezed his tongue with my throat and sucked on it.

“Haa… Haa…”

His breathing became even rougher and wetter. Suddenly, my body was yanked away from the door, and my vision spun. By the time I regained my senses, a heavy weight pressed down on my lower body. Above me, I could see the high ceiling and the sinister figure looming over me. His voice was low and languid, contrasting with the fiery gaze in his eyes.

“I’ve done the taxidermy myself before.”

At the same time, my jacket was violently ripped open on both sides. My bare chest, exposed to the cold air, trembled, the nipples standing erect. He licked one of them a few times with his tongue, then sat up. He ran his fingers down from my neck, between my chest, over my navel, in one swift motion. The knife-like sensation made my body twist.

“Cut along the central bone and peel the skin cleanly, like taking off clothes. Then, you remove the body.”

As he moved his hand lower, he slid it between the cleft of my buttocks. The sensation of his fingers, as if piercing through the fabric, sent chills through me.

“Remove all the muscles, brain, and organs, leaving only the bones. Then, treat it with chemicals. Finally, you put the skin back on, preserving the form forever.”

“Y-Your Majesty… Please…!”