Chapter 65

Chapter 65

With undying bravery and perseverance, as he was beaten, he never lost his will to fight, inspiring some of the other prisoners who watched in fear from afar, anxious they might meet a fate similar to Hakuji's.

However, at a critical moment, events took an unexpected turn.

Some men, who had learned martial arts under the guidance of Keizo, Koyuki's father, found in Hakuji's actions a spark of hope and courage, deciding to join the fight alongside him. This moment marked the awakening of team spirit and the defense of justice, as they collaborated in confronting the bandits, using the skills they had acquired in rigorous training.

Despite the surprise attack and meticulous planning, the bandits still had the upper hand due to their weapons, making the battle even more challenging. "Die, you little scoundrel!" the man with the ugly face shouted, throwing a spear towards Hakuji's heart with an evil smile on his face, as if declaring the end of the fight.

At that critical moment, time seemed to slow down for Hakuji.

Though he didn't know how, his body instinctively moved towards the spear, miraculously dodging it and avoiding injury. "This is impossible!" the ugly man screamed, unable to finish his sentence before finding Hakuji once again directly in front of him, striking the man's head with immense force until he lost consciousness.

"The boss!" the men's voices echoed in surprise and concern as they saw their leader unconscious, leading to a new turn in the battle's course.

The man with the malicious smile at heart was overwhelmed by a panic like never before. His legs, which had held him steady just moments ago, now betrayed him with uncontrollable shaking.

He began looking around for something to ensure his survival, knowing that once their leader had fallen, it meant the end for their group of bandits.

His eyes lit up as soon as he saw Koyuki coughing blood due to her illness.

His leader wanted this woman, and because of her, Hakuji and these people followed and defeated their leader.

"Stop now, or I will cut this little girl's throat," everyone suddenly froze, their eyes widening, especially Hakuji's.

"Koyuki!" Hakuji rushed towards her but stopped quickly as the man with the malicious smile nicked her neck with a knife. "Step away from her, and we will let you go."

"Ha ha ha ha, do you really think I'm a fool?" His eyes filled with madness, knowing he would surely die, so he wanted to take what was most precious to Hakuji, who started this affair.

He was indeed brazen to the extent of forgetting that they were the ones who killed innocent people, stole their resources, and enslaved them.

"All of this is because of you from the start; now take my revenge," this scoundrel stabbed Moyuki's heart forcefully. Seeing this scene, Hakuji froze in place, his lips trembling.

Koyuki, who fell to the ground, felt her life ending. She didn't know whether to feel joy or sadness.

If it was joy, it was because she wouldn't be a burden on Hakuji's shoulders anymore. If it was sadness, it was because she would leave him alone.

[Don't worry, Koyuki. He is very brave. Have you forgotten that your father is the one who taught him?]

Is that you... otto-sama...

I have... missed you so much...

[I know, my little girl, I know.]

Koyuki felt as though there was a warm hand filled with tenderness and love gently stroking her head.

...otto-sama...I'm sorry I left...Hakuji

[Don't worry, Koyuki. We will meet him in the future.]

...Can I stay a little longer?

Koyuki's eyes' sparkle was fading, and her white skin turned extremely pale, as if all the blood had disappeared.

She just wanted to see Hakuji one last time.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh," Hakuji screamed loudly, shattering the ground beneath him with his feet, running at a terrifying speed that shook everyone there. "Die!"

Hakuji pierced the malicious man's chest, holding his heart in his hands, with blood dripping from it. This scene terrified everyone, as they had never seen such expressions on his face before.

"It seems I have arrived too late," Mozan finally arrived, but seeing the people fighting among themselves and blood everywhere, she knew she was late.

"Hm," she noticed everyone staring at Hakuji, but as soon as she looked at him, she noticed he was holding a man's pulsating heart in his hands and a dead girl stabbed in her heart. She wasn't stupid, even though she lived for 180 years, but she learned and read a lot of books and had a terrifying analytical power.

She had already created the scenario in her mind after analyzing the situation, and it matched exactly what happened here.

"Boya, I'm sorry for what happened to you," Mozan patted Hakuji's shoulder, feeling sadness and pity for him as she saw him crying silently as if his emotions died with the last person he loved. "At least now, go and say your goodbyes because this is the last act of warmth for her."

Hakuji approached, trembling and crying, "I... Sob... I'm sorry, Koyuki... I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."

With great effort, Koyuki gathered her strength to lift her hand and touch his cheek, saying, "It's okay... Hakuji... it's not... your fault... I'm sorry I can't... keep... my promise."

Koyuki was coughing up a lot of blood, but she wanted to gather her last bit of energy, "I'm sorry... Hakuji... I won't... stay with you... anymore."

She felt her life being pulled away already, her eyes tearing up as she looked at him, "Meeting you was fate... becoming your friend was a choice, cough, cough... however... falling in love with you... was beyond... my... con... trol."

Koyuki's hand fell to the ground as she closed her eyes, her life force ready to disappear at any moment.

She should have died a long time ago, but her will to see Hakuji one last time made her endure all the pain from losing her vitality.

"Koyuki, please don't leave me," Hakuji couldn't bear it anymore, he was pleading to the god, the heavens, and even the devil to save his beloved, but nothing happened. "Please, whoever you are, save her."

Mozan saw herself in his place because the same thing happened to her. Both had lost their families and were left alone in this merciless world, but at least he could say goodbye to his loved ones, whereas she couldn't because they were already dead.

"You have to stand up, at least live for her," upon hearing Mozan's words, Hakuji's heart clenched, and he felt more suffocated, but his eyes regained life. He hugged Koyuki's cold body and kissed her.

This kiss made her last moment in this world beautiful, worth enduring all the pains.

And at the same time, her heartbeat stopped, marking the end of her life.

"Now that I'm done with these, I have a lot to talk to you about," she didn't care about the questioning looks she received because she spread her wings, and balls of lightning began to gather around her. "But before that, let me finish off the scum of humanity."

It didn't take long for Mozan to kill the last of the bandits.

The men and Hakuji, who initially fought against the bandits, were shocked not only when they saw Mozan had wings and could control lightning and thunder but also the bandits, women, children, and the elderly.

They couldn't believe that mythological beings actually existed.

What shocked them even more was that all the bandits wanted to run away, but because Mozan could control gravity, she was able to pull them one by one and easily kill them.

"Sigh, now that I've finished, let me explain your situation," everyone swallowed their saliva but wasn't afraid because they knew Mozan was very kind and their benefactor. "You have two paths; one is that I will give you money, and you can go on your way and live your life, but you might encounter a fate similar to what you faced now or even worse."

Everyone thought carefully and realized that this was true in this merciless era, regardless of age.

"The second is that you will follow me," when they heard what Mozan said, their eyes lit up because following her would be the safest place in this era. "But..."

They started to get tense because they were afraid of what Mozan meant by "but."

"You will turn into the demon race like me, and even you will have to eat human flesh to satisfy your hunger," many of their faces turned pale, and even fear of Mozan because when she said that, it proved she was from the demon race.

Mozan threw a box of gold; one of the men wanted to take it but stopped because his gut told him he would regret it. Then he remembered what would happen to his wife and daughter if they didn't fight the bandits and if Mozan hadn't saved them.

Something worse would have happened, making them sexual slaves in the red-light district.

When the man imagined that, he was terrified, and even his eyes turned red from the blood accumulating in them, not just him but all the men.

Many of them had wives, sisters, daughters; if that really happened to them, they wished they were never born or to disappear from existence.

And even if they took the money, who knows what might happen the next day, the next month, or even the next year. If they died, who would protect their families? If what Mozan said was true, there would be no turning back because the world wouldn't give them another chance.

"Lady, my family and I choose the second path," one of the men bowed deeply to Mozan. He was the first, but not the last, as the second, third, fourth, and the rest followed, even Hakuji.