The Support Ate it All-Chapter 355: The Whereabouts of the Blood Wind Sword

The next day.

We headed to the platform right on time.

Before long, the train arrived. We boarded immediately and found an empty four-person cabin.

The seats were arranged with two pairs facing each other across a table.

But the moment we stepped inside, something seemed to flash across Dang Gyu-young and Hong Yeon-hwa’s minds. They both paused at the same time and started glancing at each other nervously.

“…….”

“…….”

An unusual tension filled the cabin.

Then, all of a sudden, Hong Yeon-hwa shouted at me.

“Next to you!”

“Next to me?”

“I-I mean, can I sit… next to you…?”

Her voice trailed off into a whisper, so I had to guess the rest.

She was probably trying to say something like, “Can I sit next to you?” or “I want to sit next to you.”

Dang Gyu-young also smiled slyly at me.

“I want the seat next to you too.”

“There are two of you and only one seat next to me.”

“Mhmm, so you have to make a choice.”

“Alright then.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, I casually walked over and sat down in one of the seats.

Not the window seat, but the aisle seat. So that no one else could slip in.

Then I gestured to the seats across from me.

“You two can sit together over there.”

“…….”

“…….”

Dang Gyu-young and Hong Yeon-hwa looked half deflated and half disgruntled, but they obediently sat side by side in opposite seats.

It seemed like the ride would be peaceful and comfortable without being pestered.

Of course, that was just my wishful thinking.

The next moment, Dang Gyu-young’s body seemed to melt downward, and then she suddenly appeared in the seat right next to mine.

It was a short-range teleportation spell, [Shadow Shift].

Dang Gyu-young grinned mischievously.

“Hum, did you think you could block me out?”

“You’re really going this far?”

“I worked so hard to learn this skill. I have to put it to use, right?”

“Well, that’s true.”

Honestly, if I learned Blink, I’d be flashing from east to west too.

Hong Yeon-hwa slightly opened her mouth, then closed it again, and her face gradually turned sullen.

She probably felt miserable because she couldn’t imitate it, and even if she could, it would already be too late.

It was a bitter fate to be without Blink.

Then, Dang Gyu-young leaned her body toward me.

“Let me borrow your shoulder.”

“And what do you plan to do with my shoulder?”

“Sleep on it.”

“Just tilt your seat back.”

“I sleep better leaning sideways.”

“Then lean against the window.”

“Aw~ come on, just let me~”

Dang Gyu-young kept shaking my shoulder insistently.

And in the end, she slept with my shoulder as her pillow all the way until we arrived at Dungeon Island.

***

Somewhere deep in the forest of an unknown high mountain region.

Warriors dressed in garments as dark red as blood were moving forward.

Their movements were orderly and swift, yet so controlled that their footsteps barely made a sound.

Just by looking at them, it was clear they were masters who had undergone intense training.

How much farther had they gone?

A fierce wind suddenly swept in from the front.

Whooooooooosh—!

Those caught directly in it were crushed without even a trace left behind, and even those who were barely grazed had their bodies torn to shreds.

It was as if not mere wind, but sharp blades had swept through them.

Yet not a single scream was heard. Instead, the warriors quickened their pace, charging even harder toward their target.

Standing at the destination they were heading for was an old man, gazing vacantly into the distance.

He looked ragged, wearing straw sandals and a martial arts robe so tattered it looked as if it had been sewn together at random. He was the very picture of a beggar.

And in his hand, he wasn’t holding a weapon but simply a tree branch he had picked up from the roadside.

However, each time the old man swung the tree branch, a bloodstorm raged across the area, and the warriors were torn apart like sheets of paper.

Despite everyone throwing themselves at him without regard for their lives, not a single person managed to reach the old man.

Whooooosh—!

And some distance away, two figures were observing the scene unfold.

One was a man dressed in martial robes; the other looked like a scholar.

The man in martial robes let out a displeased sigh before speaking.

“They can’t even manage to form a proper formation. I never thought the elite forces of our cult would look this powerless.”

“Wasn’t he once the one who guarded the cult himself? It would be stranger if he struggled against a single battalion.”

The scholar-like man replied with a soft smile.

The man in martial robes was none other than a Blood Cult elder.

He had been sent here under the command of the cult leader.

His mission was to retrieve the Blood Wind Sword, the personal weapon of the Supreme Elder.

However, considering the opponent’s overwhelming martial strength, the elder knew he would fail ninety-nine times out of a hundred if he went alone.

The forces they had already deployed couldn’t even buy them time.

Even if he joined the battle himself, it would make little difference.

He was more than willing to lay down his life for the cult, but he had no intention of dying a dog’s death.

Thus, he had decided to seek help from someone else.

From Blood Brain, the strategist and tactician of the Blood Cult.

That was the true identity of the scholar-like man.

The elder asked,

“The Blood Wind Sword?”

Instead of answering, Blood Brain revealed what he held in his hand.

It was a scroll densely packed with intricate geometric patterns, and anyone with even basic knowledge of magic would recognize it as a powerful detection spell.

It was a magic that could determine the existence of a specific object within a designated area.

The scroll’s power was particularly formidable; its search range was so wide it could cover the entire mountain and even detect objects hidden in pocket dimensions.

However, considerable time had passed since it had been activated, and even as the Blood Cult’s battalion neared annihilation, the magic scroll showed no reaction.

Blood Brain smiled faintly and said,

“I expected as much, but it seems it’s not here.”

“So, you’re saying it’s been moved elsewhere.”

“That does seem to be the case.”

Right after, a thought flashed through the elder’s mind.

“Come to think of it, there had been a rumor that the former Supreme Protector had taken on a disciple.”

“It probably wasn’t just a rumor.”

Even the Blood Cult had been keeping an eye on the disciple’s movements.

There was a high chance that the Blood Wind Sword had been passed down to him.

Although he likely wasn’t yet strong enough to wield such a mighty weapon properly, it must have been deemed safer to entrust it to him and send him away.

Of course, there were only a few places where that disciple could have gone, making it easy to infer.

It had to be somewhere beyond the Blood Cult’s reach, a place where other young prodigies like him gathered.

The man in the bloodstained robe’s eyes gleamed sharply.

“Dragon Slayer Academy.”

“How about entering the Dungeon Island again?”

“We have no choice.”

If they were to retrieve the Blood Wind Sword, there was no other option.

But just then, a third voice suddenly reached the elder’s and Blood Brain’s ears.

“No wonder the back of my head kept itching. Two little rats were still hiding.”

“……!”

“……!”

They simultaneously snapped their heads around and locked eyes with the Supreme Protector.

He, who should have been far away, had suddenly appeared before them.

Neither the elder nor Blood Brain wondered how he had found them, or how he had compressed the distance in an instant.

Even if it was impossible by their standards, for a being beyond common sense, it was entirely possible.

Blood Brain quickly composed himself and bowed politely to the elder who was casually pushing aside branches.

“Supreme—”

—Crash!

But before he could finish his sentence, he was swept away by a sudden gust of wind.

“Not even worth hearing, you snake.”

The Supreme Protector grimaced as if he had seen something filthy.

Then, pointing at the elder with a twig, he lightly stepped forward.

Kgh…!

The pressure was overwhelming as if a great mountain was collapsing onto him.

All he could do was barely muster his strength to withstand it.

Shaking uncontrollably, the elder thought to himself.

So, in the end, we have failed…

He was left with regret that he had failed to fulfill the cult leader’s command.

Even so—

I shall meet my end like a true warrior.

The elder immediately summoned all his true qi and unleashed his technique.

The blood-red energy took shape, and six arms sprang forth, each gripping a sword.

It was the Asura Blood Demon Art manifesting in full force.

He swung the energy-forged arms and charged at his enemy.

“Blood-Drenched World—! Blood Demon’s Fall—!”

“How pitiful. Even in the end, you remain nothing more than a slave to the cult leader.”

The Supreme Protector clicked his tongue quietly.

Then, he raised the twig above his head.

Whiiing—

A gentle breeze stirred from all directions, coiling around the twig and condensing.

And then, it came crashing down toward the elder.

As the twig shattered, the blood-red energy scattered into nothingness.

Fsshh—!

In the next instant, the Blood Cult Elder vanished without a trace.

The Supreme Protector glanced at the spot as if it were nothing of consequence, then spoke toward someone unseen.

“Still here, are you?”

– Haha, as expected, even I cannot fool the Supreme Protector’s eyes.

A bright, clear laugh echoed through the air.

It was none other than the voice of Blood Brain.

What he had just defeated had merely been a puppet controlled through soul manipulation techniques.

Naturally, the Supreme Protector had known that all along.

He frowned again.

“I told you I didn’t want to hear it, didn’t I? Can’t even understand simple words, can you? Got a stone stuck in your ears or something?”

– I deeply apologize. But I have a message from the cult leader.

“Speak.”

Blood Brain’s voice, so far lively, suddenly turned cold and chilling.

– He said that when the time comes, he will come for you himself, and reclaim everything he bestowed upon you. Your sword technique….and your life.

“You’re making a big deal out of nothing. Now get lost.”

– …….

Whether he really left or not, Blood Brain’s voice was no longer heard.

As he began walking again, the Supreme Protector quietly clicked his tongue.

To think I’ve lived long enough to end up cleaning up after my own disciple.

The Blood Cult kept sending people in droves just to retrieve that bastard’s sword, and he couldn’t even stretch out his legs to rest, busy dealing with them all.

Rather than tending to his master to make things a little easier, the disciple only kept piling on more work….what an utterly shameless brat he was.

Of course, it seemed that troublesome cleanup would quiet down for a while.

They must have found it.

The whereabouts of the Blood Wind Sword.

Would Blood Brain, who was called the “Scholar of the Blood Cult”, have deployed such forces without any certainty?

Considering how much effort it took to raise a battalion and a single elder, it was unlikely.

There was a high chance he had come here simply for one final confirmation.

And now that the confirmation was complete, they would surely focus all their attention on Dragon Slayer Academy from here on out.

The Supreme Protector stared off into the distance and murmured,

Disciple, be careful.

It seemed he would no longer be able to protect him.

He would have to weather the coming storms on his own.

Then, for some reason, the Supreme Protector suddenly scrunched up his face again.

“But seriously, what is that rascal doing, that he hasn’t even sent a single letter to his master for weeks? Has he found himself a woman or something?”

Of course, he said it half in jest.

A disciple so obsessed with training, finding a woman? Ridiculous.

He must have gotten caught up in something else.

However, his guess turned out to be half right.

Far from this place, at Dragon Slayer Academy, the following conversation was taking place:

“Let’s have just one more sparring match before we get coffee.”

“No! Right now!”

“Miss Han, please wait just a moment.”

“Hurry up!”