Chapter 76:Draven Fate
The air was heavy with silence, thick with the weight of death. Shiki stood still, his Severing Angel radiating a cold, eerie green aura that flickered like ghostly embers. His hollow gaze remained fixed on Draven, who struggled within the suffocating grip of the Angel's hand. His breath came in short, ragged gasps, his body thrashing weakly as his once-mighty Shen ebbed away like a flickering flame.
Shiki took a step forward, his boots pressing into the frost-covered ground. "I told you, didn't I?" he said, his voice low, almost solemn. "You wouldn't survive this fight… not yet." His words carried no arrogance—only certainty.
Draven's vision blurred as his strength abandoned him. The crushing force around his throat grew tighter. He couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't even summon the will to resist.
Shiki exhaled, his Cursed Eyes activating—a twisted, circular pattern appearing in his irises, glowing faintly in the dim light. The Gehinnom Blade shrank in size, vanishing into nothingness, only to reappear in his hand, now reforged into a one-handed weapon, its weight perfectly balanced for a clean execution.
"If only you knew ," Shiki whispered as he raised the blade. "The Severing Angel does not forgive."
SHUNK.
The blade pierced straight into Draven's chest, sinking deep into his heart. His body spasmed violently as a rush of blood erupted from the wound, his mouth parting in a silent scream. For the first time in a while… Draven felt fear. His mind spiraled into an abyss of darkness as the last remnants of strength left him.
The Severing Angel dissolved into mist, its task fulfilled. Draven's body collapsed lifelessly to the cold ground, blood pooling beneath him.
Shiki stood over him for a moment, his hands trembling slightly, his face betraying no emotions—but inside, a storm raged. Tears welled in his eyes, but none fell. He clenched his jaw, forcing himself to breathe.
From behind him, a figure blurred into existence, appearing on a large stone nearby. The presence was silent, enigmatic. He was dressed entirely in white, his face hidden beneath a hood, though his body posture was relaxed—almost indifferent.
The figure spoke, his voice calm yet laced with curiosity.
"So… That happened Quick"
Shiki didn't turn to face him. Instead, he kept his gaze on Draven's unmoving body.
"It's done," he replied, his voice quieter now, as if uncertain.
The hooded figure tilted his head slightly. "Does this mean it's complete?"
Shiki exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "No… I saw it in my vision." He finally turned toward the man in white, his cursed eyes gleaming. "I killed Draven, but Draven didn't die. If my visions were true… then he isn't dead yet."
The figure remained silent for a few moments before nodding.
"So, the first stage is done?"
Shiki's eyes darkened. "Probably."
The man hummed thoughtfully before saying, "You never told me what happened after his death?."
Shiki's expression hardened. "Because it's not important."
The figure didn't argue. Instead, he simply remained seated, watching, waiting.
—
Meanwhile…
Huey stood atop a distant ice ridge, watching. He had sensed it—Draven's Shen energy dropping rapidly, flickering out like a candle suffocated by the wind.
"So," Huey muttered, a smirk playing on his lips. "He couldn't do it after all."
Without another word, he vanished into thin air, leaving Marcus, Akebi, and Boris standing in the snowy plains, abandoned mid-fight.
Akebi, still gripping her Sword of Yama, gritted her teeth in frustration.
"He's gone," Marcus muttered.
Akebi tightened her grip. "Damn it."
Boris, still watching the spot where Huey had disappeared, finally exhaled and turned toward the others. "We need to report this to our leaders."
—
Elsewhere, hidden within the shadows of a frozen ravine…
Kenzy and Gansu crouched low, their breaths visible in the freezing air. They had arrived just in time to witness Draven's body hit the ground, lifeless.
Gansu swallowed hard. "What do we do now?"
Kenzy's eyes narrowed with cold calculation. "What do you mean what we do now? We wait of course ."
Gansu frowned. "Wait for what? We should fight Shiki and take Draven's body now—"
Kenzy shook his head firmly. "No. If Draven, the strongest of us, couldn't beat Shiki, then we don't stand a chance. If we fight now, we die."
Gansu clenched his fists but said nothing.
Kenzy glanced back toward Draven's lifeless form, then at Shiki sitting quietly on the rock nearby. He could tell—Shiki wasn't moving yet. That meant there was still a chance.
"When the coast is clear," Kenzy whispered. "We retrieve his body."
—
Meanwhile, aboard the Seoul presidential flight…
Mujin sat with his hands folded, his sharp eyes fixed on Akebi, who stood before him, delivering her report.
"…We found Huey," she explained. "He was there, at the site of the battle."
Mujin's gaze didn't waver.
Akebi hesitated before adding, "And… he escaped."
Mujin exhaled slowly. "I see."
Akebi frowned. "Aren't you angry? We could've—"
Mujin raised a hand, stopping her. "There was nothing you could do."
Akebi clenched her fists. "If we fought harder, if we pushed—"
"You don't understand," Mujin interrupted, his voice steady. He leaned forward slightly, his expression unreadable. "The Travelers are not to be underestimated. Huey, for all his power, is nothing compared to what they are truly capable of, I would say"
Akebi's eyes widened slightly.
Mujin continued, his tone measured. "If the Travelers had truly seen him as a threat, they would've stopped him. The fact that they didn't… means Shiki had already decided the outcome of that fight."
Akebi swallowed, suddenly feeling a heavy weight settle over her.
Mujin turned his gaze toward the window, staring at the cold sky beyond. A storm was coming—one bigger than any of them could yet see.
"…Draven is dead," Akebi muttered.
Mujin didn't respond. Because deep inside, he wasn't so sure, Shiki Would kill his own brother but he hoped for the best.
—
Back on the battlefield…
A poof of smoke appeared and it was Huey who reappeared beside Draven's lifeless body, his boots crunching against the icy ground. His usual smirk was nowhere to be found as he crouched down, staring at the blood-stained snow beneath him.
Shiki lifted his gaze from the rock he was sitting on, his eyes locking onto Huey's.
An unspoken tension filled the air.
Huey exhaled through his nose and muttered, "So, you actually did it, killed your one and only family left?"
Shiki didn't answer.
The icy wind howled around them,Draven's body lay still,And yet… something felt wrong,Something was coming,Something neither of them had accounted for.