Yang Kum-ji felt sick. He didn't understand why, for he had felt great in the morning and had gotten used to the rocking of the ship long, long ago. The world slowly began to spin around him, all objects losing shape and color, swirling into a world of dark—

"My Lord!" an officer called. "Is your Lordship feeling alright?"

The world stabilized. The swirl of colors fell back into shape. Kum-ji could finally think straight again.

"Oh yes. Yes. Where was I?" he asked, staring at the map before him. But the world tipped upside down again, bringing Kum-ji with it this time. The most trustworthy of his officers stood around him helplessly, not knowing what to do.

"Why am I dizzy?" he muttered, wracking his brains for a reason. His health was fine, he had slept just fine, his meals…

Oh.

The Xing wine!

But Mayu had drunk that wine herself, what was with that?

She must have had the antidote.

He could return and make her give him some, but who knows? Would he get back in time?

And why did he not strangle her the moment he saw her back?

Such thoughts raced through his head as he tried his best to get back on his feet. His men stared at him in fear, glancing at each other nervously.

"Uh, your Lordship..."

"What?" Kum-ji snapped. The man flinched.

"Pirates are on this ship, your Lordship. I can hear them."

"Go fight then, you brainless idiots! Is this what I pay you for?"

The men ran to obey his command. Only a middle-aged eunuch remained, his injured leg making it impossible for him to fight.

"You there," Kum-ji ordered. "Get me a life-boat, we're out. This battle is lost."

"Forgive your servant's impudence, but what of the others, my Lord?" the man asked. Kum-ji shot him an irritated glare.

"Shut up. I can always hire a mercenary three times the size of this one," the Lord spat. "Some little gang can't stop my life's work. Kai will just have to wait."

The boat was ready to depart. The man picked up the oars while Kum-ji gathered a bow and many arrows, just for safety. He felt better now, and was sure he could get the antidote from Mayu in time.

"How lucky it's a clear night. We wouldn't make it in stormy weather," he mentioned, and sat down in the boat comfortably. The eunuch began to row silently.

He must feel bad about leaving them behind, the Lord thought. How pathetic.

As they passed his once beautiful fleet, now burning and in ruins, he suddenly felt a pair of eyes watching him. Kum-ji picked up his bow and arrow, and looked around. Sure enough, from the closest ship, a man jumped toward the little boat, and threw several daggers at the people inside. Kum-ji smiled, not even attempting to dodge. He knew a pirate of Gi-gan would never kill him. Indeed, the daggers flew past him, not hurting a hair on his head.

Kum-ji aimed and shot.

The world swayed once again. The lord's hand slipped, saving Jae-ha's life. For instead of his heart, the arrow pierced his shoulder. This, however, was enough to make him fall down midair, into the water below.

Jae-ha shivered. The sea seemed much colder than usual and Kum-ji, the man he had sworn to defeat, was pointing an arrow at his head from only a few meters away, so close that not even the worst archer apprentice could miss the shot.

"Leaving your crew behind? How disgusting!" Jae-ha commented, hoping to win time. Originally, he had wanted to ask about Sen, but all previous thoughts were gone from his mind. He just wanted to live a little longer, however short that time may be. To his surprise and indescribable joy, Kum-ji shuddered at his words and lowered his bow.

"That whore!" hissed Kum-ji as he felt himself stagger. Mayu's poison had made that pirate's words sound like thunder rumbling next to his ears. He just had to concentrate a little more...

Kum-ji lifted his bow and aimed. Jae-ha felt death whisper into his ear again, but the overlord fell down once more. He stared at that cruel man with the faintest expression of hope in his eyes. And there was good reason for his hope, for Kum-ji knew then there was no escape.

In that moment, he felt someone's eyes on him.

Who is staring at me?

He looked up.

On the ship stood a girl, her red hair rippling in the wind like fire. Her dress was dyed black by her own blood, her skin covered with purple bruises. The lanterns behind her cast a strange light around her head, a light that became a halo in Kum-ji's eyes. Those cold and merciless eyes of hers were fixed on him, unwavering and unforgiving. One could never escape her eyes, nor would one want to after seeing them. In her hand was a bow and an arrow aimed at his heart. Kum-ji decided that never in his entire life had he seen anything as beautiful as that girl.

Could she be an angel of death?

The angel who would finally save him from this ungodly suffering?

Kum-ji reached towards her, a smile tugging at his lips. He could not help but love this person who had come to ease his pain.

As if the Dragons themselves were guiding it, the arrow whistled through the air. It pierced Yang Kum-ji's heart precisely.

His Highness Yang Kum-ji, Lord of Awa, fell over, dead. The sea, deep and hungry, swallowed his body immediately. Black waves erased any trace of the tyrant's earthly remains.

Such was the end of Awa's last overlord.