Seol Kang-yeon screamed at the top of his lungs calling for his attendant, but no matter how much he called, Lee Yul never showed up.
This made Seol Kang-yeon confused.
“Atten…dant?”
No matter how far away he was Lee Yul would always come running when he called him. But for some reason Lee Yul didn’t respond at all.
Pyo-wol approached him and said
“No matter how many times you call him he’s not going to come.”
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
“What do you know about him?”
“What?”
“What do you know about Lee Yul?”
“He’s a loyal subordinate.”
“Do you really think so?”
“That’s—”
Seol Kang-yeon stuttered without realizing it.
Pyo-wol leaned closer to him
“What kind of loyal subordinate would use his lord as bait?”
“Bait? Who are you talking about?”
Seol Kang-yeon tried to deny Pyo-wol’s words but his face started showing signs of anxiety.
The fact that he was shouting so loudly yet not one of his men had yet to come running to him made him uneasy.
No matter how many of his subordinates had left to attack the Jin family it was still impossible for things to go like this.
Pyo-wol asked
“How did you meet Lee Yul?”
“…….”
Seol Kang-yeon stepped back without answering.
Pyo-wol followed him and asked again
“Did he approach you first offering to help you go back to your old territory?”
“I–I hired him myself. He didn’t come to me.”
“Then can you tell me how you first met?”
“…….”
Seol Kang-yeon couldn’t give a proper answer.
Pyo-wol was not surprised.
“I knew it.”
Everyone has their own motives.
And Lee Yul’s motives were much larger than Seol Kang-yeon’s.
Seol Kang-yeon thought that he had Lee Yul at the palm of his hands but it was actually the opposite. He was the one being used a mere means to an end.
Everything in the Snow Sword Manor was controlled by Lee Yul.
Considering the size of the Snow Sword Manor which was by no means small Lee Yul’s ability to take complete control and bend the sect to his will was truly remarkable.
Thump!
Pyo-wol took out his phantom dagger.
Seeing the sharp blade Seol Kang-yeon also drew out his own sword.
“Do you think you can take me down easily? Even without my attendant you won’t be able to touch me.”
Although he had gained weight because he had neglected his martial arts training he still hadn’t lost any of the martial arts he had cultivated.
“Ha!”
Seol Kang-yeon made the first move.
His sword flew in a sharp trajectory but Pyo-wol could see countless flaws in his movements.
The swordsmanship itself might have been perfect but the person who executed it was too out of shape to unleash it properly.
Other martial artists might have been intimidated by the sharp swordsmanship but to Pyo-wol who is an experienced martial artist it posed no threat.
Pyo-wol got closer to his opponent while dodging his blade.
He then slashed at Seol Kang-yeon’s wide open chest.
Pow!
With the sound of a leather drum Seol Kang-yeon was sent flying backwards.
A martial artist should never let go of his weapon under any circumstances however Seol Kang-yeon did the moment he was thrown backwards.
He didn’t have the proper stance of a martial artist and subduing a person like him wasn’t too difficult for Pyo-wol.
“Kweah!”
Seol Kang-yeon fell to the ground and vomited up the food he had just eaten. His face was covered in tears and snot.
Pyo-wol stuck a phantom dagger into Seol Kang-yeon’s thigh.
Thunk!
“Keurgh!”
Seol Kang-yeon screamed again.
Pyo-wol pulled out another phantom dagger.
Seol Kang-yeon’s face then became colored with terror.
“Please… spare me–!”
A martial arts master should never lose his composure in front of the enemy especially when his life is at stake.
In that sense Snow Kang-yeon wasn’t a true martial artist.
He was just a sacrificial lamb that was easy to manipulate.
Just as Pyo-wol was about to throw another phantom dagger into Seol Kang-yeon’s body once more
Shugaak!
A flash of light sliced through the night sky.
Pyo-wol dodged the light and flew backwards.
The sword light struck Seol Kang-yeon directly.
“Keuck!”
With an expression of disbelief Seol Kang-yeon looked at the person who had just stabbed him in the chest.
The man who had no particular features that would come to mind after seeing him just once or twice was none other than Lee Yul’s henchman Baek Do-kyung.
His sword had pierced right through Seol Kang-yeon’s heart.
“Y You?”
Seol Kang-yeon reached out to grab Baek Do-kyung by the neck but Baek Do-kyung was too far away for him to reach.
Baek Do-kyung may have been under Lee Yul’s command but since Lee Yul was Seol Kang-yeon’s attendant Baek Do-kyung should ultimately still be under Seol Kang-yeon.
Yet Baek Do-kyung had no qualms about taking his life.
Looking straight at Seol Kang-yeon Baek Do-kyung said
“I guess our relationship ends here. It’s been an honor to serve you all this time my lord! Farewell.”
“Yo You—”
Seol Kang-yeon tried to say something but Baek Do-kyung had no plans of listening to him anymore. He pulled out the sword embedded in Seol Kang-yeon’s heart causing a huge amount of fresh blood to gush out of his chest.
Seol Kang-yeon flailed his hands in the air before collapsing to the ground.
That was how Seol Kang-yeon’s final moments went.
It was a futile end for someone responsible for bringing Runan into a bloodbath.
Pyo-wol watched Seol Kang-yeon die without saying a word.
“As the saying goes silence is golden. It appears his value was only worth that much to the Kowloon Assassin Guild.”
Baek Do-kyung’s eyes widened at Pyo-wol’s unexpected comment.
The name Kowloon Assassin Guild was by itself a closely guarded secret.
There were only a handful of people in the world who knew that name. Even the members themselves did not know that they belonged to it.
Even Baek Do-kyung would never have known the name if he hadn’t been Lee Yul’s henchman.
The fact that such a secret had come out of Pyo-wol’s mouth was a great shock.
Baek Do-kyung unwittingly revealed his agitation.
“How did you—?”
“Was it Lee Yul’s assignment to incite chaos using the Snow Sword Manor?”
“…….”
Baek Do-kyung was at a loss for words.
They thought they hadn’t made a mistake that would get them caught.
By far the greatest threat was Jin Geum-woo.
He was the only one in the world who had noticed the existence of the Kowloon Assassin Guild and had been tracking it down with his companions.
Lee Yul had devised and executed a plan to trap and kill Jin Geum-woo which ironically plunged the world into chaos.
But this secret plan that no one should have been able to see through was figured out by Pyo-wol.
‘This guy is—’
Baek Do-kyung felt a shiver run through his whole body.
This was the first time he had ever encountered such a person.
It wasn’t just his strong martial arts or excellent assassination skills that scared him.
What was truly terrifying was Pyo-wol’s insight the ability to gather scattered pieces of information to draw the big picture.
That kind of insight could only be obtained by being born with it or honed in extreme environments.
Baek Do-kyung had never seen anyone with this level of insight and intuition before.
Even though his master Lee Yul could be said to be an extraordinary and remarkable person he was still at a level that could be understood with common sense.
He had never encountered a being as mysterious as Pyo-wol.
‘I must kill him. If I let him live he will come back to haunt us in the future.’
Baek Do-kyung originally had no intention of fighting Pyo-wol directly. After all there was not much to be gained for the risk involved but now he changed his mind.
‘I must eliminate him at all costs.’
Baek Do-kyung raised his hand.
Ten shadows emerged from the roof of the pavilion.
Their features were as ordinary as Baek Do-kyung.
They had served as laborers and low-level warriors in the Snow Sword Manor. They lived their lives without being noticed by anyone.
These people who were treated as if they didn’t exist in the Snow Sword Manor were Baek Do-kyung’s subordinates.
As they disguised themselves as ordinary people like Baek Do-kyung they took care of the dirty work.
In the Kowloon Assassin Guild they were called ‘Soulless Ghosts’ or Muhongwi.1
Baek Do-kyung pointed his finger at Pyo-wol then the Soulless Ghosts rushed toward him in unison.
Some of them were holding kitchen knives while others were swinging swords hidden in brooms.
They used everyday objects as weapons.
It’s the same with their martial arts.
There was nothing remarkably flashy or impressive about their moves. They were composed of very ordinary moves such as stabbing and slashing. However the strength contained behind their attacks were so powerful and precise that anyone could tell that their skills had been honed through countless battles.
Shh-shh-shing!
The coordinated attack of the ten Soulless Ghosts was insane.
It was as if they were running in a spinning wheel attacking Pyo-wol without a single pause.
If Pyo-wol was an ordinary martial artist he would have already been killed by their combined attacks but unfortunately for them he wasn’t the kind of martial artist that could be found on the streets.
Clang!
The phantom daggers hanging from the Soul-Reaping Thread began to dance.
The sight of dozens or so daggers flying sideways through the air was truly spectacular.
If a stranger had seen it they would think the performance was beautiful enough for them to applaud but the result was not so beautiful.
Pooh!
A mist of blood scattered through the air.
The scattering droplets of blood turned into mist dyeing the night sky red before disappearing.
In the midst of it the Soulless Ghosts who had attacked Pyo-wol were falling.
They had long gashes on their necks.
Thud!
Leaving the fallen Soulless Ghosts behind Pyo-wol pounced on Baek Do-kyung.
The corners of Pyo-wol’s mouth were covered in crimson blood.
He had already sustained a number of internal injuries and wounds while fighting Heuk-ho and the Black Cloud Corps and to top it all off he used excessive force to kill off the Soulless Ghosts.
He had enough injuries to require at least a month of treatment but even then he didn’t stop.
“Y-You!”
Baek Do-kyung swung his sword at Pyo-wol.
The Blood Demon Sword.2
It was a sword technique forged on the battlefield.
If wielded incorrectly it would drive its wielder insane by corrupting them with demon blood.
Chwahwahak!
The ominous red sword aura soared by a whopping three meters.
The red sword aura surged towards Pyo-wol like a storm.
Baek Do-kyung had launched a flurry of attacks in a matter of seconds..
The speed at which he swung his sword was so fast that it was impossible to follow with the naked eye.
Kagagang!
But Pyo-wol blocked all of his attacks with just his two small daggers.
Baek Do-kyung increased the speed of his sword strikes making his attacks even more ferocious.
He was like a bloodthirsty demon wielding a sword.
Baek Do-kyung’s face contorted like a demon.
‘Kill.’
His mind started to erode.
It was a side effect of the Blood Demon Sword.
Once consumed by the sword it would take him quite some time to return back to normal. This was also the reason why he would usually refrain from unleashing the full power of the Blood Demon Sword but he couldn’t afford to hold back now.
His opponent was a creature beyond common sense.
To deal with such a person he had to let go of his humanity.
Kagagagagang!
The two clashed violently.
In the blink of an eye dozens of seconds passed.
Ordinary martial artists would have attacked and retreated alternately crossing each other’s distances but the two of them were locked together exchanging blows.
They competed with each other’s hand movements looking into each other’s eyes at such a close distance that they could feel each other’s breath.
Splash! Splurt!
With a sharp cutting sound blood spurted out.
No one knows or cares whose blood it was.
Blood splattered everywhere.
Nevertheless they did not stop swinging their sword and phantom daggers.
It was an insane level of fighting.
A level of confrontation that would leave even those who insisted on hand-to-hand combat speechless.
Squelch!
The last sound was particularly gruesome.
“Kreuk!”
Baek Do-kyung grabbed his throat with his hand.
Red blood was dripping from in between his fingers.
He desperately tried to stop the bleeding but it was no use.
The blood kept flowing out taking away the vigor and poison that filled his eyes.
“You…”
Baek Do-kyung tried to say something but Pyo-wol rushed past him.
He couldn’t afford to sit here and listen to Baek Do-kyung’s ramblings.
On the roof of the pavilion beyond the wall he could see Lee Yul.
Editor’s Notes:
Pyo-wol needs a well-deserved rest after this haha. Too much fighting recently. Anyway thank you for reading!
Soulless Ghosts. Raws: 무혼귀(無魂鬼). 無 wú mó – negative no not; lack have no 魂 hún – soul spirit 鬼 guǐ – ghost; spirit of dead; devil Blood Demon Sword. Raws: 귀혈마검(鬼血魔劍). 鬼 guǐ – ghost; spirit of dead; devil 血 xiě xuè – blood; radical number 143 魔 mó – demon evil spirits; magic power 劍 jiàn – sword dagger saber
