Chapter 700: You've Come to Save Me
Chapter 700: You've Come to Save Me
Given the reputation of the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon, one would expect his methods to be incomparably cruel and atrocious, but today was different.
The Smiling Demon turned to Geom Mu-geuk with a question.
“Do you wish for me to capture them alive?”
The statement caught everyone off guard. They had assumed it would be difficult enough just to locate the assassins, but to capture them alive instead of simply eliminating them?
Was he intentionally pushing the difficulty of an already impossible task to the absolute limit? That was the thought that crossed their minds.
Geom Mu-geuk smiled and replied, “How did you know that’s what I wanted?”
“I simply had a feeling you would.”
It was because the relationship between Cha Yi-ran and Ak Gun-hak had not yet been confirmed. Dealing with the situation without killing her subordinates, if possible, was the best choice to prevent any potential future regrets.
Geom Mu-geuk had intended to ask separately, but the Smiling Demon had read his mind and spoken first. Just as expected of the Smiling Demon, he thought.
“Please do so.”
“I shall follow your command.”
As expected, there was not a hint of hesitation.
The one who spoke up on behalf of the Smiling Demon’s subordinates was Lee An.
“Putting your subordinates in such danger! You’re too much!” she teased, trying to lighten the mood, knowing Geom Mu-geuk would take the joke well.
“If you feel so wronged, why don't you become the Young Cult Leader yourself?”
Though he spoke flippantly, the emotion in Geom Mu-geuk’s eyes as he looked at the Smiling Demon was not shamelessness, but absolute trust—a firm belief that the man could pull this off and that the command would not put him or his subordinates in true peril.
He didn’t forget to toss a joke to the Faceless Guests as well.
“Even if they get on your nerves, don’t kill them. And since they’re women, try not to hit them in the face.”
Laughter flickered in the eyes of the Faceless Guests.
Watching this, Bi Sa-in was inwardly impressed. The order had already been given. In that case, rather than telling them to be careful, those lighthearted words did more to boost the morale of the Faceless Guests. It was a way of acknowledging their pride and skill.
Lee An said to the Smiling Demon, “If you ever need my help, I’m ready.”
Since the Smiling Demon had already declined her help once, she couldn’t push it, but she was implying she could identify the assassins she had spotted in the waiting room. No matter how she thought about it, it seemed impossible to find them any other way. Moreover, an additional order to capture them alive had been issued.
Are you really going to be okay, Lord Smiling Demon?
The Smiling Demon sensed her concern. “Do you know why I declined your offer?”
She truly never imagined the reason would be this.
“I already know who the assassins are.”
“...!”
“I have identified sixteen of them so far.”
He was saying he had already found the confirmed assassins—and sixteen of them at that.
A startled Lee An looked at Geom Mu-geuk. Did you know, Young Cult Leader? Geom Mu-geuk shook his head. This was a fact even he hadn’t known yet.
“May I ask how you found them?”
At Lee An’s question, the Heavenly Flower Pavilion Master stepped forward to explain on his behalf.
“The Demon Lord began by investigating the other two judges besides myself.”
Since arriving at the Sinhwa Guild, the Smiling Demon hadn’t just been idling away his time in the guest hall. Since they were the people sitting next to the Pavilion Master, he had investigated the other judges first.
“As expected, both of them were closely linked to the Sinhwa Guild Master. They were people who owed him great favors and were in no position to refuse his requests.”
One thing remained unclear to her.
“I still don’t know why they invited me as a judge.” She looked back and forth between the Smiling Demon and Geom Mu-geuk. “I can only vaguely guess it was because of the Smiling Demon or the Young Cult Leader.”
Geom Mu-geuk said calmly, “It might have been because of you, Pavilion Master.”
He didn’t explain the reason in detail, but the Pavilion Master understood. It meant they might have invited her because she was a descendant of the Divine Maiden Palace.
The Pavilion Master continued her explanation. Even if she didn't know why she was called, the reason for calling the other two was clear.
“I watched closely how they gave scores starting from the preliminaries. There were times when they gave higher scores to other women even though there was clearly a more beautiful candidate present. Of course, everyone’s eyes are different, but coincidentally, their choices were the same every time.”
She hadn't just been judging the stage; she had been judging the judges.
“We found the women they intentionally selected, but the problem is the women we might have missed.”
There must have been assassins who advanced to the main round through pure beauty, like Cha Yi-ran. Naturally, a question arose.
“Then why did they have so many of them participate in the tournament? If they were the ones choosing, wouldn’t seven have been enough?”
In fact, they didn't even need a final stage.
“No, they only needed to pick one.”
Only the World’s Most Beautiful Woman would attend the celebratory banquet with the Unorthodox Path Alliance Leader.
“I wondered about that too. But after seeing this, I understood.” The Pavilion Master held out a folded piece of paper. “It’s the seating chart for the day of the finals.”
Special seats for the women who had advanced to the main round were prepared behind the stage. The finals would proceed while they watched from behind.
“They intend to do something on that stage that day. Their plan changed once the Young Cult Leader intervened.”
Lee An’s gaze deepened. The prophecy the Pavilion Master had seen also took place on a stage. They were clearly planning a conspiracy there. And that conspiracy involved her, as she was the one who would stand on the final stage.
What if Cha Yi-ran and the assassins attacked her simultaneously? It would be hard enough to block Cha Yi-ran alone, but if the assassins helped her? In the end, Geom Mu-geuk would leap onto the stage to save her.
A murder that could never be prepared for outside could happen on that stage. It was the moment when Cha Yi-ran and the elite assassins of the Beauty Cult were all on stage together.
The one who broke the heavy silence was the Smiling Demon.
“They’ll have to change their plans again.”
He would surely carry out the mission Geom Mu-geuk had given him.
“Because on that day, there will be only one assassin on that stage.”
*
Chief Manager Jo walked with hurried steps.
As the man in charge of this tournament, he had been busy day and night lately. From the preparations for the finals in two days to the celebratory banquet for the Alliance Leader afterward—these were events where a single mistake could be disastrous.
When he entered his office, Chief Manager Jo flinched. For a moment, he thought he had walked into the wrong room. Someone was sitting at his desk, looking through documents.
“Who are you?”
At the startled manager’s question, the man sitting in the chair looked up. He gestured for him to come inside. Chief Manager Jo recognized the man instantly.
This man is...?
He was the martial artist serving as the Heavenly Flower Pavilion Master’s guard. That veil with a single flower drawn on it was unique, and even with the veil, his handsome features were hard to forget. Regardless, he was someone who shouldn't be here.
The moment Chief Manager Jo turned to flee, he bumped into someone. Someone was already standing at the door. Because the person grabbed his hand to keep him from falling, he naturally assumed it was a Sinhwa Guild warrior.
But it wasn't. Looking up, he saw another veil with a single flower drawn on it. An indifferent gaze looked down at him from above the veil. It was a gaze all the more terrifying because it was so cold, contrasting sharply with the act of catching him to prevent a fall.
When Chief Manager Jo turned back around, the Smiling Demon was watching him. The moment their eyes met, Chief Manager Jo could feel it.
He’s different.
He was different from the guard he had seen before, and different from the countless people he had encountered until now. In his long years as the Chief Manager of the Sinhwa Guild, he had met all sorts of martial artists, especially many from the Unorthodox Faction. But he had never felt such a chill piercing his heart. It was entirely different from the familiar fear of the violent and the crude.
“I have something to say, so come here.”
The command was calm but irresistible, and Chief Manager Jo staggered toward the Smiling Demon. The fact that he spoke with such courtesy made him even more terrifying.
“What... what do you want from me?”
The Smiling Demon pushed the documents he had been reading forward.
“Contact them and tell them to gather.”
Chief Manager Jo looked at the documents; they were the personal information of the women who had participated in the World’s Most Beautiful Woman contest and advanced to the main round.
“Why these people...?”
“You don’t need to know.”
He could call them. He knew where they were staying so that he could contact the participants at any time. The women were all staying in inns or rented manors near the Sinhwa Guild. But he couldn't just do it blindly.
“I don’t know the reason, but the Guild Master will investigate this later.”
He was indirectly saying that the intruder would have to face the entire Sinhwa Guild. He said it thinking that no matter how scary this man was, he would surely fear the Guild Master.
The Smiling Demon stared at him silently. A sliver of a smile appeared in his eyes. It wasn't the bright smile he showed to Geom Mu-geuk. It was the smile of the Smiling Demon that summoned death.
The moment he saw that smile, a terrifying fear tightened around Chief Manager Jo, making it hard to breathe. It felt as if he could hear the screams of a soul being torn apart in a dark, deep place.
“Did you know?”
It was an abrupt question, but Chief Manager Jo’s heart sank.
It’s finally happened.
It had been strange from the start that the Sinhwa Guild Master would suddenly hold such a tournament. He wasn't the type of person to think that hosting such an event would raise the guild’s reputation. This was definitely not an idea that came from the Guild Master’s head. He knew that better than anyone.
It was also strange that he had called in the Yeomsa Sword and the Iron Cold Blade after the tournament began. He wouldn't have called them in if he didn't have some kind of fear. Moreover, he had suddenly invited the Unorthodox Path Alliance Leader to the celebratory banquet.
He had sensed that something was going on, but Chief Manager Jo had just been doing what he was told, pretending not to know. Just as he always had.
“I... I know nothing.”
The Smiling Demon looked down at the documents on the table and said, “Then prove it.”
It was no longer a situation to hesitate. He had already felt death in the other man’s smile.
“What... what should I say to call them?”
“Tell them there is a seating assignment for the final stage.”
Chief Manager Jo said with a fearful face, “But for something like this, I need the Guild Master’s permission...”
The Smiling Demon said calmly, “Your Guild Master won’t have the leisure for that today.”
“...!”
Chief Manager Jo knew what that meant. His heart pounded as if it would burst.
“It’s a tournament you prepared; shouldn't you see it through to the end?”
It was an implication that he could live if he cooperated.
“Yes, I understand.”
As he gathered the documents, Chief Manager Jo’s eyes fell on the personal information set aside on the desk. There seemed to be about fifteen or sixteen pages, and they were also women who had advanced to the main round.
“Why are these women being left out?”
From the mouth of the Smiling Demon, who was looking out the window, came an incomprehensible reply.
“Those people have already been called.”
*
Old Man No, a bachelor who sold all sorts of knick-knacks from a cart in the marketplace, had been in a good mood lately. It was because the tournament had brought crowds of people to the streets every day. And what beautiful women they were!
In the past, he had hated waking up in the morning, but lately, his eyes snapped open with the desire to go out and do business. The woman currently picking out items in front of him was also incredibly beautiful.
How wonderful would it be if I could marry a woman like this? He felt like he could carry her on his back for the rest of his life.
“If you don’t like that one, take a look at this.” Old Man No found another accessory displayed on the cart and handed it to her.
“Huh?”
Old Man No looked around with a startled face. The woman who had been looking at the goods in front of the cart just a moment ago had vanished into thin air.
Rumble, rumble.
That woman was inside the carriage that had just passed the cart. Or more accurately, she had been loaded into it. Her Acupoints and Mute Acupoint had been struck, leaving her unable to move a finger. She stared at the man sitting across from her with wide eyes, as if she couldn't believe the situation.
The man was wearing a pure white mask and looking out the carriage window.
A Faceless Guest!
The woman knew who her opponent was. She was no ordinary woman either. She was 17th Gyo, the seventeenth "bridge" of the Beauty Cult.
She had been careless. She truly never dreamed that a passing carriage would kidnap her. But carelessness aside, the opponent’s skill was too proficient. The moment the carriage passed behind her, the door had opened, and her Acupoints and Mute Acupoint were struck in an instant. Simultaneously, she was pulled into the carriage. It had happened in the blink of an eye.
Where on earth are they taking me?
The Faceless Guest didn't even give her a single glance, merely watching the scenery outside. He looked like a country bumpkin visiting the city for the first time.
How long had they been traveling? The carriage stopped in front of a building. From the driver’s seat, someone tapped on the back wall. At that signal, the Faceless Guest inside the carriage stepped out. She could feel the man from the driver’s seat getting down as well. Since they had closed the window curtains before getting out, she couldn't tell what was happening outside.
17th Gyo waited with an anxious and tense heart. A moment later, the sound of clashing weapons echoed from outside. In that instant, she had a hunch. The Faceless Guest was fighting her comrades.
Please! Please!
Soon, the sounds of fighting ceased, and the surroundings grew quiet. A tense moment passed.
The carriage door swung open. Joy spread across 17th Gyo’s face when she saw who it was. The woman standing in front of the carriage was none other than 5th Gyo. She was a senior she liked and someone whose skills were well-recognized. She was a woman who had completed twenty-four assassinations without a single mistake.
I knew it! You killed those bastards and came to save me!
It was at that moment that 5th Gyo was shoved inside. Having already had her Mute Acupoint and Acupoints struck, 5th Gyo was seated right next to 17th Gyo.
“...”
“...”
The Faceless Guest who had pushed 5th Gyo in sat down and tapped the wall toward the driver’s seat. At that signal, the carriage started moving.
The Faceless Guest didn't give them a single glance, only looking at the scenery outside, as the carriage began to race toward the next "bridge."