Chapter 78: The Mastermind (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 78: The Mastermind (1)
Sending the Lesser Conversation Sword out on a whim had been a stroke of genius.
While meditating and circulating my energy, I had sensed a strangely alien presence nearby, unlike that of ordinary people. It felt too suspicious to ignore.
I had sent the Lesser Conversation Sword to investigate, and this was the situation it found. I didn't know who these people were, but the fact that they had tried to kidnap my younger sister made my blood boil.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
In an instant, the Namcheon Iron Sword streaked through the air, piercing the bodies of the masked men who had been knocked aloft by the impact.
"Brother!"
Yeong-yeong threw her arms around me, clinging tight.
I had been watching through the Lesser Conversation Sword’s eyes halfway through, and despite her stubborn refusal to give up earlier, her body was now trembling violently. She had been forcing herself to endure her fear while facing the enemies.
To think they tried to kidnap a child like this.
I could never forgive them. They would pay for this with their lives.
—Un-hwi! Look ahead!
The Lesser Conversation Sword’s shout echoed in my mind.
Just as it said, while everyone else had been sent flying upward by the shockwave, there was one individual charging toward me, his feet thumping heavily against the floor.
That’s the one.
It was the monster I had seen through the Lesser Conversation Sword’s eyes. The sight of his eyes and mouth sewn shut with stitches was nothing short of gruesome.
"Brother, be careful! His body is as hard as a rock!" Yeong-yeong warned.
Whether he was hard or not, I’d find out soon enough.
I extended my index and middle fingers, forming a sword-finger gesture toward him.
Swish!
The air shimmered as a sharp killing intent surged toward the man.
Though he couldn't see, his sense of presence must have been keen; he crossed his arms and continued to charge forward. It seemed he intended to tank the killing intent head-on.
Slash!
The killing intent collided with his arms. Blood sprayed from the newly formed gashes on his limbs as he was blown backward.
"Huh?"
Yeong-yeong’s eyes widened.
Even if that monster had mastered external martial arts, the killing intent I unleashed was powerful enough that even most peak masters would find it difficult to block. It was only natural that the result differed from her attempt.
Crash!
The man, sent flying by the impact, slammed into the stairs leading to the upper floor. It didn't look like he’d be getting back up.
—Wait, never mind him being blind—how does that guy even eat?
Is that really the first thing you noticed? You don't even eat food, yet you're worried about him.
Thump, thump, thump!
Meanwhile, the masked men who had been skewered fell to the floor one by one. The interior of the inn was a complete shambles.
I felt a bit sorry for the owner. However, dropping down from above had been the most effective way to save Yeong-yeong rather than coming through the front door.
—I think the owner might be dead too.
They likely killed him to keep him quiet.
Yeong-yeong, still in my arms, spoke up with a flushed, embarrassed face.
"L-Let me down."
"Were you scared?"
"Scared? Please! I wasn't scared at all."
You should wipe the tears from your eyes before saying that.
I didn't call her out on it. Instead, I gave a small smile and set her down. Yeong-yeong immediately shouted at one of the masked men.
"Where did you take my sister?"
The man she addressed was standing near the entrance. He was significantly stronger than the others, possessing martial prowess at the summit of the Supreme Peak Realm. Fortunately, he hadn't been caught in the initial shockwave.
"Damn it! You bitch... you're related to the Lesser Sword Immortal?"
He was only realizing that now? It seemed he hadn't even known who Yeong-yeong was. If so, was the attempted kidnapping just a coincidence? I couldn't make sense of it.
"You tried to kidnap me without even knowing that? I thought you just had a death wish."
—Ha! Look at her talk. She really is your sister.
The Lesser Conversation Sword marveled at the way Yeong-yeong sarcastically taunted the enemy. I hadn't realized it before, but she really did take after me in some ways.
Looking at the masked man’s eyes, he seemed quite conflicted. He truly hadn't known.
"If you don't want to die, tell us where you took my sister and Eon-mae right now!" Yeong-yeong pressed him.
It seemed they had kidnapped not only Namgung Ga-hee but also Eon Yeong-in of the Jinju Eon family. It was unlikely these types would just open their mouths, though. I would have to force the information out of him.
Just then, the masked man looked toward the collapsed stairs and shouted.
"Stop faking and get up!"
He was talking to the monster. I could still feel the creature's presence, but after an impact like that, the internal injuries should have been too severe for him to rise easily.
Contrary to my expectations, however, the debris shifted, and the monster pulled himself to his feet.
Has the bleeding stopped?
The wounds on his arms hadn't healed, but the bleeding had ceased. His arms should have been trembling from the trauma, yet they were perfectly still.
Does he not feel pain?
There was no other way he could stand there so composed.
"...Brother. That guy is weird," Yeong-yeong muttered, looking at him in bewilderment.
The masked man sneered and shouted, "Do you think a Ghoulish Ghost is defeated that easily? Now that you're up, stop that man immediately!"
Ghoulish Ghost?
What was that? Was he referring to the monster with the sewn eyes and mouth?
Regardless, that wasn't the priority. The masked man who ordered the monster to stop me was trying to flee the inn. Realizing he was no match for me as time went on, he intended to sacrifice the monster to save himself.
However...
"Wh-what?"
The Namcheon Iron Sword blocked his path. The masked man tried to brush it aside and escape, but the sword began executing techniques, forcing him to focus entirely on defense.
"Brother!"
Yeong-yeong cried out. The monster called the Ghoulish Ghost was charging at me again. With his sewn-shut face, his bull-like charge was incredibly eerie.
"Step back!"
Pushing Yeong-yeong behind me, I caught the monster's fist as he threw a devastating punch. Then, I immediately countered with a punch of my own straight to his chest.
Thud! Crackle!
I had infused the strike with five stars of internal power. The sound of bones shattering was unmistakable.
And yet, instead of being blown back by the force of the internal energy, the creature endured it and reached out with his gnarled hands to grab my face.
This guy...
It was certain now. He felt no pain whatsoever.
I tilted my head back slightly, narrowly avoiding his grasp. Then, I delivered a kick straight to his head.
Crack!
The kick, backed by profound internal power, snapped his head to the side. His neck was visibly broken.
Despite that, he launched a front kick at my chest. Yeong-yeong couldn't hide her horror.
"H-His neck is broken! How is he still...?"
She was clearly shaken by the monstrous display. I, however, remained calm. I twisted my body slightly to dodge the kick and brought my elbow down hard.
Snap!
The bone in his calf shattered and protruded through the skin, causing his form to collapse. I didn't miss the opening and grabbed the Ghoulish Ghost by the hair with my left hand.
Whoosh!
The Lesser Conversation Sword flew from its scabbard into my right hand. Without a moment's hesitation, I plunged the sword into the monster's head and spun it around his neck like a windmill.
Screeeech!
With the sound of grinding bone, the Ghoulish Ghost’s head was torn off. As blood began to spray from the severed neck, I kicked the body away.
Thwack!
The headless body, propelled by the kick, flailed its fists like a puppet with cut strings before finally collapsing to the floor.
As expected, whether they had fast recovery or felt no pain, they still died if you separated the head from the body.
"What?!"
The masked man fighting the Namcheon Iron Sword was aghast. He clearly hadn't expected me to subdue the creature so easily.
Yeong-yeong, her eyes wide with shock, turned to me.
"Brother... have you fought monsters like that before?"
This one was actually on the tamer side. There were monsters out there who could heal from fatal wounds with absurd recovery abilities. But there was no time for this.
I lunged toward the masked man fighting the Namcheon Iron Sword and subdued him in an instant. Even if he was at the peak of the Supreme Peak Realm, the gap between us was too wide. I swatted away his sword mid-technique, grabbed his arm, and twisted.
Crunch!
"Aaargh!"
This one felt pain. It seemed only the one with the sewn eyes and mouth had been abnormal.
"Y-You monster..."
If someone is stronger than you, they're a monster? What a joke.
I roughly ripped the mask off the man I held immobilized. A fairly ordinary-looking face was revealed.
Yeong-yeong pointed her sword at his throat and demanded, "How did you track us?"
At her question, the man groaned in pain before answering.
"W-We followed the Thousand Li Autumn Scent."
Thousand Li Autumn Scent. It was a fragrance powder that, as the name suggested, could be tracked for up to a thousand li. By sprinkling this highly aromatic dust, one could track a target's location using special tools or trained hounds.
That meant they had been tracking them from quite a distance. It also explained why they might not have realized I was here.
I saw Yeong-yeong bite her lip. Based on her reaction, this likely had something to do with the mission she had received from Phoenix Hall.
Stab!
"Gah!"
Yeong-yeong pressed the tip of her sword into his neck and spoke threateningly.
"Tell me now! Where did you take Eon-mae and my sister? Speak, or you die."
The man’s eyes darted around at her words, but then he looked at me instead of her.
"Lesser Sword Immortal... promise to let me live. If you do, I will release them."
He was trying to bargain with his life.
"What?!"
Furious, Yeong-yeong slapped him. She was likely struggling to keep her cool because her precious comrades had been kidnapped.
As she raised her hand again, the man glared at her and said, "If you treat me like this, you'll never see those girls again."
Yeong-yeong’s face turned red with rage. Barely managing to steady her breathing, she turned to me and sent a sound transmission.
[Brother... I think we have to accept the deal.]
My heart ached seeing her so anxious for her friends.
Sigh...
I looked down at the man with an overbearing gaze. Sensing the killing intent in my eyes, he spoke hurriedly.
"H-Hurry, or you might not find them alive. Choose wis—"
Before he could finish, I raised my hand. And then, I backhanded him across the face.
Slap!
"Guh!"
A scream erupted from him, accompanied by a sound far louder than when Yeong-yeong had struck him. His head snapped to the side, and broken teeth sprayed out of his mouth along with a spray of blood.
"Brother!"
Yeong-yeong called out to me, startled. She was likely panicked, thinking I was throwing away the chance to bargain.
The man, his teeth shattered, shouted at me in disbelief.
"Y-You... you're okay with those girls dying...?"
Slap!
"Aaargh!"
The slap, infused with internal power, tore the flesh from his cheek.
Yeong-yeong grabbed my sleeve and screamed, "Are you crazy?! Brother, are you really okay with them dying?!"
Looking at her, I spoke in a calm, soothing voice.
"Yeong-yeong. You trust me, right?"
Yeong-yeong frowned as she looked at me. After a moment, she let go of my sleeve.
"....I trust you."
The man, groaning in pain, looked at me with trembling eyes.
"L-Lesser Sword Immortal... To think a man hailed as a hero of the Orthodox Faction would act so emotionally instead of trying to save people..."
"Orthodox hero, my ass."
Thud! Crackle!
"Aaaaaargh!"
I kicked him in the ribs, and the sound of them snapping was quite crisp. The pain was so intense that he began rolling on the floor, screaming in agony.
I looked down at him with cold eyes.
"A piece of filth like you, who dared to lay a hand on my sister, thinks he's in a position to bargain?"
Cough... cough...
The man spat up blood and glared at me. He had some backbone, I'll give him that. He hadn't lost his spirit even after such a beating.
"Lesser Sword Immortal... so you've... truly... abandoned those women. This was... your choice. Ptui."
I looked down at him and gave a thin smile.
"Did you think that if you acted tough, I'd back down and say, 'Fine, I'll spare your life, just please tell me where they are'?"
"........"
The man grimaced. He seemed flustered that my reaction was completely different from what he had intended.
He spoke as if he couldn't understand. "No... do you really not care what happens to those girls—"
Bam!
At that moment, someone kicked the door of the inn open. It was a surly-looking young man with a muscular build wearing furs—Song Jwa-baek.
Jwa-baek raised a hand toward Yeong-yeong.
"Yo. Long time no see."
Yeong-yeong’s eyes went wide. It wasn't because she was happy to see a childhood acquaintance from her hometown; it was because she spotted Namgung Ga-hee draped over his shoulder.
"S-Sister!"
Yeong-yeong’s face brightened, and she dashed toward Jwa-baek. Seeing her ignore his greeting and only care about Namgung Ga-hee, Jwa-baek smacked his lips awkwardly.
"Ahem."
On the other hand, the leader of the masked men looked stunned to see Namgung Ga-hee rescued. He gulped and stammered at me.
"S-So you had allies... You got lucky. But the other girl will never—"
Step, step.
The sound of footsteps echoed as another figure entered the inn. The leader’s gaze shifted toward the door.
The figure was none other than one of the masked men. He was carrying a woman over one shoulder—Eon Yeong-in of the Jinju Eon family.
"Eon-mae!"
Yeong-yeong was beyond shocked. The masked man was clearly one of the leader's subordinates. She couldn't understand why he was bringing the kidnapped woman back here.
The leader, looking like his heart was about to explode from frustration, screamed at the masked man.
"Y-You! Are you insane?! Why did you bring that girl back here?!"
At that shout, the masked man carrying Eon Yeong-in twisted his body coyly and suddenly burst into a laugh that didn't fit his appearance.
"Kyahahaha!"
It was the laugh of a woman.
"You bastard, have you lost your—"
"Kyahaha. This man is now this lady's faithful slave."
!?
In the masked man's hand was the Evil Connection Sword.