Chapter 23: Escape (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 23: Escape (3)
Tatap, tatap, tatap!
Masked to hide our identities, we were moving toward the southwest.
Six Blood Valley was a mountain range encircled by jagged peaks. While numerous trails branched out in every direction, some were treacherous, while others offered a relatively safe and swift descent.
The path we were currently traversing was an escape route that Six Blood Valley had prepared long ago. Because the trail was tucked between high ridges, it was shielded from the view of neighboring mountains, making it the safest possible exit.
'He probably is.'
He had been doused in Thousand Li Autumn Scent, so he was inevitably the most vulnerable. To divert the enemies' attention, Bloody Unit Leader Gu Sang-ung had assigned the mission to the fastest and most skilled practitioner of concealment among his subordinates.
He was right. Unless luck was on his side, the probability of death was extremely high. Ultimately, it was a mission that demanded a sacrifice. By now, he would be luring the enemies toward a dangerous path that no one else would take.
And if he were finally caught...
He’d have no choice, even if he didn't want to. If he fell into the enemy's hands, he would be subjected to all manner of torture.
'I wonder.'
Even if it weren't the Blood Cult, any organization in this situation would sacrifice someone—all under the pretext of sacrificing one to save the many. It was cold-blooded, but that was the reality of the martial world.
Regardless of the reason, that was the best-case scenario.
So far, there had been no issues. Thanks to Baek Ryeonha’s presence, Bloody Unit Leader Gu Sang-ung had joined our group, ensuring our movement through the mountain trails was seamless. Having served in Six Blood Valley since his days as a Great Leader, he was intimately familiar with the local geography.
Gu Sang-ung led the vanguard.
Guarding the very rear was Escort Unit Leader Jang Mun-woong.
In the middle of the retreating line, Hae Ak-cheon, two other Great Leaders from Six Blood Valley, the twins Song Jwa-baek and Song Woo-hyeon, and I were escorting Baek Ryeonha.
'Who?'
At those words, I glanced her way. I saw her slightly lifting her mask to sneak a piece of beef jerky into her mouth. She had lost weight, but it seemed her appetite remained intact. Seeing her act like this in the middle of an escape, I wondered if her illness was truly cured.
Perhaps sensing my gaze, she hurriedly pulled her mask back down and hid the jerky in her robes. What was the point of hiding it when I’d already seen it?
Wait, did Short Sword just say she was eating again?
I narrowed my eyes at her. Just how much beef jerky did she have stashed in those robes?
"I want some too."
"Stop staring, you idiot."
It seemed I wasn't the only one who noticed. When the younger twin, Song Woo-hyeon, spoke while gulping down his saliva, Song Jwa-baek scolded him in a whisper. He had become much more cautious since learning Baek Ryeonha’s true identity.
"........"
Feeling embarrassed, Baek Ryeonha reached into her robes and pulled out three pieces of jerky. Without a word, she handed them to the twins and me. Was this a bribe to keep our mouths shut?
'Hmm.'
I wasn't particularly hungry. But having something to chew on wasn't bad; the flavor was actually quite good.
"Eat quietly, you brats."
Hae Ak-cheon, who was ahead of us, snapped irritably, clearly annoyed by the sound of us chewing jerky behind him. Baek Ryeonha offered a quiet apology.
"I'm sorry, Uncle Hae."
"........"
Hae Ak-cheon didn't say another word after that.
*
We had been descending the mountain at a brisk pace for about an hour.
A chorus of ringing voices echoed in my ears. I frowned and looked toward the source. Almost simultaneously—or perhaps even faster than me—Hae Ak-cheon looked in the same direction.
Then, whoosh!
He used his lightness skill to dash toward the front of the line. Soon after, Bloody Unit Leader Gu Sang-ung raised his hand, signaling everyone to halt.
"What's go—mph?"
Song Jwa-baek started to mutter in confusion. I covered his mouth and pointed toward the direction of the ringing, sending him a message via Secret Sound Transmission.
[There’s an ambush over there.]
His eyes widened in shock.
[How do you know that?]
He seemed more surprised by the fact that I had noticed than by the existence of the enemies themselves. I couldn't actually sense their presence either, given the distance. However, I could hear the voices of their swords.
[Can't you tell? Master ran to the front to stop us the moment he looked that way.]
I gave him a plausible excuse. It seemed to work, as he nodded in understanding. Anxiety flickered in Baek Ryeonha’s eyes. Hae Ak-cheon was the only one who had sensed them, and she seemed worried that the ambushers might be numerous.
Just then, a transmission reached my ears.
[Bring the two Great Leaders and come to the front quietly.]
It was Hae Ak-cheon. He had called only me and the two Great Leaders. I relayed the message to Great Leader Hae Ok-seon and Great Leader Yang Gang-il. They nodded.
As I prepared to move forward with them, Baek Ryeonha asked:
[Did he only call the three of you?]
[Yes. Just the three of us.]
She looked slightly relieved at my answer. She likely assumed the ambushers were few in number. I wasn't entirely sure myself. Based on the voices of the swords, there were at least five, but if there were those using bare fists or other weapons, the number would be higher.
When we reached the front, Hae Ak-cheon was conversing with Bloody Unit Leader Gu Sang-ung via sound transmission.
[Master.]
As I called out to him, he immediately sent a transmission back.
[There are seven people hiding behind the ridge to the right. One is a Peak Master, and the rest seem to be between first-rate and second-rate.]
That meant two of them were using different types of weapons. Fortunately, the number was small. At this scale, it was more of a scouting party or a patrol than a full-scale ambush.
[We strike first. I will handle the Peak Master and one first-rate master. You lot take care of the rest. We cannot afford to drag this out; eliminate them as quickly as possible.]
He was right. If we took too long, they might call for reinforcements. Hae Ak-cheon would take two, Gu Sang-ung would take two, and the remaining three were likely second-rate, so the three of us—all at the level of Great Leaders—were tasked with finishing them off quickly.
After coordinating our signals, we suppressed our presence and moved toward the ridge.
Shh!
Hae Ak-cheon raised his hand slightly. It was a signal to stop. From this distance, a Peak Master might sense the presence of Great Leader-level martial artists like us, even if they couldn't detect Hae Ak-cheon or Gu Sang-ung.
As we waited, the two masters lunged forward simultaneously.
Flash!
As the two experts cleared the ridge, the sounds of a scuffle and weapons being drawn erupted. At that moment, the two Great Leaders and I also threw ourselves into the fray.
Over the ridge, I saw Hae Ak-cheon engaging those with sabers and swords, while Gu Sang-ung took on those using fists and sabers.
Whoosh!
The Great Leaders and I each targeted an opponent.
'I choose you.'
My target was a swordsman in blue martial robes with sharp, narrow eyes. He possessed the prowess of a second-rate master. Before my regression, facing even one such opponent would have been a struggle, but now, it was no challenge at all.
Clang! Clang-clang!
"Gah?!"
I neutralized him in just three exchanges. Since I completely overwhelmed him in skill, I didn't even need to use a formal martial technique. By the fourth exchange, my sword pierced his chest.
Thuck!
"Urgh!"
He threw himself backward to avoid a fatal blow, but the pain was clearly immense as he dropped his sword and gasped for air. I pinned him down and covered his mouth. I moved to thrust my sword into his throat to finish him off.
A scream echoed in my mind. It was the voice of the sword he had dropped. It was shrieking as I tried to kill its master.
'Ah!'
A brilliant idea suddenly flashed through my mind.
Tatap!
I struck the second-rate swordsman's pressure points to paralyze him, then picked up his fallen sword and spoke to it.
'You can hear me, right?'
The sword of the second-rate master was struck with disbelief.
'What do you mean "how"? I'm talking to you because I can hear you.'
The reactions of swords were always the same. It was only natural for them to find someone who could hear their voices extraordinary. Since time was short, I got straight to the point.
'You don't want your master's throat pierced, do you?'
At my words, the sword pleaded.
It was somewhat pitiful. However, I couldn't afford to be soft-hearted here.
'Then tell me everything. Your master's identity and where the rest of his comrades are hiding.'
The sword refused stubbornly, sensing my intent. Indeed, just because I could hear their voices didn't mean I could force their wills to submit. Fundamentally, swords were loyal to their masters.
Look at this guy. The sword was questioning my identity instead.
Thanks to this reaction, I could roughly guess their identity. Mentioning the "greater good" meant they were undoubtedly from the Orthodox Faction.
'Is that so? Then I have no choice.'
I lifted the sword and aimed it at the paralyzed swordsman's throat.
Lesser Conversation Sword, who rarely spoke up, scolded me. From one sword's perspective to another, making a blade kill its own master was a distasteful prospect.
I wondered if I was going too far, but the effect was immediate.
The sword surrendered. Seeing how quickly it opened its mouth, the thought of being the instrument of its master's death must have been agonizing.
The sword told me everything it knew. After hearing it, the situation felt quite grave.
The sword spoke with a voice full of hope. I set the blade down on the ground.
'I'll avoid the throat.'
Before the sword could finish its question, I thrust the Namcheon Iron Sword into the paralyzed swordsman's heart. The man's twitching body soon went stiff as a board.
In that instant, the sword unleashed a torrent of curses at me.
'Sorry. The only mercy I can offer you is not making your own blade the one that kills your master.'
The sword continued to curse me. I had no choice. Leaving this man alive while we were fleeing would surely lead to trouble later. Since he had come here to kill me anyway, sparing him wouldn't have been mercy—it would have been stupidity.
Lesser Conversation Sword spoke with a bitter voice. I only did it because I knew you’d hate it otherwise.
As I was feeling a bit conflicted, Hae Ak-cheon’s voice rang out.
"I told you to finish it quickly. What are you doing?"
Looking around, I saw that the rest of the enemies were already dead. Since they had all faced opponents significantly weaker than themselves, they had finished the job swiftly.
"You're still far from ready if you hesitate to kill."
Ah. I suppose standing there silently with the sword looked like hesitation. I’d been misunderstood.
"Guh...!"
Just then, a faint groan came from somewhere. Bloody Unit Leader Gu Sang-ung was crouching in front of someone, but he soon stood up and shook his head.
Hae Ak-cheon clicked his tongue at the sight.
"Tsk, tsk. You failed."
Gu Sang-ung nodded as he approached.
"He bit his tongue. He was a stubborn one."
It seemed he had tried to extract information, but the attempt had failed. Hae Ak-cheon shook his head in disappointment.
"Nothing we can do. Hide the bodies in the brush and let's head back."
"Understood."
Just as everyone was about to move to dispose of the corpses, I spoke to Hae Ak-cheon.
"I found out."
"What?"
"These men are warriors from the Heavenly Truth Gate and the Haeyeon Sect."
'!!!'
At those words, everyone, including Hae Ak-cheon, froze in their tracks and stared at me with wide, startled eyes.