Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Chapter 3: The Match (3)
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Shiiik!
‘Eek!’
That was close. I nearly got hit while talking.
“Quit your tricks!”
Daeyuk bellowed as he swung his butcher knife in a wide arc.
Oho hurriedly ducked his head. The dull, blackened blade might look blunt, but its sharpness whistling over his head rivaled that of a treasured sword.
“That’s Daeyuk of the Meat-Eating Brothers.”
Someone from the Blue Spear Society muttered. A heavy voice followed from the side.
“Indeed. What are scum like the Meat-Eating Brothers doing here...?”
Even so, the Blue Spear Society warriors held back from jumping in.
If there had been a direct order to capture the Meat-Eating Brothers, they would have charged without hesitation. But launching a preemptive strike on the mere pretext of punishing evildoers felt too risky against opponents of their caliber. Daeyuk showed no intimidation even with the Blue Spear Society warriors right in front of him, calmly unleashing killing blows as he pursued Oho. And with good reason—his martial arts were undeniably formidable.
“And you call yourselves the Five Strongholds of Ilsan?”
Oho shouted once more.
The faces of the Blue Spear Society spearmen hardened.
He had struck right at the heart of it.
The Blue Spear Society warriors flushed with embarrassment but remained cautious about making a move. Oho had no intention of blaming them. He understood completely. Even the Shadow Squad couldn’t attack recklessly. Even the Heaven-Destroying Squad would have struggled to commit. Fighting masters like the Meat-Eating Brothers would cost the Heaven-Destroying Squad a certain level of casualties no matter what.
If they couldn’t decide, he’d have to give them a push. Oho raised his voice.
“I’ve heard Han Namchang is a great hero who won’t tolerate injustice! The Blue Spear Society’s name will ring out!”
Han Namchang was the Blue Spear Society Leader’s moniker.
Mentioning the Leader’s name twisted the Blue Spear Society warriors’ expressions.
Daeyuk provided the answer.
“Shut your trap! I’ll boil that tongue of yours first!”
Daeyuk’s slashes grew fiercer.
Oho’s ploy to drag in the Blue Spear Society was blatantly obvious. Daeyuk had every right to be furious. And the moment he lost his composure was Oho’s opportunity.
Shweeeek!
Oho compressed space itself as he surged forward, twisting his wrist to strike with the black-and-white swords. It was a diagonal slash that corkscrewed in. Daeyuk’s face froze solid.
Claaang!
Daeyuk desperately raised both butcher knives to deflect the black-and-white swords. Sparks flew.
“You bastard!!”
He roared in fury, but Oho was already gone from sight. Using the recoil from the clash, Oho had leaped far back, then spun and accelerated. Flames erupted in Daeyuk’s eyes. He swung his butcher knives madly and kicked off the ground after Oho. His killing intent spread like wildfire.
Shwaaaaa!
The bamboo grove winds howled.
The Blue Spear Society spearmen could no longer stand idle. They leaped into motion as well.
Chase and be chased, chase and be chased again.
Runners in the night. They pursued only the one ahead.
Who had put whom up to this? Who had commissioned whom? It had all become a blur.
Oho sprinted at full speed through the bamboo grove.
Voices echoed from up ahead. Almost there. So-yuk’s voice rang out.
“Exactly. You’ve done your part. Hand over the girl now.”
There it was.
The man in white robes with the silk gown draped over his shoulders set Seol down as he spoke.
“The girl’s right here. I’ve delivered her as promised.”
“Indeed. Looks delicious.”
“I trust you’ll keep your word.”
“My word? What word?”
“You don’t know?”
“Exactly. This word, perhaps?”
So-yuk stepped forward boldly and swung his butcher knife.
Slash! Spurt!
The conversation ended in bloodshed.
The white-robed Yusam took the blade without a clue. In the blink of an eye, blood sprayed.
“Gurk...! Wh-why...!”
“Exactly. They paid me to do it? Hell if I know why.”
How futile.
The white-robed Yusam’s body tilted backward.
Thud.
Shwaaaaa!
The rustling bamboo leaves scattered the surging stench of blood.
Oho finally stood before So-yuk. So-yuk had slung Seol over his waist after killing Yusam. He seemed practiced at carrying people like that—it looked entirely natural. Oho checked on her first. She was breathing steadily, but limp as a slab of meat, unconscious.
“Huh? How’d a punk like you make it all the way here? Exactly. You ran from my brother?”
So-yuk grinned and fired off questions.
They weren’t really questions seeking answers. Guys like him never listened anyway. They just spouted whatever they wanted.
Oho readjusted his grip on the black-and-white swords and glanced down at the fallen man.
Even as blood poured out and death closed in, his bulging eyes refused to close, full of injustice.
That was a clue too.
Everything in this situation was connected, but not organically. The Blue Spear Society hadn’t known about the Meat-Eating Brothers’ involvement, and the white-robed Yusam hadn’t expected to die. It was more like a patchwork structure. Tracking the mastermind would be tough. The Meat-Eating Brothers seemed to play a key role, but even capturing and interrogating them wouldn’t yield much useful info.
‘Not that I could capture them anyway.’
A moment when his lack of strength stung.
He considered closed-door training, but dismissed it immediately. The Shadow Squad wouldn’t allow it. They were already chronically short-staffed. He shook off the thought and focused ahead. So-yuk’s torn mouth looked utterly vicious. His yellowed—practically brown—teeth added grotesqueness to the ferocity. People really were what they ate.
“If you ran, you should’ve bolted far away where no one could see you. What’re you gonna do showing up in front of me?”
So-yuk sneered, flicking one butcher knife idly.
“Who knows. What should I do?”
It wasn’t just a retort.
Oho genuinely pondered his next move right then.
Daeyuk burst in, panting hard. His killing intent burned hot. And behind him, the Blue Spear Society spearmen were swarming.
‘How the hell do I get out of this?’
The goal was simple.
Take Seol and escape this place.
Of course, they wouldn’t allow it. Everyone was an enemy. No easy way out in sight.
“Hey, little bro. You take that girl and hand her over. I’ll eat this one.”
“Exactly. Perfect. I prefer my girls tender anyway.”
“You can’t eat her.”
“I can’t?”
“I told you. Don’t kill her. Just hand her over.”
So-yuk looked genuinely disappointed. Still, he obeyed his brother. He turned to go.
Oho’s eyes stayed fixed on Seol. Daeyuk perfectly blocked his path and said,
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Cling.
Daeyuk lightly clashed his two butcher knives, igniting his killing intent.
This was bad.
So-yuk was different from the white-robed Yusam that Oho had been chasing. Once someone with So-yuk’s level of skill got up to speed, even Oho couldn’t catch up.
‘Damn it, this is a mess...!’
Curses swirled in his mouth unspoken.
Then—
“Urk!”
So-yuk, pulling away ahead, jolted with a sharp cry and leaped aside.
Whoooosh!
A golden glow extended faintly under the white moonlight. The golden shadow spiraled then unfurled forward. The light formed a golden crescent.
So-yuk twisted his body in panic.
The golden crescent surged ahead as if waiting.
So-yuk swung his butcher knife in alarm.
The crescent perfectly anticipated So-yuk’s move. It slipped past the knife smoothly, then wrapped around his arm like a caress. Slash! The crescent severed So-yuk’s arm.
“Gaaahk!”
Spurt! Splatter splatter!
Blood sprayed everywhere.
Thud! Seol’s body hit the ground.
All eyes turned that way.
It was only natural.
So-yuk had lost an arm in an instant. No one could have predicted it.
Shwaaaaa.
The wind blew.
Amid stares full of shock, a man emerged through the bamboo winds.
It was Cheonwi.
Bamboo leaves fluttered wildly over his disheveled hair like flower petals. In the deep night, his face gleamed unusually pale, like moonlight from the sky.
“You. You eat people, right?”
Cheonwi asked So-yuk.
No sarcasm. It sounded like pure, genuine curiosity.
“This fucker... my arm...!”
So-yuk’s bulging eyes were fixed on his left arm flopping on the ground like a dying worm. The massive worm spurted blood in gulps.
“Blood too? What’s it taste like?”
Cheonwi asked again.
A smile that wasn’t quite a smile lingered on his face. Different from the vibe at the Golden Flower Garden. Blood reeked everywhere, yet he didn’t grimace.
“Laughing? You’re dead, you fuck...!”
So-yuk bared his teeth.
His torn eyes held no pain. Only cruel killing intent. He didn’t feel pain to begin with.
“Brutal. Must be from killing so much.”
So-yuk angrily raised his butcher knife.
“Wanna know the taste of blood? I’ll show you! I’ll gut your belly, slice your guts, and stuff ‘em down your throat!”
So-yuk launched at Cheonwi. His savage form evoked the term “human butcher.” The smile at Cheonwi’s lips deepened.
Shiiik! Crack!
Two bamboo stalks sliced clean in half.
Shwaaa! Leaves flew like waves.
Cheonwi took one light step back. He swung his golden sword downward—lightly, playfully so.
Slash!
“Huh?”
A strangled gasp escaped So-yuk.
Cheonwi’s strike looked like a plain swing, no form or technique. Not fast, not forceful. But to the one hit, it was no casual slash. So-yuk’s thigh split vertically. Blood gushed out with a splaaash!
“Wh-what...?”
So-yuk staggered, steadying his unbalanced stance. He looked down at his thigh. Cheonwi spoke matter-of-factly, like giving advice.
“Your balance is off without the arm. Don’t just charge in blindly.”
Exactly as he said.
The missing left arm that had always been there was the issue. Without it, a gap in balance was inevitable. Cheonwi had simply exploited that opening.
“You bastard...!”
Flames shot from So-yuk’s eyes.
He clamped the butcher knife in his mouth and swiftly sealed the acupoints at his waist and thigh. To staunch the bleeding.
That was when it happened.
Before he could transfer the knife from mouth to hand, a golden sword wind struck with sudden ferocity.
Bewilderment flickered in his torn eyes. So-yuk desperately threw himself to the ground. Shiiing! The golden blade shadow grazed over his head.
“Oops. Missed a good chance.”
Cheonwi clicked his tongue regretfully.
So-yuk, who had rolled humiliatingly on the dirt, snapped his head up.
Incredulity etched his face.
“Surprised?”
Cheonwi asked.
He flicked the golden sword, gripped the hilt’s end, and aimed it downward at So-yuk.
Clouds parted high in the bamboo grove, revealing a bright moon. As moonlight brightened, shadows deepened. Cheonwi, with the moon overhead, turned into a black silhouette. From the unreadable shadow, only two eyes gleamed eerily.
“You... what are you?”
A groan unfit for So-yuk escaped his lips.
Sneaking a slash while he stanched bleeding.
With enough momentum to sever his throat in one go.
He hadn’t expected that.
Righteous warriors didn’t do that. Especially clean-cut types like this—they obsessed over fairness.
That’s why he’d let his guard down.
While staunching blood or tending wounds.
While shedding torn clothes or readjusting weapons.
Warriors unconsciously gave opponents time. Pride in clashing pure martial arts at peak condition. Posturing with life on the line.
He’d assumed this brat was the same.
The unmistakable scent of a righteous warrior wafted from him.
No different from the so-called heroes who’d come to capture them, only to die reliably and become feasts.
A clear misjudgment.
‘This one’s different.’
He should have been cautious from the start.
No hesitation in ambushing, even severing an arm.
Even targeting the bleeding gap.
Not a warrior’s fight.
A winner’s fight.
A killer’s fight.
‘Closer to us, even...!’
A murderer.
A murderer who didn’t smell of blood.
So-yuk peered into Cheonwi’s eyes again.
And realized.
‘The eater... this one’s dangerous!’
A predator.
The countless heroes devoured limb by limb by them must have thought the same.
For the first time since becoming a cannibal killer, chills ran down his spine.
This wasn’t just any predator.
Something innate, heaven-born. A monster beyond them stood before him.