The Massacre Begins
The atmosphere suddenly turned chilly. As if sensing some impending crisis, Blood Wolf and Lightning Blade flinched in alarm, their faces hardening with tension.
Watching their reactions, I let out a short sigh before speaking.
“No useful information at all?”
“···Information, you say?”
“The reason you two came all the way here. The identity of your backer, that so-called Heavenly Dragon Old Monster. And the description of the Extreme Yin Body you’re currently chasing.”
“······!”
“If you answer even one of those, I won’t kill you right away.”
At my words, Blood Wolf and Lightning Blade swallowed hard. In that heavy silence, I continued casually.
“So what will it be?”
“······.”
Blood Wolf and Lightning Blade remained silent. I observed them for a moment. When they continued to stay mute like tongueless fools who’d swallowed honey, I issued a blunt threat.
“Maybe it’d be cleaner to just kill you both here.”
“I’ll talk!”
The first to respond was Lightning Blade. With his calf pierced, he rolled across the ground in a groveling posture and shouted desperately.
I listened quietly as he began to speak.
“The incarnation of the Extreme Yin Body we’re chasing is a woman who miraculously recovered from the Nine Yin Severed Meridians.”
“······?!”
“One day, that Heavenly Dragon Old Monster suddenly showed up and offered us a fortune if we brought him that woman—the incarnation of the Extreme Yin Body.”
After finishing that, Lightning Blade let out a pained groan before continuing.
“From what I heard, it doesn’t matter if we violate her or force ourselves on her the moment we catch her. As long as she’s delivered alive and in one piece, that’s enough. That’s why all sorts of riffraff have gathered in droves.”
“So even the third-rate black path trash heard the news and swarmed toward Mount Unheng.”
“···That’s correct.”
Lightning Blade answered while carefully watching my expression. As I listened, I took a slow breath and thought to myself.
These two must have been among the better fighters in that black path rabble, which is why they have this much information. In that case, there’s no point dealing with the rest of the small fry.
I’d gotten quite lucky. That was my first thought. And because of it, my mood wasn’t bad at all. Still, one thing continued to nag at me.
Nine Yin Severed Meridians… I know someone who had that.
A strange sense of unease washed over me. But I deliberately pushed the feeling aside and glanced sideways at Lightning Blade, then at Blood Wolf beside him.
Lightning Blade looked smug, clearly proud of himself for spilling the information so smoothly. In contrast, Blood Wolf—who hadn’t said a word—had grown even paler.
It was then that Blood Wolf finally opened his mouth.
“The Heavenly Dragon Old Monster’s···.”
“The Heavenly Dragon Old Monster’s?”
“The identity of the Heavenly Dragon Old Monster is···!”
As if he had steeled his resolve, Blood Wolf clenched his teeth and tried to continue.
But at that exact moment—
“······!”
Swish—! An arrow flew in from somewhere, hurtling straight toward my forehead.
What the hell is this?
Instead of offering my own forehead, I used the man who had been about to speak as a shield and thrust him forward.
Thud!
The arrow that had flown from nowhere pierced straight through Blood Wolf’s forehead.
“Guhk.”
“B-Blood Wolf!”
Lightning Blade cried out in disbelief from the side. I glanced down briefly at Blood Wolf, who had died instantly, and clicked my tongue.
They pretended to aim at me to get an answer, but killed Blood Wolf instead? Either way, as long as they hit a vital point and kill the target, the objective is achieved. Clever bastards.
The thought flashed through my mind. They were meticulous.
Finished thinking, I flicked a finger strike toward Lightning Blade’s throat as he stared wide-eyed beside the spot where Blood Wolf had just died.
Thud!
“Keurghk!”
Lightning Blade—Bu Myeong—tried to struggle desperately, but once he realized his throat had been pierced, he collapsed dead on the spot.
Looking down at the scene from above, I shook my head and quickened my steps once more.
Swish—!
The direction I moved in was, of course, where the arrow that had pierced Blood Wolf’s forehead had come from.
[······!]
From far away, I could sense the presence of whoever had fired the bow. He was clearly flustered by my sudden charge, and realizing that, I felt a surge of satisfaction.
Looks like this time he was acting alone.
Whether the archer was the Heavenly Dragon Old Monster himself or one of the unknown masterminds behind the scenes didn’t really matter. I’d just beat the information out of him right here and now.
Swoosh—
Before long, I had closed the distance to the archer using fearsome footwork. I muttered under my breath.
“A decoy this time? Your preparations are incredibly thorough.”
“······.”
Swish. Swish. Swish. Swish.
Figures dressed in black began to emerge slowly from multiple directions. Seeing them appear, I realized something and a faint smile crept across my lips.
These guys… I think I have a pretty good idea where they’re from now.
I finally understood where they had come from. Because of that, I no longer felt the need to obsess over the archer’s identity or interrogating him.
So I decided to simply run wild as I pleased.
“Who the hell are you?”
“······.”
Even when I asked, the black-clad men said nothing. Like well-trained hunting dogs, they seemed wholly focused on nothing but killing their target.
It was then that a voice rang out from the air.
“Kill him.”
“······!”
As soon as the order was given, the black-clad men charged toward me. Staring at them as they rushed in with murderous intent, a faint, maniacal smile formed on my lips.
“Doesn’t matter to me.”
Swish—!
Another arrow flew from the direction of the archer commanding them. It was an absolutely lethal crisis.
Unlike usual, neither my senior brother nor Yoo Seong-ho of the Jongnam Sect—who had just joined us—were by my side. If this had been me from two years ago, I would have fallen into danger here without question.
But—
Sloppy.
I half-closed my eyes. In the hazy vision of my half-lidded gaze, arrows and hidden weapons flying in from all directions brushed past me.
In that moment, I thought.
This can’t be helped.
Srrrng—
The sword at my waist, Nakseong, drew itself on its own. It was as if an invisible force had pulled the blade free.
Anyway, having drawn Nakseong, I grasped the floating sword by its hilt and gathered my energy.
“······!”
“This energy is—!”
Woooong—
I circulated the Purple Haze Qi.
Whoosh—
I swung the sword.
Splaaash—!
A fountain of blood erupted.
“Guhk!”
“Keurgh!”
The heads of the black-clad men who had leaped at me flew off at the same time. Shaaaa— Having been drenched head to toe in blood, I felt nothing even as a pool of it gathered at my feet.
I glanced behind me.
About twenty of them taken out in one go.
It was a satisfying result. A completely different outcome from the fight against the assassins I had faced in the smithy two years ago.
For some reason, Nakseong seems to vibrate more when I’m facing multiple opponents.
It almost felt easier to fight them in waves. Of course, there was a slight difference between one-on-one combat and fighting against many. Even knowing that, this battle seemed like it would be wrapped up quite easily.
These black-clad men were radiating an aura that showed they couldn’t even begin to guess my identity or level of cultivation. Snatching the heads of enemies who couldn’t objectively assess their opponent was easier than eating rice.
This is exactly why I try not to let my guard down. Of course, if it truly can’t be helped, then it can’t be helped.
Useless thoughts crossed my mind. Still, it was a good thing either way.
“···You. Who the hell are you?”
“Everyone, use full power!”
Only then did the black-clad men seem to realize my unusual level of cultivation and martial prowess. I could sense them hurriedly drawing their weapons in a panic.
But it was already too late. If I went on a rampage even once here, more than half of them would fall into a near-death state.
By now, a faint energy lingered on Nakseong in my hand. It was sword qi.
Maybe I’ll swing it a bit lighter this time…
Slaaash—!
In an instant, I swept the sword horizontally. The sword qi that had densely accumulated on Nakseong burst out in all directions. For a moment, I felt that the qi pouring out resembled a crescent moon. It was a slightly different form of energy than before.
Slashslashslashslash—!
But my thoughts lasted only a brief moment. The fresh blood spraying out once again brought me back to my senses.
“Uwaaaaagh!!”
“A-ah, my, my arm!!”
Screams echoed from all around. Fortunately, this forest was quite deep, so the noise didn’t leak outside.
With an expressionless face, I looked over the remaining men. On the faces of the roughly ten or so survivors, fear and terror had already taken root. They were already anticipating their defeat.
I suppose that’s only natural.
I had massacred them overwhelmingly from the start. Expecting resistance in such a situation would be naive. They probably saw me as some mysterious powerhouse. The opening suppression had been a success.
Now that I think about it…
Suddenly, I remembered the plan I had forgotten.
I need to ask these guys about the identity of that Heavenly Dragon Old Monster and the whereabouts of the Extreme Yin Body.
Swoosh—
However, I soon realized I didn’t need to worry about that. Corpses were strewn everywhere. But there were still just as many survivors.
Noticing that fact, I let out a hollow chuckle. There were still plenty of black-clad men left.
Hmm… Well, I only need to leave one alive anyway. It’d be better to kill them all except for one.
I began walking slowly.
“H-hiiik···!”
“D-don’t come—!”
“······.”
Without a word, I slowly raised my sword.
Let’s finish this before Senior Brother and Yoo Seong-ho arrive.
At the same time—
Woooong—
The sword qi began to gleam on the blade once again.