The Blacksmith's Hammer (5)
Mu Yeong shook his head slowly, his expression hardening. “You really think you can handle the consequences?”
“······.”
His sharp, incredulous tone was met with silent agreement from me as I stood quietly beside him. At that, Hwa Seoyeon—who had been standing with her arms crossed, radiating casual confidence—let out a soft chuckle and spoke.
“This operation has already cost us a significant amount. Do you truly believe we came this far without being prepared for the fallout?”
“···You’re ready to be branded a public enemy of the murim world, then?”
Mu Yeong spat something mixed with blood onto the ground. The crude sound of it echoed clearly. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and continued.
“Do you really think you can walk away from here after eliminating both of us—the two greatest disciples of Mount Hua and rising stars of the younger generation?”
“······.”
“No matter how strong the Demonic Cult’s Two Demons are, becoming a public enemy would bring consequences far beyond what you can handle.”
At Mu Yeong’s murmured words, Hwa Seoyeon, who had been watching us from a distance with that same cold gaze, sneered.
“Public enemy of the murim world? Greatest disciples of Mount Hua? You speak of such ridiculous achievements as if they matter. But don’t worry—none of that is your concern anymore.”
“···What?”
“I’ve already made arrangements with the Alliance.”
“······!”
Mu Yeong’s eyes widened in shock at her words. The Murim Alliance. The united front of the righteous sects, an organization that intertwined the power of countless smaller clans and the Nine Great Sects. The moment Hwa Seoyeon mentioned it, it became clear that some sort of tacit deal had already been struck.
···Who? It seems unlikely that the Alliance Leader or the Supreme Commander has been bought off or recruited.
I frowned. Even in my previous life, I had learned that dealing with traitors from within was far more difficult than facing external enemies. Having already experienced that bitter truth firsthand, I could only swallow a heavy sigh.
It was then that Hwa Seoyeon parted her crimson-painted lips once more.
“Was it your master? Considering the Sect Leader of Mount Hua—Hyeonmu Jin-in—and his passive approach to external affairs, along with his tendency to remain secluded within the sect, I don’t expect much pressure from your side moving forward.”
“···Now you’ve gone so far as to insult our master with that filthy mouth of yours. Are you actually insane?”
“The insane ones aren’t us. It’s you. Your potential and rate of growth are far too dangerous to simply overlook. Leaving you be would eventually pose a major threat to that person—the Two Demons. Especially you, Eun Haseong.”
“······.”
Hwa Seoyeon singled me out directly. At that moment, as I assessed the number of assassins surrounding us, I could only offer a bitter smile.
···Even a rough count puts them at around twenty. And these aren’t low-ranking grunts. They’re all at the level of the assassination squad leaders I dealt with before.
They clearly intended to end things here. Realizing that, I twisted the corner of my mouth slightly and spoke slowly.
“Don’t talk such utter bullshit.”
“···What did you just say?”
“If you had just left us alone, this would’ve ended with the death of that one assassination squad leader who decided to massacre an entire escort party without even reading the room.”
“······!”
“But instead, you sent even Mu Yeong—the Thunder Sword Dragon, a Peak realm expert—on some pathetic revenge mission, only for him to get crushed by an Absolute master. And now you’ve brought dozens of assassins with you… It’s obvious. You simply don’t have the guts to face the Heavenly Killer yourself. Am I wrong?”
As I continued with a mocking tone, Hwa Seoyeon’s face stiffened into a rigid mask. Ignoring her reaction entirely, I kept speaking in that same derisive voice.
“That’s right. You’re too terrified to even think about touching the Heavenly Killer, one of the One Demon, Three Sages—the closest thing to the strongest under the heavens. But two young pups from Mount Hua’s younger generation? Those are easy targets. So you swarm in like moths to a flame. It’s pathetic.”
“You…!”
“What? Did I say something wrong? Everything I said is completely accurate.”
Before Hwa Seoyeon could respond to my sneering, I shook my head. Mu Yeong, who had been listening intently beside me, finally burst into laughter.
“Kahaha! Even I can’t argue with that. So tell me, Miss Hwa—how does it feel to bring dozens of elite experts just to eliminate two wet-behind-the-ears juniors?”
“······.”
“I don’t know for sure, but someone as proud as you probably can’t stand it. All you can do is hide behind your subordinates and make empty threats.”
At my senior brother’s provocation, Hwa Seoyeon’s face flushed from red to blue in an instant. For a brief moment she remained silent, as if trying to suppress her rage. But that silence didn’t last long.
“What are you all waiting for?! Move!”
“···Young Lady.”
“Stop hesitating and kill those two arrogant bastards right now!”
At her shout—Swish!—the assassins immediately leapt into the air. Whoosh— Dozens of daggers flew toward Mu Yeong, who had been dragging the tip of his sword along the ground.
“······!”
Looks like I’m their primary target.
Clink—! The iron chains wielded by the assassins shot toward my elbow. I stared calmly at my right arm, now tightly bound by the heavy chains, and let out a soft, mocking laugh.
“Hmph…! You think you can keep acting so relaxed until the very end?”
“Well…”
Even with one arm restrained by the chains, I still answered casually. The killing intent radiating from the assassins surrounding us grew even fiercer. As if they felt I was looking down on them, they began charging with desperate, frenzied momentum.
Bang—!
They’re trying to wear me down with a war of attrition.
I observed the faces of several assassins who had drawn short blades and were now swinging them at my vital points, continuing my train of thought. In truth, the current crisis didn’t matter much to me. It wasn’t bravado, nor was it resignation. The current me possessed more than enough confidence to win.
Clatter— Even as the sound of interlocking chains rang in my ears, I thought, Well, it is a fitting tactic for the weak majority to corner the strong minority.
With that thought, I fixed my eyes on the iron chain flying straight toward my torso. I couldn’t simply stand there, so I used the rebound force to tilt my upper body at an angle.
“······!”
“That was close.”
A faint smile curved my lips, carrying a hint of leisure. In that moment, I could clearly sense the panic of the assassins controlling the chains. I didn’t miss the opening. My body sprang forward as if collapsing to the ground.
“What the…!”
I charged straight at the assassins who were glaring at me with murderous eyes, desperately trying to bind me with their chains. They stumbled backward, their formation collapsing in an instant.
I need to take out the ones using the chains first. They’re the most annoying.
Having set my priority, I relentlessly closed in on their movements without missing a beat. Swish—! At the same time, I sensed Mu Yeong, who had been standing quite far away, rapidly approaching.
“Ugh…!”
From their perspective, it must have been incredibly bewildering. One of them kept throwing daggers nonstop, while the other maintained full concentration the entire time. Yet the very first target they had chosen to eliminate refused to fall so easily.
They’re not even masters who have trained in coordinated formation techniques for years… A hasty joint attack by mobilized assassins is obviously going to be crude.
The assassins couldn’t handle my lightning-like charge at all. Even though twenty first-class experts were attacking in unison, for Mu Yeong and me—both seasoned in real combat—it was something we could endure.
Rumble…!
Mu Yeong’s Thunder Dragon Flash shattered the assassins’ coordinated formation in a single strike. The explosive sound reverberated across the battlefield.
“Kuaaaagh—!”
“Maintain the formation…!”
Finally, someone who seemed to be the leader stepped forward. He must have been hiding until now. I caught the faint voice and, before the escort warrior Jeon Pyeong—who was rushing over from afar—could arrive, I swung my sword.
Squelch—
“Guh.”
“Hup.”
Short death cries followed, and a fountain of blood erupted. The phrase mountain of corpses, sea of blood flashed through my mind.
“C-crazy…!”
“The captain died in one strike…?!”
I continued the slaughter from the corner of the battlefield. Slash. Slash. Slash. Slash. With each rhythmic cut, some of them muttered in horror.
“These monsters…”
At that moment, Jeon Pyeong, who had arrived quickly to provide support, gritted his teeth and shouted loudly.
“What are you doing?! Panicking just because a few people died…!”
“······!”
“The dead are nothing but shields—mere chunks of meat! Consider their sacrifice a stepping stone and attack again—!”
“···Understood.”
The assault resumed once more.
“Ugh…”
Is enduring all we can do in the end?
The situation was growing increasingly bleak. Bang—! It was right when Mu Yeong and I stood back-to-back, desperately deflecting the hidden weapons and blades flying at us from all directions.
In that moment, a transmission flowed into my ear from Mu Yeong, who was pressed against my back.
···At this rate, we might be in real danger.
“······.”
Don’t you have any tricks left?
Even in that split second, I pondered deeply before immediately sending a reply via transmission.
Let’s create a joint technique together.
···What?
Mu Yeong responded as if he found the idea absurd.
Creating a joint technique in the middle of a fight? That’s not something you can just whip up on the spot… Are you being serious right now?
My senior brother seemed skeptical of my suggestion to discuss creating a joint technique in the middle of a life-or-death crisis. But even then, I gave a faint smile and murmured.
They managed to learn a sloppy formation in a short time and are using it right now. There’s no reason we can’t do the same.
“······.”
Since things have come to this, let’s just try it. At this rate we’re going to die anyway, so what’s there to lose?
At those words, Mu Yeong froze for a moment. Then he let out a soft chuckle, swung his sword in a graceful diagonal arc, and replied.
As expected, you really are the craziest bastard I’ve ever met.
“Hmm.”
For some reason, that sounded like an excessive compliment.