Chapter 132: Seven Kills Jeok Ma-hyeok-3
Chapter 132: Seven Kills Jeok Ma-hyeok-3
Seonwoo Jin and Jeok Ha-yeon were in the middle of climbing the hill.
Jeok Ha-yeon suddenly stumbled and fell.
"Ah!"
It was an astonishing performance that one could never imagine was a deliberate fall.
Startled by the sight, Seonwoo Jin turned around and approached her.
"Sojeo! Are you alright?!"
At that, Jeok Ha-yeon, whose upper garment had mysteriously become disheveled and her shoulder slightly exposed, tried to force herself up and said,
"I-I'm fine. It's nothing..."
But just as she tried to rise, perhaps due to an injured ankle, she screamed and collapsed again.
"Aah!"
"Sojeo! Your ankle!"
Jeok Ha-yeon sat sideways with one long leg stretched out, gazing at Seonwoo Jin with pitiful eyes and said,
"I-I'm sorry, young master. To think that I have become a hindrance to someone who is trying to help me..."
As she spoke, Jeok Ha-yeon's posture exuded sensuality from her entire body.
A posture that emphasized her body's graceful curves, a disheveled outfit that offered a glimpse of her shoulder, and pitiful eyes to boot.
It was a bearing truly befitting a master of seduction.
'And I've even subtly sprayed some lust-inducing drug. Even a monk who trained for a hundred years would probably struggle to endure it, right?'
Jeok Ha-yeon, who had seduced countless men over the past two years, was confident.
That this was perfect.
At the earliest, he might try to violate her right then and there, and even if not, his heart would certainly be deeply shaken.
So when she stole a glance at Seonwoo Jin and saw him approaching with a stiffened expression, she smiled inwardly.
It seemed she could finish this straight away.
Whether she finished him, or her older brother Jeok Ma-hyeok, hiding in stealth nearby, did.
Seonwoo Jin drew close and called to her.
"Sojeo..."
Jeok Ha-yeon answered with dewy eyes.
"Yes, young master."
Then, looking into her eyes, Seonwoo Jin said,
"Forgive my discourtesy."
"Yes, of cou— Agh!"
Jeok Ha-yeon let out a startled shriek.
It was because Seonwoo Jin had suddenly scooped her up into his arms.
"I cannot leave you here, so I fear I must do this. Please bear with the discomfort for just a little while."
Startled by his completely unimaginable action, Jeok Ha-yeon suddenly found her heart pounding at the sight of his face so close before her.
Because up close, he looked even more handsome.
'What? Why is he so handsome? And why does he look so utterly unmoved?'
Despite holding her in his arms, not a trace of lechery could be found on Seonwoo Jin's face.
And this despite the fact that she had even sprayed the lust-inducing drug on her own body like perfume.
To the contrary, it was her own heart, having taken the antidote beforehand, that was pounding fiercely. His perfectly unaffected state was so cruelly unfair that it was utterly wrecking her insides.
A sudden thought crossed her mind.
'Could this man be a true wandering hero?'
It seemed that way.
Seeing him remain so composed and dignified against her seduction, which had felled every other man, this handsome young master was undoubtedly the kind of true righteous gentleman one only read about in books.
Indeed, for someone this admirable, it seemed entirely possible.
'But to have to kill such a man.'
It was too regrettable.
It was enough to make her resent even the heavens.
But Jeok Ha-yeon soon resigned herself.
When had the heavens ever been generous to the righteous?
They merely imposed the law of the jungle, forcing one to kill others just to survive.
Jeok Ha-yeon finally looked at Seonwoo Jin with a sorrowful gaze, then prepared to carry out her mission.
While Seonwoo Jin's two hands were occupied holding her, her own two hands were free.
Moreover, with his chest right before her eyes, it seemed she could easily kill even a peak-level master.
Just as she was about to surreptitiously aim the poison needle tube concealed in her sleeve at him—
Seonwoo Jin suddenly asked her,
"Is something the matter, Sojeo?"
Slightly startled, Jeok Ha-yeon asked back,
"P-Pardon? What do you mean?"
When she raised her head, Seonwoo Jin was looking down at her with a puzzled expression.
"Because your eyes looked so very sad. We are on our way to save your older brother, so why do you look so sorrowful?"
At that question, Jeok Ha-yeon stared vacantly at Seonwoo Jin for a moment before unintentionally speaking her true feelings.
"It's just... I resent the heavens so much."
At that answer, Seonwoo Jin smiled gently and asked again,
"Why do you resent the heavens?"
Jeok Ha-yeon answered with a mournful expression.
"Everything in this world harms other things to survive. Insects, birds, animals... and people too."
As she spoke, Jeok Ha-yeon slowly adjusted the position of her hand, turning it so that the inside of her sleeve faced Seonwoo Jin.
But Seonwoo Jin, as if a thought had come to him, looked at her with warm eyes and answered.
"This is merely my personal thought, but at the very least, I believe people always have the opportunity to choose. The greatest purpose of animals is to eat and reproduce, but do not humans sometimes starve themselves to death to uphold their convictions, or retreat into the mountains to grow old alone? Is not 'righteousness' ultimately just such a choice? One could simply live by the law of the jungle like an animal, but there are also those who care for the weak and sacrifice themselves for a just cause."
Upon hearing those words, Jeok Ha-yeon's hand, which had been aiming the hidden weapon at Seonwoo Jin, trembled faintly.
Jeok Ha-yeon had always boldly insisted that it was not their fault that they killed people—that it was the fault of those who had made them this way.
But Seonwoo Jin was saying that everyone had the opportunity to choose, and that what one did was ultimately one's own responsibility.
Jeok Ha-yeon cried out in her heart.
'...Bullshit!'
However, she herself knew well that this was not her true feeling.
If she had heard such words from someone else, Jeok Ha-yeon could have merely scoffed. She might even have seduced him and boldly told him to know his place before spouting such nonsense.
But.
She could not do that now.
Jeok Ha-yeon could not bring herself to mock the words of this man who was trying to help her without expecting anything in return, and who remained completely unshaken by her seduction despite her having thrown everything she had at him.
Suddenly, tears streamed down.
"Ah!"
They were tears whose reason she could not fathom.
Jeok Ha-yeon simply cried and apologized to Seonwoo Jin.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, young master."
And then she finally pressed the trigger of the poison needle tube hidden in her sleeve.
Creak!
No, she tried to press it.
But for some reason, her body would not move.
'?!'
To her shock and confusion, Seonwoo Jin smiled and said,
"There is no need to be sorry, Sojeo. Because you will not be able to kill me."
All along, Jeok Ha-yeon had assumed that Seonwoo Jin's two hands, which held her body, were tied up and occupied.
But that was merely her own misconception.
On the contrary, she had handed over the acupoints of her entire body to Seonwoo Jin.
With a mere flick of his fingers, Seonwoo Jin had sealed all the acupoints throughout Jeok Ha-yeon's body.
Seonwoo Jin had already noticed that she was an assassin.
At first he had been uncertain, but once he discerned that someone was following them while using stealth, he had already placed a poison-repelling bead in his mouth. Thus, Jeok Ha-yeon's lust-inducing drug had been completely unable to take effect.
***
Jeok Ma-hyeok was following Seonwoo Jin and Ha Yeon while remaining in stealth.
It was because Ha Yeon had stubbornly insisted, as usual, that they first test whether the target would succumb to her seduction, and he had agreed to observe for the time being.
But, as always, Jeok Ma-hyeok was extremely anxious as he watched.
Gulp!
Whenever Ha Yeon did that, Jeok Ma-hyeok always trembled with anxiety, fearing that he might not be able to stop them in time, that his little sister might suffer something terrible at the hands of the target, or that her identity as an assassin might be exposed and she would get hurt.
And today, it was even worse. Was it because of the pressure that the opponent was a master with at least seventy years of internal energy?
From the beginning, Jeok Ma-hyeok had been experiencing a strange sensation.
Even though they had never made eye contact and it was absolutely impossible, he had an ominous feeling as if the opponent could sense his presence.
A sticky, clinging sensation, as if a spiderweb-like gaze was stuck to his body.
'Something is definitely off. I need to grab Ha Yeon and run.'
Jeok Ma-hyeok finally reached that conclusion.
But it was already too late.
Because Ha Yeon was already in Seonwoo Jin's arms and there was nothing he could do.
It was then that Jeok Ma-hyeok sensed something strange.
That bastard Seonwoo Jin suddenly set Ha Yeon down on the ground. And although Ha Yeon wore a startled expression, she could not move her body. Jeok Ma-hyeok immediately grasped the situation.
'Acupoint sealing?! She's been immobilized by acupoint sealing!'
It seemed the bastard had revealed his lecherous intentions and was about to violate her.
Grind!
He had to strike the bastard down at once.
Before he violated Ha Yeon!
But just as Jeok Ma-hyeok was about to launch himself forward, he witnessed another strange sight.
The bastard did not try to violate Ha Yeon. He simply drew his sword and was about to strike her down. The bastard's voice reached Jeok Ma-hyeok's ears.
"Die!"
In that instant, Jeok Ma-hyeok's vision went white.
The bastard was trying to kill Ha Yeon.
So suddenly?!
His heart grew desperate.
If he attacked Seonwoo Jin from behind right now, he might be able to kill him. But then Ha Yeon would die too.
He could never let that happen.
"No!"
He threw himself at the bastard, shouting with all his might.
It was something he had never once done in all his time as an assassin.
Jeok Ma-hyeok hoped that the bastard would hear his voice, please stop his sword, and look his way.
But the bastard did not.
As if he couldn't even hear his voice, he simply kept bringing his sword down toward Ha Yeon.
Shuk!
"Aaaargh!"
Jeok Ma-hyeok let out a monstrous cry and changed his target.
Not Seonwoo Jin, but Seonwoo Jin's sword.
He desperately hurled throwing weapons at the descending blade and flung his body forward.
Shiiiik!
He prayed fervently.
That his throwing weapons would deflect Seonwoo Jin's sword, that he could save Ha Yeon.
'Please, please!'
But despite his earnest wish, the throwing weapons failed to strike the blade.
Shiiiik!
They only sliced through empty air.
And the moment Jeok Ma-hyeok's throwing weapons futilely cut through the void, Seonwoo Jin's sword changed direction and shot forth like a ray of light.
Straight toward Jeok Ma-hyeok's throat.
Sshik!
"?!"
Jeok Ma-hyeok could not gather his senses to comprehend what had just happened.
The sword that had been thrusting toward Ha Yeon was suddenly pressed against his own throat.
The face wrap he had been wearing was also sliced in half, slipping down in two pieces—he had no idea when it had been cut.
Jeok Ma-hyeok could only grasp the situation after a brief moment had passed.
It had probably been a trap to draw him in.
But Jeok Ma-hyeok didn't care about any of that.
Because every nerve in his body was focused entirely on his little sister, Jeok Ha Yeon.
"Ha Yeon..."
Ha Yeon lay there with her acupoints sealed, only her eyes rolling around as she looked at him.
Without a single injury, completely unharmed.
He was so relieved that tears threatened to spill out.
Seonwoo Jin grinned and spoke.
"The fact that you rushed in to save this young lady, rather than targeting me, is what saved your life."
"...Yes?"
And then Jeok Ma-hyeok was immediately struck with acupoint sealing.
***
Jeok Ha-gun, Jeok Ma-hyeok's younger brother and Ha Yeon's twin sibling, was chasing after them while keeping his distance.
It couldn't be helped, as his stealth technique skills still fell short of Jeok Ma-hyeok's.
Then, in one sudden moment, Jeok Ha-gun saw it too.
Seonwoo Jin suddenly trying to kill Jeok Ha Yeon, and his brother Jeok Ma-hyeok charging at the bastard.
And Brother Go being helplessly subdued by Seonwoo Jin.
"Haa."
Jeok Ha-gun let out a sigh.
Today seemed to be that day.
His older brother Jeok Ma-hyeok and his younger sister Jeok Ha Yeon had always dreamed of a future ten years from now.
A happy life they would enjoy after breaking free from the Sichuan Assassination Gate ten years later...
But Jeok Ha-gun had never once truly believed in such a thing.
Not that they could ever escape the Sichuan Assassination Gate,
Nor that they could survive until ten years later.
'Ridiculous. It's a fairy tale.'
From the moment they swallowed the gu given by the Sichuan Assassination Gate, their lives were already no different from being in the sect's grasp.
To keep living, they had to obey their orders, and if they didn't want to obey, they had to throw their lives away—that kind of life.
What kind of future could exist in such a life, and having killed so many people to survive, what kind of face could they possibly use to wish for future happiness?
So there was only one thing Jeok Ha-gun had ever wished for.
That during however many days they had left to live, the three of them would be together—laughing, playing, living together, and then dying on the same day, at the same hour.
Just that alone.
Jeok Ha-gun muttered calmly.
"That day has finally come."
And then he began charging toward Seonwoo Jin at full speed.
"Haaaap!"
Pababak!
For him, whose skills fell far short of his brother Jeok Ma-hyeok, to charge at a peak-level master without even using stealth was far too reckless.
It was an action that seemed closer to suicide than an attack.
And that was precisely true.
Jeok Ha-gun wanted to die first.
He felt sorry for his brother, but rather than watching his brother and Ha Yeon die and then dying himself, he wanted to choose the path of dying before them.
He smiled inwardly as he thought.
'Sorry. Instead, in the next life, I'll be born as the eldest brother and feed and provide for you two. Just like you did for us, even when my face was crushed by stones while begging, even when my face was seared with fire while stealing food, I'll always smile. I'll never give up.'
The horrified face of his brother Jeok Ma-hyeok entered his view as he witnessed his charge.
Perhaps because his blood demon hadn't been activated yet, his brother shouted loudly.
"Ha Gun! No! Run away!"
He gave him a grin.
Where would he go if he ran?
Without the two of them, he would never have existed at all.
And he never would exist without them, not in the future either.
The one called Seonwoo Jin stared at him with an expressionless face as he charged recklessly forward.
And in one instant, a sword flew at him.
At a speed he could never hope to block.
Shuak!
It was the end, just as expected.
***
Puh-uk!
The young assassin struck by my sword qi was violently hurled back in the direction he had been charging from.
Then the dismissed assassin with the disfigured face cried out in desperation.
"Ha Guuun!"
These days, I was able to control my sword qi at will—making it sharp or blunt, hard or soft, depending on my intent.
So the boy hit by the blunt and soft sword qi had merely been knocked unconscious.
But the dismissed man, who couldn't possibly know that, already had thick streams of tears flowing from his eyes.
I glanced at the sight and smirked.
'Seems this guy really is the one.'
In my past life, I had once heard a story about a certain assassin from Sichuan Province.
The story of a dismissed assassin who had been forced to work as a killer with his younger siblings held hostage, and then one day, when his siblings were killed, singlehandedly erased the assassin sect he had belonged to.
The tale of how he killed every last member of the assassin sect, then shed tears in the pouring rain before taking his own life—that story had left an enormous impression on me.
And I had also thought this:
If only I had known about such a talent back then, it would have been wonderful.
If I could have obtained information ahead of time and helped him, wouldn't he have been a great asset to the Seonwoo Clan, which had been suffering from a shortage of talented people at the time? That kind of thought.
'Yet in this lifetime, I've actually met him.'
A laugh escaped me involuntarily.
How should I put it?
The feeling of seeing a toy you wanted as a child but couldn't buy, rediscovering it after becoming an adult?
So if I hadn't seen him, that would be one thing, but now that he had caught my eye, I absolutely could not let him slip away.
The dismissed assassin glared at me as if he would eat me alive and howled.
"You son of a bitch! I will never let you live!"
I replied with a sardonic smile.
"How laughable. You're an assassin, and now you're angry at me? After failing to kill me? The pot is calling the kettle black, and what a bountiful harvest that is?"
At that, the dismissed man was momentarily speechless, unable to continue his words.
It seemed his character wasn't even shameless enough to play the pot calling the kettle black.
"Th-that, that was, you, with your level of skill, you didn't have to go so far as to kill..."
"Why should I? Why should I do that for assassins who are trying to kill me?"
At that, his disfigured face, unable to refute, twisted even further.
He was an entertaining man to tease.
"Besides... it's not over yet anyway."
Speaking thus, I now pointed the tip of my sword toward the girl lying there with her acupoints sealed.
At that, the man's face went pale in an instant.
And then he began pleading with me desperately.
"Y-young master! No, daehyeop! That child only became an assassin because she had no choice, dragged into it by her stupid older brother! Please! Please, at least spare this child!"
I replied with a snort.
"Would the ones who died at the hands of that pitiable child think the same? The shamelessness is beyond belief. Well, that's probably why you resorted to being assassins in the first place. If you truly cared for your siblings, you should have staked your life to prevent them from doing this sort of thing!"
Saying this, I raised my sword upside down over the girl's stomach.
The girl's wide-open eyes, staring at my sword, flickered with the light of despair.
Then the dismissed man screamed as if throwing a fit.
"I had no choice! I'm telling you, I had no choice! Those bastards fed gu to my siblings too, and if they didn't obey, they'd die—what in the world could I have possibly done about it!"
I smiled faintly.
'So that's it. That kind of situation, huh.'
Even if his heart for his siblings was genuine, I had found his character a bit suspicious when it came to the fact that he could make his own siblings do the work of assassins. But with that reason, there seemed to be more than enough room for consideration of extenuating circumstances.
He passed.
Abruptly pulling my sword away from her stomach, I asked him as if pondering.
"Then... if I were to not kill your siblings, could you do anything?"
At that, his eyes widened until they couldn't possibly grow any larger, and he answered frantically.
"Anything! I will do anything!"
I now smiled faintly as I looked at the bastard.
It was a smile that felt incredibly sinister, even to my own perception.
If that bastard Bi Sa-yeong saw me right now, he'd probably curse me out as a fiend like one of the Blood Cult's demon heads, wouldn't he?