Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: Encounter with Black Night
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'This should be enough to ensure the caravan's safety.'
Having split off from the caravan, Hyeok Mulin pushed through the underbrush, advancing into the eerie forest.
In his previous life, every single member of that caravan—merchants and escorts alike—had been slaughtered.
But things were different now, in two key ways.
First, his own presence.
Second, the fact that the caravan's guards weren't mere escorts but warriors from the Hyeok Clan.
Even if a few more assassins popped up outside the battlefield later, they should be able to handle it.
With that as his goal, Hyeok Mulin cleanly detached from the caravan.
'Looks like a chaotic melee's unfolding.'
Beyond the dense forest in the dead of night, subtle auras tangled chaotically—too faint for ordinary warriors to sense.
But Hyeok Mulin pinpointed their locations precisely and headed straight toward his target, guided by his senses.
Yet as he pressed on, the presences dwindled rapidly.
From dozens to a dozen, then to just a handful... and now, only a single presence remained.
Thud.
Before he'd even walked a hundred paces, Hyeok Mulin halted.
He stared intently straight ahead.
He could feel it.
A presence right in front of him, yet his eyes saw only empty air.
'Impressive concealment technique.'
Impressed, Hyeok Mulin slowly parted his lips toward the unseen figure.
"You..."
But the man ahead cut him off.
"Still hanging around, huh."
He spat the words laced with weary disgust, then erased his presence entirely in an instant.
Now, no figure, no aura—nothing at all.
Only his voice echoed hollowly.
"Die."
The shadow of a tree bathed in moonlight swayed abruptly.
From that shadow, three razor-sharp daggers shot fiercely toward Hyeok Mulin.
But just as they reached him...
Swish—
Hyeok Mulin tilted his head ever so slightly, dodging each one.
At that aggressive display, he immediately spoke up.
"I'm not here to fight."
There was only one person in the world who could manipulate shadows like that.
The master of the Slaying Pavilion: Endless Slanted Fang, Black Night.
This was definitely the man Hyeok Mulin sought.
'...But no response.'
Despite his explanation, Black Night remained silent.
Hyeok Mulin narrowed his sensory range and sharpened his detection, finally picking up a faint trace.
The man was still shifting through the surrounding shadows, hunting for an opening.
Locked in ultra-focus.
'Can't blame him.'
Hyeok Mulin glanced around.
The air reeked of blood.
Dozens of corpses hung in tatters between the dirt and trees, ripped apart.
Clearly Slaying Pavilion assassins who'd clashed with Black Dark Pavilion killers—and the battle scars were fresh.
In the midst of that, he'd pegged the emerging Hyeok Mulin as an enemy and was zeroed in on eliminating him.
'In that case...'
Hyeok Mulin scooped up a fallen dagger and hidden weapons from a nearby dead assassin.
With a flick of his wrist, he hurled one into the air.
'Time to make him listen.'
Whoosh!
The weapon sliced through the air, hurtling toward the shadow cast by a tree branch.
The shadow rippled, veering off course.
But it hadn't fully evaded.
It passed through empty space, yet a scrap of severed cloth fluttered to the ground.
"......"
Black Night glanced at the embedded weapon behind him, then fixed his eyes back on the man ahead.
His deliberation was brief; his charge was swift.
Slipping nimbly into Hyeok Mulin's shadow, he erupted from the ground, dagger drawn, aiming for the ankle.
Clang!
But his blade met the scabbard slammed into the dirt, blocked cold.
Thud!
Hyeok Mulin stomped down toward his shoulder, but Black Night melted away his form instantly.
Retreating to the shadow in nearby bushes, he glared at the man ahead.
'No ordinary guy.'
Short skirmish, but enough to gauge his skill.
Time to treat him accordingly.
Fwip-fwip-fwip!
Black Night thrust his hand into his robes, unleashing a barrage of harsh whooshes.
Twenty-four gleaming daggers arced toward Hyeok Mulin on wildly varied paths.
They danced like butterflies swimming freely—beautifully lethal.
Black Night's signature: Butterfly Whirling Execution.
But the moment they struck, Black Night couldn't believe his eyes.
The opponent wielded a shabby dagger scavenged nearby.
No fancy defensive arts either, yet he casually parried the Butterfly Whirling Execution with that junk blade.
Clang-clang-clang-clang!
Front, back, sides, above, below.
No matter the angle or rush, he blocked effortlessly, as if he'd foreseen every path.
Black Night's sharp gaze locked on; he gripped his dagger and lunged lithely.
Stabbing at vitals like a storm.
Clang-clang-clang!
Dozens of afterimages scattered in the air amid harsh metal clashes.
But every strike withered harmlessly, not even grazing Hyeok Mulin's clothes.
Black Night's hands were faster, sharper.
Yet the opponent whipped his dagger like a fluttering banner, nullifying it all.
Studying his style, Black Night tilted his head.
'Not an assassin?'
He held a dagger but fought like a swordsman.
A sword even hung at his waist.
Thud!
Kicking off the ground, Black Night retreated to a tree branch, catching his breath.
He didn't seem like an assassin... so why was he here?
Black Night had assumed all pursuers were from Black Dark Pavilion. Another faction involved?
He shook his head after a moment's thought.
Didn't matter.
If in doubt, just kill the guy in front of him.
That way, at least he'd survive.
Decision made, Black Night peeked down again.
And doubted his own eyes.
"......?"
Gone.
In that brief hesitation, the opponent had vanished from his domain like a ghost.
No trace left. Black Night's eyes widened as he flared his senses.
Nothing. No presence, no aura.
Scanning with his eyes yielded zilch.
As if the fight had all been a dream.
What a joke. He stared blankly ahead.
Then, chills raced up his spine; his instincts screamed.
Gulp.
Black Night swallowed dryly.
Slowly, agonizingly, his head turned back.
There stood the man, right behind him on the branch, half-lidded eyes simply watching.
At point-blank range, yet utterly undetectable. Erased from existence.
Bathed in moonlight, he cast no shadow.
A bizarre sight Black Night had never witnessed.
First time in his life he'd lost track of someone's presence.
Stealthier than any assassin he'd met. Terrifying.
Black Night couldn't help but marvel at the feat.
But the admiration was mutual.
Hyeok Mulin was equally stunned by Black Night's footwork.
'Incredible. First time I've seen someone hide their presence this well.'
Hyeok Mulin had struggled to track him too.
Fundamentally different from other assassins.
He hadn't erased his shadow—he'd fully merged into it, becoming one with it. No human trace.
If Pure Soul Divine Demon Art hadn't reached four stars, boosting his senses, Hyeok Mulin wouldn't have found him either.
Crunch.
Black Night gripped his dagger tighter.
Until now, he'd paced himself for the long haul, not going all-out.
But this guy demanded full throttle.
Even then, victory wasn't guaranteed. No choice, though.
'All or nothing on this move.'
The man hadn't attacked despite catching him off-guard.
Proof of overconfidence.
Strike now with his ultimate technique.
A translucent thread looped his fingers.
But then—
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!
Hidden weapons flew at them both; both leaped back.
Distance opened. They turned toward the source.
Black Dark Pavilion assassins, fresh reinforcements from the recent melee, now swarming from the sky to encircle them.
"Why two?"
"No idea."
"No witnesses spared. Mark them both for elimination."
Caught off-guard, even Hyeok Mulin was now a target. The fight reignited.
Thirty-odd assassins tangled chaotically with the two men.
But limbs flew and blood sprayed only from the assassins.
Splurt—
Black Night burst from an assassin's shadow, jamming his dagger into the throat. The face drained of color; instant death.
His other hand plunged a dagger deep into the next one's solar plexus mid-charge.
The assassin crumpled dead before hitting the ground.
Yanking the dagger free, Black Night slipped into another charging assassin's shadow.
Emerging in a spin, he unleashed hidden weapons everywhere.
Blood splattered thick on ancient trees. No screams.
Black Night was dispatching these assassins easier than any prior Black Dark Pavilion clash.
Despite fatigue from endless fights, he felt more leeway now.
The reason...
'...Because he's fighting alongside me.'
Black Night eyed the dagger-wielding man casually cutting down foes.
A smooth sword arc severed four necks at once.
He flung his dagger skyward; a choked death rattle followed as an assassin plummeted dead.
Black Dark Pavilion's main target was Black Night, drawing most; but the split numbers helped immensely.
Normally, impossible to fend off this easily.
No—it would've been dire.
Relentless, no breathing room.
Glancing sidelong, Black Night erupted from a hidden assassin's flank, slashing groin to gut vertically.
Intestines spilled; the assassin face-planted.
Black Night didn't stop.
The grandest tree's shadow stretched like taffy.
Whip!
The lashing shadow widened eyes in terror.
Their last sight alive.
It swept past; heads popped off like knocking beehives from branches.
Black Night emerged amid the corpses.
His form fully exposed for the first time—the remaining assassins charged en masse.
He didn't dodge.
Just twitched a finger.
Twang.
The translucent threads on his fingers snapped taut.
Hundreds of lines materialized in the air.
Like a scythe-wielding farmer harvesting wheat, they sheared limbs in chunks effortlessly.
Thud-thud-thud.
The charging assassins fell lifeless, one and all.
Their bodies mangled beyond recognition.
Battle over. Only two remained.
Reeling in his threads, Black Night faced forward.
Fighting side-by-side with this life-or-death foe moments ago?
Unheard of in his assassin career. Black Night revealed himself fully.
A black-clad, masked man appeared before Hyeok Mulin and asked,
"Weren't you with them?"
"Took you long enough."
"Then who are you?"
"Me?"
Hyeok Mulin pondered briefly before answering.
"Just a regular client."
"...Client?"
"Why else seek out the Slaying Pavilion? To place a commission."
In this life-and-death crisis?
Black Night couldn't help a ridiculous chuckle.
"Fine, let's hear it."
Hyeok Mulin replied curtly.
"Become my subordinate."
"......What?"
An offer beyond imagination; he sounded utterly baffled.
"You're insane. Do you even know who I am?"
"Slaying Pavilion Master, Black Night."
You know that much.
And still say that?
"The Slaying Pavilion bows to no one. Especially not someone weaker."
Black Night slumped to the ground, regulating his breath.
"No deal. Just leave."
An impossible commission from the start.
No way the Pavilion Master would accept.
Hyeok Mulin eyed him steadily and spoke calmly.
"Keep going like this, and you'll just die a dog's death for nothing."
"No choice."
Who'd want this?
He'd mobilized every contact and intel net to find Black Dark Pavilion's base, but their security was ironclad. Fruitless.
Thus, these draining battles were all he had.
Hyeok Mulin stared, then smiled faintly.
"Then you'll never avenge your master."
Black Night's eyes flashed demonically.
How did this stranger know that secret?
"You bastard, how do you—!"
Dagger gripped, he lunged forward.
But Hyeok Mulin's steady words halted him.
"I know Black Dark Pavilion's base."
"......!"
"Let me help. Take my hand."
Black Night's pupils shook wildly at the offered hand.