Chapter 154
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 154
Chapter Title: Chapter 31: Forward March on the Ground (4)
“Four Thousand Four, don't you think it's time to come clean? Let me ask you again. Who are you?”
Vanguard repeated the question he'd asked before.
The annex was the back gate of the Heavenly Annihilation Division. A secret passage known to hardly anyone among the Central Plains martial artists.
Four Thousand Four had found the annex far too easily.
Of course, they had made the first move from the annex. Chu Pyeong had chased after the White Horse Demon Cloth and the Blood Demon Clothes.
The notion that he'd tailed Chu Pyeong to locate the annex... at first glance, there was nothing remotely suspicious about it.
Chu Pyeong was one of the top experts in the Heavenly Annihilation Division. No one would ever imagine him being shadowed. And no ordinary person could ever pull it off.
Fortunately for Four Thousand Four, he had the Shadowless Steps.
Without making a sound, without revealing any form... the Shadowless Steps could even be used for pursuit.
No matter how many times he turned it over in his mind, it didn't seem strange at all.
If Four Thousand Four's actions had ended there, no one would have questioned how he'd found the annex. It would have been brushed off as perfectly natural.
But Four Thousand Four had possessed the key to enter the annex.
He'd rendered the lock on the Heavenly Annihilation Division's proudly crafted back gate powerless, treating the veteran inspections and traps of the prisoner escorts like toys. And he'd dropped Chu Pyeong in just a handful of exchanges—the same Chu Pyeong whom even the Miserable Death Kill couldn't best within two hundred moves.
It was a fight that couldn't have happened without intimate knowledge of Chu Pyeong.
On top of that, Four Thousand Four handled the White Horse Demon Cloth and Blood Demon Clothes with expert ease. Perhaps even better than Gok Gang, their original master. Gok Gang had perished alongside the White Horse Demon Cloth, but Four Thousand Four was still very much alive.
He had to ask again. Who are you!
“I don't know either.”
Four Thousand Four replied calmly.
It was a different answer from before. Previously, he'd begged them to believe him—that he was simply Four Thousand Four.
“You mean you don't even know about yourself?”
Hanbi asked.
Four Thousand Four nodded.
“Have you ever lost your memories? Or been bound by some drug?”
This time, Vanguard asked.
These weren't accusations meant to corner Four Thousand Four. They came purely from concern for him.
Four Thousand Four shook his head.
From his earliest childhood right up to the present... he remembered every moment of his life. There might be minor lapses in recall, but he'd never experienced true amnesia. Nor had he ever had the chance to be poisoned.
While Vanguard and Hanbi circulated their qi, he'd reviewed his entire past. Especially from the moment he'd met his master and received instruction, he'd combed through every detail of his life up to now.
Any recollection of hearing about Righteous Heavenly Annihilation? Anything about the veteran inspections?
Even after ransacking his mind, nothing like that turned up.
Who am I? How had words he didn't recognize suddenly bubbled up from nowhere?
Even before Vanguard and Hanbi could press him, Four Thousand Four had been wrestling deeply with questions about himself.
“But... isn't this weird?”
Hanbi said, sweeping his gaze around.
Vanguard snapped alert and scanned the surroundings. His brows furrowed deeply as he spoke.
“Hmm! It is odd.”
“The White Horse Demon Cloth's poison, maybe?”
Vanguard shook his head firmly.
“The annex has collapsed. The White Horse Demon Cloth was the safety mechanism controlling the kill traps—like the mechanism itself got smashed. Even with deadly poison blanketing the area... it's way too quiet.”
Vanguard and Hanbi were focused on the Heavenly Annihilation Division's total lack of response.
Fireworks had rocketed into the sky, infernal flames had billowed up. Poison dust had bloomed everywhere, and the acrid stench of the burning White Horse Demon Cloth and Blood Demon Clothes had spread in all directions.
Anyone could tell something had gone wrong at the annex.
What's more, the annex was the back gate to the Heavenly Annihilation Division itself. They could march right in. And yet not a single martial artist had shown so much as a glimpse of themselves. It defied all reason.
Four Thousand Four spoke up.
“We need to gather pollen.”
“Pollen? Why pollen out of the blue?”
“Righteous Heavenly Annihilation coagulates around pollen. If we scatter it here, it'll carve out a path for people to pass through.”
Four Thousand Four pointed at the annex, where the Righteous Heavenly Annihilation roiled and surged.
“Pollen clearing a path... now that's something!”
Hanbi clicked his tongue.
They weren't about to grill Four Thousand Four on how he knew that anymore. What would be the point? He'd just say he had no memory of it. They knew he wasn't holding anything back—he truly had no clue himself.
“If pollen can open a way through, that's a huge relief... but seriously, how much do we need? We can't exactly wallpaper this whole place with it.”
“No idea how many flowers are around, but we won't know until we try gathering some, right?”
Hanbi moved first to collect the pollen.
They weren't traveling alongside Four Thousand Four. But they couldn't just fall back and watch from afar either. And yet, these people... they clashed in the most absurd places, spots no one could have anticipated even in their wildest dreams.
“Where the hell are we?”
“Looks like the annex.”
“The annex?”
“If I'm right, we're free now. No more getting hounded by the petty criminals.”
“Then the White Horse Demon Cloth...”
Fox stared in shock at the valley where demonic flames roared skyward.
Jaja nodded silently. But no matter how she turned it over in her mind, one thing refused to make sense. How had they known about this place—and come here to fight?
“Free from the White Horse Demon Cloth... that means the Heavenly Annihilation Division can't spot us either. So we're really free? As long as we keep a low profile, there's no reason for the prisoners to tangle with us, right?”
“Pretty much.”
“Hehe! Awesome!”
Fox's face broke into a wide grin.
“Looks like that area's crawling with poison. So keep a sharp eye on how they get out. Otherwise, we can't tail them anymore.”
“Leave it to me!”
Fox flashed a toothy smile.
Beautiful.
Jaja's heart thumped wildly as she watched him.
Fox was too delicate for a man. Or rather, delicate and strong. And that combination stirred something deep in Jaja.
Not rough around the edges—refined, yet unyieldingly tough.
A journey with the man she loved held no room for hardship. Every landscape from dawn to dusk was breathtaking. Every breeze brushing her skin felt refreshingly cool.
“Those guys are gathering pollen?”
“Pollen? What pollen from out of nowhere?”
“No clue what for, but yeah, they're collecting pollen.”
“Then we should too.”
“I'm good at it. You stay here and keep watch. Signal me the second you spot any movement.”
Jaja nodded.
Pollen... shaking a flower might yield just the tiniest speck on your fingertips.
How much would they need?
Vanguard's group had been at it for over an hour, harvesting nothing but pollen. No attention to their surroundings—just laser-focused on the flowers. They must need a serious amount.
Fox got to work gathering pollen with equal diligence. But then...
Ugh!
Fox sensed something off. Like eyes boring into him from the shadows... and that prickling unease swelled into outright terror, his muscles coiling tight across his entire body.
A monster!
He had no idea who. Couldn't even turn to check. But one thing was crystal clear: an overwhelming powerhouse, stronger than anyone he'd ever faced.
Swoosh!
The figure moved.
Fox's ears twitched as he tracked the motion. Heading where? Damn it all!
Paat!
Fox detected the ambush and rocketed forward in a flash.
The monster he'd sensed launched a sudden strike—and it was barreling straight for him.
Shh! Pat!
In a single exchange, Fox's wrist was clamped in an iron grip.
Even reacting at top speed with his finest footwork, his wrist was already ensnared.
“Damn you!”
Shii!
Fox bellowed and lashed out with a palm strike from his right hand.
He still hadn't laid eyes on the foe. No clue whose hand had seized his wrist. But whoever it was had closed in uninvited. Escape first, deal with the rest later. Except...
Shii! Pat!
Even his thrusting right hand fell into the enemy's grasp.
The opponent was every bit the untouchable supreme master Fox had feared.
Fox's face drained of color as he glared at him.
A gleaming bald pate caught his eye first. Then the white mustache and stubby chin beard. Finally, those piercing eyes—like flames lancing from his gaze.
“Who the hell are you?”
Fox demanded coldly. But no answer came. In an instant, the enemy's index finger pressed to his forehead. A bone-chilling cold bloomed there.
It was the last sensation Fox registered before blacking out.
Ah!
Jaja let out a soft sigh.
Someone had crept right up behind her. Close enough to touch with an outstretched hand.
The fight was over.
“Who is it!”
Jaja demanded coolly without turning. Her hand crept toward her sword hilt. She readied herself to spring away at any moment. She hadn't sensed the approach, but she wouldn't permit another move. She strained to track his motions.
“Pollen... so they really know how to neutralize Righteous Heavenly Annihilation.”
The man behind her muttered.
He didn't seem focused on Jaja at all—like he was just observing Vanguard's group.
From the calm timbre, Jaja gauged his gender and age.
A man, elderly... around seventy? Yet his voice brimmed with vitality. Rich and resonant. Low-pitched, but laced with undeniable power. Even simple words carried an aura of command. The voice of one accustomed to barking orders at underlings.
“I asked who you are!”
Jaja's fingers closed around her sword. Relief washed over her. At least she could unleash her sword draw.
The old man behind her said something else.
“Green Death's life wasn't enough to snare that bastard. I wonder if yours will be? Heh! If he's a true man of the death pact, he'll kill you on sight. If not, he'll scramble to save you... I'm curious. What choice will he make?”
Jaja grasped the stranger's intentions perfectly.
The old man meant to abduct them. He knew their connection to Four Thousand Four—and that Green Death was his prisoner code. Which made him Heavenly Annihilation Division, without a doubt.
Pat!
Jaja shot forward, breath held tight.
No desire to strike at the old man. He wasn't the type to fall for an ambush. She never would have let him get this close if he were. She'd have sensed it sooner.
First priority: slip free of his clutches. But...
Ugh!
A groan caught in Jaja's throat.
Her spine exploded with agony, as if snapped clean in two. The impact zone was tiny, but the shock immense.
Thud!
Jaja crumpled back to her hiding spot without advancing a single step.
“Tch! What did I tell you to do before moving? Forgotten already?”
Ah! Hea... Heavenly Commander!
Jaja finally realized who it was. She hadn't even glimpsed him yet, but she knew.
—Read your opponent's thoughts first. Move only after. Master that, and you'll never lose a battle. Even if you can't read them, you'll have that extra moment to think it over—so you've bought yourself time.
Words Heavenly Commander had shared when she'd risen to the top of the Martial Camp.
The Heavenly Commander himself... it's over. No chance here. No one stands a shot. Done.
Deep despair—Jaja's final emotion before unconsciousness claimed her.