Chapter 227
Chapter 227
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 227
Chapter Title: Covert Struggle (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The whole world was brimming with food.
Birds filled the skies—from tiny sparrows to massive eagles, all sorts circling overhead. And most birds weren't under human control.
The Isolation Siege didn't apply to them.
A pigeon happened to fly right above them.
Normally, they wouldn't bother eating one, but right now, there was no room for pickiness. This was still better than nothing. Once the Isolation Siege dragged on for three or four days, they'd be reduced to catching rats to eat.
Yet those bastards wouldn't even let them have the pigeon.
The archer who loosed the arrow!
The arrow shot by the bowman was too fast to see. And dead accurate.
The warriors keeping watch on the pair were no slouches either.
They shifted their linked formation fluidly, ready to coordinate attacks anytime, anywhere.
Some closed in tight while others pulled back. It was like pressing on a soft lump of rice cake—one side bulges out as the other compresses, and tugging one end drags the rest along.
Just watching the footwork that formed their network was enough to gauge their martial skill.
They were masters on par with the assassins of the Heavenly Annihilation Division.
Elder Suwol commanded the Heavenly Annihilation Division's top ten.
Fitting for their leader, he had formidable warriors under him.
"Those little shits won't even let us have a pigeon,"
Jaja muttered, eyeing the bird skewered by the arrow and pinned to the dead tree.
They could walk over to the withered trunk and yank the pigeon free. But the moment they tried, it'd spark a fight with those watchers. A couple of arrows would whistle in, or the monitors might launch a sudden assault.
What if they terrorized the villagers instead? Press a blade to their throats, and they'd hand over food, right?
That way, they could eat.
But in exchange... the one who handed over the food would die. They'd dump the corpse right in front of the pair.
Day one, day two, day three... the same thing over and over, endlessly.
"They can't seriously think this'll work. No idea what they're really after."
"What about over there?"
She was asking about Four Thousand Four and Hanbi.
"Same deal. They're moving stealthily, but they're just as exposed as we are. Fox is the only one free from this Isolation Siege."
"Ah! I'm so jealous."
"Hahaha!"
Vanguard burst out laughing.
The Isolation Siege was a time-intensive strategy.
It took at least half a day for a person to start feeling real thirst or hunger.
Warriors could hold out a bit longer.
In a pinch, three or four days wasn't impossible.
In any case... Elder Suwol figured he had plenty of time.
Which also meant he was damn hard to track down. Unless he stepped out himself, there'd be no face-to-face. That let him carry out the Isolation Siege at his leisure.
That's when Jaja spotted a small mark.
"Hah."
She let out a quiet sigh instead of words.
"Mm."
Vanguard grunted too.
It was in a spot only those in the know would check: the left corner of the inn's signboard bore a tiny drawing of a sword.
Their prearranged signals didn't specify a particular inn.
Every inn in the world was fair game. Anywhere with a signboard worked.
They etched the agreed-upon symbol into the left corner of the sign.
Vanguard and Four Thousand Four had settled on plenty of such codes beforehand. Pictures instead of words to convey intent clearly. They'd nailed down the meanings in advance for that reason.
A sword meant battle.
There were all kinds of fights—covert strikes or open combat.
A sword signaled assassination.
Had it been a knife drawn on the sign, Vanguard and Jaja would've whipped out their blades on the spot and cut down their pursuers. Of course, the enemy could've done the same to them.
The sword meant Four Thousand Four was making his move.
"Poor bastards. What're we gonna do about 'em?"
"Right?"
Jaja let out a smirk.
Four Thousand Four was the King of Assassins.
Once he moved, no one walked away alive.
His martial arts were on par with Elder Nogu—high enough to clash with the Five Great Masters of the Murim. He went by another moniker himself: Shadowless.
Picture one of the Five Great Masters turning pro killer. Mastering every assassination art—head-on clashes, ambushes, sneak attacks, you name it.
Who could stand against that?
The Bi-Samga warriors had scattered like fallen autumn leaves.
The Bi-Samga had abandoned the chase. Sure, a few still trailed from a distance, content to watch. But getting in close? Not a chance.
That was the power of Four Thousand Four.
He'd set his sights on Elder Suwol's underlings.
No wonder they were sweating it. No wonder they wondered how long those goons could hold out—or when they'd throw up their hands and surrender.
Vanguard spoke up.
"Guess we'll be sleeping and eating easy starting tonight."
One thousand warriors.
A force like that could rightly be called an army.
From the perspective of Elder Suwol, the army's commander, what was the life of a single grunt worth? Could picking off soldiers actually rile him up?
It'd provoke him, sure. But not much. Not like the agony of a severed limb. More like the itch from a mosquito bite.
To really sting Elder Suwol, they'd need to bleed him at least a hundred grunts deep.
Only that kind of loss would make him yelp, 'Ow! That hurts!'
Kill a hundred...
Was there anything fun about taking a life? Any warrior who didn't feel guilt over killing?
He'd ended plenty in his time, but he still remembered them all vividly—who they were, what they looked like, when and where he'd struck them down.
Killing piled up karma.
It was like carving bloodstains into your flesh that no amount of washing could erase.
Stack a hundred more on top of that? Not even Four Thousand Four would enjoy it.
"Which side you planning to hit first?"
Hanbi asked.
Once they started lopping off Elder Suwol's hands and feet... even sticking to just the warriors, there were too many targets.
Just the obvious ones numbered over twenty.
The biggest threat to Vanguard and Jaja was the archer perched in the bell tower... handling him first seemed smart.
"Leave him be."
Four Thousand Four said something odd.
He'd signaled intent to strike at Vanguard and Jaja's threats, and now he was calling it off?
"Not moving at all?"
"For the time being."
"For the time being? Then the pursuers...?"
"Gonna hit 'em."
"Not moving, but still attacking. You're talking in riddles."
"Killing those guys is pointless, no matter how many. They're just cannon fodder. Why waste time on ones that keep popping up endlessly? I need to take out the ones that can't be replaced."
Four Thousand Four grinned as he spoke.
"Mm! I get it, but... you think they'll actually show?"
Hanbi said, furrowing his brow.
Four Thousand Four was gunning for the Ten Great Branch Heads. Or maybe striking straight at the Four Heavenly Kings.
Those were irreplaceable.
Grunts could be swapped out. One dies, plug in another. But generals? There were no spares. Lose one, and good luck replacing him.
That'd hurt Elder Suwol where it counted most.
If they could take out the Four Heavenly Kings, it'd be perfect.
Those guys boasted skills rivaling the Five Great Masters—no guarantees they'd win. They'd have to cross blades first to see who lasted longer. But if they were targeting, better go straight for them.
Since Elder Suwol was the ultimate mark, a clash with his elite was inevitable... might as well get it over with sooner.
"Left or right?"
Four Thousand Four eyed Hanbi.
"Hmm! Left feels more likely. I'll take right then. Easier's better."
Hanbi grinned.
Four Thousand Four nodded.
Hanbi moved out.
He'd keep tabs on the warriors shadowing Vanguard and Jaja from the right.
More precisely, he'd pinpoint who was relaying orders to the right-side warriors, who was issuing commands, and who their leader was.
The bell tower archer was on the right flank.
With their highest perch on that side, the signaler was likely there too. High chance of direct orders to the bowman.
Hanbi claimed he preferred the easy route, but he'd actually taken the tougher assignment.
Naturally, Four Thousand Four handled the left.
Those targets were out in the open. Trailing them covertly and observing was straightforward.
Watch for messengers passing notes, those whispering secrets, or barking orders outright. Track everyone they made contact with—not their movements, but the contacts'.
"What's going on? Why's it so quiet?"
Jaja grumbled.
"Gonna have to retract that bit about sleeping easy tonight. Looks like we'll be starving and curling up tight."
Vanguard gave a wry smile.
Four Thousand Four had declared an attack. He was definitely on the move. No doubt about that.
Yet no warriors were dropping.
His target lay elsewhere.
Vanguard knew that much. So did Jaja. He was aiming higher—something incomparable to picking off the goons right in front of them.
Who was it?
They weren't dull enough to miss the obvious.
In truth, the tactic Four Thousand Four was using was one any former Heavenly Annihilation Division leader would recognize on sight.
Still, there was cause for concern.
Four Thousand Four aimed to minimize the body count while efficiently drawing out Elder Suwol. Targeting the Ten Great Branch Heads or Four Heavenly Kings over slaughtering a thousand grunts.
They got the logic.
But it came with a massive risk.
On the surface, it seemed perfectly reasonable. Yet it overlooked one key point.
Elder Suwol wanted to gauge their martial prowess.
What if he caught sight of Four Thousand Four's skills and decided he couldn't handle it? He'd burrow even deeper without a second thought.
They had the Era Branch Heads. The Four Heavenly Kings. No need to hide just yet. But if the Four Heavenly Kings fell to Four Thousand Four... everything changed.
Elder Suwol would hole up tight.
After losing his Four Heavenly Kings, he'd think, How the hell could I handle that guy? No need to spell it out.
Classic case of beating the grass to scare the snake.
Did Four Thousand Four see that far ahead and still go this route?
He should've drawn a horse instead of a sword.
A horse symbolized pursuit—stealthy trailing. Following the warriors inward.
Had he drawn a horse, the pair would've braced for prolonged hunger and thirst. Pure pursuit, no kills.
But he'd drawn a sword.
Today or tomorrow—soon enough, death would come. Four Thousand Four had no plans to infiltrate. He meant to isolate Elder Suwol from his guards by carving out the links in between.
Four Thousand Four, what the hell are you thinking?
"We're already fretting over tonight's bed. Better scout a spot to dodge the night dew."
Vanguard glanced around.