Chapter 37
Chapter 37
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: The Straggler (2)
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‘Not working...’
His heart grew heavy.
Swords were drawn almost simultaneously from both east and west. Then an eerie silence fell.
Things were going wrong.
‘Heh heh! Heh heh heh!’
Vanguard rose from his hiding spot.
The ripples from the east and west hadn’t reached him. That meant Hanbi and Jaja had failed to effectively draw away the warriors. By now, they should have cleared a path for him to infiltrate, but warriors still guarded his way in.
The four disciples of the Frost Blade Master had the inner gate entrance firmly sealed.
The fact that they hadn’t budged an inch meant Hanbi and Jaja’s pull was too weak. In other words, it wasn’t dangerous enough to make even the Frost Blade Disciples move.
Moreover, they didn’t see Hanbi and Jaja as the final interceptors.
That was the biggest problem.
They believed the true assassin was someone else. That’s why, even as noon approached, they remained tense and vigilant, poised to draw their blades at any moment.
How had things gotten so twisted?
Four Thousand Four had done his part. Sneaking into the enemy’s inner chambers and setting a fire was more than enough. Thanks to him, the Frost Blade Sword Gate manor was still in chaos.
It wasn’t Hanbi and Jaja’s fault either.
They always staked their lives on every job.
They knew better than anyone that one misstep meant plummeting a thousand feet into the abyss.
No one on this side had erred.
The plan hadn’t failed. They’d done all they could. They’d followed the script to the letter without a single mistake. It was just that the outcome wasn’t favorable. Even with everything perfect, this result stemmed from the unbreakable defense woven by the Three Sword Gate alliance.
‘Looks like I’ll have no choice but to charge straight in.’
Vanguard let out a bitter laugh.
“Heh heh heh! Just as expected, right?”
“Indeed. Everything’s going according to plan. How does it never deviate even an inch from predictions?”
“That’s what makes them assassins. Bodies without brains. Puppets without souls, perhaps?”
The Frost Blade Disciples showed no surprise at the sudden intruder. Not only that—they all converged, sealing off every entrance they’d been guarding.
They recognized Vanguard as the final assassin.
“Were you waiting for me?”
“Heh heh heh! If we were, then yes, we were. Vanguard, your moves are far too predictable.”
The man with the notably thick sideburns spoke up.
‘They knew I was coming!’
Vanguard’s hair stood on end.
The Heavenly Annihilation Division had countless branch organizations. Even they probably didn’t know the exact number.
Vanguard was just one of them.
By chance, his unit had three top-tier martial artists... but that didn’t change anything. Branches were branches—disposable at any time.
The Heavenly Annihilation Division had merely sent out one of its innumerable tentacles.
Predicting which tentacle would be deployed from so many was impossible.
The tentacles attached to the Heavenly Annihilation Division were perfectly secretive groups. Only his direct superior, the Heavenly Commander, and the members of the subordinate units he oversaw knew of Vanguard.
They numbered only a handful.
For an outsider—let alone the assassination target—to know in advance who had been selected as the assassin was inconceivable.
Especially for this mission: a public assassination, the most difficult kind.
It involved declaring the exact date and time of the kill in advance, then carrying it out.
The Heavenly Annihilation Division would treat this with utmost gravity.
Public assassinations were more often about pride than grudges.
Failing one would tarnish the Heavenly Annihilation Division’s reputation irreparably.
Thus, they’d prepared thoroughly. They’d dispatched someone guaranteed to kill the Frost Blade Master—and from the disposable pawns, Vanguard had been chosen as the most suitable.
Secrecy was lifeblood.
The Heavenly Annihilation Division knew that well.
Yet these men knew who he was.
Now it made sense why Hanbi and Jaja had been spotted so easily.
They didn’t just know who the designated assassin was—they had full intel on the entire unit’s members and even their behavioral patterns.
Hard to believe, but the security breach was real.
One of two possibilities!
First: a spy within the Heavenly Annihilation Division.
Vanguard’s existence was unknown even to the Division—only the Heavenly Commander knew. So the spy had to be on his side.
Second: the Heavenly Annihilation Division had deliberately leaked the info.
They wouldn’t care if a few tentacles like Vanguard were severed, as long as their honor was upheld.
Their current top priority was killing the Frost Blade Master.
To do that, they might have intentionally exposed Vanguard...
That possibility couldn’t be ruled out.
If so, the real assassin was someone else.
If the second guess was correct, Vanguard was bait.
“If you know me, you must know my sword as well.”
Shing!
Vanguard drew his blade.
“We do. And we know you’re no mere grunt under the Heavenly Commander.”
“You know quite a bit.”
“We’ve heard plenty.”
Swoosh! Swish!
The Frost Blade Disciples took their positions.
‘No chance of winning here!’
Vanguard edged slowly toward the wall.
One against four—he had to fight them. Exposing his back in this situation was suicide. At minimum, he needed his back secured.
“Heh heh heh! It’s unlike you, Vanguard, to shuffle along like a tortoise. Don’t worry, we won’t touch you—go find your comfy spot.”
“Since you’re feeling generous, how about a one-on-one duel?”
“That’s for those who haven’t hopped the wall. There’s a saying for rats who do: beat ’em with a stick.”
“Such foul mouths. What’s a rat? A rat, you say.”
Swoosh!
Vanguard pressed his back to the wall and raised his sword.
His prediction was spot on.
Swoosh! Swish! Swish swish!
In the spot the Frost Blade Disciples had retreated from—the farthest they could reach even at top speed—a faint movement stirred.
Someone had already slipped inside. They were racing toward the Frost Blade Master.
These were the real assassins.
So how did they plan to kill the Frost Blade Master? He wasn’t a pushover. “Frost Blade” meant a blade sharp enough to freeze blood.
Vanguard had prepared poison.
Without poison, killing the Frost Blade Master was impossible—even without his disciples. Especially in a pre-announced assassination.
Those charging at him now must have their own sure-kill move prepared.
‘Heh heh! Just as I thought—discarded.’
A wry smile tugged at Vanguard’s lips.
He’d suspected it, but being thrown away still stung.
“Laugh!”
“Hm?”
As the Frost Blade Disciples raised their blades toward Vanguard, their ears perked up.
They’d sensed it too. But... their reaction was off?
“The rats are here. Heh heh heh!”
He was laughing? After getting hit from behind? Worse, the disciples ignored their master’s safety and focused on Vanguard.
“Looks like it’s time to wrap this up. Let’s go!”
Shrieeek!
One man spoke, but it was like a signal— all four swung their blades in unison.
Clang! Clang clang! Kang! Kaaang!
It started light, but grew fiercer with time. The force behind their blades made every clash brutal.
Chips began flying from the sword edges.
‘Ugh! Those vicious rigid blades!’
Just a few exchanges, and Vanguard was already gasping for breath.
The Frost Blade Disciples’ chain attacks left no room to breathe. They attacked leisurely while he poured every ounce of strength into parrying.
“Surely you’re not huffing already, Vanguard?”
“Fight like you mean it, Vanguard.”
The disciples smirked as they poised their blades.
Vanguard readied a fierce counter. The next assault would likely slice him in two or three places.
‘Why’s today so damn tough? Tch!’
He scowled deeply.
Kwaang! Thung! Kwang tang tang!
The group that had rushed toward the Frost Blade Master was flung back like crushed frogs.
“Guhk!”
“Kuhk!”
The ones tossed into the inner courtyard groaned in agony.
‘Severe internal injuries!’
Vanguard’s brow furrowed deeper.
The wall blocked his view inside, but the groans alone screamed assassination failure.
‘What the hell did they prepare?!’
A surge of anger boiled up in him.
If they’d used him as bait, shouldn’t they have at least killed the Frost Blade Master? That would ease the sting of being bait. What had they done to get smashed so badly?
“Ah, finished already?”
“Master’s too quick... Fun prey shows up for once, and he doesn’t play with them.”
‘These bastards!’
Vanguard calmed his raging heart.
Now was the time for cold calculation.
The mission had failed!
He’d been tasked with assassinating the Frost Blade Master, but he couldn’t even break through his disciples. And the ones who’d aimed directly at the master using him as bait had collapsed miserably.
One choice remained: withdraw or die here.
Ordering withdrawal meant bearing the failure’s blame.
Those tossed in the courtyard had played the main assassin role and would face their own reckoning—but Vanguard had his own to shoulder.
Vanguard spoke.
“Looks like I’ll have to start this time.”
Shrieeek!
He unleashed Slanting Stream toward the one on his right.
It sliced diagonally downward. Like felling a great tree with one stroke—he poured all his power into the overhead chop.
“Ha ha! The fight hasn’t even started, and you’re already too eager!”
The disciple laughed as he retreated.
In that instant, Vanguard whipped his hand from his bosom. A fire tube gleamed in his grip. Without hesitation, he fired it skyward.
Shoo! Boom!
A red glow and crimson smoke twisted like a dragon into the sky.
Withdraw! Withdraw! I’ll take all the blame!
Six Directions, Wild Boar—prepare to block. One Scout, Fox of Bireung Mountain—get ready to move out immediately!
The red smoke was the signal to all.
Vanguard bellowed.
“Unfinished fights must end someday! Get out of my way!”
Shrieeek!
His swordplay turned wildly ferocious. From lamb-like before, now he resembled a starving wolf. His blade danced as if possessed.
Gray dust rose from Vanguard’s sword.
Illusion? No. Trick of the eye? No. Clearly, gray haze billowed like heat waves, then dispersed.
“Ha ha! Poison!”
The Frost Blade Disciples laughed and fell back.
This was no ordinary situation. Far from it. He scattered poison from his blade only when killing or fleeing—a true lifesaver.
No one knew this trick.
All who’d seen the poison mist from his sword were dead.
Yet the disciples knew. They’d prepared in advance. That’s why they retreated the moment the mist bloomed. Come to think of it... even in their powerful swordplay, they’d always held back at the end—wary of poison.
They knew not just him, but every detail.
Someone! Who leaked this intel?!
If no one had betrayed them, this was impossible.
Either way, they were perfectly ensnared.
In this situation, even withdrawal was out of reach.