Revenant Purge Operation (6)
Dohwa Gwang couldn't believe the situation he was in.
He acknowledged that Song Hyeon was a tricky opponent. But even if their swords clashed, he figured it would just take over a hundred breaths to settle the fight—he never imagined he'd lose.
Yet Song Hyeon had approached from behind without him noticing a thing.
There was a saying in the murim:
If you hold out for a hundred breaths, they're a fairly even match.
If you fall in ten breaths, they're one realm above you.
If you lose in one breath, they're two realms above.
But when it came to sinbeop—body techniques encompassing footwork, lightness skills, and all movement arts—that was a different story.
Sinbeop was the clearest measure of the gap between master and novice.
No matter how famed a sword, a weak sinbeop user couldn't land a cut on the enemy. Conversely, a sinbeop master could wield even a plain kitchen knife and strike vital points like a bolt of lightning.
In other words, getting outmaneuvered in sinbeop meant you were several realms below!
And yet, he hadn't sensed Song Hyeon's presence at all, not even as he closed in from behind...
Could he be far beyond what I guessed—a true peak expert?
Hiding such thoughts, Dohwa Gwang asked,
"Hiding like a rat in the house?"
"No, I was just leaning against that wall over there."
Song Hyeon pointed to one wall with his index finger.
But there was no evidence he'd been leaning there.
The floor was thick with dust from years of abandonment, yet from the wall to the center of the room, not a single footprint marred the dust.
That sight made Dohwa Gwang's heart lurch even harder.
A sinbeop that left no footprints on the approach.
Perfectly feasible for the swordsman before him.
Dohwa Gwang ran the odds of victory in his head.
The bearded guy's your run-of-the-mill dao swordsman from the jianghu.
Dao swordsmen aren't worth worrying about. The problem's that swordsman.
One-on-one? It wouldn't be easy.
Clash swords with him, and one of us dies for sure.
Dragging it out's bad too. If that kid shows up even by some fluke, it's over.
So...
Turning over schemes, Dohwa Gwang hardened his resolve.
Quick and decisive. Kill Song Hyeon fast, take Wang Yi Sam hostage, and get out.
Dohwa Gwang had a hidden trump card.
A secret technique he'd never used before.
Use that, and even this swordsman will be defenseless.
Clap, clap, clap.
Steeling himself for the kill, Dohwa Gwang feigned nonchalance with applause to mask his killing intent.
"Well then, care to share your brilliant plan? How's it supposed to work?"
"Simple."
Ignoring the sarcasm, Song Hyeon replied without hesitation.
"To you and Seo Baek, us four Black Daoists are the same whether one-on-one or one-against-four. No need to bunch up."
"Ha! You think we're a joke?"
"A master naturally looks down on novices. Especially ones several realms below."
"......"
Dohwa Gwang fell silent. He couldn't deny Seo Baek might not qualify, but Song Hyeon? He might just be that kind of master.
The feeling of facing a novice as a master.
Dohwa Gwang knew it well—the sense that every stance or scheme they tried was transparent, like playing on the palm of your hand.
After all, he'd slain countless novices with his swift footwork and fast sword.
But Song Hyeon's unexpected words continued.
"The operation started the moment Seo Baek explained scattering in all directions."
"What're you talking about?"
"Seo Baek explained why we needed to scatter and what to do next—to me. While you were droning on about your dusty old past."
"Transmission? I didn't notice a thing—how?"
Dohwa Gwang narrowed his eyes.
Transmission arts were usually private to the recipient, but vastly superior inner power could eavesdrop.
Dohwa Gwang couldn't accept Seo Baek outclassing him in inner strength. Even if not overheard, he'd have sensed it.
So how had Seo Baek briefed Song Hyeon without transmission?
"Not transmission."
"Then what? Lip-reading?"
"No. With eye movements."
"Eyes?"
"Escort agencies have secret signals like the black dots and whites in Go. Convey meaning by how many times you shift your gaze left and right."
"You expect me to believe that's enough for signals?"
"Pre-arranged codes make it plenty."
"No wonder the kid kept rolling his eyes nonstop...!"
Seo Baek had swept his gaze left and right several times while explaining the plan.
Dohwa Gwang hadn't thought much of it with so many people, but he'd hidden the operation in those tiny motions...
Someone even more shocked than Dohwa Gwang was Wang Yi Sam.
He knew Seo Baek hoarded all sorts of rare knowledge. But escort agency secret signals too? Wang Yi Sam stuck out his tongue in disbelief.
"Seo Baek sent me plenty of signals, but one was three horizontal strokes, one vertical."
"What's that mean?"
"Guess you can't read. The character for Wang—King."
Song Hyeon flicked only his eyes toward Wang Yi Sam as he spoke.
"Two Wangs in the group. Wang Pyo? Just another Black Daoist—not worth assigning to me. Leaves one Wang. Seo Baek entrusted his senior to me, so here I am."
"......"
Now even Dohwa Gwang couldn't groan.
Seo Baek had predicted he'd target the nearest Wang Yi Sam!
"Plenty more signals besides. Eyes were tricky for complex stuff, but with someone yapping nonstop, time was no issue."
Song Hyeon's icy demeanor cracked with a faint smile.
"While you dragged up your past and threw your tantrum, Seo Baek briefed me. You talked so much, I got every signal even midway."
"You bastards pulled that stunt..."
"Not a stunt—it's called mind games."
Shing. Song Hyeon slowly drew his sword.
"The world's full of folks betrayed by parents, masters, sworn brothers. I won't deny your past was tragic. But that doesn't make slaughtering people like bugs legal."
"Hmph! Even righteous sects have villains like me. You singling me out to play good guy-bad guy?"
"Don't quibble. Born in a righteous sect, you'd still mock and butcher the weak."
"What?"
"Anyone using their misfortune as an excuse to kill has no grounds to complain about heavenly punishment."
"Heavenly punishment? You the heavens?"
At that, even the faint smile vanished from Song Hyeon's lips.
"Compared to your skills, yeah—I'm heaven and you're earth."
"You son of a bitch...!"
Dohwa Gwang spat curses and charged Song Hyeon.
Twisting his arms oddly, two blades shot from his sleeves toward Song Hyeon.
Even as the blades flew at his face, Song Hyeon scoffed.
"Surigeom only work hidden in sleeves. Just Black Dao parlor tricks anyway."
Then, unbelievably, the blades extended a full foot from both sleeves!
Not attached to his arms—a handgrip midway made them proper weapons.
Whoosh. The twin blades slashed at Song Hyeon's throat.
"Haha! Still parlor tricks with your head rolling?"
But Dohwa Gwang's smug face froze.
The blades had clearly grazed his neck, yet Song Hyeon stood unscathed, head tilted slightly askew.
"How the hell...?"
"Novices can't grasp a master's arts. I yielded one breath—my turn."
Swish swish swish.
Song Hyeon's sword flew at Dohwa Gwang's throat like heat haze on a spring day.
Dohwa Gwang crossed his twin blades in an X to block. Then Song Hyeon's sword doubled.
An illusion from ever-changing sword intent.
Swords couldn't multiply—one real strike, one feint.
Ignore the feint, block the real—easy enough...
Suddenly, Song Hyeon's impassive eyes flashed, and the blades quadrupled.
......!
"This is the Escort Bureau's Wall Cloud Sword Art."
As Song Hyeon's flat voice pierced his ear, the four blades became eight.
Eight to sixteen, sixteen to thirty-two, thirty-two to sixty-four, sixty-four to one hundred twenty-eight.
Azure Cloud Sword Technique.
Clouds over blue walls. A sword net overwhelming like a crashing blue tidal wave!
Only then did Dohwa Gwang realize his mistake.
Thinking he could at least hold his own one-on-one with Song Hyeon.
Pure delusion.
In a duel with a master, the price of delusion was your life!
Thud. Plop.
Dohwa Gwang's severed head hit the floor.
The clash ended anticlimactically, without a single exchange.
Wang Yi Sam, dazed, let out a huge sigh.
"Phew, barely made it. Thanks."
"......"
Song Hyeon just nodded once, wordless.
But as Wang Yi Sam sighed in relief, he tilted his head at something odd. Dohwa Gwang's headless body still stood there.
Died standing?
Then the severed head's mouth gaped wide, spewing a bundle of blood thread worms at Song Hyeon's nape.
Sploooosh.
Simultaneously, the body raised its blades and lunged.
"Argh! Watch your back...!"
Without even turning, Song Hyeon swung his sword as Wang Yi Sam screamed.
Split. Squawk.
The severed head cleaved vertically in two.
The charging body staggered like a puppet with cut strings. Song Hyeon kicked it flying into the wall, where it crumpled to the floor.
Only then did Song Hyeon sheath his Qingyan Sword.
"Sliced the heart meridian of the blood thread worms—won't rampage anymore."
"......"
Wang Yi Sam alternated stares between the bisected head and fallen body, then swallowed hard.
"Dohwa Gwang was a revenant..?"
"Yes."
Dohwa Gwang had hidden his revenant nature.
Let his head drop, wait for Song Hyeon to relax, then strangle with worm bundle from behind. Body follows with twin blades to the back.
Give flesh to take bone?
No—give the head to take the breath.
A desperate gambit only a revenant could pull.
Dohwa Gwang had figured even a master like Song Hyeon would fall for his bizarre ploy.
But that, too, was delusion.
The price of delusion: life...
Wang Yi Sam, still dazed, sighed even deeper.
Now the endless nightmare seemed truly over.
An unbreakable nightmare that felt eternal.
Suddenly, a thought struck Wang Yi Sam.
"Then was Dohwa Gwang the commander?"
"Doubt it. Suspected him at first from the clown makeup."
"Why makeup... Oh!"
Wang Yi Sam recalled Seo Baek spotting neck scars to identify revenants.
"Thought heavy makeup hid neck scars, but seems he's worn it since before the outbreak. Probably turned en route on the boat."
"If not Dohwa Gwang, where's the commander?"
"Where else? Seo Baek's handling him."
"......!"
Wang Yi Sam jolted, shouting,
"Isn't the junior alone right now? Against a commander—he okay?"
"No need to worry. If anything, the commander's the one sweating."
Song Hyeon gave a faint smile.
"He's up against the Central Plains' top revenant expert."