Chapter 60
Chapter 60
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: The Man in Black
-----------------------------------------------------------------
How thin is the line between life and death?
Bu Eun-seol believed it was as thin as the edge of a blade.
With every cross of swords, life and death were decided. And the difference was always as slim as the sharp point of a sword.
“Huu. Huu.”
Holding his sword aloft in one hand, Bu Eun-seol gasped for breath.
The tightly packed bookshelves had all toppled over, and torn pages from scattered books fluttered in the air.
With each clash, blood dripped from Bu Eun-seol’s body, while the thread of life was severed from the assassins’.
“Huu. Huu.”
Having consecutively unleashed the Cheon-pae-do-geuk-se and his practical swordsmanship, Bu Eun-seol heaved for air.
He had crossed the line of death countless times, but never had a fight been this long.
He could no longer tell whose blood stained the floor.
His internal energy was depleted to the point his dantian ached, and his sword, forged from refined steel, was now chipped and jagged.
“What kind of monster is this….”
The remaining assassins hesitated.
Though drenched in blood and looking as if he would collapse at any moment, Bu Eun-seol would rise again like an unyielding doll and unleash a flurry of sword forms.
“You bastard….”
Their words were cut short.
The staggering Bu Eun-seol once again unleashed a sword technique as swift as a lightning flash.
“Keuk!”
With low screams, more of the remaining assassins fell.
*Is it finally over?*
The assassins, who had charged at him endlessly no matter how many he cut down, were nowhere to be seen.
But an hour had not yet passed. Closing his eyes, Bu Eun-seol suddenly pushed his Ya-su-do to its absolute limit.
*No, something is there.*
It was a feeling he could only call intuition.
He had defeated all the assassins… but a chilling sensation remained, as if an unseen demon was baring its fangs in the darkness.
He stood like that, holding his breath for a moment.
*Kuuuung.*
Suddenly, the door to the inner secret chamber opened, and Dan So-ok rushed out.
Having heard no sound for a while, she had been unable to bear the worry and fear any longer and had opened the door herself.
“Are you alright?”
Spotting Bu Eun-seol drenched in blood, Dan So-ok was about to rush toward him when—
“Stay back.”
Bu Eun-seol’s eyes flashed open as he stepped in front of her, raising his sword to a ready stance.
“Impressive. To think you detected my presence.”
A low voice spoke, and a black shadow slowly materialized from between the fluttering papers.
He wore a strange garment with an inky sheen and had long hair parted into two strands.
*Swish.*
As Bu Eun-seol watched the man, he felt a strange pressure.
It was an unfamiliar and bizarre pressure, as if a massive creature was about to leap out from behind the man before him.
“Hmm.”
The man let out a low hum and tilted his head as he looked down at Bu Eun-seol.
“Unexpected. You certainly weren’t here before.”
From the man’s words, Bu Eun-seol could deduce one thing.
Not only had they been preparing this for a long time, but he himself had not been in Yueyang at the time.
*I arrived six months ago. This was planned long before that.*
As if reading Bu Eun-seol’s thoughts, the man smiled faintly.
“That’s right. If someone like you had been here, the plan would have been a little different.”
His voice was not only laced with leisure, but his movements were also extremely natural.
If this man were to act, a power that could shake the heavens and move the earth would be unleashed.
“If you step aside now… you might just have a future.”
The man, a confident smirk on his lips, suddenly raised his fist.
“For the record, I’m not suggesting this because you have no chance of winning!”
Suddenly, the man clenched his fist. In that instant, a powerful shockwave spread out like a ripple, pushing Bu Eun-seol back slightly.
The man had instantly unleashed the powerful internal force gathered in his hand, revealing the profound depth of his internal energy.
“Now, will you step aside?”
The man smiled confidently and looked at So-ok, who was behind Bu Eun-seol.
“All you have to do is take one step to the side. Do that, and no harm will come to you.”
Bu Eun-seol had already sustained numerous injuries, both large and small, from fighting over a hundred assassins. He had lost so much blood that his vision was starting to blur.
*Stands tall.*
But Bu Eun-seol straightened his back even more.
“You want me to step aside.”
And he slowly began to circulate his internal energy.
Wounds like these, a crisis like this… it was nothing compared to what he had endured so far.
A crimson light once again blazed in Bu Eun-seol’s dimming eyes.
“You will not take another step forward!”
*Fwoosh!*
The internal energy he raised became a powerful gust of wind, scattering the man’s hair in all directions.
“Hoh….”
Realizing that Bu Eun-seol’s level of internal energy was comparable to his own, the man shook his head.
“What a shame.”
Then, he slowly drew a sword from his waist.
It was a unique sword.
It was about half a cun narrower than a normal longsword and about a chi longer. The blade lacked the characteristic gleam that steel should have.
His stance was unique.
The man did not point the longsword at Bu Eun-seol but held it horizontally before his forehead, as if to block the light pouring down from the heavens.
“I’ll grant you the first move.”
This man was no assassin.
An assassin’s sword is merely the result of the will to kill. They care not for formalities like the first move.
*Whoosh.*
Instead of answering, Bu Eun-seol extended his sword.
It was a slow and seemingly weak thrust, but its path and technique were unpredictable.
It was one of the sword forms from the practical swordsmanship he had mastered through countless real battles.
*Whoosh!*
Just as Bu Eun-seol’s sword changed its trajectory in mid-air, aiming to slice the man’s wrist—
*Swoosh!*
He felt the illusion of a massive wave crashing over him.
*Ch-chik.*
Bu Eun-seol halted his attack and swung his sword to protect his vital points. Even so, he felt a pressure so immense it felt like his body was being torn apart.
*A heavy sword!*
The blade of the longsword in his hand was bending as if it would snap.
The man before him was using a powerful heavy sword technique with a thin, long blade.
*I can’t clash with it directly.*
The man seemed to have trained with the heavy sword for a long time, unleashing immense pressure with even the slightest movement.
If their swords were to clash, his own weapon would be instantly shattered.
*Ziiiing.*
Taking a step back, Bu Eun-seol brought his sword behind his back, assuming a peculiar stance.
Instantly, a formidable energy rose around him, forcing the man to halt his technique.
It was the Cheon-pae-do-geuk-se.
“You use quite an extraordinary technique!”
The man, increasing the destructive power of his heavy sword, constantly moved the tip of his blade, trying to break through Bu Eun-seol’s stance.
Techniques that gouged, stabbed, and sliced grazed Bu Eun-seol’s skin, but he paid them no mind, defending against the heavy sword with the Cheon-pae-do-geuk-se.
“You bastard! I see now, you were stalling for time!”
Realizing that Bu Eun-seol’s goal was not victory but to buy time, the man raised his sword tip to the sky.
“Try and block this!”
In an instant, a formidable pressure descended upon Bu Eun-seol, feeling as if it would rip him apart.
It was the ultimate expression of the heavy sword technique, something that could not be blocked by simple methods.
*I was waiting for this!*
At that moment, a brilliant light flared in Bu Eun-seol’s eyes.
In truth, he too could wield a heavy sword. The reason he had remained on the defensive was to provoke the man, to make him impatient and use a powerful, all-out strike.
*Ch-chik!*
With the longsword in his right hand, Bu Eun-seol unleashed a mighty heavy sword technique, while with his left, he drew the assassin’s dagger from his back.
The art of fighting with two minds.
Just as the man generated immense pressure, he countered with a heavy sword in his right hand and a swift dagger in his left.
*Crash! Boom!*
In that instant, with a deafening roar, Bu Eun-seol and the man were thrown back in opposite directions.
“Ugh.”
Blood was flowing from the man’s neck, but thankfully, the wound wasn't deep enough to pierce through.
Just as the swift dagger was about to pierce his neck, he had instantly expanded the pressure of his heavy sword, shattering both Bu Eun-seol’s longsword and his dagger into pieces.
“……”
Although he had barely managed to block the attack, blood was streaming from his neck.
But the blade hadn't gone deep, so the wound was not life-threatening.
“You bastard, you intentionally feigned carelessness to land a single blow.”
The man nodded his head as if in admiration, yet a cold, murderous glint flickered in his eyes.
“You are someone who must not be left alive.”
*Chk.*
For the first time, the man raised his sword to a ready stance.
*Gooooooh….*
A powerful wind began to swirl around the blade.
It was as if a mighty, hidden power in the world was gathering into the man’s longsword.
“Try and block this too.”
As the man, a wicked smile on his lips, bared his fangs and prepared to swing his sword—
*Kurrrrrut.*
A sound like a waterfall crashing down echoed faintly from the distant sky.
It was the sound of a master with transcendent martial arts using a movement technique.
*U Mun-hwang!*
The man, who was about to unleash his sword, flashed his eyes.
U Mun-hwang was a master who was in no way inferior to himself.
He could kill a brat like Bu Eun-seol anytime. But in this situation, he absolutely could not confront U Mun-hwang.
*Gooooooh.*
As his thoughts strayed, his concentration scattered, and the energy gathered on his sword faded. The outcome was already decided.
“You are one truly lucky bastard.”
Slowly sheathing his sword, the man looked down at Bu Eun-seol.
“I will take my time killing you in the future.”
Bu Eun-seol stared straight back at the man with cold, still eyes.
“My thoughts exactly.”
“Huhuhu.”
The man let out a low laugh and muttered in a grim voice.
“I’ll look forward to it.”
With that one short phrase, the man’s body slowly vanished into the darkness.
Bu Eun-seol stared intently as he disappeared, and once the man was completely gone—
*Tang.*
He planted the broken assassin’s dagger he was holding into the floor.
*Drip.*
At the same time, a faint trickle of dark red blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.
*To unleash such pressure with just an opening stance!*
Before even executing his sword art, the man had generated a powerful force with just his opening stance, inflicting internal injuries on Bu Eun-seol.
“Master Ho!”
As Bu Eun-seol swayed, Dan So-ok, who had been standing behind him, quickly supported him.
“Are you okay?”
*Of course I’m okay. An internal injury is nothing.*
Bu Eun-seol tried to say this.
But the words wouldn't come out. Because tears were welling up in Dan So-ok’s eyes as she gazed at him.
“You’re okay, right? You can’t die.”
Dan So-ok’s body was trembling.
She was worried that Bu Eun-seol, who was gasping for breath, might stop breathing, that he might close his eyes for good.
*Would she be sad if I died?*
A strange thought.
The treasured jewel of the Lord of the Demonic Cult Bureau, a talented woman marked by the Demonic Cult.
Why would she, a woman of the most noble status in the martial world, grieve the death of a mere member of the Ninth Killing Squad?
*A useless thought.*
Gazing at the tears welling in Dan So-ok’s eyes, Bu Eun-seol shook his head and pushed himself up.
“It’s Bu Eun-seol.”
“Pardon?”
“That’s my name.”
“Eun-seol… Bu Eun-seol.”
Eun-seol.
It was a name that suited his pale, almost white skin.
And like the sorrow held within his eyes, it was a name that was somehow both melancholic and beautiful.
“I see.”
Dan So-ok wiped her tears and smiled brightly.
“I’ll remember it, too.”
And she stared intently at Bu Eun-seol.
Her eyes were full of affection, and a blush bloomed on her cheeks.
Sensing something amiss, Bu Eun-seol averted his gaze, but her pair of eyes persistently followed him.
Dan So-ok’s eyes, brimming with affection.
*Kwa-rung!*
With a sound like thunder, a gray shadow landed in front of the old bookstore. It was U Mun-hwang.
*Fwoosh!*
Following him, warriors clad in gray martial arts uniforms landed behind U Mun-hwang. Their eyes, glinting in the darkness, were like torches.
They seemed to be warriors directly under the Demonic Cult Bureau.
“Ok! Are you alright?”
U Mun-hwang, who had been rushing over, paused for a moment.
Dan So-ok, covered in dust and blood, was standing pressed closely against Bu Eun-seol, looking at him.
“Yes? Yes.”
Coming to her senses, Dan So-ok moved away from Bu Eun-seol and calmly stood up.
“Thanks to Bu… Master Ho protecting me….”
*Bang!*
Just then, the door of the old bookstore burst open as if it would break, and a booming voice echoed.
“Number Eighteen! We’ve come to help!”
Bu Eun-seol turned his head to see Sang-ryang and Ma-un, their clothes in tatters and covered in blood, rushing in breathlessly.
“We defended as hard as we could, but it seems a few of them slipped past! So we took care of all of them and….”
Sang-ryang and Ma-un, who had charged in so confidently, fell silent as they took in the scene inside the bookstore.
There, piled up like a mountain, were the corpses of several times more assassins than they had killed.
“Guess it wasn’t just a few, huh. Hahaha.”
“Indeed, sir. We thought we’d only missed a few. Hahaha.”
As Sang-ryang and Ma-un looked at each other and smiled awkwardly—
“You have truly suffered a great deal. Thank you.”
U Mun-hwang, having cast aside all his pride, gripped Bu Eun-seol’s shoulder.
If only he had listened to Bu Eun-seol, this danger would never have occurred.
And if he hadn’t fought with his life on the line just now… Dan So-ok would already be a cold corpse.
“I only did what I had to do.”
It was a stiff reply, devoid of any emotion.
The U Mun-hwang of before would have flown into a rage at such a response.
*What a manly fellow. A man of few words, too.*
But now, even Bu Eun-seol’s curt tone felt masculine and dependable.
“Has their identity been revealed?”
“Not at all. We couldn't even tell if they were from the Orthodox or Unorthodox Faction, let alone which clan.”
When Bu Eun-seol showed a surprised expression, U Mun-hwang spoke bitterly.
“The Bureau’s experts closely examined their weapons and even the fabric of their clothes but couldn't trace their origin. It means they were thoroughly prepared to leave no trail.”
Gritting his teeth, he continued.
“We will return to headquarters and hunt down those who orchestrated this to the very end. And….”
U Mun-hwang’s last words were barely audible, but the implication was clear enough.
*Another storm of blood will blow through the martial world.*
The Lord of the Demonic Cult Bureau was a terrifying figure on par with the masters of the Ten Demonic Sects.
And Dan So-ok, whom the Council of Elders was pushing to be the next leader, held immense influence within the Demonic Cult.
Ultimately, those who had done this would surely pay the price.
“You two also went through a lot.”
When Dan So-ok smiled faintly at the Twin Devils, they grinned foolishly and bowed their heads.
“You honor us with your words!”
“That’s right. We merely did what we had to do.”
“Uncle. These men are from the Yueyang branch….”
“I know.”
U Mun-hwang cut her off coldly and led Dan So-ok to the carriage.
“Let’s go back now.”
At that, Ma-un’s face fell.
“Damn it, can’t that old man say something nice? He just leaves like it’s a matter of course.”
Sang-ryang smiled and shook his head.
“Didn’t the young lady already speak for us? She’s not one to make empty promises, so we can probably expect some good news.”
After climbing into the carriage, Dan So-ok kept glancing out the window at Bu Eun-seol.
But U Mun-hwang misinterpreted her behavior and said.
“The Gong Clan Twin Devils are also part of the Yueyang branch. There’s no need to think of this incident as anything special.”
“Yes, Uncle.”
Even as she replied, Dan So-ok’s gaze remained fixed on Bu Eun-seol’s face as he stood in the ruined bookstore.