Betrayal of the Guizhou Five Kills
Numerous hidden weapons pierced straight through Sam Sal's back, protruding from the front of his chest. Overflowing red blood dripped down in heavy drops. He couldn't draw a proper breath. Excruciating pain surged through him as all strength drained powerlessly from his body. A fatal wound. Sam Sal's body collapsed forward.
Yet Sam Sal desperately twisted his head back. His eyes bulged wide in shock, as if desperate to confirm something. Thud! Sam Sal crumpled to the floor in a grotesque pose, neck wrenched backward. And just before death, his eyes finally caught sight of what he'd yearned to see. His final expression betrayed it completely—pure disbelief. The look of someone witnessing the utterly impossible.
Thus, Sam Sal met a pathetic, empty end.
"Wh-what the hell do you think you're doing?!"
Sa Sal's face was filled with sheer shock and disbelief. It was inevitable. The one who'd ambushed and killed Sam Sal from behind was none other than O Sal, their sworn sister.
It was absolutely unthinkable. They'd clawed their way up from the dregs of the murim world together for over a decade. Others dismissed them as mad dogs, but their bond was tighter than blood, unbreakable.
Betrayal? Unimaginable. Yet here it was, unfolding before his eyes.
"I asked what the hell you're doing!" Sa Sal roared again, spitting blood with the words.
At that moment, Jang Il subtly sent a transmission. Boosted by spirit pills, his inner energy had reached the Peak realm, granting him the ability to use it. And as his transmission ended, O Sal's lips parted right on cue, as if she'd been waiting.
"......That bastard deserved to die...... He dared cross the line and rampage...... And he even insulted the great Golden Dragon Battlefield Lord who opened a path for us......"
Her voice sounded strangely vacant, dazed. But Sa Sal, gripped by shock and fury, didn't notice.
"Wh-what?! Have you truly lost your mind? You're completely insane!"
Sa Sal trembled uncontrollably, unable to contain his rage. Not content with slaying the brother he'd followed like the sky itself, she called him a dog who deserved death? And referred to their enemy, the Golden Dragon Battlefield Lord, as great? There was no other explanation—she'd gone mad.
"......I'm not mad...... I've always thought we were irredeemable scum, doing trash like this...... But I had no choice but to join...... I didn't want to die...... But meeting the great Golden Dragon Battlefield Lord here, I realized this was my chance to atone...... I'm just a worthless pussy bitch, but I found my last hope serving under the great Golden Dragon Battlefield Lord...... a new life......"
Shocking words. Utterly shocking, repeatedly so. Sa Sal felt his sanity fraying. He was on the verge of snapping.
In the end, he exploded completely.
"You bitch worse than a dog! I'll tear you to shreds!"
Sa Sal's ferocious killing intent blazed solely toward O Sal, so intense even Jang Il faded from view. That's what betrayal by a trusted comrade does. Losing reason was only natural.
Sa Sal's spear of fury rained down on O Sal with the force to rend her limb from limb.
But then.
"You dare get distracted in front of this old man?"
Crunch!
"Guhhh?!"
A massive bear-like figure had snuck up behind Sa Sal, throttling his neck with an impossibly thick forearm. Despite his bulk, the movement was lightning-fast—Sa Sal couldn't react.
"Gu...... guuuuh......"
Sa Sal's face turned beet red in agony. His airway was completely crushed. His bloodshot eyes bulged as if ready to pop.
How much time passed like that? Sa Sal's pupils dilated fully. His tongue lolled out in a grotesque twist. Saliva drooled freely. His sphincter gave way, shitting itself filthily.
"Ugh, filthy bastard."
Jang Il released his grip and recoiled in disgust.
Thump! Sa Sal's corpse pitched forward. A wretched, miserable end.
In an instant, two of the Guizhou Five Kills were dead. One by betrayal.
The reactions around them were ones of pure shock and astonishment.
"T-to take down those monster-like bastards so quickly......"
"And sparking infighting at that...... No hint of it coming......"
"Could the Golden Dragon Battlefield Lord have done something......?"
"Who knows. But one thing's clear—the Golden Dragon Battlefield Lord is even greater than the rumors."
"Y-yeah. To have such incredible guards under him."
"Is that all you see? I see a righteous heart that couldn't stand by while facing potential loss."
"Agreed. A man of such caliber naturally draws loyal followers."
Bang So-un's reputation soared. And rightly so. The Haenam Peninsula residents, insulted by the Guizhou Five Kills, had been freed from oppression, as had the others cowed into silence by sheer intimidation.
Bang So-un's calculations were playing out perfectly.
And now, only one fight remained.
All eyes turned there.
***
Il Sal and I Sal had seen it all clearly. O Sal's betrayal ending the fight over there in futility. Their two brothers' deaths.
Immense shock. Their momentum plummeted to rock bottom.
But they couldn't stop fighting. That would mean death.
The enemy's skill far exceeded expectations. Enough to make curses spill naturally.
'Kuh, what kind of shadowless flying knives are these......!'
I Sal's face twisted. Flying knives were hidden weapons, best for ambushes or keeping distance. Close in, and their advantage vanished, turning to disadvantage.
Yet closing the gap was impossible. Her knife work was ghostly—approach was a dream. Speed, precision, endless barrage left no openings.
-Big brother, if that other guard joins, we're in deep shit!
I Sal urgently transmitted.
-I know! Launch the next attack and bolt!
Il Sal decided. Fleeing with brothers dead pathetically? Unbearable humiliation, fodder for eternal mockery.
Yet Il Sal chose flight. Nothing was more precious than life. Better to roll in shit than die.
-Got it, big brother!
I Sal agreed instantly. Those who value others' lives cheaply treasure their own most. They embodied that truth body and soul.
-Now!
Il Sal's transmission.
"Die!"
"Drop dead!"
Il Sal unleashed piercing sword qi. I Sal hurled one of his twin swords. Without checking results, they fled like thieving cats.
Muyeong Bido's eyes chilled coldly.
Whoosh. Swish.
She ghosted through forms, dodging sword qi and the thrown blade. But the distance had opened.
Boom!
Muyeong Bido kicked off the floor, launching her form. Both hands slipped into her robes.
"The Lord commanded not a single one escapes alive."
Voice like cracking ice. Her left and right hands moved in unison.
Her left unleashed seven knives at once—the Seven Shadows Flying Knives. That supreme technique stormed toward I Sal's back like a tempest.
Her right scattered tiny knives too small to track properly. Even Bang So-un and Jang Il, who knew her skills, couldn't spot them.
Silver Threads. Muyeong Bido's trump card, prepared for vengeance.
A tiny hole in a vital spot kills just fine. Small was no issue—deadlier, even. If it hit true.
The Silver Threads flew stealthily toward Il Sal.
"Hu, huff?!"
The Seven Shadows struck first. No lightness skill outpaces flying knives. A storm unlike any before.
Terrified, I Sal drew his remaining sword for desperate defense—but blocked only two.
Stab! Stab! Stab! Stab! Stab!
"Guh...... guhheuk......!"
The remaining five riddled I Sal's body. Lungs pierced, liver pierced, kidneys pierced. Unsurvivable vitals.
I Sal's life fled his eyes rapidly.
Thud!
Il Sal clearly heard I Sal's death flop.
'Damn it, time to save my own skin!'
Il Sal poured more power into his legs. Fortune smiled—the monster targeted I Sal first, buying distance. At this range, escape was certain.
Il Sal was confident. And it seemed justified—he was moments from bursting out of the inn.
'Good!'
"You dogshit bastards! I'll never forget this humiliation! I swear vengeance...... Huh?"
As he spat his final venomous words. A sharp prick at his nape.
What? The sting soon reached his throat.
"Th...... grrrk......"
He tried to speak, but no voice came. Instead, red blood gushed.
"Gu...... grrrk......"
Il Sal's hand trembled as it clutched his throat. Covered in blood.
Terror twisted his face. The mad dog of Guizhou, rampaging fearlessly—now, facing death, revealed as a trembling mortal like any other.
The worst death he'd never imagined. Il Sal's shaking hand clawed desperately at the thing embedded in his throat. Final throes for survival.
But.
In the end, Il Sal toppled like rotten wood.
Crash!
That was it.
Muyeong Bido removed her veil, revealing her bare face, and declared loudly for all to hear.
"This Muyeong Bido, who has sworn faithful service to the Golden Dragon Battlefield Lord, has executed the ringleader of these line-crossing villains and his brothers!"
All eyes widened in shock.