Even Cornered, Bang So-un's Mind Keeps Turning
Splash! Hot water sprayed in every direction. Rising steam clouded their vision. A blade thrust through the mist, aimed straight at Hyol Su Pappa.
In that moment when her life hung by a thread, Hyol Su Pappa's right hand moved. Her hand, now blood-red like fresh gore.
Clang! Strangely, it sounded like metal clashing against metal.
The blade bounced off. But this time, a hidden weapon flew toward her. A glinting dart.
Hyol Su Pappa's left hand unleashed a finger strike. Blood Island Finger.
Clang! Clang! The Blood Island Finger knocked the incoming darts aside.
She had nullified two surprise attacks in an instant. But it wasn't over.
Swoosh! A blade sliced through the water like a swift swallow, lightning-fast. Flying Swallow Sword Method.
The transcendent swift sword technique that had slain countless demonic foes. It was the very art that had earned Yeon Su-rin her title as the Broken Heart Heroine and a place among the top hundred martial experts of the world of murim.
"Kuh?" Even Hyol Su Pappa grimaced, sensing real trouble this time. There was no time to block properly—it had pierced her guard.
She twisted her body desperately, offering flesh instead of bone to dodge her vital points.
Right then.
A deathly pale hand shot out to shield Hyol Su Pappa—right where the blade was thrusting.
It would be gruesomely pierced. Everyone thought so.
But.
Claaang! Instead, Yeon Su-rin's sword rebounded.
"Ugh?" Caught off guard by the immense repulsive force, Yeon Su-rin groaned and hastily retreated to disperse the energy.
All this unfolded in the blink of an eye. Followed by a brief, eerie silence.
That silence shattered with a bear-like roar.
"W-Wait, hold on! This isn't what we talked about! This is way different from what the young master said!"
Jang Il's face twisted in blatant bewilderment.
"A-And why does that woman know martial arts?!"
His trembling finger pointed at Madam Yi So-ok.
That's right. The owner of the pale hand that saved Hyol Su Pappa was Yi So-ok.
The woman whom all intel claimed knew no martial arts had one after all. And not just any—she was a master who effortlessly blocked the Broken Heart Heroine's ambush.
Even the great Jang Il couldn't help but be shocked and flustered.
Of course, he wasn't the only one rattled.
"Hmph... To fool the world this thoroughly—you're one cunning bitch, enough to make my teeth grind."
Bang So-un narrowed his eyes and bit his lip.
His plan: ambush and subdue the naked foe in one strike. But it had gone completely awry, shaking the very foundation of his scheme—the worst unforeseen disaster.
Bang So-un had only guarded against her bodyguard, Hyol Su Pappa. His plan was tailored to that.
But Yi So-ok herself wielded uncanny martial prowess? The plan was doomed from the start.
"M-Mother... y-you know m-martial arts...?"
Even her family—Nangong Hwaran—was stunned, eyes wide, unable to finish her sentence.
Yi So-ok gave Nangong Hwaran a sly smile, pressing a finger to her lips—keep quiet for now.
Nangong Hwaran clamped her mouth shut, blinking in shock.
Yi So-ok's gaze now turned leisurely toward the intruders who dared scheme against her.
Her expression was relaxed, almost amused. Her eyes scanned Bang So-un's group.
Faces from Jangsaeng Pavilion. And those suspicious sisters from Seokpa Shrine.
Satisfied that her predictions were spot-on, the corner of Yi So-ok's mouth curled up.
"So it was you lot. Who are you? Where are you from?"
"You think I'd tell you?" Bang So-un shot back gruffly.
Yi So-ok narrowed her eyes.
"Ah, so you're the ringleader."
"And?"
"Then I suppose I'll have to keep you alive. You probably know the most."
"Hmph, try it if you can."
"Heh, you've got guts. Wonder if you'll still have them after I chop off your limbs and pickle them in salt."
Yi So-ok's chilling words. She meant to leave him neither dead nor alive, subjecting him to the cruelest torture.
Her face was serene, but everyone present knew it wasn't mere talk.
"...Young master, that martial art she just used—it was no ordinary technique."
Yeon Su-rin stepped in front of Bang So-un, reporting cautiously.
It was definitely unfamiliar. But the power in that pale hand was terrifying. Spine-chillingly so.
"Yeah, I know."
Bang So-un was hopeless at martial arts. But his instincts, relayed straight to his mind, were sharper than anyone's.
And they were screaming clearly after witnessing that technique: extremely dangerous opponent.
Bang So-un's mind cooled to ice. He needed to stay cold. Colder than ever.
Only then could he escape this crisis.
"Hiding a technique like that—you've got ulterior motives too, don't you? Overflowing with filthy ambition."
"Heh, you filthy scum dares wag your depraved tongue at the great madam of the Nangong family? My only thought is to exterminate you vile pests unsettling the world and uncover your backers to bring peace to murim."
Yi So-ok was just as icily composed. She didn't rise to Bang So-un's provocations one bit. If anything, she smirked mockingly.
"Don't spew nonsense, you scheming bitch!"
Bang So-un bellowed sternly on purpose, but Yi So-ok didn't even blink. She just deepened her sneer.
"Scared little dog bastard barks the loudest, huh?"
Her finger pointed at Bang So-un. He flinched instinctively, fearing a finger strike ambush.
The momentum battle was clearly hers.
"Damn it, Jang Il—take that old hag!"
Realizing dragging this out was pointless and only worsening their position, Bang So-un barked urgently.
"Yes, young master! I'll smash her for sure!"
Jang Il shouted back with spirit. He instinctively knew this was the moment to rally their momentum.
"The rest of you—handle that scheming bitch! She's dangerous—stay sharp!"
"Understood!"
The Solitary Demon Wolf and Shadowless Flying Knife, acquired from the secret arena all the way to distant Haenam. These two peak female experts were about to prove their worth in this pivotal moment.
Alongside another peak expert, Yeon Su-rin.
"I'll take that young bitch!"
Bang So-un bellowed, glaring at Nangong Hwaran.
Those wondering what that meant didn't grasp the truth.
But it held immense significance. It was laying groundwork for a life-or-death contingency.
Nangong Hwaran was his trump card.
But he couldn't play it lightly. Why? Blow it prematurely, and he'd lose his lifeline if things went south.
He had to hide it—and keep hiding it—until the perfect moment.
Of course.
If I can overpower them by force, that'd be ideal.
But his gut screamed otherwise. That's why he prepared backups.
"Attack!"
At last, the desperate deathmatch began.
"Urgh?!"
Jang Il's panicked scream. It wasn't just once or twice.
Hyol Su Pappa's attacks were that ferocious and precise.
With only peak-level internal energy, Jang Il couldn't hold against her.
Without his heaven-sent sturdy frame, he'd be dead already.
But survival didn't mean unscathed—his body was a wreck. Tattered like a rag, blood dripping from wounds everywhere.
A bleeding bear, through and through. No one thought he'd last much longer.
"Hmph, you've got the tenacity of a cockroach."
Hyol Su Pappa moved to finish him.
Danger lurked elsewhere too. The central melee—one against three—was even more suffocating.
Despite the numbers disadvantage, Yi So-ok was overwhelming them.
Yeon Su-rin's Flying Swallow Sword Method, Gal Sahyeon's Killing Moon Divine Art, Muyeong Bido's transcendent hidden weapons—all useless.
Like three fighting dogs against a beast—they were mere prey, accumulating wounds great and small, pushed back.
It meant one thing.
"Kuh—super peak!"
Gal Sahyeon groaned.
Yes. Yi So-ok was a super peak master.
The most perilous foe since that time against Painter's husband, the Soul-Chasing Death Ghost—now at full strength.
Back then, the Soul-Chasing Death Ghost—ranked fiftieth among Haomen's elite—was gravely wounded by Geomgak and ensnared by Bang So-un's schemes, a total mess.
That's how they took down the monster so easily.
But now? Completely different. Yi So-ok was uninjured, pristine.
Her arts might not match the Death Ghost's, but reaching super peak meant she'd ascended to a realm ordinary peak experts couldn't even gaze upon.
Three peak masters couldn't touch her.
"Aaaak!"
As if to prove it, Yi So-ok battered the three female experts mercilessly.
Absolute peril.
Bang So-un knew it full well. His heart pounded like it would burst. Blood raced so fast he felt dizzy.
But.
Stay cold. Stay cold. Stay cold.
Bang So-un froze his mind like ice.
That was Bang So-un.
Villains are easy to handle in ways different from righteous fools. Especially petty ones.
The law of the jungle. Survival of the fittest. Petty villains bare their bellies to the strong without fail.
Yi So-ok knew this well.
And.
"H-Ha! I surrender! I surrender! I'll tell you anything—spare my life!"
As expected, a petty villain flipped belly-up, begging for mercy.
Her prediction hit true again—Yi So-ok's lips twisted in satisfaction.
"Give me one reason."
"Th-There is! We—we're all peak experts! Whatever your ambitions, we'll be useful! We'll serve you loyally like dogs and horses!"
Bang So-un's desperate cry. Only then did Yi So-ok's interest pique—she halted her movements.