Chapter 29: Backstabbing
"..."
"..."
An arm covered in bird feathers. Was there a cultivation technique like that? Feathers and hawk-like talons protruded from Elder Chi-o's arm, caked with shreds of flesh and blood.
A bone-chilling silence descended. The looks we exchanged were far from friendly.
We're outside Yagwi City, and the mission failed anyway. It's the perfect setup to backstab and run.
The problem was that the conditions were too perfect.
"S-save me..."
Sahan Guryo gasped, frothing blood at the mouth as he reached out a hand. Naturally, I had no reason to help him. Even if I killed Elder Chi-o right now, Guryo had zero chance of survival. After all, what Chi-o held in his hand was no ordinary object.
Drip, drip. Thick drops of blood fell from it, but Guryo's demonic core shone brilliantly, unable to hide its inner luster. The condensed essence of decades of cultivation by a Qi Circulation warrior did not lose its splendor, even when caked in blood and shreds of flesh. Was this what they called 'inner beauty'? No, now was not the time for that.
"...This old man merely executed a spy," Chi-o said.
"Ah. Yes. Of course."
"Indeed."
He uttered a load of bullshit that even Jeongha wouldn't believe with a straight face. There was only one reason I didn't smash his skull in right then and there.
"How else could they have laid an ambush, knowing exactly when, how, and where we would arrive? It is only natural to assume we have a spy in our midst."
"Ah. I see."
"Warrior Bo-ah would not have been targeted if she were the spy, yet she was attacked, so she is ruled out. This old man is obviously innocent, and since you saved Warrior Bo-ah, Warrior Kang cannot be the spy either. That leaves only one answer."
This old man was stronger than me. Despite his aging body, his experience had not dulled. The bizarre runic tattoos etched into his withered skin thrummed with a terrifying power.
"Sahan Guryo! This fellow sacrificed his own arm to deflect suspicion! Losing only an arm—isn't that far too convenient? It is as if he were putting on a performance."
"My, how brilliant of you."
"Hoho. Let us agree that Warrior Kang is absolutely not the spy, and wrap things up here."
In short, if I attacked him, I wouldn't win. Unlike Guryo or Bo-ah, he wasn't injured. On top of that, he was old and a stage higher than me in cultivation. Over his long life, he must have amassed a hidden arsenal of dharma treasures and secret techniques. It wasn't even viable to call the other Core Condensation lackeys outside to gang up on him. An old warrior with a lifetime of reputation versus a newcomer who had just shown his face. If Chi-o turned around and accused me of being the spy, who would take my side? Even if I somehow managed to kill him, I had to think about what came next. He wasn't the only enemy.
Ryeo-ah. Can we kill this guy?
[Hmm, I have not even begun the bare minimum preparations to possess the body of that girl, Bo-ah.]
Ah, this was a headache. But the saving grace was that the old man was probably overthinking things just as much as I was. His excuse was flimsy, but at least he put some effort into it. Seeing that I hadn't drawn my club yet, did he find a glimmer of hope? The old man's brow furrowed in thought, and he lightly shook Guryo's core in his hand.
"This old man merely disposed of a spy. I have no personal greed."
"..."
"Bo-ah, was it? Take her. Whether you consume her core or find some other use for her, do as you wish. I relinquish all claim to her."
What a joke. But the situation was far from funny. Could we really act as if nothing had happened? Just looking at Guryo...
"Let us depart like this."
"You say the most fascinating things."
"I shall take Guryo's core and dharma treasures, while you take Bo-ah, and we part ways. Ah, leave the Core Condensation soldiers behind. They will make for a good distraction to facilitate our escape. After all, aren't they your enemies anyway?"
"Ha, wow."
I was speechless. As far as I could tell, both of us were absolutely certain we could kill the other. We were simply looking past that. We were looking at the world after victory. Wounds and injuries did not heal so easily, after all.
"I thought you were quite trusted by the young mistress, considering you were made captain."
"Trust does not guarantee my survival. I became her subordinate from the start solely for mutual benefit."
"But you're a spy."
"?"
"Ah, my mistake. A traitor."
The old man's wrinkled brow furrowed deeply. "And you are not?"
"Come on, does that even make sense?"
"Let us leave it at that."
Chi-o's words held truth. Without a spy, an ambush of that scale would have been impossible. It wasn't Bo-ah, and it certainly wasn't me, so it had to be either Guryo or him. I stared intently at the core rolling in the old man's hand. Who else could the spy be but you? If it were an impulsive betrayal, that was one thing, but if it was planned, it was better to kill him now, even if it meant spilling some of my own blood. Because if I let him go now, a problem that could be solved by dealing with one old man would return later as a package deal: him plus a bunch of other Qi Circulation experts. I wouldn't be able to handle that.
Let's kill him.
I must have lost my mind for a second. It was my mistake to be momentarily swayed by the old man's silver tongue.
"Hmm. Shall we? I have no desire to be ordered around like a slave anyway. As a proud warrior myself, serving under someone else is absurd. It doesn't suit my dignity to serve a fellow Qi Circulation cultivator."
"Hoho, indeed, is it not?"
The arrogance and pride typical of a hot-blooded young genius. Pretending to be genuinely swayed by his words, I feigned relaxing my body while secretly manifesting obsidian from my very bones.
"Hahaha."
"Hahaha."
Just as the icy atmosphere began to thaw and we exchanged amiable smiles as if neither of us had any intention of harming the other—
"An ambush! Argh!"
Zzzzt!
A beam of bright blue heat shot toward the tent we were in. A thermal ray glowing with blue flames. Without a second thought, both Elder Chi-o and I threw ourselves backward.
Whoosh!
The tent erupted into flames instantly.
"You bastards! So you were hiding here like rats!"
A triumphant shout, brimming with absolute certainty of victory, echoed through the air.
"Don't even think about running! I saw one of your Qi Circulation women burned to a crisp, and we have three Qi Circulation experts right here! Kuhahaha!"
A middle-aged scholar riding atop a fan-shaped dharma treasure. An old man with a distinctive goatee. And a plain-looking youth wielding dual swords glared down at us.
"Aaargh!"
"Senior Chi-o! Senior Guryo! The enemy is here!"
Shouting that won't do any good. How on earth did these bastards track us all the way here? We had run pretty hard, too. Well, there was only one answer. That damn spy! First, I need to get away from Elder Chi-o...!
Swish! Swish!
We leaped away from each other faster than anyone else. Then, we both stared at each other, wondering what the other was doing.
"Huh?"
"Eh?"
Why didn't he attack? Technically, it was a four-on-one, so it would make sense for him to strike, right?
"Could you..."
"Could you, old man..."
Our eyes turned toward the enemies in the sky. As expected, their eyes darted around frantically as if searching for someone. That was probably why they hadn't attacked yet despite their numerical advantage. Finally, the dual-wielding youth shouted, unable to contain himself any longer.
"We have arrived!"
No answer came. We looked at each other.
"What is he doing?"
"It seems he is looking for someone..."
This time, the goateed old man shouted.
"This old man saw a warrior named Guryo earlier! Where are you hiding? It is useless to hide!"
Guryo couldn't show himself. Because, well, he was dead. His body was currently burning to ashes in the blazing tent, and his core was hanging from Elder Chi-o's waist.
After scanning the surroundings frantically, the middle-aged scholar pointed a trembling hand at us, as if he had seen something unbelievable.
"You bastards... I shall ask you one question."
"...Ask." I answered quickly, fearing he might strike if I didn't.
"That old man. Show me what is bulging at your waist."
"..."
"No, I know it is a core. Reveal whose core it is...!"
Uh... wait, seriously?
As if realizing something, the middle-aged scholar trudged over, rummaged through the burning tent, and dragged out a half-charred corpse. It was a gruesome sight—not only was one arm severed, but the abdomen had been completely hollowed out. With his organs thoroughly harvested and his face horribly distorted, he looked downright ugly.
"Y-you...!"
The scholar's hands shook violently. At the same time, the old man and I locked eyes and nodded.
Wow, so Guryo wasn't even the spy, and you just killed him? What an absolute madman. Respect.
Elder Chi-o's expression was no different. He looked at me as if to say, As if you're any better.
"How utterly atrocious!"
"How can a warrior abandon all honor and desecrate a corpse so horribly!"
"We shall avenge Brother Guryo right here!"
No, seriously, what a mess. The actual spy ended up dying in a completely unrelated misunderstanding. What a ridiculous turn of events.
Escaping seemed difficult, given their flying dharma treasures and various other factors. Clearing our throats awkwardly, we stepped closer and stood back-to-back.
"An alliance, just for this once!"
"I am only helping you this once! And, they're coming!"
"...They are not moving yet?"
"I just wanted to say it once."
"..."
I could feel the old man behind me plunging into deep, serious contemplation. Specifically, a profound existential crisis over whether he could actually trust this crazy bastard.
"Die!"
"They're really coming now!"
"I know!"
Soon, the surfboard-like flying dharma treasure glided forward, and the three Qi Circulation cultivators lunged at us.
Numbers are the foundation of combat. From street brawls to grand wars, the terror of overwhelming numbers is second to none.
Slash!
"Damn it! What on earth is that cursed black stone?! Why is it cutting through all my spells?!"
Yet, we were holding our ground. No, it was a tight stalemate.
I shook off the residual magic clinging to my obsidian and rolled my shoulders.
"It hurts, but..."
But that was all it was—pain, nothing more. The obsidian's power to sever spells was proving its worth. The greatest stroke of luck for us was that two of our enemies were spellcasters. And...
"It is hard to hold him off! I would rather face that fellow... Argh!"
"Not so fast, boy! Do you think this old man is an easy target?!"
"Tsk. If only we had the clan treasure."
"We cannot. The clan treasure is not ours; it is a shared asset of the family. If it is damaged, the responsibility we bear will be immense."
They didn't have the heavy dharma treasure they had used during the initial ambush. Indeed, this wasn't a war against an external enemy, but merely an internal family squabble. The clan wouldn't allow them to fire a shared military-grade weapon so recklessly. Thanks to that, we weren't completely overwhelmed in firepower. Furthermore...
"Got you!"
"Did this old man not tell you it is useless?!"
Amusingly enough, Elder Chi-o and I coordinated surprisingly well. The dual-wielding youth rushed toward me like the wind, but Chi-o moved even faster, driving the youth back with heavy blows.
"Urgh! Brother Zhang! Warrior Ah! Do something! This old man is no joke!"
While I, the ultimate counter to spellcasters, kept the two mages occupied, the old man pressed his advantage against the dual-wielding youth.
"Die!"
"You die first!"
The two swords spun sharply, splitting through the air as they flew toward the old man. Elder Chi-o, who had now transformed his legs into avian talons to match his arms, tore open the youth's abdomen in a single swipe, blocking the incoming swords with his thick, dense feathers.
Splurt!
Blood sprayed from the youth's torso.
"Aaargh! Hurry!"
Witnessing this, the middle-aged scholar's face hardened, and he let out a sigh.
"Sigh... I have no choice."
Rustle.
A tiny iron pin, no larger than a cotton swab, slid out of his sleeve. Upon closer inspection, it was a sword. A sword shrunk down to the size of a needle.
"Did you think spells were all I could command?"
The swords expanded rapidly, blooming behind the middle-aged scholar. Five blades spread out like petals, their tips shimmering with a cold, blue sword-qi.
"It is a pity they are not blunt-force dharma treasures, but this will suffice. For a mere A-un who stumbled upon a lucky encounter to dare look down upon a master of the Ta-un realm is utterly absurd—"
"Bullshit."
He talked too much. Since he was so generous as to waste his own precious time, I was more than happy to make him pay the price.
"Grow!"
I summoned the Dokkaebi club, an weapon so familiar to me now that I kept it by my side even when I slept. It was the one So-wol had recommended, my very first dharma treasure, and still my only one. I hadn't bothered acquiring any others. Because this one was more than enough.
Creak, crack.
Pitch-black obsidian rock erupted and coated the club. Though less refined compared to the martial arts of the Great Mountain, the obsidian possessed a sharp, mysterious power. Soon, the club grew as thick as a tree trunk, requiring both hands to hold, and began to exude an ominous, magical aura.
Five blades bloom like petals, radiating a freezing sword-qi.
A massive, grotesque mass of obsidian erupts from the club, carrying a crushing weight.
The clash between the five blooming blades, the goateed old man's offensive, and the colossal, grotesque mass of obsidian.
BOOM!
The outcome was starkly lopsided.
"Haaah..."
I gripped the sword embedded in my thigh and yanked it out. Watching the dark, unpleasant blood gush out wasn't particularly pleasant. Did it pierce my femoral artery? Huh, I guess monsters have femoral arteries too. But it didn't matter. If I concentrated just a bit of demonic energy, like so—
Squelch.
"Ugh, goosebumps."
My flesh knit back together instantly, completely regenerating the wound. The regenerative ability I had obtained after taking So-wol's virginity truly shone in moments like this. And until I finished doing all this, none of them moved. They couldn't.
"That's one down."
A single head dangled from Elder Chi-o's grip. He dropped it at his feet and stomped on it.
Crunch!
A simple wet pop, followed by a foul stench. After staring at me with a deeply meaningful gaze for a moment, he extended his blood-stained, feathered arm.
"Now. Step forward, next."
This old man was even stronger than I thought. I made up my mind then and there: Chi-o had to die. If I didn't kill him now, I might never get another chance.