Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Nine Deaths One Life (12)
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In the pitch-black darkness where even the moonlight was shrouded by thick clouds, a group of people moved in perfect unison. The inn's doors were firmly locked after closing time.
But these weren't the sort to quibble over such minor obstacles. One of them confirmed the door was locked, drew his sword, and sliced it apart with ease.
The blade work, infused with the Moyong Clan's renowned swift sword mastery, cleaved through the door like soft tofu. The warriors watching from behind swiftly pressed inside.
Truly, even a rotting gizzard shad from a great house holds its worth. The Moyong Clan hadn't earned its place among the Five Great Clans for nothing. Regardless of anything else, their skill alone was undeniably first-rate.
The only thing they hadn't anticipated was that their target wasn't sleeping peacefully inside the inn. He was watching them from a rooftop not far away.
Thanks to the moonlight gradually peeking through as the clouds drifted past, Sua's horrified expression was clearly visible to those observing the scene.
"Th-that can't be... Senior Sister Heisu has helped me out so much until now...!!"
At first, she couldn't bring herself to believe it. Heisu as a traitor? Even if it came from the Great Hero himself, she was one of the few in the clan who had truly supported her.
[I get how you feel. Then tonight, let's hide nearby and watch.]
Thanks to the Great Hero's words, Sua had been able to breathe a little easier inside. There had to be some misunderstanding. That way, she could clear it up herself.
But her rock-solid faith was repaid with cold betrayal. For warriors to really storm the inn just as the Great Hero predicted... Nine times out of ten, it meant Junior Sister Heisu had betrayed them...
Sua's thoughts reached that point, and her face twisted in agony as she clutched at her hair. Every memory she'd shared with Heisu felt like it had turned into a knife blade stabbing into her own heart.
It hurts. It hurts so much.
The past stained red with blood.
What the hell was I to her?
Negative emotions clung to her legs, dragging her toward the abyss. Her chest tightened as if crushed by an unseen weight, choking her breath. Fortunately, a lifeline came quicker than expected.
"Don't get swept up. Steel your mind."
"...I'm sorry, Great Hero."
Like a miracle, Nameless's single phrase opened her airways again. With him at her side, she felt like she could escape even from the depths of hell. That was the conviction she held.
And after all, hadn't Nameless been the first to spot Heisu's betrayal? Admiration welled up in Sua's eyes as she gazed at him and whispered softly.
"But how did you notice, Great Hero?"
"I know their type."
"Pardon? What do you...?"
"Forget it. Slip of the tongue."
The "similar types" Nameless referred to were none other than the Demonic Cult. In just about every wuxia tale, the Demonic Cult showed up as a staple faction, full of lunatics whose heads weren't right.
One hallmark trait? Blood-red hair. That had been one of the things that confirmed it for him when he encountered Heisu at the inn.
'Suspected as much, and there it was. Not just any red hair—blood red? No point looking further.'
Her suspicious behavior only sealed it. Nameless had no choice but to suspect her. But Sua took his words in an entirely different light.
Anyone else might have shrugged it off. But Sua was a genius born with monstrous intellect. She immediately grasped the implication hidden within.
'...Does that mean there's someone else pulling strings behind the scenes?'
Come to think of it, things had felt off from the start. A pinnacle expert—the kind even the Five Great Clans or Nine Great Sects might only have one or two of—secluded alone in some remote mountain with no connections?
Pinnacle realm was a heavenly height reached solely through personal enlightenment. Yet such a figure whose name could shake heaven and earth was hiding away, lowering his profile?
Anyone with even a toe in the martial world would spot how absurd that sounded right away. And yet, the Great Hero had been living that way.
What if there was no choice? What if he'd been waging a lonely war against unknown shadowy forces all this time? It bordered on fantasy, sure.
But it wasn't entirely impossible. Take the Patriarch—even he had changed drastically all of a sudden. Just a few years back, it hadn't been this bad.
'Nothing solid to go on yet. But...'
The sense that something overwhelming lurked behind it all.
That wasn't just her imagination.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The inn couldn't hold onto its night guests for long. The warriors had scoured every inch but failed to find us. The poor innkeeper was the only one who suffered for it.
I quietly observed their movements from the rooftop. I'd grant them their speed and precision, but to my eyes, they were sluggish. In other words, not first-rate.
'Come to think of it, most of the Moyong Clan's warriors had pulled out.'
Meaning the bulk of their real fighting force wasn't here. Even if that wasn't entirely true, their numbers were definitely down. Which made right now our one shot.
"Wait here."
"Where are you headed, Great Hero?"
"Gonna get some answers straight from them."
"Understood."
With the clan's strength compromised, the ones who knew exactly how things stood back home were right there in the inn. A golden opportunity like this wouldn't come twice.
'Even thinned out, there'd still be elders or the Patriarch guarding the place. Charging in solo would be suicide, no matter how you sliced it.'
I leaped lightly, landing right in the midst of the warriors. Did I land too quietly? No one even noticed me. In the end, I had to clear my throat to draw their eyes.
"What exactly are you looking for?"
"...?! Scatter!!!"
"When the hell did he get behind us?!"
"Focus!! This guy's no pushover!"
Sure enough, a renowned house lives up to its name, even in decay. Their panic lasted only a moment before they spread out, smoothly forming a formation that hemmed me in.
But for all their quick response, they couldn't hide the tension etched on their faces. No surprise there—for second-rates, the gap to first-rate felt like the heavens themselves.
That's precisely why I was playing it casual, sword still sheathed. If they'd been my equal, there'd be no room for leisure; I'd have to throw everything into the fight.
Of course, I wasn't showing off just to hear myself called an expert. The "leisure" I meant was holding back from drawing my blade for a killing blow right away.
[Before taking a life, ponder deeply—and ponder once more. But if you've resolved to do it, hesitate not a second.]
"I have some questions for you all. Answer honestly, and no one has to die or get hurt."
The teachings of the old man who'd been teacher and parent to me were carved deep in my heart. That's why I warned them outright, sincerely hoping it wouldn't come to blades.
"Even if he is, he's just some ragged old geezer, right? Why act so spooked?"
"Don't judge by appearances. You're too green to sense it."
"Tch! Enough. I'm second-rate myself at just twenty-two. We can handle one decrepit old man."
"Don't get cocky. You really might end up dead."
"What the hell's this wretched fossil babbling about!!"
The one who stepped forward with bold bravado was a sturdy-built young man. Confidence to match his frame, sure—but sadly, it only hurried his end.
His sword whipped from its scabbard, aimed dead at my throat. A blatant killing strike laced with murderous intent. I let out a deep sigh. Ponder before killing. Ponder again.
But once resolved.
Hesitate not.
I brushed aside the sluggish strike with ease, drew my sword, and severed the young man's neck. Then sheathed it once more. Only then did his head hit the floor.
"Mo-Moyong Hoseong taken down in one blow?!"
"The guy who shrugged off dozens of our level without breaking a sweat!"
"I'll ask once more."
The midnight uproar died down like a lie at my next words. A bitter taste lingered, but I smacked my lips and fixed them with a steady gaze anyway.
"Better give me proper answers this time. Or else..."
...you really will die.