Chapter 95
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: Spoils of War (1)
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An explosion boomed from inside the Three Kings Hall.
The Face Pursuit Unit Jeong's members had come rushing out into the courtyard in front of the hall, panting and disheveled, and the blast followed right on their heels—a exquisitely timed moment(?).
"A noble sacrifice!"
Standing in front of the Three Kings Hall shrouded in acrid smoke, Namok said with a choked voice.
"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Something a mere mortal like me couldn't even dream of."
Flying Tiger chimed in agreement with Namok's words while furtively glancing at Jin Ga-yong out of the corner of his eye.
Of course, he didn't feel like he'd done anything wrong. Even if the same situation repeated ten times, he'd probably make the same choice seven or eight times out of ten. But regardless of the reason, it was true that things felt unsettled in all sorts of ways.
For some reason, Jin Ga-yong stared silently at the Three Kings Hall with an inscrutable expression.
This only made Flying Tiger more curious.
Had that guy caught on? Or not?
Jin Ga-yong then spoke coldly without even turning his gaze.
"No need to watch my reaction like that. What's done is done, isn't it? If you have something to say, go ahead and speak freely."
"……."
Ah... so he had caught on.
Then again, things had been too chaotic back then to notice, but a closer look would reveal more than a few suspicious points.
Flying Tiger suddenly felt an inexplicable embarrassment. Was it because the man was the squad leader? Hard to say. But since things had come to this, he decided to play it thick-skinned and brazen it out.
Flying Tiger cleared his throat awkwardly, stepped up to Jin Ga-yong's side, and abruptly stuck out his hand.
"Let's call it even. Hand over the lifeline..."
What was a lifeline to the Face Pursuit Unit Jeong?
It meant the Thunder Heaven Bombs.
Jin Ga-yong stared blankly at him, clearly not expecting the demand, while Flying Tiger averted his eyes from that burdensome gaze. He muttered under his breath.
"The myriad masses..."
Jin Ga-yong let out a disbelieving "Ha~" and a hollow sigh.
Jin Ga-yong had reached an agreement with the upper echelons of the Yellow Worm Group. If he lost the duel, he'd hand over the Thunder Heaven Bombs and withdraw cleanly. That had been his own proposal, one he'd accepted.
But now, judging by his words, he was treating a murim man's promise like a worthless rag.
Glare at him? And he brings up "the myriad masses"—the term a loyal subject might use to implore an emperor: "Your Majesty, consider the myriad masses."
In other words, think of the grudges of those already slain by that outrageous Yellow Worm Group, and the injustices of those yet to die.
Naturally, Jin Ga-yong wanted to burn his own body to ash if it meant wiping out every last one of the Yellow Worm Group's leaders. That resolve had driven him into this operation.
But to go back on his word using the grand cause as an excuse?
That was unthinkable. It wasn't just a betrayal of personal honor; it was crossing a line that demanded vigilance.
'A dangerous mindset. If you fall into it, you'll start making excuses left and right, ignoring means and methods for the sake of your goal. In the extreme, it's like joining hands with devils under the pretext of punishing beasts.'
Jin Ga-yong shook his head.
But as he'd said himself, the water was already spilled. Fine, whether splashed or fully dunked, he was a shit-smeared dog either way.
And if it couldn't be undone anyway...
A powerful temptation drew a long sigh from him.
'Well, that guy's been on thin ice from the start. I knew what he was like and accepted him anyway. Who can I blame now?'
After a brief internal struggle, Jin Ga-yong wordlessly rummaged in his robes and handed over both Thunder Heaven Bombs.
Flying Tiger snatched them up without a clue about the man's inner turmoil.
The squad members watching this had a good idea of what Flying Tiger planned next. But none of them felt any particular resentment. By now, they too harbored reasonable suspicions that Squad Protector Wang might not have self-destructed with the Explosive Annihilation Skill. Still, there was no need to dredge it up at this point.
Except for one.
Namok, whose life path had been different from the others. He stopped sniffling and, out of concern, confronted Flying Tiger.
"Deputy Leader Flying Tiger, you're not thinking of throwing those, are you? That would tarnish the late Squad Protector Wang's honor. We agreed not to shed more blood regardless of the duel’s outcome..."
Ye Dok-du stepped in for the oblivious Namok, pointing out the key issue.
"It was a draw."
"Huh?"
"Mutual destruction means a tie, right? Are you saying Squad Protector Wang took more hits, so it's a technical loss?"
Namok jumped up.
"Of course not! That's ridiculous..."
"Exactly! We agreed on what to do if we won or lost against those bastards, but we discussed nothing about a draw."
"Well, that's true, but..."
"And we can't exactly go back now and say, 'Oh, we forgot the draw scenario—let's renegotiate.' So in this case, everyone just does whatever they want."
"Uh, well... yeah?"
"Obviously!"
Flying Tiger left them to their bickering and strode toward the entrance of the Three Kings Hall.
Dust from the explosion still swirled thickly inside, making it hard to make out anything.
Flying Tiger shouted into the depths.
"Everyone okay in there?"
"……."
"No answers? Guess you're all busy. Well, we've got our own schedule, so we'll be off. No need to see us out—you might feel bad about it. We'll take our horses separately. Got it?"
A curse echoed from inside the Three Kings Hall. Clearly displeased with Flying Tiger's words.
But the speaker sounded unwell, coughing raggedly, so the exact words didn't carry—though the mention of Thunder Heaven Bombs was clear enough.
Flying Tiger lit a fuse on one and shot back.
"Thunder Heaven Bombs? What, since it's a draw, you want us to leave some for fairness? Fine, call it goodwill. Here."
Flying Tiger hurled the bomb deep into the hall toward the voice. Then he backpedaled swiftly, drew his sword, and barked at his squad mates with murderous intent.
"Get ready, everyone! Wipe 'em all out! And grab the spoils!"
Spoils?
The exhausted squad members' eyes lit up. They didn't know exactly what Flying Tiger meant by spoils, but the word itself was sweet as honey. Strength surged where there'd been none.
Boom~!
The ninth of the ten Thunder Heaven Bombs the squad had brought detonated, and starting with Flying Tiger, the Face Pursuit Unit Jeong members charged into the Three Kings Hall one after another.
Jin Ga-yong entered last. It wasn't hesitation from unease—he was the squad leader, so with the deputy taking point, he brought up the rear. Sword drawn, he wasn't one to second-guess now.
Besides, Jin Ga-yong had his own business to check inside.
Thud-thud.
The six warriors of the squad split into pairs upon entering the dusty hall, fanning out in three directions.
Flying Tiger and Jin Ga-yong cut straight through the center, while Ye Dok-du and Namok went clockwise, A Jeok-gang and Dan Geum counterclockwise—to eliminate every living thing.
Of course, if more survivors were intact than expected, that'd be trouble—but they'd see soon enough.
(For reference, Sa Myo, whose combat power had plummeted from injuries, had pulled back early to stand watch. If bandit reinforcements came, they'd have to climb the stairs.)
Anyway, the Flying Tiger-Jin Ga-yong pair was the strongest, so they took the center.
To ensure White Horse Lantern's breath was snuffed if he survived. Plus, bandits would likely swarm to save their chief. And if a big fight broke out on either flank, they could reinforce easily.
'Only one body.'
Flying Tiger, first in, reached the spot where Wang Baek-gun and White Horse Lantern had dueled. There, he spotted a single ragged corpse.
Heavily mangled and stained crimson, it was hard to identify at a glance—but body type and unique wounds made it obvious enough.
Wang Baek-gun.
Flying Tiger had grown fond of him somehow, and his chest tightened, but he forced his gaze around the area.
Body recovery could wait; confirming White Horse Lantern's survival took priority.
Then he startled.
The corpse he'd dismissed as dead twitched~!
Alive?
In that state?
Just then, Jin Ga-yong's voice came from behind.
"Flying Tiger, I'll handle here. Search the surroundings. White Horse Lantern might've been flung away by the blast."
"Got it."
Flying Tiger felt uneasy and curious but obeyed the order, leaping over the not-quite-corpse and beginning his search.
Jin Ga-yong, arriving moments later, eyed the twitching body with conflicted gaze.
What do you call something still jerking after its head exploded and heart shattered?
Jin Ga-yong spoke somberly.
"Squad Protector Wang, you spoke so calmly of bygones... Was the hatred for losing your brother and nephew that deep? Even in your final reluctance, you knew it was a false temptation, didn't you? You gave your all until the end—leave the rest to us. Awake from this vain dream and rest eternally."
Then, murmuring an incantation in some unknowable tongue, the corpse reacted in shock.
It thrashed violently!
Flap-flap.
Its joints flailing independently made for a grotesque sight.
After a moment, it went limp, as if completing some cycle.
Jin Ga-yong swiftly severed its neck with his sword, targeting the cervical vertebrae for certainty.
He turned and began searching in the opposite direction from where Flying Tiger had gone.
'Found him!'
Flying Tiger spotted White Horse Lantern crawling awkwardly amid the collapsed debris.
His body was a mess of abrasions and blood, Wang Baek-gun's broken black sword impaled in his left thigh, right arm crushed. Using only left arm and right leg—and apparently deeming his curved sword a hindrance—he'd clamped it in his mouth.
Who could've imagined the majestic White Horse Lantern reduced to this just a incense stick's time ago?
Some might mock the pitiful sight, but not Flying Tiger. He still sensed an unyielding will to live.
So he crept closer silently, within a zhang, picked up a stone shard from the floor, and flicked it with his middle finger.
Ting~ tok. Tok.
White Horse Lantern whipped toward the sound, grabbing his curved sword from his mouth with his left hand.
In that instant, the rope dart Flying Tiger had flung stealthily slammed into his back.
Gasp!
White Horse Lantern stifled a cry from the spine-snapping pain and twisted like lightning, slashing wildly.
A fierce blade gale arose.
But it was a miss.
Flying Tiger had anticipated the counter and retreated to a blind spot, yanking the rope dart's cord taut.
White Horse Lantern spun wildly as a result. His own twist had half-wound the cord around him, and the dart's pull turned him like a top.
Flying Tiger pounced on the staggering foe, unleashing a flurry of chaotic sword strikes.