Chapter 387
Chapter 387
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 101
>Chapter Title: Sudden Change (3)
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There was a seductive woman in provocative attire that revealed her cleavage, massaging someone's leg.
Her name was Ha Chae-rin.
She was the successor to the Secret Killing Sect of the era and the one slated to inherit the title of Secret Killing Wanderer, one of the Four Great Assassins.
So why was someone like her doing this here?
'Damn it.'
Ha Chae-rin cursed inwardly dozens—no, hundreds of times.
If only the final target of the Hundred Days Hundred Kills had been someone else, she would have ascended to sect leader long ago.
But she had failed the Hundred Days Hundred Kills.
Moreover, ever since Timber Sword Manor, her memories had been fragmented.
She still couldn't recall how she had ended up here in the Heaven and Earth Association.
'......Can I ever get out of here?'
Honestly, there was no hope.
No matter that she was the successor set to inherit one of the Four Great Assassins' titles, this place was the Heaven and Earth Association—one of the three colossal powers dividing the current martial world.
And the man whose leg she was massaging was the disciple of the leader who commanded this massive organization.
'Should I just be grateful I'm still alive?'
For someone as hot-tempered and prideful as her, this situation was utterly intolerable.
If this damned bastard weren't the Heaven and Earth Association leader's disciple, she would have tried poisoning him, assassinating him—anything to escape.
However,
"Ahem. Won't you massage it properly?"
"Yes, yes!"
'Ugh.'
Truth be told, she was terrified.
She had tried fleeing and resisting multiple times, only to get slapped by him until her cheekbones were nearly caved in.
After repeating that a few times, she flinched reflexively whenever he even raised his hand.
Seeing her so docile now, Go Chan—who possessed the body of the Heaven and Earth Association leader's second son, Jang Neung-ak—grinned wickedly.
What a long life he had lived to see this day.
When he had infiltrated Timber Sword Manor after retirement and seen her again, he thought everything had gone completely awry.
But now, their positions had utterly reversed.
The successor to one of the world's Four Great Assassins was massaging the legs of a retired assassin from the Secret Killing Sect like him, watching his every mood.
'Heh heh heh. The old man's horse, indeed.'
Truly, one never knew what the world might bring.
Thanks to his master Mok Kyung-un, he had possessed this woman's body, endured all sorts of dirty work, and it had all paid off.
He was reveling in commanding her like this when—
-Hum!
At that moment, space rippled, a door of smoke opened, and someone rushed in frantically.
It was a short-haired girl in sorcerer robes with a cute appearance.
Go Chan recognized her instantly.
"Yeo Su-rin?"
Yeo Su-rin.
She was a sorcerer dispatched under orders from her master, the Red-Browed Old Immortal of Harmonious Immortal Pavilion.
She had contracted with Mok Kyung-un, using the Six-Person Spirit Descent Technique to control In Seo-ok—the former Killing Pavilion Leader turned living corpse ghost—and managed the Killing Pavilion.
So why had she suddenly appeared here, even using sorcery?
"You...... Are you hurt?"
Go Chan jumped up in alarm and asked.
Her face was pale, and blood stained her shoulder and abdomen.
At that moment, she shouted sharply.
"Get back!"
"What?"
With that, Yeo Su-rin hurriedly spun her hand, which held a sorcery tool, drawing a circle.
A door made of smoke quickly closed and vanished.
Once it was completely gone, she collapsed to the floor with ragged breaths.
"Haa...... Haa......"
"What on earth happened to leave you in such a state......"
"Big trouble."
"Big trouble?"
"The former Killing Pavilion Leader being a living corpse ghost has been discovered."
"What? Is that true? But who found out?"
Hadn't they said it couldn't be detected unless by a top-tier sorcerer with exceptional sorcery power?
Puzzled, Go Chan received a grave reply from Yeo Su-rin.
"I don't know. It was a monster who shattered my sorcery in an instant with sheer sorcery power."
"......You don't know exactly, but they're impressive, right?"
"More than impressive. Perhaps......"
"Perhaps?"
"They might be a Square God—or a sorcerer close to that realm. How could someone of that caliber be here...... Urk."
Go Chan hurriedly supported Yeo Su-rin as she began to collapse.
She asked him.
"Young Master Mok...... What about Young Master Mok?"
"Not yet."
Go Chan shook his head in response.
He too didn't know precisely where Mok Kyung-un was or when he would return.
Qing Ling had informed him of the sudden absence's purpose, but that was all.
"Can't you find the young master?"
"......How, when he's gone all the way to Kaifeng?"
Of course, as a food spirit connected by fate, he could track him if he focused, but the distance was too great now to pinpoint the location.
One thing was certain: since he, the food spirit, was unharmed, Mok Kyung-un must be fine too.
"Aaah, this is bad. Someone with that level of sorcery would surely try to trace it back."
At her concern, Go Chan asked.
"Trace it back? You mean even the master might be in danger?"
To his question, Yeo Su-rin replied in a meaningful tone.
"......If the opponent is truly a Square God-level sorcerer, then it might not just be Young Master Mok—we could all be in danger."
* * *
Fifteen days later,
In the interim, the Heaven and Earth Association had entered a period of upheaval.
The biggest incident was the rumor that spread three days prior: the leader, bedridden for some time, had lost consciousness, his condition gravely worsening.
Normally, such rumors would be swiftly quashed by the leader's direct guard unit and intelligence division before they could spread.
But this time was different.
Too many had witnessed physicians entering and exiting the inner fortress headquarters where the leader resided.
The leader had never even allowed physicians in when bedridden before.
If physicians were now coming and going, his condition might have reached the worst possible state.
The rumor spread rapidly throughout the association, throwing the interior into rapid chaos.
Even those who had steadfastly maintained neutrality until now began to stir.
With no successor firmly decided, such internal movements were perhaps a natural progression.
Amid this turmoil—much like the leader's illness—another event had quietly set the association abuzz.
It was the wrath of Dismantling Axe King Ho Tae-gang.
And rightly so: his son, the leader of the Destruction Unit and Five Iron Axe Annihilator Ho Jong-hyeok, had been murdered.
Not just anyone, but the son of Dismantling Axe King—one of the Five Kings, the association's top executives, and one of the Eight Stars hailed as the martial world's supreme experts.
Naturally, the association was thrown into uproar.
Yet another problem arose here.
Amid the massive incident, the prime suspect pointed to Woo Ho-rang, the chief disciple of Bright Blade King Son Yun.
The cause of death on Ho Jong-hyeok's body bore traces of the Supreme Portrait Sword Technique.
And those sword marks were none other than the unique supreme art of Bright Blade King Son Yun: the Bright Sun Blade Method.
Confirming this, Dismantling Axe King Ho Tae-gang unhesitatingly named Woo Ho-rang—Bright Blade King Son Yun's disciple—as the culprit.
[It's not the Bright Blade King himself. If it were, he would have beheaded the boy in three strikes. Thus, the only one capable of killing him is that bastard.]
He considered Woo Ho-rang, one of the Five Tigers.
Not some minor like Yeo Wi-seon.
Someone of that level of martial prowess couldn't have killed his son.
Convinced Woo Ho-rang was the killer, Dismantling Axe King Ho Tae-gang sought out Bright Blade King Son Yun to kill him, sparking a fierce clash between the two.
Had the leader's disciples—second son Jang Neung-ak and youngest Wi So-yeon—not intervened, Ho Tae-gang would have fought to the finish.
[Please believe me. I am truly innocent.]
Of course, Woo Ho-rang himself stepping forward to explain played a big part.
Though Ho Tae-gang had come in rage to kill him blindly, upon regaining composure, even he found his son Ho Jong-hyeok's death suspicious.
The sword marks were undoubtedly the Bright Sun Blade Method, yet Woo Ho-rang had no clear motive or reason to kill him.
This was before second son Jang Neung-ak and youngest Wi So-yeon had formed their alliance—no, not anymore.
Moreover,
'......It's blatantly intentional.'
Leaving the sword marks was filled with malicious intent.
Being an internal association incident, the culprit should have hidden their identity, not advertised it.
Thus, Dismantling Axe King Ho Tae-gang withdrew peaceably.
Or more precisely,
[As compensation, I'll take his right index finger.]
In the end, he severed and took one of Woo Ho-rang's fingers.
Bright Blade King Son Yun raged to stop it, but against a determined Eight Star like Dismantling Axe King Ho Tae-gang, he was powerless.
No—Woo Ho-rang had severed his own finger, forcing the confrontation into a stalemate.
However, this turned Dismantling Axe King Ho Tae-gang and Bright Blade King Son Yun completely against each other, and the fallout even led to the dissolution of Jang Neung-ak and Wi So-yeon's alliance.
* * *
Ki Ok-ryeon, the eldest daughter of Shadow Valley Leader Ki Hae—Wi So-yeon's close confidant—spoke to her in a somewhat resentful tone.
"......Deception is fine, miss. But was there really need to cut off Woo oraboni...... no, Great Leader Woo's right index finger? To a swordsman, the index finger is......"
"Be satisfied with this much, Ok-ryeon."
"But......"
"Originally, he should have lost an arm. But Dismantling Axe King held back and yielded."
"He held back?"
"Yes. If it was as the enemy intended, at least that much was necessary. That way......"
"The one behind this will buy it?"
"Exactly. But Dismantling Axe King disliked falling for the enemy's scheme and felt severing Great Leader Woo's arm—when he's not the true culprit—was excessive, so he settled for this."
"......I see."
Ki Ok-ryeon sighed.
She understood, but as someone who harbored feelings for Woo Ho-rang, it pained her.
To lure out the enemy, they had cut off Woo oraboni's index finger and staged the breaking of their alliance.
"Will the culprit move as we intend?"
"I'm not sure. As I said earlier, if we'd shown an arm severed and Bright Blade King and Dismantling Axe King fighting fiercely until one was injured, maybe. But I'm not certain Eldest Brother will buy this level of deception."
The one they all suspected as the true culprit was on Great Young Master Na Yeul-ryang's side.
He stood to gain the most from a fight between Dismantling Axe King and Bright Blade King.
Thus, they had resolved it through talk but severed Woo Ho-rang's finger for show and publicly dissolved the alliance.
"Will Great Young Master Na Yeul-ryang approach Dismantling Axe King after all?"
"Probably."
Dismantling Axe King Ho Tae-gang was in the position of having lost his son to murder yet settling for just a finger without vengeance, despite his fury.
Naturally, Na Yeul-ryang had to approach him.
That would make drawing him into his own faction easier.
If the great young master did approach, Dismantling Axe King Ho Tae-gang planned to join his faction and execute a scheme of self-inflicted injury.
However,
'......Master's worsening illness is the variable.'
After rumors of master's critical condition suddenly spread, the great young master's active movements had halted.
For nearly three days now.
It wasn't like him.
She had considered he might see through their scheme with his cunning, but this silence was unnerving.
If master truly passed away now, the situation would spiral out of control.
"Haa......"
Wi So-yeon let out a deep sigh.
Frustrating.
What would he have done in this situation?
If he were here now, it would be reassuring, a comfort no matter what happened—but his absence was bitterly painful.
Where on earth had he gone?
As hinted before the deputy leader match, he seemed to be away on a confidential mission, but it was taking too long.
What mission could it be?
She worried he might have left the association and run into trouble.
'Kyung-un......'
As she inwardly longed for Mok Kyung-un,
Someone urgently knocked on the door.
-Thud thud!
"Miss!"
It was the voice of Initial Sea Sword Squad's sub-leader Yang Il.
At his urgent tone, Wi So-yeon furrowed her brow anxiously.
"Come in."
Yang Il opened the door and entered, steadying his ragged breaths from the haste.
Yet, despite the urgency, his expression wasn't bad.
Puzzled, she heard him say.
"Miss. Mok Kyung—no, Young Master Mok has appeared."
'!!!!!!'
She, who had been elegantly sipping tea, forgot decorum and shot up from her seat unthinkingly.
[Chapter 101: Sudden Change (3)] End