Chapter 105: The Fist King Asks, "Do You Have Any Regrets?"
The Fist King Asks, "Do You Have Any Regrets?"
Episode 105: The Fist King Asks, "Do You Have Any Regrets?"
"Hahou Gon is dead?"
"Yes. Based on reports from survivors, I'll summarize what happened. The Mukryong and Blue Robe Hall factions have sworn allegiance to a single man—the same man who killed Squad Leader Hahou in one strike. After killing him, he reportedly mocked the Night Assembly Alliance, saying they're nothing special."
Sang Yeop-pung, leader of the Iron Jackals (Cheolsadan) under the Night Assembly Alliance, gripped his chin as he received the report.
"A single strike..."
Sang Yeop-pung honed in on the key detail. Though the report contained various details, the only word that mattered to him was that the squad leader had been killed in one blow.
"Did the entire hundred-man unit go?"
"Yes."
"If the squad leader died in one strike yet some survived, it means he targeted only the leader. Summon all squad leaders here immediately."
The squad leaders he called were part of his direct hundred-man unit.
"Understood. Should I have them bring their forces as well?"
"No. Just the squad leaders."
"Yes."
...
At the gathering of squad leaders, Sang Yeop-pung spoke.
"I've never fought Hahou Gon myself, so I'll ask: Is there anyone here who could kill Hahou Gon in one strike?"
The squad leaders exchanged glances. Rumors of Hahou Gon's death had already spread, so they understood the situation.
"None among us could kill Hahou Gon in a single strike. He had six years of experience as a squad leader. Even among all the Night Assembly Alliance's squad leaders, his seniority alone placed him in the upper ranks."
The others gave similar answers.
"It would be difficult with one strike."
"I've fought him before—he wasn't the type to die in one hit to just anyone."
"Whoever killed Hahou Gon would have to be at least at the level of a unit leader to stand a chance."
The Black Path factions were a mix of absorbed or merged groups, so it wasn't uncommon for members to be unaware of each other's true strength. This was especially true for large organizations like the Night Assembly Alliance, with its many subordinate units.
Sang Yeop-pung nodded.
"Understood. Then this won't be resolved at the squad leader level. I'll report it to the higher-ups."
Reporting to the higher-ups meant informing the Night Assembly Alliance's leadership. Without another word, Sang Yeop-pung dismissed the squad leaders. Though he could mobilize three to four hundred Black Path fighters himself, his conversation with the squad leaders convinced him that such an operation would be pointless.
Sang Yeop-pung's detailed report, complete with a proposed assassination plan, was delivered to the Night Assembly Alliance via messenger.
The plan consisted of three stages:
"Guests" were not mere visitors—they were experts personally hosted by the Night Assembly Alliance's leader. Though not officially members, they were high-ranking Black Path masters continuously courted for recruitment. Most lived luxurious lives funded by the Alliance leader's wealth.
The plan was ruthless. Sang Yeop-pung even specified exact timings and explained in detail why this approach was necessary.
"After consulting many brothers, I confirmed that neither I nor anyone around me could kill Hahou Gon in one strike. Therefore, to eliminate the man who mocked the Night Assembly Alliance, this is the correct course of action. Since he provoked us while concealing his identity, we assume he's a powerful figure not widely known in the martial world. If possible, we request support from the Guests. —Sang Yeop-pung, Leader of the Iron Jackals."
A meticulous man indeed.
...
One night, after the collapsed walls of the Mukryong faction's headquarters had been repaired, Baek Yak and Dan Woo-sung remained in residence. The two lay side by side, still awake.
Suddenly, Dan Woo-sung turned to face Baek Yak, who startled and replied:
"Not tonight."
"Huh? What?"
Dan Woo-sung hadn't been thinking along those lines, so the question was inevitable. In fact, the two had yet to share a bed in that way. They simply preferred staying close in the spacious quarters. Realizing the unintended implication of her words, Dan Woo-sung burst into laughter, while Baek Yak closed her eyes, lips pressed together.
Strangely, Baek Yak seemed more conscious of it than he was.
With the timing of a Night Assembly Alliance ambush uncertain, consummating their relationship in such a place would have been unseemly anyway. For now, simply being together was enough.
Dan Woo-sung's room was right next door, but he often came in to talk or sleep beside her. Their shared quarters led the Mukryong and Blue Robe Hall factions to assume they were a young married couple.
Silence settled between them.
After a while, still awake, Dan Woo-sung murmured:
"Guess it really isn't happening tonight."
Baek Yak opened her eyes quietly and stared at the ceiling.
"..."
Though highly skilled in martial arts, Baek Yak lacked Dan Woo-sung's experience with nighttime ambushes. After a moment of regaining her focus, she assessed their surroundings.
"The night air feels... unsettled."
An unusual description, but Dan Woo-sung understood immediately. She sensed something—yet there was no sound.
"Seems so. Must be skilled."
Baek Yak asked:
"If this continues, all the Black Path members here will die. Do you intend to let that happen?"
Dan Woo-sung got up, drank from the cup on the table, and slipped on his gauntlet before answering.
"I never promised to watch over their fates. They can flee anytime if they choose. If they wanted to leave the Black Path, they would've run long ago. If they stay, it's because they have nowhere else to go—meaning they are the Black Path. If they choose to live as such, why should I care if they live or die?"
He approached Baek Yak, still lying down, and offered his hand. She stretched out her arms.
Dan Woo-sung lifted the sleep-heavy woman from the bedding and placed her clothes beside her.
"Get dressed."
"Yes."
He exited first, walking silently down the corridor. In the main hall, a Mukryong subordinate dozed off.
Dan Woo-sung tapped the man's shoulder as he passed.
"Guests have arrived."
The man jolted awake. "Huh? Oh, understood." Still groggy, he asked, "But who visits at this hour?"
Dan Woo-sung stepped outside. "Assassins."
...
Dan Woo-sung moved first, crossing the wide courtyard before turning to gaze at the rooftop. Though he saw nothing, his instincts sensed killing intent rising like heat haze. It wasn't just the roof—beyond the walls, an ominous energy and forced silence loomed.
Night Assembly—"Gathered Night." A fitting name for this night.
With deliberate calm, Dan Woo-sung greeted the assassins.
"Welcome, Night Assembly Alliance."
Lights flickered on throughout the compound. Having already suffered losses in the previous battle, the Mukryong and Blue Robe Hall members didn't panic. Instead, the Black Path's signature ruthlessness simmered. Unlike orthodox factions, the Black Path rarely rallied for grand causes—they fought hardest for fallen comrades.
As Dan Woo-sung stood alone in the courtyard, the assassins on the rooftop rose, realizing they'd been detected.
Clad in black, they seemed like shadows leaping from the roof. Meanwhile, those who had killed the perimeter guards scaled the walls. In moments, the entire compound appeared smothered in clinging darkness.
Dan Woo-sung studied the swarm of assassins, curious about their attack signal. He planned to kill the signal-giver first.
Following their gazes, he looked toward the main gate.
There stood a man whose massive frame made his black assassin's garb look absurdly ill-fitting. Arms crossed, he glared at Dan Woo-sung—clearly the leader. His muscles bulged unnaturally, as if he'd trained exclusively in external techniques.
Even to Dan Woo-sung, he seemed formidable.
The giant unfolded his arms and pointed. The moment his finger aimed, every assassin swung their right arms. Thin steel needles shot from their sleeves, streaking toward Dan Woo-sung like shattered moonlight—a silent, lethal barrage.
Mid-flight, Dan Woo-sung lunged at the leader.
The needles struck where he'd stood, embedding in a perfect circle.
Thudthudthudthud—!
Their precision spoke of rehearsed coordination. But Dan Woo-sung moved faster than the needles.
Sticking close to the leader would disrupt follow-up attacks. Kill him first, then deal with the rest.
The leader drew a short black rod from his waist and swung as Dan Woo-sung closed in. Aware of the rumors—that this man had killed a squad leader in one strike—he couldn't afford carelessness. When Dan Woo-sung reached to grab the rod bare-handed, the leader channeled his energy.
BOOM!
The clash sent shockwaves hurling the assassin back. He caught himself, skidding across the ground.
A fist master...?!
Before he could react, a colossal Lightning Fist hurtled toward him.
The leader—Lee Ho-mun—infused his black rod with energy to counter.
CRACK!
Thunderous force erupted, blasting Lee Ho-mun backward. He barely shattered the Lightning Fist with his rod. As residual lightning energy seeped into him, he expelled it violently, shaking off the numbing current.
Meanwhile, Blue Robe Hall and Mukryong forces spilled into the courtyard, foiling the assassins' plan to gang up on Dan Woo-sung.
Lee Ho-mun drew a second black rod, crossing them before Dan Woo-sung.
He's far stronger than reported.
Dan Woo-sung advanced. "Assassins use paired weapons too?"
Recognizing his opponent's skill, Dan Woo-sung invoked the White Lightning Ten Stages from the start. White strands of energy—baeksa—unfurled from his hand toward Lee Ho-mun.
A seasoned fighter, Lee Ho-mun knew escape was unlikely.
Burn it all.
He slashed at the white strands with his left rod, then channeled energy into the right, aiming to at least drain Dan Woo-sung's stamina before dying.
Mid-attack, his gaze flickered to the rooftop.
A woman in white leaped into the air—and in the blink of an eye, every assassin on the roof froze solid.
What—?!
A dream? An illusion?
Demonic Path?!
Lee Ho-mun unleashed a furious surge of sword energy from his rods, then followed Dan Woo-sung's movement upward. Sensing few chances left, he crossed his rods and unleashed his signature technique—Black Dragon Technique (Black Dragon Technique).
Lee Ho-mun had learned martial arts brutally, through live combat, and entered the world of internal energy later than most. Though experienced in battle, his energy control was crude compared to true masters.
Unlike orthodox techniques, his energy eruptions were wild and untamed. Observers likened the chaotic shape of his signature move to a "black dragon."
Twin black dragons surged from his rods, engulfing Dan Woo-sung.
Even Lee Ho-mun was startled when his own energy obscured his vision.
Did it work?
Just as doubt crept in, the dragon's maw shattered—and a white serpent, puny compared to his black dragons, slithered out and coiled around his weapons.
Lee Ho-mun strained, pouring energy into his rods, but the lightning energy crawling over his body made him grimace.
Dan Woo-sung stood some distance away, watching as he unleashed the lightning. The sight was... majestic.
Enviable. So this is how I die?
He'd come prepared for death, yet everything felt hollow.
Then Dan Woo-sung studied his eyes and asked:
"Do you regret living as the Black Path?"
Lee Ho-mun answered:
"No regrets."
His face was masked, but his bearing was undeniably resolute. If he had no regrets, there was nothing left to say.
The thin white strand Lee Ho-mun struggled against suddenly expanded into a white dragon. With a deafening roar, it swallowed him whole. His clothes tore first, then his body dissolved into a floating mist of blood before vanishing entirely. Only his two rods clattered to the ground.
<-------106------->