Chapter 110
Chapter 110
Judgment (2)
Everyone's faces stiffened at Se-woon's words.
Of course they'd be shocked—they'd been abruptly dragged into the enemy's lair.
But there was no time to gently soothe their startled hearts.
"Listen up! Everyone, peel off the human-skin masks and put them on! Change into the enemy's clothes as well!"
"Yes, sir!"
At Se-woon's command, the Houki Jishu hurriedly snapped back to reality and sprang into action.
Only then did they realize the gravity of the situation and what Se-woon meant by their "last chance."
As they frantically applied the masks and stripped the corpses, the enemies' wounds became visible.
A strange light flickered in the Houki Jishu's eyes.
'Incredible. Fifteen men taken down in a single move.'
'The cause of death—all pierced through the heart.'
'Judging by the wound size, it resembles a dagger strike...'
Did the Great Leader also have expertise in dagger techniques beyond his Yin-Cold Energy?
But their doubts quickly faded as Se-woon barked another order, asking if they were planning to boil slugs for dinner.
"G-Great Leader, what should we do with the bodies?"
"Don't worry. I already brought something for that."
"Huh?"
As they tilted their heads in confusion, Se-woon pulled something from his robe and poured it over the corpses.
Hiss—!
A foul stench filled the air as the bodies began melting away without a trace.
It was Hwagolsan—a corrosive poison so acidic it dissolved even bones.
"Burn the carriage. They must have fire starters on them."
Sure enough, fire starters were found among the corpses.
The Houki Jishu shuddered.
There was no reason to carry fire starters under the scorching midday sun.
The enemy had lulled them into lowering their guard under the pretense of fixing the wheels, intending to kill them and burn the carriage afterward to erase all evidence.
"See with your eyes, but doubt everything and observe properly."
The Great Leader's words echoed in their minds once more.
The Houki Jishu were genuinely in awe of him.
Disguised in the masks and clothes of the enemy, they headed straight for the enemy's main camp.
Nine Houki Jishu, Se-woon, and Mu-myeong—eleven in total.
Among the visibly tense Houki Jishu...
'Now I know where this is.'
Jang So-pyeong's eyes gleamed.
After surveying the terrain, he recognized features matching one of the suspected areas mentioned in the Beggar Sect's reports.
'This is the suspected zone in Jungmu County.'
An outer region of Jungmu County, not far from Kaifeng.
Outwardly, it looked like an unremarkable, quiet mountain village—but it was one of the suspected locations Se-woon had tracked based on intelligence.
To be precise, one of the three areas where Tang Ho-yeol was suspected of making contact with a mysterious faction.
However, being so close to Kaifeng—where the Murim Alliance was headquartered—it had been deemed the least likely.
'...I'll have to overturn this assessment as soon as I return.'
Jang So-pyeong's blood boiled at the Beggar Sect's flawed intelligence, but soon they reached the village outskirts.
Rows of thatched-roof houses with smoke rising from cooking fires—an utterly ordinary mountain village.
The only notable feature was that the entire village was arranged like a massive dyeing workshop.
Wooden drying racks held dyed fabric, and deep pits were filled with thick, sloshing dye.
[Enemies approaching. Everyone, stay alert.]
'—!'
Just then, the Great Leader's Sound Transmission echoed in their ears.
True to its name, someone was briskly approaching them.
A man with an utterly forgettable face—but upon closer inspection, recalling the Great Leader's warning...
'His Taiyang pressure point is protruding!'
They could tell he possessed considerable martial prowess, just like the previous enemies.
"Unit Thirty-Six, have you confirmed the situation?"
An icy voice rang out.
The enemy was addressing the Great Leader, who was leading the group.
This was bad.
The fact that he called out "Unit Thirty-Six" by name suggested he knew the original wearer of the mask—but the Great Leader couldn't disguise his voice.
"Yes, sir. We've completed the cleanup and are on our way back."
'—!'
'—!!'
The Great Leader replied nonchalantly.
Everyone was stunned.
Contrary to the Houki Jishu's worries, the exact same voice they'd heard outside the carriage had just spoken.
'Hmm, using Sound Art after so long... With my mastery at the peak of Hua Jing, it's not too difficult.'
Se-woon had modulated his voice using Hwanhonji Eumga, a divine technique from the Paeum Bima lineage.
Though he'd lost the Illusion Sound Thread power from his past life, the martial principles and insights bestowed by Paeum Bima still resided in his mind.
Sound Art was a martial discipline that manipulated "sound."
Mimicking a voice heard by ear was easier than twisting a child's wrist.
But then, the enemy glanced behind them and tilted his head.
"Hmm, but why are there empty spots?"
The Houki Jishu flinched.
Their total number was eleven—but the enemy had fifteen.
Since they'd killed them all, four spots were naturally empty.
Once again, Se-woon smoothly improvised.
"Yes, sir. Some of them had unexpectedly high martial prowess. Four were lost in the silent elimination."
"Tch, I told them to train harder until the Day of Blood Heaven arrives. Fine, understood."
The enemy sighed, shook his head, and continued.
"Then disperse to your assigned sectors. If more pests appear, deal with them the same way."
"Yes, sir."
"Unit Thirty-Six."
"Yes?"
"You have a separate task. Follow me."
"Understood."
The Houki Jishu shot worried glances, but Se-woon followed without hesitation.
At the same time, he sent a Sound Transmission:
[Spread out and confirm the total number of enemies in the vicinity.]
Inspired by Se-woon's willingness to take the most dangerous role, the Houki Jishu scattered in all directions.
The enemy led Se-woon toward the only pavilion at the village center.
Se-woon instantly recognized it as the core of this forward outpost.
"Damn it. Being a Corps Leader is killing me. Joining the Blood Cult just made me busier."
"Yes, sir. It's been especially hectic lately."
Corps Leader.
A glint flashed in Se-woon's eyes.
If the Blood Cult's Great Leaders were at the peak of Pinnacle of Martial Arts, then the Corps Leader above them must possess martial prowess at the Pinnacle of Martial Arts's extreme limits.
This man was likely the supreme commander overseeing this base.
"Sometimes I miss the days when we stood unrivaled in the Dark Murim."
"But you've grown incomparably stronger now, haven't you?"
"Heh, true. The Blood Cult is insane. The horrors lurking there defy imagination."
Then, the Corps Leader paused and muttered while looking at the pavilion.
"Especially that 'abomination' below—the most terrifying of all, devouring countless lives."
What memory had surfaced?
Fear flickered in the Corps Leader's eyes.
Just then, successive Sound Transmissions reached Se-woon's ears.
[East—nine enemies.]
[West—seven.]
[Great Leader, south—seven.]
[North—ten!]
In total, thirty-three demons were stationed here.
Whoosh—!
Se-woon expanded his sensory field to verify their reports.
"Is the Elder working underground right now?"
"Huh? What nonsense. The Elder left at dawn with the Fourth Elder for a meeting."
"Ah, right. My mistake."
"Wait... Didn't Unit Thirty-Six accompany the Elder? How could you forget—"
"Ah, busted."
"?!"
The moment Se-woon's real voice slipped out, horror flashed in the Corps Leader's eyes.
The man immediately summoned demonic energy—but—
Swish!
Se-woon's hand was faster.
A crimson line appeared on the Corps Leader's neck as Se-woon's hand-blade flashed past.
Thud.
The enemy's head tilted and fell.
[Eliminate all enemies.]
Simultaneously, Se-woon's order was relayed to the team.
Slash!
Stab!
"...!!"
"Guh—!"
Pained groans erupted from all directions.
With blades suddenly striking from behind, the demons couldn't react in time and fell one after another.
"Intruders—!"
One demon belatedly realized and tried to raise the alarm—but—
Thunk!
A chilling skewering sound followed as he collapsed lifelessly.
A vertical wound was carved into his chest.
The Houki Jishu marveled at the faintly visible trajectories across the battlefield.
'Ice blades shrouded in Yin-Cold Energy are raining everywhere!'
'Such impossible control!'
The Great Leader's signature Yin-Cold Energy Art was shining once more.
The Houki Jishu assumed Se-woon was annihilating the enemies with ice techniques—but the truth was entirely different.
Even with ice techniques, such precise manipulation was akin to Void Grasping—impossible.
There was only one explanation for this spectacle.
The same power Se-woon had used earlier to wipe out the enemies outside the carriage—Invisible Darts.
'Sixteen. Seventeen.'
Like a streak of lightning, Se-woon darted among the ranks, clearing out enemies with Invisible Darts.
In an open field like this, the potential of Invisible Darts was limitless.
'They haven't even reached the peak of Pinnacle of Martial Arts. This doesn't even consume innate qi.'
Having ascended to the peak of Hua Jing, the innate qi required to fight enemies below his level had drastically diminished.
Thunk!
Stab!
Skewering sounds rang out consecutively as more enemies collapsed.
Despite the Houki Jishu and Mu-myeong totaling ten, Se-woon was cutting down more enemies than all of them combined.
'Is this the power of a peak Hua Jing martial artist?!'
'To think we dared challenge such a Great Leader...'
'Had he wished, we'd have shared the enemies' fate.'
As chills ran down the Houki Jishu's spines—
Thud.
The last demon finally met death with eyes wide open.
Without showing the slightest fatigue, Se-woon addressed the regrouped team.
"The external enemies are eliminated. Only those inside remain."
"Inside, sir?"
"Yes. Beneath this pavilion—our target awaits."
"...!!"
A strange light flickered in the team's eyes as they gazed at the pavilion.
But only briefly.
Soon, they bowed to Se-woon and spoke.
"Let us proceed, Great Leader."
They now addressed him as Great Leader.
Not a trace of doubt remained in their eyes.
"Move in."
At Se-woon's command, they advanced in perfect formation.
This was the first march of the Cheoncheon Unit he led.
111