Chapter 56
Chapter 56
The Assassin Mu Myeong (2)
Clang.
With a rough metallic sound, the two broken halves of the dagger fell to the ground.
The duel had been decided.
Mu Myeong raised his empty hands to shoulder height as if declaring surrender.
"...What the hell was that?"
"The Reverse One-Point Kill."
"Hah. Fitting name. You flipped everything—the grip technique, the flow of qi—completely upside down."
Mu Myeong let out a hollow laugh, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
In that brief moment, thanks to his Heavenly Martial Body, he had analyzed the technique and realized it was an overwhelmingly superior version of his own One-Point Kill.
Se-woon maintained his wariness and answered quietly.
"They say it was newly devised for someone who particularly liked holding the dagger in a reverse grip."
"!!"
At those words, Mu Myeong's pupils trembled as if struck by an earthquake.
A long-forgotten childhood memory flashed through his mind.
—...How many times do I have to tell you? You shouldn't hold it like that.
—Tch. But this way looks cooler!
A faded memory from his youth—one he had forgotten while living a life steeped in blood.
"...Should've been nicer to me while he was alive."
Mu Myeong muttered to himself, as if mocking someone unseen.
Hearing that, Se-woon realized the assassin's suspicions toward him had completely vanished.
It was inevitable.
He had just recounted a memory shared only between brothers.
A bitter expression surfaced on the assassin's darkened face—the bitterness of learning about his brother's death far too late.
'...Don't feel sorry. In truth, you were the one who found all of this.'
The Reverse One-Point Kill, the truth about Mu Yeong's death—
It was all information the previous Mu Myeong had uncovered.
Even while living as the Blood Demon's hound, Mu Myeong had never stopped searching for clues about his brother's death.
And finally, in the Blood Cult's vault, he discovered Mu Yeong's discarded belongings.
Disguised as an unreadable tome, the item contained detailed notes—written in a cipher only the two brothers knew—about the improved One-Point Kill and the full truth behind Mu Yeong's fate.
"Can I hear the truth?"
"And what do I get in return?"
"The location of the Killing Gate."
"...!"
Anyone else would have been shocked.
The Killing Gate's headquarters had never been revealed in the history of the martial world.
If Se-woon sold this information, he could secure enough funds to run the Four Rivers Syndicate for twenty—no, thirty years.
Se-woon pretended to deliberate for a moment before speaking.
"Not bad."
As soon as Se-woon accepted, Mu Myeong fell silent and listened intently.
Though death loomed before him, Mu Myeong acted as if it didn't matter.
All he cared about was the truth behind his brother's death.
"It happened exactly five years ago."
"..."
A strange glint flickered in Mu Myeong's eyes.
The last traces of Mu Yeong had vanished around that same time.
Se-woon continued his explanation.
While gathering herbs in the treacherous mountains of Sichuan, he misstepped and tumbled down a cliff.
As he fell, he barely managed to grab onto a tree branch. Struggling to survive, he discovered a hidden cave.
Mu Myeong, listening up to that point, cut him off with a disbelieving expression.
"Wait. Don't tell me there was a skeleton inside? Even third-rate street novels aren't that lazy with their—"
"Should I stop talking?"
"N-No."
After barely crawling inside, Se-woon found long-dried bloodstains and a single martial manual.
"And that manual didn't just contain techniques—it also held the truth of what happened, along with my master's final wishes, all written in blood."
"!!"
"The contents were..."
Se-woon then recited, word for word, the exact contents of the book Mu Myeong had shown him in the previous life.
Thanks to his unlocked upper dantian, Se-woon could remember anything he had seen once with perfect clarity—as if it were etched into his mind.
By the time Se-woon finished, Mu Myeong's doubts had completely vanished.
'To think the traitor was... him.'
Because the manual contained ciphers arranged in a secret pattern only he and his brother knew.
Only after mentally reciting the contents several times to commit them perfectly to memory did Mu Myeong speak again.
"So your sudden rise in martial prowess was thanks to my brother."
"Yes."
"Hah. Did he ask you to take revenge in exchange for his techniques?"
"No. My master never asked me to avenge him. He said that was his younger brother's duty."
"!"
"All he wanted was for me to pass on the improved techniques and the truth to his brother."
"But you said you found the manual five years ago. Why haven't you contacted me until now?"
Se-woon narrowed his eyes slightly at the question.
"He told me not to approach you unless I reached at least the pinnacle of martial arts. He said his distrustful little brother would definitely cut off one of my limbs before even hearing me out."
"..."
Mu Myeong had nothing to say.
After all, that was exactly what he had done moments ago.
"Well then, let's wrap this up after you tell me the Killing Gate's location."
"...Huh?"
Wrap this up?
Just as Mu Myeong blinked in confusion—
Crrk.
Se-woon's dagger pressed harder against Mu Myeong's throat.
In that instant, Mu Myeong realized—Se-woon intended to kill him.
"...You still don't believe I'm his brother?"
"No, I believe you."
"Then why?"
"I heard the Killing Gate's contracts are absolute. Who's to say you won't try to assassinate me again if I let you go?"
"...Keuk. Fair point."
"I'll take care of my master's enemies. Now, any last words?"
"Of course."
Mu Myeong's gaze, deadly serious, locked onto Se-woon.
Then his lips moved.
"Spare me."
"...What?"
"I said spare me."
"??"
The sudden, shameless shift in attitude left Se-woon momentarily speechless.
"...Assassins are supposed to be indifferent to death, no?"
"I was, before fighting you. I had no regrets dying anytime. But now I do. What can I do?"
"Hah. That's rich."
"And it's your fault."
"What?"
"You told me who killed my brother. Now I can't leave this world."
"That's absurd—"
"So as an apology, spare me."
"..."
"While you're at it, kindly teach me the Reverse One-Point Kill too."
"You're completely insane."
Swish!
As Se-woon ignored him and prepared to deliver the killing blow—
Mu Myeong's eyes changed completely.
"I'll give you the Killing Gate."
"!"
All traces of playfulness vanished from Mu Myeong's voice.
"I'm the current heir. I'll ascend to the leadership as soon as possible and hand it over to you. So..."
"..."
"Let me take my revenge."
Mu Myeong's eyes burned with vengeance and killing intent.
"Only after I slaughter every last one of those involved in my brother's death will I have no regrets."
'Got him.'
Hearing those final words, Se-woon inwardly smiled.
Of course, Se-woon had never planned to kill Mu Myeong.
He had pressured him solely to extract that declaration.
Without that level of resolve, his friend would never survive the Blood Demon.
—Cough. I... failed.
—Hold on. Just a little longer. I can still—
—Blacksmith... you... cough. Succeed... for me.
...Find freedom.
With those final words, his friend from the previous life closed his eyes forever.
Remembering Mu Myeong's death made Se-woon's chest feel like it was being torn apart.
At the same time, self-loathing surged within him once more.
Though he claimed to care for his friend, he was once again pushing him toward certain death.
But there was no other choice.
To win the war against the Blood Cult—
They needed the martial world's greatest assassin.
The one who had taken the life of the Martial Alliance's leader.
The power of the Assassin was indispensable.
Disgusted by his own hypocrisy, Se-woon felt dizzy and nauseous.
But he gritted his teeth and endured.
'Can't show weakness.'
To this world's Mu Myeong, he had to appear as an all-knowing, superior being.
Only then could he ultimately kill the Blood Demon and gift his friend true freedom.
Hiding his turbulent emotions, Se-woon finally spoke.
"Borrowing a knife to kill... Not my preferred method, but—"
"!"
Mu Myeong's eyes gleamed at Se-woon's words.
Borrowing a knife to kill—using another's blade to achieve one's goals.
Meaning—
"If I can get the Killing Gate, I'll endure it."
Se-woon was sparing him.
Some time later.
Only one person remained in the Black Bamboo Forest.
"That bastard. No manners at all. How can he just leave without even looking back?"
After saying his piece, Se-woon immediately turned and walked away.
Mu Myeong stared blankly in the direction he had gone before shaking his head repeatedly.
Se-woon had long since vanished without a trace.
"...Tch. Didn't need to inherit my brother's temper too."
Mu Myeong murmured softly.
Memories of Mu Yeong endlessly flickered through his mind.
"Well, not even a bone fragment remained—just a pool of blood. But what can I say, brother? That's the life of an assassin."
Mu Myeong smiled bitterly.
After five years of searching, he had finally learned the truth of his brother's death.
Yes—he had always known this was the most likely outcome.
But a part of him had clung to the faint hope that Mu Yeong might still be alive somewhere.
The reason was simple.
Because they were brothers.
"So this is the legendary Heaven Beyond Heaven? Can you believe it? That such monsters exist. Kehehe."
Congratulations. Without a doubt, your disciple will become the world's greatest assassin.
As if finding the whole situation absurd, Mu Myeong looked up at the sky and laughed for a long time.
But soon, his laughter faded.
Silence, cold and heavy, enveloped the surroundings.
Whoosh!
A terrifying killing intent erupted from Mu Myeong, instantly drowning the entire area.
"What kind of place is the Blood Cult? What kind of treasure did they offer to make him betray my brother?"
The surroundings were already in ruins from their battle.
Bathed in the full moon's light—
"They'll regret that choice bitterly."
Mu Myeong recalled the traitor's name, left in his brother's secret cipher.
"Hyeong Ye Yang."
The name of his next target.
And he was—
The current leader of the Killing Gate.
The father who had sired him.