Chapter 87
Chapter 87
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: Assault on the Clan
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Only then did I finally relax and set down the liquor bottle, at which point it suddenly hit me that I had something to return to Hwaryeon.
“Here, I almost forgot to give this back. Take it.”
I pulled the talisman pouch from my bosom and held it out to her.
While I was at it, I told her everything that had happened on the sparring platform.
“…I see. Joo Ho-jeong…”
Hwaryeon looked quite conflicted after hearing my story.
Her face made it clear she wasn’t sure what emotion to feel.
That expression sparked an urge in me to ask about the details.
How do you two know each other?
Were you close enough to recognize each other just from this little pouch?
No matter what your past was like, there’s a high chance you’ll end up enemies in the future—is that okay with you?
A barrage of questions surged toward my lips, only to bounce right back, over and over.
“…….”
In the end, my lips stayed firmly shut.
The thought that my impulsive questions might reopen old wounds kept my mouth sealed.
Meanwhile, Hwaryeon hadn’t taken the pouch I was offering.
She stared down at it for a moment, then—for reasons known only to her—pushed my hand away.
“…Just in case, keep holding onto it. You came back without a scratch, so it must really work.”
Er… I didn’t really feel anything like that?
To me, the only memory was nearly dropping it in a panic during some pointless fumble, so her words left me a bit nonplussed.
But I didn’t bother pointing that out.
Whether it actually worked or not was secondary; she was lending it to me out of worry, so what reason did I have to refuse?
I tucked the pouch back into my bosom.
That was when Hwaryeon’s voice reached my ears.
“You’re not going to ask? About Joo Ho-jeong.”
…I hadn’t expected her to bring it up first.
I subtly gauged her expression before letting out a short cough.
“Ahem. No, I was just being careful not to dredge up painful memories.”
“You don’t need to worry that much. It happened ten years ago.”
Sure, act like it’s nothing.
No matter how hard she tried to play it cool and tell me not to worry, it wasn’t fooling anyone.
She’d lost her parents before she was even ten.
No amount of time—ten years or twenty—could make something like that okay.
I’d felt that acutely myself, seven years ago.
The face of that young Hwaryeon from back then overlapped with her current one in my mind.
“…? Why are you staring like that?”
Hwaryeon awkwardly turned her head away from my lingering gaze.
The moment I opened my mouth, seeing her still feigning nonchalance—
-Kyaaak!
“….!”
A shrill scream pierced my ears.
“Hm? What’s wrong?”
All eyes turned to me as I shot up from my seat.
Before I could answer the puzzled Namgung clan head, I expanded my senses.
My heightened awareness picked up panicked screams from the servants and the rumble of a large group charging in.
From what I could sense, they were all martial artists.
Martial artists showing up unannounced this late at night.
They sure weren’t here with good intentions.
I turned to everyone and said,
“We’re under attack. The servants are already being targeted.”
“What, what did you say?”
The Namgung clan head’s eyes went wide, as if the alcohol had instantly worn off.
At the same time, the others sprang to their feet with practiced speed.
My master’s face was grim, a far cry from the man who’d been laughing over drinks moments ago, as he asked,
“Where are they coming from?”
“From the south. Looks like they scaled the walls.”
The screams kept coming without pause.
There was no time to waste.
I said I’d check it out first and bolted from the room.
Racing toward the source of the screams, I spotted frantic servants and maids fleeing helter-skelter, pursued by a gang of masked assailants cutting them down from behind.
“Stop!”
The masked figures halted their sword swings at my shout.
Seizing the opening, the survivors scrambled away.
But dozens were already sprawled motionless on the ground.
Frowning at the sight, I noticed one particularly massive figure stepping forward from the group of masked attackers.
His build and that massive cleaver looked awfully familiar.
No need to look far—they were the exact same ones I’d seen just that afternoon.
“You’re still banged up from the tournament, yet here you are, rushing about. Doesn’t really suit that ‘Titanic Tyrant’ moniker of yours.”
Seeing that I recognized him, the hulking masked man—Tak Cheol-woo—flinched for a moment before ripping off his mask and asking in a low voice,
“…How did you know?”
“Your size doesn’t just vanish under a mask, you know?”
When it came to bulk, he outdid even Shin Je-gon, and that cleaver was too distinctive a weapon.
People with features like that aren’t exactly common.
If you’re going to wear a mask, fine—but at least switch weapons.
Talk about sloppy.
My pointed look conveyed as much, earning a short snort in return.
“…Hmph. Doesn’t matter if you figured it out. We’re killing everyone in the Namgung Clan tonight anyway.”
He spoke of total annihilation without a hint of hesitation, leaving me to tilt my head in confusion.
What was he thinking?
The tournament between the Namgung Clan and Tyrant Heaven Fortress had been just this afternoon.
The Namgung Clan had crushed them.
And now, that same night, they launch an assault on the Namgung Clan?
Anyone would suspect Tyrant Heaven Fortress first. They were really going through with this?
I repeated the same question I’d asked Yeo So-jeo earlier.
“Didn’t you consider the consequences?”
His response was a real spectacle.
“Ha, consequences? How can one uphold the greater good while fretting over backlash? If sullying our hands saves the people of the Central Plains, I’d have no regrets even on the execution stand!”
“…What?”
The sheer absurdity left me speechless for a moment.
No, there were way too many things wrong here to even pick one.
Since when did you care about the common folk so much that you’re getting all dramatically righteous?
What stood out most was Tak Cheol-woo’s attitude.
I’d only seen him briefly at the tournament and in Present Clarity, but this was a world away from that guy.
Where was the hot-tempered, prideful warrior who couldn’t stomach humiliation? In his place stood some red-hot revolutionary.
The drastic change even made me wonder if he’d been brainwashed.
…Brainwashed? What kind of nonsense is that?
Shaking my head, I refocused and drew my sword.
-Shing
“I don’t know what’s going on in your head, but I can’t let you keep this foolishness up.”
I aimed the tip of my blade at Tak Cheol-woo.
He’d clearly heard I’d beaten Cho Un-yeop; tension flickered across his face.
But it didn’t last—he soon relaxed and smirked, lifting one corner of his mouth.
“Sorry, but you’re not facing us.”
“…What’s that supposed to mean?”
Not facing them? What the hell…?
“That’s right? So, young hero, would you mind facing me instead?”
-A chill ran down my spine.
The sudden voice from behind sent goosebumps prickling over my skin.
I’d extended my senses in all directions before combat, yet she’d slipped past them undetected?
It was just like when I’d encountered Ye So-ha recently.
The difference? This opponent was definitely hostile.
Gritting my teeth, I spun around, swinging my sword behind me.
The swift slash cut through the air toward the foe at my back.
-Whish!
-Thud
But before my sword could reach her, something hard struck my chest first.
The moment it hit, I braced for the searing pain of a blade piercing flesh—but instead came an inexplicable numbness.
“Guh…?”
My sword halted just shy of her throat.
No matter how hard I struggled, my body wouldn’t move.
Pressure point strike? No, I hadn’t felt any needle or jab.
Then what? Poison?
But it didn’t feel like poison infiltrating my body.
Not acupoint, not poison—what then?
To find out, I strained to look down at the object pressed against my chest.
“This… is?”
It was a large, purple orb.
At a glance, it looked unremarkable aside from its size.
But the ominous energy swirling within told me this was no ordinary item.
What the hell…!
I lifted my gaze to glare at the woman who’d snuck up behind me—Chilji.
She gazed back at my immobilized form with a satisfied smile.
“Hehe, now your soul belongs to me.”
With those cryptic words, my vision plunged into darkness.
*
“Hehehe…!”
Chilji flashed a triumphant smile at Goon Ja-seong, frozen before her.
He’d been caught defenseless by her trump card, the Lost Soul Pearl.
His eyes were entirely black—no whites, no pupils, just void.
‘The Lost Soul Pearl subjugates the target’s mind.’
A mind under its sway was naturally far more vulnerable to soul domination arts.
In truth, once hit by the Lost Soul Pearl, it was all but guaranteed that Goon Ja-seong would fall under her control.
Chilji’s gaze drifted briefly to the pearl.
A flicker of regret crossed her eyes as she noted the purple gem’s strangely clouded appearance compared to before.
The Lost Soul Pearl was a priceless treasure that could only be used once.
She regretted wasting it on him, lacking confidence to brainwash Goon Ja-seong with her own power alone.
But she soon steeled herself.
If it meant dominating the man before her, it was a price well worth paying.
Tearing her eyes from Goon Ja-seong, Chilji turned to Cheol-woo and the Heavenly Light Corps.
“You lot, kill everyone in the manor. Don’t leave a single one alive.”
“Understood.”
Cheol-woo, now speaking to her with the deference due a superior, led the Heavenly Light Corps deeper into the clan grounds and vanished.
Chilji gave his retreating figure a sidelong glance before turning back to Goon Ja-seong.
“Now, shall we have some time to ourselves?”
Chilji’s smiling eyes glowed red.