Chapter 194
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 194
Chapter Title: Withdrawal
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The method Dark Soul had proposed to lure out Black Scythe was simple.
Deliberately cause a crime to draw out the CPF, capture some of their squad members, and use them as bait.
That would surely bring out the squad leader, Black Scythe.
-To do that, we'll split into Bricks Team, First Warrior Team, and our own team—three teams of four each to carry out the operation. It should be more efficient than all of us sticking together.
Spanyard had said as much, but just an hour into the operation, he was already regretting it.
Communications with Bricks Team had gone silent.
"Spanyard. Still no response?"
"Yeah. No idea what's going on—they're not picking up."
Just twenty minutes ago, they'd gotten word from First Warrior Team.
Black Scythe was heading their way, so rendezvous.
Spanyard had promised to contact Bricks Team himself, but now he found himself in a bind.
He'd called repeatedly, but still nothing.
"Bricks Team isn't answering?"
"Yeah."
"Maybe they're too busy securing hostages."
"Even so, after dozens of calls... that's not normal."
"Then try the other members."
"Already did, but I'll give it another shot. Just in case."
At Yang Chuiwen's suggestion, Spanyard dialed again, then shook his head.
No dice.
"All four are out of contact. Something's wrong. Bricks Team's definitely in trouble."
"Fuck, we need to link up before Black Scythe gets here, so why the hell aren't those idiots picking up?"
"No clue. Let's head to First Warrior Team first."
The four dashed through the alleys once more.
Even without Bricks Team, they had to hurry to the spot where Black Scythe had supposedly been lured.
That way, they could join First Warrior Team and take him down.
But when they arrived, the scene was empty.
"This the right place?"
"Address they sent matches..."
"Call them."
Spanyard tried First Warrior, but no answer.
"No response."
"If these bastards aren't gonna pick up, why even carry phones?"
Yang Chuiwen snapped, but they had no idea.
That First Warrior Team had died right there in that alley.
That Bricks Team had already been killed by Joo Seong-tak.
But one person had guessed the truth.
"What if he already came and went?"
"What're you talking about, John?"
Yang Chuiwen asked, and John Delgado replied with an obvious look.
"Black Scythe. What if he got here first and wiped them out?"
"What?"
"Black Scythe?"
It was plausible, but Yang Chuiwen just scoffed.
"Ridiculous."
"Why's it ridiculous?"
"Black Scythe killed the entire First Warrior Team? Where are the bodies? Not even a glimpse?"
"He cleaned up the traces, obviously."
"Even then, no traces at all? Look around. No broken walls, no signs of a fight anywhere."
"It wasn't a fight."
"Then what?"
"A one-sided massacre."
John's expression was deadly serious.
No hint of a joke—he really believed it.
"Black Scythe is that strong?"
"Strong. The Twelve Apostles all together might barely stand a chance."
"Jesus..."
Yang Chuiwen looked incredulous, but he couldn't really argue.
Only the Necromancer had faced Black Scythe's power firsthand.
Spanyard, listening in, grew grave.
"If John's right and First Warrior Team's gone, the other teams are at risk too."
"What if Bricks Team's silence means they've already been hit?"
"Each picked off in that short time? By Black Scythe?"
"He's got the ability. Worst case, we're the only four survivors."
"Ha, no way."
"Sigh... My mistake. Should've stuck together instead of splitting up."
Worry clouded the Apostles' faces.
Then—
"Huh?"
Dark Soul, who always kept his area scan skill active out of habit, spotted an approaching red dot and warned them.
"Someone's coming from that alley."
Footsteps echoed from the direction he pointed, and moments later, a figure appeared.
India's martial artist, Swingman.
"Huff, huff. Y-You guys are all here?"
He looked thrilled, like he'd found reinforcements, panting as if he'd run a marathon.
"Swingman? What's going on? Where are the other Apostles?"
At Spanyard's question, Swingman's face darkened sharply.
"Well... I don't know."
"What? Don't know?"
"Embarrassing, but I was too busy fleeing from him. No time to worry about comrades."
"Him who...?"
"Black Scythe."
The name hit like a gut punch. The Apostles instantly knew.
Their earlier bad premonition had come true.
"Tell us everything. What happened?"
"First... is he definitely not nearby?"
"Who? Black Scythe?"
Swingman glanced around nervously, and Spanyard reassured him.
"Area scan shows no one but us. If you're that worried, track Black Scythe yourself. Didn't you see his face?"
"No. He wore a white mask. No idea what he looks like. And without his real name, tracking in reality's impossible, right?"
"Oh, right. Forgot. Okay, explain. What went down here?"
Swingman nodded and spoke.
"As you know, we used hostages to lure Black Scythe. But he arrived before you all did. White mask, wielding a scythe. Just one guy, so we thought we could take him... but we were wrong. In seconds, he killed the hostages and my teammates."
"Black Scythe killed the hostages too?"
"Yeah. No mercy, cold-blooded. His skills were no joke. That scythe stretched like a whip—attacks came out of nowhere. Didn't take long before it was just me and First Warrior left."
Swingman shuddered, still chilled by the memory, his tone grim.
"We knew right away. No chance of winning. Without a word, we split and ran. Escape was our only shot. I didn't see what happened to First Warrior—didn't dare look back."
A bleak tale of massacre without any real fight.
Just as John had predicted, though Yang Chuiwen still looked skeptical.
"Hey, Curry Man. You really got taken out by Black Scythe?"
"What? You think I'm lying?"
"Who knows. Maybe you killed the others and you're just acting calm."
"What?!"
Swingman jumped up, indignant.
"Why would I kill my comrades? What's in it for me?"
"He's right. No reason for Swingman to betray us."
Spanyard defended him, but Yang Chuiwen's suspicions lingered.
"Don't know why you'd betray, but it's fishy. We all agreed to hit Black Scythe together, but they engage early? Sane? No thought to stall with talk till we arrived?"
"We did think of it, but First Warrior said no need and stopped us..."
"Then why come back to the murder scene?"
"Realized too late First Warrior might've survived. And thought you guys arriving soon could be in danger."
"You ditched your team to save your skin, but came back for us? Gandhi of the modern age."
Yang Chuiwen sneered, but Swingman's story held water.
John Delgado chimed in to back him.
"Whatever else, he met Black Scythe. The one I saw used that same weird stretching scythe like a whip."
"So First Warrior and the others really got wiped without a fight?"
"Probably. Not sure about the other team, though..."
"If we knew their real names, we could've used tracking to check if they're alive..."
Dark Soul sounded regretful, and Spanyard apologized.
"Didn't think of that. Figured they wouldn't want real names shared... My bad."
"Either way, no contact means they're dead, right? And Swingman's story fits."
"Guess so."
They hated to admit it, but facts were facts.
Especially with a survivor from Black Scythe as witness.
'Did that Curry Man really meet Black Scythe?'
John vouched for it, so probably true.
Feeling embarrassed for his suspicions, Yang Chuiwen grumbled to cover.
"Damn, Twelve Apostles down to five just like that."
"Tell me about it."
"Sigh."
Sighs escaped the team.
Seven taken out by one guy.
"What now?"
"We should pull out of Korea ASAP. Black Scythe could be close."
"Agreed. We could be targets next."
"Come this far and bail empty-handed? Looking like fools?"
Yang Chuiwen griped, but the others thought differently.
"We learned Black Scythe's strength—that's something. Head back, make plans."
"Spanyard's right. To fight another day, we need to survive—even if just five."
"Leave Korea before Black Scythe shows."
"Tch."
Yang Chuiwen hated retreating from Korea with nothing, but knew it was inevitable.
"Hurry up, then. Let's go."
As he turned easily, the other Apostles relaxed and followed.
Unaware that Ryu Min, disguised as Swingman, smirked behind them.
* * *
'They all think I'm Swingman.'
Unlike his testimony, Swingman hadn't survived.
Ryu Min had snapped his neck.
In other words, the Swingman they'd been talking to was Ryu Min, perfectly disguised with the assassin's mask.
'Face, skin tone, voice, clothes—all flawless. No way they'd suspect.'
No real doubts, except from Yang Chuiwen.
'Didn't expect him to peg me as a traitor. Top of the underworld hierarchy—sharp instincts. Or just hates Swingman?'
Didn't matter.
Now he could impersonate the Twelve Apostles as planned.
'Head back, join the strategy meeting. Steer things my way.'
To use the Necromancer in Round 12, he needed to work from the inside.
That was the point of infiltration.
'Form a group to fight me? Pathetic. I'll use you all up and discard you without mercy.'
The other Apostles missed Ryu Min's upturned lips.