Chapter 194

Translator: MadScientist

Chapter: 194

Chapter Title: Execution Holy Society (9)

I had no choice but to admit it.

The fact that I had underestimated Seo Yu-ju.

"Grrk..."

The one wielding the scythe was ultimately impaled by Seo Yu-ju's spear, spewing blood as he met his end.

The burly giant was barely managing to block her thrusting spear, but defeat was only a matter of time.

'Damn it...'

If I'd known Seo Yu-ju was this strong, I never would have engineered this matchup.

The extent of Seo Yu-ju's prowess that I'd witnessed firsthand was during her fight with the White Devourer.

I hadn't seen the latter half of her clash with the Tree of Birth, which was why the shock hit me so hard.

'...Now, even most top-tier or upper-echelon players wouldn't stand a chance against Seo Yu-ju.'

Unless it was someone like Yun Yeon or Yanagiya Riki, few could pose a real threat to her current self.

'If those two plus Woo Seo-hyeon had been there, it might have been different...'

I had no idea where Woo Seo-hyeon even was. If she'd properly grasped the situation...

'She might be running away on her own.'

Her face was already burned, the scythe wielder was dead, and that brute wouldn't last much longer against Seo Yu-ju.

The Spear Demon was defeated, and assuming the masked assassin had his neck snapped by Yun Yeon, the Execution Holy Society had suffered irreparable damage.

If Woo Seo-hyeon had realized all this, she might have chosen to flee alone.

'She's the type who really cares about her own safety.'

Honestly, unless someone had intense loyalty to the Execution Holy Society or was completely insane, there was no reason not to cut losses in this situation.

The mystery was their leader.

'Jeon Myeong-cheon, was it?'

Seeing him do nothing so far, I couldn't fathom what he was thinking. At this point, it was questionable if he even cared about protecting the society.

'...That side's done.'

He'd landed one punch on Seo Yu-ju mid-fight, but that was it.

"Gah...!"

In the end, her spear separated his head from his body, which tumbled across the ground.

'Ha, at least she looks a bit worn out.'

She hadn't dodged every attack perfectly, and she didn't seem completely fresh either.

The problem was that the outcome was far from what I'd intended.

Contrary to my calculations, the Execution Holy Society hadn't been able to push Seo Yu-ju as hard as I'd hoped.

'Ha, well... I'll just have to settle for this. Positively speaking, it means Seo Yu-ju is already that close to transcendent level.'

Now it was time to let my companions know I'd escaped. No need to worry them too much.

'And I deliberately set the replica clay so it wouldn't revert even if damaged.'

To prepare for the chance they killed the replica and realized it was fake, I'd set it to only revert after exactly seven days.

'Worst case, I risked losing the replica clay to pull this off...'

After watching Seo Yu-ju leave the brute's corpse behind, I severed the eye connection. Time to move fast.

Whoosh—

'Huh?'

The moment I heard something slicing through the air, a mana-infused arrow was already right in front of me.

Clang!

"Master...!"

Luska barely swung her sword to deflect it, but my body froze, unable to move.

'...That was close to death.'

If Luska hadn't been by my side, I'd be dead for sure.

'I stationed her just in case, but who the hell...?'

This wasn't an ordinary opponent. Even Luska hadn't sensed their presence until the arrow was fired.

Soon, a man and a woman emerged from the bushes.

'These guys...'

I didn't need to ask their identities—they were clearly the leader and an executive of the Execution Holy Society. I remembered the man from the Library of Records, at least.

'Did they figure out it was a replica?'

There were two possibilities for why they'd come here: coincidence, or they'd been searching for me.

If the latter, it meant they'd realized the captured me was a fake.

They spoke first.

"Impressive. You played me for a fool. First time I've experienced this."

The man was the one talking.

Luska's face tensed as she pulled me behind her.

"Master, stay behind me."

She had killed this guy in the first round, but that was one-on-one.

Now, with that archer woman beside him, winning would be tough—not to mention I was dead weight.

Regardless of whether the situation favored us, I couldn't hold back my question.

"...Were you looking for me?"

"Yes, once we realized the one we captured was a replica. Didn't expect a bodyguard besides the Sword Master, though."

'As expected. But how did they know?'

Looked like he had some trick up his sleeve.

I needed to check their info.

'Ha...'

"More intriguing, though. The woman beside you—she's the one who wiped out the Predator Clan?"

"...No idea what you're talking about."

"Well, doesn't matter much either way. Your reaction suggests it's true enough."

'This bastard...'

"Strange, though. If so, why stage that little act in the dungeon with Woo Seo-hyeon? Did you know from the start she was a spy we planted?"

'This guy's no idiot.'

Jeon Myeong-cheon seemed sharp-minded.

"...Why leave the Execution Holy Society like that?"

"Hm?"

"No intention of looking after your organization? If you abandon them in that state, it'll be gone by tonight."

"......"

I'd thrown it out to gauge his reaction, but he didn't even twitch an eyebrow at the idea of the society's end.

'Too bad. Not the type to show emotions easily.'

Still, I gleaned one fact.

'This guy has no interest in the Execution Holy Society.'

Their supposed leader showed no sign of trying to salvage his crumbling organization.

No hint of regret or attachment in his eyes.

"Who knows... Even if I did something now, I doubt the society would come out intact. You know that better than anyone, right?"

"......."

He was right. Considering the full force coming to rescue me, even if he and that archer stepped in, it wouldn't save the society.

They weren't weak, far from it—they were threats. But with two executives dead to Seo Yu-ju and the Spear Demon neutralized...

This heavily favored us. They might make it tough, but victory was inevitable.

And knowing that, he was cutting his losses without hesitation.

It made me curious. Why was this guy even leading a band of outlaws?

"What's your reason for heading the Execution Holy Society? You don't seem attached at all. Not that I'm mistaken."

He ignored my question, merely signaling to the woman beside him.

They retreated. Clearly planning to leave.

I didn't pursue. My side was at a disadvantage right now anyway.

'Chimera and Luska could only buy time at best.'

It would drag things out, drawing attention inevitably.

My companions would rush here sensing it, exposing that I'd orchestrated the whole thing.

Jeon Myeong-cheon's foundation was already shattered; those two alone weren't a major threat anymore.

As they vanished, Luska spoke.

"Master, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠what do you plan for those two?"

"......"

Honestly, my goal was to use even their leader to help Seo Yu-ju grow.

'But he acted opposite to expectations and ruined it.'

By abandoning the society without a second thought, any plan to pit her against him fell through.

'Never imagined he'd discard it so easily.'

Like casually abandoning a massive clan he'd built himself.

"...Let them run. The soul spirit is with Seo Yu-ju anyway; I can't even assign it to them."

"I see..."

"The society's basically smashed this time; they won't be a big threat. If an opportunity arises, we'll crush them."

"...Understood, Master."

"Anyway, Luska, meeting those two raised a question."

In the Library of Records, the only scene I'd seen was Luska killing Jeon Myeong-cheon.

"What happened to that archer beside him in the first round?"

I had no memory of her.

"Ah... I suppose you wouldn't know, Master."

Luska seemed to know about her.

"In the first round, you deliberately separated those two. Even I couldn't handle them together, so the only way was to isolate and kill them one by one."

I listened quietly.

"After Jeon Myeong-cheon died, she lost her will to live. When I found her, she was little more than a walking corpse."

"...She didn't even try for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠revenge?"

"She said herself that revenge wouldn't bring her leader back, so it was meaningless. She'd abandoned everything."

"...And?"

"I didn't kill her. You saw her and didn't order it either—just told me to return."

"....."

"It stirred strange feelings. Pity, maybe. I saw a bit of myself in her."

"Yourself?"

"Hate to imagine it, but if I lost you, Master, I'd probably end up like her."

...I had no words for Luska's confession.

"So never die on me, Master."

"...I won't. How could I with you here?"

"Hard to say. I've seen you die with my own eyes before. Never want to again."

'Ah...'

Come to think of it, in the first round, I'd ordered Luska to kill me myself. And she'd carried it out—brilliantly, forcibly.

Considering her feelings for me, it must have been hell for her.

'Damn, guilt tripping me now.'

"After you died—no, after I killed you with my own hands... everything was nightmare fuel. I never want to feel that again. Promise me, Master."

"...I promise. This is the second round anyway, not the first. No plans to die here either."

As I'd told Luska, failure wasn't even on my mind this round.

This was the meticulously planned second chance I'd earned.