Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: A Beast's Fury
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A chilling air hangs heavy.
Neung Un-bi was a beast of rage, awakened by the moonlight.
His sword, slicing through the air, was like a claw filled with dark killing intent. His hands, tearing through his enemies, were like sharp fangs sinking into a throat.
No one could stop the beast, lost to reason and rampaging in fury.
With every cruel smile that crossed his lips, fragments of torn flesh littered the ground, and pools of blood soaked the earth.
Yet, not a shred of emotion could be seen in Neung Un-bi's eyes.
They were endlessly indifferent, endlessly cold.
A night drunk on demonic energy.
“Kuaaargh!”
The startling screams cultivated fear in the hearts of the martial artists.
Drenched in blood, Neung Un-bi looked no different from a demon, and his eyes, gleaming with a pale blue light, were more terrifying than a ghost's.
Fifteen already.
There were no wounded. All had died gruesome deaths, their limbs torn as if mauled by a beast.
It was a one-sided battle from the start.
Even if they were the elites of the Heavenly Pillar Gate, stationed to guard the prison with an iron fist, they were merely martial artists from a sect that couldn't even rank among the Five Great Families.
Furthermore, how could men who had grown complacent, wasting their days drinking, possibly withstand the might of the Demonic Cult's Third Young Master?
Moreover, the terror inspired by Neung Un-bi, who had created such a massacre in an instant, was paralyzing their movements.
“M-Monster…”
Dozens of men still remained, but all the Heavenly Pillar Gate's martial artists could do was back away from Neung Un-bi, who approached with a chilling smile, splashing through the blood.
*Crack!*
One by one.
As Neung Un-bi methodically killed those closest to him and advanced, the martial artists were pushed further and further toward the wall.
*Thud.*
Finally, the back of the man at the very rear hit the fence. They were cornered.
Soon, the retreating men began to pile up against each other.
“The gate! Open the gate! Quickly!”
Having lost their minds, they started pounding on the gate leading outside. So panicked were they that the thought of simply climbing over it never occurred to them as they hammered on it with all their might.
But the strange thing was, the martial artists outside, who must have heard the commotion, were not reacting at all.
“Kuaaargh!”
Even in that moment, death drew closer.
“Open the gate! I said, open the gate!”
The man clinging to the gate, pleading tearfully, suddenly realized that his surroundings had fallen silent.
The reason was so obvious that the hair on his entire body stood on end.
He didn't want to turn around. The beast, mad with slaughter, was surely staring at him with menacing eyes.
But it was hard to resist the wretched instinct of curiosity.
As those fated to die often do, the martial artist found himself turning around against his will.
The monster who had torn everyone else to pieces was looking down at him with a chilling smile.
In that moment, all the martial artist's training was of no help.
His fear-stricken brain had ceased to function, and his body, as if mesmerized by the ghastly eyes glowing with a pale blue light, refused to move.
“Huuuh…”
Then, his legs gave out, and he collapsed, aiming his sword with a trembling hand as he begged.
“P-Please, spare me. I beg you.”
“…”
“Please…”
Neung Un-bi approached the man, whose pleas sounded like sobs, without a word.
The sword was still raised, but with no fighting spirit in the one holding it, it posed no threat.
Neung Un-bi leaned in and whispered into the martial artist's ear with a small laugh.
“No. You wouldn't have, either.”
“…!”
That single sentence sealed the martial artist's fate.
It was a death with reason. For he had inflicted pain greater than death upon those weaker than himself.
But rather than repent, the martial artist chose to struggle, swinging his sword desperately with all his will to live.
However, his fear-infused hands lacked strength.
Neung Un-bi's hand was already on his chest, and from his palm, demonic energy surged forth like a whirlwind.
Lunar Eclipse, Corrosion.
*Craaaack!*
The furious palm strike crushed his sternum, shattering it to pieces.
As if that weren't enough, the force pierced through his back and struck the wall behind him.
*KRA-BOOOOM!*
The fortress, built from massive logs at least half an arm's span in circumference, trembled as if struck by an earthquake before exploding into splinters.
Wooden fragments scattered in all directions.
The commotion was so loud that enemies from outside were sure to swarm in soon.
Some might have already fled to report to the Heavenly Pillar Gate.
“…Hm?”
But it was silent.
No one was attacking, no one was running about in a panic. All that remained outside the fence were countless corpses.
“…What is this?”
As his eyes twitched in confusion, he noticed small drops of blood on the foreheads of the corpses.
Pierced straight through the forehead?
Who on earth? Could it be that the Dancheon Gate, the Demonic Cult's branch, had made a move?
No. Even though he had been causing a ruckus inside, he couldn't have missed the sound of a battle involving this many martial artists.
Besides, if the Dancheon Gate had mobilized, they would have surely sensed his energy.
Exactly one move per man.
Judging by their expressions, as if they didn't even know they were dead, it had to be someone with unimaginable assassination skills. Someone far superior, beyond comparison to his past self.
Just as a tense Neung Un-bi scanned his surroundings with sharp eyes, a youthful voice reached him.
[Hey! Is this really the time for that?]
“…!?”
As he felt a tickling sensation in his ear, Neung Un-bi snatched a piece of wood from the ground and threw it.
*Swish! Crack!*
The sound of the wood shattering against something.
Dammit, was that not it?
Neung Un-bi's brow furrowed deeply.
He had thrown it because he thought his senses had picked something up, but he had only damaged an innocent tree. He focused his senses again, but felt nothing.
[If you don't get them out of here soon, you might be fine, but they'll be in danger. After all the trouble of saving them.]
“Who are you!”
Hearing the voice again, Neung Un-bi shouted, his voice laced with energy.
But he still couldn't pinpoint the location.
Could it be a master capable of using the Six Harmonies Voice Transmission?
That can't be. The Six Harmonies Voice Transmission is a technique that makes sound resonate from all directions, making the source impossible to locate. But this voice was coming through as if it were being hammered directly into his ear.
Then… a stealth user so skilled that even he couldn't detect their presence?
[Sigh, don't you remember the talisman?]
“…The Taoist from back then?”
Neung Un-bi's eyes widened.
The one who had warned him at the inn in Sangnak…
But the Taoist then was clearly an old man. This youthful voice didn't fit… and wasn't it a woman's voice at that?
[There's no time. If you don't get them out now, they'll all be captured. Unless you plan on taking on the entire Heavenly Pillar Gate by yourself, maybe you should worry about this later?]
“…”
He was annoyed, but the voice was right.
Whatever the identity and intentions of the speaker, he could tell they weren't an enemy for now.
The immediate concern was the people trapped inside. They were deep in the mountains, quite far from the city, but there was no telling when the Heavenly Pillar Gate would descend upon them after hearing of the attack.
[Heh, don't worry. I killed the guys on the perimeter, too. You should be safe until at least the next shift change. They'll probably find out around sunrise.]
“Damn it… I'll find you, I swear.”
Unable to locate his counterpart, Neung Un-bi shouted a warning into the air and rushed back inside the fence.
A short while later, in the forest a little distance from the fence.
A petite woman appeared near the spot where Neung Un-bi had first thrown the piece of wood.
“He's such a handful, this Young Master. Still, I didn't think he'd find my location… and with that stealth technique he showed before… What in the world did the Cult Leader teach the Third Young Master?”
It was Hyang-i. The one who had been watching over Neung Un-bi ever since she left the Demonic Cult.
“Anyway, I wonder if this is okay. The Heavenly Pillar Gate won't just stand by…”
A sigh escaped her lips.
Her orders from the Cult Leader were to protect the Third Young Master from assassins.
But she had no choice but to intervene.
Just when she thought he was holding back, he suddenly caused a scene without any thought for the consequences…
Why on earth would he step in for those trapped people?
If her judgment had been even a little slower, the Heavenly Pillar Gate's forces would have already descended.
“Hmm, for now, I'll leave this place to the Third Young Master…”
Shaking her head, Hyang-i turned toward the Heavenly Pillar Gate, but then paused, as if struck by a thought, and looked back at the fence.
“…He won't cause any more trouble, will he? The sun will be up soon.”
She felt extremely anxious. So far, all of Neung Un-bi's actions had defied her expectations.
“Dammit, I feel like… I shouldn't have taken this mission.”
She was annoyed, but she had to handle the urgent matters first.
Neung Un-bi always defied expectations, but he didn't act foolishly. So, first, the guys at the Heavenly Pillar Gate. Things would get noisy soon, and it wouldn't do for them to act rashly out of concern for their master.
As she ran toward the Heavenly Pillar Gate, Hyang-i thought she might have white hair by the time this mission was over.
She was still too young and beautiful for that…
***
They just stared with terror-filled eyes.
Neung Un-bi sighed at the sight of them cowering in fear, as if they had seen a ghost.
Then again, it would be strange if they weren't.
Neung Un-bi had torn apart over thirty men. The stench of blood was thick in the air.
How could people who had lived their lives without knowing martial arts possibly remain sane after witnessing a scene of slaughter firsthand?
And now, that very demon of slaughter was approaching them.
But he hadn't done this expecting any gratitude for saving their lives, had he?
Not then, and not now.
*Crrrack!*
Ignoring their terrified gazes, Neung Un-bi tore apart the fence penning the people in with his bare hands.
“Everyone, out.”
“…”
Gripped by fear, no one even thought of moving.
Anyone would have reacted the same way.
Having seen what happened, they must have known Neung Un-bi was trying to save them, but their legs were likely frozen with fear, unable to move.
But there was no time to hesitate. He would have to drag them out by force if necessary.
“Should I kill you all? Like them?”
“…!”
The chilling threat worked.
The people, who had flinched and trembled, began to hesitantly step out of the broken fence one by one.
“Where were you all from originally?”
“…W-We are displaced people.”
“Displaced?”
“Y-Yes. Most of the people here left their homes due to famine and war, and barely managed to settle on the slopes of a nameless mountain, living by slash-and-burn farming.”
“…”
Damn it. Just as I thought, people with no connections.
In other words, people whose deaths away from home would go unnoticed by anyone.
People with no one to defend them even if they were branded as heretics.
He had expected this, but it was truly unforgivable.
Those bastards from the Heavenly Pillar Gate, hiding behind the mask of the Orthodox Faction… how could they…
“Where were you before you were captured?”
“I was…”
Once the first person spoke up, the rest found it easier.
As Neung Un-bi didn't stop them, they all began to speak, naming the places they were from.
A mountainside, a mountainside, and another mountainside.
Every one of them were people who had been farming on nameless, wild mountains.
Neung Un-bi committed their locations to memory and looked at the people.
“The Heavenly Pillar Gate will be here soon. Many have died, and since you've escaped, they will surely give chase.”
“What?”
Surprised gazes fell upon him, but Neung Un-bi continued speaking.
“Don't even think that it might be okay to stay here. Anyone who remains will die under unbearable torture.”
“…”
“You must run. Do not go back to where you came from. Even if you left behind any possessions, don't be sentimental. Run. It would be best to scatter in groups of three or four.”
“Young Master, how can we…”
“And don't think I will help you any further. My help ends here. So if you want to live like human beings, run for your lives through that broken fence.”
Neung Un-bi spoke more coldly than ever.
To prevent them from harboring any false hope.
Because with his current strength, he couldn't protect them all anyway.
“Go. The Heavenly Pillar Gate is probably already on the move.”
“…”
Despite Neung Un-bi's words, the people just looked at each other, gauging the situation.
“Goddammit! You want me to kill you before the Heavenly Pillar Gate gets here?”
“…!”
As he roared, the people began to run out of the fence all at once.
In the opposite direction of Jucheon, where the Heavenly Pillar Gate was located.
And Neung Un-bi, now left alone, glanced around the empty enclosure.
I can't protect them, but I can buy them some time.
So the pursuers can't follow.
*Whoosh! Crack! Bang!*
Neung Un-bi unleashed all his strength, destroying the area where the fence had been and the surrounding forest.
To erase the footprints of those who had fled.