Chapter 1263
Seok U-haeng stood as still as a stone statue.
Head bowed, he remained motionless for a long time.
After some time had passed, he slowly parted his dry lips.
"So what is it you want? Do you wish for that bastard to unify the Martial World in the end?"
"Unifying the Martial World, ruling the Demonic Martial World... What does any of that matter?"
Wi Cheon-gyeong replied with a desolate expression.
"There's only one thing we desire—to share even a fraction of the burdens our Lord carries."
An unexpected answer.
"You're all lunatics."
After a long silence, Seok U-haeng spoke coldly.
"Every last one of you has lost your minds, completely infatuated with that bastard."
Crunch.
Then he turned sharply, flung open the chamber door, and stormed out.
Wi Cheon-gyeong, who had been standing dazed, muttered quietly,
"...I suppose that could be true."
Then he carefully picked up the book Seok U-haeng had thrown down.
As he was about to return it to the shelf, a faint smile touched his lips.
Just like those who had personally compiled these records, Seok U-haeng, too, had left behind a drop of something—something unspoken.
Boom!
The moment he exited the Demon Hall, Seok U-haeng immediately unleashed his movement technique, racing toward the location where Nan Seong-wang was likely to ambush A-wan.
'Just repaying a debt.'
Seok U-haeng bit his lip hard.
No matter how incredible Bu Eun-seol's achievements had been, no matter what sacrifices he had made—none of that mattered.
This was simply about repaying the debt.
The debt of being saved by the one who had recklessly rushed day and night to rescue him.
For just a moment, he would become the leader of the Guardian Unit—the very position Bu Eun-seol had so desperately wanted—and go to save A-wan.
Seok U-haeng's gaze sharpened as he snapped out of his reminiscence.
Fortunately, his prediction had been correct, and he had pinpointed Nan Seong-wang's ambush location in one go.
And then—
Not using the methods of the Extreme Killing Secret Pavilion,
But instead employing the Life-Stealing Murder Gate assassination technique to conceal his identity, he successfully rescued her.
"Hey."
A-wan stared at him, still standing dumbfounded, and asked worriedly,
"Are you okay?"
But what returned was a cold sneer.
"What a foolish woman."
"Excuse me?"
"You deliberately withheld intel that a key figure from the Four Stars Trading Company was crossing over from India to here? Even though there were clear signs of danger, you blocked that information too?"
A-wan bit her lip.
"I just wanted to give the overworked company head even a little rest..."
"You were afraid they'd oppose coming to the Central Plains, so you pulled that stunt."
"That's not it!"
A-wan protested indignantly.
"I thought this treasure should never fall into anyone else's hands. Besides, as a saintess... I believed I could help in retrieving the Sacred Artifact."
"That's exactly why you're a fool."
Seok U-haeng's voice was icy.
"The core of the intelligence network he built—the Death Soul Squad—was meant to ensure no one got hurt."
His glare bore into her.
"Carrying a treasure around is like waving blood in front of a pack of sharks. You should have entrusted it through the Death Soul Squad."
A-wan lowered her head.
Because of her shortsightedness, her poor judgment—
Thirty elite warriors had died, and now she was being hunted by Nan Seong-wang.
Even with ten mouths, she had no excuse.
"So... you came to save me because of that?"
A-wan asked awkwardly, still looking down.
"At the company head's request?"
"Request?"
Seok U-haeng let out an involuntary scoff.
"A debt."
During his time at the Demon Hall, he had learned the Vajra Body Refinement Art from Gyo Jung-hak.
Seo Jin-ha, Yu Un-ryong, Myo Cheon-u, Wi Cheon-gyeong... Every warrior in the Death Shadow War Unit had gone out of their way to make his stay comfortable.
And all of that—was because of Bu Eun-seol.
In this ruthless, merciless Martial World—
The only one who had ever reached out a hand without expecting anything in return...
Was Bu Eun-seol.
"A debt?"
"I—"
For a moment, something heavy swelled in Seok U-haeng's chest.
It was the first time he had ever felt the grand emotion called friendship—but as if trying to erase it, he spoke in a frigid voice.
"I'm just a debtor, nothing more."
Nan Seong-wang's pursuit was relentless.
With his razor-sharp extrasensory perception, he tracked their escape route,
Relentlessly hunting them down while tightening the encirclement using his subordinates.
But Seok U-haeng was a born assassin, one who had mastered the Extreme Killing Secret Pavilion's assassination arts to their limits.
And the fundamental skill of an assassin—was evasion and tracking.
He mobilized every assassin technique he'd mastered to continue their escape.
When entering the forest, he deliberately chose wind-swept ridges.
He scattered their scent and the rustling of disturbed leaves into the wind, simultaneously neutralizing tracking methods that relied on hearing and smell.
On flat ground, he stepped only atop animal tracks.
It was a technique to blur the line between artificial and natural traces, delaying the pursuers' judgment.
Upon reaching the water's edge, he removed his shoes and walked barefoot over gravel to wash away their scent.
Then, after moving upstream along a shallow rapid to mislead their direction, he suddenly dove downstream, collapsing the reference points for pursuit.
At night, he deliberately left small traps and false trails in places completely unrelated to their actual path.
This forced the pursuers to remain constantly vigilant, draining both their stamina and judgment.
These methods weren't merely for fleeing—they were calculated actions meant to dismantle the pursuers' senses and predictions altogether.
Step, step.
A-wan followed him silently, never once showing exhaustion despite the grueling journey.
But she was no trained martial artist.
After continuing their escape without food, her stamina finally gave out, and her movements grew sluggish.
Thud.
Unable to ignore it any longer, Seok U-haeng snatched a field mouse hidden in the grass with his bare hands, gutted it, and held it out to her.
"Eat."
"......"
"Can't stomach a mouse?"
Seok U-haeng then caught a snake, crushed its fangs with a rock, skinned it, and tore out only the flesh.
"Ugh."
A-wan clenched her mouth shut and shook her head.
Assassins trained to survive without fire, eating raw creatures like snakes and mice.
But A-wan, who had once traded white sandalwood with the elegant nobles of India,
could never bring herself to put such things in her mouth.
"Picky."
"You call this picky?"
A-wan protested indignantly.
"Before the guild master came, I scavenged and ate whatever I could find too! But this is..."
Crunch, snap.
Seok U-haeng yanked out a tree root and handed it to her.
"Ah, I can eat that!"
A-wan beamed, dusted off the dirt, and began chewing the root eagerly.
At least this could somewhat sate her hunger.
Watching her munch on the root with relish,
something seemed to occur to Seok U-haeng.
He mashed together the insects, frogs, and the earlier mouse and snake into a lump,
"Gulp."
and swallowed it whole with water.
The better his nutrient intake, the faster his Vajra Body Refinement Art could heal his wounds.
Sensing their escape would be long, he forced himself to eat.
"Let's move."
After that, fierce battles with Nan Seong-wang's subordinates broke out repeatedly.
Each time, Seok U-haeng risked his life to protect A-wan.
The essence of Assassin Martial Arts was to kill—
to know which attacks were fatal to the human body, to understand the limits of survival.
Thus, assassins were also skilled in protecting others.
No matter the attack, Seok U-haeng threw himself in front of A-wan to shield her.
Clang! Clang-clang-clang!
As time passed, battles grew more frequent.
Seok U-haeng always positioned himself half a step ahead of A-wan, first calculating the angles of the enemies' sightlines.
When thrown weapons flew, he altered their trajectories with his body to divert them from her vitals.
When swords came, he offered his arms or shoulders to deflect them.
In the briefest moments, he created openings for counterattacks, cutting off the enemies' breath, then used their falling bodies as shields against the next assault.
Occasionally, he detonated Explosive Light Pellets to sow chaos.
He deliberately exposed openings to lure enemies in, ensuring A-wan could retreat to safety.
"Hah..."
Drenched in blood, Seok U-haeng rested briefly in hiding.
There wasn't a single uninjured spot left on him.
But thanks to the Vajra Body Refinement Art, he could keep fighting—and surviving—no matter the circumstances.
'I should thank the Pavilion Master.'
He had been half-dead for a long time and had only recently awakened,
so his combat skills were far below what they once were.
Yet the Vajra Body Refinement Art allowed him to survive battle after battle.
He was gradually regaining his former strength.
"Great Hero."
A-wan spoke to Seok U-haeng, who was battered and bruised.
"I'm sorry."
She knew.
There was no way Seok U-haeng alone would have been overpowered by Nan Seong-wang's lackeys.
Yet here he was, pushing through the blood-soaked path without regard for his injuries.
"This is all my fault. If only I had thought a little more carefully..."
"Right now, focus only on surviving."
Seok U-haeng replied calmly.
"Save the regrets for later."
A-wan nodded.
Even regret was a luxury.
For now, she had to move as swiftly as possible—without becoming a burden to Seok U-haeng.
"...Tch."
Then, Seok U-haeng pressed his ear to the ground several times, his expression darkening.
"That hideous old man has finally caught up to us."
A master, likely Nan Seong-wang himself, was rapidly approaching.
There was no more running.
Their only choice now was to make their last stand here—to fight to the death.
"Do you know martial arts?"
Seok U-haeng craned his neck back, staring up at the dizzying heights above as he asked.
They stood at the bottom of a gorge, surrounded on all sides by sheer cliffs like towering screens.
It was as if they were trapped inside a colossal well, the narrow slit of sky above their only breath of air.
And there, at the cliff's edge where sunlight streamed in like a backlight—Nan Seong-wang and his men were arriving, one by one.
"It's different from Central Plains martial arts, but our tribe has a secret technique passed down through generations. We can wield a power similar to the Water Essence Divine Qi of the Central Plains."
"Water Essence Divine Qi."
Seok U-haeng's gaze swept across the cliff's edge again.
Geographically, this was the worst possible scenario.
From their vantage point, the enemy could rain down attacks effortlessly, crushing them with ease.
"Then."
After a brief nod, Seok U-haeng leaned close to A-wan and whispered something in a voice so low and quick it was almost inaudible.
How much time had passed?
Rumble.
Nan Seong-wang's men lined up along the ridge of the gorge, their figures stark against the sky.
Their gazes, looking down from above, brimmed with arrogance.
The two trapped below—
They looked like nothing more than rats in a jar, or beasts caught in a hunter's snare.
"Hohoho, you've been quite the nuisance."
Nan Seong-wang stood atop the highest rock, peering down at Seok U-haeng with a sinister laugh.
The distance should have made his expression indistinct, but the killing intent radiating from him seeped down into the gorge like a chilling mist.
"I don't know from which den of assassins you crawled out."
His voice reverberated through the gorge like a deep, echoing well.
"But now, even if the heavens collapse, you won't escape."
Whoooosh—!
At Nan Seong-wang's signal, his men simultaneously unleashed Steel Threads into the air.
Energy shot from all directions, weaving a net-like barrier over the gorge's entrance.
At the same time, silver pillars of light rose around them, and a colossal prison of light slammed down vertically.
It was the Binding Formation Arts, a unique fusion of sorcery and battle formations native to India.
Crack!
In that instant—like a beast lunging to escape a deep well—Seok U-haeng kicked off the ground, shooting straight upward.
Clang-clang-clang!
Pushing off the steep cliff face, he soared into the air and unleashed dozens of sword slashes toward the layered net of light.
BOOM!
But with a deafening explosion, Seok U-haeng was flung back as if plummeting.
The durability of the Binding Formation Arts deployed by Nan Seong-wang's men far exceeded expectations.
Thud.
Seok U-haeng barely managed to rise from the gorge floor after his fall.
Zzzzzzt—
Then, something bizarre happened.
Seok U-haeng's bloodied form flickered like a mirage—before beginning to dissolve into transparency.
At the same time, from the shadows of the rocks where A-wan had hidden herself, a radiant glow of crystal light spilled forth.
Using a power akin to Water Essence Divine Qi, she subtly bent the light—
Twisting Nan Seong-wang's perception of distance and sight from above.
She had been projecting an illusion of Seok U-haeng at the gorge's bottom this entire time.
Flash!
As a streak of light split the air, Nan Seong-wang's pupils dilated in shock.
The man he thought was buried deep below—
Had pierced through the Binding Formation Arts, scaled the cliff's edge, and now unleashed a single, deadly Killing Move like a blade of light.
Thwip!
A spray of crimson blood scattered into the air from Nan Seong-wang's throat.
The Extreme Killing Secret Pavilion's supreme assassination technique—Transcendent Flash—had struck true.
BOOM!
Yet, the palm energy that instinctively erupted from Nan Seong-wang slammed into Seok U-haeng's back.
CRASH!
Seok U-haeng was sent tumbling back down the cliff, his body rolling grotesquely across the ground.
"You bastard...!"
Nan Seong-wang trembled violently as he wiped the blood trickling down his neck.
Had he not reacted in time, his head would have been severed without him even realizing it.
"I'll tear that bastard limb from limb and kill him with my own hands."
THUD!
Landing at the base of the cliff in a single leap, he roared like a beast, glaring at Seok U-haeng.
"How dare you lay a hand on this king?!"
Shink!
Instead of answering, Seok U-haeng drew a dagger from his robes, gripping it in a reverse hold.
Most assassins excelled only in ambushes.
But Seok U-haeng had fully mastered the intricacies of the Extreme Killing Secret Pavilion—even in a direct confrontation, he would not be outmatched.
Fwip—!
With a sound like the air itself tearing, Seok U-haeng's figure blurred before transforming into a streak of light.
He had unleashed Transcendent Flash once more.
"So, you're an assassin from the Extreme Killing Secret Pavilion!"
Nan Seong-wang was one of the Eight Overlords of India.
A monster who had crushed countless masters—and assassins foolish enough to target him—as easily as eating a meal.
No matter how refined Seok U-haeng's Killing Art from the Extreme Killing Secret Pavilion was, this was like smashing an egg against a boulder.
CRACK!
As Nan Seong-wang clapped his palms together, an invisible barrier seemed to form in the air.
Seok U-haeng's body, mid-Transcendent Flash, was violently repelled.
Thud!
Yet, he used the rebound to launch himself even higher into the air.
Fwap-fwap-fwap!
At a height of twenty zhang, an eerie phenomenon unfolded around him.
His single shadow split into two, then four—until, in an instant, it multiplied into twenty-four.
The Extreme Killing Secret Pavilion's pinnacle secret technique—Extreme Killing Ghost Wind Shadows.
Swish-swish-swish-swish-swish!
Twenty-four afterimages rained down toward Nan Seong-wang like a storm, each following a different trajectory.
"Assassin Secret Arts? Pathetic."
Nan Seong-wang scoffed, twisting his clasped palms.
"They won't work on this king!"
Fwssh!
From his fingertips, razor-thin Steel Threads surged into the air like colossal serpents.
Whirrr—CRASH!
The threads spun violently, weaving into a massive whirlwind of steel.
Seok U-haeng's afterimages were torn apart effortlessly as they were sucked into the vortex.
Sssk—Fwip!
Even as the Extreme Killing Ghost Wind Shadows shattered, Seok U-haeng pressed forward—like a furious dragon riding storm waves—threading through the deadly whirlwind with terrifying precision.
With every movement, his robes were shredded, flesh flaying off like scraps of paper as blood sprayed into the air.
Had he not trained in the Vajra Body Refinement Art?
His body would have long been reduced to a grotesque mass of separated bone and meat.
Tap.
Seok U-haeng landed back on the ground, having narrowly evaded Nan Seong-wang's killing strikes.
"Heh... heh heh..."
Despite being drenched in blood, a smile curled at the corners of his lips.
"This brings back memories. Feels good."
—I'll repay the debt I owe him... and end this life without a single regret.
Bu Eun-seol had already stepped into a realm beyond his reach.
Realizing this, Seok U-haeng had changed his goal.
To repay his debt.
And to burn out in the heat of battle—a warrior's death.
And this fight against Nan Seong-wang?
It was the perfect opportunity to fulfill both.
"You're persistent for someone who's about to die."
At Nan Seong-wang's words—
"'Little'?"
Seok U-haeng grinned, baring bloodstained teeth.
"This was just a warm-up."
"Save your bravado for hell."
Nan Seong-wang lashed out with his Steel Threads, feigning composure—but inwardly, his brow furrowed.
'This is unsettling.'
Even drenched in blood, even with his body battered beyond recognition, this man refused to fall.
Like a Soulless One who felt no pain, like a vengeful wraith that refused to die—he kept coming.
Worse, his movements grew sharper, his attacks and defenses more refined with every exchange.
Nan Seong-wang instinctively sensed the growing threat posed by Seok U-haeng.
'Then...'
His cunning gaze locked onto A-wan, who was hiding, frozen, within the crevices of the shattered rocks.
"Heh heh."
A sinister chuckle escaped him—
Piiing!
—as a single Steel Thread lashed out like a serpent's tongue, silently streaking toward A-wan's throat.
So swift, so silent—she didn't even realize it was coming, standing there blankly.
Thud!
A dull, wet impact echoed.
"Great Hero!"
A-wan's scream tore through the air.
"NO—!"
Seok U-haeng had thrown himself in front of her—
—and the Steel Thread had pierced straight through his heart.