The Embers of the White Night
Jeok-un walked slowly into the manor.
It was a dilapidated estate, showing the stark ravages of time and a complete lack of maintenance.
"Huh? There's no one inside either," Go Bok-gil noted.
This was undeniably strange.
No matter how neglected the White Night Squad was as an Outer Squad, there should have been at least a modicum of discipline.
What is going on?
Jeok-un recalled the history of the White Night Squad as he ventured deeper into the manor.
The name "White Night" literally meant a night that remained bright.
True to its name, the squad had once protected the commoners who made their living in the night markets of Changsha.
The brothels, taverns, and street vendors in the alleys had all fallen under their jurisdiction. The White Night Squad had been their reliable shield and pillar of support.
Yes, they had been.
Everything changed when Ya-ju, Ji Dong-tak, entered the picture.
The past tense was entirely due to Ya-ju.
Once that bastard seized control of Changsha's nightlife, the situation shifted completely.
He tore the White Night Squad to pieces. Using the influence of the Vice Alliance Leader, he forcibly reassigned their talented members to three other Outer Squads—including the Black Spirit Squad, which he secretly controlled.
Left as a hollow shell, the White Night Squad degenerated into the weakest of all the Outer Squads, avoided by everyone.
It was the tragic downfall of the white night that had once illuminated Changsha.
Clang! Clang!
"Ah."
"Let's go," Jeok-un said.
"Yes, yes, sir!"
The distant ring of clashing blades naturally drew Jeok-un and Go Bok-gil toward the source of the sound.
Thud, thud.
They made no effort to quiet their footsteps or conceal their presence, yet no one noticed them.
"Oh dear, what are we going to do?!"
"She's going to die at this rate! She's going to die!"
"We have to stop this somehow, Elder Hwang!"
Neither the young squad member on the verge of tears,
nor the anxious female member,
nor the white-haired, limping elder noticed their approach.
None of the White Night Squad members registered Jeok-un and Go Bok-gil's arrival.
It was only natural, as a brutal, blood-soaked battle was unfolding right in the middle of the training ground.
"Is this all you've got?!"
"This is what happens when you act cocky with such pathetic skills!"
A loud voice, thick with anger and mockery, echoed across the training ground.
"..."
Jeok-un's face hardened into stone as he took in the scene.
The Blood Empress, Hae-yeon.
The subordinate who had been the first to die for him, the sworn sister bound to him by righteous loyalty—
she was being ruthlessly tormented and mocked under the guise of a "spar."
Beside him, Go Bok-gil's face was also pale with shock.
What in the world is that...?
It was technically a spar, but it was anything but.
It was torture.
Torture conducted in broad daylight for everyone to see.
"Haa... haa..."
The woman was covered in blood, her body battered and broken.
Though Go Bok-gil did not know who she was, he immediately understood the nature of the situation.
So that's the infamous Death Chase Order of Ya-ju...
Normally, a Death Chase Order meant hunting down and killing a fugitive.
But Ya-ju's version was different.
He would force the woman he targeted to enlist or transfer to a specific squad, then torment her until she broke.
No matter how strong-willed a person was, they would eventually bend.
And if they refused to submit to the very end, they would be killed, staying true to the order's name.
That was why it was called a Death Chase.
Because death was the only alternative to submission.
So she's his target this time.
Go Bok-gil felt a pang of pity.
She looked barely nineteen or twenty.
An age where she should only be experiencing the good things in life.
Instead, she was exposed to the raw malice of the world.
Yet, the woman grit her teeth and endured.
Her martial robes were so drenched in blood that their original color was unrecognizable.
Even now, blood dripped steadily from the hilt of her sword.
But she refused to yield.
Shring!
Standing firm on her own two feet, she raised her sword to resist.
She was fighting back against the malice with everything she had.
However, the gap in their cultivation realms was simply too vast to overcome.
"Squad Leader, I'll quickly announce your arrival—!"
Go Bok-gil started to speak, but the words died in his throat.
He had seen Jeok-un's face.
Oh, no...
It was the face of a demonic fiend, ready to tear someone apart limb from limb.
Go Bok-gil had seen that expression once before.
When... when he beat No Hwang-gu to death!
Shiver!
Go Bok-gil began to tremble uncontrollably.
Woo-dun was highly displeased with the current situation.
No, displeasure didn't even begin to cover it.
He was utterly disgusted.
How dare this bitch...
Woo-dun glared at his opponent.
Hae-yeon, stumbling to her feet despite being battered to a pulp.
With a sword technique barely at the first-class level, she still dared to show a spirit that refused to submit.
"Ha."
To Woo-dun, it was simply absurd.
A mere toy of Ya-ju playing the noble hero before Woo-dun, the wielder of the Red Autumn Sword and the sub-leader of the great Black Spirit Squad.
"They said you were smart, but you're just full of useless stubbornness. Do you really think holding out like this will change anything?"
"..."
"I am a peak-stage master. A peak-stage master! I don't know how you managed to reach the first-class realm, but with that pathetic strength, you can never stand against me."
Shring!
No matter how much Woo-dun blustered, Hae-yeon's stance did not waver.
Her sword pointed directly at him.
Though her hand trembled from blood loss and exhaustion, her aim was true.
Woo-dun frowned at the sight.
"Go to Seungguanru right now, get on your knees, and beg Ya-ju for mercy. I can't believe you've dragged out this useless pride for a whole year."
Seungguanru was Ya-ju's residence.
And any woman who entered that place became his plaything, never to escape.
"..."
Hae-yeon remained silent.
This damn bitch is ignoring me?
Woo-dun's anger mounted.
He wanted nothing more than to slaughter her on the spot, but keeping Ya-ju's orders in mind, he suppressed his rage and spoke again.
"Just go and be loved by Lord Ya-ju. You could live a comfortable life..."
"Cut the bullshit."
"?"
Her response was a blunt, vulgar curse.
...What?
For a moment, Woo-dun thought his ears were playing tricks on him.
Otherwise, there was no way she would dare throw such insults at him.
While Woo-dun blinked in shock, Hae-yeon spat out more venom.
"Go to that disgusting pig who looks like Zhu Bajie reincarnated? I'd rather die."
"You dare—!"
"I guess even a dog serving a pig has some loyalty. Look at you, throwing a fit."
"You... you?!"
As Woo-dun roared in fury, Hae-yeon sneered and spat bloody saliva onto the ground.
"Aren't you ashamed to call yourself a man? A sub-leader of an Outer Squad running all this way just to torment a single woman."
"You... you bastard!"
They said that when anger passed a certain threshold, words failed you.
Woo-dun had always thought that was nonsense.
But now, he realized it was true.
His rage was so explosive that his throat had seized up.
Yet, regardless of whether Woo-dun was about to burst, Hae-yeon's sharp tongue showed no signs of stopping.
"If you have any shame, you should donate the two balls between your legs to a castrated bull."
Snap!
In that moment, Woo-dun felt something snap inside his head.
It was the sound of his patience shattering.
He no longer tried to hold onto his fraying sanity.
He surrendered himself entirely to his burning rage.
"You wretched bitch! I'll grind you to dust!"
Whoosh!
Woo-dun lunged at Hae-yeon with cold fury.
Swish!
Closing the distance in a single bound, he swung his sword, aiming for her vital points.
Clang! Clang!
Their blades clashed.
The swords locked, parted, and clashed again in a dizzying tangle.
A mere martial art rotting away in the garbage heap of the White Night Squad!
It was nothing but crude martial arts and basic swordsmanship.
It could never compare to his own peak-stage cultivation.
With that thought, Woo-dun pressed his attack without hesitation.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
In less than a single breath, their swords clashed more than three or four times.
With the overwhelming difference in strength, Woo-dun quickly gained the upper hand.
Swish!
It's over!
The moment Woo-dun spotted an opening and thrust his sword to exploit it—
Whoosh!
"—!"
Hae-yeon's aura shifted completely.
Slash!
Swish!
As if the opening she had shown was a trap,
Hae-yeon rode the momentum of Woo-dun's attack, diving deep into his guard.
Like a salmon swimming upstream against a raging current, she welcomed the danger and thrust her sword forward.
What kind of attack is this...?!
Woo-dun was horrified.
Did she not fear death?
It was a sword form where a single misstep would cost her own life.
Woo-dun had encountered people who fought like this before.
An assassin...!
Yes, this was the sword of an assassin.
Those who targeted their prey relentlessly, heedless of death or injury.
Like such an assassin, Hae-yeon pushed past Woo-dun's offensive,
finally reaching her target.
Her target was the Gokji acupoint.
"—!"
Located near the elbow, it was a vital point where muscles and ligaments converged.
In short, a single strike there could render his arm useless.
The unexpected danger sent a chill down Woo-dun's spine, but—
Slash!
"Urgh!"
"..."
Unfortunately, at the very last second, Hae-yeon's sword tip wavered, only grazing the acupoint.
Thank goodness.
It was a bitter stroke of bad luck for Hae-yeon, and a miraculous stroke of fortune for Woo-dun.
In truth, it was a predictable outcome.
Hae-yeon had been tormented by Woo-dun's sword for hours and had lost far too much blood.
Even though pushing him this far in her exhausted state proved her tactical genius and resolve were extraordinary,
Grit!
it only fueled Woo-dun's rage further.
Whether it was a calculated trap or a stroke of luck,
the fact remained that he had almost been bested by a mere first-class martial artist.
"You wretched bitch, how dare you use such underhanded tricks!"
Woo-dun swung his sword savagely.
Hae-yeon tried to dodge, but
getting so close for her final strike proved to be her undoing.
Stab!
"Agh!"
At a distance impossible to evade, Woo-dun's sword pierced her arm.
Though her swordsmanship was exceptional for a first-class martial artist, it was not enough to block a peak-stage assault at point-blank range.
Regardless of her unbroken spirit, the physical pain was very real.
Clatter!
Hae-yeon finally dropped her sword to the ground.
Seizing the opportunity, Woo-dun lunged forward and grabbed the defenseless Hae-yeon by the back of her neck.
"I finally got you, you miserable bitch."
"Ugh!"
Woo-dun mocked her in a greasy voice, forcing her head up.
"Take a good look. This will be the last time you see the sky."
"—!"
"Normally, I'd stop at one eyeball, but I'll make an exception and gouge out both."
Woo-dun sneered, imagining Hae-yeon finally breaking.
But Hae-yeon—
"...Go screw yourself, you lapdog."
"?!"
did not break.
Murderous intent flared in Woo-dun's eyes.
"Die—!"
The moment Woo-dun screamed,
*Flash!*
"...!!"
A sudden flash of light erupted with a thunderous boom.
Woo-dun could not hide his bewilderment.
He couldn't even track what had happened with his eyes.
It was an extreme speed that far surpassed his visual perception.
An anomaly had occurred too quickly for his eyes to register.
What...?
For a split second, Woo-dun froze.
And that was his fatal mistake.
He should have moved before trying to understand.
As a result, before he could even roll his button-like eyes—
Whoosh!
*Crack! Crunch!*
"Squeal!"
A fist flying out of nowhere smashed his face, sending him flying with a squeal like a dying pig.