Chapter 112
Chapter 112
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: The Target Isn't Me!
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The night wind brushing against my face was cold.
Now that I thought about it, it was already December, the last month of the year. The Yangtze River was in the south, so it wasn’t as cold as Luoyang.
When I stopped, Go Un-hyo stopped as well, standing beside me.
After waiting for a while, the sound of unwelcome guests rushing forward from about three hundred yards away became loud enough to hear—the rustle of grass and the flap of their clothes in the wind.
I needed to confirm if these uninvited guests were here to kill me. Of course, I was almost certain, but I didn't want to kill innocent people.
This place was an endless grassy plain, and the yellowed grass that didn't reach past my waist gave off a familiar scent of straw.
About a hundred and fifty yards ahead, I could see figures in black robes rushing toward us like a wave.
I had guessed there were over fifty, but there were more than sixty.
This spot was about half a mile from the *Biryong-ho*, so even if screams erupted, Ju Won-ik and his wife wouldn't be too alarmed.
After a short wait, the black-robed men drew near.
The one in the lead spotted us but didn’t even hesitate, shooting straight toward us as he drew his weapon.
*Clang! Chwaaang!*
Unusually, the black-robed men used both sabers and swords. Judging by their attack patterns, they were a mix of first- and second-rate masters.
A strange thought suddenly occurred to me. Of the sixty or so men in black, fifty of them simply ran past us across the plain, while only ten were attacking us.
‘Their target isn't me!’
It seemed they were trying to kill us simply because we were standing in their way.
Behind us was the *Biryong-ho*, and the only person there who could be a target was Ju Won-ik.
There were other merchant ships docked near the *Biryong-ho*, but the possibility of someone among them being the target was almost nil.
However, these sixty-odd men would not make it to the *Biryong-ho*. They were destined to be buried here.
I stood my ground, drew the Fire Dragon Sword, and with eighty years of internal energy, I unleashed the eighth stance of the Eighteen Stances of Light-Splitting Swordplay, Light-Splitting Starfall.
*Fwoosh!*
Standing beside me, Go Un-hyo drew his Blood Shadow Sword and executed his master's technique, the Golden Sword Manifestation.
A single streak of black light shot diagonally from the Fire Dragon Sword into the air before plunging downward, splitting into eight separate streams that shot toward eight different men.
*Zzzzzing!*
The sight of black light splitting in the night sky and pouring down like meteors was, quite literally, a starlight rain.
This first attack would also serve to gauge the enemies' skill level.
I could have created ten streams of light, but I left a share for Go Un-hyo to handle.
As the eight slender streaks of black light rained down from the night sky, the eight men in black were startled, hastily trying to dodge or block with their sabers and swords.
*Clang! Thwack!*
Three of the men failed to dodge and were struck in the head and torso. The black light shattered the weapons of two others, striking them down. Three barely managed to evade, stumbling or falling to the ground.
While Light-Splitting Starfall wasn't a supreme-speed technique, it was still a fast sword art. And though the eight streams of black light weren't a full blade aura, they were still sword energy backed by eighty years of cultivation. The fact that two had died trying to block it and three had managed to dodge meant these black-robed men were no mere rabble.
Even Sang Gang-jo, who had properly mastered the Eighteen Stances of Light-Splitting Swordplay, would only be able to hit two, maybe three, of these masters in this situation.
In any case, before two of the three men who had barely survived could even regain their footing, two streams of blood-red sword energy from Go Un-hyo's Golden Sword Manifestation pierced their necks.
“Huak!”
“Keuk!”
Their pitiful screams echoed in the night sky.
Only seven of the ten had fallen. The remaining three charged at us relentlessly.
Normally in such a situation, the survivors would retreat or flee, but these three charged forward without a second thought.
Such actions were only possible for those who were properly trained.
In my view, these men didn't seem to be assassins. My first encounter with assassins was with those from the Northern Underworld Palace, instigated by the Demonic Emperor's Grand Union, but these men lacked the scent of assassins entirely.
However, for three men to charge at me and Go Un-hyo was like moths flying into a flame.
Without any need for me to act, Go Un-hyo swung his Blood Shadow Sword just three times, felling all three of them, one by one.
Once all ten were down, the black-robed men who had passed us stopped in unison and turned back.
It seemed they had thought ten men would be more than enough to deal with us.
As the men in black rushed back in unison, someone shouted.
“Stop right there!”
“Sure. Come on over.”
My voice rang out clearly amidst the chaotic sounds of their approach.
They seemed to grow tense only after seeing ten of their comrades fall in the short time it took them to pass us by a dozen yards, and hearing me speak so calmly, without a trace of fear.
The fifty-odd men in black formed a line thirty feet in front of us, a formation ready to encircle us at any moment. That alone showed they were well-trained.
The man in the center, who appeared to be their leader, pointed at the fallen men and spoke in a quiet tone.
“Why did you kill them?”
“If you were being attacked, would you just stand there and take it?”
Though my words should have struck a nerve, the leader remained unfazed.
“Who are you?”
“Why did you try to kill us?”
“Why were you standing in our path?”
His words implied they tried to kill us because we were in their way, an action that orthodox sects would never take.
To kill someone for being in the way rather than simply going around them meant their objective could not be revealed to others.
And yet, I couldn't sense any demonic or unorthodox energy from them.
For now, it was highly likely their target was Ju Won-ik, not me.
I felt a surge of killing intent.
“By your logic, since you are now in front of me, you must die.”
The leader was in his mid-thirties, with high cheekbones and sharp eyes.
He suddenly cupped his fist in his palm.
“It seems there was a misunderstanding. Please understand. If you continue on your way, we will consider this matter closed.”
He was showing weakness. A despicable yet cold-headed man. He had correctly identified us as the stronger party and didn't want to fail his mission over a pointless skirmish.
As we slowly walked toward them, the leader shouted curtly.
“Stop!”
I did not stop walking.
“Since you are in front of me, don't you think you should die?”
The leader's face contorted as he was mocked with his own logic.
“Kill them!”
*Ch-ch-ch-clang!*
At the leader's command, he and his men drew their weapons in unison, spreading out to form an encirclement and launching their attack.
Worried about Go Un-hyo, I sent him a telepathic message.
[Un-hyo, don't move more than ten feet away from me.]
[Understood, brother.]
*Chwaaaak!*
The men in black attacked from all sides, some charging along the ground, others leaping into the air.
Based on my earlier fight with the ten men, they were masters with fifty to sixty years of cultivation.
An assault by fifty such men would be incredibly powerful, but they were unlucky enough to have chosen the wrong opponents.
I grabbed Go Un-hyo's hand with my left and used Divine Phantom Steps to charge into their midst.
[Let's begin.]
Since I was holding his left hand, I attacked the front while Go Un-hyo attacked the rear.
Go Un-hyo unleashed his Golden Sword Manifestation, but I felt no need to use any specific techniques.
Moreover, not wanting to drag out such a meaningless fight, I created a three-foot-long blade aura from my Fire Dragon Sword and attacked.
*Fwoooosh!*
“Kraaah!”
“Waaack!”
With just three swings of the Fire Dragon Sword, over twenty men were indiscriminately cut to pieces, tumbling through the air. Those falling from the sky were like dry leaves.
Back in my days as a low-ranking warrior in the Martial Alliance, whenever we ran into a first-rate master, my comrades would die just as helplessly.
At times like that, I would hide behind any available cover or drop to the ground, holding my breath and playing dead.
But now, I was the strong one. The low-ranking warrior I once was now seemed less than an insect.
*Fwoooosh!*
“Aaargh!”
“Guaaargh!”
The Fire Dragon Sword flashed again, and two more sweeps cut another twelve men in half, scattering them like dry leaves.
That could have been me thirteen years ago. No, these men were first-rate masters, far better than I was then. Back in those days, I wouldn't have even dared to look at masters like these.
“Retreat!”
The leader shouted desperately as he leaped backward.
The remaining twenty or so men retreated in unison, their faces colored with shock and terror.
Never in their lives had they witnessed such a gruesome hellscape or faced a grim reaper as chilling as me.
The stench of blood from the brutally dismembered bodies filled the air.
I let go of Go Un-hyo's hand and slowly flew toward the men in black.
No, it only appeared slow to them. In an instant, I was above their heads, raising my Fire Dragon Sword.
Seeing this, the leader let out a frantic cry.
“Stop!”
I hovered above the leader, looking down at him silently, as if waiting for him to speak.
The leader screamed as if his life depended on it.
“We were wrong! Please, forgive us!”
The leader would have to be inhuman to remain sane after witnessing someone kill over thirty of his men in just a few moves, dismembering every single one.
He had realized his opponent was a superhuman from another world, someone they could never hope to defeat.
In such a situation, his instincts told him that unconditional surrender was the only way to save his life, and he acted on it.
I spoke quietly from the air.
“Kneel.”
There was no need to kill them all, not if I could get what I wanted.
Before their leader could even give the order, the men in black knelt in unison.
The leader, who had been about to order his men to kneel, belatedly dropped to his knees as well.
I cut straight to the point.
“Who were you going to kill?”
“That is…”
The leader's voice trailed off, and he flinched. Realizing that any delay in his answer could result in the death of everyone, including himself, he shrieked.
“I'll tell you! We were to kill everyone on the ship called the *Biryong-ho*, docked at the riverbank!”
They didn't even know who they were supposed to kill.
“Who gave the order?”
“The Clan Master.”
“What clan?”
“The Coiling Dragon Clan.”
‘Hmm?’
I knew of the Coiling Dragon Clan. They were classified as an orthodox sect. Thirteen years ago, during my time as a low-ranking warrior in the Martial Alliance, I had gone on several missions with masters from their clan.
“Are you saying Seong U-yang ordered this?”
“You know the Clan Master?”
“Answer the question.”
‘Answer the question’ was something the powerful often said to the weak.
I used to hear those words often. Now, I was the one saying them.
“The former Clan Master passed away. His eldest son, Seong Bo-gwang, is the current master.”
“Where is Seong Bo-gwang?”
“The Clan Master is…”
The leader raised his head and looked toward the river.
Just then, several screams came from that direction.
They were followed by Jeong Chung-ho's shout.
“Lord Ak!”
I had told Jeong Chung-ho to alert me if anything happened.
There was no need to hear anything more from the leader.
I left the leader and the men in black with just one final sentence.
“Come, and you die.”