Chapter 202
Chapter 202
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 202
Chapter Title: Fury
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A powerful force swirled around the furious Mun I-jong, sending dirt and dust flying wildly.
The dust clung to Go Mi's sweat-drenched face. But in that instant, her eyes flashed with sharp light. Then the corners of her mouth curled up.
"Now let's see how you handle this."
"What?"
"The fallout from that bold guarantee you just made."
With those words, Go Mi retreated backward.
It was right then.
Flash!
"Keuk!"
"Kraaak!"
Piercing death cries erupted from behind. Mun I-jong's head snapped toward the rear like a bolt of lightning.
The Crimson Moon assassins were collapsing. And beyond them, more figures charged in.
"......!"
Mun I-jong's eyes widened to their limit.
He spotted Cheol Mu-ok. And the warriors of the Sword King and Blade King lineages as well.
Pfft pfft puck!
"Kraaak!"
"Kuaak!"
"Hurry into the forest!"
Mun I-jong shouted urgently.
In this wide-open space exposed on all sides, the assassins couldn't unleash their true skills. Especially not against Yi Hwan's guards—the ones they dreaded most.
He realized it in a split second.
But the ambush had already robbed them of even that chance. Nearly ten assassins crumpled in an instant, spurting blood.
For the Crimson Moon's elites, it was a pathetically futile end.
Tremble...
Mun I-jong's entire body shuddered.
And his target was Go Mi.
"I'll kill you."
Whoosh!
Vanishing like a snuffed flame, Mun I-jong closed the distance to Go Mi's nose before a single blink.
At that moment.
"I knew you'd pull something like this."
Someone blocked Go Mi's path. Ju Tae.
His sword slammed into Mun I-jong's blade as it fell toward her neck.
Boom!
Sparks erupted from the clash like a thunderbolt, briefly lighting the surroundings before fading.
Swish swish...
Leaves swept up in the shockwave swirled chaotically, clouding their vision.
Mun I-jong's eyes shook fiercely.
His mind was a chaotic tangle.
He had clearly ordered his men to guard the pass in preparation for this. But he couldn't fathom what had gone wrong.
Even more subordinates had been stationed there. That many should have overwhelmed the assassins, no matter the unfavorable terrain.
'What the hell happened...'
Clang!
Crunch!
"Krauk!"
"Kueuk!"
Cheol Mu-ok and the Sword King and Blade King warriors tore into the Crimson Moon assassins like enraged tigers. A few assassins belatedly dashed into the forest to unleash their techniques, but the battle's tide had already turned.
Grip.
Mun I-jong clenched his teeth. Forcing down the surging rage, he kicked off the ground and soared upward.
His choice: link up with the men at the pass. An unavoidable decision in that fleeting moment.
Ju Tae did not give chase.
Go Mi shouted.
"I'm fine—go after him!"
"Too late. You can't catch a bastard bolting like that. Especially not this one."
Ju Tae hurriedly checked Go Mi's condition. Her face was deathly pale from blood loss, lips ashen.
Realizing the wound was severe, he pressed his palm to her back to infuse qi.
But Go Mi shook her head.
"I'm okay—deal with them first."
"No need for me to step in. Just rest. If the Moon Lord comes to harm, we won't have the face to see our lord."
"......"
Ju Tae circulated his qi at once, and Go Mi reluctantly accepted it.
"You held strong."
"Is Hwa Ryeong safe?"
"Battered a bit, but nothing fatal. Don't worry."
Go Mi finally exhaled in relief. She was grateful to Hwa Ryeong too. Despite Mun I-jong's words, her success had drawn them here.
* * *
'Damn it all...'
Mun I-jong was fit to burst with rage.
Go Mi had slipped from his grasp. No—he was the one in peril now.
Even if he escaped unscathed, the aftermath loomed large. With his attempt on Go Mi exposed, Yi Hwan wouldn't let it slide.
The real issue was the Empress and Second Prince.
Would they even shelter him after yet another failure? Doubtful.
Fwoosh!
"Kraaa!"
Unable to contain his fury, Mun I-jong unleashed a guttural roar at the sky.
Pa pa pat!
Ignoring the whipping branches, he blazed toward his subordinates' position.
How much time passed?
The metallic tang of blood rode the wind, assaulting his senses.
'No...'
Mun I-jong's body went ice-cold in an instant. The stench poured from where his men lay in ambush.
'The Golden Army too!'
Yi Hwan's guards had been pinned at the initial clash site. That left only the Golden Army in his arsenal.
Mun I-jong scanned the area.
No presences anywhere.
Whirl!
He landed before the forest.
Halt.
He couldn't advance. To check his men's fates, he'd need to enter—but a primal instinct screamed against it.
Whooo!
Saaa...
The wind-rattled trees swayed. Then, from beyond, a figure emerged slowly.
Mun I-jong poured power into his sword and sized up the foe. His eyes bulged wide.
"......!"
"Where is the Moon Lord?"
It was Yi Hwan.
Drip drip!
The sword, returned to its master after two centuries, dripped gore. Blood trailing down the blade blossomed crimson flowers on the earth.
Yi Hwan advanced on Mun I-jong and asked again.
"Where is the Moon Lord?"
Mun I-jong said nothing, slowly raising his sword to aim at Yi Hwan's face. He feigned calm, but tension choked him like a noose.
'Can't kill that many alone. Others must lurk unseen.'
Behind Yi Hwan, his subordinates' corpses littered the woods. In assassin-friendly terrain, solo slaughter of that scale was impossible.
'Evade first, strike later.'
A golden chance to fell his blood-sworn foe—but fear of phantom enemies won out. He bided his time.
His second retreat.
Then Yi Hwan lunged.
"......!"
Mun I-jong evaded the onslaught of dozens of afterimages, retreating in a flash.
But Yi Hwan's speed defied the eyes.
Mun I-jong desperately swung at the blade hurtling for his chest.
Boom!
"Kuh!"
A sharp grunt escaped as he reeled back. Yi Hwan closed in instantly, striking again.
Boom!
"Guk!"
Mun I-jong flew back once more.
Crackle!
Blood sprayed from his mouth; his robes shredded in tatters.
'No way...'
Mun I-jong reeled in shock.
He'd never dreamed Yi Hwan was this formidable.
"Where is the Moon Lord?"
As Yi Hwan closed in slowly, Mun I-jong couldn't retreat further. The dual impacts had ravaged his internals, qi flow disrupted in a heartbeat.
Saaa...
A chill seeped into his bones. Those clashes had conjured death's shadow.
'If death is inevitable...'
Grip!
Blood dripped from his mangled lip. His hazy eyes ignited with bloodlust.
'I'll drag him down too.'
* * *
Yi Hwan felt unease gnawing at him.
He still hadn't confirmed Go Mi's survival. Racing late to save her, he'd run afoul of the Crimson Moon assassins.
Unmasked, they knew him at a glance—and swarmed like hornets.
That bloodbath had ended moments ago. His reclaimed sword had restored his full might, letting him fell them all solo.
Then Mun I-jong appeared.
He'd demanded news of Go Mi, unanswered still.
'If Mun I-jong got involved...'
Odds favored her death.
The logical dread fueled his anxiety. It twisted into rage, killing intent overwhelming his mind.
Yet Go Mi's face lingered, memories of their time together unyielding.
The divine relic from the Imperial Palace Treasury—for her—nestled in his bosom. Fetching it, he'd grinned at visions of her delight.
Crack!
Frost claimed the air.
The bitter cold whitened even Mun I-jong's beard.
Then.
Whoosh!
Mun I-jong vanished.
Breath stilled, sound erased, presence cloaked—he melted into the all-engulfing dark.
From the shadows, eyes gleamed, stalking Yi Hwan's gap for the strike.
But Mun I-jong's sword tip, locked on his foe, began to quiver like a spasm.
'He... sees me?'
Yi Hwan stared straight at him, unflinching.
Shock halted Mun I-jong's heart.
Then the sword descended.
Thud!
"Keuk!"
From vacant air, a scream—and Mun I-jong materialized. His left leg sheared clean from the shin.
"Kraaa!"
A roar of agony or despair tore free.
Slick.
Yi Hwan rested his blade on Mun I-jong's shoulder.
"I'll ask once more. Where is the Moon Lord?"
"Kuh..."
Mun I-jong glared up through demon-red eyes, snarling beast-like.
Slash!
"Kraaa!"
His left arm hit the dirt.
Yi Hwan poised the sword over the remaining shoulder.
Then.
"My lord!"
Ju Tae dropped from the gloom.
Yi Hwan fixed him with a stare. Desperation for Go Mi's fate burned in his eyes.
'Please—say she's alive.'
Ju Tae flicked a glance at Mun I-jong's blood-soaked, thrashing ruin, then met Yi Hwan's gaze squarely.
"The Moon Lord is safe!"
In that instant, Ju Tae witnessed it.
Yi Hwan's eyes quaking fiercely. Unprecedented.
"Are you injured?"
"Yes. But nothing to fret over."
"Thank you."
"......Pardon?"
Why did those words grate so oddly?
But Ju Tae smiled soon enough.
Then Mun I-jong's head thudded to earth.
Thump!
"Ju Tae."
"Yes, my lord."
"Take his head."
"......Yes."