Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: The Leader's Deception
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'The Night Slaughter Lord might have come in person.'
The target who killed the elite assassin they thought they'd forgotten about—naturally, the lord would move to recover their forces.
'The worst scenario isn't Myung-su's death. It's Myung-su betraying the Supreme One's trust and returning to the Night Slaughter Lord's side.'
That won't happen.
'To avoid reaching that worst-case scenario, the Supreme One must act.'
In the mountains where the gate that Ghost Killer Annihilation had planned to handle was located.
On the way down the mountain, midway through, Yong-un stood with his arms crossed, leaning against a tree.
"Will it be alright?"
The Poison Witch, who had run into Yong-un on the way back home, asked him in a worried tone.
Exhausted from grueling training and clearing the gate, Cheon-il was asleep.
Nodding as he looked at Cheon-il sleeping peacefully on the Poison Witch's back,
"Don't worry. Trust in your leader."
"Since the Supreme One says so, we won't wait any longer."
"Good. Go home and rest."
"Yes, Supreme One."
Even after Yong-un's words, her worry didn't fade easily, so the Poison Witch bit her lip while gazing far toward the edge of the gate.
Cheon-il might not know, but the Poison Witch was a martial artist who had trained in martial arts alongside Ho-gun.
Though it wasn't advanced enough to fully control poison, her senses were still sharper than an ordinary person's, as befitted a martial artist.
She could hear conversations at the level of the Night Slaughter Lord—whom she'd mistaken for a guard—and Myung-su the Soul Ghost.
The ominous conversation and Myung-su's natural reaction, as if they knew each other.
How could she not worry?
"Then we'll be going."
But she decided to bury her anxious heart deep inside.
After all, it was the Supreme One himself who had come.
What was there to fear?
The Poison Witch bowed deeply, then withdrew her gaze and walked down toward home.
"So the lord did come personally after all."
Yong-un glanced around briefly.
It wasn't just one or two.
Over a hundred assassins registered within the scope of Yong-un's encompassing aura sense across the entire mountain.
Even the faintly blurred presences called elite assassins numbered more than three.
The only one in the Night Slaughter Society who could mobilize such numbers was undoubtedly one person.
"The lord is over there."
Yong-un's gaze pierced through countless trees and bushes, fixing on one spot.
'If the lord isn't there, leave Myung-su be. The lord will show up eventually.'
His conversation with Jin-cheol came to mind.
'And when the lord appears, that's when the Supreme One steps in.'
The lord had already appeared.
Through the conversation with Jin-cheol, he could rush to the lord right now and slaughter them all—the lord and most of the society's forces.
But Yong-un didn't move.
He simply grasped the lord's position and the elite assassins' locations, then quietly closed his eyes.
"Time is on my side. Now that I'm here, there's no escaping."
And amid the myriad presences, sensing a familiar one, he smiled.
"I won't interfere. Do what you want. I'll watch over you."
He meant Myung-su's presence, standing right in front of the lord's.
After receiving the manual from Yong-un and mastering the dagger technique called One Kill,
and through various training methods in the manual, Myung-su the Soul Ghost had also gained a faint ability to emit aura sense and detect presences.
'He's giving me this chance.'
That's why Myung-su could sense it.
The aura of Yong-un, waiting without killing the Night Slaughter Lord—his enemy who had harmed his family.
"Amazing."
A smirk.
Myung-su smiled.
In a standoff with the Night Slaughter Lord where death loomed at any moment, it wouldn't be strange.
The lord alone would require his full power, and dozens of assassins surrounded them.
Yet just sensing Yong-un's aura eased his mind so completely.
A soft chuckle turned into a broad grin.
"You're... smiling right now?"
The Night Slaughter Lord's face twisted at Myung-su's smile.
It wasn't mockery.
It was a genuine smile from the heart, blooming on the lips of the elite assassin Moon Kill—no less.
Emotions that any assassin should have shed, displayed openly before everyone.
"Is there any reason I shouldn't?"
"Moon Kill!"
At Myung-su's words, the elite assassin guarding the lord beside him lowered her mask.
The sole woman among elite assassins, proudly claiming her rank despite the burdens it placed on a female body.
One Kill ground her teeth.
"One Kill. Long time no see."
They had been friends for years, promoted to elite assassin at the same time.
But apparently, in One Kill's heart, Moon Kill was excluded from the word "friend."
"Shut your mouth!"
One Kill shouted at Myung-su with a face full of rage.
"Hold. This much time is plenty for a change. Doesn't matter. As long as your assassination skills haven't dulled to the point you can't kill even Small Kill."
The lord grabbed One Kill's shoulder and pulled her back, then approached Myung-su.
And extended a hand with a smile.
"It's not too late even now. Take my hand and return to the Night Slaughter Society. With your current abilities, elite assassin is just the start—next in line for lord is no issue."
".....?!"
All the assassins showed shocked expressions at the lord's unprecedented words.
Naming him as next lord.
No Night Slaughter Society assassin could be unaware of what a massive honor that was.
Even One Kill showed surprise, and at that moment, Myung-su's laughter rang out once more.
"Hahahahaha!"
Everyone, including the lord, frowned at Myung-su's booming laugh.
"What's wrong? Does it bother you that the Night Slaughter Society looks like a joke?"
"I can't stand it anymore. Lord, that one hasn't changed. Give the order for judgment."
One Kill bowed to the lord.
And not just her.
Two more assassins appeared from nowhere, standing beside One Kill and bowing.
"Gold Kill requests permission for judgment."
"Earth Kill requests your command."
All three elite assassins had appeared.
Even Small Kill alone would be tough for Myung-su to handle solo.
Three elite assassins?
If the lord just gave the order here, Myung-su's death was all but certain.
But amid everyone's hopes, the lord looked at Myung-su and asked,
"Then, if I order the first-ever request cancellation for the entire Night Slaughter Society, will you come back?"
"Request cancellation?"
"The request on Yong-un and his family. I'll cancel it."
For the Night Slaughter Society, request cancellations didn't exist.
Failed requests were turned into successes—that was the Night Slaughter Society.
But cancellation...?
A crack appeared in Myung-su's smile for the first time.
Was this the way?
As Myung-su's smile faded, a smile spread across the lord's lips.
"And by the lord's command, I'll declare Yong-un and his family completely excluded from Night Slaughter Society requests. Forever."
Even presidents were killed if targeted.
Excluded for life from being targets?
The unbelievable declarations caused all the assassins to murmur.
Strictly forbidden before the lord, but the scene compelled them to whisper among themselves.
"Everyone, shut up!"
It was then that Earth Kill, the burly assassin, raised his voice amid the murmurs.
His angry expression and booming voice silenced the assassins instantly.
"Lord, that's unacceptable. Please reconsider."
"Absolutely not. It's unprecedented in Night Slaughter Society history. We could go down as the worst in history."
"Overkill for a traitor like him. Just kill him."
Despite the elite assassins' words, the lord remained unmoved.
With firm eyes fixed on Myung-su, he smiled.
"Well? Will you come back like this?"
Why was the lord acting this way, against all elite assassins and assassins?
As doubts filled their minds, the reason for the lord's behavior rang out from Myung-su's mouth.
"The way to break the brainwashing. Is that why you're doing this?"
All assassins' expressions changed again at Myung-su's quiet shout.
The lord's smile vanished, and the elite assassins' shocked faces turned to "What now?"
But only briefly—the elite assassins' faces became a sight to behold as they grasped the meaning.
"Breaking the brainwashing?"
"Right. Moon Kill defied the lord's orders."
The elite assassins' words spread into murmurs from all assassins.
"Breaking the brainwashing."
"Can it be undone?"
"That's why Moon Kill could hide all this time—because the brainwashing was broken?"
"Undoing brainwashing... insane."
As all the assassins murmured, the lord bowed his head.
And at the repeated words of brainwashing, brainwashing, brainwashing, the lord's body trembled.
Then, lifting his head with a flushed face, the lord bellowed,
"Everyone, shut up!!!"
The lord's sharp cry silenced all assassins at once.
And not just that.
With asura-like murderous eyes opposite his earlier smile, he pointed at Myung-su and growled lowly,
"As lord, I command: Deliver death's judgment to the traitor."
The long-awaited order had come.
Judgment upon the traitor.
All elite assassins must obey the lord's command.
No matter the questions in their heads, the brainwashing compelled them to carry it out.
"We shall execute."
All elite assassins raised their voices in unison.
And the thick killing intent spreading made skin prickle just standing there.
"You haven't changed at all."
Myung-su smirked at the center of that killing intent.
In truth, Myung-su had known from the start.
All the lord's gentle demeanor was a facade.
The hellish asura visage, utterly unlike the initial one.
"No matter how much time passes, I can't forget that face of yours. Or your despicably vile actions."
Glaring at the lord's face as if swallowing rage, breaths heaving, Myung-su drew the two daggers from his thigh holsters.
Then deeply inhaled and exhaled.
"I'll be the one to kill you."
Sounds of weapons being drawn echoed from all directions.
The elite assassins turned, fixing murderous eyes on Myung-su.
At the same time, the Night Slaughter Society's signature dark green miasma spread.
Like yearning for the scent of blood, it enveloped the dark, rainy blue mountains.
Tak!
"Kill!"
One signal rang out.
Then, dozens of assassins charged at Myung-su at the center of the killing intent.
From the ground, treetops, and air.
Assassins flying in from all sides with flying knives and daggers.
Myung-su ignored his surroundings, staring only at the lord with fierce eyes.
And.
Papapapapapapa! Tatatang!
Flying knives and assassins' attacks poured toward Myung-su.