Shattered Conviction
The sound of snapping bones rang out alongside a piercing scream. This time it was the spine. The waist twisted at an unnatural angle, bending inward unlike the arm. When I struck the man's head as he seemed to have blacked out, he jolted awake and shuddered violently. Still glaring warily, he took a kick to his exposed abdomen and collapsed with a grunt. Even through the pain he hadn't fully grasped the situation, and he roared with blazing eyes.
"How the hell are you bastards here!"
"Here?" The words seemed to specify both the target and the location. Whether by accident or not, he knew exactly where Jegal Soyeon was. I ground my dirt-covered foot into his face and leaned down to ask.
"Our friend. Then where were we supposed to be?"
".... I don't know what you're talking about."
It hadn't been a slip. Realizing his mistake, he sealed his lips and feigned ignorance. But that only made things worse.
"You know something, don't you?"
In real time his joints twisted, muscles tore and tangled. Unable to even scream, he thrashed his entire body. With inner energy still gathered in my foot, I glanced ahead. The warriors watched with furrowed brows. Jegal Soyeon had covered her eyes halfway with one hand.
"Just keep your ears open."
— Crack
I bent his already broken knee once more and spoke.
"It won't do you any good to watch, so feel free to close your eyes."
No birdsong filled the forest. No cries of wild beasts either. In the windless woods, only screams echoed.
. . .
"... Gurk."
The demonic cultist foamed at the mouth, gurgling. Still tapping his back with my foot, I leaned down.
"Why not just spill everything cleanly and be done with it?"
I lifted the weight from his back for a moment. Gasping for breath, he spat out a single phrase.
"So... Song Gangisu."
"Song Gangisu? You mean that bastard Jeong Cheol?"
It was a name I'd heard often in my previous life. He had survived until the day I became Vice Leader and was a notable figure among the unorthodox factions involved in the Shaanxi Blood Incident, well-known within the Heavenly Demon Cult.
"He was one of Byeok-an Geosugwi's lackeys, then?"
The Sixth Elder, Byeok-an Geosugwi. A madman who enjoyed digging out entrails with his bare hands, thinking himself a nine-tailed fox. All his subordinates were the same kind of lunatics. Song Gangisu had been selected under him because he had mastered the Geumna-su technique.
"So, where's that bastard Song Gangisu?"
With a trembling hand, he pointed somewhere. He extended his finger, hesitated, jabbed again, then stopped. East. Precisely the path Jegal Soyeon and I had come from.
"... What were you doing here, leaving them behind?"
When I asked, he sealed his lips again. He still hadn't fully assessed his situation. I deliberately ignored whatever he might say and struck him three more times. Only then did he open his mouth obediently. Pointing with the same hand toward where Jegal Soyeon sat, he stammered.
"The woman from the Jegal Clan... kill her... was the order..."
With those words, he completely lost consciousness. There seemed nothing more to gain, so I pushed him aside and sat down in his place.
"Yes. That's what he said."
Then, pointing east with my hand, I continued.
"You nearly died just now."
Jegal Soyeon opened her mouth as if to speak, then closed it. Her eyes wavered. She seemed somewhat flustered by the mention of nearly dying. After glancing at her, I picked up the man I'd pushed aside and stood.
"Anyway, we should get moving."
Looking at the sky, the sun had already set. My body was drenched in fatigue and I felt I needed rest immediately, but that wasn't an option.
"Song Gangisu will soon sense something's wrong and return. We need to leave before then."
As I said this and turned to head west again, Jegal Soyeon, supported by her upper body, called out to me.
"Hand that man over to us."
She extended her arm, palm open, expressing her firm will. Pointing to the wounds on her body, she said.
"We're heading to the Wulin Alliance. My injuries are too deep for just emergency treatment and continuing on."
They were indeed severe. The bleeding seemed to have slowed, but it hadn't stopped entirely. If we kept going, something might get into the wounds and cause an unknown illness leading to death.
"Besides, Song Gangisu won't have figured out Geom-mang's existence either, just like these fallen ones."
She was right. Even as they fainted, collapsed, or died, none of them had known who I was. Song Gangisu would be no different, and even if he considered the possibility of an ally, he wouldn't think we'd parted ways with Jegal Soyeon.
"Since Geom-mang has no reason to go to the Alliance, you can head straight to Shaolin, can't you? There's not much time left anyway."
There was still some time left. Continuing to Shaolin from here would take two or three more days. However, like today's unexpected events, something might happen midway, so time was tight if anything.
"I see... Are you sure you'll be alright?"
Nodding as I asked, Jegal Soyeon wiped the blood from her face with her hand and replied.
"Yes. We'll be fine. As long as we don't encounter a worse enemy than today."
Fighting the same battle twice in this forest would kill most people. It was essentially an affirmation that they'd be okay, so I smiled faintly and cupped my fists.
"Then, until we meet again."
As I was about to set the man down and leave, Jegal Soyeon wore a slightly different, triumphant smile and asked.
"So the story about the communication was a lie after all?"
... Ah. The Wulin Alliance—I had a reason to mention it to them. It was a mistake, and since it was a lie, I'd forgotten about it. I'd answered their occasional questions sincerely over the past few days, but after the battle, I'd let my guard down a bit.
"No, let me correct that. The part about considering the proposal—that was the lie from the start."
She spoke firmly, as if stating only the truth. And it was the truth, leaving me conflicted about how to respond.
"That is..."
I started to speak but she ignored it, simply placing a finger to her lips to signal silence.
"It's fine. You don't need to say anything."
Smiling, she continued asking questions.
"You already knew roughly, didn't you? That they would come somehow. That's why you followed us, right?"
How had she deduced that? Perhaps she'd pieced together the reason I'd deliberately chased after her and found the answer.
When I answered with silence, she started to speak but stopped.
"I won't ask how you knew. I'll just say thank you."
She seemed curious for more answers but simply closed her mouth and bowed her head slightly.
"If you visit our clan next time, I'll definitely repay you. With elixirs... or a sword..."
"... Thank you."
As I expressed gratitude for her consideration, she turned and walked away, saying.
Her direction led to her companions, who had already perfectly bound the demonic cultists one by one.
"Don't mention it. As you said, we need to escape quickly, so we'll be on our way."
Though no one had coordinated, we both cupped our hands in salute.
"Then, may fortune be with you."
"May fortune be with you as well, young lady."
I watched their retreating figures for a moment. Since I also needed to leave, I turned toward Shaolin.
— Thud
Something caught at my feet. It was the demonic cultist Jegal Soyeon's group had killed earlier. Seeing it reminded me once again of the sword that avoided only the neck.
"... Was I weak?"
No. Even without killing techniques, I'd simultaneously faced four masters of equal level and ultimately subdued them without killing. I'd already reached the peak among my peers. At the very least, I could confidently say I was among the top Peak Realm experts in the entire Murim.
But even at that level, a sword that couldn't kill an enemy with killing intent was meaningless. With this, could I kill the Heavenly Demon I'd resolved to tear apart, or the Twelve Elders of the Demonic Cult who needed to be killed, while leaving the demonic cultist grunts aside?
"When the tower collapses, the sky is invisible, and when trying to build the tower, even its remnants are invisible."
Now, a little over five years until the first reach of the Demonic Cult's hand. A proper war with them was ten years away. It was a long time, but far too short to build someone's life tower.
"... Can I build the tower in that time?"
I wasn't confident. Honestly, it seemed impossible. From the perspective of someone who'd pursued the path of the sword without obstacles their entire life, where it had been natural, this was an incredibly perplexing matter. Negative thoughts I shouldn't have filled my mind. Dragging my exhausted body forward weakly, I unconsciously fiddled with my sword and muttered.
"It must be... something I don't know."
Yes. It had to be something I didn't know.