Chapter 667
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 667
Chapter Title: It's Over Now
Only when the shadowy figure leaking eerie qi drew near did Yu Wol-a finally recognize him.
Yeon Baek-woo.
"Uncle?"
His face twisted like a malevolent ghost, he let out a sinister chuckle as black qi writhed around his sword.
"Get out of my way! I have no business with you! I'm short on time!"
Spitting out his savage shout, he charged straight toward one spot.
Yeon Baek-woo's path veered slightly away from Yu Wol-a.
At its end were...
Ha Seol-ran and the two children.
Yeon Baek-woo truly had no interest whatsoever in the ugly woman those ragtag bunch were desperately trying to protect.
What she did was none of his concern.
Ha Mu-baek's little sister was outside his interests too.
It was far more convenient to take a small child along.
They'd be quicker too.
His goal was singular.
The two children hiding behind Ha Seol-ran.
No, he didn't even need both. Snatching just one would do.
With that, Yeon Baek-woo unleashed his lightness skill at full power.
"Out of my way!"
Yeon Baek-woo closed in at a speed too fast to follow with the naked eye.
Seeing him rush not toward her but Ha Seol-ran and the children, Yu Wol-a swiftly shifted aside.
It looked for all the world like she was clearing the path for him to reach Ha Seol-ran.
But in truth...
"Black Chief Officer."
"Yes."
At the quiet command, the warriors moved.
Ten warriors tightened their encirclement around Yu Wol-a.
Instead...
Heuk Hwa-rin shot forward.
Red sword qi surged up her blade.
Seeing Heuk Hwa-rin block his direct path, irritation flashed across Yeon Baek-woo's face.
"Filthy bitch..."
The black qi cloaking Yeon Baek-woo's sword coalesced into sword force.
Watching the scene, Yu Wol-a felt certain of one thing.
That the "Demonic Cult" Ha Mu-baek had muttered before leaving—that shadowy figure behind it all—was none other than her uncle, Yeon Baek-woo.
"Back."
Ha Seol-ran pulled Gong Hae-bin and Gong Hae-jun behind her.
Ching.
She drew her sword.
Pure white sword qi bloomed along its edge.
Unlike Yeon Ha-min, she couldn't even manifest sword force, let alone sword aura.
Even so, she had to protect these children.
She was their aunt.
With her brother gone, safeguarding the children was her duty.
Ha Seol-ran, who had become the protector rather than the protected.
That ghost-like fiend wasn't after her—it was the children he targeted.
She could tell just from where his gaze fixed.
The horrific, chilling qi he exuded was aimed squarely at the two children.
Ha Seol-ran sensed it clearly with her qi perception.
In that moment, she narrowed her qi perception's range to its limit.
The tighter the range, the keener it grew.
She could now sense and react to everything around her with pinpoint accuracy, missing nothing.
About then...
Boom!
Heuk Hwa-rin's sword clashed with Yeon Baek-woo's, erupting in a massive blast.
She was grateful.
Heuk Hwa-rin didn't have to block like that.
To stand against that monster head-on...
Ha Seol-ran's honed qi perception even gauged the magnitude of their powers precisely.
The man—Yu Wol-a's suddenly appeared uncle—wielded the stronger aura.
Whether from higher realm or that horrific, chilling qi, she couldn't tell.
Ha Seol-ran's grip tightened on her sword hilt.
"A-Auntie..."
Gong Hae-jun's voice trembled.
Gong Hae-bin and Gong Hae-jun clutched each other's hands tightly.
Their free hands gripped Ha Seol-ran's robe hem hard.
"Don't worry. I'll protect you."
Her voice was calm and serene.
Ha Seol-ran was tense herself, but speaking that way would only terrify the children more.
She had no choice but to feign tranquility.
As if she were truly at peace.
As if all was well with her there.
That instant...
The two swords flashed swiftly.
Slash.
Swish.
Clang.
Yeon Baek-woo was utterly desperate.
He couldn't predict when Ha Mu-baek might return, so he had to seize one child and flee as fast as possible.
That was his only path to survival.
Once he secured one and his own safety, he'd spare Ha Mu-baek's disciple.
Killing her on a whim could shatter the fragile security he'd gained.
The records of the Demonic Cult from the last war spoke of Ha Mu-baek's countless deeds.
In the end, that man had cost the Demonic Cult Leader his life, forcing the cult into the shadows.
Of course, he had no intention of letting the disciple go free.
His armor's inner pockets held eggs of various deadly poisons.
He planned to force one or two down her throat.
'If only I had one more Heavenly Demon Annihilation Thunderclap...'
It was a shame.
With one more, he could've swept away everyone here, snatched a child, and escaped.
Even amid it all, Yeon Baek-woo's sword didn't stop.
Heuk Hwa-rin poured everything into her defense, yet she was steadily pushed back.
Her lady—the absolute existence in her life—had ordered her to block Yeon Baek-woo, so she did.
However...
She shared the same weakness as Yeon Gong-hu.
A lack of real combat experience.
She'd faced plenty of killing intent handling the merchant group's affairs.
But she'd never fought foes on her level or higher.
That's why Yeon Baek-woo was overwhelming her now.
After a mere ten exchanges since he appeared, she already bore five wounds.
Her thigh wound was particularly deep.
Even so, she stubbornly barred his path.
"Fuck."
Yeon Baek-woo spat a curse, his eyes gleaming.
"This is on you!"
Yeon Baek-woo abruptly shifted his sword path.
And its tip turned toward Yu Wol-a.
Her guarding warriors reacted swiftly, but as first-rate experts at best, they were outmatched.
"No!!!"
Heuk Hwa-rin had no choice but to move elsewhere, despite Yu Wol-a's supreme command. Toward where the sword aimed.
For her, her lady's life mattered more than any order.
She didn't care if she was punished or discarded for disobeying—as long as her lady was safe.
The moment Heuk Hwa-rin moved to block Yeon Baek-woo's strike at Yu Wol-a...
The path to Ha Seol-ran opened.
Yeon Baek-woo hurled his sword aside and twisted his body, shooting toward Ha Seol-ran.
Heuk Hwa-rin saw it but couldn't intervene.
Her duty was the sword aimed at Yu Wol-a.
Ha Seol-ran's qi perception—sharpened to a razor's edge—captured every moment vividly.
She even sensed the quiver of a single hair as Yeon Baek-woo twisted toward her.
Thus, the flaw in the bare-handed assailant's approach registered crystal clear.
"N-Nuna, w-what do we do... sob sob."
"D-Don't cry. Auntie's right here. It'll be okay. Yeah?"
Gong Hae-bin tried soothing Gong Hae-jun, but tears streamed down her own face too.
Both children trembled violently.
Since Auntie had to move, they couldn't cling to her robe forever—their clasped hands were slick with sweat.
Ha Seol-ran heard the children's quivers and words behind her all too clearly, steeling her resolve once more. She focused every ounce of her spirit on Yeon Baek-woo's flaw.
To Yeon Baek-woo, Ha Seol-ran was laughable.
Not even peak realm, just first-rate at best, unable to manifest sword force and relying only on sword qi.
Ha Seol-ran's intensely focused qi perception wasn't limited to external threats.
It extended inward, hypersensitive to her own body.
Thus, she concentrated more keenly on her inner energy's flow.
And the result...
Pure white sword force formed along her blade.
That instant...
She pinpointed Yeon Baek-woo's flaw.
Her qi perception grasped him down to the finest detail, exposing the carelessly unguarded chest.
She sensed the sturdy protective armor he wore.
And the deep gouge scarring it.
Yeon Baek-woo seemed utterly oblivious.
Or perhaps blindly trusting in his armor.
That created a split-second opening.
One even Ha Seol-ran could exploit.
Thus, she thrust the sword manifesting sword force for the first time.
Her razor-sharp qi perception guided it past his hand, straight into his chest—precisely at the armor's damaged spot.
Pfshk.
The blade sank exactly where aimed.
"Not bad, but useless. It's over now!"
It was where Ha Mu-baek's sword had once passed.
But as a treasure of sorts, the protective armor...
Yeon Baek-woo ignored her blade, stepping forward once more.
One more step, one reach, and he'd seize one of them.
Even as he planted his foot to advance, Ha Seol-ran gripped tighter and drove her sword onward.
Boundless Free Eight Ultimate Sword Solution.
First form: Opening the Sky.
Ha Seol-ran's thrusting power toward Yeon Baek-woo.
Yeon Baek-woo's charging power toward Ha Seol-ran.
The two forces met.
Crack!
And the result...
The protective armor split.
Sizzle.
The searing pain exploding in his chest forced Yeon Baek-woo back.
Pressing forward would've let Ha Seol-ran's sword pierce straight through.
The abrupt halt and retreat wracked his body with screams of agony.
Excruciating pain shot through his knee and waist.
Yet he couldn't stop.
He forced his screaming knee and leg to move again.
Evasion Ha Seol-ran's sword, he lunged one step forward.
Reaching out.
And seized one child by the nape.
Boy or girl, he couldn't tell.
Just that he'd caught one—that mattered.
"N-Nuna!! Waaah!!!"
The boy wailed.
"Heh heh. Got you."
The moment laughter spilled from Yeon Baek-woo's lips...
"Yes, you did."
A chilling voice from right behind him.
Ha Mu-baek had arrived.
Crunch.
"Gahk."
The wrist grasping the child twisted and snapped.
In the instant searing pain stabbed his brain, he naturally released the child.
And then...
Grab.
Ha Mu-baek clamped his hand on Yeon Baek-woo's nape and shot skyward once more.
Whoooosh!
With a deafening roar tearing the air, Ha Mu-baek's form vanished into the heights in an instant.
It had all happened in the blink of an eye.
"A-Auntie!"
"Auntie!"
Gong Hae-bin and Gong Hae-jun cried out, voices choked with tears.
Ha Seol-ran knelt, turned, and smiled brightly at the children.
"I said I'd protect you, didn't I?"
At her clear smile, the children flung themselves into her arms.
"Waaah! It was so scary! Thank you! Thank you so much!"
Gong Hae-jun burst into loud sobs.
"Sob sob sob. Thank you, Auntie. Sob sob."
Gong Hae-bin wept too.
"There, there. I told you to trust only me."
After soothing the children, Ha Seol-ran stood.
She hurried to Yu Wol-a.
Yu Wol-a was within her narrowed qi perception range, so she knew her condition.
Heuk Hwa-rin had given her all, but couldn't fully block Yeon Baek-woo's sword.
It had grazed and embedded shallowly in Yu Wol-a's thigh.
"L-Lady! Lady!"
Heuk Hwa-rin, voice breaking, pressed the acupoints on Yu Wol-a's thigh.
She couldn't pull the sword out easily.
They'd need a physician for this.
Heuk Hwa-rin's face was ashen white.
Though it was Yu Wol-a who'd been stabbed, Heuk Hwa-rin suffered more.
The Golden Merchant Group's pinnacle expert and secret weapon, who had just entered the ultra-peak realm.
She owed her strength entirely to Yu Wol-a.
One of the martial arts manuals from the betrothal gifts when Yu Wol-a wed into the Yeon Clan.
After twenty years of training it, she'd finally reached this level.
The merchant group leaders had taken in the orphan girl.
They treated her like their own daughter, and she saw them as true family.
When she showed talent in martial arts, they procured techniques for her.
And the precious betrothal gift from sending off their only daughter in a political marriage—that manual too, they'd given to Heuk Hwa-rin.
Thus, the leaders and their lady were irreplaceable treasures in her life, worth more than her own.
Yet she'd failed to protect her lady.
She should've blocked the sword with her body, not sword on sword.
Then her lady would've been unharmed.
Regret and self-recrimination consumed Heuk Hwa-rin.
"I'm fine, Hwa-rin. So don't cry. The children are safe, right?"
Yu Wol-a must have felt excruciating pain herself, yet she calmly comforted her distraught subordinate and checked on the Gong siblings first.
"Thanks to you, they are. Truly, thank you, Lady Yu. Thank you, Black Chief Officer."
Ha Seol-ran clasped her hands in salute and bowed deeply, deeply.
It was truly thanks to these two.
Without Yu Wol-a's command and Heuk Hwa-rin's ten full-force clashes, they couldn't have held him off.
"Ah, that's a relief."
Yu Wol-a smiled softly at Ha Seol-ran's words.
Was it the tension easing?
Or relief at achieving her goal?
That moment...
"Ugh."
Pain surged in.
At her small groan...
"Lady!"
Heuk Hwa-rin cried out.
Ha Seol-ran's qi perception caught the malevolent qi leaking from the sword.
Heuk Hwa-rin had stanched the bleeding with acupoints, but the foul qi coursed through Yu Wol-a's body, causing agony.
Ha Seol-ran reflexively moved without thinking.
She lightly pressed three points along the foul qi's path.
"Urgh... Ah?"
The pain vanished like a lie.
Noticing Yu Wol-a's change, Heuk Hwa-rin bowed to Ha Seol-ran.
"Thank you. Sob sob. Truly, thank you, Lady Ha. Sob sob sob."
Seeing Heuk Hwa-rin shed endless tears, Ha Seol-ran shook her head.
"No need. Black Chief Officer, my nephews and I are the ones who survived thanks to you. As for Lady Yu's injury... we'll have to wait for my brother to return."
At Ha Seol-ran's words, the two nodded.