Chapter 51
Wi Sajun, the Unit Leader of the Dragon Slaying Squad, was leading exactly half of the Dragon Slaying Squad’s personnel and advancing along the Mountain Path in Hunan Province.
“Since it is a fork in the road from here, the Unit Leader will lead half and proceed.”
This was because there had been an order from the Squad Leader a moment ago at the fork to split into two and move.
The Dragon Slaying Squad he belonged to was currently here under orders from the Murim Alliance to execute the cruel Unorthodox Faction Group in Hunan Province.
Bandit subjugation.
It could be considered one of the easiest missions the Dragon Slaying Squad undertook.
However…
“Ugh…”
“Unit Leader, let us slow down our pace a bit. I am worried your wound might worsen.”
“…Understood.”
Possessing the second-highest skill in the Dragon Slaying Squad after the Squad Leader, he had surprisingly sustained a rather deep wound from a mere Bandit.
No…, could that really be considered a mere Bandit?
Wi Sajun recalled the movements of the Bandit who had faced him earlier.
At first, he thought there was no significant difference from the other Bandits, but the moment their blades clashed, he knew. That fellow had a considerable amount of Internal Energy in his body.
And that Saber Art. It was nothing ordinary.
The movements were large and seemed full of openings, but the moment he tried to strike those openings, the opponent’s Saber was already piercing toward his vitals.
Due to that free-flowing and smooth Saber Art, Wi Sajun ended up getting his side slashed. After that, his Subordinates had rushed in, and they barely managed to subdue him, but still.
‘If my Subordinates hadn’t helped, what would the outcome have been?’
Wi Sajun played out a Sparring Match in his imagination.
And the result was…
“I would have lost…”
…His defeat.
The thought that he would have lost in a fair fight left him feeling bitter. Was that why?
“Ugh…”
At the same time blood welled up from his side, he felt an even more stinging pain.
Seeing this, one of his Subordinates freaked out and shouted.
“U-Unit Leader-! Halt! Everyone halt!”
“No…, I am fine…”
He tried to say that this much was nothing, that it was just because he had a momentary stray thought, but the group had already stopped walking.
The Subordinate who had stopped everyone carefully examined Wi Sajun’s wound and spoke.
“Phew…, fortunately, the blood isn’t gushing out severely. I will change your bandages. Let us rest a bit before moving on.”
“…Alright, thank you.”
Even though they were pressed for time, they decided to rest for a moment. The Subordinate spoke while changing Wi Sajun’s bandages.
“Does it hurt a lot by any chance?”
“It is fine.”
“Still, it is a relief. The path here is flat, so it doesn’t seem like your wound will worsen from moving your body too vigorously.”
“…”
At his Subordinate’s words, Wi Sajun could only nod. In truth, this was his first time on such a flat and comfortable Mountain Path.
“According to the information we obtained beforehand, the lives of Merchants have become quite peaceful since this path was pioneered.”
“…”
The Subordinate looked around before whispering his next words.
“…Unit Leader. Is it right for us to subjugate this place? Furthermore, the ones the Squad Leader killed earlier were Civilians…”
“Stop…, stop it…”
Wi Sajun waved his hand, cutting off his Subordinate’s next words. He knew what the man was going to say.
A moment ago, when they were subjugating the second Pavilion on the Mountain Path…
There were a few Bandit bastards there acting as Attendants.
The Squad Leader, Dokgoyeong, had killed those unarmed bastards with a single strike. He could understand up to that point.
However…
“…Squad Leader.”
“What is it? Unit Leader?”
“Even if we overlook the Bandits you just killed…, those people over there are Merchants. How can you point your Sword at Civilians…”
“Hmm…, Unit Leader. Do they look like Merchants in your eyes?”
“T-Then…”
“In my eyes, they look like the exact same Remnants of the Unorthodox Faction.”
Wi Sajun frowned as he recalled the scene that followed.
The Merchants whose vitals were slashed without even knowing what was happening. And…, Dokgoyeong raising the corners of his mouth as if he found it amusing.
In truth, Wi Sajun had known Dokgoyeong’s temperament all too well for a long time. Even so…, he couldn’t tell anyone.
Because Wi Sajun’s Family was a Vassal Family of the Dokgo Noble Family.
If every single one of his trivial actions happened to offend the Dokgo Noble Family…, it would lead to a crisis threatening his Family’s very existence.
It wasn’t just Wi Sajun.
Every single Squad member of the Dragon Slaying Squad was directly or indirectly connected to the Dokgo Noble Family.
That was why Wi Sajun had no choice but to say this to his Subordinate.
“Forget everything you saw earlier.”
“…”
Even knowing that this was a cowardly act…
“What the Squad Leader killed was merely one of the Unorthodox Faction Group.”
…It couldn’t be helped. He had to survive too.
“…Yes.”
Understanding Wi Sajun’s intent, the Subordinate also nodded heavily.
Wi Sajun’s heart felt heavy seeing his Subordinate conform to reality and turn a blind eye. So, to forget these distracting thoughts, he decided he would rather move his body.
“Now, if we’ve rested a bit, let’s set off again.”
To subjugate all the Mountain Paths spread throughout Hunan Province, they had to race against time. When Wi Sajun ordered his Subordinates, they all stood up without a word of complaint.
At that moment when they were about to set off again…
“Huh…?”
Someone coming this way was caught in his senses.
It could be considered an enemy, but the one coming this way was only a single person.
“…Everyone, watch the rear.”
Wi Sajun ordered his Subordinates as such and turned around.
And sure enough, someone soon revealed themselves. He was wearing martial attire, and he was a man whose strikingly handsome appearance caught the eye first.
Even after discovering dozens of Martial Artists, he slowly approached without any sign of surprise. Seeing this, Wi Sajun asked the man for his identity, but…
“Who are you-!”
“…”
…The man merely stared blankly at the Squad members without answering. And then…
“It’s you guys, right?”
…He asked in an indifferent tone with no inflection, as if asking how they were doing.
It was a vague question asking if it was them, but everyone could understand its meaning. And the moment the man laid his hand on his Saber, Wi Sajun also shouted.
“Everyone, draw your swor…”
No, he tried to shout.
However…
SLASH - !
“…!”
…He couldn’t continue his words at the sight before his eyes.
“What just happened…?”
It was just a single swing. Just a single Drawing the Saber.
But in that single movement…
“…”
…The four Squad members at the very front were struck down.
Their necks weren’t slashed. It was as if…, a Divine Beast had swiped its massive front paw…, the upper bodies of the Squad members were blown away entirely.
“…”
While everyone’s thoughts halted at that nonsensical sight, the first to snap back to his senses was Wi Sajun.
“…Everyone, Drawing the Sword-! And form a Defensive Formation for a Coordinated Attack…”
They had already lost four Squad members.
Even if they formed a Defensive Formation, there would inevitably be openings here and there due to the missing personnel, so it was crucial to prevent any further loss of life.
However…
Step.
SLASH - !
The man’s single step. And the man’s single swing.
Every time that followed, the Subordinates died without even having the time to scream.
“Gasp…”
Seeing that sight, Wi Sajun couldn’t breathe for a moment.
What an Overbearing Style this was. What could a rabbit standing before the jaws of a tiger do?
It could only close its eyes, hoping for a painless death.
Watching his Subordinates' bodies being sliced apart by the Saber Wind, Wi Sajun felt the urge to lower his body and cower on the ground.
However…
“No…”
…He was not in a position to run away right now. He had to fulfill his responsibility for the Subordinates who were still alive.
Even if it was like striking a rock with an egg, he had to throw his body in first.
Having made that judgment, he moved his arm, which felt as heavy as a boulder, and swung his Sword at the man. And seeing that…
SLASH - !!
The man also swung his Saber in return.
“Ah…”
Seeing that, Wi Sajun intuited his own end. His heart ached at that chilling sensation, but he had no lingering regrets.
Because he had still done everything he could to fulfill his responsibility.
But then…
“…”
…He didn’t feel the pain he had expected.
Finding this strange, when he opened his eyes…
“Ah…”
The Subordinates who had been standing behind him were all collapsed. The man’s Saber Qi had bypassed him and completely slashed all the Subordinates behind him.
Before he even had time to lament this, the man slammed Wi Sajun’s face into the ground. And then, an inflectionless voice was heard.
“Name, affiliation.”
“I-I am Wi Sajun, Unit Leader belonging to the Murim Alliance’s Extermination Unit, the Dragon Slaying Squad…!”
An answer came out reflexively without even a moment to think about his question.
He didn’t feel the shame of spilling all the facts to the enemy who had killed all his Subordinates. The only thing dominating the current situation was pure terror.
“What is the fighting power of your other group.”
“A-At the fork 5 li back, one Squad Leader and twenty Squad members headed to the right…”
“Bang Sam-i…, I mean, what happened to the guy who blocked you at the Entrance Pavilion?”
“W-We subdued and Captured him to guide the way, then dragged him along. The Squad Leader probably has him right now.”
“Right…, is that so.”
The man, seeming to have found out everything he wanted, raised his hand again. At this, Wi Sajun squeezed his eyes shut.
It was then.
“Hngg…”
“…!”
A faint groan reached Wi Sajun’s ears. As soon as he heard it, Wi Sajun shook his head like a madman and looked around.
And…
“Ah…”
He could see one of his Subordinates twitching, still clinging to life.
At this, Wi Sajun pleaded with the man in a desperate voice.
“…Great Hero-! Please spare him…! I am fine-! Please, spare at least my Subordinate-! If left like that, he will die from blood loss…! Please…!”
“…”
“We were wrong…! I will beg like this…! I dare not imagine the depths of the Great Hero’s boundless anger, but… Please show mercy.”
The man looked down at the pleading Wi Sajun before slowly opening his mouth.
“There’s a misunderstanding. I’m not angry right now.”
“…Pardon?”
“Of course, I feel like shit, but I don’t particularly feel anger toward you guys. A Martial Artist of the Murim Alliance subjugating Bandits is…, a natural thing, after all.”
“Then…”
“Therefore.”
At that moment, Wi Sajun met the man’s eyes.
“Ah.”
It would have been better if his eyes had been filled with malice instead.
Right now, the man’s eyes were as emotionless as Yama declaring a sentence to Hell upon a mortal.
“Take it for granted that you are dying by my hands right now, too.”
Thud.
Those words were the last Wi Sajun heard before he died. And…, it was a deep, profound suggestion he would not forget even in the Netherworld.