Chapter 159
“Let’s go to Shaanxi Province.”
“…”
Youngest’s decision was truly… Should I say unexpected?
Youngest wasn’t originally belligerent by nature.
However…
“[If even Youngest is saying this, it really must be the time to step forward.]”
As I closed my eyes and pondered this, Dongryong spoke to me.
“Leader. For now, the vote to go to Shaanxi Province has one more.”
“…”
“What…, will you do?”
“…What do you mean, what will I do?”
Like Yongyong, I had also opposed going to Shaanxi Province based on my gut feeling.
But those in our Green Forest who were smart enough to see the bigger picture had all voted to go to Shaanxi Province.
According to reason rather than emotion…, the more correct judgment was to go to Shaanxi Province to help the Murim Alliance Strike the Demonic Cult.
“We are going to Shaanxi Province.”
“…!”
As I declared so, tension filled the Executives' eyes.
“If so…, how many personnel are you thinking of sending?”
“Yongyong, how many people can you carry on your back?”
When I asked Yongyong-i, he startled and then hesitantly answered.
“M-Me…? Uh…, th-thirty people? Ah, no… Still, if I push it a little, forty people…? Ah…, that might be a bit heavy…”
“Great. We’ll go with fifty people, fifty of the strongest guys, including all the Executives.”
“…No! Fifty people will break my back.”
“Thanks, Yongyong-a. You’re the only one I’ve got.”
“…Hing.”
Having received Yongyong-i’s willing permission, I ordered the others.
“Dongryong, I don’t know the guys below the Executives well, so you select the fifty strongest, including the twelve Executives.”
“Yes.”
“Haomun Leader, call Munseok right away. While we’re gone, I’ll have Munseok Ajae hold all decision-making authority for the Green Forest.”
“Understood.”
Hunan Province, where the Green Forest is located, is a Rear Area far from the Front Line, so there shouldn’t be any particular problems even without the Executives.
Even if some unforeseen mishap occurs, Munseok Ajae should be able to handle it well.
“Now then, let’s depart as soon as we’re ready, to Shaanxi Province.”
“Yes-!!”
Thus, with the Executives' Resounding shouts, the Green Forest’s expedition to Shaanxi Province was decided.
* * *
“Wow…, I came quickly because I felt something was off, but…”
As expected of the Incompetent Alliance, the situation in Shaanxi Province, especially here at Mount Zhongnan, was a total mess.
Still…
“The opponents are all Assassins! Never show an opening and stand firm, and you will be able to Deal With them easily!”
“Uwoooo-!!”
…Perhaps because we unleashed our Green Forest Members who brawled every day, the momentum quickly shifted to our side.
Especially…
“Wow…, those Demonic Cult guys are all high-grade Assassins. As a fellow professional, I find that this makes my heart pound, doesn’t it? I should put in some effort too.”
The Valley Master of Geumyeong Heuk-Yeong, who was recently recruited and entered the Haomun Assassin Gate.
“Protect our Zhongnan brothers!!”
The Jongrimun Leader, who still had brotherly affection for the Zhongnan Sect, ran wild and played an active role through thick and thin.
“Everyone, don’t lose your reason and stay calm!”
“Run Wild calmly!”
And the other Executives, stimulated by those two, also showed their prowess and cut down the Demonic Cult’s Assassins.
Seeing that sight, I felt pleased and simultaneously adjusted my grip on my Sword.
While the guys were playing their part, I had to do my job too.
“Uh, we’ve met before, right?”
“…”
“Yeah, nice to see you too.”
A small-statured woman wearing black clothes that tightly covered her face and body glared at me with somewhat emotionless eyes.
But one shouldn’t ignore her just by looking at her physique.
“[I only remembered later.]”
This woman I had met before was…, someone who also appeared in the Original Novel.
Silent Killing King.
She was an incredible person who had risen to the Demonic Cult Elder Position with merely the status of an Assassin.
“By the way, I’ve been wondering for a while, can you not speak, or do you just choose not to?”
“…”
“Ah…, it’s a concept?”
Srrk-.
I ran my mouth to try and piss her off, but the Silent Killing King lived up to her name and merely raised her Flying Dagger.
Srrng-.
At this, I also drew my Sword and aimed it at her.
I wasn’t as tense as when I faced the Blood Demon Corpse King, the Grand Elder, or Cheon Ye-Seo.
Originally, Assassins were…, specialized in secretly killing targets, so their weaknesses were exposed when fighting openly like this.
In the first place, my skills weren’t lacking compared to Salwang either.
Paat-.
The one who struck first was Salwang.
She feinted as if throwing the Flying Dagger in her hand, then shot out another Flying Dagger hidden in her sleeve and threw it at me.
“…!”
I flinched for a moment at this, but…
Chaaang-!
…Fortunately, I was able to Deflect the Flying Dagger and leap forward.
The Salwang I saw in the Original Novel was skilled in long-Range Dagger Art like this. That meant it was my victory as long as I closed the distance.
Puk.
First, one step.
Sswaaek-!
After that, another Flying Dagger flew at my face, but I didn’t Deflect it and turned my head to dodge.
Sswaaek-! Sswaaek!
Perhaps sensing something unusual, this time Salwang threw four Flying Daggers at once, but this time I unfolded a Sword Barrier To Block them.
“…”
Even though she was still emotionlessly cold, I confirmed that her brow furrowed for a moment.
‘[Yeah, you must be annoyed since things aren’t going your way.]’
When things don’t go well, Ordinary people are bound to Reveal the bottom line they’ve been hiding.
“[And your true nature is…]”
Paat-!
“I’ve already figured it all out - !”
Sure enough, her trump card that I had expected was revealed immediately.
Her thread, which couldn’t be easily cut even with a Sword…, was reminiscent of a modern wire.
Chaaang-!
As soon as I saw it shoot out from Salwang’s wrist, I immediately swung my Sword and struck it away.
Now it was done.
I had blocked Salwang’s trump card and closed the distance, so if I just cut her down as is…
It was then.
“…Huh?”
In that blink of an eye when I briefly lost focus to Strike Down her thread…
“…Where did she go?”
…Salwang vanished like a ghost.
And…
Srrrk-.
“…!”
Her presence was felt again right next to me.
“[Fuck.]”
What kind of Movement Technique was this? For a moment, even I couldn’t follow her movements.
And the price for that was gruesome.
She threw the Flying Dagger from close Range…
Kwaaa-!
…was rushing at me wrapped in pitch-black demonic energy, as if everything until now had been a joke.
“[Damn it…]”
This merciless bitch.
Look at her throwing the Flying Dagger exactly at a vital spot, as expected of an Assassin.
‘[First, after getting hit by the Flying Dagger, I’ll squeeze out my Internal Energy to stop the bleeding and…]’
My mind had already assumed I’d be hit by the dagger and was planning the next situation.
Uwoong.
“…!”
My hand moved. No, it was pulled.
Srrrk-.
By the Heavenly Demon Sword, which moved on its own in response to the demonic energy…!
Chaaaang-!!
“…!”
Perhaps not expecting me To Block it, Salwang’s expressionless face bloomed with bewilderment.
But actually, I was surprised too.
“[The Sword moved on its own?]”
But I soon came to my senses and…
Chaaak-!
“…Ugh.”
…continued the movement and slashed Salwang’s thigh.
Even if I couldn’t cut off her leg completely, a wound of this extent would significantly reduce her speed.
I didn’t miss this opportunity and pressed Salwang.
Chaaang-!
Chaaaang-!!
With her speed reduced, already weak in close combat, she immediately began to be pushed back by me.
Chaaang-!
“Do you feel unfair? But you, bitch.”
“…”
“Fights are originally about gear.”
Seogeok-!
“…Keoheok.”
Soon, my lovely Heavenly Demon Sword slashed right through Salwang’s shoulder blade.
At this point, the match was as good as over.
And Salwang naturally noticed this too, as she…
Peoeong-.
…scattered a smoke bomb on the ground and hid her body within it.
“…Well, well.”
Perhaps she used that Movement Technique from earlier again, as her presence couldn’t be felt within the smoke.
However…
Tok.
“[…Over there.]”
…Hearing the sound of blood drops falling from her body, I could deduce the direction and distance.
‘[She’s slow, as expected.]’
If I follow her now, I can catch Salwang.
As I set my direction and prepared to leap, a shout came from behind.
“Cough, cough, what is this…! Mu-Yeong, are you alright…!”
It was the Zhongnan Sect Leader, who had been dealing with other Assassins behind me.
He was flustered by the sudden smoke and asked about my safety. I could have just ignored it and passed by, but since I had some time to spare, I answered his question.
“Yes, Sect Leader. I’m right here. Salwang ran away in that direction, so I’m going to follow and beat her to a pulp.”
“Th-That direction is…”
And soon, I was able to get another piece of information from him.
“It’s where the Martial Artists of the Shanxi Yu Family are! There must definitely have been an Attack by the Demonic Cult there too!”
“…!”
If there were a Demonic Cult Attack over there too…
“[Could it be…, there might be an elder-level figure over there as well?]”
If so, blindly following Salwang alone could be dangerous.
As I pondered this for a moment, there were people who quickly ran up to me.
“Leader! Let’s go together!”
“Th-Then, my father is over there…!”
It was Dongryong-i and Somyung.
Looking at their faces, I was a bit doubtful as it somehow reminded me of past events, but…
“Alright, you two follow me.”
In truth, there were few people I trusted as much as those two.
“Let’s go then, to slit the throats of those Demonic Cult Elder Bastards.”
Thus, I moved along Salwang’s trail together with Dongryong-i and Somyung-i.
* * *
“Keoheok…”
Yu Haseong, who had been facing the Sword King, soon couldn’t bear the pain and collapsed to the ground.
“Ah…, is it already over…?”
The Sword King was so strong…, that even he, the Family Head of the Shanxi Yu Family, was no match for him.
“More than that, you were using a very profound Sword Art…, was its name Willow Flower Sword Art? Like this…”
“…!”
Seueuk-, seueuk.
The Sword King swung his Sword a few times toward the Void as if it were nothing.
But seeing that sight, Yu Haseong couldn’t help but fall into shock.
The Sword King’s Sword… was following the Sword Path of the Willow Flower Sword Art exactly.
“Hoho…, this is truly fascinating. It’s exactly like a half-and-half mixture of the swords of the Wudang Sect and Mount Hua Sect.”
“…”
In terms of enlightenment regarding the Sword…, they were on a different level.
In the Offense and Defense with the Sword King just now, Yu Haseong could glimpse the immense years contained in his Sword, and even the characteristics of his Sword.
“You are…”
“…?”
“Are you not a person of the Namgung Family? I could feel it… that your Sword belongs to the Namgung Family…!”
“Hoo…”
The current Murim Alliance Leader, Namgung Hwa-Cheon, was a figure akin to a close friend and teacher to Yu Haseong. There was no way Yu Haseong wouldn’t recognize the Namgung Family’s Sword, having watched by his side for decades.
And…, the Sword King’s Sword was definitively the Namgung Family’s Sword.
“The current Murim Alliance is led by the Namgung Family’s Supreme Family Head, Namgung Hwa-Cheon! He must surely share blood with you…! How could you side with the cruel Demonic Cult!”
“Namgung Hwa-Cheon, you say…”
The Sword King chuckled for a moment and then shook his head.
“He is a child I do not know.”
“What…? How could you not know him, the Supreme Family Head…!”
“It has already been several decades since I stepped down as the Supreme Grand Elder of the Namgung Family.”
“…!”
At his words, Yu Haseong couldn’t help but flinch.
And rightly so…, if that person’s words were true, it meant the Sword King’s age easily surpassed a hundred, so how could he still be alive…!
“[C-Could it be…?]”
As if to explain Yu Haseong’s doubt, the Sword King held his Sword and slowly continued speaking.
“I…, strove my entire life in the Namgung Family to see the Pinnacle of Sword. However…, just like other Martial Artists, lifespan was the problem. A human’s lifespan is far too short to see the Pinnacle of Sword. Still, I was lucky… I reached the realm of rejuvenation and was able to gain several more decades of opportunity.”
“[It really was rejuvenation…!]”
If so, it made sense how he could still be alive.
“[But if a body made young through rejuvenation has aged that much again, just how many years that Old Monster has…!]”
Realizing that, Yu Haseong felt goosebumps rise all over his body.
“But you see, young Swordsman. Even after gaining several decades of opportunity, I could not see the end of the Sword… And I realized that with an Ordinary human body, one cannot see the Pinnacle of Sword.”
“…”
“And while rummaging through old texts, I was able to find that hundreds of years ago, the First Heavenly Demon of the Heavenly Demonic Divine Cult reached the position of Sword God at a young age…! Do you know the reason why I, who only trained for over several decades, couldn’t, yet she was able to see the Pinnacle of Sword in just a few years?”
Soon, the madness in the Sword King’s eyes began to turn into ecstasy.
“It is none other than Demonic Force. Only Demonic Force can lead us to the Pinnacle of Sword. Shall I show you once?”
Huooo-.
The Sword King soon infused demonic energy from his body. And then he unfolded a Sword Art…
Chwarang-.
“…!”
…It was a more perfect form of the Willow Flower Sword Art than Yu Haseong’s.
“H-How…!”
“The lacking enlightenment and proficiency are all filled by Demonic Force. From what I can see, your Sword Art is not one that will reach great completion in your generation. It is a profound Sword Art that can only reach great completion after decades, perhaps hundreds of years.”
“…”
Yu Haseong also knew this fact.
The new Willow Flower Sword Art, which had once been lost and then found by his daughter, was not something that could be restored in his generation.
As a Swordsman of the Shanxi Yu Family, how great a sense of despair this fact had given him!
And…, as if a lifeline were descending into this despairing reality, the Sword King’s voice sounded like a devil’s whisper.
“But if you accept Demonic Force, who knows what will happen…”
“…”
“Won’t you…, follow me and serve Our Cult…? If you do, I will help you bring your Sword Art to great completion.”
It was a temptation that a single Swordsman, setting aside righteousness and demonic paths, could not easily shake off.