Chapter 187: Jaseung, Prepares Himself

 Rain sensed death coming.

His martial skill was definitely a step above those who had already died to Lee Jaseung.

He still had cards he had not shown, and his true strength was far greater than what he had revealed.

Mountain had chosen him and taken him as his right hand because he had seen that strength.

Yet Rain could not kill all of these people at once.

No, he had never even imagined that there could be someone who could kill all of them here in a single brief span of time.

Could even the Demonic Cult Leader manage such a feat?

Another thought followed that question.

‘Who on earth have we been going against?’

At the same time there was something he wanted to say to Mountain.

‘He is far more incredible than we thought.’

That was not actually what he wanted to say. What he truly wanted to tell Mountain was this.

‘Our entire approach has been wrong from the beginning.’

The very idea of trying to measure this man’s level was mistaken. The opponent was not simply a powerful martial artist. He was a monster. A beast that lay still beneath the surface of the water, then suddenly rose up and devoured everyone.

That was how Lee Jaseung looked to Rain right now.

At that moment someone dropped down from behind.

It was Gold, who had been outside fighting the Black Way Alliance warriors. He had come in at an easy pace to report on the situation outside, then had been horrified by what he saw inside the vault.

Riiiiiing.

He fumbled out a whistle with trembling hands and blew it. It was the emergency signal that ignored all circumstances and ordered everyone to gather here immediately.

Moments later the masters came leaping in. Tower, the huge man, Greatsword with the great saber strapped across his back, and twenty peak masters who had been fighting outside vaulted over the crates.

Everyone stared at the scene before them in shock.

“What in the world happened here!”

Tower’s booming voice rang out.

“They look like they were hit by poison.”

At Gold’s guess they all pulled out antidote pills and swallowed them.

Rain and Water did nothing. They already knew. The others had not fallen to poison.

They did not even have the will to tell them that it was not poison. What was the point of trying to persuade them? They were all going to die anyway.

Lee Jaseung’s face showed neither mockery nor anger. He simply looked over them all with indifferent eyes, which was even more frightening.

Rain glanced at Water beside him. She was trembling as she stared at Lee Jaseung.

Rain found himself wanting to save at least her somehow.

— Leave the moment they attack. Run and survive somehow.

Water snapped back to herself and answered quickly.

— What about you, Senior?

— There is no way both of us get out alive.

Rain gave the command.

“Attack together and erase him!”

At the same time Gold, Tower, and Greatsword hurled themselves toward Lee Jaseung.

Water did not run alone.

— Let’s go together.

She grabbed Rain’s hand.

He flinched at her sudden action. In that instant Gold’s fist brushed past Lee Jaseung’s head.

Right as Gold realized his blow had missed and moved to follow up,

Slice.

Asura cut his throat.

Rain batted Water’s hand away as he watched Gold crumble.

— Go first. I will follow in a bit.

By the time that voice transmission ended, Lee Jaseung’s body was already in the air, his two legs snapping around Tower’s neck.

Tower was bewildered. He could not understand how he had allowed Lee Jaseung to get in so easily. He had not been poisoned. His movements had been the same as always.

Tower was twice the size of an ordinary man and looked clumsy at a glance.

But in reality he was far more agile than men with smaller frames. That wrong first impression had led countless enemies to have their spines broken by him.

Squeeze.

He felt Lee Jaseung’s legs tightening around his neck and pulled up his inner Qi, focusing his protective Qi there.

With his powerful body and protective Qi gathered at his neck, he was certain he could endure Lee Jaseung’s attack.

But it became the worst misjudgment of his life.

Craaack.

His neck snapped in an instant.

That was the moment Water was yanking on Rain’s arm and forcing him to leap with her.

Rain gave in and jumped with her.

At the same time Greatsword, the last remaining Transcendent Peak master, unleashed a gigantic Sword Qi.

If Lee Jaseung dodged, everyone standing behind him would be swept away.

Boom!

Asura burst with Qi and neutralized the Sword Qi in a single stroke.

Greatsword’s eyes bulged. His proud finishing strike had been blocked far too easily, and Lee Jaseung was now streaking toward him at a terrifying speed.

Greatsword swung his saber. The massive blade could not stop Asura, which was a fraction of its size.

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

Asura tore into Greatsword’s major acupoints all over his body. At the same moment Rain and Water had just reached the top of the crates.

The description of these fights were long, but Rain’s change of heart and his decision to flee with Water had all happened in an extremely short span. In that brief instant, three Transcendent Peak masters had died.

‘There are still twenty peak masters left.’

If they could just get out of here, they might yet survive. If Lee Jaseung chased them down, Rain planned to run in the opposite direction from Water and draw Lee Jaseung after him.

Swish, swish, swish!

The sound of slicing air came from behind.

Rain glanced back.

The Peak Realm masters were collapsing under the daggers Lee Jaseung had thrown.

‘Gasp! How is this even possible?’

It was a sight that was hard to accept even as he watched it. It almost felt as if everyone had agreed ahead of time to prank him. He would not have been surprised if he opened the vault door and walked outside only to find Mountain standing there laughing.

He would not have been surprised if all the dead walked out behind him saying, “We got you, didn’t we?”

Lee Jaseung pushed off the ground and soared upward.

“No! Go first!”

Rain shook Water’s hand off and turned back.

His sword flashed from its sheath like a bolt of lightning and cut through the air.

He used his strongest killing move from the beginning.

‘This is my only chance!’

Sword Qi burst from Rain’s blade.

Swish, swish, swish, swish, swoosh!

Dozens of streaks of sword Qi rushed toward Lee Jaseung.

Swaaaaash!

Sword Qi rained down around the place where Lee Jaseung had just stood.

‘It worked!’

He had seen Lee Jaseung caught inside the range of the sword Qi at the last moment.

But the next instant, Rain’s body froze.

Someone struck an acupoint on his back.

‘When did he!’

Lee Jaseung grabbed the back of his head and drove him down toward the floor.

‘Ah! This is how I die!’

Rain squeezed his eyes shut.

He had never imagined his end would come this suddenly.

Then, a desperate voice rang out.

“That man! He is an important person!”

The one who shouted desperately was Water. She had not run and was standing on top of the crates.

‘No! Run away!’

Rain cried out inside. At the same time he felt the force that was driving him down suddenly lessen.

Smash.

He smashed into the floor. The impact rattled his insides, but he did not die.

Water’s voice came again.

“You will need him for sure. Please spare him.”

Lee Jaseung looked up at her for a moment, standing up on the crates. He remembered her. He had met her once when he visited Cheon Myeongin’s house.

There was a strange strong feeling about her.

When he saw her, he felt as if some kind of fate brushed against him.

He hoisted Rain up.

Tap tap tap tap.

Lee Jaseung sealed Rain’s Dantian.

Unless he unsealed it with his own hands, Rain would never be able to use inner Qi again.

He tossed Rain aside.

‘In the end I am the one who was helped.’

With that thought, Rain lost consciousness.

Water jumped down and stood in front of Lee Jaseung. It was enough distance for Lee Jaseung to reach his hand out and kill her.

“Now give me a reason for you to stay alive.”

“I am pretty. If you kill a woman this beautiful, every man in the martial world will hate you and—”

Lee Jaseung raised his hand. His killing intent was such that he looked ready to strike at once, and Water spoke quickly.

“I-I know where Mountain is!”

His hand stopped.

Water went on.

“I promise I will make my life worth its price.”

Lee Jaseung stared at her silently. His gaze seemed to pierce through to her core.

He looked as if he were struggling to recall something. Then a flicker of light passed through his eyes. He had clearly remembered something.

Water did not know what it was. No, she did not even realize that he had recalled something through her. For her, she was standing at the brink of life and death. That was all she could feel.

Lee Jaseung glanced at Rain and spoke.

“Then you will have to be worth two lives.”

Tap tap tap tap.

He sealed her Dantian and pressed several acupoints. Just like Rain, her inner Qi was sealed and she fell asleep.

Having subdued everyone, Lee Jaseung turned around.

The Guard Hall warriors were staring at him. Those who had been facing away turned to look as well, everyone except the children.

Those who knew him and those who did not all wore expressions of awe.

Those who knew him marveled that their Alliance Leader’s martial skill could be this great. Those who did not, wondered who this man was who had shown such divine might.

Pung Haryang lay on the floor and watched the fight, overwhelmed with emotion.

‘If the Alliance Leader had not come, I would have become a sinner for all ages to this Alliance.’

Then, someone spoke.

“Thank you for saving us.”

It was Oki, the girl Songhwa had tried to protect, bowing to Lee Jaseung.

Everyone bowed.

“We will never forget this grace.”

Before the echo of their thanks even faded, Lee Jaseung leaped away and left.

He could not accept that gratitude when so many had already died.

The burden he carried had grown heavier again.

* * *

Everyone who had invaded the Black Way Alliance died, except for Water and Rain.

The Black Way Alliance had suffered terribly as well. Hundreds of Alliance warriors had lost their lives. Many who did not know martial arts were among the dead.

Lee Jaseung declared a state of emergency in the Black Way Alliance. It was the highest level of alert that corresponded to a state of near war.

He recalled the Night’s Moon and brought them back. He summoned the Iron Cavalry Regiment. If the Iron Cavalry Regiment and Night’s Moon had both been present from the start, things would have turned out differently.

The fact that the Iron Cavalry Regiment had been away on an earlier operation had weighed heavily.

He strengthened every line of defense. The inner compound of the main headquarters, the outer compound, raised all security to the highest level.

He ordered every mechanism activated and every formation brought to life.

Pung Haryang had tried to save money, but it had not been necessary. In recent days the wealth Lee Jaseung had brought in was enormous.

On top of the existing defenses, Lee Jaseung ordered new formations and mechanisms installed.

The cost was immense, yet he did not spare a single coin. He would not allow anything like this to happen again.

The funerals for the dead were held with great ceremony.

Too many had died, and the atmosphere in the Alliance was deeply gloomy.

Of course, there was also joy among those who had survived.

“Dad.”

“Oki!”

A man hugged Oki and wept. He was a low ranking outer court warrior and had survived by luck.

Songhwa watched with her eyes reddening.

Oki turned and waved at her with a smile. The man bowed deeply to Songhwa when he heard how she had gone out to save his daughter.

Songhwa responded by bowing back.

Lee Jaseung stood behind her.

“You should come with me.”

He thought that was what Dan Woobin would want.

“No. Please tell him this. I will be here waiting.”

“If you feel it would be a burden, you do not have to worry about that.”

“No. It is not that I do not want to be a burden.”

“Then what is it?”

“I like it here.”

She meant it. She felt it even more strongly after what had just happened.

Songhwa looked up at Lee Jaseung.

“So please finish what you have to do and come back.”

“Very well.”

He turned to go, but she called him again.

“Alliance Leader.”

“Yes.”

“I hope you come back safely as well, my Lord. Both you and him.”

Lee Jaseung smiled at her and replied.

“Yes. I will.”

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