Chapter 151: Mask (5)

Shhhhhhh!

The gentle drizzle turned into a downpour.

In the back alley of Miok Fortress, where the stench was masked by the heavy rain, a man lay bloodied and sprawled out.

The sole survivor of the Ghost Command Unit, Doom-Wielding Ghost Commander Byeok Cheon-un, looked down at something gripped in his hand.

“Haah, damn it.”

His subordinates, the Demonic Ghost Execution Squad, nicknamed the Doom-Wielding Ghosts, had all been annihilated.

He alone had barely survived and was barely holding on to life.

“Fucking parasite poison… thought I was going to die ripping this out.”

Byeok Cheon-un crushed the still-living, squirming parasite in his grip.

In truth, extracting the parasite lodged in one’s heart was typically the same as accepting death.

But Byeok Cheon-un had miraculously survived, having trained in the Indestructible Asura Demonic Art, a demonic martial art stolen and secretly given to him by his father, Chief Byeok of the Heavenly Demon Cult.

“Damn old man saved my life after all.”

But that was all.

The Indestructible Asura Demonic Art could mend shattered ribs, but it couldn’t replenish the blood he had lost.

If he didn’t get treated immediately, his body would soon meet death.

‘Did the others make it out? I hope that bastard Myeong-oh survived at least…’

Even as he thought this, he knew the odds were slim.

The Grand Heir himself had wielded the Demonic Soul Blade to kill them—not someone who would let any of them walk away.

The fact that he survived, even alone, was sheer luck.

“What now? Should I just return to the Hidden Shadow So Clan?”

The Hidden Shadow So Clan could offer him a sturdy shelter.

Especially since his master, the Murder Demon, had always wanted to make him “So Cheon-un.”

After being repeatedly rejected, the man had flown into a rage and sold him off to the Demonic Ghost Execution Squad, but… in any case.

“Or maybe…”

Byeok Cheon-un grabbed his forehead with a trembling hand.

“Maybe I should just die.”

Even with the Indestructible Asura Demonic Art, a blown-out head would mean instant death.

Having lost all the brothers he had lived and fought beside, Byeok Cheon-un no longer had any attachment to life.

Even though there were ways to survive, he felt no desire to pursue them.

And then—

“Damn it, old man. Where the hell did you disappear to?”

In this deserted back alley of Miok Fortress, where not even footsteps could be heard, the voice of a child rang out.

He couldn’t be more than ten years old. But judging by his attire, he didn’t seem like an ordinary boy from an average household.

Eventually, the boy spotted Byeok Cheon-un.

“Huh? Whoa. What the hell happened to you?”

Byeok Cheon-un gave a bitter chuckle and waved his hand weakly.

“Go away, kid. Don’t get involved and spill unnecessary blood.”

Most kids would run away in fear upon seeing a mangled man like him and hearing something like that.

But this kid actually furrowed his brow and scanned him up and down.

Then, out of nowhere, he muttered something bizarre.

“Damn, I guess I’m not fully corrupted by the cult yet.”

‘…What the hell is this brat talking about?’

As Byeok Cheon-un stared in disbelief—

“I owe someone today. Guess it’s my turn to do a good deed. Just wait here.”

The boy ran off, shouting at someone, and soon returned with a group of burly guards who looked like escorts.

“What should we do, Young Master?”

“He’s badly hurt. Take him to the nearest clinic, now.”

“Yes, sir.”

Surprisingly, the kid seemed intent on saving him.

Byeok Cheon-un, still incredulous, asked the boy:

“What are you doing, kid?”

“I’m trying to save your ass, so shut up and get some sleep.”

“….”

Byeok Cheon-un’s lips parted slightly.

The words coming from this ten-year-old were far too mature.

“So, what’s your name, dying man? If you kick the bucket, I should at least remember it.”

His name?

The name he had first received in the Hidden Shadow Clan was Number Ninety-Seven.

He only learned of his father and his real name after leaving the clan…

But for some reason, Byeok Cheon-un didn’t want to use that name anymore.

So he gave a half-assed answer.

“Gu Chil…”

“What?”

“Just call me Gu Chil.”

The boy raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

“That’s your name?”

‘You’re telling me.’

Though he didn’t say it out loud, Byeok Cheon-un silently admitted his naming sense was trash.

And so, on a stormy night in Miok Fortress more than ten years ago, the first meeting between the Eldest Son of the Jin Clan and a dying assassin took place.

* * *

“Soryu, what are you doing?”

In the still darkness of the fifth floor of the Demonic Tower, Gu Chil spoke first.

So Soryu slowly rose from her seat and answered.

“What does it look like? I’m here to take you back—by force, if necessary.”

“It’s a bit too aggressive for something the Clan Leader would order. Whose idea is this?”

So Soryu’s smile turned even more twisted.

“This was the Clan Leader’s order. All of this… is because of that Young Master of the Jin Clan.”

“What?”

Gu Chil’s gaze briefly turned to me.

‘Because of me, huh…’

It sounded absurd, but it wasn’t exactly incomprehensible either.

The chaos caused by my actions was likely driving So Myeong-yak absolutely insane by now.

‘They’ve surrounded the place with about thirty people?’

I looked directly at So Cheon.

“So Cheon.”

“…”

“What is your true objective?”

“What do you mean? Obviously, I came to take Brother Byeok back—”

“No, not that.”

I could guarantee it—So Soryu might have that goal, but So Cheon’s objective was something else.

“You’ve got a different purpose. What is it?”

So Cheon merely furrowed his brows slightly and said nothing in return.

At that moment, So Soryu, standing beside him, cut into the conversation between us with a meaningful smile.

“Jin Yeomyung of the Heavenly Dragon, I’d prefer if you didn’t show off so much.”

“Show off?”

“Did you think we wouldn’t notice that your body isn’t in a normal state?”

I blinked and replied.

“…How do you know that?”

Not normal.

That was, to some extent, true.

“Heh, don’t underestimate the So Clan’s information network.”

The aftereffects of the ‘Vitality Surge’ I had used during my clash with the Sword Demon in Hidden Cave of Iron Steed Prison Cave.

I had already anticipated it, seeing how the energy had not properly harmonized and displayed the dual hue of black-gold, but the aftershock had delivered a pain so transcendental it nearly broke me.

I let out a faint chuckle.

“I thought I’d hidden it fairly well. Still, your intelligence gathering is certainly on par with the Sa Clan.”

Well, I could look into where the leak came from after getting out of here.

“Come quietly. You were once my brother’s lord, after all. Shouldn’t you return with your limbs still attached?”

Shff! Shff-shff!

The assassins of the So Clan surrounding the fifth floor of the Demonic Tower began to close in gradually, tightening the noose.

I burst into a hearty laugh.

“Haha, that’s scary.”

…

I had survived even before the Blade of the Demonic Faction.

Did they really think a few assassins from the So Clan would make me flinch?

I lightly raised my hand and spoke to the back.

“Byeok Cheon-un.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Responding in a completely different tone from before, Gu Chil… no, Byeok Cheon-un answered.

“Take out the Nine Heavens Threads. Show no mercy.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gone was the clumsy, foolish smile.

Before we knew it, the face of Byeok Cheon-un—former fourth-ranked member of the Demonic Ghost Execution Squad, Doom-Wielding Ghost Commander—re-emerged.

A chill ran down So Cheon and So Soryu’s spines the moment they saw his transformed expression.

At the same time—

Pop!

With a sound like something piercing through—

Papapapapap!

Threads as dense as spider silk began to stretch out across the entire fifth floor of the Demonic Tower, starting from the room we stood in.

“N-Nine Heavens Threads!”

And that wasn’t all.

From the web-like lines filling the air, a cold mist-like aura began to seep out.

It was the kind of chill that made you certain any slight movement would sever part of your body.

Once called the One-Man Formation, this technique had once massacred over a hundred disciples of the Zhongnan Sect.

It was Murder Demon’s signature, forbidden martial art.

“Thunderous Cry of the Nine Heavens…”

With both hands now wrapped in the threads, Byeok Cheon-un stared at So Cheon and So Soryu.

“Shall I kill them all?”

I shook my head.

“Spare the two. We’ll use them as hostages to negotiate with the Hidden Shadow So Clan.”

Which meant—kill everyone else.

“Yes, sir.”

With a slight nod, Gu Chil flicked his fingers.

Immediately—

“Gahk!”

“Kyaaaaagh!”

I could feel the life signs outside disappearing one by one.

Though he wasn’t a native of the So Clan, Gu Chil had been one of the Murder Demon’s direct disciples and the most faithful inheritor of his secret techniques.

At least among his generation, there was no assassin more skilled in the art of killing.

The metallic scent of blood soon wafted thickly from outside.

“As expected of you, brother…”

Even amidst this situation, So Soryu’s expression flushed with excitement, as if melting.

“Ha, hahaha! Amazing! You’re truly amazing!”

Assassins were supposed to be emotionless by nature.

But oddly enough, So Soryu, though a direct descendant of the Hidden Shadow So Clan, was the opposite—overflowing with emotion.

No, to the point it could be called excessive.

‘No wonder they call her the Madwoman of the So Clan.’

Even after hearing the words, “Shall I kill them?” her gaze toward Gu Chil didn’t change.

“But… you’re not the only one who can wield the Nine Heavens Threads, brother.”

Papapapap!

Before I knew it, So Soryu’s hands were also wrapped in silver threads similar to Gu Chil’s.

…!

Though not quite as numerous or as sharp as Gu Chil’s,

The very fact that she could handle the Nine Heavens Threads was enough to qualify her as one of Murder Demon’s acknowledged successors.

Before I realized it, So Soryu’s threads had formed a perfect barrier around me.

“How about it? I practiced a lot. Just so you would acknowledge me.”

A single movement, and a beautiful line of blood would likely trace across my skin.

But I didn’t bat an eye.

“Don’t mind me—deal with the assassins first.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

So Soryu’s eye twitched slightly.

“…You really should just surrender. Don’t you know I can easily slice off a limb?”

As Gu Chil silently carried out my order, one of So Soryu’s threads grazed my neck.

A thin cut formed beneath my collar.

‘The Nine Heavens Threads really are weapons of slaughter.’

Even without using sword qi, that kind of cutting power—

A weapon made solely for killing.

It made sense why Gu Chil usually refrained from using them.

Used improperly, even someone you meant to protect could get hurt.

However—

“You’re under a misconception.”

“Misconception?”

“I don’t know where the leak came from, but I’ll at least give you credit for discovering that I’ve been injured.”

I reached out and deliberately pressed my finger against So Soryu’s Nine Heavens Threads.

Jiiing!

But instead of slicing through my finger, the threads curved slightly outward from the pressure.

“But that’s outdated information now.”

Whoosh!

“…!”

In an instant, black flames began to ripple along the Nine Heavens Threads.

Flames born not of a fire or yang-based demonic art, but from pure internal energy.

“That’s… True Flame of Samadhi!?”

The fire I unleashed suppressed the cold energy of the Nine Heavens Threads and began to crawl back up the threads toward their source.

Sensing danger, So Soryu shouted outward.

“Take him down, now!”

Boom!

Crash!

As if responding to her command, the remaining So Clan assassins smashed through the walls and doors from all directions and stormed into the room.

And then…

Behind me, Gu Chil—no, Byeok Cheon-un—sneered bitterly in their direction.

“Moths rushing into flames…”

Shhhk!

Byeok Cheon-un’s Nine Heavens Threads shredded the space before him.

Chachachachak!

In an instant, dozens of silver strands flashed across the entire space.

“Gaaaagh!”

“Aaaaaargh!”

Limbs were flung into the air, and a mist of blood erupted from every direction.

The dozens of assassins who had stormed into the room were reduced to grotesque corpses, victims of Byeok Cheon-un’s Nine Heavens Threads.

Even I, who had experienced my share of brutal battles, found the scene mildly sickening.

“…!!”

Byeok Cheon-un calmly rebuked the stunned So Soryu.

“So Clan assassins follow orders from their superiors without question. But that also means when a superior gives a foolish command, they end up wasted. What exactly did you learn at the Hidden Shadow Clan, junior sister?”

Assassins could sometimes pull off feats that transcended their cultivation level, but just as often, they lost their lives in vain.

Like Myeong-oh’s Underworld King’s Unit, which had been wiped out by the likes of the outer members of the Kunlun Sect during the Eastern Sea Fortress operation.

“And… if you don’t drop those Nine Heavens Threads right now, they’ll burn to ash in the Young Master’s flames.”

“Kh!”

It wasn’t until the black flame I had conjured neared her fingers that So Soryu frantically cut the threads herself.

I watched the scene with disinterest.

“You’ve reached Cold Threads, the stage before Thunder Threads. That’s commendable, but that doesn’t make you invincible.”

“…As if someone like you would know!”

“Oh, but I do. Your skills… and your weaknesses.”

I returned her own words from earlier back to her.

“So Soryu, you’re the one who should surrender quietly. Byeok Cheon-un is a man of the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan, and my vassal. There’s no way I’ll just hand him over to the So Clan like this.”

If this really was orchestrated by Murder Demon, then capturing these two wouldn’t be enough.

But at the very least, it would be a big enough deal to throw Murder Demon into panic.

And yet—

Despite the reversal of the situation and the slaughter of the So Clan assassins—

So Cheon’s expression remained unchanged.

Then, for the first time, the quiet So Cheon opened his mouth.

“Sorry, but that won’t be possible.”

“…Why not?”

“Because this mission is being carried out under the direct observation of the Clan Leader.”

Under observation?

For some reason, his words didn’t sound like he meant being observed from the main household.

‘Don’t tell me…’

At the same time—

My qi senses, which had remained quiet until now, suddenly blared like an emergency siren in my head.

“…!”

Whip!

Byeok Cheon-un and I turned our gazes in the same direction.

And standing there was—

“I expected that from Cheon-un… but you’ve got sharp instincts, eldest of the Jin Clan.”

“Master…”

A low sigh escaped from Byeok Cheon-un’s lips.

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