Chapter 19: Clue in the Flower Garden (4)

“This, this can’t be!”

What Eun Cheoljung felt now was not much different from what the leader who had just fallen to Cheon Yura experienced.

“She took down experts who can wield sword qi this easily?!”

All the ones who had just been defeated were experts capable of emitting sword qi.

And yet, they had been helplessly taken down.

In truth, Eun Cheoljung had believed the failure of the Young Cult Leader capture operation was due to the interference of the Law Enforcement Division.

The Six Demonic Dragons—known as the greatest late-stage talents in the cult—even the twins of the Pa Clan, said to be the strongest among them, had only barely reached Master Level.

‘My expectations were completely off. She’s not just someone who barely reached Master Level.’

Among the four stages of Master Level, she was at least at the Ascending stage. Perhaps, she had even reached the Expanding stage.

Tap.

Cheon Yura flicked the blood off her sword.

“Still far to go. To get blood on myself dealing with trash like this.”

“Ugh… Monster!”

Her smiling face exuded both seductive charm and a trace of eerie energy.

Unconsciously, Eun Cheoljung took a step back.

Cheon Yura’s expression slightly darkened at his display of cowardice.

“To think I had to be scolded so much by him just to catch someone like you. All it does is make me feel worthless.”

“H-Him? Who are you talking about?”

“Hmph, just a passing complaint. It’s nothing someone like you needs to know.”

A faint aura gathered at the tip of Cheon Yura’s sword.

Sword Qi Point-Strike—a top-level technique that even skilled experts couldn’t imitate.

“If you can’t become a dog of the Cheon Clan, then at least show your loyalty with your words.”

“Don’t talk nonsense! Do you even know who it was that massacred the Ghost-Slaying Unit, who had sworn loyalty to the Cheon Clan, and turned them into the Ghost Saint Legion?!”

Realizing that she intended to capture him alive, Eun Cheoljung immediately tried to escape.

But just then, his eyes flicked to something behind Cheon Yura—and a sudden gleam of hope lit up in his face.

The guards sent a warning at the same moment.

Thwack!

“Gwaaah!”

“S-Successor! Be careful!”

“…!”

Even Cheon Yura’s senses were fooled—someone had intervened.

By the time she turned her head, one of her guards had already lost an arm, and the others were disabled, spurting blood.

‘A top expert!’

Even if they weren’t fully matured, breaking through the Law Enforcers meant the intruder was no ordinary master.

Instinctively, Cheon Yura swung her sword at the charging assailant.

A sharp line of sword qi sliced through the air.

But the masked intruder smoothly deflected the strike and brushed past Cheon Yura.

‘What?’

She was briefly thrown off by the unexpected move, but it at least bought her time to gather the guards.

“Oho! You’ve arrived, sir!”

Eun Cheoljung spread his arms wide to welcome the masked figure.

“It’s her! The Young Cult Leader herself!”

Just moments ago, he had looked ready to run away. Now, bloodshot eyes gleamed as he welcomed the masked man with joy.

That was how much faith he placed in the masked man’s skill.

However—

“We can’t miss this chance, now that she’s caught in the killing formation—urk!”

Eun Cheoljung couldn’t finish his sentence.

After all, how could someone whose head was no longer attached to their body speak?

Thud!

The sound of Eun Cheoljung’s severed head hitting the ground echoed loudly in the enclosed space.

For a brief moment, silence reigned.

Then Cheon Yura, having regained her composure, glared at the masked intruder.

“You left me here and took care of the evidence first. You must’ve been in a real hurry.”

“It’s only right to discard a dog that failed the hunt.”

“Calling it a failure seems premature. But sure, I agree—dogs that bite their master should be abandoned.”

Hoo…

Cheon Yura exhaled softly and assumed a qi circulation stance.

“Oh?”

A flicker of intrigue passed through the masked figure’s eyes.

“You’re not planning to run?”

“Why should I run from a righteous sect dog?”

“R-Righteous sect?!”

The guards who had been tending to their internal injuries were stunned by her thunderous declaration.

There was another flicker of surprise in the masked man’s eyes.

“Interesting. Why do you think I’m from a righteous sect?”

“The technique you used to deflect my sword qi. That wasn’t from our cult’s sword style.”

“Haha. What if I just brushed it aside because your skill was that lacking?”

Even the masked man’s mocking laughter couldn’t shake Cheon Yura.

Her voice rang out clearly.

“That solid yet flowing style. And a place capable of producing a master of your caliber is rare. Qingcheng, Zhongnan? Or maybe Wudang. Which is it?”

The masked man fell silent, seemingly struck by the accuracy of her guess.

Cheon Yura pressed on without pause.

“So the noble and upright old sects are spreading poison in our cult, huh? I’m very curious now—which sect are you from?”

“…”

“If you reveal it now, I’ll even use my private funds to announce your identity across the central plains. I could hire the Beggars’ Sect for it.”

Hearing that, the guards blinked, momentarily forgetting their injuries.

‘Yeah right. Like he’d reveal anything after that.’

Or so the guards were thinking when—

Crack!

“My affiliation? Ask King Yama in hell!”

A murderous aura exploded from the enraged masked man.

The pressure alone was enough to overwhelm everyone present.

“Young Cult Leader, it’s dangerous! That man is—!”

“I know.”

Cheon Yura cut off her guards.

“He’s definitely someone who’s reached the Sword Force Realm.”

Sword Force Realm.

A stage where one could use qi force independently of sword forms or internal cultivation techniques.

Often called the peak of Master Level, even its earliest stage was enough to rank within the top 500 of the cult’s hierarchy, and such experts were rare enough to become famous across an entire province.

“I’m curious.”

A crooked smile curled on Cheon Yura’s lips.

“To see how close I’ve come to reaching the level of a Sword Force Realm master.”

“Heh heh!”

The masked man staring at Cheon Yura was past being dumbfounded—he felt almost hollow.

Even if she were the best late-stage prodigy in the world, comparing her to himself was absurd.

Let alone someone who didn’t even look to have reached her twenties—it was laughable, even pitiful.

“The information that the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult is flaunting her guts will fetch a high price.”

“It’s not arrogance, it’s confidence.”

“That’s exactly what arrogance is, you naive little brat!”

Unable to restrain himself, the masked man charged at Cheon Yura first.

A surge of blue sword qi erupted from his sword, violently sweeping toward her.

“Young Cult Leader!”

“Stand down, all of you.”

Her guards were already severely injured from the masked man’s first strike—it was a miracle they had survived at all.

They were now a burden, not a help.

Cheon Yura’s sword met the oncoming blade of the masked man.

Boom!

At the result, the masked man couldn’t hide his shock.

“Huh? She held out?”

Though both used sword qi, the difference in their level was obvious. In terms of output and cutting power, her sword shouldn’t have been able to match his.

Even if she somehow overcame all that, with her thin arms and slight frame, she should’ve been sent flying from the difference in raw strength.

And yet, she stood firm, like an immovable mountain.

“Surprised?”

Cheon Yura responded calmly, as if she’d anticipated his reaction.

“The Heavenly Demon Cult’s Divine Art doesn’t lose in ‘power’ to any other qi Cultivation under heaven. Not even when there’s a gap in level.”

“It seems so. I’ll admit—I’m slightly surprised.”

Shhhk—

“But don’t mistake that for winning.”

The masked man’s sword curved like a serpent and aimed straight for Cheon Yura’s heart.

This opponent was a seasoned veteran.

A moment of emotional disturbance was swiftly suppressed as he struck to exploit her opening.

A sudden blow ignoring all sense of cautious engagement.

She hastily swung her sword to deflect it, but couldn’t avoid having her shoulder slightly grazed.

“Kh!”

“Talent aside, inexperience leads to this result.”

The masked man relentlessly pursued the opening in her staggered form.

Cheon Yura countered with fierce strikes from the Heaven-Slaying Demonic Sword Art, but at each clash of swords, she kept losing ground.

There was only one reason why.

“As expected, without overturning the fundamentals, you’ve no way to beat me.”

Power, speed, technique, control of distance—everything.

Just as the masked man said, Cheon Yura couldn’t match him in the foundational aspects of martial arts.

The longer the fight dragged on, the more sweat gathered on Cheon Yura’s brow.

Thirty seconds passed.

Clang! Crack!

Finally, she couldn’t withstand the shockwave from his sword and her body was flung far back.

“Huff… Huff…”

She knelt on one knee, supporting herself with her sword.

Seeing her like that, the masked man’s gaze grew sharper with wariness.

“So, the Heavenly Demon Cult has been nurturing a Little Demon after all.”

For him, this was the highest form of praise.

“Among the core disciples of our main sect who’ve reached their thirties, none have ever lasted thirty seconds against me. But you, barely out of your teens, lasted that long.”

Of course, he had held back a little.

Capturing the Young Cult Leader would be an achievement far beyond anything else.

But even with that level of restraint, most experts would’ve already been subdued.

“He gave me the order to bring you in alive, but judging by your skill, if I don’t kill you now, you’ll return as a calamity.”

The Law Enforcement guards surrounded Cheon Yura, but the fight was already decided.

‘He said “he”?’

Cheon Yura’s eyes narrowed as she caught her breath.

That meant someone higher up than this man was infiltrating the cult?

“In ten years, there might not be more than ten masters in all of Murim who can handle you. In twenty, unless someone feeds you a deadly poison, there’ll be no stopping you.”

“Hahaha… at least your eyes work properly.”

“It’s because they work properly… that you must die today.”

The masked man began walking slowly toward her to finish the job.

“I’ll praise you for having the courage to face me without fleeing. Not that you could have run in the first place.”

“…I knew.”

“What?”

His steps faltered slightly at her words, spoken through ragged breath.

“I knew there’d be an expert I couldn’t handle… and that a trap formation had likely been set here. I expected it all.”

“You’re lying.”

His voice turned fierce.

“You knew all that and still walked into the jaws of death? Are you trying to prove you’re an idiot?”

“If you want to say I was wrong, then maybe it’s just a difference in opinion with ‘him’.”

“‘Him’?”

“Isn’t that right… Jin Yeomyung?”

Twitch!

The masked man’s head jerked backward.

And at that moment, a young man appeared at the grand entrance of the hall, pushing the doors open.

“You’re late.”

At Cheon Yura’s reproach, I answered with a gentle smile.

“I told you, didn’t I? They’re not wary of you because you’re the Young Cult Leader. It’s because of your worth as a person.”

“I’m still not dead.”

“If I’d been even a little later, you definitely would’ve been.”

“Well, I’m alive, so that means I win.”

At her stubborn logic, my lips twitched slightly.

When someone was stronger and outranked you, there was no arguing with that kind of brute reasoning.

I let out a soft sigh, and the masked man turned to glance at me, then spoke.

“Who are you?”

I gave a simple answer.

“Death.”

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