Chapter 398: Their Relationship (1)

“Who are you?”

Monstrous Sword Lord asked me again.

It was a similar question to earlier, but the meaning was entirely different.

Instead of answering, I swept a glance over the Golden Dragon Heavenly Sword Squad.

“Truly deplorable.”

“What?”

“To think there would be traitors even within the Golden Dragon Heavenly Sword Squad, the supposed pinnacle of the orthodox sects.”

“……!”

At the mere mention of the name ‘Heaven-Defying Society’, several of them visibly reacted.

It was only for a brief instant, but there were certainly some who flinched.

“Tr-traitor?”

“What kind of bullshit is he spouting?”

Naturally, the innocent ones with no connection to the matter looked at each other in confusion.

“Silence!”

As the atmosphere grew increasingly strange, Monstrous Sword Lord roared.

Rumble!

A powerful wave of qi immediately surged from Monstrous Sword Lord’s entire body.

“So you’re not someone we can reason with.”

Monstrous Sword Lord’s expression contorted grotesquely.

“You’ll pay the price for wagging that vile tongue and trying to divide us….”

“Are you one of the new Ten Heavenly Lords?”

“……!”

This time, Monstrous Sword Lord’s face truly stiffened, as he struggled to maintain a blank expression.

“This discomfort… You’re no mere collaborator.”

From Third Heavenly Lord Gam Unbi to the lowest-ranked Colorful Flower Lord.

That intense reaction my energy had towards them—Monstrous Sword Lord reacted the same way.

‘I’d prefer to capture him if possible….’

I had a gut feeling I could extract some very useful information through torture.

Even if it wasn’t related to the Heaven-Defying Society, I might still uncover internal secrets of the Murim Alliance.

“No need for further words!”

Perhaps realizing continued conversation was dangerous, Monstrous Sword Lord drew his sword and charged at me.

Gongson Sword Technique

Dual Transmutation Must Be Followed

True to his alias as the Monstrous Sword, his sword carved an intricate, bizarre flow that dominated the area.

‘Huh? This is…’

There were various layers, but two distinct streams stood out as the main flow.

And these two currents felt oddly familiar.

‘Yin and Yang?’

It could be likened to the Tai Chi of Mount Wudang, but that typically refers to macro-level balance.

This sword, on the other hand, had a clearly defined yin-yang nature as attributes.

‘Did the Gongson Clan’s sword techniques ever deal with such strong yin-yang properties?’

I had never heard of such a thing.

If they had, the Gongson Clan would have been a top contender among the Five Great Clans, shaking all of the Central Plains.

‘Ah, I see now.’

Dodging his attacks with my footwork, it didn’t take long before I realized why.

‘Residual Blood of the Yin-Yang Fist Demon!’

The man before me was clearly the successor of the Yin-Yang Fist Demon!

‘Now that I know, I can’t let him live.’

Sorry, Master, for undoing your hardship, but I couldn’t leave such power behind in the world of men.

“Attack!”

“Protect the Lord!”

As I drew the Ten Heavenly Record Immortal Sword, the Golden Dragon Heavenly Sword Squad—until now hesitant—rushed toward me.

‘Golden Dragon Heavenly Sword Squad….’

In my past life, they were the enemies who drove a sword into Yura.

The direct perpetrators were Han Mubaek and Gwan Hyun.

But the blades lodged in her body couldn’t have belonged to just the two of them.

‘Of course, the ones from then and these ones now aren’t exactly the same….’

Still, this time, I would sever one of the nightmares of my past.

The leader of the Yaksha Heavenly Blade Unit, Golden Yaksha Ho Il-gwang, died with his eyes wide open, unable to even shut them.

From that moment on, the Yaksha Heavenly Blade Unit collapsed entirely.

Having lost their leader, they could no longer be called Yaksha.

Led by Hyeol Jae, the Black Heavenly Water Assassination Unit drove the disorganized survivors to extinction.

Baek Sang-ah silently stared at the blade that had pierced Ho Il-gwang’s heart.

The technique that landed the final blow—

King-Slaying Blade, Moon Soul Strike.

The one who named that technique, which ignored the opponent’s defensive qi, was none other than So Cheon.

“Unni!”

“Ryonju!”

From a distance, Jegal Eun and Seo Muwon rushed over with dozens of escorts.

They had been absent from the battlefield as non-combatants, but the swift collapse had made the outcome obvious.

“You’ve done enough! Please rest now!”

“We’ll take care of the rest. Ryonju, quickly enter meditation.”

“No.”

Baek Sang-ah shook her head violently, then glared at Jegal Eun with gleaming eyes.

“Where is Young Master So Cheon?”

“…Pardon?”

“I asked you—where is he?”

“W-well… he’s in the rear, recovering from injuries…”

“Is that so?”

Jegal Eun, who had always respected Ryonju as her elder sister, sensed something strange in her expression.

Why was she suddenly looking for So Cheon after such an intense battle?

Jegal Eun couldn’t help but see a flash of her own mother’s face—when she had once charged toward the Patriarch of the Jegal Clan, who had committed adultery in the past.

“N-no, Unni, wait!”

“…?”

“You… You’re going to kill Young Master So Cheon, aren’t you? No matter how recklessly he acted, that’s going too far…”

“What are you talking about, Eun-ah?”

Baek Sang-ah let out a sigh and flicked Jegal Eun’s forehead.

“Ow!”

“As if I’d do something like that.”

“Th-That’s true, but….”

Did I imagine it, or did I just feel the will to grind So Cheon into dust?

In truth, it was indeed Jegal Eun’s imagination.

The fierce energy from the battlefield, filled with heat and murderous intent, hadn’t fully dissipated yet.

“Rear support, huh…”

Baek Sang-ah gazed somewhere toward the base of the mountain behind them.

The true rear base, the headquarters of the Black Lotus Hall, lay beyond that mountainside.

However—

“There he is.”

At the entrance of the mountain path. Within a stone’s throw from here, So Cheon was stealthily hiding.

“Huh? R-Really?”

“I don’t see anyone…”

Even Wisdom Talent Seo Muwon, who had reached Peak Master Level, hadn’t noticed the presence.

That was how well hidden it was.

Among everyone on this battlefield, only Baek Sang-ah had sensed So Cheon’s position.

“Huuup…”

Baek Sang-ah took a deep breath.

“I’m going to step out for a bit. You two hold the battlefield.”

“Ah, understood.”

“Leave it to us.”

Now that the Yaksha Heavenly Blade Unit had collapsed, the Evil Overlords of Heaven were essentially finished.

The nearby forces allied with the Evil Overlords of Heaven had started dispatching reinforcements upon noticing the fall of the Yaksha Heavenly Blade Unit, but the Black Lotus Hall had likewise sent in their main force to block their intervention.

Barring any unexpected developments, the Black Lotus Hall’s victory was virtually guaranteed.

Baek Sang-ah ran toward the rear without hesitation.

So Cheon, who had been sitting on a fallen tree trunk, came into view.

“……”

So Cheon did not avoid Baek Sang-ah.

If he had anything to feel guilty about, or if he were ashamed, he would normally have hidden himself away.

But for some reason, just this once, he faced her gaze with calmness.

Baek Sang-ah arrived before So Cheon.

“What are you doing here?”

“Watching.”

“Watching who?”

“You, my lady.”

“Why?”

“Because if it got dangerous, I was planning to save you.”

“Why?”

As she persistently pursued him with questions, So Cheon quietly countered her with one of his own.

“Do I need a reason?”

“Yes, you do.”

Baek Sang-ah nodded without hesitation.

This time, So Cheon asked her a question.

“Why?”

“Because I was taught since I was little never to accept favors without a price.”

Baek Sang-ah answered coldly on purpose.

But as soon as the words left her mouth, she felt disappointed in herself.

It wasn’t cold rejection, nor was it the kind of response that expected something from the other person. It was neither here nor there.

Yet—

Contrary to her thoughts, So Cheon responded with even more boldness.

“What if I want a relationship that doesn’t require compensation?”

Baek Sang-ah was at a loss for words.

The clarity she had longed for in the midst of battle—her mind going completely blank—had just occurred.

This wasn’t the time or situation she had wanted that to happen, but…

“Uh, that…”

“I know. That you liked that bastard.”

So Cheon rose to his feet and approached her.

Then, with his hand, he gently wiped the sweat and dust from her forehead.

“Even if I seem like I live carelessly, it doesn’t mean I’m clueless.”

“……”

So Cheon had survived that brutal House of Slaughter.

If he lacked awareness, he would’ve become a corpse buried somewhere in the House of Slaughter over a dozen years ago.

But after surviving, thanks to his birth mother who dreamed of avenging the former cult leader by surpassing the Hidden Shadow So Clan, So Cheon had donned a lazy mask.

He deliberately roamed outside, indulging in drinking and women, and bonded with the similarly debauched Jin Yeomyung.

Well, Jin Yeomyung had eventually changed so drastically it was like he became a different person, and So Cheon had lost a drinking buddy, but still.

“I don’t really understand why you fell for that delinquent from the Jin Clan…”

At those words, denying her judgment, Baek Sang-ah furrowed her brow.

“Do you want to die?”

It was a menacing line, yet oddly, there was no killing intent in her voice.

Because of that, So Cheon found the courage to say more.

“I’ll make you forget.”

“……”

“Please give me a chance.”

“W-Wait.”

I could feel his fingertips trembling slightly against my cheek.

More than anything, it was the first time So Cheon, whom I had known for years and spent so much time with, ever looked at me with such serious eyes.

I gently bit my lower lip.

Then I took his hand and softly lowered it.

And I spoke with composure.

“It’s still too soon for me to see you as a man, Young Master So Cheon.”

So Cheon’s expression darkened rapidly.

But after chewing over my words, he raised his head again.

“…Still?”

“To be honest,”

I sighed and continued.

“With your worst habits, always lying around doing nothing, acting however you please while ignoring other people’s will—how could I possibly see someone like that as a man? You just feel like a childish younger brother.”

“……”

So Cheon’s face grew even gloomier than before.

“So,”

Sseuk—

This time, I placed my hand on So Cheon’s cheek.

“Show me a different side of you.”

“Does that mean…”

“Show me a more manly side of you.”

“……”

“If you do, maybe I’ll start to see you a little differently.”

If I had no affection for him at all, I wouldn’t have said something like that.

Honestly, I couldn’t easily imagine a changed So Cheon…

But if he were to throw away the mask he’d worn for so long and show me a different self—

Then maybe, just maybe, it wouldn’t be so bad to reconsider.

“Understood.”

So Cheon nodded with a serious face.

“Manly side… Honestly, I’m not sure what that even means yet, but I’ll try.”

“Good.”

I nodded in satisfaction.

Watching someone change up close had its own charm.

“Manly… huh.”

So Cheon pondered what it meant to be manly.

In that moment, he recalled the teaching of his birth mother, the Lord of Slaughter of the House of Slaughter, Jeok Rua.

‘When the Clan Leader proposed to my mother, I’m sure…’

I’d heard he did it by offering the head of the Sect Leader of Jongnam.

Jongnam Sect, after all, was counted alongside the Wudang Sect as one of the main culprits behind the downfall of the Blood Cult.

‘Then I will…!’

With resolve, So Cheon raised his voice.

“I’ll be even more manly than the Clan Leader! I’ll bring back the head of the Murim Alliance Leader and propose to you again, my lady—!”

“That’s not the kind of change I meant!”

Thwack!

A kick of fury landed squarely on So Cheon’s shin.

‘W-Why!?’

Even as he felt the sharp pain in his shin, So Cheon remained bewildered.

Letting go of the common sense he’d built up in the House of Slaughter and the So Clan… So Cheon still had a long way to go.

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