[Chapter 58]
After a long chase through the forest, Amchil finally saw the boundary of the woods.
'Just over there…!'
That's when it happened.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Argh!"
Boom!
Struck in one blow, Amchil flew through the air and crashed into a tree, coughing up blood.
The impact was as severe as his speed had been fast. Had the assailant not withdrawn their inner strength at the last moment, Amchil's heart would have burst, killing him.
"You're quite something, aren't you? For just a mere member, your skills are considerable. Is this what they call the prestige of a great house?"
"Cough!"
Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Amchil asked with a trembling voice, "Who… who are you?!"
"Me?"
Gadeuksang gave a sly smile.
"I'm the street sweeper, you little rat."
With that, he swung his foot.
Crack!
Struck on the temple, Amchil lost consciousness.
Gadeuksang looked down at Amchil with cold eyes.
"The things you guys do are quite amusing. I'm the type who likes to share fun things. I wish everyone in the central plains knew about this."
Sssk.
Two beggars carrying sticks appeared and picked up Amchil.
"What should we do, Huga?"
"What do you mean, what? Just tie him up with the others we've caught."
"But is that alright?"
"What is?"
"They're from a prestigious family, after all…"
"So what? Should we just let it go? Watch these bastards' antics and say 'oh dear, they're so powerful, we better tolerate it'?"
"…That's not what I meant."
"Enough with the nonsense, take him away."
"Yes, sir."
Huga was clearly furious. The beggars, fearing they might get caught in the crossfire, hurriedly took Amchil away.
Gadeuksang stood there for a while, glaring at the tree, then let out a sigh.
"Damn it. That fortune-teller is disgustingly skilled. Talking about changing times and spouting incomprehensible nonsense. Said I'd be running around so much I'd sweat through my soles starting this spring, and he was spot on."
He was extremely angry, but he wasn't driven by emotion alone. If he were that simple, he wouldn't have become Huga.
'There's no time. It's no different from when we were spies. If there's no contact from the Am Assassins, the great house will take its own measures.'
He wanted to explode with rage at the absurdity of it all, but he couldn't.
The Guju Great House is the supreme family. To accuse them with flimsy evidence could backfire terribly.
That would be a headache. Whether it's the Open Sect or the Yeon Family, they could face public backlash. The great house would surely become even more cautious.
More evidence was needed. Evidence so irrefutable that they couldn't touch us.
"Well, for now, let's see what remains after Young Master Yeon deals with the remnants…"
That's when it happened.
'…!!'
Gadeuksang looked to the east.
In the dark forest, a chilling breeze carried a deadly aura.
It was a familiar presence. Even though he wasn't the target, the ferocity felt like a massive beast, baring its fangs at his neck.
"…This bastard!"
Boom!
With urgency on his face, Gadeuksang executed the Open Sect's secret technique, the Thousand-Mile Autumn Breeze.
"I said capture, not kill!"
* * *
With a thunderous crack and a rumbling roar, a tree burst from its base and toppled over.
Even as the tree was destroyed, the speed did not decrease. A massive axe blade aimed for the flank, swooping in with deadly intent.
Swish!
Myeong Onji, with her agile martial arts, leapt into the air, narrowly avoiding the axe.
But she didn't stop there. Immediately after dodging, she kicked off a thick branch and swung her staff towards Yeon Hojeong's head.
It wasn't a killing blow. It was a staff technique intended to knock one out with a single strike.
At that moment, Yeon Hojeong's iron mace underwent a mysterious transformation.
It writhed like a snake, and the direction of the attack shifted elastically. The axe blade, which swung upwards, exuded a terrifying sense of oppression.
Urgency flashed across Myeong Onji's face.
The attack was so timely that she couldn't retract her hands. The energy behind the axe blade was too strong to deflect.
Whoosh!
Somehow, she twisted her body and retracted her staff technique, but the sharp axe blade swiftly sliced through her forearm.
Drip, drop!
Hot droplets of blood fell to the ground.
"Gah!"
Myeong Onji, now on the ground, turned pale.
'I've hit an artery.'
The wound was deep. Blood streamed out. It wasn't a bleed that could be stopped by mere pressure.
Vroom!
Yeon Hojeong was relentless. He closed the distance in an instant, attacking with an air of indifference to death.
Crash!
The axe shattered a small tree to pieces.
Boom!
Myeong Onji charged again.
She had intended to lure and subdue him appropriately, but it was no longer feasible.
Yeon Hojeong was not an opponent she could subdue with her abilities. Not only was his strength formidable, but his stamina was overwhelming.
Snap!
She pressed on a pressure point to forcibly stop the bleeding.
But there was a limit. If her internal energy continued to deplete, the pressure point would release on its own. Then the bleeding would resume.
Time was running out. She couldn't afford to die trying to capture her opponent.
Roar!
A chilling explosion echoed down her spine.
'Like a monster!'
Goosebumps covered her body.
Heavy weapons consume more internal energy than light ones. Relying on energy to offset the weight and maximize destructive power meant that energy consumption accelerated over time.
And stamina was also an issue.
No matter how well-trained a martial artist is, there's a limit to increasing stamina. Unless one has the internal energy of a Seven Great Families' head or a Nine Sects' leader, there's no way to compensate for the loss of martial power due to stamina issues.
But what about this man?
As if he possessed infinite stamina, he had taken down all the Dark Assassins and still wielded such martial arts. It seemed the power of his axe had only grown stronger since the beginning.
Bang! Crash!
It was as if lightning had struck.
Despite her fear, curiosity was irrepressible. Myeong Onji found herself looking back involuntarily.
'…!!'
Two or three trees were collapsing right where they stood.
No, 'shattered' was a more fitting description. Like a cavalryman made entirely of steel, he randomly smashed through trees as he charged.
It was a storm-like charge.
'Crazy!'
She broke into a cold sweat at the thought of having fought such a merciless foe.
It was the first time she hadn't recognized an opponent's skill at the first meeting. She couldn't even determine what martial arts he had mastered.
'Will I be caught? Wouldn't it be better to use the secret techniques now?!'
Fear ignited her desire. She wanted to unleash her hidden power and take him down immediately.
'…No. Not yet. It's a power that must not be revealed.'
Whish!
Myeong Onji increased her speed.
In an instant, Yeon Hojeong's eyes gleamed.
'I've been waiting.'
Thump!
He sliced through a small tree with a fluid strike and kicked it away.
Boom!
It was like an explosion. The tree, struck with tremendous force, flew straight towards Myeong Onji's back.
"Gasp!"
With such speed, it was hard to change direction. Myeong Onji turned and blocked the incoming tree trunk.
Crack! Thud!
"Ugh!"
Myeong Onji's body crashed through a tree and tumbled over.
"Hoo."
Yeon Hojeong also stopped his martial arts.
He seemed to have infinite stamina, but he was human after all. He had used the enlightenment of the Black Abyss to manipulate his energy and bolster his stamina, but he couldn't do so indefinitely.
He had caught her at just the right moment. With the beggars supported by Huga surrounding the entire forest, the fleeing Dark Assassins would have been captured as well.
Yeon Hojeong walked towards Myeong Onji.
Capturing Myeong Onji would end the situation. It was finally over.
That's when it happened.
Boom!
Yeon Hojeong's body was pushed back.
Whoosh!
A tremendous fighting spirit surged from the broken pile of wood.
Yeon Hojeong's eyes blazed with killing intent.
'…What martial arts is this?!'
Swoosh.
Myeong Onji, rising to her feet, had golden pupils shining brightly.
And that wasn't all. A powerful energy swirled in her hands.
"I didn't want to go this far…"
The swirling energy slowly seeped into her entire body. Her aura was completely different from before.
"But I have no choice. Better to kill than be captured."
Flash!
'Gasp?!'
Myeong Onji looked up to the sky in horror.
From there, a mass of killing intent was descending upon her.
Boom!
A beast-like strike lashed at her forearm.
Astonishingly, she crossed her arms to block the slash. The axe blade dug two inches into her arms but did not sever them.
It was almost invulnerable to blades and swords. Myeong Onji roared in defiance.
"You cur!"
Yeon Hojeong spun around and delivered a kick to her chest.
Boom!
Myeong Onji staggered back.
The power was immense. It was an attack strength unlike any before.
Myeong Onji couldn't believe it.
'What is this?!'
Not long ago, the Myeong family acquired the martial arts of the Jo clan.
Those martial arts were truly remarkable. They not only solved the lifespan issue of the Myeong family's martial arts but also enhanced their overall martial prowess.
It wasn't time to reveal them yet, but she was on the verge of being captured. She thought it better to kill than be captured, so she unleashed her secret technique.
But he had changed too.
More precisely, his temperament had changed.
Crack!
In just three steps, Yeon Hojeong closed the distance and swung his iron mace.
It was a merciless barrage. The axe swings were faster and more ferocious than before, pouring out tremendous killing intent.
'Eek!'
Crash! Bang!
Myeong Onji swung her arms, blocking the iron mace.
However, Yeon Hojeong's attacks became even more violent. Faster and more savage.
Bang! Crash! Thud!
"Gasp!"
Her arms, which had blocked the axe, were gradually getting shredded.
'How can this be!'
This was the martial art that had perfectly blocked even the moves of the great Yi Gong-ja. Yet, she couldn't fend off Yeon Hojeong's axe swings.
"Ugh!"
Thud!
"Aaah!!"
A scream finally burst from Myeong Onji's lips. The axe blade had blown her right arm off from the elbow.
Yeon Hojeong did not stop there.
'To kill!'
He had seen one of the family's monstrous martial arts.
The martial art of the giant who had smashed the family's plaque and shattered the main gate. The martial art of the Vajra Warrio,r who had charged through the fierce sword techniques of the Yeon family warriors with his bare body.
Seeing that martial art, her mind went blank.
Thud!
Tripping Myeong Onji, Yeon Hojeong stood over her, raising his axe.
Bang! Boom! Bang!
"Choke! Cough!"
Myeong Onji's body was gradually buried into the ground.
It was a brute force axe swing. In an instant, her entire upper body was drenched in blood. Her forearms, chest, shoulders—everywhere was marked by the axe.
Fear spread across Myeong Onji's face.
A mad murderer was trying to kill her with an axe. It was the most intense fear she had ever felt in her life.
"Sto-, stop! Stop, you bastard!"
Bang! Boom!
"Cough! Gag!"
Boom! Boom!
"Sa-, save me…"
"You didn't do so."
Yeon Hojeong raised his axe again.
Looking down at Myeong Onji, his face appeared monstrous.
"You didn't do so."
Then, from afar, Gadeuksang came running.
"Yeon Gong-ja! No!!"
He swung the axe with all his might.
Boom!