"…It seems my judgment was shortsighted. I never imagined the uninvited guest would still refuse to leave."
Gwiyeong Sin-tu let out a deep sigh. At the same time, unfamiliar footsteps sounded from outside the cave.
Footsteps as light as an assassin's tread. Following them, several small metal beads with holes bored through them came rolling in through the thicket covering the cave entrance, flowing like water.
Thunk. Thunk.
The beads struck the cave floor, letting out dull metallic sounds. From the countless holes in their surfaces, a faint purple smoke began to spew.
I quietly watched the smoke start to fill the narrow cave, then slipped behind Tang So-wol.
"Hmph. Poison."
"Yes. It's poison."
"What shall we do, young miss?"
"Given the circumstances, it must be the poison of the assassins who were chasing Elder Gwiyeong Sin-tu. I was curious about Assassin Valley's poison, so this works out well."
Tang So-wol stepped on the beads rolling across the floor with a composed expression.
They weren't all that sturdy, so they crumbled easily, and the contents that flowed out were the only thing inside.
The poison smoke that had been seeping out little by little spread in all directions in an instant… but then it began to be unnaturally absorbed into Tang So-wol.
At that bizarre sight, Gwiyeong Sin-tu let out a hollow laugh.
"I had no worries about you being poisoned, since you're a martial artist of the Tang Clan, but I didn't expect it to be to this extent."
"I'm a bit of an unusual case even within my own clan. …In any case, that's quite a vicious poison."
I asked Tang So-wol, who was furrowing her brow.
"What kind of poison is it?"
"A poison that spreads by burning something and dispersing it as smoke is convenient, but its power is bound to be weak. It's hard to concentrate, and there are limits to the combination."
Tang So-wol said this as she pulled two small bottles of Blood Poison Wine from her bosom.
The higher the quality, the smaller the Blood Poison Wine, so at this size, it was nearly top-grade.
It was an item that would have been hard to obtain if not for the Tang Clan, which valued poison antidotes as much as Poison Application.
"So it seems they gave up on direct killing power and focused only on inflicting pain. Although it's a poison derived from plants, it could be dangerous for young hero Cheon, who hasn't been building up resistance to Crane Spirit Grass for long, so be sure to keep it in your mouth. Gwiyeong Sin-tu, you as well."
"Understood."
"It's been a while since I've seen Blood Poison Wine. Thank you."
I placed the Blood Poison Wine in my mouth and rolled it under my tongue so I wouldn't accidentally swallow it.
I drew the sword I had sheathed moments ago and tensed my body just enough to be ready to swing it at any moment. Seeing this, Gwiyeong Sin-tu was startled and tried to stop us.
"Wait, wait just a moment. Surely you're not thinking of fighting? I appreciate the chivalry, but I can't let young men like you die caught up in this old man's troubles."
With a resolute expression, Gwiyeong Sin-tu handed us the secret manual and the wooden box that had been placed in the cave.
"This is the Glacier True Energy of the North Sea Ice Palace. You handle this as you see fit, but do not take the spiritual medicine under any circumstances. Head to the Murim Alliance and relay everything I've told you. …Their target is me, so I'll buy you as much time as I can."
I accepted the secret manual and the wooden box, tucked them into my bosom, and shook my head.
"We'd like to, but as you know, Assassin Valley and the Tang Clan are practically sworn enemies. I doubt they'd let us go just because we ran."
There was a long-standing grudge between Assassin Valley and the Tang Clan. It had started when Assassin Valley first framed the Tang Clan for their own assassinations.
But after so many years of fighting, each side had nurtured the other's hatred until now they would try to kill each other on sight.
Of course, the difference in their fighting strength was beyond comparison, so if Assassin Valley's location had been revealed, they would have been exterminated long ago…
But since they kept their main headquarters so well hidden, the conflict between the two continued to this day.
It was a famous story, so Gwiyeong Sin-tu must have known it well. He looked as if he wanted to say something, his face full of worry, but in the end he pressed his lips tightly shut.
But it wasn't as if we had no thoughts on the matter either.
Tang So-wol, who had absorbed the poison from all the beads, narrowed her eyes and stared at the bushes at the cave entrance. She was watching the faint presence she could feel from beyond them.
"Elder Gwiyeong Sin-tu may be old and injured now, but he is clearly a Transcendent Peak master. Naturally, they would have sent assassins of that caliber… Could it be that the Slaughter King himself joined the pursuit?"
"That's not it. As I recall, it was five Slaughter Ghosts and several first-rate assassins."
A Third-Rate assassin of Assassin Valley can kill a Third-Rate martial artist, and a first-rate assassin can take down a first-rate martial artist.
Those capable of assassinating Peak Realm martial artists are called Slaughter Ghosts, and above them exists only the Slaughter King—the master of Assassin Valley, who can quietly cut down even Transcendent Peak experts.
In other words, that meant five Peak Realm fighters and several first-rate martial artists.
On the surface, the odds were against us. Gwiyeong Sin-tu's body couldn't fight for long, and the only Peak Realm fighter on our side was the Vice-Captain of the Poison Blood Squad. However.
"At that level, my poison will work on them, so it's worth a try. Please don't step forward on my behalf, and just in case, keep the Blood Poison Wine you gave me in your mouth at all times."
We had Tang So-wol. And thanks to the Gongjin Pill I took earlier, I had risen to a level that could be called the early stage of the Peak Realm.
Leaving behind the stunned Gwiyeong Sin-tu, Tang So-wol thrust her palm toward the cave entrance.
Bang!
The poison energy, carried on that wind pressure, rushed outward. And then.
"Kuaaak!"
"Keuk!"
As if the two assassins hiding near the entrance had been about to spring out the moment someone emerged, unable to bear the agony of the poison mist, they collapsed with pained groans.
Seizing the opening, the Vice-Captain of the Poison Blood Squad dashed outward with his Lightness Skill.
"I'll go ahead and secure the path."
A short remark. Then, just as when Tang So-wol and I had entered to the sound of a clamorous battle, we stepped outside together.
There, the Vice-Captain, who had gone out first, was relentlessly scattering poison toward the masked assassins.
Whether he was truly using the poison he'd brought without restraint, in an instant, poison energy filled the valley floor.
The assassins of Assassin Valley also handled poison and had their own resistance, but… their depth could only be shallower than the Tang Clan's.
Unable to easily close the distance, the assassins hesitated, as if breaking through this much poison energy was beyond them.
Of course, they had no intention of retreating just like that—some began to scale the walls to bypass the poison energy pooled at the valley floor.
Needless to say, breaking through a steep wall relying solely on Lightness Skill is no easy feat.
The ones pressing in two by two from both sides had a faint Aura befitting assassins, but their movements were clearly extraordinary—they were unmistakably Peak Realm.
"I'll hold the Slaughter Ghosts coming in from the left."
"Then I'll handle the first-rate assassins alongside the Vice-Captain."
Tang So-wol answered as if it were only natural, then turned to look at Gwiyeong Sin-tu, who was standing precariously on the one remaining leg behind her.
"Elder…"
"…In a situation like this, I can't very well retreat on my own. I may be reluctant to take lives, but I have no intention of sparing my Killing Move against those who call themselves ghosts and have abandoned their humanity."
He nodded once, then split into three and headed for their respective positions.
Almost at the same moment I arrived, two Slaughter Ghosts passed through the wall and landed on the ground.
Their indifferent eyes, revealed through the gaps in their masks, fixed on me. A lifeless gaze that didn't see people as people. It was something I was all too familiar with.
One of the Slaughter Ghosts—the one holding a sickle-shaped blade, a Chain Scythe—spoke up.
"No matter how skilled the Tang Clan may be, I have no taste for killing a rising talent who isn't even our target. Step aside now, and I'll spare your life."
"If you're the one who should be talking, then offer your neck quietly and I'll cut it cleanly without pain."
"…Are you insane?"
"Not insane enough to trust an assassin's promise to spare my life."
"Tch."
He'd tried to shake me with words, judging by my appearance alone, but when that failed, he clicked his tongue.
Who would believe the words of those who, when it suited their mission, would kill unarmed civilians—even children and women—without a moment's hesitation?
The Slaughter Ghost holding the Chain Scythe Blade exchanged a glance with his companion beside him, then charged straight at me.
The other one was circling around to the side—so it seemed they intended to leave me to the Chain Scythe fellow and head straight for Gwiyeong Sin-tu.
He was deliberately suppressing his Aura, but I hadn't expected him to move so predictably.
I curled the corners of my mouth into a grin and charged head-on at the Chain Scythe wielder rushing at me from the front.
At the same time, I unleashed the internal energy of the Crazy Wolf Life-Stealing Art, focusing sharply refined killing intent on the opponent before me.
"What the—!"
His breath caught in his throat from the suddenly swelling Aura and intense killing intent. The bastard halted mid-charge, frozen.
I swung my sword at the now defenseless Slaughter Ghost. Since this would be a short, decisive battle anyway, I poured my internal energy into it without holding back.
Though my body couldn't yet endure it, limiting the internal energy I could wrap around myself, my sword was a different matter.
Whoosh.
A crimson current rose above the blade as it split the air.
The blurry Sword Qi quickly stabilized, then gradually began to deepen in color.
By the time it had turned a red so thick it was nearly blood-colored, the Slaughter Ghost, having barely regained his stance, hurriedly swung his Chain Scythe Blade.
Clang!
But perhaps it was impossible to perfectly counter with a hastily swung weapon and hastily summoned Sword Qi.
His posture crumbled, and his body tilted to one side.
"How?!"
A look of shock filled the Slaughter Ghost's previously impassive eyes. He seemed startled by the killing intent that had been constricting him moments ago, and then startled once more by the unmistakable Sword Qi.
But this wasn't the end. I had to finish this completely before the other one noticed something was wrong and launched a coordinated attack.
The Sword Qi of the Crazy Wolf Life-Stealing Art was in no way inferior to a divine art in terms of power, but instead of pressing the attack, I quickly withdrew it and prepared for the next strike.
I thrust my sword toward the opening revealed by his crumbling posture.
"Kuh!"
The bastard managed to block it somehow with the curved blade, taking advantage of the Chain Scythe Blade's unique design.
Perhaps realizing he couldn't continue like this, he chewed on something in his mouth, then spat it out like a wad of saliva.
"Ptui!"
A thin needle flew toward my eyes. I hadn't expected him to keep something like that in his mouth, but I'd sensed the faint killing intent gathering at that spot, so I could react in time.
I tilted my head to the side, and the needle grazed past my earlobe.
At the same time, I withdrew my sword and swung it again toward the now even larger opening.
Clang!
The Slaughter Ghost managed to block it this time as well, but he'd only held out for a single exchange—nothing fundamental would change.
Being able to use Sword Qi meant I could now pit my sword against weapons wrapped in Sword Qi.
And the gap in skill between me and him was clear.
One exchange. Two exchanges. Three.
Sometimes I used the explosive power of the Crazy Wolf Life-Stealing Art to press him down in an instant, sometimes I endured a cut to the surface to strike at a vital point, and sometimes I used the Principle of Adhesion to turn the Chain Scythe Blade's unusual shape against him.
With every exchange of swords, the Slaughter Ghost was pushed further onto the defensive, his small wounds piling up.
Of course, he hadn't just been taking it lying down.
He fired hidden weapons stashed here and there, threw poison-soaked sand, and sometimes charged in with the resolve of Sacrificing Flesh to Shatter Bones, trying to overturn the tide of battle.
But every one of those tricks was read and rendered useless.
It was only natural. An assassin's martial art exists to kill people. And to me, martial arts were nothing more than techniques for killing people.
Since our fundamental attitude toward martial arts was the same, his attempts to create variables were all too familiar to me.
With even a faint trace of killing intent radiating from him, there was no way I could hold back and let him land a hit.
A moment of carelessness. He latched onto the opening shown by a single mistake with relentless tenacity, like a wolf hunting its prey.
By the time we had exchanged eight moves—
Swerak.
The Slaughter Ghost's head was severed and tumbled across the floor.
Then, turning away from the one heading toward Gwiyeong Sin-tu, I grinned at the other Slaughter Ghost charging at me.
"Next."