Chapter 45: Chapter 45
Sa Do-cheol laced his fingers and spoke coldly.
“After tonight, only one person will remain in that village.”
Heh heh heh, heh heh heh. His blunt declaration drew chilling laughter from all around. Who that one person would be, no one needed to ask.
Seventh Young Master Mao.
Leave only him. Kill everyone else, down to the last.
As assassins, it had been a long time since they’d received such an exhilarating mission. Sa Do-cheol personally joining the hunt was itself extraordinary.
In that sense, this was a feast. A blood feast where they were guaranteed to be the victors.
All preparations were complete.
Sa Do-cheol glanced at Color Moon and Meteor Iron Legs in turn, then surveyed Wolha Village below the hill and gave the order.
“Bring Jang I-seo to me alive. The rest… turn it all into a sea of fire.”
Yes! The black-clad figures bowed in unison. Then, splitting into two groups flanking Color Moon and Meteor Iron Legs, they poured down the hill.
Caw, caw!
The crows’ cries remained, along with Sa Do-cheol alone.
*
FWEEE-
A fairly chill night breeze swept across Moonlight Lake.
A group appeared on the Rainbow Arch Bridge spanning the water. Color Moon Geum Hwa-bin in her striking black skirt, and her subordinates.
Unfortunately, these weren’t clumsy assassins. They were seasoned slaughter demons who did this sort of thing like eating meals.
Roles had already been assigned. Their steps were unhurried.
Meteor Iron Legs Dong-tak had taken the market district where the buildings clustered. Her assignment was right here.
The towering structure on the central islet of Moonlight Lake, standing alone like a fortress.
【Chiseonru】
Chwi Hong-ran’s stronghold. And Jang I-seo’s secret business.
Shlk. As Color Moon raised her hand upon reaching the entrance, the shadowing subordinates halted in unison. Assassin-like movement.
Color Moon ran her red tongue across her lips and surveyed Chiseonru from below.
From the lanterns to the eave tiles, every detail radiated refinement and excellence, befitting the name Chiseonru, the Pavilion of the Drunken Immortal.
“Hmm.”
Naturally, the Slaughterhouse hadn’t uncovered the full extent of Chwi Hong-ran and Jang I-seo’s complex relationship.
They knew only that Jang I-seo was a regular patron.
Coming here was purely Color Moon Geum Hwa-bin’s personal taste.
“I hear our junior is quite beautiful. Just thinking about it is unbearable.”
Her eyes rolled back, trembling with rapture. Her predilection wasn’t toward the same sex. To be precise, it was abuse.
Especially women like herself. Whenever she saw young, pretty ones, carving up their faces with a blade first was her wicked hobby.
Refocusing, she gestured left and right. Her subordinates scattered and surrounded Chiseonru. Color Moon’s target was the proprietress alone. The rest could be handled by the men waiting outside.
“Shall we, then?”
Creeeak.
Color Moon threw open the doors of Chiseonru.
* * *
Meanwhile, Meteor Iron Legs Dong-tak had headed for the market district. He surveyed the empty alley where two- and three-story buildings stood in tight rows, a satisfied smile on his face.
Jagged teeth showed through his wild beard, amplifying his savagery.
“Nice.”
Dong-tak loved scenes like this. Quiet and orderly.
He preferred breaking things in a clean room over a cluttered street. Smashing a well-groomed young master’s head brought him more joy than shattering a wild vagabond’s.
Because the destruction felt more exquisite.
In a word, a madman obsessed with breaking things.
That was Meteor Iron Legs Dong-tak.
“Heh heh heh.”
In that sense, his mood was peak right now. Soon, screams would fill this orderly landscape and flames would roar.
“Begin.”
At Dong-tak’s command, his subordinates nodded and infiltrated the buildings on both sides in teams of five.
BANG! CRACK!
The sound of doors and windows splintering. Dong-tak closed his eyes, savoring it like a favorite song.
“Hm?”
But where screams should have erupted at the crescendo, the melody cut off mid-phrase. No sound at all.
Frowning, he opened his eyes. The first team to enter was coming back out, looking bewildered.
“What are you doing?”
“Well… no one’s here.”
No one. What did that mean? Dong-tak eyed them coldly, signaling them to explain. Then the second, third, and fourth teams poured out one after another, shouting in unison.
“Nobody’s here!”
“The houses are empty!”
What? What kind of bullshit was this? Where had everyone gone in the dead of night? Dong-tak signaled the remaining men to check as well.
Dozens of black-clad assassins flooded into the other buildings like an ebbing tide.
But the result was no different. They all emerged empty-handed, shaking their heads. Truly empty.
“Hah. Did they get wind of this and run?”
That was the most logical conclusion. Otherwise, where would an entire village go at this hour?
Dong-tak trudged deeper into the alley, face twisted with disbelief. Eerie. Not a single soul in this entire village.
He’d come fully primed after hearing about Mak-gwi and Yo Do-sun’s deaths. To think they’d fled in terror. The anticlimax was so absurd he nearly laughed.
But at that moment.
“Smashing other people’s windows in the middle of the night is not acceptable!”
A thoroughly angry voice echoed from somewhere.
Dong-tak and his men stiffened, scanning left and right. Nothing. As Dong-tak was about to demand the source of the voice.
FWOOSH!
Torches ignited. The dark alley blazed bright in an instant.
He looked up.
On the rooftops of the surrounding buildings, countless figures stood among torchlight, bows drawn, encircling them.
“A-an ambush…?!”
Footstep, footstep.
From behind, a group marched forward with naked blades, heroic and grim.
“You’re…?!”
Dong-tak whipped around, startled.
A broad face with unusually wide-set eyes. An unforgettable face once seen.
“Who are you?!”
Absolutely no idea.
“I’m Mae-gi of the Black Dragon Faction! If you want to live, leave your lives here and quietly turn back!”
Black Dragon Faction’s Mae-gi? Who was that? Dong-tak looked at his men. They exchanged equally blank glances.
But more importantly.
“Leave our lives if we want to live?! What kind of contradiction is that!”
“Ah, you bastard! You really want to die! If you don’t want to become a pincushion, stop arguing and listen! Throw down your weapons. No, kneel and flatten yourselves on the ground!”
Mae-gi growled low, doing his best to hide his nerves. Dong-tak narrowed his eyes and studied the rooftops and the vanguard in turn.
On the surface, the situation looked bad. If he were a lesser fighter, the darkness, the enemy numbers, and the tension might have made him comply.
But,
‘These bastards.’
Grin. Dong-tak was a seasoned master who had reached the absolute realm long ago. One look was all it took. Full of bluster, or the real deal.
‘Can’t even draw a bowstring without trembling. Which means those up there are villagers who’ve never trained in martial arts. And the rabble in front has at least seen some blade work, but…’
“Kneel, I said!”
The clumsy bluster. The legs shaking like leaves. Third-rate at best, second-rate if generous.
If he went all out, he’d crack skulls and send them screaming to the afterlife by the dozen.
So.
“How dare you throw bluster in front of me!”
GRAAAAH! Dong-tak bared his hideous teeth and roared.
“H-huh?! No, this isn’t right.”
The enemy faltered, panicking. Seeing this, Dong-tak and the assassins grew even more emboldened.
“Get those bastards!”
“Yes!”
SHRING! The assassins drew their blades as one and charged.
“Hiiigh!”
How did they know? Mae-gi despaired. They’d been exposed before even attempting anything. But even if the bluff had worked, the overwhelming disparity in strength would have remained.
The real trump card was something else entirely.
“Come out, you bastard. What’s a man doing hiding?”
A tall, imposing figure walked out from among the Black Dragon Faction, rolling his shoulders.
Playful lips, but weighted eyes. A masculine, striking face topped with hair as red as the sun.
“You’re…?!”
Dong-tak’s pupils dilated.
“Oh, it’s me. The genius of Wolha Village.”
The good-for-nothing. No. The genius, Mao.
The Seventh Young Master had appeared.
* * *
– Several shi earlier.
Jang I-seo watched the Third Young Lady depart and let out a shallow sigh.
‘Today’s the day.’
He’d expected the Slaughterhouse to come sooner or later. But he hadn’t known it would be today.
He’d learned this only from Jin-san. From Sa Hae-ryeong.
Rustle…
Especially that bamboo forest rustling so conspicuously. It told him everything. She hadn’t come alone. She’d rushed here with her subordinates, mobilizing to intercept the Slaughterhouse.
A remarkably thoughtful gesture, unbecoming of a Demonic Cult heir. A smile touched his lips.
‘The more I see her, the deeper her heart runs.’
She’d been anxious about not being able to help, which was a stark contrast to someone else who hadn’t shown up at all. Right. He meant Guardian Dragon Hall Master Ji Dae-ho.
Naturally, he’d expected that.
Ji Dae-ho as an individual was one thing, but mobilizing the Guardian Dragon Hall meant the entire cult’s involvement. And that was likely something he wouldn’t want.
The pinnacle of the Demonic Cult.
The Heavenly Demon, Jin U-gwang.
When it had been only rumor, Jang I-seo had been uncertain. Now he was certain.
Gathering forces and swarming with numbers was the underworld’s way. Not the Heavenly Demon’s taste.
He was a man who practiced absolute supremacy above all.
He would never tolerate his heir hiding behind the cult instead of resolving his own household affairs.
Why? Because the Cult Leader had to be a godlike being capable of facing all of heaven and earth alone.
‘Which means tonight, this place is a stage for the Slaughterhouse and us alone.’
Jang I-seo let slip a chilling smile and walked over to where Mao and Maeng Hwi stood blankly. He spoke evenly.
“Sixth Young Master. Leave here now.”
A dismissal. Now that he knew today was the day, both of them had a choice to make.
“Huh? Me? Suddenly…? Why?”
Maeng Hwi recoiled, staring in bewilderment. Jang I-seo answered with the flatness of stating that the sun would set.
“Assassins are scheduled to raid this place tonight.”
“What?!”
“Whaaat?”
Both Maeng Hwi and Mao erupted with incredulous questions.
Assassins. But more than that… Maeng Hwi shot Mao a look that demanded to know if he’d known.
Naturally, he hadn’t. No one had told him. And there’d been no need to mention it beforehand. Jang I-seo summarized.
“Therefore, I must ask you to leave. If you stay and get hurt, I take no responsibility.”
“Ah, wait. But why assassins?”
“Why is not important. What matters is that only one of two things will see tomorrow morning’s sun. The assassins, or Wolha Village.”