chapter 131

Everyone Carries a Grudge in Their Heart (2)

Someone’s blood splashed into her eyes.

The blood made the whole world look red, but Han So cheon didn’t blink.

Thud, thud, thud!

The ground shook as if an earthquake had occurred.

More than a hundred horses raced towards her with the terrifying momentum of a storm.

The heavy horses were weapons in themselves. Add to that the martial prowess of the Phantom Armored Cavalry and the exquisite cavalry formation. They were in their element, showcasing their full power.

If the forest had been intact, she could have used it as cover for an ambush, but unfortunately the forest had been burned to the ground and there was nowhere to hide.

It was the worst possible scenario for Han So Cheon, an assassin.

She was not accustomed to such direct confrontations. However, that did not mean she wanted to just sit idly by and take it.

Han So Cheon crouched low.

Gliding close to the ground like a swallow skimming the water’s surface, she swung her sword.

Horses screamed and fell as Han So Cheon’s blade sliced through their legs. But the Phantom Armored Cavalry was not just going to take it lying down.

“Trample the bitch with the horses.”

Boom boom boom!

The horses stomped their hooves towards Han So Cheon, who was approaching under their bodies.. The hooves, fitted with horseshoes, wielded the power of giant hammers.

Huge holes were punched into the ground. It was no longer feasible to hide under the horses for surprise attacks.

Eventually, Han So Cheon gave up on hiding under the horses and propelled herself into the air. The Phantom Armored Cavalry swung their swords at her as she did.

Clang, clang, clang!

Sparks flew as swords clashed.

It was a fleeting sword fire that bloomed and faded in an instant.

Ordinary martial artists couldn’t even see the sword fire that sparked at the moment of the swords’ collision, let alone sense it.

Only those who had reached a certain level of mastery could see the sword fire, and its appearance signified a deadly battle.

Han So Cheon had staked everything on this fight.

Abandoned by her comrades, she had no other options left. Pushed to a dead end, she forgot even her fear and gave it her all.

“Ugh!”

A martial artist from the Phantom Armored Cavalry was fatally wounded by Han So Cheon’s sword and fell from his horse. Han So Cheon stepped on the back of the horse that had lost its rider to move forward. But the Phantom Armored Cavalry didn’t let her rampage freely.

Swoosh!

A sword charged with sword energy targeted her vital points.

It was a strike faster and more powerful than Han So Cheon had anticipated. Unable to muster the courage to dodge, she raised her sword to block the front.

Clang!

With a clear metallic sound, Han So Cheon was sent flying backward.

A trickle of blood flowed from the corner of her mouth. She had sustained internal injuries.

Such was the enormous force behind that strike.

The one who had launched the strike at Han So Cheon was Sang Gwan Cheong, known to possess the most formidable martial prowess within the Phantom Armored Cavalry.

Sang Gwan Cheong was a veteran of many battles. Though he hadn’t become the leader of the Phantom Armored Cavalry due to personal circumstances, his martial prowess was known to be on par with the cavalry’s leader.

With a single strike, Sang Gwan Cheong halted Han So Cheon’s frenzy and shouted,

“Flying Goose Slash!”

Instantly, the formation of the Cavalry changed.

To cut down a flying goose, a meticulous net needed to be spread. That was how the Phantom Armored Cavalry’s formation was arranged.

Those in the rear prepared their bows instead of swords, ready to attack Han So Cheon at any moment.

Han So Cheon clenched her teeth.

She had lured them into a melee to prevent them from regrouping, but Sang Gwan Cheong’s intervention turned everything to naught.

Crash!

Sang Gwan Cheong did not give Han So Cheon any time to think and continued his assault.

Not only was his martial arts powerful, but he was also skilled in operating the cavalry formation. He constantly shifted the formation, giving Han So Cheon no chance to adapt.

“Ha!”

Eventually, Han So Cheon gasped for breath.

Her actions had cost the lives of a dozen martial artists from the Phantom Armored Cavalry. But she, too, had sustained serious injuries in return.

So much blood was lost that her mind was dizzy, and everything appeared red.

Strength kept draining from her limbs.

Her entire body ached and felt exhausted.

She desperately wanted to just lie down and rest.

Using her sword as a stand, Han So Cheon stood and faced the Phantom Armored Cavalry.

The Phantom Armored Cavalry, thinking they had caught their prey, surrounded her but did not attack further.

Indeed, Han So Cheon no longer had the strength to resist.

Her energy was depleted, and fresh blood continuously flowed from the wounds.

For an ordinary person, it wouldn’t have been surprising if such injuries had already been fatal.

The fact that Han So Cheon was still clinging to consciousness despite such severe wounds was almost miraculous.

Han So Cheon found her own resilience astonishing.

Giving up would have made everything easier.

From the world that tormented her.

From the missions where she had to kill others without knowing why.

From the hostility of a world that seemed to reject her existence. Death was her only escape.

She had never feared death.

She had contemplated suicide several times, even attempting it. She had not succeeded, but mentally, she had been dead for a long time.

‘But why am I struggling so hard to live?’

Han So Cheon looked at the sword in her hand.

Her body was battered, yet she gripped the sword with desperation.

She couldn’t understand why.

Then, someone made their way through the Phantom Armored Cavalry and stepped forward.

It was Gwan Il Hyeon.

Gwan Il Hyeon walked up to Han So Cheon and suddenly swung his sword.

Swoosh!

In an instant, Han So Cheon’s sword was cut in half.

Gwan Il Hyeon was Jin Gwang Hon’s second disciple. His martial arts had surpassed the peak, approaching an absolute realm. To others, it might have seemed like a simple sword swing, but it contained immense energy.

No matter how successful Han So Cheon had been as an assassin, her skills couldn’t compare to Gwan Il Hyeon’s.

Han So Cheon stared blankly at her sword, now in two pieces.

Then, Gwan Il Hyeon said,

“Kneel.”

‘No!’

Han So Cheon shook her head.

She had knelt countless times before.

To the world that oppressed her, to the authority of the Jade Heaven Alliance…

She didn’t want to kneel anymore.

Swoosh!

At that moment, Gwan Il Hyeon swung his sword again.

A fountain of blood sprayed from Han So Cheon’s calf. She had sustained a deep wound.

Han So Cheon staggered.

Yet, she forced herself to stand, using her remaining good leg as support.

Gwan Il Hyeon’s lips twisted.

Han So Cheon’s defiance irked him.

Swoosh!

He swung his sword again. This time, a deep wound was inflicted on Han So Cheon’s opposite calf.

Eventually, Han So Cheon could no longer stand and fell to her knees.

Gwan Il Hyeon looked down at Han So Cheon, who had knelt.

“Bitch!”

Disdain filled Gwan Il Hyeon’s eyes, as if he were looking at a bug.

Indeed, Gwan Il Hyeon despised assassins like Han So Cheon.

Gwan Il Hyeon extended his hand, and one of the martial artists from the Phantom Armored Cavalry handed him a dagger, its blade filled with saw-like teeth.

Gwan Il Hyeon stabbed Han So Cheon’s shoulder with the dagger.

Thud!

“Ah!”

It wasn’t a cut but a tear.

Even for someone as accustomed to pain as Han So Cheon, the agony was unbearable.

Gwan Il Hyeon reached out his hand again, and another similar dagger was handed to him.

He stabbed Han So Cheon’s other shoulder with the dagger.

“Ah!”

Han So Cheon’s scream echoed through the air.

Gwan Il Hyeon indifferently watched Han So Cheon and spoke.

“You do not deserve to live.”

“Ugh!”

“You are a pest. No, worse than a pest.”

Again, Gwan Il Hyeon plunged the dagger into Han So Cheon’s hand.

The flesh was torn apart as if bitten by a shark’s teeth, a pain no human being could endure.

“You, who prolong your own life by killing others, are nothing but harm to this world. You’ve never lived a life of your own initiative, you’re just another weapon, and it would be better for this world if you were to disappear.”

Han So Cheon looked up at Gwan Il Hyeon with bloodshot eyes.

Gwan Il Hyeon’s words hurt her more than the dagger.

His words denied her very existence.

“I am…”

“Shut your mouth. Who allowed you to speak?”

Thud!

Gwan Il Hyeon stabbed Han So Cheon’s body with the dagger again.

Cough!

Han So Cheon, lying face down, coughed up blood.

Her chin and chest were completely stained with blood.

She no longer felt pain from her wounds.

Han So Cheon wished she could lose consciousness, but cruelly, her mind still clung to awareness.

Gwan Il Hyeon reached out his hand again, and another dagger was handed to him.

This time, it was a normal-looking dagger without serrated edges.

Gwan Il Hyeon pressed the dagger against Han So Cheon’s ankle. Cutting the tendon would leave her permanently crippled.

“You will not die. Dying would be too easy for you. I’ll sever all your limbs’ tendons and throw you into a brothel. You will be the arsehole of men until you die.”.”

Gwan Il Hyeon’s eyes blazed with madness.

He had no intention of letting Han So Cheon die easily. She had to pay the price before her death.

Gwan Il Hyeon’s dagger slowly dug into Han So Cheon’s ankle. If he pulled it across, she would never be able to use her foot again.

Just as Gwan Il Hyeon was about to cut through her ankle.

Whiz!

A faint sound of cutting through the air echoed.

Instinctively, Gwan Il Hyeon dropped the dagger and drew the sword at his waist, swinging it.

Clang!

In an instant, with a sound like roasting beans, sparks flew from his sword as something fell to the ground.

‘Hidden weapons?’

At Gwan Il Hyeon’s feet, three small darts were rolling on the ground. They had been deformed by striking his sword, their tips blunted.

Buzz!

The palm holding the sword vibrated intensely. The force within the darts was stronger than he had anticipated.

“Who is it?”

Gwan Il Hyeon shouted towards the direction from which the darts had come.

The Phantom Armored Cavalry also drew their swords, and watched the direction from which the darts had been fired.

Suddenly, something descended silently from the sky towards Gwan Il Hyeon.

It was a man clad in a brown robe.

The sword in the man’s hand sliced through the air, emitting a sinister sound.

Swoosh!

“Is this a direct confrontation?”

Gwan Il Hyeon’s eyes flashed menacingly.

He had underestimated the attacker.

He was not a man to be fooled by such a simple trick. Whatever the identity of the attacker, it was clear they wanted Han So Cheon. Otherwise, there would be no reason to distract him like this.

Instead of countering the attack, Gwan Il Hyeon grabbed Han So Cheon’s neck, using her as a shield.

It was a vicious strategy. If the man didn’t stop his attack, it would be Han So Cheon who would suffer.

Gwan Il Hyeon expected the attacker to hesitate. However, the response exceeded his expectations.

Swish!

Suddenly, from his sleeve, a long, black object shot out like a viper, wrapping around Han So Cheon, pulling her away. Gwan Il Hyeon, caught off guard, lost his grip on Han So Cheon.

“How dare you!”

Anger flashed across Gwan Il Hyeon’s face.

In that brief moment, the man who had snatched Han So Cheon was escaping into the sky with her on his back.

The Phantom Armored Cavalry launched an attack at the man.

Though they didn’t know his identity, their pride wouldn’t allow them to stand idly by as Han So Cheon was taken.

Swoosh!

The Cavalry’s attack concentrated on the man.

In that instant, the man holding Han So Cheon flipped his body and swung his sword.

Woosh!

Suddenly, a red energy swirled around his sword, crashing down towards the Phantom Armored Cavalry.

Boom!

“Ahh!”

“Gasps!”

The immediate area was devastated, and about ten martial artists from the Phantom Armored Cavalry were flung in all directions.

“What?”

Gwan Il Hyeon’s eyes widened.

The limbs of the Phantom Armored Cavalry martial artists directly hit by the man’s sword were grotesquely twisted. A single strike had incapacitated about ten peak martial artists, rendering them unable to resist.

“Who are you?”

Gwan Il Hyeon demanded of the man. However, the man’s gaze wasn’t on Gwan Il Hyeon but on Han So Cheon, whom he was carrying.

Han So Cheon, carried on the man’s back, barely managed to lift her head to see his face. And then she realized.

The reason she had struggled so hard to live.

“Gwak…..Oraboni!”

It was to see his face just once more.