Reaper of the Drifting Moon novel - Chapter 525

Chapter 525

They had the same target and moved in the same space, but the three assassins didn’t even think of cooperation.

The pride of Thunder Eye, Blood Rain and Death Shadow pierced the sky.

Because of this, no matter how difficult the task, they would never work together.

Today was no different.

All were chasing after Pyo Wol, yet the notion of collaboration didn’t cross their minds.

Thunder Eye was the one leading the pack.

His art of traceless assimilation was the pinnacle of stealth techniques.

It allowed him to reach the roof of Pyo Wol’s abode before Blood Rain and Death Shadow.

From atop a large crossbeam, he looked down at the room.

A strong, fleshy aroma permeated the room.

Thunder Eye knew exactly what that meant.

‘’Someone’s had sex’.

A woman was lying on the bed, bare-shouldered and exposed.

She was still panting as though she had just finished.

‘Hong Ye-seol!’

Thunder Eye immediately recognized the woman’s identity.

It was impossible not to.

Just three days prior, she’d held the esteemed position of the leader of Hundred Wraith union.

Before that, she had been one of them, a member of the Ten Blood Assassins

Even though the interactions between the Ten Blood Assassins were limited, at least they knew each other’s names and faces.

Especially, Hong Ye-Seol had been the leader of the Hundred Wraith Union, though only for a short time.

She could not be ignored.

That’s when it happened.

Hong Ye-Seol, who had been panting heavily, suddenly lifted her head and stared straight at the ceiling. Her gaze was directed right at Thunder Eye.

Thunder Eye furrowed his brows.

From her position on the bed, there was no way she could see him in his hiding place.

‘Coincidence…’

That was impossible.

In their ruthless world, there was no such thing as coincidence.

It was crystal clear that she knew he was there.

Suddenly, Thunder Eye felt a chill.

It was strange that the man who was supposed to be with Hong Ye-Seol was nowhere to be seen.

That’s when Hong Ye-Seol, who had been looking at Thunder Eye’s location, broke into a wide grin.

At her grin, as if she knew everything, Thunder Eye felt an icy chill, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him.

“You?”

Just as Thunder Eye was about to speak.

“Ugh!”

From somewhere, a faint moan could be heard.

A sound so faint that only someone with exceptionally keen senses could hear it.

The moment he heard the sound, Thunder Eye immediately identified the source.

‘It’s Death Shadow.’

There was only one thing that could make Death Shadow, an assassin as skilled as himself, groan out.

Being suppressed by someone else.

‘shit!’

Only then did Thunder Eye realize the gravity of the situation.

Why Hong Ye-Seol had smiled upon seeing him.

‘The reaper has made his move.’

Thunder Eye hastily got up and backed away.

The sneak attack had failed.

Somehow the Reaper had sensed their intrusion and was now on the move.

Then,

“Argh!”

Another groan echoed.

Thunder Eye also recognized the owner of this voice.

It was Blood Rain, a fellow assassin skilled in the art of killing.

Like any other assassin, Blood Rain had been trained in the discipline of silence.

During any mission, regardless of the situation, maintaining silence was a strictly enforced rule.

For Blood Rain to emit such a groan meant that the situation was dire.

‘Death Shadow first, now even Blood Rain?’

Had he not heard their groans firsthand, he would never have believed it.

There was no time to hesitate.

Thunder Eye swiftly escaped the building.

Without making a sound, he retraced the path he had infiltrated through.

Luckily, the Black Shadow Assassins failed to perceive his movement.

Once he escaped from the Sol Family Pavilion, Thunder Eye unleashed his Qigong with all his might.

‘I’ll get out of here first and regroup. Then I’ll come back after some careful planning.’

He berated himself for his impatience as he ran at breakneck speed.

Despite his swift movement, not even the fluttering of his clothes could be heard.

Ordinarily, having put some distance would have brought a sense of relief. But at this moment, Thunder Eye’s heart was pounding like crazy.

It wasn’t just because he was running at full speed.

His body was sensing danger even before his mind had registered it.

Thunder Eye didn’t make the mistake of ignoring his instinct’s warning.

He twisted his body to the left.

Thud!

At that moment, an almost invisible silver needle stuck into the spot where he was about to step.

It was a Soul Reaping Thread.

Thunder Eye turned his head and looked in the direction from which the Soul Reaping Thread

had come.

A silhouette ran towards him, keeping pace with his speed.

It was Pyo Wol, a man with a white, pale face that stuck out like a sore thumb even in the thick darkness.

‘The Reaper!’

Thunder Eye clenched his teeth.

His guess had come true.

In that short period of time, Pyo Wol had not only suppressed Death Shadow and Blood Rain but had also pursued him.

It was a movement that was impossible to comprehend logically.

A chill ran up his spine.

The intense sense of crisis made his lips parched dry.

His eyes met Pyo Wol’s.

The faint red glow in those deep black eyes seemed to pierce through him, as if laying bare all his thoughts.

Thunder Eye gave up on escaping.

He admitted to himself that he couldn’t shake off Pyo Wol with his Qigong. But that didn’t mean he would give in easily.

Shiit!

Thunder Eye charged at Pyo Wol at a terrifying speed.

The thunder king blade in his hand targeted Pyo Wol’s windpipe.

At that moment, Pyo Wol too, drew out a dagger from his waist.

It was the dagger made by Tang Sochu.

The pattern on the surface of the dagger, which was half an inch longer than the ghost blade, rippled like waves.

As Pyo Wol held the dagger in a reverse grip, it clashed with the thunder king blade.

Zjeong!

With a sharp metallic sound, sparks scattered in all directions.

Kkagagang!

Pyo Wol and Thunder Eye clashed over and over again.

They didn’t pause for a moment.

They ran through the bushes, climbed high into the trees and collided as they ran along a stream.

Even as they raced through the pitch-black forest without a trace of light, neither of them stumbled or lost their balance.

Darkness could not be a hindrance to them.

‘Was he always this strong? The Reaper!’

Thunder Eye’s face distorted.

Blood was seeping from the hand that held the thunder king blade.

The accumulated shock from the collision with Pyo Wol’s dagger had built up. It tore the palm of his hand.

This had never happened before.

Hssss!

Steam rose from Thunder Eye’s body, moving so fiercely in such a short span of time.

He couldn’t even remember the last time he had moved so fiercely.

A common trait of Assassins like Thunder Eye was the lack of stamina.

Assassins strive for “one-hit kill”

They would wait for days or weeks if needed, aiming for an opportunity to cut the breath off their target in a single blow.

The fate of an assassin was to kill or be killed in a single strike. Therefore, they tended to risk everything on their first attack.

Thunder Eye was no exception.

Most of his opponents lost their lives in one strike.

Thus, there was no reason to waste energy on second or third strikes. This led to Thunder Eye’s inherently weak stamina.

This was never a problem under normal circumstances, but when facing a formidable opponent like Pyo Wol, it became a serious weakness.

Pyo Wol was faster, stronger.

Despite moving so fiercely, his breath never faltered.

Like an adult watching the playful antics of a child, Pyo Wol looked at Thunder Eye.

Before his gaze, Thunder Eye felt insignificant.

Thunder Eye had to admit it.

Pyo Wol was indeed qualified to become the leader of Hundred Wraith Union.

However, he couldn’t easily surrender, his pride would not allow it.

“Haaa!”

For the first time, he let out a roar as he launched an attack on Pyo Wol.

Swoosh!

The thunder king blade cut through the darkness, attacking Pyo Wol.

He put every ounce of his energy into speeding up.

The Thunder King Blade sliced through the air faster than ever before. However, he still couldn’t make contact with Pyo Wol’s body.

Pyo Wol had also increased his speed.

Thunder Eye’s face distorted with frustration.

It was clear that Pyo Wol was toying with him.

As if mocking the magnitude of the gap between them.

Thunder Eye felt humiliated.

‘How dare he!’

Killing intent soared from his eyes.

Not a single person had ever looked at him like that, it had always been the other way round.

He was not someone who deserved such a look.

Thunder Eye concentrated his energy even more on the thunder king blade.

Swoosh!

A fierce wind swirled around Thunder Eye.

His speed had increased that much.

A typical person couldn’t track his movement with the naked eye. But to Pyo Wol, Thunder Eye’s trajectory was clear.

Unbeknownst to Thunder Eye, the moment he set foot in the Sol Family Pavilion, Pyo Wol had already noticed.

He might have deceived the Blood Shadow Assassins, but he couldn’t deceive Pyo Wol’s senses.

From the beginning to the end, Thunder Eye, Blood Rain, and Death Shadow were all merely dancing in the palm of Pyo Wol’s hand.

From their perspective, they had decided to test whether Pyo Wol was worthy of the Hundred Wraith Union, but in reality it was Pyo Wol who was testing them.

Blood Rain and Death Shadow were subdued without even realizing Pyo Wol was approaching. Thunder Eye had a sharper sense and managed to escape, but that was all.

If he was still the Pyo Wol of the past, subduing the three would have taken a considerable amount of time. That’s how great the capabilities of the three men were. But the current Pyo Wol was a different man.

After coming out to Kangho, he had consistently fought with powerful people.

Surviving countless brushes with death, his martial arts had continuously developed, and now he had established his unique realm.

He had reached a state that no assassin in the Kangho could reach.

As one can see all the surrounding landscapes when they climb to the top of a mountain, Pyo Wol, who had reached the pinnacle of being an assassin, Thunder Eye’s martial arts weren’t strange or new.

Whoosh!

Pyo Wol dived with a bent waist into Thunder Eye’s embrace.

The Thunder King’s blade aimed for his neck, but Pyo Wol deflected it with his dagger.

Clang!

With the clash of metal, the thunder king Blade was knocked away.

He landed a palm strike on Thunder Eye’s exposed chest.

Boom!

With a booming sound, Thunder Eye was sent flying back.

Pyo Wol increased his speed to catch up with him.

Even while being sent flying, Thunder Eye didn’t lose consciousness and counterattacked by swinging the thunder king blade.

But his counterattack was easily suppressed.

Pyo Wol grabbed his wrist and snapped it in the opposite direction.

Crack!

A snapping sound echoed as his wrist broke. But Thunder Eye didn’t scream.

Pyo Wol smiled at this.

It was a basic trait of an assassin. But that didn’t mean he would show mercy.

Boom!

Another palm strike exploded.

Thunder Eye could no longer endure it and vomited blood.

His chin and chest were stained red.

Even after vomiting, he didn’t feel relieved.

His limbs were weak, and he couldn’t stand up.

He lifted his pale face to look at Pyo Wol.

Pyo Wol sheathed his dagger and walked towards him.

His expression was unchanged. The figure approaching him didn’t look like a fellow human being at all.

“Tsk!”

Someone revealed himself from behind Pyo Wol, clicking his tongue.

The old man with a face full of black moles was none other than Sal-no.

Belatedly, Sal-no had rushed over with the Black Shadow Assassins.

Blood Rain and Death Shadow were unconscious, held captive by the Black Shadow Assassins.

Sal-no spoke to Thunder Eye.

“So, you guys didn’t believe me and made a move. Well, how does it feel to confront the Supreme Leader?”

Thunder Eye didn’t say a word and just gulped down saliva.

Pyo Wol just looked down at him without saying a word.

He didn’t feel humiliated anymore.

Because he had confirmed the difference between himself and Pyo Wol with his own body.

Kneeling on one knee, Thunder Eye spoke.

“I, Thunder Eye, pay my respects to the Leader of the Hundred Wraith Union.”

He acknowledged Pyo Wol as the Supreme Leader of the Hundred Wraith Union.