Chapter: 586
Crack-!
“……!!”
One arm breaks.
And in a most abnormal way.
There’s not even a hint of hesitation in bending the right arm.
When my wisdom teeth were pulled, I screamed out of surprise; but this time, I held it in.
Ignoring my trembling shoulders, I try to move somehow.
That was impossible.
“I figured you were a lefty, so I broke your right arm.”
“…!”
The masked man flinched at the sound of the voice.
The opponent realized that he was left-handed.
When on earth did he figure that out? I’ve never even held a sword.
I want to bite my lip from the pain, but I can’t.
He’s preventing me from closing my mouth.
“Ugh… argh….”
“I have a few questions for you. You can take your time with the answers.”
There’s a hint of laughter in his voice.
That just made it even creepier.
“First.”
With the sound, I feel a sensation on the remaining index finger of my left hand.
The opponent is gripping my finger.
“What kind of person are you?”
The pressure in my mouth loosens slightly.
He must’ve let go just enough for me to speak.
Thus, the masked man replied.
“I… think I will talk….”
Crack.
“…Gah!”
The index finger bends.
“Second.”
There’s no hesitation for me here. My middle finger gets the same grip.
“Why were you watching?”
“Ugh… hnn…”
Crack-!
“Ugh!”
With no answer, pain strikes immediately.
This time, it wasn’t a mere bend.
It was a sensation of being crushed completely.
The bones shattered. I could feel it vividly.
There wasn’t even time to register the pain. It was my ring finger next.
“Third.”
To the same indifferent voice echoing in the air.
“Gah… heh heh….”
The masked man chuckles.
Upon hearing that laugh, I momentarily freeze.
Silence stretches out.
“Why are you laughing?”
For some reason, there’s a hint of interest embedded in the voice asking the question.
The masked man keeps on laughing upon hearing this.
“…heh… how can it not be funny…”
“Yeah, keep talking. What’s so funny?”
“…The righteous bastard… who claims to protect justice and harmony… can act so cruelly…”
“Oh.”
A gasp of admiration resonates.
“Do you know who I am?”
“I… know well.”
The masked man raised his head to look at the young man.
Brilliantly glowing blue eyes.
Fierce gaze with deep black hair.
Though his eyes are sharp, they feel utterly devoid of emotion.
The masked man realizes.
He doesn’t see me as a human being.
I’m perceived like a beast. I can tell that’s how he sees me.
Could he honestly be a member of the righteous faction?
I ponder this doubt, but the truth is he indeed belongs to the righteous faction.
“…Gu Yangcheon of the Shanxi Clan…”
He was the protagonist of a rumor that heated the Central Plains a few years back for just a fleeting moment.
That young man was he.
His appearance has changed quite a bit, but thanks to the information, I remain assured.
“Hmm.”
Hearing that, Gu Yangcheon lets out a brief sound.
He may recognize me, but there’s another meaning concealed in the words.
“Then, you’re not part of the righteous faction?”
“Heh… heh heh… righteous and demonic… anyway, you guys set all the standards…!”
Whoosh-!
The nail gets pulled from the broken index finger.
And then.
Fssssssssssssss-!
“Gaaahhh!!”
An overwhelming heat radiates from where the nail was.
The skin sizzles and an awful odor wafts through the air.
“Just answer the questions. Don’t add in unnecessary chatter.”
“Gah… ugh…”
Pain floods in.
I can feel the saliva trickling from my open lips.
It’s a pain penetrating into my very being.
Having lived as a hidden assassin, I’ve grown somewhat accustomed to torture.
Yet, the masked man struggled to retain his sanity amidst the pain.
Still.
Even with this level of hardship, I refuse to lose consciousness.
‘This guy…’
Choking me, even as my body trembles with pain, is pure fear.
A mere broken finger and burned flesh shouldn’t wear me out this much.
The pain surging through me is grander, far beyond that.
Even though he managed to stay aware of his mind, the masked man felt an immense sense of crisis.
‘Is he capable of controlling all this?’
That means Gu Yangcheon is doing something to amplify my agony without leading me to madness.
It’s cruel.
If that’s indeed the case, this veers into utterly barbarous territory.
While killing is something any martial artist might do, inflicting torture and causing pain is of a different realm.
Until one gets used to it, there’s nothing more burdensome.
Yet, you could see it in the masked man’s demeanor.
‘He’s so desensitized that it feels almost dried up.’
His actions harbor no guilt, nor any kind of significance.
There’s no hesitation in his hands, no emotions nested within.
Is this truly a martial artist who’s crossed the boundaries of humanity?
No, that thought aside.
‘The righteous faction… really is what they claim to be.’
Naturally, such doubts arose.
While swallowing a cry, the masked man rolled his eyes.
“Annoying.”
Watching this unfold, Gu Yangcheon muttered.
“If it weren’t for my injuries, I would’ve just corrupted you and made you vomit. Tsk.”
Corruption?
That sounded like something completely foreign.
“Let’s relax a bit. Who knows? You might get saved.”
“Ugh…”
“Seems like you weren’t targeting me at all. Not even the little princess. So what the hell are you doing?”
It wasn’t that he was aiming for me.
He wasn’t even gunning for the woman next to me.
With conviction, Gu Yangcheon stated this.
Hearing this, the masked man felt an unsettling tremor of disbelief within.
‘Where on earth…?’
What led him to such certainty?
Usually, one would suspect there’d be lookout among a crowd.
“So let’s keep it easy. Just speak…”
“Ugh! Are you asking me to believe that?”
The masked man’s laughter incites Gu Yangcheon to shut his mouth.
“The righteous bastards only spit out words… words they can’t possibly keep.”
That rang true. Gu Yangcheon resonated with that.
They utter nothing but flowery words with no substance behind them.
A perfect match for the current righteous faction.
What’s more,
‘Right, I never intended to save you anyway.’
Gu Yangcheon, despite everything, had no desire to spare this guy.
Wretched lot, they all share the same distrust, yet none would show mercy to a demonic faction.
It’s been an infuriating stubbornness all along.
“Do you still believe in that futile ideal of justice…?”
Even the tongue is too long.
‘Should I just kill him?’
It’s getting tiresome now.
Clearly, ‘that guy’ or ‘those guys’ were the ones scheming behind the scenes, but judging by the state he’s in, it hardly seems he’ll divulge easily.
‘Tsk.’
Each time these whispers surface, I find myself loathing my previous life, yet oddly enough, I miss it too.
‘If it had been then, things would’ve tipped differently.’
I’ve died countless times as well.
Getting them to speak was usually a piece of cake.
Since returning, maybe I’ve operated on human impulses long enough; I felt the dullness creeping in.
‘I know you’re up to something.’
Just what that something is, remains a mystery.
Was it because the Wuzhang Festival was approaching? So many odd characters shuffling about.
‘As if it matters, as long as they’re not targeting us.’
If they happen to be gunning for the Meng, I’d welcome that.
That’d surely ease my plans a bit more.
“You irresponsible child of the righteous faction… who can’t see an inch ahead… just wait comfortably for your end…”
Yeah, let’s wrap this up.
I ought to head back to the upper levels.
Am I feeling queasy or just annoyed? I happen to crave dumplings now.
‘What kind of torture is this?’
I’m no longer keen to be tangled up in irritating matters.
It’s an already exhausting situation unfolding around me.
“As time flows… when the end draws near, this sect and you will meet the same fate…! And…”
It’s been a while since I last saw Mo Yong-hee; I should take the kids out for a meal soon.
“And those lowly women beside you…”
“Hey.”
Stop.
The masked man, who had been spouting nonsense, suddenly shut his mouth.
Silence looms.
Even anticipating death, he finds himself unable to continue.
The reason is none other than this.
Crack…? Crack…!!
An overwhelming wave of murderous intent cascades suddenly upon the masked man.
Hooosh-!
It’s terrifying.
Just the sensation alone feels like my skin is tearing apart.
I can’t breathe.
It seems even the pain from my arms has ceased.
The masked man turns his gaze. What on earth is this ominous aura?
The killer energy flows forth from Gu Yangcheon, holding him in place.
The atmosphere shifts.
It felt as if the very air twisted under the weight of this malice.
“Who dares to belittle me?”
“Ugh… that….”
My body starts to shake under the pressure.
The menacing aura emanating from Gu Yangcheon paralyzes all senses.
‘This, this… what is this…!’
How can I feel such intensity radiating from a human?
How is it possible to sense this energy from a mere person?
‘This… this is something I’ve never felt, not even from the Grand Master…!’
Bang-!
“Gah!”
In that instant, a fist slams into the masked man’s mouth.
It was swung by Gu Yangcheon.
With a Thud, blood and teeth scatter everywhere.
It was as if all his teeth had shattered at once, leaving his tongue unchewable.
Unable to hold back, a scream bursts free.
But it doesn’t concern me.
The curtain had long been pulled on that possibility.
Wiping the blood from his mouth, Gu Yangcheon glanced at the quivering figure before him.
“I was merely trying to make things comfortable for you. Why are you spouting such nonsense? You’re making it hard for folks to feel at ease.”
This tone is entirely different from before.
Gu Yangcheon’s hand moves.
In the blink of an eye.
Thud-!
Suddenly, a sharp sound breezes from the masked man’s stomach.
What’s that about?
The masked man feels a surge of questions building in him.
I realize immediately.
That sound was of the danjeon breaking.
A noise rings, followed by a surge of pain.
An unbearable, unfathomable pain.
But he can’t scream.
For Gu Yangcheon has already sealed the masked man’s mouth.
“Ughh!”
“Shut it. It’s annoying.”
The energy gathered within the danjeon disperses instantaneously.
The accumulations of a lifetime vanish, leaving an abyss of emptiness behind.
“Ugh… uuurgh!”
In mere seconds, he’s transcended from a martial artist’s physique to that of a commoner…
No, it’s worse than that.
The masked man’s eyes spin wildly.
Only then does the firmness he held dissolve from that initial grip.
“This… this devil… this rat…!”
He pours out his fury.
Despite losing all his teeth, resulting in a slurred speech, his feelings are evidently clear.
Yet, there’s no hint of change on Gu Yangcheon’s expression while listening to this.
He merely observes.
Realizing this, the masked man continues to scream.
“Rather…! I would prefer you just kill me! You think I would say anything if you come at me like this –?!”
“Don’t.”
“…!”
“Don’t say a word. I’ve lost my curiosity.”
What on earth does that even mean?
The instant the masked man felt that odd tension.
“From this point on, whatever you say, I will ignore.”
“What the hell are you…?”
“So please, do me a favor and don’t speak. Got it?”
Bam-!
“Gah!”
My neck gets seized.
“From this point onward, no matter what happens, don’t utter a word. I’m not curious in the slightest. Remember that.”
“Grrr…”
My mind swim in fear.
Whoosh-!
Flames burst forth from Gu Yangcheon’s back.
Blue flames.
Though stunningly beautiful at a glance, the masked man could feel the chilling malice within those flames.
‘What is happening?’
Why has the atmosphere shifted so suddenly?
The masked man, once trembling, now recalls fleeting thoughts.
[And the lowly women beside you…]
[Who dares to belittle me?]
That was evidently the turning point.
The moment Gu Yangcheon’s annoyed and bored demeanor shifted.
‘Could it be…?’
He flew into such a rage simply because someone disrespected a woman?
I wanted to believe that wasn’t true, yet no other reason seemed plausible.
No.
Whatever it was, it’s now irrelevant.
The inferno spread, engulfing the surroundings, crafting walls of flame.
“Not…!”
Soon, the faint remnants of the sky slip away, swallowed by the fire.
And just like that.
When the flames extinguished and revealed the aftermath.
What remained were merely traces of something charred and blackened.
Only Gu Yangcheon stood there, casually wiping his hands on his clothing with a disgruntled expression.
It wasn’t particularly hard to erase the traces left behind.
Because nothing remained of them from the start.
Hiding my feelings of unease, I returned to the alley.
In the alley, Dang So-yeol was still waiting for me.
“Oh, Your Highness.”
As I cautiously stepped in, Dang So-yeol greeted me with a smile.
Seeing that, I inquired.
“What about him?”
I asked about Mo Yong-hee, who was nowhere to be found.
“Well, she said she thought it best to take the young lady to the top first, so she left ahead.”
“Ah, okay.”
I had indeed told her to move first.
Fortunately, it seems she heeded the advice well.
“How did it go for you?”
This time, Dang So-yeol turned the focus back to me.
What happened to the person I was chasing?
I glanced away slightly from Dang So-yeol’s gaze and replied.
“Since he didn’t speak, I took care of it appropriately.”
I mixed in a bit of truth with my answer.
Reduced to ash without a trace.
Attempting to kill him using various means would’ve been too much.
To say he wasn’t dead would be a pointless lie, so I told the truth on that front.
“Oh, I see.”
Fortunately, there seemed to be no concerns with what Dang So-yeol heard.
“Hmm… I would’ve liked to gather more information…”
Instead, she appeared a bit disappointed.
“Next time, I’ll take care of it, Your Highness. I’ve gotten pretty good at this now!”
“…Oh, um, yeah.”
What’s this about?
I wanted to ask Dang So-yeol what she meant, but I couldn’t summon the courage.
What on earth did that King of Demons teach her?
What kind of influence did he exert to make her this way?
Being stronger’s good, but is this genuinely a positive turn in her growth?
A sudden thought flickered in my mind.
“That aside…”
I shifted my gaze from Dang So-yeol to another direction.
The very spot where Seongyul stood with his sword.
“What’s going on there?”
I asked about the obviously altered scene, curious about what transpired.
This was an ordinary alley that had been vacant just moments ago.
And now, there was a man collapsed atop the ground.
‘Already dead?’
Clearly, the person was beyond help now.
Initially, I wondered if Seongyul had taken this man down, but judging by his condition, it seemed some time had passed since his demise.
Moreover.
“Where have I seen that face before?”
The corpse belonged to a middle-aged man.
He had a familiar face, one that nagged at the back of my mind.
Who could he be?
“Hm…”
I couldn’t recall much.
I shifted my focus to Seongyul after observing the body.
“What is happening here?”
“There was a formation.”
I tilted my head at Seongyul’s response.
“A formation?”
Was there a formation in this alley? Hearing that struck a curious chord within me.
‘Could it be what that guy was seeing? Was he witnessing the formation laid out here?’
If so, then it all connects.
‘If it’s not me nor the princess being targeted… then this must be it.’
Anyway, it’s a formation impenetrable even to someone of my caliber.
If it were that sophisticated, then it all made sense.
The question remained about why someone would utilize such a formation to hide a dead body.
“Just how did you spot this?”
Seongyul sensed a truth that I couldn’t even perceive.
Out of curiosity about how he was able to dismantle this intricate formation, I asked.
Seongyul answered me, unbothered.
“I cut it because I felt something.”
“…”
“And that did the trick.”
His words conveyed an aura of confidence as if asking what the problem was.
Hearing this brought forth a realization.
…Hadn’t I heard a similar response before?
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