Chapter 61 : True Crushing Defeat (1)

“Hahaha, hahahahaha!”

Seori Hyeonggae laughed roughly.

He had thought he had grasped the martial arts of the Drunken Flower Garden assassins. So he had not stopped the Ghost Register Three Traces when they had stepped forward.

He could easily face the Dark Shadow Sword.

But another sword had suddenly appeared. A sword much more secret and quiet than the Dark Shadow Sword had struck from behind.

He had been careless. As a result, all three of the Ghost Register Three Traces had died.

He had over two hundred subordinates in Jeongdong. But only seven had their names on the ghost register. Only seven had given up the senses that humans possessed and had entered the ghost register.

To Seori Hyeonggae, the Ghost Register Three Traces were not just subordinates. They were loyal subjects who had given up being human for his sake.

In this outing that had seemed like nothing, he had lost all seven of the Ghost Register Seven Traces.

He had thought that what he had lost to Ah Geol was unavoidable. Ah Geol was much more outstanding than the Ghost Register Seven Traces. Although he had not trained properly, he was still a Single-Instant Sect disciple, so it was a natural consequence.

But what about the three who had died this time? Weren’t the Ghost Register Three Traces not the type to die to such Drunken Flower Garden assassins? It was a disaster that would never have happened if there had been no carelessness.

Seori Hyeonggae’s anger pierced the heavens.

Shwaaaek!

He was not satisfied with cutting down the Second Elder and the Drunken Flower Garden assassins. He would only be satisfied when he had killed all the Drunken Flower Garden assassins.

Peok! Peok!

The elder and the assassin who had dropped the Ghost Register Three Traces from another tree collapsed, scattering blood.

Although the elders had been passed on the Fall of Life and Death, they were no match for Seori Hyeonggae. No matter how secretly they used their swords, they were clearly revealed. And a fierce blade rushed in like a flood.

Peok! Peok!

The sound of flesh being torn and bones being split rang out.

Seori Hyeonggae had cut down the two who had sensed the danger and had jumped to the ground in a single stroke.

With this, he had eliminated all the party that had killed the Ghost Register Three Traces.

Three elders, three assassins, had collapsed in the time it took to take a single breath.

* * *

She had known it would be like this.

Mongseol should have just avoided them instead of digging a hole. It was already too late when you faced them and struggled. Before you faced them, you had to choose to find even a mouse hole and hide.

But she had not said anything.

Mongseol knew nothing about the Single-Instant Sect.

Guys who were not human, very strong guys, guys on par with Duke Heo Dogi… she had heard a lot with her words, but she had not experienced it with her body. So she looked down on them.

But that didn’t mean that Mongseol was looking down on the Single-Instant Sect.

She had fought with the subordinates raised by her senior brothers.

Although they were just subordinates, she had crossed the threshold of death in that fight.

She knew how strong the Single-Instant Sect was.

But she judged that she could face them. Although they were absurdly strong, she thought that she could defeat them if she faced them with a method other than martial arts. She thought that she could defend herself if she used the terrain and traps well. Even if she couldn’t win, she could block them.

It was a very big misunderstanding.

This kind of misunderstanding would not be corrected unless you actually experienced the truth.

It was not Mongseol’s fault. In the central plains, all martial artists thought like Mongseol. She was thinking in a common-sense way. It was just that the Single-Instant Sect disciples were not common-sense.

You only knew what kind of people the Single-Instant Sect disciples were when you experienced them directly.

Duke Heo Dogi and his master were rivals whose victory could not be guaranteed. You only knew who was stronger when you clashed weapons.

In this case, almost all martial artists were confident that they would win. Although the opponent was strong, they would eventually win. They might lose, but they just had to do their best.

Heo Dogi had used his senior brothers. He had used the Three Cause Poison to gnaw away at his master’s internal energy. He had first made his senior brothers face the blade, and had only appeared with his sword after the poison had completely spread.

Heo Dogi had been afraid of the Single-Instant Sect Master.

He had never said that he was afraid. He had not even shown any sign of fear. But his actions were very cowardly. They were actions he would not have taken if he had not been afraid of his opponent.

Heo Dogi had accurately grasped the Single-Instant Sect, and only a few people like Heo Dogi knew the Single-Instant Sect.

‘It’s a person I have to face someday anyway…’

Ah Geol had let Mongseol fight.

The person who had to kill his senior brothers was not himself, but Mongseol.

To him, the Single-Instant Sect Master was his master. But to Mongseol, he was her father. To him, Namso was his master’s wife, but to Mongseol, she was her mother. His senior brothers had used poison and had raised their blades against Mongseol’s parents.

His and Mongseol’s enemies were the same.

If so, she had to know how strong the enemy was. It was useless to just know with your head. You had to actually clash and realize with your whole body. The fact that they were demons who had jumped out of hell.

“What will you do?”

“I want to fight once.”

“With your current martial arts…”

“I know I’m no match. But if it seems dangerous, I’ll get out immediately.”

Who would let her get out?

Mongseol trusted the Blood Sword Sutra too much. The Mud Pill One Sword that the upper palace showed would be almost mysterious.

The master of the Blood Sword Sutra, the Blood Sea Sword Saint, was a top master who was counted among the five fingers. At that time, the Blood Sea Sword Saint had shown a top-level sword art that even the Single-Instant Sect Master had respected.

Mongseol believed that her Blood Sword would also rise to that level.

Since the Blood Sword was such a martial art, would she not be able to take care of her own body? She was thinking of running away if things went wrong, so would she not even be able to do that?

“Alright. Do it.”

Ah Geol accepted Mongseol’s will.

“I’ll just watch if it’s not dangerous. But if I step in, you retreat immediately. It means it’s very dangerous. You retreat completely. Take the disciples and get out immediately. I can’t fight properly if you’re next to me. It’s distracting.”

“You can get your body out, right?”

“Don’t worry about that.”

Ah Geol smirked.

“If you get out of here, go to Samryang Mountain by any means necessary. If you leave a secret message there, I’ll find you.”

Ah Geol handed Mongseol a piece of paper with a secret message written on it.

It was a secret message between the two of them that they had used a few times when they had wandered the central plains with Grandpa.

“Should I just quit?”

“No, do it. It’s good to do this kind of thing. There will be a lot of sacrifices, but what you gain will be much more than what you lose. Today… you’ll lose a lot of people. You have to watch carefully how those people fall.”

“That’s scarier than telling me to quit.”

“Trust me. At first, I was going to stop you, but after thinking about it, I feel that it’s a necessary fight. Fight to your heart’s content.”

Ah Geol thought of his master’s last moments.

Grandpa had forcibly dragged him and had made him watch. He had told him to keep his eyes wide open and not to miss a single moment.

His master’s wife had died, and his master had fallen.

That image was not forgotten from his mind. Their blades and swords would suddenly appear even in his dreams. Whenever that happened, he would jump up and train in martial arts. Because he could not rest for a moment.

Mongseol also needed such an experience.

* * *

Mongseol rushed towards Seori Hyeonggae.

Her skin was dyed red like a ripe persimmon. The hand holding the sword was also reddish. Her two eyes were also bloodshot, so it was clear at a glance that she was not normal.

Shwaaaek!

A blood sword shot out from her hand.

“Blood Sword…?”

Seori Hyeonggae frowned.

What was this again? Why was a blood sword appearing here? This woman, wasn’t she a Drunken Flower Garden assassin?

The Blood Sword was the unique ultimate technique of the previous Sacred Sword Sect Master Heo Dogang’s wife, Hyeonjeong. Strictly speaking, it was not Hyeonjeong’s ultimate technique, but the family’s inherited ultimate technique. It was also a sword art that had been lost with Hyeonjeong’s death.

Why was this appearing here?

Seori Hyeonggae recognized the Blood Sword at a glance.

“Hehe! Interesting.”

Seori Hyeonggae laughed coldly and dodged the attack.

The Blood Sword chased quickly. It skillfully found an opening and stabbed. If his movement technique was even slightly disturbed, it would attack that part without fail. When he deliberately stuck out his shoulder slightly, it immediately rushed in.

The Blood Sword found openings instinctively.

It avoided normal movements and aimed for abnormal movements.

“Looking at the red light on your face, you’re still a beginner. The light is turbid. It’s not a Blood Sword that has reached its peak. What do you take me for?”

Tatak!

Seori Hyeonggae struck down with his blade twice in a row.

The Blood Sword did not receive the blade. The moment the blade struck down, it spun to the side and struck his waist.

The blade art that Seori Hyeonggae had executed had no openings. Only one place, his waist, was slightly open. It was a very slight… an opening that would disappear in an instant. But the Blood Sword had not missed that opening. But,

“Yes!”

Seori Hyeonggae shouted.

Kaang! Taang!

A fierce sound rang out, and sparks flew from the sword that had been striking his waist.

“Ugh!”

Mongseol let out a groan.

An immense pressure poured in through the blade. It was an impact as if a rock was crushing her palm. For a moment, the tremor that had started from the back of her hand rang all the way to the top of her head.

The strength in her hand drained away. And the sword slipped out of her hand and flew away.

Seori Hyeonggae had deliberately shown an opening.

The Blood Sword was a sensory sword. So it distinguished between an intentionally created opening and an unavoidably created opening. It did not attack an intentionally created opening, but only attacked an opening that was difficult to defend.

The Blood Sword had mercilessly struck his waist.

It had recognized it not as an intentionally created opening, but as an opening revealed due to a bad habit or a lack of training.

“Ugh!”

Mongseol let out a groan and staggered back.

“What are you?”

Seori Hyeonggae came slowly, holding his blade.

He could have taken Mongseol’s life in this one blow. He could have struck her neck instead of her blade. But he had deliberately struck her weapon. He was curious about where Mongseol had obtained the Blood Sword.

“How did you get the Blood Sword?”

He was not interested because the Blood Sword was the martial art of the Blood Sea Sword Saint. Although it was certain that the Blood Sword was a sword art that could even make a Single-Instant Sect disciple tense, Mongseol’s level of training was too low.

There was only one thing he was curious about: why had Hyeonjeong’s martial art appeared from this woman?

“Hmm!”

Mongseol staggered back, her face pale.

Ah Geol’s words were right. This person was a demon that could not be faced with any martial art. Even if the Blood Sword reached its highest level and became like the Blood Sea Sword Saint, it was doubtful whether she could face this person.

“If you clash one more time, you’ll die. But depending on your answer, I might let you live. I have a slight connection with the Blood Sword. I’ll ask you one last time. How did you get the Blood Sword?”

Swoosh!

Seori Hyeonggae lowered his waist slightly.

He was about to rush towards Mongseol.

But he soon straightened his waist again. A sticky killing intent clung to his back.

He looked back.

A man was holding a sword. It was only half the length, as if it had been made halfway, and the blade also looked dull.

“Half Iron Blade. Hmph! Are you the guy named Ah Geol?”

Seori Hyeonggae looked at Ah Geol with an interested gaze.

Swoosh! Swish!

Mongseol retreated. The Drunken Flower Garden assassins also began to retreat like a receding tide.

Seori Hyeonggae just smirked as he watched them retreat, he did not chase them.

They were the lives of insects. He could catch them at any time. If he had to kill only one person in this place right now, it would be Ah Geol. The one who dared to impersonate a Single-Instant Sect disciple, he had to die.

“Looking at the way you use the Half Iron Blade, it seems you know my master. But I don’t remember hearing about you. I would have remembered if it were something worth remembering. When did you enter the sect?”

“You and I have different masters.”

“What?”

Seori Hyeonggae’s eyes widened.

“You are from an unorthodox sect that killed your master, and I am from a prestigious sect that serves my master. It’s clearly different.”

In that instant, a flash of lightning sparked in Seori Hyeonggae’s eyes.

“The Bamboo Peak… you know about that. How do you know? At that time, you were…”

Seori Hyeonggae looked Ah Geol up and down.

“You would have been only six or seven at most. Isn’t that an age where it’s difficult to even climb the Bamboo Peak?”

The one who knew about the Bamboo Peak incident… whatever Ah Geol’s identity was, he was a guy who had to be killed.

Killing intent began to rise from Seori Hyeonggae’s entire body.

(End of Chapter)