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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Saved by a Promise
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-Kaaang!
Moyong Taese watched in dismay as his sword bounced away.
Unavoidable death.
He sensed his own end.
The Blood Killer Sect's Sect Leader was far too ferocious.
Even after unleashing his finest technique, he couldn't hold a candle to her bizarre, chilling, destructive strike—one he'd never seen in his life.
Soyeomgyo's blade plunged into his abdomen.
"Tch."
Soyeomgyo bit her lip.
At the very last moment, the tip of her sword had veered slightly off course.
It was a grievous wound even now, but not instantly fatal.
The instant she withdrew her sword, two slashing strikes embedded themselves into Moyong Taese's thigh.
She then kicked his kneeling chin skyward.
Toward the neck of the now-unconscious Moyong Taese shot her final strike, a blue flash of steel.
And then.
-Chaaeng!!!
A clear ring echoed across the grounds.
"What."
Soyeomgyo widened her eyes.
There, gripping the deflected sword of Moyong Taese in an awkward hold, trembling as he blocked her own blade, stood Moyong Bi.
"You."
Moyong Bi's eyes burned like those of a wounded wildcat.
Even from their first encounter, that gaze had seared itself intensely into her memory.
It had sparked her curiosity.
She'd tossed him a dagger and told him to come at her.
-If you so much as graze my body once with that knife, I'll let you live. I promise. Not enough? Fine, I'll add one more. The next time you're staring death in the face, I'll save you.
She'd made the empty vow to goad him into fighting.
It had started as mere amusement.
A lighthearted game with not a shred of seriousness behind it.
She'd had no intention of sparing him anyway—like a cat toying with a mouse, the words had been tossed out carelessly.
A third-rate punk like him would never even touch the hem of her robes, after all.
But that had been Soyeomgyo's mistake.
She'd never seen eyes filled with such fury.
He charged with the resolve of mutual destruction—a hesitation even veteran assassins faltered at in a split second.
Legs severed, arms hacked off, yet not the slightest flinch.
Screaming in agony, wracked with pain, he clung on to the bitter end.
In desperate resolve to die lies life.
That unyielding momentum had momentarily flustered even her, a battle-hardened assassin, making her forget it was all just a game.
"What are you?"
And right now.
The eyes of Moyong Bi—shuddering there before her as he parried her blade—were exactly the same.
"What are you?!"
-Jjeeeng!
With a piercing clash of steel, Soyeomgyo flung the blade aside.
Her pupils, hidden behind the red mask, trembled like an earthquake.
A flash of alien wrongness streaked past.
"You're dead. There's no way you could be alive! Back then, you were clearly…!"
"Ueek!"
"?!"
Moyong Bi vomited up a torrent of dark crimson blood.
His form was like a sandcastle crumbling in real time.
'Internal injuries?!'
Damage like that would require a direct hit from a sonic assault capable of shredding organs.
But no one had struck Moyong Bi.
Soyeomgyo plunged into utter chaos.
"Shut your mouth, Nameless! I know damn well not to give him an opening!"
"What?"
Moyong Bi assumed his stance.
His breathing was ragged.
Trembling, the tip of his sword shook.
That alone made it clear.
Moyong Bi's martial prowess was utterly mediocre.
"Your courage is admirable, but you're only hastening your death…!"
Her breath caught.
His initial stance had been so clumsy it was painful to watch.
'Impossible.'
But at some point, after crossing a certain threshold, the transformation began.
As if he'd simply cut and pasted it wholesale—his footwork, breathing, posture, even his grip exuded the refined perfection of decades of training.
And that stance—she knew it all too well.
Soyeomgyo's eyes quivered.
Murmurs rippled through the air.
The elite killers of the Blood Killer Sect, who never uttered a word mid-mission, were whispering among themselves.
Normally, she would have berated them harshly, but right now, even she was stunned speechless.
"You… how."
A beat later, searing crimson rage engulfed her entire body.
"How the hell does a bastard like you know our sect's secret technique?!"
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Blood Demon Serpent Wheel Brush Sword
(Fueled by essential life energy)
A red serpent coiled in a haze of heat waves burst from Moyong Bi's body.
"My god, it's the Sect Leader's Blood Demon Serpent Wheel Brush Sword!"
One of her subordinates screamed.
"This can't be!"
"Our sect's secret technique—performable only by the chosen among our successors!"
Soyeomgyo bellowed.
"Impossible! Forget imitating it—even faking the form requires at least a decade of inner power… no way?!"
The murky serpent thrashing around Moyong Bi's body was anything but normal.
Unlike her pristine crimson serpent, powered by pure inner energy, it spewed a desperate, pitch-black shade of red and wailed mournfully.
Soyeomgyo muttered in shock.
"Burning essential life energy in place of inner power?"
Essential life energy was the root of vitality itself—once expended, irrecoverable.
Even drawing on it, Moyong Bi's Blood Demon Serpent Wheel Brush Sword barely mustered half of half the original's might when executed with proper inner power.
But a honed blade was deadly because of its edge, not its wielder.
That technique bore the flawless framework of the Blood Demon Serpent Wheel Brush Sword—a true killing move.
-Pajik, pajijik.
Black flames sparked as inky blood surged from Moyong Bi's every orifice.
"You mad bastard—squandering nearly half your lifespan on a single technique! Not even the Demonic Cult pulls shit this insane!"
There was no room for mercy.
Staring down the seven incoming serpents lunging at her, she unleashed her own power in full.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Blood Demon Serpent Wheel Brush Sword
(Pure inner power overload)
-Blood Demon Serpent Wheel Brush Sword
Serpent devoured serpent, tearing and entwining in frenzy.
The heavens and earth quaked.
The shockwave toppled a distant house's wall and upheaved the garden.
-Kwarung!
Moyong Bi's crimson serpent was utterly overwhelmed.
Black blood erupted from his orifices.
-Grk, grrrk!
Dark red foam bubbled forth.
Yet still, he held his power firm.
Moyong Bi's gleaming eyes refused to break, even as they screamed in torment.
Soyeomgyo spat curses.
"Are you truly insane?! No one channels martial arts like this, basing it on essential life energy!"
"I… won't die this time either! Absolutely… absolutely!"
The caster's raw emotion bled into the techniques, sending both sides' serpents into a berserk frenzy.
With凄惨 shrieks, they swept through everything in all directions.
'This bastard has no intention of stopping!'
Soyeomgyo ground her teeth.
'Then…!'
Her breath halted.
A brief pause, a single beat—then her pupils narrowed to slits like a serpent's.
-Ku-gung!
Thunderous qi exploded from her body alongside a crimson mist of energy.
Her far denser inner power surged into her red serpent.
-Ku-gung.
What followed was over in an instant.
Like frail streams caught in a massive torrent, the black-red serpents of mad frenzy were swept away by the storm.
Amid the qi tempest, Moyong Bi tumbled like a blood-soaked rag.
Thrusting her sword tip into the ground, Soyeomgyo let out a faint breath.
"Sect Leader."
She raised a hand to halt her astonished subordinates rushing forward.
"No fuss. I'm fine."
As the dust settled, there lay Moyong Bi—collapsed in tatters.
Drained of excessive essential life energy, his skin had turned a corpse-like gray.
"…"
Soyeomgyo watched him twitch.
"Rest now. We'll handle the cleanup."
"No. I'll do it myself."
Her keenly honed animal instincts picked up a distant clamor.
Soon, the Moyong Family warriors—who had briefly stepped away—would swarm this place.
Gripping her sword in reverse, she approached Moyong Bi and knelt at his side.
"You surprised me at the end. No idea what trick you pulled to copy my technique, but you've ruined my clothes."
"Cough, cough."
Moyong Bi was dying, black foam at his lips.
It had been a desperate last stand, but it fell short.
He'd never had a chance to win.
Above all, the man before her knew that better than anyone.
Moyong Bi's mouth worked faintly.
"Last words?"
"…Can't die. Not like this again… powerless, accomplishing nothing."
His graying skin was proof there was no hope left.
Tears streamed down as she followed the eyes of the man gasping desperately for one more breath.
"Huff. Huff…"
He was fading.
Moyong Bi's breaths grew shallower, more rapid.
The wildcat fire in his eyes, which had seemed unbreakable, slowly dimmed.
"…Medi…"
"What?"
Soyeomgyo found herself leaning in to listen.
His dilated pupils stared blankly as, unconscious, he choked up blood with wet gurgles, forcing out words.
"…Promise."
Soyeomgyo's breath hitched.
She recalled her own words from the past—to the man who had refused to accept death even with legs and arms severed.
-Not enough? Fine, I'll add one. If you manage to graze me, the next time you're facing any death, I'll save you.
Soyeomgyo stared blankly at the ragged heap that was Moyong Bi.
"You… damn fool."
She muttered in a raspy voice.
All the while, the man was dying before her eyes in real time.
He could no longer focus even on her response.
Whites of his eyes were showing.
Without intervention, he'd be gone in moments.
"…"
Coincidentally, she'd already broken that promise once before.
Unintentionally, she'd lost her composure to his indomitable spirit and killed him.
And now, not even a full day later, the very same man lay dying by her hand once more.
"Ha."
Soyeomgyo murmured blankly.
"Damn it all. I thought I'd seen every twisted thing this filthy jianghu had to offer… and now I'm killing the same guy twice in one day."
Anyone who saw this would call her mad.
What assassin in the world pulled off something this inconsistent?
As if in disbelief, Soyeomgyo swept back her hair and let out a hollow chuckle.
"Ha, haha. Even a wretch like me, the worst bitch under heaven… ah, I mean, so… so…"
Her laughter cut off abruptly.
"Goddamn it."
This jianghu couldn't be endured by the sane, true—but she still thought this was the most utterly deranged, selfish act she'd ever committed.
She gestured toward her subordinates.
"That payment from the branch assassination the day before yesterday. Bring it."
"Pardon?"
"My head's a mess—don't make me repeat myself. Just bring it."
Her subordinates hesitated, not grasping at first.
Moments later, realization dawned, and they recoiled in horror.
"Sect Leader! You don't mean…"
"Shut it. I know better than anyone that I'm a lunatic—don't explain, just bring it now."
"Ah…"
One subordinate produced a small box from his bosom.
Soyeomgyo opened it without a second thought.
A pungent aroma wafted out with a single green pill.
-Swish.
She pulled down her red mask.
Her always-concealed lower face and crimson lips were revealed.
She crushed the pill between her teeth.
-Ptui.
She spat the fragments into her palm, then shoved them into the mouth of the man dying before her.
"Forgive me. Precious as they are, I can't go mouth-to-mouth with some random guy."
-Papapak.
Striking his acupoints, she forced the crumbled pill down his throat in a flash.
As the elixir absorbed, Moyong Bi's body began to convulse violently.
Soon, color returned to his face—gray no more, as if it had never faded.
"Sect Leader. I wouldn't dream of questioning your judgment if I could help it, but…"
One subordinate stepped forward beside her, speaking in a gruff tone.
"Using the hard-won Soul-Saving Golden Pill to save the target feels a bit much."
"White Tiger. Got any other way to save this maniac who burned through his Soul-Saving Golden Pill and essential life energy?"
White Tiger flinched at her words.
"And how do we explain this farce to the client? If word of today gets out, it'll tarnish the Blood Killer Sect's reputation. You, of all people, know that best…"
"Enough. No witnesses here, and if we all keep our mouths shut, it won't spread. Any hit to our trust or coffers, I'll cover personally."
Soyeomgyo wiped her lips with a handkerchief and readjusted her mask.
"So, drop it for today."
The subordinate stared at her for a long moment before replying.
"The Blood Killer Sect is yours. Whatever decision you make, we'll follow."
"Thanks for putting up with my whining, White Tiger."
"I'll assume it's not mere pity. You're thinking of how our sect's techniques leaked—and the implications. If memory serves, this has to be tied to the Heavenly Demon Div…"
"That's enough."
Soyeomgyo cut White Tiger off like a winter frost.
"We'll discuss that back at base."
Soyeomgyo readjusted her mask.
In the distance, the pounding footsteps of the Moyong Family's guards grew louder.
About to depart, Soyeomgyo paused.
"Hoo."
She gazed at the man sprawled on the ground, then up at the sky.
"…Infuriating. Needlessly dredging up old memories and messing with my head."