Light Novel: Volume 22 Episode 13
Manhwa: N/A
Namgung Seol’s beautiful face twisted like a demon.
Even under her terrifying gaze, Pyo-wol seemed unfazed and continued to look at Eunyo, whom he held in his arms.
“Brother!”
“I’m a bit late. Are you alright?”
“No.”
Eunyo shook her head.
Namgung Seol’s attack had caused her serious internal injuries.
It was severe enough that it would take months of recuperation to heal.
At that moment, Do Yeonsan came to Pyo-wol’s side.
His entire body was drenched in blood and sweat.
His eyes wavered as he looked at Eunyo.
Eunyo had been injured because he hadn’t been quick enough to deal with the Snowflake Sword Squad. Do Yeonsan couldn’t bear to look at her directly.
“Damn it!”
Pyo-wol handed Eunyo over to Do Yeonsan.
“It’s okay! It’s natural to get hurt sometimes.”
Eunyo spoke differently to Pyo-wol.
If she had been whining to Pyo-wol, her tone was reassuring towards Do Yeonsan.
Do Yeonsan gritted his teeth.
He couldn’t shake off the thought that it was his weakness that had led to Eunyo’s injury.
‘I need to become stronger. Much more stronger!’
Do Yeonsan quietly stepped back with Eunyo in his arms and administered a healing pill to her. He never took his gaze away from Namgung Seol.
Namgung Seol’s gaze was fixed on Pyo-wol.
Although she was glaring at him with a menacing look, she was feeling extremely troubled inside.
She couldn’t sense the presence of the Snowflake Sword Squad that usually hovered around her.
It was as if she had been abandoned, left all alone in the middle of nowhere.
Such a feeling was new to her, so she felt all the more terrified.
“What the hell did you do? You didn’t eliminate the entire Snowflake Sword Squad, did you?”
“I’ve just subdued them for a while.”
“You took out all those people by yourself?”
“It’s not impossible.”
“You’re lying!”
Namgung Seol denied firmly.
A smile tugged at the corners of Pyo-wol’s mouth.
The sight of him smiling, with his white teeth slightly bared, made Namgung Seol shudder slightly.
Pyo-wol said,
“It’s a lie.”
“As expected, you weren’t alone.”
“There’s no need for me to act alone.”
“Wait! Not alone, then that means—”
Namgung Seol’s face turned pale.
Pyo-wol was known to be a lone wolf wandering in Jianghu.
Although he was armed with unimaginable assassination techniques and strong martial arts skills, he hadn’t formed any faction or moved with any particular purpose.
Because of this, while many paid attention to Pyo-wol, they didn’t particularly feel wary or guarded against him.
There’s a limit to what one can do alone, especially in times of chaos like the current state of the martial world.
In a chaotic world where ideals, ambitions, and personal beliefs lead to the formation of groups and fierce opposition, there are obvious limits to what an individual can do.
That’s why everyone feared Pyo-wol but didn’t particularly guard against him.
But it’s a different story if Pyo-wol had people following him.
After all, Pyo-wol was a man who had reached the pinnacle of assassination.
Even though he was an assassin, he was a man who could fight the Eight Constellations head-on and not be pushed back at all.
If such an absolute master had followers, the problem would become serious.
Forming a faction is like a snowball— the more it rolls, the bigger it gets.
The beginning might be hard, but once followers start to rally around him, expanding his power wouldn’t be difficult.
‘These aren’t ordinary sects or martial artists. If such individuals were following him, they would have already been detected by the intelligence network.’
With Namgung Seol’s intelligence and intellect, she could quickly grasp the movements of any ordinary sect. However, the martial world is vast, and there are still places where her influence doesn’t reach.
Like those who live in the shadows, such as Pyo-wol.
‘Could it be the assassins?’
The worst-case scenario flashed through her mind.
It was entirely possible.
As someone standing at the pinnacle among assassins, if he decided to gather them, there would be no one to stop him.
If Pyo-wol had indeed gathered assassins under his command, the current situation became clear.
This silence.
The traceless movements of the Snowflake Sword Squad.
The sudden cessation of the martial artists’ clash.
The sudden silence of Duchang.
All of it became clear.
That all of this was the work of the assassins following that man.
Incredible as it was, how it was possible remained unknown, but it was certain that Pyo-wol’s followers were behind it.
‘Does this mean that someone so terrifying has now formed a force?’
A phrase popped into her mind.
“The unification of assassin sects.1 Could you have possibly unified the assassin sects?”
“……”
“My goodness!”
Pyo-wol gave no response, but Namgung Seol was convinced.
It was then.
Swoosh!
Black shadows began to gather around him.
They were the very beings that Namgung Seol had mistaken for a black tidal wave.
Hong Ye-seol, Thunder Eye, Bloody Rain, Death Shadow, Elder Assassin, and the Black Assassination Squad.
They all stood quietly behind Pyo-wol’s back.
The unique eeriness and silence of the assassins dominated the area.
The chilling aura they emitted made it difficult for Namgung Seol to breathe deeply.
Those who had never experienced it could never know what it was like to feel as if hundreds of blades were pressed against one’s body.
Namgung Seol’s gaze turned to Hong Ye-seol, who was standing behind Pyo-wol.
She knew as soon as she saw her that she was the assassin responsible for killing Noh Kang-hyun, the Scholar as Wise as Seven Sages, causing chaos in these troubled times.
It was impossible for her to be unaware as she was the one who directly mobilized her troops to capture Hong Ye-seol. Indeed, Hong Ye-seol had suffered severe injuries and teetered on the brink of life and death.
Because of this, Hong Ye-seol harbored a deep grudge against Namgung Seol. Even though she was pursued for her own actions, she couldn’t simply forget being hunted like prey by Namgung Seol as if it were nothing.
In her heart, Hong Ye-seol wished she could attack Namgung Seol right then and take her life. However, she knew how to coldly distinguish between public and personal matters.
Therefore, she forcefully suppressed her anger and remained quiet.
Namgung Seol said to Pyo-wol,
“Are you going to kill me?”
“Not yet—”
“It seems you don’t want this matter to escalate any further.”
“Not yet…”
“Alright. I’ll quietly back down. It seems today is not the day.”
Part of her wanted to attack Pyo-wol with all her might, but there was a good chance that doing so would result in her getting hurt or killed.
She wasn’t afraid of getting hurt, but she preferred not to suffer pointless injuries.
Pyo-wol said,
“You’d better keep your hands off of the Silver Lotus Society.”
“Is that a threat?”
“Consider it advice.”
“I’ll keep it in mind.”
“That sounds like you won’t back down.”
“I have my own circumstances.”
“Is it because of Lee Geumhan?”
“To a certain extent.”
“I don’t think he’d want you to act this way.”
“I’m sure he’ll understand eventually.”
“You’re quite stubborn. Seeing as how you only think in terms of what you want.”
“That’s how most successful people think, and sometimes such unilateral thinking becomes a powerful driving force behind success.”
Namgung Seol glared at Pyo-wol intently.
Her expression was undoubtedly one of fear, yet Namgung Seol tried to hide her feelings and maintain her dignity until the end.
Pyo-wol said,
“Go back. I’ll let you go today.”
“Because of Geumhan?”
“That’s right!”
“Because you don’t want him to get involved in this mess?”
“You know well.”
“Do you know? You and Geumhan are very much alike.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“I’m not joking. Your temperaments may differ, but your way of thinking and essence are quite similar.”
“So what is it you want to say?”
“Why don’t you join us instead?”
“Is that an offer to recruit me?”
“Yes!”
Namgung Seol answered without hesitation.
Two emotions were clashing in her heart at the moment.
One was her fear of Pyo-wol, and the other was her desire to use and take advantage of him despite that fear.
Having Pyo-wol, who had unified the assassin sects, under her command would essentially give Lee Geumhan a tremendous boost.
Pyo-wol truly had infinite potential for utility.
If used correctly, he could achieve more powerful effects than any group or warrior in Jianghu.
“I’ll grant you whatever you wish for.”
“Anything?”
“How about being second only to one, but above everyone else?”2
“Can you grant anything I desire?”
“It’s possible.”
“How impressive.”
“All you have to do is take my hand, and I’ll protect you and all the assassins under your command. Such a thing won’t be a bad deal for you.”
“I refuse.”
Pyo-wol dismissed her offer immediately as if it held no value.
At that moment, a flash of anger appeared in Namgung Seol’s eyes.
“Think about it again. I won’t make this offer a second time.”
“My answer will be the same, no matter how many times I consider it.”
“You will regret this.”
“Regret?”
“You’ll regret this decision for the rest of your life. I’ll make sure of it.”
“You’re mistaken about something.”
“What?”
Fwoosh!
At that moment, Namgung Seol was struck by a sudden, fiery pain.
“Argh!”
Namgung Seol involuntarily screamed and staggered back. A thread, almost invisible to the naked eye, was embedded in her collarbone.
Pyo-wol had attacked her using the Soul-Reaping Thread without warning.
Even if she had noticed the attack in advance, she still wouldn’t have been able to counter and prepare against it.
Namgung Seol quickly swung her sword to cut off the thread. However, at that moment, she felt a burning pain in the hand holding the sword.
Another thread of the Soul-Reaping Thread had pierced through her forearm.
“Ugh!”
The Soul-Reaping Thread, hidden in the darkness, flew towards her without sound or any detectable presence.
Namgung Seol heightened her senses but couldn’t detect it at all.
“Haah!”
With a shout, Namgung Seol summoned all her internal energy to protect her entire body.
Ting! Ting!
Several threads of the Soul-Reaping Thread bounced off the protective qi she had deployed around herself. However, it was too early to feel relieved.
Pyo-wol, who had been in front of her, had vanished without a trace.
Feeling a strong sense of danger, Namgung Seol hastily stepped back.
At that moment, she heard Pyo-wol’s whisper.
“It would be wise to stop. Unless you wish to die…”
Namgung Seol did not ignore Pyo-wol’s warning.
She instinctively froze in place.
Swoosh!
In that instant, her sleeve was sliced off.
Something sharp had cut through her sleeve. If she had been a moment slower in stopping, not just her sleeve but her wrist might have been severed as well.
Cold sweat trickled down Namgung Seol’s cheek.
She cautiously looked around.
A faint silver thread had surrounded her like a spider’s web.
It was the Silver Spider Web, one of Pyo-wol’s techniques.
He had already laid out the Silver Spider Web in anticipation of where Namgung Seol might move.
If Pyo-wol’s whisper had been even slightly delayed, Namgung Seol would have been sliced into dozens of pieces by the Silver Spider Web.
“Insane!”
Namgung Seol’s body trembled violently.
She felt the reality of having stepped one foot into the realm of death.
If it weren’t for Pyo-wol’s whisper, she would have already crossed to the other side of the river of death.
Pyo-wol then pulled out a booklet from her grasp. It was the same booklet she had taken from Eunyo. Only then did he retract the Silver Spider Web.
Even though the net of silver threads surrounding her had disappeared, Namgung Seol was unable to move.
She was paralyzed by intense fear that her body refused to obey her commands.
‘Move! Please, move!’
She didn’t want to show even the slightest bit of weakness.
Even in death, she refused to show a diminished figure.
As someone representing Lee Geumhan, if she showed a terrified demeanor, it would tarnish his reputation.
Such thoughts propelled her into action.
“Huff! Huff!”
Namgung Seol gasped for breath, finally managing to make her body move.
Pyo-wol then spoke to her.
“Do you still think the same? Second only to one, but above everyone else? Do you still think such a thing is possible to me?”
“No. I was mistaken. You’re not the kind of person to be under anyone else.”
Namgung Seol replied honestly.
It was clear to her now.
Pyo-wol was not a simple blade to wield at will.
He was a dangerous weapon with edges so sharp they could harm even the owner. Taming such a being for one’s use was impossible. Thus, through Namgung Seol, Pyo-wol was warning Lee Geumhan not to try and use him.
‘A madman. But certainly qualified.’
Namgung Seol clenched her teeth until they nearly bled.
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