Light Novel: Volume 24 Episode 19
Manhwa: N/A
Go Il-won frowned.
Fewer grenades had detonated than he had anticipated.
By now, the entire city should have been destroyed. However, the area that was actually damaged was not as vast as expected.
“What’s going on?”
Go Il-won heightened his senses. Instantly, the situation in the surrounding area became vividly clear in his mind.
The sounds of people breathing, shouting, screaming, and even the sight of warriors clashing— everything came together in his head.
Amidst this picture, a strange presence intruded.
It was an unpleasant sensation, like dirt stuck under a fingernail.
Go Il-won focused his senses even more. As he did, the presence of these alien entities became slightly clearer.
“Assassins?”
And it wasn’t just one or two of them.
More than hundreds of assassins were scattered across Haimen, ambushing his subordinates.
“Guh!”
“Urgh!”
The warriors of the Phantom Fleet, caught off guard, were easily overwhelmed by the assassins’ surprise attacks.
They never expected assassins to get involved at this stage. Most of the warriors didn’t even realize the assassins had intervened.
The assassins’ movements were both so stealthy and swift.
They swooped in, giving the Phantom Fleet martial artists no time to react or communicate with each other.
“How dare they!”
Go Il-won’s face contorted with anger.
Everything had been going according to the plan he had envisioned.
The Martial Sword Alliance was attacking Hae-won Manor, and in the meantime, he had been keeping Pyo-wol in check while destroying Haimen.
Given a little more time, he could have driven Haimen to a state beyond recovery. If that happened, the chaos in the world would have been even greater, and the Phantom Fleet could have used that opportunity to expand its power.
But all of that was now being shaken by the mere involvement of assassins.
“The assassins are the problem.”
It wasn’t enough that he had lost both his father and grandmother to an assassin like Pyo-wol, but now his entire plan was being shaken to its core.
This was the first time Go Il-won had ever experienced such a thing.
Go Il-won turned around.
In the distance, he could see Pyo-wol running in his direction.
Despite having carefully erased his tracks while moving, Pyo-wol had precisely pinpointed his location.
He couldn’t tell if it was because Pyo-wol was an assassin or if Pyo-wol possessed some special ability.
Suddenly, a sense of weariness washed over him– he realized he had had enough.
The desire to end his grudge with Pyo-wol right there and then began to rise in his head.
“Fine! If you want to die so badly, I’ll kill you.”
Go Il-won raised his killing intent.
If he could just kill Pyo-wol, taking care of the rest of the assassins would be easier than flipping his hand.
It was then—
Pah!
Pyo-wol, seemingly having sensed Go Il-won’s murderous intent, vanished without a trace.
“You’re planning to ambush me? Me?”
It was so absurd and ridiculous that he almost laughed.
He had the Asura Eye.
Created in the Western Region, this secret vision technique allowed him to see as clearly as in daylight, even at night, and no subtle movement could escape his notice.
For someone like him, who had mastered a technique that was essentially an assassin’s natural enemy, ambushes were useless.
He had already experienced it once, yet Pyo-wol foolishly chose to ambush him again, which irritated him. His annoyance was further amplified by his realization of how foolish he was to consider Pyo-wol a lifelong adversary and enemy.
“Fine! I’ll kill you. It’s better to end this quickly and sort out the situation.”
Go Il-won focused his energy on his eyes, causing them to emit a powerful, piercing glow, even in the darkness.
This was the phenomenon that occurred when he fully activated the Asura Eye.
As Go Il-won activated the Asura Eye, he scanned his surroundings.
However, he still couldn’t detect any significant movement.
Go Il-won naturally assumed it would be this way.
An assassin of Pyo-wol’s caliber would never rush and carelessly make his presence known.
He was probably hiding somewhere, observing him.
‘It’s like a game of hide-and-seek.’
The one who hides and the one trying to find.
This was the current situation between him and Pyo-wol.
Pyo-wol was hiding, waiting for the right moment to strike, while Go Il-won was intently searching for him.
‘Still, it’s surprising. To think the Four Great Demon Monks would be defeated so easily.’
The Four Great Demon Monks were not to be taken lightly.
Their martial prowess was strong enough that even Go Il-won couldn’t underestimate them. Yet Pyo-wol had taken care of them in an instant.
This was evidence that Pyo-wol’s skills were even more formidable than Go Il-won had initially thought.
‘But in the end, he’s just an assassin.’
Go Il-won refused to acknowledge assassins.
No matter how disadvantageous the situation, a martial artist should face their opponent head-on. He could never recognize those who hid in the shadows, striking from concealment.
His mind was set: kill Pyo-wol in one fell swoop, and annihilate Haimen. Afterward, he will find and punish his disreputable half-sister.
Those were the thoughts that dominated Go Il-won’s mind at this moment.
It had been a long time since he had felt such an intense desire.
He hadn’t felt this way since he first took command of the Phantom Fleet.
That’s why it thrilled him even more.
Ssss!
Threads of qi unfurled from his entire body, spreading out across the area.
Invisible to the human eye, the threads of qi expanded like a spider’s web, covering the surroundings.
While it had no killing power, no movement—no matter how subtle—could escape the web of qi he had spread.
Asura Eye and his spider web-like qi threads.
At this rate, even if it was not the Reaper but the Reaper’s grandfather came, it would be impossible for them to sneak up on him.
He had done everything he could to detect Pyo-wol’s approach.
From here on, it was a test of patience.
Would Pyo-wol’s patience run out first, or would he lose his composure and make his move?
Go Il-won was confident in this kind of fight.
At least when it came to patience, he had never lost a battle.
The minutes ticked by.
In the meantime, three or four more explosions occurred.
No matter how many assassins Pyo-wol mobilized, not all wall bombs could be defused or retrieved.
Boom!
One of the bombs that Soma and the assassins missed exploded in the direction of Go Il-won.
A fiery storm immediately blew right up to Go Il-won’s position, bringing scorching heat.
The flames seemed to be alive and ready to engulf Go Il-won at any moment. In fact, Go Il-won’s face had already turned red from the intense heat.
Still, Go Il-won did not blink, nor did he make a move.
He stood there as if he were a statue.
After a while, the flames that had reached right up to him died down. Though he had escaped danger, his expression didn’t change in the slightest.
His face remained as impassive as if he were wearing an iron armor, but a million thoughts were racing through his mind.
‘It was the perfect opportunity, yet he didn’t move. Why?’
In truth, he had thought that Pyo-wol would ambush him when the explosion happened a moment ago.
The fiery storm, the shockwave, and the flying debris from the bombs made it the ideal moment for an assassination.
So, he prepared himself thoroughly to respond at any moment. However, contrary to his expectations, Pyo-wol showed no signs of movement.
‘Could it be that he’s not even here?’
Such a thought suddenly crossed his mind.
If Pyo-wol wasn’t here, contrary to his assumption, then he was just making a fool of himself.
If he was restraining himself, wary of a Pyo-wol who wasn’t even there, he would look ridiculous.
Go Il-won shook his head, rejecting his own doubts.
‘No! He’s definitely here.’
Though he hadn’t confirmed Pyo-wol’s presence directly, he was certain Pyo-wol was nearby, targeting him.
He didn’t need to see it to know.
His instincts told him so.
‘I believe in myself.’
There’s a saying, “Doubt creates inner demons.”
The moment you start doubting, demons grow in your heart.
Once they grow, those demons quickly take over, leading you to distrust yourself.
Go Il-won had seen countless martial artists and people who were ruined in such a way.
He knew all too well how miserable their end was.
‘If it’s a battle of patience, I’ll accept it gladly.’
Go Il-won withdrew his Asura Eye.
If the opponent didn’t move, there was no point in using Asura Eyes.
Instead, it was a hundred times more useful to strengthen the qi perception he had spread like a spider’s web.
He closed his eyes and concentrated harder on his qi sense.
Time passed.
Go Il-won forgot about the flow of time and focused solely on detecting Pyo-wol’s movements.
So far, there hadn’t been any sign of movement.
‘Was I wrong? Is he not here?’
Just as his doubts began to creep up again—
That’s when it happened.
Thud!
Something triggered his senses.
A faint smile tugged at the corners of Go Il-won’s mouth.
He concluded that Pyo-wol had finally lost his patience and made a move.
He could faintly feel a movement within the invisible threads of energy he had spread out like a web.
It was a ghost-like movement that would have gone unnoticed had Go Il-won not heightened his senses to the extreme.
Pyo-wol was approaching, ever so slowly and subtly.
Go Il-won remained still, making sure Pyo-wol wouldn’t realize that he had been detected.
Pyo-wol was the strongest and most skilled assassin in the world.
If there is even the slightest change in his breathing rate or body temperature, it would be enough to let Pyo-wol know that he had sensed him.
If Go Il-won didn’t want Pyo-wol to notice, he had to maintain all his biological signs exactly the same.
It was a very difficult task, but not particularly difficult for Go Il-won.
It was then.
Boom!
Another explosion erupted nearby, though farther away this time.
Unlike before, the explosion had occurred far outside the immediate range.
However, unexpectedly, Pyo-wol seemed to be agitated, and his movements became urgent.
Shiiing!
The sharp sound of something cutting through the air reached Go Il-won’s ears.
Go Il-won’s eyes snapped open, and he threw a punch toward the source of the sound.
Boom!
A tremendous energy emanated from his fist.
“It’s my victory, Pyo-wol!”
BANG!
Along with Go Il-won’s shout, his punch exploded against the figure that had been secretly attacking him.
The ambusher didn’t even get a chance to scream as he was turned into a blob of blood as they were thrown backward.
The weighty sensation in his hand.
The attack had connected and landed properly.
However, Go Il-won’s expression turned dark.
The resistance he felt from his fist was far weaker than expected.
The Pyo-wol he knew should have produced a much stronger recoil than this, even if he had allowed the blow to land.
Swoosh!
It was then.
A black shadow suddenly rose from behind Go Il-won’s back.
The shadow that had risen without a sound or a movement was none other than Pyo-wol.
Puk!
Pyo-wol plunged two phantom daggers he was holding into Go Il-won’s waist and back.
“Urgh!”
Feeling the blades digging into his muscles, Go Il-won hurriedly unleashed his protective qi barrier.
Thunk!
Pyo-wol was thrown back by the defensive qi barrier. However, he had already anticipated such a thing, so he wasn’t significantly affected.
Pyo-wol took five steps back and stared at Go Il-won.
Go Il-won furrowed his brows and glared back at Pyo-wol.
He still had the phantom dagger stuck in his back, but it hadn’t caused much blood to flow.
The moment the phantom dagger had penetrated, he had tightened his muscles to stop the bleeding.
Go Il-won’s face had a mixture of shame, anger, and confusion.
The very fact that he had allowed Pyo-wol to ambush him had wounded his pride.
At the same time, he was curious about the man who had turned into a pool of blood moments earlier.
He had assumed it was Pyo-wol and attacked with full force, leaving the figure unrecognizable.
Pyo-wol provided the answer.
“It was one of my assassins. Seems like he came here unaware that I was hiding.”
The assassin, who had been searching for the bombs, unknowingly entered the area where Pyo-wol and Go Il-won were facing off.
The assassin didn’t even know Go Il-won’s identity, he had just simply mistaken him for a target and so he tried to ambush him.
Pyo-wol had witnessed the entire scene clearly.
However, he couldn’t stop the assassin.
Had he sent a sound transmission to warn him, not only would the assassin have been exposed, but Pyo-wol’s own position would have been compromised.
Thanks to the assassin’s ill-timed interference, Go Il-won revealed an opening, and Pyo-wol was able to inflict significant damage.
That alone was sufficient.
Realizing what had happened, Go Il-won’s fury surged.
“You cowardly…!”
LUNACAVE
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