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**

Bai Saak effortlessly parried the three swords charging at him with all their might.

The balance was off. But where did that imbalance start?

Right in front of me, with that man.

He’s flailing with all his strength, but all he can manage to unleash lies somewhere ambiguous between sword energy and sword strength.

The impact is commendable, making my wrists tingle every time we clash.

But that’s strictly a side note.

In the context of the battlefield…

There’s not much to get excited about. Truly.

Yet, from the tip of his sword, I could sense a resolve that would risk death. Even so, he barreled forward despite my warnings.

There was something there.

Something desperate.

“…Hmm.”

—KAAANG!!

The sword that was harshly deflected fell to the ground again. Two female martial artists rushed in to fill the gap, but they weren’t particularly threatening.

In battle, the most significant factor is the variables. However, since the balance was off from the beginning, no variables were triggered, and I could easily fend off the swords that sought to attack me.

Bai Saak shrugged off all the attacking swords. And at the same time, he tasted their willpower.

Every single one was tenacious.

The female martial artists, along with the man lurking behind…

All aimed at me with a genuine resolve to risk their lives.

But the fire of determination burned brightest in the man before me. And, to be honest, it was rather enticing.

“Oh?”

Even when knocked down, he rises again.

Even when his body is shaken by crushing blows, he seizes his sword once more in the next moment.

Each swing of his sword, powered by all his strength, melds blood and sweat together.

Isn’t it splendid? Utterly.

It feels like looking back on the first time I ever held a sword. Back then, truly… I felt as if I could do anything.

But ultimately, I could only move as one man commanded me to.

The Martial Alliance Leader.

The enticing suggestion that I could join as a disciple of the Sword Master.

I shouldn’t have heard that proposal. Yet I was young back then. I lacked worldly wisdom and believed that the Sword Master lived up to the honor of the title.

And…

I realized too late that wasn’t the case.

I had to do what I didn’t want to do with my sword. Otherwise, the solitude implanted in my mind would consume my brain.

I learned to wield a sword and truly grew stronger, but the fervor I once had was absent.

A dog leashed cannot venture into the world.

Knowing exactly where my limits lay.

No matter how much I struggled, no matter how much I sought to exert strength…

In the end, I had to act as the hands and feet of the Martial Alliance Leader, feigning innocence while committing nefarious acts.

Silently eliminating warriors who opposed the Martial Alliance Leader while building his notoriety…

Now, I was even here to secretly eliminate the Blood Lord, once hailed as a hero of the martial world.

In a series of events, my passion for martial arts had long since extinguished. Nowhere to be found, not even if I searched with my eyes wide open.

…But.

For some reason, I felt a strange sensation.

Today might be the day I throw off that collar and leave for somewhere else.

“…Is that all you’ve got?”

I changed my stance. Adjusted how I held my sword.

Bai Saak smiled for the first time in a long while. Barren days. That long wait.

Unable to end it all with my own hands…

Perhaps today would be the last day I waited for someone to bring an end to it all.

But even with all that aside, there was a junior in front of me who I found rather appealing.

Just a little guidance before I leave…

That was something I could delightfully provide.

“Let’s see how much more you can flail. Or else…”

Bai Saak struck fiercely at Gwangyang’s sword that rose once more. He fell again but got back up, and I scoffed at his persistence.

Alright.

If you can get over it, then try.

You stand on that threshold.

“You’re going to die. Right now.”

…

Weiji Il-do gazed at a girl on a rooftop with his arms crossed.

She was right in front of him. But the aura was bizarrely thin.

If he were to take his eyes off her for just a second…

It felt like she might vanish.

“An assassin?”

“I’m surprised you could see through the girl’s identity.”

Behind that mouth-covering act, there was a charm that didn’t resemble a child at all. Amazing. With beauty alone, she seemed capable of captivating a man.

But in this war, the most critical aspect was the outcome of the battle.

“…Hoo.”

Weiji Il-do glanced up at the sky. Then he slowly scanned his surroundings.

“A lot.”

“They are all prepared by the girl herself.”

“…There’s an absurd number. Even a few skilled masters among them pose a threat.”

Countless gazes lurked in the dark, and undoubtedly there were extreme experts mixed in.

Weiji Il-do looked down at his sword. Weighing the outcome, he chuckled.

“It seems you alone could match my sword, yet around me are numbers far beyond that… So this is where I am to meet my end today.”

“If there’s a form you desire, the girl will consider it as much as possible.”

“Talking with a ghost feels unsettling, so let’s drop it. I will simply stand here.”

“…….?”

The girl before him tilted her head. Weiji Il-do plopped down on the roof.

“The real assassins are those two: Dam Bi-chang and Zhu Moxing. They’ve had their sights set on the Blood Lord from the start. And if those two fail, it’s only natural for us to fail as well, right?”

“…What are you aiming for?”

“I don’t aim for anything. Just blaming this tenacious life of mine. Me? I don’t want to live. Life has become dull lately. No matter what I do, it feels pointless. My self-respect is tied up, so living is devoid of joy.”

Weiji Il-do took a bottle from his waist. He took a swig, using the moonlight as his companion.

“There’s a reason we were chosen as assassins. We’re distinctly strong among the Divine Army, yet we’re notorious for being hard to control. This task we wouldn’t normally take was simply a duty tied to eliminating Solitude—but.”

“They wouldn’t eliminate the solitude in your head, would they?”

“Exactly. Yet, we accepted this job anyway.”

Weiji Il-do savored the cheap taste of alcohol on his tongue.

“A bird in a cage can only harbor hope. But even if true freedom is granted, could one really leave their companions still caged behind? We die together, we live together. If the Blood Lord were to be eliminated, then I would take up my sword, and should my friends have already perished, I would simply die here without resistance.”

“The Blood Lord is powerful, Weiji Il-do. They cannot defeat him.”

“What peculiar pride. Are you perhaps a beloved one?”

The flustered assassin covered her chin with her sleeve.

“…That should be the case.”

“Isn’t that a bit too young?”

“The girl is older than she appears.”

“In that case, I have nothing further to say. Well, either way, Bai Saak seems to be enjoying himself right now. In contrast, I haven’t exactly found a worthy pupil to teach…”

“How about teaching the girl?”

“That won’t do. Teaching you? It feels impossible. How could I teach someone standing on the same line as me?”

The assassin slowly approached and sat down quietly before him, whispering softly.

“Could you also share a drink with the girl?”

“How did you know I had extras?”

“My eyesight isn’t that bad. You could call it only natural. I won’t pour, as that would be unseemly with a beloved. But…”

She smiled.

A smile like the moon.

“Even if you’re a bird in a cage, such elegance deserves to be sent off with a drink before leaving.”

“You’re not saying you won’t kill me.”

“If an assassin doesn’t kill, how can they call themselves an assassin?”

“…Kuhuh.”

Weiji Il-do tossed a flask that had been hanging from his waist to her.

“The poison is absent, so drink freely.”

“My body is immune to all poisons.”

“With a face as beautiful as yours, it seems you can do no wrong. A fearsome assassin indeed.”

“If I can’t manage even that, it would be a disgrace to the name of the Head of Sapa.”

“…True.”

Weiji Il-do glanced at the night streets.

“In a world gone mad, it’s only natural for the mad to gather.”

…

“Ah…Ah…”

Zhu Moxing’s head emitted only faint sounds as solitude was extracted from him.

He was a tough nut. Truly, it felt as if he had sunk teeth into a piece of his brain, threatening to tear apart his entire mind if not fed.

Yet, in the end, it was dispelled. The healing powers of Cheongeop and the precise energy control borrowed from Bai Ya and Black Pearl completely uprooted the essence from their minds.

Zhu Moxing collapsed. After writhing in pain for a while, he leaned against the wall, as if he had finally regained his senses.

“…Why…”

Dam Bi-chang, panting, seemed to ask the same question with his eyes. I answered him simply.

“I said I found it pleasing.”

“…B-but… We are… your… life…”

“Winners and losers. The ones who hold the life and death power are always the winners.”

I moved my feet.

“I just wished to spare your lives.”

What followed was simple. I swiftly seized the head of the martial artist barely holding himself together in front of Gwangyang.

Realizing my presence too late, he flinched in shock. But in the next moment, as if he anticipated his fate, he closed his eyes.

But what I did was extract the essence from his mind.

For some reason, Weiji Il-do on the rooftop was also effortlessly pulling heads. And he too extracted solitude.

“Now.”

I gathered all four of them in one place, swiftly extinguishing the commotion of the night and looking down at them.

“You may go where you wish. There is no one here to block your path.”

“…Who are you?”

In the politeness of their tone, there was only one answer I could give.

The name of Blood Lord or the former Martial Alliance Inspector.

Ultimately, those words could not signify me.

“The Red Cloud of Bi Cheon-eup.”

I uttered the name that I had been keeping in my mouth since I took the second sword.

“Jeok-un.”

“…….”

“You are free. You may fly out of the cage; please live the life you desire, even if belatedly.”

“…Why…are you helping us…”

“Your attitude. Your consideration. Your swords. Everything pleased me. A warrior respecting another warrior.”

I smiled faintly.

“Because you respected me, I respected you in turn.”

“…….!”

The eyes of Dam Bi-chang and the other three wavered. Then they seemed to gather themselves and…

Limped towards the night streets. I watched their retreating figures intently.

Su-ryeon whispered.

“It wouldn’t have been a bad idea to utilize their identities to pressure the Martial Alliance Leader.”

“I didn’t wish to do that.”

“…If that is your choice.”

Now, there was only one task left for me.

To showcase that assassins could do nothing to me and boldly depart from this Martial Alliance come tomorrow morning.

But the next morning, I unexpectedly encountered some new faces.

Including Dam Bi-chang and Zhu Moxing, whom I parted with last night…

Weiji Il-do and Bai Saak were all gathered in front of my lodgings.

“Please take care of us.”

A rare, accomplished martial artist at the edge of Huaxing.

They were bowing their heads at my door.

Even though I hadn’t asked for it.

 

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