“Chop it!”

The leader of the Black Forest Room shouted. I slowly drew my sword in response.

Gu Ok-gyeong stepped forward first. The sword she picked up from the ground gleamed like a new soldier in her hands, cleanly slicing the enemy in two.

—Crack!

Blood gushed out mercilessly. Guts scattered everywhere.

It had been a while since I wielded a sword properly, and exhilaration filled the air. Perhaps all of this was merely an excuse.

She was born a warrior.

A being meant to wield a sword.

“Come on. Come on, you little shits.”

Her swaggering movements had no openings. It was devoid of formality or fancy techniques, which was exactly the point.

But there was something beyond that in her sword. A beast-like instinct. It pierced only the vital spots, like the sharp claws of a predator.

The sword danced through the tiny gaps, cutting and spraying blood everywhere.

A festival of blood. Gu Ok-gyeong smiled brightly as the seven enemies were torn apart and burst.

“I really love being active! Dae-wun. I haven’t dulled, right?”

“You’re sharper than ever.”

“Hehe. I told you. What are you doing?”

She glanced back at me, then glanced at my sword sheath before twirling her sword with a flourish.

She held the blade casually towards me.

“You don’t need a sword to catch a dog. Use this instead.”

“…”

As I was about to grab it, Gumang let out a low growl.

A warning. Undoubtedly a warning.

I subtly pulled my hand back.

“Don’t mess around.”

“…? What? Who’s saying that?”

“The sword.”

“Can it talk too? Hahaha! That’s hilarious!”

Gu Ok-gyeong laughed heartily and readied her sword again. I relaxed my grip.

I could see the Black Forest Room members stiffening at the sight of Gu Ok-gyeong’s stance. Their leader shouted in a panic.

“Is that really… Lady Lianju?!”

“Shut it, you little shit. The moment you brandish a sword, you’re all dead. Charges of treason and insult… whatever. I’ll throw in a few more.”

“F-fuck… I-I didn’t know! I swear I didn’t know!”

“It’s not my fault if you didn’t know. Should I just shrug and say, ‘Oh, I see. This is a real mess. Surely a fake little shit like you is the problem, right?’—and let it go?”

“…Ugh!”

“That guy who grabbed me and dragged me over here, who does he think he is? Why is he acting all tough now? Scared, are we? Can’t manage to grab one girl?”

The leader of the Black Forest Room suddenly started to laugh.

“That mouth of yours… I guess you really are the real deal.”

“You think you’re impressive now? What a little shit.”

“Do you really think you’d be able to rise up? At this point, I’ll make you pay. I don’t know how you escaped the nether but your policies just went against ours.”

He straightened his shoulders.

“If you’re from Sapa, you should live like one! Don’t bully the kids, leave the ones without swords alone. Take whatever you need, but don’t overdo it! If we protect every little detail, what’s the difference between us and those righteous fools?”

“Take what you want only as needed. You’ve got to leave breathing room for the people to survive, right? What did I say about warriors taking from the innocent? Don’t mug the ones without swords! Those armed should be with those armed, don’t you think?”

“If you were the type to think things through, you would’ve returned to the righteous side ages ago! How dare you come to us, squeaky little shit! Why do you lash out at the likes of us, who devoted our lives to Sado Clan?!”

“Want me to recite a poem for you?”

The Master of Sado, Gu Ok-gyeong lowered her voice.

It was as cold as ice.

“Someone got caught trying to fuck a thirteen-year-old maid.”

“…….”

“Look away, you filthy little shit. The only reason your head hasn’t rolled yet is that you’ve barely only attempted it. And what was that about freedom? Does a pig that eats human flesh need freedom? Very well said. You offered your lives to Sado, and that’s why you ended up in this situation. Filthy little shits.”

Gu Ok-gyeong shook her hands.

“A little bit of a break from hitting women and you start to get prickly, huh? The craziest bastards who roam the streets every night saying how young boys taste the best. A pig that has to keep a watchful eye on animal-human relations, forcing them together.”

“…….”

“Bastards who get excited by making war prisoners drink their piss. A moron who thinks he has to smear blood on his sword whenever he pulls it out. Kill everyone off first, and when the civilians are dead, say they faced swords at midnight. Pathetic little shits.”

Gu Ok-gyeong’s mouth spewed out vulgarities without restraint.

“You claim to cherish your freedom, but why don’t you care for others’ freedom?”

“…That’s… that’s the logic of Sapa!”

“The logic of Sapa? We believe there are lines! That’s simply the logic of beasts. No, it’s just a howl. You should’ve been whining this whole time, filthy little shits.”

Gu Ok-gyeong unsheathed her sword without hesitation.

“And among you, the most worthless is you. Pathetic leader of the Black Forest. You. Just now, you tried to rape that girl, didn’t you? Didn’t I tell you to fix that habit?”

“…It’s a winner’s right! The loser must obey the victor! That’s… that’s just life!”

“You even rape corpses, don’t you? Is that what you call a rightful claim?”

The leader of the Black Forest’s face twisted. His words were dripping with lust.

“It’s just a dead body anyway; does it matter if I take a little bit from it?!”

Gu Ok-gyeong chuckled.

“Thanks for being consistently trashy. I thought putting you away in a remote place might help, but that definitely didn’t work.”

“What makes you so special?!”

“Yeah. I’m special. It proves itself just by not living like you. I’m freaking awesome, and you’re all freaking trash…”

In an instant, the energy from her sword began to sparkle like stars.

“What I didn’t do then, I’m doing now properly. From now on, if I see bastards like you, there’ll be no more chances, just an early smackdown. Thanks for the lesson.”

“…Some of you, get out of here! Now! Request support from Sado Clan…”

“Do you really think they’ll send help?”

The leader of the Black Forest quickly turned his head. He twisted his face at the sight of Song Nam-cheon and Heuk Dae-wun who had taken position behind him.

His face transformed into that of a malevolent spirit, releasing his energy towards Lianju.

“…Yeah, better this way. You filthy girl. I won’t eat the old, but I’ll make an exception for you. I’ll make you cry out under me.”

“I’ve never heard a filthy girl like you in my life. Fine. I’m the opposite. I’ll cut off your dick and stuff it in your mouth. I’ll make you cry for life.”

The argument grew long.

But within that, I realized that they couldn’t simply be labeled as ‘treacherous’.

They had many sins to bear, and the content of them was so vile it made me want to vomit.

And among them, there was a part I simply couldn’t overlook.

“…Did you violate Su-ryeon?”

I was not foolish enough to stay silent upon realizing that a friend had almost been violated.

I returned Gumang back to its sheath. I didn’t want those dirty bastards’ blood on it.

Moving only my hand, I concentrated my energy.

The energies of Bai Ya and Black Pearl reacted within Gumang. As those two energies were pulled into the operation of my energy, they constructed the form of a sword.

With a feeling as if I was drawing a sword from thin air, I moved my hand. The two energies revolved like stars over the blade of a heart sword that was ominously forged.

**Heart Sword**

**Bai Ya Heukju**

As the surroundings froze, it ignited. The paradoxical power flowed along the ground, completely devouring the energies around me.

This was a half-hearted heart sword shaped only by form without balance.

I gripped it firmly. I had no intention of using the eighth form, Rakshasa Dance.

If I did…

All present would die without knowing how.

Tear, crush, and inflict pain; this would suffice. Holding the sword made of pure energy, I walked slowly.

Gu Ok-gyeong whistled. She stepped back slightly, dripping with cold sweat.

“What the hell is that?! Every single thing you pull out is dangerous! Hey, hey, hey. Are you angry? Calm down a bit. Don’t cut our allies, okay? You know I’m on your side.”

“Hand over the others, leave that one to me.”

“…What should we do, Black Forest leader? Blame your tongue.”

Gu Ok-gyeong clicked her tongue.

“I’m not at fault here?”

…

Su-ryeon opened her eyes late. Looking down at her body covered in bandages and drugs, she quickly turned her head.

She had a dream.

But something felt odd.

It felt like the dream wasn’t just a dream.

The nurse tending to her was Il-ho. And that was a sight she had also seen in her dream.

Then…

“…Il-ho.”

“Yes.”

“What about Jeok-un?”

Il-ho was about to speak.

But even before that, the sounds of hushed conversations from outside caught her ear.

“An amazing masterpiece. Though I couldn’t stuff the cut-off dick in the mouth, a huge ice skewer coming out from the anus to the mouth!”

“…That wasn’t the intention.”

“I know. I know. He was trying to escape with his skills but ended up stabbing himself. Still, the shape isn’t too bad, right?”

“Ok-gyeong. Please.”

“Hehe. Still, you did well. Quite resolute, more than I expected. Did you see? Just as he was begging for his life, he was hiding that dagger behind his back.”

“I did see, but I didn’t believe it from the start.”

“Why?”

“Because the sword was ugly.”

“What about my sword?”

“It’s efficient.”

“Is it pretty?”

“Depends on the perspective.”

“And your perspective?”

“It’s cool.”

“…I see. So that’s what you think.”

The sword.

The topic that came up most from that person.

Su-ryeon rattled the door open. She saw four people talking in front of numerous corpses.

Three of them were strangers. She knew their faces, but it was a one-sided acquaintance. They had never truly conversed.

The General of Sado Clan, Song Nam-cheon.

The First Sword of Sapa, Heuk Dae-wun.

The Master of Sado, Gu Ok-gyeong.

…And then there was her.

“……”

He noticed her presence and turned around. His face momentarily filled with longing before it broke into a smile.

“Su-ryeon.”

“…….”

She had wanted to hear that voice.

All this time.

Su-ryeon felt her typically expressionless face slowly breaking. It felt like her once dry demeanor was melting away bit by bit.

Not a fake smile, but a genuine one.

As Su-ryeon, not as the assassin, she whispered softly.

“…It’s too late.”

It was late.

Indeed.

 

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