Once the floodgates of her sobbing burst open, the cries poured out like a torrent, echoing through the room.
A deep smile spread across the lips of Kim Su-hyun, the Golden Standard Lord, who had been watching blankly.
Seeing that insolent, utterly arrogant woman break down and weep in defeat after succumbing to sexual violence gave him a strange sense of satisfaction.
So much so that a subtle feeling of conquest quietly crept in.
“This is too much… really, it’s just too much…!”
Through her wailing, Neul Seol-yeong kept repeating the same words over and over.
She must have been so heartbroken that the fierce determination once etched on her face was now soaked through with endless tears.
Kim Su-hyun, eyes half-open, let out a bitter laugh, clearly unimpressed.
“Too much? You think it’s too much?”
“You… you don’t know anything…!”
“Know what?”
“How I’ve lived! What those bastards did to me! You…!”
Neul Seol-yeong’s voice cracked as she screamed, but suddenly she stopped mid-sentence.
Kim Su-hyun was shaking his hand dismissively, clearly annoyed.
“Enough. Nobody here gives a damn about your past.”
“You…!”
“The only thing that matters is one thing.”
“Sniff… sob…”
As Neul Seol-yeong wept bitterly, Kim Su-hyun continued with a cold, almost bored expression, as if he’d seen it all before.
“Do you really think you have the right to call me and everyone here ‘those bastards’?”
“What…?”
“You don’t. You’re no different.”
At those words, Neul Seol-yeong’s crying abruptly stopped.
A hiccup escaped her lips.
“Isn’t that right?”
Kim Su-hyun’s tone challenged her to say something, but she was left speechless.
The Salmun clan was undoubtedly the deadliest assassin group, but it always carried a notorious reputation.
The worst.
A place feared by every clan across the Northern Continent, one they dared not acknowledge.
Even the elite band of vagabond killers had backed down and avoided them.
What more needed to be said?
The important thing was that Salmun was never a righteous group—no heroes here.
Murder, robbery, rape, violence…
Crimes beyond imagination were as common as breathing.
And Neul Seol-yeong had been deeply involved in these illegal acts, more than anyone else.
“But… but…”
Still, Neul Seol-yeong shook her head blankly, refusing to accept it.
At that, Kim Su-hyun’s face instantly turned icy.
“Or maybe… is it that what happened to you was the greatest injustice in the world, but what you did was just a tiny speck?”
His mocking words stabbed deep into her heart like a dagger.
“I always think about this. That someday, living like this, I’ll get back everything I’ve done… a kind of reckoning, you could say.”
He exhaled, a faint haze of smoke drifting into the air as he spoke calmly.
“But without that kind of resolve, you justify this world when it suits you, saying it’s only natural, unavoidable. And when it doesn’t, you play the tragic heroine? Don’t you think that’s selfish?”
Suddenly, a woman flashed through Kim Su-hyun’s mind.
A gentle face framed by light brown hair.
A future Holy Empress, a formidable figure who, had she thought differently, might have been a powerful ally by now.
“Honestly…”
Unable to hold back, Kim Su-hyun added, fingers idly tracing the hilt of the sword resting on the table.
“Every time I see a hypocrite like you… I honestly want to kill you.”
His once pitch-black eyes now glowed faintly red.
Facing that gaze, Neul Seol-yeong staggered and suddenly collapsed.
Her limbs went limp all at once.
At that moment, the Golden Standard Lord, who had been quietly swallowing his saliva, seized the opportunity.
“Oh, well said! Absolutely! That woman still hasn’t come to her senses. So, you see… hehe!”
Rubbing his hands together eagerly, he looked at Kim Su-hyun with hopeful eyes.
Without even looking, Kim Su-hyun nodded leisurely.
The Golden Standard Lord’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“R-Really?”
Without a word, Kim Su-hyun reached out and pulled Go Yeon-ju closer.
His hand slid from her shoulder down to her collarbone, then slipped into the cleavage.
Grasping her full, almost bursting breasts tightly, Go Yeon-ju let out a soft moan and trembled.
It was as if saying, “I’ll be here playing around, so do whatever you want.”
The Golden Standard Lord’s eyes gleamed with lust as he watched Kim Su-hyun fondle Go Yeon-ju’s breasts.
Her smooth forehead, sharp nose, slightly upturned eyes with a sensual beauty mark beneath the left one.
A willow-like waist contrasting with her full, prominent chest.
And though her expression was slightly annoyed, her thick, red lips were tightly sealed, unable to resist.
She was breathtaking.
Even Neul Seol-yeong’s radiance paled in comparison to this woman’s deadly allure.
Of course, everyone knew who she was.
One couldn’t help but wonder what expression the famed Queen of Shadows would wear if she were beneath her.
What cries would she utter?
The Golden Standard Lord’s mind filled with all sorts of filthy, lascivious fantasies.
But then—
“!”
He shuddered as if struck by lightning.
Kim Su-hyun’s eyes flicked upward, sensing the strange gaze.
The Golden Standard Lord immediately realized his place.
Here, the absolute power belonged to the man before him.
And he was nothing but a dog.
A dog should eat only what its master gives.
And what he’d just been given was no ordinary meal.
For someone like Neul Seol-yeong, this was a delicacy—no, the finest delicacy a dog could hope for.
No need to be greedy for the world’s best.
“R-Really… you don’t have to go first…?”
At the third question, a trace of irritation crossed Kim Su-hyun’s face.
But that expression was the surest guarantee.
“Wooooaaahhh!”
Cheers erupted throughout the hall.
Pants were tossed aside, and shirtless members of the Golden Standard clan swarmed over the fallen woman.
Before she could react, Neul Seol-yeong was suddenly surrounded, staring up in stunned silence.
“Hey, I call first!”
“No way! I’m first!”
“Hey, you bastard! How dare you! Of course, I’m first!”
“Damn it, Lord! Then I’ll at least get the ass!”
“Whoa! Look at those tits! So soft!”
“Move! I’m going in first!”
Still lying there, her slender body was hoisted into the air.
With her arms and legs spread wide, Neul Seol-yeong finally came to her senses and weakly struggled.
“S-Stop…”
But no one listened.
Dozens of hands crawled over her body like insects.
One rough hand grabbed a protruding nipple and yanked it upward.
“Ahhh!”
Her full breast stretched into a cone shape, making her body jerk.
“Oh my! That scream is almost sweet.”
“Like a live fish, totally.”
Laughter followed.
One impatient man even wrapped her long hair around his crotch.
“Stop…!”
Just as she was about to shout again—
Smack!
Something hot, hard, and unpleasant struck her lips.
Had he come closer without her noticing?
The Golden Standard Lord was moving his large, grotesque member back and forth in his hand.
“Hehe, hehe!”
He laughed foolishly, eyes dripping with lust.
How badly had he wanted this woman?
How badly had he craved her?
“Finally, the day has come!”
“You bastard!”
His mouth spat out a rough curse, only to be met with another strike.
“Can’t even clean up your own filth!”
Spitting, Neul Seol-yeong glared, but the Golden Standard Lord sneered cruelly.
“Such foul language~ Your mother used to call me ‘Master,’ and later, ‘Honey’~.”
“Shut the hell up! You disgusting worm!”
“I’ll make you bear that worm’s child. Honestly, I was a bit disappointed. Your little sister, you know? Her flesh was tender and delicious, but she kept crying ‘Sister~ Sister~’ all the time…”
“Kill me…! Ugh? Ughhh!”
Flames sparked in Neul Seol-yeong’s eyes.
She tried to shout something, but a man nearby shoved his member deep into her throat, silencing her with a gagging cough.
The Golden Standard Lord smirked and strode confidently between her legs.
Swallowing hard, he pressed his member against her entrance.
Following the clean line of her body, he began to rub up and down.
Realizing what was about to happen, Neul Seol-yeong’s whole body trembled at the cruel sensation of her precious place being toyed with.
“I’m really lucky, you know… Oh! Stay still, okay? You know what happens if you resist even a little.”
A whisper buzzed in her ear.
Then, the sensation of a tongue flicking her earlobe sent chills all over her.
A single tear, still swollen with pain, traced down her cheek.
The feeling of having her cherished virginity taken—not by anyone else, but by her mortal enemy…
It was an agony so deep, so humiliating, words could not express.
“Lord! Hurry up!”
Urged by those around him, the Golden Standard Lord patted his pale white ass and cleared his throat, suppressing his urge.
“Alright, alright. So, shall we get started?”
He positioned himself at her entrance and exhaled deeply.
Taking a moment to savor the contorted expression on her face, he slowly began to push his hips forward.
Her tightly clenched folds parted into a soft, rounded opening, revealing the pale pink flesh within.
Did she sense the foreign intrusion creeping inside?
“Ugh…!”
Suddenly, Neul Seol-yeong’s eyes rolled back sharply.
Her trembling black pupils flipped upward, leaving only the whites visible.
Her mind, which had been clinging to survival with sheer willpower—enduring, enduring, enduring—finally reached its breaking point.
She was on the verge of fainting, no exaggeration.
In fact, passing out might have been the better option.
“The grand opening ceremony of the three daughters!”
At that moment, Hwanggeum Pyoguk Road shouted loudly, bracing his lower body with all his strength.
The phrase “three daughters” flashed through Neul Seol-yeong’s mind.
In that split second, as Hwanggeum Pyoguk Road was about to thrust forward, something inside Neul Seol-yeong’s head snapped.
“Urah-cha-cha!”
Thud!
A deep, penetrating sound.
The trembling in her legs, caused by excessive stimulation, abruptly ceased.
From the point of penetration, blood seeped out from the junction, trickling down her thigh in drops.
“Ahhh…!”
Hwanggeum Pyoguk Road let out a strange groan, slowly lowering his gaze from the ceiling.
His eyes filled with confusion as he spotted a thin, fine line piercing through his left thigh.
Because of it, his strength drained suddenly, and he couldn’t thrust properly.
“What…?”
Just as he wondered, nine more threads extended from the tips of Neul Seol-yeong’s hands, which were gripping the fluids.
Thwack, thwack-thwack, thwack-thwack-thwack!
The threads embedded themselves evenly into the bodies of nine others.
Hwanggeum Pyoguk Road, who had been watching absentmindedly, suddenly widened his eyes as if they might tear.
“Wait…!”
Then, in the next moment, Neul Seol-yeong’s ten fingers moved gracefully, like playing a piano.
Pipipipit!
“Kyaaaah!”
“Ahhh!”
Blood sprayed like a fountain toward the ceiling.
The magical threads sliced through human flesh from the inside with terrifying ease.
Necks, arms, shoulders, legs—severed limbs flew in all directions.
Ten bodies danced in a frenzy of blood.
Thud, thud, thud, thud—silent corpses collapsed one after another.
But this was not the end.
It was only the beginning.
No sooner had they hit the ground than Neul Seol-yeong spread her ten fingers wide, left and right.
A man trembling in the corner, watching his comrades being slaughtered, shouted out.
“Me-Mercenary Road!”
But he quickly fell silent.
Because Kim Soo-hyun was still perched on the table.
With a slight smirk.
As if thinking, “Bingo.”
“Huh?”
Kim Soo-hyun glanced sideways, sounding surprised and impressed.
“Not getting involved there is quite commendable… What’s this?”
He spoke as if pleased, then his expression soured.
Because beneath the man lay a female Salmun Clan member.
“So it was you.”
Without further hesitation, he threw a sword.
The blade struck precisely between the man’s eyebrows, and he instantly collapsed into a corpse.
“Soo-hyun!”
Startled, Ko Yeon-ju suddenly shouted.
“Yes?”
“Y-yes?”
She stammered, watching the indifferent response.
Meanwhile, Neul Seol-yeong was sweeping through the Hwanggeum Pyoguk Clan like a raging storm.
Kim Soo-hyun lightly applauded the whirlwind of slaughter.
“So this is the secret class, huh? Pretty useful in group combat.”
“That’s not the point!”
“Oh, the Hwanggeum Pyoguk? I just don’t like them. It bothers me that they covet what’s mine.”
“…What did you say?”
Ko Yeon-ju finally lost her composure.
She had definitely felt the gaze from Hwanggeum Pyoguk Road earlier.
But it was clear Kim Soo-hyun had done it intentionally.
“Are you serious?”
Kim Soo-hyun shrugged and jumped down from the table.
By now, dozens of Hwanggeum Pyoguk Clan members had been reduced to corpses.
And Neul Seol-yeong, staggering but still staring straight at Kim Soo-hyun, radiated pure malice and hatred.
Her hair was disheveled, saliva dribbling from her mouth—hardly in her right mind.
In fact, the constant muttering from her lips resembled the ramblings of a demon.
Her mind had been pushed to the brink, losing all reason.
“Kill… me…”
“You were quite the performer. Well done.”
No sooner had Kim Soo-hyun praised her than Neul Seol-yeong screamed and charged.
At the same time, the Glory of Victoria flared to life.
Cha-cha-cha-chang!
The dazzling blade light enveloped her entire body.
“Kyaaaah!”
Amazingly, Neul Seol-yeong curled up and broke through it.
“Hooh.”
Kim Soo-hyun gasped, swinging the Glory of Victoria in a cross pattern.
The X-shaped blade sliced diagonally across Neul Seol-yeong’s thighs.
Crash!
With both legs severed, she naturally fell.
Yet, she didn’t stop.
Flailing her arms, she aimed for Kim Soo-hyun.
But in the next moment, both arms were grabbed and ripped off from the shoulders.
“Kyaaaaaaah!”
Her agonized scream shook the entire hall.
Kim Soo-hyun dropped the arms he held, covering his ears as if annoyed by the noise.
Lee Hyung-hwan had swiftly taken position behind Neul Seol-yeong, tearing off her arms in an instant.
“Well then, what should we do now…?”
Grabbing her by the hair, Kim Soo-hyun lifted the torso of Neul Seol-yeong, now missing all limbs.
Her screams had ceased.
Only ragged breaths and bubbling sounds remained.
“Should we feed you to the dogs? Or maybe you want to live as a puppet? What do you think?”
Tapping her cheek with the back of his blade, Kim Soo-hyun smiled.
Her head tilted back, revealing a delicate, deer-like nape.
Suddenly, his eyes gleamed with a new idea.
Then—
“Ah.”
In a split second, something dark brushed past Neul Seol-yeong’s neck.
Her torso dropped with a thud.
Kim Soo-hyun blinked a couple of times.
“Huh.”
His eyes shifted sideways to find Ko Yeon-ju kneeling on one knee.
In her left hand was a bloodied dagger.
“What is this?”
“…The same.”
“Huh?”
“I did the same. I killed her because I was annoyed that the Road was paying attention to her.”
Her breath came in ragged gasps, her voice breaking intermittently.
Kim Soo-hyun let out a bitter laugh, glancing at the headless Neul Seol-yeong.
“Finding such a tough one is rare… hmm.”
His momentary regret faded quickly.
He tossed the remains aside and turned his gaze to the remaining members.
“Soo-hyun!”
But once again, Ko Yeon-ju stopped him.
She hurried over and gently wrapped her arms around one of Kim Soo-hyun’s.
“?”
“That’s enough, don’t you think?”
“User Ko Yeon-ju.”
“You said earlier you might go easy on me because you know my face.”
Kim Soo-hyun gave her a slightly disappointed look, then suddenly chuckled.
“Why? Feeling sorry now? Because we were once family? Feeling a sudden surge of sympathy?”
“No, no.”
Ko Yeon-ju shook her head slowly.
“Salmun clearly separates business from personal feelings. Besides, she’s useful. If we spare her, she won’t forget the favor.”
“Favor? Ha ha.”
“Yes. I’ll take responsibility, so please, just stop now…”
“……”
Her words cut off Kim Soo-hyun’s laughter.
He studied Ko Yeon-ju for a long moment, then clicked his tongue in disappointment.
“Responsibility, huh… If Ko Yeon-ju says so…”
“By the way, what will you do about Hwanggeum Pyoguk? There will definitely be issues raised.”
It was surprising.
Seeing the tyrant take a step back, Ko Yeon-ju desperately changed the subject.
Kim Soo-hyun, having defeated her, pulled a few orbs from his pocket and tossed them.
“What’s this?”
“These contain confessions from Neul Seol-yeong and the Salmun Road. And…”
His voice briefly returned to normal.
After a moment, he threw several more orbs.
“Quite a lot… Anyway, these are evidence provided by Salmun on the Hwanggeum Pyoguk Clan. Release them along with the recorded footage I just gave you.”
At that moment, a hand reaching to pick up the orbs hesitated.
Kim Soo-hyun continued.
“Salmun attacked. Mercenary and Hwanggeum Pyoguk allied to strike Salmun’s hideout. Salmun was subdued, but in the process, Hwanggeum Pyoguk was annihilated.”
Ko Yeon-ju lifted her head sharply, staring at him.
“…But it turns out Hwanggeum Pyoguk was like this too. Needs some tweaking, but the story’s good, right?”
“You… don’t mean…?”
The last thing Ko Yeon-ju saw was Kim Soo-hyun’s devilish smile.
“Then I’ll leave the cleanup to you.”
With that single sentence, Kim Soo-hyun turned and disappeared.
After he left, the room fell into sudden silence.
All that remained were about seven survivors and a scattering of corpses.
Ssshhh—
Suddenly, the faint sound of rain tapping against the window drifted into her ears.
Occasionally, a flash of lightning crackled, followed by a sharp ringing in her head.
“……”
For a long while, Ko Yeon-ju couldn’t bring herself to leave that spot.
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
Thank you all.
Honestly, I was just obsessing over how to completely shatter the readers’ minds! But thanks to you, I’ve come back to my senses.
Reading your comments cooled down the feverish excitement I had.
Ha ha.
Ah, the omnibus series featuring Ko Yeon-ju is almost over.
From the next chapter onward, the story will return to lighter, more humorous tales.
For now, you could say it’s about to give birth (or something like that).
Optolove / Simply put.
There are several reasons why Kim Soo-hyun was able to corner the Salmun clan.
Not to mention user data, Kim Soo-hyun’s experience in the shadow war far surpasses theirs, and the home-ground mechanisms of the organization were actually turned against them. (There’s also the Hwajeong, but since it wasn’t used in this story, I’ll leave it out.)
But above all, the biggest gap was the presence—or absence—of abilities.
Kim Soo-hyun had acquired countless abilities by this time.
Shape-shifting, the Four-Limbs Technique, Floral Grafting, Void Manipulation, and more.
Even his sword energy usage was on a completely different level.
In particular, the Salmun clan’s defeat can largely be credited to the Shape-shifting ability.
In the story, the Salmun lord took the bait and responded to Kim Soo-hyun’s provocation.
They failed to surround him at the table, and even if a fight had broken out there, Ko Yeon-ju wouldn’t have just stood by quietly.
No matter how much the clan lord ordered her to stay put.
They deployed their signature net-like formation centered on the Nulsul-yeong technique, but that only created the perfect stage for Shape-shifting to shine.
The net’s strength lies in efficient searching and communication, but if the target breaks out in another direction, it’s useless.
In the end, the net was a disastrous mistake.
Unless they had a third eye, the Salmun lord only gauged their opponent’s skill without fully grasping their abilities—a critical error.
I hope this explanation satisfies your curiosity. :)