Swift and Decisive (3)
Seohaksa finally revealed his true face.
The moment his murderous intent surfaced, the dignified and benevolent facade he wore vanished without a trace. Like most villains, Seohaksa had a keen nose for the scent of blood.
“If a filthy bastard like you has survived this long, there must be a reason, right?”
I glanced around the room before responding to Seohaksa’s taunt.
“Probably because I’ve been good at catching my enemies off guard.”
“Is that so?”
“Well, it doesn’t really matter, does it?”
Despite the commotion outside, the room was eerily silent, thanks to its excellent soundproofing. It was designed to keep conversations within from being overheard, and vice versa. Clearly, Seohaksa had a strong aversion to interruptions.
“Amazing how you managed to sneak in here like a rat.”
“Who says I snuck in? Maybe I killed everyone on my way.”
Seohaksa chuckled, a laugh that implied he found the idea impossible. Given the bodies I’d left in my wake, his skepticism was understandable.
He saw me as a skilled assassin, adept at infiltration.
Seohaksa pressed down on the head of a small statue on his desk, likely a signal to summon his men. But no one came.
It was too late. When news of my intrusion reached them, they should have evacuated him.
But they hadn’t. They were unprepared for such a situation, never imagining a single person could breach their defenses. They had grown complacent, surrounded by so many skilled fighters.
With no one coming to his aid, Seohaksa grew tense, uncertain.
“Who sent you?”
“Can’t you guess?”
“There are too many possibilities.”
“Then it’s one of them.”
With that, I drew my sword, ready to end this.
As I unleashed my killing intent, a strange aura emanated from Seohaksa. It was as bizarre as I’d heard, capable of unsettling anyone unfamiliar with it, making them feel as if they were sinking into a swamp.
But I had faced many masters with similar auras before.
Seeing that his aura had no effect on me, someone spoke from behind.
“Impressive.”
Startled, I turned to find another Seohaksa standing there, as if he had a twin.
But that was just the beginning.
“Youngsters these days are so impatient.”
A third Seohaksa emerged from behind a desk.
It was a form of duplication technique, but so realistic that it was hard to believe they were mere illusions. The attacks from these duplicates would be real, and that was the terrifying part of this technique.
“This should be an entertaining fight.”
“Time to crush the rat.”
Seohaksa continued to appear, one after another, as I watched with interest.
“This room is too cramped for a fight.”
The fifth one remarked, to which the sixth replied.
“Then let’s move to a bigger place.”
In an instant, the surroundings changed.
A gust of sand blew in from nowhere, and I found myself standing in an endless wasteland with seven Seohaksas.
Oh!
I marveled at the scene. It was as if a high-level illusion had been cast, so meticulously crafted that it felt real. I knew Seohaksa’s sorcery was formidable, but I hadn’t expected this level of sophistication.
Moreover, among the seven Seohaksas surrounding me, I couldn’t tell which one was real.
The Seohaksa directly in front of me asked,
“What do you think?”
“Truly remarkable.”
I admitted honestly.
“Are you afraid?”
“It’s fascinating.”
“Heh, still so cocky?”
“Will you teach me how to do it? I could use some duplicates myself. One to cook, one to clean, and one to catch filthy bastards.”
The seven Seohaksas’ expressions twisted in unison.
If I had said one to conquer the martial world, one to win the heart of the most beautiful woman, and one to become the richest man, they might not have been offended. But comparing their worth to cooking and cleaning was an insult.
In unison, the seven Seohaksas shouted,
“Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!”
Their voices merged into a strange, echoing chorus.
Shiiing!
The Seohaksa in front lunged at me, initiating the attack.
He aimed for my eyes with his fingers.
Swish!
I twisted my body to evade and slashed at him, using the strength of my wrist to cut him down effortlessly.
Boom!
Seohaksa vanished in a puff of red smoke.
As the acrid smoke filled my nostrils, I realized it was a deadly poison.
The earlier attack had been sharp, but the real danger was this toxic smoke.
Staggering as if poisoned, I collapsed.
The Seohaksas swarmed around me, their eyes filled with mockery and disdain.
“Pathetic.”
“Heh heh.”
“Let’s tear him apart before he dies completely!”
“Something’s off about him.”
“Huh?”
I was already looking up at them with a calm gaze.
As I grinned, my sword spun swiftly.
Shiiing!
The first strike severed several ankles, and the second cut through the bodies of those who fell.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Even those who tried to escape met the same fate.
None of them could evade my swordsmanship.
Boom! Boom!
They exploded, releasing smoke of various colors—black, green, blue—all deadly poisons.
But I was immune to all poisons.
Even the last one burst into smoke. Astonishingly, they were all fakes. Though six duplicates had appeared, it seemed the real one had vanished when the wasteland illusion was created, and a new one had been added.
It was an intricate deception, almost impossible to counter.
As the colorful smoke dissipated, the scene changed once more.
Mirrors surrounded me on all sides.
Dozens of mirrors stood at different angles, reflecting my image from every direction. The sheer number of reflections was dizzying. These weren’t ordinary mirrors; they emitted a sinister aura.
Crash!
I shattered a nearby mirror, only for two more to appear in its place.
Crash!
Breaking another had the same result. The more mirrors there were, the more disorienting it became.
It was truly a bizarre and formidable sorcery.
And it wasn’t over yet. A new attack began.
“Die!”
My reflection leaped out of the mirror, sword aimed at me. This time, my own duplicate was attacking me.
Clang!
The attack from my mirror self was real, though fortunately not as strong as the real me.
Swish!
The attacking reflection vanished. But the empty mirror slowly began to fill with my image again.
More of my reflections emerged from other mirrors, this time three at once.
I cut them down in quick succession.
I remained calm. For someone experiencing this for the first time, it would be overwhelming. The dizziness, the feeling of being possessed, and having to fend off one’s own attacks was no easy feat.
But I was composed. As a master, I often sparred with myself in my mind. So cutting down my own reflection wasn’t unfamiliar.
While fending off attacks, I scrutinized each mirror closely. They all seemed identical, but I was certain there was one that was different.
My recent studies in illusion techniques had taught me that the more elaborate and ambiguous something seemed, the simpler its underlying principle, and that there was always a way to break it.
Cutting, searching. Cutting again, searching again.
Finally, I found it.
A mirror with a different face. My eyes were distracted, my expression slightly stiff.
But the difference was so subtle that without exceptional observational skills, the ability to handle incoming attacks with ease, and the certainty that there was a solution, I would never have found it.
I lunged at that mirror.
As if to confirm it was the weak point, my reflections leaped out from other mirrors to stop me.
But I was faster.
I flew like the wind and pierced the reflection in the mirror.
Thud!
Unlike the previous shattering sounds, this one was different.
The reflection in the mirror slowly transformed into Seohaksa.
My sword had pierced Seohaksa’s chest.
“Please… spare me.”
Seohaksa coughed up blood as I spoke.
“Save your pleas. You’ll need them in hell.”
Swish.
I twisted my sword and sliced upward, severing Seohaksa’s body.
As he died, the surroundings changed. The mirrors vanished, and I was back in the original room.
I poured oil from a lamp and set it ablaze.
Watching his body catch fire, I said,
“Now that you’ve seen my secret, I can’t let you live.”
It was likely what he had said to the researchers he killed.
Not long after I left, the decrepit building was engulfed in flames.
“Something terrible has happened.”
Cheonsoseon burst into the cave.
“Shh!”
The old man gestured for silence as he turned around.
The child, who had been suffering from a headache, had just fallen asleep.
This was the first time Cheon Soseon had shown such urgency and surprise, but the old man remained calm.
He walked slowly, only asking once he was far from the sleeping child.
“What’s the matter?”
“Scholar Seo is dead.”
“What?”
The old man, who wouldn’t flinch even if the sky fell, was genuinely shocked this time.
Cheon Soseon repeated in a trembling voice, “Everyone guarding Scholar Seo is dead too.”
It was a disaster that should never have happened, especially with the Great Law approaching.
“We’re investigating whether it was Galsaryang or the Machul Army.”
The old man’s eyes grew profoundly deep. He had always considered past failures as mere variables in the grand scheme of things.
“It’s neither Galsaryang nor the Machul Army.”
Now, the old man understood. Another great destiny had emerged, one that sought to alter his own fate.
“The heavens wouldn’t just stand by if one defies their will.”
After uttering these cryptic words, the old man calmly asked, “Are all those related to the Great Law dead as well?”
“No. Two people who were to assist Scholar Seo are still alive.”
“Bring them here. We must save them first.”
“Yes. But they alone cannot carry out the Great Law.”
“I understand. Leave that problem to me. You focus on saving them.”
“Understood.”
Cheon Soseon swiftly leaped towards the cave entrance.
Left alone, the old man walked back to the bedside.
The child was still asleep.
He sighed lightly and repeated the words he had used earlier, comparing the situation to the Machul Army.
“Things in this world rarely go as one wishes.”
“Look over there.”
At Chilho’s words, Im Yeonjeong walked to the window.
Baekseok was rushing into the manor. He was exchanging words with Ilho in the yard. Though the words were inaudible, it was clear something significant had occurred.
Watching the scene, Chilho spoke with a trembling voice.
“It seems he did it.”
Im Yeonjeong looked at her.
“Really? Already?”
“Yes.”
Chilho felt certain. Her certainty went a step further.
“I think I finally understand why I trusted him.”
“Why?”
“Because he was someone worth trusting.”
It was a strangely retrospective statement, but Chilho felt it was the most accurate explanation.
Im Yeonjeong said nothing.
Suddenly, she remembered there was someone like that in her own life.
The Nameless Hero.
The man who saved her and then disappeared.
She thought she understood what it felt like for Chilho to trust Byeokridan. If it were the Nameless Hero, she would have felt the same trust.
Ilho’s voice came from outside.
“May I come in for a moment?”
Im Yeonjeong replied, “Come in.”
Ilho entered and spoke quickly.
“We need to relocate.”
“What’s going on?”
“Urgent orders from above. We need to move immediately.”
“Alright.”
A carriage was waiting outside.
As the two got into the carriage, Ilho drove it away at a frantic pace.
The speed of the carriage underscored the urgency of the situation.
The faster the carriage went, the broader Chilho’s smile grew as she looked out the window.
‘He succeeded.’