Episode 161

“I’m off, Father.”

Less than a year had passed since I first left home for the front lines, yet here I was again, stepping toward the battlefield.

Though not much time had elapsed, so many things had changed since then.

“Travel safely, Jina.”

“Master Soga, please take care of yourself!”

“Master Soga, please don’t overexert yourself. Remember, the future of the Sunwoo clan depends entirely on you.”

“Master Soga…”

“Master Soga…”

The number of people who came to see me off was vastly different this time.

Not only the elders and nobles but also countless ordinary warriors had gathered to watch me leave.

Back then, it had only been Father and Yeonha by my side.

What’s more, every one of them wore a look of concern, urging me to be careful.

Their voices echoed from all directions, almost overwhelming my ears.

I forced a shy smile and did my best to respond sincerely to their farewells.

After two lifetimes, this was the first time I’d received such passionate support. Surely, my heart should have been soaring, but instead, my mind was a whirlwind of confusion.

“My head’s spinning. I just want to get moving.”

No matter how coldly I looked back, I couldn’t deny that this return had been a complete success.

I had restored the Sunwoo clan’s honor, driven out the Blood Sect’s forces from Guizhou Fortress, and even gained the support of Sonanso, the legendary wild witch.

Of course, I still hadn’t seen Jeagal Seoyul’s face again, which nagged at me a little. But if my apologies hadn’t softened his heart, that was beyond my control.

“Well then, I’ll be going. Everyone, stay well.”

With that, I finished my farewells and took off lightly.

My load was light, and after Hwasa-yu’s death, I had sent the Jeongma-hyeok and Gyeonjung straight to Master Gwanggeom, so I was traveling quite lean.

But my heart was anything but light.

Inside my pack was a letter Father had written himself.

It was addressed to Dang Jeonghu, the head of the Sichuan Sect.

The letter confirmed that I was indeed the rightful Master Soga of the Sunwoo clan and stated that a formal marriage proposal to the Sichuan Sect would be made in due time.

In other words, it was essentially a marriage proposal from the Sunwoo clan to the Sichuan Sect.

“A formal marriage proposal…”

I felt strangely unsettled.

Of course, neither I nor Lady Dang would be able to do anything with the letter right now, since we both had to return to the front lines.

Frankly, this was just a stalling tactic to prevent Lady Dang from marrying that On Je-ung fellow.

I knew that very well.

But still…

I couldn’t shake this restless feeling.

I had no idea why.

“How strange. Why do my steps feel so light? Maybe I should run a bit.”

With that thought, I picked up my pace.

After all, I needed to train in the new martial arts techniques.

“Well, running’s good. I have to train hard to take down that Bisea-young fellow with the new techniques.”

That was it.

This wasn’t because I wanted to see Lady Dang sooner.

I just wanted to crush that Bisea-young.

Whoosh!

Using the explosive step technique, I accelerated rapidly.

My body felt so light that I couldn’t help but smile.

It was probably because the weather was so nice today.

It definitely wasn’t because Lady Dang’s face kept popping into my mind.

“Of course not! Ha ha ha!”

Chuckling to myself, my new form moved forward lightly and effortlessly like the wind.

---

At the same time.

Not far from the Sunwoo clan estate.

From the shadow of a large tree, two faint glimmers of light slowly opened.

Though dim, they radiated immense martial energy.

A low voice muttered.

“He’s out.”

It was Am Hyeolhyang.

Am Hyeolhyang Jo Usang, the world’s deadliest assassin and one of the Thirty-Six Stars of the Martial World, had already arrived near the Sunwoo estate two days ago.

When he had infiltrated the Sichuan Sect like a ghost to meet Hong Sageomryong On Je-ung, sneaking into the Sunwoo clan to find his target, Sunwoo Jin, would have been no challenge.

But Am Hyeolhyang waited.

There were rumors that Yeoryeong Seokma Son Eunsang was staying at the Sunwoo estate.

He didn’t fully believe the rumors, but he wasn’t about to risk making a mistake by rushing in.

So Am Hyeolhyang waited for Sunwoo Jin to come outside, patiently biding his time for the perfect moment to strike quietly.

And that was nothing unusual.

For an assassin like him, waiting weeks for the right opportunity was common.

“Coming out after only two days? This contract’s lucky.”

Like a shadow, Am Hyeolhyang began to trail Sunwoo Jin slowly.

He planned to act only after they were well away from the estate.

Sunwoo Jin, for some reason in high spirits, was speeding forward like the wind, smiling brightly.

But for Am Hyeolhyang, one of the Thirty-Six Stars, following him was no challenge.

He moved like a ghost, leaving no trace.

Swish!

Am Hyeolhyang kept a steady distance behind, moving so stealthily that even Sunwoo Jin’s keen eyes couldn’t detect him.

Sunwoo Jin remained completely unaware of the tail, grinning all the while.

Like the wind, they quickly left Guiyang and headed toward the Jin family estate in the Golden Sands region.

Just before entering Golden Sands, Am Hyeolhyang made his move.

“This spot should be quiet enough.”

Maintaining his ghost-like stealth, Am Hyeolhyang grasped the handle of the segmented whip wrapped around his waist.

The whip, segmented like the shell of a crustacean, moved as if alive, unwinding naturally.

It extended forward, its head poised before him.

He inserted a small metal ball into a groove at the whip’s tip.

This was his secret weapon—the Black Five-Piece Whip.

In the next instant, his body spun violently.

The whip whipped around with fierce momentum, combining his martial energy and centrifugal force.

At last, the whip’s head expelled the metal ball.

Whoooosh!

The projectile, propelled by Am Hyeolhyang’s power and the whip’s speed, shot forward like a bullet.

Screeeech!

The metal ball tore through the air at a speed faster than sound, so Sunwoo Jin didn’t even hear it coming.

Thunk!

In a split second, the ball pierced Sunwoo Jin’s chest.

He had been calmly channeling his martial energy moments before, but now blood gushed from the wound.

“Ugh!”

The sudden attack threw him off balance, and he began to fall.

It was a direct hit.

But Am Hyeolhyang muttered with a hint of annoyance.

“Missed. Luck? Or senses?”

Though it looked like a perfect hit, Am Hyeolhyang knew better.

At the last moment, Sunwoo Jin’s body had shifted slightly, causing the ball to strike his right chest instead of dead center.

In over ten years of using the Black Five-Piece Whip, Am Hyeolhyang had never failed to kill with a single shot.

Looks like this time, he’d have to make two moves.

---

Thud!

A sudden pain spread through my body as all my strength drained away.

My chest had been pierced.

My balance broke, and I was falling toward the ground.

At this speed, crashing into the earth could very well mean death.

“Ugh!”

I twisted my body, trying to minimize the impact.

I felt a dull thud.

Thump! Thump-thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

My body bounced and rolled like a skipping stone, pain flaring from every part.

But I knew that wasn’t the important thing.

I was still alive—that was sheer luck.

“An invisible projectile pierced my chest from behind at full speed?”

Just realizing what had happened sent chills down my spine.

I had been in a good mood, but I hadn’t let my guard down.

As a frontline soldier, vigilance was second nature.

Besides, I was running at full speed in the Moonlight Sword Dance’s Flying Moon stance.

Yet, no sound, no sign, not even through my keen eyes—nothing warned me before the silent attack.

I couldn’t even imagine how fast that projectile had to be.

At that critical moment, I’d felt a faint, ominous sensation and quickly changed direction.

If I’d ignored that feeling, I wouldn’t be alive now.

“Who the hell are you?!”

Clutching my pierced right chest, I glanced back.

A figure dressed in black was approaching like a ghost.

Visible to the eye but undetectable by the mind—truly ghostlike.

“Could it really be a ghost?”

No way.

The one who fired the metal ball that pierced my chest couldn’t be a ghost.

He must be a master beyond my ability.

And I already knew of an assassin who could kill silently with a single shot.

“Am Hyeolhyang!”

I bit my lip hard.

I thought the assassination attempt was over once I erased the Four Heavenly Killings Seal, but apparently, I was wrong.

I had seriously underestimated that Hong bastard.

But there was no time to regret it now.

I had to survive first—only then could I afford to regret.

‘Besides, if that guy really is Am Hyeolhyang, there probably wasn’t any way to prepare for this. The only possible option would have been to stick close to Senior Son Sang.’

I hesitated for a moment, considering running away, but ultimately gave up.

If I turned my back and fled again, and something like that came flying at me once more, this time I probably wouldn’t be able to dodge it.

That left me with only one option.

The Moonlight Phantom Sword Dance technique.

Activating Hyunwol.

A dizzying sensation swept over me as my senses expanded.

At the same time, the pain in my chest felt so distant, it was as if it belonged to someone else.

In that moment, a whip-like weapon shot toward me from the black-clad figure flying like a ghost—barely visible to the eye.

Ssssk!

It was unbelievably fast.

A thrust faster than my fastest Instant One Slash, and it wasn’t even a straight line—it curved as it came at me.

‘Ugh!’

I immediately deployed the Thousand Wind Petal technique.

Fshhh!

Still, I couldn’t avoid it completely.

The weapon, alive and snake-like, grazed my left arm with a sharp swipe.

Screeeech!

“Ugh!”

Pain flared, but I barely had time to register it.

The weapon, as if truly alive, twisted instantly and struck at my back.

The afterimages created by Thousand Wind Petal were useless.

Bang!

I launched myself to the right with a Burst Step, narrowly dodging the weapon again.

Shhhk!

But I still couldn’t catch my breath.

The enemy was right behind me like a ghost.

Even with my Burst Step, our speeds were nearly identical.

‘Damn it!’

It was maddening.

If I had to pick my best skill, it would be my Divine Technique, and yet even using Burst Step, I was no faster than him.

I didn’t need to see the difference with my other abilities—it was obvious.

So there was no point in hesitating any longer.

If I wanted to survive, I had to try something—anything.

‘Let’s go!’

Moonlight Phantom Sword Dance, Third Form.

Activating Hyunmangwol!

Suddenly, my vision shifted again.

Whoosh!

It felt as if my soul had left my body, controlling my flesh from outside—a strange sensation.

The pain in my body suddenly felt like a nuisance, so I shut off my senses.

Instantly, the pain vanished completely.

But in that moment, the enemy’s weapon, coiling like a snake, circled around me and stabbed forward.

Now I could clearly see it was a centipede-like segmented blade.

And I realized something else.

If I dodged the spear tip stabbing at me, I’d be shredded by the segments wrapping around me.

So I couldn’t avoid it.

But I couldn’t block it either.

The difference in our cultivation was too great—any defense would be pierced.

No blocking, no dodging.

In that situation, I thrust my sword forward with all my strength.

One Slash Sword Technique, First Strike.

Instant One Slash.

Shiiik!

Taang!

For the first time since I’d met Am Hyeolhyang, whose eyes had always been calm, I saw them narrow slightly.

I had managed to meet the spear tip with my sword tip, deflecting it.

It was a quick, improvised move—like a trick to knock the spear aside with the sword’s tip.

That created a small opening, and I barely managed to launch myself forward again with Burst Step.

Bang!

The enemy, who had been watching me from a standstill, gave a faint smile and charged again.

Like a living centipede, the segmented blades swirled around him.

In that moment, I realized.

Before, he’d been swinging those blades carelessly, but now he was unleashing a real technique.

His blades spun like a whirlwind, slashing toward me.

Chuhhaaak!

I immediately knew I couldn’t dodge this.

Though it looked like he was swinging the blades like a sword, the movement was basically circular.

If I dodged, I’d be trapped inside the circle of blades.

I had to either block or strike them down somehow.

Gritting my teeth, I unleashed the final form of the One Slash Sword Technique—something I’d never used in real combat before.

One Slash Sword Technique, Ninth Strike.

Descendant’s Nine Suns.

Like the legend of the Descendant who could drop nine suns, this ultimate move could deliver nine Instant One Slashes in a single strike.

I wasn’t skilled enough to perform it normally, but in this Hyunmangwol state, I thought I could pull it off.

Shshshshshk!

Five comb-like thrusts shot from my arm, colliding with the enemy’s segmented blades.

Once again, I improvised, stabbing precisely at the edges of the segments with my sword tips.

Jjeojeojeong!

The collision made the blades falter for a moment.

It was the first opening I’d found since the fight began.

Clenching my teeth, I immediately followed up with the next technique.

Sunwoo Thirteen Swords, Thirteenth Strike.

Phantom Sword Mirror.

Swaaaaaa!

Hundreds, thousands of phantom swords surrounded the enemy.

And naturally, I flowed straight into the linked technique.

Sunwoo Thirteen Swords, Fifteenth Strike.

Form is Emptiness.

Hwaaaaaaak!

Thousands of sword shadows rained down on him from all directions.

My strongest ultimate technique.

But I could see it clearly.

Am Hyeolhyang’s eyes, trapped within the thousands of sword shadows, still looked calm.

The enemy had already condensed the segmented blades he’d recalled, coiling them like a snake.

Then, in an instant, he unleashed them explosively.

Chwaaaaaak!

It was like a dragon’s whirlwind, growing explosively in power.

The spinning blades shredded my Form is Emptiness technique to pieces.

The thousands of sword shadows I’d summoned vanished in a single instant.

The enemy, who had easily broken through my all-out ultimate, naturally switched to offense.

Like a dragon bursting from a whirlwind, his segmented blades shot toward me like rays of light.

My attack had just ended, so I couldn’t parry.

Chwaak!

Blood splattered.

The spear tip had grazed my thigh.

He was probably trying to immobilize me.

Thanks to Hyunmangwol, I felt no pain and could calmly assess the situation.

My leg wouldn’t move properly anymore.

A thought crossed my mind.

‘Is this the end?’

At that moment, the segmented blade that had sliced through my thigh suddenly changed direction and stabbed at my back.

I tried to turn, but my legs wouldn’t obey.

It really was the end.

“Ugh!”