Chapter 188

Chapter 188: Night of the Long Sword (4)

Hyaah-!

One-Eyed Flash Slash.

A specialized martial art crafted solely for warriors restricted to a single eye.

It was an incredibly rapid sword discipline, emphasizing the initial draw, designed to secure a fatal strike by seizing absolute control over the surrounding space with unmatched velocity and channeling all internal power into a solitary apex to transcend the restrictions of limited sight.

This was the exact technique he had employed to execute the First Guardian of the Fire Bell Gang not long before.

Cheong Goryang bounded off the blue stone floor.

Kuuuuung-, the blue stone fractured and sank as his form elongated, darting rapidly toward the young man.

First Form of the One-Eyed Flash Slash: Lightning Flash Trace.

Due to his blinding speed, the air compressed heavily as though the flow of time had ground to a halt, leaving a continuous trail of afterimages along his trajectory to manifest that very illusion.

Kwaaaaaaaang-!

A massive acoustic shockwave detonated as the ground was utterly demolished.

By the time the noise reverberated throughout the entirety of the One-Eyed Sect, Cheong Goryang’s physical form was already arriving directly in front of the young man’s face.

One-Eyed Ten Thousand-Li Step.

The instant this technique was triggered, the practitioner’s velocity shattered the acoustic barrier, producing an anomaly that appeared to physically compress the entire distance of the path traveled.

It was a bespoke lightness skill engineered exclusively for linear, high-velocity swordsmanship like the One-Eyed Flash Slash.

‘Kekekeke.’

Even while tearing through the atmosphere and shattering the wind, a distinctly sinister smirk remained etched upon his face.

He possessed no knowledge of this stranger’s identity, but his actions were unpardonable.

To boldly slaughter his underlings and, to make matters worse, steal his intended target.

And yet…

The young man remained completely motionless.

Initially, he assumed the man was simply unable to comprehend the attack, but even as he surged forward at supersonic velocity, his own approaching image was perfectly captured within the man’s pupils.

How peculiar.

The man’s countenance resembled an unsearchable, bottomless chasm.

In contrast, he, the aggressor, felt a sudden wave of bewilderment.

Even while navigating through the fragmented particles of split seconds, Cheong Goryang’s internal consciousness stretched out like an endless strand of yarn, allowing him to observe every minute shift in expression.

One-Eyed Heavenly Heart Art.

It was an internal cultivation method that permitted a practitioner to comprehend the external world through a single eye, expanding cognitive focus to its ultimate boundary and spinning a fleeting instant into an endless epoch of contemplation.

The One-Eyed Heavenly Heart Art was a foundational mind art structured solely to complement the One-Eyed Flash Slash and the One-Eyed Ten Thousand-Li Step.

In truth, just a moment prior, he harbored total certainty that even if his opponent were Bukgung Ri, he could execute him in a solitary exchange by launching an ambush utilizing this exact triad of martial techniques…

That certainty was beginning to crumble.

The target was excessively serene.

He was advancing at this incredible velocity, yet the youth was tracking him, interpreting his every action.

Though the young man had not shifted his posture in the slightest, the mere adjustment of his eyes signaled to Cheong Goryang that nothing was hidden from him.

He could sense it vividly.

The youth was executing this effortlessly.

It produced an eerie impression, as if he had unwittingly stepped into the youth’s personal domain of time and space, becoming ensnared within his network.

However, the momentum had built, and the strike was already delivered.

From its inception, this triad of martial techniques constituted an assault that could never be recalled once set into motion.

‘Let it be. I must simply place faith in my strength.’

I am the Leader of the One-Eyed Sect, Cheong Goryang.

One of the ultimate titans who has ruled over this chaotic metropolis of River Capital for decades, the Smiling-Faced Poisonous Eye.

Shing-.

At last, his blade cleared the scabbard and thrust directly toward the target.

In that precise fraction of a second.

An overwhelming force erupted from the youth’s deep, cavernous eyes.

From ocular spheres that appeared entirely devoid of warmth, a solitary torrent of immensely sharp and blistering emotion surged outward.

Killing Intent.

It was sharpened to such an acute degree that it instantaneously severed every shred of Cheong Goryang’s resolve.

As effortlessly as a divine blade cutting through anything in its path.

Ah…

Only in that moment did Cheong Goryang comprehend that his actions had been profoundly reckless.

This individual, beyond any formidable expert he had ever faced within the River Capital over the span of decades—be it Bukgung Ri, Cheol So-ah, or the past figures who commanded the Seven Star Immortal Society or the Iron God Gang.

Was vastly superior.

No, he did not belong to the same category of existence as those figures.

Were they not, at the very least, operating within human boundaries?

This person…

Though he had never witnessed or encountered one directly, this individual had to be an entity originating from the Immortal Realm.

He could be nothing less, or perhaps a practitioner who had advanced to the absolute threshold of that domain.

A entity existing immeasurably beyond the mortals of the Murim.

In every conceivable metric, spanning from combative arts to emotional depth.

Kuh-.

A profound wave of meaninglessness shaped itself upon Cheong Goryang’s lips.

Only now did he grasp the true motive behind why martial experts who had achieved or neared the absolute zenith—figures like Bukgung Ri—remained entirely consumed by internal cultivation.

“──Six.”

At the ultimate boundary of his existence.

The youth’s physical form shifted.

His torso evaded the oncoming blade, and then his forehead aligned precisely with Cheong Goryang’s forehead, his torso with his torso, his lower frame with his lower frame, intersecting flawlessly.

He transitioned through him.

Traversed his body entirely.

He was dismantled, particle by particle.

Before he could even contemplate the significance of the number ‘6’ uttered at the conclusion of his life, his very awareness was broken apart and dissolved.

The Leader of the One-Eyed Sect, Cheong Goryang, dissolved into a geyser of crimson mist while suspended in the exact offensive posture he had initiated, raining down across the grounds of his own sect.

Ssssss…

As the crimson vapor gradually drifted downward, the main courtyard of the One-Eyed Sect dissolved into total silence.

Amidst a quietude so profound that even the atmosphere appeared frozen, Dong Bongsu stood entirely by himself.

The edge of his dark attire shifted softly in the quiet air,

Dudung-.

An elegant, synthetic chime denoting the conclusion of the local ‘purgation’ resonated within his consciousness.

【Sub】Unification of the River Capital【Sudden】

The world remains perpetually crowded with degenerates who require systematic removal.

A champion bears the obligation to confront such individuals and render the realm a more harmonious location.

Should you assertively consolidate all active organizations currently operating within this municipality, you may succeed in securing the allegiance of the citizenry.

․ Consolidate all organizations in the River Capital (6/13)

├─ Progress: 48.5%

└─ Reward: Hero History +2

※Multiple paths exist to accomplish this objective, so select the approach that suits your preferences.

● ● ●

Dong Bongsu’s rapid, calculated operations persisted for a considerable duration.

As the midnight hours advanced, an unnatural quietude enveloped the entirety of the River Capital.

Under ordinary circumstances at this hour, the metropolis would be vibrating with the raucous noise emerging from drinking establishments and wagering halls, but this evening was entirely different.

Not even the sounds of nocturnal insects disturbed the air.

It felt as though the entire urban expanse was collectively suppressing its respiration.

This atmosphere persisted until the commanding figures and champions of every individual Murim organization substantial enough to be identified as a ‘guild’ by the What is Hero architecture were systematically exterminated.

The Black Wind Hall, One-Eyed Sect, Fire Bell Gang, Blue Snake Society, Ten Thousand Gold Pavilion, and Spearflame Consecration Sect of the Western Road.

Along with the Blue Wind Fortress, Cloud Harmony Sect, Black Tooth Pavilion, Flying Stream Moon Corps, Drunken Star Pavilion, Mysterious Sound Sect, and Jade Snake Corps of the Eastern Road.

The night stretched long, populated by intricate histories, violent conflicts, and chaotic events, but from Dong Bongsu’s perspective, it was a foregone conclusion, reduced to nothing more than a passing mathematical metric.

Having at last brought his task to a close, a detached declaration of fulfillment slipped from his tongue.

“Thirteen.”

The ground upon which he rested his feet comprised the shattered remains of the Jade Snake Corps.

The first rays of daylight were emerging.

The crimson morning beams cast his dark silhouette across the ground, elongating it significantly.

The specter of mortality that had swept across the River Capital throughout the dark hours had finally ceased its movement.

Du-ung-.

【Sub】Unification of the River Capital

Progress: 100% Achieved

Reward: Hero History +2 Acquired

[Your legendary conduct has profoundly elevated your Hero History. A compensation is bestowed.]

[+2]

[The realm has been rendered noticeably more harmonious.]

Positioned behind the unadorned reward manifestation, the dissected remains of the Jade Snake Corps Leader and an immense quantity of other Jade Snake Corps combatants lay assembled in a heap.

Yet, not every single living soul residing within the Jade Snake Corps premises had been extinguished.

“M-mercy, please look past us. We, we are merely…”

The surviving Jade Snake Corps combatants and their immediate kin.

※Multiple paths exist to accomplish this objective, so select the approach that suits your preferences.

Step, step.

Dong Bongsu closed the distance between himself and the individuals clustered together in a corner of the demolished structure.

Roughly thirty individuals in total, standard estimate.

The mature individuals were all pressed flat against the masonry, paralyzed by absolute dread.

The majority of the young ones mirrored this behavior, save for a single youth who summoned the fortitude to step forward toward him.

“A-are you planning to execute us as well?”

“That does not align with my chosen methodology.”

“Eh? What exactly does-”

“Have you committed transgressions severe enough to warrant the forfeiture of your life?”

“N-no. I have not…”

“In that case, there is no cause for concern. Those whose existences hold utility ought to persist.”

Every individual who expired on this date was terminated precisely because their sole utility resided within their demise.

That constituted his chosen methodology.

The architecture of the system likely intended to encourage diverse expressions of ‘championship qualities,’ but this specific trajectory offered the highest speed and absolute certainty.

Dong Bongsu scanned the gathered assembly while wearing a sorrowful—or more accurately, an expertly manufactured sorrowful—expression.

A flawless presentation.

Exceedingly flawless, to the point it could almost be perceived as a calculated act.

It epitomized the heavy-hearted expression of a principled combatant, torn between the harsh necessity of termination and the act of taking life, evident to any onlooker.

“I am identified as Kim Rae-won.”

He softly patted the hair of the young child who had posed the inquiry and maintained his address to the gathered crowd.

“Among your number, there are undoubtedly relatives of those who perished during these hours. To those persons, I have unquestionably transformed into a mortal adversary. However-”

Dong Bongsu locked eyes with every remaining individual in turn, projecting an earnest cadence that appeared to emerge from his absolute core.

“I shall state this without ambiguity. Every soul that expired on this date consisted of individuals who merited their fate. They were persons destined to answer for their transgressions eventually, even if it had not occurred by my blade.”

Within the ranks of the survivors, certain individuals visibly recoiled, suppressing an urge to contest his words.

Their countenances appeared to project a silent scream: ‘My sibling, my parent, my relative was not an individual of such malice.’

Nonetheless, Dong Bongsu’s piercing focus, fortified by ‘equity and championship,’ utterly suppressed the collective weight of their expressions.

“Should any among your number desire to pursue a path of vengeance… so be it. You are welcome to seek me out along with our Hero’s Sect at any moment. If that represents your version of equity, I shall confront you whenever you demand. Still, I require that you grasp one specific reality.”

Dong Bongsu observed each person with an even more forceful expression, punctuating his words with deliberate weight.

“I, Kim Rae-won, give my oath that the actions I carried out on this date were born of absolute equity.”

“…”

“Simply because your kin have perished does not alter the reality that equity remains equity.”

Concluding his statement, Dong Bongsu ran his fingers through the youngster’s hair once more before walking away.

He had fulfilled every requirement demanded of him at this location regardless, and had successfully sown a sufficient amount of ‘incentive.’

It remained to be seen whether this ‘legitimacy’ would take root and grow, but for the present moment, this would suffice.

He was acutely aware of the hushed whispers and hostile stares directed at his back, though it carried minimal significance to him.

The critical preliminary framework had successfully been established, and he had structured the environment such that the overarching momentum of events could not be diverted.

Consequently, every dominant organization within the River Capital collapsed within a period shorter than a single day.

The night of the long sword, which commenced during the Hour of the Dog (approximately 7 PM) and drew to a close during the Hour of the Tiger (approximately 6 AM) on the subsequent morning.

Within that brief window of time, the structural paradigm of the River Capital, which had endured for centuries, was thoroughly dismantled.

And atop those pulverized remains, a fresh designation was flawlessly etched.

Incalculable reservoirs of blood and shattered debris washed across the entirety of the River Capital, transforming all the local Murim organizations into hollow husks.

No, to state it with absolute accuracy, a solitary entity persisted.

The wielder of the long sword.

The nemesis of every individual who outlived the slaughter.

And the savior of all other individuals who survived.

Kim Rae-won.

And.

The Hero’s Sect.

The solitary and unmatched Murim organization destined to sustain the River Capital from this point forward.