Chapter 142

Chapter 142
Chapter: 142

Chapter Title: He Who Ties Unties It (2)

—

“Argh!”

“Gack!”

Outcries erupted from every direction.

A few originated from killers attacking one another in their delirium, though the vast majority belonged to the invaders.

Detecting the screams as they crept closer, the high-ranking assassin Mok Yeom completely suppressed his aura while hugging his blade to his chest.

He had been alerted by the runner dispatched by Heo Ok regarding the power of these trespassers. In truth, the warning had been redundant. The moment he saw the Cloud Mist Golden Lock Illusion Formation spring to life, he grasped the full peril of the hour.

‘They are arriving.’

He sensed the intruders nearing with careful but significant momentum. Judging by their velocity, they were clearly following the life path.

‘Gwanyu must be the one at the front.’

Lacking the means to slaughter the entire group at once, he designated Gwanyu as his primary mark.

If Gwanyu, the one navigating the life path, were eliminated, the absolute chaos of the Cloud Mist Golden Lock Illusion Formation would be triggered, making the remaining targets easy prey.

The gap between them vanished quickly.

Despite the dense vapors blocking his sight, Mok Yeom remained unfazed. His heightened instincts permitted him to trail the adversaries’ progress flawlessly without the use of his eyes.

Four steps, three steps, two steps.

At last, the invaders entered the perfect striking zone.

Mok Yeom’s gaze, entirely camouflaged against a massive, lightning-scarred trunk, slit open slightly as he held his breath.

The space between him and the leading Gwanyu was less than a single stride.

Regardless of how legendary a warrior the opponent might be, being this close meant that a strike was guaranteed to land.

Mok Yeom plunged his steel toward Gwanyu. The sword traveled the most direct path between them with the velocity of a flash of light.

Having failed to even detect Mok Yeom’s presence, Gwanyu was unable to mount a defense.

Mok Yeom was already tasting the victory at his fingertips and visualizing his subsequent strike.

Should the others be slow to act, he would take another life; if they were quick, he would vanish instantly.

As if to ridicule his confidence, a freezing chill brushed past him.

‘Curse it.’

Mok Yeom, meeting the eyes of Sima Geon standing behind Gwanyu, understood that his foolproof strategy was a mere fantasy.

There was no window to retreat or reposition.

The very moment he felt that aura, a foreign sensation clamped around his throat.

Mok Yeom’s skull took flight into the air.

His frame locked up mid-thrust toward Gwanyu before tumbling lifelessly to the earth.

[It appears the high-ranking assassins have begun their strike. The fog of the formation makes pinpointing their locations difficult. Keep your guard up.]
Sima Geon transmitted the message to Cheol Woo, who was watching the rear.

The Cloud Mist Golden Lock Illusion Formation saturating the region had greatly hindered his ability to spot the cloaked killers.

Just after Sima Geon issued his alert, his worst fears were realized.

While Sima Geon dispatched nine maddened assassins who had lost their wits, two high-ranking killers hidden near the life path sprang from both flanks at Manchu and Noejeon.

Cheol Woo, oblivious until the blades were nearly upon them, parried the assassin aiming for Noejeon while pulling Manchu behind him, using his own frame as a barrier.

The killer’s blade bit into Cheol Woo, but his physique was far too hardened to be harmed by such a strike.

“Ugh!”

As Cheol Woo snapped the neck of the killer who had lunged for Manchu, he looked toward a sudden cry. Black Wolf was currently mangling the limb of another assassin whose ribcage had been shattered by his earlier hit.

“My thanks, Black Wolf.”

Cheol Woo ran a hand over Black Wolf’s head after the beast tossed aside the assassin Noejeon had been engaged with, though he spoke with a baffled expression.

“I’m the one who sent the wretch flying, so why are you thanking Black Wolf?”

“Black Wolf was swifter.”

“What?”

“Black Wolf had his teeth in the man’s arm before your blow even connected. Though, of course, my blade pierced his heart the second it happened.”

As Cheol Woo looked on in skepticism, Noejeon casually lifted his weapon.

Noticing the lone bead of blood on the edge, Cheol Woo gave a short laugh.

“Hmph, not bad. You wouldn’t belong in the Divine Demon Division otherwise.”

“Precisely. Tend to that child rather than me. I have Black Wolf to watch my back.”

Noejeon gestured toward Manchu, who was tucked in Cheol Woo’s arms, with a look of mild astonishment.

“How much longer will you waste on talk? Move.”

Jolted by Sima Geon’s command, the party hurried forward.

It was remarkable how their pace now perfectly synchronized with that of Gwanyu and Sima Geon.

“Mok Yeom’s line has been broken.”

“On Seung is down.”

“Wi Gye and Jung Hak have perished.”

Heo Ok struggled to maintain his composure as the reports flooded in nearly all at once.

Even as he had triggered the Cloud Mist Golden Lock Illusion Formation, a seed of doubt had remained in his soul. He had suppressed it, placing his full confidence in the array. The hallucinations produced by its forks during drills were beyond the endurance of any mortal.

“How? How are they unaffected by the illusions?”

To Heo Ok’s inquiry, Hak Ilgwon gave a grim response.

“Gwanyu is guiding them directly along the life path.”

“I anticipated that. But even when faced with high-ranking and elite killers… did they truly never deviate from the path?”

“It is the only logical answer. If they hadn’t, we couldn’t account for the loss of our men or the pace at which they approach.”

“Just what kind of monsters are we dealing with…”

Heo Ok moved his head in disbelief.

The life paths within the Cloud Mist Golden Lock Illusion Formation were incredibly tight and winding.

A single lapse in concentration would lead to horrific visions, making it almost impossible to find one’s way back. No warrior, regardless of skill, was immune once they stepped off.

That was precisely why Cheon Binghwa had claimed the array could hold off any force—by forcing them off the safe route. Yet that fundamental truth was being dismantled.

“I never dreamed it would turn out this way.”

Cheon Binghwa walked up, laughing with a sense of absurdity while she tended to her mangled arm and caught her breath.

“Even the Cloud Mist Golden Lock Illusion Formation is failing. What is the plan now?”

“Why are you looking to me?”

“Excuse me?”

“You used the Rim Leader to push out the old one. This is your mess to clean up.”

“Dammit, this isn’t the moment for that history.”

“Can you not summon aid from the Blood Cult?”

At Cheon Binghwa’s mention of the Blood Cult, Heo Ok’s gaze sharpened.

“I suggest you do not speak that name so loosely.”

“Or what?”

“You will cease to breathe.”

Cheon Binghwa ran her tongue over her lips and grinned at Heo Ok’s aggressive posture.

“Suit yourself. But keep this in mind: if you give me even a tiny opening, you’ll be the one who ends up dead.”

“If I go, you’re coming with me.”

“I don’t mind in the slightest.”

A thick aura of murder began to swirl around Cheon Binghwa.

A blade had appeared in her grip without a sound.

It was thinner and shorter than a standard sword with a dull handle—it appeared plain, but Heo Ok was well aware of how much life had been extinguished by that steel and how many concealed tools she hid beneath her robes.

The moment she bared the weapon, Heo Ok triggered the parasite bug.

Cheon Binghwa’s eyes flickered for a moment.

She clamped down on her lip, clearly fighting back the agony.

The agitated parasite twisted within her, radiating pain, yet her killing intent did not waver.

Heo Ok felt a shiver down his spine as he watched her radiate such malice despite enduring a torment no ordinary person could withstand.

It wasn’t that he was afraid. He was certain he could kill her in an instant if he chose. He only restrained himself because throwing away such a potent weapon would be inefficient.

“Let’s end this. I have no desire to end your life, Senior.”

Heo Ok moved back, offering a hand of peace, but her murderous aura remained.

“I offer my apologies, so please lower your guard.”

Only after Heo Ok bowed a second time did her pressure slightly dissipate.

Knowing she was capable of taking his head in that split second of relief, he stayed on high alert.

“Put that wicked blade away as well.”

Heo Ok spoke while keeping his eyes locked on her sword.

“This is my final warning. Do not assume that following me gives you total freedom.”

“I shall keep that in mind. Regardless, now is not the time for internal strife…”

A sudden tremor cut Heo Ok off.

It was a resonance that didn’t feel like a tremor of the earth or a volcano—upon realizing what it meant, his skin turned white.

“T-This can’t be?”

Cheon Binghwa recognized the signal immediately.

“I thought you finished him?”

Gwadeung had successfully replaced the previous Rim Leader only to become a slave himself. Succumbing to the torment of the Soul-Seizing Poison, he had revealed the inner workings of the Cloud Mist Golden Lock Illusion Formation to Heo Ok. When the agony subsided, he had attacked Heo Ok but was struck down and left for dead.

Thinking back to that moment, Heo Ok shook his head.

“The blade went straight through his heart. He should be a corpse.”

“Should be? You didn’t bother to confirm. Tsk, tsk, no discipline. What a disgrace to the name of a high-ranking assassin.”

Cheon Binghwa made a clicking sound with her tongue, looking at Heo Ok with pity—as if sharing the same rank was an insult to her.

“You disgusting maggot!”

As Heo Ok snarled and started toward Gwadeung’s rooms to finish the job and reset the array, Cheon Binghwa caught his arm.

“Where are you going?”

“To take that traitor’s head and restart the system.”

“Don’t bother.”

“What?”

“We’ve seen it’s useless. Restarting it won’t change the outcome.”

“Then what is your plan?”

Heo Ok barked back in frustration.

“Fight or run—the ones who live through it will be the ones who matter.”

Wearing a strange smile that showed no fear of the grave, Cheon Binghwa produced a small flute made of jade.

Its haunting tune rang out across the Jade Mountains, and shortly after, the assassins who had survived the Cloud Mist Golden Lock Illusion Formation began to gather.

“Only fifty remaining?”

As a tone of regret entered Cheon Binghwa’s voice, a grumpy old man with a twisted face standing only five feet tall walked up with a heavy gait.

“That’s more than enough. If you’d waited much longer, half of these wouldn’t be standing.”

“Still breathing, Venomous Old Geezer.”

“Naturally. I heard you had an arm mangled by them.”

“If it were anyone else, I’d be hurt; you’d be a corpse.”

“Mad woman.”

“Hehe! You’re the last person on earth who can call me that.”

Cheon Binghwa gave a cackle, causing Venomous Old Man to scowl.

“A woman over fifty laughing like a girl. Drop the crone act and behave your age.”

“My lifestyle is my own concern.”

“You think your petty Ju Won Gong can outrun time?”

“Enough. I’ll kill you myself before the intruders get the chance.”

A red light flashed in Cheon Binghwa’s eyes, making Venomous Old Man go quiet.

She was truly deranged enough to follow through. There was no point in fighting each other with the enemy at the door.

“Have you thought of how to meet them?”

“What is there to plan? We simply do what we are best at.”

Venomous Old Man gave a dark grin at her casual answer.

“True. We do what we do best.”

With those words, his silhouette started to vanish like mist.

“Try to stay alive, old man. Who knows? I might let you hold this body after all. Hohoho!”

Before Cheon Binghwa’s mocking laughter could fade, the sound of someone spitting echoed from the shadows.