Chapter 393 – Let’s Get It On Tonight (3)
The moment I saw her, I could vaguely recall the deer mask that Peonpa was wearing, so the upside-down mask on the person in front of me had a similar shape.
“What’s this? Are they in cahoots with those bastards?”
“If you don’t have an answer, that’s not a bad thing either.”
Swoosh.
While I was lost in thought for a moment, I quickly opened my mouth when I saw the person slowly drawing their sword from their waist.
“It seems like you’re just as suspicious as we are, so what’s the sudden occasion?”
“Hah.”
Just like us, who were dressed in black and wearing masks, the person in front of me was also dressed in black attire and had a mask on. So I thought it was a similar situation and mentioned it, but the response I got was a scoff.
“You’re trying to buy time with nonsense? Unfortunately, I have no intention of indulging in such jokes.”
“No, I mean if we cause a commotion, you’ll…”
“Sohyup!”
Before I could even answer, the person didn’t wait for the black blade and attacked.
With subtle movements, the black blade swayed strangely, as if someone was holding a sword dance. It was a type of blade that couldn’t be easily dealt with.
Normally, I would have had to expend considerable mental strength to deal with this kind of attack.
“Huh?”
Yes, normally.
As I tried to gather my strength to face the opponent’s black blade, I felt a picture forming in my mind and unknowingly released my grip.
“S-Sohyup!”
I can dodge it.
I can clearly see how the blade will come at me.
Forward, I go.
Like a swarm of snakes pouring out of a snake den all at once, I extended my body towards the center where the blade was extending.
And the result.
“…Impressive.”
“…I was surprised too.”
Not a single scratch on my clothes, I escaped the blade unscathed. Seeing this, my astonished opponent received my sarcastic remark with a deflated voice.
I couldn’t know for sure, but my opponent had at least an equal level of strength as me, if not more, and used a sophisticated sword technique.
Unless I suddenly gained an amazing realization and reached the pinnacle, it was not normal to be able to evade attacks with just this technique alone.
“It’s that sword technique.”
But I know this sword technique. I’ve faced enough guys to the point of boredom, so I was able to instantly read their moves.
The sword technique used by the Eunryun Society. I don’t know its name, but the eerie movements in front of me proved that this ‘woman’ was in cahoots with those guys.
The moment I realized that the woman in front of me, dressed in black robes in the darkness, had a transformed voice, it was already too late. Nevertheless, the woman swung her wrist, holding the sword, and turned towards me.
“Have you seen this sword technique before?”
“Well, maybe I have, maybe I haven’t.”
“Alright, I can detain you and ask.”
“Just a moment, if we cause a commotion here, other guys will come out. Are you really okay with that?”
As I tried to buy some time with my words, the woman gave up cleanly and returned to a combat stance.
Dealing with her is really difficult.
“It seems like there’s a misunderstanding. Our positions are different. For example…”
Swoosh.
As my energy surged, a piercing whistle resounded loudly, making both me and the shadow dog flinch. Taking advantage of the moment, the woman swiftly lunged towards me and continued speaking.
“I can also ask for help like this.”
“I envy that!”
As she lowered her body as if she would stick to the ground and raised her leg to strike, I immediately jumped up to evade. But in the next moment, I felt a thrilling sensation along my spine and instinctively released my tension, flipping my body to the side.
Sshh.
The horizontal strike that was diving low suddenly changed to a vertical one, narrowly passing by my side with a chilling trajectory.
I directed the rotational force downward, using the momentum to strike the back of my heel with the initial move of the Pa Ryong Bok, but it only made the ground tremble.
As our positions changed once again, I still didn’t turn my gaze away from the woman and sent a telepathic message to the nervous shadow dog, who was carrying a fake on his shoulder.
[Sun Tae Joo, if we keep wasting time like this, we won’t survive. Can you escape if I detain her?]
[I have no problem at all. But can you leave only Sohyup behind…]
[That’s settled then. I’ll handle it myself, so hurry up and leave.]
The shadow dog’s eyes didn’t look too pleased, perhaps feeling a sense of responsibility as a senior, but in the end, he nodded.
If we keep dragging this out, the danger will only increase, and he must have realized that leaving quickly would be more helpful.
In the next moment, the shadow dog threw a smoke bomb towards the wall again, and I redirected the gust towards the rain of light that was extending like a beam.
Ping.
The rain of light came flying with a formidable force, but the gust, filled with my energy, easily knocked it down. As I prepared for the next move, I locked eyes with the woman and stopped my legs.
“What the hell…?”
If I saw the shadow dog jumping over the fence, even for a moment, I thought my attention would be drawn to that side. But the woman was looking straight at me without any hesitation.
“So, you’re quite skilled in martial arts. And if I try to chase that guy, you won’t just let me go, right?”
“…”
“It’s inevitable since it’s 2 against 1. But I definitely have to catch one of you.”
She’s clever.
Still, instinctively, I thought I could distract her for a moment, but it seemed like I was underestimating her.
As I raised my energy to match her intense focus on me, I felt a slight regret, wondering if I should have escaped first.
The shimmering blue sword aimed to strike my vital points with a dazzling explosion. It was a dangerous move that could easily be fatal, but the woman effortlessly deflected it.
She showed such a dangerous move, even though she needed to capture me alive, because she knew that I wouldn’t die so easily.
Watching her effortlessly deflect most of the sword strikes with her martial arts skills and only narrowly avoiding the rest with her agility, the woman swallowed her frustration.
“Surprising… to think there’s someone like this…”
She was feeling a sense of confusion as she faced off against a formidable opponent she had unexpectedly encountered.
The Yongun Sangdan was secretly connected to the Hwe, providing resources, manpower, and acting as a source of funding.
To manage that, members dispatched from the Hwe were positioned in the upper echelons of the Sangdan, and the woman was in charge of monitoring and supervising them to ensure everything was going smoothly.
Well, calling it supervision was a bit of a stretch, as most of them had no idea where their money was going.
But while receiving a report from the person in charge, she sensed something suspicious and came out to investigate, only to find herself facing not just one, but two highly skilled individuals. And even with her own abilities, it was becoming quite challenging to handle one of them.
Swoosh.
As the powerful gust of wind swept downward, dispersing the sharp gusts of wind, she pushed her opponent further away and took a deep breath before speaking.
“Who are you? What’s your identity?”
Her opponent’s skills were impressive, but there was something else she was curious about.
At first, she didn’t know, but as the exchange of blows continued, she realized that her opponent knew and anticipated her moves.
That’s why she was at a disadvantage, trailing behind her opponent by half a step, and it was frustrating to say the least.
“If I had thought about telling you, I wouldn’t have turned the tables like this.”
Her opponent lightly tapped her mask with her finger and spoke in a voice that had also been altered, just like hers.
“If you’re really curious, why don’t you take it off? That mask…”
“That won’t do.”
The woman decisively shook her head. While she was curious about the man’s identity, she wasn’t willing to take the risk of revealing her own.
Even if she fell behind a little, she wouldn’t be defeated immediately. It was humiliating, but if she could buy some time until the upper-level warriors arrived, the situation would turn in her favor.
“Well then, let’s play again.”
Without knowing the true extent of her opponent’s martial arts skills, the woman pushed her palm forward as soon as she finished speaking.
However, despite the gentle motion, a powerful force surged forward like a wave, and the woman raised her sword to split the wave of force like an axe, leaning forward and leaping away at the same time.
Whoosh.
The sound of the force tearing through the air, as if ripping silk, echoed as the force dissipated, and the woman extended her hand, unfolding her palm strike.
Even though it was a simple technique used by third-rate martial artists, the sudden and intense palm strike was sharp enough.
But seeing the man’s eyes widen, the woman immediately retracted her strike, realizing that if she hadn’t, her hand would have been crushed between his elbow and knee.
“Unpredictable…!”
With her imposing physique and abundant internal energy, the man had been relentlessly attacking the woman, who was barely managing to hold her own with her unfamiliar swordsmanship, infused with the enlightenment of her own sword technique.
“There! They’re over there!”
With a sudden shout, the woman sensed several figures approaching, and she let out a relieved sigh, forcefully pushing the man away.
The escape route was completely blocked. There was a tree nearby that she could climb, but she had no intention of leaving the position where she could restrain the man.
Taking a deep breath, the woman spoke.
“Give up. If you don’t resist, I won’t treat you harshly.”
Even if they were only mediocre warriors, with someone as skilled as her on their side, the man had no chance of winning.
But it seemed like the man had no intention of accepting that fact, as he approached the woman explosively fast.
“No… it’s not me.”
Seeing the man urgently throw himself towards the tree, the woman thrust her sword towards his exposed back.
Stabbing him directly could cause serious injury or even death, but it was better than letting him escape.
She needed to know why he knew about the Poison Fang Sword Technique and how he had come to learn it.
“Ah…?!”
But just as it seemed like he was leaping, the man suddenly collapsed to the ground, and the sword that had been aimed at his back sliced through the empty space.
And then, following that, the man’s leg swung with a menacing force, narrowly missing the beautiful tree.
“Wha… what is this?!”
Though there were no blades on his leg, it felt as if the tree had been sliced by a sharp sword, and the trunk, with its core severed, toppled towards her.
If only there had been more distance, she could have easily sliced through the tree with her sword. But it was too close, and she had to step back.
In the meantime, the man stepped on the collapsing tree and forcefully propelled himself up the fence with his powerful martial arts.
“Don’t expect to see me again anytime soon!”
Leaving behind a lingering echo, the man disappeared beyond the fence. The woman, now resembling a chicken being chased by a dog, initially thought of chasing after him to retaliate, but she changed her mind upon sensing someone approaching from behind.
Surely her subordinates, who were supposed to report to her, had returned unharmed. She thought it would be more convenient to order them to search, making the pursuit easier.
However, the woman did not anticipate the presence of an unexpected intruder.
“You… hic! Who are you? Take off that mask.”
According to her subordinates, the guest had fallen asleep after getting drunk, so it was supposed to be the drunken state of the renowned martial artist, Dangjaemun. But seeing him staggering towards her, the woman had a gut feeling that things were not going to end well.
