Chapter 627

“Bastard!”

“He’s dead!”

The martial artists who were still alive attacked Pyo Wol.

Blades and swords swung violently, threatening to tear Pyo Wol apart.

Suddenly, Pyo Wol spread his arms wide.

Ten flying daggers sliced through the air.

Whoosh!

The daggers accurately pierced the throats and foreheads of those attacking Pyo Wol.

The attackers fell, maintaining the stance they had when they attacked.

So Yeowol watched with a deep furrow in her brow.

‘He arrived so quickly.’

His speed far exceeded her expectations.

Pyo Wol’s martial prowess was even more advanced than she had realized.

‘Has he improved since we last met? Just how…’

So Yeowol bit her lip so hard it bled.

She prided herself on having a brain far superior to others.

Even without any formal teaching she was especially adept at reading people’s minds and gauging their abilities. She had dominated the Guryongsalmak using the same skills. But there was one person she couldn’t comprehend

It was Pyo Wol, who stood right before her now.

Pyo Wol always exceeded her expectations.

His behavior, thought process, and mystifying martial achievements were all incomprehensible.

So Yeowol always anticipated that Pyo Wol would be a problem and had thoroughly prepared

for him. But as if to mock her, Pyo Wol overcame every strategy and reached her.

“Sigh!”

So Yeowol sighed involuntarily.

She rarely revealed her emotions, but facing Pyo Wol, composure was impossible.

So Yeowol spoke,

“Pyo Wol!”

“We meet again.”

“It seems so. Can’t you just die easily? Like everyone else… obediently…”

“I only have one life, so I can’t do that.”

“Why must you make things so difficult? Why do you torment me by living?”

The venom in So Yeowol’s gaze was chilling.

Such a degree of hostility from her was unprecedented.

In Pyo Wol’s view, this was So Yeowol’s true nature.

While everyone had seen her as the iron lady, calm and rational, leading with formidable authority, Pyo Wol believed otherwise.

He felt her true nature surfaced only when she was pushed to the brink, just like now.

So Yeowol inquired,

“Did you know I would unleash the Heavenly Net?”

“I figured you might.”

“Ha! How amusing. I thought I had the world in my grasp, but all along, I was dancing in the palm of your hand. How ridiculous must I have looked? How much did you mock me? Was it entertaining?”

“Not particularly.”

“I should’ve ended you back in the underground cave. Regardless of the consequences.”

“I thought you weren’t the type to regret?”

“I thought so too, but it seems I was wrong.”

Blood dripped from So Yeowol’s lips.

The flesh of her bitten lips had burst open.

Even though she bled, she continued,

“My biggest regret is not having killed you sooner. Had I done it then, I wouldn’t be paying such a steep price now.”

“Anyone hearing that would think you had the power to kill me back then. Nothing has changed, then or now. You can’t kill me,”

“A mistake!”

“If you had truly taken over Guryongsalmak, you should’ve stayed hidden, building up your strength to amplify its power.”

Pyo Wol approached So Yeowol.

So Yeowol, with her clenched fist, stared back at him.

In a fleeting moment, all expressions vanished from her face.

“Yes, it seems I was too hasty. If I truly intended to kill you, I should’ve been more careful. It’s fortunate I realized it now.”

Pyo Wol’s brow furrowed, sensing a change in So Yeowol’s emotions.

A moment ago, her emotions had been like a leaf caught in a storm, but now she appeared calm.

It was a change that couldn’t happen without deep conviction.

And Pyo Wol’s suspicion was soon confirmed.

Slash!

A chilling sound echoed from behind him. Clearly, an ambush.

Pyo Wol swung his hand without looking back.

In an instant, the Soul Reaping Thread stretched out and formed a powerful barrier behind his back.

Clang!

He had blocked the opponent’s surprise attack.

Only then did Pyo Wol turn to see his attacker and a sly smile crept onto his lips.

“Song Cheonwoo!”

It was Song Cheonwoo, who had left to secure the Heavenly Net, now returning to attack Pyo Wol.

So Yeowol spoke to Song Cheonwoo,

“Didn’t I tell you to secure the Heavenly Net?”

“He’s more important than that,”.

“You fool…”

So Yeowol’s eyes shimmered.

This was typical of Song Cheonwoo;

He always prioritizes So Yeowol’s safety above all, sometimes to a foolish extent, but he was sincere.

Song Cheonwoo pointed his sword at Pyo Wol.

“Your opponent is me, Pyo Wol!”

“Our  plans may have gone astray, but the one who will die here today will be you.”

So Yeowol stood beside Song Cheonwoo.

Pyo Wol silently observed them.

Their bond was a tenacious one.

They had grown up together as assassins. Their rise to the top, post-reformations, was strikingly similar.

The problem was that they could never coexist.

They had too much overlap, and for one to survive, the other had to die.

That was the nature of their relationship.

Song Cheonwoo proclaimed,

“Today, you will die here, Pyo Wol.. Alone, you can’t take both of us.”

Although Pyo Wol might have been more skilled in martial arts, it was two against one.

Both So Yeowol and Song Cheonwoo were masters in the martial arts and techniques of the assassins. They had also spent a long time gathering information and understanding the weaknesses of Pyo Wol’s martial arts. Therefore, they were confident of having a ninety percent success rate. Although they would inevitably suffer some damage, it was a price they were willing to pay.

Just then, a chilling voice intervened.

“Who said he’s alone?”

A woman in a red silk robe appeared beside Pyo Wol. She was none other than Hong Ye-seol.

So Yeowol’s eyes narrowed at her arrival.

“So, you’re one of the Ten Blood Assassins, Hong?”

“You know of me, impressive.”

“I too come from an assassin’s background,”

So Yeowol replied with a cold glint in her eyes.

The icy glint in So Yeowol’s eyes shone brightly.

Typically, once a martial artist reached a certain skill level, they could gauge the strength of their opponents.

To So Yeowol, Hong Ye-seol appeared as a worthy adversary, her martial prowess in the same level. However, she had no intention of facing her head-on.

Whistle!

So Yeowol let out a long whistle, summoning the scattered Blood Demon Corps to her side.

A chill passed through Hong Ye-seol’s eyes.

“If you call for backup, I won’t hesitate either.”

Hong Ye-seol reached into the void with her right hand.

From the bracer on her wrist, a beam shot up into the sky.

Boom!

Reaching its peak, the light exploded into a brilliant firework.

A signal flare.

This ordered the Black Shadow Assassins, who were scattered, executing assassination missions, to gather.

Both the Black Shadow Assassins and the Blood Demon Corps were elite assassins at the pinnacle of their craft. They had already fought once, and they knew each other’s strength.

They glared at each other and raised their killing intents.

So Yeowol shouted,

“Let’s end this, Pyo Wol!”

Her battle cry was the spark.

Whoosh!

The two groups charged at each other, and Song Cheonwoo rushed towards Pyo Wol.

But before he could collide with Pyo Wol, Hong Ye-seol stood in his way.

“You’re my opponent.”

“Fine! Let’s see what you’ve got.”

Zing!

Song Cheonwoo’s figure vanished before Hong Ye-seol.

He was using Void Concealment, a technique that allowed him to meld with the void. Only the top tier assassins could use this technique so effortlessly.

“Hmph!”

Hong Ye-seol smirked.

In an instant, she too disappeared, having invoked the same technique.

Their physical forms might have vanished, but their presences were very much alive, and they began their dance of death.

Clang! Clang!

In what seemed like an empty space, the sound of weapons clashing echoed.

Pyo Wol glanced briefly at the source of the noise.

To the average observer, the sound was the only clue, but Pyo Wol clearly saw the silhouettes of the two.

So did So Yeowol.

While it was unexpected for Hong Ye-seol to use the Void Concealment technique, So Yeowol still had faith in Song Cheonwoo.

She focused solely on Pyo Wol.

Every stance, breath, look, and even the minute muscle twitches of Pyo Wol were under her watchful gaze.

But above all, she honed in on the sound of his heartbeat.

For most martial artists, it would be impossible to hear another’s heartbeat from such a distance. But for So Yeowol, it was child’s play.

Her life in the underground cave had heightened her senses beyond human limits.

So Yeowol could hear what others couldn’t and see what remained invisible to most.

The human body’s reactions are honest.

When anxious, muscles tense and pupils dilate.

Breathing quickens and sweat drips.

Most cannot control these bodily responses. However, the pinnacle martial artists could even mask or manipulate them at will.

So Yeowol was among those elite.

She understood those of her caliber better than anyone.

‘Although one can control various physical responses, there’s one thing that’s absolute.’

That’s the heartbeat.

No matter how advanced a martial artist, one cannot control their heart rate at will.

When tense, it races; when at ease, it remains steady. Such is the nature of the heart.

Listening to the heartbeat, So Yeowol could discern an opponent’s emotions and physical responses in a split second.

She tried to hear Pyo Wol’s heartbeat, but her face twisted in displeasure.

‘I can’t hear his heartbeat… Why?’

It was a moment that challenged her understanding.

Shush!

Pyo Wol vanished from her sight.

‘The Void Concealment technique? No.’

It was Pyo Wol’s unique martial technique, the Demonic Shadow Exchange which deceives with illusions and moves in that gap.

Ssshh!

From behind, a faint sound of slicing air reached her, so subtle that without intense focus, it would be imperceptible.

“Kht!”

So Yeowol swiftly lunged forward.

A blade narrowly grazed her spine.

Had she been a tad late, that strike would have incapacitated her.

Cold sweat dampened her back.

‘Pyo Wol!’

As she turned around, Pyo Wol, stretching out like a dark shadow, charged at her.