CH 319

Light Novel: Volume 13 Episode 19

“If I have your face skin then I can hide this hideous face!”

Go Shin-ok vowed to peel off Pyo-wol’s beautiful face and make it his own. Go Shin-ok’s eyes flickered with intense and mad desire.

Consumed by his insatiable desire, Go Shin-ok transformed into a demon.

Swish! Swish!

His sword flew towards Pyo-wol at a terrifying speed.

His appearance looked as if a raging demon from hell was unleashed and gone on a rampage. 

The deadly assassination techniques he had perfected through countless killings on the battlefield were truly fearsome.

The sight of him charging towards Pyo-wol with no regard for his own life was enough to make even the most skilled warriors shudder.

However, Pyo-wol’s face showed no change in expression as he faced Go Shin-ok.

Go Shin-ok madly shouted,

“What?! Why are you looking at me like that with those eyes?!”

“……”

“Fine! Keep your eyes open as I bury you to the ground!”

Go Shin-ok attacked with all his might, but Pyo-wol effortlessly blocked every single strike without moving an inch.

Pyo-wol literally didn’t even move a step from his position.

This infuriated Go Shin-ok even more.

Pyo-wol had always been like this from the start. 

He always looked down on others from a higher position, as if everything in the world was beneath him. 

That was why Go Shin-ok was so furious. 

Just how high must Pyo-wol be looking down from to completely disregard the existence of those beneath him?

When Pyo-wol was in the underground cave, all the children had to be wary of his gaze.

He exerted a much stronger influence than the adults who were actually stronger. 

Go Shin-ok didn’t like Pyo-wol for that reason. So, he acted as if he didn’t care, as if it didn’t bother him.

But now, he knew for sure.

He was jealous of Pyo-wol.

He just didn’t want to show this ugly side of him so he put on a front. 

But, now that he lost his face, Go Shin-ok also lost the mask that concealed his true feelings.

His face clearly displayed his jealousy and desire towards Pyo-wol.

Go Shin-ok relentlessly attacked Pyo-wol as if he had gone mad.

Swish! Swish!

In the dark cabin, only the glimmer of Go Shin-ok’s sword illuminated the space.

Pyo-wol gracefully evaded all of his attacks using Snake Steps and opened his mouth,

“It’s just as I remembered.”

“What the hell you talking about?”

“Your skill. It’s just as it was in the past.”

“Don’t lie to me! I have improved! I’ve reached heights you dare not imagine!”

“Why can’t you overpower me then?”

Pyo-wol’s cold voice awakened Go Shin-ok’s spirit.

Only now did Go Shin-ok noticed Pyo-wol’s condition. 

Unlike himself, who was drenched in sweat, Pyo-wol’s breathing wasn’t the slightest bit ragged.

A chill ran down Go Shin-ok’s spine.

‘Had he still not used his full power against me? Am I no match for him then? No, that can’t be true–!’

Go Shin-ok forcefully denied his thoughts.

If he hadn’t reached Pyo-wol’s level after honing his skills on the hellish battlefield for years, he would be too pitiful.

He couldn’t bear the thought of all the hardships he’d endured, only to be denied by Pyo-wol.

“Aaargh!”

Go Shin-ok screamed as he swung his sword even more fiercely.

Pyo-wol’s gaze grew even deeper as he observed Go Shin-ok.

At this moment, Go Shin-ok was no longer an assassin.

The greatest virtue of an assassin was their unwavering rationality and composure at any given moment. 

No matter how unfavorable the situation was for them, assassins would have to remain calm and patient, waiting for the one golden opportunity that would come their way.

That was what an assassin was.

Go Shin-ok, however, had forgotten the very code of conduct an assassin should follow and went on a rampage.

Although his martial arts might have become stronger than before, he showed no signs of the sharpness or cold rationality he once possessed in the underground cave. 

The current Go Shin-ok was nothing more than a savage born on the battlefield.

He had changed as much as his face had changed.

But, Pyo-wol didn’t feel sorry for him.

After all, their relationship wasn’t deep enough for him to feel that way.

To Pyo-wol, Go Shin-ok was nothing more than a fellow trainee in the same space, neither more nor less.

Besides, an assassin was a solitary existence.

It was absurd for an assassin to dream or even think of living in peace with others when they have to live by concealing themselves in the dark and killing others.

Pyo-wol might not have become an assassin by choice, but since he had already stepped into the world of assassins, it was impossible for him to turn back.

Pyo-wol had never forgotten his own identity, not even once. That’s why he managed to develop his martial arts in accordance with his identity.

He was not the same as Go Shin-ok.

And from now on, Pyo-wol would show him that.

He would demonstrate to him, the martial arts of someone who walks the path of an assassin.

Swish!

Go Shin-ok’s sword pierced through Pyo-wol’s body, but no blood was spilled. 

“Are you resorting to another illusion?!”

Go Shin-ok roared in anger.

What his sword had pierced through was an afterimage created by Pyo-wol’s Demon Shadow Exchange. 

If Go Shin-ok still possessed the cold rationality of an assassin, he would never have been deceived by such an illusion. But with his greed blinding him, it made it impossible for him to distinguish such subtle differences.

Having pushed Go Shin-ok back with his illusionary arts, Pyo-wol unleashed his Black Lightning.

Zzzt!

Lightning traveled through his nerves, penetrating his entire body.

Pyo-wol’s world expanded, as his nervous system reacted frantically, and the speed of thought multiplied.

A world unique to Pyo-wol, where only he could observe and react, unfolded.

Pyo-wol has now reached a speed that Go Shin-ok could never react to.

Thud!

“Keuh!”

Pyo-wol struck Go Shin-ok’s chest. 

Go Shin-ok flew, blood spattering in his wake. Pyo-wol immediately darted towards him. 

Pyo-wol’s figure writhed like a serpent.

Go Shin-ok looked at Pyo-wol with wide eyes.

Their eyes met in midair.

Suddenly, Go Shin-ok felt a chilling coldness.

‘A snake?’

Pyo-wol’s eyes flickering in the darkness, reminded Go Shin-ok of a snake.

Pyo-wol held a phantom dagger in his hand, and then threw it, aiming for Go Shin-ok’s carotid artery. 

Go Shin-ok immediately swung his sword in response, trying to strike down Pyo-wol’s phantom dagger. 

But, his sword passed through the empty air in vain.

Thunk!

A horrifying sound of flesh being severed came from his neck.

Like a snake sinking its fangs into its prey’s throat, Pyo-wol’s phantom dagger had sunk deep into Go Shin-ok’s carotid artery.

“Gack!”

A scream erupted late.

Go Shin-ok clutched his neck and staggered backward.

There was no strength in his staggering steps.

There wasn’t much blood flowing from his neck, but Go Shin-ok knew that the moment he would pull out the dagger, blood would gush out like a waterfall.

Thud!

Go Shin-ok collapsed, and slumped back in his chair.

His face was filled with a sense of futility.

The fact that his assassination techniques which he honed on the battlefield, posed no threat to Pyo-wol, made him feel utterly helpless. 

“You’re tru… ly an insane bastard.”

Go Shin-ok looked at Pyo-wol with a crestfallen expression.

No words of surrender escaped his lips.

The madness that had been present in his eyes gradually dissipated.

All the malice, resentment, and negative emotions that had sustained him until now withered away.

Go Shin-ok knew full well what that meant.

His life was fading away.

Go Shin-ok chuckled weakly as he looked at Pyo-wol.

“Pfft, hehe, still… I’ve always wanted to try having that skin of yours.”

“I don’t care about my face. I just don’t like being robbed by others.”

“I suppose so since you don’t allow yourself to suffer any losses.”

“You wouldn’t tell me who the leader of the Kowloon Assassin Guild is if I asked, would you?”

“Heh heh! Of course not. You would have done the same in my situation.”

“That’s true.”

“That’s why I won’t tell you. I have to preserve at least some dignity.”

Go Shin-ok chuckled.

As he did, his already grotesque face appeared even more sinister. Nevertheless, Pyo-wol looked at Go Shin-ok without frowning. 

Go Shin-ok spoke while looking at Pyo-wol,

“You won’t be able to live in peace from now on. The Kowloon Assassin Guild will surely start watching you closely. Just like what they did to me, they will force you to make a choice. Obey or die. I wonder which path will you choose, and whether or not you’ll still hold your head high like now when that time comes.”

“I told you, I’ve already made contact with Kowloon Assassin Guild, yet here I am, still alive and well.”

“You bastard. You’ll always be a bastard until the end…”

Go Shin-ok’s voice grew fainter and fainter.

Then his eyes slowly lost their focus.

At one point, he couldn’t even see Pyo-wol’s face, which had been blurry, anymore.

‘I should have still struck him at least once…’

That was Go Shin-ok’s last thought.

Pyo-wol silently watched the lifeless Go Shin-ok for a moment before pulling out the phantom dagger that was lodged in his neck.

Immediately, blood poured out like a waterfall, soaking Pyo-wol’s face.

Pyo-wol stored the dagger he just retrieved in his leather belt and stood up.

Even after killing his former comrade, there was no hint of remorse in his heart. 

Pyo-wol wondered if he truly was human.

On the outside, he may be a human, but what was contained within was not human.

It remained the same even now.

Instead of grieving over the death of Go Shin-ok, whom he had killed with his own hands, Pyo-wol began searching the cabin.

As the captain of this ship, he would surely have been in contact with Kowloon Assassin Guild. If he could find the correspondence exchanged between them, he might be able to learn something about the true identity of the Kowloon Assassin Guild.

Pyo-wol first opened a chest near the table.

Inside the chest, he found the Demonic Soul Blade. 

Bang!

The boat suddenly shook violently.

Pyo-wol quickly sheathed the blade in his belt and rushed towards the window.

Beyond the window, he saw the dark sea shimmering. And across the sea, he saw another ship faintly illuminated by a distant fire.

Although the distance was too far and the light was dim, making it impossible to make out a clear shape, the overall shape resembled the ship he was currently on.

At that moment, sparks flashed from the distant ship. Then, the ship that Pyo-wol was on lurched and shook violently.

Boom!

Flames swept through the corridor, followed by billowing smoke.

“Cannons?”

Pyo-wol’s expression hardened.

Cannons were not something that could be easily obtained. Especially in Jianghu where there was a strong aversion to groups that used cannons or explosives.

This was also the reason the Tang clan was once criticized by Jianghu. It was because they used weapons of mass destruction like hidden weapons and poison.

For this reason, cannons were not easy to come by.

At least among the more prominent factions in the Jianghu, no one would even think about acquiring one.

The appearance of cannons was unexpected even for Pyo-wol.

Boom!

Once again, the ship trembled with a loud noise. 

The searing heat and flames were gradually corroding the interior of the ship.

Pyo-wol hurriedly went up to the deck.

The upper deck was already engulfed in flames.

“Ah! Hot!”

“Gah!”

People were screaming and running everywhere. They were the ones who had been struck by the cannons while on the deck.

Pyo-wol climbed to the highest mast. From there, the ship firing the cannon became much clearer.

Then, he saw a figure standing on the mast of a ship that was firing cannons.

Although Pyo-wol couldn’t tell if the figure was a man or a woman because the distance between the two ships was too far away, he could tell that the other person’s gaze was directed at him.

The distance between Pyo-wol’s boat and the ship firing the cannon was over three hundred meters. Yet, the person was staring intensely at him across that distance.

Their eyesight was beyond human limits.

Pyo-wol felt a chill run down his spine.

The tremendous force contained in the opponent’s gaze seemed capable of scorching his eyeballs.

No one had ever caused Pyo-wol to feel this much pressure and pain before. And to think that the person doing so was not even close to him, but from a distance of over three hundred meters. 

Pyo-wol instinctively recognized that he was facing the true leader and captain of the Phantom Fleet. 

Kukuku!

Two more ships appeared, breaking through the rough waves. The newly arrived ship stood side by side with the ship firing the cannon and fired their cannons together.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Columns of fire and water shot up simultaneously above the ship Pyo-wol was on.

“Escape!”

“Get out of here quickly!”

Crew members hurriedly lowered numerous small boats and jumped right onto them.

Some managed to land directly on the boat, but others fell into the sea.

Those who fell into the sea instantly became food for the sharks.

“Ack!”

“Help! Save me!”

They screamed for help, but the crew members who successfully boarded the small boats didn’t look back. They just rowed away, heading straight toward the location of the ships firing the cannons.

Boom!

Shards and flames shot up to the mast where Pyo-wol was standing.

The flames illuminated Pyo-wol’s face.

It was then.

Swaaack!

Suddenly, something terrifyingly tore through the air and flew towards Pyo-wol.

But, it was too late for him to dodge.

By the time Pyo-wol sensed it, the object had already reached him. 

Pyo-wol instinctively unfolded his technique, Jade Destruction.

Zzeoong!

“Mmn!”

Pyo-wol let out a stifled groan. 

A long object was falling beneath the mast, bent and distorted.

It was a spear.

A spear made of steel.

From a distance of over three hundred meters, a spear made out of steel had been thrown precisely at Pyo-wol. 

The one who threw the spear was none other than the leader of the Phantom Fleet. 

Though the leader’s face was not visible, Pyo-wol could sense that his opponent was smiling.

“Is this his greeting?”

Pyo-wol looked at the hand that had unfolded Jade Destruction. 

Deep scars adorned the back of his hand.

The wound was so deep it even revealed his bones.

No martial artist in Jianghu would be able to throw a spear with such power, capable of reaching a distance of over three hundred meters.

The martial arts of the Phantom Fleet’s leader were truly awe-inspiring.

As if without any lingering thoughts, the leader jumped down from the mast.

Kwang! Kwa-ang!

Immediately after, cannons fired consecutively from the ship he was on.