readsfreenovel Chapter 253 : Please go, please
Chapter 253 : Please go, please
Cold air froze everything in all directions into a pure white.Seo Yu-gyeom carried the Vice Leader on his back and unfolded his movement arts.
Twin Slaughter Ghost, Blind Slaughter Ghost, and Illusion Ghost were also top-tier assassins of Deathshroud, so they almost simultaneously unfolded their movement arts as well.
However.
The cold air made their bodies, ever so slightly, sluggish. In addition, the frozen ground made the footing beneath them slippery.
Of course, Deathshroud’s instructors were masters of movement techniques. Because of that, they did not fall or completely slip.
It was merely a momentary slowdown.
Even so, at a realm that had reached the peak, that instant was more than enough to create distance.
In the brief moment they hesitated, Seo Yu-gyeom had already disappeared from their sight.
Seo Yu-gyeom continued running with his master, Divine Slaughter Ghost, on his back. There was no destination. As someone who had come from Deathshroud, Seo Yu-gyeom knew well that in this world there was nowhere to escape their blades.
“Put me down and go.”
A faint voice came from behind his back.
Seo Yu-gyeom replied in a calm tone.
“Why did you let those bastards get the better of you and make things hard for your disciple, acting so unlike a master. Tsk.”
The words were brusque, but Divine Slaughter Ghost knew that this was his disciple’s affection.
“You cannot escape their grasp.”
“That’s for me to decide. To begin with, I’m someone who already has a record of escaping Deathshroud.”
“That was only possible because I helped you, even at the cost of breaking Deathshroud’s rules.”
“Then you can help again this time. Don’t you have somewhere else to go?”
Divine Slaughter Ghost realized that his disciple would not listen to him.
Well, even back when he belonged to Deathshroud, he had rarely listened. Why would now be any different?
Soon, Divine Slaughter Ghost spoke as if resigned.
“North of Dangyang County. At Jingmen Lake, there is a safe house that even Deathshroud does not know about.”
“Jingmen Lake? No, that’s too far.”
Seo Yu-gyeom grumbled, yet he drew up his inner energy. The instructors of Deathshroud, who would be tracking him by every means possible by now, were not easy opponents.
The moment he rested even a little, it was obvious that he would be caught.
With Divine Slaughter Ghost unable to display his abilities at present, there was no way to handle Twin Slaughter Ghost, Blind Slaughter Ghost, and Illusion Ghost alone.
‘Rather, to Yichang….’
That thought briefly crossed his mind.
There were Moyong Hyeon and Seomun Ak there, and above all, there was Jin Seong-un.
Even if those three assassins came to Seong-un Inn, with Jin Seong-un present it would be a fight that was more than possible.
However, the problem was what came afterward.
If he were to kill three instructors who were practically executives of Deathshroud, it would amount to declaring outright war against Deathshroud afterward.
‘For now, it’s still at the level of internal power struggle.’
A fight waged by three assassins banding together to strip the Vice Leader of his authority.
Seo Yu-gyeom himself was an outsider, but because he was Divine Slaughter Ghost’s disciple, he did not stray far from the bounds of an internal struggle.
But if Jin Seong-un, a complete outsider, intervened, the story would change.
The King of Assassins was a man who might turn a blind eye to internal conflict, but he would never overlook an external attack.
‘We go to the safe house.’
That was Seo Yu-gyeom’s conclusion.
Even if it would be a difficult and long fight, perhaps one with low odds of victory, he could not drag Seong-un Inn into it.
After running for a long while like that, Seo Yu-gyeom suddenly began to slow his steps.
At last, Seo Yu-gyeom quietly stopped in an empty forest clearing where no human presence reached.
Then, a voice was heard from around him.
“As expected, Heaven-Slaying Ghost is different. There were rumors that if you had stayed well within Deathshroud, you might have become the successor to the King of Assassins.”
There was only one voice, yet the direction it came from was many. Seo Yu-gyeom did not bother trying to find the direction and merely stared straight ahead.
In Deathshroud, it was obvious which types liked tricks like this. If there was any consolation, it was that it was not Illusion Ghost himself but someone who had received instruction from him who appeared.
When Seo Yu-gyeom waited calmly, a man revealed himself from the empty air.
Unlike ordinary assassins, he did not hide his face with a mask or a bamboo hat.
With a smiling face, he asked,
“To see the famous Heaven-Slaying Ghost like this. It’s both a pleasure and a pity.”
“Where did you leave your master and come alone?”
“I’m particularly good at tracking.”
Seo Yu-gyeom nodded and spread his sensory qi widely. As the man said, he did not sense the presence of any other assassins nearby.
The opponent’s martial prowess seemed to be around the peak level.
He could not take him lightly.
The followers of Illusion Ghost were those who used bizarre and unorthodox arts, much like the Illusion Demon Sect of the Demonic Cult.
Among all of Deathshroud’s assassins, the one who had killed the greatest number of experts stronger than himself was precisely Illusion Ghost.
“Heaven-Slaying Ghost. No, I suppose I should call you Seo Yu-gyeom now. In any case… leave your master behind. I will take good care of the Vice Leader. I gain merit and that’s good for me, and you don’t have to become enemies with Deathshroud, so that’s good for you.”
“And if I refuse?”
“Let’s not do this. You know Deathshroud’s ways well.”
Deathshroud would pursue relentlessly.
If necessary, they would not hesitate to kill someone other than Seo Yu-gyeom or Divine Slaughter Ghost.
Seo Yu-gyeom, to be honest, did not want to become enemies with Deathshroud either. It was a place he had once belonged to, and moreover, a frightening opponent.
Seo Yu-gyeom examined his own honest feelings and was newly surprised.
When he had fled Deathshroud before, he had felt no fear. Even if he were caught and killed, it would not have mattered much.
But now, he could clearly feel fear. In other words, it meant that Seo Yu-gyeom now had something he did not want to lose.
He wanted to live longer. He was satisfied with his current life. He did not want to see the precious people around him come to harm either.
Seeing Seo Yu-gyeom lost in thought, Illusion Ghost’s disciple spoke.
“Look at this. Even you, an assassin once so highly anticipated, have become this weak once you gained friends. Your master, the Vice Leader, is the same. In Deathshroud, there was never truly such a thing as a master and disciple relationship, was there.”
His words were correct.
Though they were called Illusion Ghost’s disciple or Twin Slaughter Ghost’s disciple, it was nothing more than a relationship of exchanging martial arts.
They did not share personal emotions; rather, depending on the situation, they were people who could kill their master or disciple at any time.
However, Divine Slaughter Ghost and Seo Yu-gyeom were different. They had truly become master and disciple. Because of that, Divine Slaughter Ghost had grown weak, and Deathshroud’s executives had no intention of letting that opportunity slip.
“Was there approval from the King of Assassins?”
At Seo Yu-gyeom’s question, Illusion Ghost’s disciple shook his head.
“You know it well. That person has no interest in our fight.”
“Still an irresponsible leader. Our innkeeper isn’t like that.”
“You’ve lost your mind. Who are you comparing with whom? In any case, my patience is running thin, so decide. Will you leave your master here and return to a comfortable life, or will you ultimately drive everything into ruin?”
Seo Yu-gyeom nodded for a while, then opened his mouth.
“Let me ask just one thing. You, who are talking to me now—are you an illusion, or are you real?”
“You could say I’m an illusion, or you could say I’m real.”
“So that’s why Master told me not to fight you lot. Fine, take him and get lost. Please understand, Master.”
After saying that, Seo Yu-gyeom set Divine Slaughter Ghost down.
Illusion Ghost’s disciple walked over step by step. Even while standing before Seo Yu-gyeom, whose martial prowess surpassed his own, there was not the slightest sign of tension on his face.
Then, the moment he reached out his hand to lift Divine Slaughter Ghost—
Slash—!
Seo Yu-gyeom twisted his body backward and swung the Heaven-Slaying Dagger.
Thud—!
The Heaven-Slaying Dagger lodged itself into a man’s neck.
The dagger in the man’s hand advanced toward Seo Yu-gyeom’s heart, then stopped just short of reaching it.
When Seo Yu-gyeom pulled out the Heaven-Slaying Dagger, blood gurgled and poured from the hole in the neck.
At the same time, the figure that had been conversing with Seo Yu-gyeom scattered like smoke without leaving a trace. In the end, that too had been an illusion.
Seo Yu-gyeom spoke softly to Illusion Ghost’s disciple, who was dying while staring at him with eyes full of disbelief.
“I forgot for a while because I was living next to a monster. But in truth, I’m also a Heaven-Slaying Star. I can see all that disgusting killing intent leaking out through your illusions.”
Thud.
Illusion Ghost’s disciple collapsed to the ground.
Whether he heard the final words or not, Seo Yu-gyeom did not know. He did not care much either.
After spreading his senses to briefly check the surroundings, Seo Yu-gyeom once again hoisted the Vice Leader onto his back.
The area near Jingmen Lake was a place where officials or wealthy people built waterside villas like detached residences and visited them from time to time.
A high-class villa belonging to a fourth-rank Saheonbu Officer.
That was Divine Slaughter Ghost’s other safe house.
No one would suspect the villa of a central official—moreover, a civil official rather than a military one—to be a safe house for assassins.
“You’re quite capable. How in the world do you even make a safe house like this?”
“It’s something only possible after investing effort over many long years. An assassin like you, who gets bored quickly and lacks patience, could never do it.”
“I saved you, yet you’ve got nothing but insults.”
“Do you truly think you saved me? Deathshroud will not give up. A weakened assassin being devoured is the law of nature. You should have let me die.”
“Are you really just going to nag the disciple you’re seeing again after so long?”
Saying that, Seo Yu-gyeom set a roughly cooked bowl of porridge before Divine Slaughter Ghost. Given his skill, even something boiled in haste gave off quite a good aroma.
“…….”
Divine Slaughter Ghost stared at the bowl, then finally failed to resist the smell and began to eat.
Seo Yu-gyeom let out a snort of laughter and spoke.
“So, what will you do from now on?”
“You forced me to live, so I suppose I must act according to the law of nature again.”
“You talk about recovering, going back, and killing them all as if it were some Daoist cultivating enlightenment.”
“…….”
An embarrassed Divine Slaughter Ghost merely shoveled porridge into his mouth.
Seo Yu-gyeom said,
“I’ll ask without beating around the bush. Can you, alone, handle Twin Slaughter Ghost, Blind Slaughter Ghost, and Illusion Ghost?”
“No one can say.”
“I want you to not die, Master.”
“Can’t you tell even after seeing it? The moment an assassin harbors such weak emotions—”
“No, that’s not it. You need to stay alive so that, just like you’ve done until now, you can keep Deathshroud from bothering me again. It feels like we’ve truly become master and disciple now, so since it’s come to this, live long and support me from behind for a good long while.”
“…….”
Divine Slaughter Ghost looked at Seo Yu-gyeom with a dumbfounded expression. Regardless, Seo Yu-gyeom just laughed heartily.
“For now, focus on recovering. From the look of it, you’ve been stabbed all over the place. It’s not something that’ll heal in a day or two.”
“I’ll handle what comes after. Return to the inn. The Deathshroud bastards won’t be able to find this place. If so, what choice do you think they’ll make?”
“They’ll go to Seong-un Inn.”
“Doesn’t that worry you?”
Seo Yu-gyeom widened his eyes and asked back.
“Worry? About whom? The inn? Or the assassins?”
Seo Yu-gyeom rather hoped that they would go to Seong-un Inn.
If Seo Yu-gyeom fled to Seong-un Inn with the Vice Leader on his back, it would mean that the inn was intentionally involving itself in Deathshroud’s affairs.
That would give the King of Assassins justification to strike Seong-un Inn.
But if they searched the entire world to find his master and him, and then naturally headed to Seong-un Inn?
That would instead mean that Deathshroud was launching a one-sided attack on Seong-un Inn.
No matter what Jin Seong-un did to them, the King of Assassins would not step in.
“Please go, please. If possible, it’d be nice if you all went together hand in hand.”