Martial Artist Lee Gwak

Chapter 62: The War of Those Who Do Not Exist (3)

Light Novel: Volume 3 Chapter 12

Manhwa: Chapter 56-57

Han Socheon perched lightly on a thin branch, looking down at the annex. The tree she was sitting on was the largest near the annex, with thick branches that provided ample cover for her.

The Hidden Blood Battalion was stationed throughout the annex.

Over the past few days, the Hidden Blood Battalion had been engaged in an invisible war with the assassins from the Celestial Demon Union. During that time, the number of assassins from the Celestial Demon Union killed by the battalion exceeded dozens.

The assassins had disguised themselves as ordinary merchants, servants, and laborers, constantly seeking an opportunity to strike.

The Hidden Blood Battalion had hunted them down and killed them one by one.

The most efficient way to deal with an assassin was mobilizing a fellow assassin, and the Hidden Blood Battalion was the best of them all.

The Hidden Blood Battalion used every means at its disposal, killing many innocent people with no connection to Jianghu in the process, but the Hidden Blood Battalion did not care.

Their orders were clear: eliminate the enemies who had infiltrated the Jade Heaven Alliance, no matter the cost, and they were faithfully carrying out that mission.

Han Socheon herself had killed more than a dozen assassins from the Celestial Demon Union. This caused her body to be enveloped thickly with the scent of blood.

As she sat on the thin branch, she tended to her slender sword. Having claimed the lives of many, her sword had taken considerable damage.

While she couldn’t immediately do anything about the nicks in the blade, if she failed to wipe off the oil stains on her sword, it would shorten its lifespan.

The human body contained more fat than one might think, and once it got on the blade, it wasn’t easy to clean. This was why Han Socheon had to pay extra attention to cleaning her sword.

At that moment, a huge man appeared at her side without a sound. It was none other than Cheol Gwan-ho, the leader of Squad 1.

“Polishing your sword?”

“As you can see!”

“Still as diligent as ever.”

“What are you trying to say?”

Han Socheon raised her head and looked directly at Cheol Gwan-ho. In response, Cheol Gwan-ho let out a slight chuckle.

“Don’t be so cranky, I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

“I’m fine.”

“It do seems that way.”

Cheol Gwan-ho nodded.

Han Socheon returned to polishing her sword. This wasn’t the first time this had happened, so Cheol Gwan-ho didn’t mind much.

He had approached Han Socheon because the spot where she stood was the best place to keep an eye on the surroundings. From here, he could clearly see the annex and the area around it.

Though it wasn’t as important as the Jianghu Grand Conference, the Gathering of the Young Supremes was still a significant event.

A bitter smile tugged at the corners of Cheol Gwan-ho’s mouth. The thought of being an assassin in charge of protecting the Gathering of the Young Supremes instead of being one of its participants made him feel a bit sorry for himself.

But he quickly pulled himself together.

It was the path he had chosen willingly.

There was no place for him in his family anyway. As the bastard son of the family, he had to carve out his own destiny. That’s why he had chosen the Steel Blood Hell Training Ground, and as a result, he became a squad leader in the Hidden Blood Battalion.

‘This war with the Celestial Demon Union is a big opportunity. If I achieve great merit in this war, I can rise to the top.’

Cheol Gwan-ho clenched his fists tightly.

For the powerless commoners, war was a disaster, but for someone with grand ambitions like him, war was an opportunity.

As Cheol Gwan-ho stood beside her, burning with his own ambitions, Han Socheon suddenly stopped polishing her sword.

She furrowed her brow and scanned her surroundings. Cheol Gwan-ho noticed her reaction and asked,

“What’s wrong?”

“Something feels off.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just… something…”

Suddenly, Cheol Gwan-ho’s expression hardened.

If there was one thing he firmly acknowledged about Han Socheon, it was her intuition.

It had been the same on the battlefield. Whenever she sensed something strange, something always happened. At first, he had doubted it, but after several repeated instances, he had come to trust Han Socheon’s instincts.

―Is everyone alright?

He sent a telepathic message to the squad members.

The squad members responded in kind, but one remained silent.

―So Ryun, answer me. 

Despite Cheol Gwan-ho’s insistence, So Ryun didn’t answer. Only then did Cheol Gwan-ho realize that something had gone wrong.

―Everyone, be on high alert. Find So Ryun’s position.

―Yes, Squad Leader!

Swish!

At that moment, Han Socheon leaped into the darkness.

Swish!

“Ugh!”

A loud groan echoed out from the darkness, accompanied by a flashing sword light.

Han Socheon’s voice rang out loudly.

“An assassin from the Celestial Demon Union!”

Her voice acted as a fuse.

The Hidden Blood Battalion, who had been silently guarding the annex, immediately recognized the presence of the enemies and sprang into action.

It was a war between assassins.

There were no flashy sword techniques on display, nor any shouts of encouragement to their comrades.

Neither those wounded nor those fatally injured and collapsing let out a single scream. It was a matter of pride among assassins to die without uttering a cry, even in their final moments.

The assassins from the Celestial Demon Union had hoped to sneak into the annex through the secret passageways they had learned from Ma Duwon and seek an opportunity to strike. However, unexpectedly, they were discovered first by Han Socheon and were forced into a direct confrontation with the Hidden Blood Battalion before they could accomplish their mission.

“How insolent!”

Cheol Gwan-ho shouted in fury.

His anger was directed at himself for failing to detect the enemies who had gotten so close.

Slash!

He beheaded a nearby enemy and looked around.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

In the darkness, sparks flew as weapons clashed and flames briefly flickered before vanishing.

To an outsider, it might have looked like a beautiful scene, but the battle taking place within it was brutal beyond words.

There were no screams, yet the ground of the annex was flooded with blood.

The Hidden Blood Battalion had taken its share of casualties, but far more assassins from the Celestial Demon Union had been killed. Even then, the Hidden Blood Battalion still wasn’t fully dominating the fight, because so many of the Celestial Demon Union’s assassins had infiltrated the area.

Slash!

With a chilling sound, fresh red blood splattered across Han Socheon’s face. However, Han Socheon couldn’t afford to leisurely wipe off the blood.

Another assassin was already attacking her.

She narrowly dodged the attack and responded by creating a coin-sized hole in the center of the assassin’s forehead.

It was the moment when her slender sword quietly withdrew from the assassin’s forehead, as though it had sliced through tofu—

“It’s you!”

Suddenly, a calm voice came from behind Han Socheon’s back.

In that instant, Han Socheon felt goosebumps rise up her spine.

She sensed a presence behind her that was on a completely different level from any of the assassins she had faced so far.

Swish!

Instead of answering, Han Socheon swung her sword toward the figure behind her.

The attack was swift and executed without any warning. Han Socheon didn’t expect to be able to kill the unknown figure behind her with this one move. But at the very least, she thought it would at least help her be able to determine the enemy’s true identity.

“……”

The corners of Han Socheon’s eyes trembled slightly. She felt nothing at the tip of her sword.

“With such meager skills, how could you have managed to kill Jin-rak?”

The voice spoke again from behind her. Every time she moved, he moved in perfect sync, making it impossible for her to shake him off.

In that moment, Han Socheon realized something.

She realized that her opponent was a master far beyond her level.

If he had wanted to, she would have been dead already. The only reason she was still alive was that he harbored a single doubt about her.

The unknown figure standing behind her was searching for an answer.

‘Jin-rak… Ko Jin-rak!’

Han Socheon’s eyes flickered.

How could she not know?

It was the name of the person who had engraved the word “regret” deep into her heart.

The voice spoke again from behind.

“Speak quickly, girl! Before I kill all your comrades here.”

“I—”

It was then.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

A cold voice rang out, followed by the swing of a sword aimed at the figure behind Han Socheon.

The man who swung the sword with immense power was none other than Cheol Gwan-ho.

Cheol Gwan-ho saw the blue-clad figure standing like a ghost behind Han Socheon. Unlike the other assassins, who were dressed in black robes, this man wore bright blue robes that was hard to miss.

Cheol Gwan-ho instinctively realized that this man was the leader of the assassins who had attacked tonight.

‘If I kill him, it will break their morale.’

Kwaaah!

The sword, imbued with immense power, aimed directly for the heart of the man in blue armor.

“Tsk!”

The man in blue clicked his tongue in annoyance at the unexpected interference. His face showed clear irritation.

“Step aside, boy!”

He suddenly vanished from Cheol Gwan-ho’s sight, disappearing like a ghost.

Cheol Gwan-ho felt every hair on his body stand on end as he quickly retracted his sword to protect his entire body.

Thud!

But before he could even assume a proper stance, an intense pain erupted in his back. Turning his head, he saw the man clad in blue armor stabbing him in the back with just his index finger.

“Urgh!”

The pain of a mere finger piercing through his flesh was beyond imagination.

Cheol Gwan-ho gritted his teeth and tried to swing his sword. He couldn’t just stand there and take it. But at that moment, the man in blue armor unleashed a blast of energy through the finger embedded in Cheol Gwan-ho’s back.

Boom!

“Hmph!”

The earth wind pierced through his waist, causing his body to collapse. Fortunately, he didn’t lose his life, but he was mortally wounded.

“Squad leader!”

Seeing Cheol Gwan-ho in danger, Han Socheon rushed at the blue-armored warrior, momentarily forgetting her fear.

At that moment, the eyes of the blue-armored warrior gleamed menacingly in the darkness. He unleashed a terrifying killing intent toward Han Socheon, who dared to charge at him without knowing her place.

His figure vanished from Han Socheon’s sight. Having seen what had happened to Cheol Gwan-ho, she braced herself, ready to defend with her whole body.

Swish!

But before she could even react, a fountain of blood spurted from her shoulder. She had been slashed without hearing a sound or sensing any movement.

‘When…?’

Her eyes quivered.

Slash!

In the next instant, blood surged from her side again. She had been wounded again.

The blue-armored warrior was thoroughly toying with Han Socheon, moving like a ghost.

Like a massive storm cloud, he completely enveloped and dominated the area. This was why his nickname was the Dark Cloud Reaper.

Dark Cloud Reaper had no intention of killing Han Socheon quickly. He wanted her to experience all the pain in the world before slowly bleeding her to death.

That was his way of paying his respects to his only friend, Ko Jin-rak.

Han Socheon defended her entire body with all her might, but to no avail. Dark Cloud Reaper was a legendary assassin. Using assassination techniques in front of him was no different than a toddler trying to take on a full-grown adult.

Every assassination technique Han Socheon tried to use, Dark Cloud Reaper knew.

He could see through her every move.

Han Socheon realized this and gritted her teeth.

‘If this continues, I will only die.’

She wasn’t afraid of dying.

Her soul had long been dead. But if she died here, her comrades would die as well.

The only way to save them was to draw Dark Cloud Reaper away from this place.

Fwoosh!

Without hesitation, Han Socheon withdrew from the battlefield and fled.

Running out of the annex at a terrifying speed, she quickly disappeared from sight.

Dark Cloud Reaper’s face twisted in annoyance at Han Socheon’s unexpected choice.

“You dare think you can escape from me?”

Dark Cloud Reaper darted in the direction Han Socheon had fled.

The battle between the assassins had been going on in the annex for a while now, but it was of no interest to Dark Cloud Reaper.

From the start, he only had one goal, and that was Han Socheon.

‘Run as far as you like. All it will do is prolong your suffering.’

Like a dark cloud, he chased after Han Socheon.

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