novelraw Chapter 117 : Faith and Loyalty in Reversal (2)
Chapter 117 : Faith and Loyalty in Reversal (2)
Chapter 117: Faith and Loyalty in Reversal (2)
Moonlight seeped through the iron bars.
Sasaha lay flat on the ground, waiting for the guard's footsteps. The rhythmic steps receded toward the end of the corridor.
‘Now!’
She crawled toward the door.
Black energy bloomed at her fingertips, wrapping around the doorknob. The cold metal melted silently.
The door opened without a sound.
The corridor was still. The guard had already turned the corner and disappeared. But she couldn't let her guard down. Guun had deployed more than thirty guards around this building.
A measure taken in anticipation of her escape.
Sasaha moved along the wall like a shadow. With each step, only the faintest vibration transmitted through the floor.
Swish!
She slipped out of the corridor and ascended to the roof.
The night wind tossed her hair. The extravagant view of the Heavenly Sound Cult’s main estate unfolded beneath her.
Swish, swish, swish, swish!
She began running across the rooftop.
Carefully touching only the tips of her toes to avoid breaking the tiles. Her body was light as the wind.
Though she dashed swiftly, no one noticed her movement.
She leapt over the wall of the Heavenly Sound Cult without hesitation and dove straight into the mountain.
She had made her decision—there was no place to return to. All that awaited her now was humiliation at Guun's hands. Her body might survive, but her life and honor would be in tatters. However, there was still one way.
To subdue Gugwi and obtain information about the Manifest Demon Emperor. That alone could draw the attention of the Cult Leader. The only path left for her, the one way to transform from traitor to meritorious subject.
Sasaha raised her finger.
Ssssss!
A black aura formed in the air. Darkness condensed into a human shape, slowly taking form.
Wi Unseo appeared as a faint silhouette.
A woman exuding a discreet and intricate aura. Her gaze was sharper than an eagle's.
“Track them.”
At Sasaha's command, Wi Unseo nodded.
Her nostrils flared subtly.
She was reading the energy floating in the air. The flow of the wind, the depth of footprints on the ground, even a single thread caught on a twig. Her senses expanded outward.
Every trace within a ten-ri radius was etched into her mind like a map.
The path Gugwi's party had taken glowed like a red line in her vision.
By the difference in the weight of the steps, she deduced there were four people. The heaviest was a man, the lightest a woman. She even read the irregular strides of someone wounded.
Wi Unseo was a tracker on a different level than the Bloodscent Fiend.
While the Bloodscent Fiend relied on Blood Orbs and Living Spirits, Wi Unseo conversed directly with nature. The message carried by the wind, the footprints remembered by the earth, the body heat preserved by the trees—everything spoke to her in its own language.
Her body began to dissipate like mist.
Her form blurred and became one with the wind.
Whoosh!
She vanished, riding the wind.
So silent and fast that not a single leaf stirred.
Sasaha followed behind her.
Wi Unseo’s tracking skills were flawless. She precisely followed every trace left by Gugwi's group.
The angle of crushed blades of grass, minute bloodstains on rocks, lingering body scent in the air. She found one trace after another that did not vanish with time.
Sasaha was certain—no other tracker could match Wi Unseo. It was an art on a different level than the Bloodscent Fiend’s primitive methods.
Somewhere in the mountains, Wi Unseo came to a halt.
Her steps stopped silently, like a cat's. Her black robe fluttered in the wind, and her slender face shimmered faintly. But her eyes gleamed as sharply as a hawk's.
Her focused gaze pierced the darkness and swept across the valley.
Swish!
Finally, she raised her hand and pointed into the air. Down below… a faint light flickered in the valley.
Sasaha approached the edge of the cliff and crouched low.
Her long black hair fluttered in the wind, partially covering her face. Below the cliff, in the deep darkness, the entrance to a cave was faintly illuminated by torchlight. Though the flame was small, it pulsed like a heartbeat in the dark.
“Found them.”
A low voice slipped from Sasaha's slightly stiffened lips.
A cold certainty had taken root in her eyes. The aura of the Spirit Flow Core, that subtle vibration, was diffused through the air.
Gugwi and his party were there.
She pulled a wallet from her waist and slipped it onto her hand.
Whirr!
The energy of Black Wind Land King Baek Hyeokgang swirled at her fingertips like a black gale.
Just as she prepared to leap forward—
“Traitor!”
Suddenly, a sharp shout burst out from behind her.
From the shadowy clifftop, within the cold wind, the voice pierced her ears like a blade.
Her body froze instantly.
To have someone get this close without her knowing? Her keen senses—those that even Baek Hyeokgang himself couldn’t escape—hadn't noticed anything?
Sasaha’s eyes trembled slightly. But she immediately recognized the voice.
‘Jin Mukran.’
In her mind, she pictured Jin Mukran, the Blood Shadow Assassin of the Spirit Union.
Soul Phantom Technique—the stealth technique of hiding within another's shadow.
‘So that's it. The Blood Shadow Assassin's stealth arts….’
Jin Mukran, you’ve grown enough to deceive even my senses. Sasaha’s lips curled faintly.
‘Now we’ve truly reached Resonance.’
Her heart pounded coldly. A blend of affection, awe, and sorrow for her subordinate.
Sasaha slowly turned around.
There stood Jin Mukran.
Sword drawn, eyes burning with a mixture of resentment and fury.
“How did you…?”
Sasaha’s voice trembled.
“I followed you. From the moment you abandoned the Heavenly Sound Cult.”
A voice tangled in anger and betrayal.
“You?”
“Why not? Can't I use ‘you’ for a traitor?”
Instead of answering, Jin Mukran exuded a crimson aura.
Her Spirit Union Martial Artist, the Four Sun Swordsman, surged forth and overlapped with her.
Shreeeek!
Without warning… a sun-like sword qi slashed through the night. The searing heat burned the air as it charged toward Sasaha.
Sasaha reflexively lashed out her whip.
A black leather whip sliced through the air. The thorns at its tip glinted under the moonlight.
“You were my confidant! And yet you don't recognize me!”
Her cry was laced with anger—and with a desperate wish that Jin Mukran would back down. But Jin Mukran showed no intention of retreating. She raised her sword and blocked the whip head-on.
Clang!
Sparks burst as metal met leather. A white flash illuminated both their faces.
Jin Mukran stumbled back from the impact and nearly tripped over a rock.
In that instant, her second Spirit Union Martial Artist, the Blood Shadow Assassin, appeared from the darkness—or rather, he had already rushed in like an arrow and deflected the whip. A crimson blade flashed like lightning, aiming for Sasaha’s side.
Shweeek!
Sasaha twisted her body and narrowly evaded it.
The blade brushed past her collar, leaving behind the sharp sound of fabric tearing.
She quickly scanned the area.
At the cave entrance, Gugwi, along with Yeon Sohye and Jang Unhyeok, peeked out, observing the battle.
‘So much for a quiet infiltration….’
“Stand down!”
Sasaha shouted furiously, raising her finger.
Baek Hyeokgang and Kang Sojin were summoned simultaneously. Baek Hyeokgang's Black Wind Technique whipped up a dark vortex that entangled Jin Mukran, while Kang Sojin's Poison Cloud Technique unleashed a choking miasma upon her.
The air trembled with weight.
Sasaha had begun to go all out. A clear signal—back down, or be crushed by force. Yet Jin Mukran did not retreat. On the contrary, her blade grew sharper.
“Why did you abandon the Heavenly Sound Cult!”
Jin Mukran’s cry echoed through the valley.
Shweeek!
Her sword moved even more ferociously.
The solar sword qi of the Four Sun Swordsman extended in every direction, bearing down on Sasaha.
Sasaha raised all four fingers. Baek Hyeokgang, Kang Sojin, Wi Unseo, and Jin Mukgyeol appeared at once. A black vortex, poisonous mist, stealthy shadows, and bloodstains of darkness encircled Jin Mukran.
But Jin Mukran did not yield an inch.
The Four Sun Swordsman and the Blood Shadow Assassin stood back to back, fending off attacks from all sides. Sword qi and blade force intersected in an X-shape, forming a defensive barrier.
A flicker of sorrow passed through Sasaha’s eyes.
Once, she had cherished this subordinate—her disciple. They had trained together, and she had taught her martial arts. But now, they stood as enemies.
“Mukran…”
Her voice scattered on the wind.
Shweeek!
Sasaha’s whip grazed Jin Mukran’s arm.
The thorn pierced the flesh, tracing a crimson line. Blood dripped down her forearm.
“Grrhk!”
Jin Mukran bit back a scream and retaliated with her sword. The whip had only struck to warn her to back off… yet she charged in with stubborn resolve. The tip of her blade aimed at Sasaha’s shoulder.
Sasaha leaned back. The blade skimmed past the tip of her nose.
“I cherished you…”
She murmured as she spun the whip wide—preparing for a final blow.
The air tensed with pressure.
Then suddenly, Jin Mukran began to laugh.
“Hohoho… How could I ever defeat you? I never could. Hohoho!”
Her mad laughter tore through the night.
Jin Mukran pulled a small vial from her robes. The glass bottle, filled with black liquid, reflected ominously under the moonlight.
She popped the cap and drank it in one go.
“Mukran!”
Sasaha shouted fiercely.
But it was already too late.
Jin Mukran’s body began to change.
Her skin turned yellowish, bloodshot veins filled her eyes. Her fingernails and lips turned black, and her hair flared wildly in all directions. But most chilling of all—her voice was now filled with eerie energy.
“Keeheehee!”
As if triggered by her laughter, the Four Sun Swordsman and the Blood Shadow Assassin suddenly doubled in size. Their muscles swelled, and their power surged explosively. The solar sword qi grew hotter, and the concentration of spirit energy thickened, dyeing the air red.
Shweeek!
Even their speed doubled.
Their movements left afterimages as they circled around Sasaha.
Now, even Sasaha could not afford to let her guard down. The chance to persuade her to retreat had vanished.
“Charge!”
Sasaha furrowed her brow and commanded.
There was no avoiding the clash now. After consuming the Spirit Possession Elixir, one could no longer hear this world’s sounds.
All four spirits moved at full force.
But the drug-enhanced spirits of Jin Mukran were overwhelming.
The Four Sun Swordsman’s blade struck like lightning. Solar sword qi aimed to pierce Sasaha’s chest.
Sasaha swung her whip like a shield.
Chwaaaack!
The whip and sword collided with a deafening blast. Shockwaves rippled outward, shattering nearby rocks.
This time, Sasaha was the one pushed back. Her heels caught at the edge of the cliff.
The Blood Shadow Assassin seized the opening and charged from the side. A red blade flew toward Sasaha’s flank.
Wi Unseo appeared and blocked the sword. But the reinforced power of the Blood Shadow Assassin overwhelmed him, scattering his form. Kang Sojin, who had followed closely to assist, was knocked back as well.
The longer the battle dragged on, the worse it became for Sasaha.
The enhanced spirits of Jin Mukran unleashed relentless assaults from all sides, while Sasaha’s spirits began to fade one by one.
Baek Hyeokgang was overwhelmed by the Four Sun Swordsman's barrage. His black vortex was devoured by solar sword qi. Kang Sojin too was cut by the Blood Shadow Assassin’s blade force, dispersing his poison mist.
“Damn…”
Despair flashed across Sasaha’s face.
At this rate, she would lose—to Jin Mukran, once her disciple. But she didn’t give up.
‘I’ll wait! There will be an opening!’
She squeezed out the last of her strength. She summoned Wi Unseo and Jin Mukgyeol together. Stealthy shadows and stains of darkness surged toward Jin Mukran. From left and right, they charged in with full commitment—even ready to be obliterated.
The drug’s effect on Jin Mukran peaked.
The Four Sun Swordsman and the Blood Shadow Assassin grew into massive forms, crushing down upon Sasaha. But the toll was immense.
Jin Mukran’s face began to pale. Blood trickled from her nose.
“Ugh…”
She stumbled and fell to her knees. The side effects had begun.
Sasaha didn’t miss her chance.
Jin Mukgyeol appeared from the shadows, targeting the back of Jin Mukran’s neck. Black fingers shot out like lightning.
“Mukran… I’m sorry.”
Sasaha whispered.
Her fingers pierced Jin Mukran’s neck. The blood vessels burst, and black blood gushed out.
Jin Mukran’s eyes opened wide. They were filled with the pain of betrayal.
“Sasaha… you… you wretched…”
With her final murmur, she collapsed forward.
The Four Sun Swordsman and the Blood Shadow Assassin dissolved into fragments of light.
Sasaha looked down at Jin Mukran’s corpse.
“Why did you do this… why…?”
Her voice trembled.
From afar, Gugwi and his companions watched the scene unfold.
Sasaha raised her head and looked at them. In her eyes burned a cold resolve.