novelraw Chapter 98 : Entry into the Tiger’s Den (3)
Chapter 98 : Entry into the Tiger’s Den (3)
Chapter 98: Entry into the Tiger’s Den (3)
The stillness of the night enveloped the mountain range.
Even the moonlight was veiled behind the clouds, casting a deep shadow of darkness as black figures slipped between the rocks.
They were the Assassins of Death.
Ssshhk—
A shadow rose silently from the edge of a rock.
Its feet touched the ground, yet not a single sound was heard—like walking upon air itself.
Ssshhh—
Another shadow emerged from behind a tree. Not even the sound of breathing could be heard, nor the rise and fall of its chest. It was impossible to tell whether it was a living being or one of the dead.
Silent Shadow Step.
The Heavenly Sound Cult’s most renowned concealment movement art.
A divine technique that completely erased one’s presence, allowing movement like a phantom. Even one’s heartbeat was subdued, creating perfect silence.
Ssshh! Ssshhh!
The third and fourth shadows appeared in sequence.
Each was wrapped entirely in black cloth, revealing only their faces—though even their eyes were painted black, making it impossible to discern their humanity in the darkness.
They exchanged signals with swift hand gestures.
One, two, three fingers—form a perimeter formation.
An Assassin of Death moved left upon receiving the command.
Their steps were quieter than a cat’s tread. Even when stepping on fallen leaves, not a single rustle followed.
The second moved right, the third circled behind, and the fourth waited at the front. The fifth, sixth, and seventh completed the formation—a perfect encirclement.
They crept toward the four people sleeping near the firelight.
Each held a Poison Dart laced with a toxin so deadly that even a graze meant instant death.
Their leader raised his hand, signaling the final command.
The hunt was about to begin.
Swick!
The Red Spearman suddenly sat upright from his sleep.
He stared blankly ahead like a man in a trance—unaware even of his own movements.
Thuk!
The hand of Silent Hand, leader of the trace-less assassins, fell coldly in the moonless dark. Execution order!
At once, silver lightning rained from every direction.
Shwick! Shwick! Shwick! Shwick!
Poison darts flew like a storm of raindrops, thickly filling the air in a radius of two jangs around the campfire.
Hundreds of darts whistled through the air in unison.
Everything within that range would die—no ant, no blade of grass would survive.
Death poured down from the assassins’ fingertips toward the four targets. In that instant—
Without anyone noticing, a spear appeared in the Red Spearman’s hand.
“Blood Barrier Block!”
Tatatatatang! Tatang!
The silver darts were sucked into the swirling wall of energy, scattering like withered leaves.
“What the—?”
Gugwi stretched and stood up lazily.
“Man, you’re being way too noisy. It’s nighttime—you’re supposed to sleep. Don’t you guys ever rest?”
Jang Unhyeok’s expression darkened with irritation.
Meanwhile, Jin Geonmu’s spear art had already scattered every incoming dart. Hundreds of poisoned needles—but not a single one had pierced through his spear defense.
“Go back to sleep. I’ll handle this.”
Jin Geonmu rose with his spear in hand.
Murderous intent flashed in his eyes. The crimson aura gathered on his spear tip roared like thunder.
“No way. You can’t hog all the fun. I’ve got plenty I want to try too.”
Jang Unhyeok stood abruptly, his twin blades flashing.
Swish!
A spear thrust shot out like lightning.
From his spot, it seemed he had merely extended the spear—but in the next instant, he was already beside an assassin. The spearhead pierced through the man’s shoulder and burst out his back.
Puk!
The sound of tearing flesh followed belatedly.
Hot blood sprayed like a fountain as the assassin screamed and staggered backward.
But he quickly regained balance and rushed forward again.
Puhk!
A futile counterattack—the spear pierced his chest once more, this time straight through the heart.
At that moment, another assassin charged at Gugwi. The man’s dagger flashed toward Gugwi’s throat.
Gugwi raised his spear vertically to block.
Cheng!
Metal clashed, sending sparks flying. Gugwi twisted his spear clockwise, deflecting the dagger and stepping forward. In the same motion, the spear tip thrust toward the assassin’s flank.
Puseok!
The spear slid between ribs and punctured the man’s lung. The assassin coughed blood and collapsed to the side.
“Taaah!”
Gugwi’s roar thundered through the valley.
At the same time, the blue energy of the Spirit Flow Core pulsed along his entire spear. When he swung it in a wide arc, another assassin’s head was cleanly severed, rolling across the ground.
That single roar carried two effects: it created a Spiritless Zone that repelled the Spirit Union Martial Artists among the assassins, and it imbued strength into his own Spirit Union companions.
Ssshh!
Yeon Sohye gathered her hands before her chest.
A silver mist spiraled around her, rising in waves. The mist thickened, and soon, three identical copies appeared—her Spirit Union Spirits.
The assassins’ leader, Silent Hand, narrowed his eyes, trying to distinguish the real one. Yet under the veil of mist, the three figures were indistinguishable—all breathing and moving exactly the same.
“I’ve got plenty I want to try too!”
Yeon Sohye’s voice echoed from three places at once.
The first clone thrust a dagger toward Silent Hand’s heart. As he raised his sword to block, the second clone appeared at his flank, aiming for his neck. Silent Hand twisted his body to dodge—but in that instant, the real Yeon Sohye drove her dagger deep between his shoulder blades.
Puseok!
Warm blood surged up into his mouth.
Silent Hand fell to his knees, collapsing forward—but he clenched his jaw and struggled back to his feet.
Jang Unhyeok lifted his twin blades high overhead.
The Blazing Fire Warrior’s red energy merged with the Iron-Flame Captain’s cold metallic qi, heating the blades until they glowed like molten steel. The air sizzled, and heat washed across their faces.
“To your heart’s content!”
As he swung both arms, fiery blades flew in a crescent arc. Wherever they touched, grass and trees erupted into flames. Two assassins screamed as fire consumed their bodies.
“Aaaargh!”
They rolled across the ground, trying to smother the flames, but it was already too late. The smell of burning flesh and fabric filled the night wind—until their movements ceased entirely.
“Heh! Never thought I’d see assassins under the Sixth True Army looking like children. Were they always this weak? Hahaha!”
Jang Unhyeok’s laughter echoed through the mountain valley.
Jin Geonmu thrust his spear three times in succession.
The first strike aimed for the center of the chest, the second for the left flank, and the third for the heart. The crimson energy gathered at the spear’s tip tore through the air like a razor.
The Blood Spear Sect’s spear art was executed to perfection.
An Assassin of Death crossed his twin blades to block—but the third strike slipped between them and struck his shoulder.
Puseok!
Flesh tore away, revealing white bone beneath. The sound of a shattering shoulder bone echoed chillingly.
“Fall back! You’ll die for nothing!”
But the assassin charged forward, resolved to die. He clenched five Poison Darts between his teeth and spat them in rapid bursts. Thwip, thwip, thwip! The darts scattered like raindrops in every direction.
At the same time, his Spirit Union Martial Artist appeared from thin air.
The spirit, clad in a black robe, caught the darts and flung them back toward Jin Geonmu.
Saaa!
The darts, invisible once they left his mouth, vanished upon touching the spirit’s hand—only to reappear, teleporting straight toward Jin Geonmu’s vital points.
“In the past, that might’ve worked.”
A cold smirk curved Jin Geonmu’s lips. He spun his spear in reverse and stabbed into the air.
Puhk!
An invisible dart was caught by the spear tip and dropped to the ground. The remaining darts were deflected off course by the spear’s rotation.
“That’s what you call Blood Flow Reversal!”
Jin Geonmu shouted as he spun the spear wide.
The spear tip carved a spiral as it flew toward the assassin’s neck, leaving a twisting crimson trail like a serpent’s coil.
The assassin used his spirit as a shield—perhaps the spirit could serve that purpose—but the red spear pierced through the spirit without hesitation, then drove clean through the man’s throat.
Kkuek!
A dull crack of breaking bones followed as the assassin collapsed, the light fading from his eyes.
“Blood Spear Triple Strike… splendid.”
Jin Geonmu murmured coldly, pulling the spear free. Drops of blood dripped from its tip.
Gugwi spread his arms and stepped forward.
A deep blue pulse rippled outward from within his chest—it was the Spiritless Zone. The darts that touched the pulse immediately lost their force, dropping harmlessly to the ground. This was possible thanks to the Nameless Martial Artist’s qi, embedded within the zone. That qi acted as a solid wall of defense.
It wasn’t a lie that the Nameless Martial Artist’s qi had been copied into the Spirit Flow Core. Though his Dantian held no qi, the core itself carried it—perhaps, it was the soul of his qi.
The assassins’ movements grew sluggish.
The spirits they had relied upon had vanished entirely, and confusion flashed in their eyes.
“Assassinate!”
Someone barked another order—but none remained to obey it.
Yeon Sohye swung her dagger, which shimmered with a faint moonlit glow. The silver blade swept cleanly across an assassin’s neck. A thin red line appeared before blood streamed down like threads of silk.
“Kkeuk…”
The assassin who had given the command clutched his throat and staggered.
Boom!
Jang Unhyeok’s Iron-Flame Hammer struck the ground. The shockwave rippled through the earth like a rising tide. The ground split, and the assassins stumbled, struggling to regain balance.
Jin Geonmu seized the opening. He spun his spear low, targeting their knees.
A loud crack echoed—bones shattered.
“Kuaaagh!”
An assassin grabbed his broken leg and rolled on the ground. Bone shards pierced through his flesh.
“Hahahaha! Excellent!”
Jin Geonmu roared like thunder, spinning his spear overhead.
A crimson whirlwind surged upward, dragging fallen leaves and stones into its storm. Three assassins were swept up and hurled into nearby rocks.
Puhk! Puhk! Puhk!
The sounds of breaking bones rang out one after another—though, truthfully, they had already been impaled before impact.
Yeon Sohye moved like the wind—using the Gale Spirit Guest’s movement art. In a blink, she vanished from before an assassin and reappeared behind him. Her silver dagger slipped precisely between each vertebra of his spine.
The assassins’ bodies shattered and scattered like fragments in the wind.
Those still alive fled in panic, their footsteps fading into the distance.
“Huuh…”
Gugwi took a deep breath and activated his Spirit Flow Core.
Blue light spread across the battlefield, seeking out the wandering spirits. The lingering souls of the slain assassins drifted through the air.
“Find peace.”
At his words, the blue light gently enveloped them.
The spirits faded into the glow, their faces finally serene.
Jang Unhyeok gathered dry twigs nearby and lit a fire. The flames pushed back the darkness, casting warm light on their weary faces.
“The next wave will come soon. We need to be ready.”
Jin Geonmu nodded, wiping the blood from his spear with a blade of grass.
“Do we have to keep fighting like this? Isn’t there another way?”
“A fight’s a fight. What’s there to think about? At this point, who cares who comes next? If anything, I’d prefer the Sixth True Army to show up.”
Gugwi listened in silence.
They all knew there were many more battles ahead—but there was no avoiding them. The Heavenly Sound Cult would be the one to strike first.
Gugwi slowly lifted his gaze.
“To the Heavenly Sound Cult.”
The three of them turned toward him at once.
“We were going to the Hall of the Forgotten Souls anyway. Even if we destroyed one of the Four Holy Sites, the other three must still exist somewhere… and we’ll need clues to find them.”
“The Heavenly Sound Cult Leader—no, even setting that aside… the First, Second, and Third True Armies—they’re not human. Are you sure about this?”
Jang Unhyeok asked grimly.
“Even if I’m not sure… I don’t think we have a choice.”
Once again, silence returned to the mountains. But it was the silence before the storm.