Chapter 27: Assassin 4

While the assassins waited for their chance, Baek Moo-jin looked at Lee Jung-nam and said.

“I am ready.”

Lee Jeong-nam nodded, finally taking a good look at Baek Moo-jin’s stance. It was ordinary, as if Baek Moo-jin didn’t need any preparatory movements. As the two stood facing each other, Seo Mun-geuk said.

“Let’s begin.”

Lee Jeong-nam took a step back and assumed his stance.

Baek Moo-jin observed that Lee Jeong-nam’s qi flow was distinctly extraordinary.

He surmised that Lee Jung-nam possessed the skill to overwhelm not only Seo Mun-geuk, but even the Grand Master Dam Ji-woon he had just faced.

With a sharp slash, Lee Jeong-nam drew his sword. Astonishingly, Baek Moo-jin drew his sword immediately too, lowering it to the lower right.

What the hell is this…!

Merely drawing their swords, yet the expressions in Seo Mun-geuk’s, Dam Ji-woon’s, and Lee Jeong-nam’s eyes changed. Lee Jeong-nam snorted and nodded.

‘Of course.’

Baek Moo-jin swept his gaze around the area, sword still drawn. Lee Jeong-nam was undoubtedly strong. If assassins were truly nearby… he anticipated they would strike the moment Lee Jeong-nam launched his fiercest attack against him.

Baek Moo-jin, however, intended to create an opening for the assassins to strike.

Under the watchful eyes of Seo Mun-geuk and Dam Ji-un, the two clashed.

Clang!

The silence of the open field shattered as the crisp clang of clashing swords rang out. But the moment their blades met, Lee Jeong-nam’s body was forced backward. Recognizing Baek Moo-jin’s internal energy was no ordinary force, Lee Jeong-nam immediately altered his attack strategy.

2.

Jong Geun-seok watched as the North Heaven Sect’s martial guest attacked Baek Moo-jin at regular intervals before swiftly retreating. He cautiously glanced at Sa Il-gon and nodded.

‘It’s starting.’

Sa Il-gon nodded back.

From his kneeling stance, Jong Geun-seok’s hips lifted halfway as he gripped his straight sword.

He planned to leap forward the moment he seized the opportunity.

Sa Ilgon, too, glared at the combatants, his fingers tight around his dagger. He swallowed hard, tense, fueled by the belief and confidence that he could land a hit.

Initially, he had only Baek Moo-jin in mind, but the more he watched the duel, the more he realized that the martial artist Lee Jeong-nam was no pushover. Unconsciously, sweat began to bead on the hand gripping the steel needle.

As if responding to Jong Geun-seok’s signal to prepare, he briefly extended his left hand.

3.

Dang Ji-woon’s attacking style was actually more flamboyant. Even while swinging his sword, Lee Jeong-nam did not reveal his intentions too obviously.

No feints, no tricks.

But his movements were concise and swift, executing a hit-and-run style.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

After clashing swords a couple of times, he swiftly retreated, drawing a defensive arc with his blade to steady his stance before lunging forward again. As this pattern repeated, the battle’s dynamics became clear.

Baek Moo-jin employed a very static movement, focusing his sword technique on counterattacks…

Lee Jeong-nam actively moved around the periphery, engaging in hit-and-run style offense and defense. Lee Jeong-nam anticipated Baek Moo-jin would use the Ice Strike and deliberately avoided prolonging the exchanges.

After exchanging another three or four blows, the two fighters created distance between them.

At this moment, Lee Jeong-nam stood on the left, Baek Moo-jin on the right.

Realizing he couldn’t defeat Baek Moo-jin with ordinary attacks, Lee Jeong-nam prepared the sword technique he only used when fighting assassination targets with a life-or-death resolve.

‘I must use it. The Extreme Swiftness Remnant Blood Sword.’

The instant Lee Jeong-nam charged forward and thrust his sword, the tip instantly split into three directions. It was the phantom sword created by the Extreme Swiftness.

Baek Moo-jin struck the central blade, ignoring the two afterimages.

Clang!

The Extreme Swiftness Remnant Blood Sword was a difficult technique to defend against, but what was even more terrifying was that follow-up attacks continuously extended through phantom blades. Lee Jeong-nam, timing it perfectly with Baek Moo-jin deflecting his sword, twisted the trajectory and displayed the divine skill of splitting the sword tip into three again.

Therefore, to the onlookers, it wasn’t three blades they saw, but six to nine streaks of sword light scattering about. That was how fast Lee Jeong-nam’s sword speed was.

In that instant, Baek Moo-jin countered even more slowly, more heavily.

‘If I press him like this, his internal energy will be rapidly depleted…’

Baek Moo-jin instantly grasped the weakness of the Extreme Divine Blood Sword. Each time their blades clashed, he deliberately pressed down, injecting his inner energy to deflect it.

The clanging of swords grew heavier and heavier.

It was as if an extremely fast sword and an extremely heavy sword had met.

Finally…

The moment the two blades locked together, a clanging sound echoed.

Once again, Lee Jeong-nam’s sword clung to Baek Moo-jin’s blade, refusing to let go.

Tsuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

As white frost swirled from Baek Moo-jin’s blade, Lee Jeong-nam poured out his inner energy.

At that instant, Baek Moo-jin was boldly and swiftly glancing at the moving clouds. Soon, the clouds seemed poised to swallow the moon. As his vision darkened, a smile suddenly appeared on Baek Moo-jin’s lips, who was holding Lee Jeong-nam’s sword in place with his internal energy.

‘If there’s an assassin, come out now… I’ll take you on.’

Before he knew it, white frost had risen up to cover Lee Jeong-nam’s sword. Startled, Lee Jeong-nam stumbled backward, struggling to pull his sword free.

Baek Moo-jin shook his head slightly as he looked at Lee Jeong-nam.

His expression seemed to say, ‘It won’t be easy.’

Jong Geun-seok, who had been watching this scene, instantly widened his eyes.

‘Now!’

Jong Geun-seok’s new form soared upward in a single leap, tracing a parabolic arc.

Simultaneously, Sa Il-gon scattered all eight steel needles held in his fist at once.

Shushushush!

The moment the speed of the flying needles matched Jong-geun-seok’s speed, he landed silently on the ground and leaped up again.

The sound of wind arose.

At that very instant, Lee Jeong-nam and Baek Moo-jin’s heads turned toward the intruders. Lee Jeong-nam, who had been pouring out his inner energy for a while, narrowed his eyes. If he withdrew his inner energy, he would be hit by Baek Moo-jin’s attack.

Baek Moo-jin faced the same dilemma.

If either rashly withdrew their energy now, they risked injury from Lee Jeong-nam’s energy…

The sound of steel wire unfurling and a sword being drawn rang out simultaneously.

Of course, it was Seo Mun-geuk and Dam Ji-woon.

But at that very moment…

Baek Moo-jin’s left arm, which seemed to be exerting every ounce of strength, suddenly moved and reached toward the air.

The person charging forward to kill Baek Moo-jin.

Those who stepped forward to protect Baek Moo-jin.

The man who had been fighting Baek Moo-jin.

Even the one attempting to assassinate Baek Moo-jin from afar.

All eyes were fixed on Baek Moo-jin’s left arm.

Just as people sensed a beam of light coiling around Baek Moo-jin’s left arm…

A burst of external energy pressure erupted into the air like a waterfall breaking loose.

Whoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

A scream erupted in midair.

The flying steel needles froze mid-air, their force lost, tumbling lifelessly to the ground.

Then, a figure covered in snow tumbled from the sky, flailing as it fell to the ground.

It was an extremely bizarre scene. It didn’t seem like instant death either. Jong Geun-seok, who had taken one more step as soon as he hit the ground, froze in place as if belatedly realizing what had happened.

In that instant, Lee Jeong-nam and Baek Moo-jin locked eyes and withdrew their internal energy.

Lee Jeong-nam was no ordinary man either. The instant Baek Moo-jin withdrew his energy, he moved his body, striking the frozen assassin’s neck. He then leaped off the ground and dashed toward where the flying dart had come from.

Seo Mun-geuk and Dam Ji-un followed suit, dashing out.

Baek Moo-jin, who had drawn his sword, passed the decapitated corpse, glanced around once, and then, somewhat belatedly, deployed his lightness skill to begin chasing the assassin.