Chapter 319

“With that face, I could cover this hideous one.”

I will definitely peel off that beautiful face and make it into a human skin mask. Go Shin-ok’s eyes gleamed hideously with that desire.

Consumed by desire, Go Shin-ok had become an Asura.

Siiit! Swish!

His sword flew at Pyo Wol with terrifying speed.

He was like an Asura from hell, running rampant.

His Killing Method, perfected by murdering countless people, was truly fearsome.

His charge, disregarding his own life, was enough to overwhelm even the greatest of Experts.

But Pyo Wol’s face showed no change in expression as he watched him.

Go Shin-ok shouted.

“What is it? Why are you looking at me with those eyes?”

“……”

“Look down. Before I gouge them out…”

Go Shin-ok attacked, screaming abuse. But Pyo Wol received every single attack without letting any slip by.

And he did it without moving a single step from his spot.

That sight enraged Go Shin-ok even more.

Pyo Wol had been like this in the past, too.

Always looking down on him with those eyes, as if from a high place.

As if everything in the world was beneath his feet. That was why he was so angry.

Just how high was he looking that he didn’t even pay attention to the beings beneath his feet?

When Pyo Wol was in the underground cavern, all the children had to walk on eggshells around him.

Though he was alone, he wielded far more influence than the children who had formed groups.

Go Shin-ok did not like that Pyo Wol. So he acted as if it was nothing, as if he didn’t care.

But now he knew for sure.

He had been jealous of Pyo Wol.

He had only acted composed because he didn’t want to appear pathetic.

Losing his face, Go Shin-ok also lost the mask that hid his inner thoughts.

On his face, jealousy and desire for Pyo Wol were clearly etched.

Go Shin-ok pushed Pyo Wol, truly like a madman.

Shwaaak! Shwiik!

In the dark cabin, only his Sword Light shone.

Pyo Wol unfolded his Serpentine Steps, dodging all of his attacks, and opened his mouth.

“You’re the same.”

“What is?”

“Your skill. It’s the same as before.”

“Don’t lie. I have improved. I have reached a realm you cannot even dare to imagine.”

“Then why can’t you overpower me?”

Pyo Wol’s cold voice awakened Go Shin-ok’s senses.

Only then did he notice Pyo Wol’s condition.

Unlike himself, who was drenched in sweat, Pyo Wol’s breathing hadn’t even become ragged.

A chill ran down his spine.

‘You mean he wasn’t fighting me with his full strength? That I’m no match for him? No, that can’t be right.’

Go Shin-ok desperately denied his own thoughts.

If he hadn’t reached Pyo Wol’s level after honing his skills on hellish battlefields for years, he would be too pathetic.

He couldn’t bear the thought of all the harsh years he had endured being negated by Pyo Wol.

“Uwaaah!”

Go Shin-ok let out a monstrous scream and swung his sword even more fiercely.

The look in Pyo Wol’s eyes as he watched him sank even deeper.

Right now, Go Shin-ok was not an Assassin.

The greatest virtue of an Assassin was a cool-headed rationality and composure that remained unshaken in any moment.

No matter how disadvantageous the situation, they do not get excited, but endure and wait for the single opportunity that will one day come.

That was what an Assassin was.

Go Shin-ok had forgotten that fundamental principle of an Assassin and was running wild.

His Martial Arts might have become stronger than before, but the sharpness and cold reason he had felt in the underground cavern were nowhere to be seen.

The Go Shin-ok of now was merely a killing demon born on the battlefield.

As much as his face had changed, many other things had changed as well.

He didn’t feel any pity.

They weren’t close enough to feel such things, nor had they shared any friendship.

To Pyo Wol, Go Shin-ok was nothing more or less than a contemporary with whom he had trained in the same space.

In any case, an Assassin was a being who lived alone.

For a being who hid in the darkness and killed others to think of living comfortably with others was absurd in itself.

He hadn’t become an Assassin of his own free will. But once he had set foot in the world of assassins, it was impossible to turn back.

Pyo Wol had never once forgotten his identity. So he developed his Martial Arts to follow that identity.

Go Shin-ok and he were different.

From now on, he would show him that fact.

The Martial Arts of one who walks the single path of the Assassin.

Shwaak!

Go Shin-ok’s sword pierced Pyo Wol’s body. But no blood flowed.

“Another illusion?”

Go Shin-ok roared.

What his sword had pierced was an illusion Pyo Wol had created with the Devil Shadow Illusion Guard.

If Go Shin-ok still possessed the cold-headedness of an Assassin, he would never have been fooled by such an illusion. But it was impossible for Go Shin-ok, blinded by greed, to distinguish such a subtle difference.

After shaking off Go Shin-ok with the Devil Shadow Illusion Guard, Pyo Wol unleashed the Black Lightning.

Jjireureu!

Lightning power shot through his nerves, piercing his entire body.

The world widens, the nervous system reacts like crazy, the speed of thought doubles.

A world only Pyo Wol can see and react to unfolds.

At a speed Go Shin-ok could never react to.

Kwang!

“Keuk!”

Jade Destruction struck Go Shin-ok square in the chest.

As Go Shin-ok flew back, spitting blood, Pyo Wol followed.

His Afterimage writhed like a snake’s tail.

Go Shin-ok’s eyes widened as he stared at Pyo Wol.

In mid-air, their eyes met.

In that moment, Go Shin-ok felt a creepy chill.

‘A snake?’

Pyo Wol’s eyes, glinting in the darkness, reminded him of a snake.

The Ghostly Rain in his hand flew toward his carotid artery, aiming like a snake’s venomous fang.

Go Shin-ok desperately swung his sword to strike away Pyo Wol’s Ghostly Rain. But his sword cut futilely through the empty air.

Puk!

Then, a gruesome slicing sound erupted from his neck.

Like a snake sinking its fangs into its prey’s neck, the Ghostly Rain had embedded itself deep into his carotid artery.

“Keuk!”

The scream came out belatedly.

Go Shin-ok clutched his neck and staggered back.

There was no strength in his stumbling steps.

Not much blood flowed from his neck. But it was clear that the moment the Ghostly Rain was pulled out, it would gush out like a waterfall.

Thud!

Go Shin-ok collapsed into a chair.

His face was filled with a sense of emptiness.

The fact that his Killing Method, honed on the battlefield, had posed no threat to Pyo Wol was what made him feel so empty.

“You’re a real… crazy bastard.”

Go Shin-ok looked at Pyo Wol with a vacant expression.

He couldn’t even bring himself to say he was sick of him anymore.

The madness that had been in his eyes slowly dissipated.

The evil, the stubbornness, and all the negative emotions that had sustained him until now were fading away.

Go Shin-ok knew well what that meant.

His life was extinguishing.

Go Shin-ok chuckled as he looked at Pyo Wol.

“Keuk keuk! Still, I really wanted to try on that face of yours.”

“I don’t care about the shell, but I don’t want it to be stolen by someone else.”

“I suppose so. You never took any losses.”

“You won’t answer even if I ask who the leader of the Nine Dragons Assassination Guild is, will you?”

“Hehe! Of course not. You would have done the same in my situation.”

“I suppose so.”

“That’s why I’m not telling you. I have to keep my last shred of pride.”

Go Shin-ok grinned.

His already hideous face looked even more grotesque. Still, Pyo Wol watched Go Shin-ok without so much as a frown.

Go Shin-ok also looked at Pyo Wol and continued.

“You won’t live comfortably from now on. The Nine Dragons Assassination Guild will be watching you. Just as they did to me, they will force a choice upon you. Obey, or die. I wonder which path you will choose. I wonder if you’ll still hold your head up so stiffly then.”

“I told you. I already have a grudge with the Nine Dragons Assassination Guild. And yet, I’m still alive and well.”

“You lucky bastard. Lucky until the very end…”

Go Shin-ok’s voice gradually faded.

The focus in his eyes disappeared.

Pyo Wol’s face, which had appeared blurry, was no longer visible.

‘Still, I should have landed at least one blow…’

That was Go Shin-ok’s last thought.

Pyo Wol silently watched the breathless Go Shin-ok, then pulled out the Ghostly Rain embedded in his neck.

Instantly, blood poured out like a waterfall, drenching Pyo Wol’s face.

Pyo Wol stored the Ghostly Rain in his leather belt and stood up.

Even though he had killed an old comrade, there was no turmoil in his heart. He wondered if he was even human.

The shell was human, but what was inside was not.

It was the same now.

Instead of grieving the death of Go Shin-ok, whom he had killed with his own hands, Pyo Wol searched the cabin.

As the captain of this ship, he must have been in contact with the Nine Dragons Assassination Guild. If he could find the letters they exchanged, he might be able to learn something about the true nature of the Nine Dragons Assassination Guild.

Pyo Wol first opened a wooden box near the table.

Inside the box, he saw the Devil Soul Diagram.

Kwaang!

Just then, with a sudden explosion, the ship shook violently.

Pyo Wol fastened the Devil Soul Diagram to his waist and rushed to the window.

Through the window, he saw the sea, shimmering in the darkness. And beyond the sea, he saw another ship, faintly lit.

Although the distance was too great and the light too dim to make out its distinct shape, its overall form resembled the ship he was on now.

At that moment, a flame flashed from the distant ship. Then, the ship Pyo Wol was on rocked violently with an explosion.

Kwaaaang!

Flames swept through the corridor, followed by acrid gunpowder smoke.

“Cannons?”

Pyo Wol’s expression hardened.

Cannons were not something one could easily obtain.

In particular, the people of Jianghu utterly despised groups that used cannons or Thunderbolt Bombs.

The reason the Tang Clan was once driven out as a public enemy of Jianghu was because they used mass-killing weapons like Hidden Weapons and poison.

For this reason, obtaining cannons was not easy.

At the very least, the more well-known Sects in Jianghu would never even think of acquiring cannons.

The appearance of cannons was unexpected for Pyo Wol as well.

Kwaang!

Once again, the ship rocked with a deafening roar.

Formidable heat and flames were gradually consuming the ship’s interior.

Pyo Wol hurried up to the deck.

The upper deck was already engulfed in fierce flames.

“It’s hot!”

“Ack!”

People were screaming and flailing about everywhere. They were the ones who had been on deck and were caught in the fiery downpour.

Pyo Wol climbed to the highest mast. From there, he could see the ship firing the cannons much better.

He saw someone standing on the mast of the ship that was firing the cannons.

It was too far to tell if it was a man or a woman, but he was certain that their gaze was directed at him.

The distance between the ship Pyo Wol was on and the ship firing the cannons was over three hundred Zhang. To look at Pyo Wol from such a great distance.

It was an Eye Power that transcended human limits.

Pyo Wol felt the back of his neck grow cold.

The immense power contained in the opponent’s gaze felt like it would burn his eyeballs.

Until now, there had never been anyone who could make Pyo Wol feel this much pressure and pain, not from close range, but from a distance of over three hundred Zhang.

Pyo Wol instinctively knew that he was the Ghost Fleet Leader.

Kukuku!

Two more ships appeared, cutting through the rough waves. The newly appeared ships lined up next to the cannon-firing ship. And they fired their cannons together.

Kwakwakwang!

Pillars of fire and water simultaneously shot up over the ship Pyo Wol was on.

“Escape!”

“Get out of here, quick.”

The sailors lowered small boats and jumped onto them.

Some landed precisely on the boats, but others missed and fell into the sea.

Those who fell into the sea became food for the Gyo Fish.

“Kraaack!”

“Help me!”

They screamed, but the sailors who had boarded the small boats rowed without looking back. The place the small boats were heading was right where the cannon-firing ships were.

Kwaaaang!

Debris and flames shot up to the mast where Pyo Wol was standing.

The flames brightly illuminated Pyo Wol’s face.

It was then.

Swiiiaek!

Suddenly, something flew toward Pyo Wol, tearing violently through the air.

It was too late to dodge.

By the time Pyo Wol sensed it, the object had already reached him.

He instinctively unleashed Jade Destruction.

Jjeo-eong!

“Ugh!”

With a cracking sound, Pyo Wol let out a stifled groan.

A long object, bent, was falling below the mast.

It was a spear.

A spear made of steel.

Someone had accurately thrown a spear at Pyo Wol from a distance of three hundred Zhang.

The one who threw the spear was none other than the Ghost Fleet Leader.

He was looking at Pyo Wol and smiling.

Although he couldn’t even see his face, Pyo Wol knew that he was smiling.

“A greeting?”

Pyo Wol looked at the fist he had used for Jade Destruction.

A deep wound had appeared on the back of his hand.

It was a deep wound that exposed the bone.

No Martial Artist in Jianghu could throw a spear with such power from a distance of three hundred Zhang.

The Ghost Fleet Leader’s Martial Arts had truly reached a terrifying level.

As if he had no lingering attachments, he jumped down from the mast.

Kwaang! Kwaaang!

Immediately after, the cannons on the ship he was on were fired in succession.