Chapter 394

Namgung Seol’s eyes were deeper and more somber than ever before.

The scene of the street, now an Asura Field, was reflected in her eyes.

Gwan Musu was running wild.

The iron arrows he fired were turning the street into a living hell.

“Was he that strong?”

Pyo Wol’s Martial prowess far surpassed her imagination.

Gwan Musu’s steel greatbow possessed truly formidable power. But no matter how powerful the bow, it was useless if it couldn’t hit its target.

With ghost-like movements, Pyo Wol dodged every single arrow Gwan Musu fired. Not only that, but he weaved through the crowd of martial artists, redirecting Gwan Musu’s attacks toward them.

Many were killed or injured by the unexpected attacks.

As a result, the fury of the martial artists who had been directly or indirectly harmed turned toward Gwan Musu.

“How can you attack us without warning?”

“We were trying to help you, yet you repay our kindness with enmity.”

They attacked Gwan Musu in a rage.

Only then did Gwan Musu regain his senses and shout.

“No, that’s not it…”

He tried to explain himself, but his words didn’t reach the ears of the enraged martial artists.

They were a group held together only by mob mentality, without any solid bond in the first place.

There was no faith or trust between them.

And the one who had fanned the flames was none other than Pyo Wol.

“Keuk!”

“Ack!”

Screams erupted from among the crowd.

The ones screaming were the very people who had been at the forefront, blindly denouncing Pyo Wol.

Ssssh!

The Soul Restraining Thread shot out and pierced a Martial Artist’s shoulder.

Pyo Wol then swung the Soul Restraining Thread, flinging the man into the crowd.

“Keoheok!”

“Keck!”

Three or four martial artists were struck by the man Pyo Wol had thrown and went tumbling to the ground.

A nearby Martial Artist, his eyes bloodshot, charged at Pyo Wol.

“You son of a bitch…”

Puk!

At that moment, a Ghostly Rain dagger embedded itself in his shoulder.

The charging Martial Artist tumbled backward.

Using the Soul Restraining Thread, Pyo Wol retrieved the Ghostly Rain dagger that had been lodged in the man’s shoulder.

The martial artists nearby swung their weapons at Pyo Wol.

But their weapons never even touched his body.

Pyo Wol was circulating Black Lightning.

By controlling the Lightning power that exists in the human body, he had pushed his physical reaction speed to its peak, allowing him to think and move several times faster than usual.

Pyo Wol’s eyes quickly scanned the faces of the martial artists.

He saw the face he was looking for.

The moment his eyes met Pyo Wol’s, the man tried to flee in a panic. But Pyo Wol would not allow it.

Ssssh!

Pyo Wol threw a Ghostly Rain.

The dagger lodged precisely in the man’s thigh.

“Kuaaack!”

The man screamed and fell to his knees.

Pyo Wol grabbed the man by the scruff of his neck and threw him forward.

Kudangtang!

He tumbled violently across the ground, his limbs twisting in grotesque directions.

“Keeeeuh!”

The man groaned, his face pressed into the ground.

It seemed all his limbs were broken. He couldn’t move an inch.

Pyo Wol moved on, searching for his next prey.

Shwaak!

At that moment, an arrow shot by Gwan Musu flew toward him. But Pyo Wol, without even looking, moved his body lightly and dodged the arrow.

Peok!

“Kkuek!”

The arrow struck an innocent Martial Artist in the chest.

The Martial Artist collapsed with a harrowing scream.

Pyo Wol glanced back.

He saw Gwan Musu’s face, horribly contorted.

The grizzled old man wore a desperate expression, as if he were about to burst into tears at any moment.

Several bodies already lay at his feet.

They were the martial artists who had rushed him.

Unable to simply let himself be killed, he had fought back, and as a result, all who had charged him were now dead.

Gwan Musu’s Martial Arts were crude and rough. Because of that, they lacked the delicacy to subdue someone while keeping them alive.

The result was the current tragedy.

He had killed the martial artists to survive, but his heart was in tatters.

Though his temper was fiery enough to earn him the Alias of Scorching Hunter, he had never once in his life committed an injustice or harmed an innocent person. But because of Pyo Wol, he had already killed more than ten people who had done nothing wrong.

Guilt tormented him. Yet, he couldn’t stop now.

Come what may, he had to subdue Pyo Wol. Only then could he receive even a small measure of pardon for what he had done.

Shwishwishwik!

He fired arrows in succession.

The arrows flew in an arc.

It was a Curved Shot.

The arrows pierced through the crowd, aiming for Pyo Wol’s life. But this time too, Pyo Wol used a nearby Martial Artist as a shield.

Peok!

“Keuk!”

Fortunately, the man didn’t explode, but the Martial Artist who was hit was instantly on the verge of death.

Gwan Musu threw down his greatbow and shouted.

“You cowardly bastard! Fight fair and square! Have you no shame?”

But Pyo Wol gave no reply.

He felt no need to answer.

Words like “fair and square” were only spoken by those who held the advantage.

There was no reason for someone in a disadvantageous position to be fair.

He had to seize victory, even if it meant using cowardly tactics.

That was the way of survival Pyo Wol had mastered.

Though he had somehow gained fame in the Jianghu and was revered, his true nature was, in the end, that of an Assassin.

A faint curve formed on Pyo Wol’s lips.

He was smiling.

It felt as if he had finally woken from a dream and returned to reality.

Ssssh!

The Ghostly Rain and Soul Restraining Thread were unleashed simultaneously.

Each time, someone screamed.

“You bastard!”

Gwan Musu drew his straight sword and chased after Pyo Wol.

Hwoooong!

The large straight sword sliced menacingly through the air, aiming for Pyo Wol. But Pyo Wol exquisitely dodged his blade and attacked another Martial Artist.

“Kuaack!”

A Martial Artist collapsed with a scream.

He wasn’t dead. But he writhed like an insect.

In total, more than twenty men had collapsed and were screaming like that. While subduing so many martial artists, Pyo Wol hadn’t received so much as a scratch.

His face was still pale, his breathing not even the slightest bit ragged. The sight of Pyo Wol in such a state horrified the martial artists.

“Ugh!”

“He’s insane!”

Even though they knew Pyo Wol was called by the Alias of Reaper, it hadn’t felt real. That was why they had been able to get swept up in the mob mentality and pour out their denunciations against him.

Perhaps they had even hoped they could drag a colossal figure like Pyo Wol down to their level.

But the Martial prowess of Pyo Wol they witnessed firsthand was beyond their imagination.

Just as a large flock of sheep could not stop a tiger, no matter how much they combined their strength, they could not do anything to Pyo Wol alone.

Only now did that fact feel real.

Pyo Wol’s eyes quickly scanned the crowd. And at last, he found the one he had been targeting from the beginning.

It was the man who had first thrown a stone at Pyo Wol.

“Ugh!”

As their eyes met, the man’s face turned deathly pale, and he fled.

“He’s insane!”

Only then did the man realize.

All the people Pyo Wol had taken down were the ones who had been instigating the crowd.

The ones who had provoked the people by denouncing Pyo Wol, causing their aggression to explode.

Every single one of them had been wounded by Pyo Wol and was now groaning like an animal.

The man had thrown the stone at Pyo Wol to trigger the others’ attacks.

He knew from experience that when the atmosphere was this heated, even a small shock could cause an explosion. So at that moment, he had thrown the stone at Pyo Wol, and just as he had predicted, the people’s anger had erupted.

Immediately after, he had hidden himself among the people.

It was to enjoy the fight he had instigated. But before he could properly enjoy it, this disaster had occurred.

‘Does this make any sense? He remembered all those people in that split second?’

It was possible for him, since he had been carefully observing the crowd’s reactions from within, but Pyo Wol had been the one receiving all the condemnation.

The very fact that he had identified and remembered those who were inciting the crowd in such a situation, where it would have been difficult to even keep one’s wits, was hard to believe.

It was truly inhuman observation and memory.

But his thoughts were cut short.

Something sharp had wrapped around his ankle.

“Keoheok!”

The man screamed and fell flat on his face. Then he was dragged backward.

‘N-No!’

The man desperately clawed at the ground to keep from being dragged away. But despite his efforts, he was helplessly dragged to Pyo Wol’s feet.

“Aah!”

When he lifted his head, he saw Pyo Wol’s face looking down at him.

A single smile graced his beautiful, womanly face. The moment he saw that smile, the man wet himself.

He was terrified.

So scared he couldn’t think.

Just by seeing Pyo Wol’s smile, the man felt the terror of death.

He struggled to move, but it was useless.

Whatever Pyo Wol had done, he couldn’t budge an inch.

It was then.

“You rat-like bastard!”

Gwan Musu had finally caught up to Pyo Wol.

Without a second thought, he swung his straight sword at Pyo Wol.

Hwoooong!

The blade, imbued with powerful Internal Energy, cut horizontally across Pyo Wol’s waist. But in that instant, Pyo Wol vanished as if by a lie.

What Gwan Musu had cut was a Phantom of Pyo Wol.

Pyo Wol had deployed the Devil Shadow Illusion Guard to deceive his eyes.

Seureuk!

Pyo Wol appeared silently behind Gwan Musu.

Realizing what he had cut was an illusion, Gwan Musu gritted his teeth and spun on the spot like a top.

It was a life-saving Ultimate Technique called Spinning Slash.

His blade was wreathed in three Zhang of Blade Energy.

Kwakwakwa!

The blade, wreathed in Blade Energy, tore the air to shreds.

It was so destructive that no opponent would dare to approach. But even such a Special Technique could not stop Pyo Wol’s advance.

With Black Lightning activated, Pyo Wol’s reaction speed had transcended human limits.

Even though Gwan Musu was spinning at a terrifying speed, almost invisible to the eye, Pyo Wol could see the gaps between each rotation.

Pyo Wol slipped through one of those gaps and unleashed Jade Destruction.

Jjeo-eong!

“Kuaack!”

As the Spinning Slash was broken, Gwan Musu let out a scream.

The sword in his hand shattered, and the hand holding it became a bloody mess.

As Gwan Musu was thrown back, Pyo Wol closed the distance at a terrifying speed.

“You bastard!”

Gwan Musu gritted his teeth and tried to draw the hand axe hanging from his waist. But before he could, Pyo Wol grabbed his wrist.

Pyo Wol mercilessly twisted his wrist.

Ududuk!

“Euak!”

Gwan Musu screamed.

His wrist was completely twisted around.

A shard of broken bone had pierced through his skin.

Gwan Musu felt his consciousness fading from the excruciating pain. But Pyo Wol’s attack wasn’t over.

Kwang!

A kick imbued with Internal Energy struck Gwan Musu’s abdomen.

Unable to even scream, Gwan Musu flew back and crashed into a wall.

The wall half-collapsed as he was slammed into it.

With his wrist twisted and covered in blood, he was a truly wretched sight.

Fortunately, even in that state, Gwan Musu was still alive.

He was barely holding onto a faint breath.

Teok!

Pyo Wol approached and stood before Gwan Musu.

Gwan Musu barely managed to lift his head and look up at Pyo Wol.

He saw Pyo Wol looking down at him.

His breathing wasn’t even labored.

The slight flush on his cheeks only made him look enchanting.

Pyo Wol was staring intently down at Gwan Musu.

“Do you still think I killed your friend?”

“……”

Gwan Musu couldn’t answer.

He felt that if he opened his mouth, he would vomit Fresh Blood.

His insides were a wreck from internal injuries.

He had attacked with all his might, yet Pyo Wol had inflicted deep internal injuries on him in an instant.

He had believed that even if his Martial Arts couldn’t kill Pyo Wol, they could at least inflict a serious wound. But that belief had been shattered, and the reality was brutal.

Pyo Wol smiled and said.

“Tell me. To kill your friend, would I have had any reason to resort to a sneak attack?”

“……”