Ch. 20

Namgung Lin (南宮麟)

"You've been waiting quite a while, haven't you?"

At the end of a stone path.
Atop the steps flanked by statues of a dragon and a tiger, suchun lounged casually, grinning at Namgung Hyuk.

Namgung Hyuk smiled in return as he looked at him.

"Well, as long as I wasn't late, it's fine, isn't it?"

"Yeah, that's true. As long as you weren't late, it's fine."

Suchun nodded.

His gaze shifted to the side, where, beside him, a woman sat with her arms and legs tied.

"Well, even if you'd been a little late, it wouldn't have mattered. Our guys would've had a fair bit of fun."

"Fun, huh...."

Namgung Hyuk stealthily glanced around.

Surrounding him were masked assailants, their faces hidden, but even so, Namgung Hyuk caught the vivid lust in their exposed eyes and let out a faint scoff.

"That's a shame, isn't it."

"What's there to be sad about? It just means that time will have to wait a bit longer."

Suchun let out a light laugh.

His eyes, as he looked at Namgung Hyuk, were brimming with boredom.

"Originally, I was planning to keep things simple. The boss told me to take care of it quickly and to leave no traces. But the more I thought about it, the more it felt like it was to my own disadvantage, don't you think?"

"......."

"Summoning a busy guy like me to clean up someone else's mess at the drop of a hat. And that mess turns out to be some nosy broad and a greenhorn pup barely past weaning? I honestly wondered why I had to bother with this."

"......."

"But my mind changed in the middle of it all."

Suchun grinned widely.

His gaze shifted once more to Hwa Wol.

"As long as things turned out this way, I might as well enjoy it. If the one snooping after us is as pretty as this, it'd be a waste to just kill her, don't you think?"

"......."

Namgung Hyuk listened quietly to Suchun's words.

Hwa Wol did not react either.

Thud.

Even when Suchun's rough hand touched her lips, she showed no response.

If anything, suchun's lips curved wider, as if he found it even more to his liking.

"When was it again? There was a time when I craved another man's woman right in front of her husband."

"......."

"The feeling I got then was just exquisite. You wouldn't understand, would you?"

"You haven't changed. Really."

Namgung Hyuk let out a quiet chuckle.

Yes, he had expected this from the beginning.

The reason he had allowed Hwa Wol's abduction was because he was certain these guys wouldn't touch her before he arrived.

Because that's exactly what happened last time, too.

"Unchanged? Not like I've ever told anyone. Anyway, the first thing I did was cut off the husband's limbs and, while he squirmed and struggled, went for his woman. That look of the woman wailing and the husband smashing his head into the ground–now that was art. Kekeke,"

It was a depraved and cruel desire.

Suchun boasted about his twisted urges with pride.

"That's when it started. When I stopped being satisfied with regular old things. So you can imagine how bored I've been ever since."

The ends of Suchun's lips stretched ever longer as he gazed at Hwa Wol.

At that moment,

Fwoosh–!!

"Just think how stifling it was to have such a beauty right next to me and not lay hands on her."

Suchun snatched away the veil Hwa Wol wore.

Her face, now revealed, was, in a word, a masterpiece.

Measures of beauty in perfect harmony.

Eyes that sparkled like stars, lips a vivid red.

A face that seemed carved with utmost devotion, every detail deliberate, like a work of art by a master.

An unparalleled beauty.

That term fit her perfectly.

"Torturing her to extract how she got our info? That'd just be boring. In the end, when caught in despair, a person always ends up spilling what's inside them anyway."

Grab.

Suchun's rough hand squeezed Hwa Wol's fair cheek.

His eyes, filled with lust and twisted desire, curled at the corners.

"When a person is consumed by hopeless despair, and starts begging and confessing secrets they kept hidden out of fear—I really enjoy seeing that."

Yes,
The reason these guys had waited this long was simple.

They wanted to see Namgung Hyuk flounder in the depths of despair.

The death of the Azure Sky Sword and Hwa Wol? To Suchun, those were just incidental side benefits.

And then.

"Here."

Whoosh-!

Suchun abruptly took an unexpected action.

Grab.

"Take her."

Namgung Hyuk, holding the passed Hwa Wol, stared at Suchun.

Suchun grinned and swept his gaze over Namgung Hyuk.

"Did you kill Blood Blade Demon?"

"I did."

"Pity. If you'd come straight here, you might've had a shot."

The reason Suchun handed the hostage, Hwa Wol, to Namgung Hyuk.

It was simple. He was absolutely certain he would not lose her.

To him, it was only natural confidence.

"Still, why not thrash around to your heart's content?"

Dozens of assailants surrounded Namgung Hyuk.

And on top of that, suchun himself was at peak level.

'1st-rate isn't just some random mutt's name, but wherever you turned up, here they are.'

With Suchun, who was stronger than Severed Blood Hand, and at the very least dozens of 1st-rate-level thugs.

Even at full strength, there were too many to confidently escape.

"I don't know how far you'll get in that condition, but do your best to struggle. Make me feel that the wait was worth it, all right?"

"......."

Even under normal circumstances, the odds were grim.

At present, Namgung Hyuk's condition was poor, and Suchun saw right through it.

His true ki flow was unstable. Even from a glance, he looked exhausted.

That was why Suchun was confident in achieving what he wanted.

Yes, from the beginning, this battle had zero disadvantage for these guys.
There was nothing to lose.

It was the very definition of a cruel dilemma:

Even if Hyuk arrived at full strength, abandoned the rising stars, and managed to kill them all—Namgung would be forever branded as someone who abandoned his companions and ran.

This was a trap that was impossible to escape.

But did Namgung Hyuk not know that? Hwa Wol, nestled in Namgung Hyuk's arms, looked up at him.

"Being like this brings back old memories. Wasn't it like this last time I was kidnapped too?"

"Strictly speaking, those aren't old memories."

"Same difference, right? Still, being kidnapped twice is a unique experience for me."

Hwa Wol smiled softly.

Amidst the tense atmosphere, the two appeared perfectly calm.

"You confident? You're on an entirely different level now than back then."

"If I wasn't, I wouldn't have come."

"I'll believe in you."

Namgung Hyuk smirked.

Just then—

Step,

"Well, shall we begin at last?"

The surrounding assailants began to close the distance.

"However you killed Blood Blade Demon, that cheap trick won't work this time, so go ahead and try it if you want. Heh heh—"

They inched ever closer.

And in the distance, suchun was smiling.

Catching everyone in his sight, Namgung Hyuk grinned widely.

"Yeah, I doubt those cheap tricks will work this time."

An inescapable trap.

But, in this world, there is no such thing as impossible.

Crackle—!

White thunder ki flared from Namgung Hyuk's hand.

Smaller in scale than before, but still, white thunder ki.

"Well, now, isn't that truly a Namgung's thunder ki? You really restored it, huh? Looks like you've lost a lot of power though."

On seeing this, suchun snorted.

"Doesn't look anything like what I heard about? Kekeke,"

Even if that thunder ki was unleashed at them, it didn't seem to matter.

If anything, it only reassured Suchun—he was certain of his victory.

But Namgung Hyuk's reason for bringing out the thunder ki.

From the start, it wasn't for wiping out these guys.

"Do you know this saying?"

"Hm?"

"No harm in being prepared."

Namgung Hyuk, grinning, raised his hand to the sky.

Just then—

Flash—!!!

The thunder ki exploded from his hand and soared into the sky.

"... What are you doing?"

His last remaining strength.

Suchun cocked his head as he saw Namgung Hyuk waste it so pointlessly.

But moments later,
an uneasy feeling crept over him.

'... Something's not right.'

Completely composed, from start to finish.

Not at all the look of prey trapped in an inescapable snare.

'He's obviously out of strength. No allies nearby to call for help. No time, and I didn't see any messenger birds sent out.'

Everything was flawless.

His calm? He'd assumed it was bluff.

But now, after seeing him waste even his last strength,

Something felt off.

And by the time he realized it, it was too late.

Flash—!!!!!

A sudden bolt of lightning struck from the heavens.

KWA-AAANG—!!!!

With the lightning, a man appeared.

"It's been a while, hyuk."

Seeing him, Namgung Hyuk grinned broadly.

'He made it in time.'

A reliable ally.

At last, he had appeared.

* * *

The man who appeared out of nowhere.

"How did you...."

Now, suchun's expression, so different from before, had hardened.

It was only natural.

"You, how did you come here...!"

The man who had suddenly appeared—

Neatly tied-up hair,
elegant blue martial clothes,
and a golden armband etched with a dragon on his arm;
his appearance was unforgettable.

In all of the martial world,
there was only one who looked like that.

"Namgung Lin...."

The eldest of the Namgung Clan.

The youngest corps leader of the Murim Alliance's Azure Dragon Corps.

At less than thirty years old, a genius who had gone beyond the peak and reached the supreme peak.

One of the Three Lords.
The Sword Sovereign, Namgung Lin (南宮麟),

He was someone who should never have been here.
Suchun's eyes sank low.

"Why...? I was sure you hadn't left the Murim Alliance, not even once, for a whole month...."

Namgung Lin was considered a major threat even to the Asura Cult.

When the Asura Cult eventually invaded the Central Plains, he was expected to be a major obstacle.

That's why, not once had they dared ease their vigilance regarding him.

'But now? This guy, here?'

Suchun's eyes grew heavy.

Everything had changed now.

'... Can we win?'

His mind raced at a dizzying pace.

Was there any chance of victory?

'None.'

Absolutely none.

Not even a shred of hope.

Why?

'Namgung Lin. That guy is a monster even the boss recognized.'

He had heard their boss compliment someone only once.

That time, it was Namgung Lin. He himself had to admit it, too.

— Namgung Lin, that guy, his age is meaningless. He's a monster.

What about running away then?

'No.'

Absolutely impossible.

The moment he recognized their presence here,
escape became meaningless.

So there was only one thing left to do.

"Everyone, attack with everything you have!! No hesitation!!"

An opening—they had to make one, any way possible. Even if they had to abandon everyone here.

But—

"......?"

That thought never had the chance to be put into action.
Why?

Step—

It was just one light step.

But for some reason,

'What...is this...!'

All felt an overwhelming pressure from that single step, their bodies freezing as if gripped by terror.

They couldn't move, as if they had lost control over their bodies altogether.

Step—

With just one step, Namgung Lin had overpowered everyone, sweeping his eyes coldly over the immobilized enemies.

Those who met his impassive gaze flinched involuntarily.

"Hmm,"

He wasn't pleased with this situation.

It was a rare reunion with his younger brother—a boy he could barely ever see, one who never left his room. He hadn't seen his face in years.

This brother of his had finally come outside after such a long time.

But—

"There are too many nuisances."

Too many nuisances were disturbing this rare reunion.

He didn't know the details—but did that even matter?

The only thing that mattered was that someone had touched what shouldn't be touched.

"Do you know what I hate the most?"

He murmured quietly.

His emotionless, pleasant voice echoed through the manor.

"One thing—being interrupted when reuniting with my sibling."

But,
to some, his voice sounded like the reaper's.

Gulp—

A chill ran up their spines.

Just hearing it was enough to cover their skin in goosebumps, filling their heads with the urge to run.

"The other—laying a hand on my family. And yet...."

'Please, please let me move!!'

But they couldn't run.

Their bodies still would not move. The only thing the assailants could do was—

"You have violated both."

Wait for the executioner's sentence like criminals.

That was all.

"In that case,"

Sssss—

Namgung Lin lowered his sword toward the ground.

A faint blue energy began to emanate from him.

It was an energy that resembled the Azure Sky.

The energy of the vast and majestic heavens.

"The result shall be...."

That energy, free of obstruction, flooded the manor according to its master's will.

It was an overwhelming sight.

A place shrouded in darkness and malice—
now, in an instant, it was covered with blue radiance as if resembling the heavens.

It was the power of Namgung.

Even without lightning, this was the sword of theirs
that kept them from ruin.

'To cross the heavens, unhindered.'

Right this instant—

"There is only death."

Swish—, whoosh—

With only a light motion, one of Namgung's swords,
the Azure Skies Unbound Swordsmanship, unfurled.

Slice—!

And the result was anything but gentle.

The necks of the immobilized foes flew up into the air.

With a single stroke, dozens became wandering souls in an instant.

It was a display of shocking martial prowess.

Utterly overwhelming.

However,

"Well...."

After delivering that carnage,

Namgung Lin just dusted off his hands as if cleaning up after a light snack,
then turned toward Namgung Hyuk.

"Now, shouldn't you tell me what's going on?"

His wide grin, for some reason,
looked just like Namgung Hyuk's.

To be continued ▶

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
Of course, if you can't beat them... Call for a stroger backup...
I'm liking this more and more...
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】