Geukak Soma, who had been sitting before Geom Mugik, rose to his feet.
As Geukak Soma walked forward, the Faceless Guests standing in a circle closed ranks, sealing the entrance. Though it appeared as if they were determined to protect the Little Cult Lord's corpse, their true intention was to prevent Geom Mugik from being exposed to the outside.
At first, the Faceless Guests had been surprised as well.
Because when they turned around, they had seen Geukak Soma plunging a dagger into Geom Mugik's heart.
But now they understood.
That Geom Mugik, sitting with his head deeply bowed, was alive. That they had to protect him until the Little Cult Lord regained consciousness.
Geukak Soma's eyes met Chairan's, who stood among the assassins.
If she hadn't brought Geom Mugik all the way here, they might have missed their chance.
Chairan could feel it. That Geukak Soma's gaze upon her was gentle. Because she knew what the gratitude in those eyes meant, she was finally able to feel relieved.
'So the Little Cult Lord is alive.'
Right. If he had seemed like someone who would kill her, he wouldn't have asked her to bring him to Geukak Soma in the first place.
Chairan's gaze turned toward the Faceless Guests. They stood packed so tightly that Geom Mugik couldn't be seen.
'The commission has been completed safely.'
She had succeeded in a commission to save someone for the first time.
Furthermore, thanks to the Faceless Guests' exploits, all the assassins, including Ilgyo, had made it out safely.
Just then, sounds of fighting came from an alley far in the distance. That battle still wasn't over.
Geukak Soma spoke politely to Chairan. It was courtesy owed to the person who had saved Geom Mugik.
"Please leave this place to us now."
It was a signal for her to go rescue her subordinates.
Chairan didn't hesitate. If she remained here in her current state, injured internally, she would only become a burden to Geukak Soma.
That Hwado Myeong clearly had something he was putting his faith in. Because even with Geukak Soma right before his eyes, he wasn't thinking of fleeing.
She cupped her hands respectfully to Geukak Soma and bade farewell.
"Then I shall take my leave."
After paying her respects, she moved to leave first.
"Let's go."
The female assassins cupped their hands and greeted the Faceless Guests. Thanks to their efforts, none of the assassins who had come here had died.
Sibchilgyo, who had safely entrusted Ogyo to his comrades and joined the fight late, bowed politely to the Crescent Moon Faceless Guest. He owed him his life twice over now.
'You have to repay your debt, so don't die.'
Whether that man read the look in his eyes containing this sentiment, he couldn't know.
And so Chairan took her subordinates and leaped toward the alleyway.
Until the very moment she left, she was witnessing a new side of Hwado Myeong.
He didn't give her so much as a glance as she left.
He had acted like a friend, then tried to kill her.
And now he wouldn't even look at her.
Was it because he was lost in the shock and fury of mission failure? His usual relaxed, sly demeanor was nowhere to be found.
The composure he had shown earlier was, quite literally, the ease of a man who was at ease. Yes, adversity always reveals what kind of person someone truly is.
'Can the urgent desires hidden behind your fan truly overcome the loyalty behind that smiling mask?'
It was with this thought that she could leave that place without worry.
At this moment, Hwado Myeong was furious. He truly couldn't contain his boiling rage. The fact that the Little Cult Lord had died made Chairan not even worth his notice.
"What will your Cult Leader say when you return? Ah, truly living up to your name! Is that what he'll say?"
Geukak Soma considered this rather fortunate. If they misunderstood that Geom Mugik was dead, they would be relatively less concerned about his safety.
He wanted to rush in and slaughter them all immediately, but Geukak Soma wasn't hasty. Time was on their side. The enemy clearly had something they believed in, so they wouldn't run.
"It is already done."
Just then, words flowed out that refuted Geukak Soma's cold statement.
"That is a lie."
It was the man among the three wearing bamboo hats who had not stepped forward. His voice was very young.
Everyone's gazes focused on him.
"The Little Cult Lord is alive."
Even though the man was far from Geom Mugik, he had sensed that faint lifeforce. Moreover, the Faceless Guests were surrounding him, so it should have been even harder to read that energy.
Hwado Myeong's eyes opened wide in surprise.
"Is it true?"
The man was certain.
"It is certain. Right now, I sense no anger or sorrow from Geukak Soma. The Little Cult Lord is alive."
He had read not only the presence of someone far away but also the opponent's emotions. One could tell he was a very special individual.
"His heart was pierced; how did he survive?"
In response to Hwado Myeong's question, a surprising answer came.
"I cannot sense the aura of the Biheolsa from the Little Cult Lord's body."
Hwado Myeong's surprised eyes grew even wider.
"You don't mean we can't sense it because he's dead?"
"The Little Cult Lord is definitely alive."
Hwado Myeong's expression brightened. If he was alive, it meant the energy could still be recovered.
The man's gaze turned to Geukak Soma. Staring at the two eyes within the mask, he spoke.
"Geukak Soma plunged the dagger in to kill the Biheolsa that resided in the heart."
It was difficult to believe, but Hwado Myeong trusted the man's words.
This man was the disciple of the very person who had created the Biheolsa. In fact, he had helped his master craft the Biheolsa together.
Because this scheme had been orchestrated using the Biheolsa, he had come along to provide assistance.
Even more shocking words flowed from his mouth.
"Right now, the Little Cult Lord must be dissolving the Biheolsa's energy."
Hwado Myeong's expression instantly hardened.
"Didn't you say the Biheolsa's energy is so immense that a human cannot dissolve it?"
"That is correct."
Though he said so, his tone lacked the certainty it had held until now.
However, one thing was certain.
"If the Little Cult Lord awakens, we have no chance of victory. We must finish this before he wakes."
Just as Hwado Myeong was about to issue the command to kill Geukak Soma and all the Faceless Guests, Geukak Soma asked with a cold laugh.
"Do you even have a chance of victory now?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Geukak Soma gave the first order to his subordinates.
"Kill them all!"
The moment the command fell, ten Faceless Guests leaped forward at once.
From the other side, over ten surviving martial artists rushed out.
It was a fight with Geukak Soma watching. The morale of the Faceless Guests pierced the heavens.
Though they had fought alongside the assassins, these were Faceless Guests who had faced over twenty enemies and killed ten of them without a single casualty on their side.
The Faceless Guests' fight was truly a battle of villains.
They focused solely on winning. They rolled across the ground to unleash kicking winds, and when at a disadvantage, they threw dirt.
They didn't hesitate to stab their enemies in the back, and if a comrade stabbed their opponent in the back and killed them, they felt no revulsion whatsoever. They had no pride or self-esteem insisting that they had to be the one to kill their enemy.
Yet they did not fear death.
In the midst of it, two bamboo-hatted martial artists tried to leap into the fight.
But Geukak Soma stopped them with a single line. Not "if you move, I move."
"If you move, that man dies."
It was a warning that he would kill Hwado Myeong.
The threat worked perfectly. They couldn't move.
Having felled all the enemies, the Faceless Guests leaped back nimbly.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
They surrounded Geom Mugik once more. Even as this battle unfolded, Geom Mugik remained still with his eyes closed.
The Faceless Guests protected him, encircling him in a ring once again. Blood continued to splatter onto their masks.
Once all the martial artists lined up in front were dealt with, Geukak Soma strode toward Hwado Myeong.
Filled with fear at the sight of the white mask approaching without a hint of hesitation, Hwado Myeong opened his fan.
Swish.
From behind the fan, he gave his command.
"Hurry. Didn't you hear the Little Cult Lord is alive?"
The two bamboo-hatted martial artists standing side by side strode forward. Black energy began to surge around their bodies.
The reason Hwado Myeong wasn't afraid of Geukak Soma was because of these two martial artists. They were experts who had mastered the Dark Divine Art of the Dark Palace.
Dark Divine Art.
A martial art passed down to the warriors of the Dark Palace, it boasted truly immense power.
However, because that powerful force inevitably came with restrictions and side effects, it couldn't be used indiscriminately. It was a martial art that could only be used at absolutely necessary moments. The moment one succumbed to the temptation of that strength, only ruin awaited.
Sssk.
As if tattoos were being engraved, long black lines were drawn across the cheeks of the two men beneath their bamboo hats.
The Dark Divine Art that explosively increased movement speed.
Dark Ghost Stride Technique.
That wasn't all. This time, a circle was drawn.
The Dark Divine Art that hardened skin and muscles like steel and even amplified the power of protective astral qi.
Dark Iron Body Art.
As the round circle was superimposed over the long drawn line, the pattern looked like wind brushing past the full moon.
With two Dark Divine Arts stacked atop each other, they became incomparably faster and stronger than before.
Shwick!
The two people's charging movements were fast. Their speed was on a completely different level from when they had fought Chairan earlier.
Especially the woman's movements, which had already been fast, were truly like lightning.
In a flash, the two bamboo-hatted martial artists were attacking Geukak Soma from left and right. Like people who had trained in combined techniques for a long time, they were in perfect harmony.
Shwaaack! Shwick!
From the left, a saber; from the right, a sword flew in.
It was a truly perfect attack with no openings to escape.
A smile formed on the watching Hwado Myeong's lips.
'How will he block this perfect combined technique?'
How? Geukak Soma blocked it while standing right there.
Kang! Kaang!
After deflecting the saber flying from the left, he parried the sword on the right.
Joy flashed across the two martial artists' faces. In this combined attack, if one didn't escape on the first move, they absolutely couldn't escape. They should have escaped even while accepting injuries.
Sword and saber coordinated as attacks of tremendous speed poured down on Geukak Soma. He absolutely wouldn't be able to withstand this speed and power.
Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang-clang!
Dozens of sword lines and saber lines, and even the lines created by the dagger blocking them.
In a flash, the surroundings were engulfed in blade light and saber light.
When they launched their first attacks, they hadn't known Geukak Soma would endure this well.
The woman couldn't believe it. Blocking the combined attack of two people wielding the Dark Ghost Stride Technique?
Geukak Soma was currently fighting two ghosts. No—they were the ones fighting a ghost.
'This won't do!'
Their decision was swift. The Dark Divine Art was not a martial art suited for drawn-out battles.
Sssss.
Another line appeared on the woman's face. The Dark Divine Art was being strengthened. She overlaid another layer of Dark Ghost Stride Technique, resolved to accept internal injuries in exchange for increased speed.
A change occurred on the man's face as well. He didn't strengthen the Dark Ghost Stride Technique, but the Dark Iron Body Art. By two more levels, at that.
Three circles overlapped on his face. Though they knew they would suffer severe internal injuries after the Dark Art dispelled if they pushed this hard, they had to cast the die.
The woman realized what his intention was.
Just as the sword, saber, and dagger of the three were creating a fantastic painting—
There was someone who threw a brushstroke into that painting.
The bamboo-hatted man threw his saber at Geukak Soma while simultaneously hurling his body forward. It was an unexpected ambush, a truly unpredictable move meant to fluster the opponent by throwing his weapon.
He would be cut, but if he could just grab Geukak Soma in that instant?
Then it would be over. Because she would sever Geukak Soma's neck with one blade.
He was confident. With the third stage of Dark Iron Body Art, he absolutely wouldn't die. In this moment, he was invincible.
The dagger slashed toward him as he charged.
Flash.
The single line created by the dagger.
The man without his saber naturally couldn't block this single move.
Kaaaang.
A metallic sound erupted from his body.
The man intuitively sensed he had succeeded.
'I did it!'
If he hadn't died to this single move—
'You die!'
The man grabbed Geukak Soma's body tightly with both arms.
In his eyes, he saw the woman flying in to cut Geukak Soma's neck.
Both the man and woman were smiling.
In that fleeting instant—
Geukak Soma's arm moved forward.
The man was shocked. He had been holding on so tight it felt like he would burst; how had he pulled his arm free?
The next instant, an eardrum-tearing explosion burst out.
Kwaaang!
The man standing behind saw.
The astral qi flying from Geukak Soma's palm.
The Demonic Ruinous Light Blast Palm exploding into the woman's face.
Boooom!
Hit by the Demonic Ruinous Light Blast Palm at such close range, the woman's face was obliterated without a trace.
The woman's body, now headless, spewed blood as it collapsed backward.
The man couldn't understand at all.
'Why can't I put strength into my arms?'
Even in this very moment, he couldn't put strength into his arms.
Only then did the bamboo-hatted man feel something hot flowing through his chest.
Drip.
His steel-like skin was split wide open.
Blood was gushing out from between that split.
'Was I cut?'
He was greatly shocked by the fact that the third-stage Dark Iron Body Art had been cut through in a single move.
But how could that move, which had looked so ordinary, be a mere ordinary attack?
It was the Secret Art of the Fragrant Smile, executed by Geukak Soma with a ten-thousand-year cold iron dagger.
One Extreme of the Fragrant Smile.
Then pain flooded in.
Because it wasn't an ordinary wound but one created by the shattering of the Dark Art, it was incomparable to the pain of being cut by a mere blade. Truly unbearable, excruciating pain flooded in.
"Uwaaaaah!"
A desperate scream burst from the bamboo-hatted man's mouth. The pain was so great that he wished someone would just kill him quickly.
Then someone covered his mouth. Before he knew it, Geukak Soma was behind his back.
"Shh!"
Geukak Soma, covering the man's mouth, slashed his throat with the dagger without hesitation.
Saaaak.
It was not to lessen his pain.
Standing behind the man as blood spurted from his neck, Geukak Soma spoke in a low voice.
"The Little Cult Lord is about to wake."