Chapter 195

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter 195: Individual Combat (1)

Kwon Hanul shook the blood off his sword.

He had just slain someone on the level of the Seven Plum Blossom Blades with a single strike, but felt little emotion about it.

Because it hadn’t been a pure victory of skill—it was only thanks to the Shura King that he’d won.

“Ah… I should’ve asked him before killing him.”

Mei Ji-peng had known about Kwon Hanul’s secret.

Very few people in the world knew that secret.

At most, it was just the Dark Shade Squad, Kwon Mi, and…

“Aeon. So those pathetic rats have joined hands with Mei Xiao, huh?”

Just thinking about Aeon made his chest go cold.

They were the kind of people he had to erase from the world while still breathing.

Not a single Aeon mage in this Secret Vault would be allowed to leave alive.

Resolving himself, Kwon Hanul prepared to move.

“First, I should find the others.”

He sharpened his senses, spreading his mana to grasp the structure of the Secret Vault.

But his perception and mana couldn’t travel far—they were blocked. The space itself interfered with his senses.

It seemed this place, where the Secret Vault was located, was a transition space—a warped dimension.

“Guess I’ll have to search manually.”

Just as he took a step forward, something caught his eye: a subspace crystal and a pair of twin swords left behind from Mei Ji-peng’s death.

He took the subspace crystal and picked up the twin swords, inspecting them.

“A fine blade.”

True to their owner’s status as one of the Seven Plum Blossom Blades, the swords radiated a sharp and deadly aura.

After packing both items, Kwon Hanul left the area.

* * *

“At this point, we should’ve heard something about Kwon Hanul already.”

Just as Mei Xiao said that, a woman in a white robe approached her.

“Ah, looks like I was right this time.”

The white-robed woman nodded and whispered something quietly to Mei Xiao. As she listened, Mei Xiao’s expression darkened.

“You’re telling me Mei Ji-peng is dead? Do you really expect me to believe that? He had a full squad with him—or even if he didn’t—Mei Ji-peng wouldn’t just…”

She trailed off, overwhelmed with disbelief. Watching her, Joo Hayun and Mei Hong quickly pieced together what had happened.

“Looks like Captain won,” Mei Hong said to Mei Xiao. “You sure talked big about how he was a dead man walking. But turns out the opposite’s true, huh? So much for the Flowing Blade. You didn’t even know the enemy’s real strength.”

Mei Xiao clenched her lips shut in the face of the mockery. She knew any response would only make her look more pathetic.

Instead, she turned to the white-robed mage and gave an order: “Tell that man: we don’t have the strength to spare, so he’ll have to handle Kwon Hanul himself.”

The mage gave a respectful nod.

“You may go now—unless there’s something else?”

The mage whispered again. Mei Xiao’s eyes widened.

“...Kwon Myung-woo has already arrived there?”

Mei Xiao handed her dark sword to the black-robed mage beside her.

“Mei Hong, I wanted to wait for your answer… but something urgent came up. I have to leave.”

She rose from her seat, and a clan member beside her passed her beloved sword.

“Sort out your thoughts before I return. For your own sake, I’d recommend accepting my proposal willingly. Otherwise, I’ll have no choice but to use force.”

With heavy strides, Mei Xiao disappeared from the room.

As she left, an elderly man stepped up before Mei Hong and Joo Hayun.

“Don’t try anything foolish. My sword won’t show mercy.”

His presence was formidable. Mei Hong stiffened and muttered, “The Single-Sword Enforcer, Mei Chan… Why is someone in seclusion taking orders from Mei Xiao?”

He was the longest-serving member among the Seven Plum Blossom Blades—a man even the Mei Clan head couldn’t touch.

This was Mei Chan, the Single-Sword Enforcer.

“The clan is in crisis. How could I stay hidden any longer?”

He replied solemnly, then gave Mei Hong a long, evaluating look.

“...I see now.”

He let out a short, impressed breath.

“When Mei Xiao said she wanted to bring you back, I opposed her. I said traitors like you should be butchered and left to rot.”

But there was a glint of curiosity in his eyes now.

“But meeting you in person… I understand why she was so insistent.”

“Snap out of it. I have no intention of returning to the Mei Clan.”

“That’s not for you to decide.”

Mei Chan laid the greatsword from his back on the ground as he spoke.

“You only need to obey what we’ve decided.”

* * *

Kwon Myung-woo was exploring the Secret Vault alongside the Hyukcheon Corps.

Along the way, they encountered Hunters who had gone mad from holding cursed swords—but none posed much of a threat.

Eventually, a massive iron door appeared before them.

“Huh. That’s new.”

Despite having explored the Secret Vault for a while, this was the first time they’d encountered a door like this.

One of the squad members asked him, “Should we open it?”

“Yeah. We need to see what’s inside.”

The squad member approached the iron door—

—and Kwon Myung-woo’s face suddenly hardened.

“...Stop.”

The squad member turned back, confused.

“Everyone, fall back.”

The Hyukcheon Corps looked puzzled. But not one of them disobeyed.

“I’ll go in alone. The rest of you, head back and assist another team.”

“Sir?” One member asked hesitantly. Kwon Myung-woo merely pointed back down the path they’d come.

“Go, now!”

There was even a trace of urgency in his voice. Left with no choice, the squad obeyed.

Only after they were gone did Kwon Myung-woo approach the iron door.

He didn’t need to touch it. With only his mana, he pushed it open.

The heavy steel door swung wide as if kicked open. Kwon Myung-woo stepped inside.

“I thought the energy felt familiar.”

He growled.

“Of course. It was you—Dragon Slayer.”

In the center of the room, a muscular man grinned.

“Hyukcheon’s Strongest Fist. Been a while.”

“Why would a vagrant like you be here?”

“There’s only one reason a dragon hunter moves.”

The Dragon Slayer stood up, grabbing the massive double-headed axe buried in the ground.

“I came to slay a dragon.”

* * *

“Cleanup’s complete.”

At the Iron Corps member’s report, Gu Eon lifted his head.

“Any injuries?”

“None, sir.”

“Good work.”

Gu Eon rose from his seat and began walking through the room, now piled high with blood and corpses.

“So the Mei Clan played dirty. Using cursed swords to turn Hunters into disposable soldiers…”

Among the bodies, shattered weapons were strewn across the floor.

All the Hunters who died here had gone mad after grabbing those weapons.

“Cursed swords potent enough to corrupt the mind of a high-level Hunter…”

‘Perhaps they might prove useful to Hyukcheon too.’

He was in the middle of that thought when—

“Captain!”

Someone came running from the opposite entrance. As soon as Gu Eon saw the man’s face, confusion crossed his own.

“Bae Cheol-min? What are you doing here?”

“S-Something terrible has happened!”

Bae Cheol-min fell flat at Gu Eon’s feet and cried out in urgency.

“Mei Xiao ambushed Lord Kwon Hanul! Everyone was scattered! I barely escaped with my life!”

“Mei Xiao, you say?”

Gu Eon furrowed his brow. Mei Xiao, the Blood Flame Blade, was an overwhelming force who wielded sword aura. She was not a name to be taken lightly.

“I thought she wouldn’t make a move with Director Kwon Myung-woo present… Looks like I miscalculated.”

That was exactly why Kwon Myung-woo had dared to split their forces so boldly in enemy territory.

“But why did you flee? You should’ve risked your life to stop Mei Xiao on the spot.”

“My apologies.”

Bae Cheol-min pressed his forehead to the ground. Gu Eon clicked his tongue.

“Tch. As if scum like you would ever show that kind of self-sacrifice.”

He clicked his tongue again, glancing over at the Hyukcheon and Iron Corps members.

“To deal with Mei Xiao, we’ll need Director Kwon Myung-woo.”

But if they waited for him to arrive, Kwon Hanul ’s life could be in danger.

“Someone go report this to Director Kwon. The rest of you, come with me.”

If he joined forces with the Hyukcheon and Iron Corps here, they could at least delay Mei Xiao.

Just as Gu Eon was about to move, however—

“Captain, actually… I lied.”

Bae Cheol-min spoke suddenly. For a moment, Gu Eon didn’t understand what he was hearing.

“What…?”

“I said I lied.”

Gu Eon’s expression twisted into a snarl.

“You traitorous bastard… You’ve finally lost it.”

“It couldn’t be helped if I wanted to get close without raising your guard.”

“What?”

In that instant, Bae Cheol-min stood up—and drove his hand straight into Gu Eon’s chest.

His hand pierced through Gu Eon’s heart and emerged from his back.

“Khuk!”

Gu Eon stared at Bae Cheol-min in disbelief.

“That face—wondering why your binding curse didn’t activate?”

Bae Cheol-min smiled faintly.

“That damned seal? Already removed it before I came.”

The life drained from Gu Eon’s eyes as his head slumped forward. Bae Cheol-min casually tossed aside the corpse.

“Captain Gu Eon!”

“You crazy bastard! How dare you—!”

The Hyukcheon Corps erupted in fury. The Iron Corps, in contrast, remained quiet.

No, they didn’t care that Gu Eon had died. What they wanted to know was this: Why hadn’t Bae Cheol-min’s binding curse activated?

“Curious how I removed the curse?”

Bae Cheol-min looked toward the Iron Corps.

“I’ll help you lift it too. Just wait. First, I need to kill those guys.”

Cracking his neck from side to side, he slowly approached the Hyukcheon Corps.

“You think the Iron Corps can beat Hyukcheon?”

“We’ll kill you right here and now!”

The Hyukcheon operatives radiated murderous intent. Yet even as they bore down on him, Bae Cheol-min’s face remained calm.

“Not like you’re wrong. There’s no way the Iron Corps could beat Hyukcheon.”

The Hyukcheon Corps was indisputably the strongest unit under the Hyukcheon Group.

The Iron Corps was formidable—but still nowhere near their level.

“But it'd be a mistake to lump me in with the rest of the Iron Corps.”

The Hyukcheon operatives attacked all at once. Their weapons, cloaked in dense aura, slashed at Bae Cheol-min from every angle.

The attacks were so sharp that even untouched walls and floors cracked apart from the pressure.

But—

“Not bad.”

None of their strikes cut Bae Cheol-min. The aura stopped short, unable to pierce his body.

“What the hell…?”

“This can’t be…”

Then it happened.

Bae Cheol-min’s skin and muscles twitched before suddenly contracting. His frame shrank dramatically.

Then those compressed muscles burst outward, repelling the weapons of the Hyukcheon Corps.

Their weapons shattered. The force of the rebound hurled the squad members back.

“Forgot who I am, did you?”

Bae Cheol-min took a step forward. Every time he moved, his muscles writhed as if with a will of their own.

“I’m the one and only traitor who raised a weapon against the Chairman himself.”

A blue, murderous gleam flashed from his eyes.

“You green little brats were never going to stop me!”

Bae Cheol-min vanished.

And in that same moment, one Hyukcheon operative’s head exploded.

“Soo-yeon!”

“Focus! He’s stronger than us!”

The remaining squad members retrieved new weapons from their subspace storage and counterattacked.

But their weapons never reached Bae Cheol-min. His movements were simply too fast.

His fists and knife-hands tore the Hyukcheon operatives apart.

In the blink of an eye, all of them had become corpses.

“Haaah…”

Drenched in blood, Bae Cheol-min exhaled deeply.

It had been a long time since he’d taken lives by his own will.

The afterglow of the massacre made his body feel languid.

“Bae Cheol-min! What the hell is going on!”

But the moment didn’t last long—Iron Corps members were approaching him.

“Did you really find a way to break the seal?”

“Set us free too! Please!”

“Me too! I want out of this slave life!”

To their desperate pleas, Bae Cheol-min smiled and replied: “It’s not hard. All you need is this.”

From his coat, he pulled out a knife the size of a bread cutter.

“Use this to cut the brand on your neck. That’ll release the binding curse.”

One Iron Corps member instinctively reached for it—but Bae Cheol-min quickly pulled it back.

“What are you doing? Give it here!”

“There’s a condition.”

“A condition?”

“Like I just did—kill the Hyukcheon Corps and free the Iron Corps.”

At that, silence fell over the Iron Corps.

“K-Kill Hyukcheon…?”

“Those freaks… How are we supposed to kill them…?”

Even with freedom dangling in front of them, they hesitated.

That’s how wide the gap between the two squads was.

“You idiots.”

Bae Cheol-min scoffed. To him, they looked like a bunch of scared mutts.

“Who said anything about fighting head-on? They don’t know your binding curse is broken. Just do what I did—get close, and kill them.”

Their expressions shifted. The hesitation began to fade.

“If you understand, take it.”

He tossed the knife to one of them. The man caught it, still a little bewildered.

“Aren’t you coming with us?”

“I’ve got something else to do,” Bae Cheol-min muttered, his gaze focused somewhere distant. “There’s someone I have to meet.”

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]