There Won't Be A Next Time

Jeokyang Hu did not wait for Gyo-ha.
Even so, Gyo-ha knew where Jeokyang Hu had gone.
There was no need to ask the people watching him for directions.
Dense killing intent lingered wherever he had passed.
A chilling sensation rose with every step Gyo-ha took.
The sensation put Gyo-ha in a good mood.
The feeling of someone aiming for his life. The feeling of standing in the middle of a battlefield.
Whenever he felt this way, Gyo-ha knew he was alive.
Before long, he saw Jeokyang Hu standing in a clearing.
His sword hung diagonally at his side.
It was different from the opening stance of the Black Nether Killing Sword that Gyo-ha had seen before.
Had he learned a new martial art?
Gyo-ha’s eyes lit up.
It was not merely his opening stance. Jeokyang Hu’s presence had changed as well.

“There’s no need for words between us, is there?”

Step. Step.
Jeokyang Hu walked toward Gyo-ha.
A shiver suddenly ran through Gyo-ha.

Strong.

It was a feeling he had not experienced even from Moyong Hwi.
Gyo-ha took his stance.

Tong, tong.

Gyo-ha bounced lightly.
Jeokyang Hu frowned at the sight.

“What sort of game are you playing?”

Jeokyang Hu spoke with a growl. It was only natural.
Ever since that day, he had waited only for the day he would meet Gyo-ha again.
More precisely, he had waited for the day he could end Gyo-ha’s life.

“Wait and see whether it’s a game.”

Gyo-ha’s arms swung whenever he bounced.

Kkadeudeuk.

Grinding his teeth, Jeokyang Hu launched himself forward.
His sword flashed.

Black Nether Killing Sword.

Nether Yin Flash.

Unlike before, the attack was not subtle.
Jeokyang Hu’s sword contained nothing but murderous intent.
The determination to kill Gyo-ha.
Gyo-ha leaped backward.
The blade sliced through empty air. The instant Gyo-ha’s retreating foot touched the ground, his body shot forward.

Peong!

The air burst before Jeokyang Hu’s head.
By the time Jeokyang Hu swung his sword, Gyo-ha had already retreated.

“That was a little short.”

Gyo-ha clicked his tongue briefly.
However, Jeokyang Hu could not mock him.
Gyo-ha’s kick had been difficult to follow with the eye.

‘It looked as though his body stretched.’

Jeokyang Hu could guess the reason.
That bouncing movement was accelerating Gyo-ha’s speed.

“…A petty trick!”

Jeokyang Hu was right.
Gyo-ha’s movements could not yet be called a martial art. They were far too simple for that.

Martial skill.

“But it doesn’t look like a game anymore, does it?”

Gyo-ha grinned.
Jeokyang Hu did not answer.
He merely glared at Gyo-ha and drew back his sword.
The sword shot forward.

Black Nether Killing Sword.

Black Spirit Stealth!

It felt as though dozens of needles were aimed at Gyo-ha.
Gyo-ha twisted his body and evaded.
Another attack followed.
The sword slashed diagonally at Gyo-ha as he tried to retreat.
A red line appeared across his neck, scattering droplets of blood.
Had it been any deeper, the wound would have been dangerous.

‘Looks like he noticed after all.’

Gyo-ha was only accustomed to moving forward, backward, left, and right. Moving diagonally was still difficult.
The attacks continued.
Once again, it felt as though swords were flying at him from every direction.
Jeokyang Hu had hidden his sword not within darkness, but within piercing killing intent.
Only then did Gyo-ha understand.
Jeokyang Hu had already found his own path.
He was in the process of crossing the wall.

Somewhere between first-rate and peak.

That made it all the more unfortunate.
Gyo-ha could feel it now that they had clashed.

‘He can’t beat me.’

There was such a thing as compatibility.
Fire could not overcome water, and water could not stop lightning.
Of course, such compatibility was not absolute.
A massive wildfire could sometimes swallow even the rain.
However, Jeokyang Hu’s realm had not reached that level.
Gyo-ha sighed and roused his Yokai Qi.

Goooooooooooo.

At that moment.
Jeokyang Hu’s eyes trembled.
The Sword Qi filled with his killing intent was falling apart.
It dispersed like ink dropped into water.
Gyo-ha’s foot kicked the blade aside.

Kwang!

The blade shook.
Jeokyang Hu shook out his hand to dispel the impact, then turned and thrust his sword forward.
However, the result was the same as before.
Jeokyang Hu’s Sword Qi vanished before it could reach Gyo-ha.
More precisely, it was absorbed the instant it collided with Gyo-ha’s Yokai Qi.

“What evil sorcery are you using?”

The shaken Jeokyang Hu roared.
Evil sorcery? That was hardly something a direct descendant of the Jeokyang Clan had the right to say.
However, Gyo-ha gave a bitter smile.

“It’s not evil sorcery. It’s a law.”

Not a law of nature, but a law of yokai.
The Heretical Qi Jeokyang Hu possessed came from a yokai.
It was power bestowed upon humans by a yokai.
It was similar to what Myeong-gong’s subordinates had possessed.
Of course, it was not as crude as theirs.
At first glance, it felt like an entirely different power.
However, its fundamental nature remained unchanged.

‘Would it have been different if Jeokyang Hu were a peak master?’

A peak martial artist might have been able to make the Heretical Qi truly his own.
Gyo-ha’s foot struck the ground.
His body rotated at the same time.
His rear foot shot toward Jeokyang Hu’s chest.

A back kick.

A technique without even a proper name.
However, its power couldn’t be ignored.
Jeokyang Hu hurriedly raised his sword to block, but the impact sent him flying.
The instant Gyo-ha’s foot made contact, both the Sword Qi and the Protective Aura Qi were absorbed.

“This can’t be happening!”

Jeokyang Hu swung his sword.
However, the result remained the same no matter how many times he attacked.

Kwang!

Gyo-ha’s foot struck the flat of the blade.
The blade shook.
His raised foot then descended as though to split Jeokyang Hu’s head apart.
Jeokyang Hu gritted his teeth and retreated.
Only then was Jeokyang Hu forced to accept it.
Sword Qi was meaningless before Gyo-ha.
It wasn’t only Sword Qi.
Even his Protective Aura Qi and the qi circulation required for his techniques were being blocked.
In other words, he had no choice but to fight using only the form of his techniques.

A situation in which he could not use internal energy.

In a sense, he had been placed in the same position as Gyo-ha.
Of course, Gyo-ha was currently surrounded by Yokai Qi.
However, Gyo-ha was likewise unable to draw upon it freely, since doing so might worsen his condition.
Besides, there was no need to use it.
Without internal energy, Jeokyang Hu was no match for Gyo-ha.

“Damn it! Damn it!”

Jeokyang Hu swung his sword as though unable to believe what was happening.
Even his form had already fallen apart. He was merely struggling desperately.

Kwang!

Gyo-ha continued his assault.
And then.

Cheujeuk.

A quiet sound like leaves brushing together.
However, it sounded deafeningly loud in Jeokyang Hu’s ears.
Cracks had begun forming in his sword.
Even a famed sword could not withstand Gyo-ha’s repeated attacks without Sword Qi protecting it.
The cracks spread uncontrollably.
Despair appeared in Jeokyang Hu’s eyes.
The splitting blade awakened his fear.
The wound beneath his eyepatch seemed to throb.

“Die! I said die!”

Gyo-ha avoided the incoming sword and stepped forward.
His eyes gleamed.
His opponent was already a frightened beast.
Gyo-ha was a predator. There was no chance he would overlook that fact.
Moreover, Jeokyang Hu was focused solely on Gyo-ha’s feet.
Gyo-ha slipped inside his guard in an instant, driving his forehead toward Jeokyang Hu’s head.

Kwang!

Jeokyang Hu’s head snapped backward.
His vision blurred from the impact.
Gyo-ha’s eyes, in contrast, shone even brighter than before.
The instant his left foot touched the ground, his ankle twisted.
Then his hips followed.
His right foot lashed out like a whip.

This was the end.

Just as Gyo-ha sensed that, he heard the sound of wind from the side.
He hurriedly changed direction.
The instant his foot meant for Jeokyang Hu’s head cut through empty air, a sword slipped between them.
It was the Dark Shadow Unit Leader.
He quickly snatched Jeokyang Hu away and retreated.
Gyo-ha looked at the Dark Shadow Unit Leader.

‘He wasn’t aiming for me.’

Had he been, he would have targeted Gyo-ha’s back rather than the space between them.
Once they had retreated, Jeokyang Hu regained his senses and shouted.

“What are you doing? I’m still…!”

However, the Dark Shadow Unit Leader ignored him.
He sealed Jeokyang Hu’s acupoints and rendered him unconscious.
Jeokyang Hu’s martial prowess surpassed the Dark Shadow Unit Leader’s, yet he had been subdued with astonishing ease.
That showed just how poor Jeokyang Hu’s condition was.
After knocking Jeokyang Hu unconscious, the Dark Shadow Unit Leader bowed to Gyo-ha.

“Young Master, I apologize.”
“Is this how you’re repaying your debt?”

The Dark Shadow Unit Leader pressed his lips together at Gyo-ha’s innocent question.
Even he knew he had no excuse.
When they had last met, he had clearly said that he would repay Gyo-ha.
Yet once again, the situation had not changed.

“Please forgive me. I will answer for this with my life, but not now. The First Young Master cannot die in a place like this.”

With those words, the Dark Shadow Unit Leader departed with Jeokyang Hu on his back.
Gyo-ha was about to pursue him but clicked his tongue when he saw the people surrounding him.
They aimed their scabbards rather than their blades.
Gyo-ha understood their resolve.
They intended to stop him with their lives.
Clicking his tongue, Gyo-ha tried to raise a hand before sighing.

‘Ah, right. My hands don’t move.’

Just when he thought he was getting used to it, an old habit would resurface.
He raised a foot and wiggled it.

“I won’t follow you, so go.”

Gyo-ha had lost interest as well. He had no intention of leaving loose ends, but he doubted he could catch them even if he gave chase.
They would risk their lives to block him.

“There won’t be a next time.”

Gyo-ha gave the brief warning.
This was already the second time.
There was another reason as well.
There was no chance the Jeokyang Clan would let matters end here.
Jeokyang Hu was a leading candidate to succeed the Jeokyang Clan.
Yet he was still only a candidate.
He was not one of those who truly controlled the clan.

‘…He’s in the same position as Hyeok.’

There would be the Patriarch, along with elders and senior elders.
The people who truly ran the clan interested Gyo-ha far more.
Gyo-ha resumed walking as he watched the Dark Shadow Unit disappear.
The fight had only just begun.

The Dark Shadow Unit followed its Unit Leader.
The Dark Shadow Unit Leader did not slow down until they had traveled a considerable distance.

“…Are we not returning to the main estate?”

The Dark Shadow Unit Leader was heading in the opposite direction from the Jeokyang Clan.
He shook his head at his subordinate’s question.

“If we return, the First Young Master and I will die.”

He had disobeyed the Patriarch’s order.
The reason did not matter. That alone was an offense punishable by death.

“You can still be spared. Say that you were forced to follow my orders.”

The unit members might be punished, but they wouldn’t be killed.
In matters like this, the Patriarch was fair.

“No. We will follow you.”

The others nodded as well.
However, the Dark Shadow Unit Leader shook his head.

“Those with families must return. That is an order.”

Unlike the Black Shadow Unit, the Dark Shadow Unit was not composed of people born into the Jeokyang Clan. Talented children had been recruited and raised by the clan.
However, some had remained long enough to start families there.
Several members hesitated before turning back.
The Dark Shadow Unit Leader turned his head.

“Jeon-il, you should return as well.”

Jeon-il, Deputy Unit Leader of the Dark Shadow Unit.

“If even you are absent, the others will fall under suspicion.”

He was right. Jeon-il hesitated briefly before cupping his hands toward the Dark Shadow Unit Leader.

“May fortune favor you in battle.”

As Jeon-il departed, he understood what would likely happen.
He would never meet the Dark Shadow Unit Leader again. Even if they did meet, it wouldn’t be like this.
The Dark Shadow Unit Leader nodded.
He looked at those who had chosen to remain and steeled his resolve.
He had acted impulsively, but there was no turning back now.
He was now responsible for them.

“…We’re going to Guizhou.”

Jeokyang Hu’s maternal family lived in Guizhou.
It was not a particularly distinguished family.
However, his maternal grandfather was unquestionably a formidable figure.

Crimson Nether Poison Hand.

He was commonly known as Poison Hand.
He didn’t wield poison. He was called that because of the ruthlessness of his hands.
He was the foremost villain in Guizhou and one of the Twelve Heavens.
Moreover, the Guizhou Shin Clan was also located there.
It was currently at war with the Murim Alliance.
Even the Jeokyang Clan would not be able to pursue them there easily.
No longer the Dark Shadow Unit Leader, Noh Geuk-heon headed south.