The Terrifying Cheon-geum Domain (5)

Cheong Yeon waved his hand.

“What? Why are you waving your hand? Are you sick somewhere?”

Cheong Yeon thought, ‘Oh no.’ The hand signal he had used with his subordinates in the Black Alliance had come out unconsciously. It was only natural that Ma-jil did not recognize it.

‘He has no sense at all…….’

Sasasak

Because of Ma-jil’s voice, the ones who had been approaching concealed their presence and hid. Those who had come this time were different from the third-rate warriors they had encountered so far. They were experts.

〔The enemies this time are experts. If you make one mistake, you will be caught. Be careful. If possible, do not move from one spot and just defend.〕

Cheong Yeon sent a sound transmission to the three of them and sprang to his feet. There was no chance of victory if he fought in the same way as those moving in the dark. Against such people, a frontal confrontation was actually easier to deal with. Fighting in one’s own way was the foundation.

Cha-chaeng

Go So-jeong drew her dagger to lend a hand. But she stopped at Cheong Yeon’s gesture.

Go So-jeong was deeply uneasy. She had seen roughly how skilled Cheong Yeon was during the matter with the Black Alliance. He was strong, but he was not supremely strong.

Because she had come to feel affection for Cheong Yeon, her heart was burning black with worry.

Cheong Yeon advanced toward the enemies one step at a time without drawing his sword. Even though they had concealed their presence, he knew roughly where they were.

‘A swift sword.’

Seeing Cheong Yeon’s posture, the Soul Hunter thought so. For those like them, who handled covert missions, the most troublesome opponents were masters of the swift sword. In the brief instant when they thought they had killed him, they might end up seeing a sword cut their necks.

He sent a signal to his subordinates to be careful and looked at the three people on the other side. Two women and one man. For some reason, one of the women had a scent similar to theirs. It was the scent only masters of tracking and killing gave off.

‘This side is not easy either.’

Even so, they seemed less dangerous than the one who had stepped forward alone. If one lacked confidence, one would not step forward alone.

The Soul Hunter gave instructions to his subordinates with hand gestures. It meant that while two people kept the one using the swift sword in check, the rest would kill the others, then they would kill the swift sword user last.

Sasak

Cheong Yeon sensed two people attach themselves to him while the rest moved toward Ma-jil’s side.

‘I hope they stay safe…….’

He was worried, but what he could do now was kill the two experts assigned to him first.

Cheong Yeon waited. The swift sword he had learned and mastered was for counterattacks rather than first strikes.

As if knowing that, the enemies did not rush in. In the end, the fight broke out on Ma-jil’s side before Cheong Yeon’s.

Shuuk

A sword suddenly dropped down from the air. The Soul Hunters’ concealment art was almost perfect. Unless they were attacking, it was not easy to find their forms.

Chiing

Was it because she was the same kind? Go So-jeong’s dagger struck that sword and passed by. But the Soul Hunters’ attack did not stop there.

Chiing ching

Two more swords rose again from the air.

Go So-jeong grew tense. She could not keep defending forever. Moreover, those attacking now were merely decoys. The real one was hiding in the dark, waiting for a chance to strike.

〔Circulate your energy.〕

Go So-jeong sent a sound transmission to Je So-yeon. Je So-yeon was cultivating the cold yin art that had made her own body tremble. If the enemies came into contact with that energy, the movements of the enemies using concealment arts would break down.

Je So-yeon did as Go So-jeong told her without knowing why.

Hwiuuuuung

Suddenly, a chilling energy flowed around her.

Shiver

It was to the point that even Ma-jil felt the cold.

In that instant, Go So-jeong could sense that the movements of the hidden ones had slowed. As expected, Je So-yeon’s Ice-White Cold Soul Art was extraordinary.

The Soul Hunter was flustered. The energy emitted by the young girl, who had seemed the most insignificant, was certainly unexpected. He saw bewilderment appear on his subordinates’ faces. An assassin who had lost freedom was no longer an assassin.

Jiiiiiing

In the end, the Soul Hunter had no choice but to step forward. A sword cry rang out from his sword.

Go So-jeong became extremely tense. She heard the sword cry. The person in the dark might be someone too much for her to handle.

Pat

‘Oh no!’

Go So-jeong heard a sharp sound. A sword had flown out. Because she had paid too much attention to the sword cry, she had failed to consider that the opponents were assassins. To think they would attack by throwing a sword!

The sword was flying toward Je So-yeon. The moment Go So-jeong hurriedly tried to throw her dagger and block that sword, the other Soul Hunters, whose movements had slowed, began their attack.

They had become sluggish, but they were still not at ordinary speed. Go So-jeong had no choice but to block their swords.

After all, protecting herself came before protecting others. Only when I exist can others exist.

Cha-chang

It was at that moment. A heavy sound rang through the area. Go So-jeong realized what the sound was and felt relieved.

That was right. She was not the only one here. Ma-jil was here.

Thud, pwaak!

Something happened that would make the Soul Hunter faint. Had the bare ground between the sword and Je So-yeon not suddenly risen up?

The earth’s skin that rose like that swallowed his sword and returned to the ground. The sword was nowhere to be seen. It had been buried underground.

“Hehehe, stupid bastard!”

Ma-jil sneered at him.

“You bastard!”

The Soul Hunter did not hold back. It was the first moment his voice had been heard since the fight began.

He threw out the hidden weapons he had and then charged toward Ma-jil with his body. Even if Ma-jil avoided the hidden weapons, he would not be able to avoid his hand.

Thud

But unfortunately, at that moment, another ominous sound was heard.

Hwarrrrk

What was this? This time, a wall of fire had formed before Ma-jil. In truth, it was an earthen wall with fire wrapped around its surface, but to the Soul Hunter, it looked like a wall of fire. Fire was something one could pierce through. He had that ability.

The Soul Hunter boldly charged toward the fire with his body. Once he passed through the fire, he could drive his hand into Ma-jil’s neck.

Puk

But Ma-jil’s earthen wall was not something that could be pierced so easily.

“Keok!”

The Soul Hunter screamed from the shock transmitted through his body. Blood surged up his throat. Just from colliding with the earthen wall, his body was shaken violently, and he suffered internal injuries.

Was it because they had seen their leader injured and bleeding? The movements of the two assassins facing Go So-jeong grew hurried.

“Kkeuk!”

“Kek!”

Hurrying while their movements were slowed did not help. Into the weaknesses exposed in that gap, two daggers dug in.

“Retreat!”

The Soul Hunter’s eyes turned over at the deaths of his two subordinates. But he was not someone who would fight recklessly because of that.

After shouting to the two subordinates facing Cheong Yeon, he hid himself in the air again. He intended to return and bring more subordinates.

The confrontation between Cheong Yeon and the two Soul Hunters had become firmly locked. But suddenly, the sound of the enemy’s retreat was heard. The Soul Hunters needed time to withdraw.

They knew of their comrades’ deaths. Their ears were open, after all.

They could not see, but they could hear. Moving carelessly was dangerous, but with no choice, they chose to strike first.

Shuuk

Their swords flew toward Cheong Yeon at the same time.

Chang

Cheong Yeon’s sword was drawn and met their attacks.

Shugagak

It was then. From behind Cheong Yeon, who was already swinging his sword, killing intent shot out like lightning. The Soul Hunter, who had seemed to have vanished, had launched a surprise attack.

“Aaak!”

Go So-jeong and Je So-yeon’s screams rang out.

Cheong Yeon’s heart also dropped. His sword had already been released, and there was nowhere for him to dodge.

A dark energy covered Cheong Yeon’s entire body.