Reaper of the Drifting Moon Chapter 523
Dokgo Hwang’s eyebrows trembled slightly.
The person he trusted the most had returned to him as a cold, lifeless body.
“Please end our lives.”
“We apologize.”
The martial artists who had brought back the corpse fell to their knees in front of Dokgo Hwang.
Their foreheads pressed against the ground.
Blood oozed from the gashes on their foreheads, but none dared to lift their heads.
Dokgo Hwang did not even look at them, but stared at the body in front of him.
The corpse was covered with a white cloth.
Carefully, Dokgo Hwang lifted the cloth, revealing the face of Eom Soso.
Her face, marred by a gaping hole in the forehead, radiated a semblance of the agony she must have suffered.The pain she must have experienced before her last breath was vividly conveyed.
TL/N-Tit for Tat, she also did the same to Jang Noya.
“So…So…”
He tried to maintain composure, but his voice trembled slightly.
Eom Soso was more than just a subordinate.
She was his companion, someone akin to a lover.
The only person he had trusted and depended on was Eom Soso.
There was no one in the Martial Sword Alliance who could match her skills, except himself.
Therefore, he had trusted her and sent her on a dangerous mission.
But now, she has returned as a cold corpse.
He felt a gaping hole in his heart, a sense of loss.
This was a feeling he had never experienced before.
A slight tremor shook his shoulder, and a thin layer of moisture clouded his eyes.
He blinked and forced the moisture out of his eyes.
He then stretched out his hand to caress Eom Soso’s face one last time, he asked.
“Who did this?”
“Excuse me?”
“I asked, who did this?”
“That would be Pyo…Wol.”
“Pyo Wol?”
“The lady clearly said it was Pyo Wol.”
“So, it’s Pyo Wol, huh?”
Dokgo Hwang chewed over the two syllables ‘Pyo Wol’ several times.
A chilling cold crept over the people gathered in the great hall.
Dokgo Hwang, who had not made any movements, filled them with even more deeper terror.
Then he carefully covered Eom Soso’s face with the white cloth once more and rose to his feet.
His gaze turned to the man kneeling in front.
Of those who had been sent, he held the highest position next to Eom Soso. He was the one in charge of supporting her.
Feeling Dokgo Hwang’s gaze, the man opened his mouth.
“I’m sorry. There was no opportunity for me to intervene.”
“So you returned only with her corpse?”
“I wanted to bring back her body at the very least. I will pay for the rest of the crime with my life.
Pff!
Suddenly, a sound burst from the man’s body.
He had ruptured his own heart.
A flood of crimson blood spurted from the man’s chest before he collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
The dozen martial artists standing behind the man shouted in unison,
“We will pay for our sins with our lives.”
Just as the man had done, they ruptured their hearts and committed suicide.
In an instant, eleven martial artists took their own lives.
The already somber atmosphere grew even more oppressive.
Nobody spoke.
They all bowed their heads, silently awaiting Dokgo Hwang’s verdict.
Dokgo Hwang briefly stared at the martial artists, then turned his gaze away.
Before his eyes, the vast panorama of Poyang Lake appeared.
He silently stared at the Poyang Lake for a long time.
Meanwhile, the martial artists outside the hall remained silent, waiting only for Dokgo Hwang’s orders.
Finally, Dokgo Hwang spoke.
“Find him, by any means necessary.”
“You can use the Hao Clan, or you can use the Golden Heavenly Hall. Use whatever means you have to find him. I will kill him myself.
“Your command!”
The martial artists of the Martial Sword Alliance responded in unison.
Dokgo Hwang turned his back on them and began to walk away..
A man came into his view.
It was Jang Mugak, the head of the Golden Heavenly Hall.
Jang Mugak stood with his arms crossed and watched Dokgo Hwang.
As Dokgo Hwang approached, Jang Mugak spoke.
“Are you okay?”
“No, I’m not.”
Dokgo Hwang shook his head.
Jang Mugak continued to stare intently at Dokgo Hwang.
“This is a crucial time.”
“I know.”
“If the power of Martial Sword Alliance weakens, it will shake the grand scheme of things.”
“I know.”
“Even then, will you use our forces to track down Pyo Wol?”
“Yes, I will.”
Dokgo Hwang responded without a hint of hesitation.
Jang Mugak furrowed his brow as he looked at Dokgo Hwang.
This was the first time Dokgo Hwang had shown such emotional turmoil. It was clear that no matter what Jang Mugak said, it would not reach Dokgo Hwang.
Jang Mugak spoke.
“If you want, I can handle this matter on your behalf.”
“That would be an insult to me.”
Dokgo Hwang firmly replied.
His uncompromising stance left Jang Mugak with no room for negotiation.
Dokgo Hwang continued.
“She may have seemed insignificant to you, but she meant much to me. Borrowing your hand to
carry out my revenge is pointless. Only by killing him with my own hand will her grudge be settled.
“I can’t wait that long.”
“I won’t keep you waiting for too long.”
“I trust you!”
“You should! When have I ever disappointed you?”
“Never.”
Jang Mugak nodded.
There was no way to persuade Dokgo Hwang with words.
He didn’t like wasting his time on things that seemed impossible.
‘I have to consider the Martial Sword Alliance as unavailable for the time being.’
Given Dokgo Hwang’s personality, it was safe to say that he’d neglect the Golden Heavenly Hall until he’d killed Pyo Wol and exacted his revenge.
The power that Dokgo Hwang and the Martial Sword Alliance wielded in the Golden Heavenly Hall was not insignificant. Their absence would create a huge vacuum. And the Silver Lotus Hall would seize the opportunity to strike.
He had to somehow fill the void left by the Martial Sword Alliance.
Jang Mugak furrowed his brows deeply.
‘I need to seek assistance from the martial artists in Heavenly Martial Sect.’
It was a choice he had hoped he wouldn’t have to make.
He wanted to take control of the world on his own. For this reason, he had taken the arduous steps to acquire the Golden Heavenly Hall.
He sought to control the world’s mechanisms and build an impregnable fortress.
His attempt was half successful.
Taking control of the Golden Heavenly Hall was good, but he had unintentionally sparked the rise of Silver Lotus Hall.
In the same way that there is darkness where there is light, the world tries to maintain a balance.
If the Golden Heavenly Hall was light, the Silver Lotus Hall was darkness, and vice versa.
In the end, the birth of the Silver Lotus Hall could be seen as fate.
He should have crushed the Silver Lotus Hall when it first emerged. But he missed his chance, and the Silver Lotus Hall grew into an overwhelming power that could not be ignored.
Once they notice the absence of power of the Martial Sword Alliance, they will exploit this gap in some way. If that happens, Jang Mugak’s grand plan could waver.
To prevent such a scenario, he had no choice but to seek the assistance of martial artists from the Heavenly Martial Sect.
“Damn it! All this trouble because of one assassin. It’s unbelievable!”
Jang Mugak clicked his tongue.
＊＊＊
The Sol Family Pavilion was situated on a cliff overlooking the Yangtze River.
Looking up from the river, it was impossible to see the presence of a rather large estate in such a place. Because it was out of sight.
Moreover, the estate was shrouded by a forest, rendering it invisible even from a distance.
As a result, no one traveling along the Yangtze had any idea that there was an estate in such a place.
The Sol Family Pavilion was a natural fortress. It was unknown to anyone but its members. Because of this, the warriors of the Sol Family Pavilion had an unshakable pride that their
fortress could never fall. But now their pride was shattered.
In the central square of the Sol Family Pavilion, over thirty people lay sprawled out.
“Gah!”
“Ugh!”
Their screaming faces were filled with fear.
They looked around in horror.
About thirty martial artists were encircling them.
Each of these martial artists, dressed in black uniforms and masks, stood silently watching the Sol Family Warriors.
The black-clad men had arrived half an hour ago.
Without a sound or a sign, they had slipped into the Sol Family Pavilion and ambushed the warriors.
The warriors didn’t even know what hit them.
By the time they came to their senses, they were already overpowered and discarded like rag dolls in the courtyard of the Sol Family Pavilion.
Finally regaining his senses, the master of Sol Family Pavilion, Sado Won, managed to speak.
“Who are you, and why have you attacked us?”
“……”
“I don’t know what your intentions are, but the Sol Family Pavilion is just an ordinary estate.”
“……”
Despite Sado Won’s frantic words, none of the surrounding martial artists uttered a word.
Sado Won felt the blood in his body turning cold.
He had claimed the Sol Family Pavilion was a normal estate, but in truth, every one of its warriors was an assassin.
Although they were not top-notch fighters or part of any renowned sect, but they were skilled
enough to defend themselves. Yet, they were all subdued without putting up a fight.
The only people who could silently subdue the Assassin Warriors of the Sol Family Pavilion were other Assassins.
Only those who completely understood the physiology and countermeasures of an assassin could achieve this.
‘In the murim world today, if there’s an assassin group capable of this… could it be the Hundred Wraith Union?’
The only assassin group that came to his mind was just one.
“Why would the Hundred Wraith Union target us? We surely didn’t provoke them in any way.”
“……”
Despite Sado Won’s protests, the encircling martial artists remained silent.
Their silence only served to increase the fear of the Sol Family Pavilion warriors.
At times, silence could be scarier than the direst threats.
Then it happened.
Creak!
With a squeak, as if in protest, the rusty hinges of the main gate of the Sol Family Pavilion opened. A group of martial artists entered through the open gate.
Suddenly, the black-clad warriors surrounding the warriors of the Sol Family Pavilion fell to their knees and shouted in unison.
“We welcome the Supreme Leader.”
Whoom!
Their collective salute made every single object in Sol Family Pavilion vibrate in unison.
The faces of Sado Won and his warriors turned deathly pale.
‘Good heavens! The Supreme Leader of the Hundred Wraith Union? Why would he come to the Sol Family Pavilion?’
Although they were both groups of assassins, the gulf between the Sol Family Pavilion and the
Hundred Wraith Union was as wide as the distance between heaven and earth.
The truth was that they wouldn’t be able to handle a single warrior from the Ten Blood
Assassins, even if all the assassins from the Sol Family Pavilion were assembled.
If the Hundred Wraith Union ordered them to die, insignificant groups of assassins like the Sol Family Pavilion had to at least pretend to die. That was their harsh reality.
The fact that the supreme leader of the Hundred Wraith Union had arrived when the mere presence of a single warrior from the Ten Blood Assassins was enough to make them tremble was mind-numbing.
Sado Won didn’t dare lift his head, trembling in fear. The same went for the other warriors.
Pyo Wol surveyed the Sol Family Pavilion.
It was indeed a terrain that deserved to be called a natural fortress.
He admired their ability to discover such a place and establish a stronghold.
Pyo Wol’s gaze fell on Sado Won.
At first glance, he knew he was the leader of Sol Family Pavilion.
“Are you Sado Won?”
“Yes? Yes!”
At Pyo Wol’s words, Sado Won lifted his head to look at him.
Pyo Woll’s face, pale and filled with an enigmatic aura, came into view.
Upon seeing his face, one nickname surfaced.
“Re…aper?”
“It seems you recognize me.”
“You’re really the Reaper? Why are you with the Hundred Wraith Union?”
Suspicion flickered across Sado Won’s face.
There was no one among the assassins who didn’t know about Pyo Wol.
They were particularly sensitive to any information relating to Pyo Wol, as they were fellow assassins.
His unprecedented actions and power, unbelievable for an assassin.
Pyo Wol had always been the number one target of vigilance among the assassins.
Therefore, they consistently gathered information about Pyo Wol’s appearance, actions, and martial prowess. That’s why he could recognize Pyo Wol’s identity at a glance.
‘Could it be?’
A hypothesis surfaced in his mind.
Something he absolutely didn’t want to believe, but he couldn’t help but believe it.
‘Could it be that the Reaper has taken over the Hundred Wraith Union?’
The strength drained from his limbs.
He could sense their fate.
Reaper, who had taken over the Hundred Wraith Union, was now trying to take the Sol Family Pavilion into his hands. And they had no power to resist Pyo Wol.
‘Good heavens!’
Sado Won shut his eyes tightly.
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