âHuff⊠huffâŠâ
My breath was scraping up my throat.
This damn body. Fucking Moyong Sohae.
I didnât expect the fatigue to hit this fast. Gal-whatever was even weaker than Hwang Ik, who I fought at the Martial Gathering. Never thought Iâd struggle this much with someone like him.
At least he looked like shit too.
âYou⊠fucking⊠youâre good.â
âOh, thanks for the compliment.â
Leveled up from rat to dog, huh. I gave a quick nod of thanks and rushed in again. The bastard, already covered in shallow cuts, swung his blade hard without even flinching.
But this was exactly why I used twin swords â it made reacting to heavy, wild attacks easier. Gaps were easier to exploit.
No need to land one clean blow. Martial artists always underestimate the damage of minor injuries stacking up. They never realize itâs a straight road to death.
I ducked his blade and slashed around his ankle. Iâd aimed wide, expecting him to dodge, so it still nicked him. The point was to make him move awkwardly.
Best case, he drops. Worst case, Dang Iheon finishes up and gets here soon.
âYou sneaky little bitchâŠâ
âGal-whatever, admit it. Youâre fucking pissed right now, huh?â
âItâs Gal Cheongyeok!â
âWow. Youâre really stuck on that, huh? Doesnât matter, Iâm not remembering it.â
I slashed for his face. My blade grazed his cheek.
The bastard had introduced himself three times while fighting. I didnât bother remembering â Iâm bad with names, and I didnât give a shit. Still didnât.
Bang!
âOopâlook at you losing your temper.â
I barely dodged the blade that came crashing down on me. It slammed into the ground right in front of my toes, and even I felt a chill down my spine.
Kak.
He pulled the blade free and swung upward. I pushed off the wall and launched myself back. Staying backed into corners was a bad idea â I needed to move toward the building.
Wonder if Proprietor Chae got away safely. Damn it. This bastard kept me from checking.
If my subordinates from my past life saw me struggling with this one asshole, theyâd blow a vein and keel over.
Before I could get near the building, a blade charged with energy came screaming at me.
Gods, Iâm so fucking sick of this.
Kwa-kang!
The sword crashed into the wall of Hwaan Tea House, crumbling part of it. Blew open a clean hole. Thank fuck Proprietor Chae wasnât around to see this.
The bastard bared his teeth. As he yanked the sword free, his eyes locked on mine, full of murderous intent. Yeah, he was well and truly pissed.
âPlaytimeâs over.â
âAbout fucking time, jackass.â
I slowly raised both swords in front of my face. With my face hidden behind the blades, he wouldnât see the smile.
âCome on, then.â
âHRAAAH!â
He charged like a rabid boar. I ran at him too, full tilt.
Part of why I provoked him this much was to bait an opening⊠but the bigger reason?
When humans get pushed to their mental limit, they start moving on instinct.
Which means⊠his training with the Red Serpent Corps would start showing. And I knew exactly how those bastards fought.
Step one â the overhead slash.
I dodged just as his blade came down toward my skull. His weapon was heavy â that meant every wasted swing drained him.
I slashed toward his ribs. Got lucky â it went deep. Good start.
Next â right low angle.
I flipped my body, raised the sword that cut his ribs, and dragged it up his shoulder. Blood sprayed everywhere.
âGhhrk!â
âDamn, thatâs gotta hurt.â
I chuckled and tossed another jab. His face went red with rage.
Truth be told, I was getting tired too. My wounds werenât deep, but the scratches added up. Blood was trickling out.
Then suddenly, his blade gave off a nasty whine as it vibrated in his grip.
Shit. He was pouring his energy into it.
All that âratâ talk from earlier, and now he was going all in. Fucking exhausting. Guess I couldnât stall anymore either.
I pulled what little fresh energy had gathered in my energy center and pushed it through my limbs. My legs surged. Muscles sprang back to life.
I launched.
All I could see was the bastardâs neck. His pulsing vein. The only thing in the world that mattered.
âHAAAH!â
I let out a battle cry and crossed my blades in a slash.
He didnât just sit there and take it. A wave of sword energy crashed down at me like a goddamn lightning strike.
Even if my blades hit his neck, I couldnât be sure Iâd survive the counter.
But I was gambling on one thing.
I fucking hate to admit itâŠ
BANG!
A deafening crack exploded above me. The bastardâs sword twisted violently off to the side â just barely missing me.
Sssk.
My blade nicked his neck. A red line bloomed.
Blood sprayed in a violent gush.
âYeonhwa! Are you okay?!â
Out of nowhere, Dang Iheon was there, snatching back the throwing blade heâd just launched. He mustâve charged it hard â it cracked half the damn wall open.
Gal-whatever slammed his blade into the dirt and clutched his neck. His body was crumpling. Knees buckled. He looked up at me, dazed.
âKhrr⊠hrrkkâŠâ
Watching his beet-red face as he gurgled like a drowning rat⊠only then did I finally relax. No matter how skilled you are â if your body canât keep up, youâre fucked.
âGal⊠what was it. Whatever. Mister Gal, later.â
ââŠGal⊠Cheong⊠kehkkâŠâ
âTold you. Not remembering it.â
I nudged his head with my boot. Blood gurgled out, painting the ground red. He wouldnât last long.
I gave Iheonâs chest a weak punch with my limp fist.
âThanks. You really nailed the timing.â
âYeonhwa. What the hell were you thinkingâŠâ
âKnew youâd show up. I heard what was going on inside.â
âMy heart nearly gave out.â
He let out a long breath, sounding more rattled than Iâd ever heard. For a second, I felt a little guilty.
But damn, he and I really made a good team. Kidâs not just any Young Master of the Dang Clan.
âWe moved the hostages to the storage behind the kitchen. Everyone on the first floorâs been taken out.â
âYeah. Then we shouldââ
Iheonâs expression suddenly went deadly. He whipped out a throwing blade and hurled it.
I turned just in time.
A sharp whistle sliced the air. A flare streaked upward, cutting the night.
BOOM! BOOM!
âA signal flareâŠ! Fuck!â
Iheonâs blade skewered the bastardâs forehead, but it didnât stop the flare. Fuck. I shouldâve double-tapped.
âWe need to run!â
He grabbed my wrist and leapt. But from the second and third floors of the tea house, Red Serpent Corps bastards in blood-red uniforms started pouring out.
I was exhausted. This was on him now. But letâs be real â unless youâre a top master, you canât fight off this many alone.
We tried to run, but they closed in fast. Surrounded.
Back-to-back, Iheon and I braced ourselves.
He whispered fast.
âOn three, duck.â
âGot it.â
âOne. TwoâŠâ
We had to get out of the center. Anything else, weâd be dead.
âThree.â
I yanked my sleeve over my face the moment he finished. Iheon flung a small pouch â it exploded midair.
Smoke bomb.
We jumped up through the confusion.
A bit away from Hwaan Tea House, at a fork in the roadâ
âTh-this way! Over here! Youâre from the Moyong Clan, right?!â
Two martial artists moving like streaks of light slowed as a disheveled middle-aged man leapt into their path. Covered in scrapes and panting â Proprietor Chae.
âIâm the proprietor of Hwaan Tea House. I escaped thanks to Young Lady Moyong Yeonhwa. That road! Go that way!â
Heâd been waiting at the fork just in case the reinforcements got lost. One of the martial artists nodded.
âGot it. Stay back. Itâs dangerous.â
âYes! Please, help the Young Lady!â
âDonât worry.â
The two vanished almost instantly. So fast, the wind from their movement tossed Chaeâs messy hair into the air.
He couldnât help but wonder â why only two?
But then he remembered.
They looked exactly alike.
They had to be the Twin Stars of Swift Swords.
Proprietor Chaeâs legs gave out, and he collapsed. He couldnât go back. But he couldnât leave either. All he could do was pray theyâd all come back safe.
Moyong Cheon and Moyong Ha â famed as the Twin Stars of Swift Swords â finally reached Hwaan Tea House.
Even before kicking the doors in, the scent of blood choked the air.
The brothers didnât need words. Theyâd trained and fought together for years. Their coordination was instinct.
They spotted the battlefield.
Iheon and Yeonhwa were barely holding on, fighting for their lives.
Good thing the Sichuan Dang Clan specialized in poison and throwing blades â they were at least built for handling groups. Without that edge, theyâd be dead by now.
But Iheon was getting dragged away from Yeonhwa, and she was being pushed into a corner, surrounded by five enemies.
Moyong Cheon grit his teeth and charged his blade. Moyong Ha was already cutting through the enemy.
They both headed straight for Yeonhwa.
Whatever else happened, the Young Master of the Dang Clan could fend for himself. Yeonhwa needed them more.
Luckily, she wasnât seriously hurt yet.
âMore rats, huh? Coming in without a hint of fear.â
Enemies blocked their path fast. The twins pushed forward, blades ready, eyes fixed on Yeonhwa.
âYeonhwa!â
Moyong Cheon shouted, blade glowing with aura. Across the distance, their eyes met.
For a moment, color returned to Yeonhwaâs exhausted face.
But that flicker of relief was all it took.
The enemies who hadnât been able to get a clean hit finally saw an opening. They all struck.
âYeonhwa! Noâ!â
Moyong Haâs roar exploded like thunder. Even Iheon, caught mid-battle, whipped his head around.
The twins launched forwardâtoo late.
The blade was already closing in on Yeonhwa.
Shhk!
A horrific sound split the air.
Yeonhwaâs face drained of all color.
She stared ahead in a daze.
At the back of the person whoâd jumped in front of herâ
ââŠSahyeon?â
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