Chapter 41
“Can’t you move any faster?”
“S-Sorry, I’m not very good at lightfoot techniques…”
Go Taehung felt like dying.
It’s like the King of Hell himself is chasing me.
The killing intent from behind sliced at his body like blades.
It would’ve been better if he just yelled…
Dok Go-ryong, cloaked in murderous aura, kept his mouth shut, his icy eyes glaring ahead.
Taehung regretted not letting Wonho deal with Dok Go-ryong instead. Just then, faint lights appeared in the distance.
“Sir, I think that’s the merchant group up ahead—ah!”
Before he could finish, a powerful gust of wind shot past him.
In the blink of an eye, Dok Go-ryong had surged forward.
BOOM!
A thunderous crash shook the earth as dust clouds erupted. Startled, Taehung rushed after him.
If that’s not the Hongwol Trading House, we’re doomed!
A bandit worrying about innocent merchants was laughable, but Dok Go-ryong wasn’t in a state to make such distinctions anymore.
Though he appeared calm on the surface, he had long lost his composure.
“Sir!”
Taehung pushed through the dust, coughing violently as he waved the air clear.
The dirt slowly settled, and Taehung’s eyes widened at the sight.
CLANG!
With a deafening crash, someone blocked Dok Go-ryong’s sword.
Dok Go-ryong stared coldly at his opponent.
“You… you’re no ordinary merchants.”
A scarred man’s brow twitched. Dok Go-ryong scanned the area.
He saw a carriage marked with a red moon, ten “merchants,” and three bandits standing ahead like guides.
He didn’t need to ask who they were—it was the Hongwol Trading House.
“A red moon… I’ve heard they take requests for blackmail, kidnapping, even murder… but this is no mere mercenary band. What are you really?”
The commander of the Hongwol convoy frowned but didn’t respond.
Instead, he barked orders to his men.
“We’re under attack! Everyone, positions!”
The once-docile merchants suddenly drew weapons, moving like trained assassins.
Five surrounded Dok Go-ryong, while the commander whipped the horses, trying to flee with the cart and the rest of the group.
Dok Go-ryong narrowed his eyes at the retreating figures.
“You think I’ll let you escape?”
He tried to rush after them—after cutting down the man in front of him.
CLANG!
The five surrounding him struck with swords aimed at the exact same spot.
Dok Go-ryong leapt into the air with perfect timing.
The sword tips had no margin of error. They moved like one.
A formation that moves like a single body…
As soon as he landed, the five surrounded him again in perfect formation.
His eyes darkened.
“Hey. Pachokchae Leader.”
Nearby, bushes rustled.
Go Taehung, who had been hiding and plotting his escape, timidly peeked out.
“Y-Yes, sir?”
“Follow those guys.”
“By ‘those guys,’ you mean…?”
Dok Go-ryong shot a death glare at him.
“…Are you testing my patience?”
“N-No, sir! I’ll go right away!”
Terrified, Go Taehung bolted like his life depended on it.
Once Taehung’s presence faded, Dok Go-ryong muttered,
“You lot… you’re from the Demonic Sect.”
The “merchants”—actually cultists in disguise—glared back, stunned.
“What’s with the shock? That move just now—Five Shadows Demon-Slaying Formation. Classic.”
It was a basic group technique known to all lower-ranked warriors (mazol) of the Demonic Sect.
Five attackers surround the target and strike in unison or at intervals, leaving no opening.
Seeing it, how could he not know?
“…How do you know that technique?”
The mazol who blocked him earlier asked in a low voice.
“I’ve seen it enough times to be sick of it.”
Dok Go-ryong gave a crooked grin, which only deepened their unease.
It had been 70 years since the Demonic Sect vanished from the world.
No one remembered them anymore, and those who fought them were long buried.
There was no way someone who looked barely past twenty could recognize the formation.
Unless—
“You… you’re a traitor, aren’t you?!”
“We’ll show you what happens to traitors!”
The cultists’ bodies flared with chilling dark energy.
“Traitor, huh…? Eh, call it whatever you want.”
Dok Go-ryong didn’t bother to deny it.
“Either way, this place will be your grave.”
The only thing that mattered to him now was wiping them out and saving Eun Sowol.
Meanwhile…
The commander of the Hongwol convoy and the Red Wolf bandits escorting them were moving quickly to escape Dok Go-ryong’s pursuit.
One bandit at the front glanced back.
Something feels off…
The Hongwol commander had a vicious look that rivaled any bandit. His cold disregard for the girl earlier made it clear he wasn’t ordinary.
But the rest of his crew had seemed like regular merchants… until they clashed with that mysterious man.
After that, their energy shifted. Now, they looked just as dangerous.
The bandit cautiously asked the commander:
“…Was that man a pursuer?”
When the commander looked at him, the bandit instinctively sucked in a breath.
What kind of eyes are those…
He’d met renowned warriors and righteous sect leaders, but none had eyes like this. He gulped.
“This is our problem. Just guide us.”
“…Understood.”
He wanted to ask more—but couldn’t find the words.
Just as he turned to lead the way—
“You bastards! Stop right there!”
A thunderous voice shattered the night’s silence.
As the bandits froze and turned, the commander shoved them forward.
“Didn’t you hear me say stop?!”
This time, the voice came from ahead.
CRASH!
A tree fell, blocking the path.
“No one’s getting past here until the big man arrives!”
A large foot stepped onto the fallen tree. Its owner stroked his thick beard, chest puffed out.
“Ah! It’s the Pachokchae Leader!”
It was Go Taehung, standing tall with a massive sword on his shoulder.
“You lot, back off now. If you stay, you’ll die.”
He waved the Red Wolf bandits away like he was doing them a favor.
“What nonsense is this?”
“No time for explanations. I’m giving you a chance. Take it.”
Then he turned his gaze to the Hongwol commander.
“So that’s why the request seemed too good to be true… You were trying to kidnap a direct descendant of the Sichuan Dang Clan, huh?”
“What?! A direct descendant of the Dang Clan?!”
The Red Wolf bandits panicked and jumped away from the carriage.
The Hongwol commander calmly replied:
“Pachokchae Leader. We didn’t mind you refusing the request. But interfering is a different story.”
“I don’t want to get involved with you either. But that scary guy said to hold you here.”
“…Scary guy?”
Dok Go-ryong’s face flickered through the commander’s mind.
“To make an enemy of both the Sichuan Dang Clan and that man… You must have a few extra lives.”
“It’s not that we have extra lives—just the power to survive.”
The commander drew his sword—and so did the others.
Go Taehung’s hair stood on end.
So they really aren’t ordinary guys…
He had suspected it from the moment one of them blocked Dok Go-ryong’s attack—but this confirmed it.
