Chapter 152
The Murim Alliance leader turned sharply to look at his subordinates.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes, we’re fine,” the subordinate replied, still dazed.
The leader gritted his teeth.
“Get your heads straight! I won’t lose a single one of my men to the Blood Sect!”
“Understood!”
The subordinate’s eyes lit up as he regained his focus.
At that moment, the black-clad warriors emerged from the pavilion, drawing their swords.
There were at least ten of them, and their leader, standing at the front, pointed his sword directly at the group.
“Not a single one of them is to be spared.”
His voice was cold, lacking any emotion or variation.
The black-clad warriors’ eyes were vacant, almost as if they were possessed by something.
There was no reaction, no emotional disturbance in their movements.
Yerin narrowed her eyes.
‘Normally, seeing the real form of Manyeon Bingjeong, they would be startled or at least show some surprise…’
But the warriors didn’t even flinch.
They didn’t seem like humans at all, more like puppets carrying out commands.
“The Blood Demon is returning.”
The black-clad warriors formed a circle around the entrance as if protecting the pavilion itself.
At the same time, the Murim Alliance leader gathered his internal energy and shouted.
“Attack!”
With that command, chaos erupted.
The sounds of weapons clashing filled the air, creating an overwhelming cacophony.
—
The entrance to the pavilion, where the battle had raged, was in ruins.
The walls were scarred with deep cuts from swords, with blood splattered across the debris.
The casualties among the black-clad warriors were significant, but the reason was clear…
‘These Blood Sect warriors don’t even care about their own safety when they attack.’
Any normal person would feel pain when wounded and would act more cautiously to protect themselves.
But the black-clad warriors seemed to throw themselves into battle without any concern for their own well-being.
‘There’s definitely something unusual here.’
Yerin shoved one of the black-clad warriors aside and, stepping back, coldly narrowed her gaze.
“Everyone, hold your ground!”
The Murim Alliance leader’s voice rang out as he dove into the melee between the black-clad warriors.
His movements were fierce and animalistic, clearly showcasing why he was the leader of the Murim Alliance.
The martial artists once again became tangled in combat.
“Ugh!”
“You can’t fall back!”
Screams, groans, and the clang of metal filled the air in a chaotic mix.
At that moment, one of the black-clad warriors, who had sneaked up behind them, threw needles at the backs of the Murim Alliance’s subordinates.
The needles flew toward both the black-clad warriors and the Murim Alliance fighters indiscriminately.
*Clang!*
In the blink of an eye, a sword slashed through the air, cutting the needles from their path.
Landing softly on the ground, Doyul looked back.
“Be careful.”
“Yes!”
One of the martial artists, whose needles had almost pierced, swallowed hard.
Doyul, with a determined look on his face, charged at the black-clad warrior who had thrown the needles.
His sword sliced through the air.
“Somi!”
– ‘Tsk!’
At Yerin’s call, Manyeon Bingjeong clicked his tongue briefly and unleashed his spirit energy.
A translucent blue barrier spread out, protecting the subordinates.
Even amidst the chaotic battle, the subordinates widened their eyes in astonishment.
“What is this…?”
“Why do I feel so light all of a sudden?”
As the blue barrier enveloped them, their previously heavy bodies, as if soaked in water, became light as a feather.
They could even feel their depleted internal energy slowly recovering, albeit slightly.
“Now’s our chance!”
The Murim Alliance leader seized the moment, urging his men once again.
“Go! Don’t let the formation break!”
And after a while, the subordinates managed to take down all the black-clad warriors.
It was a perfect victory.
Some had minor injuries, but none were critically wounded.
However, there was no one celebrating.
The enemies they had faced were too terrifying.
“These are the strangest enemies I’ve ever encountered.”
“Yes, they didn’t care about their own injuries, just attacking relentlessly…”
The subordinates looked down at the fallen black-clad warriors with fearful eyes.
The ones they had fought were not ordinary humans.
Unknown beings. Monsters.
It was inevitable that such thoughts would cross the minds of the subordinates.
Just as a faint fear lingered in their eyes, a cheerful voice rang out.
– ‘Ahem! Did everyone see my great performance?’
It was Manyeon Bingjeong.
– ‘What are you doing? Not praising this magnificent spirit?’
Manyeon Bingjeong puffed out his chest proudly.
The subordinates quickly responded.
“That’s right, truly amazing!”
“We were able to defeat the Blood Sect because of you, Master Manyeon Bingjeong!”
Everyone noisily praised Manyeon Bingjeong.
At the sight of it, Yerin’s expression softened a little.
‘Well, at least this is a relief.’
Thanks to Manyeon Bingjeong’s antics, the atmosphere lightened somewhat.
Yerin also offered praise.
“Somi, you did really well.”
– ‘Hmph, there’s nothing more I can do even if my contractee praises me!’
Although he said this, the corners of Manyeon Bingjeong’s eyes were already curving upward in delight.
Yerin chuckled softly and glanced around.
“It seems like all the remnants of the Blood Sect in this area have been eliminated.”
“The Blood Sect must have been guarding this pavilion for a reason,” the Murim Alliance leader murmured quietly as he stared at the pavilion.
He then rose to his feet.
“Let’s go.”
The lighthearted atmosphere faded quickly.
With tense faces, the subordinates grasped their swords tightly.
The group, led by the Murim Alliance leader, entered the pavilion.
Manyeon Bingjeong, startled, scrambled to follow behind.
“Wait! How could you all leave me behind like this!”
—
Despite the black-clad warriors’ desperate defense, the inside of the pavilion was completely empty.
“…There’s nothing here.”
The Murim Alliance leader muttered in a suspicious tone.
The pavilion was spotless, not a speck of dust in sight.
Normally, a pavilion-like this would have tables, chairs, and decorations, but there were none at all.
That was what made it so odd.
With nothing here, there was absolutely no reason for the black-clad warriors to risk their lives guarding it.
Then, Doyul spotted something.
“Everyone, look over there.”
In the center of the pavilion, there was a wooden box.
It looked freshly made, the grain of the wood still visible, giving the box a bright, new appearance.
“It doesn’t seem like there’s any kind of dangerous mechanism attached to it.”
Doyul, after checking the area around the box, stepped forward.
His face hardened as he looked down at the box.
“…There are markings on it.”
The lid of the box was engraved with intricate symbols.
Although the markings had darkened to a deep brown, they had likely once been a vivid red.
The symbols were drawn in blood, the source of life, and the emblem of the Blood Sect…
“It looks similar to the symbol we saw at the Sacheondangmun,” Doyul said, his voice tense.
“It’s the same as the talisman we found at the Goamjeong.”
“…”
“…”
The subordinates were also on edge.
At that moment, Manyeon Bingjeong growled from behind.
– ‘Young Palace Lord, there’s an evil aura coming from that box.’
“Then we’ll need to destroy it.”
Doyul gripped his sword tighter.
He could already guess what might be inside the box.
‘At Goamjeong, it was a bundle of hair…’
It was likely that some part of a body similar to that, was inside.
But rather than opening the box to confirm, Doyul chose to destroy it and disrupt the formation.
Crack!
Doyul’s sword pierced through the box.
The box shattered, and strands of hair poured out.
Along with it—
Zzzzhhh!
The air trembled violently.
But unlike before, the formation didn’t collapse.
The only thing that changed was that the heavy weight pressing on their shoulders slightly eased.
– ‘More components make up the formation.’
Manyeon Bingjeong squinted and spoke.
– ‘I sense more of that evil aura, similar to the one from the box.’
“More?” Yerin asked, shocked.
“How many?”
– ‘Based on my feeling, there are at least four of them.’
Manyeon Bingjeong moved away from the box, as though disgusted, and continued.
– ‘If you want to destroy this formation, you’ll need to break all of those cursed objects as well.’
“…”
“…”
A heavy silence fell.
Yerin narrowed her eyes and asked again.
“Then why did you guide us here with those cursed objects still intact?”
– ‘Well, I didn’t think there would be so many of them from the start.’
Manyeon Bingjeong gestured toward the box.
– ‘When that cursed object broke, the formation weakened, and that’s how I started sensing the others.’
“…You didn’t even realize the positions of the components properly.”
How thick must the ominous energy in the formation have been?
Yerin felt a coldness creeping over her fingertips.
– ‘Also, didn’t you request to be taken to the gathering point of life force?’
Manyeon Bingjeong tapped the ground lightly with his foot.
– ‘There’s a passageway beneath this place. The life force that’s been collected from various locations passes through here.’
“A passageway?”
– ‘Yes, beneath here, there’s a path. And at the end of it…’
For the first time, Manyeon Bingjeong’s confident tone faltered.
– ‘At the end of it lies the most ominous and terrifying thing in this world.’
A monster born to eradicate all life.
The Blood Demon.
– ‘If it truly revives…’
Manyeon Bingjeong shuddered as he spoke.
At that moment, Yerin spoke calmly.
“Then it’s time to tear it apart here.”
