Reaper of the Drifting Moon

The blood spewed by So Gyeoksan splashed on Lee Hogwan’s face, staining it red.

With his eyes wide open, Lee Hogwan glared at So Gyeoksan.

“Keh! You… damn… demon…”

“I’m not the real demon. Compared to him, I’m merely a bat aimlessly wandering in the dark.”

“Him?”

Lee Hogwan’s gaze moved towards Pyo-wol, who was approaching from behind So Gyeoksan.

So Gyeoksan, revealing his teeth stained with blood, laughed.

“Yes, him! He’s the one who you should fear.”

“Kuh… heuk!”

Lee Hogwan tried to say something, but all that came out was a wheezing sound.

So Gyeoksan stared long and hard into the eyes of Lee Hogwan, who was losing his life. His own eyes were filled with madness.

Finally, Lee Hogwan collapsed, lifeless.

At the same time, So Gyeoksan also fell.

“Haek! Haek!”

He lay on Lee Hogwan’s corpse, gasping for breath.

His body, not yet fully recovered, felt like it was falling apart.

It was hatred and madness that drove him.

Having unleashed everything in a single moment, he had exhausted both his physical and mental strength.

He was now so weak that he couldn’t even move a finger.

If an enemy were to appear at this moment, he would undoubtedly meet his end. But So Gyeoksan was not worried.

The real demon, Pyo-wol, had appeared above him.

Looking down at him, Pyo-wol said,

“How long are you going to lie there?”

“Can’t you see I’m on the verge of dying?”

“If you’re going to complain that much, just keep lying down.”

“Son of a bitch!”

Cursing, So Gyeoksan stood up.

Just the act of sitting up made his whole body scream in agony. But So Gyeoksan gritted his teeth and got up.

He hated showing Pyo-wol any further weakness more than dying.

Hong Yushin supported So Gyeoksan’s staggering figure.

Under normal circumstances, he would have brushed off the help dismissively, but now, So Gyeoksan didn’t even have the strength to refuse.

Leaning on Hong Yushin’s shoulder, So Gyeoksan said,

“It was you. The one who followed me from Runan…”

Though he couldn’t see Hong Yushin’s face, he clearly remembered the fleeting glimpses of his aura.

“Thanks to you, I’ve had a hell of an experience.”

“Heh heh! It really is like hell.”

The two shared a connection, having both been trapped in the Prison of No Return.

If it weren’t for their shared experience, these two would never have accepted each other, similar to how oil doesn’t mix with water.

Yu Suhwan understood their feelings.

Although their positions were different, being trapped in this hellish place was enough to understand and accept each other.

It was then.

Boom!

Suddenly, the iron gate connected to the underground common area exploded.

Through the shattered gate, an imposing man stood.

His fists were clenched, and he was wearing a gauntlet.

The man was none other than Gu Ja-hwang, the warden of the Prison of No Return.

Gu Ja-hwang’s gaze fell on Lee Hogwan, who was lying on the ground.

Gu Ja-hwang’s expression didn’t change at all even when he saw Lee Hogwan’s lifeless body.

Lee Hogwan was merely bait to lure out the sneaky rat hiding in his prison.

His opponent was an expert who had enough skill to neutralize and infiltrate his tight security system, so if his target decided to hide, it wouldn’t be easy to find him. That’s why he didn’t stop Lee Hogwan when he offered to help.

While Lee Hogwan saw Gu Ja-hwang as a competitor, Gu Ja-hwang had never considered Lee Hogwan as a worthy opponent.

Only Lee Hogwan harbored a competitive spirit. In reality, Gu Ja-hwang’s martial arts skills were far superior.

It wasn’t by chance that he became the warden of the Prison of No Return.

He reigned as the warden because he had the martial skills and ability to do so.

His gaze fell on Pyo-wol.

“So, it was you! The rat that’s been hiding.”

“……”

“I don’t know how you managed to sneak in here, but you will never see the light of day again.”

Whoosh!

At that moment, Gu Ja-hwang’s subordinates threw torches into the tunnel where Pyo-wol and the others were.

Dozens of torches lit up the area like broad daylight.

They wanted to block all of Pyo-wol’s escape routes and hiding areas.

Releasing his killing intent, Gu Ja-hwang said,

“Go ahead and try hiding again, you rat.”

Kuuu!

His killing intent caused the air in the basement to crackle.

“Eum!”

“Keuk!”

Yu Suhwan and Hong Yushin, and the others groaned.

Under normal circumstances, they could handle his killing intent with ease, but they were now incredibly weak.

Their complexions turned pale, and So Gyeoksan even coughed up blood. If a little more time passed like this, their lives would be at risk.

At that moment, Pyo-wol stepped in front of the three, blocking Gu Ja-hwang’s killing intent.

“You’re as pretty as a girl, you sneaky rat. It would be a sight to behold once I throw you over to the boys.”

“Are you the warden of the Prison of No Return?”

“Who allowed you to open your mouth? Don’t speak or even breathe until I give you permission.”

“Overly self-conscious, are you? Seems like you’ve only learned bad things from the Kowloon Assassin Guild.”

“What?”

Gu Ja-hwang’s expression instantly stiffened.

He looked as though he had received an unexpected blow.

The words that came out of Pyo-wol’s mouth momentarily threw him off guard.

Immediately, his face distorted like a wicked demon.

“Where did you hear that name?”

“So, it was the Kowloon Assassin Guild after all.”

“I asked where you heard it.”

Oooong!

Gu Ja-hwang’s roar echoed throughout the cave.

The roar amplified as it reverberated off the cave walls.

The three of them, except for Pyo-wol, were unable to withstand it and fell to their knees.

“Kheukh!”

Blood flowed from their ears. Their eardrums had burst from the roar.

The operation of the Prison of No Return by the Kowloon Assassin Guild was a top-secret matter.

Even Gu Ja-hwang’s subordinates were hearing the name Kowloon Assassin Guild for the first time today.

Having Pyo-wol casually and boldly reveal such a secret, Gu Ja-hwang couldn’t help but be stunned.

Gu Ja-hwang glared at Pyo-wol with fierce eyes.

The more he glared, the more Pyo-wol’s white face stood out strikingly.

Even in the darkness, it stood out like a sore thumb.

At that moment, Gu Ja-hwang was able to recall a name he had heard sometime ago.

“Pyo-wol! So, you’re Pyo-wol!”

His killing intent intensified even more.

Pyo-wol was the number one enemy of the Kowloon Assassin Guild.

Because of him, they suffered a great blow to their operation in Runan, and their counted strategist, Lee Yul, experienced a significant failure.

It was the first time they had suffered such a big blow since they had gathered under the name Kowloon.

The Prison of No Return was one of the strongholds set up by the Kowloon Assassin Guild in Jianghu.

The Prison of No Return did the dirty work that the powerful figures of Jianghu were reluctant to do directly.

The Prison of No Return may not yield a large sum of money right away, and if not careful, they could potentially attract the attention and hostility of Jianghu, but in return, they could see glimpses of the powerful figures’ misdeeds and inner workings like seeing the lines on their hands.

If such information is collected and gathered over time, it will one day be possible to move those in power as they wish.

The Prison of No Return was a place operated with such a purpose.

The moment its secrets were leaked, its existence would lose its meaning and inevitably become a target of Jianghu.

Such a situation had to be prevented at all costs.

Seeing Gu Ja-hwang’s bewildered expression, Pyo-wol was certain that his suspicions were correct.

No matter how much he thought about it, the only group that could secretly run the Prison of No Return in Jianghu was the Kowloon Assassin Guild.

They were steadily building their influence and power in the shadows, completely out of sight.

There was no telling how far their influence would extend.

Pyo-wol mumbled as he looked at Gu Ja-hwang,

“It must be fate.”

“What?”

“Seeing that we keep bumping into each other like this, I think we’re destined to fight each other.”

“What kind of crazy nonsense are you–”

Roaaar!

Gu Ja-hwang unleashed his energy and launched a punch.

Whirlwind Strike.1

A destructive technique that maximizes damage by spinning qi.

As if to prove its power, the cave shook as if it was about to collapse any second.

Roaaang!

As the Whirlwind Strike hit the ground, a large pit formed and stalactites fell with a loud crash.

Its power was truly formidable.

However, Gu Ja-hwang’s expression was not very good.

Because he felt nothing in his hand.

Before he knew it, Pyo-wol had disappeared and was nowhere to be seen.

Despite dozens of torches illuminating every corner of the cave, not a trace nor even a shadow of Pyo-wol could be found.

The look in Gu Ja-hwang’s eyes deepened even more.

Only then did he recall that his opponent’s fundamental nature was that of an assassin.

Such a fight in the darkness was undoubtedly something Pyo-wol excelled at.

The torches illuminated every corner of the cave, but shadows still existed, and Pyo-wol used those shadows as cover.

He shouted,

“Everyone, watch your back! He will surely ambush!”

“Yes!”

His subordinates shouted back, moving in unison in forming a defensive circle. Their backs against each other, preparing themselves for a surprise attack.

The sight alone showed how disciplined and well-trained they were.

No ordinary martial artists would even dare to attempt to break into their circle.

The problem, however, was that their opponent was Pyo-wol.

“Keuh!”

Suddenly, one of the martial artists forming the defensive circle screamed as he was yanked into the air. Pyo-wol had used his Soul-Reaping Thread to snare the man’s neck.

The eyes of the martial artist who saw his companion being reeled in like a fish shook.

The eyes of the martial artists turned toward the space where their colleague had disappeared.

Although the torches illuminated the ground and the walls, they couldn’t fully light up the ceiling of the underground cavity.

The dense rows of stalactites cast long shadows in the light.

The problem was that these shadows were incredibly wide.

The very thought of Pyo-wol hiding somewhere within them, lying in wait for them, sent chills down their spines.

It was then.

Squirt!

Suddenly, a moist liquid was sprinkled from thin air like rain.

“What?”

“This is–”

The warriors, absentmindedly touching the liquid that wet their faces, were startled.

“Blood?”

The liquid, from which a pungent metallic scent wafted, was clearly blood.

They didn’t need to be told whose blood it was.

Thump!

A decapitated corpse fell from the sky.

The corpse, with its neck slit long and tongue sticking out, was the comrade who had disappeared after being dragged away by Pyo-wol just a while ago.

“Damn it!”

“Bastard!”

Angered by the death of their comrade, the warriors swung their weapons towards the ceiling.

The sword furiously swung through the air, but it did not reach the ceiling.

“Chaah!”

Unable to bear it any longer, Gu Ja-hwang launched a Whirlwind Strike towards the ceiling from where the corpse had dropped.

Crash!

With a loud noise, the stalactites fell down. But there was no sight of Pyo-wol.

“Keuk!”

Instead, another warrior vanished into thin air.

It was quite a distance away from where Gu Ja-hwang had attacked.

“Chae-hong!”

“Catch him!”

The martial artists rushed over, calling out the name of their missing comrade. But by then, he had already completely vanished into the darkness.

“Give Chae-hong back!”

Gu Ja-hwang yelled as he unleashed a punch.

Whack!

Fortunately, this time there was the sound of his blow hitting something.

It was the sound made when hitting flesh, not a mineral material like stalactite.

‘It’s done!’

Just when Gu Ja-hwang was about to shout in triumph.

Squirt!

Blood and flesh fell down.

The moment they confirmed the identity of the shattered corpse, Gu Ja-hwang and the warriors froze.

“Chae-hong!”

The corpse shattered by Gu Ja-hwang’s attack was precisely the warrior whom Pyo-wol had taken away.

To their horror, Pyo-wol had used the warrior he’d captured as a shield.

“You bastard–!”

Furious, Gu Ja-hwang used all his internal energy and let out a lion’s roar.

Whoosh!

The confined terrain amplified his lion’s roar.

“Geuh!”

“W, Warden!”

Gu Ja-hwang’s men covered their ears with both hands, yet Gu Ja-hwang didn’t stop roaring.

He instinctively knew that if Pyo-wol were allowed to run wild any further, the situation would be impossible to control.

His judgment was excellent.

However, unfortunately for him, his opponent was Pyo-wol.

Pyo-wol used his internal energy to shield his ears from the effects of the lion’s roar.

Gu Ja-hwang and his followers couldn’t see him, but to Pyo-wol’s eyes, their chaotic movements were clearly visible.

They didn’t know.

That this place was the perfect battlefield for him.

So from now on, he would show them that.

Ten strands of Soul-Reaping Thread unraveled from his fingers.

Plop! Plop! Plop!

SoundlessWind21’s notes:

Thank you for reading!

Whirlwind Strike. Raws: 선풍격(旋風擊). 旋風 xuànfēng – whirlwind / tornado 擊 jī – to hit / to strike / to break