RDM (Novel) Chapter 400


C 400


The Heaven Killing Sword, and the threaded serpent qi infused with black lightning, clashed.

Zzzeong!

A completely different level of metallic sound burst out.

Lee Geom-han felt as if his sword was screaming.

The threaded serpent qi, carrying the black lightning, was like a venomous snake filled with poison. It didn't miss the tiny cracks that appeared on Lee Geom-han's sword.

The threaded serpent qi spread rapidly along the cracks.

"Kut!"

Lee Geom-han's face contorted.

He tried to drive out the threaded serpent qi that had penetrated his sword.

However, before he could even react, the threaded serpent qi infused with the black lightning exploded.

Kwaang!

His sword shattered before Lee Geom-han's eyes.

The fragments of the shattered sword rained down on both Pyo Wol and Lee Geom-han.

The two were thrown in opposite directions and slammed into a wall.

The wall crumbled, and the two were buried under bricks.

"Lee Geom-han!"

Namgung Seol called out to Lee Geom-han desperately.

She tried to rush to Lee Geom-han's side. But at that moment, she felt a chilling sensation on her neck.

She carefully looked down to see someone holding a broken sword piece against her neck. A simple cut with the sharpened sword piece would have killed her.

At that moment, she heard the voice of the person holding the blade to her throat from behind her.

"Don't... move."

The moment she heard the voice, which was hoarse and weak, she realized who it was.

"Hong…?”

"That's right! Don't move. If you even twitch a finger, I'll slash your throat."

The woman whispering into Namgung Seol's ear was none other than Hong Ye-seol.

'It's a mistake.'

Namgung Seol clenched her teeth.

Hong Ye-seol was clearly on the verge of death.

It was certain that she would die if left alone. That's why Namgung Seol didn't really pay attention to her. Above all, she was focused on the fight between Pyo Wol and Lee Geom-han. There was no reason to care about the dying Hong Ye-seol.

In the midst of everyone's indifference, Hong Ye-seol barely regained consciousness.

Though she had no strength to even move a finger, she desperately moved and took out the medicine she had kept hidden, putting it in her mouth.

The pill was a hard-earned life-saving pill.

It didn't instantly heal wounds, but it was a miracle drug that could slightly improve one's condition.

Hong Ye-seol always carried the pill with her, thinking of it as an extra life.

While Pyo Wol and Lee Geom-han were fighting, Hong Ye-seol kept her eyes closed and waited for the medicine's effects.

Miraculously, she gained a bit of strength to move.

At that time, everyone's attention was focused on the confrontation between Pyo Wol and Lee Geom-han. Thanks to that, Hong Ye-seol was able to sneak up behind Namgung Seol.

"Ah!"

"Lady Namgung?"

The members of the Snow Flower Swords let out a guarded cry as they spotted Hong Ye-seol pointing the shard at Namgung Seol's neck.

Hong Ye-seol spoke with difficulty.

"Don't move. The moment anyone moves, this girl's delicate neck will be split open."

"Damn it!"

"Argh!"

At Hong Ye-seol's threat, the snow flower swords couldn't move.

They felt her words weren't just empty threats.

Her legs trembled like a weak tree. It seemed like she would collapse if someone even slightly pushed her.

Despite that, Hong Ye-seol's eyes were filled with determination.

She was resolved not to die alone, and it showed in her eyes.

Namgung Seol spoke up.

"This won't solve the problem."

"It doesn't have to."

"I thought you were a rational person. I'm disappointed."

"I'm rational, that's why I'm doing this. I have two choices: to die alone or to die with you. I've been thinking about which way is better."

"So you're saying we'll die together?"

"Yes! I won't die alone, no matter what."

Hong Ye-seol laughed. Then, her blood stained teeth were exposed.

The sight reminded Namgung Seol of an evil spirit.

Namgung Seol bit her lip.

She had never imagined that she would suffer such humiliation at the hands of an assassin she thought she had caught.

Shame made her shoulders tremble.

Namgung Seol had come this far, overcoming countless challenges on her own. She had great pride in herself because of that.

To her, who believed in shaping her own destiny, the current situation was not only humiliating but also shameful.

'How could I have let my guard down...'

But no matter how fast regret came, it was always too late.

The blade dug into her neck, and blood flowed. A little deeper, and her life would have ended right there.

That's when it happened.

Kwarr!

Lee-Geom han pushed himself up, brushing aside the debris of the collapsed wall.

Broken pieces of the blade were deeply embedded all over his body. But Lee-Geom han didn't pay any attention to the blade and looked straight ahead.

At that moment, Pyo Wol also got up, pushing through the wall's debris like Lee-Geom han. He too had blades stuck in his body. However, Pyo Wol didn't care about the wounds on his body either and looked at Lee-Geom han.

Their bodies tingled all over.

It was the first time he had struggled like this since gaining enlightenment at Mount Tianzhong. It was also the first time he had sustained such injuries.

It felt like a terrible pain, as if being crushed under a huge rock.

It was the same for Lee-Geom han.

It was the first time for Pyo Wol, who had earned the nickname reaper, to engage in such an intense battle.

They really fought with all their might.

It was hard to remember when they had poured out all their strength like this.

Despite having similar injuries, Pyo Wol's complexion didn't change. His face showed no sign of someone who had been in a fierce battle.

Suddenly, Lee-Geom han's gaze turned to Namgung Seol.

Seeing her, held hostage by Hong Ye-seol, Lee-Geom han's expression changed slightly.

"Ha! I must have underestimated her. I thought I had her."

To anyone's eyes, Hong Ye-seol was in a critical state.

She was likely to die if he left her alone, which was why he was able to focus on the battle with Pyo Wol.

However, contrary to his judgment, Hong Ye-seol stubbornly clung to life, creating this situation.

Although she seemed to collapse at any moment, she held the blade aimed at Namgung Seol with an iron grip. Moreover, she pressed her body tightly against Namgung Seol, making it impossible to separate them rashly.

Her tenacity was admirable.

Lee-Geom han asked Pyo Wol.

"Are all assassins like that?"

"Not all of them."

"I'm glad. If all assassins were like that, I wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully."

Lee-Geom han's voice lost its spirit.

There was no point in fighting Pyo Wol any further with Namgung Seol held hostage.

Lee-Geom Han cleared the way.

"Take her with you."

"No, don't do that because of me."

Namgung Seol cried out.

The man who had always walked his path without compromise was now giving in because of her.

It hurt her heart.

That's when Hong Ye-seol whispered.

"If it hurts so much, why don't you die here?"

Hong Ye-seol stabbed the blade even harder, and the blood flowing from her neck increased significantly.

Seeing Namgung Seol's body stiffen, Hong Ye-seol laughed.

"I knew you would be like that. Everything about you is hypocrisy. You act as if you can give your life for your man, but you don't have the courage to truly sacrifice your life. And you claim you do it for Kangho? Don't make me laugh. We, the assassins, are much better than hypocrites like you. At least we don't pretend."

Her voice was so soft that only Namgung Seol could hear it.

Namgung Seol shivered with humiliation.

She wanted to argue, but no suitable words came to her mind. That's how accurately Hong Ye-Seol hit the mark.

Hong Ye-Seol's face was deathly pale.

She barely maintained consciousness thanks to the life saving pills' help, but she was now at her limit.

If it weren't for her stubbornness and pride, she would have collapsed long ago.

Her eyelids kept drooping.

Strength began to leave the hand gripping the sword. Despite that, Hong Ye-Seol leaned on Namgung Seol for support and stubbornly stood her ground.

'Evil spirit...'

'Are all assassins like this?'

The sight of her was enough to make even the Snow Flower Swords weary.

Pyo Wol bypassed Lee Geom-han and approached Hong Ye-Seol.

As Pyo Wol got closer, Hong Ye-seol's legs gradually gave out. But she desperately bit her lip, trying to endure.

Pyo Wol reached out to her.

"It's over now."

"Who said... you can help?"

"I was just passing by."

"Haha! How... funny..."

At that moment, Hong Ye-Seol's body collapsed.

Pyo Wol caught her.

Her face was completely devoid of color, and her body was as cold as ice.

Thanks to the life saving pill's aid, she was still breathing, but it was precarious and could be cut off at any moment.

Urgent measures were needed.

Pyo Wol lifted Hong Ye-Seol in his arms.

Namgung Seol spoke, looking at Pyo Wol.

"If you get involved with her, your fate will not be smooth either."

"That's all you can say. That's not how threats work. It's much more effective to make someone imagine what will happen to them than to make them scared."

"What?"

"Like this, for example. From now on, I will target you when you sleep, when you eat, when you breathe. My blade will always be aimed at your life. Can these people protect you? Can they protect you for a year, a decade, an eternity? Then you can test them. Because I'll have you for the rest of my life."

"..."

For a moment, Namgung Seol froze.

Just imagining Pyo Wol lurking in the shadows and targeting her sent chills all over her body.

Pyo Wol was the top assassin in Kangho.

Without reaching the level ofLee-Geom han, there was no way to fend off his attacks.

However, Lee-Geom han couldn't stay by her side and protect her from Pyo Wol all the time.

It usually takes at least ten times the number of soldiers to fend off a single assassin.

Let alone when the opponent is Pyo Wol, known as the top assassin in Kangho.

Even with a hundred soldiers as escorts, there's no guarantee of stopping him.

If an assassin like Pyo Wol targets her, not only will her daily life be paralyzed, but so will all external activities. If that happened, her plan to help Lee-Geom han would most likely be in ruins.

The mere thought of it made her shudder.

Pyo Wol glanced at her and said, "You understand now? That's how you threaten."

"W-wait a moment."

Namgung Seol quickly called out to Pyo Wol, but he disappeared without a response.

Namgung Seol lost strength in her legs and collapsed.

Lee-Geom han approached her, sighing.

"Are you okay?"

"Lee-Geom han!"

"Don't worry, nothing will happen."

"I'm sorry. I messed up because of me..."

"If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have cornered the assassin like this. It's not because of your lack of ability, but because Pyo Wol's abilities are far more advanced than we expected."

"If he really targets me..."

"He won't."

"How can you be sure?"

"Because if he really wanted to target you, he wouldn't have told you all that."

"Haah!"

"Not only his martial arts skills but also his psychology is exceptional. If he really turns against us, we'll have endless regrets."

Despite Lee-Geom han's consolation, Namgung Seol's mind did not easily calm down.

She was called the Thousand-Year Fox, but she couldn't think of anything in front of Pyo Wol's terrifying threat.

Lee-Geom han looked at Namgung Seol with a pitying gaze.

It was best not to deal with an opponent like Pyo Wol, but if they had to, they had to see it through.

Lee-Geom han missed that opportunity.

Now, he had no idea when such an opportunity would come again.

Lee-Geom han looked at his hand.

Only the broken handle of his sword remained in his hand.

"Hoo!"

Lee-Geom han let out a heavy sigh.

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