379
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‘I never expected the assassins from the Ghost mercenaries would come so quickly.’
It was because he believed his movements hadn't been exposed.
Just a moment ago, he had been with Yona, and when they were searching the Wantaromo Forest, he had been in disguise with Valeria.
Especially when Yona was around, it was impossible for assassins to be so close.
‘Did they find me right after elder sister Yona left? It hasn't even been two hours. How did they manage to track my movements in such a short time?’
He had no clue.
It couldn't simply be dismissed as a coincidence, given the thoroughness of the Ghost mercenaries' preparations. It seems that all the first-class passengers were disguised assassins.
‘Well, I'll find out how they managed to tail me later…’
After dealing with the situation.
‘My body condition wasn't great, but elder sister Yona's killing intent could be quite helpful in this fight.’
It will be helpful in feeling the "difference" in the ordinary killing intent. If Yona's killing intent was like a blank canvas, then ordinary killing intent was a palette of various colors.
This, in itself, had a kind of filtering effect. No matter from which direction an attack came, he could respond at a level close to prediction, thanks to the killing intent soaked into their sword.
Just like how we can distinguish colors on the canvas with our naked eyes.
That's why, even though he was quite tired, Jin had confidence. Fighting with an advantage to offset his handicap.
Sighing while looking around, the guide seemed perplexed.
"Guest, I apologize, but do you happen to have any narcotics or similar substances with you? I'll need to check for a moment, please cooperate."
The guide reached out to Jin.
In that moment, Jin punched her while still sitting. Thud! The savage sensation of the guide's finger bones breaking in succession was conveyed, and before she could scream, Jin slashed her throat with the hand blade.
It wasn't a sword. It was just his hand, yet the cut edge on the neck was clean. Jin, too, had already surpassed the point where he could use his entire body like a blade.
Squeak!
The hand stained with aura left a shining trail.
The blood should have splattered everywhere like a fountain, but there was no blood coming from the cleanly severed guide's neck.
Her insides were nearly empty. There were parts resembling the figure of a human and an animal, but the guide was a "mask," created using materials from both.
The familiar sensation when he broke her fingers was because of this.
"Oh, look at you, tough one. What would you have done if she really were a guide?"
The young woman wearing a mask as a disguise had been the one in the guide's outfit.
She had now distanced herself from the entrance of the cabin, holding two short swords in both hands.
At the same time, there was a chilly friction sound as blades were unsheathed from all around. The assassins disguised as passengers were drawing their weapons.
"Asking first-class passengers about narcotics possession is something only the top administrators can do. You need to study more."
Jin seemed to know who the woman was.
"Faye Proch."
The Proch clan.
They were originally a simple peasant household, but they gained notoriety in the world thanks to a man named 'Smarion Proch'.
Despite coming from a peasant background, Smarion Proch displayed a talent for murder from a young age. He first killed his parents and then committed countless murders.
Finally, he brought down 'Seigalga,' the clan that had ruled the Ghost mercenaries for centuries, and made the Proch name known to the world.
Smarion left two children before he died, Lata Proch, who is now the current leader of the Ghost mercenaries, and his younger sister, Faye Proch.
And like Smarion, they were born with the destiny of killers.
In just one generation, a peasant household had turned into a group of killers, and people referred to them as 'Proch's devils.'
"So, you recognized me right away? Well, Runcandel's infamous 12th Flagbearer. I don't hold a grudge against you, but you'll have to die here."
At her words, Jin calmly observed the various colors of killing intents. A total of ten highly trained assassins, including Faye Proch.
Their killing intent was undoubtedly exceptional.
But Jin didn’t find it impressive. Just two hours ago, he had been in the presence of killing intent itself.
"If you want that, I recommend bringing more people."
Faye nodded, seemingly unbothered by Jin's provocation.
"That confidence, I hope it will continue even when your entire body is paralyzed."
Pwsssh...!
As Faye finished speaking, the inside of the cabin began to be engulfed in red smoke.
It was a poison gas that causes hallucinations and nerve paralysis. The lethality of the poison itself wasn't high, but it could instantly rob even trained martial artists of their senses. It was one of the symbols of the Ghost mercenaries.
"Haa!"
Jin took a deep breath, filling his lungs with air, and drew his sword. Then he charged toward the entrance of the cabin where Faye was blocking his way. She smiled beneath her mask as if it were all over.
Swish!
Faye easily parried Jin's desperate strike. Furthermore, the other nine executioners were also attacking Jin, making it seem impossible for him to leave the cabin.
[T/L: 살수 is an old style representation of assassins. So I am using the word “executioners” for this.]
With his face contorted with despair, Jin sweated profusely as the executioners closed in on him.
They were waiting for the poison to take him down.
"Kuh...!"
Jin staggered, feeling dizzy.
The executioners’ blades were getting closer.
Thud!
"Ugh, ugh... I-I demand negotiations."
Finally, Jin fell on one knee and barely managed to open his mouth. Faye's eyes turned cold.
"Where did that audacity go?"
Faye was extremely disappointed, or perhaps she had expected that this would happen. Faye Proch had witnessed many formidable individuals who initially seemed confident eventually becoming contemptible.
"Negotiation..."
"Finish him. Retrieve the body and return."
As Faye turned around and gave the order, the executioners simultaneously sprang into action.
At that moment, Jin completely collapsed on the ground, barely holding onto his sword.
It wasn't necessary to be cautious when thrusting a sword into the back of someone who was just lying down, defenseless.
And Jin had been waiting for this moment when the Ghost mercenaries’ executioners lost their caution and let their guard down.
‘They probably took the antidote in advance, but they wanted to kill me as quickly as possible and get out of this poison.’
The Thousand-poison Antidote.
The antidote that turned the drinker's body into one nearly immune to various poisons.
The Ghost mercenaries didn't have it. That's why when they used extreme poison, they had to endure some damage themselves.
In other words, the Ghost mercenaries used the poison mist because they were determined to kill Jin, even if it meant harming their own bodies.
So, despite going to great lengths to kill him, when Jin displayed a sublime attitude, it lowered Faye’s guard.
Thump, thump, thump!
The executioners’ swords were thrusting without mercy.
However, the swords of the executioners were not aimed at Jin but at the ground where he had fallen.
Since Jin was lying down, he couldn't see in which direction the assassins' swords were coming.
No matter how alert he was, avoiding the executioners' swords in this state was difficult for Jin. Especially given the exhaustion that had accumulated in his body.
However, what mattered was the killing intent Jin sensed from them.
Even with his eyes closed, Jin felt like he could easily evade all their swords.
"Kuk!"
Faye, who was about to leave the room, turned back to Jin at that moment. The very moment one of the executioner’s neck was broken, he let out a scream of death.
Faye’s eyes widened in disbelief.
‘What...!?’
Could it be that Jin Runcandel had been acting all along until just now!
She realized it instantly. Whether he possessed the thousand-poison antidote or had a poison body like Kuzan, Jin had immunity to the poison and had used it to put on an act.
However, no matter how quickly she realized it, it was already too late.
Another assassin's body had been split horizontally, and amidst the severed body, she could see Jin wielding a sword stained with dark energy like a demon.
Thud-!
Red blood sprayed as lifeless bodies fell to the ground, forming a grotesque sound.
"That's why the Ghost mercenaries are considered worse than Nameless assassins. Poison? Did you really think you could assassinate Runcandel with something like that?"
Jin, with blood dripping from his lips, momentarily glanced at Faye.
In that brief moment, Faye felt a sense of intense defeat for the first time in her life. In her 25 years of existence, she had never experienced such a humiliating moment.
"Kill him!"
Faye charged forward, shouting.
Three executioners were already dead, and yet, with a 7 to 1 advantage, they believed they could still kill Jin using brute force alone.
Faye and the executioners believed so.
Up until the moment when Faye, who had caught Jin from behind, thrust her twin swords, hoping that this time the blades would penetrate his body and kill him...
Thud!
However, Faye's twin swords, which had fallen on Jin's back, only produced an empty sound as if they bounced off on the metal.
Shadow force armor
The thousand-poison antidote wasn’t the only thing about which the Ghost mercenary corps was not aware of. They also remained ignorant of the information about Bradamante's shadow force armor, which had been completed not long ago.
‘Damn it!’
Faye cursed as she realized this.
The reason Faye could easily get behind Jin was thanks to the other executioners who were diverting Jin's attention in front.
Two of the seven executioners were engaging in a dangerous battle to create an opening.
If Faye's blades had successfully pierced Jin's back, their heads wouldn't be rolling on the ground right now.
Thud! Thud! However, two lifeless heads lay on the ground, dropped there without much thought. What remained were Faye and the remaining five executioners, who suddenly felt a tightness in their chests.
A strange fear was gripping their hearts, despite still being superior.
But even that sense of superiority wouldn't last long.
"Faye Proch, you had two chances. When you were disguised as an attendant and when I personally told you that you'd need more people to kill me. If you had withdrawn back then, this wouldn't have been so disappointing. What a shame."
"Your sarcasm is excellent as rumored. I'll admit I was careless, but your death is inevitable."
"If I were you, I would have escaped even now. This is your third chance."
"Shut up!"
The blades of Faye and the executioners were now crackling with fierce aura. They were determined to kill their opponent even if it meant facing death themselves.
"Unfortunately..."
Whooosh!
The Bradamante's shadow force grew even stronger, and also added pressure of Plutonian tribe's suppression.
From within the blade, a heavy pressure of blue flames erupted.
The power of shadow force, the lightning, and blue flames were all merging, emitting a profound and sinister aura.
"It seems like you're trying to blow even the last chance."
379
[Support me here:- https://bmc.link/punisher87 ]
‘I never expected the assassins from the Ghost mercenaries would come so quickly.’
It was because he believed his movements hadn't been exposed.
Just a moment ago, he had been with Yona, and when they were searching the Wantaromo Forest, he had been in disguise with Valeria.
Especially when Yona was around, it was impossible for assassins to be so close.
‘Did they find me right after elder sister Yona left? It hasn't even been two hours. How did they manage to track my movements in such a short time?’
He had no clue.
It couldn't simply be dismissed as a coincidence, given the thoroughness of the Ghost mercenaries' preparations. It seems that all the first-class passengers were disguised assassins.
‘Well, I'll find out how they managed to tail me later…’
After dealing with the situation.
‘My body condition wasn't great, but elder sister Yona's killing intent could be quite helpful in this fight.’
It will be helpful in feeling the "difference" in the ordinary killing intent. If Yona's killing intent was like a blank canvas, then ordinary killing intent was a palette of various colors.
This, in itself, had a kind of filtering effect. No matter from which direction an attack came, he could respond at a level close to prediction, thanks to the killing intent soaked into their sword.
Just like how we can distinguish colors on the canvas with our naked eyes.
That's why, even though he was quite tired, Jin had confidence. Fighting with an advantage to offset his handicap.
Sighing while looking around, the guide seemed perplexed.
"Guest, I apologize, but do you happen to have any narcotics or similar substances with you? I'll need to check for a moment, please cooperate."
The guide reached out to Jin.
In that moment, Jin punched her while still sitting. Thud! The savage sensation of the guide's finger bones breaking in succession was conveyed, and before she could scream, Jin slashed her throat with the hand blade.
It wasn't a sword. It was just his hand, yet the cut edge on the neck was clean. Jin, too, had already surpassed the point where he could use his entire body like a blade.
Squeak!
The hand stained with aura left a shining trail.
The blood should have splattered everywhere like a fountain, but there was no blood coming from the cleanly severed guide's neck.
Her insides were nearly empty. There were parts resembling the figure of a human and an animal, but the guide was a "mask," created using materials from both.
The familiar sensation when he broke her fingers was because of this.
"Oh, look at you, tough one. What would you have done if she really were a guide?"
The young woman wearing a mask as a disguise had been the one in the guide's outfit.
She had now distanced herself from the entrance of the cabin, holding two short swords in both hands.
At the same time, there was a chilly friction sound as blades were unsheathed from all around. The assassins disguised as passengers were drawing their weapons.
"Asking first-class passengers about narcotics possession is something only the top administrators can do. You need to study more."
Jin seemed to know who the woman was.
"Faye Proch."
The Proch clan.
They were originally a simple peasant household, but they gained notoriety in the world thanks to a man named 'Smarion Proch'.
Despite coming from a peasant background, Smarion Proch displayed a talent for murder from a young age. He first killed his parents and then committed countless murders.
Finally, he brought down 'Seigalga,' the clan that had ruled the Ghost mercenaries for centuries, and made the Proch name known to the world.
Smarion left two children before he died, Lata Proch, who is now the current leader of the Ghost mercenaries, and his younger sister, Faye Proch.
And like Smarion, they were born with the destiny of killers.
In just one generation, a peasant household had turned into a group of killers, and people referred to them as 'Proch's devils.'
"So, you recognized me right away? Well, Runcandel's infamous 12th Flagbearer. I don't hold a grudge against you, but you'll have to die here."
At her words, Jin calmly observed the various colors of killing intents. A total of ten highly trained assassins, including Faye Proch.
Their killing intent was undoubtedly exceptional.
But Jin didn’t find it impressive. Just two hours ago, he had been in the presence of killing intent itself.
"If you want that, I recommend bringing more people."
Faye nodded, seemingly unbothered by Jin's provocation.
"That confidence, I hope it will continue even when your entire body is paralyzed."
Pwsssh...!
As Faye finished speaking, the inside of the cabin began to be engulfed in red smoke.
It was a poison gas that causes hallucinations and nerve paralysis. The lethality of the poison itself wasn't high, but it could instantly rob even trained martial artists of their senses. It was one of the symbols of the Ghost mercenaries.
"Haa!"
Jin took a deep breath, filling his lungs with air, and drew his sword. Then he charged toward the entrance of the cabin where Faye was blocking his way. She smiled beneath her mask as if it were all over.
Swish!
Faye easily parried Jin's desperate strike. Furthermore, the other nine executioners were also attacking Jin, making it seem impossible for him to leave the cabin.
[T/L: 살수 is an old style representation of assassins. So I am using the word “executioners” for this.]
With his face contorted with despair, Jin sweated profusely as the executioners closed in on him.
They were waiting for the poison to take him down.
"Kuh...!"
Jin staggered, feeling dizzy.
The executioners’ blades were getting closer.
Thud!
"Ugh, ugh... I-I demand negotiations."
Finally, Jin fell on one knee and barely managed to open his mouth. Faye's eyes turned cold.
"Where did that audacity go?"
Faye was extremely disappointed, or perhaps she had expected that this would happen. Faye Proch had witnessed many formidable individuals who initially seemed confident eventually becoming contemptible.
"Negotiation..."
"Finish him. Retrieve the body and return."
As Faye turned around and gave the order, the executioners simultaneously sprang into action.
At that moment, Jin completely collapsed on the ground, barely holding onto his sword.
It wasn't necessary to be cautious when thrusting a sword into the back of someone who was just lying down, defenseless.
And Jin had been waiting for this moment when the Ghost mercenaries’ executioners lost their caution and let their guard down.
‘They probably took the antidote in advance, but they wanted to kill me as quickly as possible and get out of this poison.’
The Thousand-poison Antidote.
The antidote that turned the drinker's body into one nearly immune to various poisons.
The Ghost mercenaries didn't have it. That's why when they used extreme poison, they had to endure some damage themselves.
In other words, the Ghost mercenaries used the poison mist because they were determined to kill Jin, even if it meant harming their own bodies.
So, despite going to great lengths to kill him, when Jin displayed a sublime attitude, it lowered Faye’s guard.
Thump, thump, thump!
The executioners’ swords were thrusting without mercy.
However, the swords of the executioners were not aimed at Jin but at the ground where he had fallen.
Since Jin was lying down, he couldn't see in which direction the assassins' swords were coming.
No matter how alert he was, avoiding the executioners' swords in this state was difficult for Jin. Especially given the exhaustion that had accumulated in his body.
However, what mattered was the killing intent Jin sensed from them.
Even with his eyes closed, Jin felt like he could easily evade all their swords.
"Kuk!"
Faye, who was about to leave the room, turned back to Jin at that moment. The very moment one of the executioner’s neck was broken, he let out a scream of death.
Faye’s eyes widened in disbelief.
‘What...!?’
Could it be that Jin Runcandel had been acting all along until just now!
She realized it instantly. Whether he possessed the thousand-poison antidote or had a poison body like Kuzan, Jin had immunity to the poison and had used it to put on an act.
However, no matter how quickly she realized it, it was already too late.
Another assassin's body had been split horizontally, and amidst the severed body, she could see Jin wielding a sword stained with dark energy like a demon.
Thud-!
Red blood sprayed as lifeless bodies fell to the ground, forming a grotesque sound.
"That's why the Ghost mercenaries are considered worse than Nameless assassins. Poison? Did you really think you could assassinate Runcandel with something like that?"
Jin, with blood dripping from his lips, momentarily glanced at Faye.
In that brief moment, Faye felt a sense of intense defeat for the first time in her life. In her 25 years of existence, she had never experienced such a humiliating moment.
"Kill him!"
Faye charged forward, shouting.
Three executioners were already dead, and yet, with a 7 to 1 advantage, they believed they could still kill Jin using brute force alone.
Faye and the executioners believed so.
Up until the moment when Faye, who had caught Jin from behind, thrust her twin swords, hoping that this time the blades would penetrate his body and kill him...
Thud!
However, Faye's twin swords, which had fallen on Jin's back, only produced an empty sound as if they bounced off on the metal.
Shadow force armor
The thousand-poison antidote wasn’t the only thing about which the Ghost mercenary corps was not aware of. They also remained ignorant of the information about Bradamante's shadow force armor, which had been completed not long ago.
‘Damn it!’
Faye cursed as she realized this.
The reason Faye could easily get behind Jin was thanks to the other executioners who were diverting Jin's attention in front.
Two of the seven executioners were engaging in a dangerous battle to create an opening.
If Faye's blades had successfully pierced Jin's back, their heads wouldn't be rolling on the ground right now.
Thud! Thud! However, two lifeless heads lay on the ground, dropped there without much thought. What remained were Faye and the remaining five executioners, who suddenly felt a tightness in their chests.
A strange fear was gripping their hearts, despite still being superior.
But even that sense of superiority wouldn't last long.
"Faye Proch, you had two chances. When you were disguised as an attendant and when I personally told you that you'd need more people to kill me. If you had withdrawn back then, this wouldn't have been so disappointing. What a shame."
"Your sarcasm is excellent as rumored. I'll admit I was careless, but your death is inevitable."
"If I were you, I would have escaped even now. This is your third chance."
"Shut up!"
The blades of Faye and the executioners were now crackling with fierce aura. They were determined to kill their opponent even if it meant facing death themselves.
"Unfortunately..."
Whooosh!
The Bradamante's shadow force grew even stronger, and also added pressure of Plutonian tribe's suppression.
From within the blade, a heavy pressure of blue flames erupted.
The power of shadow force, the lightning, and blue flames were all merging, emitting a profound and sinister aura.
"It seems like you're trying to blow even the last chance."
