Ch.123123. Saljugye

Clang!

Amon’s sword clashed with the swords of the Sword Circle members.

He involuntarily frowned at the tingling sensation transmitted through the sword to his hand.

‘Something is definitely strange.’

Too much force was being applied to the swords.

Of course, it’s natural for force to be applied when swords clash.

But the way they were applying force wasn’t the technique of skilled swordsmen.

A sword is a weapon meant for precise thrusting and cutting, not for swinging with full force like a mace.

Unless one carried multiple swords like Amon, swinging like that would normally result in losing all your teeth before completing even a few exchanges.

Yet the Sword Circle members’ swords had an unnaturally heavy force behind them.

With so much force applied, their posture would subtly collapse when dodged, and they would even lose grip of their swords if struck at the precise timing.

Watching this, Amon became certain.

‘They’re not being controlled by ghosts or spirits.’

Ghosts or spirits possessing human bodies can read all memories of the host, including the subconscious. In contrast, AI infection controls the brain and only reads surface memories, unable to penetrate deeply into the unconscious.

‘Of course, it’s usually difficult to distinguish between them…’

But as a swordsman facing other swordsmen, he could be certain.

The Sword Circle members were currently infected by AI.

‘If Sunhwa hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have noticed.’

Finding evidence when you already know what to look for is completely different from detecting something unknown.

This was a moment when Sunhwa’s insight truly shone.

‘The pathway is… probably the Pip, as Sunhwa said.’

Amon decided to target this.

Having finished his thought process, he contacted the Crown Prince via radio.

“Your Highness.”

[Who is…?]

“It’s Amon. I’ve found a way to calm down the rampaging Sword Circle members.”

[Oh? Tell me what it is…]

“What the fuck!? What did you just say!? How dare you insult my mother… Ahem. I apologize, Your Majesty.”

[…I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. So what’s the method?]

“Destroying the Pip installed at the back of their necks will bring them back to their senses!”

He wanted to explain the entire theory about ghost or AI infection, but there was no time.

Amon hurriedly conveyed just the method.

“Please authorize me to destroy them!”

Since the Pip was a means for the royal family to maintain power, it was advantageous to get permission before destroying them.

Fortunately, the Crown Prince was a very reasonable person.

[I authorize it.]

As soon as permission was granted, Amon immediately put the plan into action.

It wasn’t anything elaborate.

Instead of a sword, he borrowed a hexagonal club to break their limbs and hit the back of their necks with “appropriate” force to destroy the Pip located inside.

The club became stained with blood, and the fallen Sword Circle members convulsed, but they regained consciousness quicker than expected.

‘Hmm. Tougher than I thought.’

If so, he just needed to swing the club again.

After repeating this a few times, he figured out how much force was needed to destroy the Pip.

They were still breathing, so the Crown Prince’s requirements were being met.

There might be minor disabilities left, but those could be fixed with medical procedures, so he wasn’t too concerned.

Thus, Amon went around cracking various Sword Circle members’ heads to “cure” their infection.

“Aaagh! It’s a goblin!!”

“What the fuck??”

There was a minor issue of soldiers misunderstanding as they saw him going around smashing people’s heads with a hexagonal club among the ghosts, but Amon paid no mind.

By the time Amon had finished dyeing his club with the blood of all the Sword Circle members in Geumgangsan, they remembered the existence of the youngest prince.

“That’s right! Prince Hyun!”

The Sword Circle had accompanied the youngest prince as his guards.

Given their current state, it was natural to worry about the youngest prince’s safety.

Amon hurriedly began searching for the prince’s location.

Fortunately, finding him wasn’t difficult.

[Use the Pip’s tracking function.]

The tracking through Pip applied to the royal family as well.

At first, Amon had wondered why they would do such a thing, but soon realized it was a difference in values.

Unlike the West, which prioritized freedom, Joseon prioritized order.

Freedom was a value that even those in power would gladly sacrifice for the sake of order.

‘Well, this is Joseon’s way, so I can’t really say anything.’

Amon convinced himself as he checked the GPS.

The youngest prince was moving quickly in the direction the Crown Prince had indicated.

It was impossible for an untrained child to move away at that speed.

This could only mean one thing.

‘He’s been kidnapped.’

By whom? Why?

There were countless questions, but there was no time now.

Amon immediately began pursuing by climbing trees.

At that moment, the Ju siblings, Sunwoo and Sunhwa, followed behind him.

“Though I may be a rogue who cuts people down, I’m not an irresponsible person who abandons my duty. Losing His Highness is my responsibility. I’d like at least a chance to make amends.”

Sunwoo displayed his pride as a Sword Circle member.

Amon didn’t understand why a private military organization would have such pride, but to Sunwoo himself, being part of the Sword Circle seemed to carry a heavier meaning than expected.

And Sunhwa was following out of concern for her younger brother.

Amon allowed the two to accompany him.

“I’ll go ahead, so don’t lose track of me.”

Amon began traversing the mountain by climbing trees and rocks.

Surprisingly, Sunwoo and Sunhwa kept up well.

They weren’t quite at his level of tree-climbing, but they navigated mountain paths as if they were flat ground, easily jumping over hills and obstacles.

‘Come to think of it, they were assassins who climbed walls every night.’

No wonder their parkour skills were excellent.

Amon was satisfied seeing the siblings keeping up with his pace and slightly increased his speed.

Meanwhile, the siblings…

“What is he exactly?”

“What on earth is the Vatican raising?”

They couldn’t help but be shocked at Amon’s dazzling parkour skills as he traversed the mountain—skills they hadn’t seen even from the head of the Sword Circle.

They had thought he was an ordinary swordsman before, but his mountain-traversing skills were those of a professional assassin.

Moreover, if they took their eyes off him for even a moment while he was under the shade of trees, they would often lose sight of him.

If Amon hadn’t deliberately made his presence known, the two would have become lost by now.

As they each harbored different impressions of each other, the group caught up with the youngest prince.

“Hmm?”

As soon as he spotted the youngest prince, Amon sensed the situation was becoming complicated.

The prince was being kidnapped by a man in black martial arts attire, gagged.

“That’s a Sword Circle…”

“No, it’s not.”

Amon immediately thought of the Sword Circle upon seeing the attire, but Sunwoo denied it with a serious expression.

“That’s not Sword Circle, but Saljugye.”

“Is that different?”

“We’re an official private military organization. They’re terrorists and anarchists.”

“I see.”

To be precise, Saljugye’s history was too complex to be summarized by just those two words, but there wasn’t enough time to explain, and Amon wasn’t particularly curious either.

One thing was certain, though: that man was a bad person who could be attacked without hesitation.

And since he had kidnapped the prince, he was a traitor.

Amon charged at the man as soon as their eyes met.

“Impossible! I clearly used an EMP…”

Amon sneered at the man’s shocked exclamation.

‘Pip isn’t an electronic device, so EMP doesn’t work, you idiot.’

Pip was a chip made of a mixture of magic, chemicals, and biological tissue, so EMP had no effect on it.

Judging by his ignorance, this man was clearly either stupid or a fool who hadn’t done proper research.

The careless man had both arms severed by Amon’s sword without any discussion.

Amon cleanly rescued the youngest prince.

“Hueeeek!”

The prince’s face turned pale as he was splattered with blood from the man whose arms had been cut off, but there was no time to comfort him.

After neutralizing the man, Amon entrusted the prince to Sunwoo and began interrogating the man.

“Name and affiliation.”

There was no answer.

Amon tilted his head in confusion.

Then, realizing the man was dead, he clicked his tongue.

“Did he commit suicide?”

Sunwoo, who was listening, denied Amon’s speculation.

“You killed him.”

“What? He died from having his arms cut off?”

“Amon. When both arms are severed, people usually die from excessive bleeding.”

“I know that much basic knowledge.”

But that was for ordinary people.

For someone who had received a certain level of modification, losing limbs wouldn’t easily…

“Don’t tell me this person didn’t receive any modifications?”

“Saljugye members don’t receive modifications.”

“…Are they eco-terrorists?”

“They’re communists. Something about implants being bourgeois or whatever.”

“…Could you tell me more about Saljugye?”

“You’re asking quickly.”

Sunwoo kicked the man’s corpse lightly and sighed deeply.

Then he briefly explained about the group called Saljugye.

“Saljugye was formed by poor people with extreme ideologies who left the Sword Circle.”

Both Sword Circle and Saljugye share the commonality of revering the sword and martial arts themselves.

The difference is that while Sword Circle works as private soldiers for the new nobility to make a living, Saljugye purely worships martial arts and opposes the royal family for suppressing martial power with authority.

As an extension of this ideology, they also assassinate new nobility who use swords not purely(?) for cutting people but as a means of power struggle.

They even believe everyone should be equal under the sword, with everyone except the leader being equal, and capital or property being distributed fairly.

In summary…

“Terrorists, communists, anarchists. Your summary was really accurate.”

It was so accurate that even Amon had to acknowledge it.

The only regrettable point was that the situation was unfolding so rapidly that there wasn’t time to fully understand the summary.

Amon poked the Saljugye member who had died from shock after having both arms severed.

“I understand that such an organization exists. But I’m curious about something.”

“What is it? Ask away.”

“How could people without modifications plot and execute such a conspiracy against the royal family? And what was their intention in kidnapping the youngest prince?”

Sunwoo shook his head at Amon’s questions.

“I have no idea either. Normally, Saljugye isn’t that threatening since they’re eradicated on sight. Although they oppose the royal family, they’ve only reached the royal blade once in history.”

“And that one time was…?”

“When our family was involved in a conspiracy.”

“Ah.”

Saljugye had been used as a distraction before the Ju family’s rebellion.

With support from an unknown source, Saljugye had managed to reach the royal family, but in reality, they had been supported by the new nobility they so despised.

‘This is quite…’

Amon continued his conversation with Sunwoo with a bitter smile.

“Then do you think someone might have instigated or backed them like that time?”

“I think that’s highly likely. From your questions… you have some suspicions, don’t you?”

Amon nodded.

“It would take too long to explain here, so let’s return to the Crown Prince.”

Amon picked up Prince Hyun, who had fainted from the shock of being covered in blood, and began moving.

“Be careful. The Hunt Legion isn’t over yet.”

The army of ghosts was still advancing.

A chilling wind blew from the forest on the way back to the Crown Prince.