Ch.70Myriad Sword Emperor

The gaze felt like a blade. That’s exactly how the onlookers’ stares from all directions felt. Despite being a common occurrence in the wilderness, everyone’s attention was focused on it. Was it wariness toward strangers? Or were they hiding other intentions?

The important thing now was dealing with the target before her. Se-erin pulled her lips into a crooked smile. Before the mission, Deputy Commander Karnok had instructed her to act as if she weren’t a member of Cheong-ik.

How should she approach this? Se-erin recalled numerous memories, conjuring the image of a convincing swordsman. Noble, arrogant, and cruel. A fitting persona for the wilderness where everything is determined by power.

‘This will do.’

The moment she decided, Se-erin’s demeanor changed. Her quietly pulsing aura burst forth wildly. A cold, blade-like energy swirled around, engulfing the surroundings.

“You, did you think I wouldn’t know?”

“Ugh… gack…”

At her cold voice, her opponent coughed up blood. His briefly visible tongue was in tatters. Even with treatment, it was doubtful he’d ever taste properly again. His pronunciation would be affected too.

The man, his throat in her grip, trembled uncontrollably, unable to spit out the glass shards filling his mouth.

As Se-erin’s idle thoughts continued, the atmosphere around them grew colder. The arrogant girl’s behavior didn’t seem out of place at all. The cold aura surrounding her made her appear noble. Even her deliberate pause looked as if she were contemplating where to cut next.

‘He acted like this…’

The swordsman in her memory showed not a shred of mercy. Meaning he never spared those who tried to kill him. Leaving no potential trouble behind. Should she do the same?

In the wilderness, human life was held cheaply.

But this man wasn’t a reincarnator. She didn’t want to kill him.

Her decision made, Se-erin drew her sword.

Shing-

Along the snow-white blade of the White Dragon Sword, a red line raced across its surface. The form of a white dragon appeared in response to her mana, intertwined with red energy.

Swoosh-!

The casually swung sword sliced across the man’s wrist. His severed hand fell with a thud. No blood flowed. Se-erin had channeled mana through the hand gripping his neck. She had slightly modified the Whirlpool Destruction technique.

The rapidly flowing mana, instead of severing all the blood vessels in his body, heavily compressed the vessels in his right arm. Stopping the bleeding.

She took his right hand instead of his life. She even stopped the bleeding. Se-erin thought her actions were quite merciful. Others, however, felt differently. It was cruel. She had taken a swordsman’s hand.

A swordsman who cannot wield a sword can no longer fight. In the wilderness, this meant he could die at any moment. It was worse than killing him outright. It was a moment when the small girl’s presence was powerfully imprinted on everyone’s minds.

“Insane…”

“Se… rin…”

Even Theo and Flora couldn’t help but be shocked by Se-erin’s radical action. It was completely different from her usual demeanor. If they hadn’t been with her from the beginning, they might have thought she was an entirely different person.

“What are you all doing? Make them match.”

That’s why their reaction was delayed. They belatedly realized the girl’s voice was directed at them. Their comrade had set the stage. They had to follow. Exchanging glances, Theo and Flora drew their swords and swung.

Slash-

Those whose arms were severed couldn’t even scream properly. They all clutched their mouths and severed limbs, gasping for breath. The metallic smell of blood spread throughout the campsite on the cold night breeze.

They had all received their just punishment. After briefly considering whether to send them away now, Se-erin blankly stared at the sword the man was wearing. In the wilderness, daily necessities were scarce. If they didn’t take spoils, people around them would find it strange.

Se-erin spoke to the man.

“If you want to live, you’ll have to hand over everything you have.”

The man didn’t dare refuse Se-erin’s words. Clutching his severed hand, he ran to his tent and returned with a large bag.

By dawn, five one-armed swordsmen were driven from the campsite. Some followed them. It was hard to see these pursuers as having good intentions. Before long, five corpses lay scattered across the vast wilderness.

‘This is useless… this too…’

Se-erin’s attention was focused on the five swords left behind by the swordsmen. She fidgeted with her small hands, picking up and putting down the five swords repeatedly. Any information was needed at this point. Even small clues would help. Se-erin carefully examined the memories imprinted on the swords.

But there were no helpful memories. The swords had passed through too many hands. The imprinted memories were shallow, faint, and meaningless.

‘What’s this memory about table manners? How to trim a beard…?’

Memories imprinted on swords vary greatly. The longer a swordsman uses a sword, the more likely it contains memories important to their life. Swords that have changed hands frequently or are relatively new contain useless memories.

Se-erin threw the five swords into the tent.

Theo watched Se-erin while drinking hot milk. It was yet another side of her, different from the cold demeanor she had shown earlier. Her protruding lips made her look like a sulking girl.

‘Cute…’

Theo simply enjoyed this side of Se-erin.

Thud-

At the sound of light footsteps, Se-erin and Theo looked in that direction. It was Flora approaching. She lightly shook a small leather pouch.

“Sold everything.”

“Someone bought that?”

“Of course. Didn’t get much for it, but…”

Flora had just returned from disposing of the recently seized luggage. She had casually traded what were clearly plundered goods. In the wilderness, that was normal.

Flora naturally sat down beside Se-erin. Theo watched enviously. Though they had become much closer than before, Flora was the only one Se-erin allowed near her. When Theo approached, she would subtly distance herself.

“I heard on my way back. Recently, reincarnators have been heading west. It’s not certain, of course. And there are rumors that the Master of Ten Thousand Swords has appeared.”

Flora said.

The Master of Ten Thousand Swords. An alias no Cheong-ik member could be unfamiliar with. No one knew his real name. He was called the Master of Ten Thousand Swords because he was said to wield ten thousand swords and command ten thousand soldiers. He had appeared suddenly. He was a reincarnator who had evaded Cheong-ik’s gaze, cultivated his strength, and fully regained his past abilities.

There were only rumors. No one had faced him directly. But he was a real person, and the leader of Cheong-ik was pursuing him.

Se-erin asked.

“Where did the Master of Ten Thousand Swords appear?”

“Coincidentally, he also appeared in the west, they say.”

“What on earth is in the west?”

No one could answer Theo’s question. They all wondered the same thing. What could be in the west that was drawing reincarnators there? The deliberation didn’t last long. Se-erin spoke.

“Let’s head west for now.”

Flora and Theo nodded. Their destination was decided.

The next morning. The three finished breakfast and prepared to leave. Se-erin’s gaze lingered on a large horse. Traversing the vast wilderness itself was a life-threatening adventure. Having a horse as transportation would dramatically increase their chances of survival.

Unfortunately, the three had no horses. They had returned their horses to the post station before coming here. They couldn’t buy horses either. In the wilderness, the value of horses increased several times. A well-trained steed could be worth dozens of times its normal value.

“Let’s go, Rin.”

At Theo’s words, Se-erin turned around. Unable to act as Cheong-ik members now, the three used aliases. Rin, Rora, Tes. They made slight changes to avoid confusion. They became common names. That was enough.

The vast wilderness was shrouded in the aura of death. Even common wildlife was nowhere to be seen. In a land without a single blade of grass, it was hard to find any living creatures.

“What a terrible place…”

“The air is so stale… My skin’s going to suffer.”

“It’s all because of those reincarnators… If only they weren’t here…”

The three talked freely. They were the only ones walking on the barren land. The sun in the sky set, and the moon rose. Suddenly looking up at the sky, Se-erin felt an indescribable urge.

“Se-erin?”

“Yes.”

“Why are you just staring at the sky?”

“I don’t know.”

Se-erin tilted her head in response to Flora’s question. Why was she staring at the sky? She didn’t know herself. She just found herself looking up at the moon whenever she came to her senses.

It was a large full moon.

That’s when Se-erin felt a faint vibration through the ground. Not human footsteps. She sensed a rhythmic tremor with speed. At the same time, Se-erin realized the nature of the urge she was feeling.

This emotion was excitement. She wanted to fight. Her heart pounded fiercely, accelerating her blood flow. Her pupils contracted, widening her field of vision. All her senses sharpened.

‘What is this?’

She had already drawn her sword without realizing it. Not the White Dragon Sword, but the Moonlight Sword was in her grasp. She felt intoxicated. The sensation of the wind brushing against her body felt pleasant.

“Is that coming toward us?”

“They’re on horseback… Hard to see it as having good intentions.”

Theo and Flora also noticed others approaching. Shadows writhed with dust at the faint ridge line, drawing closer. What appeared was a group of riders on horseback.

At that moment, Se-erin, who had been standing dazed, shot forward. Her straight dash was strangely peculiar. She was running on all fours like a beast.

“What’s wrong with her…?”

“Hurry, follow her!”

Theo and Flora urgently followed behind Se-erin.