Chapter v13c23

**Combined Attack! The Twin Blades!**

“I’ll handle him,” Hyo-ryong said, his eyes blazing with fury. He wouldn’t let anyone else avenge his brother.

‘This is my fight! My responsibility!’

He was determined to settle this score himself.

“You can’t have both of them to yourself. Don’t be greedy,” Yeomdo said, drawing his saber, Crimson Flame.

Flames erupted from the blade, and an intense heat emanated from his body.

His eyes, red as burning rubies, were fixed on the Twin Blades. He looked like a demon from hell.

“You’re not the only one with a score to settle! I have some unfinished business with them too!”

His voice was a low growl, like a predator stalking its prey.

“I’ll help you!”

Hyo-ryong had gained a powerful ally.

They walked towards the Twin Blades, their subordinates parting to create a path.

The two pairs faced each other.

“Fatty, you’re still alive? Shouldn’t you be in your grave by now?”

Yeomdo taunted. Ji-sal, the fat old man, flushed red with anger, his eyes bulging.

“Shut up, you fiery bastard! You’ve saved me the trouble of finding you. I’ll make your death as painful as possible!”

He gritted his teeth. Yeomdo was about to retort, but Bi Ryu-yeon spoke from behind.

“You’re an ungrateful fatty, aren’t you?”

“Ungrateful? What are you talking about?”

Ji-sal roared. Bi Ryu-yeon looked at him with an incredulous expression.

“How can you be so shameless? You lost an arm, so you must have lost some weight too. Losing weight makes you lighter and healthier. How is that not a favor?”

Bi Ryu-yeon’s words were relentless, each one a jab at Ji-sal’s pride.

“Y-Y-You little…”

Ji-sal sputtered, his face red with rage. Yeomdo burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! That’s right! I helped you lose weight! I deserve a reward! Hahaha!”

The others joined in his laughter, mocking Ji-sal. His face turned crimson, his eyes bloodshot. He had never been so humiliated before.

“You little brat with a broom on your head! Why aren’t you coming down here? Are you scared?”

Cheon-sal, who had been staring at Bi Ryu-yeon since they arrived, said in a low, menacing voice. His eyes were filled with hatred and resentment. The cause of his nightmares was standing right there. How could he not be filled with rage?

But Bi Ryu-yeon just scoffed.

“There’s an order to things. You don’t need a butcher’s knife to kill a chicken. There’s no need for me to get involved.”

“You arrogant little bastard!”

Cheon-sal spat.

“Don’t mention it! It’s a perfect 2-on-2 match. I don’t want to be accused of being a coward. Besides, I’m worried about those two old geezers. They might hurt their backs. Don’t overdo it.”

Bi Ryu-yeon said, impressed by his own thoughtfulness. He was always too soft. How could he survive in this harsh world with such a weak heart? He needed to reflect on his actions.

As he was lost in thought,

Whizz!

A sword, glowing with an eerie light, spun towards him like a top, aimed at his throat. Bi Ryu-yeon’s eyes flickered to Cheon-sal’s left hand. The sword that had been there a moment ago was gone.

A ghostly wail erupted from the spinning sword. It was Soul Severing Return, a secret technique from Cheon-sal’s Soul Summoning Ghostly Swordsmanship. It was fast, unlike his usual heavy-handed style.

The sword, its killing intent blazing, was about to decapitate Bi Ryu-yeon.

Crack!

A strange sound rang out.

“Huh?”

“What?”

They stared, their eyes wide with confusion. They couldn’t quite grasp what had just happened. But one thing was certain: something bizarre had occurred.

And Cheon-sal’s sword had vanished. Where did it go?

“I-Impossible!”

Cheon-sal’s eyes widened in disbelief. He tried to recall Bi Ryu-yeon’s movements. The scene replayed in his mind.

He had been consumed by rage and hatred. He couldn’t see anyone else, only the cause of his nightmares.

He had thrown his sword, Ghost Cry. It had spun towards its target. A perfect strike! And then the target’s right hand had risen, a dark, shadowy object glinting on his wrist.

He had swatted it away, as if he were swatting a fly. And his perfect strike had been effortlessly neutralized. He felt like pinching the target’s cheeks and stabbing his thigh with a needle.

But where was his sword, Ghost Cry?

Bi Ryu-yeon provided the answer.

“Oh, there you are…”

He sounded like he had found a lost toy. He looked down at his feet. The others followed his gaze. They were standing on higher ground than the Twin Blades, so the two old men couldn’t see what they were looking at.

The ground was made of solid stone. And there, in the middle of the stone floor, was a sword, its blade embedded deep in the stone, only the hilt visible. It was too perfect to be a coincidence. But it was impossible to imagine how he had done it. So they decided not to think about it too much.

“Hmm… When did you get stuck there?”

Bi Ryu-yeon bent down and grabbed the hilt, effortlessly pulling the sword out of the stone with one hand. It looked like he hadn’t exerted any effort at all.

He examined the blade, his expression thoughtful. It was a dark, ominous blade, but it was undamaged, despite being embedded in stone.

“This is a good sword. It has a sinister aura, but that’s part of its charm. I could get a good price for this! Hmm…”

The sword, Ghost Cry, trembled in his hand, as if trying to escape his grasp.

“It’s a demon sword, after all. It’s probably rejecting your touch.”

Seok Ryu-ha said. Bi Ryu-yeon looked at the sword again. It was still trembling, as if lamenting its lack of power.

“Oh, is that so? What a loyal sword. I should reward it.”

He grinned. He slowly lowered the sword to the ground and stomped on it with his foot.

Boom!

The ground shook. Namgung Sang and the others shuddered, feeling the impact through their feet. They all stared, their expressions a mixture of shock and disbelief.

How could a human foot create such a sound? It was like a giant’s hammer striking a mountain. Dust rose from the ground, forming a thick cloud.

Bi Ryu-yeon picked up the sword again, his smile unchanged.

“You’re weaker than I thought! How disappointing!”

The sword, Ghost Cry, was no longer trembling. It had submitted to his will, a demon sword that had never obeyed anyone but Cheon-sal.

‘That damn brute!’

Cheon-sal couldn’t believe his eyes. But there was nothing he could do.

How many times was this bastard going to surprise him?

One thing was certain: his nightmares wouldn’t end until this man was eliminated. A murderous aura, thick as a viper’s venom, emanated from his body.

“This isn’t fun anymore. Let’s return this.”

Bi Ryu-yeon tossed the sword towards Cheon-sal. Cheon-sal extended his left hand, holding out his scabbard.

Clang! Shing!

The sword slid into its scabbard perfectly.

“Gasp!”

Cheon-sal gasped. The weight of the sword, Ghost Cry, had slammed into his left arm.

His arm buckled under the impact, but he refused to show weakness. He channeled his energy, resisting the force that was pushing his arm back. A tug-of-war ensued.

The scabbard and the sword within it rattled like a small boat caught in a storm. Then the storm subsided, the sword fell silent, and Cheon-sal’s face returned to its normal color. His left arm, still holding the scabbard, was extended towards Bi Ryu-yeon.

“Grrr… You’ll pay for this!”

He shouted, his voice filled with rage. His eyes still blazed with murderous intent, but it had no effect on Bi Ryu-yeon.

‘Who is this man?’

Seok Ryu-ha stared at Bi Ryu-yeon with wide eyes. Bi Ryu-yeon? She had never heard that name before.

She glanced at the Twin Blades. She had been terrified when she learned their identities. She had even been prepared to die. But these people were too calm. They didn’t seem afraid. They didn’t seem to have lost their minds. They were just… calm.

They were acting as if it were perfectly normal to treat the infamous Twin Blades with such disrespect, as if the previous exchange had been nothing out of the ordinary.

‘Am I the only one who finds this strange?’

She wondered.

“Now that the entertainment is over, shall we get started? I’m getting bored!”

Yeomdo said. Hyo-ryong tightened his grip on his twin swords.

“You’re asking for it, you red-haired bastard!”

Ji-sal snarled, his voice dripping with malice.

“Hmph, I’ll roast that fat ass of yours tonight!”

“You villains! You killed my brother! You won’t see the sun rise tomorrow!”

“You arrogant little brat! I have no business with you!”

Cheon-sal shouted, finally tearing his gaze away from Bi Ryu-yeon.

“My sword will speak for me.”

Hyo-ryong retorted.

“Hmph, you think you can underestimate us because we’ve lost an arm? You’re making a big mistake! We haven’t been sitting around doing nothing! We’ve been preparing for this rematch!”

They had something, a result of their desperate struggle to escape their nightmares.

Cheon-sal, who only had his left arm, stood to the left of Ji-sal, who only had his right arm. Together, they formed a single figure with two arms. Cheon-sal held the demon sword, Ghost Cry, in his left hand, and Ji-sal held the Netherworld Saber in his right hand.

Cheon-sal’s eyes gleamed.

“We’ve spent a long time in our nightmares. And it ends tonight.”

“Who gave you permission for that?”

Yeomdo shouted.

“We don’t need anyone’s permission.”

The Twin Blades charged.