Muyeong could hardly believe the reality unfolding before his eyes.
"This is nonsense..."
Cheonyeong was an intelligence organization and an assassin group that he had nurtured for over ten years.
Although it was an organization of the imperial palace and thus unknown to the martial world, he had always been confident that its capabilities were not lacking compared to the three major assassin organizations of the martial world.
Yet, the assassins of Cheonyeong were being slaughtered by a single man.
Swoosh—! The body of one assassin was split in half.
Entrails and blood poured out from the diagonally cut body, from the left shoulder to the right waist.
Thud! Baeksuryong kicked the corpse aside, pushing it towards another assassin who had rushed in.
The movement of the assassin, whose view was blocked, froze for a moment.
In that instant, Baeksuryong dashed in like lightning and pierced through both the corpse and the assassin.
Thud! The assassin, whose belly was pierced, slightly parted his lips and shot out a poisoned needle.
True to his rigorous training, he unleashed his final attack without even a scream as he was dying.
However, Baeksuryong simply tilted his head to the side, easily dodging the poisoned needle.
At the same time, he pulled his sword to completely sever the assassin's waist and turned to extend his sword towards another assassin falling from the ceiling.
Boom! With a sound like thunder, the falling assassin crashed into the wall.
Baeksuryong caught the sword that slipped from his hand as the opponent bounced off.
He murmured as he gauged the weight of the sword.
"Hmm. It's been a while since I used dual swords."
A moment later, the assassins facing him shouted inwardly, "Don't lie!" Despite saying it had been a while, Baeksuryong wielded the dual swords with such skill that left and right lost all meaning.
The crimson sword light danced gracefully.
The sight of Baeksuryong performing a sword dance with dual swords was mesmerizing.
However, with each movement of the sword dance, limbs were severed, and the room filled with the stench of blood that numbed the senses.
As the assassins momentarily halted their attacks, Baeksuryong smiled and looked at them.
"The fear of assassins comes when you are ambushed without knowing; if you know in advance, it’s nothing special. Now, it's my turn."
And with that, Baeksuryong charged forward.
Surprisingly, not a single drop of blood had stained his clothes.
Muyeong watched this scene, gritting his teeth. 'That man...
His martial arts are impressive, but he is also accustomed to killing.' Even seasoned martial artists would feel disgusted when faced with this much carnage and the overwhelming smell of blood.
Yet, there was no change in that man's expression.
He was more desensitized to killing than the assassins and showed no hesitation in wielding his sword.
It seemed he might even be enjoying it.
'Where did such a monster come from...?' Muyeong clenched his fists and summoned the shadows.
If he continued to exhaust the assassins, the very existence of the Cheonyeong organization would be at risk.
Swish...
Muyeong's body blended into the surroundings, gradually becoming blurry.
At the same time, he sent a message to the other assassins. [Create an opening.
I will finish it.]
[Yes, sir!] The assassins, prepared to die together, charged at Baeksuryong from all directions, including the ceiling.
The cramped space made it difficult for them to avoid each other's attacks, but the assassins paid no mind.
After all, they were merely bait; the finishing blow would be dealt by Muyeong.
Thud! The assassins, who had forced their way in simultaneously in the narrow space, had knives plunged into their foreheads and hearts.
Yet, they completed their mission until the end.
Gritting their teeth, they held onto the blades with both hands, using their bodies to obstruct Baeksuryong's line of sight.
In that created opening, Muyeong slipped in like a ghost.
"Be careful! The attacks from the other assassins are a distraction!" Heukyeong shouted, her eyes wide open.
While Baeksuryong fought the assassins, she did not just sit idly by with her eyes closed.
She focused her mind and released her blood flow.
Now able to move again, she shouted, "The real attack is from Muyeong!"
"It's too late."
Swoosh.
The blurry figure of Muyeong reappeared behind Baeksuryong.
He plunged his sword into Baeksuryong's back with a chilling smile.
"It's over."
The torn blue robe fluttered in the air.
But Baeksuryong was not there.
"Over, you say?"
"!!" With wide eyes, Muyeong quickly turned his body and extended his left arm.
Baeksuryong, having discarded his robe, stood there.
"This is the end."
Crack! Baeksuryong seized Muyeong's left arm and twisted it in an impossible direction.
However, even with his arm broken, Muyeong did not give up.
Instead, a venomous smile formed on his lips.
"Hehe. You've fallen for it."
Extending his left arm first was Muyeong's ploy.
While his left arm was being twisted, his right arm, extended a beat later, aimed for Baeksuryong's chest.
Heukyeong screamed as she rushed in.
"Be careful! Muyeong's right arm is..."
At that moment, a clicking sound came from Muyeong's right arm.
Then dozens of poisoned needles shot out from his palm.
"Try to say you knew this in advance!" This was Muyeong's last trump card! He had no doubt about his victory.
Soon, Baeksuryong would be a corpse riddled with dozens of holes from the poisoned needles.
But the voice of Baeksuryong that followed plunged Muyeong into despair.
"A prosthetic arm? Of course, I knew. I didn't know it was poisoned needles, though."
With a mocking laugh, Baeksuryong's figure blurred again. 'Afterimage!'
Bang bang bang! The afterimages scattered, and all the poisoned needles that pierced through the afterimages lodged into the wall.
Swoosh! Baeksuryong, having circled around Muyeong, severed Muyeong's prosthetic arm from the shoulder.
Losing his balance, Muyeong staggered.
Thud.
Before he knew it, the cold blade was touching Muyeong's neck.
"If you have nothing more to show me, shall we end this? I need to return before the afternoon exam."
Faced with the overwhelming difference in skill, Muyeong had no choice but to kneel.
"Your elder is the Prime Minister?" After hearing the whole story from Heukyeong, Baeksuryong's mouth fell open.
He had suspected that Gongsun Su had a significant status, but he never imagined he was the Prime Minister.
If he was the Prime Minister, he was the highest authority in the country, second only to the Emperor.
"Uh... I haven't made any mistakes in the past month, have I?"
"Shall I tell you from the first day?"
"Cough, cough!" Heukyeong chuckled at Baeksuryong, who was clearing his throat.
Was this really the same man who had just been slaughtering assassins with a blank expression? However, Heukyeong's expression quickly hardened again.
"Your elder is in danger."
The imperial palace's intelligence organization had been mobilized to kill Gongsun Su.
They had spied on the secret letters exchanged between the Emperor and Gongsun Su and colluded with the treacherous officials who feared the return of the Prime Minister. 'Muyeong tried to lure me to kill your elder and disguise it as a natural death.
But...'
Could those power-hungry figures of the imperial palace, like yaksas, have plotted such a scheme relying solely on Cheonyeong? A gamble where they could be slaughtered if they failed? Heukyeong's worries were not unfounded.
"Cough cough..."
Muyeong, bound and kneeling, chuckled.
He looked up at Baeksuryong with bloodshot eyes.
"Now I can see who you are. Baeksuryong. The martial arts instructor who taught the Prime Minister martial arts under false pretenses..."
"Who said it was false pretenses? Your elder came to me first and asked to be taught."
Baeksuryong corrected the facts, but Muyeong showed no interest in his words.
"Hehe. I never expected you to be this skilled... I misjudged by only being wary of Heukyeong."
"Muyeong. Are you the only assassins who came to kill the elder?" Even under Heukyeong's fierce gaze, Muyeong chuckled.
"I wish that were true... But it can't be, can it? The power holders of this country are not fools."
"Indeed... Who else has been mobilized?" Heukyeong, growing anxious, grabbed Muyeong by the collar.
However, there was no fear in Muyeong's eyes.
He knew that even if he survived here, he would eventually die.
"All three major assassin organizations of the martial world have been mobilized."
"!!" Muyeong revealed this fact to plunge those who had ruined his plans into deeper despair.
"Heukyeong. Listening to my proposal was the easiest way for the Prime Minister to die comfortably. Do you think the assassins of the martial world will show consideration for the Prime Minister like I did? They will stop at nothing."
"......"
"The fact that I failed means the Prime Minister has realized he is being targeted. Hehe. Now the power holders of the imperial palace have no way out. They must kill the Prime Minister before the Emperor finds out. If they don't, they will die themselves..."
"......"
"Do you understand the situation now? Even if I hadn't sided with them, the Prime Minister was destined to die. Foolish girl. If you had just listened to me..."
Slap! Muyeong's head was turned to the side.
Baeksuryong wiped the blood from his fist and muttered, "Damn, it's all bloody."
While blood streamed from his nose, Muyeong glared at Baeksuryong and cursed, "Soon, the assassin organizations that realize I have failed will move. The Prime Minister will not survive today. And neither will you!"
Muyeong laughed maniacally, then suddenly shouted, "The head of this branch will fly off, and the Blue Dragon Academy will burn! Since the Prime Minister is dead, someone must be held accountable. Who do you think the power holders will point to as the assassin? The one who taught martial arts to a man over sixty, the academy that accepted him, the government office that neglected it... It would be very easy to tie them all together! Hahaha!"
Muyeong's mad laughter echoed in the room filled with corpses and blood.
Realizing he had failed his mission and had no way out, he went insane.
"I heard your last words well."
Swish.
With a single swing of his sword, Baeksuryong severed Muyeong's head.
"So."
Glancing at the head rolling on the floor, Baeksuryong asked Heukyeong, "The situation seems much more serious than I thought. What do you plan to do?" If the Prime Minister died, the Blue Dragon Academy would burn, and all related parties would be captured and killed.
Even in the worst-case scenario, escaping with his life was not a problem, but all his foundations were here.
"... We must protect the elder from the assassins. At the same time, we need to contact His Majesty the Emperor."
Having said that, Heukyeong searched through the dead Muyeong's belongings and swallowed an antidote.
"Can we trust the government?"
"In this situation... there's a chance they may have already switched sides."
"Is there a hiding place for the elder?"
"The places I know have already been fully grasped by Cheonyeong."
Baeksuryong sighed softly.
"So we can't trust the government, and there's nowhere to hide. Is there a way to contact the imperial palace discreetly?"
"It is possible. But it will take time for them to realize the situation and take action."
"How long?"
"At worst, a few days..."
In other words, until then, they had to protect Gongsun Su from the threats of the assassins.
It was a desperate situation, but surprisingly, Baeksuryong calmly nodded.
"Let's try to figure something out. For now, let's talk as we get out of here."
The two quickly exited the building and began to formulate their plans.
"We need to suspend the entrance exam for the Blue Dragon Academy. First, we need to secure the elder's safety..."
"Wait a moment."
After organizing his thoughts, Baeksuryong spoke again.
"Let's proceed with the entrance exam as planned."
"What? Are you saying we should expose the elder in front of so many people?" Heukyeong opposed, but Baeksuryong's thoughts were a bit different.
"If we protect the elder too tightly, the assassins won't easily attack. Instead, they will resort to all sorts of dirty methods."
Poison, ambush, explosives, or taking acquaintances hostage to threaten them.
Various methods were already swirling in Baeksuryong's mind.
"It would be better to simplify their choices."
This was a thought that Heukyeong could not even imagine, but it was something Baeksuryong could conceive.
"Let's use the elder as bait to lure the assassins in, and we will hunt them down."
As Baeksuryong spoke, his eyes shone like a beast poised before its prey.