Urban Vagabond: Reload

How long had it been since I said that and clashed blades with the bastard?

“Cough...!”

I hacked up a mouthful of blood and staggered back.

My whole body was drenched in red.

Blood dripped from the slashes across my arms and legs, and my face was corpse-pale—like I’d taken internal injuries.

I probably looked like a wounded wolf that had run itself ragged.

[...You’re stubborn to a disgusting degree.]

Across from me stood Black-White 13, in a wrecked state.

Several fingers on the right hand were gone, and deep, sharp gouges scored the mask.

Over the clothes, deep cuts and bloodstains were scattered everywhere.

It was hard to say who looked worse.

[I’ll admit it. If Martial Artist Kim Muhyuk had learned a proper internal cultivation method... I wouldn’t have been able to beat you.]

Black-White 13 wasn’t just an assassin—this was someone who’d reached the pinnacle realm.

No matter how much I’d hidden my strength to the very end, and even with Yang Hayun—one of the highest-tier late-bloom talents—joining in to strike together, beating that monster didn’t make sense.

And yet... it had almost happened.

“...The way you’re still running your mouth, you must be getting ready to run.”

I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth, raised my sword again, and leveled it at Black-White 13.

Behind me, Yang Hayun lay collapsed, unconscious—the price of pushing Yin-Extreme qi past her limits.

[Hahahahahaha!]

Seeing my stance, like I wouldn’t take a single step back from here, Black-White 13 burst out laughing.

[Because of you, every single one of our plans has been ruined. This was supposed to be simple—secure the Yin-Extreme body, take what we wanted, and leave. And one late-bloom talent, barely even grown, destroyed it all.]

RUMMMMMBLE! RUMMMMMBLE!

The thunder overhead grew louder, and between the scenery around us, shapes like the walls of buildings flickered into view and vanished again and again.

Proof the spell formation was being dismantled.

[By now, the manpower that was supposed to remain hidden inside the Martial Alliance has been exposed. With the operation going off-track, they would’ve had to move to buy time. Quite a few were probably caught... or killed.]

Black-White 13 chuckled as if this whole situation was too funny to bear.

Hk—ptui.

I spit a wad of blood-laced saliva and tilted my head, asking flatly,

“So?”

[...You’ll pay the price. We don’t leave obstacles alone. Not just you—your family, the people around you. They’ll pay in blood.]

“...You should know your fate was decided by that line.”

At the threat against my family, I smiled coldly and stepped forward, like I was about to tear out their throat.

That was when new enemies in Black-White masks appeared.

[What the hell are you doing!]

[You made us come out too...]

One was a giant of a man. The other was lean, holding a spear.

With the situation turning urgent, it looked like people from the organization who hadn’t planned to move this time had been forced to step in.

[As you can see, we’ve got a bit of a problem. I’d like some help.]

When Black-White 13 shrugged and answered, the two Black-Whites glared viciously—then moved.

[To botch it this badly... that’s not like you.]

[When we return, you won’t avoid discipline.]

The big one advanced, cracking two fists together, while the lean one drew the spear and aimed it at me.

“......”

Both of them were at least pinnacle experts.

Yang Hayun was unconscious. I hadn’t finished off Black-White 13. And now two more martial artists—both looking on the same level—had joined in.

Black-White 13 pressured me together with them, flicking the curved dagger now held in only one hand.

[So? Do you still not regret it? Though it’s too late to change your mind now.]

“...Ha. Hahahaha.”

I lifted my head and stared up at the sky for a moment, like I was at a loss—

then I started laughing like I’d snapped.

And I slowly lowered the sword in my hand.

The moment a sadistic smile rose to Black-White 13’s mouth at my resigned posture—

“Too late to regret? I don’t think it’s me you should be worried about.”

[I respect that will, at least. If you’re still going to bluff...]

“Dumbass. Look up.”

The Black-Whites followed my gaze—

and froze.

[What is that...!]

Dozens of arrows floated in midair, all pointing straight at where they stood.

At the same time, a portion of the spell-formation space warped violently—

WAAAAAAAH!

With a quake that shook the ground, I saw hundreds of late-bloom talents charging in, roaring like a wave.

“Psycho bastard—! Your big brother’s here to save you—!”

At the very front, Shin Kangheon was sprinting in like a rabid dog.

I laughed in sheer relief and shouted,

“All those masked bastards are traitors! You can beat the shit out of every last one!”

“Shin Kangheon the Gold descends! HRAAAH—!”

Shin Kangheon launched himself like he was doing a long jump and came crashing down on the big Black-White, swinging his blade.

CLAAANG!

The big Black-White caught Shin Kangheon’s blade without much trouble, and thick killing intent leaked from the eyes visible behind the mask.

[You little brats...!]

The lean Black-White also blocked Song Junho and Oh Jungmin’s attacks at the same time, then spun the spear in a wide circle.

Terrifying killing intent poured from that one too.

[If you all want to die, I won’t stop you.]

In the martial world, a pinnacle expert was an existence ordinary people could never approach—an overwhelming powerhouse that even a swarm of second- and third-rate martial artists couldn’t handle.

“...!”

As the killing intent of pinnacle experts crashed down, the late-bloom talents who’d been charging in started to falter.

But Song Junho and Oh Jungmin rushed back in after Shin Kangheon was knocked away.

“We’ve got more bodies! Push them!”

“You come this far and you’re going to back off?!”

“Save our comrades!”

When the three of them charged without fear, the other late-bloom talents began yelling and rushing in too.

“WAAAAAH!”

“Kill the assassins!”

Shin Kangheon, Song Junho, Oh Jungmin—fighters with strength close to first-rate—blocked attacks at the front.

Those lacking skill formed an encirclement and rotated in, one after another.

No one hesitated to join the fight. Some got cut by the sword energy the enemies threw out and fell back—but other late-bloom talents filled the gap instantly.

“We’ve recovered Yang Hayun!”

“Martial Artist Kim Muhyuk is safe too!”

“Does anyone have Golden Spear Medicine?!”

I retreated a bit and steadied my breathing while watching the situation.

SHHK—!

Shin Kangheon’s shoulder was cut, blood spraying out.

It was a deep wound, but he lunged again like a starving beast, throwing the enemy off.

[W-what is this lunatic?!]

Song Junho cut off attacks fast with his innately refined qi-sense.

Oh Jungmin, with a solid sword method, protected his comrades and became the center point of the rotation.

[...This is getting annoying. We secure the Yin-Extreme body no matter what, and we get out.]

The big Black-White and the spear-wielding °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° Black-White began to lose coordination.

Unlike Black-White 13, they weren’t professionally trained assassins.

They had formidable martial arts worthy of pinnacle experts, but they couldn’t do what Black-White 13 did—slip into enemy territory, vanish into chaos, hide their presence, and escape.

“You think we’ll just let you run—?!”

“Smash that mask first! Let’s see your damn face!”

Cracks spread across the Black-White masks. Wounds multiplied. Blood began to soak through their clothes.

In the end, even pinnacle experts couldn’t withstand a swarm of late-bloom talents pouring in like angry hornets.

“HRAAAAH!”

Shin Kangheon slammed into the big Black-White and toppled them, and more than ten people rushed in at once, sealing pressure points until the enemy couldn’t move.

“See that?! I caught one!”

Shin Kangheon sprang up, about to brag to me, and whipped his head around—

then realized I was gone.

“...Where the hell did this bastard go now?”

And Black-White 13 had vanished too, sometime along the way.

*****

I ran while chewing and swallowing the top-grade internal injury pill Song Junho had given me.

The stench of Golden Spear Medicine the late-bloom talents had smeared all over me reeked off my body.

It was nothing more than first aid, but right now, it was enough.

“You really threatened to kill my parents right in front of me?”

Ahead, I could see Black-White 13’s back—abandoning comrades and fleeing alone.

In the chaos, I’d noticed the bastard trying to slip away with concealment, but I didn’t tell anyone.

I just chased alone.

“I’ll only feel satisfied if I finish you myself.”

The words spilled out like a mutter, but my eyes were shining with killing intent.

My stamina and inner power were at rock bottom, but rage and poison kept my legs moving.

And starting a little while ago, one unfamiliar power had been propping me up.

‘Yin-Extreme qi?’

The Yin-Extreme qi that had seeped into me while I was hiding my constitution.

I’d raised my inner power and pushed it out of my body, but before that, not a little had already penetrated deep into my bones.

Shockingly, part of that Yin-Extreme qi felt like it had settled inside me.

Ssssss—

I stared at the pale white aura faintly wrapping my palm.

Compared to Yang Hayun’s it was pitifully weak, but the fact it had transferred at all was enough to throw the entire martial world into upheaval.

‘Is it because I have Five Elements affinity?’

I couldn’t know the exact reason right now.

I decided not to think too hard.

Because I’d closed the distance enough.

Whoosh!

The throwing knife I hurled with everything I had sank into the bastard’s back.

Black-White 13 staggered and turned around.

The lower half of the mask was shattered.

Scars from having collided with me multiple times while fleeing.

The Black-White forced a smile and laughed weakly.

[Haha... Aren’t you tired of this? I’m starting to get sick of your face.]

“I haven’t seen your real face yet.”

I was used to dealing with trash like this.

The types who always pretended to be relaxed, acted like everything was under their control, and got off on the sensation of being able to play with someone however they wanted.

And the reason they loved to talk and talk was obvious—they wanted to watch the other person fall into despair and terror at their words.

[...May I make a proposal? It’ll be an offer you can’t refuse.]

Instead of answering, I lunged—

and smashed the mask with my fist.

CRACK!

Inside the mask that splintered and fell away was a shockingly ordinary face.

The kind of face you wouldn’t give a second glance on the street.

Black-White 13 stumbled back and covered his face with one hand.

The voice that had always been distorted through the mask didn’t come out anymore.

What remained was the thin, trembling voice of a man.

“...You have astonishing talent. Isn’t it a waste to let it rot in this boring righteous martial world?”

I didn’t care.

I raised my sword and carved straight across that face.

SHHK—!

Blood spurted, staining the man’s face red.

He lost one eye and staggered backward, but his mouth still wouldn’t shut.

“Come with me—come with me. I can help you make that talent bloom. You’ll be able to learn fascinating martial arts you can’t even find among the Eight Great Sects. If it’s you...”

I swung again—shattering joints, severing tendons.

He collapsed, sweating cold, lips twisting into a grin.

“You think I’ll beg to be spared? That’ll never happen. Not to some mere late-bloom talent! Hah... hahahahaha...!”

I didn’t react.

Like I was looking at an object, I observed the man sprawled on the ground and muttered,

“A moment ago, the order was fingers and toes, then pluck out the eyes, then burn the tongue, right? We need the tongue for interrogation, so I’ll leave that. After that... I think it was the skin.”

“......”

The wrecked body twitched.

Fear began to fill the man’s remaining eye—

but I didn’t care.

Expressionless, I brought the blade down again.

“Yeah. You shouldn’t have talked about my parents.”