The Return of the Sw Chapter 103 : Punishment -04

Chapter 103: Punishnt -04

Seo Jo-woon and Seonu Bang’s faces flushed red at the relentless assault of the assassins surging toward them without end.

They were nearly at their limits.

Moreover, the assassins did not hesitate to choose mutual destruction, which made it all the more exhausting for the group.

Yet unfortunately, none of them were in a position to help the others.

Sskk! Ssk!

And just because they had prepared against poison did not an they would not be injured.

The antidotes and the poison-repelling beads literally blocked only poison.

They did not stop concealed weapons, short blades, or daggers, and so wounds were increasing rapidly across the four of them.

Yet the more they were injured, the fiercer their eyes beca.

Driven by rage, they attacked the assassins.

Their internal energy was being consud with every passing mont, and their stamina was dropping exponentially, yet even so, the four of them did not cease their counterattacks.

“Haahp!”

Among them, the one displaying the most outstanding performance was, without question, Seo Jo-woon.

As befitted the one with the greatest internal energy, even after a considerable amount of ti had passed, he was still maintaining Sword Force.

Not only that, but he raised a Force Energy in his left hand as well, slaughtering the assassins.

“Hup!”

At that sight, Seonu Bang and Moyong Cheok also pushed themselves harder.

As the youngest, Seo Jo-woon was making a na for himself, and as if unwilling to lose to him, they ground their teeth.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

On top of that, Jeong I-ryong’s performance was also remarkable.

Though he sustained minor wounds, he seed determined not to suffer any fatal injuries. Avoiding the attacks of dozens, he steadily brought them down one by one.

He did not possess a single devastating blow like Seo Jo-woon, but he consistently reduced the number of enemies.

‘They are growing even as they fight.’

Watching the four of them, Beopmu, who was slaughtering assassins alongside the Eight Protectors, wore a hollow expression.

He had known that all of them possessed trendous talent, but he had not expected them to improve even in the midst of battle.

In particular, Beopmu was impressed by their stamina.

After following Ban Hojin’s brutal training regin, all four of them had beco monsters.

‘I cannot be the first to tire.’

Though they looked exhausted, they still seed to have enough strength to continue fighting.

Thus, Beopmu, who had been glancing over at them, secretly clenched his molars.

The four of them were young enough to be his juniors, yet they had not collapsed from exhaustion—he could not show fatigue first.

Moreover, even the Eight Protectors, all over sixty years old, were fighting just fine. It made no sense for him to be the first to fall apart.

“Everyone, freeze.”

As desperate battles raged across the battlefield, a clear voice cut through it.

It was Ban Hojin’s voice.

For so reason, Ban Hojin’s voice seed to pierce straight into the ear, and not only the group but even the assassins halted their movents.

Instinctively, they felt as though they had to stop.

And the assassins soon understood why.

“Uuugh…….”

At the sight of the Dark Moon Sect Leader with all four limbs severed, the assassins’ eyes trembled.

He was miserably subdued, seized by the back of the neck—it was hard to believe even as they watched.

Though it had been quite so ti since he had been active in the field, the Dark Moon Sect Leader had once been a Special-Grade Assassin.

On top of that, through martial arts manuals he had gathered through various channels, he had grown strong enough to easily devour most Special-Grade Assassins. Yet now that sa Dark Moon Sect Leader was being held helplessly, and every Special-Grade Assassin swallowed dryly.

“The leader’s been captured. Anyone still want to fight? Well, if you do, I won’t stop you. You’ve lived as tools anyway. But if you want to try living a different life from this mont on, I’ll give you the chance.”

At Ban Hojin’s words, the lower-grade assassins glanced at one another.

All of them had been ntally indoctrinated.

However, there were certainly differences in degree.

In particular, the lower-grade assassins, who engaged more frequently in external activities, were not as deeply brainwashed as the First-Rate Assassins.

Ssk.

Moreover, not a single one among them had beco an assassin by choice.

So because of their family’s financial hardship, so because they had been kidnapped.

Or sold by relatives, drifting all the way here—few were those who were truly loyal to the Dark Moon Sect.

Perhaps because of that, they all gauged each other’s reactions.

Crack—!

“If you want to die, I won’t stop that either.”

To those hesitating, Ban Hojin demonstrated his power.

As though he could kill them at any ti if they wished it, he flicked his hand.

The Force Energy that shot forth from his hand cleaved the earth as though it were Sword Force.

With uniform width and thickness.

Gulp!

At that sight, the lower-grade assassins simultaneously dropped their weapons.

It was a silent declaration of surrender.

In contrast, the First-Rate Assassins were at a loss.

As those who played pivotal roles within the Dark Moon Sect, their indoctrinated loyalty was profound, and they could neither act nor retreat.

“If we surrender… will you spare us?”

“A kitchen knife killed a person. Then whose fault is it?”

“We surrender.”

At Ban Hojin’s answer—that a tool was rely a tool—a considerable number of First-Rate Assassins, like the lower-grade ones, surrendered.

They judged that any further fighting would be aningless.

Of course, most of the group was exhausted, but the most threatening presence—Ban Hojin—was still perfectly fine.

Not only had he subdued the Dark Moon Sect Leader, but he had also effortlessly dealt with the Special-Grade Assassins August and May beforehand. Their hesitation did not last long.

-What are you doing! Attack again, you—!

As though infected, the assassins threw down their weapons and surrendered. One of the Special-Grade Assassins still in hiding shouted through Voice Transmission.

However, his words did not continue to the end.

Ban Hojin embedded a Wind Blade into the back of his head as he stealthily approached the battlefield once more.

The Wind Blade that exploded at the back of his skull pierced through his forehead, and the Special-Grade Assassin died instantly, collapsing to the ground.

“Still so idiots who haven’t co to their senses. You think I wouldn’t be able to find you?”

Pipipiping!

Toward the Special-Grade Assassins who still had not woken up despite being beaten so thoroughly, Ban Hojin flicked the fingers of his bare left hand.

It was not that he had been unable to find the Special-Grade Assassins hiding.

He had rely left them alone because it was botherso to fire Wind Blades one by one.

Yet it seed the Special-Grade Assassins had taken that differently.

Thud! Thud-thud-thud!

So Ban Hojin made them experience it directly.

Of course, the result was instant death.

One after another, the Special-Grade Assassins appeared as they suffered penetrating wounds to the head, collapsing to the ground.

“W-wait! I surrender! I surrender!”

But not all of them were dead.

Even as their comrades were dying, there were those who swiftly changed their stance.

Just like the First-Rate Assassins who had surrendered, two Special-Grade Assassins knelt down and raised both arms.

With their entire bodies, they showed they had neither the will nor the weapons to fight.

“Y-you rotten bastards……!”

At that sight, the Dark Moon Sect Leader, who had sowhat regained his senses, ground his teeth.

The pain remained, but humans were creatures of adaptation; by now, his surroundings were coming into clearer view.

And so he grew furious.

Instead of trying to rescue him—or at the very least, if they lacked the ability, taking hostages to negotiate—they had imdiately chosen to surrender. The Dark Moon Sect Leader felt suffocated with frustration.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

anwhile, regardless of the Dark Moon Sect Leader’s outrage, Beopmu, together with the Eight Protectors, sealed the acupoints of the surrendered assassins one by one.

Since so of them carried poison needles inside their mouths, he sealed even their Mute Acupoints to prevent the worst-case scenario in advance.

At the sight of the nine of them, the rest of the group also followed and busily moved about.

“You worked hard.”

“This much hardly counts as hardship. The real core forces were dealt with by you and the Eight Protectors.”

“Get treatnt first.”

“I’m fine. For sothing like this, just spit on it and it’ll heal.”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

Seonu Bang tried to act tough, but Ban Hojin snorted.

His outward appearance was a wreck, and the condition inside his body was no good either.

The antidote and poison-repelling bead were not omnipotent, and because he had excessively used his True Energy, he had also sustained internal injuries.

Right now, what he needed was rest and treatnt.

“I’m really fine. Once we finish things up, we can all rest together.”

“That’s right. This is all experience, after all.”

“Feels like you tack that line onto everything?”

Ban Hojin stared solemnly at Seo Jo-woon, who had slipped into the conversation.

Seo Jo-woon flinched and avoided his gaze.

Trusting in his overflowing internal energy, he had run wild—and he had been the first to exhaust his True Energy.

Though he had experienced the war against the Eighteen Green Forest Strongholds, fighting martial artists and facing assassins were entirely different matters. As a result, contrary to expectations, Seo Jo-woon was now covered head to toe in blood.

“Apply the wound dicine first.”

“If we’re doing it, let’s all apply it together.”

Sneaking glances at Ban Hojin, Seo Jo-woon pulled out the wound dicine from his chest.

It was a specially made wound ointnt manufactured by Shaolin.

Then Seonu Bang, Jeong I-ryong, and Moyong Cheok quietly applied it to their own wounds as well.

“You’ve worked hard, Senior Disciple Brother.”

“It was only what had to be done. If they dared to target a disciple of Shaolin, they must naturally pay the appropriate price. Still, there are more prisoners than expected.”

“You need not worry about that. The warriors of Young Master Geum Hoyeon are nearby. If we send a signal, they will co imdiately.”

“Then we can leave the cleanup to them.”

Beopmu looked relieved.

Having fought so fiercely, he too was quite exhausted.

He had been enduring it because he did not want to show weakness before the group, but inwardly, he wanted nothing more than to lie down anywhere at once.

“Please rest with the Protectors.”

“And what will you do? The interrogation can wait, can’t it?”

Beopmu asked with a puzzled expression.

Then he rolled his eyes and looked toward the Dark Moon Sect Leader, who was gauging the situation nervously.

Though all four limbs had been severed, his bleeding had been staunched in ti, so his life was not in danger.

In other words, there was no need to rush.

“Isn’t this the Dark Moon Sect’s headquarters? Before Young Master Geum’s warriors arrive, I plan to search the place. There must be materials regarding the First Young Lord hidden sowhere. Since it’s an assassin sect, there likely aren’t any formal contracts, but I believe they would have set up so kind of safeguard.”

“Can’t you rest a bit first? We could take turns keeping watch and rest in shifts. We can summon the Geum Family Estate warriors later.”

“Sowhere here, there are probably children the Dark Moon Sect intends to raise as assassins. We need to rescue them as well.”

“Ah.”

Beopmu’s eyes widened, as he had not considered that.

At the sa ti, he realized he had been thinking only of himself.

“The training facility might be elsewhere, but I plan to look first. We should also give this one ti to think.”

“If you find evidence, honestly, there’s no longer any need for him, is there? He’s just baggage.”

Shudder.

At Beopmu’s indifferent words, which sounded all the more chilling because of his detachnt, the Dark Moon Sect Leader trembled.

It felt as though he could clearly see his own future.

Yet he knew it as well.

He could not escape death.

Still, there was one thing he could choose.

Whether to die peacefully, or to flounder in horrific agony before dying.

“Still, if there’s an easier path, it’s worth waiting for, isn’t it?”

“That’s true. Fine. I’ll help as well.”

“You don’t have to.”

“No. Since we’ve started, we should see it through to the end.”

“We share the sa thought.”

The Eight Protectors approached the two of them.

Despite standing quite a distance away, they had sohow overheard the conversation and co over.

Their monastic robes were torn and split in places, stained with blood here and there, but overall, their condition was better than the rest of the group.

“You may rest if you wish.”

“If we work together, won’t it finish faster? And personally, I’m curious. It’s my first ti coming directly to the headquarters of an assassin sect.”

“There may be children who need our help.”

The elder monks spoke, concerned about the children the Dark Moon Sect might be raising as reserve assassins.

At their serious gazes, Ban Hojin nodded and turned toward the place where he sensed the greatest concentration of presences.

“I’ll handle the small fry.”