Chapter 74

Chapter 74

Lee Seung-uk and Yu Min-seon exchanged glances, their eyes moving restlessly. They had taken down two of the four men outside the alley, and now one of the remaining two was calling out to them.

The enemy already controlled the situation. In other words, Lee Seung-uk and Yu Min-seon were cornered.

Lee Seung-uk signaled Yu Min-seon with his eyes and stood. At this moment, the decision rested with him.

Yu Min-seon couldn't make it for him. Her mission was to get Lee Seung-uk out safely, and she couldn't simply demand that they recklessly confront the enemy.

Still, Representative Song Yi-hyeon had already left the country safely. That eased the burden on her mind.

"Whew."

Yu Min-seon rose as well.

The enemy had taken cover a little over thirty meters away, an awkward distance for accurate pistol fire.

In short, they were professionals. At that distance, with proper cover, they would be difficult to hit. And since time was on their side, Lee Seung-uk and Yu Min-seon had few alternatives.

More importantly, they were almost out of ammunition.

"Good, good. I wanted to see your faces. I've been wondering what sort of professionals could hunt our operatives down like animals."

A tall man stepped forward.

In the light of the streetlamp, his face was covered in a thick beard. His eyes were deeply sunken, and his skin was dark.

Yu Min-seon considered his appearance. He didn't seem Middle Eastern. Judging by his features and English accent, he was probably from India or Pakistan. Perhaps Bangladesh.

But did the MSS employ Indians, too?

The man addressed Lee Seung-uk and Yu Min-seon, who stood silently at a distance.

"Who hired you two? Or are you PMC operatives? Well, that doesn't really matter. It looks like the main culprit has already escaped. Headquarters ordered me to withdraw as well, but then we suddenly discovered where you were hiding, so they told me to come have a look."

The bastard certainly liked to talk. Apparently convinced that the two were already in his grasp, he babbled on without restraint. His English carried a distinctive Indian accent, but it was easy enough to understand.

Someone had suddenly discovered their safe house? That would need investigating later.

Lee Seung-uk studied the man intently. Then he noticed something unusual around his waist.

'An urumi···.'

Moving closer to Yu Min-seon, Lee Seung-uk spoke quietly without taking his eyes off the man.

"He's wearing an urumi around his waist. Be careful."

"An urumi?"

Yu Min-seon's expression grew serious. She, too, stared at the man's waist.

To think he'd encounter that weapon here.

Cold sweat trickled down Lee Seung-uk's back.

The urumi was a weapon said to have been used by ancient Indian warriors. Made from flexible strips of steel sharpened along their edges and measuring more than 1.5 meters in length, it was extraordinarily difficult for an opponent to defend against. The weapon itself was also notoriously difficult to handle and supposedly required tremendous training.

And the man before them had come wearing that bizarre weapon around his waist.

Some might call it madness to wield such a thing in an era when a single bullet could settle a fight. But Lee Seung-uk, whose martial abilities had already reached an advanced level, didn't see it that way at all.

Someone trained enough to master such a dangerous weapon would hardly be incompetent with modern firearms. This man was a fighter capable of handling practically any combat situation.

Yu Min-seon moved closer and asked quietly,

"That thing around his waist is an urumi? I've never seen one before."

"That's definitely an urumi. And it looks like he's carrying at least four blades. This bastard's a master."

Yu Min-seon readily agreed.

"Yes, he's a master all right. Even now, looking into his eyes makes it hard to keep my aim steady. An ordinary person would lose confidence in their ability to hit him."

Lee Seung-uk agreed.

Someone less experienced might find themselves unable to pull the trigger merely by standing face to face with the man. The killing intent he radiated would instinctively restrict both mind and body. Of course, Lee Seung-uk and Yu Min-seon weren't so inexperienced, but they faced one fatal disadvantage: they were deep in enemy territory. They couldn't afford to spend time gathering their composure for a gunfight.

"Good! Looks like that bastard wants to fight hand to hand, so let's give him what he wants. Urumi? I don't care what it is. I'll tear his limbs off."

"Hold on···."

Lee Seung-uk raised a hand to stop her. If Yu Min-seon challenged the man without even knowing what an urumi was, she would be the one torn apart. Unlike Lee Seung-uk, she was a master of modern combat techniques.

He, on the other hand, had learned about all kinds of unusual ancient weapons while training under Monk Bodeok at Guleopsa. He'd laughed when he first heard about them. He hadn't believed weapons like that could still be effective in the modern world.

Now he remembered something Monk Bodeok had told him.

[Anyone who handles a dangerous weapon is dangerous in his own right. Through years of training with such a weapon, the wielder himself is influenced by its nature. You'll rarely encounter someone like that when you enter the outside world, but things may be different in the hidden world. If you ever do meet such a person, return to the temple and report it.]

The man spoke again.

"Looks like you've recognized my weapon. So who's going to face me? I don't mind taking both of you at once."

As he spoke, he touched his waist. The belt wrapped around it loosened and slid toward the ground.

Clatter!

The belt transformed into four flexible swords. Each was about three finger-widths across and roughly 1.5 meters long. Four separate blades extended from a single handle.

Hasini, the leader of Team One of the Secret Shadow Unit, was growing excited.

He had spent more than twenty years of his life training from childhood in the remote mountains near the border between India and Pakistan. Then, one day, a man of unknown nationality visited his village and made him an offer. Hasini immediately followed him. He subsequently underwent three years of brutal training in a remote part of the Tian Shan Mountains, most of it devoted to modern combat techniques. When he finally emerged from the training camp and entered the city, he found himself appointed a team leader of the Secret Shadow Unit.

He enjoyed organizational life. Above all, it gave him the opportunity to experience the pleasure of killing, something ordinary modern life could never offer. Since childhood, he had occasionally needed the sight of blood to release his tension and restore his energy.

The years passed, and he became the leader of Team One. Then, while awaiting the day he might enter the Son of Heaven organization, supposedly reserved for superhumans, he'd been dispatched to Macau.

Hasini licked his lips. He liked the aura emanating from the young Asian man standing before him. The short-haired woman could be dealt with afterward. She was tall and well-built, so perhaps he'd capture her, enjoy himself with her, and kill her later.

"Hey, you're next."

The man beside Hasini nodded toward Yu Min-seon, indicating that she should move aside. Yu Min-seon took a few steps to the side as instructed, baring her teeth in a grin.

This bastard was really stirring up her urge to kill.

"Yeah, you're next, you son of a bitch."

Seeing the murderous fire in her eyes, the Secret Shadow Unit operative swallowed hard. Something felt wrong.

Lee Seung-uk lowered his stance. In actual combat, maintaining a low center of gravity was essential. Someone who fought with his back rigidly upright would be defeated in a single blow upon encountering a master.

Seeing Lee Seung-uk settle into a posture resembling a cat's, Hasini bared his teeth. He could gauge the man's abilities at a glance.

Yes, this bastard would be especially satisfying to tear apart with the urumi.

Clatter, clatter.

The flexible blades collided with one another, producing a loud metallic rattle. With the slightest twist of Hasini's wrist, their tips became almost impossible to predict.

Lee Seung-uk's concentration reached its peak.

There was no way to follow the irregular movements of those blade tips with the naked eye. Worse, there were four of them.

He fixed his attention solely on Hasini's wrist. That wrist was what produced the blades' unpredictable movements. Nothing else mattered.

And then,

Swish!

Two steps.

Lee Seung-uk suddenly lunged forward and stopped. It was a feint intended to test his opponent's reaction.

Clatter!

Cold sweat ran down Lee Seung-uk's body as the blades swept through the air before his face. One more step, and they would have cut him to pieces. In fact, some of the edges had already grazed his cheek. When he raised a hand to wipe his face, blood stained his fingers.

"You move like a cat. I don't think you've studied only modern martial arts."

Hasini spoke with a laugh.

Lee Seung-uk struggled to suppress the murderous intent rising inside him.

He couldn't allow himself to get excited. This bastard was an experienced killer who never hesitated when striking. If Lee Seung-uk lost his composure, he'd be drawn into his opponent's rhythm.

"Whewww."

Lee Seung-uk exhaled, suddenly recalling something the representative had said during a training session not long ago. Yi-hyeon had been sitting behind him while he practiced breathing exercises, resting a hand against the back of his head.

[Don't become obsessed with the length of your breathing. Eventually, you must forget even the fact that you're breathing. Just as your body and mind aren't separate, you and the things around you aren't separate either. That's why you can sense them. Close your eyes and feel the objects around you. Feel that they exist in their places, just as you exist in yours.]

As Yi-hyeon spoke and touched the back of his head, a cool sensation had flowed from his hand and spread throughout Lee Seung-uk's body. It had felt like being drenched in ice water on a sweltering summer day.

Shhhhh.

With a strange humming sound, the urumi came flying toward him. This time, Hasini had attacked first.

Left!

The instant Lee Seung-uk sensed the approaching blades, he rolled to his right. He dared not attempt to block their overwhelming sharpness. The four flexible sword tips twisted independently, reaching toward every part of his upper body.

Springing to his feet from the roll, Lee Seung-uk glared at Hasini. He didn't need to inspect himself to know that his left shoulder had been cut. Despite moving so quickly, he hadn't managed to avoid every blade.

If he'd had even a single short sword, he might have been able to parry the flexible blades and create an opportunity to counterattack. But he had no such weapon. Worse, the wound on his previously injured right thigh had begun aching again.

A desperate situation!

Suddenly, a thought struck Lee Seung-uk.

I've been too desperate to live!

When the time came to die, a man should accept death. Yet he'd been clinging desperately to his life. Everything he'd done had been driven by his desire to survive.

Clatter, clatter.

Even now, those blades were sweeping through the air with a deafening rattle, occupying every direction around him.

Watching them, Lee Seung-uk made his decision.

That's right. Why do I have to watch the blades? When I trained under Monk Bodeok, I dodged the stones he threw without even looking at them.

His eyes began to close.

There was no need to keep staring at the blades flashing brilliantly beneath the streetlights.

Then, at a certain moment, Lee Seung-uk's eyes closed completely. His body shot forward like a released spring.

The fingers of his partially extended hands were spread like claws, radiating a dangerous killing intent, but his expression remained calm.

Sensing that something was wrong, Hasini flicked his wrist, sending all four flexible blades toward Lee Seung-uk's upper body like arrows.

As the energy-laden blade tips glittered ominously, Lee Seung-uk was already sliding beneath them.

"Hup!"

Hasini panicked. His flexible swords had grazed the charging man's back—no, several had actually sliced into it—but Lee Seung-uk hadn't slowed in the slightest. Instead, his upper body drove directly into Hasini's chest.

Thud!

"Urgh!"

Hasini cried out and raised the handle of his urumi. The bastard was already practically embracing his upper body, so he intended to drive the weapon into his back.

One strike would be enough···

In the next instant, Hasini dropped the urumi's handle. An indescribable pain had erupted along both sides of his ribs.

Lee Seung-uk tightened his grip on Hasini's flanks. He could feel the man's ribs beneath his fingers, and he drove those fingers between them. Deep.

"Aaaaaagh!"

Hasini threw his mouth wide and screamed. Lee Seung-uk's fingers were forcing their way between his ribs and beginning to tear at his internal organs.

Crunch, crunch.

Lee Seung-uk concentrated in silence. He continued crushing Hasini's upper body with his hands as though this was the one task he had to accomplish even if the entire world collapsed around him.

Hup.

Finally, Lee Seung-uk inhaled and straightened his upper body. Hasini's body sagged limply toward the ground. Lee Seung-uk turned his gaze, his hands and the front of his chest completely drenched in blood.

In that state, he looked at the remaining Secret Shadow Unit operative and spoke.

"Are you next?"

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