The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 68

“Heh heh heh. Ah ha ha. You’re an amusing one. I like you. How about changing your allegiance? I think I can offer better terms than a dead emperor.”

“Hmm. Sorry, but the Emperor and I have a pretty solid relationship, so I can’t just flip on him.”

“How laughable. The Merchant Guild sold you out.”

“…….”

Azadin was startled. It was a top secret that the Corasar Merchant Guild was actually run by the Messenger Clan. But the Count knew it.

‘Did Derrick spill the beans?’

“Ah, rest assured. I have my own way of finding things out. I’m the only one who knows that the Merchant Guild is the Messenger Clan. So, even though the Guild sold you out, you’re still loyal to the organization?”

“Even if I didn’t want to be loyal, I wouldn’t want to work under a guy who bathes in a blood fountain, would I?”

“You can gain eternal life. Not only that, but you can gain power. Power, eternal life, wealth, and fame—you can have it all. Why would you refuse all that and continue being a despised messenger? Huh?”

“Sorry, but you don’t fit my aesthetic.”

Azadin put the bow that had dropped its arrows on his torso and drew his sword. Then, he took a deep breath, channeling the power of Hwajopungwol [a martial art technique focusing on wind and moon energy] and Kazas Hese [a martial art technique focusing on earth and mountain energy] into his entire body.

A sense of openness, as if connected to the universe, ran along his spine, and even in this profane blood bath, powerful energy flowed into Azadin’s body.

“Ho ho?”

The Count seemed to sense something from Azadin.

“Insolent. How dare a soulless blasphemer use such language to the bloodline of a great god.”

As the Count glared at Azadin, the two women entangled around his body slipped away and disappeared into the blood like snakes.

“Well, fine. I know how to draw loyalty from those kinds of people.”

At that moment, several figures rose from the blood bath.

“Kikiki.”

They were two men wearing hawk masks, their eyes glowing with blue demonic fire.

“Ugh!?”

As soon as Azadin saw the hawk masks, he recognized who they were.

‘Damn it, the regional manager! I asked what happened to the previous messengers, but he never told me. Why are they here?’

They were Harad, the messenger who had been in charge of this area before Azadin, and Kevna, who had been in charge of the adjacent northern area. Both were reported to have died on duty. If they were in the Count’s castle, they must have gone missing while on missions near here. The regional manager must have kept his mouth shut because he was afraid of taking responsibility.

“This is the key to how I found out that the Merchant Guild is the Messenger Clan. Their loyalty is absolute. They’ll easily reveal the clan’s secrets.”

The Count said that and stepped back.

“Then, I’ll go get dressed and prepare. In the meantime, either kill this rude one or capture him and make him loyal to me. And find out the whereabouts of the Divine King’s Scripture copy.”

“Yes!”

The two former messengers bowed to the Count. Then, the Count disappeared below the surface of the blood bath.

“…….”

Azadin wanted to chase after the Count, but he didn’t know the structure of this blood bath, and the former messengers were blocking his path, so he couldn’t act rashly.

“By the way, who is this? Isn’t it the famous Azadin? Could it be that you’re my replacement? It seems Aragas [the Messenger Clan’s headquarters] has run out of talent!”

The men wearing hawk masks, their eyes glowing with blue demonic fire, Harad and Kevna, drew their Moon-Crescent Bows.

*********

Originally, the Moon-Crescent Bows deteriorated rapidly when wet. Made of composite materials, they boasted overwhelming power despite their small size, but they were also difficult to maintain. If used on a rainy day, they had to be carefully serviced. So, there was no way the Moon-Crescent Bows of the guys who appeared from the blood bath would work properly, but…

-Swish!

An arrow flew towards Azadin.

‘No way.’

The bows of the guys who had been lying in the blood bath were working perfectly. Azadin caught the flying arrow, but the force of the arrow was quite strong, and he had to step back.

Azadin had stronger physical abilities than other messengers, but he was facing two messengers. There were also many of them, and they were shooting arrows at the same time. The arrows were also slippery because they were wet with blood, which made it difficult.

“Huh?”

Harad and Kevna were surprised when Azadin caught the arrow.

“He caught an arrow at this distance? And our arrow?”

“Did the bow weaken because it got wet with blood?”

They thought there was something wrong with their bows rather than Azadin’s abilities being outstanding. Azadin was so famous for being incompetent within the Messenger Clan that they couldn’t break that prejudice.

‘That’s good for me. Yes, let your guard down.’

Azadin grabbed the arrow he had snatched.

‘Should he put it on his bow and shoot it? But if he put it on his bow, the bow would get blood on it.’

‘Seeing that those guys’ bows are fine, it seems like it’s okay even if it gets wet with blood. But if it’s not, it’ll be a pain to repair.’

At that moment, drops of blood suddenly rose from the blood bath. Four spheres floated around Azadin.

“Hehehehe.”

From the darkness, four blood clots shot blood at Azadin. The ultra-high-pressure water jets flew towards Azadin like spears. Azadin spun around to avoid the flying blood droplets and landed.

“He dodged that?”

“Not bad! I heard he was the clan’s biggest idiot!”

Azadin’s predecessor, Harad, plunged his sword into the surface of the blood bath and charged, swinging it upwards. A spray of blood flew up, aiming for Azadin.

“Tch!”

He swung his sword and split the spray of blood, but in that gap, the two former messengers split to Azadin’s left and right. They surrounded him and fired saliva and threw daggers.

But Azadin spread out his left hand. The arrows that the two former messengers had shot earlier were stuck between Azadin’s fingers, and he fanned them out like a fan, deflecting the flying daggers and saliva.

And….

-Thwack!

An arrow pierced the chest of the former messenger, Harad.

“Huh?!”

Azadin didn’t even put the arrow on his bow, but threw it like a dart, piercing Harad’s chest.

“You fool.”

Kevna sneered.

“No, that guy’s throw is much faster than expected.”

The former messenger, Harad, who had been hit by the arrow, made excuses.

‘They’re too relaxed?’

Azadin clicked his tongue and looked at them. Even though they were injured, they didn’t feel pain and didn’t have any functional impairment.

“Are they undead? Or was the impact too shallow?”

Azadin threw an arrow and stuck it into the messenger’s body, but the power of an arrow thrown by hand was limited. It got caught on the leather armor and didn’t penetrate the skin properly.

‘No, even if it did penetrate the skin in that situation, I doubt it would have any effect.’

Azadin lamented as he saw that they had been turned into monsters by the Count. Even though they were the ones who ignored and mocked Azadin, they were still from the same clan, and it pained him that they had become the tools of the fallen Count.

“Hehehe. How did an idiot like you become a messenger? The honor of the Imperial Messengers has now fallen to the ground.”

“If the honor of the Imperial Messengers has fallen to the ground, it’s probably because of you, not me, Harad. Did the Count turn you into vampires?”

“We volunteered. We can enjoy eternal life and wealth and fame, so why would we be loyal to a dead emperor?”

“Besides, Aragas is rotten. It has lost its original purpose and now only lives for the benefit of the five great families and the Council of Elders.”

“Well, I won’t deny that Aragas is rotten, but I don’t think that’s a reason to cling to the Count? If you’re an Imperial Messenger, the kids in Aragas will at least admire you, right? But what are you now? Aren’t you like snails thrown into the pond to eat the moss at the bottom of the garden? What wealth and fame are you going to enjoy by sticking to the bottom of this bath?”

“You bastard!”

The former messengers were enraged by Azadin’s mockery of their situation and shot arrows again. But Azadin lightly reached out and struck the middle of the arrows with his Gokwon [a wrist bone], wrist bone.

It would be slippery if he tried to grab them because of the blood, but deflecting them was no problem. Azadin deflected the arrows with his Gokwon and at the same time, he spread his wrist.

-Swish….

The daggers that the former messengers had thrown a little while ago were now in Azadin’s hand, and they flew through the air.

“Ho ho!”

“Not bad!”

The former messengers dodged Azadin’s attack and were impressed.

-Twilight!

The bodies of the former messengers blurred as they approached Azadin.

‘Tch. Kazas Hese… I can’t use it in a place where the water is up to my knees.’

Azadin’s Twilight was a real movement of the body, so unlike the Twilight of other Messenger Clans, which was an illusion, he couldn’t move in the water.

“Ha!”

The former messengers appeared on Azadin’s left and right and launched a series of attacks. At that moment, Azadin also counterattacked.

-Thwack!

A pillar of water, no, a pillar of blood, shot up, and the two former messengers were thrown out of the water and rolled.

“Huh?!”

“W-what happened….”

The former messengers were shocked by the unexpected situation. They were confident that they had surrounded Azadin and launched an attack, but his body was like it was full of electrical energy.

The moment they made contact, a terrifying tremor and shock permeated their bodies. In that gap, Azadin counterattacked with his fists and sword. He stabbed the former messenger who had approached from the right with his sword, and punched the former messenger who had approached from the left in the torso.

-‘Hwajopungwol Thundercloud Kazas Hese!’

Originally, it was a magic that charged electrical magic and then released it to the opponent upon contact, but Azadin rolled on the ground and momentarily detonated the shock, pouring the energy into the person he touched. They had only been hit by one blow, but they were both thrown out and suffered a setback.

“Ah, it seems we’ve become.”

“We’ve become dull since we stopped feeling pain. To suffer such a setback from Azadin, who is known as the clan’s idiot.”

They denied the reality that was unfolding before their eyes. They, the former messengers, knew very well about Azadin’s incompetence and ineptitude.

Azadin was a famous person in the clan. They couldn’t accept that they had been knocked out in one blow by him, who was famous for being incompetent.

“No, the difference in skill is obvious, you pathetic things. That’s why you live eating moss under the Count’s bathtub.”

Azadin couldn’t help but say a word to Harad and Kevna, who were still denying reality.

“Thanks for letting your guard down. It’ll be easier for me if you keep denying reality like that. But even if you were defeated by the Count and became his monsters, you were still messengers that everyone in the clan admired and took pride in! When I defeat you, I want to tell your families that you fought bravely to the end, so give it your all. Don’t keep denying reality!”

Harad and Kevna were startled by Azadin’s words.

“Azadin.”

“You’re right. I apologize for my rudeness so far.”

Harad and Kevna, who had been spacing out like idiots until just now, focused their minds.