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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Excluding government facilities, Hotel Leviathan boasted some of the tightest security, rivaling the headquarters of the Ten Great Guilds and the temples of major religions.
This was why dignitaries, celebrities, and even criminals favored the Leviathan. Unlike other hotels, theft or assault within its walls was considered impossible.
Flutter!
Thus, the sight of a black-clad figure infiltrating the Leviathan through a window was alarming, especially given that the target wasn’t just any room, but the top-floor penthouse, the most secure location in the entire hotel.
“Welcome back.”
Yet, the penthouse’s sole occupant and owner, a black-haired girl, wasn’t surprised. She simply offered a gentle smile.
“Indeed.”
The figure nodded casually, shedding the cumbersome black cloth and sprawling on the sofa.
“Did you take care of the bomb?”
“Did you think I wouldn’t?”
“No.”
Li Chingwei answered immediately. Looking at the white-haired young man who unwound the bandages from his hands, returning to his normal appearance, she added,
“There’s no way you, Sword Saint, would fail to handle a single prisoner escorted by a mere Martial Force Unit.”
“That’s why I took care of the bomb myself.”
He didn’t want to deal with Ryu Kang-chul, but he couldn’t just leave him be.
So, he and Li Chingwei chose this course of action, eliminate Ryu Kang-chul during his transfer from the Shanghai Royal Family to the Leviathan.
Like disposing of a useless bomb by detonating it in an open field.
“Did anyone notice?”
“Those blind fools thought I was a Psychokinetic player and came charging at me.”
“It’s not their fault.”
Li Chingwei chuckled, picking up the bandages and cloth Limon had discarded, revealing almost invisible, incredibly thin threads hidden within.
“Few experts can discern sword threads made from the web of a level 90 Invisible Spider.”
“You prepared this too?”
“Yes, they’re favored by masters of the Heavenly Net Shaping Style.”
“What’s that? I know about spider silk, but sword threads aren’t suitable for the Heavenly Net Shaping Style.”
“But they’re stronger and more concealable than any other thread. Easy to control even with limited psionic ability.”
“Really now?”
Limon clicked his tongue, momentarily taken aback, as if he had just heard that someone had put horseshoes on a dog.
“Kids these days have it easy. The Sword Hermit spent over a hundred years searching for a weapon suitable for his swordsmanship.”
“By Sword Hermit, you mean Rashid?”
“Yes. Rashid ad-Din Sinan, the one who compiled the secrets of magic and alchemy to create sword threads.”
Recalling one of the thirteen Sword Masters in history, a man who wasn’t originally a swordsman yet more dangerous than any other, Limon continued softly,
“The first and last Old Man of the Mountain, and the only assassin to become a Sword Master.”
“He was quite remarkable.”
“Remarkable my ass. He was a con man who stole Saladin’s achievements and reputation.”
“Who’s Saladin?”
“An unfortunate soul who could have been an unparalleled hero, but met an untimely end thanks to a certain Sword Master.”
Li Chingwei tilted her head but, instead of inquiring further about a figure she had never heard of, focused on the Sword Master before her.
“In any case, his swordsmanship was unique, wasn’t it?”
“…I’ll admit that.”
Even Limon, who had called Rashid a con man and assassin, nodded in agreement when it came to his swordsmanship.
The fact that Limon had imitated his swordsmanship for this attack was proof of his confidence that no one would recognize it.
Originally a hidden weapon technique using tied threads, the Sword Hermit had developed it into a swordsmanship where the threads themselves were wielded like swords.
‘Invisible Sword’ was a bizarre technique.
Of course, the Sword Saint’s ‘Unsheathed Sword’ was even stranger.
“Even during the Sword Hermit’s lifetime, few could discern his technique. No one in this era would recognize it.”
“Indeed.”
“Then Head Wang won’t be able to question us about this.”
“That’s right.”
“So, everything worked out perfectly.”
“Indeed.”
Li Chingwei was satisfied.
No one would suspect that the cloaked figure who attacked the convoy using the power of a Constellation, rather than wielding a physical sword, was Limon.
This incident would be attributed to the Liberation Brigade as a cover-up, eliminating any reason for her and Limon to be politically targeted.
“…Sword Saint? Do you perhaps dislike playing the role of an assassin?”
That was why Li Chingwei was puzzled.
“No, not at all.”
“Then why that expression?”
She wondered why Limon was still frowning, even though everything had gone according to plan.
His answer was simple.
“I know their objective. …Or rather, I have a hunch about their ultimate goal.”
“What?”
Li Chingwei’s eyes widened.
The reason behind the Liberation Brigade Specters’ attack on the Black Dragon Clan’s affiliates was a mystery to her as well.
“Did Ryu Kang-chul talk?”
“No.”
“Then how did you know?”
“I knew the moment I cut that bastard down.”
Before, he had only indirectly interacted with them through corpses or Wei-ling, so he hadn’t realized it. But when he met Ryu Kang-chul, the moment he cut him down with his own hands, Limon instinctively understood.
“What I cut down was just an empty shell, and they were using it for a scheme.”
It was an intuition born from experience, a certainty he possessed from having personally taken countless lives and thwarted numerous conspiracies.
He had eliminated Ryu Kang-chul, but he hadn’t truly killed him. It sounded insane. But Li Chingwei wasn’t surprised.
She simply asked seriously,
“Which scheme are you referring to?”
“Does it matter?”
“…You’re saying the important thing is that they were attempting to use a scheme.”
“They are using it.”
Li Chingwei understood.
Whether it was ‘Borrowing a Corpse to Return the Soul’ or ‘Escape by a Golden Cicada,’ the core of the Thirty-Six Stratagems was simple, despite its seemingly complex classifications based on different war situations: deceive the enemy!
Thus, even the most intricate plan became a blunder if discovered, and even the simplest tactic became a brilliant strategy if the deception succeeded.
“If what you say is true… then I understand their goal.”
Just by realizing that Ryu Kang-chul’s existence itself was a deception, Li Chingwei could deduce many things.
The type of scheme used, the reason behind it, and even the ultimate goal.
She was, after all, the princess of the Black Dragon Clan, the one who inherited the strongest bloodline of their ancestor, whose specialty was schemes and conspiracies.
“Of course, this is just my hunch, not based on concrete evidence, so you don’t have to believe me.”
The problem was that the only basis was Limon’s word. Although the Black Dragon Clan excelled at discerning schemes, that made it even harder to believe.
Those skilled in deception tended to believe that everyone else was trying to deceive them as well.
“No, I believe you.”
“…You’re serious?”
“Of course.”
Li Chingwei affirmed without hesitation.
Smiling gently, she continued,
“I’m your fiancée, Sword Saint. If I don’t trust the man I’ll spend my life with, who can I trust?”
“You could trust no one.”
“Well, I used to think that way… but I realized it was foolish.”
Li Chingwei spoke frankly.
She might doubt her own judgment, but she trusted Limon’s intuition implicitly.
The decision to eliminate Ryu Kang-chul, despite the perfect opportunity to interrogate a high-ranking member of the Liberation Brigade, was based on her trust in Limon’s hunch.
This time was no different.
Limon chuckled, looking at Li Chingwei’s calm demeanor.
“To think you already understand a principle I only grasped after turning two hundred… I truly have a clever bride.”
“You flatter me.”
Pleased by his compliment, Li Chingwei smiled as she tidied up the sword threads and cloth.
Limon asked abruptly,
“So, how do you plan to respond?”
“Is there a need to respond?”
“Hmm?”
Limon looked puzzled.
Meeting his gaze with eyes as dark as obsidian, Li Chingwei smiled faintly.
“It seems whoever planned this wants to play mind games with us. We’ll simply let them have their way.”
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“Hmm…”
Lost in thought, the man with braided hair removed a communication ring from his finger.
Rolling it in his hand, he muttered,
“That damned plan failed.”
Until the moment Ryu Kang-chul was being transported to the Leviathan, everything seemed to be proceeding smoothly. But then Ryu Kang-chul died unexpectedly.
It was frankly unforeseen.
“This mission feels strangely jinxed.”
As a high-ranking member of the Liberation Brigade, he had carried out countless missions all over the world.
Dealing with the Ten Great Guilds. Destroying government facilities. Even instigating wars.
None of the missions were easy, and some seemed impossible compared to this one. But he had never experienced such setbacks.
“It’s not because the opponent is the Seven Dragons Association… is it?”
He immediately dismissed the thought.
No matter how many experts or how much wealth the Seven Dragons Association possessed, that was all they were.
A force clinging to outdated relics of the past, like the Seven Dragons and psionics, hindering his progress was unacceptable. That made this situation even more intolerable.
“Perhaps it was a mistake to entrust such an important task to that brain-dead Comrade Fool.”
He placed all the blame on Ryu Kang-chul.
Ryu Kang-chul would have been furious and felt wronged if he heard this, but the man didn’t care. It was a universal truth in every army, past and present, success belonged to the commander, failure to the soldiers.
“I wanted to finish this quietly… but now, I have no choice.”
If they hadn’t resisted so foolishly, it would have ended with just a few thousand casualties.
Lamenting the Seven Dragons Association’s foolishness, prioritizing their own gains and causing unnecessary sacrifices, the man with braided hair muttered,
“If they want blood, I’ll give them blood.”
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