NOVEL NEXT Chapter 11
“This should be quite the lucrative job.”
“Hehe, if we get paid, does that mean we can also return home in glory?”
“Only if we manage to return alive. And it’s returning in glory, not just going home.”
“Ah, I see!”
‘How ignorant.’
He looked down from the ship at his subordinates who were hastily preparing for departure.
‘Since we’ve caused considerable damage to the Hainan Sword Sect as requested, perhaps we’ll get extra payment.’
He slowly shifted his gaze to the pirates who were loading the plundered goods onto the ship. Their faces were bright with joy, like those eagerly awaiting a festival.
It was hard to believe that these were the same men who had been slaughtering people just hours ago.
“…”
He silently observed the pirates, then rested his hand on the hilt of his sword.
‘It’s about time these guys have outlived their usefulness.’
Not long ago, he had killed their leader in one stroke and taken control of the pirate gang. He had no intention of sharing the rewards. It was only natural.
If he were to claim all the rewards for himself, there would be no point in sharing them. Even if the swordsman was skilled, he was still a plunderer.
A plunderer sharing their loot? That made no sense.
‘Once I get the payment, I’ll kill these men, disguise myself as someone from the Central Plains, and secure a suitable position.’
Ideally, he wanted to return to his hometown of Dongying, but he could not. He was, after all, a fugitive.
Even in his hometown, where war was as common as eating, a maniacal murderer like himself was not accepted.
‘Or… perhaps going to the Western Regions wouldn’t be bad. As long as I can cut people down, it will do.’
What would it feel like to cut down the flesh of the Western barbarians? A cruel smile formed at the corners of the killer’s mouth.
While contemplating his future plans step by step, something unexpected happened.
His body tilted.
Rather, the ship he was standing on tilted.
Startled by the sudden change, he barely managed to regain his balance and turned his head.
“What is this-”
“Master!”
“The ship is sinking!”
“What?”
“What about the plundered goods in the lower hold? What are we going to do?”
The pirates anxiously asked their leader. Annoyed, the leader shouted, as if questioning why they even had to ask such a thing.
“What do you think! Hurry and retrieve them as fast as you can! Take out as much as possible before the ship sinks completely!”
“Aye! Everyone, hurry! Fetch the goods!”
‘We can just change ships!’
There were several ships moored in the harbor, and choosing a few of them would suffice.
‘A ship that survived rough waves without damage shouldn’t have a hole, so why now?’
It was incomprehensible.
Could the ship that had been used for this job just prior have sustained such significant damage to be sinking? Unable to make sense of it, he jumped off the ship and observed the one that was now half-tilted and beyond recovery.
With a third of the hull submerged, not much could be discerned, but there must be some clues left.
After inspecting carefully, he realized one truth.
“This is unnatural.”
“Yes?”
“It’s unnatural for the ship to be sinking this way. It’s not because of a minor damage. For it to go down this quickly, there must be a large hole at the bottom.”
“Th-then…”
“Be on guard! The Hainan Sword Sect is known to excel in underwater techniques; they must have tampered with the ship!”
“But, the goods…”
“Do you want to become fish food?”
His plans were completely ruined.
If everything had gone according to his original plan, he should be leaving Haian Island with the plundered goods by now. But because their ship sank, the entire plan was shattered into pieces.
Considering their numbers, they would need to split up and board different ships. This meant the remaining goods would have to be divided as well. And then, seeing the reduced loot… would his subordinates be willing to regroup?
Yasuo of the armored samurai gritted his teeth in frustration, scanning his surroundings with a fierce gaze.
‘If they’ve used underwater techniques, some must still be beneath the surface…’
He gradually glanced at his subordinates who were arming themselves and on guard, then unsheathed his sword.
The sharp ring of the blade echoed through the chaotic harbor.
“What absurd tricks…”
‘Even if we try to flee by ship now, they’ll interfere underwater. I must eliminate them quickly and leave this place at once.’
After calculating his next move, he raised his sword and shouted.
“There are likely spies from the Hainan Sword Sect hiding nearby! Be vigilant!”
The pirates visibly tensed at his call. Their leader aside, they were merely third-rate pirates. Facing the disciples of the Hainan Sword Sect was equivalent to certain death.
Even their previous victory was only possible due to a surprise attack on fake merchants, carefully positioning themselves on favorable terrain to launch arrow strikes from afar. Without such tactics, their chances of winning would be close to none.
“Aaaagh!”
A chilling scream echoed throughout the harbor. Suddenly, the pirates were on edge.
Where?
Where are they?
“M-Minoru is dead!”
The pirate near the slain one shouted in fear, trembling violently. His face was stricken with sheer terror, and he looked ready to drop his weapon and dive into the sea at any moment.
“The enemy? Have you spotted the enemy!”
“Yes… Yes! I didn’t see anyone!”
“Aaaah!”
A second victim appeared. A pirate fell to the ground with his neck pierced, blood spreading over the dirt.
The blood-soaked ground greedily drank in the corpse’s blood.
Panic began to spread uncontrollably among the pirates, like an infection.
“Kraaaaagh!”
“Aaaaaarrrrrghhh!”
The cries of terror multiplied like multiplying chicks.
Strangely, the pirates’ screams grew louder instead of fading.
It was expected.
For the wounds were not slashes but a slow, twisting agony throughout their bodies.
Sinew Separating Bone (分筋錯骨).
A technique used to torture captives appeared on the battlefield.
“It’s a ghost! A ghost!”
“Kill me! Please kill meeeeee!”
“All of you, shut up! SHUT UP!”
‘Damn it! The screams are making it impossible to pinpoint their positions!’
How could anyone endure the slow, twisting pain that felt like their bones were being rearranged?
Yasuo’s calls went unheard as the Hainan disciples continued their ambush. Screams of pirates writhing on the ground filled the harbor.
“I… I can’t take it anymore!”
“Masao!”
One terrified pirate dropped his weapon and rushed toward the sea, thinking that the water would provide safety.
But Yasuo wouldn’t let that happen. A flash of his blade followed by a scream, and Masao fell to the ground. Hot blood dripped from Yasuo’s sword.
Yasuo glared at his subordinates and shouted.
“If anyone runs, they die by my hand! Stand and fight!”
He called out loud, putting his inner energy into his voice in an attempt to regain control of the situation. But his words fell on deaf ears, as his subordinates were consumed by terror and couldn’t hear him.
‘Damn… how has it come to this…’
A small boat would be enough to escape.
He must flee now.
As he thought this, he turned around and immediately noticed a man leaning casually on his sword like a cane, standing with the sea at his back. The moonlight gleamed off the man’s golden hair.
“Wow, never thought I’d see a samurai here in the Central Plains.”
“…A colored-eyed person?”
“Guess I do stand out too much here in the East.”
William smirked and rotated his shoulders, loosening up before the fight. His preparation for action. Yasuo tightened his grip on his sword with a tense face.
“Who are you?”
“Does it matter who I am?”
“…How do you know the Dongying dialect? Who are you?!”
“If telling you my name would make you understand, then let’s say I’m a knight from the Western Regions. Does that ring a bell?”
‘Knight?’
Yasuo naturally didn’t understand. Having spent his life wandering Dongying and the Central Plains, how could he know of the existence of a land on the other side of the world?
“Alright, what exactly have you done?”
“Shouldn’t you’ve noticed by now? Surprisingly dull for the devious schemer I heard about.”
William deliberately rubbed Yasuo the wrong way to check the battlefield while toying with him.
“Most of the pirates are eliminated.”
Patience had waited until late into the night to cut holes in the bottom of the ship with his sword technique, then returned to the shore to use the harbor’s complex geography to eliminate the pirates systematically.
On top of this simple strategy, William had added one decisive element.
Fear.
The most effective way for the few to overcome the many.
William ordered the disciples of the Hainan Sect to inflict maximum pain on the pirates, using Sinew Separating Bone wherever possible.
Under usual circumstances, he might have felt uneasy about an order like that, but the Hainan disciples, fueled by a desire for vengeance, accepted the request without hesitation.
The disciples of the Hainan Sect faithfully executed his instructions.
Although inexperienced with the technique, with repeated attempts, they managed to successfully apply Sinew Separating Bone.
Thus, the harbor transformed into a hell filled with screams.
“Why ruin a perfectly good dish?”
“You shouldn’t have gotten involved if you didn’t want it ruined. Servant of the Demon Sect.”
“You, how da-”
‘Damn it!’
Realizing he had fallen for a simple psychological trick, Yasuo’s face twisted in frustration. It was too late; he had already confessed to working for the Demon Sect.
Yasuo glared at William with an annoyed expression.
William slowly drew his sword from the scabbard as he noticed Yasuo’s irritation.
“Come and defeat me, and I’ll let you leave.”
“…You really mean that?”
“Do you think you have any choices?”
William, unable to chase Yasuo if he fled with light steps due to a lack of light-footedness skills, knew Yasuo was unaware of this fact.
Yasuo gripped his sword tightly, ignoring the hateful gazes from all directions, as it was his only path to survival.
He forcibly calmed his racing heart and fixed William with a cold stare.
“Nakamura Yasuo. I challenge you to a duel!”
The sword in his hand, drenched in countless blood, was now directed at the foreigner.
“William Marshall, I accept your duel.”
William raised his sword hilt to the side of his head, stepped forward with his right foot, and pointed the blade toward Yasuo.
The stance of a bull charging its enemy.
The Ox Guard.
A posture embodying offense and defense revealed itself under the moonlit night.