When they received word that Ilkana had apostatized.
‘Father’ and his subordinate assassins were quite relaxed.
It’s true that Ilkana was quite excellent as an assassin, but that was only in terms of assassination.
She was exceptional at eliminating targets by hiding and striking at the right moment.
However, everyone knew her pure combat skills were lacking.
But.
Clang!
Ilkana’s dagger deflected a chakram.
Though she was clearly fighting with a half-beat slower breathing, her attacks penetrated the perfect spots to block and thrust.
‘How?’
Everyone watched with wide eyes as she blocked five attacks at once.
Woof!
On top of that, the dog as massive as an ox provided cover in sync with her movements.
Ilkana said:
“I clearly told you not to interfere, didn’t I, Brother?”
Jin Cheonhee replied:
“This isn’t my command. Hwanggu is acting on his own!”
Crash!
Blue lightning struck one of the assassins in the rear.
“Is that acting on its own too?”
Jin Cheonhee replied as if wronged:
“Well, if you didn’t like it, you shouldn’t have given them jerky…”
Squeak!
She gritted her molars and said:
“At least order them not to touch ‘Father’—I’ll handle him myself, Brother.”
Jin Cheonhee nodded.
“You guys! Did you hear that?”
Squeak! Woof woof!
“They say they understand.”
This is maddening. This physician and his two spiritual beasts.
Even in the most serious situations, they manage to do exactly what they want.
Judging by their movements, they’re not directly interfering in combat but are simply preventing her from getting hurt.
‘How considerate are you trying to be? You humans… no, animals!’
Their nonchalance makes it even more irritating.
‘They must be worried about serious injuries in the desert.’
She had already noticed that Jin Cheonhee didn’t care one bit about martial artists’ sensibilities.
Normally, after saying this much, whether she fought one against ten or one against thirty, it would be proper etiquette to fold one’s arms and watch, thinking, ‘This is one martial artist’s battle.’
But this crazy youth probably thinks that fighting one against a dozen doesn’t make sense regardless.
If she got seriously injured, he would have to carry her back to the city and treat her with his own hands, which would be troublesome.
‘Is he saying human life takes precedence over martial honor?’
The more she understands about Jin Cheonhee, the more she realizes he’s the exact opposite of the life she’s lived.
Tang!
At that moment, an assassin who tried to slash her side was repelled.
Invisible qi projectiles.
When she glared at Jin Cheonhee sensing his intervention, he immediately said:
“I won’t interfere in one-on-one! Really, I won’t! But come on, whatever the reason, facing thirty people alone doesn’t make sense! If you spill your guts here, who’s going to stitch you up?!”
…This crazy physician, really!
However, the assassins facing her were also dumbfounded.
Despite the assistance of spiritual beasts and the White-Robed Divine Dragon’s passive(?) protection, Ilkana’s skills were real.
She faced dozens of assassins.
Normally, she would have tired long ago and been slaughtered like an animal with her skin torn.
But Ilkana didn’t tire, and her daggers never dulled.
“Brother. You’ve made me stronger…”
Slash!
Ilkana’s dagger tore an assassin’s throat.
“Kyahahaha!”
She laughed like a fiend, showing her canines.
“I took a very potent medicine, Brother.”
She can feel herself getting stronger.
Strength, endurance, and agility. Nothing is lacking.
Last night.
She received one pill.
‘It’s an elixir I carry for emergencies. Take it and circulate your energy according to the verses I told you. Oh… you don’t know how to circulate energy? What should we do?’ he had said, flustered.
‘I’ll guide the inner force through your back and direct it to your danjeon. Just accept the feeling as it is. The roots are similar whether it’s the frontier or the martial world,’ he said as he sat behind her and calmly assumed the position.
Ilkana was dumbfounded but swallowed the pill.
That’s how she realized why martial artists can become stronger instantly.
Jin Cheonhee answered, ‘It’s not a top-tier elixir, but it increases internal energy by five to ten years.’
When she asked if Central Plains people eat these often, Jin Cheonhee shook his head.
‘No. If everyone could eat these, it would be chaos. These are expensive. And if you keep taking them, their effectiveness diminishes, so you take them intensively at first to establish the foundation,’ he said, smiling like a simpleton.
Well, she could guess what this physician was thinking when he gave it to her.
He was keeping his promise to ‘help make her several times stronger.’
At the same time, she needed to be strong enough to fend off the assassins who would obviously be pursuing them.
He probably used the fastest method first.
“Die!”
An assassin couldn’t hold back and thrust his dagger.
Ilkana smiled viscously.
She was about to tear his throat and kill him immediately.
Tang!
At that moment, his solar plexus caved in, and he flew through the air.
Jin Cheonhee said:
“Ah, my mistake.”
Now she understood.
This physician doesn’t particularly like enemies dying either.
That assassin would never be able to run again, but at least he’d keep breathing.
‘That’s even more cruel. Kukukuk, what a crazy physician.’
After slaughtering countless assassins and leaving irrecoverable scars on countless others while keeping them alive.
Finally, only she and ‘Father’ remained.
“…”
What words were needed?
Her daggers thirsted for blood.
The best would be blood of her flesh and blood, but if that wasn’t possible, the blood of fake family would do.
What a twisted life.
Father threw a chakram at her, and she simultaneously threw a chakram back.
Tadadadang!
As the chakrams collided in midair, a concealed blade flew toward her Adam’s apple from behind them.
‘You’ve grown, Father.’
Just as she had grown, he had grown too.
‘While you branded me with a soldering iron and dipped my hands in acidic lakes, you grew too.’
As a devout believer, he performed the Assassination Order’s rituals.
She wanted to gouge out his devout eyes.
Consistently.
Not even once.
She never had the chance.
Her dagger wraps around the hidden dagger. Following the curved blade, the dagger spins around.
A good feeling.
Her body craved warm blood.
‘It might not actually be because of Mom. Maybe I was made this way from the beginning.’
Her afterimage scatters.
The spiritual body transformation she used to assassinate the Third Prince.
Power gained in exchange for offering one’s soul to ancient gods.
But having already apostatized, her destination after death would be hell.
‘That’s fine.’
She would gladly enjoy such a hell.
At that moment, Father also transformed into a spiritual body.
In this state, it was impossible for either side to attack the other.
However, maintaining the spiritual body transformation for long was impossible.
Using it frequently was also impossible.
Ilkana was the first to release it.
And Father’s sword enters her gap.
Releasing the momentary spiritual body transformation for attack. The sword already thrusts toward the back of her head.
Splash!
Blood splattered.
But it wasn’t her blood.
It was ‘Father’s’ wrist that was severed.
Ilkana laughed.
“Kyaha!”
“How…?”
Momentarily, but finally, she surpassed Father’s speed. It should have been absolutely impossible.
Especially after facing dozens of assassins.
Ilkana answered:
“Ask in heaven how I did it.”
Thud-
The first dagger pierces a vital point,
Slash-
The second dagger digs deep into the bone marrow.
Warm blood flows out, wetting her hands.
“Kyahaha, kukuku…. Kuhahahahaha!”
Ilkana laughed for a long time.
Tears flowed from both eyes, but she didn’t care.
At this moment, she surpassed ‘Father.’
She crossed a point of no return.
She looked down at the dying man.
Chakratant, which maximizes physical abilities, perversely keeps one alive until the very end.
That’s why assassins commit suicide.
Otherwise, they would suffer throughout torture while clinging to life.
She struck his jawbone, dislocating it.
Thud-
“Kyahaha… Father. Did you think I’d let you commit suicide?”
“…!”
Some incomprehensible cry burst forth, but it was clearly a curse.
That was fine.
Ilkana liked this murmuring.
“With this, Father is also an apostate. See you in hell.”
Then, returning to her usual languid smile, she answered kindly:
“Who knows, Father? In an order where torturing children and raising them as assassins leads to heaven, perhaps even if Father didn’t commit suicide, they’d send you to heaven. Well, that’s fine.”
Tears still wouldn’t stop flowing from her eyes.
“I used Father, and Father used me to go to heaven. That’s how it is.”
She listens to his lungs filling with blood, gradually suffocating on his own blood.
It was clearer than the sound her mother had murmured to her daughter.
“Then, Father. Sleep well. No need to put out the fire.”
Ilkana looks up at the night sky.
“Sleep well” was what he had said while branding her back with a soldering iron.
In strange kindness, Ilkana waited for his breath to completely stop.
Finally.
With the last breath, he died completely.
Only then did she rise.
In twisted, distorted madness, Ilkana said:
“Ah, Physician. Are you put off by my appearance?”
“…”
Jin Cheonhee rubbed his eyes with a tired expression.
Eventually, he spoke:
“…Let’s treat you first. Assassins often coat their daggers with poison, and the sooner we treat it, the fewer aftereffects there will be.”
“Kyahahaha!”
Ilkana liked this crazy physician.