WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME NOVELS

Translator/Editor: Chen

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Former Supreme ◈

Chapter 86: Please Kill Me (2)

──────

The two stood facing each other.

Baek Socheon had not been speaking lightly. His bearing had changed to the one he assumed when facing an enemy.

Someone with the ability to truly kill her now intended to do exactly that.

Cheon Geuk's heart pounded like a drum. It was the first time in her life she had ever trembled like this.

Ssssss.

The current flowing between them changed. The air grew thick and stifling. It was not the sharp killing intent that struck like a blade. This aura made her body and mind sluggish as it pressed down on her entire being.

Cheon Geuk understood. This aura was many times more threatening than sharp killing intent.

When struck by sharp killing intent, one's mind snapped awake, and one instinctively thought to resist and fight back.

But this aura robbed people of their will.

Baek Socheon seemed like a different person. The aura weighing down on her was so intense that this felt like his true self, while everything he had shown her until now felt like a pretense. It was enough to make her feel as though he had arranged everything solely to kill her today.

Of course, Cheon Geuk did not surrender to that aura so easily. She desperately tried to steady herself.

The aura Baek Socheon released bore down on her even more heavily.

Even then, Cheon Geuk waited only for Baek Socheon to move. He would not be able to maintain such an aura while attacking.

The moment the nature of the current crushing her changed.

Swish!

Baek Socheon's sword passed before her face. It was a real attack that would have sliced her face apart if she had not desperately twisted away.

'...!'

Her heart sank. For a woman, an injury to the face was a devastating threat, the opening move meant to completely shake her resolve.

At least he was not using the forms of the Thousand-Hand Tathagata Asura Divine Sword. Instead, he was using swift swordsmanship based on that martial art.

Even so, it had nearly cut her face off.

Swish!

Baek Socheon's sword flashed again.

This time, it grazed past her chest.

Cheon Geuk did not simply endure his attacks. Barely avoiding Baek Socheon's strike, she swung the Death King Dagger.

Whoosh!

With the sharp, clipped sound of wind, Cheon Geuk's dagger flew toward Baek Socheon's thigh.

A line of sword light drawn by Baek Socheon's sword cut across before his thigh.

Clang!

Sparks burst from the sword light. Baek Socheon had knocked aside her attack with his sword.

Cheon Geuk had no time to regret her failed strike or consider her next attack.

Baek Socheon's sword was descending again, as though it would pierce straight through her body.

She launched herself aside. She moved as smoothly as a swallow skimming the water's surface, while Baek Socheon's sword pursued her like a hawk.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Terrifying sounds rang out as the ground was gouged deeply. If those attacks had struck her back, her body would have been torn apart.

Cheon Geuk nearly cried, "Enough!"

But she did not give up.

She knew this was the first and last chance of her life. To rise another level from her current skill was something that would never happen unless she encountered what could only be called a fortuitous opportunity.

She had encountered one now, though it was an incredibly dangerous one.

Swish.

Her dagger shot toward Baek Socheon's throat. She gave it everything she had. She believed that no matter how lethal her attacks were, Baek Socheon would not die.

In a sense, this fight was madness.

She poured every ounce of concentration into it and pushed herself to the limit. She used every form she could wield. Never in her life had she fought a battle this urgent and chilling.

Their figures soared into the air.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

In a direct clash, a dagger was at an absolute disadvantage against a sword. Yet Baek Socheon showed her no mercy. He pushed her relentlessly toward death.

How many exchanges had they traded? What forms had she used? What form should she use next?

Unable to think of any of that, she fought in a state of selflessness. She could not spare even a moment for another thought. If she did, she would already be dead.

Complex trails of sword light woven by sword and dagger, powerful collisions erupting between them. It was a desperate fight with death standing right beside them.

Then, in that final, extreme moment, Cheon Geuk experienced something she never had before.

She saw herself objectively.

Like a person whose soul had left their body after death and watched their own corpse, she could objectively see herself fighting.

It was unbelievable. She was in a fight so fierce that she did not even have time to imagine such a thing.

Then she realized what she had been missing. Why that wall had appeared before her.

'Ah!'

The instant she realized it, the wall blocking her path vanished.

The next moment.

Thud.

With the sound of flesh tearing, Cheon Geuk's mind returned to reality.

The two, who had been fighting like mad, had stopped moving.

Her gaze slowly lowered.

Baek Socheon's sword was buried in her side.

Tap. Tap.

Baek Socheon quickly pressed her acupoints to stop the bleeding. Fortunately, the blade had passed through without damaging her ribs, so she had avoided a fatal wound.

"Stay with me, Cheon Geuk."

Cheon Geuk slowly raised her head and looked at Baek Socheon. She felt dazed, unable to tell whether this was a dream or reality.

"...You call me by my name for the first time when you're killing me."

Baek Socheon let out a sigh of relief.

"You've still got the strength to joke, so you won't die."

Cheon Geuk also sighed in relief. The tension drained from her at the thought that the fight was over and she had survived, leaving her entire body limp.

"You hurt a woman's body, so take responsibility."

"How?"

The next moment, Cheon Geuk grabbed Baek Socheon and pulled him close.

Cheon Geuk kissed Baek Socheon.

Her incomparably soft lips trembled.

Still in Baek Socheon's arms, she lost consciousness the next moment.

* * *

Cheon Geuk dreamed.

She was a child again.

Holding someone's hand, she walked down an endless corridor.

She looked up at the man holding her hand.

Without looking at Cheon Geuk, the man spoke coldly.

"If you're not ruthless, you'll die."

How old had she been then? Six? Seven? Had she even been old enough to know what it meant to be ruthless?

After becoming Alliance Leader, she had completely forbidden the kidnapping of children. The Assassin Alliance would only accept those who wished to become assassins.

Cheon Geuk gave a faint laugh in her dream. Even while dreaming, she smiled to herself because she thought she had done at least that much right.

The scene changed, and her dream continued.

This time, it was the very day when her master, the previous Alliance Leader, chose her.

She had probably been thirteen, sometime in the summer. She was a fresh-faced young girl then.

"Is this the child?"

"Yes. She achieved the best results in our history."

The previous Alliance Leader stared at Cheon Geuk. She looked back without fear.

"Are you not afraid of me?"

"I am."

Her voice trembled.

"Then why do you keep staring at me?"

"Because if you try to kill me, I have to fight back."

Curiosity crossed the previous Alliance Leader's face. No assassin had ever reacted this way, much less a green assassin who had only just completed training.

"How can you tell whether I intend to kill you?"

"I can tell by your eyes."

"And what do you think of me now?"

Cheon Geuk looked at the previous Alliance Leader.

"You don't intend to kill me."

The previous Alliance Leader snatched up her hand. A sharp needle was hidden between her fingers.

"Then why are you still holding this?"

She answered with frightened eyes.

"Because people's hearts can change at any time."

The previous Alliance Leader looked startled, then began to laugh.

"Hahahahaha!"

The scene changed again.

Baek Socheon stood alone in a place littered with corpses. The Death Gods, known by many names, had all become corpses. Not a single assassin of that generation had been able to kill him.

For the Black Heaven Alliance's three-million-nyang assassination commission, the Assassin Alliance had staked everything and ultimately paid the price.

Baek Socheon walked toward her with a sword dripping blood.

When he came right before her, Baek Socheon said,

"From now on, you are the Alliance Leader."

The next moment, Cheon Geuk's eyes flew open.

Baek Socheon was looking down at her. He was not the frightening Baek Socheon from that day, but someone looking at her with the deepest concern.

'Yes. I must have learned the truth of this world when I was thirteen. I learned then that people's hearts can change at any time.'

The moment she saw Baek Socheon, Cheon Geuk was overcome with peaceful relief.

"How long has it been?"

"Three days."

"I'm dead. My guards must not have slept a wink from worrying."

"I contacted them."

"You told them I was hurt?"

"Yes. I asked them to pass it on to the elder. If I said it myself, I don't think they would've let me off."

"So you do know."

A strong medicinal scent wafted from her side.

"I used the most expensive medicine so it wouldn't leave a scar."

"What about the wound in my heart?"

"Did your heart get wounded?"

"No."

Baek Socheon chuckled and touched her injury.

"Are you all right?"

"It hurts like hell. You know because you've been stabbed plenty of times, don't you?"

"I know."

Cheon Geuk caught the wrist of the hand that was stroking her wound.

Their eyes naturally met.

"Thank you. The wall before me is gone."

"Really?"

"Yes. The moment I realized why that wall had appeared, it disappeared."

"Congratulations."

Baek Socheon smiled brightly. Their life-and-death fight had been worth it. She had broken through her limits and risen to another level.

"But us? Was that a dream?"

She remembered kissing him before losing consciousness.

"No."

"Do you know something? I was really upset when I lost consciousness. It was a chance to take things further. Did you collect the hundred thousand nyang?"

"No. Should I go collect it now?"

"We don't have time for that. Let's call the hundred thousand nyang medical expenses."

Cheon Geuk tugged at his collar, and Baek Socheon kissed her.

It was a deep kiss, one where they lost themselves in each other.

That kiss opened the floodgates on the desire they had held back. Neither could say who started it as they stripped off each other's clothes. They did not think of what would come after.

Their bodies rose into the air. Baek Socheon had lifted both himself and her into the air.

"You're hurt. We can't do this on the ground."

A soft aura supported their bodies as though they were lying atop a plush blanket.

Her sensual body, which she had never shown anyone, was revealed.

Her beautiful neck, full breasts, slender waist, firm thighs, and shapely legs. Her figure was truly breathtaking.

Every time Baek Socheon's hands touched her, trembling moans escaped her lips. Baek Socheon was more aroused than ever. Cheon Geuk was so beautiful, and beyond that, the connection between their hearts ran deeply.

Still, he did not rush. For her, who was experiencing this for the first time, he slowly and carefully claimed her body as though handling an infant.

Like winds blowing from different directions merging into one, the two became one.

"Haa, haa."

They breathed heavily.

The two slowly descended from the air.

Their clothes flew back to cover Cheon Geuk and Baek Socheon's bodies.

"Having my first time after getting stabbed, I guess I really am someone of the martial world."

The words were so funny that Baek Socheon burst out laughing.

"Haha."

"Is this the time to laugh?"

"Sorry."

She had made the joke because she was worried things would become awkward, but it was still awkward. It was a pleasant kind of awkwardness, though.

For a while, they lay there and looked at the sky visible between the cliffs surrounding them.

"Just so you know, nothing changes because we slept together. Got it? You can't start clinging to me because you like me. I hate pathetic men."

How could Baek Socheon not understand her heart? She was saying such things because she worried he would feel burdened.

"Why aren't you answering?"

"All right. A hundred thousand nyang isn't a small sum anyway."

"Of course. I didn't need it this time because you treated me, but how often will I get hurt like this? Hmm, anyway. You helped me greatly this time, so I have to repay you. You raised my martial arts by a whole level, so how much would that be worth? A million nyang? No, you couldn't gain what I achieved this time even if you offered a million nyang somewhere. Fine. Let's make it ten million nyang. What do you think? I owe you ten million nyang. I've never been able to live with a debt..."

Baek Socheon held Cheon Geuk tightly. Freed from all the tangled thoughts in her mind, he felt her finally relax in his arms.

"I'll collect every last bit of that debt."

Cheon Geuk smiled at his words and closed her eyes. Since being brought here against her will as a child and made into an assassin, she had never felt this peaceful.

She fell asleep in Baek Socheon's arms. For the first time in her life, she slept without any guard up. For the first time in her life, she dreamed a dream without death or blood.

Footnotes:

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried