Tales Of The Nine Dragons [EN]: Chapter 127

Nine Dragons Chronicle (127)

Six Harmonies Two Elements Chaos Killing Formation!

Hwa-rin created this sword formation by combining the strengths of the Six Harmonies Formation and the Two Elements Formation, drawing upon his experiences in the Fierce Tiger Death Brigade.

The key feature of the Six Harmonies Two Elements Chaos Killing Formation was the incorporation of the Power Borrowing Mystical Art [a technique to transfer internal energy], which allowed the transfer of internal energy to opponents. Members of the sword formation could share and receive internal energy, amplifying their power for stronger attacks and defenses.

Namgung Soo-yeon, Dong-chun, and Hyuk Ji-seok stood at the front, blocking the onrushing members of the Great Spirit Extermination Squad.

As Namgung Soo-yeon had predicted, the twenty-four members of the Great Spirit Extermination Squad bypassed them and engaged the Nine Dragons Unit members who were deploying the Six Harmonies Two Elements Chaos Killing Formation.

The Great Spirit Extermination Squad was the main force of the Blood Oath Alliance. Similarly, the Nine Dragons Unit members were from the Black Tortoise Unit, the elite force of the Righteous Heaven Alliance, so their martial prowess was relatively equal. However, the Nine Dragons Unit members had undergone continuous training by Hwa-rin and Hyuk Ji-seok since arriving at the Nine Dragons Stronghold, making them stronger than when they had left the Righteous Heaven Alliance.

“Now, Jung-chun!”

Hwa-rin, observing the battle from the sidelines, didn’t directly participate. At his command, the Nine Dragons Unit members shifted their formation.

Clang!

The faces of the Nine Dragons Unit members clashing swords with the twenty-four members of the Great Spirit Extermination Squad reflected grim determination.

Although the Great Spirit Extermination Squad members hadn’t personally killed the former Black Tortoise Unit members, they were responsible for their deaths through the Blood Oath Alliance’s actions. Thus, the Nine Dragons Unit fought with fierce resolve to avenge their fallen comrades.

“Do not get agitated. Even if your hearts burn with passion, your minds must remain calm,” Hwa-rin cautioned, concerned that the Nine Dragons Unit members would become reckless.

“Watch your opponent’s sword until the very end. Then, move your sword. There are no second chances in war. Seize the one opportunity to find your opponent’s weakness and concentrate your power.”

Hwa-rin’s words proved invaluable to the Nine Dragons Unit members. Even amidst the life-or-death struggle, his guidance helped them gain insights.

‘With the Stronghold Lord here, I don’t need to worry about the members.’

Hyuk Ji-seok focused on enduring the onslaught of the Great Spirit Extermination Squad members.

Their objective wasn’t to kill the members of the Great Spirit Extermination Squad, but to hold them back.

If their only goal was to kill, they could have dealt with them more efficiently. However, for the sake of the members’ growth, they needed this life-or-death experience, so they gritted their teeth and parried the attacks of the Great Spirit Extermination Squad members.

“It wasn’t this hard even in the military… Senior Soo-yeon, can’t we just kill these guys?”

“No. The members need to gain enlightenment through battle. To achieve that, they need to fight as much as possible.”

“I’m going to die at this rate.”

“Then die.”

At the cold reply, Dong-chun’s lips visibly pouted, and Namgung Soo-yeon’s sword descended vertically towards those lips.

“Hey, are you really going to do this?”

As Dong-chun protested, Namgung Soo-yeon kicked the Great Spirit Extermination Squad member in front of her hard in the side, sending him flying towards Dong-chun.

Dong-chun quickly dodged and grumbled under his breath.

“If she doesn’t fix that personality, she’s destined to live alone her whole life. Yep, that’s right.”

“Dong-chun, you’ve got a death wish.”

At Namgung Soo-yeon’s sharp retort, Dong-chun instinctively distanced himself from her.

“Block properly!”

At her shout, Dong-chun grumbled and nervously moved his hands and feet to ward off the Great Spirit Extermination Squad members.

Thwack! Thud… Thud…!

Dong-chun seemed to be haphazardly pushing opponents away with his hands and feet as if he was angry, but Hyuk Ji-seok was considerably surprised by Dong-chun’s actions.

‘Concise. More than anything, there’s no excess.’

‘Even in this chaotic battle, he uses only the necessary force. Is this the military martial art I’ve only heard about?’

Military martial art was a combat method specialized for group battles, developed for use in armies. While martial arts focused on individual combat often involved flashy movements and added flourishes to show off, military martial art was characterized by concise and precise movements that eliminated all unnecessary actions to subdue the opponent.

Watching Dong-chun’s movements, who was weaker than himself, Hyuk Ji-seok could glean insights into what he needed to improve.

‘I need to consider this issue when I return to the Stronghold.’

“Kuaaak!”

As all twenty-four members of the Great Spirit Extermination Squad who had bypassed the three were defeated by the Nine Dragons Unit members, Namgung Soo-yeon created openings again to allow another twenty-four members to pass behind them, repeating the same process while the Nine Dragons Unit members fought them.

Watching this, the Great Spirit Extermination Squad’s leader, Doo Chil-hong, and deputy leader, Hak Jung-woo, were slightly taken aback.

The Great Spirit Extermination Squad had a total of one hundred members, and they had never imagined that so many would be unable to handle just sixteen.

They had confidently believed that they would immediately crush them upon meeting, but the current situation was not entirely in their favor.

The Nine Dragons Unit members, who formed a sword formation that restricted their movements, were a significant threat, and it seemed they would be defeated unless they could somehow overcome the three blocking them.

“Hak Jung-woo!”

“Yes, Captain.”

“Take the one on the left [Dong-chun]. I’ll take Hyuk Ji-seok. We must seize an opportunity and drive them back with a single blow. Only then can our members break through and enter the fray to create chaos.”

“Understood.”

“Let’s move.”

The two aimed for Dong-chun and Hyuk Ji-seok, avoiding Namgung Soo-yeon, and looked for an opening.

Seeing Dong-chun and Hyuk Ji-seok pushing back the Great Spirit Extermination Squad members seemingly without a plan, Doo Chil-hong, the leader of the Great Spirit Extermination Squad, saw an opportunity and lunged at Hyuk Ji-seok.

Soon after, Deputy Leader Hak Jung-woo also leaped towards Dong-chun.

Using internal energy and lightness skill [a martial art technique to enhance agility and speed], they ascended as high as possible, then fell vertically, unleashing all their power in a single downward strike.

“Dong-chun, Unit Leader Hyuk!”

Namgung Soo-yeon was surprised by their sudden attack and called out to them, but Dong-chun had already moved to Hyuk Ji-seok and placed his hand on his life gate blood point [a vital point on the back believed to control life energy].

Gooong!

Dong-chun’s internal energy flowed into Hyuk Ji-seok, and Hyuk Ji-seok used his own internal energy and the energy infused by Dong-chun to block Doo Chil-hong’s sword, which was descending vertically.

Jjeoeeong!

The two swords didn’t even make contact, but the clash of powerful energies created a shockwave so intense that it seemed to tear the space apart, sweeping away everything in the vicinity.

“Eueuk!”

The Great Spirit Extermination Squad members around them were thrown back by the shockwave and tumbled to the ground, and Namgung Soo-yeon blocked Hak Jung-woo from attacking the two, swinging her sword to cut off his path.

“Thirteenth Sword of the Emperor, Sixth Sword, Emperor’s Chaotic Flight!”

From Namgung Soo-yeon’s sword, countless sword energies materialized, emitting a chilling coldness as they surged towards Hak Jung-woo, who was rushing headlong towards her, aiming for his vital points.

Chyuchyuchyuchyu…….

“Heoeot!”

Hak Jung-woo was startled by the force of Namgung Soo-yeon’s attack and tried to retreat, but he couldn’t control his momentum.

“Keoeoeok!”

Hak Jung-woo, who had rushed into the barrage of sword energies, was riddled with wounds all over his body by Namgung Soo-yeon’s sword, becoming a bloody mess.

Namgung Soo-yeon hadn’t intended to kill Hak Jung-woo, but the situation left her no choice, so she kicked his body aside.

“So, I have to block all of these guys?”

Since Dong-chun and Hyuk Ji-seok were occupied with fighting Doo Chil-hong, the leader of the Great Spirit Extermination Squad, Namgung Soo-yeon had to hold back the remaining Great Spirit Extermination Squad members.

“You’re not going to help, Senior?”

“It’s hard enough to manage the sword formation from here. Besides, haven’t you reached the point where you can handle these small fries on your own now?”

She called out to Hwa-rin just in case, but his answer was as expected.

Namgung Soo-yeon moved forward slightly and drew a large circle with her sword, channeling her internal energy.

“Ninth Sword of the Thirteenth Sword of the Emperor, Emperor’s Boundless Net!”

The energy emanating from Namgung Soo-yeon’s sword divided the Great Spirit Extermination Squad members, creating a boundary.

“Eueueuk…….”

Like fish caught in a net cast by fishermen, the Great Spirit Extermination Squad members let out uneasy groans from outside the boundary drawn by Namgung Soo-yeon.

Their instincts as martial artists warned them that their heads would fly off the moment they crossed the boundary.

While they hesitated, unsure of what to do, Dong-chun and Hyuk Ji-seok were pressing their advantage against Doo Chil-hong.

The initial attack, which involved falling from the sky with powerful energy, had been threatening, but after that, Hyuk Ji-seok and Dong-chun easily gained the upper hand against Doo Chil-hong.

“Unit Leader Hyuk, are you alright on your own?”

“Of course. Please assist Miss Namgung.”

Dong-chun left Doo Chil-hong to Hyuk Ji-seok and went to where Namgung Soo-yeon was.

“Go over there and hold those guys back.”

“Understood.”

As Dong-chun moved, Namgung Soo-yeon dispelled the Ninth Sword of the Thirteenth Sword of the Emperor, Emperor’s Boundless Net.

Then, like fish escaping from a torn net, the Great Spirit Extermination Squad members rushed towards Dong-chun and Namgung Soo-yeon.

The Nine Dragons Unit members, after killing all twenty-four of the Great Spirit Extermination Squad members they had faced, were catching their breath and taking a short break.

According to the plan, they should have been made to face another twenty-four members, but since Hyuk Ji-seok was still fighting Doo Chil-hong, they decided to wait until the fight was over before letting more Great Spirit Extermination Squad members in, as they might attack Hyuk Ji-seok together if they entered now.

Hwa-rin watched the fight between Hyuk Ji-seok and Doo Chil-hong for a moment, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

‘He’s improved a lot after sparring with Soo-yeon so intensely. He seems more composed than before.’

He could see that Hyuk Ji-seok and the Nine Dragons Unit members had made remarkable progress in their martial arts while residing in the Nine Dragons Stronghold.

‘He needs to build up his stamina a bit more. To fight even stronger opponents than these in the future, his external skills also need to reach a certain level to endure.’

Through this fight, Hwa-rin identified areas where Hyuk Ji-seok and the Nine Dragons Unit members could improve further, and he believed that with targeted training, they would be able to hold their own against even greater threats.

‘But who is the guy who recognized me and Soo-yeon? If he recognized us, he must be a member of the Fierce Tiger Death Brigade.’

Hwa-rin had learned from Yi Do-moon about the man who recognized Namgung Soo-yeon, and he had relayed everything the man had said.

‘If he was monitoring us, he must be someone from the Blood Oath Alliance or the White Horse Society.’

Hwa-rin’s gaze shifted to Namgung Soo-yeon.

‘Soo-yeon will know the members from the Demonic side well, so she can probably make a good guess.’

“Keoeoeok!”

A scream erupted from Doo Chil-hong’s mouth, and his chest was stained crimson. Judging from the red liquid flowing down the blade of the sword Hyuk Ji-seok was holding, he had pierced his chest.

“I… to you.”

Doo Chil-hong, mortally wounded, couldn’t remain standing and knelt down, looking up at Hyuk Ji-seok.

“I will send your subordinates to join you soon, so go and wait,” Hyuk Ji-seok said grimly.

Hyuk Ji-seok swung his sword decisively towards Doo Chil-hong’s neck.

Swish!

Doo Chil-hong’s head fell to the ground and rolled, and the Nine Dragons Unit members cheered.

“Waaaaa!”

“How childish.”

To Hwa-rin, their actions seemed immature, but he understood that it was a necessary display to boost morale in the midst of war.

“Enemies are coming. Maintain the sword formation!”

Hwa-rin’s voice cut through the cheers and into the ears of the members, and they instantly stopped celebrating, glaring fiercely at the Great Spirit Extermination Squad, who were now facing Namgung Soo-yeon, Dong-chun, and Hyuk Ji-seok.

“Sul, Maengha!”

Hwa-rin’s loud voice echoed in the air, and the Nine Dragons Unit members transformed the sword formation once again to meet the onrushing Great Spirit Extermination Squad.

“If we destroy them, only the Crimson Spirit Extermination Squad will be left?”

If the Four Spirits Blood Demon Squad, Crimson Spirit Blood Death Squad, Nine Provinces Death Blood Dew Squad, and Great Spirit Extermination Squad, four of the five combat units affiliated with the Blood Oath Alliance that mainly engaged in external activities, were eliminated, the Blood Oath Alliance would be significantly weakened.

Moreover, the Demonic sects in Shanxi, Shaanxi, Henan, and Shandong provinces had also suffered substantial losses, and the Righteous sects would gain power in Shaanxi province as the Demonic sects were eradicated.

Since the Righteous martial artists in Shanxi, Henan, and Shandong provinces would also seize the opportunity to eliminate the few remaining Demonic sects, the Blood Oath Alliance would have suffered a major setback after initially dismissing it as insignificant.

‘The Blood Oath Alliance will realize they are at a disadvantage if they continue fighting like this and will likely withdraw the Crimson Spirit Extermination Squad. Then, they will send super masters or assassins to eliminate me.’

Hwa-rin could foresee how the conflict with the Blood Oath Alliance would likely progress.

‘It might be beneficial to make the Blood Oath Alliance feel even more threatened to secure a substantial reward.’

A faint smile played on Hwa-rin’s lips. At that moment, Namgung Soo-yeon and Dong-chun, who were fighting some distance away, felt a chill and turned their heads to look at Hwa-rin.

‘What on earth is he planning? That guy is unsettling.’

Dong-chun frowned, feeling a sense of unease.

‘I shouldn’t have answered the Chief’s call. I should have just stayed a leader in the countryside. Why did I come up here and go through this hardship again…….’

Regret, as always, came either too early or too late.