Weapon-Eating Bastard [EN]: Chapter 269

Weapon-Eating Bastard – Episode 269

Northern Fortress, mountainous region.

Choi In-ha, the unit leader of the Bloodhound Unit and a graduate of the 5th cadet class, a young man who was also the leader of the so-called ‘Lee Chul Faction,’ frowned.

“Traces of people.”

Choi In-ha, who had been assigned a mission as a reconnaissance team to explore the vicinity, discovered traces of people nearby.

Footprints on the ground, subtly broken twigs.

‘The center of gravity is towards the front. There’s no mana, but… it’s a type of light footwork. The number of people… about twenty, perhaps.’

Light footwork.

It was a term referring to the types of footwork used by Chinese martial arts families and sects.

Currently, there are two organizations in the Aerial Fortress that might use such techniques.

One is the Chinese military, affiliated with the Union. However, we had already witnessed all the warriors of Soongmoo Lee Ga being absorbed into Kabbalah for some reason.

In that case, the name of the force that left these footprints is…

“It must be the Nine Dragons Gang.”

At Choi In-ha’s words, the Bloodhound Unit members gathered nearby gleamed with anticipation.

“Shall we pursue them further?”

“Hmm….”

Choi In-ha paused, lost in thought.

“How much time do we have left until the return?”

“We’re already late even if we return now.”

“Hmm… I can’t help it. We’ll return.”

Choi In-ha made that decision and began to slowly retreat with his team.

At that moment.

Thud, thud!

A presence was felt.

From deep within the forest where the traces of the Nine Dragons Gang continued, a group of people was rushing towards them at high speed.

‘What is it? A beast?’

The presence was approaching so recklessly that Choi In-ha momentarily mistook it for a beast living in this forest, rather than a person.

It was too clumsy and noisy to be the Nine Dragons Gang.

“Haa…! Haa…! Quickly! Return quickly! We need to inform the main camp!”

“Darn it…! What the heck is that….”

Swish!

However, what emerged through the bushes was indeed the reconnaissance team of the Nine Dragons Gang.

They looked panicked, as if something was chasing them from behind.

They widened their eyes upon discovering Choi In-ha and the Bloodhound Unit.

“Wh, what are these guys?”

“Soongmoo Lee Ga [Lee Chul’s faction]?”

The Nine Dragons Gang soldiers exclaimed in bewildered voices.

They had been running so urgently that they hadn’t even sensed the presence of the others.

‘What’s wrong with them?’

Choi In-ha was puzzled as he observed the state of the Nine Dragons Gang reconnaissance team.

Their clothes were torn in places, and their bodies were covered in bright red blood.

Moreover, their eyes were unfocused and shaking, and their expressions were twisted in distress.

Even though their mana had disappeared, these were still fairly well-trained warriors, yet they couldn’t control their breathing and were panting roughly.

It was as if… they were being chased by something relentlessly.

“Where are you coming from? Did something happen?”

“…Why should I tell you that! What about you guys? Why are you here!”

“Is this Nine Dragons Gang territory? We just happened to run into you.”

“Hu, nonsense!”

The face of the person who appeared to be the leader of the Nine Dragons Gang reconnaissance team contorted.

‘Why is Soongmoo Lee Ga here… If we let these guys go, the main camp’s base might be exposed.’

This was troublesome.

‘We need to quickly inform the main camp about what we saw at ‘that place,’ but to run into a reconnaissance team from another force, and of all forces, Soongmoo Lee Ga, here!’

Even if they ran away from here, if those forces started chasing them, the location of their base could be revealed.

But to engage in battle….

‘The thing that was sleeping in ‘that place’ might awaken.’

They recalled what they had encountered during their reconnaissance and gritted their teeth.

They wanted to get away from here as soon as possible.

The thought of escaping from what they had seen was making their minds even more complicated.

“Da, damn it.”

He couldn’t control his emotions and kept looking behind him.

He was stuck in a situation where he couldn’t do anything.

He could only think about returning to the base as soon as possible and informing them of what they had witnessed.

Meanwhile, Choi In-ha was also in a similar dilemma, unable to move rashly.

‘What did they see?’

The Nine Dragons Gang soldiers seemed eager to retreat, hesitating and looking behind them.

Choi In-ha was convinced.

What they had seen was valuable information.

However, he couldn’t recklessly start a fight.

After all, they had come quite far for reconnaissance, and the Nine Dragons Gang likely had their base relatively nearby.

‘They seem too afraid to try to break through us right now… but if they try to force their way past us, it will become quite difficult.’

Moreover, having encountered each other in this place, they couldn’t just exchange friendly greetings and part ways.

Even if they cautiously retreated, the other side might turn around and pursue them.

Both the Nine Dragons Gang soldiers and Choi In-ha.

They were stuck in a situation where they couldn’t do anything due to their respective goals and missions.

Choi In-ha hesitated for a moment, holding the sword in his hand.

A difficult standoff ensued.

Thus, news of the unreturned reconnaissance teams reached both the Soongmoo Lee Ga and the Nine Dragons Gang.

* * *

The standoff didn’t last long.

It was because Choi In-ha had taken action first.

‘Let’s lure them away to a different location to prevent our main family’s location from being exposed. It’s dangerous to stay here.’

He didn’t know if the other side would move or not.

They couldn’t resolve anything by just standing there like fools.

“We will retreat first.”

“Do you think we’ll let you leave?”

“You must have some purpose too, right? We didn’t see each other here.”

With those words, Choi In-ha took a step back.

The Nine Dragons Gang warriors hesitated, unsure of what to do, but soon remained still, watching the Soongmoo Lee Ga soldiers retreat.

‘Thank goodness.’

It was at that moment, as the distance between them gradually increased.

From the side, a chilling aura approached.

Clang!

Choi In-ha’s body rolled across the ground.

Something had just flown out of the darkness of the bushes.

A throwing knife, or something that looked like a hidden weapon.

“…A rock?”

Choi In-ha was bewildered as he looked at what had fallen to the ground.

He had clearly felt an aura, but what had fallen to the ground was just a crude stone.

“Now that we’ve already met, you can’t pretend you didn’t see anything.”

Rustle!

A strange voice was heard.

The Chinese language, spoken with an accent that made it sound intense, was particularly low and chilling.

A man was slowly walking towards them.

“The Bloodhound Unit of Soongmoo Lee Ga, is it?”

Discomposure settled on Choi In-ha’s face.

The one who had revealed himself was none other than the young leader of the Nine Dragons Gang, Heavenly Killing Blade, Jang Han.

“Young leader!”

Joy flickered in the eyes of the reconnaissance team members.

With Jang Han’s appearance, a group of soldiers began to fill the ranks behind him.

The number of Nine Dragons Gang soldiers had increased.

During that brief standoff, the other side had managed to catch up first.

‘This is a disaster.’

Choi In-ha bit his lip.

He couldn’t believe the young leader had moved.

Come to think of it, Heavenly Killing Blade, Jang Han, was said to be a former assassin.

It was perhaps only natural that he had found them here so quickly.

“Did you guys do this?”

Jang Han pointed to the bloodstains on the bodies of the Nine Dragons Gang reconnaissance team, his face somewhat angry.

“No. We just ran into each other here. There was no engagement.”

“You don’t expect me to believe that, do you?”

Choi In-ha held the sword that had blocked the thrown stone to the side and faced Jang Han.

Jang Han’s eyes sparkled as he looked at him.

“By the way, what’s your name?”

“I am Choi In-ha, the unit leader of the Bloodhound Unit of Soongmoo Lee Ga.”

“Good eyes. You remind me of that annoying bastard.”

Choi In-ha didn’t know who he meant by ‘annoying bastard,’ but he could sense that Jang Han had no intention of letting them go.

Jang Han’s hand slowly reached for the handle of the long sword he was wearing behind his waist.

But, at that moment.

Jang Han’s head snapped to the side.

And soon, his expression twisted in agony.

“It’s not like a ghost to talk about someone and have them appear….”

Whoosh!

Jang Han muttered mockingly as he drew his long sword, and immediately after, something fell like a shooting star from the sky.

Kwaaaang!

An explosion occurred.

The piles of dirt and branches on the ground soared into the sky, and sparks flickered here and there.

‘A sword?’

Choi In-ha confirmed that what had caused the explosion was a jet-black curved sword, from the handle to the blade, all without any luster.

But he couldn’t believe it.

Without mana, how could it have caused an explosion?

‘Could it be.’

Choi In-ha quickly turned his head and looked at the sky from which the blade had flown.

There, a dark figure was falling.

Thud!

Breaking all the branches, a person landed on the ground.

The hem of his black overcoat fluttered in the wind and soon settled calmly.

“Are you alright?”

The man had caused a phenomenon as if he had used mana, even though he had none.

“Yes, I’m fine, Young Master. But how….”

It was none other than Lee Chul who had appeared.

“I rushed over as soon as I heard you guys were late returning. I’m glad I wasn’t too late. Additional troops are coming, so it’s okay now.”

He had received an answer, but what he was really curious about was not that, but how he had caused an explosion without mana, or how he had fallen from that high in the sky.

“Why the look? Did that bastard do something?”

“No, I’m really fine.”

Choi In-ha just let out a hollow laugh.

He was someone who always did the impossible.

Even if he asked, he would just say he did it because he could.

Lee Chul nodded and looked straight ahead.

“Nice to see you. It’s been a few years, hasn’t it?”

And with a grin, he greeted Jang Han.

Jang Han brushed off the debris on his body and frowned.

“Annoying bastard.”

“Your language is as rough as ever.”

“…….”

Jang Han, Lee Chul.

The two of them, who were joking around as if they were old friends.

Kwaaaang!

In an instant, they both kicked off the ground and clashed.

* * *

At the moment of the clash, Jang Han felt a retching sensation rising from the back of his throat.

‘Is this the strength of someone who doesn’t use mana?’

Clang!

The swords collided, and the guards interlocked as they entered a power struggle.

Jang Han couldn’t withstand it for even 10 seconds and was pushed back, scraping the ground.

No matter how great the Soongmoo Lee Ga’s Body Strengthening Technique was, this was absurd.

To have the strength to push someone back just by colliding swords!

Clang!

Jang Han flicked his elbow to push the guard away and then rotated his long sword to strike down.

Thud!

Lee Chul kicked it away.

Once again, Jang Han gritted his teeth.

How could he kick away a sword with a body that couldn’t use mana!

“Did you boil and eat the tendons of a giant?”

“Do you even know that’s a myth?”

“You never let a word go!”

Thud! Clang!

The long sword and the black spear collided.

No, that spear soon turned into a sword, then into a blade, and even into an axe.

Lee Chul didn’t stick to one weapon.

He would reach out into the air, and soon a sword would be in his grasp, and the moment he kicked off the ground, it would turn into a black spear.

Sword, blade, spear, whip, dagger….

The weapons changed incessantly.

Depending on the situation and the moment, all sorts of weapons changed in Lee Chul’s hands.

‘This is a cheat.’

What was that power that allowed him to draw countless weapons in this space where mana was suppressed?

Moreover, those weapons were imbued with special powers.

‘First, I’ll use the trees as obstacles to evade… What!’

As he was about to use the tree behind him as an obstacle to regroup, Jang Han saw the Great Demon Blade being swung, slicing through the entire tree.

It had cut down a log the size of a person’s torso in one strike, and yet its power hadn’t diminished as it aimed for his torso.

“You monster!”

“It’s not over yet!”

I kicked off the ground and bounced away.

Kwaang! Kwaaaang!

Jang Han called me a monster, but I was the one who was surprised as I clashed with Jang Han.

I wasn’t surprised by the Heavenly Killing Blade, as I had seen it several times, but by the familiar techniques intertwined with it.

‘Dragon Sword. It’s the Nine Dragons Gang Leader’s technique.’

A technique that once took my life.

The Heavenly Killing Sect’s technique of targeting openings and the Nine Dragons Gang Leader’s technique of breaking through from the front were mixed together.

Moreover, the technique and body that were withstanding my power.

He’s strong.

Jang Han had truly become strong.

Was this the skill of someone who had been taught by the two best masters of the era at the same time?

‘I’m sure of it.’

I thrust my sword forward, my eyes gleaming.

‘This guy has already reached the door, or has opened it.’

Kwaaaang!

Jang Han’s long sword and the spear made of Black Qi clashed.

Jang Han withstood the power of the body strengthened by Rebirth through his technique.

But at that moment.

I saw Jang Han’s eyes flash.

It was a strike aimed at the diagonal side, inside the shoulder.

The moment I twisted my body to dodge, Jang Han’s movements suddenly became even faster.

‘…!’

And at the same time, something bounced up from the ground.

Instinctively, I reached out and snatched it.

‘A branch?’

What I thought was a hidden weapon was a branch. The aura surrounding it soon disappeared.

In that fleeting moment.

Jang Han seized the opportunity and thrust his long sword at me.

“Kuaaak!”

Thud!

Jang Han rotated his long sword and swung it towards my side.

I couldn’t dodge it.

I was sent flying and stumbled back several steps.

“…Damn it.”

Jang Han gritted his teeth and frowned.

“This monster. How can you not bleed a single drop of blood even after being hit directly by a sword?”

Jang Han glared at Lee Chul.

The attack had clearly landed properly.

Lee Chul had tried to evade with his superhuman reflexes, but he had clearly felt the tip of the sword graze his abdomen.

But he hadn’t been cut.

He had clearly swung his long sword, but it felt like he had struck a steel plate with a blunt weapon.

“My clothes are a bit special.”

I lightly tapped Eunhan [Lee Chul’s special armor].

“Nonsense. It definitely touched your skin.”

“I know. I was just saying it so you wouldn’t feel bad.”

“You’re really annoying….”

Jang Han gripped his long sword so tightly that it creaked.

“I was a bit surprised too. I thought it might happen, but it really did.”

He thought it might happen?

Did he know that he wouldn’t be hurt even if he was hit by a sword?

“Are you really without mana? How can a human without mana cut down a tree in one strike and not bleed a single drop of blood even when hit by a sword?”

“What about you….”

Crack!

I retrieved the weapon I had made with Black Qi and snapped the branch that had targeted me.

“How did you make this? It clearly flew from the empty air?”

During the battle, I had felt this hidden weapon suddenly bounce up from the ground.

He couldn’t use mana either, but this branch clearly had an aura imbued in it.

“…I have no intention of telling you. You wouldn’t tell me about those black weapons either, would you?”

“Of course not. Well, I wasn’t that curious anyway. I figured the Nine Dragons Gang would have some special power.”

I casually flicked off the branch on my hand.

“By the way, you owe me a debt, so were you trying to attack my troops?”

“Debt? What debt are you talking about? And in the first place, your side was the first to target our troops.”

“……What?”

Something felt off.

I looked at Choi In-ha, and Jang Han looked back at his bloodied troops.

It was then.

Ominous!

Everyone in this place, including me and Jang Han, turned their heads to one side at the same time.

──────────!

Strange.

A very strange wailing echoed.

It was neither the scream of a human.

Nor the cry of a beast.

Nor the sound of a natural object created by trees, bushes, or wind.

The sound, a mixture of all sorts of indescribable things, sent shivers down my spine and goosebumps all over my body.

“Ah, ah, ah….”

And immediately, the reconnaissance team of the Nine Dragons Gang, covered in blood, trembled and collapsed.

“We, we have to run away immediately. We have to stop and run away! Young leader!”

“Th, that’s moving. That, that, that…!”

The warriors, trembling in fear, foamed at the mouth and fainted.

Something was moving.

Rumble-!

And from the center of the forest, a heavy roar and vibration spread out.