Weapon-Eating Bastard [EN]: Chapter 359

A Desperate Escape

It was a disorganized escape.

The monsters were too numerous.

Death was too near, and life too far.

Yet, they did not stop running.

Even though they were fleeing with their backs to the battlefield, they did not scatter or halt.

It wasn’t just an escape to survive the monsters.

It was for Lee Cheol.

It was because they were running to save their lord and their hope.

* * *

– KIEEEEEEK!

Kwaaaang!

The monsters surged in relentlessly.

Deformed beasts’ teeth and claws pressed in from the sky, the ground, and even beneath the earth.

“Don’t stop firing arrows! Shoot! I said shoot!”

“We’re, we’re all out!”

“Squeeze out your mana!”

Kwaaaang!

The Sumwooei Clan’s forces, a total of 2,000.

How many of the carefully selected elite soldiers were left now?

No one present could afford to count.

They just ran.

Forward.

Even one more step forward.

To deliver life to their hope, to their lord.

“Just a little further! Just until we reach the support troops! We can live if we just get there!”

Lee Jin-yoon shouted desperately.

Would the support troops have arrived?

No, did support troops even exist in the first place?

‘Useless thoughts.’

Forces from the Nine Dragons Unit and the Kyokuk [a powerful military organization], including troops from all over the world, would have gathered.

They wouldn’t have ignored Lee Cheol’s words.

If they just got there, they could live.

If they just got there, it would be their victory.

“Kuaaaaak!”

“No! Tae-baek!”

Kwaaaang!

Stepping over the death of a friend, using a comrade’s corpse as a shield, they continued to advance.

“Go on! We’ll take it from here!”

“This way! You damn monsters!”

No one tried to live alone.

They moved to live together, or to save more people.

Sgak! Kwang!

Pushing back the onrushing monsters, Choi In-ha recalled the past.

A past that was long if you called it long, and short if you called it short.

– I lived 1 second like 1 hour, and 1 hour like 1 year.

It was what a boy, who would become his lord in the future and who had shown him the way, had said long ago.

– So I fought even in the moments I breathed. With myself, and with everything around me.

– That’s what you call struggle.

Since that moment, his life had been a repetition of pain.

But what was the result?

He knew struggle. He knew life.

Living wasn’t just being alive.

His life finally shone.

It would have been the same for this friend next to him.

‘It’s like I can hear the screams I heard back then.’

Next to Choi In-ha, Kim Bo-sung wore a faint smile.

He recalled an event from over 20 years ago.

The moment he suspected Lee Cheol and followed him.

The sight of Lee Cheol swinging his sword through the night, screaming.

How could he forget?

Lee Cheol had shown him a way of life he had turned away from.

And.

‘He was the first person to acknowledge me.’

Another man, Kim Han, was also moved by him.

Kim Han recalled Lee Cheol, who had acknowledged his absurd dream.

From that day on, his dream was directed towards Lee Cheol.

He dreamed of wielding his sword by his side.

And so now, the three of them realized what they had to do.

“Lord.”

The first to speak was Choi In-ha.

“Please be safe.”

Hwaaaak!

Choi In-ha, who had been running forward, suddenly turned his body and raised his sword.

“Did you think we would only follow you, always looking at your back?”

“We will no longer look at our lord’s back.”

Following him, Kim Bo-sung and Kim Han turned their backs as if they had promised.

Fortunately or unfortunately, Lee Cheol had not yet woken up.

If he had the strength to say even a word, he would have stopped them.

“What are you doing! Join the ranks quickly!”

Lee Jin-yoon, who had tightly tied Lee Cheol to her back with cloth, shouted.

Those three were the most important forces of the Sumwooei Clan.

If they died, it would be a great loss.

“We don’t intend to die, Second Miss.”

“As always, we will just fight.”

“We will win and return, so go on ahead.”

Choi In-ha, Kim Bo-sung, Kim Han.

The warriors who followed them, called Lee Cheol’s division, raised their respective weapons.

“……!”

Lee Jin-yoon couldn’t say anything.

How could she not recognize the desperate determination on their faces?

“Come on! Monsters! I am Choi In-ha of the Sumwooei Clan!”

A fierce aura spread out.

And beyond them, monsters charged in.

– Kyaaaaaaaaaak!

Kwaaaaaaaaaang!

It was like holding back a flood.

Their sword energy became a barrier, facing the monsters.

– KIEEEEEEK!

– Kyaaaaak!

Blocked.

For a moment, the monsters’ advance was stopped.

With just that one moment of respite, the ranks could become a single point and disappear beyond the horizon.

“It’s crazy. You idiots.”

“We know.”

“I know! Damn it!”

– Keeek!

– Kyaaaak!

Kagagagak!

Facing the monsters that clashed their jaws as if gnawing at swords, blades, and spears, Choi In-ha wore a faint smile.

Youngest Master. No, Lord.

Do you see?

The seeds you sowed are scattering such brilliant light of life.

We are struggling.

“We will return alive!”

Choi In-ha shouted.

Kim Han, Kim Bo-sung.

The warriors of the cadet corps, and the warriors who followed him, shouted.

Yes, we will return alive.

To win, to finally enjoy that sweet victory.

Kwaaaaaaaaaang!

A horde of monsters rushed at them.

* * *

How many survived?

How much time had passed?

Where are we going?

Where are we running to?

Lee Jin-yoon had already lost her sense of direction and time.

Perhaps they were delving deeper into enemy territory, or perhaps they were fleeing to a place completely different from the support troops.

She just focused on running.

Even as the joints of her body creaked and her lungs and muscles swelled as if they would burst, she just ran.

“Haa, haa…….”

No longer having the mental strength to even generate a mental sword, she drew out sword energy while gulping down elixirs like water.

Lee Seo-hyun, who was running behind her, suddenly had this thought.

‘Could they not be coming?’

Could the support troops have retreated?

Tududuk! Kwarung!

At that moment, Lee Seo-hyun, who was wielding her sword, felt a crack forming at the tip of the Ivory Sword.

‘Ah…….’

The sword, which had been opened in the Kyokuk and possessed the majesty of a celestial weapon, was cracked.

It was as if it foreshadowed their future.

“It’s a futile thought. Swing your sword diligently!”

Perhaps knowing what Lee Seo-hyun was thinking.

Lee Jin-yoon shouted.

“It is a life that my father, a man named Lee Tae-shin, opened up, and the blood of warriors has continued. We, the direct descendants of the Sumwooei Clan, cannot stop on this path. Even if we die and become wandering spirits, run away!”

It was that moment.

A ray of hope shone on them.

“Co, communication! We have communication!”

Valerie, who was using flight magic with a deathly pale face, shouted.

Amidst the continuing explosions, Lee Jin-yoon’s eyes flashed open.

“It’s thanks to being far away from the monster! It’s connected! Damn it! I did it! You bastards!”

Valerie was spewing out her native language like a madwoman, not Korean.

Although she couldn’t understand the exact words, Lee Jin-yoon said urgently.

“Where is it? Where are they responding from?”

“Nine Dragons Unit!”

Chijijijik!

And, a voice was heard along with terrifying noise.

– Can…… hear……? Sum…… woei…… Clan!

A hurried tone, a voice that cut off intermittently.

Even though she couldn’t understand it properly, she knew it was Jang Han’s voice.

“I can hear you! Where, where is the alliance!”

– Not…… far…… from…… there! Support…… soon…… but…… must…… survive! Northwest…… run!

For the first time, a look of joy appeared on Lee Jin-yoon’s face.

Lee Jin-yoon chewed and swallowed an emergency elixir, and spat out the mana that she had not yet fully embodied.

“Sumwooei Clan! Northwest! Support has arrived! Run! It’s there!”

Kwaaaaaaaaaang!

And, a dazzling radiance burst forth in the distance.

Exactly northwest.

The exhausted and injured Sumwooei Clan’s spirit was revived by that magical light that seemed to beckon them to come here.

‘We’re alive. A path to life has been created!’

Lee Jin-yoon, Lee Seo-hyun, everyone in the Sumwooei Clan thought so.

However.

There was one who had been endlessly pursuing them, not wanting to miss them.

– Do you think I’ll let you go……!

A wraith with thousands of years of obsession followed them.

* * *

It wasn’t a human form.

It wasn’t even Lee Myung-jung’s appearance.

Not just an expression, but Lee Hyul-hyun, who had flown in floating in the air in the form of a ghost, was rushing in behind them.

‘I can’t miss them!’

Lee Hyul-hyun’s soul was crumbling.

Even so, he had no intention of letting them go.

If he could just snatch the body of that man, Lee Cheol, who was on the verge of death, all this suffering could be dismissed as just a moment’s amusement.

‘Why! My father should have stopped him! Did my father fail?’

Lee Jin-yoon’s face turned white.

Then she realized something was wrong.

If Lee Tae-shin had failed, that person wouldn’t have come looking for them in that state.

What did it mean that he had become a floating spirit without a body and followed them?

– You cannot escape……!

Jjeooooooong!

In an instant, Lee Hyul-hyun’s voice dug into their minds.

Just, just a spirit, but with this much power.

Lee Jin-yoon gritted her teeth.

“……Block him! Lee Seo-hyun! He’s just a ghost!”

“Yes!”

At Lee Jin-yoon’s scream-like shout, Lee Seo-hyun raised the precariously creaking Ivory Sword.

But.

– Get…… out…… of…… the…… way……!

Hwooook!

Lee Seo-hyun’s sword could not cut through the spirit.

If it had been a mental sword that could cut through all things and thoughts, it would have been possible.

Even if it wasn’t a mental sword, if she had enough mana to unleash the power of exorcism possessed by the holy sword, she could have stopped him.

……But Lee Seo-hyun didn’t have the strength now.

Lee Hyul-hyun broke through all obstacles and finally flew towards Lee Jin-yoon.

‘I’ve got you.’

Lee Hyul-hyun’s spirit unleashed a formidable power.

Lee Jin-yoon’s face as she panicked.

Lee Hyul-hyun flying in.

“Aaaaaaa……!”

Lee Jin-yoon let out a tearing scream.

And, at that moment, one person’s energy surged.

* * *

Lee Kyung-hwa had not moved a single step away from Lee Cheol.

Even while running away, she had only thought of Lee Cheol’s body, so she was closest to him.

That’s why only she had her hands free at this moment.

The moment Lee Hyul-hyun flew in.

Lee Kyung-hwa gently stroked Lee Cheol’s face.

‘Baby. No, Cheol-ah [term of endearment].’

Lee Cheol’s face, roughened by scabs, was rising and falling very weakly.

This child was alive.

That was enough.

Hwaaaak!

Lee Kyung-hwa stopped.

Lee Jin-yoon’s surprised, wide eyes turned to her.

“Take care of this child.”

Unlike her aunt’s voice, which seemed somewhat lacking, the irresistible force contained in those words was considerable.

Lee Jin-yoon couldn’t answer those words.

In the meantime, Lee Jin-yoon and the Sumwooei Clan warriors passed by her.

‘Brother. Did you feel like this too?’

Lee Kyung-hwa faced Lee Hyul-hyun’s spirit.

Hwoo oooo oooo!

Lee Kyung-hwa’s aura soared high into the sky.

She was also in a situation where she had almost no strength left due to the aftermath of the battle.

Therefore, Lee Kyung-hwa had to draw on even the power that should not be touched.

It was life force.

That power, which should not be touched as long as one was born human, was released.

– Get out of the way……! You stupid!

Kuuuuuung!

And, Lee Hyul-hyun’s spirit could not avoid that power.

Some barrier blocked the way.

It was Lee Kyung-hwa’s mental sword.

Mental Sword, Guardian (守護) [a power that manifests as a sword, fueled by mental strength].

That power to protect and guard.

Lee Kyung-hwa looked at Lee Cheol’s back.

Her mental sword was half-finished.

Since a mental sword was originally a concretization of a warrior’s mental image, it was extremely personal and completely complete in itself.

But Lee Kyung-hwa’s mental image could only exist if there was something to protect.

Her husband.

Her son.

Her brother.

It was a mental sword that she could obtain because she had not protected anything, and it was the power she had gained by endlessly longing for it.

Lee Kyung-hwa was pleased with the fact that she had reached this level, even if it was only half the power now.

Because she would be able to protect him this time.

– What the hell are you? What do you think you can do with this half-finished mental sword?

“I’m going to stop you. So you can’t go back.”

– Get out of the way! You damn mongrel!

Kwaaaang!

Lee Hyul-hyun’s spirit pounded on the transparent barrier.

Lee Kyung-hwa smiled and did not back down.

Lee Kyung-hwa recalled Lee Cheol.

That little kid when they first met.

The appearance of her nephew, who she didn’t know who he was yet, that she wondered if her son would have been like if he had grown up.

“Cheol-ah.”

She called his name.

That child who she had met at the training ground a long time ago was now everything to her.

He was the light that had cleared away the darkness in the depths of her heart, where she had lost everything.

– Open this! Open this!

Lee Hyul-hyun pounded on the mental sword.

The pounding vibrations spread through the transparent barrier.

But it was just the spirit’s struggle.

He couldn’t get past Lee Kyung-hwa.

– KIEEEEEEK!

– Kyaaaaak!

Even the onrushing monsters were blocked by that wall and could no longer move forward.

‘Will you resent me when you wake up?’

Lee Kyung-hwa still did not lose her gentle smile.

‘But I’m okay. I’m really okay. That’s because…….’

Lee Cheol’s life was more precious than her own.

Her husband’s will.

Her brother’s magic.

Her son’s dream.

All of them were passed on to Lee Cheol through her.

So it’s okay.

– Ugh, Uaaaaaaaa!

Lee Hyul-hyun’s spirit struggled.

Gradually, the hazy mist began to lose its power and scatter in the air.

“Cheol-ah. Cheol-ah…….”

Lee Kyung-hwa endlessly called Lee Cheol.

The name of the child who was her friend.

Who was her disciple.

Who was her family.

And now, the name of the child who had become her…… everything.

– Aaa, Aaaaaaa!

Lee Hyul-hyun screamed.

He could not overcome the transparent barrier that was spread out in front of Lee Kyung-hwa.

The obsession of an absolute being that had continued for thousands of years could not overcome the love of a woman that had been created for only 20 years.