Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 249

249. Ominous Sign

“The main force is moving.”

The head of the Zhuge Clan, the Gentleman Sword Zhuge Ming, said in a relaxed tone as he watched the battle unfold.

“Now the fight will be over soon. Hehehe.”

The only targets to be wary of are the Black Arrows and the cavalry.

Since they were virtually neutralized and close combat had begun, the outcome was obvious.

From the start, it was a misjudgment for them to attack the Murim Alliance [a coalition of martial arts clans], where the core forces of each sect were gathered.

As I said from the beginning.

“However, the Black Spear Cavalry seems to be more powerful than expected…”

The head of the Danmok Clan said in an uneasy tone.

“Heo, how can the head of the family utter such weak words?”

The head of the Hyeokryun Clan, Hyeokryun Cheolhu, frowned and stepped forward.

“They are just a gang of bandits. Those guys…”

“No, that’s not true.”

The Abbot Taeheo of the Shaolin Temple said quietly, chanting a Buddhist prayer.

“We must never underestimate them. Moreover, I heard that the enemy has the Iron-Blooded Evil King…”

“Hahaha! The Iron-Blooded Evil King, you say?”

Hyeokryun Cheolhu laughed heartily.

“The Iron-Blooded Evil King is just an outdated has-been. Besides, look at them.”

He pointed to the front lines that were surviving and retreating.

“The Black Spear Cavalry? They couldn’t even annihilate those hastily assembled from third-rate sects and vagrants. So how can you say we are underestimating the enemy?”

Hyeokryun Cheolhu snorted.

“They are just a bunch of bandits. How can they shake our foundations? Hehehe.”

Taeheo frowned.

Although his words were bold, the disciples of the Hyeokryun Clan were in the rearmost ranks of the central army.

They made all sorts of excuses and pretenses to secure a safe position.

“That’s right. People don’t change easily. Be it bandits or old monsters.”

Taeheo said quietly, chanting a Buddhist prayer.

“Since you called the Iron-Blooded Evil King a has-been, I will greatly look forward to Hyeokryun’s performance.”

Hyeokryun Cheolhu’s eyes flashed sharply.

However, Taeheo no longer cared.

“Waaaaa.”

Thump, thump.

The battle between the Murim Alliance’s main force and the enemy had just begun.

***

The retreat of the surviving front lines was not difficult.

The Murim Alliance’s main force stood by as the front lines retreated, and the Black Spear Cavalry was also busy reorganizing their formation and did not pay attention to the front lines.

The warriors of the front lines supported the wounded and retreated to the north gate of the Murim Alliance.

“Move the injured!”

“Contact the Murim Alliance Medical Bureau!”

The doctors of the medical bureau were also fully prepared.

Originally, the disciples of the large sects would have been given priority, but since the only ones injured now were the warriors of the front lines, it would not be difficult for them to receive treatment for now.

“Move quickly! Quickly!”

Although they succeeded in retreating, the warriors of the front lines were frantically busy.

In addition to evacuating the wounded and identifying the dead, they also had to collect the remaining weapons and equipment.

These were also as Dokgo Rang had ordered.

Step, step.

“Great Hero Dokgo!”

Someone shouted.

Dokgo Rang and the elites who were with him had returned to the north gate.

The sight of them recovering the wounded and the dead until the very end was truly like that of Asura [a demigod or titan in Hinduism and Buddhism, often associated with conflict].

The eyes that flickered blue while covered in blood were like ghosts.

However, the eyes of the warriors who were looking at them now were filled with emotion and trust.

They were the ones who had saved countless lives on that terrible battlefield.

How could they not respect them, and how could they not be moved?

“Three Battles, Unbeatable!”

It was only natural that people shouted without even realizing it.

“Three Battles, Unbeatable!”

“Three Battles, Unbeatable!”

There was no need for anyone to say it.

The surviving warriors of the front lines shouted as they looked at Dokgo Rang and his elites.

It was perhaps like a cheer of survival, but it was also like a wail of barely surviving in the midst of death.

“Three Battles, Unbeatable!”

Three Battles, Unbeatable, meaning always winning three battles a day.

Now, a new meaning was added to that title.

The invincible swordsman who never lost in a unilaterally unfavorable battle.

That was Dokgo Rang.

Step, step.

Dokgo Rang walked silently.

The eyes of the young warriors who were with him were full of pride, but Dokgo Rang did not change at all.

The shouts of the people soon died down.

Because now was a time when mourning was needed more than cheering.

“Thank you. Thank you. Great Hero.”

Jang Cheonho grabbed Dokgo Rang’s hand tightly.

“You defeated the Black Arrows and the Black Spear Cavalry and saved us, so you are truly Three Battles, Unbeatable.”

Jang Cheonho’s eyes were full of sincerity as he spoke.

However, Dokgo Rang said quietly.

“What are the casualties?”

Jang Cheonho’s complexion changed gloomily.

“…One-third died, and half of the rest were injured.”

Dokgo Rang’s eyes also sank.

“But two-thirds survived!”

Jang Cheonho said strongly.

“The Great Hero saved them! Thank you, thank you, Great Hero!”

Swish.

Dokgo Rang moved his hand.

His blood-soaked hand easily slipped out of Jang Cheonho’s hand.

“Reorganize the formation, just in case. And…”

“We are already doing that.”

Dokgo Rang continued slowly.

“Stay away from the north gate. Very far away.”

Jang Cheonho blinked at the sudden words.

Stay away from the north gate?

Rather, shouldn’t they stay here until the end to promote their achievements to the Murim Alliance?

But Dokgo Rang said quietly.

“Surviving is winning. If you seek merit, people like us will die.”

Dokgo Rang’s eyes were so eerie as he spoke.

“Keep my words in mind.”

Jang Cheonho nodded without realizing it.

Step.

Dokgo Rang turned around as he was.

“No, where…”

“Great Hero!”

Someone called Dokgo Rang, interrupting Jang Cheonho’s words.

It was the young warriors who had been with Dokgo Rang until now.

Tuk.

Dokgo Rang stopped and turned around.

Thirty shining eyes greeted him.

Young warriors stained with blood and sweat, covered in wounds here and there.

They stood in the most dangerous place with Dokgo Rang, saved the lives of many people, and stayed by Dokgo Rang’s side until the very end.

“You’ve worked hard.”

A faint smile appeared on Dokgo Rang’s face for the first time.

It was just that, but it was more heartwarming than anything else for the young warriors.

Dokgo Rang, the ultimate master of Sword Energy Manifestation and the swordsman with the title of Three Battles, Unbeatable, the one they respected and trusted more than anyone else, had acknowledged them.

How could their hearts not be full?

Cheok.

The young man standing at the front bowed.

At the same time, all thirty people bowed politely.

“Yes, Great Hero!”

Swish.

Dokgo Rang bowed back to them.

Filled in the eyes facing each other was the ‘bond’ that only those who had crossed the line of death together could know.

“Then.”

Dokgo Rang, who turned around, immediately flew away.

The young warriors sighed as if they were disappointed, but they couldn’t help it.

Because they knew Dokgo Rang’s heart toward his lord, Sword Lord Changryong.

“Let’s go.”

One of the young warriors said.

“Because there is still a lot to do.”

His words were right.

The Murim Alliance’s battle was not over yet.

There would be even more to do in the future.

Step, step.

“Move quickly! Everyone goes to the guest quarters!”

Jang Cheonho was shouting.

He could no longer ignore Dokgo Rang’s advice, so he was trying to move the front lines to the guest quarters altogether.

Of course, he and a few other sect leaders would remain at the north gate until the end.

That way, the Murim Alliance would give them even more, wouldn’t they?

Jang Cheonho could not hide his pleased smile, thinking that the time to taste the fruits of his labor was near.

***

Another pavilion of the Murim Alliance.

“Heo.”

Yunhyun looked at the battlefield with a heavy heart.

It was inevitable that a sigh came out.

“To die so futilely…”

He had already seen people die.

However, the sight of the battlefield where blood splattered and corpses were trampled was literally a living hell itself.

Yunhyun clenched the railing tightly and gritted his teeth, but he could not bear to see the tragedy unfolding before his eyes.

‘Ugh.’

A sudden wave of nausea surged up.

The bitter smell of blood seemed to spread to this place.

But he did not turn his eyes away.

Because Dokgo Rang was there.

‘Please.’

Yunhyun prayed with a desperate heart.

‘Please be safe.’

He ordered him to come back alive.

Even though Dokgo Rang was an ultimate master, to dare to talk about life and death in such a chaotic hell where death was rampant.

Yunhyun could bitterly realize how reckless and heavy his order was.

―The Murim Alliance will become a land of death.

The words of Namgung Byeok, the head of the Namgung Clan, echoed in his ears.

Land of death.

Those words were by no means an exaggeration.

Rather, it was just the beginning now.

How long had he been watching with a worried heart?

“Hoo.”

Yunhyun finally sighed as the front lines began to retreat.

‘Thank goodness.’

The damage to the front lines was great. But Dokgo Rang was safe.

While expressing condolences to those who were injured and died, Yunhyun could not help but feel relieved.

Thump, thump.

Listening to the drums that echoed again, Yunhyun looked at the battle situation.

The Murim Alliance’s main force was slowly narrowing in, centered on the Black Spear Cavalry.

And the black-clad warriors who were newly pouring out from the Green Forest.

Judging by what he could see, the Murim Alliance had the upper hand.

That was because all 1,500 of the Murim Alliance’s main force were elites from large sects.

‘Hmm.’

However, Yunhyun was uneasy.

It wasn’t because of the Black Spear Cavalry or the black-clad warriors.

Yunhyun raised his head.

Hoo Woong.

Beyond the orderly forces of the Green Forest, an ominous energy was swirling.

It was this unknown energy that continued to make Yunhyun uneasy.

‘At first, I just thought it was my imagination…’

He thought it might be the energy of the Black Spear Cavalry.

But even now, with the black-clad warriors pouring out, that gloomy energy had not disappeared.

No, it was actually growing stronger.

‘What on earth.’

Yunhyun’s experience in the Jianghu [the martial arts world] was shallow, but he was particularly sensitive to the flow of energy.

Even the Buddhist monk Wabul of Shaolin and Dokseon were surprised, calling it ‘Mind’s Eye.’

So there must be a meaning to that ominously swirling energy.

A meaning that was definitely not good for him or the Murim Alliance.

‘Perhaps the Iron-Blooded Evil King or the Three Supreme Commanders…’

However, Yunhyun soon shook his head.

Even a divine monk could not emit that level of energy.

The ominous energy swirling beyond the forces of the Green Forest was still making Yunhyun uneasy without revealing its identity.

Tuk.

A presence felt from behind.

Yunhyun quickly turned his head.

“I have returned now.”

Dokgo Rang, covered in blood, said quietly.

“Lord.”

“Dokgo Je!”

Yunhyun approached Dokgo Rang.

And without hesitation, he grabbed both of Dokgo Rang’s shoulders.

“Are you okay?”

Dokgo Rang’s clothes were stained with blood.

But what did blood matter? What did dirty clothes matter?

Yunhyun was grateful and grateful that Dokgo Rang had returned alive from that hell.

“Yes, Lord.”

“You’ve worked hard. Really, you’ve worked hard. Really…”

He didn’t know what to say.

Yunhyun could only say the same words again and again because he was just grateful and sorry.

The hardened eyes of Dokgo Rang softened.

“…I was just following orders.”

Dokgo Rang said in a low voice.

Only then did Yunhyun, who had regained his composure, release Dokgo Rang’s shoulders.

His sleeves were a mess, but Yunhyun didn’t care.

“Are you really okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Yes.”

Dokgo Rang’s answer was still short.

But Yunhyun could clearly feel the warm emotion contained in that voice.

“Come here. First, sit here and…”

“It’s okay.”

Dokgo Rang, who refused the seat, turned his head and looked at the battlefield.