Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1266

The battlefield was a chaos of noise and fighting, like a pot boiling over. Gwak Hwan-so felt completely lost and couldn’t think straight.

“What should I do?” he thought, his mind racing.

In front of him was the Maninbang ship, their enemy’s vessel. Behind him, the main force of the Maninbang, a large group of their attackers, was getting closer. If he was just any Hainan fighter, he would have run straight for the ship. That was the mission.

But he was the senior disciple, the leader here. He couldn’t just ignore the enemy closing in. They would be surrounded!

“Should I try to stop them first?” Doubt gnawed at him.

As he hesitated, unsure of what to do, someone grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back.

“Great Hero Baek Cheon?” Gwak Hwan-so asked, surprised.

“What are you doing!” Baek Cheon exclaimed.

“I, I will help…” Gwak Hwan-so stammered.

“We’ll hold them back here, so go to the ship immediately!” Baek Cheon ordered. “There will be enemies on board as well!”

Gwak Hwan-so realized his mistake and nodded quickly.

Baek Cheon was right. There was no guarantee that Maninbang thugs weren’t still on that ship. Someone had to be on board to command Hainan.

“Lead the disciples and seize the entire ship!” Gwak Hwan-so commanded. “Once everyone is on board, set sail without waiting!”

“What about you, Great Heroes?” someone asked.

“Go!” Baek Cheon urged.

Baek Cheon gripped Gwak Hwan-so’s shoulder tightly again.

“If you want to save us, don’t stand here like this, move!”

Baek Cheon shoved Gwak Hwan-so away. Gwak Hwan-so saw members of the Cheonwoo Alliance flying in from all directions, blocking their path.

“Where do you think you’re going!” someone shouted.

Before his feet could even touch the ground, Jo Gul unleashed his sword energy. Blades of light ripped through the air, falling on the enemy like a storm of swords.

Gwak Hwan-so was stunned.

It was as if the sword shadows pouring from the sword were cleaving through the scorching sunlight of the South Sea.

“Kuk!”

“You bastard!”

The Changgui squad members, encouraged by the arrival of the main force, hesitated and retreated from the powerful sword energy.

Behind Jo Gul, Yoo Iseol appeared like a shadow.

Red petals, beautiful but deadly, bloomed from Yoo Iseol’s sword. Each petal spun like a tiny, razor-sharp blade as it fell, momentarily covering the hot midday with the atmosphere of spring, adorning the sky of the South Sea and falling in abundance.

“Keuek!”

Outwardly, the petals appeared endlessly delicate, merely fluttering in the air. But those who faced this sword knew all too well just how sharp and dangerous each of those fragile petals was.

The moment Jo Gul’s sword shadows and Yoo Iseol’s sword energy broke the momentum of the Maninbang.

“Taaah!”

“Ooooooh!”

Blinding white light from Namgung Dowi’s Sword Strength and auspicious firelight from Hae Yeon’s Arhat Divine Fist fell mercilessly into the midst of those rushing forward.

The screams that erupted were completely drowned out by the sound of the white and firelight mixing and exploding.

But they were not the Maninbang for nothing. Even as their comrades were torn to pieces and exploded, they did not easily lose their momentum.

“Kahahaaaat!”

The Maninbang thugs roared like beasts, aiming for Jo Gul and Yoo Iseol, who were trying to land. Baek Cheon dashed to the front line in an instant to block them.

Baek Cheon, who had stamped his feet with the force to shatter the ground, swung his sword with terrifying force. The red sword energy exploded outwards, cutting through the enemy like a hot knife through butter.

Hot blood covered his face, but Baek Cheon didn’t even blink as he shouted.

“Protect!”

His voice was firm and commanding. Everyone around him moved instantly, following his lead without question.

They were already used to moving like Baek Cheon’s limbs. Naturally, they quickly moved to where they needed to be and swung their swords.

“Aaaargh! To the right! To the right! Damn it, the right is open! What is young master Dang doing! What are you eating for… No, damn it! Did you eat poison instead of rice? Hurry, go quickly!” Lim Sobyeong shouted, his quick thinking evident even in the heat of battle.

“Damn you, Green Forest King!” Dangpae gritted his teeth and quickly ran towards the direction Lim Sobyeong pointed. The poisoned needles, ejected from his nervously flicking fingertips, scattered in front of the Maninbang thug who was charging like an angry bull.

The Maninbang thug bit his lip at the steel needles that pierced his foot. The pain was considerable, but he ignored it and tried to run forward. But his body collapsed to the ground.

The Dang Clan’s poison, which had penetrated through the wound in an instant, paralyzed his body!

“Widen the gap, widen it! Stop those who are breaking out to the left and right!”

“Where do I go, Green Forest King!” Seol Sobaek asked, gripping his sword tightly and biting his lip, eager to protect others.

“To the Palace Lord!” Lim Sobyeong replied.

“Yes!”

“Where to use him?” Lim Sobyeong muttered to himself.

“Yes?” Seol Sobaek asked, confused.

Lim Sobyeong pressed his fan against his cheek and quickly racked his brain.

“Uh… Well… Over there in the back, uh…”

“Lady Dang! It’s dangerous!”

At that moment, Seol Sobaek dashed towards Tang Soso with all his might, even before Lim Sobyeong’s instructions could be given. Lim Sobyeong, with a dumbfounded expression, smiled faintly as he watched him.

“I wonder who he learned that from,” he mused.

It was obvious.

And then, a group joined the defensive line they had created.

“Help the acting Sect Leader!”

“Let’s go!”

The Hainan Sect Leader, Geum Yang-baek, and the Hainan elders joined the defensive line. Their eyes burned with fury as they gnashed their teeth.

“You wicked bastards!”

“I’ve been waiting for this moment!”

Leaving aside their martial prowess, Hainan held animosity towards the Four Evil Alliances and the Maninbang. The Hainan elders, who had obtained the opportunity to swing their swords at the Maninbang to their hearts’ content for the first time, relentlessly unleashed swords like raging waves.

“Aigo, you old geezers. You’re so strong!”

“They’re elders, you crazy bastard!”

“Senior brother. I feel like you’ve been treating me too harshly lately,” Yoon Jong complained.

“You’re just naturally ill-mannered!”

“Your words are too harsh.”

Jo Gul stabbed his sword as if he were venting the anger he felt from the wound Yoon Jong had inflicted on the Maninbang.

“Come, wa…”

“Come on! You bastards!” Tang Soso shouted fiercely, her face like a demon as she stabbed her sword mercilessly.

Jo Gul lowered his eyes and quietly returned his head to its original position.

The sand surged violently the moment he kicked off the ground.

“Run faster!”

“Aaaaargh!”

Gwak Hwan-so gritted his teeth.

The pressure from the Maninbang’s main force was beyond imagination. Even now, if he didn’t grit his teeth, his hands would tremble at any moment.

“Let’s go!”

“Yes!”

What moved Gwak Hwan-so was the loud shout coming from behind him.

The body moving before the head could think was exactly what this moment was about. Even at this moment, the roar from the fierce battle was constantly erupting. Gwak Hwan-so’s body shot forward on its own, kicking off the high bow of the ship in an instant.

“Aaaaargh!”

Gwak Hwan-so, who had jumped onto the deck, unleashing the bloodlust that had filled him to the brim, saw the figures of several Maninbang thugs guarding the ship.

“Subdue them!”

Gwak Hwan-so, roaring like a tiger, rushed forward without waiting for a reply. His sword energy poured down on the enemy like a raging tidal wave.

“Keuek!”

A Maninbang thug, whose shoulder had been slashed by Gwak Hwan-so’s sword, retreated with a suppressed groan. Another Hainan disciple quickly rushed towards the Maninbang thug.

“Die!”

It was a flawless strike, even in Gwak Hwan-so’s eyes.

That was why he didn’t think anything was wrong. Not until the Maninbang thug, whose shoulder had been cut, brandished his sword with murderous intent in his eyes.

The Maninbang thug’s sword, flying like lightning, slashed across the Hainan disciple’s chest.

“Jwagong!” Gwak Hwan-so screamed.

“Junior brother!”

Gwak Hwan-so screamed and swung his sword at the Maninbang thug. The swords that his senior and junior brothers unleashed in succession skewered the Maninbang thug’s entire body.

“Aaaaargh! You little brats!”

But even with his entire body pierced, the Maninbang thug instead rushed towards them, brandishing his sword with terrifying force.

The sword, which had broken the sword trying to block it in two, cut down several more Hainan disciples. Red blood gushed out in all directions, and screams echoed. In an instant, the deck turned into a living hell.

“You son of a biiitch!” Lee Jayang rushed in wildly and plunged his sword into the Maninbang thug’s chest. Gwak Hwan-so didn’t fall behind and jumped in, stabbing the Maninbang thug’s neck with his sword.

The sound of blood gurgling in his throat flowed from the Maninbang thug’s mouth.

“You…”

“Will all die…”

Even if he was a man full of venom, he couldn’t withstand having his neck pierced, and his body soon slumped. Even after his breath had stopped, his eyes were still wide open.

Gwak Hwan-so’s fingertips were trembling terribly.

“Jwagong! Are you alright?”

“Bloody hell! Great Senior Brother! Chae Wook is badly injured!”

“Blood is still coming out, senior brother!”

Gwak Hwan-so rubbed the blood splattered on his face with his sleeve. His ears were ringing, and he couldn’t hear any sound properly. Only the sound of his heart pounding as if it would jump out of his throat echoed loudly.

“Great Senior Brother!”

As the urging voices poured out once more, Gwak Hwan-so clenched his fist tightly.

“Can’t you calm down!”

Those who had been making a fuss flinched at the loud shout.

“Didn’t you come prepared for this!”

“Se, senior brother…”

“The Cheonwoo Alliance members are risking their lives to hold them back below. And yet, what are you doing, just because you’ve suffered a few injuries!”

“Senior brother…”

“A few stay behind to tend to the injured! The rest of you quickly seize the entire ship! Hurry!”

“Yes!”

“Jayang!”

“Yes, senior brother!”

“Go to the control room! We need to move the ship!”

“Yes!”

As everyone moved in an orderly fashion, Gwak Hwan-so finally turned his gaze to those who had fallen. His senior and junior brothers, with whom he had shared joys and sorrows, were groaning. Their eyes had already lost half their light.

Gwak Hwan-so’s heart felt like it was breaking as he looked at his injured friends. He knew he had to be strong, but pain squeezed his chest. He closed his eyes tightly and turned his head away.

This is something we must endure!

“Move quickly! Before those who are holding out below collapse!”

“Yes!”

Gwak Hwan-so gripped his sword tightly and leaped forward.

First, he would fulfill the role he had been assigned. Grieving and raging were things for later.

‘This is war!’

The dazed feeling as if he were dreaming vanished, and suddenly the stench of blood rushed into his nose. The smell made him realize that this was reality. He was now in the middle of the battlefield.

“Aaaaargh!”

Gwak Hwan-so swung his sword at the Maninbang thug who was rushing out of the cabin. The sensation of the sword tip cutting through flesh was vividly felt. In Gwak Hwan-so’s eyes, a different, malicious murderous intent dwelled.

“Kill them all! Make them regret stepping on Hainan soil in hell!”

The madness of the battlefield swallowed another swordsman.