“Don’t let them escape!” a warrior yelled.
“Kill them! We must kill them!” another screamed.
The Maninbang warriors, known for their fierceness, their faces twisted in anger, chased after Yoo Iseol. Their shouts were rough, like they would tear their throats. Their eyes burned with hate, just like in the canyon battle. But something was different now. They looked even more desperate. More determined. Their faces showed only one thing: a fierce need to catch their prey.
Wham!
The Maninbang warriors kicked off the ground with all their might, desperate to chase after and catch up to Chung Myung, the Mount Hua Sword Saint, the one who had destroyed their unit, to plunge their swords into his neck, to completely cut off his breath.
“Catch him!”
This might be their last chance. They absolutely couldn’t let it slip away.
Originally, the Maninbang did not fear the enemy. They did not fear war, nor did they fear death. That was why they were the Maninbang. It was a pride that each member of the Maninbang held in their hearts.
But that pride was completely shattered in the face of Chung Myung’s display in the canyon.
So, at this point, everyone had to know.
The moment they let that monster go here, they would have to fight him again someday. In the distant future. Or perhaps, in a time closer than they thought.
They had watched with their own eyes as Chung Myung destroyed the Blood Sword Unit. And they didn’t even want to imagine the nightmare of facing Chung Myung, unscathed.
They had to kill him. They absolutely had to kill him.
There was no need to talk to each other or gather opinions. The moment Chung Myung was on Yoo Iseol’s back, everyone’s will came together on one idea.
No matter what means they used, no matter what sacrifices they made, they had to kill that monster!
“Aaaargh!”
The Maninbang warriors surged towards Yoo Iseol with great force. It wasn’t just people chasing people. It was like a powerful flood rushing down a valley.
Thud!
Yoo Iseol kicked off the ground desperately.
There was no need to argue that her footwork was the best in Mount Hua. But her inner strength was also tired from the long battle. Moreover, with Chung Myung, who had lost consciousness and was limp, on her back, her feet were bound to be heavier than usual.
“Die!”
The Maninbang warrior who caught up to Yoo Iseol screamed and swung his sword.
At that very moment, Yoo Iseol knew that the battle she was about to face would be distinctly different from anything she had experienced so far.
Swords began to fly, cutting through the air with terrifying force.
Not towards her head, but towards her back.
Whoosh!
Clang!
Her quickly extended sword deflected the incoming blade.
Gritting her teeth.
If she were alone, she might have dodged that attack easily.
But now, she had to block it, even if it hurt her.
Because it took more than twice the strength to forcibly deflect a blade that was off-center. The impact on her wrist was greater than she could have imagined.
But right now, there was no other way.
Screech!
The blade flying in from the side was the same.
Normally, she would have avoided the strike with minimal movement, reducing waste, but she couldn’t do that now. It wasn’t just a matter of her body not being harmed.
Yoo Iseol twisted and moved her body as much as possible to avoid the incoming blade. The unusual movement threw her off balance, and the perfect balance of her body was lost.
Her movements were always flexible and graceful.
But this was not natural. It was created by hard training. And on that foundation was ‘balance’.
With that balance broken, Yoo Iseol could no longer be completely Yoo Iseol.
“Ha!”
A rare shout burst from her lips. Immediately, her sword flashed through the air like a ray of light.
If it was difficult to avoid, there was only one way: to attack before being attacked.
“Kraaak!”
The sword that Yoo Iseol unleashed pierced the heart of the Maninbang warrior without mercy.
Although the sword path was different from usual, Yoo Iseol’s sword was still powerful, even with that twisted path.
But the enemies were as desperate as she was… or perhaps even more so. Those who jumped up, using the one with the pierced heart as a stepping stone, rushed at Yoo Iseol like earth and sand pouring down from a landslide.
“Die!”
Snikt!
A blade falling towards Chung Myung’s head narrowly cut past just in front of her shoulder. She avoided the blade itself, but the escaping energy mercilessly tore Yoo Iseol’s skin.
A blade tore her skin. A sharp, burning pain shot up her arm. She saw the red blood welling up, hot against her skin. She bit back a cry, focusing on running.
She didn’t even have time to feel the pain. Yoo Iseol, who had flung herself backwards as if almost lying down, quickly rotated, bracing her hand on the ground.
Boom! Boom!
Soon, explosions rang out where she had been, and the surface of the earth was overturned. If she had been even a moment late in throwing herself, her body would not have escaped being a well-minced lump of meat by now.
Flying stones and fragments pierced her body or left scratches. But Yoo Iseol, unaware that her body was wounded, was busy swinging her sword with all her might.
Thwaack!
With a sound like a whip cutting through the air, the waists of three Maninbang warriors who were pouring down on her were instantly severed. Hot blood and pieces of internal organs poured down.
Yoo Iseol clenched the ground tightly with her hand and pulled her body up in one motion. Her fingernails were turned over and broken, but she had no time to notice.
The moment her body was pulled up, two blades flew straight to the spot where her legs had been.
Thud!
Yoo Iseol kicked off the ground and stood facing backwards again. It would be much faster to run forward, looking ahead, but she could never do that. Because there was no way to protect Chung Myung from the blades flying from behind.
She was running away, but even so, she had to face the enemy. As she endured that terrible situation with her whole body, blades flew densely towards her eyes.
Yoo Iseol swung her sword like lightning to deflect the attacks, but no matter how skilled she was, it was difficult to block all the blades flying at her simultaneously.
Snikt!
A blade that grazed her upper arm instantly severed her muscle, leaving a large wound that exposed bone.
Snikt!
A blade that grazed her side also tore her skin, leaving a deep gash.
Wham!
The blade that she had met head-on did not cut through her body, but it forcibly twisted the wrist holding the sword. The blood vessels in her wrist burst, and her bones throbbed as if they were about to be crushed.
She wasn’t the only one who had gained freedom of movement now. In the narrow canyon, the number of people who could attack at the same time was limited. But the moment they left the canyon, attacks could fly from anywhere within the reach of a blade.
To avoid and block all those attacks with a person on her back was impossible from the start.
But instead of losing hope, Yoo Iseol tied the cloth securing Chung Myung to her back even tighter.
‘Protect.’
She wasn’t doing it because she could. She wasn’t doing it because she wanted to.
Yoo Iseol might be the one who understood Chung Myung’s words the best in Mount Hua.
This was what she had to do.
Yoo Iseol didn’t have a shred of doubt about that thought. Even if it cost her her life, she had to send Chung Myung away alive.
Whoosh!
Yoo Iseol, covered in dirt, briefly turned forward and kicked off the ground with all her remaining strength. Her body, carrying Chung Myung, shot out like an arrow released from a bowstring.
Not missing the opportunity, a blade flew and cut her calf. Blood droplets scattered in the air.
But instead, the distance between the Maninbang warriors and Yoo Iseol widened considerably.
“Pursue her!”
“Don’t worry about the woman! Aim for the Mount Hua Sword Saint! You must kill him!”
“Never let them escape!”
Voices filled with anger echoed continuously.
They had to kill the Mount Hua Sword Saint, Chung Myung. They would definitely take his life.
Ho Gamyung looked down at the cooling corpse of Gwe Ryang with cold eyes.
Gwe Ryang’s eyes, which had not been able to close before his breath was cut off, contained the fear he had felt just before his death.
Ho Gamyung, who had given him a brief glance, passed him without a word and moved forward.
‘A Unit Leader.’
A Division and a Unit are different. And a Division Leader and a Unit Leader are even more different.
It was acceptable for a Division Leader to die at the hands of the enemy, or for a Division that had been sent into an operation to be destroyed. Because all things require sacrifice and cost.
But losing a Unit, losing a Unit Leader, was a different matter.
The Maninbang’s Units were the core of the Maninbang’s power, and their value increased even more if limited to those that Ho Gamyung could control.
Such a Unit had been destroyed, and Gwe Ryang, who had led such a Unit, had died. It couldn’t be anything but a major incident.
But even this time, not a trace of worry crossed Ho Gamyung’s face.
His gaze was now fixed on Yoo Iseol, who was running away, or more precisely, on the Mount Hua Sword Saint on her back. Ho Gamyung’s gaze, watching the Mount Hua Sword Saint who had lost consciousness and was limp, was chillingly cold.
He had sacrificed Gwe Ryang and the Blood Sword Unit to render the Mount Hua Sword Saint unconscious.
Others might call it crazy if they heard it. But Ho Gamyung believed that he had achieved more than expected with this sacrifice.
Of course, Gwe Ryang wouldn’t have thought so, but from the start, Ho Gamyung had never once thought that Gwe Ryang could defeat Chung Myung.
How could a dragon be bitten by jackals?
But fortunately, Gwe Ryang had done more than his skills allowed. Or perhaps Chung Myung hadn’t been able to use his skills, but the result was the same.
If the dead Gwe Ryang heard this, he would jump out of hell. But Ho Gamyung’s assessment of Gwe Ryang’s value was just that. It was a shame to lose one Unit Leader who was at least somewhat reasonable.
‘The Blood Sword Unit…’
If he could kill Chung Myung, he could sacrifice as many as he needed.
Now, all that was left was for him to devour those who had lost their heads and were struggling as he wished.
Those led by the Mount Hua Sword Saint were a strong army that even Ho Gamyung had to risk his life against, but those without the Mount Hua Sword Saint were nothing more than a disorganized rabble.
“Is the preparation ready?”
“We have deployed as you ordered!”
“If even one thing goes wrong, your life will not be enough to pay for it.”
The assistant replied with a bloodless face at the cold voice.
“I will keep that in mind.”
A slight but obvious murderous intent flickered in Ho Gamyung’s eyes.
‘Two moves, no… Is it three moves?’
Now, only about three moves left. In terms of time, only about a quarter of an hour.
The fate of the Mount Hua Sword Saint would be decided within that quarter of an hour. According to the steps he had set.
Ho Gamyung lightly clenched and unclenched his fist.
‘Stay calm.’
He couldn’t allow even a trace of a change until the end.
This was a strategy he had bet everything on. From Hainan until now, he had only targeted the life of the Mount Hua Sword Saint, and the fruits of that strategy were gradually approaching.
“All you have to do is drive a beast without a head into a corner.”
Ho Gamyung suddenly wondered what kind of expression Jang Ilso would have when he held the head of the Mount Hua Sword Saint.
‘Perhaps this is my small act of defiance.’
He erased the base imagination that had briefly surfaced in his head and let out a light sigh. In contrast, his eyes gradually darkened.