Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 393

‘This isn’t good.’

Worry showed on Tang Soso’s face like shadows moving quickly.

“Eek!”

Immediately, throwing knives flew from her hand.

Whoosh!

The throwing knives flew like streaks of light, striking the Murim Alliance warrior who was attacking a Mount Hua disciple.

The Murim Alliance warriors were not paying attention for a moment. Tang Soso used this chance. Her throwing knives flew from all directions.

“Kuh-uk!”

“Haat!”

Baekhyun, called White Plum Blossom Sword, was struggling to block his enemy’s attack. He swung his sword, but almost lost his balance. He glanced back at Tang Soso without thinking.

“Thank⋯⋯.”

“Don’t turn your head!”

“O-okay!”

“Retrieve the throwing knives and throw them back! Quickly!”

“Understood!”

Tang Soso gritted her teeth.

‘This isn’t good.’

The state of the battle was dire, even at a glance.

Mount Hua was still fighting because their leaders – the Sect Leader, elders, and White Plum Blossom Hall Lord – were fighting at the front.

But the Murim Alliance warriors were slowly surrounding them. They were getting closer and closer, like closing a circle.

Clang!

The throwing knives in her hand clinked together, making a metallic sound.

‘I never thought I’d have to do this again.’

She remembered the day she put away her knives, wanting to be a true Mount Hua swordsman. But now, she had no choice.

When she abandoned her identity as a daughter of the Dang family and decided to become a Mount Hua disciple, she had set aside the throwing knives she had carried her whole life and taken up a sword.

Now that she was a Mount Hua disciple, she had to use Mount Hua’s martial arts. So, she had vowed never to use throwing knives again.

But now was not the time to worry about such things.

She was intelligent, and therefore knew better than anyone.

At least for this moment, she was more valuable as a Dang family member who could use hidden weapons and medical skills than as a swordsman.

There were plenty of people who could replace her as a swordsman.

If she hadn’t been assessing the situation from the rear and helping her martial siblings by throwing knives whenever possible, there would have already been many casualties.

‘This isn’t good.’

In the first place, they were no match in terms of overall power.

Mount Hua’s only strength was that they fought as a team. The Murim Alliance warriors fought more like individuals, not really working together.

But even that had its limits.

Besides.

Tang Soso, subtly shifting her gaze, bit her lip tightly.

The Sect Leader’s blood-stained robes were painfully etched in her eyes.

‘Sect Leader!’

Her heart ached as if it were being torn apart.

The Sect Leader was covered in blood, but he stood strong, facing the enemy leader.

But that was only because he was desperately holding on; there seemed to be no chance of victory.

The same went for Un Geom and Hyun Sang.

‘This can’t go on.’

Tang Soso bit her lip tightly and quickly racked her brain.

But at that moment.

“Aaargh!”

A sharp scream pierced her ears.

The moment she turned her head, her face turned ashen. A tearing scream erupted from her lips.

A Mount Hua disciple was injured, and a sword was flying towards his neck with terrifying force.

“No!”

Three throwing knives shot from Tang Soso’s hand with terrifying speed.

Clang! Clang!

Two of the flying knives were deflected by the opponent’s sword, but the last one accurately pierced the opponent’s heart.

Tang Soso’s eyes widened for a moment.

‘D-death⋯⋯.’

Plop.

The person hit by the throwing knife convulsed for a moment before collapsing.

Murder.

It was her first kill.

“I, I⋯⋯.”

Trembling like someone who had been doused in ice water, she soon raised a hand and slapped herself across the cheek.

Whack!

Not stopping with just one, she struck herself several times in a row.

Soon, her cheeks were red and swollen. And blood flowed from her torn lips.

“Soso-ya!”

“Don’t look back!”

“⋯⋯.”

She roughly wiped away the flowing blood with her sleeve and glared with venomous eyes.

‘Don’t act like a fool, Tang Soso.’

There would be plenty of time to be surprised and tremble later.

If she faltered in this situation and even one more person died, Tang Soso would never forgive herself.

“Injured people to the back! Now!”

“Understood!”

Those who had fallen from the enemy’s swords were quickly moved to the rear. And those who were not yet injured filled their places.

Tang Soso gritted her teeth and sprinkled hemostatic powder on the injured’s torn wounds.

‘Don’t cry.’

Tears kept welling up.

Her martial siblings, who had laughed together, trained together, and secretly cursed Chung Myung together, were falling helplessly before the enemy’s swords.

Fortunately, no one had died yet, but it was clear that more than one or two had suffered serious injuries.

‘I absolutely won’t let them die! Absolutely! I won’t let that happen!’

With lightning-fast movements, she stitched up the wounds and took out a Spirit Pill from her pocket with her blood-soaked hands. The Sect Leader had entrusted it to her before the battle began.

– I’m counting on you, Soso. Please⋯⋯.

She knew what he meant without hearing the rest.

He wanted her to make sure that no one died.

Tang Soso accepted that foolish, even blindly optimistic, request.

“You won’t die! Absolutely! If you die, I’ll kill you!” Her voice cracked with desperation and a fierce protectiveness.

In a fit of hysteria, Tang Soso shouted, and another Mount Hua disciple falling into her sight.

‘Ah⋯⋯.’

“Maintain the formation! Don’t be deceived by the enemy’s attacks! Stick back-to-back and trust your martial siblings! Then you only need to face the enemy in front of you!”

Someone shouted from somewhere.

At those words, the Mount Hua disciples, who had reorganized their formation, began to narrow the gaps between them and unleash their attacks.

“Injured! Quickly!”

“Understood!”

Tang Soso, pushing small pieces of Spirit Pill into the mouths of those who had lost consciousness, unconsciously continued to look to the west.

‘Martial Brother.’

Martial Brother Chung Myung.

Please come quickly. Please.

Meanwhile, at the front line…

“You seem concerned?”

“⋯⋯.”

The Deathly Spear mocked Un Geom.

The stoic swordsman blocking his path was truly the epitome of a swordsman. Utterly calm and utterly cold. And even the sword he wielded was utterly precise.

However.

‘He’s clumsy.’

Every time he heard a scream from behind, he could clearly feel an uncontrollable flinch.

He might be well-trained as a swordsman, but he is not used to fighting like this.

He acts like he doesn’t care, but is he really very worried about what’s happening to his disciples?

“Heh heh. How very caring.”

The Deathly Spear sneered, subtly raising his cherished spear.

“I didn’t know there would be a swordsman of this caliber in the ruined Mount Hua. But all that means is that you’re just a dog guarding a house.”

“⋯⋯.”

Un Geom lowered his stance and shifted his weight downward, as if he had no intention of responding to the Deathly Spear’s provocation.

But the Deathly Spear knew very well how to deal with these kinds of people.

“You want to defeat me quickly and go help them, don’t you?”

“⋯⋯.”

“Heh heh. Fine, then try me.”

“Without you telling me!”

Un Geom took a step forward and charged with lightning speed.

“That’s what I intend to do!”

His sword sliced through the air like a phantom, then came down fast like a falling meteor, aiming for the Deathly Spear’s lower body.

‘It’ll be blocked!’

With skill like his, this strike will surely be blocked. But the moment that bastard crosses his spears, I’ll deflect it and⋯⋯.

It was that moment.

The Deathly Spear, looking at the sword flying towards him, let out a strange laugh. Then, he suddenly thrust his spear forward.

‘What?’

Of course, Un Geom wouldn’t be one to be caught off guard by a simple thrust. But right now, that spear wasn’t aimed at him.

It was aimed at his side, or more precisely⋯⋯.

‘No!’

Un Geom hurriedly changed his sword path. He used all his strength to block the spear that was going to hit his disciples.

Clang!

The moment the sword blocked the spear, another spear held in the Deathly Spear’s left hand pierced Un Geom’s thigh with unimaginable speed.

Thwack.

The sound of flesh being pierced and muscles being torn echoed clearly.

Thud.

Un Geom, stepping back a few paces, glared at the Deathly Spear with a pale face.

The spear ripped through his thigh, tearing muscle and sinew. Un Geom felt a sickening wetness as blood gushed out, staining the ground dark red. He could see the white of bone where the spear had pierced through.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk.”

He slowly licked the blood from his spear tip, his eyes fixed on Un Geom, a cruel smile playing on his lips.

“It tastes like garbage.”

“⋯⋯.”

“And you’re stupid too. You should have known that it would be worth it to injure me at the cost of one disciple’s death. Heh heh heh.”

“You bastard⋯⋯.”

If Un Geom hadn’t blocked the Deathly Spear’s attack, he might have been able to cut off his leg.

But in exchange, the power emitted from the spear would have certainly killed at least one person.

Because the disciples here aren’t skilled enough to block that guy’s attacks yet.

“It’s not that difficult to deal with guys like you.”

“⋯⋯Don’t you have even the slightest bit of pride as a martial artist?”

“This is a matter of efficiency.”

The Deathly Spear grinned.

“Even if we just fought, you wouldn’t be a match for me. I’d win ninety-nine times out of a hundred. But⋯⋯.”

The Deathly Spear, Son Wol, raised the cherished spear in his hand and aimed it to the side.

“Why should I fight fairly when there’s a way for me to win a hundred times out of a hundred? If you don’t want to be toyed with, just stand by and watch your disciples die. Hahaha!”

The spear, spinning fiercely in his hand, once again headed towards the Mount Hua disciples.

‘That crazy bastard!’

Un Geom’s eyes were bloodshot.

The trajectory of the spear that that damned bastard was throwing clearly included his own subordinates. If he threw the spear like that, his subordinates, who were showing their backs, would be in even more danger.

But there was not the slightest hesitation in the Deathly Spear’s hand. As if he intended to skewer his own subordinates and the Mount Hua disciples all at once.

“Haap!”

Fwoooosh!

The spear spinning in the Deathly Spear’s hand shot out with lightning speed.

“No!”

Un Geom threw himself forward without even thinking to block it.

The spear scraped loudly against his sword, making a harsh, grinding sound.

Kaga-ga-ga-gak!

The spear dug into his sword’s surface, which was infused with inner energy. The spear, spinning fiercely as if it would bore a hole through the sword, scattered sparks in all directions.

Crack.

Un Geom gritted his teeth at the pain that felt like his wrist was breaking.

Blocking a spear that was focused on a single point and thrusting forward with a sword was never an easy task. Especially if your stance wasn’t perfect.

For a moment, a blue light flashed in the Deathly Spear’s eyes.

“You idiot!”

He thrust the end of the spear he had thrown with the other spear remaining in his hand.

Clang!

The spear, with added force, blew away Un Geom’s sword and pierced his right shoulder.

Fwoooosh!

Flesh was torn apart by the spinning spear and scattered in all directions. The sight of blood splattering and bones shattering was truly gruesome.

“⋯⋯.”

Un Geom slowly turned his head and looked at the spear that had pierced his shoulder.

The arm, with its bones broken and flesh torn, was barely hanging on to his body.

“You⋯⋯.”

At that moment, the Deathly Spear’s sneering voice pierced Un Geom’s ears.

“You’re dying because of your disciples.”

Crack.

The spear, which had briefly stopped spinning, began to spin again, piercing Un Geom’s shoulder even deeper.

Pshoo!

Blood sprayed out as the spear went deeper, and Un Geom’s arm, literally torn off, soared into the air.

“Master!!!”

“Hall Lord! Aaaargh!”

“N-no!!!!”

And that sight was clearly etched in the eyes of the Mount Hua disciples.

The sight of his right arm soaring into the air, and Un Geom, unable to withstand the impact, being thrown to the ground.

Thud.

His arm, severed and lifeless, spun through the air for a moment, the sword still clutched tightly in its hand, before falling to the dusty ground with a soft thud. It landed like a discarded thing, a piece of Un Geom himself torn away.

For a lifetime.

The arm that had taught swordsmanship to the Mount Hua disciples.

The arm that had displayed countless swords as the Hall Lord of the White Plum Blossom Hall was severed from Un Geom’s body.

The Mount Hua disciples cried out at the shocking sight.

“Master! Aaaargh! Damn it!”

“I’ll kill you! You son of a bitch! I’ll definitely kill you!”

Tang Soso, sitting down on the spot with eyes full of despair, unconsciously put her hands together in front of her chest.

‘Please!’

Please, quickly.

Please.