구룡전기 (204)
Lee Seo-won and Bae Jeok-ha, struggling against the monks of Soneoeum Temple, were battered and bruised. The other young masters were severely injured, lying prone on the floor.
Judging by their ragged breathing, they were still alive, but on the verge of succumbing to the Soneoeum Temple monks.
“Hah… Hah…”
Bae Jeok-ha gasped, grimacing as he barely blocked a sword aimed at his shoulder.
“Ugh!”
His knees buckled, strength failing after the long battle. His grip loosened, and he nearly dropped his sword.
“Damn it, I hope Lee Hyun and Jong-yun made it safely to the Daeri family,” Bae Jeok-ha said to Lee Seo-won, who was fighting ahead.
“They probably did. I have to believe that to feel less resentful. I never thought I would sacrifice myself like this for someone else.”
“Hehe.”
Bae Jeok-ha laughed at Lee Seo-won’s words.
“I know, right? Born a young master of the Demonic Sect, dying fighting for others… even a stray dog would laugh. Don’t you think?”
“Tell me about it.”
Clang!
Lee Seo-won deflected a sword aimed at his waist, but his legs felt like lead, preventing any counterattack.
“But strangely, I don’t feel bad.”
Bae Jeok-ha smirked at Lee Seo-won’s words.
“Exactly. Why am I worrying about Jong-yun and Lee Hyun when I’m dying for others? This isn’t very Demonic.”
“Hehe, the brothers are finding romance in the Murim [martial arts world]. Just live as you go.”
Choi Heon, lying on the ground, spoke up, bringing smiles to Lee Seo-won and Bae Jeok-ha’s faces.
“Hey, can we run away now?”
They seemed to have already given up on life, smiling and joking, their minds emptied of fear.
“Now that it’s come to this, let’s live together if we live, and die together if we die. It seems like even if we run, we won’t get far before being caught.”
“Brothers, it’s hard just listening to you. Please let go of your attachments now.”
Clang!
Bae Jeok-ha, kneeling, barely managed to block the opponent’s sword. But he couldn’t hold it fully and lost his grip.
“Damn it, this is it. I entered the Murim world with the grand dream of Cheongun [a legendary path to immortality], but I never thought I would die a sudden death in such a strange place,” Bae Jeok-ha muttered, looking at the Soneoeum Temple monk with resignation.
-Don’t give up. An opportunity will surely come.
Bae Jeok-ha gave a bitter smile at Lee Seo-won’s telepathic message.
‘Right now, I don’t even have the strength to seize that damn opportunity.’
Bae Jeok-ha looked up at the monk standing before him with a victor’s smile.
At that moment, he saw a dagger flying from behind the monk. As the Soneoeum Temple monk sensed the danger and turned to deflect it, Bae Jeok-ha somehow found a surge of strength, moved his arm, and grabbed the monk’s leg.
“Oh!”
The monk lost his balance due to a moment of carelessness, and the dagger streaked through the air, piercing his neck.
The monk, in disbelief, pulled out the dagger, and blood gushed out like a fountain.
Bae Jeok-ha rolled to the side, picked up his fallen sword, stood up, and thrust his arm forward.
Even if he was left alone, he would have died, but Bae Jeok-ha’s sword pierced the monk’s abdomen, further hastening his demise.
As the monk’s body tilted and fell, Bae Jeok-ha raised his thumb towards Choi Heon, who was lying down, unable to move.
“Didn’t I fight really well for this much?”
Bae Jeok-ha said, breathing heavily, struggling to stand straight, straightening his back, and stretching his shoulders.
“Of course, you fought well. You killed five guys who were better than us.”
“Brothers, there are still five left. We need to take the head of that damn guy holding the voodoo doll.”
As Choi Heon spoke with a hint of injustice, everyone nodded in agreement.
“Kill the ones who are down first.”
As the monk holding the voodoo doll gave the order, the other monks approached Choi Heon, Song Jung-gi, and So Yi-hyun, who were lying defenseless.
“Brothers, I’ll protect you in the next life,” Choi Heon forced himself to sit up, as if he had resigned himself to death.
Seeing Choi Heon’s appearance, Lee Seo-won remembered what Hwa-rin had said.
-If you give up, hope won’t arise. Even if there’s no possibility, don’t give up. Even if it’s the last moment of my life.
-But what if there’s really no hope?
-Then you have to die. But dying after giving up on life is less impressive than dying while holding onto hope and trying until the end.
‘It is more impressive.’
Lee Seo-won threw the sword he was holding towards the monk approaching Choi Heon from behind.
Whoosh!
The sword, whistling through the air, soared right in front of the monk. Lee Seo-won grabbed the soaring sword mid-leap and struck down on the monk with all his might as he fell from the air.
As the monk raised his sword to block Lee Seo-won’s attack, Bae Jeok-ha, who was nearby, quickly moved his sword, aiming for the man’s waist from his seated position.
“Heot!”
The monk, surprised by the sudden joint attack, hurriedly tried to step back, but Choi Heon grabbed his leg with all his might.
Slash!
At the same time as Bae Jeok-ha’s sword cut through his waist, Lee Seo-won accurately bisected the man’s body, creating a deep wound.
The monk met his death due to a moment of carelessness, and the monks who saw this were enraged and rushed in with fierce momentum.
“I guess we’re really going to die now.”
“Don’t say that. The moment you give up, you become a loser. If you can breathe and have the strength to clench your fist, you fight.”
“I don’t even have the strength to move.”
“I’m not telling you to move, but to fight and die without giving up.”
Lee Seo-won clenched his teeth as he said this.
“You’re trying to be cool all by yourself.”
Bae Jeok-ha, having risen with his tired body, stood next to Lee Seo-won.
“Let’s burn our last flame.”
As the monk holding the voodoo doll chanted a spell, blue smoke flowed out of the doll.
The blue smoke approached Lee Seo-won and the other young masters as if it were a living creature, and those who saw it frowned.
“Damn it, fight with martial arts, don’t be cheap and use sorcery.”
Lee Seo-won shouted and swung his sword strongly, creating a gust of wind that pushed back the blue smoke. But this was only temporary, and the blue smoke approached them again.
Meanwhile, the other monks approached to kill So Yi-hyun, Choi Heon, and Song Jung-gi, who were lying down.
The moment they swung their swords down at Choi Heon, who was sitting, a light flashed between them, and the monk’s sword bounced back due to a strong repulsive force.
At the same time, a strong energy covered the monks approaching those who were lying down.
Kwaaaang!
The huge explosion blew away the monks, and the wave of energy also affected the young masters who were lying down, causing them to lose consciousness.
A figure drew a long arc in the air and landed in front of the monk holding the voodoo doll, moving the sword in his hand.
Wielding an incredibly fast sword that was invisible to the eye, he instantly slashed the body of the monk holding the voodoo doll, killing him.
“Lord!”
Lee Seo-won recognized who had come to save them and called out in surprise.
Daeri Myunghan immediately moved towards the remaining monks.
His sword moved in a strange trajectory in the air, instantly knocking them down. It all happened in the blink of an eye.
After Daeri Myunghan quickly killed the Soneoeum Temple monks and rescued them, Lee Seo-won and Bae Jeok-ha finally felt relieved that they were alive.
“Thank you for your help, Lord.”
“Help? You are the ones who stepped up for the difficulties of the main family. The gratitude should be expressed by the main family. It seems that the injuries of the others are serious, so it would be good to move them quickly.”
“What happened to Lee Hyun and Jong-yun? Did they arrive safely at the family?”
“Yes, they did. That’s why I was able to rush here immediately. Both of them are receiving treatment at the main family due to their severe injuries. It would be good to move those people quickly and treat them as well.”
Lee Seo-won and Bae Jeok-ha exchanged glances and let out a sigh of relief.
“Thank you so much. But where is that friend Hwa-rin?”
“She went to where the other colleagues are.”
“Ah.”
“Let’s talk about that on the way. First, it would be good to take the young masters and move.”
* * *
Baek Gun-seong’s condition was slightly better, but the other young masters were in a terrible state, with many injuries, relying on their swords to fight the warriors of the Potala Palace.
“You’re all making a fuss.”
The voice echoing in the air caused their fight to stop as if it were a lie.
“You were so confident that you could do well, but look at you now.”
Baek Gun-seong was furious at the voice that ridiculed them as if they were pathetic.
“Hey, if you’re coming, come quickly. Why are you only coming now?”
As Baek Gun-seong shouted, the nagging continued.
“How could I know where you guys were and come? Lee Hyun and Jong-yun came to the Daeri family half-dead, crying and asking me to go and save you because you were in danger. If it weren’t for those two, I wouldn’t have even found you.”
Baek Gun-seong and the young masters could only smile at Hwa-rin’s scolding, feeling relieved that they were alive.
The warriors of the Potala Palace exchanged glances at the appearance of Hwa-rin.
“Oh my, when will I raise these guys to be able to do their part?”
Hwa-rin glanced at the warriors of the Potala Palace and tilted her head, asking Baek Gun-seong.
“They’re not Soneoeum Temple monks. Judging by their attire, they seem to be archers from the Potala Palace, but why are they attacking you?”
“We don’t know either. We were about to go help because Lee Seo-won’s group set off a signal flare, but they blocked our way. So we thought Lee Seo-won’s group was also being attacked by these guys.”
“Is that so?”
Hwa-rin smiled at the warriors of the Potala Palace and casually asked Baek Gun-seong.
“I’m not supposed to interfere in the Murim world. What should I do, go back as is, or should I take care of them?”
“Hey, why are you asking something so obvious? How much blood did our guys shed because of those guys?”
“So?”
“We have to kill them all.”
As soon as Baek Gun-seong finished speaking, Hwa-rin’s figure moved. Her figure, blurred like a ghost, stirred among the warriors of the Potala Palace before appearing clearly next to Baek Gun-seong.
“Sell these and use the money for treatment.”
Hwa-rin put something down on the floor, which turned out to be the weapons the warriors of the Potala Palace were holding.
The warriors of the Potala Palace widened their eyes in surprise when they saw that the weapons that should have been in their hands were in Hwa-rin’s hands, and Hwa-rin was looking at them with a wicked smile and twinkling eyes.
“If you answer a few questions well, I’ll kill you without pain. But if you try to drag out the time, I’ll stick twigs in your mouth and butthole and hang you in the air, so keep that in mind.”
The warriors of the Potala Palace were silent for a while before trying to take action, probably exchanging telepathic messages and making a plan.
“There’s one thing people are mistaken about: tricks don’t work in the face of death.”
With those words, Hwa-rin moved once again towards the warriors of the Potala Palace.