Chapter 1765
That’s why I am here. (5)
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“P-Please, spare me…”
Thud.
A merciless sword pierced through the woman’s chest. Her eyes widened as she grasped weakly at the blade embedded in her body.
Swish.
It was a truly powerless resistance. Soon, her breath ceased, and she collapsed to the ground, never to rise again.
Watching this scene, Ho Gamyeong’s eyes were dark and somber.
It certainly wasn’t a pleasant sight. But the discomfort he felt from this situation wasn’t simply because a defenseless person’s life had been forcibly taken.
It was because the woman, who had lost her life for no reason, did not have even a trace of resentment in her eyes, even in her final moments.
‘Resentment…’
Perhaps she didn’t dare to harbor it. That’s the nature of helplessness.
Ho Gamyeong stared blankly ahead.
The village was burning, thick, black smoke billowing wildly.
There were no survivors. Although it was a small village, nearly a few hundred people had lost their lives in less than half an hour.
He faced the outcome created by a mere gesture or word of his in silence.
How much time had passed like that? Ho Gamyeong slowly nodded.
“Stoke the fire stronger.”
“Yes, Commander!”
“Where’s the next village?”
“Five li from here.”
How many villages had been reduced to ashes so far?
He had personally led his subordinates and burned down two villages himself. By now, more than ten villages might have disappeared, along with the lives of those who lived there.
Ho Gamyeong exhaled deeply through his nose.
‘It’s almost absurd.’
Despite all this chaos, the enemies had not come. They might not even arrive in time for the village that lay just five li away from here.
Though they had cowered due to the Blood Palace’s attack, their complacency was almost laughable.
Did they seriously believe that Sapaeryeon wouldn’t attack commoners? On what grounds?
“At this rate, we’re going too deep.”
Ho Gamyeong’s eyes narrowed slightly. Unless he planned to make a quick show and retreat, the longer they took, the closer they would have to advance towards the enemy’s stronghold.
He weighed the options in his mind. The risk would increase, but so would the potential to disrupt the enemy further.
“Once the fire is set, we move immediately.”
“Yes, Commander.”
“Advance swiftly and destroy more villages. Send messengers to those attacking from other directions to inform them as well. However, they must avoid direct combat at all costs.”
“Yes!”
The flames engulfing the village flickered in Ho Gamyeong’s eyes.
‘There’s no need to draw swords.’
Simply showing them this sight is enough. Those bastards won’t be able to stay holed up in their mountains any longer. The burning villages and the piles of corpses will serve as the hellscape born of their complacency.
Ho Gamyeong had no doubt that those people had good intentions. But he did not believe they had justice on their side.
Justice only holds value when it exists where it ought to be. Justice that is absent when it is needed is, in fact, harsher than any lowly evil.
Yes, in the moments when it is needed…
Ho Gamyeong suddenly felt curious.
Back then, when he desperately needed something – if even the smallest, most insignificant justice had existed by his side – would his choices and the life that resulted from them have turned out differently?
“Commander. We’re ready.”
At the voice coming from beside him, Ho Gamyeong glanced towards Mount Wudang.
“Meaningless thoughts.”
“Pardon?”
“Nothing. We move out.”
Somehow, a hollow laugh escaped his lips.
‘It’s not something to blame Ryeonju for.’
Perhaps he too was wavering. Having such thoughts could be proof of that.
“Commander, over there…!”
“Hmm?”
In that instant, Ho Gamyeong’s eyes gleamed.
Far off, on one side of Mount Wudang’s slopes, some movement was detected. It was so distant that even with his keen eyesight, Ho Gamyeong could only perceive it as a faint ripple. But thanks to the barren, fire-scorched landscape of Mount Wudang, he could be certain.
Something was definitely moving over there.
“They’re coming quickly.”
“What should we do, Commander?”
“The order won’t be withdrawn.”
Ho Gamyeong declared with a cold expression.
“The more sins accumulate, the stronger their impact becomes. Burn their conscience with even more corpses.”
“Yes, Commander!”
A cold sneer spread across Ho Gamyeong’s face.
‘Feeble justice…’
There could be no such thing. Justice without power is no longer justice.
❀ ❀ ❀
Clang!
Sword clashed against sword.
Before long, one of the swords was knocked away powerlessly. The body of the one holding it rolled pathetically on the ground.
“You rat-like bastard!”
But even after sending his opponent flying, the murderous intent did not subside.
A sword imbued with considerable amount of inner strength came crashing down on the body of the man covered in dirt.
Swoosh!
At that moment, the man who had been rolling on the ground quickly thrust his sword forward.
Clang!
As the two swords tangled in midair once more, the downward-plunging sword was deflected, stabbing into the ground instead.
“Damn it!”
Thud!
Enraged by his missed strike, Sapaeryeon’s member kicked the dirt-covered man, Baek Cheon, in the stomach. This time, Baek Cheon couldn’t defend himself and was sent flying into the air before crashing down limply.
Boom!
“Ugh!”
A suffocating groan escaped from Baek Cheon’s throat as his breath was knocked out of him.
“Die, you worthless bastard!”
Another Sapaeryeon’s member’s long spear came flying towards Baek Cheon’s chest with a chilling whooshing sound.
Baek Cheon, swallowing back the blood rising up his throat, gritted his teeth and instead pushed his body towards the incoming spear.
Swish.
His body twisted as he threw his left shoulder, which was already half-turned, towards the tip of the spear. His shoulder narrowly avoided the sharp spear tip and precisely collided with the shorter part of the spear blade, pushing it aside.
Thud!
At the same time, Baek Cheon spun his body around, diving into the chest of the enemy.
“Cut this nonsense!”
Anticipating this move, Sapaeryeon’s spearman quickly pulled back his extended spear and used the shaft to defend his chest.
However, Baek Cheon’s body spun one more time.
His sword, now glowing with a fierce blue energy, slashed in a half-circle, aiming for the enemy’s neck.
“Ugh!”
Swallowing a gasp of panic, the spearman quickly raised the shaft of his spear.
Clang!
He barely managed to block the attack in time. Although this bizarre sword path was certainly threatening, the power behind the attack was insignificant. As long as he could block it, it wasn’t dangerous.
The spearman allowed himself a triumphant smile for a moment.
The sword that had touched his spear slid down the shaft like a raindrop falling.
Slash!
The fingers gripping the spear shaft were severed and flew into the air.
Caught off guard by the unexpected attack, the spearman let out a scream.
“Argh!”
Baek Cheon wrapped his arm around the enemy’s spear, entangling himself with the spearman in a tight bind.
“Let go, you bastard!”
Thud!
With his remaining hand, the spearman swung the shaft of his spear, striking Baek Cheon directly in the face.
Crunch!
But Baek Cheon didn’t even blink. He reversed his grip on the sword and immediately drove it into the spearman’s side. The blade pierced his lung, and the spearman convulsed, unable to even scream, before collapsing to the ground.
“Ugh…”
Drip, drip.
Blood dripped down Baek Cheon’s face, burst open from the strike of the spear shaft.
But he pulled himself up again, peeling away the limp body of the spearman. Even though his legs were trembling, he stubbornly raised his sword once more.
“…Persistent bastard.”
The man who had kicked Baek Cheon earlier looked at him with a somewhat exasperated expression.
He hadn’t been in good shape to begin with, but now he was nearly in tatters. His dirt-covered clothes were stained a dark, blood-red. He had been cut in several places during the battle, and the bleeding hadn’t stopped.
Yet the man didn’t seem to care about his injuries at all.
And for a good reason – while he himself was merely wounded, there were already four corpses scattered around him.
Sapaeryeon’s member could hardly believe the situation.
How could this be?
‘How on earth did we lose four of our own…?’
This guy certainly wasn’t strong. No, if anything, he was pathetically weak. So why couldn’t they finish him off? Why were they the ones being beaten back?
He wasn’t strong, nor was he particularly fast. If they wanted to, they should’ve been able to cut him down in half at any moment. But for some strange reason, they only managed to graze his flesh.
“Huff! Huff! Huff!”
Meanwhile, Baek Cheon’s mouth was filled with ragged breaths, pouring out continuously.
‘My jaw is loose.’
He couldn’t control his breathing properly. This meant his body was reaching its limit.
‘Just from this much…’
He knew he had weakened terribly, but it was still shocking to realize how far he’d fallen.
But he could still fight. As long as he was breathing and his body could move.
He glanced beyond the men standing in front of him, looking towards the back. He saw some commoners fleeing from the village.
Only a few of them. Even if he tried, the number of people Baek Cheon could protect was less than ten, so saving just a handful wouldn’t be enough to save the entire village.
He had only managed to create the ‘possibility’ for a few of them to survive.
But could that be considered worthless?
“What are you doing? Kill him already!”
“…Then why don’t you do it yourself?”
“You cowardly bastard…”
“What?”
The members of Sapaeryeon began to bare their teeth at each other.
Even though they knew their opponent was weak, none of them rushed in easily. The corpses already lying on the ground and the strange swordsmanship that man used made them uneasy.
This was a different kind of fear than that felt when facing a stronger opponent.
No one in the world wants to die a meaningless death. Wouldn’t dying to someone like him be the very definition of such a dog’s death?
“Damn it! Just charge at him all at once!”
Someone, unable to hold back any longer, shouted, causing everyone’s faces to contort.
Of course, they knew how foolish it was to cling to their pride when some of their comrades had already died at this man’s hands.
Still, no matter how much of a Sapa they were, it felt humiliating to gang up on an already wounded opponent.
“Damn it!”
But no matter how they thought about it, combining forces seemed like the safest option. The enemies who were watching Baek Cheon readjusted their weapons and began to close the distance, step by step.
A deep sigh escaped from Baek Cheon’s lips.
‘No support yet.’
And realistically, even if there was support, it was obvious the enemies’ attack would come first. It was also clear that, in his current state, Baek Cheon would not be able to withstand their combined assault.
Given that, the conclusion was obvious.
Baek Cheon cleared his mind. Thinking about it wouldn’t change the reality. All he could do was fight until his strength runs out.
“Kill him!”
Sapaeryeon’s members let out wild shouts as they charged.
‘Use the enemy’s strength…’
Clang!
He deflected the first sword that came flying at him. But before he could even use that momentum, a heavy force slammed into his chest.
“Ugh!”
He managed to block it by raising his knee, but a sword slashed across his side at the same moment. Then, a flurry of strikes came at him, and his sword, not yet retrieved, was quickly pinned down by a dozen blows.
Clang, clang, clang!
Crack!
The mechanism on his arm, secured with great effort, broke, and his sword was flung into the air. At the same time, a powerful strike landed right into the center of Baek Cheon’s chest.
Boom!
Baek Cheon’s body flew through the air like a kite with its string cut, crashing to the ground with a lifeless thud.
“Ughhh!”
The members of Sapaeryeon let out dry laughs as they watched Baek Cheon cough up dark blood.
“Damn it. This could’ve been over so easily.”
If they had just swallowed their pride earlier, they wouldn’t have had to drag this out.
Gritting their teeth, each of them stepped closer to Baek Cheon.
Baek Cheon’s breath came in ragged gasps, and his expression gradually relaxed.
‘Is this the end..?’
Even tenacity requires at least a bit of stamina to be displayed.
He was already wounded, and he had lost his sword. He no longer had the strength to resist.
“…Just kill me, you bastards.”
“You damned idiot. Alright, I’ll grant you that wish!”
Sapaeryeon’s member, overflowing with murderous intent, charged straight at Baek Cheon. Baek Cheon glared fiercely at the heavy blade descending towards his head, refusing to flinch even in his final moments. That was his last bit of pride.
Slash!
The chilling sound of a sharp blade tearing through flesh echoed. Hot blood gushed onto Baek Cheon’s face.
“…Ah.”
But his eyes did not lose their light. Instead, they widened with confusion.
Drip.
The blood that trickled down his face wasn’t his own. It was from the severed neck of an enemy.
“What..?”
Thud. Thud.
The heads of those standing before Baek Cheon rolled to the ground one after another. The headless bodies collapsed like rotten straw bundles. It was absurdly easy.
Still in shock and unable to comprehend what had happened, Baek Cheon turned his gaze.
“You…?”
Before he knew it, someone had approached him, standing just within arm’s reach.
A deep questioning look filled Baek Cheon’s eyes.
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