Chapter 1288
Because from now on, you’ll get tired of seeing it all too often. (2)
“Damn it. Sogwimun [소귀문(小鬼門) – Small Ghost Gate] has been attacked.”
“Sogwimun? There must be over a hundred people there. Can’t they hold their ground?”
“Hold their ground? They couldn’t even hold a fraction of it!”
“Damn! So where are they now?”
“They’re close! They’re right on us!”
The face of Bangju Jang Cheonggi turned pale.
‘What in the world is going on?’
There was no time for explanations. Even though the enemy hadn’t even shown their noses yet, it felt like a massive army had already swept through, causing chaos.
It was inevitable.
The cornerstone of the net formation was to maintain a perfect setup to prevent the enemy from escaping. For that, effective communication between the different areas was crucial.
But now, messages were constantly being relayed through the communication network established for that purpose. This meant that the previously constructed formation was being broken through at an absurdly fast pace.
So, isn’t it better to stop before things get even worse?
“It seems they’re arriving soon, Bangju!”
“They’re already here? What happened to the ones ahead?”
“Well, it’s obvious…”
“Oh no…”
Jang Cheonggi stared ahead blankly, not even bothering to wipe the cold sweat dripping down his chin.
‘How did it come to this?’
Just until they arrived here, everything seemed calm. There was enough leisure time to exchange pleasantries with other leaders of Evil Sects he was acquainted with.
Was it too lax? Absolutely not.
Sure, Yachabang was a somewhat renowned sect in Guangdong. And it had managed to maintain its reputation even in the world dominated by Maninbang.
But that didn’t mean Yachabang was a sect full of talents.
The reason they managed to survive was simple. When Maninbang started to clean up the surroundings, they didn’t resist hastily but quickly lay flat on the ground.
Paradoxically, because they were nothing more than a third-rate sect, they could survive. If they were a powerful one, they would have been absorbed or eliminated by Maninbang. But Yachabang was a place where Maninbang had no reason to intervene. So, by simply playing the obedient dog and doing what Maninbang asked, they could at least maintain some semblance of autonomy.
Did they ever get proper missions? Ho Gamyeong knew this fact very well, so any orders he issued to them were just to fill the numbers.
Their job was simply to go to the designated location as instructed by Ho Gamyeong, lend some force to the encirclement, and enjoy the victory that Maninbang had achieved.
If they were lucky, they might even get a chance to cut off the remnants of the fleeing enemy.
The missions assigned to Yachabang have always been like that until now. So, they didn’t expect anything different this time.
However, the current situation is turning out to be completely different from what Jang Cheonggi anticipated.
“Are Haenam bastards really this strong? Even if the opponents are Gupailbang, Sogwimun is a place much stronger than us!”
“How would I know that? I’ve never fought against Haenam.”
Well, to be honest, they haven’t just not fought against Haenam. They’ve never even mixed with prestigious Just Sects like Gupailbang. If they had, they wouldn’t be alive anymore.
“Damn it… If they’re this strong, do you think Haenam would have just endured in that corner of the island until now? It’s insane! Does this situation even make sense?”
“Bangju.”
Bubangju [vice leader of a sect] tried to restrain Jang Cheonggi, who was getting excited, and quickly surveyed the surroundings. Then, lowering his voice, he asked,
“Wh-what are you going to do?”
“What do you mean, what am I going to do?”
“If we just stay like this, aren’t we just waiting for death? Sogwimun has fallen too.”
“What…?”
“I mean, maybe we should just…”
Jang Cheonggi licked his dry lips. Although the latter part of the sentence was vague, he knew what the vice head was trying to say.
Though hesitant, in reality, his decision was already made.
“No, I can’t.”
“Bangju!”
“I’d rather die gracefully.”
Jang Cheonggi shook his head vehemently. Wasn’t it painfully obvious what fate awaited those who disobeyed Ho Gamyeong’s orders and left the front lines? Of course, prolonging one’s life even for just one more day was an immensely important issue. Jang Cheonggi himself would do anything to live another day, if there was a way.
However, considering alternatives was only relevant when facing the same ‘death’ to be encountered. Anyone foolish enough to equate death by enemy sword with the retaliation from Ho Gamyeong was already extinct in Guangdong. Those still alive had all realized how dreadful that retaliation could be.
For Jang Cheonggi, who had witnessed such scenes until he got sick, there was no other choice. If there were no courage to bite your tongue off, one could only defend this place.
“Maybe Ho Gamyeong misunderstood the situation and gave the wrong order!”
“You fool! Are you seriously suggesting that? Do you even know what kind of person he is, to suggest he could make such a mistake!”
“But this order is just a death sentence….”
“That’s exactly what it is!”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean exactly that! Are you deaf or something?”
Jang Cheonggi raised his voice sharply. The idea that Ho Gamyeong could misinterpret the situation and make a mistake was unimaginable. Even if such a thing had happened, he was not the kind of person to forgive someone who ignored his orders.
“Damn it… I don’t want to die either. But if we run away, we’ll die even more miserably. What are we supposed to do….”
Jang Cheonggi muttered like a madman, without even the slightest concern for the people listening around him.
“If I knew this was going to happen, I would have crossed over to Gangbuk three years ago, what’s the point of staying here….”
“B-Bangju…”
Originally, the continuation of the sentence would have been ‘Since there are ears listening, please lower your voice.’ However, those words never made it out of his mouth. Just before he could utter them, faint screams could be heard in the distance.
In that moment, the gaze of Jang Cheonggi and several others Bangjus at the forefront sharply turned forward.
Everyone’s faces paled.
Just as they began to doubt whether they had heard correctly, the screams sounded again, this time a bit clearer than before.
“Th-they’re coming….”
Someone spoke as if whimpering.
Some of the leaders shouted urgently to lift the fallen morale.
“Don’t panic! Even if they are Haenam, part of Gupailbang, this is Guangdong. Commander couldn’t have overlooked this.”
“That’s right! The likes of Haenam are not even worthy of the dust under the feet of Maninbang!”
Of course, not everyone took those words at face value.
If Ho Gamyeong had indeed prepared to capture them, then why did the sects at the forefront fall so quickly? And how did Haenam, deemed unable to reach even the toes of Maninbang, manage to appear in Guangdong? Moreover, it’s inexplicable why the voices of the leaders were quieting down, as if they were afraid of revealing their positions.
But such questions held no significance here. Even if they were voiced, there would be no one to answer them. Everyone just suppressed their rising anxiety and nervously watched the front.
However, moments later, what they encountered was not enemy forces brimming with vitality. Emerging from the shaking bushes were Sapa members fleeing in terror, overwhelmed by inexplicable fear.
“Aaaaagh!”
“Save meeeee!”
“Go away! Go! Away!”
Confronted with such a sight for the first time in their life, they were momentarily frozen in place. They were Sapa, even from Guangdong. While they might not be considered top-notch warriors, anyone from Guangdong’s Evil Sects had experienced various battlefields multiple times and had grown sick of seeing people die.
However, they had never seen anyone so terrified to the point of trembling in fear.
It was the first time they realized that the eyes of someone flushed with anger could tremble so violently.
Their faces devoid of color, eyes bulging with fear, expressions drained of life, and saliva dripping from their mouths.
What could possibly cause a person to become like that? Not just an ordinary person, but someone skilled in martial arts?
Fortunately or unfortunately, that question was soon answered.
“P-Please… spare m-me…”
Swush!
The sharp tip emerged abruptly from the neck of the person who was trying to escape to the rear.
“Gkkk… Gkkkk…”
With his throat pierced in an instant, he raised his trembling hand as if trying to grasp what had pierced his neck. Countless onlookers just stared blankly at this unnatural and eerie gesture.
However…
Thunk.
In an instant, the blade that pierced his throat, or rather the hilt of the sword, twisted unmistakably.
Witnessing that scene, everyone involuntarily shrank back.
It was an instinctive reaction that even their accumulated martial skills couldn’t suppress, an innate response that any person should have.
“Gkkkk…”
Blood gushed from the twisted hole where the sword had emerged, as if it had been struck by a hammer. The eyes of the convulsing person, as if struck by lightning, gradually lost their light.
In the end, the body of the fallen man collapsed forward like a pile of rotten straw. And everyone there saw it. They saw the figure revealed behind the fallen man. A young swordsman dressed in a deep black robe, holding a dazzlingly white sword that contrasted it well.
Jang Cheonggi’s eyes widened.
“That…”
Before fear could grip his mind, it was awe that captivated him. He was so astonished that even the terrified individuals passing by him, screaming, went unnoticed by him.
His gaze fell upon the chest of the young swordsman. On the swordsman’s attire, now darker with blood than before, a crimson plum blossom pattern was intricately embroidered, standing out vividly.
The black robe adorned with plum blossom pattern and the snowy-white sword.
The tightly bound hair and the chilling gaze.
All of it spoke of just one name.
“Hwa, Hwasan… Hwasan Geom…”
Paahhh!
A flash of light erupted before Jang Cheongi’s eyes.
He glimpsed something indistinct, and what Jang Cheonggi felt was the sensation of someone’s clothing brushing past him.
A dreadful sensation of burning followed.
“Gah…”
A pain akin to being engulfed in flames consumed his throat. The agony swiftly spread to his shoulders.
Jang Cheonggi knew the source of this heat. Even without looking around, he could tell. This heat – it was blood. Pouring from his throat was the crimson blood.
‘Ah, I see…’
Jang Cheonggi’s world warped. The screams that seemed to tear through his eardrums quickly faded into obscurity. He felt the surreal sensation of the sky, tinged with a sickly blue, pouring down onto him.
‘Yes, there’s no way Haenam or anyone else could do this.’
With someone like Hwasan Geomhyeop, it was entirely possible to break through this defense line as if it was a joke.
‘Then… yes…’
Whether the last emotion Jang Cheonggi felt was relief or consolation, only he would ever know.
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