Chapter 1298
Is there a place to rest on this land? (3)
Shooo!
The forest trembled violently.
Branches stretched out and collided with each other, creating a sound akin to crashing waves. Within this chaos, the group clad in crimson surged forward at an alarming speed.
Baek Cheon’s face hardened in an instant.
‘They’re different!’
His senses, his instincts were screaming. These foes were on a whole different level compared to those they had faced before.
One word flashed in his mind.
‘Sapaeryeon!’
Without hesitation, Baek Cheon let out a loud shout.
“Guard the front!”
Though it was unclear whom his command was directed to, there were those who immediately responded with certainty and clarity.
Jo Geol, Yoon Jong, Yu Iseol, and Tang Soso surged forward at the forefront of the group, urged by Baek Cheon’s command.
“Look at these bastards!”
Jo Geol shouted harshly, as if refusing to be intimidated by their momentum. However, the eyes of the Sapas, barely visible behind their masks, remained eerily calm and composed.
Swish!
Bloody warrior’s [혈의인 – literally a man of blood] slender sword [세검(細劍) – segeom], like that of a venomous snake, flew towards Jo Geol.
Even for Jo Geol, who wielded the quicksword as his life, the speed of the attack was enough to momentarily take his breath away.
Clang!
Swinging his plum blossom sword, Jo Geol deflected the flying blade in one swift motion.
The bloody warrior’s eyes gleamed ominously for a moment. He instinctively slowed down his charging speed.
Jo Geol felt a slight pang of confusion.
‘What’s going on?’
Before the question could fully form in his mind, the answer was already provided. The bloody warriors who had joined the battle from behind had coordinated with their reinforcements to launch another assault on Jo Geol.
Three of them, with just one sword strike each, had assessed their opponent’s skill level and accurately calculated the number needed for the hunt.
Swish!
Swords, as thin as a finger, aimed for Jo Geol’s body in quick succession.
The sharp swords were as swift as they were thin and not easy to deflect. To counter them required precise maneuvers due to their intricate operation. Of course, their threatening potential was limited by the amount of force that could be exerted. Therefore, they couldn’t be considered highly threatening weapons.
However, when the number of these swords reached three, the situation changed drastically.
“Grr!”
Jo Geol swung his sword repeatedly to deflect the flying blades one after another.
His forte was offense. His relentless and fierce attacks outmatched anyone, driving the enemy back with swift and ferocious strikes. However, in this situation, he couldn’t showcase his skills at all.
Clang! Crash! Thud!
Like interlocking gears, three swords flew towards Jo Geol in succession. Every time he deflected one sword and attempted to counter, another sword flew towards his vital spots.
Deflecting wasn’t difficult. Dodging wasn’t impossible either.
But he couldn’t find an opening for a counterattack. The moment he clumsily switched to offense, those swords would pierce through his body. Swords tainted with a deadly poison potent enough to turn his entire body black!
“These…!”
Jo Geol had never been afraid of fighting multiple opponents before.
He had always fought against multiple opponents. Whether it was in sparring or real combat, he had always wielded his sword against numerous adversaries. So naturally, he believed his swordsmanship had evolved accordingly.
But these…!
‘Cursed bastards! They’re skilled!’
It wasn’t just a matter of numbers. The opponents he had faced before had simply increased in number. Even when facing two opponents simultaneously, the difficulty had merely doubled.
But these were different. Their swordsmanship complemented each other seamlessly. It was like facing not a group attacking simultaneously, but rather as if a person had three arms wielding a sword in each one, striking with precision and coordination beyond belief.
Jo Geol understood it all too well. There was a world of difference between fighting against mere numbers and facing enemies who had mastered intricate tactics.
Swish!
His head snapped sharply to the side for a moment as the sharp edge of one of the three swords narrowly missed his cheek. However, before the extended sword could fully pass by his face, it was swiftly withdrawn with lightning speed.
‘That bastard!’
Sparks flew from his eyes.
It wasn’t a full-force strike. If it had been, it wouldn’t have been so easily retracted. This meant that the attacker had wielded the sword with reserve, intentionally leaving room for maneuverability.
Jo Geol understood perfectly what this meant. If there had been room for it, the attacker could have easily swung the extended sword horizontally, causing a wound on his face. But instead, they simply retracted the sword. It was a calculated move to gradually wear him down, even if it took more time.
To his surprise, the gaze of the bloody warrior who retrieved the sword was even colder and more composed than before.
A chill ran down his spine.
The fear of being hunted.
For the first time, the fear of being led into countless traps by a relentless hunter crept into his mind.
‘Am I…’
He contorted his face grotesquely.
“Do I look like a rabbit to you, you bastards!”
Swish!
At that moment, Jo Geol’s sword split momentarily, making crimson plum blossoms. No, it attempted to make them.
But right then…
Thwang!
For an instant, bewilderment flashed across Jo Geol’s face. Just as his sword was about to spectacularly split, one of the bloody warriors in front of him charged forward and forcefully struck down his sword.
‘What?’
A dull shock reverberated through his wrist. Because of it, the intended burst of plum blossoms abruptly ceased.
Jo Geol and the bloody warrior locked eyes in midair.
Swish!
Simultaneously, both swords surged forward in an attempt to pierce. As Jo Geol recoiled in shock, attempting to retrieve his sword and step back, the suction force emanating from the bloody warrior ’s sword at the point of contact sucked Jo Geol’s sword in.
“Huh?”
Swish!
At that moment, when the swords were about to impale Jo Geol’s body like a viper’s fangs, a clash occurred as a spear-like strike from behind collided, deflecting the swords away. Simultaneously, someone firmly grabbed Jo Geol’s shoulder.
“Don’t get too excited.”
“S-Sasuk!”
Baek Cheon, who had rescued Jo Geol from the crisis, looked at the enemy with a slight distortion on his face.
“These guys… they’re experts.”
Baek Cheon’s gaze seemed to analyze the enemy. It was natural for Jo Geol to be perplexed. These enemies were different from what Hwasan had faced before. They weren’t trying to overwhelm them with sheer force.
‘And that sword strike just now…’
Baek Cheon’s face grew more serious because of the blow that had blocked Jo Geol’s unfolding sword strike.
Hwasan’s sword mesmerized and disrupted.
However, that sword strike precisely targeted the point where Hwasan’s sword extended. No matter how grand a plum tree is, without branches, it cannot bloom flowers. That sword strike was akin to cutting off the branch of Jo Geol’s tree, where the flowers were about to bloom.
Was it just a momentary decision?
‘No, it wasn’t.’
It was a sword technique that couldn’t be executed without prior analysis. They were well acquainted with Hwasan’s sword style. It meant they were individuals who had studied how to confront the disciples of Hwasan.
Yet, not only was control an issue, but other disciples were also being hindered.
“Argh! These bastards!”
Tang Soso retreated back, frustrated. Normally, she could handle at least three opponents sticking to her like this. However, facing bloody warriors who had mastered such coordinated attacks was a first for her.
Furthermore, they had exhausted themselves coming this far. Yoon Jong and Yu Iseol were holding up better than most due to their tendencies, but that was all. They were not overwhelming the enemy.
But above all, the biggest problem was…
Baek Cheon’s sharp gaze shifted to the distance. Apart from the members attached to the disciples of Hwasan, bloody warriors were observing the situation with their swords drawn. And in their midst, someone who clearly stood out casually surveyed the scene before slowly raising his arm.
“Go.”
The moment he gestured, those waiting rushed towards the disciples of Haenam, who were under the protection of Hwasan. Their speed was staggering, almost as if crimson streaks were forming in the air.
Papapat.
A silent charge without any ordinary battle cries.
At the end of it, the disciples of Haenam were left with pale faces.
They may not have yet mixed swords to gauge just how strong they are. Their experience and keen eyesight aren’t enough to instantly measure how remarkable they are. But even so, they can discern.
The prey knows the predator.
A large deer doesn’t flee from a small snake simply because it’s familiar with the danger posed by its sharp fangs. It’s the instinctive sense of detecting a threat to oneself.
The disciples of Haenam were no different.
Having lived without any threats until now, the instinct that had never been revealed was now screaming to retreat, revealing their presence with cries of alarm.
But the speed at which the bloody warriors rushed was much faster than the disciples of Haenam obeying the voice of instinct.
Tataat!
Without any warning, a single bloody warrior rushed forward, swing his black thin sword with enough sharpness to scare them.
“Argh!”
Though cornered, the disciples of Haenam were also proud elites of Gupailbang. They weren’t so weak as to be stunned by the swordsmanship demonstrated in their previous encounter with Hwasan.
With lightning speed, the disciple of Haenam swung his sword, striking down the thin swords in a single blow. It was a momentum that could seemingly slice through the thin sword. Facing the sharp yet lightweight sword, it was an effective counter.
However…
Crash!
At the moment of collision between the delicate sword and the robust Haenam’s sword, what erupted was not what had been expected – it was a thunderous roar.
Gwak Hwanso’s eyes widened in surprise.
It was his Sahyeong’s sword that ricocheted off the thin sword, unbelievably.
“What…?”
Could it be that the thin sword wielded by the bloody warrior held more power than the sword swung by Haenam’s disciple with all their might?
No, that wasn’t it!
Gwak Hwanso urgently observed the wrists of the bloody warrior. They were visibly trembling. Moreover, his complexion momentarily turned pale.
‘Those bastards!’
They had anticipated it. How Haenam would confront them. That’s why, in an instant, he had exerted an excessive force onto his sword to withstand the blow.
A strikingly unconventional maneuver, but the immediate consequence of that maneuver became apparent.
“Ah… Aaah!”
The sword of the bloody warrior pierced through the momentarily bewildered disciple of Haenam like a lightning. He was caught off guard by the unexpected turn of events, as he had been solely focused on pushing his opponents back. It was an inevitable outcome.
“No, this can’t be!”
Gwak Hwanso reached out in panic. If one or two collapsed so suddenly, there was no chance for the others to escape the same fate…
“Kwaaaaang!”
At that moment, a terrifying flash burst forth, as blinding as if it would blind them all. The charging bloody warriors were sent flying as if struck by a cannonball.
‘What?’
“Back!”
A man descended gracefully before them, his face composed. He was a highly skilled swordsman with a demeanor that bordered on arrogance.
“I’ll handle the front.”
Namgung Dowi slowly raised his sword, now illuminated by the flash. His entire being exuded an emperor-like aura.
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