Chapter 1569
Taking a walk is best on a day like this. (4)
“Damn it…”
The face of the Black Dragon King Jeok Segwang twisted into a complicated expression.
Hwasan.
This was the very reason the Black Dragon King had come to Gangbuk. To tear apart each and every one of those Hwasan’s bastards.
But now that Hwasan was right in front of him, his expression was not as bright as he had imagined. He instinctively knew that the situation had veered far from what he had wanted.
“Why, why are they here!”
“D-Do not retreat! There aren’t that many of them!”
Screams erupted from all sides, piercing his ears.
The most flustered a hunter gets is not when the prey escapes. It’s when the prey, which was expected to flee, turns around and bites the hunter instead.
If one had anticipated and prepared for it, it wouldn’t be a big problem. But if the prey suddenly fights back, it can even claim the life of an experienced hunter.
The hunters, who were chasing the prey called Namgung clan, were thrown into chaos when they faced another unexpected prey, Hwasan Sect, attacking from behind.
Grinding his teeth, the Black Dragon King turned his gaze towards Namgung Dowi.
“Were you… buying time?”
“Cough!”
Namgung Dowi, who had vomited a mouthful of black blood, looked at him with a rough breath.
“…That’s… the kind… of people… they are.”
Grit.
Jeok Segwang was the leader of the Eighteen Strongholds of the Yangtze River. No one was more skilled at plundering and causing chaos.
That was why he could perfectly understand Namgung Dowi’s words.
If only the Eighteen Strongholds of the Yangtze River had been given a bit more time, the pirates would have spread further across Gangbuk. Then, Hwasan would have had to further disperse its forces to protect the civilians.
The Black Dragon King had planned to wait patiently in hiding and then devour Hwasan’s forces when they came to capture the pirates. After all, Hwasan’s people wouldn’t ignore the dying civilians.
Just a day. If they had just one more day, the plan could have been fully realized.
But contrary to his expectations, Namgung clan had rushed straight here, binding the pirates in place.
“…You’ve thought quite a bit, but it’s still a petty scheme. Do you think you can face the heroes of the Yangtze with those measly numbers?”
The Black Dragon King’s words were not wrong.
If the entirety of Hwasan had come, or at least if the Tang clan had arrived with them, the situation might have been different. But handling Surochae with just those people was impossible.
However, Namgung Dowi didn’t waver at all.
“If the opponent… is the Eighteen Strongholds, that might be the case….”
“…What did you say?”
Namgung Dowi, with great effort, turned his head to look at the approaching forces of Hwasan.
“I know.”
Namgung Dowi gripped the sword piercing through his foot and steadied his staggering body. He forced a smile onto his face.
“I have learned this… from those people.”
“…”
“I… I’m just playing my part.”
Slowly, he drew the sword. The eerie sound of the sharp blade scraping against the bone echoed through the air.
“I’m still alive… It’s not over until I’m dead.”
The sight of Namgung Dowi struggling to lift his trembling sword made Black Dragon King’s hair stand on end.
“Move aside! You bastards!”
Swoosh!
Jo Geol’s sword flashed like a streak of light.
A pirate trying to retreat was impaled by that single strike. However, Jo Geol’s face twisted more and more.
‘Damn it!’
There were more enemies than he had thought.
Too many.
Of course, it was possible to break through. But at this rate…
“It’s too late.”
An emotionless voice brushed past his ear.
“When we arrive, the Young Lord will be dead.”
Jo Geol bit his lower lip to keep himself from cursing, even though anger surged within him.
“Damn it… I know that!”
But what else could he do? Leading the people behind him forward was all he could manage…
“Jo Geol! Yoon Jong! Iseol!”
At that moment, Baek Cheon’s voice rang out.
“Stick to me!”
“Sasuk!”
“What are you trying to do?”
“Baek Sang!”
“Yes, Sahyeong!”
Instead of answering Jo Geol’s question, Baek Cheon commanded Baek Sang.
“Take command!”
“Sahyeong! I….”
“You can do it! You’re more than capable!”
Pushed by Baek Cheon’s forceful encouragement that sounded almost like a threat, Baek Sang found himself nodding.
“Understood.”
With that, Baek Cheon looked ahead. At this rate, he would have to watch the Black Dragon King kill Namgung Dowi and escape right before his eyes.
They might save the remaining swordsmen of Namgung clan, but what meaning would that hold if they lost Namgung Dowi?
“Break through as quickly as possible!”
“No, Sasuk! It’s too dangerous!”
Yoon Jong tried to dissuade him, but Baek Cheon was resolute.
“There’s no time for arguments! Move aside!”
“This…”
Just as Yoon Jong was about to insist further, Yu Iseol and Jo Geol leaped forward.
“Hah!”
“Ooooooh!”
The crimson plum blossoms released by the two swept through the enemies before them in an instant.
“Aaaargh!”
In a fleeting moment, a space opened up. The two who landed there seemed to compete with each other as they kicked off the ground and dashed forward.
Swoosh!
As the enemies, caught off guard by the two’s attack, struggled to regain their senses, Baek Cheon’s sword mercilessly pierced their bodies.
A small gap opened by the falling bodies of the enemies. Baek Cheon squeezed through and kicked off the ground, shouting.
“If you don’t want to join, stay behind and command from the front!”
But in the eyes of the enemy falling to Baek Cheon’s sword, a spark of life flickered. A final burst of madness and desperation. The enemy’s harpoon, filled with fierce energy, slashed swiftly towards Baek Cheon.
Just as Baek Cheon realized this and flinched.
Clang!
“Damn it.”
Yoon Jong, who had deflected the harpoon in one swift motion and ended the enemy’s life, growled as he stood beside Baek Cheon.
“Is this the time to be showing off?”
“You little…”
“If you want to go so badly, stick to my back. If you can’t keep up, that’s not my fault!”
Swoosh!
Without waiting for an answer, Yoon Jong kicked off the ground and dashed forward swiftly.
His sword extended in all directions simultaneously. This was not a sword meant to kill the enemy but to threaten and push them back.
A sword determined to let no enemy approach Baek Cheon.
Watching that sword, Baek Cheon’s face briefly hardened. But only for a moment.
“I’m counting on you, Sang-ah!”
“Yes, Sahyeong!”
Baek Cheon followed behind Yoon Jong, advancing forward.
Though they hadn’t explicitly communicated or planned it, their goal was clear.
“Black Dragon King!”
Baek Cheon shouted powerfully.
When the situation is unfavorable, one targets the enemy leader. Of course, the enemy usually isn’t foolish enough to expose themselves easily.
But now, the Black Dragon King Jeok Segwang was clearly within reach.
They couldn’t miss this opportunity created by Namgung Dowi risking his life. If they missed him here, who knows how many more lives would have to be risked to kill him in the future?
“Haaah!”
Baek Cheon’s sword traced vivid red plum blossoms.
Throb!
Simultaneously, a cutting pain sliced through his dantian.
In the past, he could effortlessly draw a distinct plum blossom, but now, even sketching a duller petal required enduring this level of pain.
‘So what?’
It didn’t matter at all.
It wasn’t because he was strong that he fought. It wasn’t because he could win that he threw himself into battle.
He fought because he had to, and he threw himself into the fire pit because it was necessary. It was the same now.
“Young Lord!”
Jo Geol’s shout came from the front.
He could clearly see Namgung Dowi being overwhelmed by Black Dragon King’s guandao, blood spraying as he was thrown back.
“Move aside, you bastards!”
In that moment, dozens of nets exploded above them.
“Block them!”
“Don’t try to kill them! Just entangle their legs!”
Jo Geol shouted, slashing his sword upwards.
“Such an obvious trick…!”
The nets that had tormented them so much in the past were shredded by a single slash.
Jo Geol’s sword had become incomparably sharper than before. It was now at a level that Baek Cheon could hardly imitate.
Yu Iseol’s sword also showcased an elegance that had reached its peak. Tracking its path was no longer easy.
But even such powerful people struggled to break through the crowd and dodge the hooks flying from all directions.
‘At this rate, we’ll be too late!’
Baek Cheon bit his lip.
His hand, gripping the sword, trembled.
If his martial arts were still intact, if his sword were as sharp as it used to be, Baek Cheon would be the one leading the charge. He would have already broken through such obstacles.
But he couldn’t do that now. He knew that being at the front would only slow down their advance.
A sense of helplessness surged up, dragging him down.
Perhaps it was too much. Was the call to righteousness from a weak person just a reckless act from the start?
“Damn leeches!”
Even so, Baek Cheon gritted his teeth and forced himself forward. He had to.
Then, it happened.
“Still as foolish as ever. It’s practically a sickness.”
A familiar yet unfamiliar voice reached his ears.
Baek Cheon quickly turned around.
There, following closely behind, was a man whose face resembled his own as if looking into a mirror.
“Huh…?”
“It’s beyond recklessness – it’s madness. But…”
Jin Geumryong murmured quietly as he brushed past Baek Cheon.
“This time, I’ll join in your madness. Just this once.”
“I’ll clear the way, Vice Sect Leader!”
Lee Songbaek also brushed past Baek Cheon, his face set with firm determination.
It took Lee Songbaek only a moment to catch up to the front. His sword came down on the pirates like a mountain slicing them into pieces.
“I am Lee Songbaek of Jongnam! If you wish to die, come forward!”
His loud shout rose with the splatter of blood.
Baek Cheon couldn’t hide his surprise.
“W-What… are you guys?”
“Stop jumping around like a monkey.”
“What, you… No, what did you say?”
“Move! You’re in the way!”
Jin Geumryong, pushing Baek Cheon aside, unleashed endless white snowflakes with his sword.
Seeing this, Jo Geol also swung his sword with all his might, drawing vivid red plum blossoms.
The white sword energy like snow and the red sword energy like plum blossoms intertwined.
In the past, these energies would have been aimed at each other, seemingly impossible to mix. But now, they were directed at the same target.
“…Living long enough, you see everything.”
Yoon Jong murmured in a daze, perfectly echoing Baek Cheon’s thoughts.
But there was no time to dwell on their feelings. Baek Cheon shouted.
“Yoon Jong!”
“Yes?”
“Clear the way.”
“…”
“This is a request!”
Yoon Jong bit down on his lower lip.
“It’s faster to go forward than to retreat.”
“…”
“Stick close, Sasuk!”
“Alright!”
The hesitation vanished from Yoon Jong’s face.
Their intentions still differed. He didn’t believe this was the right path.
But if the goal was the same, then such things didn’t matter.
“Yaaah!”
Yoon Jong surged to the forefront, slashing the side of a retreating pirate in an instant.
“What are you doing? Are you going to lose to Jongnam?”
“I know! Damn it!”
Jo Geol twisted his lips into a smirk at Yoon Jong’s shout.
‘That’s right, this is how it should be!’
Jo Geol grinned with fierce glint in his eyes and swung his sword.
“Don’t fall behind! We’re going all out in one go!”
He kicked off the ground and shot forward like an arrow.
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