Chapter 1749
You can think of this as me blowing off some steam. (4)
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Whooosh!
The eyes of the blood cultist widened as if they would tear apart.
Just a moment ago, the space where their enemy had stood was empty. But now it was completely covered with crimson petals.
‘An illusion? Or perhaps an illusory sword?’
Either way, it was shocking.
The blood cultist, who had hesitated for a moment, swung his deformed sword once more, this time with even more force.
It was a bizarre and twisted sword strike, but the energy behind it wasn’t particularly impressive. Even if this strange sword technique concealed his opponent’s form, it didn’t mean the person behind it would disappear. All he needed to do was cut through the sword energy to strike him down.
“Die!”
But in that instant, the crimson petals that had enveloped Yoon Jong exploded outwards, swirling violently in all directions.
Whooosh!
‘What?’
Before they could even react, the sword energy pierced through the blood cultists’ bodies.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
The blood cultists were swept away by the storm of petals, their bodies flung back.
Their bodies, usually tough as rubber and resistant to even sword strikes, were effortlessly pierced by the delicate, petal-like sword energy.
Thud! Thud!
The fallen enemies writhed on the ground.
“…Huff.”
Yoon Jong straightened his posture, which had been lowered to its limit. Though his breathing wasn’t labored, sweat poured down his forehead like rain.
Despite the intensity of the single strike, it was just one slash, yet an overwhelming sense of exhaustion took hold of his body. It was as if something inside him had completely drained away.
“Haa…”
At that moment, the voice of one of the fallen blood cultists reached his ears.
“Damn bastard, resorting to cheap tricks.”
The blood cultists, with gaping black holes riddling their bodies, began to rise again as if it was nothing.
“…”
Yoon Jong’s eyes momentarily filled with despair. Through the black holes in their bodies, those grotesque tendrils were writhing once more.
‘Was it a failure?’
He couldn’t be sure. Even he didn’t fully understand what he had just done.
“Not bad for a last-ditch effort.”
The blood cultist standing opposite Yoon Jong wiped the corner of his mouth with his sleeve. The sight of the writhing tendrils in the hole in his cheek made Yoon Jong’s stomach churn.
“But in the end, you’re still just unbelievers.”
The blood cultists, whose wounds hadn’t fully healed, began to approach Yoon Jong again, pressing in on him. The sight of them, seemingly unfazed by the gaping holes in their bodies, made Yoon Jong’s chest tighten with dread.
“Creatures who have not received the grace of the Cult cannot hope to defeat us. You will regret not converting to the Cult sooner…”
One of the blood cultists, who had been smugly spouting off, suddenly stopped speaking.
It wasn’t just him. All the others who had been closing in on Yoon Jong, surrounding him, simultaneously halted in their tracks.
‘What’s going on?’
Yoon Jong’s eyes filled with confusion. But in the eyes of the blood cultists, there was even greater bewilderment.
“What the… Ugh! Uwaaagh!”
The blood cultist in the center clutched his chest and dropped to his knees, vomiting up a substantial amount of black, coagulated blood onto the ground.
“This… what is this…?”
Another blood cultist, who had just vomited blood as well, stared at his own body in horror. The wounds that had been healing suddenly began to bleed again, as if the miraculous recovery they had displayed was being reversed. The injuries rapidly worsened.
“The blessing… the blessing of the Cult?”
The eyes of the blood cultists trembled violently, more than ever before.
“This… this is impossible!”
The fact that his wounds were reopening and threatening his life was less shocking to the blood cultist than the realization that the tendrils that had once protected him were no longer moving. His hands trembled uncontrollably, like leaves in the wind.
“You… what did you do… Uwaaagh!”
The blood cultist vomited more thick, black blood.
“Huff! Huff! Huff!”
Gasping for breath, the blood cultist looked back at Yoon Jong. Fear, which had been absent before, now shone clearly in his eyes.
The blood cultist, who seemed to be struggling with some internal conflict, bit down hard on his lips.
“We’re retreating.”
“What? But…”
“I said we’re retreating!”
The other blood cultists nodded in agreement.
They glared at Yoon Jong with hateful eyes as they slowly began to back away. Then, turning around, they quickly fled.
“Stop right…!”
Yoon Jong instinctively started to chase after them, but then abruptly stopped himself, taking a moment to steady his breathing.
‘Stay calm.’
If those creatures could no longer regenerate, they wouldn’t be such a difficult enemy. Even Yoon Jong alone could handle them. But it would be premature to assume that they had completely lost their grotesque abilities.
Besides, he hadn’t come here just to defeat the enemy.
“Hoo…”
Yoon Jong took a deep breath and looked at his sword. It was the same as always, but something had undoubtedly changed within it, something was different from before.
‘No, it’s not different.’
He still didn’t fully understand what immortal energy was, but it was clear that the power had already been within him all along.
Shrrring.
Yoon Jong slid his sword back into its sheath. This wasn’t the time to dwell on complex thoughts.
“Are you all right?”
“Uh… Ah! Yes!”
The others, who had only been able to watch the battle due to their injuries, nodded vigorously at Yoon Jong’s question.
“And you, Dojang… are you okay?”
“Well, I may not look great, but… I don’t think it’s anything serious.”
The members of Cheonumaeng slowly nodded in agreement.
“We should tend to your wounds, but unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury of time right now. It’ll be tough, but it seems there are no more enemies here, so climb the mountain and join up with the reinforcements.”
“Yes, Dojang… I mean, vice-leader! What about you?”
“I’ll go support the others.”
Yoon Jong grasped his sword lightly.
Just because he could now use immortal energy didn’t mean everything had drastically changed. He still couldn’t control it freely.
Even so, Yoon Jong couldn’t help but feel a strange surge of confidence. Perhaps it was because he now knew that something extraordinary was already within him.
“Well then.”
“Take care.”
“Thank you.”
Yoon Jong respectfully clasped his hands and then took off. As his figure quickly disappeared, those who remained let out a collective sigh.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, brother. But…”
One of the injured, pressing a hand against the long cut on his shoulder, gave a bitter smile.
‘We were barely able to escape even with nearly ten of us.’
Yet that man had charged in alone and defeated them all. And he looked even younger than most of them.
“Five Swords of Hwasan, Yoon Jong…”
It was impossible not to know him. He was the vice-leader of one of the five divisions within Cheonumaeng. For a member of the alliance to not know him would be as unthinkable as being suspected of being a spy for Sapaeryeon.
But the Yoon Jong he knew, and the one the world spoke of, was someone who, among the Five Swords of Hwasan, didn’t particularly stand out in martial skill. He was someone who seemed to ride on the reputation of the Five Swords due to his position and knowledge.
‘Is that really him?’
A hollow laugh escaped their lips. It wasn’t that Yoon Jong was riding on the reputation of the Five Swords. Rather, it seemed that those around him were so extraordinary that someone like him hadn’t particularly stood out.
“I’ve come to realize just how unreliable the world’s rumors can be.”
“…I understand what you mean.”
The members of Cheonumaeng, still catching their breath, slowly got to their feet. There was always the possibility that the enemy might return, so they needed to follow Yoon Jong’s advice and join up with the reinforcements.
“Let’s head up.”
“Yes.”
As they started to move, one of them glanced back in the direction where Yoon Jong had disappeared.
‘What was that?’
The last strike Yoon Jong had shown them – there had indeed been something strange about that energy. Something warm, clear, and… auspicious.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m coming.”
The injured warriors gathered their strength and began the climb up the mountain.
❀ ❀ ❀
“Damn it! Damn!”
“Stay focused.”
“Aaargh! It’s not as easy as you make it sound!”
Jo Geol shouted curses as he fiercely swung his sword.
Subduing an opponent isn’t just about blocking their attacks – it’s about preventing them from attacking in the first place. But these guys weren’t just unbothered of losing their limbs – they didn’t even fear having a sword driven through their hearts.
Subduing such enemies, stopping them from moving, was easier said than done. With Jo Geol’s current abilities, it was a struggle just to attempt it.
Even so, the reason he could handle them was…
Swick!
“Well done.”
“What did I do?”
No matter how sloppily Jo Geol restrained the enemies, Yu Iseol’s skill ensured that she could accurately decapitate them in any position.
“Dodge.”
“Damn it!”
Sensing he was already too late, Jo Geol rolled his body across the ground. Several deformed swords embedded themselves into the spot where he had just been.
‘Damn these bastards!’
If he was dealing with just one enemy, he could easily take them on. But when faced with enemies that could only be stopped by decapitating them, and who moved in swarms, it was a different story.
Jo Geol’s back was already drenched in sweat. Right now, this was a small skirmish that he could somehow manage. But the mere thought of these kinds of enemies being deployed on a real battlefield was horrifying.
“Your breathing is rough.”
“I know that! Damn it!”
Even as he said that, Jo Geol desperately tried to steady his breathing. Compared to Yu Iseol, who hadn’t even broken a sweat, he was far too agitated.
“…These bastards dare!”
The eyes of the Blood Cultists flared with a bright red glow. The sight of their comrades’ decapitated corpses seemed to provoke their bloodthirst.
‘Their skills aren’t anything special.’
No, swordsmanship and blade techniques aren’t the only measure of skill. If that grotesque physique could be considered a form of ‘qigong,’ then their abilities should be acknowledged as quite formidable.
“I’ll tear you limb from limb!”
They growled like beasts as they advanced.
Though they appeared to have lost their reason, their careful approach towards the two was evident.
It seemed they intended to rush in all at once rather than charge recklessly and risk getting their heads cut off.
‘This isn’t good!’
Jo Geol’s eyes narrowed.
Even a grazing blow from those malformed blades could tear through flesh. But all they could do was swing their swords and try to decapitate the enemy with a single strike. If the enemies rushed them all at once, they might not be able to deal with them all, and those blades would rip their bodies to shreds.
‘If only we had one or two more people… Coming here with just the two of us was a mistake!’
Their biggest mistake had been failing to accurately assess the enemy’s strength and numbers due to their urgency. But now wasn’t the time to dwell on that.
“Will it work?”
“If we do it, it will. We have to make it work.”
“…I thought I was the most laid-back person in Hwasan.”
Lately, he felt as if his unique skills were being taken by others.
“They’re coming.”
“Damn it!”
Jo Geol channeled a significant amount of internal energy into his sword. Using a powerful sword technique wasn’t his specialty, but it was the only way to cut through those tough necks in one stroke. His sword didn’t have the graceful precision of Yu Iseol’s.
“Come on! I’ll chop all your heads off!”
Just as Jo Geol was about to launch himself off the ground toward the enemies-
Pahaaa!
“Huh?”
“What?”
Countless plum blossom petals suddenly swirled down over their heads.
“S-Sashyeong! It’s no use! That won’t work…”
Jo Geol urgently shouted as he noticed Yoon Jong suddenly leap in front of them. Hadn’t they already confirmed countless times that such sword techniques wouldn’t work on these enemies?
But then.
“Kraaaagh!”
“What, what is this?”
The enemies, who had been fiercely charging forward, suddenly crumpled to the ground, clutching their bodies. They screamed in agony, a sound Jo Geol had never heard from them before.
“…It works?”
Jo Geol blinked in disbelief as he watched, noticing that the dreadful tendrils that usually emerged from their bodies weren’t appearing this time.
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