The Culprit Plays the Victim (3)
BOOM!
The hurled fist wind collided with the Mad Wind Iron Wall Formation, sending violent ripples through the air. In an instant, the earth's surface tore open, chunks flying into the void before shattering under the unrelenting force.
"There you are!"
Cheong-gang's eyes flashed as he charged toward the source of the fist wind. His squad members followed, spreading into a Crane Wing Formation that enveloped the target like encircling wings.
Impressive. No wonder the assassins fell.
He could feel why the killers had been defeated. Though blocked by the Mad Wind Iron Wall Formation, the fist wind's power and intent that seeped through were extraordinary. Honestly, such refined fist winds were rare. And the Path of Dominance Through Destroying Evil woven into it was chilling.
This guy's got endless real combat experience!
Most so-called heroes were fragile flowers dueling in greenhouses. But this one felt qualitatively different from any hero he'd known.
I won't let him escape!
Anxiety surged—if he didn't finish this decisively now, it would spell danger. Surround him with the Crane Wing Formation, then shift to the Execution Array, and it would be over.
The Triple Spear—same length as a staff, but pressing the stud extended it twofold into a full spear. Killing intent infused the razor-sharp black-iron spearhead.
The target came into view.
"Die!"
Cheong-gang unleashed his Mad Wind Demonic Art to its peak, the Blood Wolf Blade of his Mad Wind Blood Wolf Spear Technique glowing with crimson energy as it bared its fangs at the target.
Whoosh!
Ten spear strikes sealed every escape route from all directions, proclaiming perfect execution.
Swoosh!
The spear thrusts pierced space itself—not flesh, but empty air. The result defied expectations.
"Did you think I'd fall for that?"
The target, who should have flopped like a fish on a skewer, stood alive and mocking him from two zhang away.
Screech!
How he'd dodged didn't matter. The goal was the target's elimination. No time for talk—charge and kill.
Cheong-gang stepped into Mad Wind Body Technique, surging forward. To avoid repeating the mistake, he sealed off all directions perfectly this time.
Mad Wind Chaotic Blood.
Forged through brutal training, the Execution Array wove chaotic spear paths into countless phantom thrusts. In its mature form, evasion was impossible.
It's over!
No matter his evasion skills, he couldn't dodge Mad Wind Chaotic Blood combined with Mad Wind Body Technique. He'd be reduced to a puddle of blood.
Splash! Swoosh!
Though rooted in basic chaotic spear forms, at the pinnacle, basics became everything. The space grazed by Mad Wind Chaotic Blood tore apart—but the squad members' pupils shook more than ever.
"Futile."
"Arrogant fool, using petty tricks!"
His evasion was remarkable, but retreat wasn't an option. Cheong-gang didn't glance back, charging the nameless hero and thrusting his spear.
Trained external force often surpassed internal energy. Force from his toes flowed up his spine, gathered at his back, then surged into his arms.
Whoosh!
Sharp spear strikes pierced only empty air. As they repeated, Cheong-gang sensed something off. Too elusive for mere footwork. Such a gap implied the foe was beyond Peak Expert—an Absolute Realm master. But why would one protect a worm like Tak Jung-il?
And moreover...
"No!!"
His squad members, who had been right there moments ago, were gone. The enemy stood plainly ahead, yet his men had vanished without a trace.
"A formation?"
"Too late."
Gu Cheon-woo finally admitted it openly.
Cheong-gang's face twisted demonically. He'd prepared for ambushes, but never imagined the foe mastered formations too. He'd been thoroughly played from the start.
"Such despicable tricks!!"
"You don't seem worried about your men."
"I'll kill you first!"
"Then you'd better hurry."
Spear qi lashed horizontally from Cheong-gang's tip at the nameless hero—but it vanished like an illusion. He maximized his qi sense, scouring the area, but detected no presence.
"Damn it!!"
Illusions sowed chaos, then a maze formation isolated his men. The intent was divide and conquer.
Grind!
Now that he understood, he had to shatter this formation somehow. Time was short. The Mad Wind Corps shone brightest in linked assault techniques. With the Mad Wind Execution Array broken, individuals couldn't overwhelm Peak Experts. Their battle-hardened skills alone weren't enough against this foe.
Cheong-gang unleashed his full power. He poured qi beyond the Mad Wind Demonic Art's limits into his spear. The dim spear qi solidified.
It layered without pause, becoming spear gang—energy transcending Peak Expert.
Cheong-gang's prowess was at Peak Expert's zenith. One step from Transcendent, yet that gap was vast and distant. Countless warriors wandered it lifelong. Using gang qi proved he was burning beyond his limits.
BOOM!
Mad Wind Heaven-Destroying Gang. The most destructive gang qi art in the Mad Wind Blood Wolf Spear Technique.
Too late to analyze and dismantle the formation.
Boom boom boom!
Formations had axes. Maximizing qi sense, he targeted overlapping flows. Like an awl, he pierced and disrupted the smooth currents.
Cheong-gang amplified his power with each disruption.
It's working!
Not even one man's sacrifice was acceptable. They were elite warriors forged for the grand scheme. He couldn't let them die pointlessly here, far from the battlefield.
Hold on!
Pouring everything in, he'd shatter the formation in one go.
BOOM!
Splatter!
The Mad Wind Heaven-Destroying Gang began crumbling the formation. As enveloping flows reverted, the terrain shifted.
The space they'd fought in matched reality, but distances distorted. Perspectives clashed with sight, explaining the empty swings.
Hum, flash!
With the formation broken, pent-up flows exploded outward. After shattering the final veil, Cheong-gang's eyes beheld unreality.
Whoosh!
As if all motion froze, something hurtled through the air. Each face etched vividly into his mind.
Thud, thud!
Roll roll roll!
Heads tumbling to the ground—his Mad Wind Corps members from moments ago.
Slice! Stab!
In the frozen flow, one agile motion persisted. Without hesitation. Storm Needles from Gu Cheon-woo's hand pierced hearts.
From launch to retrieval, a mere instant.
Gurk!
Thud!
Even warriors were flesh and blood. No surviving a pierced heart. Unlike mortals, their life force clung via internal energy, but not indefinitely.
Shudder!
Cheong-gang trembled at the hero's vileness. That technique—he hadn't seen it at all. Even in peak condition, the gap was insurmountable.
"...How can one with such prowess...?"
"Since when did Iron Blood Fortress weigh methods?"
Cheong-gang's dying eyes bulged. He hadn't dreamed the foe knew their identity. Iron Blood Fortress and Mad Wind Corps operated utterly independently.
"...What are you?"
"So you did intervene, despite your words."
Gu Cheon-woo ignored his questions, focusing on his own judgment and insight.
Reflecting, Iron Blood Fortress hadn't crossed him before. When he'd become Paewang, they'd sued for peace.
Has history twisted?
He hadn't known of their involvement then. He'd swept them from the start—no need. Afterward, crushed by Paewang's feats.
In past rounds, they'd played cautious. This round, their fate was unknown.
"...Answer! Did you target us from the beginning...?"
"Lucky for you."
In prior rounds, Iron Blood Fortress wouldn't have escaped Mireok Paedo's blade. Paewang left no seeds of calamity.
Iron Blood Fortress must stick to its role this time. Cross the line, and they'd taste Mireok Paedo.
They knew their place, at least.
[I like it here just fine. Why leave where I live? Haha!]
Whether they hid ambitions or not, Paewang cared nothing for Iron Blood Fortress's personal leanings. He judged solely by Mireok Paedo's good-evil divide.
As long as they stayed in bounds and content, no quarrel arose.
But if Iron Blood Fortress backed Bokho Merchant Group, that diverged from known flows.
If involved, no mercy.
Cheong-gang hadn't died yet. He wouldn't be ignored like a ghost.
"...Answer, damn you!"
"You're unworthy."
"You dare compare to His Excellency... Gahhh!"
Gu Cheon-woo's qi shifted. Regaining his realm enhanced his ability to conceal past power. Meaning, he could summon Paewang's qi anytime needed.
That subtle difference unveiled an entirely different world.
...What is this man...?
Impossible to resist. Absolute dominance of supreme martial might. Cheong-gang's world—that none rivaled the Fortress Lord—shattered like fragile glass.
Even in death's throes, fear dominated.
...No!
Can't face him. Mustn't.
Eradication. Eternal calamity none escape.
"...Please... mercy!"
Even as breath faded, Cheong-gang begged not in rage, but for mercy. Fighting this man would raze not just Iron Blood Fortress, but the entire steppe to ash.
So he prayed. May this man's dominance spare the steppe.
Thud!
Cheong-gang's breath ceased.
Gu Cheon-woo looked down, clicking his tongue.
"A misunderstanding."
Mireok Paedo judged good and evil alone, unrelated to wars. It didn't condemn national conflicts absent evil.
But pure wars didn't exist.
"Pity."
Was it illusion, or did dead Cheong-gang twitch? Even in death, he seemed to reject Paewang's visit.
Proving it, Paewang valued offense over defense.
He'd received firm assurance of elimination. Yet no word.
This wasn't cheap—double the hefty fee. Contact should have come by now, one way or another.
No news was secondary; Tak Jung-il strutted freely as guild leader, reclaiming trade routes with Cheongpung and Seongdo's support as bait.
He dismissed bolting with the pay. Mad Wind Corps were vicious devils, unknown to most but intimately familiar to him. If they accepted, they'd deliver results, guaranteed.
"What the hell happened?"
He'd sent scouts to check, but gained nothing. If his guild's intel failed, fine—but Hwajeong Merchant Group's moves were blatant. No hiding; Bokho had blown it wide open.
"That can't be!"
Du Won-gwang refused to accept he'd been played in Tak Jung-il's palm. If that worm were so capable, Hwajeong would rank among top caravans, not scraping his crumbs like a bug.