Chapter 501: Even if the Bait Gets Gnawed On
Chapter 501: Even if the Bait Gets Gnawed On
Ju Gwol rushed to the back gate of the Chongqing Branch.
Just as the reports had stated, several carriages were pulling in. The branch warriors guarding the gate stood by, having opened the entrance on the authority of Jeong Hyeok, a warrior from the Demon Extermination Squad.
While the other members of the Demon Extermination Squad had left with Jin Ha-gun to rescue the Yumyeong Manor Lord, Jeong Hyeok had remained behind to escort the carriages into the branch.
“What is the meaning of this?” Ju Gwol demanded.
Jeong Hyeok answered calmly, “These are external reinforcements requested by the main unit.”
He replied exactly as Jin Ha-gun had instructed.
“Reinforcements were brought in without my knowledge?”
Ju Gwol couldn't wrap his head around it. Not only were the branch’s own forces present, but external support was already gathering in an orderly fashion. And yet, they had requested even more help?
Are they planning to start a war? Ju Gwol wondered instinctively.
“You may be from the Demon Extermination Squad, but this branch is strictly under my command,” Ju Gwol snapped. “How dare you bring in reinforcements without my permission?”
Jeong Hyeok replied politely, “This matter is a unique operation of the Demon Extermination Squad. You are well aware that in the current state of emergency, the squad's decisions take precedence over the branch's, are you not?”
Since it was the truth, Ju Gwol couldn't find a rebuttal, but he couldn't help the surge of resentment toward Jin Ha-gun.
Fine, resentment is one thing. But who on earth did they call?
Ju Gwol’s gaze shifted back to the carriages.
“It looks more like they’re carrying cargo than troops.”
The carriages were far too large to be simple passenger transports. Ju Gwol walked over and swung the rear door of one wide open.
He gasped.
Inside sat a dozen warriors. He had never seen so many massive men gathered in one place. They all turned their heads in unison to stare at him the moment he opened the door.
As the Chongqing Branch Leader of the Murim Alliance, Ju Gwol wasn't the type to be intimidated by size alone... but in this moment, he was. Normally, he would have immediately shouted for them to identify themselves, but he found himself unable to speak, stifled by the sheer pressure radiating from the men inside.
In particular, when his eyes met those of one man, he felt his heart wither.
In his years as a branch leader, he had met all kinds of warriors, but he had never encountered such a powerful presence. The scar running across the man's face made it clear that he had walked the path of an Asura.
That man was none other than Demon Monarch Jang Ho.
Jang Ho stepped out of the carriage first, followed by the other members of the Demon Army. Simultaneously, the warriors from the other carriages disembarked.
They weren't just large and intimidating. They had always been elites, but since Jang Ho became the Demon Monarch, they had evolved into a top-tier force. Furthermore, since all two hundred members of the Demon Army couldn't come, they had handpicked only those with the most experience and highest martial prowess. The best of the best had arrived.
Jeong Hyeok of the Demon Extermination Squad, who had already been briefed, could tell that the Demon Army was a far more powerful organization than they had initially realized. Even now, they were suppressing their demonic energy. If they weren't, their presence would be even more overwhelming.
Ju Gwol asked, struggling to hide his shock, “Who are you people?”
Jang Ho replied in a deep, gravelly voice, “We are here to support the Demon Extermination Squad.”
Jang Ho wasn't in a particularly good mood, having to utter the words "Demon Extermination" himself. But in the current situation, such things were trivial.
“Your affiliation?”
“None.”
Since it never occurred to him that the Demon Extermination Squad would invite demonic practitioners, Ju Gwol failed to realize the true identity of the Demon Army.
Captain Jin, do you really think those bastards are going to attack us?
It was at that moment.
One of the Demon Army warriors standing near the building suddenly leaped onto the roof. His massive frame landed lightly on the tiles. After scanning the surroundings, he nimbly jumped back down.
“They’re fast.”
At the report that someone had been there and fled, Jang Ho turned to Ju Gwol.
“Did you have any subordinates lying in ambush there?”
Ju Gwol wondered what kind of trick this was, but he answered honestly. “No.”
Jang Ho’s expression turned grim. That meant someone was monitoring the area.
Right then, other members of the Demon Army moved. Three warriors near the wall charged toward it simultaneously.
Thwack! Crack! Thud!
The blades they thrust pierced straight through the wall. Blood stained the blade of the third warrior. The man who had been on the roof earlier was already perched on the wall, looking over the other side.
There were traces of blood on the ground, but no body.
He reported to Jang Ho, “Missed them again.”
To have people of this caliber monitoring the perimeter... Jang Ho spoke urgently, “They’re already inside.”
As Ju Gwol tried to say something, Jang Ho made a shushing gesture. Sensing danger, Jang Ho circulated his energy and scanned the surroundings.
The silence that followed was broken by the sharp sound of wind cutting through the air.
Sh-sh-sh-sh-shing!
A black rain of hidden weapons poured down upon them.
“Iron Wall!”
At Jang Ho’s shout, the Demon Army warriors immediately formed a formation, standing shoulder to shoulder and back to back as they drew their weapons. As the hidden weapons rained down, they rotated their blades in unison.
Clang-clang-clang-clang!
The Demon Army deflected every single projectile.
Ju Gwol and Jeong Hyeok deflected the hidden weapons alongside the branch warriors. However, the branch warriors, whose martial arts were relatively inferior, couldn't deflect them all.
P-p-p-p-pat!
It was Jang Ho who threw himself in front of them to knock the remaining weapons away.
“My thanks,” Ju Gwol gasped. But there was no time for pleasantries.
Starting with that hidden weapon attack, screams and the clashing of steel erupted from all directions. The surprise attack had begun in earnest.
Jang Ho quickly asked Jeong Hyeok, “Which way is the dungeon?”
“That way!”
As he ran in the direction Jeong Hyeok pointed, Jang Ho barked out orders.
“Half of you follow me! The rest, help the Murim Alliance warriors!”
Since the sacrifice of the Murim Alliance warriors was exactly what the enemy wanted, Geom Mu-geuk had ordered them to protect as many as possible. Following Jang Ho’s command, the Demon Army split into two groups. Half followed Jang Ho, while the rest ran toward the main headquarters building with Ju Gwol and Jeong Hyeok.
Jang Ho ran at the front. He had already received word through Tongcheon Pavilion about what was happening here. That was why this operation was more special than any other mission. In truth, Jang Ho didn't care about the Murim Alliance warriors or the Orthodox factions. There was only one person he was concerned about.
Seo Dae-ryong.
He had to protect Seo Dae-ryong, who stood at the very center of this conspiracy.
In the distance, he saw masked warriors standing at the entrance of a building. The guards who had been stationed in front of the dungeon were already down. Sensing that some masked men had already entered, Jang Ho’s heart raced.
Swoosh!
The massive men began to accelerate.
*
Faint moonlight seeped through the window in the hallway.
Seo Dae-ryong sat on the edge of his old, hard bed, staring past the bars. Come to think of it, this was his first time being locked in a dungeon. He had always been the one looking in from the outside.
He thought he should tell his friends about this experience the next time they had a drinking session. He’d brag about it for ages. Just thinking about the endless, thrilling tall tales made him excited.
“When I was locked in the Murim Alliance dungeon, do you know who was in the cell next to me?”
Drip.
He heard the sound of water falling from somewhere.
Is that coming from outside?
But in that instant, the metallic tang of blood stung Seo Dae-ryong’s nose. The moment he realized it wasn't the sound of water, but the sound of blood dripping—!
Whoosh.
A masked man slid into view in front of the bars.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
As if he had been ordered to kill on sight, the man fired hidden weapons into the cell without a single word.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The hidden weapons that flew through the bars embedded themselves in the bed. Seo Dae-ryong had already flipped the bed to block the front of the bars.
They’re just going to kill me like this, without a word?
Seo Dae-ryong was appalled. If you’re going to kill someone, shouldn't you at least look them in the eye and tell them why they’re dying?
Sword qi flew toward the bed that had blocked the hidden weapons.
Slash!
The bed was sliced in half along with the iron bars. And from between the falling pieces of the bed...
Whirr!
A streak of blade qi whipped out.
The assassin failed to dodge the attack, having assumed Seo Dae-ryong’s internal energy was suppressed and that he would be weaponless.
Splurt!
The masked man’s body was cleaved open by the flying blade qi, and he collapsed. Seo Dae-ryong swung his blade once more, completely severing the bars.
The moment he stepped out of the cell...
Whoosh! Sh-sh-shing!
Sword qi filled the hallway, swirling toward him.
Thud.
His great blade slammed into the ground.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Some of the sword qi collided with the blade, while the rest grazed past it. Seo Dae-ryong had used his blade, infused with internal energy, as a shield. It was a defensive form primarily used by his master, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
These crazy bastards!
Even when his suppressed energy had been restored and his weapon returned to him, he had wondered if they would really dare to raid a Murim Alliance branch. But they actually did. These enemies were beyond common sense.
The masked men who had fired the sword qi charged at Seo Dae-ryong. Their momentum as they lunged with their swords was formidable.
Seo Dae-ryong threw himself back into the cell. It looked like he was retreating in fear, but that wasn't the case. He judged that fighting inside the cell was more advantageous than the narrow hallway. In a cramped space, a heavy blade was at a disadvantage against a nimble sword.
The three masked men who rushed in were skilled in combined attack techniques.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Seo Dae-ryong swung his blade to deflect their sharp thrusts. They pressed him hard, giving him no room to counterattack, but Seo Dae-ryong defended against the pouring strikes well.
While he might not have as much practical combat experience as top-tier warriors, Seo Dae-ryong had one thing to compensate: blood-sweating effort.
During his training, he used to make a vow. He said he could live with any regret before he died, except for this one:
“Ah, I should have trained harder.”
The results of that effort were now unfolding. His body moved before his mind. The movements he had practiced thousands of times came out naturally.
The moment Seo Dae-ryong stumbled under the fierce assault, the masked man on the left didn't miss the opportunity and lunged with his sword. Seo Dae-ryong used agile footwork to regain his balance, and then—
Flash!
Slash!
Seo Dae-ryong’s blade took the masked man’s head. It had been a feint to draw the opponent in.
Seo Dae-ryong didn't miss the chance now that their combined attack formation was broken. He pushed forward fiercely and cut down the second masked man. Blood splattered on his arm in the process, but it was a move he had made intentionally, willing to take a flesh wound to break a bone. Once the coordination was shattered, the fight proceeded exactly as Seo Dae-ryong intended.
Rip!
Seo Dae-ryong sliced through the torso of the third masked man. In this moment, Seo Dae-ryong was not a timid and cautious investigator. He was a brilliant and decisive warrior.
Having dealt with the three men, Seo Dae-ryong stepped back out of the cell. Suddenly, his expression hardened. A swarm of masked men was rushing down the hallway from the far end. There were many of them.
If the dungeon had been breached so easily, he realized the outside must be a battlefield as well. The masked men charged with a momentum that suggested they didn't fear death.
Seo Dae-ryong did not retreat. He channeled his internal energy into his blade. After his blade vibrated violently once, the unique martial art of the Blood Heaven Blade Demon was unleashed.
Heaven Extermination Demonic Blade Form, Third Form: Extermination Blade Blood Wind.
The blade qi extending from his weapon spiraled out like a whirlwind. The masked men saw it—multiple strands of separated blade qi rotating as they flew toward them.
ROAR!
It was a swirling attack that was impossible to dodge in the narrow hallway.
Crunch! Splat! Rip!
Their bodies were shredded and scattered as they charged. Even Seo Dae-ryong, who had performed the technique, was shocked by its power. The Extermination Blade Blood Wind, performed for the first time in actual combat, was truly immense. However, the consumption of internal energy was as extreme as its power.
He had already used a significant amount of energy to block the sword qi earlier, and after unleashing the Extermination Blade Blood Wind, he felt the strength draining from his body.
“Whew.”
Seo Dae-ryong exhaled and examined a nearby corpse.
Who on earth are you people?
The reason he had allowed himself to be used as bait was to find a clue through them. Were they assassins? Contract mercenaries? Or something else?
It was then.
Whiz!
A single dagger flew rapidly toward Seo Dae-ryong.
Clang!
The blade Seo Dae-ryong used to deflect the dagger trembled. The internal energy the opponent had packed into the hidden weapon was immense. Seeing the relaxed gaze of the masked man walking toward him, Seo Dae-ryong knew.
This one is the leader.
He tightened his grip on his blade.
This masked man, who appeared to be the leader, didn't say a word either. As if he were simply performing a task, he lunged at Seo Dae-ryong.
Clang!
A heavy impact traveled up Seo Dae-ryong’s arm. The opponent’s internal energy was overwhelming him.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The only reason Seo Dae-ryong could hold his ground was his martial art. The Heaven Extermination Demonic Blade Form, more sophisticated and powerful than his opponent's style, was compensating for his lack of internal energy.
However, the opponent wasn't just superior in energy. His swordsmanship was precise, and his combat experience was vast; he didn't reveal any openings easily. Moreover, the narrow hallway was more disadvantageous for Seo Dae-ryong, who used a blade.
Slash!
Blood splattered from Seo Dae-ryong’s arm. But he had no time to tend to the wound. The masked man relentlessly thrust his sword, aiming for Seo Dae-ryong’s vital points.
But Seo Dae-ryong wasn't just taking it.
Rip!
Blood also splattered from the masked leader’s body, cut by Seo Dae-ryong’s blade.
You bastard! Even if the bait gets gnawed on, it won't die easily!
Seo Dae-ryong felt fear as he fought, but at the same time, he felt a strange sense of euphoria. He realized that this was why warriors were willing to die in battle.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Seo Dae-ryong was being pushed back bit by bit. Eventually, he was backed against a dead-end wall. Blood splattered from his other arm and his side.
I should at least see my Master before I die.
And in the final moment, the person who came to mind was Geom Mu-geuk.
Young Cult Leader, thanks to you, I’m leaving after living a cool life!
Swoosh!
Just as the flying sword was about to pierce Seo Dae-ryong’s throat—
BOOM!
One side of the wall exploded, and the masked man was slammed into the opposite wall.
Seo Dae-ryong saw it. Someone had smashed through the wall and blown the masked man away. In that split second, the masked man had tried to twist his body to block the attack, but the person who broke through the wall was far stronger and faster.
The man who had plunged a sword into the masked man’s heart was twice the size of a normal person. A man Seo Dae-ryong could never fail to recognize.
“Commander!”
The person who had saved him was none other than Jang Ho.
“Fortunately, I wasn't too late.”
Their gazes locked in the air. Seo Dae-ryong was so shocked and moved that he didn't know what to say. He had never dreamed that the person who would come for him would be Jang Ho. Behind the broken wall, massive figures stood like a folding screen. They looked gallant and reliable.
He never knew those giant frames could be so welcoming!
With trembling eyes, Seo Dae-ryong said to Jang Ho, “You just missed your chance to become my right-hand man.”
At that, Jang Ho gave a thick grin. To Seo Dae-ryong, that smile and that scar had never looked more magnificent than they did today.
“Being a right-hand man is all well and good, but I can't afford to lose my precious drinking buddy.”