Chapter 74: Bloody Battle on the Yangtze (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 74: Bloody Battle on the Yangtze (2)
The cheers of the escort guards and sailors made me feel a bit embarrassed.
I hadn't realized that Prison Torture could be used in so many different ways. To think I’d be receiving help from the Namcheon Iron Sword like this.
‘I’m fine.’
Thanks to him, I survived. There was no telling what would have happened if I had been swept away by the rapids.
The Lesser Conversation Sword giggled and chattered at me. Just as he said, the people on the ship had their eyes wide with shock, watching me fly over the river while gripping a sword.
I probably would have been surprised too if I were in their shoes. But right now, there was something more urgent.
‘Namcheon. Let’s go to that ship.’
As soon as he spoke, the Namcheon Iron Sword flew toward the ship with the black sails. It felt quite different from when I used Lightness Skill on my own. Since my feet weren't touching anything while I cut through the air, I felt like I had become some sort of immortal.
Flying certainly made the trip fast; I reached the ship in no time. I could see black figures on the deck.
‘What is this?’
Something was strange. I thought they were pirates, but every single person on the ship was wearing a black mask. They looked completely different from the pirates one would typically imagine.
Maybe someone wearing a headscarf, covered in scars, with a rough, manly vibe? They also seemed quite startled to see me flying toward them while holding a sword.
‘Huh?’
At that moment, those among the masked men who were carrying bows hurriedly aimed and loosed their arrows. There wasn't even time to try and talk them down.
The Namcheon Iron Sword dodged the incoming arrows left and right before finally landing on the deck. As soon as I stepped onto the ship, the masked men drew their weapons in unison. Their eyes were filled with wariness and tension.
‘There are fewer of them than I thought.’
There were only about twenty masked men, despite how large the ship was.
‘...What is this smell?’
A strangely familiar scent hit my nose. Or rather, a mix of scents. One thing was for certain.
‘The smell of blood.’
The nauseating stench of blood was vibrating throughout the entire ship. Looking down, I saw that the wooden planks of the deck were stained red. I pressed my foot down slightly. A sticky liquid seeped up, much like water from a soaked wooden board.
‘...Is this really blood?’
It was impossible to tell for sure because the ship was dark, with no lamps or torches lit. I felt a sense of foreboding. Regardless, I had to try and negotiate with them. To show I had no intention of attacking, I pointed my sword toward the ground and shouted.
“Are you the brave heroes of the Yangtze?”
It’s just a basic courtesy. Even if pirates know they’re just river bandits, none of them like being called that. They tend to get angry if you state the plain truth. I remembered hearing that when escort agencies or martial artists encounter pirates from the Waterway Strongholds, they refer to them as the "Heroes of the Yangtze."
“........”
The masked men didn't respond to my shout. Instead, they slowly closed the distance, forming a perimeter to surround me. They looked ready to attack at any moment.
“I didn't come here to fight you—”
“You’re much stronger than the rumors suggested, So Woon-hwi.”
‘!?’
One of the masked men mentioned my name. He seemed to be their leader. Based on what I could sense from his energy, he was a master at the peak of the Supreme Peak Realm. While it made sense for a stronghold leader to possess such martial prowess, I felt a strange sense of doubt.
“You know me?”
At my question, the masked man gave a short, mocking laugh.
“You’ve been running around making such a scene; how could I not? Attack!”
At the leader's command, the masked men who had been closing in lunged at me all at once. I used my footwork to evade their attacks and shouted again.
“Are you not men of the Yangtze River Waterway Eighteen Strongholds?”
“Die!”
In response to my question, they only told me to die. As I suspected, these men didn't seem to be pirates from the Eighteen Strongholds.
One of the masked men swung a willow leaf saber at me. I lightly kicked it away.
“Gah!”
The willow leaf saber I kicked flew off and pierced the abdomen of another masked man. I grabbed the wrist of the man who had lost his saber and threw him toward the others. The masked men he collided with tumbled backward in a heap. Since I had infused the throw with internal energy, their bones were likely shattered and they had suffered internal injuries.
I blurred forward, instantly cutting down the two masked men standing in front of the leader. Then, I caught the blade of the leader's saber between two fingers as he attempted a technique.
“Heh!”
He gasped in surprise but immediately launched a preemptive kick. I slammed the pommel of my sword into his incoming ankle.
“Aaaaaagh!”
A scream erupted from the masked leader. If he saw me flying in on a sword, he should have known I was stronger than them. Why did they attack like this? I grabbed him by the collar and slammed him hard against the cabin wall.
“Urgh!”
“Who the hell are you people? You’re not pirates from the Waterway Strongholds, are you?”
When he didn't answer, I ripped off his mask. The face of an ordinary middle-aged man in his early forties was revealed. Bleeding from the corner of his mouth, he struggled to speak.
“Kill him.”
At that moment, the other masked men rushed at me. They didn't seem to care at all that their leader was in my hands. I punched the leader in the stomach, then immediately spun around and unleashed sharp killing intent toward the charging men. They hurriedly blocked with their blades, but were blown back by the force.
I grabbed the middle-aged leader by the collar again.
“Do you all want to die?”
The man gave a bloody grin and replied.
“That was the plan from the beginning.”
“What?”
“This is revenge for our comrades.”
“Comrades? Don't tell me... you people!”
“You should never have stepped onto this ship.”
At his ominous words, I felt a powerful sense of dread. It was at that exact moment.
With a massive roar, red light flared from the deck and a wave of intense heat surged upward.
Hanging onto the cliffside, Wolf King Hyeok Cheon-man used his precious sword, Black Star, to deflect the incoming arrows. These were no ordinary arrows. Each one was infused with internal power; even for someone like him, they would be dangerous if not blocked.
‘This isn't worth the effort.’
Hyeok Cheon-man clicked his tongue inwardly. The battle against pirates he had envisioned was not at this level. As he deflected the arrows, he unleashed sharp killing intent toward the top of the cliff in a split second.
The space rippled as a sharp energy sliced across the top of the cliff.
“Get down!”
With that shout, the volley of arrows momentarily ceased. Seizing the chance, Hyeok Cheon-man pulled his sword from the cliff face and used Lightness Skill to surge upward. He intended to reach the top in one go.
Just then, stone dust fell from above, accompanied by the sound of movement.
“Die!”
Four masked men lunged down the cliffside. Each one was a formidable master. Even for the Wolf King, fighting on a steep cliff wasn't the same as fighting on level ground. He plunged his sword back into the wall and instantly sliced one of the descending masked men in half at the waist.
The moment he cut the man down, another masked man thrust a sword toward his flank. Hyeok Cheon-man let go of his sword, spun his body, and kicked the attacker's blade away. Simultaneously, he slashed across the man's eyes.
“Aaaaagh!”
The blinded masked man clutched his face and plummeted down the cliff. At that moment, another masked man grabbed Hyeok Cheon-man’s leg and swung a saber toward it.
‘Dammit!’
Hyeok Cheon-man applied force to the hilt of the sword he was holding.
The embedded blade sliced through the cliffside, sliding downward. The masked man, thinking they were falling, lost his balance and failed to swing his saber properly. Hyeok Cheon-man used his free leg to kick the man square in the jaw.
“Gack!”
Under the force of Hyeok Cheon-man’s profound internal power, the man’s jaw wasn't just broken—it was nearly torn off. He fell down the cliff without even being able to scream.
Yet another masked man threw a dagger at him.
Hyeok Cheon-man deflected the dagger. Miraculously, the deflected blade flew back and embedded itself in the masked man’s face. The man staggered and fell into the abyss.
He tried to climb up again, but more masked men were jumping down from the top of the cliff.
“Whew.”
There was no end to them. Just then, a thunderous explosion reached Hyeok Cheon-man’s ears.
‘!?’
He looked toward the sound and saw the ship with the black sails exploding on the river.
‘What in the world...’
He couldn't understand it. For a ship to suddenly explode like that... an immense amount of gunpowder must have been scattered inside. But that wasn't the only problem.
‘Wait!’
Further down the cliff from where he was, he saw ropes being connected toward the river. They were firing crossbows to secure lines to the ships that had barely managed to cut themselves free from the grappling hooks. But this time, it wasn't just that.
As soon as the ropes were connected, numerous masked men began descending toward the ships.
They were even raining down arrows to ensure no one could interfere with their descent.
‘Oh no!’
Wolf King Hyeok Cheon-man didn't have time to think. He pulled his sword and, ignoring the masked men attacking from above, began running horizontally across the cliff face. He had to stop those descending onto the ships at all costs.
Befitting his reputation as one of the Eight Great Masters, he was incredibly fast even while running sideways along a cliff. Quite a few masked men had already reached the ship, but it looked like he could stop the rest before they boarded.
‘I’ll jump out and use my killing intent to cut all the ropes!’
That was the only way. As he neared the point where the ropes were connected, Hyeok Cheon-man kicked off the wall. His body soared from the cliff into the open air above the river. He flew like a hunting hawk toward the ropes where the masked men were descending.
It was at that exact moment.
“You’re being a nuisance, Wolf King.”
‘!?’
A tyrannical saber force flew toward him. The momentum was so powerful that Hyeok Cheon-man couldn't ignore it and hurriedly blocked with his sword.
‘This man?’
Their weapons collided, and the result was surprisingly an even match. However, because Hyeok Cheon-man’s internal power was slightly superior, the opponent was the first to be blown back.
“Ugh!”
But Hyeok Cheon-man wasn't exempt from the aftermath. Because he had blocked a heavy blow in mid-air, he failed to reach his target and began plummeting toward the water.
‘Dammit!’
Hyeok Cheon-man saw the masked man, who had a rope tied around his waist, dangling as he swung back toward the cliff. The man had clearly been waiting there to lure him out. Having fallen from the air, Hyeok Cheon-man plunged straight into the river.
“And they say this guy is the weakest of the Eight Great Masters?”
The masked man, having returned to the cliffside while hanging on the rope, shook his head. He seemed surprised by a strength that exceeded his expectations. However, he soon removed his mask, wiped the blood from his lip, and commanded the other masked men.
“The most troublesome one is out of the way. Deal with the rest.”
“Understood!!!”
The deck of the main ship was filled with the clashing of weapons. As soon as the rain of arrows stopped, the deck became a literal battlefield as masked men swarmed in via the ropes connected to the ship. Every escort guard on board joined the fray, but they were gradually being pushed back. The guards were simply outmatched in terms of martial arts skill.
Taoist Master Do Uk, the leader of the Zhongnan Sect who had barely escaped the rapids, was fighting off a combined attack from several masked men with an arrow still lodged in his back. He was bleeding heavily from the wound he received while in the water, but as a master who had made a name for himself in the Orthodox Faction, he was fighting desperately.
However, his expression was grim.
‘Are these really pirates?’
No matter how much he thought about it, it didn't make sense. He had heard that the skill levels of pirates varied wildly, but every single one of these masked men was exceptional. Almost all of them possessed the skill of a first-rate master or higher.
“Aaargh!”
“Kangcheong!”
A Zhongnan swordsman named Kangcheong had his throat slit by a masked man and fell into the river.
‘The Yangtze might truly become our grave.’
As he watched his disciples fall one by one, his will to fight began to crumble.
Near the stern of the deck.
“Don't you touch that woman!”
“Gah!”
Song Jwa-baek saved Hwang Hye-ju, the unit leader of the Hwangyeong Escort Agency, from a dangerous situation. The martial arts of the Hwangyeong guards, including Hwang Hye-ju, were too weak to stand against the masked men, who were all first-rate masters.
“Th-thank you.”
“Just trust me, Young Lady.”
Hwang Hye-ju, who had initially distrusted him, had no choice but to rely on him in this dire crisis. While Song Jwa-baek felt good about this, he was becoming increasingly overwhelmed.
‘Dammit! There are too many of them.’
Song Woo-hyeon’s breathing had become incredibly ragged as he charged like a bull, headbutting masked men to the ground.
“Haa... haa...”
The number of masked men continued to grow, and some among them were Supreme Peak masters. Consequently, wounds were beginning to accumulate even on his body, which he had trained to the limits of external martial arts.
Meanwhile, on the upper deck, Sama Yeong and Jo Seong-won were fighting back-to-back, but their situation wasn't much better.
“Haa... haa... are you alright?”
“I can still hold on!”
Though she said that, both of them were reaching their limits. Jo Seong-won, in particular, was already injured, and his face had turned deathly pale. The thought that he might die if she fell made Sama Yeong’s heart heavy.
‘I have to hold on somehow. Is the Young Master safe?’
She had seen him successfully board the other ship. Since then, the rain of arrows and the influx of masked men had made it impossible to know Jin Un-hwi’s fate. What weighed most on her mind was that explosion. She worried that Jin Un-hwi might have been caught in it.
Just then, someone’s shout rang out.
“Chamber Leader, what are you doing?!”
Looking toward the sound, she saw several members of the Beggar's Sect shouting at someone. That someone was none other than Hong Gu-ga, the Chamber Leader of the Beggar's Sect.
“We’re all going to die at this rate. Everyone, jump into the river!”
Hong Gu-ga fiercely unleashed his palm techniques to clear the masked men near the railing, then jumped into the river without hesitation.
“Didn't you hear me?! Everyone, jump!”
His grandson, Hong Geol-gae, followed right after him.
“Junior Brother!”
The Beggar's Sect members were beyond bewildered; they didn't know what to do. They never imagined their leader would be the first to run away while there were still sailors alive on the ship.
“Those damn beggars!”
Sama Yeong gnashed her teeth at the sight. Who would have thought they would tuck tail and run while everyone else was still fighting? They were already losing the battle; if the Beggar's Sect members pulled out now, they would face the worst possible outcome.
At that moment, Jo Seong-won stepped forward and shouted to the Beggar's Sect members.
“Members of the Beggar's Sect, do not retreat! Fight! Defend the ship!”
The Beggar's Sect members looked confused at his shout. Ui Gu-saeng, one of the elders watching this scene, urged them on.
“Did you not hear the Junior Brother’s command?! Beggar's Sect, defend the ship!”
The other elders followed Ui Gu-saeng’s lead and shouted.
“It is the Junior Brother’s order! Fight!”
"Waaaaaaaah!!!"
The wavering Beggar's Sect members seemed to regain their senses and began fighting the enemy again. While a few members loyal to the Chamber Leader had jumped into the river, the vast majority remained.
Then, a massive roar echoed.
The entire ship shook violently, as if hit by a shockwave.
"The—the ship!"
The masked men and the defenders—the escort guards, Zhongnan Sect, and Beggar's Sect—momentarily stopped their frantic fighting. At the source of the roar stood a middle-aged man with a scar on his mouth, his hands tucked behind his back. The deck beneath his feet had buckled and collapsed.
‘He’s a Peerless Master.’
Everyone could sense it instinctively. He was a master of overwhelming power. A silence fell, suppressed by his sheer presence, until the middle-aged man spoke.
“Which one of you is So Woon-hwi?”
Everyone was puzzled by the man’s sudden question. He had called out a specific name in front of everyone.
Taoist Master Do Uk of the Zhongnan Sect stepped forward and shouted.
“You are not from the Waterway Strongholds! Reveal your ident—!”
Before he could finish, a sharp energy flew from the saber the middle-aged man swung. Do Uk hurriedly raised his sword to block the energy cutting through the air.
The wooden planks he was standing on shattered. Simultaneously, Do Uk was pushed back more than ten paces. Already in poor condition from the arrow wound, his face turned ghostly white.
“Cough!”
As red blood erupted from his mouth, everyone’s expression darkened. Do Uk, the strongest master currently on the ship, was completely outmatched.
“You should only answer when asked, old Taoist.”
The middle-aged man shook his head and looked at the crowd.
“Is the boy named So Woon-hwi not on this ship?”
Whether suppressed by the enemy’s intimidation or because he truly wasn't there, no one answered. The middle-aged man gave a thin smile.
“Keeping useless loyalties, I see. Kill them all.”
As the order fell, the masked men raised their weapons to resume the slaughter. Just as despair was about to swallow the ship, one of the masked men near the railing shouted.
“L-look over there!”
He was pointing toward the middle of the rushing river. Everyone’s gaze turned in that direction.
‘!!!’
The eyes of everyone who looked went wide with shock. Something was flying through the air above the river at an incredible speed.
"Wh-what on earth is that?"
"A man is riding a sword!"
A scene was unfolding that made everyone doubt their own eyes. There was someone flying toward the ship while standing atop a sword. It was none other than—
“Young Master!!!”
It was Jin Un-hwi.