Chapter 32
Chapter 32
Translator: Penny
Episode 32
The shift was instantaneous.
"These bastards! Do I look like a joke to you?!"
Forced into a defensive position, the Four Protectors unleashed his true skill, turning the tide in mere seconds.
A first-rate martial artist of the Profound Mechanism, capable of wielding Sword Qi with effortless mastery.
Having survived countless brutal battles, the Four Protectors' skill far surpassed what the young martial artists could handle.
His sword, named Flashing Gale, lived up to its name, prioritizing speed above all else.
Had Zhuge Munhyeon not ordered them to train within the Formation, the battle might have ended long ago. Only Zhuge Munho's near-equal mastery allowed them to barely hold their ground.
Swoosh!
Blood splattered as the razor-sharp edge of the Four Protectors' sword sliced through the gap between the four warriors.
"Ugh!"
Zhuge Pyeong staggered back, wincing as blood bloomed across his chest.
"Die, you brat!"
Seizing what he believed to be his opportunity, the Four Protectors' sword shot forward like a viper.
Clang!
Just as his blade was about to pierce Zhuge Pyeong's throat, a sword strike intercepted, striking the tip of his blade.
"Pyeong-ah! Are you alright?!"
Zhuge Munho had intervened, saving Zhuge Pyeong's life and blocking the path forward.
"I'm fine," Zhuge Pyeong replied, though his chest was already stained crimson with blood.
Zhuge Gwan and Zhuge Hwi were also panting heavily, exhausted.
"Heh heh heh, you little whelps. What's wrong? You charged at me like you wanted to kill me, but now you've lost your nerve?" the Four Protectors mocked the Zhuge brothers surrounding him.
Four against one.
He had been confident of victory, but...
Zhuge Munho couldn't help but grimace.
What was lacking?
What exactly...?
"You fools! What's wrong? Can't fight one-on-one like the Orthodox Factions do?"
"...!"
Zhuge Munho's eyes snapped open.
One-on-one... So that's it. That's what it was.
Zhuge Munhyeon's words echoed in his mind:
"Don't be ashamed. This is war."
Looking back, he realized he had been arrogant all along.
Four of them were ganging up on a single opponent, yet he had been fighting haphazardly.
And whenever his brothers were in danger, he had broken off his attacks to help them, never truly unleashing his full potential.
Who am I to...? I'm not Zhuge Munhyeon. I'm still too weak to lead with a reliable back for others to lean on. So why have I been trying to emulate him? I must have been envious.
He was him, and I am me.
How foolish.
As Zhuge Munhyeon had said, in war, death is the end.
He couldn't rush things.
When the mind races, the sword follows suit, making it impossible to execute the Combined Attack Technique properly.
Right now, they had to focus solely on the Four Protectors.
Instead of relying on a single leader, each member had to become an integral part of the Sword Formation, working together to trap their opponent.
No one should be the main attacker while others played support; they had to all fight as one.
"Everyone... I'm sorry."
"Huh?"
"My thinking was too narrow."
Gwan Hwipyeong was utterly bewildered by Zhuge Munho's sudden apology.
"Damn it! What's with the sudden apology? We're about to die here!"
"Pyeong-ah! Get back in position! Stop whining about that scratch on your chest!"
"Who's whining?! If that cut had been any deeper, I'd be dead for real!"
Despite the life-or-death situation, Zhuge Munho couldn't help but chuckle at Gwan Hwipyeong's exasperated retort.
But a sliver of peace settled in his heart.
He had to trust them.
And the Sword Formation they could execute together.
"Everyone remembers the Minor Flying Swallow Sword Formation, right?"
"Flying Swallow? The one we used at Heavenly Star Pavilion?"
"Exactly."
"Will it work?"
"It has to. We've never passed the Four-Man Combined Attack before, so we have no other options. To face him, we need to use what we know best."
"Tch, fine. Then you take the Swallow Head, Elder Brother. I'll cover the Left Wing."
Zhuge Munho nodded at Zhuge Pyeong's words.
They didn't question him. They trusted him.
So he had to trust them too.
That each member would give their all.
"Gwan, take the Right Wing. Hwi, as the weakest, you'll cover the Swallow Tail and trap the enemy!"
"Yes!"
The formation shifted again.
As they slowly moved their swords into a diamond-shaped encirclement, the Four Protectors' eyes twitched.
"These bastards! Do they think I'm some straw dummy to be pushed around?!"
A fierce strike shot out.
"Twin Wings Intercept!"
Zhuge Munho parried with his sword and retreated, swiftly directing the sword formation. Simultaneously, the left and right wings folded inward like closing wings, flanking the Four Protectors.
"Damn it!"
The Four Protectors withdrew his attack and slashed his swords rapidly left and right.
But this left him vulnerable from the front and rear.
The Swallow Head charged forward, pressing the attack, while the Swallow Tail shadowed them like a wraith, harassing them relentlessly.
The Four Protectors, who had briefly held the upper hand, lost his composure and became completely focused on defense.
This was the advantage of the Sword Formation.
When one becomes two, the combined strength is not quite double, but rather one and a half times the original.
The Minor Flying Swallow Sword Formation, executed by four individuals, instantly closed the gap between them and the Four Protectors.
The Swallow Head created illusions to confuse their opponents, while the Left Wing and Right Wing launched aggressive assaults. The Swallow Tail exploited openings to inflict deeper wounds.
The moment the Four-Man Combined Attack was perfected had finally arrived.
"Kuaaaah!"
As they grew more accustomed to the combined attack, the formation's power intensified. The increasingly wounded Four Protectors erupted in fury.
Inevitably, his sword lost its advantage of speed, becoming solely focused on brute force.
Lacking speed, he became more vulnerable to attacks. With only raw power, his strikes became easier to evade.
And then...
Whoosh!
As the sword thrust straight toward him, Zhuge Munho seized the blade with both hands.
Double-Handed Sword Restraint.
A technique to subdue a sword blade with bare hands.
Could even intent-infused hands withstand the razor-sharp edge of a blade?
The searing pain of the cut across his palm made him wince involuntarily.
Next came the Crushing Blade Technique, pressing down on the captured sword to shatter it.
But...
"This bastard? You think you can take me?"
Sensing his intent, the Four Protectors twisted his sword immediately.
The shattering failed.
But he couldn't let go. He had to bind the enemy's blade.
"Hah!"
Zhuge Munho roared, gripping the blade with the resolve to sacrifice his hand.
"Hwi-ya!"
A sharp cry.
And Zhuge Hwi's immediate response.
Thunk!
His sword erupted from the shadows, piercing the Four Protectors' back.
"Gah!"
As the sword pierced through his chest, the Four Protectors let out a strangled cry. The Left Wing and Right Wing seized the opportunity.
The Left Wing severed his neck, while the Right Wing sliced through his waist.
The three-parted Four Protectors collapsed without even a scream.
"Huff, huff, huff..."
Zhuge Pyeong, drenched in hot blood, panted heavily as he approached Zhuge Munho with a grimace.
"Elder Brother, your hand..."
"It's fine. It wasn't completely severed."
"Damn it. It's practically the same thing. It's so mangled."
Zhuge Pyeong hastily tore off a piece of his robe and wrapped it around Zhuge Munho's bloodied hand.
"Where's Munhyeon?"
Silence filled the space where they turned their heads.
The only sound was their own ragged breathing; all the enemies lay dead.
"...He must have left."
"That cunning bastard. He actually managed to handle them all alone."
"Still, we killed the Four Protectors together."
Zhuge Munho smiled faintly at his brothers' words.
Yes, together...
"You did it."
"Ah! Sayo, we have to find Sayo!"
"Elder Brother, rest. We'll find the Beggar's Sect Branch Head and Sayo."
Zhuge Gwan and Zhuge Hwi sprang to their feet and gently sat Zhuge Munho down.
"Then I'll..."
"What, you think you can just sprawl out whenever you feel like it? Shut up and follow us! It's just a scratch on your chest."
Zhuge Pyeong, who had tried to take advantage of Zhuge Munho's rest, ended up getting cursed out.
"Hey, it really hurts like hell, you know?"
"Shut up."
He put up a feeble resistance but was ultimately dragged along.
As they searched the Honyeon Faction's manor, now filled with cold corpses, Zhuge Munho gazed toward the distant battlefield.
What's happening there? Well... he'll probably manage. Just like he boasted. He must be worrying for nothing. If it's that guy...
KWAH-AH-AH...!
The battlefield's atmosphere shifted in an instant.
As Jang Hongsik, who had been charging across the plains, leaped high into the air and descended, the fighting abruptly ceased as if by magic.
"You fools! Panicking over a hastily improvised formation like this?"
His booming voice, like a sonic attack, reverberated through the battlefield.
"Withdraw! Reform your ranks!"
The Honyeon Faction warriors, receiving the order, disengaged from the chaotic melee and regrouped into formation.
Grind.
Jang Hongsik scanned the survivors, his teeth grinding in fury.
The field was littered with the corpses of Honyeon Faction warriors.
Nearly twice their number had been reduced to less than half, having barely killed any of the Zhuge Clan bastards.
"Forgive me. I panicked too much..."
The Ultimate Swordsman Jeong Byeongil bowed his head in apology, his face etched with exhaustion.
His body was covered in wounds, blood staining his robes in dark patches.
"Can you still fight?"
"Yes."
"What about Wang-i?"
"...He's dead. Killed by Jeokun."
"Hmm."
Another sworn brother had fallen.
In the chaos of battle, even recovering the bodies was proving difficult.
They had expected an easy victory, but the Zhuge Clan's cunning strategy had inflicted catastrophic losses, leaving them beyond recovery.
If only they had acted on their ominous premonitions sooner...
Regret was futile.
"Very well. I'll personally slaughter them all. Byeongil, send word to the Manor for reinforcements and take charge of the rear guard. I'll crush their vanguard myself."
"Yes, sir!"
Jeong Byeongil immediately blew his horn.
Booo!
A signal for support.
The Zhuge Clan warriors hesitated, startled by the Honyeon Faction warriors' ferocious roars and murderous intent, as if they were savage beasts.
The Honyeon Faction warriors pushed Jang Hongsik to the front and tightened their grip on their swords.
"Hmm, Scholar Mun."
"Yes."
"Get the scholars to safety immediately."
"What? But..."
"Now that Jang Hongsik has intervened, our strategy is meaningless. He was never an opponent we could face in the first place. We'll only suffer pointless casualties. Return to the Yanghyeon Branch, lock the gates, and prepare for retaliation."
Zhuge Cheong's words made Mun Ilhwa frown.
They had no strategy for dealing with him. Their only plan was to flee the moment Jang Hongsik appeared.
Strategy, formation—none of these offered a way to counter Jang Hongsik.
This was precisely why the Zhuge Clan was often considered weaker than other clans: their lack of martial prowess to execute even the most brilliant strategies.
A regrettable truth.
If only they had a peerless warrior who could overwhelm their enemies and shift the tide of battle...
But.
"We can't all flee, can we? Our children haven't even returned yet... I refuse to abandon them to the battlefield. It would be a disgrace."
"Branch Head."
Mun Ilhwa fell silent, his face twisting in a grimace. The Branch Head's voice carried the weight of someone who had already resigned himself to death.
No matter how confidently Zhuge Munhyeon had boasted, could anyone truly trust him alone?
"Nonsense."
"Adults must fulfill their responsibilities."
"We've already dealt them a significant blow. Even if it means death, we must fight to the end."
"For the sake of future battles."
"Hmph? You're withdrawing troops when we should be fighting together? You dare underestimate me!"
Thump!
The ground trembled with each furious step he took.
But there was no more hesitation.
Everyone, like the Branch Head, seemed to have accepted death, glaring defiantly at Jang Hongsik and raising their swords.
As they steeled their resolve to face death without fear, Zhuge Cheong noticed a faint cloud of dust rising in the distance.
Something was approaching.
Could it be...?
Though the night grew darker, the snow-white robes shimmering under the moonlight were unmistakable.
The moment he realized the youth's identity, a smile involuntarily crept across his face.
"Is this... laughter?"
Jang Hongsik, who had been glaring at Zhuge Cheong's smile, suddenly flinched and whipped his head around.
What's this now? A strange presence. I can't explain it, but a chill ran down my spine. What is that bastard?
Whoosh!
The youth soared high above the Honyeon Faction's warriors and landed gracefully on the ground.
His handsome features and the blood-tinged snow-white martial robes, shimmering under the clear moonlight, exuded an eerie aura that instantly captivated everyone's attention.
But then...
"Fuck, I almost died sprinting here. I'm out of breath as hell."
"..."
The barrage of curses and grumbling instantly shattered the fleeting admiration Zhuge Cheong had felt.
But...
"Munhyeon."
"You've worked hard."
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
"Who, me? Don't be ridiculous. Anyway, the damage is extensive."
"I'm sorry. I couldn't hold out longer."
"What are you apologizing for? You did well enough."
Despite the dire circumstances, Zhuge Cheong felt his tension strangely easing as Munhyeon casually inquired about his well-being.
So what if his tone is rough? The more painful the situation, the more precious a helping hand becomes.
And...
"You, Jang Hongsik?"
Turning around, Zhuge Munhyeon gestured arrogantly with his chin, provoking Jang Hongsik.
It was as if he were asking, "Did you beat up our kids?"
📝 Translator’s Note:
You may notice that certain lines or phrases in this novel appear both in their original Korean (or Hanja) form and in English translation.
This is intentional — these phrases are classical idioms, divine titles, or poetic expressions that carry layered meanings.
To preserve their original tone and authenticity, the raw text has been kept for reference, while the English interpretation is provided right before or after it. This helps convey both the literal and cultural nuance of the original work.
but if you guys dont want tha raw for future chapters or my future other novels u can just text me on discord and say so discord name Mr.Penny