Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Special Abilities (2)
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'Runs well.'
Seol and Hyang were keeping up nicely.
Even after suffering all day in the middle of the battlefield, they showed no signs of fatigue. If anything, they seemed more composed and vibrant. It looked like their internal energy cultivation was better than expected.
They covered quite a distance.
One of the Fatebreaker Squad warriors running alongside issued a quiet warning.
"Left front, expert."
Jung Gwang sensed it too.
A powerful aura was emanating.
It wasn't a swordsman. It wasn't a sharply honed energy wave, but a heavy, pressing one.
That meant it wasn't the White Sword Heavenly Demon. Still, no room for carelessness. Peak experts could unleash their presence at will. He couldn't assume the aura he felt now was their full power.
'No way...!'
The appearance of just one White Sword Heavenly Demon had already deviated from the norm.
He'd heard there was also a silver-rank expert. That alone would make it a top-tier incident for the past few months. Limited to Shaanxi, such events were unheard of in a year. Another such expert showing up was definitely suspicious. But he couldn't rule it out entirely. The entire Taiyuan Prefecture metropolis had already become an unpredictable warzone. He had to prepare for the worst.
"Go around!"
Pride in the Fatebreaker Squad was separate from sound judgment of the situation.
That was how escorts operated.
In combat, it was right to charge in overwhelmingly strong enough to prevent any counter. But during escort duty, the best strategy was to avoid direct confrontation with the enemy altogether.
They thoroughly skirted the danger. The problem was that if they sensed it, the other side surely did too. All he could hope was that it wasn't an enemy and wouldn't pursue.
'Good.'
Soon, they distanced themselves from the powerful expert.
Whatever it was, it didn't seem inclined to chase right away.
As they ran, something odd entered his senses.
'Something's there.'
Not strong ones. But strange. An extremely bizarre sensation.
The other Fatebreaker Squad warriors hadn't noticed yet. Only Jung Gwang, the most skilled, picked it up.
'Detour again?'
He hesitated for a moment.
The position was awkward. Too close to bypass easily. Going all the way around brought the earlier expert to mind.
Rustle!
While he pondered, they moved first.
Fast.
"Approaching!"
The Fatebreaker Squad warriors sensed them too. These ones were off. Fundamentally different from the other warriors swarming the forest.
Crash! Rustle!
Leaves showered down.
Three of them. Bursting through the woods—two from above, one from below.
"Eek!"
"Ah!"
Seol and Hyang, who had been quietly keeping pace until now, let out sharp cries. Muffled as much as possible, but close to screams.
It was understandable.
Even Jung Gwang was startled, so they must have been more so.
What dropped thudding from the trees were two skulls. Another burst from the underbrush.
More precisely, people wearing skull masks. They wielded long, awl-like bizarre weapons.
Jung Gwang moved first.
His halberd slashed diagonally, tearing the air.
Whoosh! Clang!!
It clashed with the steel awl.
The skull-masked figure's body flew back limply. The feedback in his hands felt wrong. No rebound. Like a puppet with cut strings, it crumpled and rolled grotesquely.
Whirr! Clang!
The other two skull masks were the same.
With two slashes of his halberd, both flew far back.
One slammed into a tree, but instead of a thud, it slid slickly. It seemed embedded, then spun and smoothly righted itself.
'Yoga Miraculous Art?'
The first technique that came to mind.
Empty, so no impact. Void on void. Void had many interpretations, but here it was clear: deflection. And it had easily dissipated his substantial force. Similar to the traits of the Yoga Miraculous Art.
Jung Gwang pressed forward.
He should. He had to.
Drive them off. To put distance between them and the protectees.
Diagonal slashes crossed into an X. Two swings looked like one, they were so fast.
Clang!
The two skull masks leaped back.
Still no solid feel. Almost like sorcery.
The masks seemed real skulls. Too intricate for disposable coverings. The eye sockets looked pitch-black voids, but on closer look, finely woven silk covered them. No eye glint visible. All three wore black uniforms, all skin and bones.
'Where did these come from!'
Completely new foes.
More enemies popping up wasn't good. Far from it.
'What are they?'
Jung Gwang had never heard of such types. The intelligence unit might know, but he couldn't recall anything similar. With that appearance, rumors would have spread far. Truly bizarre. Too skilled for some twisted hobby.
He poured full internal energy into his grip on the halberd. Let's see if void works forever. Overwhelm them with force they can't deflect, and their substance will show. With that thought, he advanced.
Slash!
The air-cutting sound changed. The power in the halberd surged fiercer.
Zing!
The awl clash sounded different. The skull mask rolled on the ground. Not as fluid as before. Grass and dirt sprayed in the pitch dark.
That was when it happened.
Swoosh!
A whoosh cut the air.
'Hidden weapon!'
Incredibly fast. Jung Gwang couldn't even step into the North Heaven Step's evasion before instinctively leaping up.
Something needle-sharp whistled just under his feet.
"Hidden weapon! Cross defense!"
Jung Gwang called the formation.
The Fatebreaker Squad warriors had already surrounded Seol and Hyang from four sides, locking into defensive stances.
The crossed halberds looked as solid as thick shields.
But the hidden weapons were even stealthier.
Swoosh! Another flew in. Not just one. Jung Gwang felt another coming silently after the whoosh.
'Danger!'
Clang!
He swung his halberd down to block.
This hidden weapon's force wasn't void. Solid, densely packed solid. Blocking one pushed his halberd back five inches. Nearly sliced his own thigh on the blade.
The second's trajectory was terrifyingly precise. It curved mid-flight after arcing.
No sound. Blinding speed.
"Urk!"
Not Jung Gwang this time. A groan from behind, as feared.
He saw one Fatebreaker Squad warrior clutching his side, doubling over. His right abdomen stained red in an instant.
"Deputy Leader!"
"Leader, careful! Poison!"
He shouted to Jung Gwang.
The remaining Fatebreaker Squad warriors didn't panic despite their comrade hit. They pulled him toward the center with Seol and Hyang, then swiftly formed a triangular defense. They positioned flawlessly, practiced to perfection. Young, but quick decisions. Fruits of rigorous training.
'This is bad.'
Jung Gwang halted his advance.
One Fatebreaker Squad member slumped uselessly.
Deputy Leader Paeng Deungju mentioned poison. Two years Jung Gwang's junior, Deungju brimmed with grit, tenacity, and stubbornness. For such a man to sit cross-legged channeling energy instead of standing—it meant deadly poison.
"Fire the golden signal. Red and black tails."
Jung Gwang ordered.
One Fatebreaker Squad warrior instantly drew a small bow from his bosom and loosed an arrow into the night sky. Golden arrowhead, with red and black streamers fluttering below the fletching.
Next, a direct warning.
"Daring to use hidden weapons against the Hebei Paeng Clan's Fatebreaker Squad! Have no fear of repercussions?"
Infused with internal energy, he bellowed.
A gamble and a risky move.
This shout would carry through the entire forest. A race against time. The golden signal up, the three separate Fatebreaker Squad members would come soon, and with luck, even Justice Squad warriors. Enemy first or allies first.
Jung Gwang thrust his halberd straight, staring ahead.
The three skull masks didn't charge, milling about warily. Instead of their silent forms, another voice rang out.
"Hohohoho! Do the Six Great Families practice their roars together? All blustering about repercussions! So mindless!"
Unexpectedly, a woman's voice.
High-pitched with a seductive妖氣 laced in.
The woods parted. A woman in black lightweight combat attire appeared.
"Which sect's witch are you?"
"Oh? Witch? On first meeting?"
She feigned surprise, covering her mouth with her hand.
Her voice evoked plump, moving red lips, but behind the hand—no lips. Just teeth sans lips and gums.
Witch fit perfectly.
She wore a skull mask too. How could a skull be pretty? Yet it oddly evoked a beauty.
The round, slender facial bones gleamed with jade-like luster, whatever they were made of. Add flesh to that bone structure, and it'd be a stunning face. Making it all the more妖艶 and dangerous.
"I asked. Can you handle facing the Hebei Paeng Clan?"
"Same question twice? And isn't it a bit late? I've already acted. Knew you were Hebei Paeng Clan swordsmen ages ago. Hohohoho."
She laughed again.
Her slightly swaying figure brimmed with allure.
The skull mask reached right under her chin.
Below, a slender neck connected. Hair tied back, glossy as ebony.
Her exposed collarbones and low-cut lightweight attire revealed ample cleavage. Limbs slim, but breasts and hips curved generously. The form-fitting outfit clung tight, with patches of bare skin exposed.
Even a brothel courtesan wouldn't wear something so revealing. A woman in such garb on a battlefield screamed insanity. Looking insane in the jianghu meant邪道. Undoubtedly from some heinous unorthodox faction.
"What's the purpose of blocking us."
"Hmm? From your voice and face, I thought you were hot-blooded, but you're calmer than expected? Maybe we can talk!"
She approached.
Long skirt parting to reveal sleek bare legs. Her gait swayed breast and hip curves softly. Appearance to mesmerize, silent poisoned hidden weapons to kill. Jung Gwang kept his gaze fixed, staring straight at her true nature.
"You showed yourself for a reason. State your purpose."
"You."
"What?"
"I like men like you. Strong, upright, ambitious too. Types like that usually think they're always right. So they can become plenty bad. Bad men have charm."
"Enough nonsense."
Jung Gwang didn't budge.
A honey trap, he thought. No. Something even more potent.
Her voice was bewitching.