The Madman's Charge
Retreat was the last thing on anyone’s mind in that hair-trigger moment—action came before words. Paah-!
“What the—?!”
Before Yoo Seongho could even finish his startled exclamation, I had already launched myself toward the middle-aged swordsman. In one fluid motion, I deflected every sword strike raining down from all sides. Chwaak-!
The moment I sent Jeonryong Nogun’s subordinates’ attacks scattering, they stared at me with dazed expressions. Even Jeonryong Nogun himself—their leader—could only gape in stunned silence.
After a few breaths, he seemed to regain his composure. Tilting his head, he asked, “...Who are you? I’ve never seen you around these parts.”
“Eun Haseong of the Mount Hua Sect.”
“...Eun Haseong?”
Jeonryong Nogun mulled over the name, his brow furrowed in thought. Then his eyes lit up. He clapped his hands once and exclaimed, “Ah! The prodigy from Mount Hua that my elder brother mentioned!”
“You know of me?”
“Of course. Even if I didn’t know the Shadow Blade Captain, the Thunder Sword Dragon is famous even in our camp.”
“Then there’s no need to keep talking.”
Words were unnecessary. I slowly raised my sword. The reaction was immediate.
“...What do you think you’re doing?”
“Can’t you tell?”
“You’re not seriously suggesting we fight here?”
“What else would it be?”
Jeonryong Nogun’s voice was thick with disbelief. “This guy’s completely insane...”
Before he could finish, hidden weapons poured down from every direction. Shuuk-!
“Kuh...! I don’t know who you are, but run—!”
The middle-aged swordsman’s desperate shout rang beside me, but I paid it no mind. Instead, I recalled an old lesson.
‘If you can turn the enemy’s attack against them...’
No matter how powerful the strike, if you could counter it, nothing was impossible.
Chajajajak-!
I dropped low, using the rebound to spin through the air. The assassins’ own projectiles came flying back at them.
“Kuhk!”
“Kek!”
One after another, they collapsed where they stood. From a distance, I heard Jeonryong Nogun mutter in shock, “What in the world...?”
I didn’t bother answering. Mid-spin, I snatched one of the projectiles whistling past my ear and hurled it straight at him. Shuuk-!
“Hmph.”
As expected of a master, he caught it effortlessly between two fingers before it could reach him. Watching the movement, I thought, ‘He really is a Transcendence-level expert.’
Perhaps the rumors calling him the second-in-command of Tuma’s forces weren’t exaggerated after all.
Just then—
“Junior brother, you alright?”
“Are your limbs still attached, at least?”
Mu Yeong and Yoo Seongho’s voices reached me. Only then did I notice they had moved closer. I grinned.
“Do I look like I’m not?”
“Good. I was worried for a second.”
After that brief exchange with Mu Yeong, my gaze shifted back to Jeonryong Nogun standing at a distance. My voice turned cold.
“Still after the Hao Clan Lord’s daughter?”
“...Haha. You’re a funny one. Since when does a Mount Hua disciple stick his nose into our unorthodox faction’s business?”
“Why? Am I not allowed to?”
Jeonryong Nogun’s face twisted. “A righteous sect’s rising star going this far to protect someone from the Hao Clan—no, the unorthodox side—is laughable.”
“Then how much effort are you putting in just to have your way with one Hao Clan girl?”
“...”
“Trying to rape a single child and making this much of a scene is what I find hard to understand.”
His expression darkened into something vicious. “...Your logic makes no sense.”
“Did it ever make sense when you divided the world into orthodox and unorthodox?”
Chak. I gathered my qi through Nakseong. Then I shot forward. Paah-!
Jeonryong Nogun’s eyes widened at the blinding speed. Before he could react, I severed the necks of the two black-robed guards standing in front of him. Seogeok-
In that split second between life and death, I saw him discard his fan and grip his throwing daggers in reverse.
‘He’s coming at me like a wildfire.’
Smiling wryly, I met his strike head-on. Kwaang-!
A thunderous crash echoed as dust billowed upward.
“...Did he die?”
Jeonryong Nogun’s doubtful shout barely left his lips before Mu Yeong and Yoo Seongho’s combined assault crashed into him. Chwajwajak-
Mu Yeong, clearly enjoying himself, laughed as he swung his sword like a raging storm. Yoo Seongho, still tense, pressed every opening he could find.
“Kuk...!”
Forced to face two powerful opponents at once, Jeonryong Nogun had no choice but to retreat. I used the opening to catch my breath.
“Kkeung.”
‘My side’s throbbing.’
Ptoo. I spat blood-tinged saliva onto the ground. Meanwhile, the remaining black-robed assassins charged at me again. I raised Nakseong once more and began the sword dance.
‘Plum Blossom Ten-Thousand Li Fragrance.’
The scent of plum blossoms spread through the air as another massacre unfolded. The first-class assassins couldn’t withstand my relentless strikes.
“Retreat... Retreat!”
Realizing he couldn’t win, Jeonryong Nogun gave the order. While barely holding off Mu Yeong and Yoo Seongho, he chose to withdraw and call for reinforcements.
As his forces began pulling out of Bulgwi Valley, Mu Yeong asked, “Should I go after them?”
“No, senior brother. Let’s end it here for now.”
“Got it.”
I glanced at the blood and corpses littering the ground, then answered. Mu Yeong nodded. Yoo Seongho let out a long, shaky breath.
“Huu. I thought I was dead for sure.”
“...Why?”
“Jeonryong Nogun is one of the strongest masters in the unorthodox factions—maybe even the entire jianghu. Fighting someone like that... it still doesn’t feel real.”
“We fight masters like that every day. What’s the big deal?” Mu Yeong said casually. I nodded in agreement.
“Can’t argue with that.”
“It just proves how monstrous our master and Mugyeong Gakju’s strength really is.”
Mu Yeong groaned and shook his head, as if recalling all their past hardships. I gave him a bitter smile and turned away.
Drip. Drip.
Blood fell from the tip of my sword in steady drops.
“...Are you alright?”
“Y-You are...”
I exhaled and looked at the middle-aged swordsman, who still wore an expression of utter disbelief. He couldn’t seem to process what he had just witnessed from me, Mu Yeong, and Yoo Seongho.
‘Though, I suppose it’s understandable. Even the Seven Dragons—the top talents of this era—wouldn’t have displayed this level of skill at this point in time.’
I shrugged. It didn’t really matter anyway.
At that moment, the middle-aged man asked in a trembling voice, “C-Could it be... are you a supreme master who has achieved banrohwandong?”
“...What?”
When I responded with confusion, he bowed deeply, as if convinced. “Thank you for saving me, great hero!”
“No, I think there’s been a misunderstanding.”
“What...?”
“We’re just late-stage disciples of the Mount Hua and Jongnam Sects.”
“Late-stage disciples...?”
The man’s gaze toward the three of us turned strange, as though he had seen something he shouldn’t have. He looked like he couldn’t decide whether to believe us.
Then Mu Yeong delivered the final blow. “I am Mu Yeong, the great disciple of Mount Hua. My junior brother here is the same. And this man beside me is Yoo Seongho of the Jongnam Sect.”