Time of Resurrection (2)
Thud!Crack!
The tree that the rebounding force struck snapped at its base and toppled over. This wasn't even a full-powered strike from Yeon Hojeong—it was merely the weakened aftermath of a blow that had been blocked and deflected. Yet even that was enough to shatter the tree. It spoke volumes about the lethal techniques flying around in this battle.
Yeon Hojeong swiftly raised his hand and slapped upward with the back of it.
Bam!
The straight-flying Hyeop Bong Sword was flung away at terrifying speed. A massive opening appeared before his eyes. Yeon Hojeong didn't miss it.
Whoosh!
His piercing hand strike shot forward at ferocious speed, impaling a Sa-hon Squad member's throat.
Splat!
From the fingertips that had pierced the throat, strands of twisting silk energy unraveled like threads. The Sa-hon Squad member collapsed on the spot.
At the same moment, Yeon Hojeong realized this strike had been a trap.
'Tch.'
Whish whish whish!
Hyeop Bong Swords came flying at him from all directions. Not just front, back, left, and right, but from above and below as well—there was nowhere to dodge.
'Willing to die just to use himself as bait, huh?'
Yeon Hojeong slammed his palm toward the ground. It was the Yeon family's secret technique, the Anti-Dragon Palm.
Boom!
The earth trembled, and the sword paths of the incoming Hyeop Bong Swords wavered ever so slightly. That minuscule gap was the best escape route from the sword barrage.
Yeon Hojeong's hands moved in an inexplicable pattern.
Thwack thwack!Riiip!
He whipped the sword blades aside and broke through. His Blood Wind Robe tore in several places. A split-second slower, and his torso would have been riddled with holes.
It was a hair-raising moment.
"Hoo."
Yeon Hojeong exhaled lightly and scanned his surroundings.
"Damn it all."
Half a shi chen had already passed since the fight began. In that time, he'd only killed twelve Sa-hon Squad members. Eighteen elite warriors still remained.
'A first.'
After regressing, he'd cultivated his martial arts at a frightening pace. But the world was still full of those stronger than him. There were plenty stronger, but not a single one matched their real-battle prowess and superhuman ability to exploit weaknesses.
That was Yeon Hojeong's greatest weapon.
His battle sense had been honed through countless fights, but his knack for piercing enemy weaknesses was almost innate. Those two gifts had forged him into the ultimate fighter.
That was why, in all his kill-or-be-killed battles, he'd never failed to end things quickly.
Until now?
'These bastards...'
The Sa-hon Squad members crouched low, fixated on Yeon Hojeong, but they never attacked first. Out of fear? Hardly.
The Sa-hon Squad reacted to their target's movements. And for whatever heart method they cultivated, they recovered their depleted true energy at an astonishing rate with just a moment to catch their breath.
And it didn't end there.
Whoosh!
Yeon Hojeong charged straight at them at ferocious speed, then abruptly changed direction.
Boom!
The leaf-strewn ground exploded. In an instant, he'd swung his leg at the squad member at the far right edge.
Kaboom!
The Sa-hon Squad's reaction was lightning-fast. It was a kick powerful enough to trigger an energy explosion. He outpaced them in speed long before raw power. Yet they blocked it. In that brief moment, three members clinging to the target had dispersed the shockwave of the kick.
'Energy pulverization. They're not just evasive—their defense is exceptionally solid.'
Yeon Hojeong swung his twin fists.
Papapapang!Splat!
Eight strikes landed, but only one connected. Even that merely smashed a shoulder—not the face or chest.
Normally, the neck would have snapped or the ribs shattered. He'd have followed up by blurring their vision and picking them off one by one.
'Proficient in real combat.'
Riiiip!
The tip of a Hyeop Bong Sword tore a long gash in the hem of his Blood Wind Robe.
'And their attacks are needle-sharp.'
Yeon Hojeong's body spun rapidly, whipping up a white gale.
Rumble!
The splendidly scattering White Tiger Qi turned into a razor wind that assaulted the Sa-hon Squad. It wasn't a fist or kick strike, but an energy wave propelled by inner arts. It consumed a lot of energy but allowed all-around attacks.
Whish whish whish!
All the Sa-hon Squad members retreated. They'd mastered peerless defensive techniques, yet Yeon Hojeong's martial arts were too threatening.
In the history of the Sa-hon Squad, never had so many members fallen. Just as Yeon Hojeong's life had never featured foes like these, the squad had never faced a threat like him.
Pop!Crunch crunch!
The battleground was now an open clearing. With no obstructions, the moonlight illuminated everything even brighter.
"Hoo."
Yeon Hojeong exhaled lightly, his eyes gleaming.
'Gang Ryang should have linked up by now.'
The Sa-hon Squad's abilities were nothing short of extraordinary. But Yeon Hojeong hadn't gone all-out either.
The goal of this fight wasn't to annihilate the enemy—it was to pin their attention on him and buy time for his allies to escape. No need to get overheated.
That was why he could afford to stay composed even after half a shi chen of close combat.
'Just drag it out. Half a shi chen more. Then I head north, and it's over...'
That was when it happened.
Screee!
One Sa-hon Squad member blew a small horn flute. It wasn't loud, but the sound was piercingly sharp. Without raising his inner energy in time, he might have lost his hearing momentarily. An eerie noise.
Yeon Hojeong's face hardened.
Hummmm.
Maximizing Bi-ra Jin-gyeol, he expanded his senses. From the distant east, a group was approaching at high speed.
"...Hey, this is a bit much, don't you think?"
Another Sa-hon Squad summons. They'd realized they couldn't finish him alone.
'Damn it, didn't see this coming.'
No reinforcements had joined after nearly half a shi chen of fighting. Not even the Cham Baek Squad pursuing his group was detectable. Yeon Hojeong had naturally assumed dealing with these alone would end it.
But he'd miscalculated. Not the Cham Baek Squad, but another full Sa-hon Squad of the same size.
'No choice now.'
Whoooosh.
The low wind made his Blood Wind Robe flutter. Sensing the ominous aura, tension filled the Sa-hon Squad's eyes.
"Things are about to heat up."
Red-white light blazed in Yeon Hojeong's eyes.
Whoosh!
Unlike the stable Bi-ra Jin-gyeol-powered Azure Dragon Cloud Step, this had different elasticity and speed. Accepting massive inner energy drain, wings of the Vermilion Bird finally sprouted at his feet.
Kaboom!
Fearsome power. Following the path of the Hong Yeom Yuk Sal Gong's One Wing Flying Kill, his single palm strike crushed one Sa-hon Squad member's collarbone flat.
"Kuh!"
A pained groan escaped the member's lips. Suddenly having his collarbone shattered without warning—anyone would react.
Yeon Hojeong's eyes flashed.
Crack!Snap!Splat!
His mid-level hand blade shattered ribs, a left knee strike pulverized the hip joint, and a half-palm to the jaw crushed the jawbone. Speeds on another level entirely. The Sa-hon Squad member died without even assuming a defensive stance.
The flustered squad members swung their Hyeop Bong Swords in unison.
In that instant, Yeon Hojeong's body undulated like rippling water.
Whoooosh.
Heavy, deliberate movements. Yet in a blink, he'd passed them and taken their rear. It was the Black Tortoise Art's Strange Pillar Immovable.
Not just Vermilion Bird and White Tiger had changed with the Azure Dragon Qi. The body strain vanished instantly, allowing heavy steps to deflect attacks.
The panicked squad members whirled around. Too late.
Resolved to wipe them out before reinforcements arrived, Yeon Hojeong had become a monstrous freak with innate battle sense, weakness-piercing eyes, freakish speed, and infinite destructive power.
His left leg lashed left and right at incredible speed.
Pumpumpum!
A kick harnessing true energy explosions and leg-spring tension. Enveloped in White Tiger fangs, five Sa-hon Squad members vomited blood and collapsed on the spot.
Monstrous power. They couldn't pulverize the energy even if they wanted to. Beyond strength, the speed was from another dimension—they couldn't even react properly.
'Hup.'
Of course, Yeon Hojeong wasn't unscathed. Excluding Azure Dragon Qi, he was explosively deploying the other three divine energies. Wasting power to end it quickly, his inner energy and stamina drained rapidly.
Whoosh!
They wouldn't just take it. Their sword strikes seemed to declare as much. A skewer-like thrust pierced Yeon Hojeong's robe clean through.
Stab!
The Sa-hon Squad members' faces froze.
'No body?!'
The baggy Blood Wind Robe flapped in empty air. The wearer had vanished.
One shouted.
"Scatter Palm!"
Kabooooom!
Before they could pulverize the energy, a heavy blow smashed six Sa-hon Squad members into bloody pulp on the spot. It was the Black Tortoise Art's North Heaven Twelve Walls, infused with Vermilion Bird speed and White Tiger pressure.
Like dropping an impregnable fortress off a cliff, the brutal body slam reduced the six dead members' bodies to mangled chunks that flew everywhere.
"H-How?!"
Finally, groans escaped the survivors' lips. Six self-proclaimed reapers of the Sa-hon Squad dead from one body slam, without lifting a finger. Unbelievable power.
'Grit.'
Yeon Hojeong's face paled visibly. Internal injuries from overexerting his energy. Even Azure Dragon Qi's mystical power couldn't fully block the shock.
'No helping it. Two more...'
That was when it happened.
Another group registered in Yeon Hojeong's senses.
'...!!'
Joy lit his face.
Reeeeng!
Sword qi flew from the darkness on the left. The new Sa-hon Squad. They fired it at Yeon Hojeong the moment they entered the clearing.
Fire blazed in Yeon Hojeong's eyes.
Kaboom!
With the explosion, his body shot north.
"He's fleeing!"
"Catch him!"
Whoosh whoosh!
The newly reinforced Sa-hon Squad and surviving originals pursued.
Fwoosh!Fwoooosh!
Crimson flames flickered around Yeon Hojeong's body. Vermilion Bird Qi leaking outward. A sign of disrupted energy control.
Slither.
His movement technique naturally slowed. The most explosive energy brought severe aftereffects when used without restraint.
Whish whish whish!
The distance between the Sa-hon Squad and Yeon Hojeong shrank.
This was dangerous. His current inner energy and stamina couldn't handle this many foes.
Yes. His current self couldn't.
But what if he regained his true self?
What if his martial arts reached the conditions for peak power?
Whoooosh!
The eyes of the nearest Sa-hon Squad leader flashed as he ran.
'What the hell is that?'
A dark object momentarily blotted the moonlight as it flew.
'A bat?'
No. Not a bat. Bats didn't have tails that long or look that hefty.
The black object cleaved the air and descended at ferocious speed.
'...An axe?'
Then the leader heard Yeon Hojeong's voice.
"I told you not to throw it recklessly."
A voice laced with amusement. In that instant, Yeon Hojeong leaped skyward.
Thruuuud!
Leaping with all his might. He reached for the axe.
Grip.
The cold shaft sent electric tingles through his nerves. Finally, the massive axe over eighty geun—the legendary weapon called Gwangryongbu—was in his grasp.
Hovering in midair, Yeon Hojeong spun around. Eyes burning with murderous intent—the gaze of the Muryeong Alliance's top combat unit leader, the Myeol Sa Army commander.
"Kill them."
Kabooooom!
Trees and rocks shattered as fifty cavalry charged in.