The Cleanup Begins
Muk Bi’s entry into the battle was perfectly timed.
Thwack! Thud-thud-thud! Thud-thud!
Every time she drew the bowstring of the Hongryeon Palace, the Shinwha soldiers collapsed without even a scream.
One shot, one kill.
Each time an iron arrow sliced through the air, one Shinwha soldier’s life was taken without fail.
It could not be otherwise. The arrows pierced not chests or stomachs, but precisely between the eyes. No matter how strong their vitality, once the brain was destroyed, recovery was impossible.
Seok Gyeong was utterly flustered. “An archer?!”
Before facing the enemy, he had sensed two or three presences and felt uncertain. But once the fight began, he had no time to dwell on it. The aura Yeon Hojeong radiated pierced the heavens, while the aura Dang Gwan emanated was as insidious and deep as hellish smoke.
Overwhelmed by the clashing, crushing auras and the frenzied battle, he had completely overlooked the presence of an archer.
Only now did Seok Gyeong realize the truth. “These people aren’t simply targeting us.”
Their coordination was flawless, their tactics ruthlessly efficient. Even while fighting for their lives with just the two of them, they had withheld such a formidable archer until the decisive moment. Their caution was extraordinary.
“Did Gyu Jeok inform them about us? Even if that were true, to conduct a battle this boldly yet meticulously…”
Seok Gyeong’s eyes flashed. “These bastards don’t just know about our sect. They must also be aware of the remaining two sects.”
If that was the case… “The main base is in danger!”
That he could reach such a conclusion from the mere appearance of an archer proved Seok Gyeong’s mind was no ordinary one.
Seok Gyeong shouted, “Everyone fall back! We return to the main base immediately!”
Yeon Hojeong frowned at the words.
Dang Gwan asked, “Return to the main base? Suddenly?”
“I’ve realized something.”
“What?”
“They know we’re targeting all of them. They’ve realized that other forces—your father and Moyong Gun—are aiming for the main base.”
Dang Gwan’s gaze turned grim. “We can’t let them go.”
“Of course not.”
Whoosh!
The two men charged at Seok Gyeong and the remaining sixty-odd Shinwha soldiers with everything they had. Yet the enemy’s retreat was astonishingly swift.
A temporary withdrawal and a full retreat to the main base were worlds apart. Though Dang Gwan and Muk Bi kept hurling hidden weapons and arrows, Seok Gyeong’s defense from the rear was ironclad, minimizing their losses.
“No choice, then.”
A determined light flashed in Dang Gwan’s eyes. The extreme expenditure of inner energy might leave him unable to fight for a while. But there was no other way. If these men reached the main base, everything would fall apart. Dang Gwan valued the complete annihilation of the enemy far more than his own pride.
“It’s a bit awkward to show this to that bastard, but…”
There was no helping it. This one strike was the only way to completely cut off their escape.
Just then—
“It’s all right.”
“……?!”
“You don’t need to push yourself.”
Dang Gwan’s eyes wavered. “This brat… does he know?”
Did he know what technique Dang Gwan was about to unleash?
Of course Yeon Hojeong knew. But for Dang Gwan’s sake, he pretended ignorance.
“It seems you were planning to reveal a secret technique you’ve kept hidden from the world. There’s no need.”
“……Why?”
“Can’t you hear it?”
“What?”
Yeon Hojeong smiled. Though his face was pale from the severe inner energy drain, his eyes shone brilliantly.
“They’ve arrived right on time. Our allies.”
At that moment, Dang Gwan’s ears perked up.
Thud-thud-thud-thud.
The sound of galloping hooves echoed from afar. The number was not large, but each horse sounded like a legendary steed. The speed at which they thundered across the earth was truly remarkable.
Yeon Hojeong muttered under his breath, “Those damn bastards. They should’ve come sooner instead of making my heart race like this.”
Whoosh!
Muk Bi, who had been shooting arrows while clinging to the cliffside, descended to Yeon Hojeong’s side.
“They’re here.”
“Yeah. They’re here.”
Yeon Hojeong gazed beyond the retreating Shinwha soldiers. At the end of the narrow path flanked by cliffs on both sides, a thick cloud of dust rose.
“All right, let’s squeeze out every last bit of strength!”
Whoosh!
The three of them charged forward with terrifying momentum.
“What now?”
Seok Gyeong, puzzled by the lack of attacks from the rear, was startled by the trembling earth and looked ahead.
“Aaaaargh!”
Fifty cavalrymen charged forward with battle cries. They formed an encirclement as if they had known the situation all along, their momentum like an enraged wave.
“Who the hell are those bastards now?!”
“Who do you think?”
Whoosh!
The Mad Dragon Axe flew at incredible speed, wreathed in the aura of the Vermilion Bird.
BOOM!
Seok Gyeong’s face twisted. The power of the Mad Dragon Axe, which had created a wheel of fire as it flew, nearly snapped both his arms.
Whoosh!
Yeon Hojeong leapt into the air, caught the Mad Dragon Axe again, and raised it high above his head.
“They’re my subordinates.”
Yeon Hojeong brought the Mad Dragon Axe crashing down toward the earth.
CRASH!
The strike, unleashing the fiery gales of the Vermilion Bird and White Tiger, the twin dragons of red and white, shattered the ground in a wide radius, sending chunks of earth flying. The fissures reached past Seok Gyeong all the way to the feet of the Shinwha soldiers.
The sixty-odd Shinwha soldiers staggered, momentarily losing their balance.
At that exact moment, the Myeolsa Army struck.
“Kill them all!”
“Uwaaaaargh!”
Rumble!
The Myeolsa Army’s advance, sealing off the entrance and pouring in, carried devastating destructive power.
Despair surfaced on Seok Gyeong’s face.
Flash! Thud!
A hidden blade embedded itself in his shoulder. It was one Dang Gwan had thrown.
Sizzle!
Seok Gyeong evaporated the bone-melting poison that had begun to seep into his skin. But that brief moment of inner energy circulation disrupted his footwork.
Muk Bi calmly drew her bowstring.
Thwip-thwip-thwip-thwip! Thud!
Four arrows struck two Shinwha soldiers, and one arrow pierced Seok Gyeong’s thigh.
Dang Gwan sprinted forward, passing Muk Bi in an instant.
With a single short remark—
“Not bad.”
Flash!
Dang Gwan approached like lightning, twisting mid-air, and unleashed a double palm strike into Seok Gyeong’s chest.
Boom-boom-boom!
“Kuhak!”
Spitting blood, Seok Gyeong collapsed among the Shinwha soldiers.
Boom! Crash!
At the front, the Myeolsa Army pressed forward with the Three Killings Formation, while from the rear, Dang Gwan and Muk Bi unleashed a frenzy of hidden weapons and arrows.
Seok Gyeong, who had fallen and been trampled by the Shinwha soldiers’ feet, barely regained his senses and stood up. “……!!”
For a moment, he felt as if the world had gone dark. He looked up at the sky.
There, a black-armored killer wielding a massive axe was charging straight at him.
“Your little fire games are over, you bastards.”
The Mad Dragon Axe came crashing down toward Seok Gyeong’s head.
BOOM!
* * *
“It’s almost been an hour, as you said.”
“Wait a little longer.”
Moyong Gun remained calm. Time was on their side. Even now, Yeo Sang-do’s intelligence network was deceiving the eyes of the Shinwha Sect’s experts.
But there was nothing to gain by wasting more time. In other words, launching the surprise attack as soon as possible was advantageous for them as well.
“Still not here?”
A flicker of impatience crossed Moyong Gun’s face. “We need to arrive before dawn at the latest. No matter how much one enhances their vision with inner energy, the difference between night and day is stark. We must end the fight before the sun rises, without fail.”
Just then—
Thud-thud-thud.
The sound of vigorous hoofbeats echoed from afar.
Surprise spread across Yeon Wi’s face, while a hint of joy appeared on Moyong Woo’s.
Moyong Gun let out a quiet sigh of relief.
“They’ve arrived right on time.”
Neigh!
The horse’s cry was truly majestic.
Yeon Wi shouted in an excited voice, “Hojeong!”
Yeon Hojeong, riding at the front, smiled and waved his hand.
“Cutting it a bit close, wasn’t it?”
“How did you get here…?!”
Moyong Gun spoke. “I told you. Our allies would bring the goods.”
“That was Hojeong and the Myeolsa Army?”
“Indeed. Two days ago, after the battle ended, I received word that they would head straight here. Given the numbers involved, I thought it better to entrust it to that fellow.”
“Hah!”
Whoosh!
Dang Gwan kicked off his stirrups and flew through the air, landing before the two men in a single bound.
“It’s been a while.”
“Patriarch Dang.”
Dang Gwan glanced at Moyong Gun and snorted. Moyong Gun pretended not to notice.
Yeon Wi asked, “How did the battle go?”
“Can’t you tell just by seeing us here? We wiped them all out on our way here.”
Yeon Wi’s expression brightened. “You’ve worked hard. Truly, you’ve done so much.”
“Hmph! It wasn’t that much work.”
Dang Gwan turned to look at Yeon Hojeong.
“That fox-like bastard used his head so well that we barely had to lift a finger.”
Yeon Hojeong clicked his tongue as he dismounted.
“Thanks to that, I nearly died. Did you know I almost passed out from exhaustion in the middle?”
“Shut up, you rude brat.”
Yeon Wi approached Yeon Hojeong and Muk Bi.
“You’ve both worked hard.”
The deep relief on Yeon Wi’s face as he held and shook the hands of the children he regarded as his own was unmistakable.
No grand praise or lengthy words were needed. That single expression alone conveyed how much Yeon Wi had worried during their absence.
“What about Bi-a? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No.”
Muk Bi spoke shyly. “I only provided support fire from the rear. Yeon Gongja did all the hard work.”
Yeon Wi chuckled. “This fellow moves so recklessly, after all. He must have charged straight into the front lines again.”
Yeon Hojeong scratched his head. “How did you know? Well, that’s how I always do things.”
“You little rascal. So, can you still fight?”
“Of course. I circulated my energy on the way here. I can at least lend a hand.”
“Good. Don’t overdo it.”
“Understood.”
After finishing his conversation, Yeon Hojeong approached Moyong Gun.
Moyong Gun looked Yeon Hojeong up and down and snorted. “If you’re in that state, the enemy’s condition must be obvious without even looking. You’ve turned them into minced meat, haven’t you?”
“That’s the least I could do if I wanted them dead.”
At that moment, Dang Gwan sneered. “That bastard’s funny too. I wondered why he didn’t warn us earlier that those guys don’t die easily, but it turns out he didn’t even know himself.”
Yeon Hojeong made an awkward face. “I really didn’t know. I actually thought at first why the Patriarch was killing them so brutally.”
“Even without knowing that, the fact that you tore that Gyu Jeok bastard to pieces makes you quite the madman yourself.”
Just then, Moyong Gun spoke. “Let’s stop the chatter. Isn’t it time we began the battle?”
He turned to Yeon Hojeong. “Did you bring everything?”
“Of course.”
Yeon Hojeong looked at the Myeolsa Army. The soldiers each pulled out three or four golden pouches from their waists.
A cruel smile spread across Moyong Gun’s face. “Excellent. Shall we get going?”
“Let’s.”
One gak later.
Sixty-odd experts surrounding the Shinwha Sect’s main base lit the golden pouches on fire.
Whoosh!
A single iron arrow shot high into the sky.
That was the signal. Everyone holding a golden pouch hurled the now-smoking bags toward any place where signs of life could be detected.
A moment later—
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM! BOOM-BOOM!
With a tremendous explosion, dozens of buildings burst apart as if detonated.
“Aaaaargh!”
“Aaaah!”
Terrifying screams echoed through the surroundings. They were the screams of the Shinwha Sect’s experts and soldiers.
At that moment, Moyong Woo’s resounding voice cut across the heavens.
“Don’t let a single one of them live!”
Rumble!
The five hundred elite soldiers of the Tangma Army charged forward with terrifying momentum.