Justification for Battle (2)
After racing through the forest for what felt like an eternity, Am Chil finally spotted the tree line ahead.
If I can just get past that…!
That was when it happened.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Hup!"
Boom!
Am Chil went flying from a single blow, slamming into a tree and vomiting blood. The impact was devastating given his speed. If the attacker hadn't instantly withdrawn his internal energy, his heart would have burst on the spot.
"Not bad at all. Just a regular squad member, yet your level's impressive. As expected from a prestigious clan, huh?"
"Cough!"
Am Chil spat out a ragged cough and asked in a trembling voice, "W-Who the hell are you?!"
"Me?" Gadeuksang grinned. "Just a street sweeper, you bastard."
He swung his foot.
Crack!
Am Chil took a hit to the temple and blacked out instantly.
Gadeuksang looked down at him with cold eyes.
"You guys are really something else. I love sharing fun stuff, so I hope everyone in the Central Plains hears about this."
Rustle.
Two beggars with clubs appeared and hoisted Am Chil up.
"What should we do with him, Huigae?"
"What do you mean? Tie him up with the others we've caught."
"But is that okay?"
"What?"
"They're from a prestigious clan, after all…."
"So what? You want us to just take it lying down? 'Oh my, they're so strong, guess we have to endure it'? That bullshit?"
"…No, but still."
"Cut the crap and take him away."
"Yes, sir."
Huigae—Gadeuksang—was clearly pissed. The beggars hurried off with Am Chil, afraid of catching any fallout.
Gadeuksang stood there glaring at a tree for a long while before sighing.
"Damn it. That fortune teller's too damn good. Talking nonsense like 'the flow of time has shifted' and shit. Said I'd be running my ass off sweating from my feet starting this spring—and spot on."
He was furious, but not blindly emotional. If he were that simple, he never would've become Huigae.
No time. It's no different from the spies. If there's no word from the Dark Killer Squad, the Myeong Clan will take their own measures.
He wanted to blow it all up right now and call them out, but he couldn't.
The Nine Great Clans were the pinnacle of the world. Pushing with flimsy evidence could backfire spectacularly.
That would make things messy. Whether the Beggar Sect or the Yeon Clan, they'd take the brunt of public backlash. The Myeong Clan would just burrow deeper, more cautious than ever.
He needed more evidence. Enough that they couldn't touch him.
"Well, once Young Master Yeon grabs the remaining stragglers, we can figure it out then…."
That was when it happened.
…!!
Gadeuksang turned toward the east.
In the dark forest, a chilling killing intent rode the cool wind. It was all too familiar. Even though he wasn't the target, it felt like a massive beast had sunk its fangs into his nape—a bone-deep ferocity.
"…That son of a bitch!"
Whoosh!
Gadeuksang unleashed the Beggar Sect's secret technique, Ten Thousand Li Autumn Wind, his face etched with urgency.
"I said capture them, not kill them!!"
* * *
Crunch!
Rumble!
A tree exploded from the base and toppled over. Yet his speed didn't falter even as he demolished it.
A massive axe blade came whistling toward Myeong Onji's side.
Thwack!
Myeong Onji dodged with agile footwork. But she didn't stop there. The moment she evaded, she kicked off a thick branch and swung her palm at Yeon Hojeong's head.
It wasn't a killing blow. Her palm strike was meant to knock him out in one hit.
But then, Yeon Hojeong's Gwangryongbu underwent a bizarre change. It writhed like a serpent, its trajectory elastically shifting. The axe blade rose upward with terrifying menace.
Urgency flashed across Myeong Onji's face. The timing was too perfect; she couldn't retract her hand. The power behind that blade was too immense to deflect.
Thud!
She twisted her body to pull back her palm, but the sharp axe edge sliced deep into her forearm in one stroke.
Drip, drip!
Hot blood droplets splattered to the ground.
"Kuh!"
Myeong Onji landed, her face paling.
Artery hit.
The wound was deep. Blood poured out steadily. Pressing it wouldn't stop the flow.
Whoom!
Yeon Hojeong remained ice-cold. He closed the distance in a flash, striking with lethal intent—as if her death meant nothing.
Boom!
The axe shattered a small tree to splinters.
Whoosh!
Myeong Onji charged again. She'd planned to lure and subdue him, but that was impossible now. Yeon Hojeong was beyond her control. His raw power was one thing, but his stamina was monstrous.
Thud!
She pressed an acupoint to forcibly halt the blood flow. But it had limits. Sustained internal energy drain would release it naturally—and the bleeding would resume.
No time left. She couldn't die trying to capture him.
Kaboom!
A chilling explosion rocked her spine.
Monster!
Goosebumps erupted across her skin. Heavy weapons consumed more internal energy than light ones. Negating their weight with qi to maximize destructive force accelerated the drain over time.
And stamina was an issue too. Even peak masters had limits to endurance training. Without the level of the Seven Great Clans' patriarchs or the Nine Great Sects' leaders, no amount of skill could compensate for fatigue.
But this guy? He wielded that axe like he had infinite stamina, mowing down the entire Dark Killer Squad without slowing. If anything, the axe's power felt stronger than before.
Bang!
Crash!
It struck like lightning.
Even amid fear, curiosity won out. Myeong Onji glanced back involuntarily.
…!!
Two or three trees collapsed right there. No—shattered was more accurate. Like a cavalryman forged of steel, he bulldozed through them in a random rampage. A storm of a charge.
Insane!
Facing such a merciless brute made cold sweat pour. She'd never failed to gauge an opponent at first sight before. She couldn't even identify his martial art.
Should I get captured? No—better use the secret art!
Terror fueled her desire. She yearned to unleash her hidden power and crush him.
…No. Not yet. Can't reveal that power.
Whoosh!
Myeong Onji accelerated. Yeon Hojeong's eyes gleamed.
Waited for this.
Thud!
With fluid precision, he sliced a small tree and kicked it flying.
Boom!
It exploded like gunpowder. The tree trunk hurtled straight at Myeong Onji's back with immense leg force.
"Gasp!"
Her speed made turning impossible. She spun to block the incoming log.
Crack!
Splat!
"Kuhuk!"
Myeong Onji's body smashed through the tree and tumbled beyond.
"Hoo."
Yeon Hojeong halted his footwork too. He seemed inexhaustible, but he was human. Bolstered by the Black Dark Emperor's insights to manage qi and stamina, even he had limits.
Perfect timing to catch her. With Huigae's beggars encircling the forest, the fleeing Dark Killer Squad members were likely nabbed too.
Yeon Hojeong walked toward Myeong Onji. Capturing her ended it. Finally over.
That was when it happened.
Boom!
Yeon Hojeong's body slid backward.
Fwoosh!
A colossal wave of hostility erupted from the splintered wood pile.
Killing intent blazed in Yeon Hojeong's eyes.
…This martial art!
Whoosh.
Myeong Onji rose, her pupils glowing golden. Powerful energy swirled around both hands.
"I didn't want to go this far, but…."
The vortex seeped into her body. Her aura was on another level now.
"No choice. Better to kill than be caught."
Flash!
Gasp?!
Myeong Onji looked up in horror. A mass of killing intent plummeted from the sky.
Boom!
A beastly strike hammered her forearm. Astonishingly, she crossed her arms to block. The axe dug two inches into her flesh but didn't sever it.
Blade-proof didn't even begin to describe it.
Myeong Onji bellowed, "You bastard!"
Yeon Hojeong spun and kicked her chest.
Boom!
Myeong Onji staggered back. Immense power—utterly different from before.
She couldn't believe it.
What the hell is this?!
Recently, the Myeong Clan had acquired an ancestral martial art. It was extraordinary, solving their clan's technique lifespan issues and boosting overall prowess.
This wasn't the time to use it, but capture seemed imminent. Better to kill outright, so she'd unleashed her secret.
But he'd changed too. Or rather, his demeanor had.
Thud, thud!
In three steps, Yeon Hojeong closed in and swung Gwangryongbu mercilessly. Savage, unrelenting strikes poured out faster and fiercer than before.
Damn it!
Boom!
Bang!
Myeong Onji swung both arms to block. But Yeon Hojeong's assault grew wilder. Faster. More ferocious.
Bang!
Boom!
Splat!
"Huk!"
Her arms, blocking the axe, began to shred.
Impossible!
This art had perfectly withstood Yi Jeonghak's techniques. Yet it faltered against Yeon Hojeong's axe.
"Raaah!"
Boom!
"Aaaack!!"
A scream finally tore from Myeong Onji's lips. The axe severed her right arm at the elbow.
Yeon Hojeong didn't stop.
Kill her!
He'd seen this art before—used by one of his clan's archenemies. The art that shattered the ancestral tablet and clan gates. The art of the ironclad giant who charged bare-handed through the Yeon warriors' fierce swordplay.
Seeing it had turned his mind white with rage.
Boom!
He swept her legs, toppled her, straddled her, and raised Gwangryongbu high.
Bang!
Boom!
Bang!
"Guhk! Kuhuk!"
Myeong Onji's body sank deeper into the earth. Brutal axe blows. Her upper body was soon drenched in blood. Forearms, chest, shoulders—covered in axe wounds.
Terror twisted her face. A mad killer was butchering her with an axe. Her first taste of abject fear.
"S-Stop! Stop, you bastard!"
Bang!
Boom!
"Cough! Urk!"
Kaboom!
Kaboom!
"Sp-Spare me…."
"You didn't."
Yeon Hojeong raised his axe again. His face, glaring down, looked monstrous.
"You didn't."
That was when Gadeuksang came racing from afar.
"Young Master Yeon! No!!"
He brought the axe down with all his might.
Kaboom!