Chapter 170: Attack
Chapter 170: Attack
The incident occurred when they were about halfway along the road from the Flying Dragon Thirteen Squads to the Flying Dragon Squad headquarters.
Abruptly, Geomseong, who had been moving at the front of the procession, raised his hand and halted the column.
Then, gazing ahead with sharp eyes, he spoke.
"A foul stench is spreading. It seems filthy vermin are hiding about."
Just as his words caused the group to tense up and warily scan their surroundings, three figures suddenly appeared like ghosts in the space ahead.
"Didn't I say there was a stench? Corpse, dwarf. This is all because of you bastards!"
"Keh-keh-keh! You don't actually think it's because of a real smell, do you? Just as I expected, with that dim-witted head of yours, Cheok, you can't even tell whether the enemy's words are true or false."
"...."
They were, respectively, a giant of massive build with a body like forged steel, a shabby-looking diminutive middle-aged man, and a corpse-pale, expressionless, pole-thin figure clad in black—a grotesque fiend.
Their appearances were such that they would have drawn the eye no matter when or where one saw them.
From those distinctive appearances alone, the White Tiger Squad Leader Dong Bang Mu-geuk was able to recognize who they were immediately.
He uttered their names as if letting out a groan.
"I-Iron God Mad Demon Cheok Gang, Black Blood Illusion Demon Du Dang, and White-faced Corpse Demon Gu Woo-jeol?"
At that, the three looked at Dong Bang Mu-geuk and each retorted in turn.
"You whelp, how dare you recklessly speak this lord's name?!"
"Ho-oh, that brat looks rather clever. If I subjugated his soul and kept him around, he'd be quite adorable."
"...."
These three were not the sort one could encounter easily.
All of them belonged to the Five Demons of the Blood Cult, and each held a seat among the Thirty-Six Stars of the World—supreme masters of the highest order.
And now, three such individuals had appeared in one place simultaneously.
The White Tiger Squad Leader Dong Bang Mu-geuk could not confidently claim he could face even a single one of them in combat.
But he did not fear them in the slightest either.
On the contrary, he swiftly regained his composure, gave a derisive snort, and spoke.
"The Blood Cult's vermin have gone mad with a death wish. Where do you think you are, crawling out like this?!"
The source of his confidence was, naturally, Geomseong.
After all, was not Hae Un-baek, the Heavenly Robe Sword Saint—one of the absolute beings of the martial world—here alongside them, along with two members of the Thirty-Six Stars of the World who were peers of those wretches?
No matter how formidable these masters were, it was certain they would never leave this place alive.
And sure enough, as if on cue, Geomseong stepped forward and spoke.
"I had my doubts, but truly—just as Cheong-yeon said—it seems that bastard Ji-gang had been dealing with the Blood Cult as well. Well, better that you've come to us. You'd been hiding so thoroughly that I wondered when I'd ever be able to exterminate you. Thanks to this, we get to meet here like this. I will wipe you out in this very encounter and hold Ji-gang accountable. And I will raise the banner of the orthodox faction anew! I shall not let any of you leave alive!"
Geomseong drew his cherished sword with eyes blazing with fury.
Seureureung!
His disappointment in his fallen friend and the Murim Alliance, and his rage, coalesced into a colossal killing intent that pressed down upon the three Blood Cult masters.
And behind him, Twin Dragon Palm U Cha-man and Meteor Flying Dart Gyo Jae-gok—both of the Thirty-Six Stars of the World—likewise began to exude their own momentum with acrid, mirthless smiles.
It was an overwhelmingly formidable combination such as could scarcely be witnessed anywhere in the martial world.
As a result, the three Blood Cult masters were utterly crushed beneath the immense pressure the three masters emitted.
They were now in a state where even drawing breath was difficult.
At that moment, Iron God Mad Demon Cheok Gang, as if refusing to be overwhelmed by their powerful momentum, gnashed his teeth and forced himself to take a single step forward.
"Hmph! Go ahead and try, if you think you can!"
But he alone burned with desperate fighting spirit; the Black Blood Illusion Demon Du Dang beside him was not the same.
Du Dang, rather, appeared to take a step back with a slightly frightened look in his eyes.
The White-faced Corpse Demon Gu Woo-jeol likewise, though his face remained expressionless, seemed to falter just the same.
It was then.
In that touch-and-go instant, Twin Dragon Palm U Cha-man surreptitiously exchanged a furtive glance with Meteor Flying Dart Gyo Jae-gok.
It was a covert exchange of looks that no one else noticed.
And in the very next moment, something no one could have imagined unfolded.
Twin Dragon Palm U Cha-man—who had become one of the Thirty-Six Stars of the World through his powerful palm techniques—suddenly launched a full-force twin palm strike directly at Geomseong's back.
"Hup!"
Kwaaaaaang!
It happened far too swiftly.
Not only the White Tiger Squad behind them, but even the Blood Cult masters watching from the front could not help but be thrown into confusion.
With the Blood Cult's masters poised to fight at any moment, why would U Cha-man attack Geomseong?
It was an utterly bewildering event.
Yet, no one was as shocked as U Cha-man and Gyo Jae-gok themselves—not even those who had been stunned by the ambush.
For U Cha-man's twin palm strike, which he had believed to be a perfect surprise attack, had been blocked by Geomseong's blue protective strong qi, which had materialized before anyone had even noticed.
Teoeong!
U Cha-man's twin palms bounced lightly off the protective strong qi.
Geomseong had blocked U Cha-man's attack as naturally as if he had known all along that they would ambush him.
Moreover, Geomseong did not stop at merely blocking the strike.
Shaaaak!
"!"
Geomseong received U Cha-man's twin palm strike with his protective strong qi, and simultaneously pivoted his body fluidly, swinging his sword at U Cha-man.
It was a strike so natural—yet to the eyes of others, so swift that the process was invisible and only the result remained—a tremendous quick-draw slash.
U Cha-man muttered with a flustered expression.
"Th-this can't...."
In the next instant, his body split into two halves and spewed blood.
Puhwaaak!
For one who was among the Thirty-Six Stars of the World, it was a death too absurd for words.
It was the outcome of being ambushed himself while believing he was springing an ambush.
At that, Meteor Flying Dart Gyo Jae-gok, who had been beside him, hastily threw himself clear.
The reason he was able to evade was simply that he had not launched an attack himself.
Being a deeply suspicious man by nature, he had held back to the very end, watching U Cha-man's attack play out—and the moment he saw it fail, he had flung his body backward.
Gyo Jae-gok shouted as he frantically retreated.
"How?! You knew?!"
At that, Geomseong gave a wry chuckle and answered.
"My daughter told me to be careful. I had hoped it would not be so."
Hae Cheong-yeon, while telling him to summon the masters, had also warned Geomseong that among those who answered the call, there would surely be some who had been touched by Jegal Ji-gang's hand.
But the fact that both of them had been planted by Jegal Ji-gang was a bitter pill indeed.
It was then.
Without warning, Geomseong hurled his sword with all his strength toward Gyo Jae-gok.
Syuhak!
The speed of the sword Geomseong threw was astonishing.
Even without adding centrifugal force, it was to a degree that compared favorably to the speed of the iron pellet Am Hyeol-hyang had once thrown.
Yet, even as he watched that beam-like attack, Gyo Jae-gok ground his teeth and gave a derisive snort.
"Hmph!"
Shaaak!
Gyo Jae-gok's form left an afterimage as he veered to the side, slipping out of the sword's trajectory.
It was a feat of skill possible only because he was, among the masters of the Thirty-Six Stars of the World, one who specialized in movement techniques and throwing weapons.
After evading the sword, he made to immediately scatter throwing weapons at Geomseong.
'A swordsman discarding his sword—he has underestimated me far too much!'
But the moment he was about to release his projectiles, his eyes suddenly flew wide open in sheer horror.
"What?!"
Syuhak!
Geomseong's sword—the very blade he had dodged to the side—had smoothly changed direction in midair and was now following him.
It was something beyond his wildest imagination.
"Keurk!"
Gyo Jae-gok realized that this time, he could not evade the sword.
The blade's speed was too great, and the distance had already closed too much.
He hastily let out a martial shout and spread both arms wide.
"Haaap!"
Hwaaaak!
A yellow barrier exploded outward from his body.
It was protective strong qi.
'First, I'll block that with my protective strong qi and immediately slip away to—?!'
Puuuuk!
"Keoheok!"
Gyo Jae-gok could not believe it.
Geomseong's sword had pierced through his protective strong qi and penetrated his chest.
"Th-this is... what is this...?"
With his chest pierced through, Gyo Jae-gok could not possibly maintain his protective strong qi.
The moment the protective strong qi vanished from his body, Geomseong's sword burst clean through Gyo Jae-gok's body, then flew through the air as if alive and returned to Geomseong.
It was like a fish swimming through the sky.
The next moment, the moment Gyo Jae-gok's body crashed to the ground and the Sword Saint gripped his sword again happened simultaneously.
Thud!
Boom!
Then, the many people watching him began to mutter with dazed eyes.
"Th-that, surely not?"
"Qi Sword... Control?"
"Really, Qi Sword Control?"
The White Tiger Squad warriors who had been escorting the Sword Saint, as well as the Blood Cult masters who had been simply watching the sudden turn of events unable to make a judgment, all could only stare at him with vacant eyes.
It was no mere telekinesis.
It was true Qi Sword Control, which had pierced right through protective strong qi.
They had witnessed the Qi Sword Control, a technique they had dismissed as nothing more than a legend from martial arts novels, right before their very eyes.
The Blood Cult masters could not help but feel a sense of awe toward the Sword Saint's immense martial prowess, even though he was their enemy.
"Keu! That's incredible!"
"In this world..."
"..."
But they should not have done so.
They should have launched a coordinated attack while there were still many people facing the Sword Saint.
Because at this very moment, the eyes of the Sword Saint, who had just used the legendary Qi Sword Control to instantly slaughter two masters of their own caliber, were turning toward them.
The Sword Saint looked at the Blood Cult masters with sharp eyes and muttered.
"I've shown a shameful sight before the insects of the Blood Cult."
Gulp!
I unconsciously swallowed my saliva.
Although they outnumbered U Cha-man and Gyo Jae-gok by one person, they could not be confident that this meant anything significant.
The Sword Saint of Heavenly Righteousness, Hae Un-baek.
Under the overwhelming presence of this absolute being, whom the world rated even above their own supreme one, the Blood Demon, the three of the Thirty-Six Stars of the World were completely overwhelmed.
It was then that Iron God Mad Demon Cheok Gang, who had been biting his lip until it bled, screamed out as if shrieking.
"Don't you act so high and mighty! I am absolutely not afraid of the likes of you!"
But there was no one who did not know that the very act of shouting like that was to overcome his fear.
Even Iron God Mad Demon Cheok Gang, who supposedly feared nothing in the world, had to scream to overcome his fear, so immense was the Sword Saint's presence.
Cheok Gang tried to shake off his fear and step forward.
He felt deeply humiliated by the fact that he, whose life's purpose was to fight the strong, had been unable to even move for a moment, suppressed by the opponent's momentum.
But it was just as Cheok Gang tried to force himself forward.
The Sword Saint's figure had already appeared in front of him.
Swoosh!
It was a Phantom Shift unleashed in a fleeting instant.
"!"
The Sword Saint's sword moved toward the horrified Cheok Gang.
Shaaaak!
And in that moment, the world split apart.
"Keuuurgh!"
Cheok Gang threw his body backward with no presence of mind.
The only reason he was not cut in two by the Sword Saint's blade was purely thanks to instinctively unleashing his protective strong qi.
But even though he had poured all his power into his protective strong qi, the Sword Saint's sword had mostly sliced through it.
Even his two thick arms, which had blocked the front, were cut about a third of the way through and spouting blood.
"Urrrgh!"
And it did not even end there.
Right in front of Cheok Gang, who had hurled himself backward with all his might, the Sword Saint's figure had already appeared once more.
With indifferent eyes, he was thrusting his sword at Cheok Gang.
"!"
Then, Cheok Gang's eyes filled with the light of fear as he saw him.
It was the overwhelming terror that Iron God Mad Demon Cheok Gang, who had always boasted that he knew no such thing as fear, was feeling for the first time in his life.
But it seemed his luck had not yet completely run out.
"Kiyaaat!"
White-faced Corpse Demon Gu Woo-jeol was desperately attacking the Sword Saint from behind.
If even one of them died here, there would be no hope for them.
They had to stop him, somehow.
But Gu Woo-jeol, who was about to swing his twin palms at the Sword Saint from behind, suddenly had to witness the Sword Saint's foot flying into his vision first.
"!"
Pwaaang!
Gu Woo-jeol frantically blocked his front with his arms.
But he had no choice but to be sent flying backward like a bullet from the tremendous impact of the kick that struck his arms.
Even a simple back kick from the Sword Saint was a far too fatal attack for him.
When Gu Woo-jeol had stopped the Sword Saint's actions for just the briefest moment, the one who ultimately saved Cheok Gang's life was, unexpectedly, Black Blood Illusion Demon Du Dang, who had retreated backward like a coward.
Du Dang, a demon head of the Blood Cult more famous for his soul possession art than martial arts, had thrown himself away from the Sword Saint the moment he attacked Cheok Gang.
But he had not run away.
The place he had thrown himself was precisely where the Murim Alliance's armed forces, the White Tiger Squad, were located.
"You bastard!"
"Die, demon head!"
As Du Dang flew toward them, the White Tiger squad members, befitting the Murim Alliance's elite, quickly raised their swords to attack him.
But the moment their eyes met Du Dang's strange gaze, they became unable to do so.
Shuk!
"Keurgh?! Jae-jeong! W-what are you doing?!"
Clang!
"Urgh?! Sang-nak! Come to your senses!"
The White Tiger squad members crumbled on their own without even being able to attack Du Dang.
It was because several of the White Tiger Squad members had suddenly begun attacking their own comrades.
Du Dang smiled fishily and scanned the White Tiger squad members.
Since he had not used the Blood Puppet Art, the pinnacle of the Blood Cult's soul possession techniques, the soul possession effect would only be temporary, and it would only affect those with relatively weak martial arts and mental power, but in this situation, that much was sufficient.
Black Blood Illusion Demon Du Dang was someone who could thrive the more numerous and the weaker his opponents were.
'Now, if I can soul-possess a few dozen of them and make them attack the Sword Saint...!'
It was when Du Dang was having that thought.
Suddenly, the smile vanished from his face.
Because the White Tiger squad members who had fallen under his soul possession suddenly began collapsing one by one.
Thud! Thud!
"Jae-jeong!"
"They've collapsed! They've been acupoint-sealed!"
"It's the Sword Saint!"
Du Dang was horrified.
Because he realized the reason they had collapsed was that the Sword Saint had sealed their acupoints with finger wind.
"Wh-what?!"
When he hurriedly turned his head, the Sword Saint had already flown right in front of him.
"Uwaaaah!"
Du Dang screamed and hurled his body backward.
But there was no way he could block the Sword Saint's blade, which even Cheok Gang, a specialist in close combat, had failed to properly defend against.
Shaaaak!
Splat!
"Uwaaaah!"
Du Dang's left arm was severed by the Sword Saint's swinging blade and flew off.
Even at that, it had only ended with one arm because he had thrown his body backward with all his might.
And the Sword Saint did not stop there.
When he launched himself again, the Sword Saint's figure was already in front of Du Dang's eyes.
"No!"
Faced with the sight of the Sword Saint filling his vision, Du Dang desperately looked at his comrades for help.
But there was no one who could help him.
Cheok Gang's huge body had already been sent flying far into the distance.
The Sword Saint must have kicked Cheok Gang away before coming.
The same went for Gu Woo-jeol, who had already been sent flying by the Sword Saint's kick earlier.
His position was such that he was simply too far away to come to Du Dang's aid.
So now, Du Dang was forced to face the Sword Saint with only his own strength.
But there was no way that was possible for Du Dang.
He could do nothing but stare at the Sword Saint's sword as it plunged toward his chest.
He could only await death with eyes full of despair.
It was then.
- That's enough!
A crimson-clothed figure suddenly appeared from the air and plummeted down like a red meteor.
It was a movement akin to Phantom Shift, comparable even to the Sword Saint's speed.
"Hmm?"
Then, the Sword Saint's sword, unable to finally end Du Dang's life, had no choice but to clash against the crimson-clothed figure's hand blade.
In an instant, a massive explosion erupted.
Kwaaaaaang!
Once the explosion subsided and the two figures separated to either side, they stopped moving and looked at each other.
A moment later, the one who spoke first was the Sword Saint.
In a heavy voice, he called out the opponent's name.
"Slaughter Blood Demon, Jeon Mu-gwang?"
Then, the Blood Demon smiled faintly and greeted him.
"Pleased to meet you, Sword Saint. I am the Blood Demon."
It was the moment the Blood Demon, one of the Fifteen Absolute Masters, equal to the Sword Saint, one of the Four Demons of the World, and the master of the Blood Cult, revealed himself before the Sword Saint.