Chapter 235: Ghost-Destroying Six Harmony Sword Array and Ha Won-dal-gi-3
Chapter 235: Ghost-Destroying Six Harmony Sword Array and Ha Won-dal-gi-3
After Seonwoo Jin lured away the Pasan Fourth Squad, Hawondalgi Yeon Taejin did her utmost to clash with the Pasan Seventh Squad.
The man she had anticipated, Inparang, had absurdly fled, but she thought that at the very least, one who dreamed of becoming the successor of the Yeoryeong Saekma could not run away before her enemies.
However, the might of the Ghost-Destroying Six-Union Sword Formation was far too strong to be overcome by sheer will alone.
"Haaap!"
Emitting a crimson energetic force, Yeon Taejin's massive true fist fiercely struck the center of the sword formation.
Kwaaaaang!
It was a true fist delivered with all the power of her spirit.
But the two swordsmen who blocked it were merely bounced back lightly.
And then, as if rotating positions, two other swordsmen stepped forward and thrust their swords at her.
It was a situation that had repeated continually thus far.
Yeon Taejin gritted her teeth.
'Just how?!'
She could not comprehend this situation.
No matter how she looked at them, they were not ones who had crossed the wall of the transcendent peak.
They even looked like they might barely possess eighty years of internal energy, and yet they were lightly blocking her fist strikes, which were delivered with all the power of her spirit.
"Damn it all!"
Yeon Taejin spat out coarse words as she twisted her body to block the swords assaulting her.
Ta-tang!
Right then, the next attack came in.
This time, it was a sword strike surging up from beneath the feet, between the two swordsmen.
Eu-deudeuk!
Clenching her teeth, Yeon Taejin kicked the flat of the blade with her foot.
It was a remarkable technique, kicking aside a sword strike thrusting in like a ray of light and blocking it with her foot.
Teo-eong!
But even though she blocked the opponent's attack, she only sank deeper into the mire.
The two swordsmen who had initially retreated to the rear had already encircled her from behind and were swinging their swords.
It was an attack incoming from four directions, together with the two swordsmen in front.
"Ee-ik!"
Yeon Taejin realized that she could not possibly block them all.
In the end, there was only one thing she could do.
"Haaaap!"
Along with her martial shout, crimson protective strong qi erupted from her entire body.
Tu-tu-tu-tung!
The four swords struck atop the protective strong qi and were bounced away.
But even in that moment, the sword formation did not shatter.
The four swordsmen who had retrieved their blades moved as one body, once again circling around Un-gyeong, the head of the formation, centering on him.
It was truly a sword formation that did not reveal even the slightest opening.
'Is that... the martial arts of the Hyeongsan Sect?'
Yeon Taejin despaired at her own powerlessness.
The protective strong qi she had just used was already the third time—if she used it just once more, all of her cultivated energy would be completely exhausted.
And then, everything would be finished.
Suddenly, a thought crossed Yeon Taejin's mind.
'Should I run away?'
Hadn't that bastard Inparang fled anyway?
His companions had also vanished at some point, as if it had been arranged beforehand.
So no one would be able to criticize her for fleeing.
And...
This moment right now seemed like it might be the last chance that escape was even possible.
Because if she clashed with that dreadful sword formation again, she would not be able to break free without using protective strong qi.
But as she watched the approaching sword formation, Yeon Taejin, who had been agonizing for a moment, clenched her fist and shouted.
"I am Hawondalgi Yeon Taejin!"
Several years ago, when the traces of Hyeolhae Mado Yun Sak had vanished, Yeon Taejin had felt an immense sense of loss.
That was because, after hearing tales of his martial prowess and evil deeds, she had been steeling herself, vowing that she would definitely subjugate him herself someday.
It had been the same back then.
Even after hearing of his countless atrocities, she had hesitated.
Because she lacked the confidence to defeat him.
Just a little more, after I become just a little stronger...
While thinking such thoughts, she had ultimately missed the opportunity forever.
'And now I'm supposed to run away again? Absolutely! I won't live like that!'
Having steeled her resolve, Yeon Taejin focused her entire mind.
Now, the chance was just once.
If it went the same as it had so far this time, her life would end here.
She calmly settled her mind and watched the approaching sword formation.
Centered around a swordsman who appeared to be the commander, the five swordsmen were approaching, spinning like tops.
The weakness seemed far too clear.
The commander at the center.
If she could just handle him, she could break the sword formation.
But thinking that, Yeon Taejin bit her lip.
'Charging in with that thought was how I kept ending up in the same situation.'
Perhaps the swordsman in the center was a trap.
Because whenever she charged toward him, she would inevitably find herself surrounded by them from all sides before she knew it.
So this time, she had to find something different.
'Could the answer be not the center, but the outside?'
She felt that might be the case.
Maybe, rather than trying to solve it in one blow, she should have been steadily collapsing them from the outside, one by one.
It would have been good to have tried that a little earlier. It was regretful that she only had one chance to attempt it.
'It can't be helped.'
Yeon Taejin began bouncing lightly in place.
It was a method she had always used since long ago, whenever she, small in stature and weak in strength, fought against someone stronger than herself.
She had not fought such battles for a long time, and Yeon Taejin had finally acknowledged that her opponent might be stronger than she was.
Tong! Tong! Tong!
Bouncing lightly in place, Yeon Taejin charged forward fiercely the moment the sword formation drew near.
Pa-bak!
Her speed was similar to before, but her movements were far lighter than before.
Then, once again, two swordsmen stepped forward and attempted to block her.
'As expected!'
Yeon Taejin launched twin palm strikes at them with the force of her charge.
Pa-bang!
However, it was a pair of palm strikes intended to push them away rather than to knock them down.
The moment the two retreated backward and, as if in rotation, two swordsmen launched sword strikes, Yeon Taejin had also used the recoil of her twin palms to lightly retreat backward.
Sha-aaak!
The sword strikes grazed past right in front of her, and at last, the moment she had waited for returned.
Swhi-ik!
A single swordsman was launching a surprise attack from above the two swordsmen.
It was a surprise attack she would have been unable to counter if she had clashed with full force earlier.
But this time, Yeon Taejin, who had clashed lightly at the front, had leeway.
She focused on the sword stabbing in like a ray of light, twisted her body, and kicked at it.
Pa-ang!
A move that deflected the blade by precisely kicking its flat—a move of exceedingly high difficulty that could bring tremendous crisis if failed, but Yeon Taejin, who had concentrated with the sharpness of a blade tip, ultimately succeeded.
'It worked!'
Clenching her fist, Yeon Taejin immediately spun around one more time.
Hwiri-rik!
And she unleashed a whirlwind kick at the swordsman.
Ppaaaaak!
"Kuh-heok!"
The sensation of her foot properly sinking into the opponent's torso was electrifying.
She could see the swordsman spraying blood from her kick technique and bouncing backward.
At last, she had succeeded in breaking one axis of the sword formation.
'It worked...!'
But that was the moment.
Yeon Taejin, who had been about to cheer, was horrified.
Before she knew it, four swordsmen had surrounded Yeon Taejin.
It was as if they had anticipated this very situation.
Swhiiiiik!
They thrust their swords simultaneously.
From Yeon Taejin's perspective, it was an attack at a timing she could not possibly defend against.
It even seemed too late to emit protective strong qi.
"Eu-euk!"
Yeon Taejin's eyes, sensing the end, turned distant and dim.
It was then.
Syu-haaaak!
From somewhere, four crimson energy spheres flew toward the Six-Union swordsmen.
It was a tremendous speed such that if the swordsmen continued their thrusts, they could not possibly defend against it.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!
The ground was overturned by the bombardment of the energy spheres.
But the swordsmen had already retreated backward.
Since they could not sacrifice their squad members just to catch a single Yeon Taejin, it was a natural choice for Un-gyeong, the squad leader of the Pasan Seventh Squad.
It was when the swordsmen, having reformed the sword formation, were once again circling around Un-gyeong.
Un-gyeong shouted toward the front.
"Who goes there?! Who dares interfere in the affairs of the Hyeongsan Sect?!"
Who he was could be confirmed as soon as the dust settled.
Because a young man in red martial attire, with a robust physique and a manly appearance, stood beside Yeon Taejin.
It was Seol Pung, who had been watching her fight while concealed nearby and then intervened.
Earlier, before Seonwoo Jin had lured away the Pasan Fourth Squad, he had sent a telepathic sound transmission to Son Dae-su, telling him to bring the group toward him when he pulled back, and to Seol Pung, he had sent a transmission telling him to watch over her since the group would not be there, and to help her if she came to be in danger.
Her reputation wasn't bad, so he felt sorry to let her die here because of him.
Seol Pung didn't even spare a glance at Hyeongsan Sect's Un-gyeong and spoke to Yeon Taejin while politely clasping his fists.
"I apologize for rudely interfering, Sojeo. I am... Inparang's sworn older brother. At my sworn younger brother's request, I intend to deal with them — would you perhaps permit me to face them instead?"
Having already confirmed Na Seo-yu's feelings and resolved to defy his own fate, Seol Pung no longer showed any trace of fear before women.
At his courteous yet confident demeanor, Yeon Taejin, who had been prepared for death just moments before, nodded with a slightly dazed expression.
"Huh? Ah, yes."
When she gave her permission, Seol Pung grinned.
"Thank you, Sojeo. Well then."
Seol Pung cracked his neck with an audible pop and strode toward the Six Harmony Sword Formation.
His smile grew increasingly savage, like that of a wild beast, as he drew closer to them.
Watching them from the start, Seol Pung had been deeply impressed by the might of the Ghost Extermination Six Harmony Sword Formation.
And on the other hand, his body had been tingling with the urge to clash with them.
Now that opportunity had finally arrived.
Seol Pung, his eyes gleaming like a predator's, licked his lips and muttered.
"Now then, let's see..."
In the next instant, Seol Pung's form lunged at them like a fierce tiger.
Paang!
Kwaaaaang!
Seol Pung's Energetic Force struck one of the Six Harmony swordsmen.
The man was sent flying backward as if struck upon a spongy surface.
"Ho-oh!"
As Seol Pung marveled at the sensation with admiration, two swordsmen ambushed him from both sides, as if trading places with the one who'd been knocked back.
Shwiiiiik!
The sword strikes were lightning-swift, nothing short of thunderbolts.
Seol Pung hastily extended both palms to deflect the two attackers.
Peopeong!
Watching this, Yeon Taejin cried out in dismay.
"No! If you knock them back...!"
At that moment, from beneath and above the deflected swordsmen, two more swordsmen launched an ambush.
The assault was even faster than the previous one — the exact same method that had repeatedly caught Yeon Taejin off guard.
Shuhaaak!
But a smile was spreading across Seol Pung's face once more.
Without retreating, he whirled his body in a full rotation and displayed the exquisite skill of precisely kicking away both swordsmen's blades with a Whirlwind Chain Kick.
Papang!
"!"
Yeon Taejin stared at him with a stunned expression.
Because he had taken the very feat she had just pulled off and executed it at an entirely higher level.
Nevertheless, the sticky swamp of the Ghost Extermination Six Harmony Sword Formation now seemed to have completely engulfed Seol Pung.
Before he knew it, three swordsmen who had taken his rear were thrusting their swords at him from three directions.
Shwiiiiik!
It was an attack from completely outside Seol Pung's field of vision.
"Ngh!"
Yeon Taejin clenched her teeth as if she herself had been struck.
Just like her earlier, it seemed he would have no choice but to defend with Protective Strong Qi.
But Seol Pung didn't.
Smiling faintly, Seol Pung murmured.
"So that's what it feels like."
Then in an instant, he spun his body like a top — wham!
Shuhaaak!
Tatatatang!
"!"
In that moment, the three swords that had thrust at Seol Pung bounced off futilely.
At that astonishing martial prowess, not only Yeon Taejin but even Hyeongsan Sect's Un-gyeong was caught off guard.
He had deflected every ambush without even using Protective Strong Qi.
The two subsequent attacks aimed at Seol Pung fared no differently. They failed to penetrate the defense of Seol Pung, who was spinning fiercely like a top, and were knocked away.
Teoteong!
The Six Harmony swordsmen now couldn't bring themselves to attack the spinning Seol Pung and retreated, circling around once more to solidify their defense.
At that, Seol Pung also slowly ceased his rotation.
In the days past, while Seonwoo Jin had been mastering the Southern Cross Sword, Seol Pung and Jeung Chil hadn't been idly playing around either.
It was thanks to Seonwoo Jin, who claimed he received them from the Sword God in his dreams, having passed down different martial arts to each of the two.
Among them, the martial art passed to Seol Pung was the Jeonryunbak, along with the Martial Emperor's Imperial Dragon Formless Strong Qi that had also been given to Bi Sa-yeong.
And though Seol Pung hadn't been told, it was also the martial art that had served as the foundation for the Wind Thunder Strike — the signature ultimate technique of the Thunder God, who had once vied with the Sword God for the title of the world's greatest.
Seol Pung grinned savagely and said.
"Now then, I've seen enough — shall we wrap this up?"
"Hmph!..."
Un-gyeong tried to scoff at his words, as if everything up until now had been mere spectating.
But for some reason, no further words came out.
Because Seol Pung's momentum, as he slowly lowered his stance, felt like a colossal tiger preparing to pounce.
The prickling, stinging aura felt on the skin and his somehow towering presence made it unmistakably clear — this was nothing like before.
Un-gyeong shouted without realizing it.
"Everyone, brace yourselves!"
In that instant, Seol Pung leaped.
Paaaang!
It was a lightning-swift ambush, employing even the Explosive Advance Step.
Kwaaaaang!
"Kyaaaaak!"
"Uwaaaaak!"
His charge, as if folding space itself, sent two swordsmen flying like cannonballs, screaming.
It was the first time genuinely human screams erupted from the Six Harmony swordsmen, whose personalities had been erased.
"Wha—?!"
At the situation, Un-gyeong also cried out in bewilderment.
Because he felt the ring of shared internal energy, sustained through the Ghost Extermination Six Harmony Sword Formation, had been severed.
An impact far too colossal had shattered the Six Harmony Sword Formation outright.
It was something he had never experienced since completing the formation.
Seol Pung didn't stop there.
Even as he charged, his whirlwind-like spinning barrage pummeled the two swordsmen who had been thrusting from either side.
Pababababak!
"Kyaaaaak!"
"Uwaaaaak!"
Un-gyeong watched Seol Pung with a look of utter stupefaction.
Ppeo-eok!
"Keo-eok!"
Having crushed two swordsmen, Seol Pung struck again with a tiger-like Energetic Force — and even the final remaining Six Harmony swordsman before him was sent flying like a scarecrow.
"How..."
It was as he muttered in a daze.
Puuuk!
Seol Pung's hand blade pierced through his chest like tofu.
"Keoheok!"
Within his fading consciousness, Un-gyeong heard his opponent's voice at the very end.
"A fine formation, but the wielder's ability is sorely lacking. A pity."
That was the final sound his ears could perceive.
Seol Pung withdrew his hand blade from Un-gyeong's chest and surveyed his surroundings with indifferent eyes.
Thanks to having dealt the most powerful blows possible to shatter the sword formation, every member of the formation had died instantly.
He muttered.
"Did I overdo it? I'll need to get more accustomed to the Jeonryunbak."
Hawondalgi Yeon Taejin was staring at him with an utterly spellbound expression.
It was the most exhilarating and overwhelmingly dominant fight she had ever witnessed.
***
A short while later, Seonwoo Jin, who had been leading the Six Harmony swordsmen, met up with the other party members and immediately returned to the battlefield where Seol Pung had been fighting.
"Hyungnim! The Six Harmony swordsmen are..."
Seonwoo Jin had been about to say that only the squad leader — the head of the formation — needed to be dealt with, but upon seeing the corpses of the Six Harmony swordsmen strewn about in all directions, he lost his words entirely.
And for some reason, he gazed at Seol Pung with a dumbfounded expression.
Seol Pung, whose fear of women had recently vanished, was for some reason flustering and stammering just like he used to back then.
It was because of Hawondalgi Yeon Taejin, who was pressed right up against him.
"Eun-gong, my name is Yeon Taejin. The world calls me Hawondalgi. Probably because I'm as pretty as the Dalgi herself, hohoho!"
"Ah, ah, yes, yes. I, I see."
"Oh my! It seems Eun-gong thinks so too! In that sense, shall we exchange names? I've already told you my name, so by any chance Eun-gong's name is...?"
"Yes, yes? Ah, my name is a bit awkward to say..."
That was how it went.
Watching her — the woman who until moments ago had been more manly than any man, now acting so utterly feminine, even smiling with a voice full of aegyo — Seonwoo Jin inwardly offered an apology to Na Seo-yu.
'I'm sorry, Na Sojeo. I should've asked Jeung hyeongnim for this favor instead.'