Chapter 83: Righteous Hero Association-2
Chapter 83: Righteous Hero Association-2
That was not the end.
Having fired the condensed sphere, Sa Won-yang now began to move in earnest.
Shashak!
"Heh heh, where are you looking?"
Before the eyes of the warriors who had been hesitating, Sa Won-yang's form suddenly appeared.
"!"
A single strike flew in like a savage beast.
From both his hands, crimson energetic force was extending like long claws.
Puhwaak!
"Kwaaaak!"
As the Ami Sect master whose body was torn apart screamed, Sa Won-yang's form was already pouncing on another target.
Movements like a wildcat striking a swarm of rats.
It was a massacre.
Chwaaak!
"Aaak! Sect leader!"
Though it was said that the Ami Sect had many peak-level masters, most were still at the entry level of peak or possessed seventy years of internal energy, one stage above that.
In a situation where they could not coordinate a combined attack, Sa Won-yang was like a monster they could not possibly contend with.
Gyeolhan Satae only then abruptly came to her senses.
Of the twenty or so peak-level masters she had brought, the number had already been halved.
As for the remaining first-rate warriors, there was even less to say.
Moreover, that was only the situation so far—if things continued as they were, it seemed only a matter of time before they were all annihilated.
Gyeolhan Satae urgently rushed at Sa Won-yang.
"You bastard!"
Gyeolhan Satae's sword strike, thrown with all her might, suddenly appeared before Sa Won-yang's eyes as if it had moved through space.
Shuhaak!
It was the ultimate technique that only the sect leaders of the Ami Sect could learn, the Musang Sword Style.
A sudden attack as if crossing through space—it was indeed a technique worthy of being the Ami Sect's greatest.
But Sa Won-yang merely showed a faint glint of interest in his eyes, not flustered in the slightest.
"Hoh, is this the Musang Sword Style?"
Then, as if someone had pulled him from behind, his form smoothly slid backward through the air.
At the same time, Gyeolhan Satae's sword uselessly cleaved through the empty space where he had stood.
Shyaaak!
Sa Won-yang, having leisurely escaped Gyeolhan Satae's attack range, spoke with a bright smile.
"That looks rather entertaining. But my nature is to eat the most delicious thing last."
Then his form shot out like a beam of light.
Toward another peak-level master who was separated from Gyeolhan Satae.
Gyeolhan Satae cried out urgently.
"You cowardly bastard!"
But her shout and the slaughter of yet another peak-level master happened almost simultaneously.
Puhwaak!
"Aaaaak!"
The masters at the entry level of peak could not endure even a single move from Sa Won-yang.
It was because the vivid energetic force extending from Sa Won-yang's hands like long claws cleaved through their energetic force and blades, and indeed their bodies, all in a single stroke.
Gyeolhan Satae, unable to match his speed and forced to watch the deaths of her sect disciples, gritted her teeth.
She felt she could grasp what Sa Won-yang's intention was.
The bastard was trying to reduce their numbers, starting with the weakest first.
And what the result of that would be was obvious without needing to confirm it.
"Everyone gather! Don't scatter—gather together and resist!"
At Gyeolhan Satae's urgent command, the peak-level masters hurriedly tried to gather and join forces.
But upon seeing this, a nasty sneer rose to Sa Won-yang's lips.
"Fools."
At the same time, vivid condensed spheres formed once more in both his hands.
The startled Gyeolhan Satae shouted.
"No! Dodge...!"
But the condensed spheres, shot forth like lightning, pierced through the bodies of the gathered peak-level masters once again.
Pupuk!
"Keok!"
"Sect... leader!"
This time, at two per condensed sphere, another four lives vanished in an instant.
A situation where if they spread out, they were hunted one by one, and if they closed the distance, the condensed spheres came flying.
The Ami Sect's masters no longer knew what to do or how.
They were in a state of complete terror.
Gyeolhan Satae was not much different.
Her eyes too were filled with the light of despair.
Though she was chasing him diligently, he absolutely would not be caught, and Sa Won-yang, as if toying with her, had just slaughtered yet another warrior on the outermost flank at a speed she could not possibly follow.
'If this continues...'
Into her mind suddenly came a picture of what was to come.
Now the remaining peak-level masters, including herself, numbered eight, and all the first-rate warriors had already been massacred.
Now, while peak-level masters still remained, the bastard was avoiding Gyeolhan Satae, but if he judged that he had sufficiently reduced their numbers, then he would no longer avoid her.
And then, the probability was high that that moment would be her last.
Abruptly, a thought rose in Gyeolhan Satae's mind.
'Should I flee now?'
Perhaps now was the final opportunity.
A faint guilt at abandoning her sect disciples did arise, but such a thing could be rationalized as much as she pleased.
If she, the sect leader of the Ami Sect, died here, would that not be a great loss to the Ami Sect as well?
Therefore, she absolutely had to survive.
Even if it meant abandoning all her sect disciples.
But on the other hand, this thought also occurred to her.
All those who supported Gyeolhan Satae were here right now.
But if she lost them all and returned alone, could she possibly maintain her position as sect leader?
She shook her head.
'As if. That would absolutely never happen.'
Surely the opposing faction would rise up like wildfire and tear her apart.
Far from maintaining the sect leader position, she would be fortunate not to be confined in the thunder prison.
It was while Gyeolhan Satae was thus plunged into confusion, unable to act one way or another.
In the meantime, Sa Won-yang killed yet another disciple.
Chwaaak!
"Kuaaak! Sect leader!"
Gyeolhan Satae, her heart growing increasingly frantic, ground her teeth.
"Eeik!"
That was when it happened.
Suddenly, from the dark sky beyond the wall, someone flew in like a shooting star.
"Stop!"
Following his sword that traced the void, a crimson sword qi like a sunset glow was dyeing the black sky.
The startled Ami Sect masters cried out.
"The Red Sunset Sword Technique?!"
He was none other than Hwa Young-bin the Red Sunset Divine Sword.
He was descending upon Sa Won-yang with a sword aura like a majestic red sunset glow.
"Haaaaap!"
At this, Sa Won-yang, his expression slightly furrowed, smoothly moved back through the air as if pulled backward, just as he had before.
A reaction similar to when he faced Gyeolhan Satae.
"The Red Sunset Divine Sword!"
"Hwa Saje!"
The Ami Sect disciples shouted his name in welcome.
He, whom they had usually disliked as he primarily associated with Gyeolhan Satae's opposing faction, could not have been more welcome.
But Hwa Yeong-bin, who had forced Sa Won-yang back, quickly shouted not at them, but toward Gyeolhan Satae.
"Satae! Pursuing him alone is meaningless! Have the remaining people all form a single line! You and I must guard both ends and slowly press him!"
Gyeolhan Satae could immediately grasp the meaning of his words.
If they spread out sideways toward the enemy, even if he threw condensed spheres, the effect would be minimal, and with herself and Hwa Yeong-bin at either end, would the bastard not find it so easy to rush in?
In an instant, it felt as if her mind had cleared.
She shouted at once.
"Do as Hwa Saje says! Everyone form a single line! Hwa Saje and I will take the two ends!"
Soon, six peak-level masters who had not yet died lined up in a single row, with Gyeolhan Satae and Hwa Yeong-bin positioned at each end.
It resembled a slightly bent single line, or perhaps a less curved crane-wing formation.
The martial artists who had formed the line now began to slowly advance toward Sa Won-yang.
At that, the smile on Sa Won-yang's face faded slightly.
He was still smiling, but his expression had become noticeably fainter than before.
It was the moment a small glimmer of hope rose in the hearts of the Ami Sect's disciples, who had known only despair.
***
At the same time, Seonwoo Jin and Bi Sa-yeong were racing like gales toward the interior of Jeonghyeopbang.
Earlier, Seonwoo Jin had told Hwa Yeong-bin to assist Gyeolhan Satae in buying time when the Ami Sect's defeat seemed imminent.
But he had asked him absolutely not to overdo it.
He told him that if their strength became too diminished, he must flee without looking back—that while Gyeolhan Satae dying was better for the Ami Sect, Hwa Yeong-bin absolutely must not do the same.
Hwa Yeong-bin had hesitated for a moment at Seonwoo Jin's words, then nodded.
But Seonwoo Jin couldn't be certain whether he would actually follow his instructions.
'Could a hero who has lived only for a lover dead over ten years really abandon others and run?'
It didn't seem likely.
So he had to rescue the women as quickly as possible and return to him.
Bi Sa-yeong, running alongside him, shouted.
"Damn it! This place is too huge! Can we even find where they're holding the women without any information?!"
"We have to try!"
If the information they had extracted from the Guan Yin Hall's demon soldiers was correct, the women had certainly been moved inside Jeonghyeopbang.
And considering what they had seen earlier—that most of Jeonghyeopbang's warriors were not Blood Cultists—there wouldn't be many places to imprison the women.
That was why Seonwoo Jin was running in a straight line toward Jeonghyeopbang's main hall rather than the Thunder Prison.
'A place only the leadership can access. A place no one suspects, no matter how heavily guarded.'
Seonwoo Jin's best guess was that it would be the main hall.
Of course, he couldn't be certain.
'We'll check the main hall, and if they're not there, I'll just retreat with Hwa Yeong-bin Daehyeop.'
Anything more than that was impossible, no matter how he thought about it.
Thinking back to when former Squad Leader Seolpung and the old man Seok Gyeong-dal had faced the Bloodthirsty Demon Lord Ji Gwang-ok, even two masters with over ninety years of internal energy hadn't been able to hold out very long against a transcendent peak master.
Moreover, Sa Won-yang was a master rated even higher than Ji Gwang-ok.
At that moment, Bi Sa-yeong's voice rang out.
"Is that the main hall?!"
Far away, among the pavilions, a single structure of overwhelmingly massive scale—completely incomparable to the others—was coming into view.
***
Oh Gwang-hon, the Mantis Ghost, a master who had surpassed the eighty-year wall of internal energy, was the most trusted confidant of the Small-faced Demon Lord Sa Won-yang, having served at his side since the founding of Jeonghyeopbang. Among Blood Cultists, he was a warrior of rarely seen loyal character.
And so, even now, he remained at Jeonghyeopbang with two subordinates, guarding the front of the main hall while Sa Won-yang was absent.
Then, one of his subordinates cautiously addressed Oh Gwang-hon.
"Chief Steward Oh, please go inside and rest. We will stand guard here."
But Oh Gwang-hon answered firmly.
"The Demon Lord has personally come in attendance—how could I alone rest comfortably? Do not worry about me, and give your full attention to the perimeter."
"Yes, understood, Chief Steward."
The Blood Cult warrior, who was at the upper-tier first-class level, bowed his head outwardly in deference, but inwardly cursed him.
In truth, he had said it because if the chief steward remained out here with them, they themselves couldn't rest comfortably.
He glared at the back of Oh Gwang-hon's head, who was staring intently in the direction of the main gate, and continued cursing him in his mind.
'Stubborn bastard. What does he think he is, some orthodox faction member?'
That was when it happened.
Something fell silently from the pavilion roof, landing behind him.
The descent was so utterly silent that he couldn't perceive it at all—even up to the very moment whoever had landed behind him cut his nape.
Syiik!
"Ughk!"
But from now on, it was not so.
The instant he heard his subordinate's short gasping sound, Oh Gwang-hon felt a chill run down the back of his neck.
He immediately spun around and frantically swung his demonic weapon, the Mantis Scythes.
Swiiiiik!
Cha-cha-cha-chang!
He realized that his instincts had just saved his life.
He had barely managed to block the swift sword strike flying at him from behind.
Oh Gwang-hon hastily retreated backward as he shouted.
"Who goes there?!"
The other subordinate beside him also finally recognized the intruder and shouted as he drew his dao.
"Intru—!"
But he couldn't draw his dao all the way.
Because someone flying in from behind at terrifying speed had driven a throwing weapon into the back of his neck.
Puhuk!
"Kuheok!"
It was a person possessing tremendous movement technique.
In that instant, even Oh Gwang-hon couldn't confirm his face.
Having flown in like a beam of light, the man passed behind Oh Gwang-hon like the wind and scattered throwing weapons.
Fyu-fyu-fyut!
Oh Gwang-hon frantically blocked the throwing weapons coming from behind.
Ti-ti-ting!
And at that very moment, the first man thrust his sword at Oh Gwang-hon from behind.
It was a sword strike of three sword images thrusting simultaneously—a swift sword of appalling speed.
"Kuk!"
Cha-cha-chang!
Blocking that as well in haste, Oh Gwang-hon shouted.
"Three Threads Three Cuts! Are you from Jeomchang Sect?!"
Oh Gwang-hon, having fended off the offensive, was about to retreat backward to escape when—suddenly, the one who had once again surged in behind him was scattering throwing weapons at him.
Fyu-fyu-fyut!
"Ugh-yuk!"
There was not a single gap.
Beings with tremendous speed were pressing their assault from front and back like meshing gears.
Unable to endure, Oh Gwang-hon threw himself sideways to dodge instead of blocking the throwing weapons.
Then the swordsman in front followed him like a shadow and unleashed a sword strike.
This time it was an illusion sword that seemed to unfurl brilliant wings before his eyes.
'An illusion sword? Then he's not from Jeomchang Sect?'
Gritting his teeth, Oh Gwang-hon swung his Mantis Scythes wildly, trying to sweep away the illusion sword.
"Heuap!"
That was when it happened.
A thin beam of light shot out from the center of the wing.
It was a swift sword so chilling it froze the guts—the One Strike.
"Huhk?!"
But Oh Gwang-hon, too, was a peak-level master with over eighty years of internal energy. Mustering all his strength, he swung his Mantis Scythes to block it.
Chaeng!
'Blocked it!'
Having blocked a swift sword that had seemed utterly unblockable, Oh Gwang-hon inwardly rejoiced.
But in the next moment, he collapsed to his knees just as he was.
And without even being able to close his resentful eyes, he crumbled helplessly.
Tulsseok!
In the nape of his fallen neck, the throwing weapon Bi Sa-yeong had thrown was deeply embedded.
It was the result of Oh Gwang-hun—whose attention had been stolen by the One Strike—failing to react in time to Bi Sa-yeong's throwing weapon, which had been hurled at him using even the Explosive Advance Step.
As soon as Oh Gwang-hon died, Seonwoo Jin and Bi Sa-yeong lightly bumped fists, then immediately entered the main hall.