Chapter 157
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 157
Chapter Title: Retreat (2)
The cave had openings only at the front and back. To be precise, the front would soon be sealed off, leaving just the rear. So... if they blocked the back, they'd be trapped like rats in a sack.
Rumble! Groooar! Boom!
A heavy reverberation echoed from behind.
It might have been his imagination, but he could almost smell acrid smoke. Dust seemed to billow in the air, too.
In truth, there was no smell or dust.
The deep rumble shook the earth itself... What they felt was pure vibration.
'The back's sealed.'
Even a three-year-old child could see it.
Star Garden hadn't been the final gateway to the Heavenly Annihilation Division. It was the first.
"Four Thousand Four, got any sudden thoughts this time?"
Hanbi said it half-jokingly.
Four Thousand Four chuckled.
"Sudden thoughts... Yeah, I've got one. I'm suddenly starving. Come to think of it, haven't we gone more than a day without eating?"
"You bastard! In a situation like this, you say that...? Though I am hungry."
"Let's move. You forget hunger by keeping your body in motion."
"Who says?"
"Me."
Four Thousand Four rose to his feet.
They knew it well. Hunger was the least of their worries right now.
Ahead lay the Sword Sage.
Four Thousand Four knew nothing about the human wall awaiting them. It wasn't a mechanism or trap—it was a defensive barrier manned by the Heavenly Annihilation Division.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
They walked with steps that echoed loud enough for anyone to hear.
The cave was dark.
To those who saw with their eyes, it was pitch black. But to those who saw with their ears, it was never dark. And Four Thousand Four had heard thousands, tens of thousands of movements in the Nineteen Hells.
Shwick! Thunk!
One life ended with a single technique.
He could see his foes. But they couldn't see him. They hid in the shadows, while he struck from them.
Darkness was Four Thousand Four's domain.
Shwick! Crack! Thunk!
The sound of breaking bones rang through the dark.
Someone met their end. Without even a scream... not even the thud of a body hitting the ground.
Four Thousand Four dispatched even the dying in silence.
Ssshh! Crack! Ssshh! Crraack!
It stayed quiet, then an odd noise would echo, followed by silence again.
No screams, ever. Four Thousand Four ensured they couldn't even cry out.
"Fire! Light torches!"
In the end, the enemy called for light first.
Fwoosh! Flaaare!
Torches blazed to life all at once.
One every ten feet... lining the long tunnel like soldiers in formation.
No people in sight.
"The Hidden Phantom Squad."
Vanguard said gravely.
Four Thousand Four glanced at him.
His eyes asked: What the hell is that?
"The Hidden Phantom Squad is under the Heavenly Commander's control. Like our Killing Gate. If Killing Gate handles external ops, they're the internal ones. Their martial arts are said to be a cut above ours."
"The Heavenly Commander's stepping in?"
"That's how it looks."
Vanguard's face darkened as he answered. Four Thousand Four's did too, of course.
The Heavenly Commander getting involved meant their worst fear—the hostages—would soon come into play. The Hidden Phantom Squad blocked the path now, but once they broke through, the captives would appear.
What then?
These were people who'd eagerly taken assassination contracts for hostages. They'd sworn to live as tools of murder forever. Vanguard and Hanbi were exactly that.
They instinctively sensed what was coming next.
Four Thousand Four spoke.
"One at a time. Focus on the Hidden Phantom Squad for now!"
Pffst!
"Guh!"
This time, a scream broke out.
Four Thousand Four raised his hand. That was all. Just lifting his hand. Yet blood seeped from an intact section of wall. A scream leaked out. Moments later, the "wall" peeled away.
Thud!
A Hidden Phantom Squad member, cloaked in camouflage, collapsed.
They couldn't block Four Thousand Four's touch. His Shadowless Darts were like hidden projectiles hurled from the void—soundless, formless. Invisible to the eye, and by the time instinct kicked in, it was too late.
Then,
Rustle!
Suddenly, a layer of the cave wall peeled back. Hidden Phantom Squad members in disguises stood revealed in a row.
"I'll take point."
Vanguard stepped forward, but Four Thousand Four blocked him.
"I'll lead. Vanguard, handle anyone slipping to the sides. Can't have them getting behind us."
Vanguard and Hanbi didn't grasp the meaning yet. Not until the real fight erupted.
Thwack! Splack!
Every time Four Thousand Four thrust his hand forward, Hidden Phantom Squad members crumpled like rotten straw bundles.
Four Thousand Four's Shadowless Darts were invincible. Especially in a cave. The torches lit it up like midday, but shadows still lingered in the corners.
If you couldn't spot them under the blazing sun, what chance did you have in the dark?
The problem? Four Thousand Four had a limited supply of darts to throw.
Outside, anything could be a projectile—branches, pebbles. But in this smooth-walled cave, there was nothing.
Shing!
Finally, Four Thousand Four drew his sword.
Up to now, Vanguard and Hanbi had little to do. They'd just trailed behind him, on high alert. But the moment he unsheathed, they instantly understood his earlier words.
'That's it!'
'Flanking left and right... Got it.'
The Hidden Phantom Squad would attack with all they had. They'd charge faster than Four Thousand Four could swing.
Some would break to the sides.
Why was Four Thousand Four wary of them? Just one or two slipping by, at most.
Because they weren't Hidden Phantom Squad.
The true squad crumbled too easily. Shadowless Darts were hard to dodge, sure—but this helpless?
Above all, these foes didn't fear death.
Pierced through the heart by a dart, throat skewered, their eyes never wavered.
Corpse Puppets! Corpse Puppets!
The ones the Poisoner created—the very same they'd encountered escaping the minor prison.
Mixed in among them were Hidden Phantom Squad members.
Four Thousand Four had surely killed some. They'd screamed in death, bled profusely as they fell.
Most of those slain in the dark were the squad.
But those slipping past Four Thousand Four now... those were definitely Corpse Puppets.
Thwack-thwack-thwack!
Four Thousand Four struck them down.
He never missed fatally. They'd taken hits to vital points. Yet their faces unchanged, they slipped away casually.
One difference.
The lakeside Corpse Puppets had no cognition. They'd just charged their target. These seemed to have thinking capacity.
"Let's try this!"
Swoosh! Thwack-thwack-thwack!
Sword winds whipped up. He began shredding the men darting to the sides.
From past experience, only severing the neck killed them.
Vanguard and Hanbi targeted throats with all they had. But this time, even that was tough. They'd armored their necks with iron plates. No ordinary blade could cut through.
Clang! Kaaang!
Only sharp metal clashes rang out.
Those felled by Four Thousand Four's sword were Hidden Phantom Squad. The rest kept racing rearward.
Which meant they had to check the back.
The rear was the path everyone had passed. No traps, no projectiles. Nothing but solid iron plating. So why were they so desperate to head back there?
It wasn't desperation. They simply went.
They ignored Four Thousand Four, Vanguard, and Hanbi. Dodging swords like it was beneath notice.
They could fight Four Thousand Four the instant he struck... but planned to block the rear and finish them all at once.
Was that necessary?
Yes. A head-on clash with Four Thousand Four meant deciding victory—either they died, or he did.
They wanted to avoid that fight.
In other words... they wanted Four Thousand Four to drop his sword from sheer inevitability, to surrender... They sought capture.
They aimed to instill dread. Overwhelming pressure.
"Their presence means the Poisoner's here too, right? Sword Saint and Dao Sage as well."
"You think?"
Hanbi tilted his head at Vanguard's words.
"You didn't know? Use your head sometimes."
"Heh! I do use it. Just differently."
"How?"
"We're hopelessly doomed."
"Hahaha! That's way better. Your brain's a step above mine. Hahaha!"
Thwack! Thwack-thwack! Clang!
They bantered while batting away foes. But they couldn't stop those slipping past.
Ssshh! Ssshh!
More and more circled behind—one, two, a dozen now.
All fearless of blades, hard to kill. Worst of all, they felt no pain.
Then,
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Footsteps echoed hollowly through the cave.
The other side seemed plated the same way—iron bridge technique.
Vanguard and Hanbi spotted the approachers immediately.
"Sword Saint! Dao Sage!"
They'd expected it, but seeing them sent chills racing over their skin.
Their martial prowess could shake the heavens. Even Four Thousand Four, using Shadowless Darts... could handle only one at a time.
The bigger issue: the Poisoner lurking in ambush.
Vanguard gripped his sword tight.
"Hanbi, from now on... don't talk."
"Talk? Why...?"
"Words plant seeds. Saying 'hopelessly doomed' made this happen."
"My fault?"
"Just shut it."
"Tch!"
Hanbi smacked his lips.
Yet neither Vanguard nor Hanbi showed tension or fear. They'd followed Four Thousand Four ready to die from the start.
Dying here? No surprise.
A bit farther? Same deal.
With him, or in some corner along the way? No regrets.
This was the Heavenly Annihilation Division, after all.
Vanguard asked.
"What do you want us to do?"
Four Thousand Four replied calmly.
"We need to kill those two. Until then, no path opens."