The Nameless Soldier's Counterattack (3)
Wang Yi Sam couldn't believe the scene he'd just witnessed.
As the leader plummeted, the blue-robed man had whipped his azure robes and drawn his sword in a flash, severing the man's head clean off—that much was certain.
But Wang Yi Sam hadn't seen a single detail of when he'd drawn the blade or what technique he'd used.
There was only one reason for that.
It had been too fast for Wang Yi Sam's eyes to follow.
In his life, he'd seen a few clashes between masters of the orthodox sects.
But nothing like this. He'd never even heard of such a duel.
No exchange of techniques, no clash of swords ringing like thunder, no chance for the leader to even scream. It was over in an instant.
A strike like a bolt of lightning cleaving stone!
'Can a person really move that fast?'
And then, the blue-robed man stepped forward and twirled the severed head on the tip of his sword.
Suddenly, a thought struck Wang Yi Sam.
It was exactly like when Seo Baek beheaded a revenant and checked for the Blood Thread Worm.
'He's checking if it's a revenant?'
His guess was spot on.
As their eyes met, the blue-robed man shook his head side to side. Not a revenant.
Not content with just the kill, he'd even confirmed it wasn't undead.
The man's actions were swift and flawless—eerily reminiscent of Seo Baek himself.
Wang Yi Sam had assumed the blue-robed man was all brains and no brawn, but that guess had been spectacularly wrong.
This guy was a master beyond anything Wang Yi Sam could gauge.
'Sharp mind and top-tier martial arts? The bastard's got it all!'
Grumbling inwardly, Wang Yi Sam suddenly switched expressions and grinned.
Yeah. What was wrong with an ally being a powerhouse?
Better than the enemy having one by a hundredfold!
Then came a line from the blue-robed man that floored Wang Yi Sam all over again.
"They're not revenants, so you lot should have more than enough to handle them."
He leaned in and whispered softly, but it rang clear in Wang Yi Sam's ear like words spoken right beside him.
"Memorize this."
"Memorize what...?"
"Left, right, left, left, right, left, right, right, right. Repeat it."
"Left, right, left, left, right, left, right, right, right..."
Without thinking, Wang Yi Sam parroted the sequence aloud.
"Not bad memory. That's the trick to smashing their formation. Keep repeating the order, and you won't lose."
With that, the blue-robed man leaped into the air and vanished onto the main hall's roof.
Whoosh.
The leader's lightness skill had been impressive, but this was on another level—impossible to even fathom.
He hadn't so much jumped as floated up like a feather, gliding effortlessly to the rooftop.
'Is that even human?'
Sure enough, the sword guards and Jegal Clan warriors paused their fight, staring dumbstruck at his lightness skill.
From the roof, the blue-robed man hurled something toward the warriors' formation.
Thud.
It landed smack in the middle: the leader's head, which had been rolling at Wang Yi Sam's feet moments ago.
Wang Yi Sam was floored.
'When the hell did he grab that?'
"You've already lost."
The blue-robed man's voice held no emotion whatsoever—an eerie detachment that sent chills down the warriors' spines.
"Touch so much as a fingernail on any of them, and you'll all be dead before the night is out."
"...!"
The warriors gulped involuntarily.
They sensed it wasn't a mere threat, but a prophecy.
As his words ended, the blue-robed man's figure dissolved into smoke from the rooftop.
Wang Yi Sam finally snapped back to reality.
'Wait, he expects us to take them on?'
A few warriors had fallen to broad daos, but they still outnumbered Wang Yi Sam's group.
Yet with their leader dead and that chilling warning ringing in their ears, they had no cause left to fight—no morale whatsoever.
The veteran mercenary saw it instantly.
'Hah, they're spooked.'
"Your leader's head's rolling! This fight's ours!"
Wang Yi Sam bellowed at the warriors, then turned to the martial artists and roared.
"Let's show these Jegal Clan guard dogs what a real broad dao tastes like!"
"Hell yeah!"
"I'll call the shots—hack down anyone who gets in the way! Left!"
Wang Yi Sam barked orders in the sequence the blue-robed man had given, leading the wedge formation.
Racing across the main hall roof, the blue-robed man scaled the wall and slipped inside the building.
His footsteps made no sound on the wooden corridor.
Shhh...
Suddenly, he halted.
He stood stock-still.
Then, in a blur, he drew his sword, spun, and slashed left and right.
Slash!
The doors on either side split open, and two ambushing warriors crumpled, lifeless.
Thud.
With the ambush foiled, the doors ahead flew open as one, spilling eight warriors into the hall—one from each of eight rooms.
One spoke up.
"Not bad, dodging our ambush."
The blue-robed man replied in his signature toneless voice.
"In the Central Plains these days, do they call hiding like rats an 'ambush'?"
"You didn't make a sound—how'd you know?"
"Heartbeat."
"What? No way you could hear..."
"Lying."
"You bastard..."
The warrior realized he'd been mocked and ground his teeth.
"Silence a sound, but erase your presence? That's the line between novice and master. Your limit."
"Bold, barging into Jegal Clan headquarters alone. Today marks your end..."
The blue-robed man cut him off coldly.
"Talkative. Does the Jegal Clan fight with words?"
"...Kill him!"
The warriors charged as one.
Jegal Hyeok had a basin on the table, performing sorcery.
Beside it lay an open book, its crimson script an indecipherable blur of strokes and shapes.
Jegal Hyeok traced the glyphs with both hands.
With a sweep, the water in the basin swirled on its own, spinning a red leaf in a vortex.
"Stubborn brat. Time to end this."
The door slid open silently.
"Who goes? I said no one enters."
"Never heard that."
"...!"
Jegal Hyeok realized it wasn't one of his warriors—an intruder.
"Daring to enter my room uninvited!"
Without turning, he snatched a brush from the table and flung it at the intruder.
Whoosh!
The writing brush flew rigid as an iron judge's stylus.
Infused with immense inner power.
Yet the intruder caught it casually with one hand.
Tap.
It was the blue-robed man.
"A scholar gifting his precious brush? Central Plains folk would laugh it off as nonsense."
"You're no ordinary fool—decent martial arts."
"Time's all I've got in life, so I trained a bit."
"I might've let you leave peacefully, but you spurn the wine and choose poison."
The blue-robed man replied icily.
"Liar."
"What?"
"You know Seo Baek headed to Shaolin Temple—you'd let me go? No chance. You'll kill me and Wang Yi Sam to silence us, eliminate loose ends."
"..."
Speechless, Jegal Hyeok shut his mouth.
"Pretending to be a scholar while spewing lies—your place isn't the martial world, it's the imperial court. Tongues that wag win there."
"What?!"
Jegal Hyeok drew two judge's styluses from his robe and bellowed.
"Beg for your life no more!"
"Not a beggar. And this."
Swish. The blue-robed man held up the brush.
"Thanks for the gift, but I'm no scholar—returning it."
He tossed it back at Jegal Hyeok.
Shhh.
Straight as an arrow on a string.
Infused with power like Jegal Hyeok's throw, but seemingly slower, less forceful.
Jegal Hyeok smirked.
"Thought you had skill, but it's nothing special..."
Suddenly, the brush spun wildly, accelerating toward his eye.
Screee!
Startled, Jegal Hyeok reached out—but his fingers buckled under the force. The brush pierced his palm clean through.
Pfht.
It embedded in the wall beyond.
"Argh!"
Jegal Hyeok screamed, clutching his gushing hand. He knocked over the basin in agony.
Crash! Water spilled everywhere.
The blue-robed man sneered at the farce.
"Old saying: a younger brother rarely outshines the elder. You're not even a tenth of Jegal Seong—a true dullard."
"You...!"
Jegal Hyeok tried resuming his sorcery, but it was ruined.
The basin lay overturned, the red leaf crumpled on the floor like discarded paper.
All his spells—broken!
"The Jegal Clan will have your head—wait for it!"
With his good hand, he yanked a hidden lever under the table.
The floor beneath his chair gaped open, swallowing him into the underground.
As Jegal Hyeok fled, the blue-robed man scratched his head—uncharacteristically.
"Oops. Focused on the sorcery, forgot the mechanisms."
He added,
"He's underground now—leave the cleanup to the others."
Jegal Myeongjae unleashed a flurry of unpredictable strikes at Seo Baek with his judge's styluses.
Shick, shick!
The twin styluses writhed like serpents, targeting Seo Baek's vital points.
Seo Baek countered with simple, steadfast blocks, focused solely on defense.
A revenant's techniques outshone any human's in flair—an otherworldly sight no onlooker would trust their eyes.
Clang!
The collision sent agony ripping through Seo Baek's grip.
But Jegal Myeongjae pressed on without withdrawing, shoving relentlessly.
Yield here, and his whole body would be exposed—the styluses would impale muscle and bone without mercy.
Seo Baek braced his blade with one hand.
A clash of external strength.
Jegal Myeongjae's body had long surpassed human limits.
Without invoking the Shika Heart Method, Seo Baek's frame screamed under the pressure.
Grind...
Bones and joints twisted, grinding audibly throughout his body.
Hearing it, Jegal Myeongjae curled his lips in a grin.
Impossible for a soulless Blood Ghost. Whatever the trick, Jegal Hyeok had turned the clan head into a controlled revenant, not mere ghoul.
Then, Seo Baek heard a phantom voice in his ear.
—Feet firm as Mount Tai.
—Blade swift as gale winds.
Words long forgotten.
The basics drilled at the start of Shika Manor training!
In this desperate moment, Seo Baek murmured softly.
"Impressive. The Jegal Clan's sorcery lives up to the legends."
Grind...
"But that's all it does?"
Griiind...
"Why not use that vaunted sorcery for the Central Plains' peace?!"
Suddenly, Seo Baek thrust his arms out, reversing the push and shoving Jegal Myeongjae's hands back.
Pop!
As Jegal Myeongjae gaped in confusion, mid-snarl,
both styluses snapped like dry reeds.
Crack!
His wrists buckled backward, shattering.
Snap!