Chapter 269
Chapter 269
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 269
Chapter Title: Blood Rain
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The members of the detachment froze like statues upon meeting the gaze of Cheonhwi staring at them through the blood rain.
It was a chilling sight.
Yet it was so dreamlike and overwhelming that they couldn't tear their eyes away all at once.
They even forgot to breathe.
They were overwhelmed by the current atmosphere.
And so, for a moment, they held their breath and simply stared at Cheonhwi.
Thud.
The bisected corpses fell to the ground, and the pouring blood rain gradually came to a stop.
A quiet silence flowed.
The gazes of the detachment remained fixed on Cheonhwi, showing no sign of movement.
And rightly so, for it was an astonishing sight.
Though clearly drenched in blood rain, there wasn't the slightest trace of blood on his entire body.
He was exactly as he had been at the start.
That could only mean one thing.
Body Protecting Gang Qi.
An astonishing feat that could not be achieved without profound martial prowess and deep internal energy.
'...A monster.'
Ho Gwanggae stuck out his tongue.
'I thought I was pretty good among the later generation disciples, but to think I couldn't even see a thing.'
He couldn't even grasp what had happened.
One moment, sword light flashed, and the next, the assailants were bisected and dying. That was it.
Godspeed swordsmanship that had reached divine quickness.
'The skill gap is too vast.'
Ho Gwanggae shook his head.
The Plum Blossom Divine Hero had reached a realm utterly beyond his reach, no matter how hard he tried.
'...No wonder the Branch Leader holds him in such high regard.'
His eyes narrowed to slits.
The martial prowess of the Plum Blossom Divine Hero that he had witnessed firsthand far surpassed the rumors and his expectations.
'Ha, the Branch Leader said to unconditionally follow the Plum Blossom Divine Hero's orders...'
Recalling Yong Ju-gae's earnest instruction, he ground his teeth.
'Handle it within one ke.'
His head throbbed.
The team had already spent half a shichen struggling against the bandits without even breaking the encirclement properly.
Yet to handle it in just one ke?
It was nearly impossible.
But he circulated his internal energy.
A command had been given, after all.
Thud!
Immediately, Ho Gwanggae kicked off the ground.
Normally, he would have rallied the other detachment members and led them together to carry out the order, but...
There was no time to waste now.
He had to hurry and complete the command.
In his urgency, he unleashed the Orthodox school's basic footwork, Swallow Double Flight, and plunged into the midst of the bandits still reeling from Cheonhwi's divine might.
And he struck out with his palm.
Hundred Knots Divine Palm struck squarely into the chest of a dazed bandit.
Crack!
"Gah!"
With the strike of Hundred Knots Divine Palm infused with Hundred Knots Art's inner energy, the bandit's chest caved in, and he vomited dark blood from his mouth.
'Gotta finish this quick!'
Feeling pressured by the time limit Cheonhwi had set, and influenced by the thick bloody scent stinging his nose and the atmosphere, he showed no mercy in his strikes.
"You bastard!"
"This filthy beggar!"
As their comrade died, the bandits belatedly came to their senses and charged at Ho Gwanggae.
They exuded killing intent.
Killing intent so vicious it would have rattled him in a normal fight.
But for some reason, Ho Gwanggae felt their killing intent was weak.
'Because of what just happened?'
Ho Gwanggae let out a hollow laugh.
It wasn't that their killing intent had weakened.
After experiencing Cheonhwi's overwhelming presence, the bandits' malice simply failed to stimulate him anymore—it felt infinitely feeble.
Overcoming the pressure, Ho Gwanggae laughed once at the other bandits' attacks and planted his true stance.
Thud!
And he began to display martial arts he hadn't even been able to use before.
Hundred Knots Divine Palm, Revolving Fist, and more.
"Gah!"
With each technique he unleashed, bandits flew backward and met their end.
As Ho Gwanggae showcased his prowess...
Grip—
The detachment members, who had been frozen in awkward poses, exchanged glances as if gauging each other, then roughly kicked off the ground.
"Hoo."
Im Ha-yul, still reeling from the shock, took a deep breath in and out to collect herself, gripping her sword with trembling hands.
Her wounded hand still hurt.
But she endured the pain.
This was a chance that might not come again.
She couldn't let it slip away like this.
Gathering all her remaining internal energy, she charged at the bandits.
'I have to show what I can do.'
With her resolve hardened, Im Ha-yul made her final dash toward the battlefield.
Click.
Cheonhwi, who had been silently watching, sheathed Hwamwol.
He then gazed at the detachment members desperately fighting the bandits, a satisfied expression on his face.
"That's more like it."
Was it the pressure of time and the urgency to perform?
The awkward movements from moments ago were gradually changing.
Swift, concise, without excess.
Of course, there was still much room for improvement.
But compared to how they had been helplessly pushed back earlier, it was far better.
At that moment.
"...Could this be part of the test as well?"
A voice came from beside him.
Turning his gaze, he saw Danri Gwancheon clutching his side and looking at Cheonhwi.
His face was still contorted in severe pain, but the light in his eyes as he regarded Cheonhwi burned brightly.
Cheonhwi met his gaze and smiled.
"Why do you think that?"
"It feels like you deliberately created that atmosphere and added the time pressure..."
Danri Gwancheon said cautiously.
Cheonhwi liked that response.
Asking that meant he had grasped the situation even amid the chaos.
Cheonhwi's lips slowly twisted into a grin.
"As expected, sharp eyes."
It was exactly as Danri Gwancheon said.
He had intentionally exuded an intense presence to pressure them mentally and drive them to the brink.
And that wasn't all.
The thick, nose-tingling bloody scent would have stimulated them, and the mutilated corpses would have shaken their fragile hearts like greenhouse flowers.
"You're right."
Surveying the battlefield and giving a refreshing answer, Cheonhwi scanned each detachment member one by one.
"This is a test."
Danri Gwancheon nodded silently, swallowing further questions at the curt reply.
Afterward, he followed Cheonhwi's gaze and watched the detachment members.
'They seem like different people.'
Before long, the detachment members' momentum had completely changed from before.
And the reason for that change was none other than Cheonhwi's presence.
'It was an intense pressure.'
He recalled the scene from moments ago.
Just looking at Cheonhwi amid the blood rain had made it hard to breathe.
Eerie and dreamlike...
A sight difficult to put into words.
And that intense atmosphere had instantly subdued the entire detachment.
'No wonder the rumors spread.'
His pupils trembled greatly.
Danri Gwancheon was skilled enough to fit in anywhere among the Three Disciples and Four Great Schools.
But he had chosen the detachment on purpose.
To personally verify the man called the Plum Blossom Divine Hero, whose fame shook the world.
And he felt it to his bones.
The rumors weren't exaggerated.
If anything, experiencing it firsthand made it feel understated.
That was when it happened.
"So, when are you going to join in?"
Cheonhwi said, looking at Danri Gwancheon.
"Your body's fine now."
At those words, Danri Gwancheon furrowed his brow.
His body had recovered, but his internal injuries remained.
"My internal injuries are still..."
"What? You gonna sit it out because of that?"
Cheonhwi said incredulously.
"You think the enemy goes, 'Oh dear, he's injured, better not touch him' and lets you off?"
"..."
Danri Gwancheon shut his mouth.
He couldn't refute it.
Cheonhwi looked down at the tight-lipped Danri Gwancheon and spoke again.
"No time, so get going."
Danri Gwancheon nodded in agreement and moved.
Left alone, Cheonhwi crossed his arms and observed the battle.
Perhaps because Danri Gwancheon had joined.
"Young hero from Three Flows Valley!"
"If the young hero helps..."
The detachment's morale soared even higher.
In contrast, the bandits' momentum plummeted to the ground.
And rightly so.
Danri Gwancheon's presence here meant the Red Tiger Stronghold Leader had been defeated.
"Looks like it'll be over soon."
Cheonhwi muttered softly.
In battles and wars deciding life and death, momentum always played a major role.
And as if proving it, the tide of battle was turning now.
Very steeply.
"It's a shame, but since it's the first time, calling it here is fine."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The promised one ke had passed.
Arms crossed, Cheonhwi looked at the detachment members panting heavily.
Their appearance was wretched.
Their bodies were covered in wounds, and their faces still bore traces of unprocessed shock.
"Hm, close but..."
Cheonhwi spoke and surveyed the surroundings.
Half the bandits lay as corpses, and the other half were bound.
Once Danri Gwancheon joined, the bandits—who had already sensed defeat—lost the will to fight and surrendered.
"Anyway, we swept them, so we'll let it pass."
The detachment members sighed in relief.
"It's over."
"Good thing."
Seeing them relieved and joyful, Cheonhwi wore a faint sneer.
"So, how was your first real battle?"
The detachment members' expressions hardened.
The real fight had shocked them greatly.
The bandits' attacks, charged with killing intent, had been ferocious, and despite their skill advantage, they had been overwhelmed early on, unable to properly unleash techniques and only pushed back.
If Danri Gwancheon hadn't joined, victory itself would have been in doubt.
Cheonhwi watched them silently biting their lips and added,
"From now on, you'll face real battles like this often. No, this was tame. The enemies we'll meet next won't be like these ragtag bandits."
The Red Tiger Stronghold was a remote bandit outpost.
It was on a different level from the Evil-Black Alliance sects they'd encounter at the front lines.
"Luckily, you all survived today by luck, but if you hold back like this on the next mission, some of you might die."
It was a low voice.
Yet every detachment member gulped dryly upon hearing it.
Real battle was entirely different from their training.
Even with high skill, showing a gap or panicking meant death.
Kill before being killed.
Having felt it with their bodies, they bit their lips and looked up at Cheonhwi.
"Anyone want to quit now?"
"..."
A few eyes wavered momentarily, but in the end, no one spoke.
"Huh? Unexpected. I thought at least one would bow out."
"Haha, even the Captain..."
Ho Gwanggae, drained after pouring everything into the bloody fight, laughed weakly.
"We've already completed a mission. Why would we quit? Right, everyone?"
Seeing the detachment members nodding in agreement, Cheonhwi shrugged.
"Alright, you're all in then."
As they all nodded...
"One thing to keep in mind."
Cheonhwi said coldly.
"What I need are immediately useful detachment members. Not burdens like today."
"...!"
The detachment members flinched.
It meant: don't be dead weight next time—do it properly.
Seeing their tense faces as they understood, Cheonhwi nodded.
"Good, everyone gets it. Clean up here and return... Oh, right."
As he turned to speak softly, Cheonhwi paused with an 'ah' and opened his mouth.
"We've been calling it the detachment this whole time, so let's give it a name."
At those words, everyone's eyes lit up.
Finally moving from just 'detachment' to having an official unit name felt like they truly belonged.
"Sounds good."
"Great."
Hearing responses from here and there, Cheonhwi nodded and spoke again.
"What name should we go with?"
"How about Divine Hero Squad, after the Captain's moniker?"
"W-What about Martial Hero Squad..."
Suggestions poured in from everywhere.
Cheonhwi listened to them all, his expression showing dissatisfaction.
Then Im Ha-yul cautiously spoke up.
"How about Extermination Squad?"
At the rather extreme name, everyone looked at Im Ha-yul with surprised eyes.
"I-It means exterminating the unorthodox this time..."
As Im Ha-yul trailed off under the focused gazes and smiled awkwardly...
"Extermination..."
Cheonhwi grinned.
"I like it. Extermination Squad it is."