Chapter 93
Chapter 93
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: Breakthrough at the Main Gate
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Geon Cheon-hwi brushed aside his bewildered feelings and coldly sharpened his gaze.
"Our top priority is Young Master Yi's safety! Infiltrate through the rear gate and locate him first! O-cheol, Wang-uk! You two head to the outer courtyard and report this. The rest of you, follow me!"
Geon Cheon-hwi issued the commands in a resolute voice.
"Suppressing the rebellion isn't our objective! Avoid clashes as much as possible while we move. Follo...."
Jang Woong tugged at Geon Cheon-hwi's sleeve as he turned.
Geon Cheon-hwi furrowed his brow.
"Why!"
"...Captain, we're too late."
"What?"
"He's already gone."
Geon Cheon-hwi's eyes widened round.
Now that he thought about it, Taek Hyeok-dong—who should've been right there with them—was nowhere to be seen.
Where the hell did this bastard go?
Gone?
He whipped his head around and froze at the sight of Taek Hyeok-dong sprinting straight for the main gate.
"That crazy son of a bitch!"
Wow, that guy is really....
I wanna ditch him.
Should I just leave him?
The thought flashed through his mind for an instant, but Taek Hyeok-dong was already barreling forward, drawing every eye in the vicinity.
Geon Cheon-hwi grimaced and dragged a hand down his face.
"Change of plans. Full frontal assault straight to Young Master Yi! Everyone, follow me!"
Geon Cheon-hwi drew his sword and moved out behind Taek Hyeok-dong.
The Thunder Dragon Squad raced after the wildly leaping Taek Hyeok-dong.
By then, Taek Hyeok-dong's frenzy had kicked into overdrive.
Taek Hyeok-dong yanked the axe from his back and let out a roar.
"You fucking bastards! Rebellion?! You're starting a goddamn rebellion?!"
Buuuuuuung!
The massive axe screamed through the empty air.
"These punks dare!"
The Xuanwu Squad Leader guarding the main gate scowled.
Taek Hyeok-dong had burst out from between the side gates like a rampaging boar, charging straight at them as if he were Guan Yu reincarnate.
"That punk—is that Taek Hyeok-dong?"
"Yes, that's him."
"Was that bastard here?"
The Xuanwu Squad Leader narrowed his eyes.
Since when had he been lurking around?
Those guys always moved in packs, so he wouldn't be coming alone.
Sure enough, the Thunder Dragon Squad came charging in right on his heels.
The Xuanwu Squad Leader's face twisted with a sly grin before he ground his teeth.
"These idiots are running right into their own graves."
Heh.
"Better this way. I've got some debts to collect."
The Xuanwu Squad warriors gnashed their teeth with vicious snarls, their murderous auras rising thick.
A deep grudge had long festered between the Thunder Dragon Squad and the Xuanwu Squad.
It wasn't just the brawls in the outer courtyard—even recently, they'd suffered the humiliation of disciplinary action because of those bastards.
A cold glint flickered in the Xuanwu Squad Leader's eyes.
His aura shifted in an instant as he barked out an order.
"Today we'll see who's on top. You vermin."
The Thunder Dragon Squad might have the edge in raw fistfights, but martial arts were a different story.
The Xuanwu Squad consisted of warriors versed in the Nangong family's systematic techniques.
Even as outer courtyard fighters, their skill level wasn't far behind the inner courtyard warriors.
They weren't one of the outer courtyard's premier fighting units for nothing.
The Xuanwu Squad Leader smirked.
With their brawling and hotheaded bullshit driving people away, those fools had started acting like they owned the Nangong family.
That was the Thunder Dragon Squad in his eyes.
'I'll show you how high the heavens really are!'
The Xuanwu Squad Leader drew his sword.
Shring! Chaaang!
The Xuanwu Squad warriors drew their blades too, eyes bloodshot.
Blue sword gleams flashed as they surged toward the incoming Taek Hyeok-dong.
The grudges they'd harbored ran just as deep as their leader's.
"You bastard!"
"Your thug days end today!"
"Chaaaaap!"
The Xuanwu Squad encircled Taek Hyeok-dong in a flash.
Convinced that three of them could carve him up, the Leader held his ground and scanned for Geon Cheon-hwi.
"Geon Cheon-hwi! Let's settle who's superior today. Time you learned your place!"
Ever since that last beating from the Thunder Dragon Squad, he'd been scorned within the family—a thousand dismemberments wouldn't be enough payback.
The Xuanwu Squad Leader channeled his inner energy, poised to launch himself at Geon Cheon-hwi.
Kwaaaaaang!
An ear-shattering boom rang out, and the three Xuanwu Squad warriors boxing in Taek Hyeok-dong were flung skyward.
The trio who'd blocked Taek Hyeok-dong's upwards axe swing—like flipping over a boulder—shrieked in agony.
"Kraaaaaak!"
"Uwaaaaaak!"
"Keuheok!"
"Huriyaap!"
The Leader's head snapped around, eyes bulging.
He watched the three Xuanwu warriors sail through the air before crashing to the ground from a single blow.
Papapapa!
Shards of shattered iron flew every which way.
His jaw dropped at the impossible sight.
'What the hell?'
The shock didn't end there.
Taek Hyeok-dong thrashed like a beast ripping into prey, swinging his axe wildly.
"These ungrateful shits drawing steel on us?!"
Swuaaaaaang! Buaaaaaang!
Wielding the Great Force Seven Divisions technique, he repelled the onrushing Xuanwu Squad with devastating whooshes of air.
The Xuanwu warriors tried to counter with sword forms, but they couldn't touch him.
Taek Hyeok-dong's eyes blazed as he spotted more charging in, unleashing the Great Force Seven Divisions even more ferociously.
Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!
"Keueoeok!"
"Block it—block!"
"Grab him from behind!"
The Xuanwu Squad recoiled in panic.
They were swept away helplessly by the axe cleaving like it was chopping firewood.
It was utter domination by inhuman strength.
While the Xuanwu Squad fixated on Taek Hyeok-dong, the arriving Thunder Dragon Squad leaped into the fray.
Jang Woong whipped out twin blades from his sleeves and latched onto the Xuanwu Squad.
Chachachachachak!
Short, concise, lightning-fast chained strikes!
Dozens of glints slashed the air.
The speed defied perception, dazzling the eyes—when the flashes vanished, a Xuanwu warrior crumpled to the ground.
The Thunder Dragon Squad then went berserk like colts with the reins cut.
Kwang! Kwaaaang!
Roars and screams echoed without end, but only Xuanwu Squad members hit the dirt.
They advanced like autumn leaves scattering or stalks of rice toppling.
The Xuanwu Squad Leader stared in a daze before snapping to and yelling urgently.
"Form the Heavenly Wind Sword Formation!"
"Open formation!"
The Xuanwu Squad scrambled to reorganize, but the Thunder Dragon Squad gave them no quarter.
They trampled forward like a herd of mad cattle charging across open fields.
Kwaaaang! Kwakwang!
The Xuanwu Squad trying to form up tumbled across the ground.
On the left, Taek Hyeok-dong seized Xuanwu warriors and bashed their skulls in with his axe.
On the right, Jang Woong hopped like a grasshopper, stabbing and shattering their lines.
The Leader could scarcely believe it was real.
The Thunder Dragon Squad—whom he'd ranked a tier below—was massacring his Xuanwu Squad.
In the blink of an eye, half his men were rolling on the ground.
'What the hell happened while they were with Nangong Hyeok!'
But he couldn't afford to gape forever.
To claim a higher seat once the grand scheme succeeded, he needed accomplishments.
He couldn't let these damn pests derail things right from the start.
Flames erupted from the Leader's eyes.
"You vermiiiin!"
The Heavenly Wind Ten Swords from his blade rained down on a Thunder Dragon Squad warrior.
Jjeoeong!
An unheard-of Thunder Dragon warrior withstood the strike.
His face was pale white, but he'd held.
"...Huh?"
And damn if the sheer power wasn't slowly pushing the Leader's sword back.
"Th-this bastard!"
Peueok!
He booted the warrior away and lunged to pierce the heart in one go—when Geon Cheon-hwi appeared.
Jjeong!
The Leader reeled back with a grimace.
"Fine! Perfect timing. I was just about to kill you anyway!"
"Get out of my way!"
"Hmph! Don't get arrogant! You're dying by my hand today!"
The Leader unleashed the Heavenly Wind Ten Swords once more.
Ten sword shadows poured forth in a flashy, blistering barrage.
Geon Cheon-hwi's eyes gleamed.
'Slow.'
Compared to Nangong Hyeok or Nangong Ryong's blades, it was a caterpillar's crawl.
Hell, it was even slower than the thugs and demons he'd faced up till now.
Geon Cheon-hwi circulated the Ten Thunder Arts and unleashed the Thunder Dragon Ten Swords.
One step to shatter the foe's rhythm.
A natural slash across the Xuanwu Squad Leader's throat.
Seuuk!
"Kuh, keureureuk! Y-you... wh-what did... you...."
Clutching his throat as blood foamed, the Leader pitched forward.
Thud.
Geon Cheon-hwi stared at the fallen Leader in surprise.
...This easy?
He'd figured at least fifty exchanges... but one?
Had his recent foes been so monstrous that he'd lost track of his own growth?
'Or maybe I've gotten stronger...?'
No, that wasn't the point right now.
"Charge the main gate!"
Geon Cheon-hwi never lost sight of the goal.
The Thunder Dragon Squad, gleefully tearing into the Xuanwu Squad, bolted for the gate leading to Cheonggung Hall.
"Taek Hyeok-dong! Get over here, you bastard!"
"You fucking pricks—just! Hrah!"
Taek Hyeok-dong ground his teeth and raced belatedly for the main gate.
Geon Cheon-hwi led the Thunder Dragon Squad in a swift dash toward Cheonggung Hall.
That was when it happened.
"Waaaaaaaah!"
"Grab 'em!"
"Cut 'em down!"
Shouts erupted from every direction alongside booming roars.
A mass of fighters was surging toward the very gate they'd entered, like an incoming tidal wave.
Geon Cheon-hwi's expression hardened.
'What the hell...!'
* * *
A heavy aura poured from Nangong Jangcheon's entire body.
His gaze swiftly swept over the Cheonggung Squad and the assembled retainers.
In a low voice laced with majestic force, he declared,
"Traitors! Subdue them all per family law—but if they resist, execute without mercy!"
The hall stirred uneasily before the retainers hardened their resolve and rose as one.
Nangong Baek sneered coldly.
"Choosing blood in the end, are you?"
"Shut your mouth!"
With that shout, Nangong Jangcheon launched himself at Nangong Baek.
Shwaaaaaaaa!
It was an overwhelming surge like a tidal wave crashing in.
Nangong Jangcheon's sword crossed ten zhang in an instant, plummeting toward Nangong Baek.
Swuaaaaaang—!
A ferocious blow to sunder mountains and part oceans!
The Emperor Sword Form.
Nangong Baek sneered and leaped back.
Kaaang! Kwaaaang!
The strike upheaved the bluestone floor, sending pillars of earth shooting up.
Battles ignited across the hall from there.
Rebels and Nangong retainers tangled in combat.
Roars rang out as sparks flew every which way.
Kakakakakang! Kwaaaaang!
Flesh severed!
"Kraaaaaak!"
"Aaaaak!"
"Don't let a single one live!"
"Kill every last resistor!"
Shouts flew back and forth as the hall plunged into total chaos.
Nangong Jangcheon pursued Nangong Baek with terrifying ferocity in his eyes.
"Hueaaaaap!"
Treading the Heavenly Thunder Divine Steps, Nangong Jangcheon streaked like a beam of light after the retreating Nangong Baek.
His sword force shook a three-zhang radius.
Kwang—! Kwaaaang!
Shockwaves blasted outward, hurling warriors aside.
"Keok!"
"Kuhuk!"
The shockwave from a master's sword strike was a weapon in itself.
Those with weak inner power staggered and collapsed.
Nangong Baek deflected the Emperor Sword Form with Cheonggung Nine Swords and sneered.
"You look desperate!"
"Shut up!"
"Desperate makes sense. See? Your retainers are dying! This is all on you!"
"Lies!"
Nangong Jangcheon's sword grew even more savage.
It became a colossal wave crashing against a gale, bearing down on Nangong Baek.
In that moment, the Heavenly Thunder Divine Art activated, scattering thunderbolts.
Kwarururung! Pajijijijik!
Nangong Baek sprang back.
"It's simple if you surrender! Do you want them all dead?!"
Nangong Jangcheon fell silent at Nangong Baek's mockery.
He quickly scanned the surroundings.
Far more had joined the rebellion than anticipated.
Even a few outsiders were siding with Nangong Baek.
Places tied to the former Family Head had betrayed them too—how long had this been in the works?
Nangong Jangcheon clenched his teeth.
'Hold out just a little longer!'
The defection of the Nangong family's elite Cheonggung Squad was a devastating blow.
The tide wasn't turning easily, but they had to endure.
If the hidden Dark Heaven Guard—known as the Family Head's secret force—and the Emperor Sword Squad arrived, they could flip it in an instant.
Subduing Nangong Baek quickly would let them regain control.
But the retainers' mounting screams began to erode his calm.
Chwaaaaaaaa!
Skakakakak!
Kaaaaang!
"Kraaaaaak!"
"M-my arm!"
"Uwaaaaaak!"
Nangong Baek closed the gap in a flash and lunged.
"Got distracted, did you!"
Kwaaaang! Thud!
Nangong Jangcheon parried the strike with his sword.
"You'll only snap out of it once you see your sons die!"
"How dare you!"
Nangong Jangcheon's gaze flicked left.
"Look! See how your sons are dying!"
Right as Nangong Baek bellowed.
Kwaaaaaaaaang—!
"Keuaaaaaaaaak!"
"Aaaaaaaaaak!"
A tremendous boom shook Cheonggung Hall as warriors soared through the air and slammed into walls.