Chapter 97
Chapter 97
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: Thunder Dragon Squad Rampage
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Tak Hyuk-dong couldn't hold back.
The moment Geon Cheon-hwi's order rang out, he charged at the enemies without mercy.
"Huaaaah!"
The axe he swung carved a massive arc through the air.
Wielding the Great Power Seven Steps, he smashed through the foes blocking his path one by one.
Boom! Thud thud!
The enemies struck by his axe crumpled like felled trees, their backs snapping.
It was monstrous strength paired with ruthless attacks that allowed no hesitation.
A warrior who reflexively raised his sword to block exploded backward with a bang, flying three zhang before crashing down.
"Kuh, kuhuk! Keck, keck!"
The man spewed blood and collapsed limply.
Before the others could shake off their shock and panic, Tak Hyuk-dong pressed forward, swinging his massive axe once more to mercilessly batter the enemies.
"Graaaah!"
"Kuh, keuugh!"
"Block him!"
The Heavenly Wind Squad warriors and the traitors cried out in terror.
They hastily formed ranks to meet the onrushing Tak Hyuk-dong, but it was futile.
No one could stand against him as he shattered their formation like a battering ram splintering city gates.
Tak Hyuk-dong bellowed.
"You filthy bastards! Traitors?! Traitors?"
His massive muscles rippled with dynamic power.
Enemies scattered like fallen leaves before his sweeping arms and axe.
It was brute force laced with madness.
Like a wild boar, he bulldozed forward, shoving foes aside and cleaving them with his axe.
In an instant, the gash in their lines turned into a hellscape.
And through the crumbling formation leaped Jang Ung, drawing his twin blades.
Slash slash slash slash!
Crouching low like a ghost, he slipped into blind spots, shredding enemies in a frenzy—over twenty cuts in a single breath.
The warriors couldn't keep up with his agility and sharpness.
Slice!
"Arrrgh!"
A warrior who glanced away lost his ankle and toppled.
Jang Ung mounted him, pierced his throat, then surged forward without pause.
Geon Cheon-hwi wasn't standing idle either.
With cold eyes scanning the foes, he closed the distance and thrust his sword.
No fancy techniques—just simple, linear advances and retreats as he dominated the chaotic battlefield.
To the enemies, Geon Cheon-hwi's movements were those of the Grim Reaper.
He seemed merely to brush past, yet throats and bellies sprouted holes, spilling blood unnoticed.
Slice!
"Graaaah!"
"Keeugh!"
Enemies fell one by one, swiftly.
Wherever the Thunder Dragon Squad passed—like a swarm of locusts—screams erupted without fail, warriors dropping with dull thuds.
Slice! Spurt!
Geon Cheon-hwi severed a neck, drenching himself in blood.
His blood-red eyes quickly swept the field.
The Heavenly Palace Hall was a total mess.
He read the situation in a flash.
Spotting Nangong Hyeok's position, he calculated the shortest path there.
Just then, he saw Nangong Hyeok heading toward the head seat.
And he spotted the Heavenly Palace Squad fiercely pursuing him.
Half the Heavenly Palace Squad was tangled with the Sword Guard Squad, the rest chasing Nangong Hyeok.
Geon Cheon-hwi's eyes flashed sharply.
"Follow me!"
He slapped Tak Hyuk-dong's back and dashed forward.
As the Thunder Dragon Squad moved, the battlefield's flow shifted once more.
Traitor corpses piled up along their path.
The Heavenly Wind Squad warriors, even mid-fight, could only gape.
"Wh-what the hell is this?!"
"That's the Thunder Dragon Squad? They're that strong?!"
"What happened all this time?!"
"......What?!"
The Thunder Dragon Squad they knew wasn't like this.
Rough, arrogant, belligerent—yes, but their martial arts weren't elite.
If any had truly mastered their skills, the leadership would have kept them in the inner compound and folded them into the Heavenly Palace or Sovereign Squads.
They'd shown some promise lately, but before that, they had no notable achievements anyone could recall.
No one dreamed they'd sweep the field like this.
Still rough and crude, but no longer amateurish.
Before, they were mere clubs; now, they were iron maces.
A sloppy block shattered bones, not just swords; a solid hit caved in skulls.
The Thunder Dragon Squad had become that lethal and powerful.
Neither the Heavenly Wind Squad nor warriors from other sects could stop them.
In a flash, the Thunder Dragon Squad plunged into the center, advancing toward the Heavenly Palace Squad.
Everyone aligned with Nangong Baek was stunned.
"Block them!"
"Block them, I said!"
"You bastards! How dare you!"
Traitors swarmed, snarling defiance at the Thunder Dragon Squad.
Crack!
Tak Hyuk-dong's axe split a traitor's skull in two with one swing.
"......!"
His face twisted ferociously like a yaksha's as he snorted at the Heavenly Wind Squad.
Flinch!
Immense presence.
With each step Tak Hyuk-dong took, traitors recoiled.
The cornered traitors' momentum faltered.
Then, the Heavenly Wind Squad leader—who had been rallying his loyalists—shouted.
"Subdue the traitors!"
"Waaaaah!"
"Subdue them!"
Sandwiched between the ferocious press from both sides, the traitors paled.
"Graaaah!"
"Spare me!"
"Huh, heeeugh!"
Amid their desperate screams, the remaining forces clashed chaotically.
* * *
Nangong Baek and Nangong Jangcheon's gazes simultaneously shifted to Nangong Hyeok.
"......"
"......"
A heavy silence fell.
Their pupils quivered wildly, lost.
Stunned by the sudden turn, both were speechless.
Nangong Baek's mind reeled.
The Heavenly Palace Squad leader dead?
It was the most shocking act of Nangong Hyeok's exploits yet.
Beating his son Nangong Jeong in a duel or slaying the bandit chieftain was impressive enough, but this was on another level.
The Heavenly Palace Squad leader was one of Nangong clan's top masters.
Excluding elders, he was the undisputed Sword Hero, acclaimed by all.
A man who'd honed the sword alone for over twenty years to reach mastery.
And that Hwang Cheol had fallen to a mere youth not even thirty.
Impossible.
No—it shouldn't have happened, but it did.
The one meant to kill Nangong Hyeok and return had died instead!
The leader's death wasn't just shocking; it flipped the battlefield.
A wildcard at the moment victory seemed at hand.
Nangong loyalists' morale soared, while the rebels' plummeted.
Panic led to cold corpses piling up.
They hastily pulled back into a standoff, then clashed again with Sword Guards and Heavenly Palace Squad—but the initial blaze of momentum was gone.
Nangong Baek ground his teeth.
'That bastard again!'
Nangong Hyeok's impact was immense.
One master outweighed a hundred weaklings on the field.
Once broken, morale didn't recover easily.
And amid it all, more variables erupted.
The Heavenly Palace Hall doors burst open as the Thunder Dragon Squad stormed in.
'No! How?!'
Nangong Baek was aghast.
Unforeseen foes appeared.
And the Thunder Dragon Squad immediately began dominating.
Their momentum overwhelmed the field—so much so he questioned if they were truly the clan's headache.
Nangong Baek's face twisted demonically.
"You cling to me to the bitter end."
His eyes turned icy.
"Fine! If you crave death that badly, I'll grant it!"
He kicked off the floor, launching toward Nangong Hyeok.
Seeing Nangong Baek streak like a beam of light, Nangong Jangcheon snapped to.
"Where do you think you're going!"
Boom!
Nangong Jangcheon leaped powerfully. His sword, slicing through the air, targeted Nangong Baek's legs.
"Krgh!"
Nangong Baek twisted midair, parrying.
Clang! Kakaka!
One fierce clash, followed by three rapid exchanges.
Swoosh!
Nangong Baek glared at Nangong Jangcheon with bloodshot eyes.
"You scum—I'd drink your blood and still not be sated! Daring to block my path again!"
"Enough of your nonsense! It's all greed, admitting your own inadequacy!"
"Hah! We'll see if you say that after the grand plan succeeds!"
Nangong Baek sneered coldly; Nangong Jangcheon's face hardened.
"Why go this far?! What grievance makes you turn on your own blood?!"
"Shut your mouth!"
Nangong Baek's enraged voice echoed through the hall.
"It was wrong from the start, you fool! Didn't I tell you? I can't stand seeing the main house weakened—I'm setting it right!"
Rumble!
Nangong Baek's Lone Soul Sword thundered toward Nangong Jangcheon.
Lightning-like sword qi targeted his throat.
No mercy, even for kin—intent on killing.
Nangong Jangcheon's face twisted.
"Is this seat so tempting?! What resolve drives you to such venom?!"
Azure lightning flashed in Nangong Jangcheon's eyes.
"Huaap!"
With a mighty shout, scorching heat surged along his blade.
Immense pressure crushed the air from the tip.
Kwaaaang!
A world-shaking boom sent Nangong Baek skidding back.
"Krghhh!"
Nangong Baek paled.
One exchange revealed clear superiority.
Nangong Jangcheon lowered his sword, glaring.
"Give it up! Can't you see the tide has turned? Surrender!"
Nangong Baek steadied his breath, scoffing.
"The tide has turned?"
"The rebelling elders will be subdued soon."
Half the Heavenly Palace and Heavenly Wind Squads were tied down; the traitorous Harmony Alliance attendees were being swept by the Thunder Dragon Squad.
Anyone could see the momentum shifting.
Nangong Jangcheon advanced step by step.
Step. Step! Step—!
His footfalls grew heavier, Mount Tai-like aura rising.
In a stern voice, he declared.
"The Sovereign and Heavenly Dragon Squads will arrive soon. The outer compound warriors move with the Chief Steward, so end this now......"
"Hahaha! I've planned this for ten years. Think I'd plot rebellion with so little prep?"
"......"
"Foolish Nangong Jangcheon. If that's all you've got, you'll watch everyone who follows you die here today."
Gripping his knuckles white at the mockery, Nangong Jangcheon slammed his foot down.
Boom!
The Sovereign Overlord Step's pressure bore down on Nangong Baek's shoulders.
Gut-wrenching intensity, yet Nangong Baek smirked.
As Nangong Jangcheon's towering sword force descended like a mountain,
Nangong Baek—smirking, breath held—thrust like lightning.
His ink-black blade met Nangong Jangcheon's.
Kwaaaang!
The earth-shaking clash forced Nangong Jangcheon back several steps.
Ziiing!
Narrowing his eyes at the quivering blade, vibrations traveling to his hand.
Immense sword force.
Far beyond what Nangong Jangcheon knew of him.
But that wasn't the issue.
"......That's not the main house's swordsmanship!"
Nangong Jangcheon witnessed an unfamiliar style from Nangong Baek.
Utterly unlike the clan's profound, majestic arts.
Seeing the inky aura creeping up the blade, Nangong Jangcheon grunted.
"You've even dabbled in evil heterodox arts?!"
At Nangong Jangcheon's furious shout, Nangong Baek grinned wickedly.