Chapter 30 - Backstab
"Now, come on out."
Just how high was Elder Chi-o's cultivation realm? He was definitely at least at the External Circulation stage, and might have even reached Universal Circulation, the late stage of the Qi Circulation realm. Killing a dual-sword-wielding youth of the same level so easily proved as much. Even if he hadn't reached Samgeuk, he was undoubtedly a cut above the rest within the Qi Circulation realm.
"You bastard..." The middle-aged scholar, who had been acting as the leader of the group, grimaced. His face perfectly captured the sheer disbelief of a predator realizing it had actually been the prey all along.
"Hmm..."
"If you won't come to me, shall this old man make the first move?"
Honestly, by this point, the tide of battle had already tilted in our favor. They had jumped us three-to-two and still failed to secure a decisive advantage, so what good would it do them to keep clashing? Elder Chi-o also seemed content to end it here, his posture mostly a threatening bluff to make them back off.
That won't do.
I realized something with absolute certainty right then. Elder Chi-o had to die. If he didn't, I dreaded to think what would happen once the two of us were left alone. At the very least, those three enemies had to die—or, ideally, Chi-o himself. Having made my decision, my gaze turned ice-cold.
"You bastards!"
"Cultivator Gang?"
My roaring battle cry pierced the air with crystal clarity.
"How dare you slaughter the innocent disciples of our family and shamelessly attempt to flee! I shall avenge Cultivator Bo-ah and Cultivator Guryo here and now!"
"Wait, Cultivator Gang?!"
"No more talk! Cultivator Chi-o, the enemies are weakened—now is our chance! We must kill them now, or they will return with even greater numbers!"
It wasn't entirely wrong. If we let them go now, who was to say they wouldn't return with other Qi Circulation experts or some overpowered Dharma treasure? Forcing a life-or-death struggle right here and now might not be the absolute best option, but it was certainly the next best thing.
"Die!" Without looking back, I raised my massively swollen club and lunged at them.
"You brat!" The enraged middle-aged scholar immediately unleashed five sword glints that surged toward me.
Clang!
A massive shockwave erupted, sending ripples of destructive force scattering in all directions. Behind me, I could practically feel Elder Chi-o's agonizing dilemma.
"Sigh... What am I to do with this boy..."
If I fought these two alone, I might put up a decent fight, but it would ultimately end in my defeat. If Chi-o stood by and watched, I would almost certainly lose. If he ran, he might escape, but it wasn't guaranteed. And if the enemies caught up to him later, he would find himself surrounded by even more Qi Circulation experts and an army of Core Condensation cultivators. Since it was currently a two-on-two, finishing them off here was actually a highly rational choice.
And the enemies knew it too.
"You bastard!"
"Fine! If you wish to die so badly, then perish here!"
Five swords and a bizarre spell shot toward me. Even though I possessed the power of Obsidian, which was the ultimate counter to spells and sorcery, this was still highly threatening.
Slash, slice.
I deflected the most dangerous attacks and braced my body to take the rest head-on, all while keeping my senses focused on what was happening behind my back.
Well, what are you going to do, old man? It would be such a waste to back down now when your entry guarantees our victory, wouldn't it?
The enemies were weaker than we had anticipated. If we wiped them out here, we could retrieve the bodies of our fallen allies and maybe even complete the mission. He wouldn't have to throw away the connections he had built over a lifetime, nor would he have to get on the bad side of a blue-chip prospect like Gang Hayeon. Although he had acted nonchalant about living as a fugitive outside Yagwi City, he must have secretly dreaded it. A lifetime of connections, networks, reputation, and opportunities—the older you get, the harder it is to adapt to change. Casting aside Yagwi City and his ties to Gang Hayeon to run away could never have been an easy decision for him.
Finally, the voice I wanted to hear echoed from behind. It came just as my body was being shredded by sword blades and a bizarre spell shattered a large chunk of my obsidian armor.
"You scoundrels! I shall make you pay tenfold for Cultivator Bo-ah's life!"
"Damn it! Why couldn't that old fossil just stay out of it?!"
"Cultivator Ak! I will handle the old man, so kill the brat quickly and help me!"
Elder Chi-o joined the fray in an instant. And the enemies' decision was not to flee, but to settle things here once and for all. Why? Were they really that close to Guryo and the dual-sword youth? Or were their circumstances so dire that they had no choice but to finish it here?
Either way, it was a stroke of good luck. I would end everything right here.
"Hyaaaah!"
The goat-bearded old man roared, confidently declaring he would slaughter me with everything he had before moving on to Elder Chi-o.
"I will put you down quickly, then hunt that old monster!"
"You've got it all wrong."
How arrogant of him, considering the two of them together couldn't even scratch me earlier. It was a classic misjudgment born of a heated battle and an overheated brain. Because they were terrified of Elder Chi-o's overwhelming strength, they overcompensated by projecting an absurd amount of confidence toward me.
This is what we call stupidity—belittling a smaller threat as insignificant just because a much larger danger is staring you in the face.
"Ugh! You're quite strong, Goat-beard!"
"Address me as Master, you foolish brat!"
Well, if that was what he expected, I had to play along. I feigned being overwhelmed by his attacks, retreating step after step.
"Die already, you bastard!"
Eager to deliver the finishing blow, the goat-bearded old man intensified his offensive, pouring all his energy into raw firepower. His ice-attribute attacks grew exponentially colder, unleashing a freezing gale that felt as if it would turn my very bone marrow into ice crystals.
But because he focused entirely on raw power, his attack patterns inevitably became simplistic. His techniques grew heavier and denser, but far more chaotic. And yet, he was still holding back a fraction of his strength, as if saving it for the fight after my death.
That very complacency and arrogance was fast-tracking his journey to the underworld.
I calmly assessed the situation, dodging what I could and tanking what I couldn't.
His attacks are too simple. If I land a solid counter right now, it'll definitely hit home.
However, there was no need to rush. I still needed to force Elder Chi-o and that seemingly formidable middle-aged scholar to exhaust whatever hidden trump cards they had left. Instead of seizing the obvious opening for a counterattack, I chose to take a bit more damage and bide my time.
"Take this! And this!"
Convinced that I was completely outmatched, Goat-beard pressed his offensive even harder.
Eventually, the middle-aged scholar—who was struggling against Elder Chi-o—finally revealed his hidden card.
"Sigh... I have no choice."
Flash!
The scholar's robes began to glow. Embroidered upon the fabric was a miniature formation diagram, unfurling like a mandala. His very robes were a portable formation array.
"Hmm. It seems this old man must also reveal his trump card."
Elder Chi-o couldn't bring himself to flee, even as he kept a wary eye on me. He couldn't afford to. He realized it was already too late to run.
...Little did he know that right now was actually the perfect opportunity to run.
"Die!"
"You bastard!"
A bone-chilling clash of two immense forces erupted. I immediately unleashed a strike that combined the martial arts of Taeak and the sorcery of Yoji, directing it straight at the goat-bearded old man.
"What?! How could—!"
Splat!
A single, devastating blow pierced his head, chest, and lower abdomen where his inner core resided. The goat-bearded old man, who had clearly held the upper hand just a moment ago, collapsed like a house of cards.
At the same time, I shouted, "I will assist you!"
"...Excellent, Brother Gang! Let us kill this bastard quickly!"
"You beast! How dare you kill him—!"
I soared toward the two who were locked in a fierce mid-air struggle. Elder Chi-o, whose body had mostly transformed into that of a bird, clashed his talons against the middle-aged scholar's glowing formation array, generating a deafening hum and blinding flashes of light.
And my target, of course, was Elder Chi-o—who was far more dangerous than the scholar.
"What?! You bastard!"
I thought I had put on a decent act, but his sheer experience must have tipped him off sooner than expected. Perhaps the decades he had lived had granted him a sixth sense.
But whatever he tried to do, it was already too late.
Clang!
Crackle!
He barely managed to block my swinging club with his left hand, but that split-second distraction cost him the struggle against the middle-aged scholar. A five-colored current of electricity shattered Elder Chi-o's forearm and surged down, eating away at his flesh.
"Aaaaargh!"
The sound of burning flesh and fat hissed through the air. At the same time, a savory aroma, like roasting chicken, drifted past my nose.
"Ugh... cough..."
Elder Chi-o collapsed to his knees. "You... ungrateful..."
"Die."
Crunch!
I crushed Elder Chi-o's head. If I gave him even a moment to breathe, he was the type of monster who would recover instantly and pull some crazy stunt. Striking him while he was stunned by the scholar's attack was the perfect opportunity.
Thud.
The headless corpse of the old man slumped to the ground. I looked up at the dumbfounded middle-aged scholar floating in the air and gave him a sideways glare, as if to say, What are you staring at?
"What?"
"...What in the world is the meaning of this?"
"Just a man who deserved to die, dying."
Elder Chi-o was undoubtedly a powerhouse one or two levels above me. But the world doesn't always side with the strong. Even fate and Lady Luck occasionally enjoy a good underdog rebellion.
"Besides, you've shown all your cards, and I reckon I can beat you now. You don't exactly look stronger than Elder Chi-o anyway."
"...You insolent brat!"
"Time to go to sleep."
Gripping my club tightly, I charged at the exhausted, panting scholar. He managed to put up a decent fight, completely vaporizing my right shoulder, but in the end, he had no way to block the incoming club.
"Phew."
Soon, only one person remained standing in the vicinity. I flicked the shattered skull of my formidable foe with my finger and let out a sigh of relief.
What followed was easy. Even though my body was in terrible shape, I was dealing with mere Core Condensation weaklings. My mere intervention was enough to instantly turn the tide for our outnumbered allies.
"Kill them! The Champion is with us!"
Moreover, with the deaths of the three enemy Qi Circulation experts, our side's morale was sky-high while the enemies were utterly demoralized. It didn't take long for the balanced battle to devolve into a one-sided slaughter.
Squish!
"And that's the last of them."
Using my one remaining arm, I crushed the body of the final fleeing survivor. He was at the late stage of Core Condensation, so he gave me a bit of trouble, but it was nowhere near enough to stop me. After looting some decent Dharma treasures and various belongings from the corpses, I returned to the ruined camp.
"H-how could this happen..."
"Oh, Brother Jeong! Please, wake up!"
"To think both Senior Chi-o and Senior Guryo would end up like this... What are we supposed to do now..."
Fortunately, the Core Condensation grunts hadn't witnessed our little comedy show. In other words, Guryo's death was pinned entirely on the enemy. It was only natural for them to cling to the sole remaining high-ranking survivor—a basic instinct of any living creature.
"I will take charge of Cultivator Chi-o and Cultivator Guryo's bodies, lest they be desecrated or used against us."
"But that is..."
"If you have something to say, step forward and speak up."
"N-no, sir."
Taking command was boringly easy.
"Everyone, assemble! The Champion has an order! Stop clearing the bodies and camp, and line up immediately!"
At that command, the grunts lined up in neat rows before me. Looking at them, I saw a glimmer of hope.
Hmm, this isn't bad at all.
We had killed three Qi Circulation experts. At the same time, we had wiped out the countless Core Condensation cultivators who followed them. While our allies had suffered severe casualties, the enemy's losses were far greater. This meant there was no longer any reason to flee.
If I can just make contact with Gang Soye's forces and seize the mine...
This could work. It absolutely could. Of course, since I was the only surviving Qi Circulation combatant on our side, my influence among the allied forces led by Gang Soye would be minimal, but that was more than enough. I might lose out on some shares and other benefits, but I had already gained plenty. I had the wealth and corpses of three enemy Qi Circulation experts, everything belonging to our two fallen Qi Circulation allies, and everything from that woman Bo-ah. Even if I retreated right now, I would be well in the black. At the same time, simply leading these troops forward would yield a much better outcome than running away.
"Listen up, everyone! I have personally confirmed the deaths of Cultivator Chi-o and Cultivator Guryo! It is a truly tragic loss!"
Of course, I was the one who killed one of them, and the other was killed by the people I had just slaughtered, but what did that matter? The only thing that mattered was that I was the only champion they had left to rely on, and they had no choice but to obey me. I raised my hands high and roared.
"Do you desire vengeance? Do you desire wealth and glory? The very fact that you joined this perilous mission means Sister Hayeon promised you immense rewards! If we retreat now, the compensation you rightfully deserve will vanish into thin air!"
I played on their greed.
"We have slain three Qi Circulation experts! We have annihilated their entire army! The enemy has suffered far greater losses than us, and their defenses are like a rotting door waiting to be kicked down!"
That was a total lie. The defenses of a vital facility like a spirit stone mine would undoubtedly be formidable. But of course, that wasn't my problem.
"Do you want an all-out war? Do you want the sweet rewards that await at the end of this struggle? Of course you do! That is why you embarked on this dangerous journey in the first place!"
"Waaaaaaah!"
They were people who had willingly joined a high-stakes gamble to begin with. Once their fear was dispelled, swaying them was a breeze.
"Create a storm! Sweep everything away with the tempest you forge with your own hands!"
"Waaaaaaah!"
I just needed to meet up with Gang Soye's unit. If we launched a pincer attack with them, the mine—which was now short on Qi Circulation defenders—would crumble on its own.
Rest in peace, Elder Chi-o.
To think he fulfilled his lord's mission even in death—what a remarkably loyal subject. I would remember his warrior spirit and honor for a whole week.
Wow, this is absolutely insane.
The old man I thought was a spy turned out to be an ally, and I killed him thinking he was a spy, but not before teaming up with him to defeat the enemy's main force, only to turn around and murder him with my own hands and paint him as a tragic martyr who died for the cause.
If this were serialized as a web novel, readers would drop it, calling it a load of nonsense. But what can you do? That's reality for you. Fiction can never truly capture the sheer absurdity of real life.
Dazed by how suddenly the tables had turned in my favor, I gathered the remaining troops.
Man, I pulled off one backstab, and now the entire board is suspiciously in my favor.
...Why? How on earth did things even end up like this?