Chapter 263: Routing the Northern Wind Unit
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 263: Routing the Northern Wind Unit
"Charge!"
One of the Northern Wind Unit members at the front screamed at the top of his lungs.
Their vice-unit leader had been taken down in a single move, unable to even lift a finger. It was proof enough that their opponent was no easy mark.
Yet, they felt no fear. The true strength of the Northern Wind Unit lay in their horsemanship—their ability to become one with their Blood-Sweating Horses.
A Blood-Sweating Horse alone weighed over a thousand catties. Combined with the weight of the rider, it was a mass that few could hope to withstand. Furthermore, the gale-like speed generated by that immense weight would maximize the destructive power of their charge.
Thus, they didn't even hesitate. If dozens of these horses charged at once, not even their unit leader, Pi Sang-deuk—let alone the vice-leader, Jang Gwang—would be able to endure it.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
With the command to advance, the numerous Blood-Sweating Horses began to gallop in unison. Sun-woo did not stop either; he sprinted forward even faster.
Boom!
Sun-woo and the Northern Wind Unit collided head-on.
The first to clash with Sun-woo was the rider at the very front. The Northern Wind Unit member urged his steed to go faster, intending to ram the horse straight into Sun-woo.
A Blood-Sweating Horse weighed over a thousand catties, and its galloping speed was on a different level compared to ordinary horses. A head-on collision with such a beast would leave even a peak martial artist broken.
Snort!
The Blood-Sweating Horse let out a powerful snort and charged directly at Sun-woo.
Sun-woo looked up at the beast bearing down on him. At a glance, it clearly weighed over a thousand catties, and the power and speed of its charge had reached a level beyond what a human body should be able to approach. The sight of that massive frame charging with such dynamic movement created the illusion of a giant tank rushing forward.
They say destructive power is the product of force, weight, and speed. If one were to be hit by that horse, even the most well-trained martial artist would suffer a significant impact.
Strangely, however, he felt no fear. Rather than fear, a surging thrill filled his chest.
Watching the horse, Sun-woo sprinted. He ran as fast as he possibly could.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
Tap, tap, tap, tap!
Soon, Sun-woo’s body and the massive frame of the Blood-Sweating Horse collided.
CRASH!
A thunderous roar echoed across the field.
"NEEEEEIGH!"
Along with the roar, the horse let out a piercing shriek.
Whoosh!
And then, that incredibly massive frame was sent flying into the air.
Slam!
The horse, suspended in mid-air for a moment, crashed into the horses galloping behind it, and the beasts became a tangled mess of limbs.
Sun-woo didn't slow down even after sending the horse flying. He simply charged straight into the other horses.
Bang!
Thud!
Every Blood-Sweating Horse Sun-woo struck was sent flying through the air, unable to avoid being pathetically slammed into the ground. The Northern Wind Unit members riding them fared no better; they were tangled with the fallen horses and began to be trampled to death.
"Neeeeeigh!"
"Aaaaagh!"
"Neeeeeigh!"
"Graaaagh!"
"Neeeeeigh!"
"Ugh... argh!"
The path Sun-woo carved became a living hell, filled with the screams of men and horses alike.
"D-Damn it!"
One of the Northern Wind Unit members spat out a curse at the sight. It was an impossible scene. How could a horse be sent flying by a collision with a human?
Moreover, the horses they rode weren't just any horses. They were Blood-Sweating Horses, boasting massive frames and peerless speed. Yet, those very horses were being slammed into the ground like discarded rags.
How was such a thing possible?
It was a sight that moved beyond shock and into the realm of pure terror. Could that thing even be called human?
The remaining members of the Northern Wind Unit stared at Sun-woo with faces full of dread. Despite colliding head-on with so many horses, Sun-woo didn't have a single scratch on him. That sight instilled a fathomless fear within the Northern Wind Unit.
They were terrified. It was simply too much. To them, Sun-woo felt like something unknown that had transcended humanity.
"Re... Retreat!" someone shouted at the top of their lungs.
They had no desire for a dog's death. They didn't want to die like this. They wanted to kill more, rape more, and pillage more. They were concerned about their leader and vice-leader, but what loyalty did they have to go so far as to avenge them?
Without a hint of lingering regret, they turned their horses and began to flee.
"That won't do..."
Seeing this, Sun-woo spoke as if he were in a difficult spot. The price for handing over Pi Sang-deuk’s corpse was the total annihilation of the Northern Wind Unit. If they escaped here, wouldn't he be failing to keep his promise?
He couldn't let that happen.
Shring.
Sun-woo drew the sword from the scabbard at his hip. He then circulated his Yin-Yang Harmony Qi and poured his internal energy into the blade.
Hummmmm.
The sword vibrated incessantly before letting out a sharp sword resonance. Sun-woo looked at it with satisfaction and then hurled it toward the fleeing Northern Wind Unit members.
Swish!
Sun-woo’s sword cut through the air with a whistling sound.
Thuck!
It promptly pierced through the back of the member at the very rear.
"Gah!"
Thud.
The man, his back impaled, fell from his horse and slammed into the ground.
'Come.'
Sun-woo used Remote Grasping to retrieve the sword lodged in the man's back.
Clap.
Before long, the sword returned to Sun-woo’s hand.
Swish!
As soon as the sword was in his grip, Sun-woo threw it again.
Thuck!
The flying sword buried itself in the skull of another Northern Wind Unit member, killing him instantly.
Whoosh.
Sun-woo pulled the sword back again with Remote Grasping and continued his barrage.
"Gack!"
"Aaargh!"
The members pierced by the thrown sword rolled across the ground, screaming as they died.
"Damn it! Scatter!"
The man leading the flight shouted at the top of his lungs. At his command, the remaining members of the Northern Wind Unit scattered in all directions to escape.
'I don't think so.'
Sun-woo pulled out the Dragon Tail Soft Sword wrapped around his waist. He injected it with internal energy, causing it to extend endlessly. The elongated Dragon Tail Soft Sword lashed out, piercing the bodies of the scattering members.
"Aaaaagh!"
Once again, screams filled the air. With one hand throwing his sword and the other wielding the Dragon Tail Soft Sword, Sun-woo was practically massacring the Northern Wind Unit.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
The man at the very front of the retreat cursed repeatedly. The screams of his comrades behind him were getting louder and louder. It was a sure sign that the man's sword was drawing closer to him.
He prayed and prayed fervently.
"Aaaaagh!"
Just then, he heard the scream of the comrade right behind him. The man turned pale. He was certain that he was next.
The man whipped his horse even harder. He urged it to find more speed, to run even faster. As if responding to his master's desperate wish, the horse began to gallop with everything it had.
Swish!
However, despite the man's efforts, a chilling sound of cutting wind echoed right behind his back.
The man thought to himself: I'm dead for sure.
Whirrrrr!
Suddenly, an anomaly occurred. A fierce gust of wind began to blow, altering the trajectory of the sword flying toward the man. The sword, which had been aimed at his back, veered slightly and sliced off the man's arm instead.
"AAAAAAAGH!"
The man screamed in agony as his arm was severed. But at the same time, he saw an opportunity. He realized that in the time it took for the sword to be retrieved and thrown again, he could get much further away.
The man urged his Blood-Sweating Horse even faster. Sensing its master's urgency, the horse also gave its all to escape the area.
Soon, the man became a mere dot and disappeared over the horizon.
*
Rumble, rumble...
Sun-woo could only watch as the Northern Wind Unit member disappeared into a dot in the distance. The man was already too far away to hit with a thrown sword. He had completely lost him.
'Damn it.'
Sun-woo spat out a curse, realizing the man had truly escaped.
'To think the trajectory would shift there.'
Sun-woo felt awkward. He never imagined a sudden gust of wind would knock his sword off course.
'This is troublesome...'
Sun-woo made a worried face. The condition for receiving Pi Sang-deuk was the total annihilation of the Northern Wind Unit. But since one had escaped, wouldn't the deal be void?
Of course, he had plenty of excuses. The Blood-Sweating Horses were too fast, and they had all scattered at once, making it extremely difficult to catch every single one. And for someone like him who couldn't use Sword Kinesis, throwing the sword was the best he could do.
The biggest reason, however, was the sudden weather anomaly that shifted the sword's path. If not for that gust, he would have pierced the man's heart, not just his arm.
'Should I go after him now?'
He considered giving chase, but then shook his head. He felt it was already too late. Moreover, he didn't know what might happen if he got isolated in a place where the Bitter Cold Northern Wind blew so fiercely. He couldn't risk danger just to catch one small fry. The fickle weather of the North Sea was a threat even to someone of Sun-woo’s level.
Sun-woo glanced back. A significant distance away, he could see the flame-like woman watching him.
'Maybe she didn't see?'
Sun-woo entertained a vain hope. Come to think of it, the distance from here to the carriage was quite substantial. Unless her eyesight was exceptionally good, they would only look like dots.
'Yeah, let's just say I got them all.'
Having made up his mind, Sun-woo reached a conclusion. How could she possibly notice that he had missed one guy so far away?
Sun-woo decided to play it bold. He began to walk slowly back toward the carriage.
*
Meanwhile, the merchants and escorts who had been witnessing Sun-woo’s divine might stood with their mouths agape. How could a human body display such transcendental power?
Initially, when Sun-woo collided with the horse, they had squeezed their eyes shut. It was a Blood-Sweating Horse weighing over a thousand catties. They believed no human body could withstand that. They expected Sun-woo’s body to burst under the impact of the charge.
But what happened before their eyes was the exact opposite of their expectations. The horse that collided with him shrieked and was sent flying into the air. It then crashed into the horses behind it, creating a pile of carnage.
They could only stand there, stunned. How could a human, with his bare body, send a beast—a monster weighing over a thousand catties—flying through the air?
And the surprise didn't end there. He proceeded to carry out a one-sided massacre against dozens of cavalrymen. It was so one-sided that even the demons of the Northern Wind Unit, mounted on the legendary Blood-Sweating Horses, fled without looking back.
Not that the man, who seemed like a Martial God, allowed their escape. With a sword thrown from one hand and a miraculously extending sword in the other, he wiped out the Northern Wind Unit entirely.
Overwhelming.
Yes, there was no other word to describe the scene but "overwhelming."
They wondered: Can we even call that man human? Is he not something that has transcended humanity?
Sun-woo’s display of power was that absolute. Only feelings of awe and reverence welled up within them.
As they were lost in these thoughts...
Step, step.
The man began to walk slowly toward them. He was merely walking, yet even his gait commanded dignity and awe.
He was magnificent. Their hearts raced. Is this what the stride of a Martial God looks like? Their eyes filled with even deeper admiration.
Stop.
Finally, the man stopped before them.
"I have kept my promise."
The man, radiating the majesty of a Martial God, spoke as he looked at the woman who resembled a goddess from ancient myth. It was a dazzling sight, like a scene from a masterpiece painting.
"Liar."
Suddenly, unexpected words came from the woman's mouth.
"You're lying."
The woman looked at the man as if he were being cute, while the merchants were struck with horror. What on earth was this woman saying? How could she dare provoke the Martial God?
Hearing the woman's words, the man put on a mock-serious expression. Simultaneously, the faces of the merchants and escorts turned pale with fright.