Chapter 431
Chapter 431
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 431
Chapter Title: Waves (5)
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The moment Gongson Mugyeol twitched his hand, his strike team members swiftly formed up in perfect unison.
Shushushushu.
The formation they adopted was one of the familiar layered formations from the Plum Blossom Array.
The only difference from usual was that Gongson Mugyeol wasn't at the tip of either wing, facing the enemy head-on, but positioned at the core.
- Isn't the layered formation supposed to maximize destructive power by placing top fighters on the wings?
Even my master seemed puzzled by that point.
'Hmm. The Alliance Leader is currently playing the role of guarding the Manin Blood. It looks like he's committed to that duty.'
Thus, to get the wooden box nestled in Gongson Mugyeol's bosom, we first had to dismantle the strike team's layered formation.
But it was worth a shot.
'We've drilled the layered formation until we were sick of it ourselves.'
And sure enough.
Yin Xia Lian selected a formation for us Eon siblings to counter the one the strike team had taken.
[They're sticking faithfully to the role of guarding the Manin Blood with a defensively strong closed-wing formation? Then to pry open those wings... shall we go with the aggressive extreme-wing formation, pushing both wings forward?]
[That sounds good. So-rung and I will take the right.]
[I'll send Jeong Hyeon of the dojo and Won Cheol the monk to the left.]
With that, she sent the agreed-upon hand signal.
The Eon siblings swiftly formed up with a rustle.
"Let's go!"
Taking my drawing of Regret as the signal, the Eon siblings kicked off the ground simultaneously.
Clang! Clang!
Clangclangclangclang!!
Soon after we clashed with the strike team, cracks began to appear in the defensive formation they were holding.
In response, Gongson Mugyeol let out a hearty laugh.
"Hahaha! Teaching you lot has really paid off."
The other strike team members followed suit, grinning with delight.
Amid that, Myeong Tae-seong—the very one who had passed down the layered formation to us—spoke up.
"Indeed. You've all become remarkable masters, so one might rely on individual prowess, yet you're tenaciously adhering to the principles of the layered formation."
Gongson Mugyeol shot Myeong Tae-seong a glare.
"Hall Leader Myeong, is now the time to be smiling?"
"...Pardon?"
"I'm in a position to consider the good of the entire martial world, so I can be pleased by the rise of the younger generation. But you're the lineage holders of the layered formation, with your reputation on the line. You can't make faces like that. Get focused."
"Ah. Yes!"
Having steadied his strike team members like that, Gongson Mugyeol issued an order to the formation at the same time.
"If we let the formation get completely torn apart and the other participating teams show up, it'll be a real problem. Let the rampaging ones in. I'll subdue them."
Following Gongson Mugyeol's command, the gap opened a bit wider.
Thanks to that, Woo So-rung and I, handling the main assault on the right wing, and Jeong Hyeon and Won Cheol doing the same on the left, were able to penetrate into the core.
"So-rung, from now on, your role is to guard the rear?"
"...Pardon? Ah! Yes!"
As I handed the rear to Woo So-rung.
Gongson Mugyeol drew his azure-red sword and opened his mouth.
"Oh ho. Planning to take me on with three of you?"
"The Alliance Leader isn't your average core guardian, after all. Don't we need at least three to handle you?"
"That's not it. The setup is a bit different from what I expected. I was wondering if So-rung might have received some other secret orders."
"......"
"Well, it's still too early for that, isn't it? Even if So-rung moves, it'd only be after you three distract me, right?"
"...I have no idea what you're talking about."
Dismissing Gongson Mugyeol's words, I immediately swung Regret and charged at him.
Swaaaaa!
Jeong Hyeon matched my support with his deep blue Taiji.
Swa! Swa! Swa!
Swaaa!
Won Cheol began emitting golden fiery light.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Ever since returning from Mount Manggyeong, the three of us had stuck together except for bathroom breaks, comparing our skills and syncing our breaths.
Thus, we three displayed movements as precise as the gears of a well-oiled machine.
Swaaaaa!
Right after my domineering strikes passed, Won Cheol's heavy blows poured in.
"Monster Dragon layman!"
"Yes."
Boooom!!
"Ho. It's been quite a while since I last crossed swords directly with you lot, and in that time, you've become quite..."
As Gongson Mugyeol blocked the onslaught and tried to counterattack.
Jeong Hyeon softly deflected Gongson Mugyeol's sword strikes.
"Fall back, you two!"
Clang! Clang!
Kaaaaang!!!!!
Gongson Mugyeol, swinging his sword furiously, suddenly let out a hollow chuckle and spoke.
"Whew. They say 'the young are fearsome' has been a saying since the Yo Sun era, but it's not just talk. Even when I was going easy... it feels like yesterday we could handle it leisurely, but now you're such tough opponents."
To that, I smirked and replied.
"The Alliance Leader has made progress himself in the meantime, hasn't he? I can clearly feel your martial arts have advanced since last I saw."
"With you young friends so enthusiastic, and those Demonic Cult bastards sharpening their blades just as fiercely, how could I slack off?"
While a few words were exchanged between Gongson Mugyeol and me.
From amid the Eon siblings fiercely battling to prevent the strike team from encircling us, Zhuge Seol-ji's voice rang out.
"Young Master Yong-un! Movement resembling Plum Blossom Sword Guards spotted in the rear. They might slip between us if we're not careful. Shall I pull out a blocking unit to stop them?"
At Zhuge Seol-ji's words, I quickly mulled it over.
'Fighting among participating teams without even securing the Manin Blood goes directly against the purpose of this tournament.'
Moreover, the Alliance Leader had said there was no way a demon wouldn't have subordinates.
That meant as the number at the checkpoint increased and the time before the Manin Blood returned to the finish line dragged on, reinforcements could arrive on the Alliance Leader's side too.
'The strike teams here are only two divisions anyway.'
Judging it wasn't time to clash swords with other teams, I immediately called out toward the rear.
"Professor Chang Ryang!"
"...I'm listening."
"Securing the Manin Blood from the demons should be the priority, right? This doesn't seem like the time for us to fight each other."
"And?"
"If you agree, I'll tell the Eon siblings to clear a path. Will you fight together?"
To my words, Professor Chang Ryang gave a curt reply.
"We'll join you."
It was the moment when Chang Ryang and the Mount Hua disciples intervened in the fight against the strike team.
Swa! Swa! Swa!
Swaaaa!!!!
It had been an even match even with just us.
Once those called Plum Blossom Sword Guards joined, scattering their signature sword qi thick with plum blossom fragrance.
The tide of battle began to turn sharply.
Just as Gongson Mugyeol started losing room to maneuver.
Flash—
Woo So-rung circled behind me like lightning and closed in on Gongson Mugyeol.
But Gongson Mugyeol snorted as if he'd known, extending a sword thrust toward Woo So-rung.
"I've had my eye on you since earlier! What trick are you trying?"
But Woo So-rung's movement itself was a trap.
This time, he was the decoy, and I was the real attacker.
Seizing the momentary imbalance in Gongson Mugyeol's stance, I reached out.
And activated Pacheon Black Hole, a secret art adapting the mysteries of the Energy Absorption Great Law to my own style.
Shuwaaaa!
From the pitch-black dot on my left palm, attractive force generated, pulling the wooden box hanging from Gongson Mugyeol's neck.
Click.
As it settled into my hand, I yanked hard, snapping the necklace.
Gongson Mugyeol's surprised eyes turned toward me.
"???"
I flashed him a grin.
"They say even a dog from a private school can recite poetry after three years. Seeing it so often, I could vaguely imitate it."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Meanwhile, at the northern dock of Dangang-gu—the starting and finish point.
Gyeong Hye's voice was announcing the rankings for arrivals at the fourth checkpoint.
"Fourth checkpoint. First place: Righteous Martial Academy. Second: Mount Hua. Third: Kunlun. Fourth: Shaolin. Fifth..."
As Zhongnan's name wasn't called even after the announcement ended.
Nangong Won tilted his head.
"Zhongnan wasn't called, right? Where did those front-runners go?"
Taking Nangong Won's words as a question, Gyeong Hye wore a complicated expression and relayed the info that had arrived with the rankings.
"They fell off a cliff, apparently."
"...Fell?"
"The Righteous Martial Academy team started crossing the treacherous ravine between checkpoints. They followed and ended up like that."
"Ho. So that's how the academy kids turned the tables on being overtaken. But is bypassing like that allowed?"
"Yes. The mandatory points are only the checkpoints prepared for headcounts."
It was then that Zhuge Cheok, who had been listening, burst into laughter.
"Puhaha! Sect Leader Hwang must be having a rough time. Wasn't this his year of three calamities?"
Medicine King Oh Gyun-cheon narrowed his brows at Zhuge Cheok.
"You find that funny? People might be hurt, and sword wielders are all the same."
At those words, Zhuge Cheok stopped laughing and awkwardly spoke.
"Ahem. Zhongnan's Cloud Wanderer Sword Guards are renowned masters in their own right. No way they'd be injured, so I laughed thinking they'd have a hard time. Sorry if it offended."
Then Nangong Won added a word.
"This is entirely because that old Zhuge fellow lacks propriety. Be a bit careful calling healers 'sword wielders' too, Medicine King. We know the toil you go through daily with the sick and wounded... but this old man is one who runs around trying to prevent such things from happening in the first place."
It was then that another messenger pigeon arrived.
Unlike the others marked with numbers.
This one bore the character for "urgent".
And sure enough, astonishing news leaked from Gyeong Hye as she unfurled the message.
"The Righteous Martial Academy team and Mount Hua disciples have joined forces to reclaim the Manin Blood!"
At the relayed news.
Shanxi Golden Carp Yi Gil-hwan slammed the table with a bang! and stood up.
"That's it!"
But soon, stroking his beard pretentiously, he began mocking those who had bet silver against him.
"Well now... My grandson struts around at that academy full of young upstarts, but against seniors of that caliber, he's just a bloody novice. I was going to donate a bit out of generosity, but looks like we're going to win this."
Eun Se-pyeong at his side chimed in without missing a beat.
"Exactly. Especially the Cloud Wanderer Sword Guards—they're famous not just in Seomseo but across the world. Who'd have thought monkeys like them would tumble. We were really planning to donate. Worried the young ones will get finger-pointed for taking money even here."
"Eh, we can do without that speck of silver. But telling them to take it back would make us look bad, right?"
"Yes, indeed. That's not how betting works. When the winner's decided, treat everyone big under your name. Money like this, just blow it elsewhere."
"Kehum. Shall we?"
As the two bantered.
Yi Yun-young, sitting beside Yi Gil-hwan, clutched her forehead and sighed.
"Father. It's not over yet. Distance-wise, they've still got a ways to return. And they got it together with the Plum Blossom Sword Guards, didn't they? Sit down. You too, Lord Silver."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Having secured the Manin Blood, we began fleeing from Gongson Mugyeol and the strike team.
We hurried along for quite some time.
Then Chang Ryang—within 'our' group—suddenly halted and spoke.
"It seems the Alliance Leader and strike team aren't pursuing anymore. Isn't it time to talk about the Manin Blood now in your hand?"
To Chang Ryang's words, I tucked the wooden box securely into my bosom and replied.
"Hmm. We from the academy know the most about demons, since most are from the Demonic Defense Alliance. And in an emergency, we're best equipped to snatch the Manin Blood away properly, right?"
"Why so?"
"On average, we'd lag behind the Plum Blossom Sword Guards who use hidden leaf tokens for speed. But one-on-one, So-rung's the fastest, isn't she? So, we'll keep it."
To my words, Chang Ryang opened his mouth again.
"I knew you'd say exactly that."
"Then that speeds things up."
"No. We have no intention of yielding either. If we go by justification, there might be an even faster demon than Cadet Woo So-rung? What matters is having the power to protect it."
And he drew his sword from his waist once more.
"I'll see if you qualify."