I'll Cheer for You

"Can't beat this mosquito."

Han Un and Wang Maeng flung themselves backward at once, dodging the insects. But the two mosquitoes didn't come after them at all. They flew straight out of the cell.

Han Un and Wang Maeng even caught sight of it then — each mosquito was clutching an ant, the little bodies swaying as they flew.

What kind of devilry was this? Were these mosquitoes some kind of monster? And where were they taking those ants?

Worse, they could see it clearly: a pale, whitish powder dusted over both the mosquitoes and the ants. Veterans that they were, they sensed something off at once. Neither of them said a word. They simply watched, silent, as the two mosquitoes drifted out of the cell.

The mosquitoes set the ants down on the floor near a table outside. Nobody noticed.

Then they flew back in through the little hole and came out with two more ants. Five round trips. Before long, two mosquitoes and ten ants had assembled beside the table, forming up like a special-ops team and waiting.

Good heavens.

Han Un and Wang Maeng stared at the insects, dumbfounded. Could bugs these days line up and perform circus tricks?

Whoosh.

Before the two of them could even finish being astonished, something stranger still occurred. A small slip of paper poked out through the hole. Wang Maeng snatched it up at once. The handwriting was rather elegant. A single sentence.

Wang Maeng and Han Un looked at each other. Then the two born actors launched into their performance.

A sudden uproar exploded inside the cramped cell. It started when Wang Maeng announced that Han Un's beard looked particularly ugly today. Han Un cursed him for not knowing how to respect his elders. They traded insults until it looked like they were about to start throwing hands.

Everyone was baffled. Nobody had the faintest idea what had gotten into these two.

A few people came over to break it up, but the more they tried to intervene, the worse the chaos became. Before long, more than ten men in the cell were all in a complete melee.

Beom Undae's group couldn't just sit there. All eight of them stood and shouted for quiet.

But the instant their eyes left the table, the twelve insects waiting beside it moved. Wang Maeng saw the whole thing clearly.

The mosquitoes each grabbed an ant and flew ahead first. The remaining ants sprinted with desperate, frantic urgency — a speed that shattered every natural limit an ant should have had.

In the space of a few breaths, all twelve insects had vanished into the teapot and the teacups. The white powder coating their bodies dissolved cleanly into the tea.

Wang Maeng and Han Un went silent at once. Calm returned to the cell.

Go Gu and his companions grumbled their way back to their seats and took a sip of tea. In less than a minute, every one of them began to stagger.

"Ah—no. This water…"

Go Gu's face changed. He couldn't even get the last word — poison — out of his mouth before he collapsed.

A potent anesthetic.

Wang Maeng marveled inwardly, already having a fairly clear idea whose handiwork this was.

Then Han Un shouted from beside him.

"This is bad — that bastard Beom Undae still hasn't gone down! He's got a warning crystal in his hand!"

Damn it!

The others still hadn't figured out what was happening, but Wang Maeng's heart plummeted.

Beom Undae's pupils were starting to glaze, but he didn't drop. Instead he looked at the people in the prison with an unreadable gaze.

Boom!

The sound of stone shattering ripped through the cell, and a hole in the floor burst open as if it had exploded. A black shadow shot out of it toward Beom Undae at a speed beyond anything they could have imagined, wreathed in a vicious killing intent.

"Wait!"

Han Un saw something and threw out a hand, intercepting the black shadow. It landed on the table in front of Beom Undae.

It was a massive rat, as thick as a man's forearm. The rat narrowed its eyes and glared at Beom Undae.

Beom Undae no longer even had the strength to be surprised. On the verge of losing consciousness, he brought his hand to his chest. What he pulled out was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠not a warning crystal. It was a ring of keys.

Thud.

Beom Undae collapsed onto the table. The remaining men just stared at one another, not knowing what to say.

"This bastard… at least he still knew how to tell people apart…"

"Hurry, Brother Rat — use the keys, open the door!"

Wang Maeng and the others started urging it on. But the sleek, oversized rat swept a haughty look over them — the same disdainful gaze Bone would give — and ignored them completely.

"Don't make such a fuss. Why are humans so impatient…"

The rat scurried into the cell, then stomped — thunk! — on the hole it had come from. With a rumbling crash, a wide tunnel opened up before them.

What?! You could do it that way too?

But time was short. They had no leisure to stand there shocked. When the large black rat gestured, Han Un took the lead, bending at the waist and ducking into the hole. The rest stuck close behind him.

At the same time, the black rat darted off and unlocked the other cell doors. The people imprisoned there escaped safely through this lifeline of a passage.

The cave was a long, slippery tunnel. Cheonroe sat at the summit of Nowoon Peak, so following the passage all the way down would bring them to the foot of the mountain.

Han Un emerged first and turned, gesturing to those coming after him. Within minutes, nearly two hundred Cheonun Sect disciples and elders from Zone Jeong had all gotten out. And yet nobody on the outside had noticed a thing.

When the large black rat leaped from the hole last, Han Un and the others bowed at the waist in thanks.

"Brother Rat, thank you for saving us."

"Spare me the nonsense!"

The black rat scratched letters into the ground with its claws.

Yeop Pung!

Everyone froze.

"Yeop Pung saved us?"

"But what about Yeop Pung?"

Han Un stepped closer to the rat and asked. He could already vaguely guess what Yeop Pung was thinking.

"Don't ask useless questions. Just go!"

The black rat didn't answer. It turned and left. After a few bounds, it vanished into the mountains.

Han Un and the others stood there.

"Elder Han…"

Wang Maeng's voice was low.

"Yeop Pung saved us. He's probably going to face Sa Cheonseong alone."

Mo Soo-mi's eyes were already red. He burst into tears.

"Hic… that stupid idiot. Even if he beats Sa Cheonseong, the Cheonbong Army will still kill him…"

Han Un tilted his head back, fighting to hold the tears in.

"Heh. That kid… with a spirit beast that powerful helping him, he could've easily escaped on his own. Instead he used this chance to save us first, then went off to die… Haha. Yeop Pung, you really do underestimate this old Han Un!"

"Elder Han?"

Everyone looked at him.

"You all go."

Han Un waved a hand and started walking toward Cheonun Square.

"Yeop Pung's fighting Sa Cheonseong. How could ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I miss a match this spectacular? I've got to go cheer him on!"

"Elder Han!"

Wang Maeng laughed. He was laughing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and crying at the same time as he caught up to Han Un in two strides.

"Haha, I'm going too! My voice is a lot louder than yours, Elder!"

"Me too!"

Mo Soo-mi showed a fiercer spirit than he ever had before.

"We've got to show those Cheonbong Army bastards that Cheonun Sect isn't an easy mark!"

"Me too!"

Yo Yeong-chun couldn't get a word out. He just stamped his feet.

The voices piled up, one after another.

Not a single person ran. Not one. They all remained right where they were. They stayed to cheer for Yeop Pung — to raise their voices in Cheonun Sect's darkest hour.

The black rat, which had already run as far as the mountainside, suddenly stopped. It discovered the humans panting as they followed behind it. A strange light flickered through its small black eyes.

Stupid humans. So why are my eyes watering?

Yeop Pung staggered backward.

The Sa Cheonseong in front of him had turned into a rabid dog. He whipped the spear in his hand with lightning speed, pressing Yeop Pung at every turn.

But Yeop Pung couldn't keep defending forever. Blood burst from wounds all over his body, blooming like red plum blossoms. It was a sight almost too wretched to look at.

"Hahaha! Yeop Pung, that's it! That's it! Don't counterattack! Let me torment you all I want!"

Sa Cheonseong, consumed by madness, roared as he savored the moment. He attacked Yeop Pung like a man possessed, hurling every vile insult he could think of, defiling Yeop Pung and the entire Cheonun Sect.

"Yeop Pung, you really are just trash who uses heretical demonic arts, aren't you? Look at the state of you in front of me — you're like a worm! And your Cheonun Sect is even more of a joke. A completely pathetic pile of garbage. You're getting beaten like this, and has a single one of them stepped up to say a word? Hahaha! A pathetic sect like that deserves to fall!"

"Shut up!"

Yeop Pung spat the words cold as he thrust his sword.

"Why should I shut up? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Kill me if you can!"

Sa Cheonseong stuck to his despicable tactics. He didn't defend at all — he just attacked like a madman, forcing Yeop Pung to give ground again. Then he seized the opening, struck with his spear, and sent Yeop Pung flying.

Boom!

Yeop Pung slammed into the ground. He felt his organs twist in agony and coughed up blood once more.

On the opposite side, cheers erupted from the Cheonbong Army. But the Cheonun Sect camp behind Yeop Pung was silent as the grave.

Everyone watched him without a word. Some, of course, looked at Yeop Pung with pity — but most of their eyes were filled with fear and craven submission.

Lee Sujol furrowed his brow, clenching and unclenching the fists he held behind his back. Yeom Jin-ri and Gu Jeoryang had their eyes closed.

Ha Chung trembled with rage, not even noticing the scalding tea spilling over the cup clenched in his hand.

Only Han Buri was beaming as he offered a teacup to Naeng Chu beside him.

"Heh heh. Lord Naeng, Commandant Sa is fighting magnificently. Today the Cheonbong Army washes away the shame of days past."

"Indeed."

Naeng Chu drank the spirit tea with satisfaction, then sent an icy aura toward Sa Cheonseong.

That's enough. Finish it.

Sa Cheonseong shook his head as if he still wasn't satisfied, a sinister smile on his face.

"A shame, Yeop Pung. That's all for today… Haha. Should I pierce your heart first, or split your lungs open? Ah, that's right. I'll stomp that thing of yours until it bursts — just like you did to Deung Chung! Hahaha!"

"You son of a bitch! You goddamn bastard!"

And then it happened. From the mountainside far across the plaza — a plaza gone dark with Cheonun Sect's despair and grief — a thunderous shout rang out.