Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Hundred Ghosts 2
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Baek Moo-jin calmly scanned the men surrounding him, when someone from the back glared at him and warned his subordinates.
"He's strong. Be careful."
At those words, the men at the forefront halted their steps with tense expressions on their faces. At that moment, accompanied by a thick voice, someone shoved people aside and stepped forward.
"Make way."
Three squad leaders pushed to the front.
A massive brute, head and shoulders taller than the others, wielded a bizarre weapon that looked like it had been ripped from a pillar somewhere. Beside the giant stood a gaunt man gripping twin swords and another figure whose entire body was shrouded in an oddly shaped long robe, both eyeing Baek Moo-jin.
The giant and the skinny man grinned as soon as they saw Baek Moo-jin.
The giant spoke.
"What's the boss talking about being careful for? He's just a kid..."
The man beside him, his mouth covered by the collar of his long robe, spoke in a chilling tone.
"Joong-san, you'd better do what the boss says."
"Heh heh."
At that moment, Baek Moo-jin fastened his sword sheath to his waist and extended his left hand, forming a White Flower Palm. The men stared at his hand as if beholding something wondrous. Then, from behind Baek Moo-jin, one of the Nine Heavens Alliance's party leaders, clutching a hook-like bizarre weapon, spoke lowly.
"Ice arts. Be careful."
"Just smash him to death!"
Muscles bulged along the right arm of the giant squad leader, who practiced external arts, but Baek Moo-jin flicked the white flower formed in his palm into the air.
In the midst of this chaos, Baek Moo-jin had essentially created a single flower and tossed it at his enemies.
Not even knowing what the flying white flower was, someone from the rear unleashed a sword beam with a sharp whistle, bursting the flower hovering in midair.
With a pop, the white flower shattered, and soon a chilling snowstorm swirled over the heads of the men encircling Baek Moo-jin.
"Huh? What the...?"
It was truly as cold as snow.
As their gazes were inevitably drawn upward...
Baek Moo-jin spat out a straight sword beam and shot into the sky.
Screeeeech!
Bam-bam-bam-bam-bam...!
Amid the deafening noise, the bodies of the low-rank warriors who couldn't block the sword beam were sliced apart in every direction. Screams from several men harmonized into a chorus.
Baek Moo-jin landed amid the densely packed enemy formation and glided across the ground like it was glued to his feet, weaving through their ranks.
Blood sprayed and screams followed wherever Baek Moo-jin passed.
Suddenly, a gush of blood poured toward Baek Moo-jin's face. With leisure, he enveloped his left palm in cold air, freezing the blood solid, then swung his sword.
At that instant, the giant charged at Baek Moo-jin's position, swinging his pillar gripped in both hands like an axe.
Kaboooom!
By the time dust billowed up, Baek Moo-jin had already leaped into the air, flicking the Cold Moon Finger Technique at the giant's brow before vaulting atop him.
Crack-craaaack!
Someone shouted the giant's name.
"Joong-san!"
Cold energy spreading from the giant's brow devoured his body with a crackling roar. Then, shouts and a barrage of weapons rained down on Baek Moo-jin, who stood atop the giant.
Baek Moo-jin swiftly dodged behind the giant's back, grabbed the nape of the frozen brute, and hurled him with force. The giant flew like a massive boulder, scattering over a dozen men with a crash.
His body, already frozen solid, was no different from a rock.
Immediately after, two straight swords infused with a chill aura flew toward Baek Moo-jin's back. Kicking off the ground and tilting his body diagonally, Baek Moo-jin spun and deflected both swords, wrapping them in his swing.
Clang!
The squad leader, who had thrust the straight swords in a perfect strike, was repelled by Baek Moo-jin's sword. He stared blankly at them, dumbfounded. Pure white frost clung to the crossed pair. When he tried to pull them free, they snapped with a crack and fell.
"Ice arts, be ca..."
Baek Moo-jin, having sliced through three or four Nine Heavens Alliance members and returned, severed the throat of the squad leader who had warned to be careful, then soared to the opposite side.
From the rear, one of the party leaders who had realized Baek Moo-jin's prowess was no joke let out a groan before speaking.
"I told you to be careful... Looks like we'll need the assembly leader after all."
The party leader tapped a subordinate staring dazedly beside him.
"You, get out of here fast and fetch the assembly leader. Before... No. Just go, quickly."
"Understood."
As the party leader caught Baek Moo-jin's gaze suddenly turning his way, he hurriedly slipped into the crowd of subordinates, biding his time. A chill ran down his spine at the thought that what Baek Moo-jin was showing wasn't his full strength.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 2.
Baek Moo-jin silently cut down Nine Heavens Alliance members without uttering a word. But he had completely relaxed his body. Moving lightly on his feet without expending internal energy, he inflicted wounds with just the edge of his sword as he roamed. His plan was to take out the squad leaders who caught his eye first.
Every two or three swings felled three or four men, so the initial forty or fifty surrounding him were on the verge of being slaughtered. But the noise of battle had drawn back the advance party, swelling the numbers fighting Baek Moo-jin.
The Nine Heavens Alliance's formation was in complete disarray.
Baek Moo-jin deliberately took long, winding paths in his movements.
Weaving through the gaps in the Nine Heavens Alliance ranks, he occasionally smacked them with his left palm and scattered white sword glows. He leaped high, bounding over people in succession before landing and unleashing more white sword glows.
As a result, white radiance and bright red blood crossed in the air, forming a bizarre contrast.
Whiiist!
A whistle rang out, and the men being massacred by Baek Moo-jin stomped the ground and retreated in unison. But the retreat wasn't without losses. He unleashed a sword beam at a group of a dozen, and those stepping back tumbled to the ground with their legs severed.
Whirrr!
In that instant, a net with blades attached flew from Baek Moo-jin's upper left.
But after the first net soared into the air, dozens more followed in rapid succession toward Baek Moo-jin.
At the same time, the retreating Nine Heavens Alliance members drew hidden weapons and hurled them at Baek Moo-jin.
Ssssh! Shoooosh!
Though clearly weaker than Baek Moo-jin, they were a major force dominating a region, and their counterattack flowing seamlessly from retreat was as natural as water.
Baek Moo-jin didn't know they hailed from the Waterway Hall.
These men were now besieging a single "ship"—him—with coordinated attacks.
In that moment, Joo Ja-woon inexplicably came to mind. He felt vaguely sorry for some reason.
But unrelated to his thoughts, a moderate wave of One Hundred Blossoms Night enveloped the area from Baek Moo-jin's raised sword.
Shwaaaaa!
Not only the flying nets but all sorts of hidden weapons were struck by the white cold air, losing direction and plummeting.
Plop-plop-plop!
A sight unbelievable even to witness brought a momentary silence.
Then, white cold energy began to whirl from Baek Moo-jin's sword, lowered to the lower right.
Finally, one of the Heavenly Dragon Society's party leaders stepped forward.
"Make way."
"Gwak, party leader, we should attack together. We're far from enough..."
"Shut it. You planning to step up after we're all dead?"
As the men parted left and right, a dark-skinned man charged at Baek Moo-jin, swinging hooked gauntlets in both hands.
Clang-clang-clang!
In an instant, they exchanged three or four exchanges, sparks flying from their weapons. But when Baek Moo-jin thrust a heavy sword stroke plainly, a strange sound rang out as both hooked gauntlets stuck fast.
'...!'
As the party leader looked up at Baek Moo-jin, a white beam shot from the incredibly close left palm.
Thud!
As the party leader's neck snapped, Baek Moo-jin soared up again, charging into the Nine Heavens Alliance members holding formation. But this time, the enemies' morale had utterly collapsed.
Despite still having considerable numbers left, dozens of Nine Heavens Alliance members began retreating en masse.
Those chased by Baek Moo-jin fell back, while the rest cautiously pursued his rear. In the end, with no one stepping up, Baek Moo-jin summoned white flames in his left palm, as comprehended in the Hongnak Hall.
What flame could burn white?
Knowing the white flames' flight speed wasn't fast, Baek Moo-jin launched them into the air and propelled them rearward with sword winds from his White Mist Sword.
Roooar!
Someone trying to swat the flames away with a thrown weapon was the trigger. With a thud, the white flames absorbed the external impact and, with a eerie sound, engulfed dozens of Nine Heavens Alliance members. The ensuing scene was a brutality even Baek Moo-jin hadn't anticipated.
Dozens rolled on the ground, melting away as if literally dissolving in the white flames.
Baek Moo-jin stared silently at the Nine Heavens Alliance survivors, who had lost their will to fight. His robes remained pristine, stained only with Joo Ja-woon's blood. His expression betrayed no particular emotion, which terrified the Nine Heavens Alliance men even more.
As Baek Moo-jin took a single step forward, the survivors—ignoring their once-fearsome discipline—scattered in all directions. Fear, it seemed, spread like a contagion.