Chapter 72
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: Chapter 20. Hunting the Snake and the Hawk (9)
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The bandits circled the base of Guwangjin's hill once more, raining arrows down as they went.
In response, Unit Jeong countered in exactly the same manner as in the initial skirmish.
Arrows poured down like rain, and now and then javelins pierced through the barrage.
After about three circuits...
Two bandits had tumbled from their horses on their side, but Unit Jeong had taken no casualties. It seemed like the fight would unfold just like the probe, but it didn't.
The bandits had used the skirmish to roughly pinpoint Unit Jeong's positions and plotted a new infiltration route while biding their time for the perfect moment.
That moment was now!
A flag rose, and immediately the Gray Wolf, the Bald Eagle, and the Old Camel led their detachment in a charge toward Guwangjin.
Thud thud thud thud—
Meanwhile, the main force provided covering fire to ensure the detachment made it up safely, then surged forward en masse the instant fighting broke out on the hill.
And chaos erupted.
From Unit Jeong's perspective, it would have been ideal to fight using Guwangjin's outer walls like in the skirmish, but that wasn't possible this time.
Their traps and forces had been exposed, while the enemy's numbers—and especially their momentum—were utterly different from before.
So the squad members fought as planned, gradually falling back step by step until they converged at the central building of Guwangjin.
The key here was not a blind retreat, but steadily thinning the enemy's ranks while withdrawing.
Once gathered, they would stake everything on a final showdown with whatever foes remained.
But even this proved difficult.
The bandits were charging with eyes ablaze, making it far harder to disengage than expected.
Dan Geum and Ye Dok-du had paired up.
The two had boldly gone out to meet the Bald Eagle when he first charged in with five underlings.
The shield-and-hammer combo was undeniably effective, so they pressed the attack relentlessly at first.
Ye Dok-du led with his shield, bulldozing forward brute-force style, while Dan Geum followed up, smashing the staggering foes with his monstrous hammer swings.
It didn't take long to leave one reeling from a shield bash and two more crushed under the hammer.
In the meantime, the Bald Eagle was forced to retreat helplessly. He was furious, but no counter came to mind.
But the pair had stood out too much.
They caught the eye of Yu Orogo, who had just crested the hill, and became the main force's first target.
Seeing the horde of bandits barreling toward them, Ye Dok-du and Dan Geum swallowed hard and exchanged glances.
What more needed to be said in a spot like this?
"Run for it!"
They shouted in unison and scattered in flight.
Yu Orogo and the Bald Eagle, thrilled to have survived, split up to pursue them. The Bald Eagle chose Ye Dok-du—perhaps drawn by their shared baldness.
A Jeok-gang and Na Mok stepped out as a pair, facing off first against the Gray Wolf's band.
A Jeok-gang greeted them by hurling hand axes in a stream. The Gray Wolf batted one aside and lunged like lightning.
Na Mok leaped forward to intercept the Gray Wolf.
Naturally, Na Mok tangled with the Gray Wolf, leaving A Jeok-gang to handle four bandits.
The Gray Wolf had originally brought five, but one was already down from A Jeok-gang's thrown axe.
But this fight fell apart soon enough.
A dozen or so bandits charged in from the side, howling with bloodlust.
Na Mok, locked in fierce combat with the Gray Wolf, tried to pull back forcibly and took a sword slash.
A Jeok-gang took another to rescue Na Mok from the pinch.
Sharing the wounds between them, they barely escaped, then split and fled.
Guwangjin's ancient ruins, which had stoically endured the winds of time for centuries, were now suffering an untimely ordeal.
It was a total mess.
Dozens of sword-wielding men dashed about chaotically, chasing and being chased, stirring up the place.
Curses and screams filled the air amid the frenzy.
"Gaaah~!"
The Old Camel wailed at the top of his lungs.
He was in a panic.
It was somewhat understandable. Though the Paradise Pill numbed his pain, the visual shock was immense.
Who could stay composed watching their intestines spill from a gash in their gut?
With trembling hands, the Old Camel scooped them up and tried stuffing them back in, but soon gave up and looked up.
He sensed death closing in.
Tears streaming down his face, the Old Camel gazed up at the man who had reduced him to this state in a mere three exchanges.
That man had just cut down the last of the underling bandits who'd charged alongside him. He then whirled his blood-soaked sword through the air to shake it clean.
Blood from the Old Camel and his five followers, mingled in the melee, sprayed back into the sky in droplets.
Plop plop.
"Who... are you...?"
"Impartial Sword Jin Ga-yong. Tell it to King Yama."
Jin Ga-yong departed, and the Old Camel's raised head drooped limply.
Ye Dok-du's flight didn't last long before the Bald Eagle caught up.
It was only natural, really.
Ye Dok-du had never been skilled in lightness skill, whereas it was the Bald Eagle's specialty.
Judging further escape impossible, Ye Dok-du readjusted his shield and spun around. He spat a curse first thing.
"You crazy bald bastard, why do you keep chasing me? Got a thing for me or what?"
"Shut up and die!"
The Bald Eagle darted in nimbly, slashing irritably with the steel claws on his hands.
Scraaaape.
The steel claws scraped horribly against the shield.
Ye Dok-du promptly shoved the shield aside and swung his fist upward.
Whoosh.
But it missed.
The Bald Eagle had already leaped back. From the start, he'd aimed not to finish Ye Dok-du outright, but to slow him down.
To call in reinforcements—which worked.
In the brief clash, nine trailing bandits surrounded Ye Dok-du in layers.
He was trapped, no way out.
'Damn it, even us baldies gotta stick together.'
Ye Dok-du grumbled inwardly, at a loss. No escape meant he had to fight, but something nagged at him.
What choice did he have?
A one-against-ten brawl erupted.
Ye Dok-du rampaged like a tiger with its tail on fire, suddenly charging to bash one with his shield and smashing another's jaw with his fist.
Crack.
Good—he'd taken down two. But the price was steep: a long red gash across his back sprayed blood.
Luckily, his spine was intact. Unluckily, this was just the beginning.
Ye Dok-du couldn't last many exchanges before he was drenched in blood. His small consolation was sending one bandit to the grave.
But then his legs buckled, and death loomed as he staggered.
Slash—
A black sword aura bloomed, and two bandits crumpled.
"Huh?"
Bandits and Ye Dok-du alike whirled in shock at the surreal sight. An old man appeared, gripping a sword like an iron skewer.
It was Protector Wang Baek-gun!
Without a word, Wang Baek-gun slashed with sword aura-infused strikes, carving through three bandits.
The Bald Eagle and two bandits fled in terror at the display.
Wang Baek-gun eyed their retreat coldly, then spat a ragged breath and rubbed his joints.
His body ached fiercely.
Talk was cheap; unleashing sword aura repeatedly wasn't easy for anyone, let alone him. He'd done it out of urgency for Ye Dok-du's plight.
Catching his breath, Wang Baek-gun turned to Ye Dok-du.
"You alright?"
"Heh heh, tough bones like mine'll be fine. Still..."
Tension released, Ye Dok-du plopped down and lobbed a reproachful question.
"Thanks to you, I kept my skin, but Protector Wang, what brings you here? Doesn't this mess up the plan?"
Ye Dok-du mentioned the plan.
What plan?
Unit Jeong knew well of "Hawk's Eye" Seok Maeng, so the plan was their countermeasure.
As Jin Ga-yong had experienced, leaving Seok Maeng alive meant endless future trouble.
But honestly, no immediate solution existed.
Rushing en masse to take him out felt off—they'd have to break through the bandits first, in open terrain where the enemy excelled at mounted combat.
Impossible. So after discussion, they made a ruthless call.
'Hide our top fighter, Protector Wang Baek-gun, on the outskirts on standby.'
'Once Seok Maeng starts shooting, track and eliminate him!'
In other words, use a squad member as bait. No guarantees on the bait's survival, and it might take more than one.
Even then, success depended on luck.
Seok Maeng firing didn't mean they'd pinpoint him, and even if they did, the distance might make approach impossible.
It was a desperate stratagem born of no better options.
But with the plan in play, how had Wang Baek-gun revealed himself here?
"The plan's shot, sure. But let's get clear first. On your feet."
Wang Baek-gun offered Ye Dok-du a hand. He pulled the bewildered man up, supported him, and they withdrew.
Seok Maeng took a long detour, ascending the hill opposite Guwangjin's ruins where he had a clear view. The plain below was dotted with large and small hills, like giants' tombs.
About a hundred zhang (300 meters) from the ruins. Perfect.
Seok Maeng strung his bow taut and laid out ten arrows within reach.
Preparations complete, he cloaked himself in camouflage and waited for the right moment.
....
Seok Maeng's eyes flashed.
Without hesitation, he nocked an arrow, held his breath, and drew.
One eye bulged in focus. A faint glow emanated from it, expanding his vision and sharpening his senses.
Soon, a target the size of a fingernail looked as big as a watermelon.
......!
He released the taut string with a twang~, firing the first shot.
But oddly, it flew not at the watermelon-sized target, but a point in the air behind him.
His heightened senses had detected someone stealthily approaching, aura suppressed. He spun and loosed.
Scree—
The arrow flew at ferocious speed.
But...
'Gone?'
In that instant, Seok Maeng felt something sharp slithering in and out of his flank.
Pok. Pok. Pok.
Startled, Seok Maeng recoiled, trying to spot his assassin, but nothing was there.
That was it.
The assassin left no margin for error.
As Seok Maeng recoiled in shock, he melted into shadow and seeped into the ground.
As Seok Maeng withdrew, he followed silently, then rose fluidly behind as the archer scanned about.
The assassin thrust the serrated edges of his dual weapons into both temples simultaneously.
Gently.
So Seok Maeng never noticed until the moment of death.
The assassin was Flying Tiger.
After slipping away from Seok Maeng at dawn, Flying Tiger hadn't rejoined Unit Jeong. He'd shadowed the archer the whole time.
Biding his moment.
Seizing it, he crept close and struck true.
Thus, Seok Maeng's dawn promise—"We'll meet again soon"—would never come to pass. The prey had been devoured without a chance to meet again.
For while prey struggled to escape a hunter's bow, Seok Maeng fared no better against an assassin's blade.
Flying Tiger briefly surveyed the fierce battle at Guwangjin's ruins, then gathered Seok Maeng's bow and arrows.
Departing, he offered a quiet condolence to the fallen.
"Twas an entertaining hunt. Rest now."