Chapter 87
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: Chapter 24. Blitzkrieg (7)
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Jin Ga-yong swung his sword more viciously than usual for one reason: to seize the initiative.
From the very start, he cleaved a man in two with a single stroke, showering the area in a rain of blood.
The effect was like dumping a bucket of cold water on each of the bandits who had been shouting "Enemies!" while burning with battle fervor.
Everyone flinched and hesitated in their steps. A stark example stood right before Jin Ga-yong: a big-nosed thug drenched in gore, frozen solid on the spot.
Jin Ga-yong swung his sword boldly, lopping off the man's head.
Intentionally high.
The big-nosed thug's head shot up a full three zhang—nine meters—into the air, leaving his body sprawled on the ground.
In most cases, suffering such a gruesome fate would cause one to lose consciousness from the shock, leading swiftly to complete death.
But the big-nosed thug was different. He'd blacked out from the foul stench only to snap back to awareness upon sucking in the fresh air at altitude. It was as if he'd reached a state of perfect clarity. So even as he died, he got a chance to reflect on the life he'd lived.
His memories flashed by like a panorama, but in reverse—from recent events back to distant past.
Looking back on that life, it wasn't a pretty sight. He hadn't noticed when he was rolling with his ragtag crew, but alone in hindsight, it made him deeply uncomfortable.
Perhaps facing death had finally brought back that long-lost rascal called conscience, the one he'd abandoned when he ran away from home years ago.
The big-nosed thug muttered "Fuck, shit" in disgust, as if retching at the revolting memories. Then, at some point, a strange peace settled over him.
His recollections had drifted all the way back to his tender childhood in his hometown.
One heartbreaking detail: no one's face from his hometown came clearly to mind—not even his widowed mother's.
And so the big-nosed thug died with a bitter ache in his heart.
At the very end, a hazy memory surfaced from when he'd nursed at the breast of that faceless mother.
The young woman had probably hummed a lullaby while feeding her baby.
"La la merry, my pretty la la merry, just grow up healthy, please..."
"That's right, I remember now. My name was La La Merry!"
Only in death did the man reclaim his name, his eyes brimming with tears.
Thud. Thud. Roll roll roll.
The big-nosed thug's head bounced a couple times across the ramparts before tumbling off beyond the walls.
Jin Ga-yong's second shocking act cowed the bandits atop the ramparts even further; none dared rush in recklessly.
In that interval, A Jeok-gang and Sa-myo climbed up one after the other along the hooked rope Jin Ga-yong had secured.
Meanwhile, down below the walls, the rest of the squad had begun clashing with the bandits trying to shut the West Rock Gate.
And over there, one of the bandits was madly ringing a bell to spread word of the enemies' raid.
Dong~ Dong~ Dong~ Dong~
In short, chaos erupted everywhere around the West Rock Gate, teeming with activity and frenzy.
"You two, clean up here."
Jin Ga-yong charged first, followed by A Jeok-gang and Sa-myo.
They soon split off.
A bandit who suddenly faced Jin Ga-yong as he pivoted yelped in terror and backed away. Jin Ga-yong ignored him, leaping down the stairs leading into the inner fortress.
The pursuing A Jeok-gang hurled hand axes in rapid succession at the bandits on the ramparts as he dove in.
Sa-myo gripped her dagger in reverse grip, marking that same fleeing bandit as prey, and launched herself at him.
Thus, atop the West Rock Gate ramparts, A Jeok-gang and Sa-myo paired off against multiple foes.
Thud. Thud.
Jin Ga-yong bounded down the stairs, hurtling into the space just inside the gate.
At that moment, the six bandits stationed at the gate were all fixated on the Jeong Unit members trying to force entry.
They knew a fight had broken out above, too.
But the momentum of the enemies shoving at the gate was ferocious, and they'd never imagined it would be breached this quickly.
As a result, with a "shwick," a long ribbon of blood sprayed into the air.
One bandit crumpled forward, nape freshly slit, clueless to what hit him. Jin Ga-yong landed behind them and charged straight in, whirling his sword.
The bandits, ambushed from behind, panicked and scattered, their formation crumbling. In that instant, the gate swung wide open, sending the two bandits pushing to close it sprawling.
Until moments ago, three bandits had been holding the gate shut, but one peeled off to face Jin Ga-yong, leaving them unable to withstand Ye Dok-du and Dan Geum shoving from the other side.
Rumble.
The Jeong Unit members poured into the inner fortress one after another.
As they tussled over the gate from inside and out, Na Mok—who'd been stabbing through the widening gap—was the first to dash in.
The moment Na Mok crossed the threshold, he leaped and flew into a kick. His target: a bandit just scrambling back to his feet.
Wham.
The bandit took a brutal hit to the face, head snapping back as he flopped down again.
Na Mok ignored the fallen foe and lunged at another bandit milling nearby, swinging his sword.
Right behind him, Ye Dok-du and Dan Geum split the downed bandits. The warhammer slapped like pounding dough, the shield's edge thudding like tenderizing meat.
And Wang Baek-gun sauntered in leisurely, hands clasped behind his back.
......
One man plummeted suddenly from the ramparts. An axe was gruesomely embedded in his upturned face.
Splat.
Moments later, A Jeok-gang poked his head over the edge where the bandit had fallen. He called down to Jin Ga-yong below.
"Squad Leader Jin, this side's cleared."
"Just wrapped up here too. Come on down."
Thus, the seven warriors regrouped. From splitting above and below to reuniting had taken less than half the time to sip a cup of tea—under three minutes.
The Jeong Unit had claimed the West Rock Gate in a true blitz.
Wheee~ Whee.
A whistle sounded, and Flying Tiger appeared. He strolled casually through the open gate, his timing impeccable.
Ye Dok-du asked in exasperation.
"Were you hiding somewhere, just watching?"
"Yeah."
"And you couldn't lend a hand?"
"I got close, but the defenses were tight—no way to push further without risk. Getting caught would've just heightened their alert."
"Ho~ So you waited out there, watching till we opened the gate for you?"
Ye Dok-du's tone dripped with teasing. Naturally, he held no grudge against Flying Tiger for executing his solo mission flawlessly. It was just playful ribbing from reunion joy.
Flying Tiger shrugged with a grin.
"As if. You guys finished too fast for me to even pitch in. Kinda disappointing, honestly."
"Heh heh, keep talking. Come on in."
The Yellow Turban Brigade's stronghold was currently nursing a massive hangover.
They'd finally started regaining composure after dispatching a pursuit squad, only for something even bigger to blow up.
They'd fallen victim to the classic ploy of making noise in the east to strike in the west—"shout east, attack west"!
Of course, the full story was more nuanced, but they had no way to peer into enemy bellies.
Anyway.
Bell tolls rang from all directions as couriers dashed about. The Yellow Turban Brigade focused on the West Rock Gate, mustering and deploying their forces.
And soon, they'd swarm like a pack of dogs.
Now it was a race against time.
"The White Horse Lantern leadership down to their underlings are right where we targeted: the officer mess hall."
"Really? It's been nearly two ke (about 30 minutes) since Seven Cat and Eight Cat fired those signal flares to distract them."
"Can't swear to it a hundred percent, but odds are eight or nine out of ten."
"Hmm, mind sharing how you figured that?"
"Among the inner fortress buildings, it's the one couriers keep streaming in and out of, with the heaviest perimeter guard."
Flying Tiger answered Wang Baek-gun's question crisply.
He hadn't just exposed the Grand Black Cat's position and strolled here blindly. En route, he'd observed the chain of movements and flows within the fortress.
"Ha~ Wonder if the White Horse Lantern lot have guts of steel or if they've buried a honey pot there."
Ye Dok-du voiced his bafflement, prompting Wang Baek-gun to share his thoughts.
"Or maybe it's simply their designated fallback spot from the initial chaos."
"Whatever the reason, that's where we go to finish this."
The squad nodded agreement with A Jeok-gang's words.
Destination set, Jin Ga-yong ran a final check.
"How many enemies do you estimate we'll face?"
Sa-myo stepped up.
Sharp with numbers to begin with, and having observed the area these past days as one of Ten Cats, she was more than qualified.
"Originally, about two hundred were holed up here. Subtract the thirty or so dispatched to perimeter outposts, then the thirty we've taken out getting here—that leaves around a hundred fifty. Plus Ten Cats... ahem."
Sa-myo coughed awkwardly mid-count and pressed on.
"The bandits who chased Ten Cats numbered about fifty, so fewer than a hundred remain here now. And that's not all. They'll leave minimal guards at key spots—like the East Bright Gate with its underground vault, or the stables, four or five such places. Assume five or six per site..."
"That leaves them with sixty or seventy available at most."
Flying Tiger tacked on to Jin Ga-yong's words.
"Add another ten subtracted. That's roughly the casualties from Ten Cats' escape."
"So even squeezing every last one, we're looking at under sixty foes."
"......!"
Of course, this was just an estimate.
And the remaining enemies' prowess would far exceed the rank-and-file bandits they'd faced so far.
So it was still no walk in the park.
But compared to when they'd first set foot here, their numbers had shrunk to less than a third.
Clap!
Wang Baek-gun clapped once, beaming.
"Excellent! Then let's hurry over and mop up that handful before they all swarm us."
From here on, deep in enemy territory, fierce resistance was expected. The Jeong Unit formed up as rehearsed.
Leading was Iron Arm Ye Dok-du, shield forward.
Next row: Iron Man Dan Geum with his warhammer and No Use A Jeok-gang dual-wielding hand axes, boosting breakthrough power.
Third row of three: from left, sturdy Na Mok, Tiger Fang Wang Baek-gun, and Sa-myo. Na Mok and Sa-myo flanked to guard Wang Baek-gun.
Bringing up the rear: Flame Sword Jin Ga-yong. To survey the battle, command, and reinforce as needed.
Flying Tiger was left out of the formation. Unleashed to roam freely rather than fixed in role.
Thus arrayed, the Jeong Unit charged.