Chapter 124
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 124
Chapter Title: Assault on the Commanders
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Dong Ho-won and Cheon Sal-bu were pushed back steadily, unable to withstand the shockwave of their clash.
“Ugh.”
Dong Ho-won groaned as he clutched his right shoulder. On closer inspection, it was soaked in blood.
In contrast, Cheon Sal-bu stood tall with a rigid expression, though something was off about his face.
“…….”
Dong Ho-won looked at him and spoke.
“I commend your fighting spirit.”
“You…….”
Cheon Sal-bu opened his mouth, as if he could no longer hold back, and suddenly vomited a gush of blood.
“Keok!”
His staggering chest bore a massive hole. The wound was so clean that blood only now began spurting from it.
Spurt!
After spewing a torrent of blood, Cheon Sal-bu collapsed.
Thud.
He died without even closing his eyes.
“Phew.”
‘That was no easy opponent.’
Dong Ho-won felt a swell of pride. He had single-handedly taken down one of the Heavenly Remnant Twin Evils.
Turning his head, he saw Eom Mu-hwi just then snapping the twin swords of Residual Blood Sword with his Soul-Hooking Hand.
Clang!
“……!”
Without hesitation, Eom Mu-hwi plunged his Soul-Hooking Hand into the flustered Residual Blood Sword’s chest.
Stab!
“Keok!”
With that, both of the Heavenly Remnant Twin Evils were slain.
Eom Mu-hwi and Dong Ho-won exchanged glances and nodded.
Though their stamina and inner energy were severely depleted, there was no time to savor the victory. They immediately rejoined the battlefield.
Spotting them, Seol Hwa-un shouted.
“Dong Ho-won, take the west! Eom Mu-hwi, the east!”
“Yes, Young Palace Lord!”
They moved swiftly. The south was held by Seol Hwa-un himself, and the north by the three leaders of the North Sea Warrior Division, so those fronts had some breathing room.
The North Sea Warrior Division warriors, who had been defending all four directions, were continuously pushed back and now clustered in the center of the Tae Gok branch hall.
Still, they strained to maintain their circular formation to prevent their rear from being breached.
At the center of the formation, Yu Gong-seon directed operations fervently.
“The north is buckling! Yi Geom Brigade Leader, shift three companies immediately!”
“Yes, Strategist!”
“Third Company of Centurions, just a bit more effort! Do not let the line break!”
“Raaah!”
“Second Company of Centurions, fall back two steps!”
In the early stages, he could issue organic commands based on the formation, but now, pushed this far back, even the strategist’s role had its limits.
‘Damn it!’
He suppressed the urge to rush into the fray and lend a hand himself.
‘Still, I have to balance the entire perimeter from here. Just a little longer—hold on a bit more!’
Boom boom boom!
“Argh!”
Seol Hwa-un continued to display astonishing prowess, but they were outnumbered.
No matter how many evil faction warriors he felled, their numbers showed no sign of thinning.
To make matters worse, each faction’s leaders refrained from direct combat, commanding from the rear.
‘Can’t just charge into the heart of the enemy lines to take them out…….’
It was the Blood Light Sword Army Leader’s order, fearing that killing the leaders would demoralize their forces and cause desertions.
At this point, even the peerless Seol Hwa-un’s inner energy was starting to run dry.
“…….”
Seol Hwa-un glanced subtly toward the entrance of the Tae Gok branch hall.
‘……Not yet.’
At this rate, annihilation was inevitable.
Just then, as if reading his mind, Dong Ho-won and Eom Mu-hwi rushed over.
“Young Palace Lord!”
“Why are you here instead of holding your posts……?”
Eom Mu-hwi quickly replied.
“At this rate, we’ll lose. We’ll clear a path—please take out their leaders.”
“……!”
It was a risky gamble with slim odds of success. Even in peak condition, it was uncertain, and now all three were exhausted.
‘But if it works, we can turn the tide in one stroke.’
Seol Hwa-un decided swiftly.
“Very well. Let’s do it.”
“Yes.”
With a resolute expression, he continued.
“As your Young Palace Lord, I command you: do not fall before I do. Understood?”
“We’ll keep it in mind.”
“Let’s go.”
Dong Ho-won nodded and took the lead, thrusting his spear forward with a mighty step.
“Haaap!”
A terrifying spear qi erupted forth.
Boom boom boom boom!
“Argh!”
“F-Fall back!”
As three or four sacrificed themselves, the warriors hesitated and retreated, creating a momentary gap.
Eom Mu-hwi leaped into it immediately.
“Ha!”
He thrust both hands forward with ferocious momentum.
Swoosh!
“Argh!”
“Kraaak!”
Limbs flew before the merciless Soul-Hooking Hand.
“Ugh!”
“To think there are monsters like this besides the North Heaven Dragon!”
Their initial momentum faltered as fear forced them to widen the distance.
With the two clearing the way, Seol Hwa-un followed close behind.
But soon, evil faction warriors closed in on their rear.
“You bastards!”
Seol Hwa-un punched backward immediately.
Thud!
“Keok!”
“Gah!”
The attackers were struck by the fist wind and sent flying.
“……!”
“Ignore the rear—straight ahead.”
At Seol Hwa-un’s words, Eom Mu-hwi and Dong Ho-won pressed forward with renewed vigor. Though unspoken, Seol Hwa-un knew.
‘These guys are at their limit too.’
They could collapse from exhaustion at any moment. They were simply gritting their teeth and swinging spear and hands.
‘Just a bit more—hold on!’
When the distance to the leaders shrank to about twenty張, Dong Ho-won and Eom Mu-hwi’s movements visibly slowed.
“Huff, huff, huff!”
“Haa, haa, haa.”
Seol Hwa-un realized they had hit their limit.
‘Still a bit short…….’
He spoke quickly.
“Ho-won, can you muster one last spear thrust?”
“……I’ll try.”
[Good. No need for inner energy. Just show that same fierce spirit as before.]
Unable to transmit mentally with his inner energy depleted, Dong Ho-won nodded with grim resolve.
[Now!]
“Hap!”
Swoosh!
Dong Ho-won’s spear shot out sharply. The nearby evil faction warriors flinched in surprise.
Having noticed his slowing movements and thinking he was about to drop, his sudden ferocity was enough to make them shrink back.
“Raaah!”
The evil faction warriors hastily widened the gap, and in that opening, Seol Hwa-un stepped on Dong Ho-won’s spear tip and leaped high.
Whoosh!
“Eh?”
Soaring through the air, Seol Hwa-un looked down at Dong Ho-won and Eom Mu-hwi.
‘Hold out as long as you can. I believe in you.’
Meanwhile, the first to notice their charge was Bok Yeo-wol.
‘Hm?’
He immediately grasped their intent.
‘Fearsome fellow…….’
While others might not know, Bok Yeo-wol had been overseeing the overall situation and was aware that the Blood Light Sword Army Leader and Heavenly Remnant Twin Evils had vanished.
‘It’s them, including the North Heaven Dragon. Nothing else makes sense.’
The war was already underway; it couldn’t stop just because the Blood Light Sword Army Leader was gone.
Now, they had to win no matter what.
‘That’s why I didn’t announce their deaths…….’
“Sect Leader!”
He called to the Black Refinement Sect Leader, who had been leisurely observing the battle.
“We must retreat immediately.”
“What are you talking about?”
“There—the North Heaven Dragon is coming this way. Sect Leaders, fall back further!”
“Hm?”
The Black Refinement Sect Leader spotted them too.
“Retreat? Then who commands our sect disciples?”
Bok Yeo-wol was dumbfounded.
‘Command? More like rallying them.’
No time for arguments.
“That’s not the point right now…….”
“Where’s the Blood Light Sword Army Leader while the North Heaven Dragon rampages?”
Finally, Bok Yeo-wol raised his voice.
“He’s dead!”
The Black Refinement Sect Leader’s eyes widened.
“What?”
“I didn’t see it myself, but he’s definitely gone from the field. No reason for him to leave now—he must’ve fallen to the North Heaven Dragon.”
“N-No way……!”
“They’re targeting you and the other leaders. We must withdraw from here now…….”
Just then, a voice rang from above them.
“Too late.”
“……!”
Seol Hwa-un was descending upon them.
Bok Yeo-wol retreated swiftly, but the Black Refinement Sect Leader did not.
“Hmph!”
Sudden as it was, he was confident deep down.
‘Even if they truly felled the Blood Light Sword Army Leader, they must be drained from facing him!’
He believed his own martial arts gave him a solid chance. But that proved his final miscalculation.
“Die, North Heaven Dragon!”
The Black Killer Brigade Leader thrust his twin palms at Seol Hwa-un—his signature Black Killer Demon Palm.
Black smoky palm force billowed out.
Whoosh!
“…….”
Seol Hwa-un expressionlessly punched forward—the Fist Cannon One Split of the Ice River Nine Splits Divine Fist.
Rumble!
The Fist Cannon One Split effortlessly pierced the Black Killer Demon Palm’s force.
Boom!
“What?!”
Undeterred, the fist strike burrowed into his chest.
Splat!
“Keok!”
The force that pulverized his ribs reached his heart.
“Keok!”
Vomiting a bowlful of blood, the Black Refinement Sect Leader crumpled.
“To think……he’s this strong…….”
Thud.
As he fell, the other evil faction leaders, only now noticing Seol Hwa-un, were seized by panic.
“North Heaven Dragon?!”
“N-No?!”
“When did he get here…….”
Their complacency in the overwhelmingly favorable situation had backfired.
Seol Hwa-un’s eyes gleamed coldly.
“For daring to touch the North Sea Ice Palace, pay with your lives.”
“……!”
Escape was no option. Evil faction warriors surrounded them completely.
“…….”
Yet they had eyes to see.
Seol Hwa-un’s face was pale, his breathing ragged—they knew he was greatly fatigued.
‘No choice now…….’
Exchanging glances, they charged at Seol Hwa-un together.
“Die, North Heaven Dragon!”
Seol Hwa-un summoned his remaining inner energy.
‘North Sea Wind God Fist, three forms.’
Whoooosh!
The air around him began to stir.
‘Wind?’
As the four leaders looked puzzled, Seol Hwa-un’s form spun rapidly, punching outward.
‘Wind Union Thunderclap!’
The pristine white fist qi grew brighter, then exploded in all directions.
Rumble rumble rumble!
“Th-This……!”
Only then did they realize how foolish it was to challenge Seol Hwa-un.
Boom boom boom!
“Kek!”
“Keoook!”
Unable to withstand the fist wind, they were reduced to bloody pulps and sent flying.