Blood Cloud Rage

Whoosh!

Blocked at the front line by the squad of sword guards, the warriors of the Sword of the North suddenly turned their heads at the pressure that seized their ankles.

Hyah!

Wham! Thud!

Ankle snared, a Sword of the North warrior was slammed bodily into the wall—and the guards' cold blades drove into him without a moment's hesitation.

Back in my frontline-fighting days, this is exactly what I always wished the back-line and support players would do for me.

"Die……! What the—urk!"

Just then, an enemy burst out of a doorway in a sudden ambush! The moment before an ally would have taken the hit, Sanlong locked down the man's weapon arm, and the ally's blade slid easily into his heart.

"Thank you, Doctor Tang!"

"Pierce him!"

Perhaps thanks to Sanlong's support from behind, the enemies crumbled fast.

"You bastards!"

One of them came charging in like an avalanche. Sanlong drew his hidden dart.

Hummmm!

The dart trembled in his palm, itching to fly, and Sanlong waited for his opening.

Pang!

With a sound like tearing cloth, the dart flew out faster than the eye could follow.

"Urk!"

Piercing the charging man's throat wasn't enough—the dart carried on and struck the enemies behind him as well.

"There are more prisoners in here than guards."

With Squad B hard at work holding off the enemy with fires and tear gas outside, their forces were having a hard time fighting their way in. Which meant Squad A could carry out its mission in peace.

"Let's move fast."

Now was no time for posturing—they had to move as quickly as possible and get the prisoners out as soon as they could.

"Half of us go to the basement, half upstairs. Anyone who secures a prisoner doesn't wait for backup—escape comes first, no exceptions!"

"Yes, sir!"

Following the Prince up to the second floor, Sanlong soon had to stop in his tracks.

The man who had frozen every footstep in the hall was Oyangga.

And beside him stood ten elite soldiers. Their aura was anything but ordinary.

"My, my. That I failed to sense them at all—they must be Peak Realm masters."

The Prince's surprise lasted barely a heartbeat before he turned to Hwang Ung and Jeongcheon.

"Hold them. The two of you won't win, but you can keep them occupied. Do it."

"As you command!"

"As… you… command."

"I'll help!"

Seol Mokyeon, having spotted her family's mortal enemy, moved to stand with them.

Watching them, a cold smile curled across Oyangga's lips.

"You all underestimate me far too much. And Young Palace Master—after running away, you come back here on your own two feet… I can't decide whether to mock you as a fool or thank you for your kindness. I suppose it is all the will of Tengri."

"Shut your mouth!"

"Attack! Leave none of them alive!"

"Avoid a head-on fight at all costs! Their leader is a Peak Realm master!"

With Hwang Ung's roar, Squad A crashed into Oyangga's soldiers.

Sanlong used the chaos to slip toward the room where he had sensed a presence.

"Here—hk!"

Shff!

The instant he reached for the door, a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠razor-sharp killing intent shot straight through it.

"Shit—!"

Cursing in equal parts shock and relief, Sanlong kicked off the flat of the blade to twist its angle away.

But the swordsman turned that very deflection into centrifugal force, his blade whipping around in a savage flurry.

Tch!

Sanlong bent backward with all the flexibility he had spent years cultivating, and the sickle of sword energy carved past.

KRA-KOOM!

The horrifying blade-force left a wave-shaped scar across the wall.

"Hah!"

"Ugh!"

Thud!

Bracing one hand on the floor, Sanlong aimed a kick at the man's face; the swordsman raised an arm and blocked it.

Whish!

As the man wobbled off balance, Sanlong carried his own rotation straight into a spinning back kick.

Thwack!

It was a blow that wouldn't have done much against Yeo Cheolgi—but the man wasn't Yeo Cheolgi.

"Ugh!"

The swordsman staggered back a great distance, and Sanlong seized the moment—flinging out his silver wire to bind the man's legs and hauling hard.

Hyah!

Wham!

The man slammed into the floor and tried to slice through the silver wire with his blade—but it was blended with iron, and it did not cut easily.

"Grrrrgh!"

Shff!

Only blade-force could sever the silver wire.

"Nine Calamities Strike!"

Ka-ga-gang!

While the man wrestled with the wire, Sanlong's strike was already prepared.

"Damn it! You fight like a coward!"

"There's no such thing as cowardice in a real fight."

The distance finally opened—and this awkward, in-between range was the distance Sanlong loved best.

"Soft Dart Strike!"

The technique he had learned from the Clan Head before coming here. True to its name, the darts flew in graceful arcs, closing in for the kill.

"Hah!"

Clang-clang-clang!

The swordsman batted the projectiles aside with his blade. But the Tang Clan's hidden-weapon arts were built on hiding the true shot among a hundred feints.

"Darkened Dart."

"Khhargh!"

Thud!

The instant the man believed he had blocked everything, the killing blow hidden within the Soft Dart Strike flew silently and pierced his throat.

"Kuk… kuk…"

Sanlong had coated the dart in paralytic poison, so the man couldn't even mount a last counterattack—he simply stiffened, little by little, and died.

A thousand of these bastards. And every common soldier among them a First-Rate master. The Sword of the North—truly terrifying people.

Having subdued his opponent, Sanlong swept his gaze over the lavish room.

"Hnnnngh……"

Just then, from inside a wardrobe, he heard a small boy holding his breath.

"Can I open the door?"

Instead of wrenching it open, Sanlong decided to give the boy a moment to steel himself.

"I'm opening it."

He eased the door wide—and there, curled up with tears and snot streaming down his face, bruised all over his small body, was a boy.

Those absolute bastards…

These were the men who meant to put a puppet on the imperial throne—and they did this to a child? Traces of beating were visible everywhere.

"Hi there."

"Don't hit me! I ate all my food today… and I swung my sword too… sob…"

"Good. You did well."

The boy, who had known nothing but abuse since he'd been brought here, stared back with eyes full of distrust.

A child wearing an ornament made of feathers in his hair…

The description Seol Mokyeon had given of a boy named Tolga matched perfectly.

Sanlong smiled at him.

"Tolga. You're Tolga, aren't you?"

"Sob… sob…"

The boy sniffled and looked up at the man who knew his name.

"Um… do you remember the pretty noona with the snow-white hair you met a while back?"

Tolga thought of Seol Mokyeon, the girl he had met before he was dragged to this place.

"That… noona… I know her……"

"Right. She asked me to come rescue you, so here I am. See? My outfit's different from those guys', look."

Thankfully, the dead man made for a less gruesome sight than most dart victims. The boy's eyes flicked between the corpse lying as if asleep and Sanlong's face, and at last he seemed to calm a little. He nodded.

"Different……"

"That's right. Tolga, how old are you?"

"Seven……"

Those monsters… where was there even left to hit on a seven-year-old…

Thinking he might have granted that Oyangga bastard far too easy a death, Sanlong slowly drew a medical kit from his sleeve.

"Can you give me your arm for a second?"

"It… it hurts……"

"I know. This will help a little."

"Ah……"

As Sanlong gently smoothed on the ointment, the boy felt a brief sting—then a spreading coolness as the pain began to ebb.

"Oh… ohhh…"

To the boy watching in wonder, Sanlong slowly held out his hand.

"Want to go outside with me?"

"Mama… is Mama coming too……?"

"Of course Mama's coming too. Shall we go?"

Sanlong didn't try to drag him along. He simply waited.

"Hold them! Damn it!"

"Gyaaagh!"

"They can't break through on the flank!"

"They can't!"

Abed of carnage roared from outside. Tolga's huge eyes rolled uneasily in their sockets.

"Sanlong!"

Just then Seol Mokyeon, white hair flying, burst urgently into the room. Her once-composed hair hung in disarray, her clothes were torn in places, and her blade was slick with red.

She looked for all the world like a white-haired ghost—and yet, even in this state, her beauty still shone through. It was simply baffling.

"Did you find the child? We have to hurry and—"

"Found him. Shh…"

When Sanlong signaled her to lower her voice, Seol Mokyeon spotted Tolga.

"Ah!"

She quickly tidied herself up as best she could and approached the boy slowly.

"Hello, Tolga."

"Ah… the pretty noona from back then……"

"Your mama says we have to leave quickly. Tolga, will you come with us?"

"Mama too?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll go?"

"Yes……"

Only after Seol Mokyeon appeared did Tolga finally let himself be gathered into Sanlong's arms and carried from the room.

"It's a bloodbath out here……"

Stepping outside, they found the situation looked none too good. The stench of hot blood was enough to make one's head swim, and the floor was strewn with the dead of the Sword of the North and the rescue team, tangled together.

Sanlong covered Tolga's eyes with his hand, but the horror of the scene reached the boy's nose without needing his eyes at all.

"Where is the Prince?"

"I honestly don't know… we were pushed back and forth, and by the time I noticed, I was over here. The Prince is… he'll probably be fine."

Somehow, with that strange ability of his, the Prince seemed the type to survive even a situation like this.

"Oyangga… he was so strong……"

"Because he's a Peak Realm master. Are you hurt anywhere?"

"Aside from a few scratches, I'm fine."

A few scratches? They were visible from clear across the room.

"Here, eat this. It dulls pain. And let me wrap that, even a temporary bandage will do."

Sanlong handed Seol Mokyeon a pain-killing pill, then bound her wounds.

"Thank you."

"Doctor Tang!"

"Ah! Doctor Tang!"

Woo Gyeongbong, the lay disciple of Wudang, and Cho Sangyeol, young master of the Iron Saber Sect, hurried over at once.

"Are you both unharmed?"

"We made it out thanks to the Prince's two bodyguards, but most of Squad A got scattered to the winds. And… is that…?"

Cho Sangyeol's gaze turned to Tolga, and Sanlong gave a small nod.

"Both of you, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠take this. It dulls pain and will bring back a little strength."

"Much obliged."

"Thank you, Doctor."

"There they are! Don't let them take the Prince!"

"I'll take the front."

With that, Woo Gyeongbong raised his sword and stepped forward, Cho Sangyeol falling in beside him.

"Let's survive this, Brother Woo."

"That's my line, Brother Cho."

Clang! Clang!

Whenever Woo Gyeongbong turned back an attack with his defensive swordsmanship at the fore, Cho Sangyeol slipped through the opening like lightning to strike.

"I'll help too!"

With Seol Mokyeon joining in and Sanlong supporting from behind, the encirclement broke quickly.

"Out the window—jump!"

"Stand back."

Wham!

With Tolga in his arms, Sanlong hurled a dart through the glass and leapt.

A drop of nearly three stories. He scattered the silver wire as he fell.

Sanlong spread the Silver Net Wire between the buildings, stepped onto it, and landed lightly on the ground a moment later.

"Everyone, come down the same way—step on the wire."

Tap! Tap!

All three followed suit, bouncing off the wire and landing safely.

"What a remarkable art."

"Doctor Tang, then and now—you never fail to astonish me."

"Just a cheap trick. Let's move, quickly—this way."

Brushing aside their admiration, Sanlong's group began to slip out of the garrison compound, thrown into chaos by tear gas and spreading flame.

"That should be the exit. According to the map, once we're through and climb the mountain path, we'll reach where we tied up the horses."

Following Woo Gyeongbong, they passed the tangled corpses of the Sword of the North and the rescue team lying across the road.

"So they've pushed this far already."

At Cho Sangyeol's words, everyone nodded. But just as they were about to plunge into the dense forest, a razor-sharp killing intent reached them from beyond the trees.

"Damn it!"

KRA-KOOM!

With a deafening roar, a tree exploded, and a member of the rescue team in night garb came flying out like a kicked ball.

"Khh… urk……"

"Sir!"

"Run……"

Leaving behind the man who died before he could finish his warning, a single figure walked out of the forest.

"So it was indeed the will of Tengri……"

Bloodied from head to toe, Oyangga straightened his blade with an exhausted face and advanced slowly toward Sanlong's group.

"Heaven smiles upon our Yuan. The Prince still lives. Losing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Princess must simply have been Tengri's will."

A horrific killing intent radiated off Oyangga's body. Exhausted or not, the man was a Peak Realm master—and worse, Sanlong's group was far from fresh.

"Damn it……"

"S-sob… don't hit me……"

Tolga was terrified. Tremors ran through his tiny frame. Without a word being spoken, Sanlong could guess exactly how Oyangga had tormented this child.

"Mokyeon, take the child and go."

"What?"

"I'll hold him off. Take Tolga and run."

At those words, all three of them jolted in shock.

"Sanlong!"

"Doctor Tang!"

"Have you lost your mind!"

Sanlong smiled at them all.

"I'm in the best shape of anyone here, aren't I? And he's worn out—I'll keep him busy for a bit, then run."

"Sanlong……"

Meeting Seol Mokyeon's worried eyes, Sanlong spoke on.

"And somehow… I feel like I owe that bastard at least one solid hit."

Woo Gyeongbong regarded him in silence for a long moment. Then, realizing that Sanlong would never bend his will on this, he gathered up the child.

"We will wait for you at the army camp."

"Brother Woo!"

"We go. The main force returning from the northern expedition could arrive at any moment—the mission comes first."

Just as Woo Gyeongbong turned to leave with Tolga, Oyangga raised his blade.

"You dare flee before my very—urk! What in the—"

Whoosh!

The Silver Net Wire had unfurled before anyone noticed, binding Oyangga's arm, and Sanlong shouted:

"Go, now!"

"Ugh! Damn it!"

Cho Sangyeol and Seol Mokyeon ran after the fleeing Woo Gyeongbong at last.

"You call this a trick?!"

Shff!

Oyangga sliced through the iron-laced wire with ease and moved to pursue Woo Gyeongbong—but his feet would not leave the ground.

Shweeee!

Because darts were tearing through the air, hunting his back.

Ka-ga-gang!

While he batted them aside, Woo Gyeongbong surged ahead, putting distance between them with the Cloud Ladder Leap.

So he's mastered even the Cloud Ladder Leap, lay disciple or not.

It was now beyond doubt: Woo Gyeongbong was no ordinary Wudang disciple.

Watching Tolga shrink into the distance in real time, Oyangga's eyes rolled back in his head.

"Ugh… ugh… AAAAAGH!"

At his rage, it seemed as if heaven and earth themselves shook. The shockwave of his fury rolled across the ground, and a cloud of stone dust crashed over Sanlong.

"…Maybe I provoked him a little too much?"

A thick, syrupy ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠red aura rose from Oyangga's body like heat haze, thick enough to see with the naked eye.

Call it the signature of Blood Cloud Art, the internal cultivation method of the Sword of the North—a technique that drove the blood through the body at a furious pace to seize explosive power. The price: push it too far, and the user could bleed himself dry and die.

"I've changed my mind. Killing you is too quick. I'll take you alive and cut off your fingers, one by one, and make you beg me to let you die."

"Ha… I'll have to decline."

Sanlong drew out his iron wire. Oyangga raised his blade.

"Then die—"

Ka-ga-gang!

Just then, a snow-white frost of sword energy came flying in, and Oyangga's blood-red blade whirled brilliantly to beat it away.

"Huh?"

Who fired that?

Sanlong's gaze stopped on a single point.

"…Mokyeon? Why did you come back?"

Seol Mokyeon glided to his side on lightfoot arts and steadied her grip on her sword.

"I couldn't leave behind the first friend I ever made. And… I have a great deal to repay that man for."

"You……"

Sanlong knew she wouldn't leave no matter what he said, so he drew a slow breath.

"Fine… but if it gets dangerous, you run."

Two were better than one, after all. He unfurled his iron wire.

"That's my line. You surviving out of the two of us helps the army camp more, doesn't it?"

"Then let's both survive."

"Deal."

It was, all things considered, a rather heartwarming exchange.

And at the sight of it, Oyangga's brows twitched and trembled.

"You vermin… daring to do that in front of me!"

Red blade-force erupted from Oyangga's saber.