Chapter 69
Chapter 69
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: Dispatch to Heaven-Ascending Pavilion (4)
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In my seventh year at the Heaven-Ascending Pavilion, we were attacked by the Southern Heaven Palace on our way to train at the Mount Hua branch.
Their goal was to take the prodigies, most of whom were children of the Nine Dragons Fortress's high-ranking members, as hostages.
Naturally, we resisted.
Soon, a scene of slaughter unfolded before my eyes.
The instructors and the Heaven-Ascending Pavilion members rushed in and managed to fend them off, but not everyone survived.
Of the more than thirty prodigies, nine died.
‘Ju Ho.’
Ju Sang-man's older brother and a friend I had made at the Heaven-Ascending Pavilion.
He was one of the nine who died.
If I had just kept my wits about me, I could have saved him.
But I was paralyzed by fear, my feet rooted to the ground.
After it was all over, looking at his corpse, I was etched with a deep sense of guilt and the cruelty of the martial world.
Perhaps it started then.
My dream of leaving the Nine Dragons Fortress, hiding away in some remote valley, and living a life of feasting and debauchery.
But.
Witnessing the death of a young prodigy, the words ‘feasting and debauchery’ vanished from my mind.
The face of Ju Ho, who had died consumed by terror, flashed in my memory, and only rage blazed within me.
Crack-kle. Crackle.
The War King Ki moved faster than usual.
BOOM!
It unleashed an even stronger force.
Splat.
Flesh and blood scattered in all directions.
“A d-demon!”
“Don’t make me laugh.”
You’re the demons for targeting children.
Thwack.
A casual punch tore through the face of the man who had screamed, ending the battle.
“Hoo.”
I caught my breath and looked around.
Only one man remained alive.
Squeeze.
I grabbed him by the neck and lifted him into the air.
“Ugh…”
Gripped by terror, the man's eyes rolled back into his head.
SMACK!
“Kuh!”
I slapped him across the face and asked again.
“I don’t have time. Tell me how many there are and where they’re positioned.”
The sharp impact seemed to bring him to his senses, and he let out a sneer.
“Hehehe, it’s useless even if you know. Now that *he* is here, you’re all going to die anyway.”
“You’ll die first.”
“Kill me.”
It seemed he had no intention of talking.
Snap.
I tightened my grip, breaking his neck, and threw him to the ground.
I had no time to waste on a fruitless interrogation.
Rescuing the prodigies was the priority.
‘I have to get them out before the encirclement reforms.’
“Hahh.”
As I planted my feet to use the Flying Heavenly Wind, my strength momentarily gave out.
Sprinting dozens of miles at full speed and immediately engaging in fierce combat had drained my stamina.
The only fortunate thing was…
‘The internal energy consumption was less than I thought.’
It was the effect of the War King's Thirteen Strikes being assimilated with the War King Arts.
Thanks to that, I was able to recover a considerable amount of internal energy even while slaughtering enemies.
“Hup!”
I gathered my still ample internal energy and once again unleashed the Flying Heavenly Wind.
About an hour passed like that.
Clang, clang. Clang.
I spotted three prodigies locked in a fierce battle.
The instructors were nowhere to be seen, likely already dead.
CRUNCH.
The War King Step unfolded in an instant.
The surrounding scenery blurred past me.
“Eek!”
Crack.
I drove my fist into the neck of the man swinging his sword at the front.
I then extended a kick to the next man’s waist, shattering his spine.
The Ultimate Death Force, erupting like lightning, bisected the remaining men.
In the wake of the instantaneous slaughter, all eyes turned to me.
“Senior?”
Jeon Gwang, covered in blood, asked in surprise.
“Where are the others?”
Jeon Gwang shook his head. It must have meant they were dead.
A quick glance revealed blood flowing from his side. His arms and legs were in no better condition.
“Are you okay?”
“...I’m… fine.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You look like you’re about to collapse.”
“I’m not. I can still fight.”
He ignited his fighting spirit, raising his saber.
It wasn't the saber of the Gray Dragon Hall, but a thin willow leaf saber.
As if not to be outdone, the other two stepped forward.
They were in no better shape than Jeon Gwang.
“I am Cheong Un of the Blue Dragon Hall.”
“I am Geum Mak-dae of the Gold Dragon Hall.”
“That’s a unique name.”
My attempt to ease the tension brought a small smile to their faces.
“I’ll clear a path. Don’t die, and follow me.”
“Yes.”
And so, our escape began.
As expected, the path to retreat was not easy.
Enemies swarmed us every time we crossed a pass.
A rain of arrows poured down from all directions when we crossed a valley.
And when we ran through the forest, we had to be wary of enemies who could leap out from anywhere at any moment.
It was the same now.
Thunk.
An enemy sword that had ambushed me from behind struck my Dragon Scale Armor and bounced off.
A completely unexpected attack.
If I hadn't been wearing the treasure that was the Dragon Scale Armor, my spine would have been split in two.
“Hup!”
Pow, crack.
The first fist of the War King's Thirteen Strikes crushed the man’s chest.
Stab! Schlick. Thwack.
The prodigies, despite their precarious situation, fought hard and swung their weapons.
BOOM!
Rumble, KABOOM!
I unleashed the War King Step and struck with Explosive Death Force.
A storm of force spread in an instant, sweeping through the surroundings.
“Gaaah!”
Screams echoed out.
At the same time, hidden weapons filled the night sky.
Thwip-thwip-thwip.
The attack was perfectly timed, leaving no room to dodge.
I quickly spread my force, but still took two hits in my arms and legs.
“Guh.”
The pain was greater than I expected, and my mind went dizzy.
“Hide behind the trees!”
I warned the prodigies and immediately used the Flying Heavenly Wind.
My aim was to take down the enemies scattered all around.
Tap.
A light touch on a tree trunk made my body feel as light as a migrating bird.
It was the effect of the Flying Heavenly Wind, said to allow one to fly through the sky with a wisp of true energy.
“...!”
Completely caught off guard, the enemy’s eyes widened in shock as I appeared before him.
Gouge.
I swiftly flicked my fingers and tore out his throat.
Thud.
I immediately leaped toward the next one and repeated the act.
A short while later.
After dealing with them all, I gathered the prodigies.
“Let’s go.”
Driven by urgency, I pushed forward without rest.
For about half an hour.
I decided to take a short break.
“Pant! Pant!”
The prodigies' stamina was depleted due to their injuries.
I was anxious, but I had no choice.
I had come to save them, not to lead them to their deaths.
Jeon Gwang, his face pale, spoke.
“Please go on ahead. That’s the only way to save the warriors of the Outer Hall.”
It was a reasonably rational judgment.
“Don’t worry. They’ll be fine.”
Hearing my answer, Cheong Un and Geum Mak-dae chimed in.
“The enemies’ skills were formidable. The Outer Hall’s strength is no match for them.”
“That’s right. We’ll be fine, so please hurry.”
“I came all this way to save you. If I was going to leave you behind, I wouldn’t have come in the first place.”
“But!”
“And besides.”
I met their eyes and said.
“Who said they were weak?”
“Pardon?”
“You’ll see.”
After the break, just as we were about to move again.
“Are you the one? The one who’s been squashing my boys like bugs?”
A large old man leaped through the air and blocked our path.
A pair of massive twin axes was strapped to the back of the old man, who exuded an incredible pressure.
I spoke quietly to the prodigies.
“Run.”
* * *
“Hah. Hah.”
Wu Je-jun forced his eyes open, trying to clear his blurring vision. At the same time, he swung the saber in his hand.
Stab!
The saber lodged in an enemy's shoulder, sending a fountain of blood into the air.
He had intended to slice through him in one blow, but the sword embedded in his own abdomen had sapped his strength.
“Ugh.”
He lifted his head and looked around.
His squad members were somehow holding back the attack, but they were at their limit.
The prodigies also looked as if they could collapse at any moment.
Thud! Thwack.
They had managed to hold on this long thanks to the former members of the Seventeenth Squad who were inside the formation.
It was unexpected.
Judging by their usual behavior, they seemed closer to third-rate than second-rate martial artists.
He had thought them unqualified to join the First Squad, only accepting them because they had come with the Squad Leader.
And weren't they lazy?
While others spent their own money to receive instruction at the Black Dragon Martial Academy, they did anything but train, preferring to wander around and drink.
But it was thanks to their efforts that the First Squad and the prodigies had survived.
Heh.
He let out a small, self-deprecating chuckle for misjudging them and shouted.
“Just hold on a little longer! The Squad Leader is on his way.”
“Yes!”
The clash resumed.
As before, the squad members at the front blocked the enemies with their Dark-Suppressing Swords.
Crack. Thunk.
As expected of a sword art focused on defense, they were able to steadily block the enemy’s attacks.
SMASH! Stab.
Daggers and iron balls flew from behind, piercing and crushing the enemies’ heads.
They were the weapons of Yang Gang and Lee Dang-pal.
It seemed they would hold them off again this time, but then.
“...!”
Enemies dressed differently from the ones they had been fighting caught Wu Je-jun's eye.
“Fall back—!”
Sensing something was wrong, he tried to warn them, but it was too late.
Stab, stab.
The enemies’ blades descended upon his squad members first.
Three of them fell, struck by the swords.
“Damn it!”
Wu Je-jun gritted his teeth and swung his straight saber at the enemy.
His limbs felt clumsy from the urgency, but he had no choice.
If he didn’t go now, they would die.
And then.
Slash.
An enemy sword, appearing from nowhere, sliced across his waist.
“Ugh!”
Wu Je-jun collapsed, his strength instantly draining away.
With him, the one holding the front line, down, the enemies began to push forward.
They were already outnumbered and outmatched.
If the front line collapsed, those inside had no way to survive.
“Ugh!”
Wu Je-jun tried to get up, but his legs wouldn’t support him. Instead, his eyes began to close.
But he couldn’t give up.
He used his straight saber, stuck in the ground, as a crutch and stood up.
“Hahh. Hahh.”
And then.
“I’ll give you this, you’ve got fighting spirit.”
The large man who had been commanding the enemies approached.
Wu Je-jun looked at him with hazy eyes.
“Hahh. I’m a stubborn one.”
Whoosh.
The large man swung his great saber.
Wu Je-jun tried to block it, but he was already on the verge of death.
He couldn't even pull his own weapon out of the ground.
Sensing his end, Wu Je-jun smiled bitterly.
BOOM!
An iron ball flew from somewhere and knocked the great saber away.
Following the retracting iron ball with his eyes, he saw the face of Yang Gang, who was baring his yellow teeth.
“Hehe, I tried to live quietly, but things never go as planned. Right, Pal?”
Fizz!
A chilling sound cut through the air as a dagger flew like a lightning bolt.
“...!”
The man with the great saber, shocked, threw himself back.
Rip.
The front of his clothes was sliced open in a long gash.
The speed and power were such that it would have been a fatal blow had he not dodged.
“...”
Lee Dang-pal stared at the large man with an indifferent expression.
And then.
Whoosh! Clack!
Ha Jin-hyeong’s steel whip swept through the area.
Thanks to the ferociously flying steel whip, the enemies could no longer push forward.
As for Yu So-pyeong.
“You lot who know nothing of the ways of the great sages! If your parents knew of this, they would be wailing in the underworld!”
He rattled the enemies’ minds with a well-timed line.
“W-what is this…”
Wu Je-jun was at a loss for words.
“My apologies, Vice Leader. We had our reasons for hiding our skills.”
“...Sorry.”
Yang Gang and Lee Dang-pal stepped in front of Wu Je-jun.
Their intention was to face the man with the great saber while Ha Jin-hyeong held back the others.
“How about we end this as quickly as possible?”
“...Alright.”
Yang Gang took out a foot-long iron rod from his clothes and connected it to the iron ball.
Clink.
In an instant, a flail with a fist-sized iron ball was complete.
Seeing this, the large man sneered.
“So, you lot have a few tricks up your sleeves.”
“I am Dang Yang-gang of the Green Dragon Hall. This here is Dang Pal, and the one swinging the steel whip is Dang Jin-hyeong.”
Hearing Dang Yang-gang’s introduction, the large man showed a hint of surprise.
“...The Three Freaks of the Dang Clan?”
“We were called that once upon a time.”
“I heard you were locked up in the Nine Dragons Fortress prison.”
“The Nine Dragons Fortress has a fine system called a pardon.”
BAM!
In the middle of their conversation, Dang Yang-gang’s flail suddenly dropped.
Considering his large build, it was an unbelievably fast attack.
As if expecting it, the large man moved his great saber and blocked the flail.
But the attack didn’t end there.
Fizz.
A sharp sound erupted as Dang Pal’s dagger flew in.
“Tch.”
The large man relied on his combat senses to leap out of the way and swung his saber toward Yang Gang.
“Die!”
A faint shimmer.
It was saber ki, the symbol of a peak master.
“Kuh!”
CLANG!
Dang Yang-gang swung his flail and struck the body of the saber with perfect accuracy.
Crack. BOOM.
The great saber, its trajectory thrown off, slammed into the ground with an explosive sound.
Unable to handle the force, Dang Yang-gang was sent flying backward.
The large man quickly moved to pursue him, but…
He was forced to dodge a dagger that flew at him like a thunderbolt.
His intention thwarted, the large man couldn't contain his excitement and roared.
“I’ll tear you to pieces!”
Dang Yang-gang, having regained his senses, sneered and said.
“Our squad leader used to say this. It’s always the ones with no skill who have the loudest mouths.”