Better Dead Than Alive! (2)
Clang!
“Ugh!”
The water bandit who had been stabbed through the chest was sent flying backward in an instant, rolling across the deck. Even after neatly dispatching one of them, however, Baek Cheon’s face remained grim.
“Be careful! They’re wearing chain mail under their clothes!”
“Yes, sir!”
The answer came back loud and clear.
Chain mail.
For water bandits, that made sense. They would often have to dive and swim, and wearing armor made that far harder. The fact that they still wore it meant their waterborne assaults were probably far more formidable than expected.
Whoosh!
As if refusing to give him time to think, a harpoon thick with killing intent shot straight for Baek Cheon’s face. It was faster and sharper than he had anticipated.
Clang!
He deflected the harpoon, and at the same instant, five or six hooked chains came flying down from above his head. They looked ready to snare him and cinch tight around his body at any moment.
“Haaah!”
Baek Cheon’s sword flashed out like a streak of light.
More than ten lines of crimson sword qi burst forth at once, striking the incoming chains dead-on and knocking them away.
“You bastard!”
Slash!
Baek Cheon’s sword split open the chest of the charging water bandit. Now that he knew they wore chain mail, there was no need to bother with the armor—he could simply cut through both.
“Ghk….”
The bandit’s body convulsed as his chest was severed, then he crumpled on the spot.
Swish!
Baek Cheon flicked blood from his blade and looked past the fallen bandit.
Water bandits in blue garments were still leaping onto the ship one after another. Their fast boats were indeed much larger than the vessel they had boarded, but looking at the sheer number of men pouring out now, one had to wonder how so many had even fit aboard in the first place.
No wonder people don’t want to deal with water bandits.
They were undeniably a troublesome enemy.
And yet…
“Dieeeeee!”
Whoosh!
Seizing the opening, several attackers rushed him at once, and Baek Cheon thrust his sword forward more than ten times in the blink of an eye.
“Aaaagh!”
“Ahhh!”
Not only the bandits charging at him, but even those hanging back and threatening from a distance were swept up in the sword light, splattering blood as they were flung away.
So they’re not trivial either!
By now, there was no point in getting frightened by water bandits. They had already been through far too much. He and his martial siblings had all clawed their way through hell to get here, had they not?
“Push them back at once!”
“Yes, sahyung!”
“Yes, sajuk!”
Everyone shouted and surged forward, fiercely driving the water bandits back.
Clang!
Yoon Jong’s face remained utterly composed as he parried the claw-like weapon that flew toward him.
Hmm.
To be honest, they were not quite as easy as he had expected. More precisely, they were awkward to fight.
For one thing, the weapons they used were unusual. There were almost none of the swords, sabers, or spears commonly used in the Central Plains. Nor were they the kind of fist experts who relied primarily on bare-handed techniques.
Instead, there were mostly Emei needles shaped like harpoons, tridents, and claw weapons resembling bird talons. On top of that, chain scythes with hooks or viciously sharpened sickles at the ends of their links kept flying in with unnerving frequency.
Weapons he had never once had to face before came at him in bizarre, unpredictable trajectories. Even a seasoned wanderer of the pugilistic world would be taken aback by them.
And yet…
Clang!
Yoon Jong’s sword swept out once more, clean and unadorned.
Three claws flew in at once, while from the rear an Emei needle stabbed toward him. Above his head, a chain scythe came down, and a hooked chain shot low, aiming to pierce his ankle.
It was an absurdly grotesque coordinated assault.
But Yoon Jong’s eyes did not waver in the slightest.
The center!
Clang!
He calmly took one step back. The chain scythe that had been aimed perfectly at his crown brushed past right in front of his face, while the hook targeting his ankle sliced through empty air and scraped uselessly across the deck.
The sword, moving with exquisite precision, struck the claw and the Emei needle squarely and sent them bouncing backward.
Whoosh!
Thrusts followed in rapid succession.
“Aaaagh!”
The water bandit with a sword wound clean through the center of his chest screamed and collapsed on the spot.
Yoon Jong withdrew his sword from the man’s chest and naturally resumed his middle sword stance. His posture was a little lower than before. The water bandits, startled by the stillness of his lake-like aura, hesitated and could not bring themselves to rush in recklessly.
Unorthodox is still unorthodox.
If you did not let yourself be swayed or distracted, there was nothing truly different about it. In the end, no matter what attack came at you, it meant nothing unless it reached your body. If he could block each strike calmly and steadfastly, the opening would surely come.
Standing as firmly as a great ancient tree, Yoon Jong said in a low voice, “Come.”
“…Damn you!”
The water bandits ground their teeth.
“Where does this brat get off!”
“Kill him!”
They charged again with savage intensity, but there was no hint of hesitation in Yoon Jong’s sword. It stood as immovable as Mount Tai.
“Ha ha!”
The blade split the air like the wind.
It was a quick sword style so nimble and brisk that at first glance it almost seemed frivolous.
Yet within that seemingly light swordplay, the righteous way was unmistakably present.
“You son of a bitch!”
The bandit at the front shouted hoarsely and swung the three-pronged claw in his hand. But before the claw could even finish its motion, the sword struck dead center between its three prongs.
Clang!
The claw was shoved sharply backward.
“Damn it!”
The bandit clenched his teeth, drew his arm back for a moment, and tried to swing again—only for the sword to stab into the exact same place once more.
Clang!
In an instant, the arm holding the claw was yanked violently back, twisting his shoulder out and away.
“What the—!”
Then came another burst of quick swordsmanship.
Thuk! Thuk! Thuk!
The bandit, stabbed three times in the chest in rapid succession, screamed and staggered backward. But before he could retreat fully, the Mount Hua swordsman was already on him even faster.
“Hyaah!”
The sword-wielding figure from Mount Hua kicked the bandit square in the chest.
Kwaaaang!
The bandit flew back like a cannonball and smashed into the comrades waiting behind him.
The water bandits, tangled into a single heap for an instant, went tumbling in chaos. The weapons in their hands had nowhere to go and ended up jabbing into one another’s bodies.
“Aaagh!”
“My leg! My leeeeg!”
“You little bastard…!”
Jo Gul, who had landed lightly on the deck, flashed a vicious grin.
“Looks like you guys get along real well. I’m jealous. We’re always fighting….”
“Who said you could talk while fighting!”
“……”
Jo Gul flinched and readjusted his grip on his sword.
“Come on! I’m Jo Gul of Mount Hua!”
“How impressive.”
Yoon Jong, as always, did not leave the enemy a single opening even while fighting.
“T-this damn—”
Bang Chung, who had led the water bandits from Daegyeong Fort, spat out a string of curses.
There were well over a hundred bandits aboard the ship by now. Yet those many water bandits were being driven back by those youngsters—fewer than ten of them.
What the hell are these people?
Their sword aura was no joke.
When you looked closely, each of them used a sword style so different it was hard to believe they came from the same sect—but they shared one thing in common: they were absurdly strong.
Bang Chung clenched his jaw.
But they, too, were members of the Water Bandit Sect that ruled the Yangtze. They had no intention whatsoever of meekly surrendering the initiative on this river.
“What are you doing? Shoot! Shoot now!”
At his command, the water bandits along the railing raised their bows in unison and drew the strings back.
Gooooo…
Infused with so much inner force that the bows bent as if they might snap, they trembled under the strain.
Thunk!
Thunk! Thunk!
The strings were released all at once, and arrows rained down at terrifying speed toward the disciples of Mount Hua.
Clang!
Clang!
The Mount Hua disciples retreated in disarray, batting away the incoming arrows. No one was injured, but the momentum they had built while pressing the bandits back was clearly broken.
“Shoot! Turn them into a pincushion!”
Apparently seasoned by battles like this, the bandits in front charged without even glancing back. They seemed certain the arrows flying from behind would never strike their own backs.
Just as the archers were drawing their bows again to support them—
Swiiish!
Thuk! Thuk!
“Aaaaargh!”
Several archers standing on the railing and drawing their strings screamed as they toppled over the side.
Sploosh! Sploosh!
The sound of people falling into the water came one after another.
“W-what…?”
Thuk!
A water bandit who had been looking around in panic let out a strangled groan and clutched his chest. The pain was sharp, like something was tearing through him. Looking down, he found a small knife, no bigger than a child’s toy, lodged right in the middle of his chest.
His legs suddenly went weak, and he staggered before tumbling backward over the railing.
“Who do you think you’re firing arrows at!”
The owner of the little knife, Dang Soso, was blazing with fury.
“I’ll handle those guys, so don’t worry about me and just keep fighting!”
“Got it!”
“That’s our Soso!”
While saying that, she casually cut down a bandit who had charged her, then drove her sword into the deck and shoved both hands into her sleeves.
The next instant, she sprang upward, and needles sharp as needles of light burst from both hands like a sudden rain.
“Aaaagh!”
“Aaah!”
The water bandits standing on the railing, now absurdly exposed and easy to target, became porcupines of hidden blades and fell one after another into the water below.
“W-what is this!”
“Why are sword fighters suddenly throwing hidden weapons?”
The bandits had no idea where Dang Soso came from and could not conceal their bewilderment.
“Target the woman in the back first! Go after that bizarrely dressed woman first!”
“Bizarre? You little—?”
That was the very instant Dang Soso’s eyes flared with fire.
Whoosh!
Something shot upward swiftly, then descended in a graceful arc into the midst of the packed bandits.
“What!”
The startled water bandits looked up. All they could see, however, was an expressionless female swordswoman and dozens upon dozens of sword shadows.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Her merciless sword cut down the bandits’ vital points in an instant.
“Ghk.”
Those who clutched their throats collapsed limply to the side like rotted sheaves of straw.
Thud.
Yu I-seol landed lightly on the floor and stretched her body out like a crane.
“This place is… where…?”
Slash!
A water bandit who had somehow survived and was just about to shout was pierced through the chest by Yu I-seol’s sword. It was truly lightning-fast.
“Kuhh….”
Tap.
She withdrew her sword, then lightly kicked off the deck and spun in place. The sword qi released at the same time swept over the bandits who had been hesitating around her all at once.
“Aaaaargh!”
“Aaagh!”
The tightly packed bandits all collapsed in a cascading wave, leaving a huge open space on the deck. It was like swinging a great scythe through a rice paddy so thick with grain that no ground could be seen beneath it.
The water bandits, unable to hide their panic, began to flail about.
“W-what in the world are these guys….”
“These bastards….”
Strong.
This was not merely a matter of fighting hard or being skilled. These were masters of an entirely different level. The moment that reality sank in, the boiling courage inside them cooled, and fear gnawed at their limbs.
That was when it happened.
Goooooooom.
With a massive roar, the ship suddenly began to tilt.
“Hm?”
Baek Cheon turned his head sharply.
Bang Chung had somehow climbed onto the railing.
“Hup!”
He jumped lightly in place, then stomped down hard on the railing once more.
Creak-crack!
The railing snapped away, and the ship lurched even further.
“W-whoa!”
“Huh—!”
The deck rocked violently from side to side, and the clustered passengers lost their footing and spilled over in every direction.
Bang Chung looked at the scene with a self-satisfied smile.
“Heh heh heh! You little brats. I’ll show you exactly what it means to fight on a ship. What are you waiting for? I’m going to shake this boat, so show them what you’ve got!”
“Yes, sir!”
Before he even finished speaking, several water bandits rushed Baek Cheon. Just as Baek Cheon moved to block them with the same calm precision as before, the ship lurched again. This time, even he lost his balance for an instant and stumbled.
“Dieeeeee!”
Seizing that opening, an Emei needle carrying a sinister aura shot straight for Baek Cheon’s neck.