Senior Brother! The Voices in My Head Won’t Stop! (1)
“Uh, what do we do?”
“I heard everyone taken by the Water Bandits ends up as a slave.”
“……Why did I ever get on this boat……?”
It wasn’t only the disciples of Mount Hua who were panicking.
No, if anything, the Mount Hua disciples who at least knew how to swing a sword were better off. The commoners who had been dragged all the way here to the Water Bandit stronghold without even knowing why were so terrified they could do nothing but tremble, pale as sheets.
“Senior Brother! If we hurry, maybe we can still call on Venerable Hye Yeon…….”
“Impossible.”
Of course, they could attack and sink a few boats. That wasn’t hard. The problem was that, at that point, this boat would be impossible to sail.
If they ended up stranded in the middle of the Yangtze, waiting for the boat to sink, they would only slowly die of thirst and starvation. Otherwise, they would have to sit there with their eyes open and watch the enemy sink them.
Win or lose, the only path left to them was to come this far.
“Pull it!”
As soon as the ship was moored at the riverbank, the chain went taut.
Riiip!
With the sound of the hull cracking below, the vessel they were on was dragged sharply toward shore.
When the Mount Hua disciples rushed to the railing, they saw the Water Bandits who had been waiting in the stronghold pour out in droves and surround the riverbank.
There were more of them than expected.
They always said the reason you could never wipe out all the mountain bandits was because there were too many of them, and the reason you could never drown out all the Water Bandits was because there were too many of them…….
“Hoo.”
Then, from behind Baek Cheon, came the sound of a long, steady breath.
He turned to see that his junior brothers had already drawn their swords, their faces hardening into those of true warriors.
“So it ends up like this after all.”
“Well, this was the result we were expecting anyway.”
“Then I just have to beat the hell out of those bastards, right? Right, Senior Brother?”
Their fearless attitude left Baek Cheon speechless for a moment.
Anyone would have been intimidated after seeing that many enemies, but his junior brothers didn’t look afraid in the slightest.
These idiots……
It was an understandable thing to resent them for.
It had been Baek Cheon who suggested boarding the ship to draw out the Water Bandits and figure out their numbers, and it had also been Baek Cheon who failed to order a quick retreat when the bandits drew near. And now they had been dragged all the way here and were forced to fight a battle where none of their lives could be guaranteed.
And yet not one of them showed the slightest hint of blame toward him. Baek Cheon looked at them for a moment, then quietly spoke to Hye Yeon, who had been dragged here before he even knew what was happening.
“Venerable monk, I’m sorry.”
Hye Yeon smiled gently and offered a Buddhist salutation.
“Amitabha. This humble monk does not quite understand what you mean, Patron.”
“…….”
“Give the order, Patron. Though I am a monk of Shaolin, I will live and die by your command.”
Baek Cheon bit down hard on his lower lip.
Heavy.
The weight of it only now truly sank onto his shoulders. He had understood, in theory, the burden of being responsible for and leading others, but this was the first time he had ever felt it so keenly.
Not a single person will die.
Snick.
As Baek Cheon drew his sword, a determined light settled into his eyes.
“This is the same as always. Nothing special about it.”
“Yes, sir!”
Baek Cheon’s gaze shifted to the cliff.
There was no way the commoners could climb that steep cliff. Nor could they swim across the river with their bare bodies. The most realistic option was to seize a functional fast boat from the Water Bandits, load the commoners aboard, and run for it……
But there’s no way it’ll be that easy.
Still.
“We’ve never done anything easy to begin with! When the boat reaches the bank, disembark immediately and deal with the enemy!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Even while fighting, keep watching for anyone trying to board the ship. If even one person dies, we lose.”
“Understood.”
He knew it would be difficult. But now was the time to do the difficult thing.
Seeing that the chained ship had nearly touched the bank, Baek Cheon shouted, “Go!”
Before he and the Mount Hua disciples even had time to answer, they all sprang over the railing at once. Soaring like birds of prey, they twisted their bodies in midair and dropped into the middle of the riverbank the Water Bandits had occupied.
“Poke them!”
“Skewer them!”
Long spears and iron hooks jabbed at the Mount Hua disciples as they fell. At that moment, Dang Soso spun her body and scattered needles downward.
“Eat this!”
Whoosh!
The feather-thin needles rained down over the Water Bandits’ heads.
“Guh!”
“W-what is this!”
As they were showered in the face, the Water Bandits instinctively turned their heads away.
And in that instant.
“Amitabha!”
With a short Buddhist chant, the fist force Hye Yeon unleashed shot toward the Water Bandits with terrifying might.
KWAAAAAANG!
The Water Bandits were swept away like dead leaves in a typhoon. The Mount Hua disciples landed lightly in the space Hye Yeon had cleared. Baek Cheon barked, “Strike!”
The Mount Hua disciples, scattered around in all directions, each drew a plum blossom with their swords without the slightest hesitation.
As if refusing to waste the time Hye Yeon had bought them, the Plum Blossom Sword Art bloomed in a burst of dazzling sword qi. In an instant, it swept through the Water Bandits surrounding them.
“Aaaagh!”
“W-what is this!”
The Plum Blossom Sword Art of Mount Hua had become a hallmark that anyone in the martial world had heard of at least once. But hearing about something and seeing it with your own eyes were, quite literally, worlds apart.
They had been told it was sword qi that looked like petals scattering in the wind, but who in the world would have imagined that actual petals seemed to flutter through the air? It was the sort of bizarre sight no one would ever believe unless they saw it for themselves.
“Wh-what kind of sword qi is this…….”
Small, thin sword qi like petals danced as it fell. No matter how desperately they swung their blunt, heavy weapons, it was impossible to block them all.
What was more—
Slash! Slash!
That delicate-looking sword qi was absurdly sharp. The trembling petals sliced into flesh as if they were razor blades.
“Guh!”
“Y-you damn bastards!”
Hundreds of scarlet plum blossoms colored the barren cliffside in brilliant hues.
“Push forward all at once!”
“Yes, sir!”
The Mount Hua disciples shouted back and swung their swords. Unable to withstand their momentum, the Water Bandits were driven back, then back again. Those who had been standing at the water’s edge were forced so far back that the water rose to their waists.
“Ch- chief!”
Cries of desperation rang out from all around. Jangpohueokeo, who had stepped down from the dragon boat and watched the scene, wore a face full of interest.
“They say Mount Hua once stood at the very top as the greatest sword sect in the world. Seems that wasn’t empty boasting.”
Eerie.
Whether that was especially true of the Mount Hua Five Swords or simply the martial arts of Mount Hua itself, he had no way of knowing. But at least judging only by the swordplay they displayed, it was enough to make them seem like the work of a heretical sect.
Their dazzling feints and illusory sword techniques toyed with the eyes, but the sword qi that pierced flesh without the slightest hesitation was as practical as it was lethal.
And on top of that—
“A-mi-ta-bha!”
The huge cry of a Buddhist prayer echoed grandly, and in the center of the flower garden in full bloom, a golden radiance erupted upward.
KWAAAAAAAA!
Those swept up in the immense fist force, like a waterfall crashing down, couldn’t even scream before being flung away and dumped into the Yangtze.
Plop! Plop! Plop!
At that almost awe-inspiring sight, the Water Bandits shuddered.
If you were only watching, you could stand there with your mouth hanging open, stunned, but they were not mere spectators. They were the ones who had to face that fist force. Of course they were going to panic.
And the Mount Hua disciples did not miss the moment their enemies flinched. The Plum Blossom Sword Art, for all its brilliance, was a technique that required them to accept a certain opening when unleashed.
A sword that scattered brilliant sword qi inevitably took longer to activate than a simple, concise sword style that struck in short bursts. That was unavoidable. So to use the Plum Blossom Sword Art, one normally had to trade sword strikes, force the opponent back, or create an opening first.
But when the enemy was already reeling like this, they could unleash it even more boldly than usual.
All at once!
We have to seize the initiative!
Chung Myung wasn’t here, but the memories of fighting beside him remained in their heads and were etched into their bodies. When facing a large number of enemies, you could never afford to lose momentum.
Bold, brilliant sword strokes rained down on the Water Bandits without pause.
“T-they’re monsters!”
“What the hell are these guys……!”
The Water Bandits were thrown into chaos and began scattering in retreat.
Anyone willing to risk their life to stand and fight the enemy had no reason to become a Water Bandit in the first place. The heretical sects were the cruelest when they were winning, but once defeat started to loom, they would turn and run without looking back.
They valued gain over honor, and their own survival above all else in the world.
As the Water Bandits began to retreat helplessly, Jangpohueokeo frowned.
“Worthless trash.”
“What should we do?”
“It wouldn’t be bad to go crush them ourselves, but…….”
After a brief moment of thought, Jangpohueokeo curled a cruel smile and muttered, “It wouldn’t be a bad thing to teach these brats who know nothing of the world a lesson. To show them that the strong don’t always win in the martial world.”
“Understood.”
As Jo Seung nodded to the subordinate at his side, several Water Bandits immediately rushed out.
“Hmm.”
Jangpohueokeo tapped lightly on the iron gauntlets strapped to his waist.
“A bunch of minnows.”
The smile on his lips was one of complete confidence.
Good!
Heat flickered in Baek Cheon’s eyes.
They had succeeded in seizing the initiative. Of course, that did not mean they could defeat all these Water Bandits on their own. Even after taking down dozens, the bandits still swarmed like grains of sand along the riverbank.
Besides, the real strength of this Water Bandit stronghold had yet to appear. Baek Cheon was not an idiot who would get carried away by a brief victory and ruin everything.
The rear.
His gaze flicked backward.
Even now, Water Bandits were leaping from the boat and swarming toward them. That meant there couldn’t have been many bandits aboard the docked ship in the first place.
If we seize the rear in one move and get the commoners onto the ship…….
He knew it already. Those bastards had harpoons capable of smashing ships apart. So sailing off in a boat did not guarantee safety. A fast boat would be quicker than a merchant ship, and they had their own crew here too, so if they abandoned their luggage and took only their bodies, they wouldn’t be at a huge disadvantage in speed, but even so, it would still be a grueling fight.
Still, it was better than fighting here.
For now, we need to secure the rear and buy time for the commoners to board the boat…….
That was when it happened.
Pwoom! Pwoom!
Something shot up above their heads and burst with a plume of smoke.
“What?”
Gunpowder? Or cannon fire?
Baek Cheon instinctively looked up, and his eyes shook violently. Cutting through the smoke was a huge net.
“M-move…….”
He tried to leap away, but it was far too large. So large that it seemed likely to cover not only the Mount Hua disciples, but also the Water Bandits surrounding them.
“Kuh!”
Unless they could tear themselves free and run straight through the bandits, there seemed to be no way to avoid it.
“Damn it!”
The Mount Hua disciples reflexively swung their swords at the falling net. They intended to cut it apart at once with sword qi.
Clang!
But even when the sword qi struck, the net didn’t split. It merely made a loud metallic ring and continued to fall unchanged.
“Kuh!”
“Th-this……!”
And then the black net finally came down like black water, smothering the Mount Hua disciples beneath its weight.
Baek Cheon grabbed the net that was pressing heavily against his whole body and slashed desperately with his sword.
What the hell is this made of!
He had never even heard of a net so tough that sword qi couldn’t cut it. At this rate, their movements would be restricted, and they would have no way to avoid the harpoons stabbing in from above.
He tightened his grip on the net with one hand and poured out sword qi with all his might, slashing again and again.
Grind-grind-grind!
Only then did the net begin to tear.
“Got it!”
Baek Cheon was just about to shout in triumph when a voice shrieked in his ear.
“It-it’s poison! Don’t touch the net, everyone!”
At Dang Soso’s frantic scream, Baek Cheon’s face turned ghostly white.