Purging the Bandit Lair
The two men stared fixedly at the narrow path ahead.
Just moments ago, it had seemed more terrifying than any road in the world, but now it looked utterly inviting—peaceful, even.
A cacophony of noises rose from behind them, but the pair deliberately ignored it all.
Every now and then, the acrid stench of blood assaulted their noses, yet they turned away from that too.
"I-if we bolt now... we could make it, right?"
"What if they catch us?"
"In a mess like that... they might not even notice if we vanished."
The two stood side by side, eyes locked forward, murmuring in low voices.
At their words, the sounds they'd been trying so hard to ignore pierced their ears like arrows.
"Gaaahhh!"
"Uwaaaah!"
Screams from their comrades. And the occasional sickening sound of something being severed.
Even without seeing it, just the noises alone made the agony feel all too real.
"Yeah... at this point, they won't notice if we run."
"Alright, then. On three. One, two, three!"
Tadak!
At the signal, the two poured every ounce of strength into fleeing.
If they could just reach the shadowed stretch of the path, they'd be safe.
Srck! Srck!
"Huh?"
It happened shortly after they started running.
A slicing sound echoed from nearby, and their vision lurched.
Their bodies surged forward, but their gazes kept plummeting toward the ground.
It was hard to grasp exactly what was happening.
Then, something came to clarify their dire situation.
"Gaaaaahhh!"
Overwhelming pain exploded from their legs, sending them tumbling to the dirt.
Woo-gang had spotted their escape and swiftly closed in, striking their legs.
Leaving the writhing pair behind, Woo-gang shouldered his spear and strode back into the bandits' lair.
The bandits watching from inside blanched, their faces drained of color.
His impassive approach resembled a yaksha from hell.
Dozens of comrades already lay fallen.
Yet Woo-gang showed not the slightest disruption.
He had no intention of stopping here; it seemed he'd only finish once the place was drenched in blood.
"Th-this... can't be real..."
The bandit leader muttered in a daze, staring at the scene unfolding before him.
His deputy was no different.
Woo-gang, wielding his spear with effortless dominance—could he even be human?
Dozens of bandits crumpled powerless before his swings.
Their disorder stood in stark contrast to Woo-gang's unflinching poise.
The bandits' will to fight had utterly evaporated.
How could they muster any fighting spirit now?
Survival in this hellish pit was their sole priority.
In truth, Woo-gang hadn't taken a single life.
They were merely slashed or bones shattered—nothing fatal, at least not immediately.
Of course, left as they were, death would claim them eventually.
But in the bandits' minds, only death filled their thoughts.
Woo-gang reentered the lair slowly, caught his breath for a moment, then moved again.
The bandits scattered in abject terror.
They clutched weapons that had long lost any purpose.
They held them only for the faint hope of meager defense—attacking was out of the question.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
"Guuuuh!"
Something astonishing occurred.
Bandits fleeing in all directions flew backward simultaneously, as if struck by an invisible force.
And it didn't end there.
The others, scattered every which way, met the same fate.
They rebounded as if slamming into walls.
Woo-gang had moved too swiftly for their eyes to track, batting them aside with his spear.
Those fleeing in different directions converged in a heap.
As they staggered from the impacts, Woo-gang soared like a bolt of lightning, plunging into their midst.
The bandits hesitated at his sudden appearance, and Woo-gang swung mercilessly.
"Gaaahhh!"
They launched into the air in unison.
Powerless, they crashed into trees, rocks, buildings—wherever they flew.
Some skulls split open, others' arms twisted unnaturally, and some rolled clutching shattered legs.
Woo-gang straightened, standing tall, gazing at the bandits.
His eyes burned with unyielding resolve: he would show no mercy to those guilty of heaven-defying crimes.
He shifted his gaze slightly.
"Kuh!"
The leader and deputy flinched at meeting Woo-gang's eyes, stumbling back.
But only for a moment—they could move no further.
Woo-gang's sheer presence had paralyzed them.
With his aura binding their feet, Woo-gang approached the bound captives.
Having witnessed the horror, they trembled like aspen leaves.
Woo-gang untied their ropes.
Now free, some bolted in panic; others stayed to free their fellows. Among those racing for the entrance, some trampled the fallen bandits ruthlessly.
"Die! Die! Scum like you deserve it!"
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
The bandits, crippled by Woo-gang's strikes, could only take the stomping helplessly.
Ignoring it all, Woo-gang freed everyone, then watched the fleeing captives before turning his eyes elsewhere.
Now it was time to deal with the ringleaders.
As Woo-gang approached, the leader and deputy's faces turned ashen.
They were no different from their fallen underlings.
They might be slightly more skilled or vicious, but it meant nothing against Woo-gang.
The closer he came, the greater the pressure and terror they felt—indescribable.
The deputy's trembling grew visibly worse.
His face twisted as if on the verge of madness, then he screamed hysterically.
"Uwaaaah! Stay back! Stay back!! I don't wanna die! I said no!"
"Ugh!"
Flailing like a lunatic, the deputy suddenly shoved the leader toward Woo-gang and bolted.
The realization that fleeing was futile had long vanished.
His reason shattered, he moved only on raw survival instinct.
The deputy raced past Woo-gang's side.
Woo-gang frowned faintly and let out a small sigh.
Then he swung his spear swiftly.
Srck!
"Uwaaaahhh!"
The deputy was well beyond reach, yet his arm severed clean off.
Spear qi extended from Woo-gang's weapon had sliced it away.
The severed arm hit the ground; the deputy tumbled, clutching his shoulder.
"Kuuuuuh!"
But his will to live overpowered the excruciating pain.
Dragging himself with one arm, he gritted his teeth, rose shakily, and staggered forward.
"Haa..."
Woo-gang sighed softly again.
This time, he swept his spear horizontally.
Shrieeeek!
A sharper burst of spear qi shot forth.
"Gaaahhh!"
The deputy's scream echoed anew.
His leg was gone below the knee.
He collapsed again, still crawling desperately, but with one arm and one leg severed, it was impossible.
Having dispatched the deputy, Woo-gang turned to the last man standing: the leader.
Meeting Woo-gang's gaze, the leader trembled wordlessly.
"Uh-uh..."
Stammering incoherently, his eyes widened in shock.
His view suddenly tilted upward, revealing the sky.
He'd merely looked—and Woo-gang's presence had bowled him over backward.
A shadow fell over the leader's face.
Woo-gang loomed above.
The leader's pupils quivered violently.
Overwhelming fear of death dominated his mind.
Despite Woo-gang taking no lives here, terror alone conjured visions of doom.
Swish.
Woo-gang reached out.
The leader squeezed his eyes shut.
This is it, he thought.
"Whoa!"
Suddenly, he was yanked upward.
Woo-gang had seized his collar and lifted him with one hand.
Woo-gang was shorter, so his feet didn't dangle, but it was monstrous strength nonetheless.
The leader gaped at Woo-gang in disbelief.
"The people you captured. They did nothing to deserve this."
Woo-gang glared as he spoke.
The leader's eyes still shook; his mouth worked silently, no sound emerging.
"They're just ordinary folk, born into this world, living day by day as best they can. You had no right to kidnap them and subject them to hell."
Woo-gang's voice grew icier.
His grip tightened; the leader's face paled as his throat constricted.
Woo-gang's stare bored into him.
Kidnapping was heinous enough, but his treatment of his own men was equally vile.
His eyes were cold voids, devoid of emotion.
As the leader's eyes rolled back and his face swelled purple,
Thud.
"Gack!"
Woo-gang released his collar.
Dropped just before asphyxiation, the leader clutched his throat, gasping raggedly in desperate relief.
Survived by a hair, he crawled on all fours, frantic to flee.
He'd seen the deputy's fate clearly, yet reason had fled him too.
As distance grew slightly between them,
Woo-gang tossed his spear lightly upward, caught it, then hurled it at the crawling leader—like a javelin.
Shrieeeeeek!
"Guh!"
The spear pierced the leader straight through, embedding in the ground.
Skewered, he convulsed once, then went limp.
No one could survive that strike.
With the bandit leader's final breath claimed, Woo-gang scanned the surroundings.
Crippled bandits littered the area, half-dead.
Some might cling to life.
But none would walk away unscathed.
No pity stirred in him.
Considering their crimes—and those they would have continued—this was just retribution.
Woo-gang approached the fallen leader and yanked his spear free.
He swung it lightly, flinging off the blood.
Whoosh!
Flames erupted along the spear.
With an impassive expression, Woo-gang swung it once more and slowly walked out of the bandit lair.
Behind him, massive flames roared hungrily, intent on leaving nothing of this place intact.