Chapter 78
Chapter 78
Tang Se-rin (2)
She had dreamed of Il-yun's death.
It was truly an absurd nightmare.
Peng So-hye regretted it.
This was why she shouldn't have even touched alcohol in the first place if she couldn't handle it.
She must have fallen asleep without realizing it.
......But something was strange.
'I knew it was a dream, so why couldn't I wake up?'
Just as she was lost in thought—
Thwack!
"......So-hye!"
A voice echoed in her ears.
It was a voice she knew all too well.
Her cheek burned as if on fire.
At the same time, Peng Dae-ho's face flashed before her eyes.
"O-oppa?"
"Snap out of it! This is real combat! If your spirit breaks, you won't survive!"
"!!"
Peng Dae-ho, wearing the most serious expression she had ever seen, spoke those words before turning to engage another enemy rushing toward him.
Watching his back, Peng So-hye belatedly realized the reality she had been desperately trying to ignore.
Clang!
Crash!
The eerie sound of clashing blades echoed from all directions as the scene before her seared into her vision.
'Ah.'
The once-luxurious banquet hall was now in ruins.
Blood pooled thickly on the floor, and corpses lay scattered everywhere.
The moment Il-yun died, river pirates had flooded into the pavilion, and a brutal melee had erupted.
'W-what is this?'
Since being selected for the Nine Dragons Society at the age of fifteen, she had fought in numerous battles over the past decade under the orders of the Murim Alliance.
But this was supposed to be an era of peace.
Never before had she witnessed comrades meeting such gruesome deaths right before her eyes, nor had she ever been in a life-or-death struggle like this.
Swish!
"Die, bitch!"
Just then, a pirate lunged at her, swinging a sharp hook like a dagger.
Under normal circumstances, she would have dodged it effortlessly, but now, paralyzed by fear, she couldn't move.
Like a mouse frozen before a snake, her body refused to obey.
Squelch!
A sickening slicing sound followed.
"......!"
But Peng So-hye remained unharmed.
Peng Dae-ho had returned to her side just in time to block the attack.
"Die—."
"Guhk!"
Thud!
Peng Dae-ho's greatsword pierced the pirate's abdomen.
Standing like an unshakable shield in front of her, he swung his blade with terrifying force, ensuring no one could get close.
Drip. Drip.
"!!"
Blood trickled from a wound on his shoulder.
In that instant, Peng So-hye felt her blood run cold.
Only then did she notice the wounds covering Peng Dae-ho's body.
While she had been wallowing in fear, her brother had been protecting her with his life.
'......I was the fool.'
Whoosh!
Crackle!
A surge of blue energy erupted from Peng So-hye's entire body.
The Peng family's secret technique—Thunderclap Divine Force—was manifesting.
Crack!
She rose to her feet, clenching her fists with all her might.
There was no trace of fear left in her blazing eyes.
Swish!
In the same motion, she kicked off the ground and charged forward.
"......!"
Toward the pirate who had been about to strike Peng Dae-ho with an iron whip.
Boom!
A fist imbued with overwhelming force shot forth.
Let it be known—her epithet was Armor-Breaking Beauty.
The latter half praised her elegance, but—
KABOOM!
A deafening explosion erupted.
"Guh... ugh."
Thud.
The pirate who had targeted Peng Dae-ho was sent flying, slamming into the wall before collapsing lifelessly.
Peng So-hye turned to her brother.
"I'm sorry, oppa. I'm fine now."
The first half of her epithet—Armor-Breaking—meant exactly what it implied: shattering armor with her bare fists.
Thud!
With a sound like a drum bursting, another pirate was sent flying into the sea.
Watching Peng So-hye, now fully composed and fighting back, Peng Dae-ho finally let out a breath.
'At least the worst has been avoided.'
"Die!"
Of course, the battle raged on without pause.
A pirate in a yellow headscarf thrust a trident toward his ribs.
Swish!
But Peng Dae-ho, having already predicted the move, pivoted like a spinning top.
Crunch!
The flat of his greatsword smashed the pirate's skull like an eggshell.
The headless body crumpled to the ground.
"—!"
As he checked to ensure the kill, his gaze wavered.
Beside the fallen enemy lay Il-yun's cold corpse.
But only for a moment.
Examining the fatal wound on his friend's head, Peng Dae-ho's mind churned with confusion.
'......Something's off.'
Above the hole in Il-yun's skull was a small, shark-tooth-like mark.
This was as good as a confession of the attacker's identity.
It was the signature mark left by one of the Five Evils of the Evil Faction—the infamous Jiaolong Finger technique of Kang Cheol-eon, the Blood Sea Dragon King, lord of the Dongting Eighteen Villages and one of the Ten Great Masters of the Central Plains.
The Blood Sea Dragon King was a master of the Mystic Realm.
Had he personally struck, everyone here would already be dead.
So it must have been one of his disciples.
But.
Precisely because the evidence was so blatant, Peng Dae-ho couldn't shake his doubts.
'......It's as if they're spoon-feeding us the culprit's identity.'
Of course, there was no shortage of proof pointing to the Five Evils and the Dongting Eighteen Villages.
The mark of the Jiaolong Finger.
The river pirates attacking them.
Even past reports describing Kang Cheol-eon as the most ruthless and belligerent among the Five Evils.
But.
Even so, this made no sense.
Launching an ambush this close to the Murim Alliance's headquarters?
And starting the assault by killing the Shaolin Temple's chief disciple, who had maintained neutrality for years?
No matter how aggressive they were, this was beyond reason.
There was no explanation for why the Dongting Eighteen Villages would suddenly provoke a full-scale war between the Orthodox and Unorthodox factions.
'Not to mention, it's impossible for this many pirates to bypass the Murim Alliance's surveillance network in Kaifeng without inside help...'
As Peng Dae-ho sifted through the chaos for threads of truth—
Squelch!
A sickening sound of flesh being torn echoed nearby.
"Guh... ugh!"
"Aah! No!"
"W-Wei Zhìbǎo!"
On the other side, Wei Zhìbǎo—who had been fighting alongside Yun Jung and Hwang Baek-yeong—had a blade protruding from his chest.
The light in his eyes faded rapidly.
"H-hhk..."
"You bastards!"
And so, the second casualty fell.
But Wei Zhìbǎo's death had been inevitable.
He had been too drunk to even stand before the attack.
That he had lasted this long was thanks to Yun Jung and Hwang Baek-yeong's efforts.
Yet, no amount of foresight lessened the shock of witnessing it.
Peng Dae-ho gritted his teeth.
'......Right. That's not what matters now.'
Setting aside the attackers' identities and motives for later, the immediate priority was surviving this deadly battle.
And protecting the little sister standing behind him.
Slash!
Cutting down another enemy, Peng Dae-ho shouted to his sister.
"So-hye! We're retreating from the pavilion!"
"Got it!"
"P-Young Master Peng!"
"L-Let's go together!"
Yun Jung and Hwang Baek-yeong stumbled after them.
Though their help was questionable, Peng Dae-ho didn't refuse.
Crash!
Kicking down the door, they burst out of the pavilion onto the central deck of the ship.
"......!"
"W-what?"
"......The Namgung family's guards are all dead??"
No wonder reinforcements hadn't arrived.
The deck was littered with the corpses of the Namgung family's escort troops.
As everyone stood stunned—
"Staying in the open makes us easy targets. We need to move to the stern or bow."
"Y-yes!"
"Understood!"
Only Peng Dae-ho remained calm, assessing the situation.
Clang!
Clang!
The sounds of battle already echoed from both ends of the ship.
The Namgung siblings were at the bow, while Tang Se-rin and Nam Mu-jin held the stern.
If all four gathered on one side, the other would collapse.
They needed to split up and reinforce both.
'Wait—'
'This means......!'
Realizing the situation, Yun Jung and Hwang Baek-yeong's eyes trembled as if struck by an earthquake.
Then—
"W-we'll assist the bow!"
"I'll go with them!"
Swish!
Before Peng Dae-ho could respond, the two sprinted toward the Namgung siblings at full speed.
In that split second, they had decided supporting the Namgung siblings was the safer choice.
After all, while Tang Se-rin's martial prowess was said to have stagnated over the past decade, the Namgung siblings were both renowned swordsmen.
'Even in this situation, they're weighing the odds.'
Given the life-or-death stakes, it was understandable—but Peng Dae-ho's gaze turned icy.
"Let's go. Stay sharp."
"Mm."
Swish!
The two immediately headed for the stern.
Slash!
Squelch!
Cutting down pirates as they advanced, Peng So-hye's expression grew visibly darker.
She must have sensed what awaited them at the stern.
'These pirates aren't weak. Tang Se-rin might already be...'
The only wild card was Nam Mu-jin of the Hainan Sect.
Located on Hainan Island, the Hainan Sect was known for its naval combat experience against Japanese pirates.
And Nam Mu-jin's Lightning Sword was no joke...
"......!"
The moment they reached the stern, Peng Dae-ho's eyes widened in shock.
The scene before him defied all expectations.
"Right side!"
"Yes—!"
The one leading the battle wasn't Nam Mu-jin.
It was Tang Se-rin of the Sichuan Tang Family.
Swish!
Crack!
With each graceful arc of her black iron fan, pirates' necks snapped like twigs, their bodies collapsing one after another.
Tap! Tap-tap!
Amid the violently rocking ship, her movements alone remained steady—as if she had fought countless battles on unstable ground.
An effortless confidence radiated from her.
But she didn't stop there.
Swish!
"Guh!"
The moment Nam Mu-jin faltered under the pirates' coordinated assault—
Without even turning her head, Tang Se-rin flicked her other hand like a breeze.
Whoosh!
Her sleeve fluttered like a flag, unleashing a barrage of hidden weapons.
Thud! Thud-thud!
With a series of sickening thumps, the pirate targeting Nam Mu-jin collapsed onto the deck.
In an instant, he had become a human pincushion.
"Get your head in the game!"
"......My apologies!"
Just as Tang Se-rin snapped at Nam Mu-jin—
"—!"
Her gaze met Peng Dae-ho's across the deck.
Flinch.
As her brow furrowed, Peng Dae-ho instinctively tensed.
'What are you doing?! If you're here, join the fight already!'
Her silent reprimand transmitted clearly.
Swish!
Immediately, Peng Dae-ho plunged into the fray.
The Sichuan Tyrant was in command.