Chapter 115: Intrusion (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 115: Intrusion (3)
Giants covered in jagged burn scars growled with primal menace.
Despite their human appearance, their behavior was indistinguishable from wild beasts. Perhaps because of this, the disciples of the Qingcheng Sect found themselves hesitating, struggling to find an opening to approach.
"Move aside."
Just then, a young man appeared.
It was Seok Jun. Having been training nearby when the report reached him, he had rushed to the scene immediately.
Standing before the creatures, Seok Jun issued a stern warning.
"Who are you? On your knees and identify yourselves! State clearly how you dared to infiltrate the heart of the Qingcheng Sect!"
Despite Seok Jun’s threatening words, the massive monsters made no move to comply. They simply glared at him with unfocused eyes, baring their teeth in a silent snarl.
"I see words are wasted on you."
Sring.
Seok Jun drew his sword. Since they refused to retreat despite his warning, he intended to use force.
"Grrrr!"
At his movement, the giant’s growl deepened.
Its posture shifted aggressively; it raised its hands to chest height and lowered its stance, coiled like a predator ready to spring.
"You beast!"
Seok Jun shouted and lunged forward, his sword whistling through the air in a sharp thrust.
It was then.
Fwaaaa!
A sudden surge of energy erupted from the flank, a concentrated burst of power hurtling toward Seok Jun.
It happened in a flash. By the time Seok Jun sensed the attack, the energy was already upon him.
He twisted his body desperately, but he couldn't dodge it entirely. The impact sent him flying backward, slamming violently into a stone wall.
Boom!
"Cough!"
Seok Jun tried to scramble to his feet immediately, but his equilibrium was shattered. He collapsed back onto the ground, his vision swimming.
"Attack!"
The moment Seok Jun was struck down, a command rang out from among the gathered Qingcheng disciples. At the shout, the surrounding disciples gripped their swords and charged toward the monsters.
However, the monsters were faster. The one that had targeted Seok Jun pivoted and struck out at the young disciples closing in.
Thwack! Crack!
Simultaneously, the other monster, which had been standing still until now, lunged forward like a starving predator and began cutting down the disciples in its path.
But they weren't alone. Three more monsters suddenly emerged from the darkness, leaping into the fray.
"Ugh!"
"Aaaakh!"
The screams of the disciples gathered near the Azure Moon Storehouse tore through the night air over Mount Qingcheng.
*
Bolt!
Song Hak stood up abruptly, as if possessed.
He grabbed the sword hanging beside him and leaped out the window without a backward glance. His speed was like a flash of lightning.
As if that weren't enough, the moment his feet touched the ground, he soared into the air again. Stepping through the void six times, he made a massive leap toward the source of the noise.
Aaaakh! Argh!
'Screams.'
The sound came from a place quite far from the True Martial Hall, but Song Hak heard it clearly. It was a chilling, unsettling sound that set his nerves on edge.
Tak!
When he arrived, the scene at the Azure Moon Storehouse was pure pandemonium.
At a glance, more than a dozen Qingcheng disciples had been brutally slaughtered. Those still clinging to life were letting out faint, pained groans.
"..."
Song Hak scanned the surroundings with sharp eyes.
Clang! Clang!
Qingcheng elders and disciples were locked in a fierce battle against several men.
He first spotted Song Yu-jin and Song Ha-myeong. Behind them, he saw Song Mun and several first-generation disciples. Beside them were six warriors he didn't recognize.
'Grey robes... they are the warriors of the Azure Sky Pavilion!'
Song Hak breathed a momentary sigh of relief amidst the tragedy, but he also felt a surge of tension. Those warriors never appeared unless the very existence of the sect was at stake.
He quickly surveyed the situation to see who needed help most. He soon saw Song Mun falling into a dangerous predicament and rushed toward him.
*
"Kaaang!"
The monster let out a guttural cry as it pressured Song Mun.
Initially, Song Mun had been confident. At a glance, these were monsters that had lost their reason and moved only on instinct. He believed that with the sharp blades of Qingcheng, he could sever the tendons in their limbs and neutralize them with ease.
Rumble!
"Ugh!"
However, after exchanging a few moves, Song Mun was forced to reconsider.
They were certainly mindless monsters, but he was horrified by their superhuman strength—striking like Yakshas—and their formidable internal energy that seemed to have no end.
It had turned into a situation where clashing with equal force only resulted in his own disadvantage. As he was pushed back, Song Mun finally spotted an opening.
The monster had overextended an attack, leaving its back exposed.
"Hah!"
Song Mun didn't miss the chance and thrust his sword toward the monster's back. The creature turned its body in a panic, and instead of the spine, the blade pierced deep into its chest.
"Kaaa!"
The monster’s hand reacted belatedly, but Song Mun didn't stop. This was a golden opportunity to inflict a fatal wound.
Puchi!
'This feeling?'
However, the moment his sword pierced the opponent's chest, Song Mun’s expression twisted violently.
The sensation transmitted through the hilt—the feedback of steel meeting flesh—was wrong. It didn't feel like he was stabbing a living man, but rather a lump of dead meat. It felt as if he were stabbing a mummy whose internal organs had all vanished.
Slash!
In that instant, the monster’s delayed hand struck Song Mun’s chest. His flesh was torn open by razor-sharp claws, and Song Mun coughed up a spray of blood.
"Cough!"
The monster didn't stop. It unleashed a second palm strike toward the staggering Song Mun.
"Song Mun!"
Swish!
Arriving at the critical moment, Song Hak thrust his sword. Since there was still some distance between them, he whipped up a fierce sword wind to force the two apart.
Grrrrr.
The monster’s body was pushed back. In that gap, Song Hak grabbed Song Mun’s shoulder and pulled him into his arms.
"Song Mun, are you alright?"
"Cough! Song... Hak."
Even while spitting blood, Song Mun turned his head.
"Forget me... Seok Jun is lying over there."
Song Hak looked over. The boy collapsed right next to them was indeed Seok Jun.
After checking Song Mun’s condition, he looked around. A first-generation disciple, likely drawn by the screams, was standing behind him.
"Song Tae! Take Song Mun and escape quickly. And..."
As Song Hak scanned the area again, someone approached from behind, their voice clear and resonant.
"I will take Senior Brother Seok Jun."
Yeon-hui had arrived.
"Would you do that?"
"Yes."
As Song Hak quickly settled the situation and stood up, the monster slowly approached.
Grrrrrr...
As if the sword wind had been nothing, the creature glared at Song Hak with murderous eyes, completely uninjured.
'These things aren't human.'
Song Hak organized his thoughts while carefully observing the surroundings again.
Excluding the one he was facing, the other four monsters all seemed to be overflowing with power. In contrast, Song Yu-jin and Song Ha-myeong looked exhausted. Only the six masters from the Azure Sky Pavilion seemed capable of holding their own.
'Song Yu-jin aside, Song Ha-myeong’s martial arts aren't that much lower than mine.'
This was going to be a difficult fight.
He glared at the approaching monster, his fighting spirit burning.
*
Bang! Boom! Clang!
After exchanging several blows with the monster, Song Hak began to understand why Song Mun had struggled and why even two elders were being pushed back.
'Such terrifying internal energy!'
It was as if they possessed dozens of cycles of internal energy within their bodies; even their clumsy forms were loaded with immense power.
Furthermore, that energy was truly bizarre. The green energy—something he had never seen before—showed power equal to his own even with a smaller volume.
'The longer this drags on, the more disadvantaged we become!'
Song Hak made his decision. He resolved to use his highest-tier martial art, which contained the essence of a lifetime of study.
Shoooooo!
Sword aura gathered and began to transform, flickering in and out of existence.
It was the Sword Extreme Bullet, laden with intense vibrations.
It was the same technique Seok Jun had used, but Song Hak’s version was on an entirely different level of purity.
"Grrr!"
Sensing the terrifying nature of the energy, the monster instinctively hesitated. It looked around, and its eyes caught something.
It was the sight of Yeon-hui supporting Seok Jun. In that moment, as if struck by a malicious idea, the monster moved toward them with incredible speed.
"You beast!"
Song Hak, who was about to release his energy, gave chase. The moment he caught the creature's back, he prepared to discharge the Sword Extreme Bullet.
But he couldn't use that power.
In the path where the Sword Extreme Bullet would travel, there was not only the monster but also Yeon-hui.
"Damn it!"
If he unleashed it now, Seok Jun and Yeon-hui would be swept away along with the monster.
Ultimately, Song Hak reduced the power of his qi and formed a blade of sword aura. He swung his sword in a wide arc rather than a direct blast.
Zip!
"Kaaang!"
Just as the monster was about to pounce on Yeon-hui, sword aura suddenly erupted from the ground and pierced through its body.
Or so it seemed.
In that brief interval, the monster used superhuman reflexes to protect itself and soared into the air. However, it couldn't absorb all the impact and collapsed upon hitting the ground.
"That thing isn't dead yet. Move Seok Jun quickly!"
"..."
"Hurry!"
At his command, Yeon-hui desperately ran while supporting Seok Jun.
"Grrrr."
As Song Hak expected, the monster was rising again. It was bleeding, but for some reason, he felt as if it were wearing a smirk.
"Where on earth did things like you come from?"
"Grrrrrr!"
"Fine. Let's do this properly this time."
He gathered his Sword Bullet once more.
The two soon clashed again, their internal energies colliding and exploding in mid-air.