Chapter 88: The Defensive Formation (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 88: The Defensive Formation (1)
As the Giant Demon let out another earth-shaking roar, the group scrambled in the opposite direction.
Hemmed in by high ground to the north and sheer cliffs below, they had no choice but to retreat the way they had come.
Just as the monster scanned its surroundings, preparing to lunge, the guards of the Namgung Family reached a silent agreement. Without a word, they threw themselves at the creature.
The guards weren't merely killed; they were torn to shreds in an instant.
Though they could only hold it back for a fleeting moment, they sacrificed their lives to buy precious seconds. Because of their sacrifice, the rest of the group managed to put a decent distance between themselves and the beast.
“Ah!”
Peng Seol-yeon, who had been a step too slow to realize the retreat had begun, tried to circulate her internal energy to trigger her Lightness Skill. However, she tripped over a gnarled tree root and tumbled to the ground.
Perhaps because she was so tense, her qi flow had become turbulent, preventing her from properly executing her movement techniques.
The rest of the party had already surged ahead, and in the chaos, no one seemed to notice she had fallen.
“Dammit!”
Unable to watch any longer, Hyeok-jin dashed back into the clearing. It was the exact moment the Giant Demon finished slaughtering the guards.
“Hey! What are you doing, you fool?!”
Cheol So-yeon, who was leaping across the tree branches, shouted down at him. But her voice didn't reach Hyeok-jin’s ears.
He dropped down beside the paralyzed Peng Seol-yeon and reached out his hand.
“Grab my hand!”
“W-who…?”
“Hurry!”
“Ah, yes!”
The moment she grabbed his hand, Hyeok-jin pulled her into a tight embrace, kicked off a nearby tree trunk, and leaped away.
“Kuaaaaah!”
The Giant Demon spotted Hyeok-jin’s retreating back. Dark pupils began to form in its previously white-only eyes, and it lunged after him in a single, massive bound.
Swish—!
At that moment, a finger-length dagger grazed Hyeok-jin’s face and embedded itself directly in the monster’s eye.
It wasn't incredibly fast, but the fact that it had precisely targeted the monster’s eye was proof of a master-level Flying Dagger Art.
“Don’t hesitate! Run!”
It was Cheol So-yeon. She stood in Hyeok-jin’s path, having just unleashed the blade.
Hyeok-jin didn't stop, sprinting at full speed with Peng Seol-yeon on his back.
I need to buy more time…
Cheol So-yeon hurriedly scanned her surroundings. Against a monster that moved with such terrifying speed, she had to utilize the terrain.
At that moment, she spotted a man watching her from between the thick trees. It was Seok Myeong.
As soon as he saw Cheol So-yeon, Seok Myeong nodded as if he had been waiting for her.
He wants me to lure it.
She looked back at the monster, which was already recovering, and pulled six daggers from her sleeve.
The Red Sound Daggers.
These crimson blades were named for the unique whistle they made when thrown. They were treasures passed down within the Golden Martial Association, also known as Dragon-Severing Daggers because they were said to be sharp enough to cleave through dragon scales. Though they were invaluable, she knew now was the time to use them.
Clink!
She held three daggers in each hand, gripped in a reverse strike.
The moment the monster moved, she kicked off a tree and leaped toward Seok Myeong’s position.
Thud!
As she flew through the air, she felt the massive monster closing in. It narrowed the gap at an incredible speed, catching up even while she was mid-leap.
“Take this!”
She threw the daggers as if she had been waiting for this exact moment. The three Dragon-Severing Daggers in her left hand flew toward the monster.
Clang, clang, clang!
However, the attack was blocked more easily than she had expected. With a casual swipe of its hand, the monster knocked the daggers away, sending them spinning off course.
But that was exactly what she had intended.
The moment the Giant Demon’s hand was extended, she threw the remaining three daggers from her right hand—this time, infused heavily with her internal energy.
Whirrrrrrr!
The daggers pierced the monster’s skin. The powerfully thrown blades embedded themselves deep into the creature’s body. They truly lived up to their reputation as divine weapons.
“Kuaaaaah!”
As the wounded monster crashed toward the ground, Seok Myeong, who had been lying in wait, felt Cheol So-yeon’s approach and swung his sword in a wide arc.
“Pass through! Sea Wind Cloud Mist!”
It was a technique of the Azure Cloud Red Mist Sword, said to cleave through the very space surrounding the user.
Creeeeeak!
The moment the monster landed in front of Seok Myeong, the massive trees filling the area were caught in the sword's wake. They began to collapse toward the center almost simultaneously.
Just as the trees were about to crush everything, Seok Myeong leaped away, narrowly escaping the impact.
Thud. Ka-boom!
Trees that were over a hundred years old crashed down onto the Giant Demon. Each one possessed immense weight.
“Run!”
Seok Myeong and Cheol So-yeon fled the scene without looking back. The impact was great enough that no human could have survived it, but they knew better than to hope the monster would be killed by this alone.
*
The entire group eventually gathered atop a peak—a narrow pass that overlooked the path below.
It was an unavoidable choice. If there had been multiple paths, they would have scattered, but there were no forks in the road behind them. Above them was a rock wall as high as the heavens; below was thick undergrowth leading to a sheer cliff.
“If I had known it would come to this, I would have waited further ahead.”
Hyeok Ryeon-mo realized he had been reckless. What he thought was good terrain for trapping the monster had instead become a dead end where they were easily cornered.
“There’s a limit to how far we can run anyway. That thing is much stronger than you think. Unless we inflict a fatal wound or use some other trick, escape is impossible.”
It was Namgung Ju who had gathered the fleeing group here. He had judged that it would be impossible to escape the monster's reach without taking a stand.
Peng Ri-gon, who had sustained serious injuries, shared the sentiment. If they were going to fight anyway, it was better to fight together.
“By the way, where is the Qingcheng Taoist?”
“Now that you mention it, Seol-yeon is missing too!”
Peng Seo-ju, who had finally caught his breath, looked around and realized the situation. In the desperate heat of the moment, he hadn't thought of his sister.
It was then that they saw a young man climbing up from the distance with someone on his back.
“Seol-yeon!”
As Hyeok-jin came to a halt, Peng Seo-ju stepped forward and took her from him. Peng Seol-yeon’s eyes were brimming with tears.
“Brother… ah… sob …”
“I’m sorry. I forgot about you.”
Peng Seo-ju took her hand and apologized sincerely. Seeing his usually bold sister sobbing like this, he could tell how terrified she had been.
“What happened? And where is the Qingcheng Taoist?”
Peng Ri-gon, who recognized Hyeok-jin as part of the Qingcheng Taoist’s group, spoke up.
“He’s behind us, blocking the creature’s advance… He’ll be here soon.”
“Blocking it? That monster?”
No sooner had he finished speaking than something stirred below. A blurred figure was rapidly running up toward them.
Seok Myeong reached the top first, followed closely by Cheol So-yeon.
“What happened?” Namgung Ju asked urgently.
Seok Myeong looked at him and replied, “I bought us a little time.”
“How…?”
“I collapsed the trees and buried it. I was lucky.”
“Hah!”
Everyone looked at Seok Myeong in surprise. They all recalled the martial arts he had displayed while fighting the monster and couldn't help but be impressed. Though they had only exchanged a few moves, they remembered how he had fought the beast on equal terms with remarkable prowess.
“It seems the rumors in Chang'an were true,” Namgung Ju admitted honestly. “The talk of a new member of the Six Dragons being born.”
Seok Myeong’s martial skill was so great that even Namgung Ju couldn't fully gauge it. Namgung Jin and Peng Seo-ju stood behind him with grim expressions, but they didn't offer any snide comments. They, too, had seen Seok Myeong’s skill and had no choice but to acknowledge it.
“What do you intend to do?” Namgung Ju asked Peng Ri-gon.
Although Peng Ri-gon was injured, he was the eldest present, and Namgung Ju wanted his counsel. Peng Ri-gon didn't answer immediately, but his silence was an affirmation.
If they ran, they would all die. Since they would also die if they fought, they might as well settle the matter here.
“Excuse me, but I would like to ask one thing.”
At that moment, Seok Myeong approached Namgung Ju with a polite fist-and-palm salute.
“Speak.”
“I have a plan.”
“A plan?”
At the mention of a plan, the men’s eyes turned toward Seok Myeong once again.
“What is it?”
“We should use a formation.”
“A formation?”
“Yes. I believe a formation is the only way to stop it.”
“Wait. That’s impossible.” Namgung Jin, who had been watching quietly, stepped forward. “First of all, it takes a lot of time to set up a formation. Even if we did, it wouldn't be easy to lure a monster like that into it. Furthermore, this is unfamiliar terrain; it’s unclear how we should even construct an array here.”
The Namgung Family was not only famous for its swordsmanship; they were also known as masters of formations. Though Namgung Jin was still young, he knew enough to think Seok Myeong’s suggestion sounded like a desperate, futile struggle.
“It doesn't necessarily have to be a formal, complex array. What I’m suggesting is that we all combine our strength to simply hold our ground.”
However, Seok Myeong wasn't looking for something that elaborate.
“Hold our ground?”
“That’s right. We don't necessarily need to defeat him. Right now, protecting our lives is the true victory, isn't it?”
This was a truth he had learned from the Cheon Family in the past. He was thinking of the teaching that protecting is, in itself, winning. Unlike formations designed to cloud an opponent’s vision, this type of formation relied on gathering everyone’s strength into a single, unified defense.
Everyone looked at Seok Myeong with gleaming eyes, showing interest in his unusual idea.
“Elder, among the Namgung Family’s techniques, is there a defensive formation similar to the Heavenly Strength Big Dipper Formation?”
At Seok Myeong’s final question, the gaze of everyone present shifted simultaneously to Namgung Ju.