Chapter 214
Chapter 214
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 214
Chapter Title: A Final Stand
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The group ran, their blue robes emblazoned with the characters for ‘Azure Sky’ fluttering in the wind. They crossed the desert and headed straight north in a single burst.
No one stopped them to ask about their destination. Everyone simply watched them with pity.
It was a show of respect for the warriors of the Namgung Clan, who had lost their Sword Emperor.
Of course, for Neung Un-bi and his party, who were running north clad in Azure Sky Robes, it was a truly fortunate turn of events.
*The Namgung Clan!*
When he first heard the First Guard’s suggestion, he couldn’t hide his bewilderment.
Disguising themselves as the very people they had killed was something his pride as a martial artist could not accept. He believed that even if they were enemies, he couldn’t exploit their grief.
But.
“Third Young Master, to survive, one must even hide in a pile of corpses.”
At the First Guard’s quiet words, Neung Un-bi’s hesitation ended.
He felt ashamed of himself for clinging to foolish pride when he had promised to bring everyone back alive.
*Yes, this is for survival.*
A martial artist’s pride?
Such things were no longer important.
Neung Un-bi donned the Azure Sky Robes of the Namgung Clan and, following the First Guard’s lead, ran straight north.
They crossed the desert, slipping past the Orthodox martial artists who clung to its edges like a dark stain.
And now, the blockade line that stretched along the border with the Demonic Cult was just ahead. They had to pass through the assembled Orthodox warriors as quickly as possible.
Then they would reach the Demonic Cult.
“Wang Cheon, increase our speed.”
“Yes.”
At Neung Un-bi’s command, the group moved even faster.
Their Azure Sky Robes billowed violently, unable to keep up with their speed.
A short while later, they saw the Orthodox martial artists who had set up camp in the distance, watching the Demonic Cult.
*Just a little further…*
“Stop!”
“……?”
A voice shattered Neung Un-bi’s anticipation as a group of martial artists blocked their path.
*Dammit, we’re so close to the border…*
“What is it?”
Ju Seung stepped forward in place of the well-known Neung Un-bi and asked.
Dark green robes with a white dragon embroidered over them.
Numerous pouches hung from the leather belt visible beneath the robes.
There was only one faction in the Central Plains that dressed like that.
The Tang Clan of Sichuan, famous for having tempers more venomous than snakes and scorpions.
In the past, Neung Un-bi had several ill-fated encounters with them. They were so vicious that their grudges always ended with a life-or-death struggle.
No, it didn’t even end there; he was hunted for the rest of his life. They were the kind of people who would chase their chosen target to the very ends of hell.
And of all times, now…
Neung Un-bi’s anxious eyes quickly scanned the surroundings.
“We are warriors of the Namgung Clan.”
“Do you really think I can’t recognize the Azure Sky Robes?”
“Then why have you stopped us?”
“Why? Are you asking because you truly don’t know? This is our Tang Clan’s territory. The area the Namgung Clan is guarding is more than ten li from here, is it not?”
The green-robed martial artist said, his sharp eyes scanning Ju Seung. His gaze was as cold as a snake’s.
But Ju Seung did not panic and admitted his mistake.
“Ah… I thought I saw a lot of green robes nearby… It seems we’ve taken a wrong turn again.”
“A wrong turn?”
“It would seem so.”
“Well, let’s say that’s the case. I am Dang Mun-dok, leader of the Tang Clan’s Shadow Brigade. And who might you be?”
Ju Seung hesitated for a moment at the request for his identity.
How could he, who had lived his entire life north of the Celestial Mountains, know of the Tang Clan’s Shadow Brigade?
Neung Un-bi, hidden behind Wang Cheon, quickly explained about the Shadow Brigade via telepathy.
“…Ah! You are the Shadow Brigade Leader. I have heard much of your reputation. I am… Namgung Min.”
“Namgung Min?”
“Yes, you probably haven’t heard of me.”
“My apologies.”
“Not at all.”
“But why is a warrior of the Namgung Clan wandering lost here?”
“Ah, we are warriors who set out from the main family after hearing the news that the villain Neung Un-bi killed the Sword Emperor…”
As Ju Seung quickly spun a tale, the green-robed man nodded.
“I see.”
Thinking his lie had worked, Ju Seung tried to leave quickly.
“Then we shall be on our way. We’ve been ordered to join the others with haste.”
“…By whom?”
“Pardon?”
The green-robed man, who had been nodding, suddenly flashed a chilling smile, his eyes turning cold.
*What’s with that smile?*
While Ju Seung was flustered, the atmosphere of the surrounding Tang Clan warriors changed in an instant.
“I asked who gave you the order to join them.”
“What… do you mean?”
“Why? Can’t you answer?”
“……”
“Well, I suppose that makes sense. Since you’re not warriors of the Namgung Clan.”
Suddenly, the corners of the green-robed man’s mouth lifted as he raised his hand. The nearby Tang Clan warriors surrounded Neung Un-bi’s party, their hands full of throwing needles.
“Shadow Brigade Leader! What is the meaning of this?”
“The meaning of this?”
“……?”
“Shouldn’t you know that better than anyone?”
“What?”
The green-robed man’s smile vanished as he glared at Ju Seung.
“Who are you, daring to hide behind the Namgung name?”
“…What are you talking about?”
“Planning to feign ignorance? A warrior of the Namgung Clan, a man who uses the Namgung surname, referring to him as ‘the Sword Emperor’? Isn’t that ridiculous?”
At those words, Ju Seung belatedly realized his mistake.
*Damn it!*
It was a grave error. How could a direct descendant of the Namgung Clan refer to a family elder by his title?
“Well, well, I was just getting bored of waiting around… Looks like I’m about to earn some unexpected merits.”
The green-robed man’s eyes glinted menacingly.
Neung Un-bi, who had been watching the situation from behind, quickly darted his eyes around. Things had gone wrong, terribly wrong.
After a moment of deliberation, a light of resolve flickered in his eyes.
“Hyang-i!”
No other words were needed.
The moment Neung Un-bi shouted, Hyang-i launched herself forward and immediately severed a head.
*First, the messenger.*
“You crazy bitch!”
Dang Mun-dok, who hadn’t noticed Hyang-i’s movement, was flustered by the sudden spray of blood. Neung Un-bi used that opening to give his next order.
“Kill them!”
The warriors of the Sakwol Brigade answered not with words, but with action.
*Swish!*
As if someone had pointed out their targets, the Sakwol Brigade members instantly leaped forward, slicing the throats of the Tang Clan warriors who had surrounded them.
Of course, Dang Mun-dok was Neung Un-bi’s to deal with.
*Slice!*
“Guhk!”
The Three Battles Sword, unleashed with the Three Nothings Footwork, grazed Dang Mun-dok’s neck. A short groan followed as his head fell to the ground.
*Peeeeek!*
In the sudden chaos, the Tang Clan warriors’ warning whistles pierced the air.
“Run!”
There was no time to mourn the anticlimactic death of a man who didn’t live up to his title as Shadow Brigade Leader.
Now that they were discovered, there could be no hesitation.
The disguise was over. Now, they had no choice but to run forward.
“Catch them!”
As Neung Un-bi’s party broke through the Tang Clan’s territory and crossed the border, Orthodox martial artists from all directions began to give chase.
Neung Un-bi and his group ran and ran, deflecting and dodging the rain of hidden weapons.
News of their flight instantly spread throughout the Orthodox blockade.
Since they had suddenly appeared and started running from among the warriors who were focused solely on the Demonic Cult, it was only natural that all eyes were drawn to them.
Moreover, with the ambushed Tang Clan warriors hot on their heels, anyone with eyes could immediately grasp the situation.
*Bwoooooo!*
A long, mournful cry echoed from a horn, and the massive blockade line began to move in pursuit of Neung Un-bi.
“Get them! We must catch them!”
*Just a little further…*
All they had to do was reach the place where the Sun and Moon flags were fluttering in the distance.
Even the Orthodox Alliance wouldn’t be able to chase them into the Demonic Cult’s territory. They had to run without looking back, even if their lungs burst and their muscles tore.
But the heavens were more indifferent than he thought.
*If you were going to help, you should have helped all the way…*
“Stop!”
A voice erupted from the pursuing blockade, and something shot toward them.
*Swoooosh!*
At the brutal sound of something tearing through the air, Neung Un-bi glanced back.
It was a spear.
The spear, piercing through the atmosphere, flew at an incredible speed and instantly closed in on the tail end of the Sakwol Brigade.
*If I leave it…*
Hwa Cheong, at the very back of the Sakwol Brigade, would surely die.
*And I promised we would all return alive…*
*Grind!*
Gritting his teeth, Neung Un-bi turned and charged back without hesitation.
“My lord!”
Wang Cheon, who had missed the chance to grab Neung Un-bi due to his sudden turn, cried out urgently.
“I won’t let anyone die!”
With a roar, Neung Un-bi stomped on the ground, unleashed the Three Nothings Footwork to its limit, and swung his half-sword.
The energy of the Hegemon's Asura Arts, which he had forcibly drawn out, churned his insides, filling his mouth with the thick taste of blood, but Neung Un-bi did not stop.
*Kwwaaaaang!*
Neung Un-bi’s sword deflected the incoming spear.
He had saved Hwa Cheong.
But as a result, Neung Un-bi found himself surrounded by three old men in a triangle formation.
They were familiar faces. So famous that he didn’t need to look closely.
The Saber Emperor, Paeng Wi-cheon; the Spear Emperor, Seomun U-ryang; and the Fist Emperor, Hwangbo Mun-cheon.
The ones who were once the heavens.
“Damn, I’m so honored. Three giants of the past generation have come to catch me personally.”
At Neung Un-bi’s sarcastic remark, the three old men looking at him narrowed their eyes.
“My lord!”
“Stay back!”
As Wang Cheon and Ju Seung tried to rush forward, Neung Un-bi shouted urgently.
*They’re old men you can’t defeat even if you all attack together.*
*Not only will you fail to save me, but you’ll all die too.*
With that thought, Neung Un-bi’s gaze was endlessly cold and chilling.
“You care for your subordinates.”
At Paeng Wi-cheon’s words, Neung Un-bi let out a smirk.
“I’ve always been the sentimental type. But you all don’t look too happy. Is it because you followed the northern waterway and came up empty?”
“You bastard…”
At Neung Un-bi’s taunt, Seomun U-ryang’s eyebrows shot up as he drew his spear, but Hwangbo Mun-cheon stopped him.
“I have something to ask.”
“You want to talk?”
“Did you, did you really kill the Sword Emperor?”
“The Sword Emperor? You fallen heavens have the gall to call yourselves emperors.”
“Answer me.”
“Don’t glare at me… If you’re talking about the old man named Namgung Mu-wi… yes, I killed him.”
“Hmm…”
It was already a known fact.
But perhaps hearing it from the man himself made it real, as Hwangbo Mun-cheon’s brow furrowed deeply.
“Someone like you…”
“Someone like me? That’s funny. He wasn’t anything special when I fought him.”
“……”
“Same goes for you lot. Just a bunch of unimpressive old men.”
“……”
“You call yourselves the Spear Emperor, the Saber Emperor, the Fist Emperor, but you’re nothing more than greedy fools who, blinded by avarice, abandoned your pride as martial artists for the sake of your own selfish desires.”
The old men said nothing in response to Neung Un-bi’s words. They simply stared at him with indifferent eyes.
Finally, Hwangbo Mun-cheon asked in a low, sunken voice.
“Is this your last struggle?”
“What?”
“From the looks of it, the Demonic Cult has abandoned you. Seeing as they haven’t come to your rescue despite watching the entire situation.”
“Hmph, none of your business.”
Hwangbo Mun-cheon’s words hit a nerve, but Neung Un-bi retorted without faltering in the slightest.
“My friends.”
“……?”
“Would you entrust this man’s head to me?”
At those words, Paeng Wi-cheon and Seomun U-ryang nodded and took a step back.
It made sense.
Everyone was watching them.
The Demonic Cult, which did not intervene, and the Orthodox martial artists who had stopped their pursuit.
Could the three old men who were once the heavens of the Orthodox Alliance possibly attack him together in front of everyone?
But Neung Un-bi only scowled.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“I am giving you a chance.”
“What?”
“Considering what you’ve done, tearing you limb from limb would not be enough. However, this is a courtesy to the martial artist who killed the Sword Emperor.”
At Hwangbo Mun-cheon’s words, Neung Un-bi’s face contorted further.
*Crazy bastards…*
*Talking about courtesy.*
*Are these the same men who have been hiding in the shadows of the Orthodox Alliance, lining their own pockets all this time?*
The word ‘courtesy’ was merely a pretense to save their own face.
He was surely hiding his rage behind that indifferent facade. He wanted to mock him, to show everyone his desperate struggle.
If he truly wanted to show courtesy, he wouldn’t be trying to fight an injured man. The bastard was just trying to toy with him, like a well-fed cat playing with a mouse before killing it.
“To think that things like you are treated as the elders of the Orthodox Alliance… but fine. I’ll fight you.”
Neung Un-bi gripped his half-sword tightly.
For what might be the last fight of his life…
Steeling his will, he took a breath. For a moment, Neung Un-bi met the eyes of Wang Cheon, Ju Seung, and each of the Sakwol Brigade warriors, who had stopped at his command and were now watching him with sorrowful eyes.
*Thank you… for everything.*
His gaze seemed to say.
Then, he turned his eyes back to Hwangbo Mun-cheon, and his pupils shone with a murderous light.
*The same goes for you.*
*The ones who caused Yun An-ro’s death…*
*I may die here, but I’ll definitely take one of you with me.*