Ambushed (2)
Two days before Quick Sword Hall launched its assault on the Demon Sword Sect.
"Hall Lord. We've received intelligence from our sources."
Jo Hwan-yong, the vice hall lord of Quick Sword Hall and a man who harbored deep hatred for the Demon Sword Sect after suffering a crushing defeat at the hands of one of its masters in his youth, flashed a sinister smile.
"Hmm. To think... not the filthy Haomen, but they would reach out first..."
Bi Ryu-dam, the hall lord of Quick Sword Hall and one of the Ten Great Unorthodox Masters known as One Extreme One Quick Sword, stroked his long beard and struggled to maintain his composure.
"Does it matter, Hall Lord? This is a golden opportunity handed to us by heaven itself."
Jo Hwan-yong fiddled with the long scar across his forehead, dredging up old grudges.
After venturing into the jangho, it had been his first such humiliating defeat.
Even more wretched was the fact that he'd begged for his life from a Demon Sword Sect disciple—and that memory drove him madder than anything.
Those dark recollections were like an unhealing wound, prone to bleeding now and then.
"Even so, this is a time when the unorthodox martial world should be uniting..."
"They struck first and stirred up the trouble. They caused a commotion at the Black Heaven Gathering by suddenly challenging the Great Dark Valley Lord, and they even schemed against Blood Dragon Hall. They're the ones trying to fracture the unorthodox world for their own gain."
It was blatant sophistry.
Hyeon Yucheon's challenge to the Great Dark Valley Lord had been mutually agreed upon, and the Blood Dragon Hall incident was merely settling a grudge after they had committed the wrongdoing.
But people always heard what they wanted to hear, believed what they wanted to believe.
"Well... you're right about that."
"Hall Lord, this is the critical moment. The Demon Sword Sect is rising again, and word is they've even turned Blood Dragon Hall into their lackeys. That means we—the weakest of the Five Great Unorthodox Sects—could end up subjugated by the Demon Sword Sect just like Great Dark Valley or Blood Dragon Hall."
There were three main ways to persuade someone.
Speaking softly and sweetly. Instilling fear and unease.
Or combining both.
Jo Hwan-yong favored the last.
To the ear, it sounded like concern for Quick Sword Hall and even vigilance on Bi Ryu-dam's behalf—but in truth, it was fueled by raging vengeance.
Whenever the Demon Sword Sect comes up, he turns into someone else entirely.
Bi Ryu-dam knew it well, of course.
He wasn't a fool; he leveraged it to his advantage.
"You're right. Then, Vice Hall Lord, will you lead half our forces as the vanguard?"
In sect-on-sect wars, the vanguards always suffered the heaviest casualties.
"Of course. It's what I've been hoping for."
Jo Hwan-yong nodded eagerly.
"The key is a swift victory. Their intel says Hyeon Yucheon, Eum Ji-myeong, and the Black Wolf Three Swords are all absent from the Demon Sword Sect. We must strike fast. Anyone else, maybe—but Mugeom Sword Young Master Hyeon Yucheon? He's from another world entirely."
Even mentioning Hyeon Yucheon sent a chill through Bi Ryu-dam's chest.
One Extreme One Quick Sword Bi Ryu-dam was lifelong rivals with Seon Gang-gyun, the Great Dark Valley Lord and another of the Ten Great Unorthodox Masters, the Dark Heaven Great Fist.
When even that Dark Heaven Great Fist fell to some young Demon Sword Sect leader... I was stunned.
When the news first broke, he'd been shocked enough to doubt his own ears.
"Yes, I know full well. Without Hyeon Yucheon and the Black Wolf Three Swords, the Demon Sword Sect is nothing but a paper tiger."
Jo Hwan-yong nodded grimly, murder gleaming in his eyes.
With the hall lord and vice hall lord in agreement, the rest of Quick Sword Hall's leadership had already concluded that now was the perfect time to nip the Demon Sword Sect in the bud.
"Hall Lord! This won't do!"
Suddenly, someone burst in, shouting desperately like a drowning man.
It was Ok Jang-cheon, the Hidden Dragon Quick Sword who had represented Quick Sword Hall at the Black Heaven Gathering and suffered a humiliating loss to Hyeon Yucheon.
"Jang-cheon?!"
"What's all this commotion?"
Bi Ryu-dam, Jo Hwan-yong, and the leadership were stunned by Ok Jang-cheon's interruption.
And small wonder—Ok Jang-cheon was Quick Sword Hall's prized rising star, a model disciple who always strictly followed his master's and hall lord's words.
For him to raise his voice in fierce opposition? Unheard of.
"Hall Lord! Hear me out. The Demon Sword Sect—the Mugeom Sword Young Master Hyeon Yucheon—will lead the unorthodox martial world. Nay, he'll conquer it like a sovereign lord. Defying him is suicide!"
Spittle flying, Ok Jang-cheon pleaded fervently—a first for him.
Has this fool lost his mind?
Bi Ryu-dam even wondered if defeat had caused Hyeon Yucheon to completely brainwash him.
"You've gone soft! Hyeon Yucheon isn't ready for that yet. Even if he and the Demon Sword Sect have that potential, we strike now—while they're still green—or our hall has no future."
Jo Hwan-yong vehemently opposed Ok Jang-cheon's plea, veins bulging on his forehead.
He was on the verge of fulfilling a long-held wish, only for this fool to ruin the mood. It took all his restraint not to draw his sword.
"I agree with the vice hall lord."
Even Bi Ryu-dam nodded, leaving Ok Jang-cheon on the verge of madness.
No—you lot, with Quick Sword Hall's power alone, we can't do it!
Frustrated beyond words, he pounded his chest.
It wasn't a lack of loyalty or love for his sect.
Quite the opposite—his devotion drove him to oppose them alone, like a madman or a rebel.
"Even Great Dark Valley, which held a slight edge over us, crumbled to Hyeon Yucheon alone. Blood Dragon Hall, the strongest in numbers among the Five Great Unorthodox Sects? Same story. Even without him there, they'll hold out until their sect leader returns."
At least Ok Jang-cheon could see into the future.
In the unorthodox world's brutal ecosystem of kill or be killed, he had the insight to claim a better position.
His elders, steeped in years and grudges against the Demon Sword Sect, remained unmoved.
Chaeng!
Finally, Jo Hwan-yong drew his sword.
"One more pointless word, and I'll show no mercy."
On the eve of departure, such talk would warrant summary execution in wartime.
"Jang-cheon, I'll excuse you from joining. But keep stirring trouble, and I won't hold back."
Even the hall lord, who doted on him, spoke so sternly—Ok Jang-cheon had no recourse.
"Ugh..."
Feeling the sky itself collapsing in despair, he bowed his head.
Among Quick Sword Hall's many, only the Hidden Dragon Quick Sword Ok Jang-cheon foresaw the truth.
* * *
And so, Vice Hall Lord Jo Hwan-yong led a large force in a swift, stealthy strike on the Demon Sword Sect.
Their intel held true: the Demon Sword Sect had almost no one worth watching inside.
[The only ones to beware are Plum Death Gentleman Jeong Inheon, the sect's sole elder, and Little Light Demon Gyeon Jong-o from the younger generation.]
Just before infiltrating, Jo Hwan-yong relayed the info once more.
Truth be told, Quick Sword Hall—and most of the unorthodox world—knew little of the Demon Sword Sect's inner workings.
They'd dismissed and ignored it after the Demon Sword Ghost Lord vanished.
That they knew so much now was thanks to their informants' prowess.
"Hmm?"
You must protect this sect at all costs.
Gyeon Jong-o, recalling his revered sect leader Hyeon Yucheon's words, kept vigilant—when!
"Now!"
"Attack!"
He sensed something amiss, but it was too late.
Quick Sword Hall's villains were stealthy and swift.
Perhaps because their roots lay in assassins.
Waaaaah!
At the command of the super peak master Blue Quick Strike Sword Jo Hwan-yong, the vanguard charged with roars.
"Damn it! Intruders!"
The silver lining: Little Light Demon Gyeon Jong-o, who hadn't yet slept, spotted them early.
"Who's the guard captain on duty tonight?"
His hands trembled, but he hid it well.
The more tense he felt, the more adeptly he acted.
"Me, sir!"
"Good. Hurry and report to Elder Jeong."
After dispatching the report upward.
Chak!
Gyeon Jong-o gripped his sword.
Then, as if possessed by Hyeon Yucheon himself, he bellowed with ferocious momentum.
"We're not the weak, declining Demon Sword Sect anymore! We're the ones who will restore the glory of our past lord, the Demon Sword Ghost Lord Cheon Baeksang, whom we revered so much..."
He gritted his teeth.
His "little mad" temperament surged again.
"Today, even if we die, let's take two enemies with us!"
With those bizarre words, he charged with all his might.
Waaaaah!
The Demon Sword Sect disciples united as one.
Defenders and invaders tangled in chaos.
At first, Quick Sword Hall overwhelmed them.
It was a surprise attack, and they held the advantage—they believed victory certain.
But what was this?
"Haaap!"
Gyeon Jong-o, the man never truly seen as a proper unorthodox rising star, fought on: sever an arm, and he'd snap a foe's leg; slice a leg, and he'd rip out a throat.
With their guard captain fighting so fiercely, his subordinates' blood boiled in response.
"The sect leader will come soon!"
"He'll surely lead the Flash Light Demon Sword Squad!"
Even as Demon Sword Sect disciples had throats slit or breaths cut short, they died smiling willingly.
Death holds no fear.
Gyeon Jong-o clenched his fist.
Blood already flowed, his head throbbed—death felt near.
Had he feared it, he'd never have entered the unorthodox world.
Instead, he felt gratitude for dying for his beloved sect as a martial artist.
Whoosh!
Just then.
Beacon flames rose from the Demon Sword Sect headquarters.
Seeing it, Gyeon Jong-o grinned.
"Elder Jeong's made his move."
He was right.
Plum Death Gentleman Jeong Inheon, past his prime, feared no battle.
Instead, he'd lit the beacon as Hyeon Yucheon had earnestly instructed before leaving.
Elder, if outsiders invade, don't hesitate—seek help from Sister Jeong Se-in at Haeha Guest House.
Hyeon Yucheon had prepared beacon signals between the sect and Haeha Guest House for such a day.
Ready for emergencies—and now it proved effective.
Seeing the flames, Jeong Se-in mobilized Haeha Guest House's hidden forces and connections, rallying as many martial artists as possible and racing over.
"We'll help you!"
Jeong Se-in and her group arrived amid the fray.
With her aid and their mad resistance, they couldn't overwhelm Quick Sword Hall—but they succeeded in pushing the invaders out.
"Huff... huff..."
But the joy was fleeting.
Quick Sword Hall's reserves poured in, and their leader Jo Hwan-yong hadn't even appeared yet.
"Blue Quick Strike Sword Jo Hwan-yong..."
Jeong Inheon, a longtime Demon Sword Sect figure, remembered him.
A man turned vengeful ghost by past enmity with the sect.
True hatred aimed at them? Despairing.
As the situation worsened, the one the Demon Sword Sect disciples longed for arrived.
Hyeon Yucheon's barrage of formless sword qi rained down, laced with fury.