Ambushed (3)
Pa-aa-aat!
As Hyeon Yucheon unleashed a barrage of Formless Flash Quick Sword techniques laced with fury, an astonishing sight unfolded.
It was as if a meteor shower had erupted across the open plain, raining down devastation in relentless waves.
“Kwaaaack!”
“Aaaack!”
The members of the Quick Sword Party, who had been catching their breath and brimming with confidence moments before, could scarcely believe their eyes amid that ferocious assault.
They had faltered briefly with the arrival of Jeong Inheon and Jeong Se-in's group, but they had convinced themselves they were rats in a trap—safe and victorious.
Yet suddenly, an unimaginable barrage hammered them from behind. They had no choice but to reel in horror.
Worse still, the attacks were invisible sword qi, undetectable to the eye. To them, it must have looked like their comrades—chatting amiably just moments ago—were abruptly pierced through the heart or had their skulls shattered.
“Uwaaaah!”
In the pitch-black night, the terror of dying to unseen strikes pushed their fear to its absolute limit.
And the man hailed as the strongest in the unorthodox world these days only doubled that dread.
“I am the lord of the Demon Sword Sect, Hyeon Yucheon.”
With eyes blazing like a tigress robbed of her cub, Hyeon Yucheon radiated murderous intent.
“Sect Lord!”
“We've done it!”
As the Quick Sword Party members despaired, Gyeon Jong-o and Jeong Inheon forgot all decorum and cheered in ecstasy.
Gyeon Jong-o in particular, drenched head to toe in enemy blood and his own, had forgotten even his pain.
“Jong-o... Elder.”
Hyeon Yucheon rushed forward ahead of Eum Ji-myeong and the Black Wolf Three Swords.
Seeing them smeared in blood and sweat from their desperate struggle, a towering rage swelled within him, beyond words.
“Young Master Hyeon!”
Gratitude surged alongside it.
Jeong Se-in, who knew nothing of martial arts, had somehow rallied the warriors and made it here against all odds.
Even she had hung back behind Elder Jeong Inheon, but she had truly staked her life on this.
“Even Sister...”
No matter their prior agreement, seeing her in the heart of the battlefield moved Hyeon Yucheon deeply.
“No need to worry anymore, everyone.”
He suppressed his surging emotions.
The surviving enemies on the opposite side were glaring at him.
“I've arrived.”
As the lord of the Demon Sword Sect, Hyeon Yucheon advanced.
To identify their leader.
“You're that...”
Finally facing Hyeon Yucheon, Blue Quick Strike Sword Jo Hwan-yong reacted with visceral intensity.
And rightly so—the one who had scarred his face was none other than the Demon Sword Ghost Elder, Cheon Baeksang.
Thus, his feelings toward Hyeon Yucheon ran deeper than most.
'He truly mastered the Formless Flash Quick Sword!'
He felt joy mingled with quiet sorrow.
The joy stemmed from the fearsome demon sword that had marred his face being gone forever. The sorrow, from such a brilliant unorthodox supreme art vanishing into oblivion.
That was why Jo Hwan-yong had wrestled with complex emotions upon hearing of Cheon Baeksang's disappearance.
“'That'? I am the lord of the Demon Sword Sect. Does your deputy leader lack even basic manners?”
Hyeon Yucheon cut him off sharply, ignoring the outburst.
The man's sentiments were irrelevant now.
“Why have you invaded my sect?”
Hyeon Yucheon had many questions.
Why had the Quick Sword Party targeted the Demon Sword Sect?
And how had they learned the sect was empty? He, the Black Wolf Three Swords, and Eum Ji-myeong's infiltration of the Blood Dragon Room had been top secret.
“Hmph. The Quick Sword Party and Demon Sword Sect can never coexist under the same sky. Surely you know the grudge between our factions?”
Jo Hwan-yong sneered at Hyeon Yucheon.
There was some truth to it.
Their martial philosophies and pursuits overlapped, sparking endless strife. The Quick Sword Party was forever compared to the Demon Sword Sect—and ridiculed for falling short.
“Watch your words. It's not a grudge; it's your one-sided resentment, isn't it?”
Jeong Inheon Elder timely reminded them of the truth.
He was right.
From the Demon Sword Sect's view, they were leagues apart—no "grudge" could bridge that gap.
Tremble!
Aware deep down, Jo Hwan-yong and his warriors shuddered with humiliation.
To them, the Demon Sword Sect was the eternal rival they yearned to surpass—and after their downfall, the ones who deserved payback.
But now they were rising again, breeding unease.
“If we're splitting hairs, what harm has my Demon Sword Sect ever done to your Quick Sword Party?”
Hyeon Yucheon asked coldly.
“You pretend not to know? Because of you, our supreme arts are belittled and mocked...”
“Is it a crime that my sect's martial arts outclass yours by realms?”
Hyeon Yucheon sliced through his words, unleashing a merciless verbal barrage with his silver tongue.
“And you keep harping on 'grudge' and 'harm'... From our side, your Quick Sword Party was just an annoying pest, presuming equality without knowing your place.”
Puhahaha!
Hyeon Yucheon's blunt words skyrocketed the morale of his exhausted Demon Sword Sect members, led by Little Light Demon Gyeon Jong-o.
It was utterly cathartic.
In truth, after the Demon Sword Sect's fall, the Quick Sword Party had picked fights endlessly, fueling the animosity.
Now playing the victim with emotional appeals was sheer deception.
“Ughhh!”
Jo Hwan-yong clenched his fists, heart pounding.
He could never win against Hyeon Yucheon.
Not in words, nor in martial prowess.
“Be honest. Revenge is just an excuse. You feared my Demon Sword Sect surpassing your Quick Sword Party for the top unorthodox seat—and unifying the unorthodox world.”
Hyeon Yucheon was ever bold.
His mouth as unrestrained as his swordplay left Jo Hwan-yong reeling.
And it didn't stop there.
When the leader wavers, so do the subordinates.
The Quick Sword Party began swaying like reeds in the wind.
“Eeeeek! Enough talk! He's strong, but alone! Attack!”
Unable to win with words, he resorted to force—sending his men ahead to avoid a one-on-one.
But what could he do?
“Captain of the Flash Light Demon Sword Unit, Dohyeonbo, and the Flash Light Demon Sword Unit have arrived, Sect Lord!”
A voice booming with immense inner power echoed across the battlefield's center.
The source was none other than the taciturn Flying Spirit Sword Guest, Dohyeonbo.
Behind him stood the Demon Sword Sect's elite Flash Light Demon Sword Unit, arrayed in perfect formation.
Ooooh! Ooooooh!
Jeong Inheon Elder and Gyeon Jong-o, along with every Demon Sword Sect member, felt a profound surge of emotion.
—At last, the Flash Light Demon Sword Unit has returned to the Demon Sword Sect!
It meant more than bolstered forces.
The sect's symbol had returned—they had reclaimed their lost legacy in full.
“Flash... Light Demon Sword Unit!”
“Captain Dohyeonbo!”
Jeong Inheon and Gyeon Jong-o clasped their hands like awestruck children at the magnificent sight.
“Captain Dohyeonbo.”
“Yes, Sect Lord.”
“Lead the Flash Light Demon Sword Unit and slaughter every enemy—save their leader, Blue Quick Strike Sword Jo Hwan-yong.”
Hyeon Yucheon resolved to violate the code against killing massively.
Not without reason.
'The Quick Sword Party is different from Great Dark Valley or Blood Dragon Room.'
Even among the unorthodox five great sects, their stance toward the Demon Sword Sect differed vastly.
Great Dark Valley chose coexistence, never merging but never clashing.
Blood Dragon Room, with eldest senior brother Brilliant Light Demon Sword Ga Jinuk as its lord, was now blood allies.
The Quick Sword Party, however, had always envied, resented, and harassed the Demon Sword Sect. Sparing or allying with them meant inevitable betrayal.
They had to be crushed utterly and mercilessly.
“Understood!”
Dohyeonbo replied calmly, as if ordered to fetch groceries from the village.
But the outcome was clear.
“Flash Light Demon Sword Unit! Our first order upon returning to the Demon Sword Sect is to defend it. Realize this. Awaken to it. Protecting the Demon Sword Sect! And conquering all who oppress and control it! That is our purpose. Charge!”
Dohyeonbo was taciturn, but he knew when to speak volumes.
Especially commanding the Flash Light Demon Sword Unit—he was seasoned.
“Charge!”
With orders from both Sect Lord and Captain, the super first-rate elites unleashed terrifying might.
Pa-aa-aat!
First, their speed was unearthly.
No cavalry or mobile specialists—yet their lightness skill was peerless.
Seok! Seok!
Second, every one wielded horrifyingly swift quick swords.
Imagine countless warriors unleashing quick swords simultaneously.
Try facing that onslaught.
“Deputy Leader!”
“It's impossible.”
“We... we can't beat the Flash Light Demon Sword Unit!”
As expected, those clashing with Dohyeonbo and his unit soon sank into a quagmire.
They resisted at first, but with every step...
Thud! Roll!
Heads severed, limbs hacked—driving them mad with frenzy.
The unit took hits too, but as the sect's strongest elites, they never yielded.
“Grrrr!”
Facing the Demon Sword Sect he'd resented lifelong, Jo Hwan-yong trembled—but saw no alternative.
“Retreat! All units, abandon the Demon Sword Sect and return to headquarters!”
Only fleeing tail-between-legs remained.
Dirty or not, survival meant future chances.
“You cowards!”
“You barge in, wreck everything, and now...”
Gyeon Jong-o and the front-gate defenders gnashed their teeth at the mad retreat.
They'd lost many comrades and disciples already.
They yearned to pursue personally, but exhaustion pinned them.
“Don't worry. The Flash Light Demon Sword Unit and I made it here. Where do you think the others are?”
Hyeon Yucheon grinned.
He'd brought reinforcements to the Blood Dragon Room: senior brother Eum Ji-myeong and the super peak experts, Black Wolf Three Swords.
“You donkey bastards!”
“Quick Sword Party scum, daring to target our sect?”
“You've grown bold. Back in the previous Sect Lord's day, you wouldn't even share a table!”
Furious, the rampaging Black Wolf Three Swords and Flash Light Flying Gentleman Eum Ji-myeong ambushed from hiding, blocking the fleeing Quick Sword Party remnants.
Four against over a hundred numerically—but their skill overwhelmed.
In the end, Jo Hwan-yong and his party couldn't escape.
They'd fallen straight into Hyeon Yucheon's trap of retribution.
“Deputy Leader of the Quick Sword Party, Jo Hwan-yong. I've heard you harbor vengeance against my sect and master.”
Now, time to tear him apart for real.
Hyeon Yucheon beckoned with a finger.
“I'll give you your chance at revenge. Have you the guts to charge me?”
Hyeon Yucheon had decided.
He would demonstrate the Demon Sword Sect's martial arts in full.