Chapter 99
Chapter 99
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: Nightmare (2)
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"Thanks to you, we survived, Leader."
Ok Cheong, who had nearly lost his life carrying out Yi Ja Gon's orders, expressed his gratitude for Jang So Jong's quick thinking.
"I'll give the Chief Officer a thorough dressing-down. If we'd been even a little later, we would've all lost our heads."
Ok Cheong's eyes widened round at Jang So Jong's words.
"Pardon? But the orders came from..."
"I know. Still, we can't very well confront the Hall Leader directly, can we? In any case, it was the Chief Officer who sent you out."
Jang So Jong revealed his intention to indirectly vent his dissatisfaction with the Hall Leader by scolding Yi Ja Gon.
'He'll handle it his way.'
Considering the Hall Leader's temperament, it didn't seem like the best idea, but Ok Cheong had no intention of trying to stop him.
"By the way, are they all dead?"
"Probably. Otherwise, those bastards would've come swarming up the stairs by now... What the hell are they up to?"
Jang So Jong frowned as he stared at Sima Geon and his group.
Something suspicious emanated from the movements of enemies who should have been stamping their feet in frustration.
"Who knows? With nothing left to do, maybe they're just taking out their irritation on each other."
No sooner had Ok Cheong finished speaking than Sima Geon, who had retreated slightly behind the dock, broke into a full sprint. Then he leaped with all his might.
Jang So Jong and Ok Cheong both wore puzzled expressions.
"What? Does he seriously think he can cover this distance?"
Jang So Jong sneered mockingly at Sima Geon, who was slowly descending far in the distance, his face a picture of incredulity.
"Tch, tch, I knew it. What kind of fool has that much confidence..."
His words cut off abruptly.
Jang So Jong froze mid-sentence, mouth agape. His wide eyes alone followed the log suddenly flying toward his feet—and Sima Geon's figure springing up again by stepping on it.
"Wha? What?!"
Ok Cheong involuntarily stepped back upon seeing Sima Geon soar into the sky once more.
"N-No way!"
As Jang So Jong stared in shock, unable to believe his eyes, another log hurtled toward Sima Geon's feet.
Kicking off the log and shooting into the air, Sima Geon clearly saw the horrified expressions on Jang So Jong and Ok Cheong's faces.
'Still short.'
The remaining distance was about fifteen jang. Even unleashing his full lightness skill, it wasn't enough to reach the boat.
He could hardly expect another log. He'd felt his power waning distinctly when kicking off the second one. That feat had only been possible thanks to Cheol Woo's monstrous strength in the first place.
But Sima Geon didn't give up.
The energy of the Three Lords One Heart Technique, swirling from his dantian through his entire body, converged on the Heavenly Demon Ring—no, the Heavenly Demon Sword—raised above his head. A transparent blade a zhang long abruptly jutted out.
"Hah!"
Sima Geon, descending slowly in the Straight Earth Severing Heaven stance, let out a powerful shout and swung the Heavenly Demon Sword vertically downward.
Ssssh!
With a chilling whoosh, the sword beam infused with his full power cleaved the sky.
Jang So Jong watched, speechless, as the sun tilting toward the western horizon split in two.
There was no blocking it, no dodging it.
His face twisted in terror, eyes fixed on the dazzlingly beautiful sword beam. Jang So Jong squeezed his eyes shut.
The sword beam sliced through the air and passed through Jang So Jong's body, slamming into the Heavenly Sword Boat.
Kaboom!
With a deafening crash, the center of the Heavenly Sword Boat where the beam had swept shattered outright, and water from Poyang Lake erupted into the air.
Groooan!
As timber twisted and groaned, the Heavenly Sword Boat began splitting in half.
Sima Geon, who had by now dropped into the water with only his head above the surface, turned slowly, watching the pirates get sucked into the Heavenly Sword Boat as it went down.
A few might survive, but he had no intention of worrying about that.
"Wh-What in the world..."
Yu Han stared in disbelief at the Heavenly Sword Boat, halved and slowly sinking. He couldn't accept the horrific disaster unfolding before his eyes.
"How can a man without wings fly that far?"
The distance had been too great, and their view blocked by the Heavenly Sword Boat itself, so those aboard the Black Dragon Boat had no idea Sima Geon had closed the gap using the logs Cheol Woo threw.
"He didn't quite reach the boat. But that final strike was..."
Yu Wol had clearly seen the brilliant sword beam erupting from Sima Geon's sword in midair and felt its momentum with her whole body. In that brief moment, sweat drenched her clenched fists.
"Now I understand why you were so wary of them."
"They won't give up that easily. We need to get to the Yangtze River Waterway Alliance as fast as possible."
"Right. Let's do that."
Yu Han no longer argued with Yu Wol. Having witnessed firsthand the prowess of their enemies targeting Hongik Hall, he felt bone-deep that his path to survival lay solely in the embrace of the Yangtze River Waterway Alliance.
'Can we really fend them off?'
Yu Wol's gaze, fixed on the tiny dot moving toward the distant shore beyond the fully submerged Heavenly Sword Boat, brimmed with anxiety.
"You did well. I never dreamed we could take down that ship."
Man Chu gazed at Sima Geon shaking off the water with eyes full of awe. The shock of his first kill seemed already forgotten in the face of Sima Geon's divine feat.
"Just luck. Thanks to Cheol Woo, too."
Sima Geon pointed at Cheol Woo.
"Heh heh heh! Even I think it was perfect."
Cheol Woo didn't feign modesty. Nor would anyone dare criticize him. They'd all seen clearly how pivotal the logs he'd thrown had been to the attack.
"But we missed the head honcho in the end. What now?"
Sima Geon, who had been staring at the now barely visible Black Dragon Boat, spun around at Cheol Woo's question.
"What else? We chase them to the end."
"Heh heh heh! Knew it."
"How do you know where they're headed?"
To Man Chu's question, Sima Geon replied matter-of-factly.
"A wounded beast has only one place to go: its den. They're heading to the Yangtze River Waterway Alliance."
Cheol Woo and Noe Jeon, who had already anticipated it, showed no reaction, but Man Chu couldn't hide his tension.
The Yangtze River Waterway Alliance he knew was enormous. Individual martial prowess might not match famed clans or sects, but they compensated with sheer numbers.
He'd known from the start that clashing with them was likely, given they backed Hongik Hall, but now that it loomed as reality, it felt entirely different.
Sensing Man Chu's unease, Noe Jeon sidled up and poked his side.
"They're just pirates at the end of the day. No need to tense up. Honestly, you and I won't have much to do. Just leave it to those two."
Noe Jeon's eyes, watching Sima Geon and Cheol Woo rapidly ascending the stairs, shone with absolute trust in them.
Man Chu's stiffened expression softened slightly.
He could guess why Noe Jeon looked at them that way.
"You're right."
"Good. Then hurry up. The folks up top are probably still anxious, so we need to get them out of here quick."
"Yes."
Man Chu nodded vigorously and quickened his pace to catch up with Sima Geon and Cheol Woo, who had already reached the midway point of the cliff.
By the time Man Chu crested the stairs, Sima Geon and Cheol Woo were already facing the prisoners they'd captured.
The number of prisoners, kidnapped by Hongik Hall and locked in the southern warehouse, slightly exceeded fifty.
They had spent their days in despair, anticipating sale into slavery, and even after Hongik Hall's pirates were slaughtered, they couldn't shake their anxiety. Only when Man Chu stepped forward, declaring himself an Open Faction disciple, did their fear turn to joy.
After giving them ample time to savor their liberation, Cheol Woo clapped to draw attention.
"Alright, enough of that. Let's get out of this godforsaken place. Lingering here will just sour our moods."
As Cheol Woo took the lead, the group surged after him. As if bidding them farewell, flames began rising from various spots around Hongik Hall.
The main headquarters of the Yangtze River Waterway Alliance, located at Gunsan on Dongting Lake.
Having concluded their ten-day regular assembly, the leadership was holding a banquet late into the night.
The drinking had started relatively early, and now everyone was thoroughly drunk—loud singing and even brawling echoed everywhere, yet no one intervened. They simply enjoyed the revelry as was customary.
The Alliance Leader of the Yangtze River Waterway Alliance, Gunsan Radiant Dragon Yu Ak, seated at the head, was no exception. Nearing seventy yet boasting vigor rivaling the young, he had courtesans on either side and kept pouring drinks, leading the mood.
Just past midnight, Ga Hyu, Hall Leader of Flying Fish Hall, returned with a grim expression after stepping out briefly on a report from his subordinates.
"Alliance Leader."
"Where've you been? Sit. Three cups for showing up late."
"Keh heh heh! That's the penalty for latecomers, Alliance Leader."
The elderly man seated opposite Yu Ak chuckled as he downed his drink.
"Bullshit! Same difference. Ha ha ha ha! Anyway, take it."
Yu Ak laughed heartily and tossed a tiny sake cup to Ga Hyu, comically small in his large hand.
Ga Hyu caught it reflexively, sighed, and set it down untouched.
Yu Ak gawked in shock at the audacity of setting down the cup he'd offered.
"Bad news has come in."
"Hm. So that's why you stepped out."
"Yes."
"Speak. What could make the Yangtze River Waterway Alliance's famed strategist look so dour?"
Yu Ak still toyed leisurely with his cup, expression relaxed.
"Hongik Hall has fallen. The Hall Leader luckily escaped, but the damage is catastrophic."
In an instant, Yu Ak's thick brows twitched.
The cup spinning on his finger crumbled to dust, and the buoyant atmosphere around him plummeted sharply.
"That Hongik Hall we know?"
"Yes."
"Tell me in detail. No, wait."
Yu Ak closed his eyes briefly, steadying his breath.
In the blink of an eye, he'd shaken off the alcohol. Opening his eyes, his once-glassy gaze brimmed with vitality, his flushed face returned to normal.
"What happened to Hongik Hall?"
"Do you know the name Sima Geon, by chance?"
"Sima Geon? Rings a bell."
As Yu Ak tilted his head, the elder who had chided him earlier—the Yangtze River White Tiger Sword Hae Oe Geom—spoke with evident frustration.
"He's the one brought up recently. The guy who fled the Heavenly Demon Cult."
"Ah, the fellow who fought Heavenly Demon Cult bastards in Soheung. The one tangled up with the Hahu Clan."
"Exactly."
"Why does that name come up? Don't tell me he's the one who attacked Hongik Hall?"
"Yes."
"Why would he?"
Yu Ak's face filled with bewilderment.
There was no apparent connection between Hongik Hall and Sima Geon of the Heavenly Demon Cult.