Chapter 74
Chapter 74
The Iron Emperor — Chapter 74
"Next!"
An unusually long line of people stood waiting at the bridge spanning the valley.
"Hm?"
"Ah, sir, it's just the dim light—it's dark brown, I tell you."
With evening drawing near, it was hard to make out the exact shade of a person's hair in the twilight. The man, who looked to be a merchant, kept bowing obsequiously, and the soldier conducting the inspection let him pass only after holding a light up to his head.
"Next!"
"Much obliged!"
Behind the soldier clearing people through stood two knights in armor engraved with beautiful silver patterns. Their disciplined bearing was such that no one dared to meet their eyes.
"What's going on?"
A young man who had just passed inspection and was crossing the bridge glanced back and muttered. An older man sidled up beside him and whispered.
"Hey, they say the Demon Tribe's shown up."
"Huk!"
The young man sucked in a startled breath at the older man's words. When the young man grew cautious, the older man stole a backward glance and whispered again.
"Saw the ones in silver armor behind us?"
"Yeah."
"Holy Knights from the Holy Empire."
The young man's eyes flew wide at that. He shot back a question.
"Wait, why are Holy Empire Holy Knights in our country?"
"Hunting demons."
"Damn. This damn country's always crawling with foreigners strutting around. Soon enough they'll be coming to catch thieves for us too."
"Watch your mouth, I said."
The older man clicked his tongue at the hotheaded youth and shook his head. From the underbrush where they were passing, eyes were watching them.
Swish...
In the full darkness of night, figures were moving without anyone noticing.
It was Gye Ung-sam and the Five-Man Squad.
'Dammit.'
The man carrying a bow spat the word out like he was chewing it.
'How is it?'
'They've got a sweep laid out, General.'
'That so?'
Ung-sam asked again, checking.
'Yes. They're checking every single person on the bridge. No good way to cross.'
'Hmm.'
The fleet-footed Gang Yuwol laid out everything he'd scouted. The conclusion was clear: slipping away quietly in this situation was going to be difficult.
'Shit.'
'Let's just smash 'em all.'
'Want me to start by smashing you?'
'.......'
Having gotten burned for one ill-timed remark, Samdopyo quietly shut his mouth.
'Does it have to be right now?'
'Yes.'
'Tch.'
At Ung-sam's firm reply, Dupyo clicked his tongue and closed his mouth. Ung-sam thought for a moment, then slowly surveyed his subordinates as if he'd made up his mind.
'First, we move toward the bridge. We've got no choice—we'll have to force a breakthrough.'
'If that's what you were gonna do anyway.......'
'.......'
'I'll just shut up and stay quiet, General.'
Having cut in again, Dupyo glimpsed hell in Ung-sam's glare for an instant and wisely tucked his tail between his legs.
'We move.'
'Yep.'
Swish...
Ung-sam slipped through the brush without disturbing it, and the Five-Man Squad followed like shadows.
A short while later, the group took up position not far from the bridge, readying an ambush. Gang Yuwol shifted to one side to serve as a sharpshooter, and Samdopyo moved down below as a contingency, ready to break into a run.
Centering his focus, Ung-sam put a birdcall whistle to his lips to give the signal.
'Good.'
Taking advantage of the lull in foot traffic, Ung-sam raised the whistle to his mouth.
"A demon!"
"......?"
Ung-sam's pupils dilated at the voice that erupted in that instant. He whipped his head toward the singularly least trustworthy man among them, and found Dupyo already flapping his hands as if to say it wasn't him.
'Why is it always me?!'
'Who else?'
Wondering if Yuwol, who'd repositioned for sniping, had been spotted, he turned his head—and saw Yuwol stealthily making his way back.
Swish...
The fact that he was moving stealthily meant he definitely hadn't been spotted.
'Could it be?'
Ung-sam looked at the three subordinates still behind him.
'......There's no way.'
Their concealment was also perfect. But the sounds reaching his ears left no more room for speculation.
"Seize the Demon Tribe!"
"......."
Over twenty armed soldiers were charging straight toward their hiding spot!
And the problem wasn't even that—it was the figures running for their lives ahead of the charging soldiers, heading straight toward where Ung-sam's group was concealed.
"What do we do? Hide somewhere nearby?"
"We save them."
"Huh?"
Ung-sam answered Dupyo's question with finality, gripping his dao. When his men looked at him, Ung-sam shook his head.
"What's the false charge that got pinned on us?"
"Demon Tribe."
"Why'd that charge get pinned on us?"
"Because our eyes and hair are close to black."
"Ah!"
Dupyo had answered Ung-sam's questions earnestly, and the rest of the group now grasped Ung-sam's true intent.
"You get it now, you idiots? Whether they were sent to rescue us from Gauri or dispatched as spies, they might be our people. We save them. Yuwol."
"Yes."
Ung-sam called Yuwol and pointed with a finger at the soldier leading the charge and shouting.
"Smash that one first."
"Yep."
Yuwol looked to the tip of Ung-sam's finger and, with a low acknowledgment, drew an arrow from his quiver and nocked it to the string.
"Seize them! A ten-Gold reward for capturing the demon spawn!"
Thwack!
Those were his last words. The body of the soldier running at the front snapped backward through the air.
Thud.
"Hut! Demon magic!"
"Euhik!"
Between the fallen veteran's brows was a tiny hole, and blood was seeping from it.
The four men who'd been fleeing froze at the sudden turn of events.
Thwack!
Thud!
"Aaaak!"
"Euheok!"
In that moment of hesitation, the torsos of two pursuing soldiers sprayed blood and were hurled backward.
"Wh-what is this?!"
Shing!
The man at the very front drew his sword and shouted in shock.
The ones being hunted as Demon Tribe were just as surprised. As the soldiers chasing them were sent flying to their deaths by something unseen, they hesitated, seemingly unable to process the situation. But while they hesitated, one man's senses caught the sudden feel of something moving in the darkness.
But by the time he whipped his head around, something had already slipped past.
Whoosh!
Tap-tap-tap-tap!
"......."
Without so much as brushing against them, five men shot past and hurtled toward the soldiers. The four men watched the figures who had swept past toward the pursuers almost before they'd registered the movement; in an instant, they felt the sweat running down their spines turn cold.
Sshhk!
"Keuheok!"
"Aaaak!"
Gye Ung-sam's blade, leading the charge, flashed first. The moment it left its sheath, it cleaved through the torsos of the two men at the front, slicing straight past them, and Samdopyo's iron staff came crashing down right behind.
"Bl-block them!"
The panicked soldiers thrust their spears forward, shouting. Amid the chaos, another man's head was launched into the air by Ung-sam's dao. Right behind him, a cruel smile spread across Dupyo's lips.
"Go on and block it—hut-cha!"
Whoooom!
"Eoheok!"
Clang! Crunch!
Dupyo's iron club flew at the soldier who'd shouted to block, snapping the spear raised to parry and caving in the man's skull in one blow.
"They're few in number!"
Thwack!
Thud.
Whether it was meant to boost his comrades' morale, the man's brave cry ended with Yuwol's arrow claiming his life.
"We're no match for them!"
Clang! Sshhk!
"Eoeok!"
Ung-sam's long dao sheared through the spears the soldiers thrust in desperation and carved through their waists as it passed. By the time Ung-sam clashed with the next man, blood was spurting from the fallen soldier's waist as he crumpled.
Over twenty soldiers were butchered in the blink of an eye. But then the two Holy Knights of the Holy Empire in silver armor came charging in, leading a dozen more soldiers.
"Dammit, more of them."
Ung-sam spat in irritation. Even at a glance, these looked stronger than the soldiers he'd just cut down.
"Euyaaaa!"
"Yiaaa!"
"Huh?"
Ung-sam turned his head at the battle cries coming from behind him. The four men who'd been fleeing a moment ago had drawn their own swords and were charging in.
Their party now swelled to nine, Ung-sam's group began handling the attacking soldiers without much difficulty.
"You're with me."
As the fight eased, Ung-sam blocked the path of the two Holy Knights. One of the knights touched his sword to his forehead and intoned as if in prayer.
"Wicked spawn of evil, you shall cast humanity into confusion no longer."
"If it's just you dying, I'll think about it."
"......."
Struck speechless by Ung-sam's retort, the Holy Knight raised his blade and charged.
"Hap!"
Clang!
With a short battle cry, the bastard sword swept in as if to cleave Ung-sam in two. He sidestepped and deflected it, but then the other knight's long sword thrust in at his waist.
"Hmph!"
Clang!
He struck the flat of the incoming long sword, spun in place, and thrust his long dao at the knight preparing to attack again.
"Hup!"
SWISH!
Shnk!
The Holy Knight with the bastard sword, startled by the rush of wind, tried to block, but Ung-sam's long dao had already punched through the armor with an ugly sound.
"Wha......?"
"'Wha' my ass."
The Holy Knight's eyes bulged in disbelief as he kept mouthing "Wha...?" and stared numbly at the blood seeping from the armor at his flank. Ung-sam sneered at him. Seeing that, the other Holy Knight shouted urgently, but his luck ended there too.
"Sir Rian!"
Thwack!
Clatter.
Yuwol's arrow pierced his helmet clean through, and the knight slowly collapsed.
Thud.
"Hee-heek!"
"Where d'you think you're going!"
Thwack!
"Euaaaaaa~!"
One of the remaining soldiers backpedaled in terror, and Dupyo, sensing an opportunity, swung his iron staff. With a dull burst, the soldier was sent flying through the air, his waist bent backward on itself.
"Bent his damn waist in the other direction."
"Heh-heh-heh."
Thud.
Ung-sam shook his head and clicked his tongue, and Dupyo let out his distinctive, breathy laugh.
"General!"
"Ah, yeah—cleanup's done......."
Still laughing with Dupyo, Ung-sam turned toward the voice calling him—and froze mid-motion.
"What the—?"
"Huk!"
The four men, only now seeming to get a proper look at Ung-sam's party, also cried out in shock. Ung-sam's eyes had landed on them: the four men had black hair, but their eyes were glowing blue.
"You're not Gauri!"
Ung-sam's voice rang through the darkness, and his five subordinates realized at once what a waste their effort had been.