Chapter 13
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Regret - 1
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Upper demon beasts possess wisdom, making them cunning and sly.
Thus, instead of attacking me directly while I was exhausted, they commanded the Earth Dogs to move.
Six Earth Dogs were hesitatingly stepping forward, likely due to the upper demon beast's orders.
Had they seen the corpses of the Demon Foxes and other Earth Dogs around me? They weren't approaching recklessly.
"Hu..."
If they don't come, that's fine. My goal is to hold this position and keep those things from passing through. If they don't charge, then my task is to recover my stamina as much as possible.
The Five Elements Circulation Art in my dantian stirred to life.
As the energy surging from my dantian circulated through my body, repairing the damage from battling the Demon Foxes and Earth Dogs while amplifying my recovery qi, the Human-Faced Spider's expression twisted in rage.
At the same moment, it shot out strands of white spider silk.
-Shwaaak!!
I dodged its attack by taking a single step back, but a gap was inevitable. One of the Earth Dogs prowling around me, waiting for an opening, lunged forward. I slashed through its body, but the others attacked me right after.
"Ugh...!"
The Earth Dog's sharp claws raked across me. The wound, which had been slowly knitting shut thanks to the Five Elements Circulation Art, tore open again, blood flowing freely.
Was it because I'd lost so much blood earlier? My vision swam dizzily.
"Huuu..."
The Earth Dogs poised to strike again halted. Seizing that moment to recover, a single strand of spider silk lashed toward my leg.
Damn. The sticky silk made movement difficult.
-Sasasasak...!!
The Human-Faced Spider that had spat the silk laughed as if delighted. Moments later, it scuttled toward me on its eight legs.
Even at full strength, it would have been a tough fight. To take it down now, injured and unable to use proper footwork?
No easy task.
"Huuuuu..."
I let out a low breath.
Right. I had to accomplish this impossible-seeming feat.
I fixed my gaze on the Human-Faced Spider creeping closer, its fangs gradually bared.
It thought it had me cornered, but I was still alive. I could still move, my sword gripped tight.
Then there was only one choice.
Fight.
-Saaak...!!
The Human-Faced Spider closed in even further. Its blade-like legs stirred. I had to block them.
But how?
Mount Tai Pressing Down to crush its momentum? Possible against Earth Dogs, maybe, but at my level, forcing back an upper demon beast like this one was out of the question.
So what was left to do?
I closed my eyes.
All I felt was the five elements energy churning within me and the sword in my grasp.
Forget everything.
Forget it all, over and over.
The only thing that mattered was one.
Cleaving the enemy before me.
-Saaaaak!!
A sharp hiss cut the air, followed by a chill. The instant I sensed the Human-Faced Spider lunging amid a spray of poison mist, I swung my sword.
Sword. Swing it to sweep away the heavenly armies.
And annihilate the foe before me.
-Saaak...?!
When I slowly opened my eyes, I saw the Human-Faced Spider frozen mid-motion, its blade-like front leg raised.
Its face contorted in disbelief.
It thrashed desperately to move its legs, but instead, its body began to split open, inch by inch.
-Saaaaaaa...!
A long, piercing scream. Its front legs severed, torso cleaved, remaining legs hacked away.
Even the face that clung to life split cleanly in two.
Top and bottom halves collapsing to the ground at last, I exhaled heavily.
"...Next."
Unleashing Sweeping Away Heavenly Armies had drained my dantian completely.
But I couldn't stop fighting.
Not with enemies still ahead.
I slashed through the spider silk binding my feet and took a step forward.
-Kureong! Kyung!! Krurrr...!!
-Ummeoeoeo...!!!
Exhausted and wounded, I stood there.
Blood-soaked and caked in dust.
Fearing my advance, perhaps, the pack of Earth Dogs and the Western Drought Demon faltered, retreating.
I stared them down and smiled.
If they wouldn't come, perfect. I'd recover.
A thread-thin strand of energy trickled from my empty dantian, flowing through my meridians. Drawing in the ambient qi of nature, infusing it into my body to restore my vitality.
-Ummeoeoeoeo!!!
Damn. No respite. Had it noticed my recovery?
With a scream-like howl from the Western Drought Demon, the Earth Dogs went berserk. Dozens charged, foam flecking their maws.
Could I manage?
I tightened my grip on my sword.
I had to.
If I failed to hold, the people beyond would die.
How could I save the world if I couldn't even save them?
So.
-Shwaaak!!
Just swing.
We barely managed to cross the river on the makeshift raft. A relief. The demon beasts on the other side couldn't reach us now.
The tension easing left my body limp.
Namgung Hye spoke to the Soaring Heaven Sword Unit member who'd helped build the raft and ferry people across, just like her.
"You've worked hard."
"...Don't pull this again next time. Seriously."
He grumbled, but seemed pleased enough. We'd saved so many lives, after all.
Still, too soon for celebration. One person remained over there.
Jin Hyun, who'd held off the demon beasts until we'd crossed. He was still fighting.
As she resolved to hurry back and help, moving to board a raft, the grass rustled. Out stepped a black-clad beauty with flowing black hair—Sword Heaven Yu Ye-ryeon.
"What? What happened?"
"Well..."
Namgung Hye quickly explained: demon beasts had closed in while they were at Changik Village, and they'd barely rafted across to here.
"Good call. But where's Jin Hyun?"
"Jin Hyun! He's over there alone, fighting the demon beasts!"
"...What?"
Yu Ye-ryeon's face hardened. Teeth gritted, she turned toward the river. Namgung Hye called out desperately.
"Me too! I want to go!"
"...Hold on."
Grabbing Namgung Hye's hand, she stepped lightly forward.
Her foot touched the water—and she kicked off, gliding across the surface.
Water Strider. The advanced lightness skill few martial artists could even mimic, executed effortlessly even carrying Namgung Hye. She shot straight toward the ravine.
"This is..."
Yu Ye-ryeon's expression darkened. Namgung Hye mirrored it a moment later. They'd sensed it: a thick fragrance tickling their noses.
A scent all too familiar to any martial artist.
"Blood scent...?"
Anxiety swelled.
Whose blood was this intense? Yu Ye-ryeon and Namgung Hye accelerated, emerging from the ravine to behold.
A blood-drenched plain. Countless demon beasts sprawled lifeless atop it.
And.
One swordsman, body drenched in gore, facing off against a handful of wounded Earth Dogs and a Western Drought Demon.
"...Jin...Hyun?"
Yu Ye-ryeon surged forward. He'd been standing motionless, sword in hand—until her voice reached him.
Slowly, he turned his blood-smeared face, sighing in relief at last.
"You've arrived."
"...Arrived, yeah...! No... Haa. Rest now!!"
Only then did he collapse to the ground, gasping. With Sword Heaven intervening, those demon beasts would fall swiftly.
Namgung Hye rushed to his side in a panic, swallowing tears on the verge of spilling.
"...Why?"
"...Someone had to."
With that, Jin Hyun closed his eyes. Alarmed, she checked his pulse and heart—thankfully, not dead. Just passed out.
She hurriedly fed him Namgung Family internal injury pills and smeared golden sore salve over his wounds, her mind racing.
Yes. Someone had to. To save them, someone needed to stay and block the demon beasts.
But why you?
- ...Words.
A hallucination?
No, not that. A voice from the heart.
- Lie.
The cry of her inner demon—a voice she knew better than her own. Namgung Hye squeezed her eyes shut.
- Did you really not know Jin Hyun would stay to block them?
...I didn't.
- Lie. The raft could've been handled by the others alone. So why didn't you go help him? Huh?
Why indeed.
Because he said not to follow?
Because saving the people came first?
Countless excuses surfaced, but the sharpest pierced her chest.
Fear.
Terror of death.
Three upper demon beasts, no less. Swarms of Earth Dogs besides. Even with Namgung Family training, she'd thought victory impossible—and so she hadn't moved.
- For one who prides herself on justice and duty, aren't you shameless?
She'd wanted to save them, no matter what. That's why she'd heeded Jin Hyun's words.
But hadn't her true heart whispered otherwise?
Doubt crept in.
Had she failed to uphold the very justice and duty she'd sworn to follow?
The inner demon born of that self-doubt—she couldn't deny its cry to the end.