Chapter 82
Chapter 82
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: Two vs. One Hundred Thirty-Four!
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*Clang!*
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo also drew the sword from her shoulder. It let out a clear ring as an auspicious blue light scattered from its blade. A single glance was enough to tell it was a masterwork.
*Kwoooosh!*
*Swoooosh!*
Sword Wave Yin-Yang, a technique from the Supreme Ultimate Wisdom Sword designed to face multiple enemies.
The sound of the sword waves from the Fire Dragon Sword and Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo's sword were different, as was the aura—the sword energy—they emitted. This was because the swords themselves were different. However, their power was roughly the same.
We were still attacking while suspended in mid-air, but our enemies were standing on the deck. As the ship tilted, they lost their balance and staggered. We had seized the perfect opportunity to strike.
I targeted three Life-Reaping masters clustered together nearby and unleashed the Sword Wave Yin-Yang of the Supreme Ultimate Wisdom Sword, pouring eighty years of internal energy into the sword energy. I didn't use lightning.
I had told Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo to target one or a few at a time, but in my case, with three of them gathered like this, the situation was different.
I also made the most of the chaos caused by the ship's sharp tilt.
My sword energy was not only fast, but the distance to the three Life-Reaping masters was a mere fifteen feet. No matter how skilled they were, dodging or defending was practically impossible.
But as I launched my attack toward the three, I flinched.
I spotted a translucent barrier rapidly forming around the clustered trio.
*A protective barrier!*
Life-Reaping masters, being at the level of a sect's supreme leader, were certainly capable of deploying a protective barrier. Moreover, with three of them combining their efforts, they could create an even stronger one.
Unable to dodge or counterattack, they had chosen the best available option: a protective barrier.
The ten Life-Reaping masters I faced back in Dong-ro County had grossly underestimated me, not knowing who I truly was.
Also, they had surrounded me and attacked individually from scattered positions, which likely prevented them from using their full abilities.
If I attacked as I was, my sword energy might not be able to pierce their barrier.
*Hoo!*
In an instant, I converted the sword energy into a sword aura and injected another thirty years of internal energy on top of the initial eighty.
It was surprising that the Life-Reaping masters could deploy a barrier from only fifteen feet away, but it was just as remarkable that I could see it and instantly convert my sword energy into a sword aura.
*Gwoooong!*
The sword aura, now imbued with one hundred and ten years of internal energy, let out a humming sound as it surged toward the three masters' protective barrier.
My own internal energy amounts to ninety years, but in that moment, twenty years' worth of Yin Essence was converted and infused into the attack.
*Perfect! You bastards!*
A protective barrier can block external attacks, but only up to a certain level.
For example, if you create a barrier of level six, it can defend against attacks up to a power of six. But if an attack with greater power strikes and shatters the barrier, you must endure not only the external attack but also the shockwave from the barrier's destruction. That's why one doesn't deploy a protective barrier carelessly.
*Boom!*
The moment my sword aura shattered their barrier, the three Life-Reaping masters were torn to pieces, their heads and limbs scattering into the air.
It was the result of the barrier's shockwave compounding the force of my sword aura. Naturally, they didn't even have time to scream.
In the meantime, the ship righted itself, now swaying slowly from side to side.
I quickly glanced at Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo and saw that she had killed one Life-Reaping master with her initial attack and was now in the process of killing a second, a Soul-Guarding master.
"Aargh!"
I unleashed a burst of sword energy at a Soul-Guarding master standing stunned next to the three I had just killed, then retreated to my original position.
*Keeuuut!*
[Byeok-gyo! Come back!]
[Yes!]
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo's cheerful voice lifted my spirits.
The Soul-Guarding master barely managed to block the sword energy I had just released, swinging his sword in a dazzling display.
Since I had unleashed it while retreating to my position, it didn't carry much power.
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo and I could have pressed our advantage and killed a few more enemies, but that would have separated us, forcing us to face their combined attacks and putting us at a disadvantage.
Both Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo and I are incredibly strong. If we were each a ten on our own, then together, we wouldn't be a twenty, but a thirty. That's synergy.
I decided we needed to secure a superior position while the enemies were still in disarray.
As we headed back to our original spot, the enemies were already surging toward us like a wave.
I took Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo's hand and floated up to the lookout tower atop the third story of the ship's tallest cabin.
The space on the lookout tower was about thirty feet in diameter, meaning not many enemies could come up at once. At most, ten could attack simultaneously.
A narrow space is advantageous for defense, but conversely, offense requires more than twice the space of defense.
Taking that into account, the maximum number of enemies who could attack on the tower was ten. We only needed to face ten at a time.
Furthermore, even if they attacked from the air above the tower, they would have to land after each strike, making this the optimal location for fighting a large number of foes.
[Byeok-gyo! You attack! I'll defend!]
[Okay!]
Even ten years ago, Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo never once questioned or disobeyed my words.
Of course, back then, everything I did was solely for her sake, and there was nothing she, as a child, could do. This felt like an extension of those times.
Just as we landed on the tower and took a back-to-back stance, a dozen or so enemies launched their attack.
*Swiiiiiish!*
The reason I entrusted the offense to Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo was that defense is inherently harder than offense, and I intended to handle it myself.
Five swords shot toward us from five directions, converging on the tower. The sound of them tearing through the air was deafening.
In an open space like this, the average number of people who can attack at once is three.
For highly skilled enemies, four is possible. An attack by five, like now, meant our opponents were top-tier.
This is because when attacking one or two opponents, the range of movement is limited. The less skilled a fighter is, the larger their movements, taking up more space. The more skilled they are, the smaller their movements, allowing them to attack effectively even in tight quarters.
Of the five initial attackers, Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo would deal with one, which meant I had to defend against the other four.
With me handling all the defense, she only had to face a single opponent. It would be a piece of cake for her.
A supreme master like her could kill not just a hundred, but a thousand enemies in one-on-one combat, regardless of whether they were Altar Lords, Life-Reaping masters, or Soul-Guarding masters.
In my current situation, I couldn't dodge the enemy attacks. Doing so would endanger Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo, so I had to meet their swords head-on and neutralize them.
Gripping the Fire Dragon Sword, I moved to face the four attacking from the front, left, and right.
*Krr-clang!*
"Ugh!"
"Hngh!"
All four of the enemies' swords shattered against the Fire Dragon Sword and went flying, and the men staggered from the impact.
I deliberately sent the broken sword tips flying back at them, but all four managed to dodge even as they staggered. They were no pushovers.
"Hyaak!"
The scream of an enemy killed by Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo erupted from behind me.
*Swiiiiiish!*
The enemy's second wave of attacks poured in.
[Brother Yong! Take a step and a half to your left!]
Following Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo's telepathic message, I quickly moved a step and a half to the left, and in that moment, I realized something.
It was the optimal spot for defense. Without any unnecessary movements, I could fend off the enemies with just seventy percent of the effort I had used before.
Once again, it was a combined attack from five enemies.
*Claaang-shatter!*
As the Fire Dragon Sword broke four more swords, Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo killed another enemy.
"Keuk!"
I wanted to see Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo's skills, but the situation didn't allow it. If I turned my head, my defensive wall would collapse in an instant.
*This is too slow!*
Killing enemies one by one like this is inefficient.
Besides, the enemies wouldn't continue with such a monotonous attack pattern forever.
During my days as a low-ranking warrior in the Martial Alliance, I had fought in many mass brawls.
That's why I'd thought of this method, but I had made a mistake. Back then, I was a low-ranking warrior. I'm not anymore.
For someone like me, who prides himself on being a supreme master who has surpassed the peak, to focus solely on defense is foolish.
[Byeok-gyo! Let's attack and defend for ourselves!]
[Yes!]
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo replied cheerfully.
She must have been thinking the same thing. No, as the Alliance Lord of the Martial Alliance, she probably had a better strategy for a situation like this, yet she was still obediently following my lead.
I deployed the Eighteen Stances of Light-Splitting Swordplay. The sixteenth stance, Light-Splitting Dragon's Leap. The Fire Dragon Sword traced a cross in the air as it struck a Soul-Guarding master.
*Kiiiit!*
I could have attacked two or three at once, but that might have only injured or repelled them instead of killing them, which wasn't ideal. When you attack, you must properly end at least one life.
*Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!*
"Hyaak!"
Struck by the sword energy, the Soul-Guarding master let out a terrible scream as he was thrown backward. His body was tattered, riddled with holes like a honeycomb.
The Light-Splitting Dragon's Leap technique conceals four variations and sixteen smaller transformations.
This means that a single stance can attack eight parts of the body while simultaneously blocking eight possible escape routes.
Therefore, from the Soul-Guarding master's perspective, it was impossible to dodge; he could only try to block. Failure to block meant death.
My attack was so fast that even after killing the Soul-Guarding master, I still had plenty of time to block the incoming enemy attacks.
I still couldn't dodge. If I did, Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo, who was behind me, would be in danger.
The same was true for Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo. All we could do was attack and counterattack.
*Swaaek! Kiuuung!*
The two currently attacking me were a Life-Reaping master and a Soul-Guarding master. The multiple streams of sword energy pouring toward me were so intense they roiled the air, making it hard to breathe.
From my assessment, the Life-Reaping master was at about sixty percent of my level, and the Soul-Guarding master was at about fifty percent.
Together, they weren't at ninety percent, but one hundred twenty or one hundred thirty percent. This was due to the synergistic effect of a combined attack.
When you can't dodge, you must counterattack with even greater force than the enemy. This is what's known as overwhelming strength.
The seventeenth stance, Light-Splitting Blue Shadow, erupted from the Fire Dragon Sword.
*Ch-ch-ch-chut!*
Thirty images of the Fire Dragon Sword shot toward the two men, completely overwhelming their sword techniques and energy.
"Hut!"
Among the thirty images, two were real. They pierced the foreheads and necks of the Life-Reaping master and the Soul-Guarding master.
"Keuk!"
"Gak!"
As the two collapsed backward, spewing blood, an attack suddenly rained down from above.
*Swoooosh!*
*Ah!*
I had expected an attack from above, but I'd momentarily forgotten. How absurd.
*Craaaack!*
In that instant, the floor of the lookout tower shattered, and several swords shot up from below.
Attacked simultaneously from all sides, above, and below, there was only one thing we could do.
Break through in the direction where the attack was weakest and escape. It was every man for himself. A moment's delay, and we'd be turned into honeycombs.
*Kwachachang!*
As we broke through, Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo and I each killed an enemy. I didn't know if they were Life-Reaping or Soul-Guarding masters.
Before I could even land on the deck, while still in mid-air, the enemies were already unleashing their attacks.
*Where's Byeok-gyo?*
But I couldn't see where Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo was, and I had no time to look. I was in deep trouble myself.
*Swoooaaak!*
The sound of the enemies' attacks exploded like a torrential downpour.
In this situation, I decided I couldn't afford to show any mercy if I wanted to kill them.