Chapter 301
Chapter 301
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 301
Chapter Title: The Mysterious Men in Black Scholar Hats
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The next morning.
Jin Ryang and his close aides kept watch on the official road stretching south from the imperial capital.
How much time had passed like that?
Finally, the Qin Kingdom's envoy delegation appeared from the north side of the road.
"Looks like about a hundred men."
"No envoy entering enemy territory would travel without bringing along experts. So don't move rashly until I give the order."
"Yes, Society Leader."
The number of people with Jin Ryang had grown. High-ranking unorthodox martial artists, bought off with money, had joined them.
Jin Ryang keenly observed the troops escorting the envoy delegation. But since they were all dressed in identical uniforms, he couldn't tell who was a martial artist.
At that moment, a man in a blue robe approached Jin Ryang. He exuded an aura as sharp as a honed blade—a top expert from the unorthodox world whom they'd recently recruited at great expense.
"I'll trust you to keep your promise."
"Don't worry. I will keep it."
"Then give the signal. We'll kill them all on sight. Heh heh heh."
The blue-robed man let out a sinister chuckle as he stepped back.
It was then.
"Society Leader, look over there."
One of Jin Ryang's aides pointed to the opposite side. Two men wearing black scholar hats were slowly riding up on horseback.
The swords at their waists marked them unmistakably as martial artists.
"Kill them if they get in the way."
"Understood."
Jin Ryang turned his gaze back to the Qin Kingdom's envoy delegation. The others didn't even spare the two black-hatted men a thought.
In the meantime, the Qin delegation drew steadily closer. Now the sound of their horses' hooves rang out clearly.
Jin Ryang drew his sword. Taking that as the signal, the others drew their weapons and assumed attack stances.
Clop clop!
The two black-hatted men had entered nearly the same range. If things continued like this, they might interfere when Jin Ryang and his group launched their assault.
Jin Ryang issued orders to his aides.
"You two—when we charge, take out those guys first."
"Understood."
Two of Jin Ryang's aides turned toward the black-hatted men.
Clop clop.
Twenty zhang, ten zhang.
"Attack."
Whoosh!
Jin Ryang leaped forward first. As the others surged after him in unison, the two aides charged at the black-hatted men.
Clang clang clang!
The Qin warriors drew their swords in unison and surrounded the carriages. At the same time, Jin Ryang's two aides closed in on the black-hatted men.
Kakang!
Kwachijik!
"Ugh!"
"Argh!"
The battle began.
Two Qin warriors fell first, spraying blood. At the same time, one Reverse Heaven Society member's head was cleaved clean off.
The general who had blocked Jin Ryang couldn't withstand a single exchange and collapsed.
"Hold your positions! Don't scatter!"
Kakang!
"Arrrgh!"
Jin Ryang was powerful.
His swordsmanship evoked the Namgung Clan's heavy sword style, brimming with overwhelming ferocity that mercilessly shattered his opponent's blade.
Kakang!
"Urk!"
Someone charged at such a Jin Ryang. It was a martial world expert disguised in ordinary warrior garb. He clashed once with Jin Ryang before separating.
Boom!
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Dust swept up by the shockwave billowed wildly.
The exchange revealed a clear superiority.
While Jin Ryang merely paused, the Qin warrior was forced back five steps, his face paling. The gap in inner power was stark.
"Ugh!"
"Arrrgh!"
The blue-robed man from the unorthodox world, to whom Jin Ryang had pledged his word, was also an expert. And those with him were swift and mighty.
The area they'd broken into was already on the verge of the defensive formation collapsing.
It was right then that the warriors who had remained still near the carriages stepped forward.
Flash!
"Guh!"
"Kek!"
Two beams of light flashed, severing two heads.
Flinch!
The blue-robed man, who had been unstoppable, hesitated for a split second and stared at the warriors.
They weren't young warriors. Their auras were sharp as honed blades.
As they joined the fray, the tide evened out once more. What put the blue-robed man on edge was that even more fighters hadn't entered the battle. They remained positioned around the carriages' four sides, silently watching.
'This... might be the wrong group to mess with.'
An ominous feeling swept over the blue-robed man.
It was right then.
"Argh!"
"Uwaaak!"
Piercing death cries erupted from the rear.
The blue-robed man's fierce gaze pierced like daggers at the sight of the two black-hatted men slaughtering his subordinates as they advanced.
'...Experts!'
The black-hatted men were merciless.
They severed arms or legs indiscriminately on anything in their path, closing in on him—as if he were their sole target.
"Stop those bastards!"
At the blue-robed man's command, several turned to block the black-hatted men.
The blue-robed man searched for Jin Ryang.
Jin Ryang was fighting at the rear of the carriages. His surroundings were already littered with Qin warriors' corpses, and another warrior's head was just flying off.
"Watch out, Society Leader!"
The blue-robed man shouted.
He had seen two of the men guarding the carriages finally move.
* * *
"Bunch of nobodies."
Bloodlust flared in one black-hatted man's eyes.
He casually smacked aside the sword aiming for his throat, then severed his opponent's neck in one motion.
Thud!
The severed head flew backward.
The other black-hatted man grinned whitely. With each kill, he let out a strange sound, baring his white teeth.
"Kekekeke."
Crunch!
"Graaaah!"
He wrenched out one Reverse Heaven Society member's neck like pulling a weed. Blood splashed, staining his black scholar hat red, but he ignored it and lightning-fast sought his next target.
Thud!
"Argh!"
"Kekekeke. Why'd you have to mess with us?"
Crunch!
* * *
Jin Ryang danced his sword with full power. At this rate, he could reach the carriages soon.
But that was a miscalculation.
Flash!
Suddenly, a beam of light arose from behind the lead warrior. It grazed the warrior's ear and flew straight at Jin Ryang's brow.
Jin Ryang reflexively twisted his waist.
The light scraped past his cheek by a hair's breadth.
Sting!
"......!"
Jin Ryang's eyes widened fully.
A warrior stepped forward from among them. Until now, he hadn't moved a muscle beside the carriage.
'...An expert!'
Jin Ryang instinctively realized it. This opponent was on a whole different level from the warriors he'd fought so far.
But Jin Ryang soon sneered coldly.
"Were you waiting for me to tire myself out?"
The opponent gave no reply. Instead, he shoved the warriors aside left and right and advanced on Jin Ryang.
Sizzle.
The qi flowing along his blade was blood-red. A phenomenon seen only in those who cultivated demonic arts.
Sizzle.
Jin Ryang's sword also emitted qi.
Until now, he had fought while properly regulating his qi, so his inner power consumption hadn't been great.
Thus, he was confident. No matter who the opponent was.
It was then.
"Society Leader!"
The blue-robed man's urgent cry struck Jin Ryang's ears.
Jin Ryang swiftly retreated and turned his gaze toward the blue-robed man.
'Those guys...'
Jin Ryang's eyes widened once more.
The black-hatted men who should have been dead by now. They were cutting down his subordinates like fallen leaves in autumn. More shocking still, the blue-robed man—second only to himself in strength—was being pushed back by one of them.
"We can't push further! We're pulling back!"
Boom!
The blue-robed man struck the black-hatted man once, then hurled himself rearward.
"......!"
His men followed after the blue-robed man.
All were men recruited at great expense. Yet their numbers had already dwindled by more than half.
Tremble...
Bewilderment shook Jin Ryang's eyes fiercely.
'This is...'
But that lasted only an instant, and his judgment was even swifter.
Fwoosh!
Jin Ryang's sword unleashed a powerful surge of energy, cleaving the air. A Qin warrior met his strike head-on without dodging.
Kwaang!
As the massive explosion and shockwave swept the surroundings, Jin Ryang leaped backward while shouting.
"Retreat!"
Jin Ryang ran with every ounce of strength. Glancing back as he fled, he was relieved to see no one pursuing.
But despair overtook him.
The subordinates who hadn't escaped in time were being mercilessly cut down by the Qin warriors and the two black-hatted men, spraying blood.
"Arrrgh!"
"Ugh!"
Drip.
Tears of blood welled from his eyes.
But he couldn't turn back.
"Uwaaaaa!"
Jin Ryang bellowed into the sky.
* * *
Crunch!
"Grgh......"
"Kekekeke, does it hurt? Of course it does."
One black-hatted man slowly twisted a Reverse Heaven Society member's neck, bringing the battle to a close.
One warrior shouted.
"Quickly, tend to the wounded!"
"Yes!"
He approached the two black-hatted men.
"My thanks for your assistance."
"Why would we help strangers we don't even know? We just killed the ones who attacked us. Go on your way."
One black-hatted man said that, then tugged the other's arm.
"Kekekeke, it hurts."
"Let's go. I'm hungry."
"Kekekeke. Yeah, let's go. I'm hungry too."
The two black-hatted men moved away from the Qin warrior. The warrior watched their retreating figures, his gaze steadying.
'Demons, those two.'
He had seen it clearly. The brutality of their hands.
They seemed to revel in the killing. Especially the eyes of the one who laughed so grotesquely—they brimmed with madness enough to chill the blood.
The warrior took a quiet breath, then approached the carriage. Just then, the window opened, and an elderly man poked his head out.
"Have the bandits retreated?"
"Yes. But we've suffered heavy casualties. At this rate, returning home will be difficult. We should head to Yeon Kingdom's imperial palace and request aid."
"Very well. Let's do that."
"Yes."
Moments later, the Qin Kingdom's envoy delegation turned toward Yeon Kingdom's imperial palace.
* * *
The two black-hatted men, thought to have left, reappeared at the gruesome scene.
"Kekekeke. What a clown."
"What?"
"If he'd stepped in from the start, fewer of his comrades would've died. Why'd he just stand there at first? Kekekeke."
"The old man in the carriage must've been more important than their lives. Escorts are always like that."
"Bullshit. Like hell they are."
"......"
"But why are we here? This is Yeon Kingdom's capital— the place our lord hates most. Kekekeke!"
"I told you not to speak carelessly."
"Huh? Oh, sorry. Kekekeke!"
"Let's go. I'm hungry."
The two black-hatted men followed the path taken by the Qin delegation's carriages.