Chapter 83: Supporting the Le'an Branch (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 83: Supporting the Le'an Branch (3)
The Iron Battle Camp.
They were one of the Eight Great Unorthodox Powers, holding immense influence in Jiangxi Province. As a major unorthodox sect, they specialized in battlefield martial arts whose power grew exponentially with their numbers.
Perhaps due to this strong military disposition, they demonstrated devastating power in large-scale pitched battles and sect wars.
Clank!
Every time the marching ranks of the Iron Battle Camp took a step, a heavy, metallic clank echoed low across the ground.
The sound came from the martial artists’ arms—specifically, from their uniquely shaped gauntlets. These gauntlets covered not only their fists but their entire forearms up to the elbow and were fitted with long, rectangular iron plates. The edges were sharpened like razors, allowing them to be used as blades in a pinch. Furthermore, bringing the plates on both arms together formed a small, effective shield.
This was the Iron Battle Camp's signature weapon: the fist-shield.
"What a pain. Those bastards never travel alone."
"They always move in groups of at least ten, don't they?"
Heo Il smiled faintly as he watched the Iron Battle Camp martial artists surge toward the right flank of the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult.
"The Sun-Moon Demonic Cult and the Iron Battle Camp. This is going to be a tough fight."
Heo Il added, glancing at Namgung Jun and Man Ye-won, who were seeing the Iron Battle Camp for the first time.
"Unlike ordinary martial artists, those bastards always stick together. Their martial arts and weapons are designed for group combat, which gives them an overwhelming advantage in battles like this."
As if his buzz was fading, Heo Il brought his gourd to his lips once more.
"Be careful. Trying to counter them with powerful offenses like the heavy sword can leave you wide open to a counterattack. Though of course, Young Master Namgung can do as he pleases."
"What's that supposed to mean? My Great Wind Sword Technique has reached grand completion. A thin sheet of iron like that is nothing to me," Man Ye-won grumbled under her breath, but Heo Il simply ignored her.
Meanwhile, the veterans of the Heavenly Sword Hall, who formed the central axis of the sword formation, kept their eyes on both the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult and the Iron Battle Camp.
"Judging by their movements, they've formed a tacit alliance."
"Are we surrounded again?"
"How do we break through?"
The last veteran's question was directed at Lee Se-ha.
Lee Se-ha watched the two forces draw closer before suddenly shouting, "Deploy the formation!"
Thud!
Triggered by Lee Se-ha's earth-shaking stomp, the Heavenly Sword Hall's Great Derivation Sword Formation began to move.
"The chances of the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult and the Iron Battle Camp executing a perfect joint attack are slim. We will carve a path through the gap between them!" Lee Se-ha's calm voice echoed across the formation.
The Great Derivation Sword Formation engaged both the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult and the Iron Battle Camp at once, favoring neither side.
"Crush them from both sides!"
"We have the overwhelming advantage in numbers! Press them slowly!"
Shouts erupted from the demonic and unorthodox factions on either side. Yet, the Great Derivation Sword Formation never faltered.
On the left, red and blue Demonic Qi writhed and tangled. On the right, dozens of fist-shields formed an iron wall.
Clang! Clang!
Screeech!
Heavy metallic clashes erupted from all directions. The sounds were similar, yet distinctly different.
While the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult, having already lost many of its masters, was being swept away helplessly, the Iron Battle Camp was at full strength. Furthermore, their exotic fist-shields, which combined the advantages of a shield and a gauntlet, easily deflected the continuous strikes of the Great Derivation Sword Formation.
Thud!
Having blocked a rotation of the formation, the Iron Battle Camp martial artists stomped the ground and unleashed a unified wave of qi.
The Iron Horse Wall-Supporting Art.
It was a battlefield martial art that every member of the Iron Battle Camp learned. Although it required at least ten people to manifest its true power, its strength grew exponentially with their numbers. There were even rumors that when deployed by two hundred martial artists, the Iron Horse Wall-Supporting Art could rival the savage charge of the Northern Jianghu.
"Crush them just like that. Advance three steps."
At the command of the leading Commander of Fifty, the martial artists advanced in unison, thrusting their fist-shields forward like a single wall.
Clank!
The unified Qi Wave of the Iron Horse Wall-Supporting Art infused the long wall of fist-shields.
The advancing Great Derivation Sword Formation faltered. The Iron Battle Camp seized upon the sword formation's brief hesitation. The pressure from their martial artists, thrusting their fist-shields forward from all sides, surged in like a raging wave.
The Iron Battle Camp intended to use the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult as an anvil, crushing the Great Derivation Sword Formation between them.
If we lose momentum now, we'll be crushed, Lee Se-ha thought, reading the flow of the battle and making an immediate decision.
"Heavy Stance!"
Namgung Jun hadn't just compensated for the flaws of the Great Derivation Sword Formation. The Great Derivation Sword Technique was a highly versatile style, capable of accommodating several different groups of swordsmen at once. It would have been a waste to limit it to simply unifying Qi Waves for power, like an ordinary sword formation.
Thus, Namgung Jun had devised several methods to better utilize the Great Derivation Sword Technique.
The Heavy Stance was one such method.
At Lee Se-ha's command, the axis and orientation of the sword formation shifted in unison. Flanking Lee Se-ha were Namgung Jun, Gong Jun-am, and other swordsmen well-versed in the heavy sword.
Centered around Lee Se-ha, the heavy sword forms of the Great Derivation Sword Technique unfolded simultaneously. These heavy sword strikes, all raining down in the same direction, were amplified by the profound principles of the sword formation.
Crash!
The formation's powerful offensive plowed through the front line, pushing back the martial artists of the Iron Battle Camp. Numerous warriors staggered from the unexpected power. Even those who barely maintained their stance were shocked to find their fist-shields dented or even crushed. It was rare to suffer such damage in a single clash.
"What?!"
"Our intel didn't say anything about the Heavenly Sword Hall having a formation like this!"
"First row, fall back!"
Even as the Iron Battle Camp faltered, the Great Derivation Sword Formation continued to shift seamlessly.
Swift Stance, Soft Stance, Illusion Stance.
Under Lee Se-ha's commands, the Great Derivation Sword Formation shifted endlessly. Confusion filled the enemies' eyes as they faced a completely different sword style with each change. Just as they began to adapt to one offensive, the formation would shift again, unleashing an entirely new style of attack. The Sun-Moon Demonic Cult and the Iron Battle Camp couldn't properly respond.
Meanwhile, the Great Derivation Sword Formation surged forward, tearing through the thick encirclement.
"Now!"
"Aim for that spot!"
A few sharp-eyed individuals from both factions tried to exploit gaps in the formation, but it was futile. Anyone who tried to target a visible opening was met with sword strikes pouring in from three different directions.
Every apparent weakness in Namgung Jun's modified Great Derivation Sword Formation was a death trap designed to lure the enemy in.
We can do this.
Assessing the battlefield, Namgung Jun felt a sense of certainty.
First the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult, and now the Iron Battle Camp. No matter how elite the Heavenly Sword Hall was, the sheer disparity in numbers made this a grueling battle. Furthermore, they were surrounded with Mount Okhwa at their backs. This battle should have been heavily stacked against them.
But the modified Great Derivation Sword Formation had turned the tide. Its seamless transitions between offense and defense, and the varied sword styles that highlighted the unique characteristics of the Great Derivation Sword Technique, made it completely different from its original version.
This was exactly what Namgung Jun had envisioned.
Thud!
"Aaargh!"
"It's a swift sword—no, a heavy sword! Dammit, angle your fist-shields!"
Even the Iron Battle Camp, once a sturdy wall, began to waver. Lee Se-ha flawlessly commanded the formation Namgung Jun had modified. The encirclement, which had sought to crush them with overwhelming numbers, was starting to crumble.
But Lee Se-ha was not satisfied. At this rate, they would easily break through, but the Heavenly Sword Hall was currently protecting the Cloud ranks of the Le'an Branch.
They needed a more decisive blow.
"Jun."
"Yes, Master."
Lee Se-ha called out softly. Her voice was quiet, easily lost amidst the screams and clashing steel of the battlefield. Yet, despite the distance, Namgung Jun heard his master's call clearly.
"There must be a leader commanding the Iron Battle Camp. Go and take his head."
Namgung Jun did not hesitate.
"It won't take long."
He slipped out of the Great Derivation Sword Formation.
Boom!
Shrouded in the sword wind of the Heavenly Wind Sword Technique, Namgung Jun charged into the Iron Battle Camp's ranks alone.
*
He commanded fifty martial artists of the Iron Battle Camp. Hence, the title: Commander of Fifty.
The middle-aged man toyed with the embroidered "Fifty" on his uniform. He had started as a mere grunt, rising through the ranks from Commander of Ten and Commander of Thirty to finally reach his current position. Though he had experienced countless battles leading his subordinates, he had never seen a sword formation move with such organic fluidity.
Moreover, the Heavenly Sword Hall's Great Derivation Sword Formation was already recorded in the Iron Battle Camp's intelligence. Perhaps because he was familiar with that information, the formation before him, behaving so differently from the reports, felt all the more alien and fierce.
"They're just getting in the way," the Commander of Fifty muttered, his gaze turning toward the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult.
It seemed the Bright Order Ranks, who were supposed to lead the cultists, were all dead. With no proper chain of command, they were just throwing their bodies into the fray, hindering the Iron Battle Camp's movements. It would have been easier if his unit were facing the Heavenly Sword Hall alone.
Our chances of victory are dwindling.
The original plan was to crush the regular members of the Heavenly Sword Hall with numbers, then for him and the Bright Order Ranks to jointly assassinate the Hall Master. But that strategy was now in tatters. This battle was now meaningless. Even if they won, their casualties would be immense.
Yet, if they let the information smuggled by the Le'an Branch fall into the hands of the Azure Heaven Association, they would not escape punishment from their superiors.
He was trapped in a dilemma.
It was in that brief moment of hesitation that the Great Derivation Sword Formation shifted once more.
Thud!
Every time the formation changed, the Iron Battle Camp martial artists tried to strike at the openings. But those openings were traps, and any martial artist who broke ranks to lunge forward lost their life.
If it were the original Great Derivation Sword Formation, we wouldn't be struggling like this. The formation has been completely transformed.
To display such flawless transitions while surrounded by two major powers was astounding. The Heavenly Sword Hall's formation used to be nothing more than a basic setup for group battles. Unlike the Gleaming Wing Hall and the Resounding Voice Hall, the Heavenly Sword Hall was composed of members who specialized in individual combat. Yet, it had completely changed.
His ranks were collapsing.
Crash!
It was the sound of the unified Qi Wave from the Iron Horse Wall-Supporting Art shattering. This was the sound of the Iron Battle Camp's formation collapsing.
Just then, a few swordsmen broke from the Great Derivation Sword Formation and lunged forward.
At me?
Sensing a presence targeting him directly, the Commander of Fifty instinctively raised his fist-shields.
"So it's you."
A voice spoke right beside him. The voice was incredibly young.
When the Commander of Fifty looked up, he met a pair of spotlessly clear eyes. But they were not merely clear. Arcs of blue lightning coiled around the pupils.
"You bastard!"
Just as the Commander of Fifty was about to swing his fists, lightning flashed from the young swordsman's waist as he twisted in midair.
It was bluer and fiercer than the lightning in his eyes.
Slash!
It happened in an instant.
The Commander of Fifty's head fell.