Chapter 546
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 546
Chapter Title: Someday I Too
Seeing Seon-gyu lurking behind him, radiating a murderous aura, Yeong Wi-sang couldn't help but smirk.
However, his desire to finish off Yu Gwi-gwang right in front of him burned just as fiercely.
"End him!"
With the command, he poured his full inner energy into his sword and launched himself forward.
Sword energy rose from his blade.
This strike held every ounce of his power without reservation.
He was determined to shatter that cumbersome shield in one blow.
The other four were doing the same, their swords blooming with energy.
Yu Gwi-gwang gritted his teeth.
He had to time his retreat perfectly.
The shield he held was the one he'd used in the Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest.
In other words, it was a shield that could block even a Dull Iron Golem's attack at least once.
Yu Gwi-gwang withdrew the inner energy he'd infused into his sword.
Instead, he channeled it all into the shield.
A haze of energy began to ripple from the shield like heat waves.
If the energy on a sword was called sword energy, then this—arising from a shield—might be dubbed shield energy.
Facing the five swords hurtling toward him from all directions, he thrust out his shield.
The shield moved with exquisite precision, covering all five angles.
Bang! Boom! Boom! Bang!
A deafening clamor echoed as the five swords clashed sequentially against the single shield.
"Ngh."
The foes had truly gone all out, forcing a groan from Yu Gwi-gwang's lips.
Blocking five strikes of such immense power had shaken his internals to the core.
The main gate of Yun Martial Hall braced his back, preventing him from being pushed further, but the gate rattled as if it might shatter.
"I'll finish you for real this time."
The first strike blocked, Yeong Wi-sang didn't pause.
He shook off his blade for a second assault.
In that instant.
Yu Gwi-gwang kicked backward at the gate's bolt, flinging the doors wide open.
He rolled away, retreating a good distance.
Five swords slammed into the spot where he'd vanished.
Clang! Clang-clang!
The blades, missing their mark, struck only the hapless ground.
"That rat bastard?"
With savage scowls, Yeong Wi-sang and the other four warriors charged through the gate into Yun Martial Hall.
A spacious training ground stretched before them.
Yu Gwi-gwang had retreated straight to its far end.
Infusing his voice with inner energy, he bellowed toward the inner quarters.
"Plan B!"
Plan A had been for Yu Hyun-gwang and the disciples with shields to focus on defense while Yu Gwi-gwang took down the black-masked thugs.
A plan devised after confirming that Black Mask Hall Leader Seon-gyu was only second-rate.
Plan B: If unforeseen variables arose or they were outnumbered, Yu Gwi-gwang would buy time while Yu Hyun-gwang led the household out of Sangnam.
In the haste of the dire situation, they took nothing unnecessary.
Only the silver needed to survive after fleeing Sangnam.
And the secret manual of family martial arts that Yu Hyun-gwang had stumbled upon deep in the hall.
It was tucked safely in Yu Gwi-gwang's wife's bosom.
At his shout, Yu Hyun-gwang bit his lip and glanced back.
"Sister-in-law. We need to go."
"Yes, understood, Young Master."
Yu Gwi-gwang's wife rose, gathering the household servants.
"M-Mommy."
Yu Seon-a stared at her mother with a face full of fear.
"It's okay. Daddy will take care of everything."
The servants emerged from the inner quarters, shielded disciples blocking their rear.
The group hurried toward a small hole in Yun Martial Hall's wall.
They couldn't rule out Black Mask Hall thugs guarding the back gate.
So they headed for the secret hole the young disciples used to sneak out.
Few in Yun Martial Hall even knew of it.
Yu Hyun-gwang had found and sealed it himself once, but reopening it was no trouble.
Yeong Wi-sang and the four warriors crossed the training ground, surging toward Yu Gwi-gwang.
Bang! Clang! Clang! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Swords and shield clashed once more.
Yu Gwi-gwang gritted his teeth.
Through the open main gate and over the nearby walls, more Black Mask Hall thugs were pouring in.
The inner gate lay at the far end of the training ground.
He had to buy as much time as possible here.
Using the traps he'd set in advance, even if just a little more.
***
Thud-thud-thud.
I kicked off lightly from the ground, stirring the wind, and arrived where the sounds of battle echoed.
Gwan Ha-kyeong and I, Pung Geon.
Before us stood the signboard for Yun Martial Hall.
Beneath it, the main gate yawned wide open.
Black-clad ruffians were shoving their way inside haphazardly.
Some scaled the walls.
"Yun Martial Hall?"
Gwan Ha-kyeong eyed the sign and turned to me.
"This is it, right?"
There couldn't be two Yun Martial Halls in Sangnam.
"This is the place!"
True to form, my actions outpaced my words.
I'd already vaulted over the wall into Yun Martial Hall.
What met my eyes was.
Black path ruffians impaled and writhing in traps.
And Yu Gwi-gwang, holding his own alone against five warriors.
'Gwi-gwang.'
The situation was too desperate for greetings.
Five first-rate experts unleashing sword energy—it was ferocious.
"Rooooaaarrrrrr!!!!!"
A lion's roar infused with inner energy exploded from my throat.
The sudden blast shook the swords of those attacking Yu Gwi-gwang to a halt.
"Ugh."
"Kuh."
"Tch."
Their internals reeled from the roar.
Forcing a swing now risked internal injuries.
The Black Mask Hall ruffians fared worse.
"Eek."
"Aaaagh!"
Some collapsed outright, faces buried in the dirt.
Though he couldn't afford to look away from his foes, Yu Gwi-gwang had to turn toward the roar's source.
If its owner was an enemy, it spelled disaster—he had to check.
Seeing who had unleashed it while charging in, Yu Gwi-gwang's jaw dropped.
It was someone he never imagined appearing here now.
Someone who absolutely shouldn't be here at this moment.
"Pung Geon?"
How shocked must he have been to mutter the name unconsciously?
"Get lost, all of you!!!"
Then came a woman's shout, laced with inner energy.
"Argh!"
"Gahk!"
"Kyaaak!"
Screams from the Black Mask Hall thugs followed.
Gwan Ha-kyeong barreled through the gate, battering the black path foes with her saber gauntlets.
With her appearance too, Yu Gwi-gwang's jaw hung slack.
How were these two here?
The scene unfolding was utterly shocking.
'What the hell...'
Yeong Wi-sang floundered amid the sudden chaos.
Yu Gwi-gwang's reaction showed these newcomers were his allies.
His eyes mixed shock with joy.
The problem was the roar-master's power level.
A lion's roar that could rattle his own inner energy...
'No way, pinnacle expert...?'
The unwelcome thought surfaced.
A pinnacle master.
Their abrupt intrusion in this situation was catastrophic.
Like a fierce tiger crashing into a pack of wolves.
I landed lightly and stood beside Yu Gwi-gwang in an instant.
His shocked expression was understandable.
This wasn't the Pung Geon he remembered.
He'd been strong, sure, but before Yu Gwi-gwang left Fierce Dragon Corps, he'd been upper first-rate at best.
Now, he exuded the unmistakable aura of a full-fledged pinnacle master.
"When did you get this strong?"
Yu Gwi-gwang murmured lowly to me.
"You're as boring as ever. In a spot like this, that's the first thing you say? No 'How'd you get here?' or 'Thanks for saving my skin'?"
I chuckled at his words.
This guy hadn't changed a bit.
The time apart wasn't that long, but still.
Considering he'd reached pinnacle realm.
"Who the hell are you?"
Yeong Wi-sang bellowed at me.
"Gak! Kyaaagh!"
Then.
A deathly scream erupted behind him.
Turning, he saw.
Seon-gyu, charging at a suddenly appeared woman with twin axes and eyes full of lechery, getting pummeled by her saber gauntlets.
The others fell in one hit, but Seon-gyu endured longer.
Her gauntlet jabbed his gut once, then slapped his cheeks back and forth.
"How dare you leer at me like that, you creep!"
Gwan Ha-kyeong's furious voice rang out.
But Seon-gyu couldn't respond.
The first slap drew a horrific scream; the second knocked him out cold.
Yeong Wi-sang looked around in stunned dismay.
Only he and his four comrades still stood.
Everyone else lay sprawled.
Including the remaining fifteen from Maehyang Gate.
Second-rate or not, how in such a short time?
Who the hell was this woman?
It defied belief.
"I asked who you are."
I demanded again.
"Maehyang Gate."
The answer came from Yu Gwi-gwang.
Yeong Wi-sang's face twisted in shock.
He'd tried to hide it, but Yu Gwi-gwang naming them precisely rattled him.
"Doesn't sound like black path scum."
I tilted my head quizzically.
"Sangnam's top orthodox sect. They've colluded with these Black Mask Hall black path bastards to swallow our hall whole."
Yu Gwi-gwang spat with fury.
I frowned.
"Same shit everywhere. Tsk-tsk."
"That's the Righteous Heaven Alliance for you."
Gwan Ha-kyeong chimed in, having approached us.
"Long time no see, Squad Leader Yu."
Her bright smile and greeting drew a smirk from Yu Gwi-gwang.
She hadn't been like this at first, but she'd adapted to Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest fast—and now she was downright slippery.
"Leave this to us and check on your family."
Though I was pinnacle too, Gwan Ha-kyeong's realm edged slightly higher.
Her senses were keener; she'd detected a group fleeing Yun Martial Hall around our arrival.
Back then, without knowing it was Yun Martial Hall, we'd assumed they were just escaping the fight.
Now, it clicked—they were Yu Gwi-gwang's family.
Yu Gwi-gwang glanced between us at her words.
"Yeah, that takes priority. Leave this to us and go. We can catch up later."
I nodded firmly.
"Thanks, both of you."
With grateful words, Yu Gwi-gwang turned toward the hole.
Once he was gone, Gwan Ha-kyeong and I shifted our gazes.
"Well then, care to dance?"
I drew my sword as I spoke.
Azure sword force coalesced on the blade.
Shing.
Azure saber force gleamed on the saber from Gwan Ha-kyeong's gauntlets.
"Ngh."
Yeong Wi-sang groaned at the sight.
Not one, but two pinnacle masters.
This wasn't in the plan.
We were utterly outmatched.
"Don't think this is over."
He shouted indignantly at us.
"Retreat."
Ordering his men, they hoisted the fifteen fallen Maehyang Gate warriors and fled Yun Martial Hall.
Abandoning the Black Mask Hall thugs without a care.
"Looks like those are Maehyang Gate guys, and these downed ones are Black Mask Hall... What now?"
Gwan Ha-kyeong answered my question.
"Trash needs tossing."
She grabbed each by the scruff and dragged them outside.
She wanted to hurl them, but that might snap their necks.
Not a huge issue, but she didn't want Yu Gwi-gwang's returning daughter seeing gore.
At a higher realm, she could've flung them to land lightly unharmed.
Suddenly, Gwan Ha-kyeong thought of Ha Mu-baek.
'Someday I too.'
In an odd moment, her ambition flared toward greater heights.