Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Fwish!

BOOM!

A bow was always an excellent weapon for ambush.

Cheon Gangwol thought so while watching the arrow fly.

Especially because he had experienced it personally.

Until the first arrow struck an ally, no one could even know with certainty that someone was aiming at them.

But after that...

“Enemy attack! The arrow came from the northeast!”

Once the direction was exposed, things became more troublesome for the archer.

That was why other people had to move at that moment.

Cheon Gangwol had never imagined that this time, he would be one of them.

He tightened his grip on his sword and charged straight into Bijo’s base.

“I’m going in! I’ll take Bijo! If you slow me down, I’ll cut you down first!”

“Yes, yes. Good luck!”

“Please work hard!”

“We’ll handle the rear!”

Once Cheon Gangwol charged from the center, Cheon Sowol’s people moved immediately.

The movements looked familiar.

The twins moved first, just as they had when attacking Cheon Gangwol’s base.

“We’re breaking through! A-ja-ja-ja!”

“Coming through! Da-da-da-da-da!”

Thud thud thud thud!

BOOM!

Their shields had iron in the center, wood surrounding it, and another iron rim around the edges.

They slammed into the enemy and forced a path open.

One enemy had already fallen to Myeonghwa’s first arrow.

Seven remained.

Bijo stood at the very rear guarding the flag.

Cheon Gangwol ran straight through the path the twins created.

He had never imagined himself charging through an opening made by Cheon Sowol’s people.

“Where do you think you’re going?!”

“Not happening!”

He heard familiar lines.

Two martial artists guarding the route to Bijo attacked him with their swords.

Cheon Gangwol did not even look at them.

There were others to answer those attacks.

CLANG!

BAM!

“Go. We’ll handle this.”

“Third Young Master ordered us to open the path.”

Ma Cheonho and Na-gak arrived at the perfect moment.

They violently knocked away the swords that had been descending toward Cheon Gangwol.

Cheon Gangwol gave them only a brief glance and kept moving.

Another martial artist still stood in his path.

But...

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Clang! Clang! Clang!

“What?!”

A rapid series of arrows immediately forced that man to defend.

Cheon Gangwol passed right by him, but the man could not attack.

The arrows clearly came from the northeast.

But he could not locate the exact shooter.

Every moment was spent desperately knocking aside arrows carrying internal energy.

They trained this.

Seeing the movement overlap so perfectly, Cheon Gangwol’s previous defeat replayed in his mind like a painting.

Everyone knew their exact role.

They knew where to move.

Every movement linked perfectly with the next.

This was not something created in a few days.

There had to be careful planning first.

Then relentless practice.

And Cheon Sowol...

Did all that?

In only one month?

Cheon Gangwol closed his eyes for a moment even while running.

The wound left by his defeat was beginning to heal.

Not because he had found an excuse.

But because he had finally identified the true reason for losing.

Cheon Sowol’s group had become this coordinated because Cheon Sowol personally organized everything.

For a brief moment, Cheon Gangwol had wondered whether he had lost because his own group members were weak.

Now he criticized himself for ever thinking that.

“Damn it! Is this Cheon Sowol’s group or Cheon Gangwol’s group?!”

After a few more steps, a familiar voice appeared.

Bijo.

The Japanese-looking man with his long hair tied behind him.

No point wasting time.

Cheon Gangwol decided to use full force immediately.

He drew his sword and charged.

Moon Spirit Blazing Flame Divine Art filled the blade with intense heat.

Fwoosh!

His sword swept through the air.

THUD!

Bijo raised his sheathed Japanese saber and blocked.

Despite the sudden attack, he remained composed.

He was pushed backward slightly, but suffered no serious damage.

Their eyes met over the crossed weapons.

“Cheon Gangwol...? So it was you? When did you absorb Cheon Sowol’s group?”

“...Don’t ask. It hurts.”

“What?”

“Sorry, but I need somewhere to vent my anger!”

“What kind of nonsense is that?!”

Rattle!

Whoosh!

Bijo twisted his scabbard and forcefully knocked Cheon Gangwol’s sword aside.

Then he drew his blade.

The empty scabbard flew toward Cheon Gangwol’s face.

Cheon Gangwol leaned aside.

Then...

Fwish!

The freshly drawn blade cut a cold arc toward his throat.

Bijo had already rotated halfway around.

The blade completed a perfect crescent.

Because Cheon Gangwol had leaned aside to avoid the scabbard, his throat was actually closer to the sword.

“Damn!”

Cheon Gangwol pushed internal energy into his feet and barely escaped.

The sword-drawing art of Pungwha Island was famous.

Clearly, the rumors were not exaggerated.

A thin wound appeared across Cheon Gangwol’s neck.

It was shallow.

But it stung badly.

Mostly because he had nearly been tricked by another strange technique.

“You and my brother are both full of bizarre techniques...”

“What are you talking about? Ah. I see. So Cheon Sowol wasn’t the one who got swallowed. You were?”

“No more talking!”

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The truth always hurt.

Bijo’s words struck too accurately, so Cheon Gangwol answered with his sword.

Flaming sword energy repeatedly smashed against Bijo’s blade.

Bijo twisted his sword again and again to block.

Once Cheon Gangwol’s offensive weakened slightly...

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Bijo immediately counterattacked.

His sword carried strength comparable to Cheon Gangwol’s own powerful style.

“Powerful swordsmanship isn’t something only you possess. I’ll show you the true strength of the Azure Sea Divine Wave Style.”

“Shut up. You only need to burn to death.”

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Rustle rustle rustle.

When Bijo continued blocking his attacks, Cheon Gangwol began changing his footwork.

Moon Spirit Guiding Flame Steps spread his movements around the battlefield like fire.

Flaming sword energy burst from different angles.

The red sword aura divided into multiple streams and stabbed forward like spears.

Swish swish swish!

Slice!

Bijo answered with a wide-range technique from the Divine Wave Style, Heaven-Sea Slash.

But he could not block everything.

Where the sword energy grazed his arm, the smell of cooked flesh rose.

Even a light touch could burn the body.

At this rate...

He would finish this.

Seeing Bijo’s burned arm, Cheon Gangwol increased the heat in his sword.

Victory seemed close.

Then Bijo poured energy into his blade.

Blue sword aura covered it.

“If you think you can burn the sea, then try.”

“I don’t see why I can’t.”

CLANG!

BOOOOM!

The two attacked with everything they had.

Continuous sword strikes filled the space between them.

“Let’s see. I wonder how everyone’s doing.”

On one side of the forest, metallic clashes rang against the cliffs of Ammajeong.

On the opposite side, the scenery was so peaceful it almost looked like a leisurely outing.

And naturally, I stood at the center of that peaceful painting.

I walked along a mountain path while dragging a long rope.

Behind me came Cheon Gangwol’s group members, all tied together in a line like fish on a string.

Their faces looked miserable.

I had sealed their mute acupoints beforehand, so none could complain.

“Let’s see. This should be high enough. You guys sit over there. Unless you’d rather be knocked unconscious?”

Shake shake shake.

We reached a moderately high hill.

From here, I could clearly see the battle between Bijo’s group and my people.

I claimed the best seat.

As always, watching a fight was extremely entertaining.

“Oh. They already started.”

I had told Gangwol I would wait at the base.

But how could I resist watching something this interesting?

So I chose another option.

Bring everyone with me.

I had dragged all fifteen hostages here.

Fortunately, the traditional slave-transport method was very efficient.

We had arrived without being late.

Looking at the battlefield, seven enemies including Bijo were still standing.

Bijo’s group originally had eight.

The situation was obvious.

One had already gone down.

Probably Myeonghwa’s arrow.

I could practically reconstruct what had happened before we arrived.

Next, I saw Jintae and Jinsu blocking a constant stream of enemy attacks.

They were fighting three of the seven enemies at once.

As expected, my kids followed orders well.

The goal I had given them was not elimination.

It was endurance.

When it came to holding ground, Jintae and Jinsu could survive longer and defend better than almost anyone.

Their role was that of breachers.

A breacher opened an entrance and absorbed the first wave of resistance.

The twins were living up to my expectations.

Despite facing three elite trainees from Bijo’s group, they were holding beautifully.

Clang! Clack! Clang!

“Damn it! There’s no opening!”

“Break away and help the others!”

“Where do you think you’re going?! You stay here!”

“You stay!”

Clang! Clang! Clang!

They did not merely defend.

They also stopped any of the three from moving elsewhere.

Show them your back, and a sword or saber immediately attacked.

Face them, and a wall of shields stopped you.

It was a nightmare for their opponents.

They could not defeat the twins.

They could not get past them.

And the twins’ stamina was absurd.

Of course. Who do you think trained them?

They only had to endure.

Until someone came to help.

And the people who would eventually come were probably one of those two.

I moved my gaze toward another battlefield.

Beyond the breachers were the point men.

A point man entered first after an opening was made and dealt direct damage to the enemy.

“Haaaaah!”

Bam! Bam! Bam!

My eyes landed on Na-gak.

He advanced while guarding his head with both arms.

He was fighting an unarmed Japanese martial artist from Pungwha Island.

That man also had excellent kicking techniques.

He attacked Na-gak with orthodox kicks and hand strikes.

Na-gak simply blocked with his body and kept walking forward.

The other man’s face had already gone pale.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

“Stop! Stop coming! Stop!”

Soon...

I would hear a nice cracking sound.

CRACK!

Right on time.

A heavy kick struck the man’s leg.

His expression collapsed.

How many times had they already repeated this exchange?

Watching the horrified man made me laugh.

Our first point man was quite strong.

Next, I looked toward Ma Cheonho.

He was fighting a man using a long saber.

A spear user would have been more convenient.

Still, this was fine.

He had spent the entire month practicing against different weapons.

The long saber was a weapon capable of both offense and defense.

Exactly the sort of thing he had practiced against while fighting the twins.

Now that training would show its value.

Swish swish swish!

“Haaaah!”

Thrust!

Whenever the enemy attacked, Ma Cheonho immediately stabbed into openings.

Whenever the enemy changed to defense, he withdrew just as quickly.

The long-saber user had no idea what to do.

How could every movement be read?

Confusion filled his face.

Even his grip was weakening.

Myeonghwa...

She was moving through the forest using Flying Heaven Traverse while continuously firing arrows.

It was not indiscriminate shooting.

Every single arrow was fired at exactly the right moment.

Each one interrupted an enemy movement or created an opening.

It was the classic role of a marksman.

Swish! Clang! Swish! Clang!

“Damn it! Come out! Come fight me properly! Or leave me alone! Are you a mosquito?!”

Fwish! CLANG!

After draining her target’s stamina like this, she would finish him with the narrow saber or her kicking arts.

Her fighting method strongly resembled that of a modern sniper.

That goal would probably be achieved soon.

The enemy deflecting her arrows was already running low on energy.

“They’ve grown well.”

Training rookies really was rewarding.

A month ago, our overall force would have been considered inferior.

Seeing them overcome that difference made it impossible not to smile.

We were no longer merely “small in number.”

We had become a true small elite unit.

And I had personally trained them into modern-style specialist roles.

Of course...

They still needed much more growth.

Being strong only within Ammajeong was not enough.

Ammajeong was merely our starting point.

My pleased gaze gradually became colder as it moved to the final person.

Cheon Gangwol.

He was fighting Bijo as ordered.

If we used modern terminology, he was the spearhead.

The spearhead was the penetration unit.

Its job was to hit the most important point of the operation.

Naturally, what I had expected was exactly what I saw.

What entered my narrowed eyes was...

“Damn it...”

Cheon Gangwol was holding one shoulder.

Blood dripped from it.