Chapter 873
Gal Cheonrip narrowed his eyes and thought.
In general, people think that a battle means fighting until one side dies, but in reality, that is not the case. If one side is overwhelmingly beaten, their ranks will collapse and what follows is a one-sided slaughter and pursuit.
Therefore, in the art of war, a major defeat is when one side loses more than 30% of its troops. This is because the side that lost 30% of its troops can no longer maintain morale.
However…
“Don’t make me laugh, you Evil Sects bastard!”
“I’m still alive!”
What the hell are these guys?
Even though countless of them have already become miserable corpses and are lying around, their fighting spirit does not disappear from their eyes. They are determined to fight to the death until the last person dies.
A person with a cut leg and a knife stuck in his stomach continues to swing their sword even as he falls to the ground, and a person with half of his throat cut desperately grabs the enemy with both struggling arms even as blood spurts out.
‘Are all Righteous Sects people like this?’
Could that be possible?
If all Righteous Sects had fought like this, the name Evil Sects wouldn’t even exist in the world. No, there is no need to go that deep. Perhaps there would not have been a situation in which the Evil Tyrant Alliance rallied on the Yangtze River.
Even the prestigious Righteous Sects negotiated with the Evil Sects out of fear of their lives, so why on earth would they risk their lives to fight here?
“It’s strange.”
But that doesn’t change anything. They are not inflicting any damage on Evil Sects’ side. At most, they’re just buying time.
“If they had run away while stalling for them, there would have been quite a few people who would have survived. What an idiot.”
Gal Cheonrip looked at the battlefield becoming increasingly worse with a blatant sneer.
Kagak!
Iron Ghost’s face distorted.
The moment he was about to smash the head of the guy in front of him, five swords flew towards him at the same time.
“Keuk!”
Iron Ghost took a step back and struck down all the flying swords. Since he has learned external art (??(外功)), he can take most swords with his body without being fatally injured, but there is no need for him to get hurt.
‘Persistent.’
The tide had turned ever since that beggar jumped in.
No, to be exact, after the name ‘Mount Hua’ came out of his mouth.
Since then, even if someone beside them screamed and died, they did not flinch and charged relentlessly.
Battle is truly strange. If one side ignores life and rushes in, it may seem like the outcome will come quickly, but it doesn’t actually happen that way. Because no one would want to give up one of his arms in exchange for beheading a weaker foe.
“Die!”
At that moment, a sword strike from a disciple of the damned Huayin Sect or something flew towards his face. Among these lunatics, those in the particular robe were especially frenzied.
“Crazy…”
Iron Ghost muttered and deflected the incoming sword with the back of his hand, then thrust his talon-like fingers into the empty chest of Huayin Sect swordsman.
Kwadeuk!
“Keuk….”
Just as he was about to grab his hand and tear off a piece of flesh, something sharp flew towards his throat.
Iron Ghost pulled out his hand like lightning and hit the flying sword.
Kwaang!
Red blood spurted like a fountain. However, even though it was clear that the inside was shaken, he did not back down at all and swung his sword again.
Kagak!
Iron Ghost’s shoulder slightly split open, revealing the red flesh beneath.
“…….”
Iron Ghost takes a step back and looks down at his shoulder, his eyes slightly distorted.
Huayin Munju Wei Lishan, who was staggering, was aiming his sword while forcibly calming his trembling legs.
A laugh escaped from Iron Ghost’s mouth. When he saw Wei Lishan’s face with cuts all over his body and bleeding, he wasn’t even angry.
“… you are dying.”
“But I’m still alive.”
“Munju-nim!”
“Munju-nim, please step back! We’ll take care of these evildoers!”
Disciples of Huayin Sect screamed, but Wei Lishan didn’t even flinch as if he didn’t hear them.
“…If you want to kill my disciples, you have to kill me first. That’s the law of Mount Hua Subsidiary Sect.”
“You’re quite arrogant. It’d be better if your sword was as strong as your mouth.”
“Just strong enough to take you down.”
“….It seems like they teach you how to talk before they teach you how to fight at Mount Hua.”
Wei Lishan smiled strangely at the sarcastic remark.
“Well, it’s not entirely wrong.”
“Huh?”
“Come, you evildoer. If my sword catches you, you won’t be able to handle even one of Mount Hua’s third-class disciples.”
“Oh, really?”
Iron Ghost rushed in and struck Wei Lishan. At that moment, Wei Lishan sharply swung his sword and struck him on the shoulder, but the sword could not penetrate even half an inch.
Instead.
Kuuuuung!
The moment Iron Ghost’s shoulder, like an enraged bull, collided with Wei Lishan’s chest, his chest caved in. Wei Lishan spewed out blood as he was thrown back.
Kung!
“Munju-nim!”
“Y- You bastard, how dare you towards Munju-nim!”
“Step back!”
Rough work poured out at Huayin Sect’s disciples who could not hold back their anger and tried to rush in. Huayin’s disciples looked at the fallen Wei Lishan with trembling eyes.
Wei Lishan struggled to get up, somehow pushing off the ground with his trembling arms. Dark blood gushed from his mouth.
“…I am still a…live.”
He raised his sword and aimed it again at Iron Ghost.
“Me… You must defeat me first, you Evil Sects bastard.”
“Hahahahat! Good! Very good!”
Iron Ghost burst into a big laugh and rushed toward the Wei Lishan.
Hwiiiing!
The sound of the spear tip cutting through the air was almost like the wailing of a ghost (???(鬼哭聲)).
A chilling wind accompanies the sharp tip of the spear as it slashes through the end of the staff and pierces Hong Dae-gwang’s chest.
Puuk!
The spearhead punctures more than halfway through his chest. And the quickly recovered spear this time dug into Hong Dae-gwang’s side.
Sogok!
His side was cut deep enough to expose the bone.
“Keuhat!”
But Hong Dae-gwang shows no signs of retreating, despite his severe injuries.
He grabs the retreating spear shaft with one hand, and swings his staff towards Revolving Spear Ghost’s jaw.
“Ho?”
Revolving Spear Ghost looks surprised as he forcefully pulls the spear back. The spear slices through Hong Dae-gwang’s hand and is withdrawn, knocking away the staff.
Tatat.
Although Hong Dae-gwang is the one injured, Revolving Spear Ghost is the one who has retreated. Revolving Spear Ghost stared at Hong Dae-gwang with a disapproving face.
‘Let’s see if you can talk like that with wind holes all over your body?’
The result is clear. Hong Dae-gwang proves that no matter how many holes are pierced through him, he can still speak the same words.
Shoulders, chest, abdomen, and legs.
Despite having nearly ten holes the size of a child’s fist in his body, Hong Dae-gwang, instead of falling down, continued to laugh at his enemy.
Even though the rags he was wearing were stained from red to black.
“Running away…. Are you… scared?”
“….. crazy bastard.”
“Huu…I don’t think you know much about… beggars. Those who have nothing are not afraid… of death.”
Hong Dae-gwang’s eyes shine a cold blue.
Looking at that scene, Revolving Spear Ghost briefly clicked his tongue.
It’s hard to finish it off properly when a weak guy rushes at you and asks you to die together. And as he took the lead and grabbed his ankles, others began to muster their courage.
Of course, their newfound courage didn’t turn the tide of battle. But things have become noticeably prickly compared to before.
“In other words….”
Revolving Spear Ghost had a bizarre smile on his lips.
“If I kill you gruesomely, their morale will drop too. So go ahead, endure it. You endured ten holes; what about twenty? Thirty?”
“…….”
“Let’s see if their expressions will be the same when you die horribly without even a drop of blood left on your body.”
His spear, imbued with a cold blue energy, shoots towards Hong Dae-gwang.
Kaang!
His swung sword bounces off against a heavy dao. The dao that bounced off his sword flew in without losing any of its momentum, grazing his neck and passing by.
He felt a terrible pain in his throat, but there was no time to check how deeply he’d been cut. It’s clear that the moment he loses his mind even a little, there will be no need to check how much his throat was cut.
‘I’m helpless.’
A trickle of blood flowed from his tightly bitten lip.
‘If only I had been stronger….’
Even as he is being pushed back by the sword of an unknown Evil Sects bastard, another life is lost.
If he had been stronger, wouldn’t he have been able to stop it? Couldn’t he have saved them? Why couldn’t he concentrate more on training? Why isn’t he strong like them?
Even if he had to join Mount Hua, he had to become strong like them. Wei So-haeng understood at this moment. A person without power cannot protect anything.
“Aaaaaargh!”
‘I’m powerless…’
Yet another fresh life is extinguished. The ground these people walked on is already stained a dark red with someone’s blood.
Whose blood could it be?
It belongs to those who vowed to protect this place with their lives. Even with their dazzling courage and spirit, they are so helpless in front of the swords of those evildoers.
Would it be different from now if he had officially entered Mount Hua and mastered the sword?
Chaeng!
His sword, which blocked the flying dao, bounced upward. The following kick squarely slammed into my chest.
Kuung!
With a shock that felt as if the world was turning upside down, Wei So-haeng was thrown out, spraying his blood.
“Somunju!”
“Damn it! Somunju!”
He fell headfirst into the ground and grabbed the dirt. The smell of blood-soaked dirt rushing into his nose was more painful than the terrible pain he felt in his chest and head.
Squirming, he managed to flip his body and struggled to raise his torso.
“Euaaaaak!”
Die.
“Akso! Akso! Euaaaaak! You damned bastaaaaaards!”
Those who struggled to survive are bleeding to death. The wide-open eyes of the fallen person, and the sorrow that remained in those eyes that he could not close even after death, seemed to pierce Wei So-haeng’s heart.
“Ah….”
Hot tears began to flow from Wei So-haeng’s eyes.
“Somunju.”
Before he knew it, Hwang Jongwi ran up to him, grabbed Wei So-haeng’s shoulder and supported him.
“Are you all right, Somunju?”
However, nothing of Hwang Jongwi’s words reached Wei So-haeng’s ears.
“Aah….”
Everyone will die. Everyone.
Those who laughed together, those who fought and got angry together. And even those who competed with each other. People who were like family and sometimes enemies will all die here today.
Holding back the rising frustration and sadness in his chest, Wei So-haeng gritted his teeth and rose to his feet.
He knows.
In any case, he is going to die.
However….
‘Chung Myung Dojang wouldn’t have cried until the moment he died.’
Wei So-haeng, whose face was wet with tears, clenched his sword hard as if to break the handle. He thought he understood now. How much he carried. How much fear he had fought through.
In We So-haeng’s eyes, holding the sword, he saw someone’s blood being sprayed into the sky. The red blood in his blurred vision looked like a blooming red plum.
He staggered as if he was about to collapse, but then forced himself to stand again. He clenched his trembling hands around the sword and bit his lip until it bled.
‘I’m…..’
Wei Lishan was struck by an enemy’s sword. The distorted face of Wei Lishan and the blood bursting from his chest.
Sogok.
With a creepy sound, a spear tip pierced Hong Dae-gwang’s shoulder. The image of swaying Hong Dae-gwang, clutching the spear, penetrated Wei So-haeng’s blurred eyes.
‘I’m…..’
“Aaaaaakh!”
Another scream echoed.
Even if he can’t stop it, he can’t just watch from behind.
“I’m the Somunju of Huayin Sect! You bastards!”
Wei So-haeng once again raised his sword and rushed forward.
“So- Somunju!”
“Somunju-nim!”
Although someone found him and dissuaded him, Wei So-haeng’s gaze was solely fixed on the Evil Sects who had stabbed his sword into the belly of Huayin Sect’s disciple.
“Euuaaaaaaa!”
He rushed forward with anger that seemed to burn in his chest and deployed his sword with all his might.
Fast and splendid swordsmanship.
The sword that was unfolded most powerfully throughout Wei So-haeng’s entire life… It collided with the opponent’s carelessly swung sword and was instantly crushed.
Chaeng!
The sword that tore through his grasp spun and soared into the sky.
‘Ah…..’
For a moment, the world seemed to slow down.
The sword, which must have been spinning quickly, seemed very slow in Wei So-haeng’s eyes.
And then.
Thanks to his outstretched arm, a dao with rough energy was clearly seen flying toward a completely open chest.
The sound of someone yelling.
The thick sweat trickled down his face.
A tremor felt in the torn grip.
And more clearly than anything else, the scent of impending death.
‘I….. wasn’t a coward.’
Wei So-haeng slowly closed his eyes, accepting with his heart the pain he felt in his chest and the death that would follow.
‘Dojang…’
Is it because he wants revenge that his grinning face comes to mind at the last moment? Or was he simply longing to see that face?
Would he be able to say he wasn’t cowardly to the very end when he met him in the afterlife?
The road to death seemed long.
He couldn’t tell if the blade of the enemy had yet to pierce his heart or whether the thoughts of the man who had already died were continuing.
It was then.
Tok.
The feeling of something touching his head quickly brought Wei So-haeng to reality.
A slightly large, warm hand.
“Well done, kiddo.”
Wei So-haeng opened his eyes.
What was in front of him was neither the sword that pierced his chest nor the person holding the sword.
It was the large back of someone wearing a black uniform.
“Uh….”
Wei So-haeng’s eyes widened, and his mouth fell open.
“Chu… Chung….”
How could he not recognize it?
That back. That person.
Wei So-haeng bit his lips. It was because he thought he would burst into tears if he said one more word.
Nevertheless, one word that he could not hold back finally escaped his lips.
“…Dojang.”
The back of the man whom he missed so much was there.