1290 — A Sight To See Until You Are Sick Of It.(4)

Anyone would be flustered by something that suddenly happens. And no matter how calm a person is, it’s hard to make perfect judgments while flustered.

“It’s, it’s breaking through!”

“We can’t stop it, branch leader!”

“Damn it!”

Those who ran into Chung Myung were like that. Even though they knew he would come at them, the moment they met him head-on there was no way to stop their minds from going blank.

This wasn’t something solvable by effort or will. No matter how calmly a mouse tries, it can’t stop a tiger’s breath.

“Aaaaargh!”

And Chung Myung isn’t a kind-hearted tiger who spares an opponent just because they’re a mouse. He’s closer to a vicious tiger that bites into anything before thinking.

Most of the enemies crushed by that vicious tiger’s momentum panicked, staggered about, and lost their reason.

But as with everything in the world, nothing lasts forever.

As the one-sided slaughter went on, even among those forming the encirclement some began to make different judgments.

“Huk! Huk! Huk!”

Yang Po, Southern Island Sect’s second class disciple, ran with all his might.

‘I’m going to… die.’

His breath hit his chin and his head spun. His vision blurred several times.

It was strange.

No matter how hard he ran, he was the second class disciple of the prestigious Southern Island Sect. It didn’t make sense that running this much would be so exhausting. He wasn’t poisoned, nor had he wasted stamina swinging his sword endlessly.

Still, Yang Po’s stamina was rapidly draining.

‘Is it always like this?’

It felt like everything in this place was gnawing at his stamina.

The terrible death throes of the dying, the wide-open eyes of those whose bodies were horribly cut down, the unbearable stench of blood, and curses laced with malice heard from somewhere…

And above all, the pressure and fear that if he lost focus even for a moment he’d end up like those fallen figures!

Enduring all this while running proved that stamina wasn’t just a matter of the body — Yang Po’s strength rapidly hit the bottom.

‘Am I the only one like this?’

Yang Po turned his gaze to the side.

There he saw others gritting their teeth and running desperately. Each face was contorted, appearing on the brink of suffocation. They seemed to be in the same situation as him.

Yang Po bit his lip until it bled.

He couldn’t whine. This was a battlefield. If he fell back, his death might not end with just him. That’s why others were clinging to life and death as well.

‘Somehow…’

He roughly wiped the sweat pouring down his face. When he glanced down he saw an enemy corpse on the ground.

‘Ugh!’

At the sight of the blood-soaked corpse, Yang Po shut his eyes tight and leapt over it. Normally one shouldn’t step over a dead body, but there was no time for such etiquette now.

But at that moment.

The corpse that had been lying with its mouth open suddenly snapped its eyes wide. It thrust a sword like lightning into Yang Po’s lower body as he vaulted over.

Crack!

“Aah!”

Yang Po’s running body rolled over.

“Yang Po!”

“You bastard!”

Southern Island Sect’s disciples running behind Yang Po, enraged, plunged their daggers into the corpse that had stabbed him.

“Gurgle…”

The man instantly became like a porcupine and died on the spot. Those who pulled out the dagger rushed over to Yang Po.

“Yang Po!”

“Are you okay?”

“I-I’m fine…”

“The wound is deep!”

Blood gushed from his thigh, which had been completely pierced. When the sahyung suffered a major injury, the others didn’t know what to do and floundered.

Then Tang Soso darted over like an arrow and shoved aside those standing nearby.

Tadadadak!

She quickly applied pressure to Yang Po’s thigh to stop the bleeding.

“A-are you a physician…?”

Just as everyone felt inwardly relieved, she grabbed Yang Po by the collar like a thunderbolt and hauled him upright. Everyone was shocked.

“No, physician! What are you doing…”

“We have to bandage it!”

But Tang Soso completely ignored the surrounding reactions and complaints and shoved Yang Po forcefully forward.

“Run.”

Yang Po, startled, looked back at her. But Tang Soso’s face was icy cold.

“Run, or die.”

“Physician! His lower body is wounded! How can he run…”

At that moment Tang Soso’s face twisted horribly.

“So will you stay here and guard and die with him?”

Everyone fell silent.

Only then did they finally realize where they were and what situation they were trapped in.

When they looked back, those who had been following behind had already run past them forward.

“Run! If you don’t want to die!”

Tang Soso’s cold command left them behind as she charged forward.

“Damn it!”

Several bit their teeth, ran up, and put Yang Po’s arm over their shoulders.

“Everyone run! There’s no time to stand here!”

“Yes!”

“Yang Po! I know it’s hard, but you have to muster strength now.”

“Ah, understood, sahyung!”

But that was only the beginning.

The Evil Sect aren’t empty-headed scarecrows or rag dolls. In fact, they’re even craftier than the Justice faction when it comes to saving their lives and targeting enemies.

If they retreat and flee, they’ll die by Ho Ga-Myung’s hand. If even one person survives to see them flee, the news will surely reach Ho Ga-Myung.

If they stand and fight bravely, they’ll die by Chung Myung’s sword.

Unable to do either, they chose a simple path: attack only those they could handle, not the unbeatable ones.

Of course, the target became Southern Island.

“Kahaaaa!”

Kagaang!

“Ugh!”

Lee Ja-Yang’s face twisted horribly.

‘These bastards!’

They were getting more clashes. These bastards ignored Chung Myung at the front and attacked only the Southern Island.

It would be easy. You could tell people’s status just from their robes.

‘What do they take us for…!’

Lee Ja-Yang bit his lip in fury.

The pale sea-colored robe — it represented the Southern Island’s ocean. This robe was the Southern Island Sect’s symbol and his long-held pride.

But on this battlefield that robe had become a symbol of ‘weakness.’ That fact infuriated him.

“You damn bastards!”

As the agitated Lee Ja-yang swung his sword, suddenly three blades flew at him. Seeing him lose composure, the enemies ghostlike seized the gap.

Sensing the crisis, Lee Ja-Yang opened his eyes wide!

Swaek! Swaaaek!

But then, a dozen sword qi that flew from somewhere pierced through the Evil Sect attackers charging at Lee Ja-Yang like skewers.

When Lee Ja-yang turned in surprise, Jo Gul, who had glanced this way, immediately turned and dashed forward.

“Uh…”

“Ja-Yang! Are you okay?”

“I-I’m fine, sahyung!”

Lee Ja-Yang hastily answered Gwak Hwan-So and then bit his lip hard.

‘Could I have survived?’

No, he probably would have died. With his skill he couldn’t have blocked three incoming blades at once. Even if he hadn’t died, he would have had to give up some part of his body, leaving him a crippled burden with a fatal wound.

But that man nullified that chilling attack with a single casual flick of his sword. He even cut the throats of the attackers.

As if it were nothing at all.

‘Jo Gul, was it?’

He felt a vast gulf. And the one who displayed that gap wasn’t Mount Hua’s Sword Saint Chung Myung, nor Mount Hua’s Justice Sword Baek Cheon, nor even Namgung Do-Wei of the Namgung Family. It was Mount Hua’s third great disciple, Jo Gul.

Lee Ja-yang is the Southern Island’s first class disciple.

Although the Southern Island Sect’s first disciples this time are not particularly young, there is still at least a fifteen-year age gap between him and Jo Gul.

And that young Mount Hua third disciple was displaying power Lee Ja-Yang couldn’t even approach. That shook Lee Ja-Yang more than the fact he’d just stepped into the gates of hell and come back.

Still, Lee Ja-Yang was considered fairly skilled within Southern Island Sect…

‘Wait?’

He is relatively skilled in the Southern Island Sect. But even he experienced a momentary brush with death.

Moreover, where he stood, Mount Hua disciples including Chung Myung were arrayed left and right — the vanguard piercing the enemy line. It should have been the most dangerous place. But paradoxically, this spot had become the safest among the group.

Then what of the rear, where the less skilled gather? What about the back where Evil Sect scum, unable to aim at the vanguard, were doggedly charging?

Lee Ja-Yang urgently turned around for a moment.

“Aaaaaaah!”

At that moment, his ears took in the situation before his eyes. It was a familiar voice screaming a desperate cry.

“Jin Gwan!”

A scream burst from Lee Ja-Yang’s mouth.

He saw First Class Disciple Jin Gwan collapse, suffering a long sword wound from his flank to his chest.

Even though the sahyung — closer than blood brothers — was falling, no one reached out to him.

Everyone around was pouring all their effort into holding back the attackers, so no one could even turn their head when someone fell.

“BRATTTT!”

At that moment Southern Island’s sect leader Geum Yang-Baek let out a roaring cry and charged at the Evil Sect member who had cut Jin Gwan, like a guardian. The Evil Sect man’s throat was cut by Geum Yang-Baek’s strike, and he collapsed as if withered.

“Gwan!”

Geum Yang-Baek grabbed Jin Gwan’s body.

“Gwan! Are you all right?”

It was a meaningless question.

The student’s blue robe was already soaked red with the blood pouring from his body. If someone was bleeding so heavily, how could they be okay?

But what else could the worried man say?

“Cough, glug!”

With a violent cough, dark red blood gurgled from Jin Gwan’s mouth. It seemed the sword had cut through his flank and ravaged his organs.

“M-medical skill! Is there anyone who knows medicine?!”

“Th-there’s someone from Mount Hua…!”

“Bring them at once! Right now!”

“S-sect leader…”

At that moment, hearing a faint voice below, Geum Yang-Baek hurriedly looked down.

“Yes! Gwan, hold on a little longer! A physician will be here soon…”

“Co-cold…”

“Gwan! Gwan!”

Jin Gwan’s head slumped to the side with a thud.

Geum Yang-Baek’s hand trembled as he half-held Jin Gwan. Maybe it was his imagination, or maybe not, but the body of the man he held felt chillingly cold.

“Jin Gwan!”

“Aaaaaaah! You bastards!”

Since the Four Sects Alliance’s incursion it’s not the first time someone has died. But the shock of watching a disciple, a sahyung, die right before his eyes was indescribable.

Red fury began to flare in Geum Yang-Baek’s eyes. Just as he was about to let out a roaring cry.

“Aaaaargh!”

Another scream rang out in succession. Geum Yang-Baek snapped his head around.