What On Earth Is This Guy? (6)

“What’s the situation?”

“It seems no battle has started yet.”

Ho Ga-Myung’s eyes flashed coldly.

There was more than enough time for a fight to have begun already.

Yet the fact nothing had happened meant they had stopped before the gorge.

And stopping meant they were hesitating, deliberating.

“…Distance?”

“At this speed they’ll arrive within moments!”

“Within moments…”

Could it be they hadn’t properly located the main force where Ho Ga-Myung stood?

‘No.’

Even if others might, Im So-Byeong would never make such a mistake.

No matter Jang Ilso may not have intended to truly capture him, Im So-Byeong nonetheless commanded the ragtag Green Forest and met them on equal footing.

If Im So-Byeong had sworn loyalty to Jang Ilso, Ho Ga-Myung would have placed him in a key post within the Four Sects Alliance by any means.

That was how exceptional Im So-Byeong’s ability was.

Someone of that caliber wouldn’t err on such a simple calculation.

Then….

“They’re going to force their way through that gorge?”

Ho Ga-Myung narrowed his eyes and fell into thought.

He couldn’t know what conclusion they had reached internally, but it was clear they were considering that route.

Is that really possible? Even leading Southern Island?

“How many of them have been lost?”

“We can’t know exactly, but Southern Island appears to have suffered losses exceeding twenty percent.”

“Twenty percent, huh.”

In military doctrine, an army that loses thirty percent or more of its forces is no longer considered an army.

Losing thirty percent shatters morale and leaves them unable to continue fighting.

Of course, you can’t apply ordinary army rules to Southern Island.

If you judge them as an army, they’re elite among elites, trained specially for decades.

Even so, leading Southern Island through the gorge after such losses would be wildly reckless.

So taking a detour would be the sensible choice… Ho Ga-Myung’s face hardened.

He hoped they would detour.

He wanted them to stay in the south a little longer.

If that happened, they could be caught before they left Guangdong.

So he had carefully modulated speed and driven them to the cliff.

With common sense they’d have already taken the detour.

But the lack of movement meant someone was insisting on heading for the gorge.

And who that someone was, was painfully obvious.

‘Who the hell is he?’

Is Mount Hua’s Sword Saint intending to force the gorge in this situation?

Through a place blocked like a wall?

“Th-that’s impossible.”

The one reporting looked aghast as he said it.

“Isn’t that place called the Falling Ghosts Gorge because even ghosts fall crossing it? No matter how great they are…”

“Heh heh heh heh.”

At that moment Gwi-Yang’s dark sneer cut in.

“You must have tremendous patience to drag those kinds of people around as your subordinates.”

The reporter’s face flushed red with shame.

Ho Ga-Myung glanced at Gwi-Yang and asked.

“You think differently, don’t you?”

“There’s no way he won’t break through.”

Gwi-Yang licked his lips.

“A narrow gorge, an impenetrable-looking defense line?”

“….”

“That’s by our standards. To him it doesn’t look that way. He’ll break through for sure.”

“Even so, must he? It will only increase losses.”

“You’re stating the obvious, commander. Do you want to test me? Or is your head too bloodless from panting?”

“How dare you be so rude to the soldier…!”

Ho Ga-Myung raised a hand slightly to restrain the indignant man.

Not because he considered Gwi-Yang’s words worth hearing, but to prevent a useful subordinate from losing his head here.

“Continue.”

“You seem to think Mount Hua’s Sword Saint has some grasp of military strategy.”

“…I won’t deny it.”

Ho Ga-Myung nodded.

Anyone who’s faced Mount Hua’s Sword Saint would admit as much.

He seems to act on instinct without thought, but on closer inspection his actions all have reasons.

He doesn’t move looking only ahead.

He can move thinking two, three, even dozens of moves ahead.

This isn’t an overestimation; it’s become the common perception of Mount Hua’s Sword Saint.

“But that’s a misconception.”

“A misconception?”

Gwi-Yang declared.

“He doesn’t know military strategy. He’s not the type to bother learning such things.”

Ho Ga-Myung frowned.

“By the same token, the Alliance Lord doesn’t know strategy either. Yet they easily toy with those who study strategy deeply. Do you know how that’s possible?”

“I don’t know.”

“It’s not knowing strategy, it’s knowing what their opponents seek.”

Ho Ga-Myung’s expression stiffened slightly.

“That’s an area best called experience, sense, or perhaps instinct. People like us say his sense is extraordinary, but those like you never leave it at that—you need a reason for defeat.”

Ho Ga-Myung gave a hollow laugh.

“So he’ll break through?”

“Yes. Because you don’t want him to. He knows that if you let the opponent pull you where they want, you may avoid immediate losses but will sink into a larger quagmire later.”

“That may well be true. But…”

Ho Ga-Myung narrowed his eyes and said decisively.

“If that’s the case, then I’ve overestimated Mount Hua’s Sword Saint.”

“Hm?”

“If you must choose between having an arm cut off or your neck, of course you choose the arm. Offering your neck to avoid the blade aimed at your arm is the act of an idiot.”

Gwi-Yang gave a bitter laugh.

“That may be true, but he’s survived by repeatedly exposing his neck like that—he’s Mount Hua’s Sword Saint. If he’d only ever taken the obvious paths, he’d at best be a rising talent from Shaanxi by now.”

He wasn’t wrong. And Ho Ga-Myung knew it.

The same applied to Jang Ilso.

If Jang Ilso had always heeded Ho Ga-Myung’s advice, he would never have become the Hegemony Lord he was now.

Mount Hua’s Sword Saint and the Hegemony Lord, both operated beyond ordinary sense.

“Then there’s only one conclusion.”

Ho Ga-Myung reached his conclusion, raised his head, and shouted.

“Increase speed! Go all out.”

“Yes!”

The speed of those running together doubled.

Gwi-Yang looked at Ho Ga-Myung in surprise.

“You’re not leaving any reserve?”

“If he truly intends to force the gorge…”

Ho Ga-Myung spat out his words.

“I’ll make that place his grave. There’s no more humiliating death for him than being buried in the Ten Thousand People Clan’s land.”

“Heh heh. That’s fine too.”

Ho Ga-Myung fell into thought with a stern face instead of replying.

‘If he truly chose to force it, this is the decisive point.’

If he breaks through this gorge, they’ll have to watch him leave Guangdong.

If that happens, the Alliance Lord will surely learn of him.

They must kill him here before that can happen.

By any means necessary.

A blue murderous intent flowed from Ho Ga-Myung’s eyes.

‘I will kill you here for certain, Mount Hua’s Sword Saint.’

---

“Hoo.”

Namgung Do-Wei took a deep breath and steadied himself.

‘Feels like I’m going to vomit.’

Just looking made his stomach churn.

Anyone with any battle experience would know how dangerous that terrain was.

The gorge was barely wide enough for three people to stand shoulder to shoulder.

A single sideways cut could reach an opponent right across.

It’s too wide to go alone, too narrow to go in pairs.

And about fifty men were camped before that gorge.

Their eyes were all fierce; they were no pushovers.

Namgung Do-Wei had to run in there on his own feet.

Relying only on his sword.

‘It’s madness.’

His stomach churned, yet snorts of laughter kept escaping his mouth.

Watching Mount Hua commit madness filled him with incredulity, but he secretly admired it.

Perhaps that admiration was part of why Namgung Do-Wei stood here now.

He wanted to be like them.

But facing the need to actually do as they did, he realized something.

How much pressure and internal struggle they had overcome in committing those mad acts.

‘If you succeed, you’re a hero.’

Namgung Do-Wei gripped his beloved sword tightly.

‘If you fail, are you an unparalleled idiot?’

Another snort escaped him.

Mount Hua rescuing the Namgung Family from Plum Blossom Island was nothing short of heroic.

But what if, while advancing on Plum Blossom Island, they had been crushed under the Four Sects Alliance’s blades?

They would have become a laughingstock.

The whole world would have laughed at Mount Hua and spat on their graves.

One might question whether people would really mock those who gave their lives for the cause.

But people don’t praise failed schemes.

They simply click their tongues and condemn them as fools.

Namgung Do-Wei was no different. If he failed to break them through here and died, he’d be judged the worst head in Namgung Family history.

He might be reviled for generations as the fool who ruined the family’s revival with his own hands.

‘I’m not quite sane myself.’

He felt something boiling up in his gut.

I can guarantee that the old Namgung Do-Wei would never have stepped forward in this situation.

Burdened by protecting the family he’d have turned and fled, or run to Namgung Hwang in confusion.

But now Namgung Do-Wei stood here of his own will.

Isn’t that alone a form of moving forward?

Even if his hands trembled with nerves, he was still standing here.

‘Did my father feel this way too?’

Perhaps only now did he stand at the same beginning point where Namgung Hwang once headed to Plum Blossom Island.

Then Chung Myung’s voice came from beside him.

“Prepared?”

Namgung Do-Wei was a bit slow to realize the question was directed at him.

He realized everyone else’s gaze was fixed on him as well.

‘How should I answer?’

He could put on a show of bravado.

He could speak calmly, or declare a desperate resolve.

But Namgung Do-Wei’s choice was none of those.

“…I’m scared to death.”

Everyone blinked in astonishment at that line.

Only Chung Myung smiled broadly as if very pleased with the answer.

“That’s all I needed.”

Chung Myung nodded and turned his gaze to Baek Cheon.

“Sasuk.”

“Yes.”

“This one is useful.”

“He was useful to begin with.”

“…Sasuk. That sounded a bit off—better to say he was a good man from the start.”

“Oh, really?”

“…Let’s pick one of the two. Just one of the two.”

At Yoon Jong’s remark, Baek Cheon sighed deeply and looked to Namgung Do-Wei.

“Young Master of the small house. Then…”

“Yes!”

Namgung Do-Wei nodded firmly and said.

“I’ll take point.”

A gentle smile touched Baek Cheon’s lips.

“Don’t overdo it.”

“…”

“There are plenty who want to stand at the vanguard.”

Jo Gul snorted immediately, and Yu Yiseol’s shoulders twitched.

Even Hae Yeon quietly thrust his head forward.

Namgung Do-Wei said firmly.

“The vanguard is mine. I won’t yield it.”

Baek Cheon sighed deeply.

‘They’re really all idiots.’

Baek Cheon glanced at Namgung Do-Wei briefly, then nodded.

“Understood. Then make it decisive.”

“Yes!”

Baek Cheon scanned everyone—some burned with fighting spirit, others trembled with fear.

But whatever they felt now, there was only one thing to do.

Baek Cheon’s steady gaze turned to the gorge beyond the brush.

“Let’s go!”

“Taaaah!”

No sooner had the words fallen than Namgung Do-Wei drew his sword and ran forward.

The others, not to be outdone, yelled and charged at the enemy.

“Haaaah!”

At the sudden onslaught of shouts and yells, the Four Sects Alliance’s warriors who were encamped all looked up at once.

“They’re coming!”

“It’s them! Hold your positions!”

“They’re digging in and coming through!”

They weren’t just passively holding their ground without preparation.

They’d listened until tired of how the enemies fought and had already prepared countermeasures.

“Shields!”

Thud! Kwoong! Kwoong!

From behind the large wooden palisade, they lifted up the shields they’d laid beside them.

They were shields made from solid, thick, heavy iron.

They were so huge that ordinary soldiers couldn’t even lift them, let alone hold formation with them while many charged.

Those shields were driven into the ground together and held firm.

It was impossible to stop Mount Hua’s Sword Saint with sheer technique alone.

But even Mount Hua’s Sword Saint would find it hard to pierce those thick shields!

“Spears!”

Behind the shield-bearers, those who wielded spears as their pet weapons crouched and took positions.

The moment Mount Hua’s Sword Saint’s blade was halted, the spears’ sharp points would unerringly pierce his body.

But, unfortunately, it wasn’t Mount Hua’s Sword Saint Chung Myung who charged that solid formation.

“Haaaaaaap!”

With a roar that seemed like eardrums would burst, a blinding white radiance surged up in an instant.

The dazzling light hurled itself straight onto the firmly planted shields.

“W-what…?”

The shield-bearers widened their eyes.

Kwaaaang!

A tremendous explosion sounded as if a meteor had struck.

People and shields were flung into the air together.

Namgung Do-Wei, who had shattered a section of the enemy’s line with a single stroke, thrust off the ground and shouted.

“Anyone who blocks me dies! I am Namgung Do-Wei of the Namgung Family!”

It was a voice that, whether or not it reached the Yangtze river, surely felt like it could reach the heavens.