Kuaiji Mountain In Crisis (2)

“They’re attacking.”

As always, the Necromancer Cult followers lined up in disorder and started advancing toward the palisade of the mountain fortress. Since they had not yet come within bow range, the defenders on the mountain were not wasting arrows.

“We’re almost out of arrows now—that’s a serious problem. By tomorrow they’ll realize we’ve run out.”

“I’m curious whether they’ll still turn back in front of the palisade when that time comes.”

Nam Yeong spoke calmly, as if it were someone else’s problem. His mind was at ease because all those inside the fortress who needed to be evacuated had already been sent away.

“Hm? Something’s different today.”

Watching the Necromancer Cult followers advance, Nam Yeong saw ten-odd martial artists taking their positions behind them—men he had not seen before. Until now, such a sight had never appeared.

“So they intend to have a proper fight today.”

Nam Yeong turned to Baek Sang-cheon.

“Are you prepared to die?”

“I have always been prepared. From the moment I took a sword into my hand.”

Baek Sang-cheon answered with a grim expression.

“Even so, we can’t just die in vain, can we? Tell everyone this. Cut down as many enemies as possible, then head into the mountains.”

“Sir?”

“Who knows Kuaiji Mountain better than we do? I’m saying we should fight using the terrain. There’s nothing here in the fortress we have to protect anymore, so there’s no need to cling to this spot and fight desperately.”

“Ah, that’s true. Once we leave, this place is nothing but an empty patch of ground anyway. Then I’ll also tell them there’s no need to save arrows.”

Baek Sang-cheon spoke in an excited voice. He had resigned himself to death, but who actually wanted to die?

“Oh, and! Tell them that if they spot martial artists, they are not to fight but to avoid them. Our youngsters aren’t strong enough to face those men. I’ll handle them myself.”

“By yourself?”

Baek Sang-cheon asked anxiously.

“I’m the only one here who can deal with those people anyway.”

“I’ll go with—”

“No. Those are men I must shoulder myself. You lead the others and deal with the Necromancer Cult followers. And I trust you at least understand you must not go near U-hyeol.”

“I understand.”

U-hyeol was the natural cave where the women and children of the Kuaiji Mountain Fortress had taken refuge. If that place was discovered, the fight was as good as lost.

While Baek Sang-cheon went around giving orders to the fortress warriors, Nam Yeong steadied his heart for his first true battle in quite some time.

It had been a very long time indeed. You could say it was the first since Neung Je-gang had come to the fortress and begun taking all the dirty work upon himself.

“Time to show them why they call me a shadow.”

The people of the world did not know what kind of abilities Nam Yeong displayed in the forests and mountains.

After today, the Necromancer Cult would probably be the first to learn that.

“Fire!”

Whish-whish-whish-whish.

With word that there was no need to conserve arrows, those holding bows loosed in a frenzy at the Necromancer Cult followers who had come within range.

But even as dozens died or fell wounded, the cult followers continued to charge.

“Uwooooo!”

It was clearly a different pattern from yesterday. Before, whenever arrows were fired, they would fall back after a short while, but today they rushed toward the palisade even as they were struck.

When they came close to the palisade, the cult followers scrambled straight up it. Some of them also used the hoes and sickles they carried to cut the ropes binding the palisade together.

Arrows were no use anymore. The fortress warriors swung sabers and swords at the men clambering over the palisade.

“Aaagh!”

“Urrrk!”

Many were struck and fell back to the ground, but thanks to their overwhelming numbers, others managed to get up onto the palisade without any hindrance.

“Bring the palisade down!”

Watching the situation, Baek Sang-cheon suddenly shouted.

In that instant, the thick ropes and slanted logs supporting the palisade from the inside began to tilt. The palisade was collapsing.

It had been built that way from the start; instead of falling inward, it suddenly tilted outward.

“Aaaagh!”

Even though their minds were not their own under the Spirit-Command Mind-Seal Technique, they were not so gone that they failed to recognize the danger of a massive palisade crashing down over their heads.

“Wh-what…!”

Yeon Heung, who had not wanted to jump into the fray yet and was watching from a distance, wore a startled expression.

The collapse of the palisade was, in itself, a very welcome development. Without it, there would have been an obstacle blocking him and the Second Division members. But because of it, an enormous number of cult followers had been taken out in an instant.

“They were brought here as expendables anyway. Don’t concern yourself with them, Division Lord.”

Gam Chaek spoke calmly at his side. He paid little mind to the deaths of men.

“It’s not concern. For the cult followers, dying like that is a blessing. They won’t have to go on as puppets anymore.”

“Then why are you surprised?”

“Frankly, I didn’t expect they’d drop the palisade with their own hands. Makes me wonder if they have some other defense in place that doesn’t require a palisade.”

“That’s possible. This is, after all, the Nam Yeong our First Division Lord fears so much.”

Gam Chaek smiled faintly.

Even if the others did not know Jang Gon was afraid, Gam Chaek could read it perfectly. It was a discernment born of long years reading people as a fortune-teller.

“Do you really think the First Division Lord fears Nam Yeong?”

“Yes. From what I’ve seen, he truly does fear him. That’s why he entrusted this attack to you, Second Division Lord. For all we know, he might even be hoping we fail when we go after Nam Yeong.”

“Fail? Are you saying he hopes Nam Yeong runs away?”

“No. I’m saying he hopes we all die by Nam Yeong’s hand. That way, no one will ever know he fears Nam Yeong.”

“If that’s all he thinks about, then the First Division Lord isn’t much of a man.”

“I don’t think the First Division Lord is from the Central Plains.”

“Why?”

“As far as I know, the only times Nam Yeong has fought groups of men, his opponents have been Wokou. Naturally, that would raise suspicions.”

“You’re saying the First Division Lord is a Wokou?”

“Shh. I’m saying it’s possible.”

Gam Chaek raised a finger, signaling him to be quiet.

“The Mountain Lord doesn’t care about anyone’s origins anyway. So it’s nothing to be that shocked about.”

“True enough. But now I finally understand why the First Division Lord hasn’t been promoted up to Jieun Territory or Hyeonok Territory with that level of skill.”

“Huh?”

“Oh, it’s a thing. I’m saying the Mountain Lord doesn’t judge by loyalty alone. In any case, I don’t think we can just sit back and watch anymore.”

At Yeon Heung’s words, Gam Chaek looked over the battlefield.

With the palisade down, many cult followers had died, but now that the obstacle was gone, even more of them were pushing deep into the fortress.

“By the way, do you even know which one is Nam Yeong?”

Gam Chaek wore a troubled expression. He did not know Nam Yeong’s face.

“We just start by beating down whoever looks the most old. We’ll figure it out as we go. We’re going to kill them all anyway, aren’t we?”

“Haha! That’s what I like about you, Division Lord. Exactly right—if they’re all going to die, what does it matter who’s who? Give the order to attack.”

At Gam Chaek’s words, Yeon Heung flung his hand up and shouted.

“Attack!”

Rustle-rustle-rustle-rustle.

Whish-whish-whish-whish.

As if they’d been waiting for that, the martial artists of Hwang Dong-ryeong’s Second Division sprang forward toward the fortress, each showing off his skill. Their movements were worlds apart from those of the Necromancer Cult followers made up of ordinary people.

“They’re coming!”

Nam Yeong shouted. He had been watching only the movements of the martial artists standing behind the cult followers.

Baek Sang-cheon understood his meaning.

“Retreat!”

At his cry, the fortress warriors stopped cutting and leapt back toward the dense forest behind the stronghold.

It was where they had trained; they knew, even with their eyes closed, exactly where every tree stood. It was also the point where the deep forest of Kuaiji Mountain began.

Baek Sang-cheon led them farther in, while the Necromancer Cult followers, trying to enter the forest, turned into corpses at Nam Yeong’s hands. From the very rear, Nam Yeong was buying time for the fortress warriors to reach safety.

At that moment, Hwang Dong-ryeong’s Second Division Lord and his men sprang forward and landed at the forest edge.

“Tch, running away like cowards!”

Yeon Heung scowled. Then he glared at Gam Chaek. In his mind, it was because Gam Chaek had said there was no need to rush that Nam Yeong had been given the chance to escape.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Tch! What now? Did we lose him?”

“What do you mean… we have to catch Nam Yeong, of course. Now we finally have a pure fight left between martial artists.”

“What?”

“Leave one or two here to command the cult followers, and the rest should pursue Nam Yeong. He probably hasn’t run. He’s only changed the place where he wants to fight.”

“How can you be so sure he hasn’t run?”

“If he wanted to flee, he could have done it long ago. Why would he hold out until now?”

That was true. There had been plenty of time. If he’d meant to run, he could have done so a long time ago.

“Then we track him. If he wants to fight in the mountains, we’ll oblige him.”

If the fight moved into the mountains and forest, his subordinates would be no pushovers either.

“He went into the mountains because he’s confident there. Be careful.”

“Hm? You’re not coming?”

“I’m staying here. There’s something I have to find. Isn’t it odd? That the only ones here in the fortress were those who fled this way? Not a single woman. Even bandits normally live in their stockades with their families, and this place isn’t even a bandit lair. There must be others hiding somewhere else. I’ll search for them with the cult followers.”

Gam Chaek was not only clever; his sense for reading situations was quick as well. He had already realized that the women and children of the fortress had hidden themselves along a different route.

His sense for danger was equally sharp. Others did not know it, but the reason he bore the profession of a diviner, was that he truly could cast fortunes.

Last night, his divination had warned that his life might be in danger today. In the current situation, the only dangerous thing left was a fight with Nam Yeong. So he intended to stay behind to avoid it.

“True, there was no way this place was full of nothing but stinking men. Once you find their hiding place, report at once. Then Nam Yeong will have no choice but to show himself.”

“Understood.”

Using the Necromancer Cult followers, who were now milling about without knowing what to do, Gam Chaek first had the corpses removed.

Yeon Heung led the rest of his men and slowly advanced into the forest where Nam Yeong had vanished.

“Spread out and search for Nam Yeong. If you find him, shout.”

Yeon Heung trusted his subordinates and sent them scattering in all directions. He believed none of them were the sort who would easily fall to an ambush and die.

Charging around in a pack would only waste time. Yeon Heung planned to find Nam Yeong quickly, kill him, and then watch Jang Gon and Secret Shadow’s battle at his leisure.

“Yes, sir!”

His men scattered, faces full of confidence.