The Frontlines (2)

“Kehehehehe! You wench! You’re mine!”

“Come here, pretty one!”

Six of the Twin-Sickle Seven Fiends burst into wild laughter as they charged straight toward Tang Yeo-eun.

Then, all at once, something completely unexpected happened.

Tang Yeo-eun, who had been running at them, suddenly halted and spun around—before darting away in retreat.

For a woman who was renowned even among the Blood Demon Cultists for her unyielding spirit that never backed down, this was an unimaginable sight.

“W-what the?!”

“You wench, stop right there!”

Flustered, the Seven Fiends hurried to chase after her. As she fled and glanced back, Tang Yeo-eun gave a chilling, sinister smile.

It was such an unsettling smile that even those reckless Fiends felt something wasn’t right.

“No way…”

And then it happened.

From the dense forest, several martial artists burst forth.

Thwack!

They were all peak-level experts, their weapons blazing with brilliant Weapon Qi.

“Haaap!”

Whoosh!

The first to move, the fastest of them all, shot forward like an arrow. His sword pierced through the chest of the seventh Fiend, who had been carrying a woman on his shoulder.

Squelch!

It was the very same First Flash of the Divine Responding Wing from the Seonu Thirteen Swords—once used by Seonu Jin—but now executed at a blinding speed incomparable to his.

“Guhk!”

“Youngest brother!”

“That’s Jeomchang Sword Dragon Sa Gun-il?! It’s a trap!”

Then Tang Yeo-eun spun back, swinging her sword, and shouted.

“Stupid demonic bastards! You only realize it now?!”

Her blade, wrapped in a bright green Weapon Qi, clashed with the second Fiend, while another peak expert was facing a navy-blue blade aura—a strike spanning over a jang* in length—that was utterly beyond normal comparison.

Kwahaaang!

“Ughhh! Pu-Pung Yang?!”

The one who overwhelmed him was none other than the master of the Thirteenth Unit, the Storm Saber Rogue Pung Yang.

From the middle-aged rogue’s hand, waves of saber strikes surged forth like a raging storm.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwahhh!

“Gyaaaaah!”

The Fiend, desperately flailing his twin sickles to withstand the storm-like onslaught, looked like a small boat on the verge of sinking in a tempest.

Meanwhile, as Jeomchang Sword Dragon Sa Gun-il rescued the captive woman, three of the other Fiends were suddenly assailed by feather-light sword strikes.

A soft-faced young man with a sleepy look brushed past like a breeze, murmuring faintly.

“I was having a nice dream. You lot woke me.”

Swoosh!

“Gyaaaah!”

As he passed, the fifth Fiend spewed blood from his chest.

His chest had been shredded into a spiderweb of cuts before anyone realized it.

“Even Cheongpung Sword Dragon Han Gyoseong is here!”

He was Han Gyoseong, the Cheongpung Sword Dragon—called a prodigy among the many talents of the Cheongseong Sect, and the captain of the First Platoon of the Thirteenth Unit.

“This… this can’t be! Uaaaah!”

Finally, unable to endure, the third Fiend was cut down by the saber of Storm Saber Rogue Pungyang, while the remaining younger brothers fell one after another to Sa Gun-il and Han Gyoseong.

The second Fiend, Gu Yojil, hurled a desperate flurry of attacks at Tang Yeo-eun and then spun away in retreat.

“Brother! It’s a trap! Our brothers—!”

At that moment, the eldest, Jimak, saw the situation and his face twisted with rage.

In a single instant, all of his brothers were slain. He was so furious that he felt like he would lose his mind.

But there was no helping it.

They had to flee.

“You bastards! Just wait!”

“Where do you think you’re going?!”

Anticipating their escape, Jeomchang Sword Hawk Ma Yugyeom unleashed his sword like lightning. But it only grazed one of Jimak’s arms.

Shhhk!

“Graaaah! You damned dog!”

Screaming, Jimak staggered away into the distance.

In the end, five of the seven brothers were slaughtered. But with the first and second Fiends—both peak experts—escaping, the battle was concluded there.

From captivity, Platoon Four’s member Son Harang knelt before the body of her slain lover and wailed.

“Jeongrang! Jeongrang!”

The others stood around her, watching with grim faces.

Then, suddenly, a figure shot down like a meteor from the dense forest.

It was a young warrior, tall and broad-shouldered.

“I’m late! What happened?! Was it those Fiends again?!”

The Fourth Platoon captain, Jeomchang Sword Hawk Ma Yugyeom, immediately grabbed his collar and barked.

“Seol Pung, you bastard! Why are you only getting here now?! Did you forget that all peak experts were to gather the moment the red signal flared?!”

Seol Pung, caught by the collar, glanced toward Son Harang, who was weeping beside the corpse, and answered.

“Sorry. We were ambushed too.”

But Ma Yugyeom only spat his fury.

“So you’re saying you were too busy fighting mere Hyogwi?! If you’d been here, we could have taken at least one more of those Fiends! Maybe all of them!”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?! Is that all you can say?! Irresponsible wretch! This is why I said trash like you, with no proper lineage, should never have been made captain!”

At his verbal assault, the other platoon leaders frowned. Then, a woman landed behind Seol Pung and shouted urgently.

“Enough, Captain Ma!”

“Hmph! Na Seoyu, is it? What now? Are you going to defend your trash captain too?!”

With a steely gaze, she retorted.

“I won’t allow further insults to our captain! Platoon Seven was fighting five Hyogwi when we were ambushed by a Jwi-gwi hidden among them! We lost two comrades! Captain Seol Pung killed the Jwi-gwi and two Hyogwi himself before rushing here! Without him, half our platoon would be dead!”

Ma Yugyeom stiffened, then asked sharply.

“Did you say… Jwi-gwi?”

The Spider Ghost was a dangerous type of demonic human, just as stealthy as a Hyogwi. But unlike Hyogwi, it saw with eyes and grew stronger by draining human essence. For that reason, it was considered one of the most dangerous of them all.

The rule was to kill a Jwi-gwi the instant it appeared. Under such circumstances, it was understandable that Seol Pung had been delayed.

Ma Yugyeom gave a derisive snort and turned away.

“Hmph! So that’s what it was.”

But Na Seoyu shouted again, furious.

“Is that all?! Apologize to Captain Seol Pung right now!”

Ma Yugyeom ignored her and walked off. Seol Pung stopped Na Seoyu from shouting further.

“Leave it, vice-captain. He just lost his own men.”

“But so did we!”

“I’ll be fine. Just drop it.”

Seol Pung gave an awkward smile. Na Seoyu sighed and shook her head.

“Captain, why do you always act like such a fool once the fighting’s over?”

Even Tang Yeo-eun, the icy beauty known as the Tang Clan Sword Phoenix, added her voice.

“I agree. Seol Pung, you’re too soft. That’s why Ma Yugyeom keeps trampling all over you. Keep this up and only your platoon will suffer.”

“Ha, ha… maybe so?”

Tang Yeo-eun clicked her tongue at his frozen, awkward smile and turned away.

Captain Han Gyoseong yawned.

“Yaaawn. Anyway, let’s go back. I was only sleepy before, but now I’m starving. Oh right—Chief, didn’t you say new recruits were arriving today?”

At that, the Thirteenth Unit leader, Storm Saber Rogue Pungyang, silently nodded. True to his taciturn nature, he hadn’t spoken a single word since appearing.

Han Gyoseong nodded back knowingly.

“It’ll take ages before they can pull their weight, but at least that’s something.”

With that, he leapt away, followed by the others.

Just as Seol Pung was about to depart, Sa Gun-il caught his shoulder.

“Hm?”

Puzzled, he turned. Sa Gun-il, with his cold expression, muttered quietly.

“Let me apologize on his behalf. Sorry, Seol Pung.”

Then he leapt away first. Seol Pung chuckled softly and followed after him.

This was just another ordinary day for the Thirteenth Unit.

At the Second Headquarters of the Blood Demon Cult Front, we registered our personal details and were guided to the Thirteenth Unit by a liaison.

There had been over twenty new recruits gathered at headquarters. But of them, only three had applied for the Thirteenth Unit: myself, Lady Cheong-yeon, and a youthful, sweet-faced girl named Cheon Jueun.

I had chosen the Thirteenth Unit without much thought—remembering the Seonu Thirteen Swords from my past life. But most avoided it.

The reason was simple: the Thirteenth Unit’s overly young average age.

While we waited in the lounge for the deputy leader, Lady Cheong-yeon asked me,

“Could it be that the Thirteenth Unit is so young because all the seasoned warriors died?”

I gave a wry smile.

She was exactly right.

“It seems so. But really, the entire Flying Dragon Division has been skewing younger, so it’s not a huge difference.”

That was a lie.

The Thirteenth Unit’s average age was dramatically lower. In my past life, aside from the unit leader and deputy, there had been virtually no middle-aged warriors at all.

Lady Cheong-yeon shook her head gravely.

“That’s dire. No veterans are joining, only forcibly conscripted young disciples from sects.”

Remarkable. She could infer so much from so little.

I nodded in admiration.

“Exactly.”

At that, Cheon Jueun, who had been listening with wide eyes, asked,

“Why don’t veteran warriors volunteer?”

In my past life, she and I had been in different platoons, and she had died early, so I’d barely known her. Judging from her question now, she hadn’t been conscripted. Otherwise, she’d have known.

“Because there’s no gain. No profit, no fame.”

“Profit? Fame?”

“Everything that happens at the Front is sealed away. No matter how much merit one achieves—or how miserably one dies—it will never be known outside. Even wandering heroes who don’t care for profit avoid this place when there’s no fame or honor, only endless danger.”

“Ahhh.”

She nodded, understanding.

Just then, the lounge door opened, and in walked a middle-aged man with a goat’s beard.

It was the deputy leader of the Thirteenth Unit, the Sparrow Sword Heon Yeongbo.

Seeing him, I almost laughed aloud.

Talkative, cowardly, and pompous—yet somehow, here I was, glad to see him.

He puffed himself up and declared,

“Greetings. I am the deputy leader of the Thirteenth Unit, the Sparrow Sword Heon Yeongbo. Surely you’ve heard of me?”

He even whispered the “deputy” part, while booming the word “leader”—just as I remembered.

I smirked, ready to humor him, but Lady Cheong-yeon beat me to it, replying casually,

“No, I haven’t. Are you famous?”

His face crumpled, though he tried to control it.

“Hmph. The Front holds many great experts forgotten because of secrecy. It seems your knowledge is lacking.”

But Cheong-yeon tilted her head and asked innocently,

“Really? I thought I knew of every peak expert. Are you one?”

His face collapsed completely.

The fact that, as deputy leader, he hadn’t even reached the peak level—that had always been his deepest inferiority.

I thought about stopping her, but I was laughing too hard to intervene. This candid, unusual girl was truly remarkable.

“Ughh! Well, there’s no time. Let’s get you assigned to platoons. The captains will be waiting.”

He snatched my papers, glanced over them, and read aloud.

“Third son of the Seonu Clan, Seonu Jin. Hooh? Seonu Clan, eh?”

His gaze softened immediately.

Then he read further.

“Cheon Jueun, daughter of the Cheon family, leaders of Guiju Assassins? Wait—that’s the unorthodox path, isn’t it?”

He frowned at Cheon Jueun, who lowered her gaze, looking embarrassed.

I was surprised as well. For the daughter of a heretical assassin family to volunteer for the Front—curious indeed.

Then Heon Yeongbo’s face twisted again as he barked,

“What’s this? Name: Cheong-yeon. Sect: unknown. Parents: undisclosed?!”

That was Lady Cheong-yeon’s entry.

She had introduced herself to me as simply Cheong-yeon—saying her surname was “Cheong” and her name “Yeon.” Even when Lady Zhuge had called her “Cheong-yeon-ah,” I’d doubted it. She clearly had reasons to hide her identity.

“Yes, I am Cheong-yeon.”

She replied coolly.

Heon Yeongbo snarled.

“You don’t even know that those with uncertain identities cannot enlist at the Front?!”

I looked at him in disbelief. What an obvious lie.

Even Captain Seol Pung’s origins were unknown.

Cheong-yeon tilted her head.

“But headquarters never said that.”

Heon Yeongbo puffed himself up.

“In the Thirteenth Unit, it’s not allowed! Reveal your sect and parents, or transfer to another division!”

Her expression tightened slightly.

This had clearly blindsided her.

I sighed. Of course, the moment he opened his mouth, the reunion soured again.

I interjected.

“Lady Cheong-yeon is a friend of Lady Zhuge. She has even visited my Seonu Clan.”

He scoffed.

“Lady Zhuge? Who’s that? And what of it?”

But then his expression changed. He had remembered something.

“Yes, that’s right. Lady Zhuge Seyeul, the Celestial Sword Phoenix. Daughter of Zhuge Jigang, the strategist of the Martial Alliance. This Lady Cheong-yeon is her friend.”

His pupils dilated.

“The Ce… Celestial Sword Phoenix…?!”

“As you know, the precious jewel of the Zhuge Clan, and daughter of the Alliance’s strategist.”

His jaw dropped.

“Y-you lie! Why would such a lady be at the Front?!”

I smiled slyly.

“I don’t know. But surely, she has her reasons. Perhaps even involving the Alliance’s high elders.”

“T-t-that’s…”

And that was that.

Heon Yeongbo shut his mouth tight, and from then on treated us with exaggerated courtesy.

When he finally ushered us into a small meeting room, I sighed deeply.

There they all were—the ones I could never forget.