Episode 369

The distance between the pursuer and the pursued continues to change.

Just when it seems caught, it slips from its grasp, and when it seems out of reach, an arrow is shot, inciting fury.

Sama Do did not know where he was headed now.

His eyes only saw the back of Dae Gung, and his mind was filled with the desire to kill him.

However, Kyeong Tae-jin, who was following Sama Do, couldn’t hide his puzzlement.

Simply chasing was no different from walking while staring at the ground.

He couldn’t even figure out where they were going, merely being dragged along…

At the same time, he realized something strange.

The path the enemy was taking.

Though the direction was alternated left and right, the enemy’s route was clearly drawing a circle.

Moreover, the enemy’s position was always in a place where he could roughly gauge the movements of the pursuing Shadow Swords.

The Captain is now falling for the enemy’s trick, losing his reason to anger.

That’s why he couldn’t see it, this strange path they were on now.

“Woo Tae!”

“…?”

Shadow Sword Number Two, Woo Tae glanced sideways at Kyeong Tae-jin, who had increased his speed to approach him.

“The Deputy’s words were right. The enemy is luring us.”

“……”

“Just a moment ago, he turned to the left, so next, he’ll definitely go to the right.”

At Kyeong Tae-jin’s words, Woo Tae nodded.

“I’ll go ahead and block him. You keep following the Captain.”

“Understood.”

With Woo Tae’s response, Kyeong Tae-jin slowed down.

He chose only ten.

If he took all the squad members under his command, the enemy might notice.

He had to hide as if falling behind, to catch the enemy by surprise at an unanticipated moment.

“Run and hide yourselves in the surrounding terrain!”

Taking advantage of the distance that had opened up with Dae Gung, the martial artists who had fallen behind concealed themselves at Kyeong Tae-jin’s command.

One hundred and fifty against ten. They would never notice.

Kyeong Tae-jin waited for the rear to move away before changing direction and running.

He moves like an arrow, with quick footwork, but it’s a roundabout path.

The direction they chose is a shortcut along the inside boundary of the circle he drew.

Catch him before he reaches the intended trap.

Dae Gung was doing his utmost.

The Hidden Troop’s footwork splits a penny’s worth of power to run a thousand miles.

However, he had to pour more internal qi than necessary for the sole purpose of running.

Meanwhile, keeping an eye on the enemy’s movements was gradually taking a toll on his body.

Stimulating them and fleeing for half a day now.

His internal qi was running dry, and his speed gradually slowed until the murderous intent emanating from Sama Do was chillingly close to the back of his head.

If he continued like this, he would inevitably be caught. He had to muster a bit more strength.

He couldn’t repeat the same mistake as in Second Grotto-heaven and become a burden to everyone.

The hundred warriors of Third Grotto-heaven, whom he had rescued from the enemy’s assault team, and the warriors Hwang Shin had selected and brought along.

Even if he wasn’t sure, if they had arrived, they would be waiting for him in the trap they had set up.

He couldn’t let the enemy, whom he had barely lured, stop.

It was almost time. Soon the forest would end, and the canyon where the trap was prepared would appear.

From now on, he had no choice but to take a life-threatening gamble. He poured all his remaining energy into running in a straight line.

Shuaak!

The sword of Sama Do sliced through his hair as he quickly caught up.

Dae Gung felt the fine hairs on his body stand on end as he used all his strength to widen the distance.

Whoosh!

Dae Gung’s figure shot forward like an arrow, reaching the edge of the forest in an instant.

Finally, the canyon appeared in the distance between the branches. All he had to do was lure them into the high ground, and it would be over.

What did it matter if his dantian was damaged and his muscles torn from recklessly using his inner qi to sprint?

Even if he were to die in there, those who would support him from behind were waiting.

The entrance to the canyon was approaching.

Dae Gung quickly nocked an arrow on his iron bow and shot it into the air to signal his allies.

Then he gritted his teeth and slammed the last of his energy into the Yongquan point, just as he was about to break into the open field beyond the edge of the forest…

Ssssst!

The sight of the forest shaking to the left front as branches were pushed aside caught his eye.

“…?”

Before the curiosity could fade, a dark shadow burst through the forest, swinging a harsh, dark sword horizontally.

Because he had accelerated, it seemed as if he had voluntarily thrown himself into the sword strike.

There was no way to avoid it.

Dae Gung quickly cut the string of his steel bow.

Ting!

As the steel bow, which had been bent to the limit, straightened, the sword strike cleaved over it.

Taaang!

With a metallic sound, Dae Gung, who had emerged from the edge of the forest, was roughly slammed into the ground of the open field and rolled.

“Ugh!”

The impact was severe.

A sharp rock pierced through his back, and congested blood surged up his throat, but Dae Gung did not stop.

As he rolled and regained his posture, Kyeong Tae-jin and his subordinates quickly followed behind him, rushing towards the canyon.

“Catch him! We must not miss this opportunity!”

Damn it… Did they predict the route and cut through it?

Dae Gung glanced at their approaching figures and urgently assessed the distance to the canyon.

Approximately one thousand feet.

He must get inside the canyon no matter what.

If he were caught, not only would the trap become useless, but the lures he had laid would end up revealing the allies’ positions instead.

Due to losing speed while rolling on the ground from Kyeong Tae-jin’s attack, Sama Do’s rough approach was visible.

He must run.

His own life and death were a problem for later. He had to drive them into the canyon.

His knees, burdened with accumulated fatigue, throbbed, and his muscles screamed as if they were tearing apart.

Now the remaining distance was just over a hundred feet, the entrance of the canyon.

Swoosh! Slash!

As he entered the entrance, a searing pain struck his back, and Dae Gung fell forward, crashing down.

The wound was deep.

He could tell by the damp feeling without even seeing it.

Still, he had no choice but to move.

Somehow…as long as he had the strength to take a step, he had to keep moving.

Dae Gung relied on the iron rod, which had exhausted its life as a bow, to replace his limping leg as he ran toward the canyon.

“Huff, huff… Such a tenacious bastard.”

Thud!

The moment he crossed the boundary of the canyon, Kyeong Tae-jin caught up to him and kicked him in the back with the same stride he approached.

The bow fell helplessly to the ground, and with weary eyes, he looked around, then soon wore a bright smile.

It’s done. Now he’s inside the canyon.

Barely supporting himself with the iron rod, he looked at the entrance of the canyon.

Behind Kyeong Tae-jin, Sama Do and the Shadow Swords quickly followed.

“This bastard is mocking us?”

“……”

To Kyeong Tae-jin’s words, he didn’t respond, only deepening his smile.

His role was over.

Now, he could die peacefully and meet those who went ahead.

‘Damn, why is this mission so exhausting?’

Having achieved his goal, the tension released, and he couldn’t control his staggering body, collapsing down.

’Come on, kill me now.

‘I don’t even have the strength to move, you bastards.’

“You damned bastard!”

Even while facing death, Dae Gung laughed slyly, causing Kyeong Tae-jin to raise his sword in a fit of rage.

He would cut him down in one swift stroke.

He would hold him accountable for mocking them by severing his head with a single strike.

Kyeong Tae-jin’s sword drew a chilling diagonal line.

“…!”

At that moment, something surged up from beside Dae Gung.

What is this? Was there an infiltrator?

Startled, Kyeong Tae-jin quickly pulled back his swinging sword to defend himself.

Kaaang!

A dagger that deflected his sword with a fierce impact.

And then, like a flash of lightning aimed at his now exposed chest… An awl?

Pook! Pupuk!

“…!”

Damn it…were there two of them?

Caught off guard by an unexpected attack, Kyeong Tae-jin staggered, clutching his neck with a look of disbelief.

Bright red blood gushed out between his fingers.

His neck had been pierced.

“Tweh. What kind of bastard dares to call someone a damned bastard? I should have torn that damn mouth of his right up to his ears instead of stabbing his throat.”

“……”

The one who pierced his throat was a refined-looking kid.

After completing the attack, he stepped back, licking the blood off the awl with a cold smile.

And in his fading vision, the man who had launched the first attack appeared faintly.

Damn it…so futile…

Kyeong Tae-jin staggered and stumbled backward, collapsing to the ground, blood from his pierced throat soaking the ground.

“……”

Sama Do, who followed him in, took in the scene of Kyeong Tae-jin falling from the ambusher’s attack, and coldly surveyed the sides of the canyon.

If the ambusher was hiding in the place they chased to, the canyon was definitely a trap.

Indeed, those who had been lying flat on their stomachs to avoid detection began to rise one by one, densely filling the top of the canyon.

Damn it.

Sama Do gritted his teeth briefly as he glared at Dae Gung who was being supported by Hwang Shin.

“Did you lure us here just to trap us in such a petty snare?”

“……”

“But you have underestimated the Shadow Swords led by me, Sama Do. Did you think you could threaten us with mere traps?”

The ferocious qi emanating from Sama Do began to steadily accumulate on his sword.

“Woo Tae!”

Without turning around, Sama Do shouted, and Woo Tae yelled loudly enough to make the canyon resound.

“Shadow Swords! Reorganize the formation and prepare for the enemy’s attack!”

At Woo Tae’s shout, the warriors of the Shadow Swords split left and right, standing back-to-back with cold expressions.

Even though Kyeong Tae-jin had perished right before their eyes, they remained unfazed.

“Fine, I’ll kill you bastards first. Then I’ll annihilate those on the cliff as well.”

“……”

The response came from atop the cliff.

“Who gave you the right to decide their death?”

A sharp voice.

A woman with a stubborn expression leapt down into the canyon as if flying.

“Spectral Shadow Demon Hand Neung Seo-hyun?”

There was no way Sama Do, who had lived in the shadow of the Demonic Cult alongside the Second Palace Lord Noh Guk-tae, would not recognize her, the twelfth-ranked in the Cult.

Moreover, following her down from the cliff were several figures.

An old man, with a plump build, appearing to tumble like a ball, the Puppet, and the Dark Spirit Lord, Il-hwan, wielding a gently-curved blade.

On the way, Gak Chul and Gwae Chung, holding the femur of a Tianshan Snow Hare handed by Woo Yang-jin.

Jumping down from different directions, they positioned themselves as if to surround the Shadow Swords.

“Heh, this is just absurd.”

Sama Do found it hard to suppress the laughter that burst out helplessly.

Do these guys not understand the concept of a trap?

Even if he doesn’t know the others, he knows the faces of Neung Seo-hyun and the Puppet. The rest must be renowned masters in their own right.

But what are they thinking, with the heads of their factions leading the charge into the trap?

Isn’t this akin to openly asking to be killed?

And not by anyone else, but by him.

“Madmen… Neung Seo-hyun and the Puppet? Mere brats who just reached Star Qi dare to face me, Sama Do.”

Sama Do bit into a cold smile as he raised his ink-black sword.

“I am Shadow Sword Sama Do. The Grim Reaper of the Battlefield…”

“That damn mouth, talks too damn much.”

“……”

A voice cut in abruptly.

‘Who is it this time, another damned brat?’

Sama Do frowned and swiftly turned his head.

The entrance of the canyon.

Four men were entering.

“What’s with this Sama Do whatever whatever. What’s so great about that name that you keep yapping about it every time? It’s irritating.”

“……”

At the mocking tone, Sama Do’s eyes sharpened.

Black hats… Shadow Sword attire?

What on earth is this situation?

And the moment he appeared, the masters who had surrounded the Shadow Swords nodded their heads slightly in respect.

“Move aside, you pesky bastards.”

While Sama Do was caught in confusion, Jinmu glared at the Shadow Swords blocking his path.

However, the proud Shadow Swords of Sama Do’s retinue not only refused to step aside but also raised their swords, adopting a threatening stance…

Jinmu’s brows furrowed into a frown and he let out a deep sigh.

These damn fools.

At the end of his sigh, a murderous aura surged like a storm, enveloping the surroundings, and his pitch-black eyes emitted a chilling light.

I, Sama Do… Damn it, his speech pattern has crept into my thoughts.

I won’t say it twice.

Anyone who wants to die from the start, keep blocking the way.

I’ll crush you thoroughly, leaving no trace behind.