Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1399. Where I should be (4)
Editor: Hoamzz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
"S- Stop..."
Paaaat!
A blade of extreme swiftness pierced the mouth of the man trying to scream. The sword that instantly extinguished a person's life then pierced the heart of the next enemy like a snake enraged with venom.
Lightning itself. Even if you knew it was coming, you couldn’t block it. Even if you saw it, you couldn’t react.
“It’s Jo-Gol!”
"I- It's the One Sword Splitting Light!"
"It's Plum Blossom Five Swords!"
The enemies at the front recognized the lead figure and shouted. Before those screams could even finish, a flying sword mercilessly turned yet another into a wandering soul.
“R- Retreat! Keep your distance!”
The Myriad Man Manor martial artists pride themselves on being second to none in combat. They could not possibly be ignorant of how to counter a swift sword.
But as they quickly widened the distance to evade the incoming blades, what greeted them was a golden fist tearing through the air.
Kwaaaaaang!
A raging fist force exploded in the midst of those retreating. The corpses crushed by its aftermath flew in all directions like a ball kicked by a child.
And through the opening that had been forcefully created, another figure descended.
Saaaaaak!
What came first?
The sound like a fine sword cutting through silk? Or the flash of crimson sword? Or perhaps the sight of someone’s severed head soaring into the air?
It was difficult to distinguish the order, but there was no mistaking the one responsible for the scene. Yoo Iseol, descending like a hawk, immediately kicked the ground and charged forward.
Lowering her stance like a soaring swallow, she unleashed streams of crescent-shaped sword energy.
“Aaaaaaagh!”
Those whose bodies were sliced by the sword energy screamed pitifully.
What truly filled them with terror wasn’t their severed limbs or their spilling entrails.
It was her face, cold as if carved from iron, and the killing intent that seethed like cold ice boiling. The eerie dissonance emanating from the swordswoman before them struck them with indescribable terror.
Sogok!
After cutting down yet another enemy, Yoo Iseol briefly glanced behind.
Her gaze passed over her comrades and locked onto Baek Cheon in the rear. No, more precisely, toward Chung Myung whom Baek Cheon was carrying.
After confirming his condition again, she looked forward with eyes filled with profound malice.
Paaaaat!
A terrible sword energy as if made from coalesced killing intent exploded forth.
Originally, her sword pursued the pinnacle of efficiency. But now, her sword abandoned everything she had pursued and cultivated only raw power. To forge a path even a moment faster.
Before Yoo Iseol’s sword energy could fade, Namgung Dowi’s sword energy erupted, followed by Tang Pae’s flying daggers weaving through.
In the face of their all-out assault, the once-impenetrable encirclement of Myriad Man Manor began to crumble like a sandcastle.
“Get out of the way, you bastards!”
Kwaaaaaang!
Just then, the fist force that Hye Yeon unleashed caused a massive explosion in front of the path they were opening.
“Th- They’re breaking through! We can’t stop them! Advisor-nim!”
Ho Gamyeong silently watched the unfolding battlefield with a hardened expression.
Kwaaaaang!
With every explosion of energy, those blocking the path were sent flying in all directions. The impenetrable encirclement was forcibly twisted, and the solid iron wall began to crack.
Even in their exhausted state, they were forcibly tearing through the encirclement. Ho Gamyeong thought to himself.
'...How sickening.'
How many times must he experience this sight?
Since he had joined Myriad Man Manor under Jang Ilso, no one had ever rendered him so powerless.
Of course, it wasn’t as if he had always succeeded or always defeated his opponents.
But this experience was different from everything he had encountered before. Until now... Yes, until now, the reasons have been clear.
Plum Blossom Sword Demon.
He was not someone Ho Gamyeong could handle. As long as that man existed, all of Ho Gamyeong’s schemes became meaningless, and his tactics lost their value.
That’s why he had thoroughly cornered that one man. Even accepting sacrifices that others would criticize as deviating from the principles of the art of war.
The strategy had certainly fallen into place beautifully, driving that demon-like being to the brink of death.
It should have ended there. The moment the Plum Blossom Sword Demon lost consciousness, this wretched battle should have finally come to an end.
And yet... why is this happening again? Hadn't he eliminated all possible variables?
Was there a miscalculation? No, he didn’t make miscalculations. Furthermore, he had never once made the mistake of underestimating his opponent.
In fact, Ho Gamyeong had even considered the possibility of the enemy breaking through the encirclement.
There was only one thing he hadn’t anticipated.
The fact that these people, who should have exhausted all their strength just breaking through the encirclement and been decimated here, were now destroying this encirclement with strength far exceeding his expectations. It was as if...
Eudeuruk.
Ho Gamyeong clenched his teeth tightly.
‘This is absurd.’
They could not become another Plum Blossom Sword Demon. There couldn’t possibly be more than a handful of such beings in the world.
"Advisor-nim!"
At the desperate call of his subordinate, Ho Gamyeong took a few deep breaths and clenched his trembling fists tightly.
"...Stay calm."
"But right now...!"
“Did I not say to stay calm?”
The adjutants' agitation subsided. Ho Gamyeong analyzed the situation with cold eyes. And finally spoke quietly.
“Open the front.”
"What? What does that...!"
The adjutants' gazes instantly focused on Ho Gamyeong in disbelief. Opening the front meant dismantling the encirclement.
Judging by their momentum, once released, it would be difficult to encircle them like this again. Letting them go in this situation would render all the sacrifices Myriad Man Manor martial artists had made meaningless!
“A- Advisor-nim! You must stay composed!"
“Do I seem agitated to you?”
The adjutants watched Ho Gamyeong with trembling eyes. In the middle of those gazes, Ho Gamyeong spoke with a chilling voice.
"Blocking their path now will only boost their momentum. What we should target now is rather..."
Ho Gamyeong's eyes locked onto a single spot.
"The rear."
His blade-like gaze stared precisely at Chung Myung whom Baekcheon was holding.
He admitted it. At this moment, they had surpassed his expectations. He had no idea what principle made it possible, but denying the phenomenon already unfolding was meaningless.
However, that didn’t mean they had become omnipotent. Their desperation only made their weaknesses more apparent.
"Ignore the others and focus solely on Plum Blossom Sword Demon."
The adjutants exchanged glances.
"Now!"
"Yes!"
The adjutants issued commands in all directions with perfect coordination. Amid the bustle, Ho Gamyeong's dark gaze remained fixed on the unconscious Chung Myung.
'Is this the future you were seeing, Plum Blossom Sword Demon?'
Is that why you are willing to stake even your life? Because you believed that one day, they could replace everything you had done?
Truly... It was an absurd level of overconfidence, enough to make one scoff.
There cannot be two Jang Ilso in the world. Likewise, there could never be two Chung Myung. Such individuals are not nurtured by others but are bestowed solely by the heavens.
But he couldn't bring himself to scoff.
Because there was no denying it. In this very moment, Ho Gamyeong himself was witnessing a fragment of the future Plum Blossom Sword Demon had envisioned.
Ho Gamyeong bit his lower lip.
'It ends here anyway.'
That future will never come. No, even the possibility of such a future will vanish today. Right here, right now.
He could feel it.
Paaaat!
The sensation of cutting down an enemy was felt not from his fingertips but from the tip of his sword. It was strange to say, but there was no other way to describe the feeling.
Swaeaeaeaek!
The vivid sensation of a sword rushing like lightning, piercing an enemy's skin, splitting their flesh and blood vessels, and finally severing their bones was felt intensely at the sword's tip.
It felt as if the boundary between sword and hand had vanished.
A profound sense of unity, as if he had to consciously distinguish between the tip of the sword and the tip of his hand.
Everything he had known was collapsing. The boundaries that defined the world were blurred. Within that space, only the sword and himself remained. No, even the sword disappeared, leaving only himself.
The sense of unity that had existed only in imagination came more transcendentally than that. If he stepped into this state, he could undoubtedly take one step further.
However, Jo-Gol forcibly pushed away the state he had reached.... No, the state he had clearly already stepped into.
'Something's wrong! This is strange...!'
The enemy no longer felt strong. It seemed as though he could trample over anyone at will if he so desired.
But that sense of fulfillment rather sent a warning to Jo-Gol's senses.
The inner conflict gradually deepened into a hazy state.
Couldn't he go just a little further?
If he could hold on to this sensation for just a bit longer, he would undoubtedly become incomparably stronger. So why was he forcing himself to push away this possibility?
‘Who am I?’
I am a swordsman. I want to be stronger. I want to be even more…
“Chung Myung-aaaah!”
Kwang!
The blurry world surrounding Jo-Gol shattered like a mirror. As he sharply turned, the situation became crystal clear.
The enemies who should have been in front were now clustered behind him.
'What? Why?'
For a moment, he couldn’t comprehend the situation. Had he charged too far ahead?
No, that couldn't be. If that were the case, the enemies would have blocked his path more aggressively. So why this situation...
At that moment, Jo-Gol witnessed a scene.
A martial artist of Myriad Man Manor, eyes blazing with killing intent, completely ignored the sword flying toward him and hurled himself at Baek Cheon.
Despite swords piercing his body in multiple places, his dao was aimed solely at the unconscious Chung Myung.
Kaaaang!
Before Jo-Gol could even scream, Baek Cheon's sword deflected the dao.
“Huaaaah!”
But that was just the beginning.
The enemies began charging toward Chung Myung. Relentless attacks poured down.
"Y- You bastards...!"
Jo-Gol immediately kicked off the ground, launching himself toward the rear.
Along with him, those who had been fiercely breaking through the encirclement now surrounded Baek Cheon, who was holding Chung Myung, and blocked the incoming attacks.
'No!'
A sense of urgency flashed through Jo-Gol's eyes.
Chung Myung was unconscious. That means he can't even make the minimal resistance of twisting his body against incoming attacks. It means he could have his breath cut off by a blind sword.
No, they didn’t even need to target a vital point. Chung Myung’s body wouldn’t be able to withstand even a simple shock right now.
Wooowooong!
Jo-Gol’s gaze sharply turned backward at the sound. He clearly saw someone gathering energy. The energy concentrated in their raised hand was undeniably immense. Jo Geol reflexively throws himself in front of Baek Cheon and Chung Myung.
"Euaaaaaaap!"
Sogok!
With a sword stretched to its fullest power, he cut off the hand that gathering energy. It was a close call.
Listening to the agonized screams, Jo-Gol clenched his teeth so hard his jaw muscles bulged.
'Who am I?'
A shout carrying his soul exploded forth.
“Don’t touch Chung Myung! You bastaaaaaaards!"
|Note
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