The Sword Saint let out a small sigh.
“You sure made it here well.”
At her blunt voice, Yu Jangmok chuckled and glanced behind.
With just five beings, they could take on one superhuman, yet there were a whopping six Blood Demon Gangshis here.
Not to mention, there were four infamous Dark Sorcerers known throughout the world.
And a total of ten cultists.
Yu Jangmok wanted to divert the entire force of the Gi Won Yuga here, but at Seomhwa Fortress, there were superhumans like the Sword Saint, Hongryeon, and Chaejin.
Therefore, they had no choice but to disperse their power and face them separately.
Using a strategy of striking from the east while marching from the west, the plan was to attack Seomhwa Fortress, have the infiltrators raid the inn, and get the people of Seomhwa Fortress to attack, thus dispersing the enemy’s forces before launching a surprise attack on Hongseong and seizing the design here.
Recalling the plan she devised, Yu Jangmok smirked wickedly.
“This much is nothing.”
Taking advantage of the gaps in surveillance, a small number of their forces infiltrated through Hongseong Mountain. If it were only one or two, and veterans at martial arts, deceiving the vigilance of the patrolling guards and breaching the base wasn’t difficult at all.
“Tsk. Should I have a Murim Alliance expert stay around the mountain…?”
But considering the vast area, managing it all wouldn’t be easy. To make that possible, they would need to expand Seomhwa Fortress, assign personnel to that side, and build walls.
Although Seomhwa Village had been upgraded to a fortress, it could still be considered small compared to others.
That’s why the Sword Saint recalled when the lord and Yu Wol had been troubled about the defenses around Hongseong Mountain. She lightly gripped her sword.
“So? What’s the reason you’re here?”
“You must be keeping the design that Namgoonghwa had, right? Here’s my proposal. Hand over the design, and we’ll leave as is.”
Yu Jangmok was well aware that this was an opportunity to capture the Sword Saint of the righteous faction.
But that didn’t mean she was planning on fighting the Sword Saint or Hongseong.
That’s only natural, right?
If she fought them here, her elite forces would suffer heavy losses.
And with six Blood Demon Gangshis at her command, she could suppress the Sword Saint, but engaging her would be utterly foolish.
There would inevitably be losses in the process, and that could lead to a disastrous outcome.
Just because she obtained the design of the Cheonma didn’t mean she could immediately master half of the Cheonma Divine Art.
They would need to search based on that and risk being targeted by other factions along the way.
They would have to fend them off while mastering the Cheonma Divine Art, but if they lost the Blood Demon Gangshis here…
‘Just imagining it is horrifying.’
So, even if it didn’t seem fitting, wouldn’t it be better to negotiate and take it that way?
“A win-win for both sides, right? Sword Saint. I’ve heard you cherish your disciples. Do you think they’ll come out unscathed if we fight here?”
No matter how exceptional the Sword Saint was, she couldn’t overwhelm six Blood Demon Gangshis.
Even so, I can’t overwhelm six Blood Demon Gangshi.
Since Hongryeon, another superhuman from Hongseong, is fighting by the city walls, the other disciples should be able to handle my subordinates.
No matter how strong the disciples of Hongseong are, there’s no way they can last long against this level of power.
Yu Jangmok fixed his gaze on the Sword Saint and continued in a slick tone.
“So, let’s part ways nicely.”
At Yu Jangmok’s words, the Sword Saint sighed.
And as her eyes gleamed, the disciples from Hongseong brandished their weapons.
The Sword Saint would already know that Hongseong is at a disadvantage.
But to raise weapons when they didn’t want to negotiate with the Evil Cult?
That’s practically a death sentence.
“…I heard you were somewhat wise, but you’re actually dumber than I thought.”
The Sword Saint knew that she could refuse. But that didn’t mean she could back down.
“The Sword Saint will be occupied with the Blood Demon Gangshi. So… capture the others. Killing is fine.”
“Understood.”
Currently, the only ones to watch out for in Hongseong are the Sword Saint, and Ryuhyun and Hyunhwi at best.
The other disciples are strong, but if they are part of the elite from Yuga, it shouldn’t be too hard to capture them.
Also, Hongseong treats each other like family.
In other words, if they can capture those disciples, they could also force the Sword Saint to surrender.
Yu Jangmok coldly smiled and raised his hand, and a killing intent began to surge in the eyes of the Blood Demon Gangshi.
“Attack!!”
The six Blood Demon Gangshi moved in perfect unison. To halt their advance, the Sword Saint quickly swung her sword, aiming the ki infused in her blade at the neck of one Gangshi.
-CHAAAAENG!!
It was a destructive ki. Yet, the Blood Demon Gangshi were blocking it.
Of course, they were not alone; all six were moving together in coordination to block it.
As the Sword Saint became intrigued that a Gangshi could stop her ki, Yu Jangmok smirked.
“You must know since you have that.”
That thing.
That design.
The design imbued with the power of Cheonma couldn’t be destroyed even with ki.
“…Could it be that the Blood Demon Gangshi possessed such power?”
“It’s a replica, but yes.”
The ancestors of Gi Won Yuga were subordinates of Cheonma. Thus, they caught a glimpse of a fragment of Cheonma’s power and became fascinated, leading to research.
A person cannot wield the power of Cheonma.
But what about a corpse?
With enough effort and research, could they not obtain just a speck of that power?
That’s why they studied for so long, and the result was the Blood Demon Gangshi.
They couldn’t even come close to Cheonma’s toes, but they could mimic divine power.
They could combine their strength to at least block destructive power.
“This is the power of the Blood Demon Gangshi!!”
“…Impressive.”
Although she attacked the Blood Demon Gangshi using Hongseong Divine Art, they moved peculiarly, blocking or dodging the Sword Saint’s strikes.
With a leisurely smile, Yu Jangmok mockingly said,
“Look at your disciples dying. This is all a result of your stubbornness…”
While the Blood Demon Gangshi was holding the Sword Saint, Yu Jangmok’s subordinates were attacking the disciples of Hongseong.
Trying their best to hold them back, but in the end, it was a stalemate.
If he were to join in, the balance would shift, and they could capture the disciples of Hongseong.
Yu Jangmok laughed heartily and raised his hand. The energy of the ancient tree magic began to move, hardening his body like a stiff tree.
It was the moment when the magical technique, created by the ancestors of Gi Won Yuga to mimic the immense defense of Cheonma, was about to manifest.
“Ugh?!”
A brilliant white energy, a powerful force that destroys everything, flew toward his neck.
Barely dodging it, Yu Jangmok turned his head in horror.
There stood a black-haired beauty dressed in dark robes, coldly smiling as she aimed her weapon.
“…No way.”
“Sword Saint. Are you okay? Do you need help?”
“I’m fine. Just follow his orders. This small fry will be caught in no time.”
“If that’s the case.”
The Sword Saint, who still hadn’t lost her composure while facing six Blood Demon Gangshi, responded indifferently before swinging her great sword. The Gangshi that blocked her were sent flying, and at that moment, the black-haired beauty.
The new superhuman known by the moniker Moonlight God, Chaejin, glided toward Yu Jangmok with her dragon-shaped sword in hand.
“Chaejin?! Why are you here?!”
This can’t be.
Shouldn’t Chaejin be at the inn right now?
Chaejin smirked at the flustered Yu Jangmok.
“Yu Wol told me to head to Hongseong in case of an emergency.”
“…Guh!!”
“Do you think Shinsan Seonja couldn’t read your thoughts?”
“Wha—!!”
He knew?
Seeing Yu Jangmok’s eyes shake, Chaejin grinned wickedly.
“He said, the inn can be rebuilt. Those staying at the inn… well, the Thunderbolt Sword King and Chaeran, and the Moonlight Great will protect it.”
Namgoong Cheon wouldn’t fight for them like this.
But just having a superhuman raises morale significantly.
Thus, they had no choice but to rely on them.
“He always said that everything has its priorities.”
Such a cold person.
The newly built inn became a famous landmark of Seomhwa City.
Though its value was soaring day by day, Yu Wol said that such things didn’t matter at all.
“What’s important is something else, it seems.”
– Chae-aeng! Chae-aeng!! Chae-aeng!!
With Chaejin’s triple strike, cracks began to form in Yu Jangmok’s arm. The ancient tree magic, boasting powerful defense like Cheonma, couldn’t withstand the overwhelming force continuously.
But even though she was a mage, Yu Jangmok couldn’t keep holding on to her energy.
“Kaahk! You damn!!”
How did things go so wrong?
There was no longer any room to conserve her strength. Accepting some risk, Yu Jangmok, her eyes wide with madness, took a pill from her pocket.
Gulp.
The moment she swallowed the medicine without hesitation, the magical energy emanating from Yu Jangmok began to surge even stronger.
No, it wasn’t just magical energy. Her morale was soaring to an uncomfortable level.
“Gangshi…”
The gangshi created from the body of the living. A forbidden technique that grants immense power by transcending the limits of the flesh.
Once used, one would need at least a few months to recuperate, but since retreat was not an option here, Yu Jangmok revealed her card.
“Alright!! I’ll kill you both! The Sword Saint too!! I’ll kill all the trash from Hongseong Clan and send their heads to that bastard Yu Wol…”
-Kwa-gak!!
Before she could finish her sentence, Chaejin’s energy targeted Yu Jangmok’s neck.
However, even that destructive energy, wielded by a warlock, could not land a fatal blow against Yu Jangmok, who had become a gangshi.
In the end, only a minor scratch remained.
“Hehe!! Even that so-called energy…!!”
“Hoo.”
Even seeing that it couldn’t be cut down, Chaejin was not too surprised. She merely stepped back and gripped her sword with both hands.
Just as Yu Jangmok laughed and lunged forward, she suddenly found herself coming to a halt, unaware of why.
All the hairs on her body stood on end.
Was it simply because a superhuman stood before her?
No.
That was not it.
“…This is.”
Her instincts were screaming in fear.
She had to run. She needed to withdraw.
She must be wary of the power that sword possesses.
“That is…”
“….Huh.”
Exhaling slowly, Chaejin tightened her grip on the sword.
Thanks to Yu Wol, she had obtained the dragon-shaped sword and had practiced steadily, able to reveal some of the power contained within it.
And this is precisely that.
“Hup!!”
With a low battle cry, Chaejin swung her sword. At the same time, energy exploded from the sword.
But it was different from the energy from before.
Bathed in moonlight, it took the form of a dragon’s claw.
“This is!!”
-Kwaaanng!!
The dragon-shaped energy.
Before Yu Jangmok could even react, her arm was severed in one blow, and Chaejin was already preparing to distance herself, smiling.
“Two hundred years ago, the head of the Yu Clan became the leader of the Demon Cult and attacked the world. They say a gangshi with dark magic was created back then. And that gangshi was cut down by someone wielding dragon-shaped energy.”
“How… could you… No way?! That bastard Yu Wol!!”
“In other words, your situation is exactly this.”
As Chaejin, smiling coldly, lunged forward, her sword was imbued with the spirit of the dragon.
“It was all within his expectations.”
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