It was a good day.
A day that didn’t seem fit for a big battle.
It felt as if it was the calm before the storm.
Under the clear sky, a soldier on lookout duty at the watchtower, following the local leader’s orders, spotted a group approaching from afar.
They were dressed in black.
Each one radiated a grim atmosphere.
Their movements as they galloped on horseback were reckless and displayed a fierce momentum.
Just by looking, the soldier could tell they were martial artists from the underworld, particularly violent ones, and immediately rang the alarm.
-Dong! Dong! Dong!
As the bell rang three times, the soldiers quickly sprang into action. Having undergone numerous drills, they climbed up the barricades.
At that moment, Wiyeol, who was with the soldiers, ascended the barricade and spoke calmly.
“Quickly inform Hongseong!”
“Yes!!”
The soldiers moved, and those working in the fields rushed into the village.
As the atmosphere of battle thickened, the approaching group of black-clad figures came to a halt.
They gazed intently at the firmly closed gate of the barricade, and moments later, a middle-aged man stepped out from among them.
The man, who appeared to be the leader of the group of black-clad figures, spoke with a surprisingly relaxed demeanor.
“I am Ryeonjoo of the New Black Blades. I am Samagun of the Thunder Soul Martial Arts. We are currently headed to the Black Blades and would like to stop by Seomhwa Village for a rest and resupply. If possible, could you open the way for us?”
“Sorry, but Seomhwa Village is currently closed to outsiders. If you wish to rest, there’s a campsite not far from here. You can rest there. Also, if you need food, please write down the items you need. We can trade for related items there.”
“Ha ha! How stingy of you. To not even allow weary travelers to rest. Isn’t that too much?”
Wiyeol scoffed at the smirking Samagun.
“First, under the orders of the local leader, Seomhwa Village is currently under lockdown. Second, regardless of the claims of non-aggression, Seomhwa Village is the territory of the reputable Hongseong Clan. Unauthorized entry of underworld forces is not permitted. Third…”
Wiyeol spoke coldly.
“It would have been faster for you to take another route to get to the Black Blades from where you came; why insist on this path?”
The expression of Samagun hardened at that. Watching this, Wiyeol calmly continued.
“Since we both know the truth, let’s just talk comfortably.”
Clang. Raising his spear, Wiyeol pointed it at Samagun and spoke coldly.
“Let’s have a round.”
“Ha… hahahaha!!!”
-Crack!!
Samagun laughed heartily. As his laughter erupted, the Thunder Soul Martial Arts began to activate.
As the blue lightning wrapped around him, the black-clad figures could hardly mask their murderous intent, when a woman behind Samagun said,
“We must attack now. It seems Hongseong isn’t here yet…”
“Listen.”
A voice rang out, its pitch impossible to discern.
With the powerful energy behind the voice, the soldiers’ morale soared.
“This is the territory of the Hongseong Clan. I will not permit underworld forces to approach.”
The clan leader of Hongseong.
And one of the top ten strongest among the world.
Sword Saint Na Yerin, an extraordinary being brimming with powerful energy, stood atop the barricade in the attire of the Hongseong Clan leader.
It was there.
Seeing that, Cheolhyeol Master bit their lips.
The Sword Saint moved faster than expected.
Why is someone who usually doesn’t leave Hongseong moving so quickly?
But nothing has changed.
She spoke in a calm tone.
“If we can capture the Sword Saint, we’ll be able to obtain everything.”
“Hmm… but it’s the Sword Saint.”
As soon as Samagun saw the Sword Saint, a sense of wariness washed over them.
They too felt the weight of the Sword Saint’s strength.
How immense must the power be that this young-looking woman possesses?
Noticing Samagun hesitating, Cheolhyeol Master sighed.
“Let’s proceed together.”
“…In that case.”
Samagun was aware of Cheolhyeol Master’s martial prowess—at least comparable to their own.
Therefore, it wouldn’t be impossible to take down that strong opponent.
And if the remaining subordinates attacked?
Even if the local guards were protecting the area, wouldn’t it still be possible?
“Are you planning to attack the local guards?”
Just then, a middle-aged man in armor appeared atop the wooden barricade.
It was Hyeonryeong.
In response to him, Samagun shrugged, while Cheolhyeol Master smiled.
“Let’s just say we’re resisting an evil official oppressing innocent people.”
“Do you think that will work?”
“Hehe… Well, we’ll see about that, won’t we?”
“Guess you do have someone high up backing you?”
Despite Hyeonryeong’s question, Cheolhyeol Master gave no response.
Someone high up? Of course, there is.
Would they stir up such a ruckus without someone backing them?
Moreover, if that’s the case, they could easily smooth things over.
Additionally, if they could unleash the spirit of Hongseongsan, that wouldn’t matter at all.
If the spirit of Hongseongsan goes berserk, the world would be flooded with evil monsters and chaos; would the Empire care about attacking a couple of guards or villages?
That’s why Cheolhyeol Master coldly smiled.
“Let’s go.”
She lifted her spear.
At the same time, a golden aura formed around the spear. When the Sword Saint’s eyes widened at the sight, Cheolhyeol Master mercilessly threw the spear.
– Whooooosh!!!
Like a massive pillar, it struck the tightly closed gates of the wooden barricade. But perhaps due to preparations made during this time? The barricade managed to withstand Cheolhyeol Master’s attack.
Impressed by the unexpectedly high defense, Cheolhyeol Master thought, but that was it. If one strike isn’t enough, then wouldn’t two do the trick?
“Attack!!”
Of course, Seomhwa Village wasn’t just sitting idly by.
At Hyeonryeong’s shout, the workers on the barricade moved and arrows were fired.
But Samagun merely laughed.
The ones they led were strong enough not to fall to attacks like that.
“Hahaha!!”
They swung their weapons to deflect or block the arrows.
Sure, there were some idiots who got hit, but those fools were bound to die later anyway.
Just think of it as thinning the herd.
After all, once they got past this point, there would be many from among the other factions willing to join them.
Perhaps even the leader of the Woodland Alliance or the great master of the Zhang River would come under their banner.
After all, those who bluster while being weaker than themselves were numerous.
“Hey, listen up!”
“Haah!!”
Amidst the rain of arrows, Samagun drew the sword. The blade shimmered with a thunderous energy, and as it swung, it struck the fiercely shut door of the Iron Blood Clan.
The moment it hit, the door shattered to pieces.
“Now! Let’s go in…”
But everyone fell silent.
All that stood before them was a woman with indigo hair, gracefully stepping forward, leading the soldiers.
Just her presence was enough to silence the ferocious warriors of the faction.
She was simply that impactful.
She was the Sword Saint.
With a blank expression, she floated into the air, wielding a great sword.
Is she going to use it?
The final technique of Hongseong Divine Art.
A powerful attack infused with energy, the Meteor Blade?
“Spirit Spear!!”
This was what they had been waiting for.
The Iron Blood Clan master raised the Spirit Spear, merging it with her taboo to form a massive shield.
-Thud… Thud!! Thud!! Thud!!
The golden shield absorbed the impact. As the first shield shattered, one Spirit Spear disintegrated into dust.
Grinding her teeth in frustration, the Iron Blood master prepared to unleash another Spirit Spear.
Yet, not even a Spirit Spear, infused with the strength of countless evil monsters’ blood and flesh, could easily withstand the torrent of energy from a superhuman.
“Ugh…!!”
Shattered, broken, vanishing.
Watching nervously as the power of countless evil monsters poured into the Spirit Spear disintegrated before her eyes, she felt despair.
After destroying ten Spirit Spears, the superhuman finally unleashed a torrent of energy that drove the Iron Blood master to the brink of bleeding.
As she descended from the air, she met the gaze of the Iron Blood master, who laughed in disbelief even while bleeding.
The cost and effort to create just one Spirit Spear was immense.
Now even the Iron Blood Clan couldn’t replicate it anymore.
And yet, to think that such power could be unleashed with a mere single attack!
Truly impressive.
But no matter how strong the Sword Saint was, she couldn’t unleash that kind of attack continuously.
If so, this was the opportunity.
“Everyone!! Kill the Sword Saint!!”
The Iron Blood master had stated that to capture the Sword Saint, she needed to use poison to restrain her disciples and sap her strength.
But was there really a need for that?
After all, she was only human, even if she was a superhuman.
If that was the case, she couldn’t withstand their numbers, right?
Especially with her subordinates, Samagun, and the skilled fighters who had turned from the Dark Palace joining in!
If that happened, even the Sword Saint wouldn’t stand a chance.
And right now, all that was by the Sword Saint’s side were mere guards, with none of the Hongseong sect’s disciples around.
“Hahaha!!”
What a delightful opportunity.
The Iron Blood master roared as she wiped the blood from her lips, splattering it on the ground.
-ROARRRR!!
“Wait, what? What’s going on?”
The blood and energy of the Iron Blood master materialized into a massive iron tiger.
Using her life force and internal energy, she summoned two iron tigers and shouted to Samagun.
“I’ll hold back the guards with the iron tigers and my subordinates! So now!! Let’s take down the Sword Saint!”
“Ooo… Ohhh!! Is this some kind of spell? Hehe. Alright! Here I go!!”
“Oh… Ooh!! Is this some kind of spell? Hehe. Alright, here I go!!”
The Sword Saint was alone.
And the fact that those iron tigers would block the officials meant that all signs pointed to victory.
With a stoic expression, Samagun rushed forward, channeling their energy toward the Sword Saint.
“Show us the power of Moonjeong!!”
“The stars will protect everything!!”
“Huh?!”
People were pouring out from the city gate.
Those donned in Hongseong uniforms. Alright, we can deal with that.
But…
“Moonjeong? Why?!”
This is the territory of Hongseong, right? Why is the hostile Moonjeong involved in this fight?
As a startled Samagun got flustered, Cheolhyeol Master shouted.
“Not yet!!”
She drew upon her strength as much as possible. If she could just take down the Sword Saint, and then unleash the spirit of Hongseongsan…
Then she could reclaim everything she had invested and consumed until now. No, she could gain even more.
So, she poured out all her power to the point of coughing up blood, and at the same time, the golden spear that formed in her hand plunged down toward the direction where the Hongseong members and Moonlight members were rushing in.
-Krraaaargh!!
The golden spear struck down, and from it emerged the iron tiger.
Seeing a larger and stronger iron tiger than the previous two, Samagun laughed.
Yoo Hyo-jin was risking her life and going all out.
In that case, she would take down the Sword Saint before they joined forces.
Hongryeon tightly gripped her great sword. That strange woman had created an iron tiger.
It was big, but its presence was something else entirely.
Not to mention, the Sword Saint had to face the remaining enemies.
Of course, the officials, Gi Noya, and Wiyeol were helping, but they looked weaker compared to the iron tiger right in front of them.
So, they had to move as quickly as possible.
Hongryeon rapidly brainstormed.
She didn’t believe her Master would fall to such a creature.
But it was undoubtedly a burden.
Also, given the Sword Saint’s nature, she would be fighting to protect them and her soldiers from the attacks of the unorthodox warriors.
That being the case, they needed to reduce the number of enemies to lessen the burden on the Sword Saint.
Thus, there was no reason to be captured by this iron tiger.
“…Ryuhyun!!”
“Yes!!”
“Help the Master with the others! I’ll handle that and join up shortly!!”
“…Yes!!”
Ryuhyun led the Hongseong disciples away. When the giant paw of the iron tiger seemed to move in an attempt to stop them, Hongryeon darted forward and slashed it with her great sword.
-Taaaang!!
The sound created by the clash of metal made Hongryeon grit her teeth as she infused her great sword with the energy of Hongseong Divine Art.
With a grin, Chaejin shouted toward her.
“Chaeran!! Lead the Moonlight members and help Hongseong!!”
“Got it!!”
Chaeran confidently took the Moonlight members and headed out. As they joined forces with the Hongseong members and began attacking the unorthodox warriors, Hongryeon and Chaejin exchanged glances.
There were no words.
They merely unleashed overwhelming energy, as if determined not to lose to one another.
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