Chapter 1864 – Return of The Mount Hua Sect
Chapter 1864.
Yeah. Go Ahead, Try to Kill Me. (4) ❀ ❀ ❀
Jo Geol’s
face twisted in utter horror.
“Damn it,
what the hell is this…!”
The killing
intent was so overwhelming it was hard to breathe. If even Jo Geol, who wasn’t
directly facing Jang Ilso, felt this much pressure, how unimaginable must it be
for Cheong Myeong to bear it?
‘Even for
him, this might not be easy.’
His eyes
kept drifting toward the source of his worry.
But
unfortunately, Jo Geol didn’t have the luxury to be concerned. Right in front
of him, a monstrous figure cloaked in dark energy
was charging straight at him. [note: goe-in, 괴인 (怪人): monstrous figure]
“Uwaaaaah!”
Jo Geol
swung his sword with all his might at the oncoming black hand.
CLAAAANG!
A metallic
screech, sharp enough to tear eardrums, rang out the moment the sword and hand
collided, followed by a rush of a foul stench.
A sudden
wave of familiarity made Jo Geol grit his teeth and widen his eyes.
‘This feels
just like what we faced in Hangzhou...!’
No doubt
about it.
It wasn’t
exactly the same, but it was strikingly similar to the aura of the demons he’d
faced in Hangzhou. The discomfort and nausea welling up from deep inside his
body confirmed it beyond any doubt.
“Are you
bastards from the Demonic Cult?”
Shhhhhhiiiing!
Jo Geol’s
sword split into over a dozen copies, aiming for the monstrous figure’s entire
body. A terrifying red light burst from the monstrous figure monstrous figure monstrous
figure monstrous figure’s bloodshot eyes. Ignoring Jo Geol’s attack, it thrust
its hand straight forward.
If Jo Geol
extended his sword, he might pierce the enemy—but at the cost of his own neck.
“Damn!”
There was no
way he’d choose to lose his head in the very first encounter. Jo Geol quickly
withdrew his sword and twisted his body.
CRACK!
But that
bastard was even faster than Jo Geol had anticipated. Its claw, wreathed in
dark demonic energy, dug mercilessly into his shoulder.
“Aaarghhh!”
The searing
pain was so intense that Jo Geol couldn’t help but scream.
It wasn’t
just that the world’s best Jo Geol was whining over a scratch. The problem was
that the moment the claw pierced him, a chilling energy surged into his body.
Wherever that vile energy moved, it brought a pain like being gouged with a
red-hot iron.
“Jo Geol!”
“Goddamn
it!”
Before
someone could finish shouting his name, Jo Geol swung his sword horizontally
with all his strength. The monstrous figure, who had attacked relentlessly
without regard for its own life, finally recoiled from this strike and leapt
backward.
“Ugh…”
“Are you
okay?”
Jo Geol
raised his left arm to hold back his concerned fellow disciples who tried to
rush to him, then shouted through heavy breaths.
“Be
careful!”
“You…”
“Think back
to Hangzhou. These bastards don’t care about their lives! If you treat them
like ordinary martial artists, you’ll pay the price!”
“Got it!”
Jo Geol
clutched his wounded left shoulder tightly.
‘Damn it,
what a stupid mistake!’
He had
underestimated them. He already knew these enemies weren’t normal.
He ground
his teeth hard enough to make noise and gripped his sword tightly. Honestly,
these enemies were far too much for the Mount Hua disciples to handle. If Jo
Geol and Yoon Jong couldn’t lead from the front, he didn’t even want to imagine
how many would die.
Just then,
the expressionless monstrous figure staring at him slowly parted its lips.
“Heh…”
It was
barely even a smile. More like a mechanical movement, emotionless like a crack
on a stone wall. That not-quite-smile grated on Jo Geol’s nerves.
‘This bastard?’
In an
instant, heat rushed to his head. Jo Geol closed his eyes tightly.
“…Huft.”
He took a
short breath, raised his sword, and slowly swung it.
‘Hmm?’
Jo Geol’s
movement caught not only the enemy’s attention, but also the eyes of the Mount
Hua disciples. Their eyes sparkled with realization.
‘Six
Harmonies Sword?’
‘The Opening
Form?’
The Opening
Form of the Six Harmonies Sword. It was a declaration that he was about to
unleash the full form of the Six Harmonies Sword.
The Six
Harmonies were the foundation of Mount Hua. That’s why the Opening Form of the
Six Harmonies Sword was considered the start of all Mount Hua sword techniques.
Everyone
could clearly see the rage slowly fade from Jo Geol’s face as he regained his
composure.
‘That guy.’
Jo Geol’s
greatest weakness was his tendency to get emotional.
It was in
his nature—no amount of internal effort could easily suppress it. Because he
couldn’t control it, it was a weakness. That Opening Form must be a technique
he’d discovered through desperate introspection, a way to restore his calm.
Eventually,
Jo Geol’s gaze became astoundingly serene.
Everyone
here was putting their lives on the line to fight. At the very least, they
couldn’t say they failed to show their true ability. That was the bare minimum
respect due to the fellow disciples who had staked everything on this
battlefield.
“Ugh…”
Sensing the
shift in atmosphere, the monstrous figure hesitated slightly and glared at Jo
Geol.
In contrast,
Jo Geol observed the monstrous figures with an even colder stare.
“Pair up and
attack in twos! These bastards have no coordination. If you stay calm, they’re
not unbeatable!”
“Understood!”
At Jo Geol’s
command, the disciples immediately followed his instructions.
Watching Jo
Geol from a distance with barely suppressed anxiety, Yoon Jong finally nodded.
‘That guy…
he’s growing even in this chaos.’
No, thinking
about it, there was no way he wouldn’t grow. They were all fighting for their
lives.
And this
wasn’t just true for Mount Hua. Everyone in this land who was fighting against
the enemy was desperate every moment—and growing every moment.
‘Isn’t that
right, Sasuk?’
Yoon Jong
gripped his sword, thinking of Baek Cheon, who was surely fighting somewhere
like them.
If Baek
Cheon were here, he would definitely have said this:
“Don’t let
anyone go near that damned bastard!”
"Oooooh!"
With a shout
that rang out like a response, Yoon Jong’s sword drew a vivid red arc through
the air.
❀ ❀ ❀
“Sa…”
Baek Sang’s
eyes widened to an indescribable degree.
He opened
his mouth as if to say something, but there was no time for words. Like a
madman, Baek Sang charged forward and swung his sword.
The
assailant who had struck Baek Cheon with a sword retreated swiftly at the sight
and dodged Baek Sang’s sword.
“Sahyung!
Aaaargh! Sahyuuuung!”
Screaming, Baek
Sang grabbed Baek Cheon's shoulder. But Baek Cheon's body only sagged limply in
response.
Blood
continued to seep into the ground. What else could that mean? As much blood as
had flowed from Baek Cheon, that much of Baek Sang’s soul seemed to have
drained away with it.
“Daehyeeooopp!”
“Oh, what do
we do...”
The
disciples of Diancang, having only now grasped the situation, screamed. But
their cries didn’t even register with Baek Sang.
“No, no…
this can’t be…”
Baek Sang’s
hands began to tremble.
No. It
shouldn't be like this.
Even if he
could no longer wield martial arts, even if he could no longer live as a
disciple of Mount Hua, and even if Baek Cheon himself would be the one who’d
suffer the most from seeing his own value fade away….
Still, Baek
Cheon was not someone who deserved to die like this.
But the
warmth was draining all too quickly from Baek Cheon’s body in Baek Sang’s
grasp.
“Sa-Sahyung…”
“What’s with
all the fuss?”
Baek Sang
stiffly turned his head toward the voice.
The man who
had slashed Baek Cheon’s chest was looking down at them with a mocking smile.
“How many
have already died in this war? Did you really think you’d make it through
unscathed?”
“If you
wanted that, you shouldn’t have crawled all the way here without a shred of
fear.”
The man
snorted and raised his hand. Gray silhouettes appeared all around them.
“If you’ve
got time to worry about others, you’d best start worrying about yourself. Oh,
and by ‘worry’, I don’t mean about your life. We’re stuck here and get pretty
bored, you see.”
He cackled.
“The last
guy we caught—how long did he last again? You should at least hold out half a
day. Being a famous Mount Hua disciple and all, right? Don’t you think so?”
As the man
jeered, Baek Sang gently laid Baek Cheon down and stood up.
“You guys.”
“Yes?”
“Protect
him.”
A futile
command. Baek Sang knew it, and so did the children who responded.
But not one
of them—including Ok Danghyang or the Diancang disciples—shook their heads.
They simply gathered around Baek Cheon with determined expressions.
Leaving Baek
Cheon completely in their care, Baek Sang fixed his gaze solely on the enemy.
As he pointed his sword, one phrase echoed in his mind.
Outnumbered
and outmatched.
[note: jung-gwabujeok,
중과부적 (衆寡不敵) is a
classical idiom from Sino-Korean, meaning “The few cannot match the many.”]
There was no
way he could win. If it were someone like Yoo Iseol or Jogul, they might still
pull off a reversal even in this situation, but Baek Sang was just an average
man. He didn’t have the skill to handle this many enemies.
The only
thing he could gain here was a certain death. Nothing more.
If he chose
to flee, there might be a small chance of survival. Judging from what that
bastard had just said—“we can’t leave this area”—if Baek Sang could break
through the encirclement, there would be no pursuit.
Yes, that
would be the smart choice. Rather than dying to guard Baek Cheon— who was
already as good as dead, or throwing his life away for a bunch of kids he just
met—anyone would say running is the right call.
‘But, so
what?’
Baek Sang
gritted his teeth.
“If I were
someone who only picked the easy, smart path... I wouldn’t have followed that
man in the first place.”
What could
he do? That’s just who he was.
He might
fool his brain, but he couldn’t deceive his heart. Better to die without regret
than live a life buried under guilt.
Baek Sang
aimed his sword at the man who seemed to be the leader. Then he muttered in a
low voice, just loud enough for the children to hear:
“I’ll create
an opening, no matter what. You guys take that chance and get sahyung out of
here.”
“But…”
“No ‘but’!
Just do it if I say so!”
Baek Sang
bit his lip hard.
‘Guess I’m
playing the hero again—even though it doesn’t suit me.’
Pretending
to be a hero didn’t fit him. He was always meant to be in the background while
the true heroes took center stage.
“Trembling
like a leaf, and still pretending to be brave, huh?”
The enemy
sneered and gave a slight nod.
“Take his
arms and legs first.”
“Yes.”
As soon as
the words left his mouth, the gray-uniformed attackers rushed Baek Sang all at
once.
“Uaaaargh!”
Baek Sang
shouted back with a war cry and swung his sword wildly in retaliation.
Of course,
screaming didn’t make the sword any sharper. His blood boiled, and the sword
trembled relentlessly.
Clang!
He swung his
sword and struck away a flying blade.
Clang!
Clang!
The clashes
continued in quick succession. But each time, Baek Sang’s sword lost more
force, bouncing back again and again.
‘Damn it!’
A fire lit
in Baek Sang’s eyes.
These
weren’t even elite fighters. The Evil Tyrant Alliance wouldn’t have had the
luxury to place top troops here anyway.
The truth
was, Baek Sang had simply become too exhausted to deal with even them. Or
maybe… maybe he was just weak.
Without the
name of Mount Hua, without someone to lead and fight beside him, he would’ve
remained ordinary forever. That was Baek Sang’s own judgment of himself.
And this
moment felt like punishment for daring to act otherwise.
‘Even so!’
Baek Sang
clenched his teeth and swung his sword once more.
But perhaps
his fiery determination had become a double-edged sword. His sword, which
should have stayed cold and steady, wavered. And because of that, a sword he
failed to fully block came flying at his neck.
‘Huh?’
The moment
Baek Sang's eyes widened.
“You damn
idiots!”
Thwack!
A sword came
plunging from above his head, stabbing straight through the enemy’s skull. Baek
Sang, startled, turned toward the source.
“You…?”
“I told you
to hurry up, you dumbasses!”
Yu Gong
landed beside him, face twisted like a demon, and roared in anger.
❀ ❀ ❀
If anyone wants to donate to motivate me (I'll use the money to buy the RAWs from Naver Series too). Thank you so much!
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If Baekcheon is "as good as dead" it really means he is not dead yet. And it means there is hope.
ReplyDeleteMan, I am so emotional over it