Chapter1345: Go to Rescue (Part 5)

As the moonless night approached, the vast Hundred Thousand Mountains stood shrouded in darkness, making it nearly impossible to discern even a step ahead.

Within the rugged mountain range, eyes glowed eerily like goblin flames.

Step.

Footsteps echoed as members of the Myriad Man Manor, armed with swords, scanned their surroundings with alert eyes filled with venom and murderous intent.

Rustle.

"Who goes there?"

A faint voice from the side prompted the Myriad Man Manor's swords to swiftly strike without hesitation. The blades rushed towards the source of the sound.

Thud!

The one who threw the blades hurriedly approached, only to find a decapitated rabbit writhing on the ground. His face twisted.

"Damn."

"Tsk tsk. Seems like we've got ourselves a remarkable hunter."

A mocking voice came from behind.

"Watch your mouth."

"Don't let your guard down for no reason. Pay attention to your surroundings carefully."

Without waiting for warmth to leave the rabbit's corpse, the man kicked it away in frustration and checked the surroundings. In the deep darkness, a peak (山勢) resembling a blade pierced the sky—a sight that undoubtedly invoked the phrase "opposing the heavens" (逆天).

'Foreboding.'

The man surveyed his surroundings with uneasy eyes.

The dense darkness rendered the silence almost unbearable. While it might appear peacefully undisturbed to some, for those present, it felt relentlessly ominous.

It was risky to make any sound. Especially for those familiar with the history of this land.

The man expressed irritation with a frown.

"Ugh."

Suddenly, a blunt pain shot through his foot. Looking down, he saw a rusty spear protruding from the ground, almost corroded beyond recognition.

If one cleared away the soil around the blade, it was likely that the owner of the blade lay buried there, turned to bones long ago.

"Damn."

The shape of the blade resembled those used by the Evil Sect more than the ones used by the Righteous Sect. The man furrowed his brow. While feeling pity for the unknown Evil Sect member who died a century ago, the feeling of disgust was unavoidable.

"Are you hurt?"

"No. Would I get cut by this rusty blade?"

Thunk.

Breaking the protruding blade with his foot, the man kicked aside the bushes nearby.

Sure enough, scattered around were swords commonly used by the Righteous Sect. If this were an ordinary battlefield, locals would have already picked them up for their own use or melted them down to make tools.

However, this was Hundred Thousand Mountains, a terrain so feared that even commoners avoided it.

Thus, the traces of the past war were left undisturbed.

"It's disgusting."

"Don't think useless thoughts. Look around carefully. If we miss them, our heads will roll."

The one who uttered wise words received a scornful look from the man, who spat on the ground and continued walking.

"Damn, can't even take a break."

"Don't utter such words. Is it because you don't sense the atmosphere?"

"Ugh."

Once again, the man couldn't resist cursing.

"How many died in total?"

"Damn it, can you even count that...The Blood Sword Unit was annihilated, and even those who weren't part of the Blood Sword Unit died innumerable deaths. Including the greenhorns part of the siege, the bodies piled up to the point where we could build a mountain."

"...It turned out well."

This was undoubtedly the first time in the history of the Myriad Man Manor that so many sacrifices had been made to catch a group numbering merely two hundred. Even after making so many sacrifices, the enemies still weren't completely annihilated, so it was understandable that the calm Commander's eyes flipped upside down.

If, in this situation, they let the culprits escape, it wouldn't end with just one or two lives lost. Hence, they had to find their traces at all costs.

"Maybe they've already left the mountain?"

"Don't talk nonsense. At best, they might have hidden in a cave somewhere. I've never heard of caves spanning hundreds of miles."

"Is that so?"

If so, it meant that they were hiding somewhere near.

Possibly right under his feet. The Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword that wiped out that the Blood Sword Sect and Goyang.

"...Then, does that mean Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword might pop out here?" [haha]

"Fuck, don't say stuff like that!"

Calmly receiving his words, the eyes of his companion contorted gruesomely. In that moment, the person oppressed by that momentum sealed their lips.

Upon reflection, it was a ludicrous situation. Currently, they were doing whatever it took to trace the whereabouts of Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword. However, simultaneously, they fervently hoped that Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword would never appear before them.

It was out of fear.

Everyone had witnessed that guy's fighting style. Hence, nobody wanted to cross swords with a demon more sinister than the Evil Sect.

"...But isn't that Plum Blossom Sword Demon still human? He's so heavily injured, how could he have already cleaned up and stood up?"

"W-Well, maybe?"

"He might have died. No, no, he definitely died."

There was no strength or certainty in that voice.

While desperately hoping for Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword to be dead, a strange conviction that he would never die at the same time filled them with terror.

"But Plum Blossom Sword Demon? What's that again?"

"Don't you know? They've been calling the Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword by that name." [Let's GO]

"What..."

"Frankly speaking, isn't it more fitting for that crazy guy to have a nickname like Plum Blossom Sword Demon than a proper one like the Chivalrous Sword? It seems to have already spread throughout the entire Manor."

The man nodded in agreement.

Indeed, Plum Blossom Sword Demon suited Chung Myung much better than the dignified title of Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword. No, in fact, Plum Blossom Sword Demon fell short as a nickname.

"Plum Blossom Sword Demon is not enough. Blood Flower Devil Sword would be better." 

"But he's from the Righteous Sect."

"Righteous Sect my ass. Where do you see the Righteous Sect in him? The Demonic Sect guys aren't as malicious as he is."

"That's true."

"No, the Demonic Sect guys are much more malicious."

"What are you talking about? Even the Demonic Sect guys..."

The one who was about to retort immediately closed his mouth. He realized something was coming from behind.

Thud. Thud.

As his body froze, he heard the sound of liquid dropping. Simultaneously, a smell too familiar, but one he didn't want to smell at this moment, wafted through his nostrils.

The smell of blood.

The man's shoulders began to twitch. He wanted to turn away. He didn't want to turn his head. He didn't want to confirm that the horrifying situation that flashed through his mind was real.

But in urgent situations, humans often ignore the instructions from their heads and follow their instincts. His body was already turning to look behind, confirming the presence of someone standing there.

Cloaked in black, the figure melted into the night. The only thing clearly visible were the eyes shedding a bluish light, and a sword stained with a red glow.

Even so, the man could easily identify who suddenly appeared.

"Mo-Mount..."

Crunch.

Before the words could fully form, a sharp pain erupted in his throat. The chilly sensation of severing his cervical vertebrae and vocal cords quickly left his throat.

Sshiiik.

The sound of wind escaping his throat echoed. Unable to even scream, the man collapsed backward. Before his breath was cut off, the sight of his colleague's neck shooting up into the air was seen.

He couldn't even scream. He just crumpled forward, convulsing. His throat was gradually filling with his own blood.

'As expected...The title is wrong...'

Leaving behind the unfinished thought, the man's body gradually cooled.

Crunch.

After dealing with another Myriad Man Manor, Chung Myung thrust the sword into the person's chest.

Pooook!

As the sword pierced the heart, red blood adorned the blade. Concealing the sword's light with blood, Chung Myung seamlessly slipped back into the darkness. It was a quiet, inconspicuous, yet exceptionally swift movement.

Ssshh.

In the darkness, Chung Myung, moving like black water, infiltrated behind the Myriad Man Manor members moving cautiously ahead.

"What..."

Crunch!

Blood spouted in succession from the partially severed neck. There wasn't even time to spare for a scream. The person simply convulsed and fell forward.

"Kkuh..."

Until their breath was cut off, they probably wouldn't know how they died.

Chung Myung's gaze was as cold as ice.

'Is it time yet?'

Slowly, the time to discover...

"Who's there?"

At the timely voice, the corners of Chung Myung's mouth lifted. Far away, the members of the Myriad Man Manor were looking at him with bewildered faces.

Immediately, Chung Myung, who pounded the ground, quickly closed the distance and ran. Then, he directly struck the neck of the one in the front.

Crack!

With a bone-crushing sound, the neck of the Myriad Man Manor member soared into the air. The face of the one who hadn't closed their eyes yet was revealed faintly in the dim and pale moonlight before falling down.

"Heuk!"

Thud!

Chung Myung's sword, which had successively beheaded the enemies, touched the last remaining person's neck.

Chin!

The person with the signaling horn in his mouth froze. Terrified eyes trembled as if shaken by an earthquake. If, at this moment, he were to put strength into the horn to blow it, Chung Myung's sharp sword would without a doubt cut through his neck.

Eeyes with a blueish glare visible in the darkness seemed to be watching him.

His entire body was soaked in sweat pouring out instantly. Then, Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword spoke briefly.

"Blow."

It was an utterly incomprehensible word. However, there was no need to turn his head to understand. When he hesitated, Chung Myung's sword began to pierce his skin.

"Can't you hear?"

Swish.

The horrifying sensation of the sword cutting through the thin skin and piercing the neck, accompanied by a crunching sound, caused the frozen man to lose strength in both legs.

"Blow."

He couldn't think anymore. There was no room for that. The man, trembling, put strength into the horn he held in his hand and blew the wind as hard as he could.

Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiik!

A high-pitched and sharp horn sound echoed in the dark night sky. At that moment, one corner of Chung Myung's mouth rose slightly.

"That's it."

Thud!

The man collapsed. However, the sound of the horn clearly conveyed the presence of everyone here to all.

"He's here!"

The surroundings became chaotic, and shouts were heard. The corners of Chung Myung's mouth twisted eerily.

❀ ❀ ❀

"The horn sounded!"

"Run! Over there!"

"Yes!"

Everyone responded to the sound and ran with all their might.

"Hurry!"

After a while, bodies that had been lying down for a long time slowly rose again from the bushes that the Myriad Man Manor members had trampled on. After the noisy sound passed and the surroundings became quiet again, the forest returned to its calm state.

Under a large tree standing alone on one side, a group cautiously revealed themselves.

Baek Cheon, who came out first, looked around with tense eyes and nodded shortly as a signal.

"Let's go."

The group that revealed themselves numbered over a hundred. Holding their breaths, they started running toward the north that the Myriad Man Manor members had left vacant.