Chapter 29: Real Battle

At the very least, Gwak Jagoh was a little better off than Kang Bulhae.

The moment he deflected the opponent’s sword attacking him, he instinctively sensed something flying at him from behind and dodged out of the way.

And then, he immediately stabbed his sword at the enemy before him.

“Thunk… Aaaagh!”

The enemy, struck in the chest, screamed and collapsed.

Standing behind the falling enemy was a man in black light armor, who looked at Gwak Jagoh with a hint of surprise.

“Not bad.”

Gwak Jagoh looked at his opponent and spoke in a voice full of conviction.

“So, it’s you bastards.”

“Hehehe. Guess you really are different since you’re the boss, huh? But what does it matter, you’re already too late, aren’t you?”

Gritting his teeth, Gwak Jagoh asked, “Whose orders are you following to do this?”

The opponent sneered and answered, “Isn’t that only meaningful when you’re alive? Haha.”

Gwak Jagoh replied firmly, “It won’t end so easily.”

“Is that so?”

The opponent sneered and asked.

Gwak Jagoh shouted loudly to the surrounding officers, “What are you all doing? Attack him first!”

As soon as the order was given, the officers nearby charged at the enemy all at once. But the opponent dodged every attack with ghostlike movements and, in the blink of an eye, vanished into the chaos of battle.

Even as he retreated, he did not stop his attacks.

As a result, one Heukcheonhoe officer collapsed, clutching his stomach.

Gwak Jagoh gritted his teeth and thought, ‘How many of those bastards are there? If we can’t get rid of them quickly, the outcome of this fight is obvious.’

But seeing the opponent’s movements, even he wasn’t sure he could guarantee victory against them.

What’s more, in this chaotic battlefield full of fighting men, even figuring out where those guys were was no easy feat.

Just as Gwak Jagoh was searching anxiously for the enemy, a sword suddenly thrust at him from the opposite side where the enemy had disappeared.

Gwak Jagoh calmly raised his sword to block the attack and tried to counterattack right away.

But the enemy, as if predicting his movements, slipped back among the crowd and disappeared again.

These guys were truly troublesome to deal with.

***

By the time Gangchan arrived at the battlefield, many had already died, and at the front lines, Gwak Jagoh and Kang Bulhae were desperately trying to hold back the assassins. But all Kang Bulhae gained were more wounds.

Gangchan rode Mong as close as possible to the battlefield before dismounting.

“Mong, stay far away for now.”

Heeeeigh.

Mong understood Gangchan’s words and ran off toward the distant hills.

Gangchan took out the bow slung over his back and opened Jieugiseong, absorbing the surrounding energy.

He then focused, recalling the aura he’d felt from the one who had been watching him.

At last, he found around ten or so similar, unusual auras.

Gangchan aimed at one of them and drew his bow.

Sayecheonryeong’s Iljeomsi.

Tuuuuung. Shuuuuuk.

The arrow flew over the heads of the crowd and pierced the forehead of a man who was just about to attack from the side.

Thunk! Thud.

Amyeong Chilship Saho didn’t even realize he’d been shot in the forehead; his eyes rolled wide, and he collapsed backward.

The fighters, distracted and frenzied, panicked and fell back at the sight of someone dropping from an arrow, scanning their surroundings anxiously.

But the confusion lasted only a moment; faced with enemies pressing in from all sides, they quickly regained their focus.

Gangchan aimed at another of those unusual auras and fired Iljeomsi again.

Tuuuuung. Shuuuuuk.

The arrow flew even faster than a streak of light and struck Amyeong Yukshipho square in the head.

For a brief moment, there was an unnatural shift in two spots on the battlefield before it faded, and Amyeong Sibirho, disguised as Gu Jinhyuk, realized something was wrong.

He immediately sent a mental transmission to the Amyeong.

‘There’s a disruptor. Everyone, be careful!’

When Gangchan’s third arrow felled Amyeong Yukshipilho, Gu Jinhyuk realized the disruptor’s weapon was a bow.

‘Someone is shooting arrows. Watch for arrows. Isip Saho and Samship Saho, find and eliminate that person first.’

At Gu Jinhyuk’s command, Isip Saho and Samship Saho slipped away from their posts and quietly moved to higher ground, searching for Gangchan’s location.

But Gangchan had already sensed their movements.

He found two auras stealthily moving to the rear and aimed his bow at them.

Tuuuuung. Shuuuuuk.

Amyeong Isip Saho, searching for the archer, suddenly felt a strange energy flying at him and instinctively dropped flat to the ground.

But the arrow, curving in a graceful arc, struck Amyeong Samship Saho standing beside him square in the chest.

“Urgh.”

Thud!

Seeing the arrow lodged in Samship Saho’s chest, Isip Saho shuddered unconsciously.

He’d felt sure the arrow was meant for him, but he hadn’t been the target.

And for an arrow to almost pierce through a man’s chest—just how strong was that bow?

The thought sent chills down his spine.

Still lying flat, Isip Saho couldn’t do anything.

Just then, Amyeong Sibirho’s mental transmission reached his ears.

‘The enemy is behind them. Circle right and approach stealthily to finish him.’

Meanwhile, seeing enemies collapse from arrows, Kang Bulhae and Gwak Jagoh felt the first glimmer of hope.

Arrows raining down from the sky, taking out assassins invisible and impossible to locate.

Then, someone on the battlefield shouted, “Cheongung has come to our aid!”

“Really? Really?!”

“Waaahhhhh!”

“Get them all! Let’s kill them now!”

Their allies’ morale soared to the heavens, and they began pushing back the enemy with fierce momentum.

Conversely, the Heukhobang, thrown into confusion by the turn of events, began to falter.

Bandang’s face hardened as he glared at Gu Jinhyuk and shouted in desperation,

“Hey! All our men are going to die like this. Do something!”

Gu Jinhyuk replied in a calm voice, “Just hold out a little longer. Don’t panic.”

He then issued an order to all remaining Amyoungdaewon.

“Do not engage, no matter what.”

He didn’t know how, but the enemy had pinpointed the Amyoungdae’s position exactly. And the ensuing archery, almost supernatural, was simply overwhelming.

One thought occupied Gu Jinhyuk’s mind.

‘Geonsang Gwae must arrive soon and catch that Cheongung, or whatever he is. Only then can we resume the plan.’

But things kept getting worse.

If they lost just one or two more Amyoungdaewon, the entire operation would inevitably fail.

As Gu Jinhyuk looked around in a panic, two middle-aged figures, a man and a woman, appeared behind him as if they’d dropped from the sky.

“Are we late?”

Bandang, caught off guard by their silent arrival, nearly fell over in shock.

“No, you arrived just in time. Thank you.”

Looking surprised at the newcomers, Bandang quickly turned his gaze back to Gu Jinhyuk.

“Lord, these are the people I told you about before. You needn’t worry any longer.”

Bandang looked at Geonsang Gwae and spoke, “I am Bandang, master of Heukhobang. It’s an honor.”

The man from Geonsang Gwae snorted and said, “Ha… An honor? Looks to me like you’re eager to die first.”

“What did you say?”

Seeing a man about his own age speak so rudely, Bandang was taken aback.

At that moment, Gu Jinhyuk quickly stepped in.

“Lord, these two may not look it, but they are very senior. Please understand.”

Then he sent a mental transmission to Geonsang Gwae.

‘Don’t mind this fool. Please, you must catch the archer as quickly as possible, seniors. Four of our men have already been taken out.’

Hearing Gu Jinhyuk’s transmission, Geonsang Gwae looked slightly surprised and turned his head.

“Is that true?”

“Yes. Please, I beg you.”

“Understood.”

With that short reply, Geonsang Gwae’s members shot forward, moving rapidly to the rear of the formation where Gangchan was.

Preparing his fifth arrow, Gangchan sensed powerful energy flying toward him and turned to look.

Two figures were charging at him at terrifying speed.

“It’s the Demonic Cult, alright.”

Gangchan released the prepared arrow.

This arrow flew with even greater force, piercing an Amyoungdaewon’s chest clean through.

In an instant, the five Amyoungdae members who had been tormenting the black path of Hangju vanished completely.

Gangchan slung his bow over his shoulder, took out the Samhonbu, and waited for the approaching energy.

“Heh… So we meet again here.”

“Ah, so it’s you after all.”

The man from Geonsang Gwae said as he looked at Gangchan.

“So you had a weapon after all. Two, in fact.”

Gangchan replied calmly, “Well, I could do with or without, but it’s definitely more convenient to have them.”

The woman from Geonsang Gwae looked at the weapon and said, “That’s a peculiar weapon. Is it a dao?”

“No, it’s an axe.”

The man from Geonsang Gwae sounded almost regretful.

“Too bad. It would’ve been nice if we’d met as allies.”

Gangchan smiled as he replied, “Really? I’m glad it turned out this way.”

The man from Geonsang Gwae spoke seriously,

“It’s not too late even now. Think again. Our organization would treat you with the highest respect.”

Gangchan answered instantly, as if there was nothing to consider,

“I prefer being alone.”

“Pity, but if that’s your answer, so be it.”

The opponent accepted Gangchan’s answer without complaint.

“Brother, I’ll take the rear.”

As Jiyeom stepped forward, Jijangmyeong warned, “He’s immune to your Seokhon Ma-an. Be careful.”

If Seokhon Ma-an didn’t work, Jiyeom had few options to subdue Gangchan.

But her abilities weren’t completely useless.

In a battle among masters, even a brief opening could decide the outcome. She could at least create that opening.

The moment Jijangmyeong finished speaking, Gangchan swung the Samhonbu horizontally at his neck.

The first move of Hyeolbu Gwi Hon—Bubuhoengyeon—unfolded.

Jijangmyeong stepped back in alarm, quickly closing in on Gangchan as the Samhonbu brushed past him.

And then came his powerful punches.

‘They say old ginger is spicier.’

Jijangmyeong proved the saying with his own body.

But in that moment, the Samhonbu spun around and thrust, striking Jijangmyeong’s arm perfectly.

Thunk!

With the Samhonbu lodged in his arm, Jijangmyeong staggered in pain.

At that moment, Jiyeom, who had been behind Gangchan, thrust a dagger at his back.

Gangchan firmly gripped the Samhonbu embedded in Jijangmyeong’s arm with one hand and reached out with the other to block the incoming dagger with his palm.

Clang!

An unexpected metallic sound rang out.

He’d blocked a dagger with his bare hand, and it sounded like metal clashing against metal.

Startled, Jiyeom hastily retreated, shocked.

“What? Geumgangbulgwae?”

Not knowing about the existence of the soul axe, Jiyeom reacted no differently from anyone else.

With Jiyeom backing away, Gangchan yanked out the Samhonbu and aimed it at Jijangmyeong again.

Jijangmyeong stared in amazement at the fine line of blood forming on his forearm where the axe had struck.

“How long has it been since I last bled… This is getting interesting.”

An uncontrollable joy spread across Jijangmyeong’s face.

He rushed at Gangchan again, throwing punches with lightning speed.

Gangchan dodged the erratic attacks with Gwihoonbo, moving faster and faster.

He raised Seungcheonmugukgiseong to its full power and charged Jijangmyeong in an instant.

He struck several times using Chuyeongmyeolhon, one of the techniques of Hyeolbu Gwi Hon, but Jijangmyeong only flinched a little, showing no serious injury.

As if responding to Gangchan’s quick moves, Jijangmyeong’s actions became even more dazzling, so fast that it was almost impossible to track with the eyes.

Pababababak!!

Jijangmyeong’s fists rained down on Gangchan.

Gangchan used the side of the Samhonbu to block every attack.

He took no real damage, but as his duel with Jijangmyeong dragged on, the black path men of Hangju fell one by one.

But with so many people fighting together, he couldn’t use the latter three moves of Hyeolbu Gwi Hon.

The situation was becoming more and more troublesome.

Suddenly, Jijangmyeong’s body seemed to stretch, and his fist, surrounded by a blue aura, flew at Gangchan’s head.

Gangchan twisted his head aside in surprise and at the same time grabbed Jijangmyeong’s arm.

The moment he grabbed Jijangmyeong’s arm, the Jui Gi pouring from Jijangmyeong’s hand flowed into Gangchan like mad.

It was a completely different level of intensity from any contact so far.

Gangchan quickly let go and stepped back.

Jijangmyeong watched with a relaxed smile.

“How does a guy your age have so much internal energy?”

Gangchan sneered coldly, “What, eaten so much of other people’s energy your stomach’s about to burst?”

“About to burst?”

At that moment, a bad feeling flashed through Jijangmyeong’s mind.

Gangchan’s lips curled in a confident smile.

‘I kept wondering if I should even bother with you. But maybe I was just overthinking things.’

Jijangmyeong sneered and asked,

“Haha. So did you find your answer?”

“I think I did.”

“Then let’s see it.”

“Alright, here goes.”

Gangchan slung the Samhonbu over his shoulder and charged barehanded at Jijangmyeong in a flash.