Episode 264
“Then, I would like to ask you to open the white curtain while I am away.”
“Please come back safely. “Small cooperative.”
“yes.”
Jegal-hye, the Bamboo Lip Man, saw me off with a worried voice.
Seoyeon Tang, who was watching from the side, opened her eyes wide.
It seemed like they had finally discovered the identity of the Jukripin.
“Did you mean Zhuge Hye Sojeo as the person in the shadow department dispatched by the Lord?”
“That’s right. “I thought you had some expectations.”
“no wonder. So, we were able to easily destroy the formations set up around Baengmakmun.”
As I was walking away while chatting with Seoyeon Tang, I glanced back.
The image of Zhuge Hye standing in the same place as if looking in this direction came into view.
From then on, she was scheduled to serve as the assistant to Ak Yeo-ryeong.
Although Ak Yeo-ryeong was in charge of the base defense, she would be responsible for most of the actual work.
I joined the first unit of the rescue team that was waiting and climbed on a horse prepared by the leaders of the Sacheon branch.
Purr!
After stroking the back of the neck of a horse that was galloping roughly, he shouted with energy in his voice.
“We are heading out!”
The dangerous journey to enter the land of death has begun.
* * *
“It’s them!”
“The rescue team has arrived! Get ready! “Don’t break the formation!”
Less than half a day had passed since we set off, and a group of demonic cultists appeared as if they were blocking the entire front.
At first glance, the number seemed to be over a hundred.
‘The scale is similar to this one, but…’
I leapt, placing my hand on the sword soldier.
He kicked the air one after another and quickly reached the center of the formation formed by the demons.
‘That’s right, they’re not an elite unit or anything, they’re just a bunch of idiots.’
There was no time to be held back in a place like this.
I was planning on passing through it all at once.
‘…but.’
I raised my sword above my head and narrowed my eyes.
I felt a momentary sense of alienation from the waves of energy passing through my skin.
I thought everyone was a demonic cult, but looking at it this way, most of the people were white warriors who had learned the method of meditation.
It was late to notice because only demon cultists were stationed in the front line.
‘They are traitors who betrayed the Baekdo Murim and turned to the side of the Demonic Cult.’
A moment of doubt arose.
Why were the personnel deployed in this way?
The devils probably didn’t come forward to protect the traitors.
‘It doesn’t make sense.’
From the Demonic Cult’s point of view, renegades who had not even been educated were simply consumables that could be easily discarded.
Even in the Bungcheon Demon Festival, didn’t all of Baekmakmun Island be sacrificed to surprise the evil Yeo-ryeong?
‘Is there any reason for there to be a demon cultist who displays a sacrificial spirit just for the sake of consumables?’
I burst into laughter, poured a lot of energy into my sword, and struck the Wolyeonggeom.
The twentieth herbivorous month.
Dozens of strands of sword energy poured down like rain.
The warriors in the center of the formation gave a shout of security and each raised their weapons.
Let’s go!
An unpleasant friction sound rang out.
The injured soldiers sat down and moaned.
‘It looks like they wanted to confuse the rescue team.’
For a moment, the face of Baekwoongeom, which I left behind at the door of the white tent, flashed through my mind.
If I showed signs of shaking here, the members of the rescue team following me would inevitably be affected as well.
I fell straight into the center of the formation and swung my sword again.
The 19th herbivorous month (播月).
Sword energy spread out in all directions and swept the area.
‘It doesn’t give us time to reorganize.’
In an instant, the formation collapsed.
A scream rang out and blood and flesh flew.
The warriors who had barely escaped the herbivorous range hesitated, took a step back, and raised their voices.
“Damn the rain! “There was no story like this!”
“How can I deal with such a monster?”
As I watched the warriors losing their will to fight after just two initial bites, I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
There was a clear comparison with the Baekmakmundo who resisted until the end.
What on earth were these people thinking blocking the rescue team’s path?
The battlefield was not a good place for someone without determination to step into.
“Please save me!”
“We were just forcibly taken by evil demons!”
“I will drop my weapons and surrender!”
Some even threw down their weapons and announced their intention to surrender.
The demon cultists in the front row shouted and urged me, but they seemed to be even more afraid of me right in front of them.
Sigh!
I swung my sword mercilessly and cut down the warriors around me.
The shocked warriors pointed at me and shouted.
“You cruel bastard!”
“You can’t believe you’re attacking a non-resistance opponent!”
“Do you not have a human heart?”
“please! “Have mercy!”
What kind of freezing mercy is mercy?
I had no intention of considering the circumstances of the traitors one by one.
If you didn’t want to be antagonized, you shouldn’t have betrayed yourself, and if you weren’t prepared to die, you shouldn’t have blocked the rescue team’s path.
‘I can roughly understand what the intention behind this was.’
Now that the main force has rushed to Shaanxi, what is the best way for the Demonic Church to check the movements of the rescue team?
Bringing back part of the troops that marched to Shaanxi?
Gathering the demon cultists scattered throughout Gansu Province to form a large unit?
Giving up on chasing the survivors and engaging in a massive fight with the rescue team?
It wasn’t everything.
The easiest and most effective way was to place renegades at every corner of the road to slow down the movement of the rescue team.
What if the commander of the rescue team has a soft heart?
He would hesitate to kill those who had been his allies not long ago.
On the contrary, it did not matter even if the commander had a cold temperament.
No matter how many consumables die, there is no loss to the Demonic Cult.
‘Accepting the surrender, saving them, subduing them, and leading the captured soldiers to the white tent gate. I can’t afford to go through such a cumbersome process.’
In the past, when I was working as a member of the Homyeonhyup (狐面俠), I once said this to Dojang Cheonwoo.
Make your priorities clear.
The rescue team’s most important priority now was rescuing survivors.
It was not the time to worry about the lives of traitors.
The twenty-fourth herbivorous month (天月).
Following the sword’s path, the remaining remnants crumbled and turned into countless energy swords.
The warriors caught up in the herbivory that swept over a wide area and quickly collapsed into rags.
Quang! Quad deuk!
Soon the rescue team hit the line of demonic cultists.
Unmanned aerial vehicles flying in all directions.
I took a big leap and landed on the lead horse without an owner. I shook the blood off my sword and said,
“We will break through like this.”
Although the voice was low, it was conveyed properly to all members of the rescue team because it contained internal energy.
Doo doo doo doo!
Horsemen trample on the collapsed formation and ride forward.
“…….”
The surviving warriors looked at the back of the rescue team with blank expressions.
* * *
“Big.”
“Are you okay?”
The young Dojo Cheonwoo asked the old Taoist monk who was leaning against the wall with a worried expression.
The old man, who had poured alcohol to disinfect the affected area on his side, nodded with a frowning expression.
“We’ve lost the chase, so we’ll have some time to spare. “Please use this gap to do some luck.”
“There is no time for that.”
“Master.”
“It will catch up quickly. “You must move again as soon as first aid is completed.”
Dojang Cheonwoo bit his lip.
Even though I was experiencing it myself, I could not easily accept the current situation.
Many executioners lost their lives.
The surviving disciples scattered.
Even the teacher, who was called the Sword Demon and respected by everyone, suffered serious injuries.
I couldn’t come to my senses as unimaginable things happened one after another.
The old plum blossom divine sword master Hyeongun said while stroking his disciple’s head.
“do not worry. “Volcanic waves do not collapse that easily.”
“…….”
“For now, let’s focus on getting out of Ranju safely. “Gather the disciples together.”
“All right.”
Dojang Cheonwoo, who made an effort to calm his expression, nodded and left.
Hyeongun Dojang, who was left alone in the cave with a cloth wrapped around his waist, frowned.
The wound from the last chase was throbbing.
The injury did not appear to be that serious on the outside, but the problem was internal energy that had penetrated through the affected area.
The energy was so poisonous that it had not yet been resolved and was worsening the internal injuries.
‘I don’t know how much longer I can hold out.’
Hyeongun Dojang took a long breath and put on his gi.
The special training method that is passed down only to those who inherit the title of Plum God Sword dramatically increases the durability and recovery of the body.
Given enough time, injuries can be easily recovered.
The problem was that since I was being chased by the chase team, I could hardly take my time.
There were limits to relying on natural healing power.
As I continued to move vigorously over the past few days, the internal injuries were getting worse.
If the internal injuries were left unattended like this, in the worst case scenario, one could fall into a fire demon.
No, I didn’t know that my head would be torn off by the blood flower witch, the commander of the punitive force, before I entered the state.
‘I acted strong in front of Cheonwoo.’
To be honest, I felt anxious as well.
Of course, he had no intention of revealing such true intentions in front of his disciples.
“Master. “The preparations are complete.”
Soon, Dojang Cheonwoo brought his disciples.
A little over ten people.
More than half of them were young men around the same age as Cheonwoo Dojang.
After brushing aside the students who were looking depressed, Dojang Hyeong-woon felt the need to boost their morale.
“It’s not completely hopeless.”
“……?”
“I think some people have noticed, but the movements of the punitive force are a little different than before. Until recently, I took my time and took the approach of chasing down my prey, but recently I’ve been showing signs of being overly clingy. Do you understand what this means?”
“Are you saying they are also feeling impatient?
“Yes. “Then why do you think they feel impatient?”
“……no way.”
“Maybe a rescue team is coming to help us.”
“…!”
“I’m not sure, but I think the chances are pretty high. “If the Blood Flower Witch, who is no one else, is impatient, then the scale cannot be small.”
“Hmm.”
“Also, it is highly likely that the members of the rescue team are warriors from Sacheon.”
“Sacheon? “Why do you think that?”
“To put it bluntly, the Wulin forces in Shaanxi currently have no power to help us. “The most likely thing is if the Sacheon branch manager, who has the authority to act on behalf of Maeng Ju-ryeong, gathers local warriors.”
The disciples’ faces brightened.
Because the demonic cultists were narrowing their siege from the east, they were unable to head to Shaanxi and fled south.
If the rescue team formed in Sacheon was heading north, there was a good chance that they would encounter one along the way.
“We may be able to join our allies soon. So, everyone, just cheer up a little more.”
“All right!”