Chapter 147. Those Wearing Black Masks (6)
To Seong Mo-ran, Jin So-un was an uncomfortable presence.
Even apart from matters between their teacher’s sects, he was not someone she could feel at ease with on a person-to-person level.
A man who would risk his life at any time for the sake of others.
A man who would do so as if it were only natural, even if that person had once been his enemy.
That was why Seong Mo-ran always felt dissatisfied with his actions, yet she could neither push him away nor leave him.
Perhaps the reason she kept calling him by a nickname he did not particularly like was because she wanted him to become at least a little more selfish.
‘It ended up like this after all.’
If she had not gone along with his intentions from the beginning, they would not have been facing the worst possible situation like this now.
“How dare you, knowing where this place is…….”
A displeased voice settled low like a tiger’s growl.
Though the weather had become fairly warm, steam was rising from his entire body.
It likely meant that he had expelled all the alcohol he had drunk until just moments ago and completed his battle preparations.
Flying Cloud Fresh Wind Jong Byeok-gi.
A storm-riding talent who had proudly occupied a seat in the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly in Yong So-ah’s cohort, which had been called the strongest generation.
If not for Yong So-ah and Il-myeong, he would have been more than capable of being counted as a rising star who would lead the next generation, and that existence was now pouring out intense killing intent.
“Who are you? Reveal your identities.”
Qi gathered on Jong Byeok-gi’s sword.
Seong Mo-ran was appalled by the sharp killing intent she felt from him and spoke to Jin So-un.
-Young Master Jin. What do we do now?
The fact that Jong Byeok-gi had arrived meant the warriors of Diancang had almost arrived as well.
Moreover, in order to hide their ugly side, they would clearly stop at nothing.
-Since he has revealed himself like this, we should be happy instead.
Seong Mo-ran bit her lip hard and said,
-As expected, sticking close to the Rising Star of the Black Path means fighting Orthodox Path sects more often.
Seong Mo-ran adjusted her grip on her sword.
She did not want to remain someone who only leaned on him.
She wanted to become someone he could lean on.
No, at the very least, she wanted to become someone who trusted him.
She did not know why that thought had occurred to her.
That was simply the direction of her heart.
-They will be desperate.
-I know. And the sword of the Iron Sword Sect does not break so easily.
-Understood. Then let us decide this as quickly as possible.
-Do you mean to face Senior Jong Byeok-gi?
The Dragon and Phoenix Assembly of the Murim Academy’s previous cohort had truly been a war of stars.
The mere existence of Yong So-ah and Il-myeong had raised the standard of evaluation to an extreme degree, and because of that, the current Dragon and Phoenix Assembly was filled with stronger people than ever before.
Among them, Jong Byeok-gi was a master counted as one of the figures who would later lead Diancang.
He was a later-generation talent evaluated as being of a different class.
-Of course not. I am merely trying to buy time.
Contrary to his words, a faint killing intent circled in Jin So-un’s two eyes, visible through his mask.
She had not seen eyes like that even during the Murim Regular Exam.
What circumstances could there possibly be?
-Anyway, let us not die or get hurt. How embarrassing would it be to get hurt while helping other people?
Seong Mo-ran gave him a needless scolding while hiding her concern as much as possible.
Speaking this way was the method most like her.
-That is exactly what I would like to say to you. If you do not want to be scolded by Miss Namgung Seon-hwa, please be as careful as possible.
-How ridiculous, honestly.
With those words, the two split to the left and right.
“You damned things dare…….”
Flying Cloud Fresh Wind Jong Byeok-gi’s sword swung like lightning and poured out bundles of sword qi.
Sun-Shooting Sword Art, Swift Sword Form.
Bundles of sword qi, so fast they were difficult to confirm with the naked eye, shot toward Jin So-un.
Jin So-un kept running without slowing even slightly.
Then, the moment he gave his body to the sword qi.
“Hah!”
Jin So-un’s figure shattered and vanished like a phantom, and the sword qi merely advanced into empty air.
Jong Byeok-gi’s eyes widened at the sight, and the instant he turned his head at a strange feeling, Jin So-un, who had disappeared from before his eyes, was trying to split Jong Byeok-gi’s head like a lightning bolt.
“Insane…….”
CLANG-CLANG!
Amid the collision of sword and sword, a massive impact rang out as if shaking space.
Jong Byeok-gi, who had retreated five steps, gagged and vomited up the food and alcohol he had consumed through the night.
And Jin So-un immediately thrust toward that very Jong Byeok-gi’s throat.
“You bastard…… dare…….”
Jong Byeok-gi thought his opponent’s sword was heavier than expected and brought out the Fire Dragon Sword Art.
The moment Jin So-un’s sword and Jong Byeok-gi’s sword collided, the sound of twisting metal rang through the area.
GROOOAN–
At the sound stabbing into their eardrums, the people of the Yuwol Sect covered their ears, but while the two exchanged swords, the painful sound continued without pause.
If there was any relief, it was that Jong Byeok-gi had now regained himself and was driving the masked man back.
The Yuwol Sect warriors’ delighted smiles lasted only a moment.
The masked man’s sword, which had been retreating before the Fire Dragon Sword Art, began producing those Illusion Swords again.
“Be careful! That bastard uses Illusion Swords!”
When one of the Yuwol Sect warriors warned him about the sword art that had already killed many of their comrades, Jong Byeok-gi’s mouth fell open as if startled.
“I-Illusion Swords?”
Had some unpleasant memory come to mind?
At the same time, dozens of Illusion Swords burst out from the masked man.
“……Don’t tell me– fuck–!”
Jong Byeok-gi soon gritted his teeth and scattered sword qi wildly.
Diancang’s ultimate art, Returning Wind Flowless Sword, scattered with a massive vortex.
RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE.
The storm that met dozens of Illusion Swords grew enormously in size and swallowed both the Illusion Swords and the real sword hidden within them.
WHOOOOOSH.
The place where the storm had passed was left desolate, with even the wild grass that had been growing freely on the ground removed.
However, the masked man’s form did not exist within it.
“Jin So-un…….”
At the name Jong Byeok-gi spat out as if chewing it, the masked man’s figure fluttered down and landed within the traces of the Returning Wind Flowless Sword.
“Have you gone mad? Or has the Taeul Sect’s prosperity become great enough to make Diancang its enemy?”
Jong Byeok-gi spoke as if he were certain that the masked man was Jin So-un, but the masked man gave no answer.
As if frustrated, Jong Byeok-gi shouted.
“Answer me! Jin So-un! Do you think you can hide it now by pretending you are not him!”
The masked man merely gave no answer and once again stepped that damned footwork.
Jong Byeok-gi gritted his teeth and raised his sword.
He had driven out his drunkenness through qi circulation, but the hangover dissolved in his body blurred his mind.
In such a state, he could not distinguish Illusion from reality.
‘Then it will be a frontal confrontation.’
He had already realized at the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly’s event that the Sun-Shooting Sword Art did not work on him.
Jong Byeok-gi was not foolish enough to tread the same path again.
He shot out the Fierce Wind Swift Sword, made by drawing out only the tyrannical advantage of the Returning Wind Flowless Sword.
SWIIIIISH-
The sword qi shot out with a rough wind and was about to swallow Jin So-un.
As before, Jin So-un vanished while leaving behind an illusion and appeared on Jong Byeok-gi’s right.
“How long do you plan to use the same trick!”
Jong Byeok-gi changed the direction of his sword again and brought down the Falling Shadow Flying Flower Sword.
Sword qi that seemed to split even space, like the shadows of falling flowers, blocked even the places Jin So-un could flee to.
They were ultimate moves that would force him to surrender either a hand or a foot the instant even one struck.
Jin So-un raised his sword and slowly spun it around.
Jin So-un produced Illusion Swords even though he knew they would not work.
Jong Byeok-gi’s triumphant eyes, as if certain of victory, gradually widened.
“W-what!”
Sword qi began to gather, one by one, on the countless Illusion Swords embroidering the air.
Illusion Swords clearly should not have been able to be cloaked in sword qi.
The Illusion Swords cloaked in sword qi cut off the starting points of the Falling Shadow Flying Flower Sword and blocked the sword qi.
CRASH, CRASH, CRASH, CRASH, CRASH, CRASH.
Every time an impact burst out, the flowers disappeared.
Jin So-un pierced through the entirety of the Falling Shadow Flying Flower Sword and approached Jong Byeok-gi.
Jong Byeok-gi quickly thrust out the Hou Yi Draws the Bow form of the Sun-Shooting Sword Art.
SWISH.
CRASH!
Jong Byeok-gi, who had flown in like lightning, was flung away like an arrow.
THUD.
Kuhuk.
Jong Byeok-gi, with red blood streaming from the corner of his mouth, sprang to his feet and was about to continue the battle again.
Slice.
Jin So-un appeared behind Jong Byeok-gi and cut the tendon of Jong Byeok-gi’s heel.
“Ugh! Uheok!”
Jong Byeok-gi collapsed to the ground like a puppet whose string had snapped.
The Yuwol Sect warriors could not hide their shock at the sight.
“Young Master Jong! Young Master Jong!”
If Jong Byeok-gi, Diancang’s rising star, died here right now, no one knew what would happen.
If it ended merely with their misconduct being exposed, then even if they were at least cursed at, they would be able to receive Diancang’s protection.
But on the day Jong Byeok-gi died, they could not predict what that Diancang would do to them.
“Protect Young Master Jong! Hurry!”
The warriors of the Yuwol Sect began charging toward Jin So-un, throwing away their lives like blades of grass.
However, the Gold-Silver-Copper Brothers did not simply stand by and watch that.
“Why are you butting into the bosses’ fight!”
Geum-pyo went forward first and blocked the Yuwol Sect warriors.
Eun-ho and Dong-ryong also unfolded Ten Thousand Swords and thoroughly blocked them off.
The Yuwol Sect warriors could not bring themselves to break through the Gold-Silver-Copper Brothers and push inside.
Jin So-un leisurely approached Jong Byeok-gi, who was screaming.
“At last, I make you pay the price for insulting my teacher’s sect.”
“You……. Even after this…….”
Jin So-un looked at Jong Byeok-gi, who was grinding his teeth desperately, and changed his grip on the sword.
Then he struck down at his Dantian with enough force to pierce through his body.
THUD.
Along with the sound of something strange breaking, something impossible to believe came from a human body, Jong Byeok-gi let out a bizarre scream.
“Guuuuurk–!”
Jong Byeok-gi vomited a mouthful of black blood mixed thickly with flesh.
Before he could even confirm what he had spat out, his eyes rolled back and he collapsed backward.
“Insane…….”
“……Did Flying Cloud Fresh Wind just lose?”
“What are you doing! Kill that bastard right now!”
At that moment, with a roar, the large gate flew away like a tree branch.
CRAAASH!!
“…….”
The ones who had smashed through the gate and entered were all warriors of the Diancang Sect with ominous momentum.
And behind them, warriors of the Yuwol Sect poured in as if chasing after them.
Among the nearly one hundred Diancang Sect masters, a middle-aged man who seemed to be the leader of the group looked once at Jong Byeok-gi, then raised his head and looked at Jin So-un.
“……Who are you?”
At that short demand, one Moonless Unit member pointed at Jin So-un with his finger.
“Y-Young Master Jong…… called him J-Jin So-un.”
“Jin So-un?”
The middle-aged man stared at Jin So-un with cold eyes.
“Are you Jin So-un of the Taeul Sect?”
“…….”
“You knew that we are the Diancang Sect, and that child is Jong Byeok-gi of Diancang, did you not?”
“……I knew.”
“Ha, you knew? Then can you explain why you committed such an act?”
“Jong Byeok-gi was involved in the abduction cases happening in Yueyang. Did Diancang know as well?”
“…….”
The middle-aged man’s face hardened.
But it quickly changed back into an angry expression.
“What nonsense are you spouting! Abductions, you say!”
“Hehe…… I knew you would feign innocence like that. That is why I took action. At the very least, you must pay a price too.”
“You are a madman……. We can find out what you were thinking when you did this at the Main Mountain. In addition, your sect will no longer exist in the Jianghu, so do not think about relying on anyone else.”
When the middle-aged man turned around while pouring out killing intent, the warriors of Diancang began unfolding the Splitting Light Five Ghosts Sword Formation.
A rare killing sword formation said to allow no one who entered it to leave until they had become a ghost.
Seong Mo-ran, who had been holding her breath and watching this entire process, did not know what to do.
She could only watch that foolishly upright man who would even choose to walk into death on his own feet to save others.
At that moment, Jin So-un’s voice reached her ears.
-Miss Seong, you must absolutely not leave the sword formation.
-What?
Before Seong Mo-ran could answer, Jin So-un shouted.
“Geum, Eun, Dong!”
“““Yes!”””
The Gold-Silver-Copper Brothers positioned themselves around Seong Mo-ran all at once.
It was the White Tiger Sure-Kill Sword Formation, familiar even to Seong Mo-ran’s eyes.
“Eun-ho, you take charge. I will fill Sa-ryeon’s position.”
“Understood.”
“Go with Ten Thousand Illusions from the start. If this drags on, we will be at a disadvantage.”
“Yes!”
Seong Mo-ran could not gather her senses.
In the meantime, the Splitting Light Five Ghosts Sword Formation began operating.
Fifty swords were drawn at the same time and thrust toward the Taeul Sect group from every direction.
Around the Taeul Sect group, four swords appeared and began stirring through space on their own, as if dancing.
SHHHHHH.
CRASH.
Then, dozens of Illusion Swords manifested from the four swords and confused the eyes of the warriors performing the Splitting Light Five Ghosts Sword Formation.
“Ignore them! They are only Illusion Swords!”
Encouraged a hundredfold by the middle-aged man’s shout, the Diancang Sect members ignored the Illusion Swords and began thrusting in their own swords.
However—
SHHHHHHHK.
CLANG, CLANG, CLANG, CLANG, CLANG.
In the collision with the Illusion Swords, where no sound should have been heard, the sound of friction rang out, and screams burst from various places.
Kuhuk,
Aagh-
Ugh!
Five swordsmen of the Splitting Light Five Ghosts Sword Formation were wounded, and the sword formation was disrupted for an instant.
Another Diancang Sect swordsman who had been standing by behind them tried to fill that space, but Jin So-un dug into that brief opening.
“Where do you think you are going!”
The moment Jin So-un squeezed through the gap in the Splitting Light Five Ghosts Sword Formation, Cold Flame Palms burst wildly from the middle-aged man’s hands, his eyes blazing.
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM.
The ground overturned, and weeds scattered.
Jin So-un, who had avoided the Cold Flame Palms, returned to the White Tiger Sure-Kill Sword Formation once again.
As if declaring that it would no longer let Jin So-un escape, the Splitting Light Five Ghosts Sword Formation instantly spread wide, then enveloped all the members of the Taeul Sect.
The Splitting Light Five Ghosts Sword Formation perfectly surrounded the White Tiger Sure-Kill Sword Formation.
To begin with, it was a sword formation created to face a single absolute master.
Even one of the Hundred Greatest Masters under Heaven had no way to escape it intact.
“Star Illusion!”
At the same time as Eun-ho’s shout, the Twin Heaven Sword Formula stretching from the four people’s hands shot out in every direction.
“Keuk!”
“Kuhuk!”
Even as the warriors forming the Splitting Light Five Ghosts Sword Formation fell one by one, the Splitting Light Five Ghosts Sword Formation itself did not collapse.
“Fill the empty positions!”
At the middle-aged man’s words, the waiting warriors of Diancang shot out like arrows and filled the vacancies.
As if determined to see this through to the end, they continued pressing in.
“It seems you possess a thread of skill, but let us see whether you can escape Diancang’s grasp.”
The Splitting Light Five Ghosts Sword Formation, which had been spread wide, gradually began tightening.
The casualties continued to occur only on the Diancang Sect’s side, but by exactly that much, the Splitting Light Five Ghosts Sword Formation constricted the White Tiger Sure-Kill Sword Formation.
At last, the hems of the Taeul Sect people’s clothes began being cut away one by one.
Even so, not one of them left the sword formation.
Although Seong Mo-ran was in a critical situation where her life hung by a thread, she widened her eyes.
Because she had decided to trust them.
To trust him.
And at that moment.
“Stop!!!”
Along with a voice that rang thunderously through the entire estate, nearly two hundred warriors appeared on the estate walls.
