Book 27 Chapter 13

The Escaper

- And the Stopper

"How about that? I was right, wasn't I? Right?"

"Praise me, praise me!" Norhak asked repeatedly in that tone.

"Ah, indeed, you were."

Certainly, the path Norhak had found had much weaker enemy surveillance than elsewhere. Namgung Sang had no intention of denying that fact at all.

"See? See?"

"Ah, yes."

Namgung Sang's answers became increasingly perfunctory.

"Right? Right?"

"Well done, Norhak. As expected, your skills are reliable."

Then Norhak gave a thumbs-up with his right hand and grinned broadly.

"This is just basic, basic!"

It seemed a bit excessive to boast about what he considered basic, but Namgung Sang knew that pointing out such things would be a major problem. Thanks to Norhak, the group was heading towards the port relatively easily. A few warriors from Macheongak blocked their path, but since they were mere scouts detached from the main force, they were easily subdued in a few moves.

Moreover, when things seemed dangerous, the companions moved on their own without Namgung Sang needing to give any instructions. It was as if they already knew what he would order. And there was no deviation from this.

Perhaps it was because three years had passed since the Jujak members had been together. During that time, despite the Grand Senior Disciple's killer offensive, the Jujak group had grown without a single vacancy or flaw. Now, the Jujak group had become more than just classmates or comrades; they were a community bound by fate. In a sense, their bond transcended even family.

He didn't want to admit it, but they had undeniably become stronger.

'If it's like this, we'll be fine!'

Confidence surged from the depths of Namgung Sang's heart. Furthermore, Namgung Sang was convinced that if things continued this way, the Jujak group would surely become the elite of Cheonmu Academy.

'The sixteen of us will become the best! Not a single person left behind, all of us!'

The only thing he didn't want to admit was that the Grand Senior Disciple's hellish training had been effective. The undeniable reality that the hell they had witnessed had made them stronger; admitting that reality somehow felt frustrating.

It felt as if it would prove that they had been wrong, and that Grand Senior Disciple Biryuyeon had been right. But the hell they had certainly seen and endured was now helping them break through this 'terrible reality.'

It was truly a cruel twist of fate that one needed to experience hell to break through reality.

The port was gradually coming closer.

Soon, the path leading to the pier unfolded straight before them.

At the end of this path, a ship awaited to take them off this island. His task would be complete once they prepared to steal that ship and leave the island, waiting only for the Grand Senior Disciple to arrive.

But suddenly, a red foreign object intruded in the middle of the path.

It was a single man, a man clad in red from head to toe.

He stood alone in the middle of the main road.

And he was looking at them. As if he intended to stop them all by himself.

Even though over twenty people were rushing towards him, the man showed no signs of evading.

'The enemy is only one.'

The confidence that had surged in Namgung Sang's heart still filled his entire body.

"The enemy is only one person. Let's break through head-on!"

It was a resonant voice full of vigor.

"Ooh!"

Tang Sam, who was running in unison with them, shouted. His voice was also overflowing with confidence, no different from Namgung Sang's. Moreover, they had reliable comrades.

The enemy was only one.

There was nowhere to fear.

It was supposed to be that way.

Wasn't gathered numbers strength?

But Tang Sam had momentarily forgotten where he was.

This was the world called Gangho, or Murim.

A world that bordered the world of ordinary people but was governed by entirely different rules.

The law of this world is that the strong survive; the rule of this world is that the weak perish.

A world where numerical superiority was not guaranteed.

A world where one peak master could confront an army of hundreds, no, thousands.

A place where "one fights a thousand" and "ten thousand cannot withstand one" were actually applicable.

That was Murim, the world inhabited by those who had honed themselves to the extreme.

Among them, some transcended their limits and reached the realm of gods or demons.

'Something's wrong.'

As they got closer to the man in red, Namgung Sang's instincts sounded an alarm.

'Why? Why? Why?'

An unpleasant anxiety crept from the bottom of his heart. An anxiety like thousands of centipedes crawling, centipedes named anxiety eating away at his heart. The man in red was the master of these centipedes. Numerical superiority and the efforts accumulated thus far meant nothing before him. The number of centipedes only increased, not decreased, devouring his heart in an instant and spreading to his limbs.

By the time he sensed something was wrong, it was already too late. Their confidence, which had even developed into overconfidence, had tripped up their instincts.

Barely swallowing the scream that was about to erupt from the depths of his throat, Namgung Sang shouted,

"Stop, Tang Sam!"

Something in his instincts was screaming. It was screaming in terror. It was screaming that they should not take another step forward. His heart felt cold as if it had frozen. It felt like his frozen heart had fallen to the ground and shattered into pieces.

"Noooooooo! Stop!"

Namgung Sang quickly stopped in his tracks and tried to stop Tang Sam, who was running forward. But Namgung Sang's voice did not reach his ears. This confident young man had only one thought in his mind.

'I'll show them my skills that I've honed up to now, and this time I'll make Hye Mae (Sister) acknowledge me as her older brother!'

The enemy was only one person.

One, one, one.

If I don't get rid of him right now…!

Tang Sam's body was already beyond the control of his head. However, in a different sense, Tang Sam was under pressure.

If I don't do something about this person… if I don't do something about this person…

Though he didn't realize it himself, it was fear. A fear like his heart was being clutched and squeezed. A fear he had never felt before engulfed his mind and body.

Tang Sam was also losing himself in front of the man in red.

"Stop, you fool!"

"Cough!"

It was Dang Mun Hye who grabbed Tang Sam by the scruff of his neck as he charged recklessly with bloodshot eyes and forcibly stopped him.

"What are you doing? Cough, cough."

Tang Sam protested with a cough.

"I told you to stop charging in without thinking!"

Hearing Namgung Sang's shout, Dang Mun Hye, feeling puzzled, grabbed Tang Sam who was charging like a mad boar.

However, the other envoys from Cheonmu Academy had no one to grab them by the scruff of their necks.

The man remained unperturbed.

The man in red remained unfazed even as over twenty emerging masters charged at him with combined might. Fear seemed to be an irrelevant word to him. He was not someone who felt fear, but someone who spread fear.

He had sworn long ago. That he would no longer live feeling fear towards others.

He would become someone who spread fear.

He would become an object of fear, so that no one would ever underestimate him again.

For that, he didn't mind becoming a demon.

*Smirk.*

A slow smile spread across the man's lips. It ended with a slight lift of one corner of his mouth.

A predator's smile hunting prey?

No, it was a cruel, demonic smile that could only be made in the midst of the Avici Hell.

*Chara rak!*

With a flick of his right sleeve, a terrifying armored gauntlet made of black iron, like a dark abyss, appeared. It had a ferocious appearance, as if made of sharp black scales.

The devil's mouth slowly opened, and a cracked voice, like the sound of hell, emerged.

"Go and tear them apart!"

*Pu hwa k!*

A spray of blood bloomed like falling petals before Namgung Sang's eyes.

"……"

Namgung Sang couldn't believe what he was seeing.

A black iron gauntlet, like the claw of a terrifying beast, clutched a red heart. It was the heart of Cheon Ya Jin, still pulsating. The blood-soaked iron gauntlet holding the red heart looked like a devil's hand.

Cheon Ya Jin, who was considered peerless in Taoism among the figures of the Gunghung Palga Hoe. And he had his heart ripped out without being able to offer any meaningful resistance. How could his hand reach this far when the distance was over ten paces?

*Kwa ak!*

As the black iron gauntlet clenched the heart, a crimson fountain of blood gushed out, drenching the ground.

Namgung Sang, Jin Ryeong, Cheong Heun, and Baek Mu Yeong all felt the scene unfolding before their eyes like a terrible nightmare.

But the blood splattered on their cheeks was as hot as lava. The skin touched by the drops of blood felt like it would burn and peel off.

"Aaaaahhhhhh!"

Several warriors belonging to the Gunghung Palga Hoe roared and charged at the man in red.

"Nooooooo! Come back!"

Another scream erupted from Namgung Sang's mouth. But his voice did not reach the obsessed warriors, blinded by rage and fear.

*Pu hwa a a a a a k!*

They were prodigies who could wield sword energy despite their youth. They were the proud envoys representing Cheonmu Academy.

But as the man in red whipped his steel right arm, they all fell to the ground, cut in half at the waist. Blood and entrails spilled onto the ground.

The steel hand, which lengthened like a whip and then returned to its original shape.

The devil's hand that summoned a storm of blood.

Only then could they recognize who the man was.

"Seocheon… Myeolgeop…"

Namgung Sang muttered the name, his lips trembling fiercely.

Jin Ryeong, Cheong Heun, and Baek Mu Yeong's eyes widened. At the same time, fear and dread filled their eyes, something they hadn't experienced much before.

Seocheon Myeolgeop, one of the Four Myeolgeop who protected Cheon Geop Hyeolsin Wi Cheonmu.

Seocheon Myeolgeop.

His divine weapon, 'Seopung Gwangran,' was a supreme divine weapon that summoned a mad blood wind with every swing, and it was one of the terrifying legends that had never appeared for the past hundred years.

The fear of a hundred years ago. The fear they had only heard of in stories, which they had dismissed as ancient history because it was unlikely to resurface, had appeared before them in solid form.

If their comrades' hearts hadn't been ripped out and their waists broken in front of their eyes, they still wouldn't have believed it.

Namgung Sang, Norhak, Tang Sam, Dang Mun Hye, Jin Ryeong, and Ryu Eun Gyeong – the six of them had never felt such profound fear.

They were now facing one of the legends.

It was a fight that they, who had been on a smooth path as promising younger disciples, had never engaged in before.

"It would be dangerous to confront him head-on."

Namgung Sang said.

"I agree with Captain Namgung's opinion."

Tang Sam nodded.

"It's frustrating now, but let's focus only on escaping."

This man in red was simply taking his anger out on them. There was no other way to think when looking at his merciless attacks.

"Securing the path to the ship will be the top priority."

Norhak frowned. The enemy was only one, but he had no confidence that they could win.

They were now facing one of the legends that bred the greatest fear.

"If it's the six of us, we can at least hold him off. In the meantime, let's move the envoys."

Even if it were impossible alone, they might be able to buy time if the Jujak members were there.

"That sounds like a good idea. I agree."

Jin Ryeong said.

"I also agree with Gong Namgung Sang's opinion."

Ryu Eun Gyeong said.

"Then it's decided."

Dang Mun Hye muttered with a slightly worried expression. Danger emanated constantly from that man. She just wanted to escape the situation immediately. But ironically, there was no other way than to break through him and reach the ship.

"Everyone, don't let your guard down. We must bring out all our skills to face the opponent."

"If we survive this, we too will become part of a legend."

Tang Sam's face was filled with grim determination. He was denying the fear he had felt just moments ago.

'I, Tang Sam, am not a coward!'

He intended to prove it from now on.

First, Norhak charged in with his Jagged Staff. Deploying the Beggar's Sect's unique martial art, the Eight Drunken Immortals' Steps, to its extreme. The Beggar's Sect also had palm and fist techniques, but he judged that the Jagged Staff was suitable for dealing with Seocheon's Seopung Gwangran.

He took the vanguard first because the Beggar's Sect's footwork was more suited for disrupting the opponent rather than facing them directly. Originally, the Beggar's Sect, being a group of beggars, focused their martial arts on evasion rather than winning battles. The Beggar's Sect's philosophy was that getting unnecessarily angry and fighting would only make them hungrier.

Norhak had spent a long time researching how to escape the Grand Senior Disciple's punishing blows and the Three Hundred Beatings Fist. To do so, he needed to refine his footwork to the extreme. Therefore, he had diligently practiced his footwork in preparation for when he was beaten by the Grand Senior Disciple.

He didn't want to be beaten like a stray dog anymore, which fueled his desire to study.

The results of that were now manifesting in Norhak's body.

The Eight Drunken Immortals' Steps involved moving the body erratically to confuse the enemy. The name "Eight Drunken Immortals' Steps" came from its appearance, which resembled a drunken person walking.

As if leaning left, he would lean right, and as his body swayed to the right, he would suddenly be on the left.

With rapid zigzag movements, he seemed to fall but didn't, and instead, he would fall in the opposite direction. Repeating rapid movements, Norhak circled around Seocheon.

Norhak didn't feel any particular movement from Seocheon.

Norhak thought it was an opportunity.

Without hesitation, he drew his Jagged Staff and thrust it towards Seocheon.

Jagged Staff Technique

Last Form

Heaven and Earth Without Dogs

It was the strongest technique of the Beggar's Sect's signature Jagged Staff Technique from the beginning. He couldn't go easy against Seocheon. His attack was intended as a signal for his friends to launch a successive attack on Seocheon.

The shadow of the green bamboo Jagged Staff covered heaven and earth. Indeed, it had the majestic aura befitting its name, which implied sweeping away all dogs under heaven and earth.

"Ridiculous."

Seopung Gwangran (West Wind Frenzy) Secret Technique

Ryu Rin Jo Ah (Trampling Claws and Fangs)

Steel claws tore through the air.

Then, the 봉영 (shadow of the staff) that had covered heaven and earth was instantly torn apart. It was a brute force tearing apart the Beggar's Sect's technique.

The green bamboo Jagged Staff in Norhak's hand exploded with a '펑!' sound. But that wasn't the end of it.

Seocheon's claw, having obliterated the 봉영, had already seized Norhak's right hand.

"Foolish one. I'll give you a piece at a time!"

With a casual gesture, Norhak's right arm was torn off. Along with the green bamboo staff he held and the Jagged Staff Technique he was deploying.

"Kuaaaaaaaak!"

A desperate scream erupted from Norhak's mouth.

A fountain of red blood spurted from his shoulder where his arm had been torn off.

"Norhak!"

Namgung Sang, his face pale, called Norhak's name urgently. The group, who had been about to approach the man, also stopped abruptly. The Heaven and Earth Without Dogs technique had been shattered so quickly that they had missed their chance to attack.

"How dare you!"

Seeing his Jujak comrade harmed, Dang Mun Hye, her eyes blazing, threw hidden weapons at Seocheon. In the meantime, Jin Ryeong, risking danger, dashed like lightning and pulled Norhak away. This was possible because the distance between Seocheon and Norhak had widened due to the divine weapon's reach.

"Hmph! Such trifles."

However, as Seocheon swung his arm, a gust of wind arose, scattering all the hidden weapons flying towards him. Among them were even the Dang Mun Eight Hidden Weapons, but they were powerless before him. Moreover, that gust of wind, without losing its momentum, flew directly towards Dang Mun Hye, who was about to throw more hidden weapons.

"Kyaaaaak!"

Swept away by the fearsome force carried by the gust of wind, Dang Mun Hye's body was thrown backward.

"Here, take this too!"

Seeing Dang Mun Hye being harmed, Tang Sam unleashed his proud Dang Mun Triple Strike and charged at Seocheon. There was no room for holding back against such a person.

Three of the Dang Mun Eight Hidden Weapons exploded consecutively from Tang Sam's body.

There was no time to spare their precious hidden weapons.

The three hidden weapons, fired with a time difference, rained down on Seocheon's body.

"Ridiculous! What can you do with this, a child's play, not even a shower of a thousand flowers?"

Seocheon snorted and extended his steel right hand. Again, a gust of wind swirled around it, and the fearsome force deflected all the incoming hidden weapons like a shield.

"You fool, you're too close!"

Dang Mun Hye, having regained her posture, screamed and leaped towards Tang Sam.

If a bow is a long-range weapon, hidden weapons can be considered mid-range weapons. They are projectile weapons, meaning maintaining an appropriate distance is paramount. Recklessly closing the distance to the opponent is suicidal. Tang Sam was now completely within Seocheon's striking range.

"Die!"

*Chwa ra ra rak!*

Seocheon's right hand, the divine weapon 'Seopung Gwangran,' extended straight towards Tang Sam's heart, emitting a sharp sound that tore through the air. It was the terrifying 'Heart Crusher,' designed to crush the opponent's heart.

It was an attack that Tang Sam could not possibly evade. Tang Sam's eyes filled with despair as he saw the approaching steel fangs.

*Hwi ri ri ri rik!*

Just then, something long and sturdy whipped around Tang Sam's waist with a strong force.

It was the leather whip that Dang Mun Hye had hastily extended. Thinking she wouldn't be able to reach him in time with just footwork, she had frantically swung her whip to make up for the distance. Believing she had accurately wrapped it around Tang Sam's waist, she quickly pulled the whip.

The Seopung Gwangran, which had been flying to pierce Tang Sam's heart, missed its target and grazed his side.

"Tsk, thanks to you, I'm alive, Mun Hye!"

Tang Sam, having narrowly escaped death, looked back at Dang Mun Hye with relief. And then he froze on the spot.

"Mun Hye…"

*Thump!*

There was an unreal reality, like the world collapsing.

The steel claws that had grazed him had, instead, taken another as a sacrifice for their fangs.

"Fool…"

Crimson blood flowed down Dang Mun Hye's moving lips.

The terrifying devil's claw that extended from Seocheon's hand was embedded in Dang Mun Hye's right chest.

*Pu hwa a a a a a a k!*

A fountain of red blood gushed out and then rained down like a shower.

*Hu du duk!*

The rain of red blood fell on Tang Sam's hands, which were in a daze.

"Aaaaaahhhhhh!"

A desperate scream erupted from Tang Sam's mouth.