Chapter v8c5

“Miss, where are you going?”

Baek Mu yeong quickly asked. as He stopped her actions.

“Do I really have to say it out loud?”

Na Ye rin retorted with an indifferent face. It was a tone that suggested not to ask the obvious. Baek Mu yeong, momentarily feeling a sting of conscience, continued speaking.

“Even so, there’s no need to expose yourself to danger alone, is there? Think about the people around you who worry. If you were to get even a small scratch…”

The next words, too dreadful to utter due to their content, couldn’t be spoken by Baek Mu yeong, a man of otherwise cool reason. If Na Ye rin were to be harmed, even slightly, it was clear that her fanatical followers, whose hearts would burst with rage, would storm into the enemy’s territory with fire in their eyes. Murim would then be swept into a bloody storm of righteous battle. It was a terrifying thought to even imagine.

Despite Baek Mu yeong’s words, she did not bother to open her mouth to reply. She just looked ahead and walked silently.

“Ah… Miss! Please stop.”

Baek Mu yeong’s attempt to stop Na Ye rin once more was in vain. She slipped through his grasp like the wind that couldn’t be caught.

‘Why am I walking this path now, why?’

She didn’t know the reason, but she decided to follow the direction her heart led her. To her, such a man was not worth worrying about, no matter what happened… Na Ye rin still didn’t understand her own actions.

“Oh no, oh no! I can’t just sit here awkwardly alone!”

With a scratch of his head, Nohak stood up. Namgung Sang and Hyun Woon did the same. Jang Hong and Hyo Ryong couldn’t just sit still either. It was a disgrace for a man to let a woman lead the way on a dangerous battlefield. Such a person didn’t deserve to be called a true man.

The entire Ju jak squad stood up.

“Isn’t it dangerous for a woman? How about waiting here?”

Tang Sam suggested. Immediately, Tang Mun hye retorted with a punch.

Whack!

Her rebuttal came with a fist.

“Tang Sam! Since when did you become a sexist? When did you start looking down on women?”

Tang Mun hye glared at Tang Sam with a venomous look, as if she were a poisonous snake.

Tang Sam trembled, regretting his words that he had carelessly uttered without properly assessing the situation. He had never won a battle of wills against this sister of his, a pitiful state to be in. He cursed his mouth that had dug its own grave, regardless of his will. But the damage was done.

“Why can’t you speak? Say it quickly! When did you start underestimating women, tell me…”

Tang Sam was sweating profusely due to a slip of the tongue, not knowing what to do.

“No… I… It’s not like that…”

Tang Sam now had a crestfallen face. There was nowhere to run.

The men all sympathized with his situation but dared not reach out to help. All they could do was silently chant prayers of condolence.

“Why can’t you still speak?”

Tang Mun hye’s nails shone menacingly in the sunlight, as if ready to strike. Tang Sam had no desire to receive a memorial service next.

“I’m sorry! It’s my fault! I won’t do it again. Sister!”

Tang Sam had no choice but to admit his mistake and defeat, begging with his hands clasped until his fingerprints wore off. No one dared to meet Tang Mun hye’s eyes. Only the women around her sent congratulations for her victory and the advancement of women’s rights.

“Do you have the confidence to win?”

Suddenly, standing up and dusting himself off, Yeom Do addressed everyone who had stood up. Since everyone had risen, Cheong Heun and Baek Mu yeong could no longer preserve their seats and sit down.

“Even if you lack confidence, there are times when you must act. It’s shameful for a man to skulk behind a woman leading the way, isn’t it? Or else, it’s even more humiliating to tuck your tail and run away. I’d rather choose to fight valiantly and perish than live a life of disgrace and infamy.”

Namgung Sang said with eyes shining with firm conviction. Everyone nodded in agreement, as if they shared his opinion. Their hearts had already united as one.

Still, Na Ye rin was walking ahead, leading the way.

Flash!

“Yeeek! Aaaack! Crash bang! Crack!”

“What… what is that?”

Yeom Do asked.

“Well… I don’t know?”

He couldn’t answer something he didn’t know.

“Hey! This isn’t a dream, is it?”

A sudden surge of doubt!

“Well… I don’t know.”

Namgung Sang couldn’t answer readily.

What they witnessed upon arriving at the scene with Bi Ryu yeon was his unbelievable divine presence, splitting the Four Great Gales in one strike. They were rooted to the spot. The same was true for Na Ye rin.

The Dark Heaven Alliance no longer needed to worry about the upkeep costs for the four horses that had just charged in. They could cut off all concerns about the expensive feed for the horses or the even more costly maintenance of their iron armor. They had obtained the most definitive reason to erase these expenses from their accounting books. And there was no longer any need to worry about the salaries and hazard pay for the members of the Iron Calvary who had ridden those four horses. Of course, there was still the issue of paying a sufficient condolence money for these four men. But other than that, there would be no more expenses.

Because just a moment ago, with Bi Ryu yeon’s strike, the warriors known as the Four Great Gales, who had been charging on the iron clad horses, were all horizontally bisected.

In the end, the Four Great Gales had to widen their eyes. It was a sign of defiance against the reality that there was someone who could cut down all four of them in a single move. And that was also the last expression on their faces.

The corpses of people who had once been whole were cleanly sliced by a dazzling flash of light that seemed to split heaven and earth, like the blade of a god. As the four horses performed aerial acrobatics in the sky, the flash of light split the heavens and earth.

They stared blankly at the battlefield, having forgotten the purpose of their visit.

In the middle of that desolate plain, even while facing fifty members of the Iron Calvary boasting massive military and physical strength, Bi Ryu yeon’s demeanor remained imposing.

“Let’s hold off on helping for now!”

Finally, Yeom Do made a decision.

It seemed that time was needed to distinguish whether this was a dream or reality.

“Well… that’s right.”

Everyone nodded, as if their spirits had left them.

“Is what I’m seeing now an illusion? Or is it a terrible nightmare swallowing reality?”

A trembling voice leaked from deep within his chest. Wi Musang was truly afraid.

“I can pinch your cheek instead. But without doing so, it’s clear that this is reality. A reality that is undeniably true and correct! Escaping from reality is a bad habit.”

Bi Ryu yeon spoke as if to sooth him.

“I can’t believe it.”

Wi Musang stubbornly resisted. How frustrated he must have been to deny the reality plainly visible before his eyes! We must understand the psychological state Wi Musang is currently in.

“Then there’s nothing I can do!”

“Aaack!”

Suddenly, Wi Musang felt an intense pain in his right cheek. A scream was its byproduct.

“What… what is it?”

As promised, it was Bi Ryu yeon who had pinched him. The burning pain came along with…

Suddenly, a vivid red scratch appeared on his cheek.

“Ah, how did this happen?”

“Are you still curious if it’s a nightmare or an illusion? Ah, what a diligent, kind, and gentle young man I am…”

It was a painful thing to hear for any sane man. Yet, it helped Wi Musang’s grasp of reality.

“What… What do I do now?”

There was no plan. One needs to see a solution to devise a strategy!

But no matter which way Wi Musang turned his head, there was no solution. After racking his brain to the point of exhaustion, he painfully realized once again that he was not cut out to be a strategist. He was a man of action, not of intellect. So, he decided once more to resolve this incident through force.

“Iron Arm Twelve Strikes!”

In a state of confusion, unable to distinguish if he was in his right mind or not, Wi Musang called out the Iron Arm Twelve Strikes.

Iron Arm Twelve Strikes! These were warriors who knew no fear from birth. The encirclement and annihilation technique they simultaneously executed was reputed to be a level above the chain combination technique of the recently deceased Four Great Gales. Originally, their encirclement attack technique was designed to be used against multiple enemies, but today, it was deployed to eliminate just one.

Having already witnessed two illusions that seemed like lies, their eyes were now filled with a grave seriousness. They had a proper learning ability, so there was no room for underestimation. The Iron Arm Twelve Strikes gathered all their internal energy and focused it on the tip of their Javelin. Even without wind, their capes fluttered due to the aura emanating from their bodies.

“Single File Formation!”

The twelve iron clad horses aligned in a row.

“Javelin!”

Clack! Clack! Clack! Clack!

All the members simultaneously raised their Javelin.

They each lifted one of the several Javelin hanging from their saddles. As they preferred to attack with long range Javelin throws, their saddles were equipped with multiple Javelin. They had drawn one each. As expected of those who had undergone hundreds of training sessions, their movements were as synchronized as gears in a machine.

“Javelin Throw Stance!”

With a click, their Javelin were raised above their shoulders. The energy was infused into the Javelin, materializing like the blade energy formed on a sword.

“Is that a Qi Javelin?”

Bi Ryu yeon showed an interested expression.

He had seen a demonstration by the Javelin master eonyu gyu before, but this was his first time facing it directly.

Originally, Javelin were often classified as military weapons rather than martial arts weapons, so they were somewhat neglected in the world of martial arts.

“Advance!”

At Wi Musang’s signal, all the horses kicked off the ground and charged forward.

“Focused Point! Cross Javelin Throw! Rapid Fire!”

They threw their Javelin with all their might, adding the speed of the charging horses to their trained strength. the pride of the Iron Calvary, who had never missed, an invincible formation that knew no failure. Of course, the target was Bi Ryu yeon.

Ssssssh!

A white flash, combining dazzling speed and tremendous destructive power, pierced through the air, drawing a white trajectory towards Bi Ryu yeon.

The Javelin strikes and throws of the Iron Arm Twelve Strikes were powerful enough to penetrate over an inch thick iron plate and shatter rocks. The name ‘Iron’ in their nickname ‘Iron Arm’ represented arms as strong as iron.

However, Bi Ryu yeon did not move an inch from his spot. Of course, he had not planned to commit suicide.

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Ssssssh!

Like a night of wavering illusions, Bi Ryu yeon’s body created multiple afterimages as it shook.

Shushushushush!

Not only the Iron Arm Twelve Strikes but also Wi Musang and Yeom Do, along with all of Cheon Gwan do, rubbed their eyes with their sleeves. The Javelin that had passed through Bi Ryu yeon’s body without any effect were now embedded in the ground, causing a massive explosion and raising a cloud of dust. The ground behind Bi Ryu yeon had turned into a wasteland. Yet, there was not a single scratch on Bi Ryu yeon’s body. All attacks had been in vain.

When Bi Ryu yeon, who was thought to have let all the Javelin throws pass by, stopped in his place, he held a Javelin in his hand.

He had caught the Javelin throw of the Iron Arm Twelve Strikes, an attack that was nearly impossible to receive head on, with his bare hands. It was Bi Ryu yeon who had committed an act that should have been avoided without hesitation. It seemed he knew no fear. Despite being able to dodge everything, catching the Javelin seemed to be a show of force.

It was as if he was saying, ‘I can do this too. It’s not because I’m weak that I dodged!’

“This… How can this be!”

Wi Musang’s mouth dropped open once again. It seemed his jaw joint might develop a problem today. The Iron Arm Twelve Strikes also seemed confused, as their movements momentarily showed actions outside of their control. But, true to their status as masters, they soon regained their formation.

“Get a hold of yourselves!”

Wi Musang shouted, urging them on. There could be no more failures.

As their trusted ultimate attack technique, the Cross Rapid Fire Javelin Throw, turned into a failure, the leader of the Iron Arm Twelve Strikes immediately issued a new command.

“Assault Stance!”

With a click, the Javelin were firmly fixed near their waists. The Javelin, thrust forward from their waists, began to shine with a milky white light.

The twelve members of the Iron Arm Twelve Strikes instinctively knew that if this attack failed, it would directly lead to their deaths. So, they gathered all their energy and collided head on.

“Qi Javelin Impact!”

Finally, the strongest attack formation of the Iron Calvary was displayed before everyone.

Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump!

The Iron Arm Twelve Strikes, divided into two groups, drove their horses and pressed in from both sides of Bi Ryu yeon.

Ten horses kicked off the ground and charged forward in unison. Since this was not a war, surrounding a single person with more than ten was only a hindrance. There was a risk of interfering with a comrade’s movements.

By now, they had disregarded their own lives and were determined to take down Bi Ryu yeon with all their might. Yet, Bi Ryu yeon showed no sign of fear.

Instead, Bi Ryu yeon smiled broadly at them. His eyes shone with a golden light, his heart turned cold as ice, and his mind, which had been unraveling, twisted into a sharp needle, emitting an aura like lightning.