episode_0139

139. Counterattack.

Puhwaaaaaak-!!

A massive wave invades the riverbank. It’s not just any wave, either. It’s a tsunami filled with the magic of several sorcerers.

The Murim of Baekdo flutter here and there like dandelion seeds.

“Glug······.”

“Ugh! Puhak! Sa, save me!”

The body is heavy. It felt like being caught in a sand wave, not water.

Many Murim members drowned on the spot or suffered serious injuries from colliding with strange objects.

Fortunately, the wave created by magic was highly volatile. The damp ground soon revealed its appearance.

“Kkeueooo······.”

The approaching sunlight and ground met eyes. Perhaps because of the moisture, the ground sparkled.

Even after barely enduring the wave, the Murim members of Baekdo were not in good condition.

An unknown Murim member raised his head with trembling eyes. A large shadow was covering him.

“Ah, ah······.”

It was a ship. A ship of fantasy made of cool ice. Whether it rode the waves or not, it was docked on the muddy ground, not the river.

And from that ship, dozens of black figures jumped down.

Immediately after, the Murim member witnessed something sparkling.

Poo-uk!

“Keok, keoeok······.”

Swish, the Black King, who jumped off the ship, shook off the blood on his hand. The Black King looked around.

Everyone from both camps was a mess. Their hair was soaked and looked like seaweed, and their lips were purple from the cold.

The Black King glared at the Murim members of Baekdo with a savage smile. He was genuinely enjoying himself.

“Well, now the conditions are equal.”

Kwaang!

As soon as those words ended, the Black King kicked off the ground and charged towards the Murim members of Baekdo.

That was the starting point of the second clash.

“Uwaaaaaaaa!”

“Kill them all! Let’s kill them all!”

The two forces advanced towards each other. The Baekdo side had the numerical advantage.

However, most of them were combat personnel of the ranged type, such as archers or magicians. In close combat, the Black King’s side was advantageous.

Thanks to that, Yohan, who was observing the battlefield from the rear, felt a sense of doubt.

‘There’s too little hesitation.’

Baekdo’s strength was greatly weakened by the spell just now. Moreover, most of them have poor close combat abilities.

No matter how belligerent a person is, they can’t help but shrink back in a battle they are sure to lose. That is human nature.

‘Perhaps, an ambush?’

Yohan scanned his surroundings with suspicious eyes. He was spreading his magic widely, but it was difficult to find a high-level Murim member if they were determined to hide.

‘There isn’t any.’

At least nothing strange was visible to Yohan’s eyes. But why, the uneasy feeling did not go away.

‘First, annihilate the enemies.’

He can’t just stand still because he doesn’t feel good. Yohan squeezed out the little magic he had left.

He consumed too much mental strength and magic creating the ship. So the power of the spells was weaker than usual.

Other magicians also realized this fact. Someone shouted.

“Great Teacher! Conserve your strength! You’ll really collapse if you keep doing that!”

“That’s right! Please rest!”

Yohan clicked his tongue. Yes, he had overdone it too much. He should take a break now─

“······!”

At that moment, Yohan’s instincts rang a fierce alarm. Right? Left? Rear? Sky?

None of those.

‘Below!’

Crack, Kwaaaang!

Cracks like broken glass appeared under his feet. Immediately after, a dark figure soared towards Yohan.

Yohan reflexively created a shield. However, the moment he made eye contact with the assailant, Yohan felt despair.

“Alliance Leader······ Keheok!”

Kwajik, Tueok-

His breath caught in his throat. The Alliance Leader’s large right hand was strangling Yohan’s neck. No, it was still strangling it now.

Yohan’s thoughts accelerated violently. In the slowed-down world, he could feel his neck bones slowly twisting.

‘I’m going to die. I’m going to die. I’m going to die.’

Just as his consciousness was fading, a familiar voice reached his ears. A young man, but somehow a voice with a sense of maturity.

“Got you. You rascal.”

It was Elder.

Jjeoooooong!

In the blink of an eye, Sama Han and the Alliance Leader’s swords were pressing against each other.

Yohan grabbed his neck and collapsed to the ground. It felt like his skull was dangling.

“Kek, Kehek! Ke, Keureuk!”

Dry coughs continued to come out. Tears came out reflexively. In the hazy world, the most prestigious life-or-death showdown was unfolding.

“You disgusting bastard! You don’t deserve the position of Alliance Leader!”

“Didn’t you jump out from underground first? It’s said that arms bend inward, how disgusting.”

Sama Han shouted, and the Alliance Leader smoothly brushed it off with a slick smile.

However, the Alliance Leader was not in a relaxed situation either. Sama Han was clearly an excellent Murim member, and he couldn’t be taken lightly.

Kaaaang!

The two Murim members’ swords clashed. The Alliance Leader and Sama Han glared at each other. Suddenly, the Alliance Leader raised the corners of his mouth and said.

“Magicians aren’t only on your side. Do you think we only dug one tunnel?”

“······What!”

Sama Han’s spine chilled. He hurriedly looked down.

The Alliance Leader’s eyes flashed.

‘Got him!’

The Alliance Leader lowered his stance and thrust out his palm. Pure energy that did not suit his temperament swirled.

Bbeoeo-eok!

“Keuk!”

Sama Han’s response was not entirely late either. He belatedly responded, but his preparation was too lacking.

Sama Han spat out blood and slid backward.

The Alliance Leader leaped to finish him off. His sword blade shone as it caught the sunlight.

“Huuup!”

Immediately after, a hazy barrier appeared in front of Sama Han. It was a shabby shield. The Alliance Leader’s sword cut through the shield like cutting butter and aimed for Sama Han.

Kwaaaang!

The ground was deeply gouged. It was a brief gap. That was enough. Sama Han was already far away.

Sama Han reached out his hand and shouted.

“Fan!”

It was obvious who he was talking to. Yohan grabbed his head with one hand and threw the Blood Rain Fan.

Tueok-

The Blood Rain Fan was caught in Sama Han’s left hand. And in his right hand, he held a sword.

Sama Han glared fiercely.

“I really can’t believe it. The previous Alliance Leader wasn’t like this······.”

The Alliance Leader did not wait for Sama Han to finish speaking. He immediately flew up and aimed for his neck.

Sama Han let out a burst of laughter. His innate nature was wrong. He was absolutely not suited for the position of Alliance Leader.

‘But, he is a man who knows how to take the lead more than anyone else.’

He is not fit to be an Alliance Leader, but he has the qualities of a hero.

Sama Han respected the Alliance Leader in his heart. There is a way for everyone to live their lives.

Life is an endless battle and a long martial (武).

Murim members are not simply those who clash weapons. They are clashing their accumulated life and martial (武) with the life of their opponent.

Jjeoooooong!

The fan and sword emitted a thunderous roar. With the two weapons between them, Sama Han said.

“You are arrogant. Alliance Leader. It was surprising that you persuaded the bandits, but it seems you couldn’t bring all the power of the Murim Alliance?”

“······Heu, is it showing that much?”

“You should have brought even the bald heads of Shaolin, you!”

Bba-ak!

Sama Han kicked the Alliance Leader. The Alliance Leader easily blocked his leg technique. The two were evenly matched, but Sama Han was currently injured internally.

However, Sama Han was aiming for something else. The Alliance Leader rolled his eyes and scanned his surroundings.

‘Three.’

Three Black King Fortress Murim members who sensed the anomaly in the back were approaching the Alliance Leader. They were not a threat, but they were annoying enough.

They were fatal variables in facing a worthy opponent like Sama Han.

The three Murim members’ lightness skills were quite quick. Before long, they swung their swords at the Alliance Leader.

“Heua-ap!”

“I will take the Alliance Leader’s head!”

With a master swordsman in front and several Murim members behind. The Alliance Leader clicked his tongue briefly. Immediately after, the Alliance Leader’s figure soared into the sky.

Suddenly, Sama Han and the three Murim members looked up at the sky with the feeling of being a dog chasing a chicken.

But everything in the world is bound to fall to the ground. They waited for the Alliance Leader to fall soon, holding their swords up.

“Hahaha!”

At that moment, the Alliance Leader burst into laughter and spun his body around. It was as if he was lying in the sky.

The Alliance Leader curled his feet and then powerfully extended them. There was still nothing in the air.

Paaaang!

“Heoeok!”

“Stepping the Void (虛空踏步)!”

Indeed, he was worthy of being the Alliance Leader, who was evaluated as the strongest in terms of lightness skills. Sama Han could not easily imitate such a skill.

Sama Han’s head rotated violently. He disassembled the method of lightness skill shown by the Alliance Leader point by point.

‘It’s different from the Cloud Dragon Great Eighteen Styles. It is a method of forming a barrier of internal energy in the void momentarily and kicking against it.’

It seemed easy at first glance, but anyone could not do it. First of all, creating a barrier of internal energy in the empty void was not easy.

Even kicking it strongly? It was impossible unless he had an enormous amount of internal energy.

‘Did he eat some kind of millennium elixir? Alliance Leader? I can’t believe it.’

Even while Sama Han was thinking that, the Alliance Leader’s figure was advancing rapidly.

Someone among the Black King Fortress Murim members shouted.

“······T, this is not the time for this! Let’s follow him immediately!”

The Murim member lowered his stance and tried to step on the ground. At that time, Sama Han stopped him.

“Stop.”

“Yes? What do you mean? We have to go quickly······.”

Sama Han raised his fan. Thick internal energy dripped down.

“I said stop.”

“Yes.”

The Murim members turned tail due to Sama Han’s show of force.