Chapter 10 Front Line-2

Chapter 10: Front Line-2

“Keeh heh heh heh heh! You bitch! You’re mine!”

“Come on, you pretty thing!”

The six members of the Twin Blades and Seven Fiends burst into maniacal laughter as they charged head-on toward Dang Yeo-eun.

Then, in an instant, something unexpected happened.

Dang Yeo-eun, who had been charging forward, halted abruptly, then suddenly spun around and began to flee.

This was unimaginable for her—a woman renowned even among the Blood Cult for her unyielding fighting spirit that never backed down.

“What the hell?!”

“You bitch, stop right there!”

The flustered Twin-Blade Seven Fiends urgently began chasing her. After fleeing for a moment, Dang Yeo-eun glanced back over her shoulder and gave a bitter smile.

It was an unsettling smile, strange enough that even the fierce Ssangsakchilheung sensed something was off.

“Could it be…?”

That was when it happened.

Several warriors burst out from the dense thicket of trees.

Puff!

Each was a master at the peak of their art, their weapons radiating brilliant, powerful energy.

“Haah!”

Shhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

First, the man’s sword shot out like an arrow at the fastest speed, instantly piercing the chest of the seventh man who was carrying the woman on his shoulder.

Thud!

It was the “Pointing Spear Wave Four-Sword Technique’s” “One Cut, One Death” strike—a technique Seon Woo-jin had once used, but now displayed at a dazzling speed beyond comparison.

“Gah!”

“Youngest!”

“Dot-Piercing Sword Dragon’s Four-Sword Technique?! It’s a trap!”

Then, turning around in an instant and slashing with his sword, Dang Yeo-eun shouted.

“You stupid bastards! You only realized that now?!”

As her sword, enveloped in bright green energy, clashed with the second of the Twin-Blade Seven Fiends, the remaining peak master, the third, faced a gun-blue sword blade a full meter long—a weapon of a different dimension compared to the other peak masters.

CRASH!

“Guh! Fu… Feng Yang?!”

The one who had descended upon him was Feng Yang, the Storm Blade Master of the Thirteenth Generation.

From the hands of the taciturn middle-aged swordsman, sword strikes surged forth like an oncoming storm.

Kwaaak! Kwaaak! Kwaaak! Kwaaak! Kwaaak! Kwaaak!

“Gaaaah!”

He parried the blows, swinging his double blades like a small boat that seemed about to be swept away and sunk by the storm at any moment.

Beside him, while the Spear Dragon, Saguil, was rescuing the woman of the Sajo clan, the three other top-tier brothers were overwhelmed by sword strikes as light as a gentle breeze.

A youth with a soft, slightly sleepy expression murmured as he swept past one of them with the lightness of the wind.

“I was having a nice dream, but you woke me up.”

POW!

“Gwaaah!”

Behind him, the fifth of the Twin Swords Seven Fiends coughed up blood from his chest.

His chest was already laced with cuts like a spider’s web.

“Even Qingfeng Sword Dragon Han Jiaoxing!”

He was none other than Han Gyoseong, the Thirteenth Generation Leader of the Blue Wind Sword Dragon, hailed as a genius among the countless talents of the Blue Star Sect.

“No, no way! Gaaah!”

Finally unable to endure, the third brother was slain by the Storm Blade, Feng Yang’s sword. As the other brothers also fell helplessly to the Pointed Blade Dragon, Sa Gun-il, and the Blue Wind Sword Dragon, Han Gyo-seong, the second brother, Gu Yo-jil, unleashed one final fierce attack on Dang Yeo-eun before turning and fleeing.

“Brother! It’s a trap! The others!”

The eldest brother, Jimaek, glanced at the situation and his face instantly contorted.

His brothers were all dead in an instant. The rage was so intense it felt like his head would explode.

But there was nothing he could do.

He had to flee now.

“You bastard! I’ll get you!”

“Where do you think you’re going?!”

Anticipating the enemy’s escape, the spear-wielding warrior Mayugyeom swung his blade as if waiting for this moment, but it only grazed the enemy’s arm.

Shwaaah!

“Gah! You son of a bitch!”

Screaming, the first Jima retreated.

Though five of the seven were ultimately slain, the battle ended with the escape of the first and second, the peak masters.

Released from their grasp, the fourth member, Son Harang, wept bitterly before the corpse of his dead lover.

“Jeong-rang! Jeong-rang!”

The others stood around her, watching her with solemn expressions.

Then, suddenly, a figure shot out like a meteor from the dense thicket of trees.

It was a young warrior with a manly build.

“Too late! What happened?! Was it those Seven Fiends again?!”

Without warning, Squad Leader Mayu Gyeom, the Spear-Wielding Sword Hero, grabbed him by the collar and demanded.

“Seolpung, you bastard! Why did you take so long?! Did you forget we agreed all the masters would gather at the first sign of danger?!”

Seolpung, his collar still gripped, glanced briefly at Son Harang, who was crouched beside the corpse, weeping. He answered.

“I’m sorry. We were attacked too.”

But even that answer only made Mayugyeom spew anger.

“You mean to tell me you couldn’t come because you were busy dealing with some lowly ghost?! If you’d been here, we could’ve captured at least one more of the Seven Fiends! Hell, we might’ve even caught them all!”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Is ‘sorry’ all you’ve got?! You irresponsible bastard! That’s exactly why I said a worthless grunt like you shouldn’t be made a squad leader!”

As the other squad leaders nearby frowned slightly at his tirade, a woman who had flown behind Seolpung urgently shouted.

“Stop it! Squad Leader Sa!”

“Hmph! You’re stepping in? What the hell? You damn lowly soldier think you can take sides with your squad leader?!”

Then, her expression hardening, she replied.

“I will not tolerate any further insults toward our squad leader! Our Seventh Squad was ambushed by a hidden Spider Demon while fighting five Liver Demons! Two of us died! Squad Leader Seolpung, in a situation where half our squad could have been killed, slew both the Spider Demon and the Liver Demons and raced all the way here!”

At those words, Mayu Gyeom startled and retorted.

“A Spider Demon?”

Spider demons were dangerous demons that moved as stealthily as ghosts.

But unlike the Hyo-gwi, it moved by seeing its targets with its eyes. And unlike other demons, it absorbed human vital energy to steadily increase its own power, making it one of the most feared creatures.

The ironclad rule was to slay a Jugeui immediately upon discovery, as they grew stronger with time. Given that, it was only natural he couldn’t have rushed here right away.

At that, Mayugyeom snorted derisively and turned away.

“Hmph! Is that so?”

At that, Deputy Squad Leader Sa Neyu of the Seventh Squad shouted in an angry voice.

“Is that all?! Apologize to Squad Leader Seolpung right now!”

But Mayu-gyeom kept walking without looking back, and Seolpung stopped Na Se-yu from shouting again.

“Stop it, Deputy Leader. He just lost a team member.”

“But so did we!”

“I’m fine. So it’s okay to stop.”

Seeing Seolpung smile awkwardly as he said this, Na Seoyu sighed and shook her head.

“Anyway, Team Leader. Why do you always turn into such a stupidly nice guy right after a fight?”

Then the cold-looking beauty, Dang Yeo-eun of the Dang Family Sword Peak, chimed in.

“Yeah, I agree. Seolpung, you’re so soft, that’s why Mayugyeom keeps treating you like dirt. Acting like such a fool just makes things harder for the team members, you know?”

“Haha, well… is that so?”

When Tang Yueyun spoke, Seolpung answered with a frozen expression. She shook her head in disbelief and turned away.

Team Leader Han Gyoseong of the Blue Wind Sword Dragon yawned and said.

“Ahh… Anyway, let’s head back. I was just sleepy, but now I’m hungry too. Oh, right, did you say new recruits were coming today, Grand Master?”

To his question, the thirteenth leader of the Flying Dragons, the Storm Guest Feng Yang, silently nodded. As taciturn as his appearance suggested, he hadn’t uttered a single word since earlier.

But Han Gyoseong nodded as if accustomed to this and said.

“It’ll take a while to make them hold their own, but still, that’s a relief.”

With that, he took flight, and one after another, the others began flying back as well.

But just as the Seventh Squad Leader, Seol Pung, was about to take flight,

Sagun-il, the leader of the Jianchang Sword Dragon, grabbed his shoulder and stopped him.

“Huh?”

Turning back with a puzzled look, he saw the cold-faced Sagunil mutter a single sentence.

“I’ll apologize on his behalf. I’m sorry, Seolpung.”

With that, he vanished first.

Seolpung chuckled softly at the apology from his fellow spear-wielding classmate, Mayugyeom, and then leapt after him.

This was just another ordinary day for the Biyong Thirteen.

***

After stopping by the Second Headquarters of the Great Blood Demon Sect Front to register our personal details and apply for the Thirteenth Division, we were soon guided by a guide to the Thirteenth Division.

Though over twenty new recruits had gathered at the Second Headquarters, only I, Miss Cheongyeon, and a young-looking, adorable-faced young lady named Cheon Ju-eun had applied for the Thirteenth Division.

I had applied for the Thirteenth Division without much thought, recalling the Sunwoo Thirteen Swords from my past life, but for most people, the Thirteenth Division wasn’t particularly popular.

This was entirely due to the excessively young age range of the Thirteenth Division.

While waiting for the unit leader in the waiting room, Miss Cheongyeon suddenly asked me.

“Could it be that the Thirteenth Division is the youngest because all the seasoned warriors have died?”

I gave a bitter smile at her question.

It was an all too accurate analysis.

“It seems that way, but honestly, it’s not just the Thirteenth Division—the entire Flying Dragon Division is trending toward younger members, so there’s probably not that much difference.”

That was a lie.

While the age of the entire Boryongdae was indeed decreasing, the Thirteenth Division was overwhelmingly the youngest among them.

From what she had seen in her past life, the only warriors of middle age or older belonging to the Thirteenth Division were the Division Commander and the Deputy Division Commander.

Lady Cheongyeon shook her head and said.

“This is serious. You’re saying there are no experienced warriors applying, only young martial artists sent by their sects under forced conscription?”

Once again, she proved herself remarkable.

To deduce that much from just a few facts.

He nodded in admiration.

“That’s correct.”

Then, with wide eyes, Lady Cheon Ju-eun, who had been listening to our conversation beside us, asked.

“Why aren’t the seasoned warriors offering support?”

Having been in a different squad from me in my past life and having died before I could get to know her well, Miss Cheon Ju-eun, judging by her current question, seemed not to be a disciple forcibly drafted from her sect.

If she had been forcibly pushed out by the sect, she would surely have known that.

“Because they gain neither profit nor fame.”

“Gain, fame?”

“Nothing that happens on the front lines leaks out. So no matter how many feats you accomplish here, or how miserably you die, it remains completely unknown to the outside world. Even for knights-errant who don’t care about profit, if there’s no fame or honor, only danger, everyone avoids it.”

“Ahhh.”

Just as she nodded in understanding, the waiting room door opened and a middle-aged man with a goat beard entered.

It was Heon Yeong-bo, the sword-wielding leader of the Thirteenth Division.

Seeing his face made her laugh hollowly.

A chatterbox, a coward, and authoritarian to boot—who would have thought the day would come when he felt like a welcome sight?

He spoke in a voice thick with arrogance.

“Pleased to meet you. I am Heon Yeong-bo, the Thirteenth Division Commander, the Unrivaled Swordsman. You’ve surely heard my name?”

He even pronounced the ‘B’ softly and emphasized ‘Commander’ loudly, just as I remembered.

I chuckled, about to give a polite response, when Qingyan, standing beside me, casually asked first.

“No, I haven’t. Were you a famous person?”

Hunyongbo’s expression crumpled instantly, but he forced himself to maintain his composure as he replied.

“Hmm, many masters fade into obscurity due to secrecy pledges on the battlefield. It seems your knowledge is a bit lacking, young lady.”

His efforts to somehow polish his image, however, crumbled completely under Lady Cheongyeon’s puzzled counterquestion.

“Is that so? I thought masters above the Peak level were generally remembered. Could you be at the Peak level?”

At that, his face crumpled completely, unable to hold on any longer.

Even among young squad leaders, there were peak masters. The fact that he, as a squad leader, hadn’t reached the peak was a long-standing source of his inferiority complex.

I thought I should stop Miss Qingyan, but I couldn’t bring myself to do so, struggling to hold back my laughter.

This blunt and peculiar young lady certainly had something remarkable about her.

“Ugh, come on! We don’t have time, so let’s hurry and go assign the squads! The squad leaders should be gathered there.”

Then, snatching the letter I held out as if seizing it, he skimmed it and declared.

“Seonwoo Jin, third son of the Seonwoo family. Huh? The Seonwoo family?”

His gaze, as he looked at me again, was much softer than before.

Then he read again.

“Cheon Ju-eun, the eldest daughter of the Guiju Sashu, Cheon Gasaeng? The Guiju Sashu… that’s the Dark Sect, right?”

He frowned as he looked at Cheon Ju-eun, who met his gaze with a slightly dejected expression before averting her eyes.

It was unexpected, and I felt the same way.

It was nothing short of astonishing that the daughter of a heretic would volunteer for the front lines managed by the Martial Alliance.

But Heon Yeong-bo, who had just resumed reading the letter, suddenly scowled and raised his voice.

“What is this? Name: Cheongyeon. Sect: Unspecified. Parents: Cannot be disclosed?”

These were the personal details of Young Lady Cheongyeon.

She had introduced herself to me simply as Qingyan.

She said her surname was ‘Chung’ and her given name was ‘Yeon’.

Considering that Miss Zhuge had called her ‘Cheongyeon-ah,’ it was absolutely impossible for that to be true.

It seemed she had some reason preventing her from revealing her identity.

“Yes, I am Qingyan.”

When she answered so matter-of-factly, Heon Yeongbo asked with a fierce expression, as if he’d caught her in a trap.

“It seems you don’t even know that those of uncertain status cannot volunteer for the front lines?!”

I stared at him with an expression of utter disbelief.

What a blatant lie.

He doesn’t even know the identity of Squad Leader Seolpung, the current squad leader.

Young Lady Cheongyeon tilted her head and asked.

“Headquarters never mentioned anything like that?”

At that, Heonyeongbo shouted defiantly.

“Absolutely not in our Thirteenth Division! Either reveal your sect and parents immediately, or apply to another division!”

Young Lady Cheongyeon’s face stiffened slightly.

She clearly hadn’t anticipated this turn of events.

Watching from the side, I sighed.

That petty man had only seemed welcome until they actually started talking.

I interjected from the side.

“Young Lady Cheongyeon is a friend of Young Lady Zhugeli who visited our Sunwoo family.”

He snorted in response.

“Zhuge? Who’s that? And what’s that supposed to mean?”

But the look in his eyes as he retorted revealed he had belatedly remembered something.

“Yes, you’ve just recalled Miss Zhuge Xueyu of the Heavenly Grace Sword Peak. This Miss Qingyan is her friend.”

His pupils dilated sharply.

“The, the Heavenly Sword Peak…?”

“As you well know, she is the prized jewel of the Zhongge family. She is also the daughter of the esteemed Zhongge Zhijiang, the military commander of the Martial Alliance.”

His jaw dropped in utter shock.

“D-d-d-don’t lie to me! Why would such a young lady be on the front lines?!”

I was somewhat curious about the reason myself, but I just gave a meaningful smirk and replied.

“I don’t know the exact reason either, but surely there must be some reason? Perhaps something related to the high-ranking officials of the Alliance.”

“Th-th-th-that!”

That was the end of the matter.

Heon Yeong-bo now kept his mouth firmly shut and guided us with the utmost politeness.

And when we entered the small conference room under his guidance, I couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

They were all gathered there—the very people I could never forget.