Chapter 37: Iron Blood Sect 3

With his right wrist injured, Yoo Ja-eon clenched his fist as a sword strike that seemed difficult to counter flew toward him. Grabbing one of his subordinates with his left hand, he hurled him away. The black-clad man flew through the air, screaming.

“Aaaaaah!”

Thud!

One of the black-clad figures, flying through the air completely unaware and without warning, exploded mid-air.

However, Yu Ja-eon had only secured enough space for himself to barely evade. The black-clad figures near him were struck down by Baek Moo-jin’s and Jin So-hye’s sword qi, suffering immense damage.

Before long, Jin Sohye’s figure surged far ahead. Baek Moo-jin whipped around like lightning, unleashing sword energy behind him before soaring back into the air.

A white sword light flashed.

Red flames surged.

With thuds, figures flew through the air, legs splayed, while others, struck by the sword energy without warning, clutched their stomachs or necks and collapsed in droves.

But their numbers were overwhelming.

Amidst the chaos, Yoo Ja-eon, having locked wrists with Baek Moo-jin in a fierce struggle, released his numb grip and used his left hand to continuously grab subordinates by the back of the neck, hurling them at the two men. Just then, another attempted to flee. Without a word, Yoo Ja-eon thrust his left palm forward, crushing the man’s skull with a thud.

Yu Ja-eon instilled terror.

“Whether you die by my hand or theirs, it makes no difference. You’re all going to die. Where do you think you’re going?”

At that moment, a nearby enemy leader suddenly froze, glaring alternately at the fallen subordinate and Yu Ja-eon.

‘That bastard is the real deal.’

As Yoo Ja-eon continued slaughtering subordinates from the rear, the atmosphere instantly turned icy cold. This feeling was slightly different from fear. If one had to find the closest emotion, it would probably be rage. Yoo Ja-eon didn’t realize that rage sometimes surpasses fear.

Yu Ja-eon drove his subordinates forward like cattle being herded by fear.

Baek Moo-jin and Jin So-hye, who silently cut them down, created another kind of terror.

2.

Baek Moo-jin led the way, and Jin So-hye swept past him, swinging her sword.

The two had already tested each other’s martial prowess earlier. Now, facing a common enemy, they naturally recalled each other’s skills and launched their attacks.

At times, Baek Moo-jin would slash a black-clad figure charging at Jin So-hye, while another black-clad figure lunging at Baek Moo-jin had its head severed by Jin So-hye’s sword. The two moved as if dancing together, their backs pressed against each other, thrusting their swords in the same direction, or sometimes swinging them front and back.

At first, their coordination was clumsy.

But as waves of black-clad figures surged in, their fighting grew increasingly synchronized amidst the chaos.

It was a unique experience for both of them.

Moreover, since the concept of ‘combining martial arts’ had been unheard of until now, their thinking was flexibly expanding.

Jin Sohye was swinging her sword in a more exhausted state than usual, and Baek Mujin, aware of her condition, matched her pace while conserving his own strength.

‘You never know how things will turn out.’

Even in this moment, Baek Moo-jin swung his sword while conserving a significant portion of his strength.

While Jin Sohye fought fiercely, pouring her entire being into the battle like a blazing flame, Baek Mujin calmly observed the situation while cutting down even more black-clad figures than she did.

The more Jin Sohye swung her sword, the more her mind steadied. It was as if Baek Moo-jin, supporting her, was meticulously covering her back, allowing her to fight freely.

Therefore, Jin Sohye remained completely unshaken, even as the black-clad figures swarmed in, dark and dense.

It was a strange experience.

When they fought each other, their elemental affinities caused difficulties.

When they fought together, they ignored their elemental weaknesses and inflicted double, triple the horrific pain upon their enemies.

The climax came when the two unleashed cold qi and salt qi in succession.

Baek Moo-jin froze the ground beneath the approaching black-clad figure with his cold qi manifestation, and Jin So-hye created a wave of scorching heat to repel them.

That consecutive attack instantly engulfed one of the black-clad figures, who possessed quite high martial arts prowess, in flames.

Crackle-crackle-crackle…

“Aaaaaaargh!”

Screaming, the burly man, now burning, wildly swung his nangabong. Instantly, with thuds and crashes, nearby Iron Blood Sect comrades were knocked flying, and the battlefield instantly descended into chaos.

Yu Ja-eon roared.

“What are you lot doing?! Anyone who backs down dies by my hand!”

As he spoke, Yu Ja-eon pushed the black-clad men near him steadily toward Baek Moo-jin. Still, when one subordinate hesitated, Yu Ja-eon charged forward, unleashing a sudden strike that smashed another man’s skull.

“I said move! You bastard! Anyone who wants to die by my hand, stop right there!”

The black-clad men’s cold stares fixed on their comrade with the shattered skull. Yet their fury wasn’t directed at the dead man, but at Yu Ja-eon.

As more and more of their comrades fell to Yoo Ja-eon’s palm strike, someone voiced their discontent toward him.

“But you can’t just kill your own men!”

“Which bastard is that? Come out.”

With all of them wearing masks, pinpointing the voice’s owner was extremely difficult. Only silence hung in the air despite Yoo Ja-eon’s furious words.

They weren’t fools either.

To anyone watching, Yoo Ja-eon clearly seemed to be biding his time, waiting for Baek Moo-jin and Jin So-hye’s inner strength to wane.

At that moment, the enemy faction leader, who had always maintained an awkward relationship with Yu Ja-eon, finally couldn’t hold back. He roughly tore off his mask and shouted.

“Lord Bu, do not kill your subordinates so recklessly!”

At those words, Yoo Ja-eon shot him a murderous glare and retorted.

“Chief of the enemy faction, you bastard, dare you defy my orders?”

“Disobedience my ass! You’d only listen to orders if I were your superior! You worthless piece of shit!”

“You bastard!”

As Yu Ja-eon charged forward, the enemy leader fled using lightness skills, shouting dire warnings across the battlefield.

“Yixue Gang, retreat! Dammit! Scatter and regroup at the branch! I, Ji Gwang, take full responsibility. Retreat!”

The leader named Ji Gwang bellowed furiously as he dodged Yu Ja-eon and fled. Ji Gwang had always despised Yu Ja-eon intensely, and now, seeing his men continuously killed by him, he had lost all reason.

He couldn’t bear to send his men to such a dog’s death.

‘Damn bastard! I’d rather die than serve under a scum like him.’

Jikigwang’s command over his troops was apparently quite strong, for a significant number of soldiers began slipping away. Before long, they had seeped into the darkness here and there, vanishing without a trace. Yu Ja-eon couldn’t possibly block them all, and the other faction leaders remained silent.

Seizing the lull, Baek Moo-jin swiftly charged forward. He raised his sword, wrapping the icy chill of the White Flower Divine Art around its blade, then swept it forward like a blizzard of north wind and cold snow.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

A blindingly white, whirlwind-like blast of cold energy poured toward Yu Ja-eon.

Zzzzzzzzzz… Before the sound had even finished, Jin Sohye twisted the long sword she held at lightning speed, unleashing the straight-line sword energy technique, Fire Dragon Descending.

The Heaven-Shattering Flame Sword Technique transformed into a fire dragon, streaking out to devour and pass through the numerous enemies who had been frozen solid by the cold for a moment.

Yu Ja-eon, who had been bellowing, dodged with lightning-fast movements, using his subordinates as shields. This time, the damage was truly catastrophic. Those engulfed in flames screamed, while others stared blankly at their comrades.

3.

Baek Moo-jin judged that the enemies had finally lost their will to fight and spoke, channeling his inner energy.

“Clear the way. Unless you want to die like dogs.”

Baek Moo-jin’s sharp rebuke struck the black-clad men with a reality colder than ice. The fact that the respected enemy faction leader, trusted by all, had withdrawn with his men only added to the chilling atmosphere.

At that moment, another faction leader, seemingly unable to contain himself, removed his mask and declared.

“Clear the way.”

“Go, leader!”

Yu Ja-eon shouted, glaring at the leader, and the other leaders all removed their masks as well. As Yu Ja-eon bellowed something, Baek Moo-jin unleashed his inner energy, making the entire area resound with a thunderous roar.

“Enough noise! What kind of disgrace is this, you so-called deputy leader?”

Baek Moo-jin surveyed the crowd, sword in hand.

“The Young Palace Master of the Holy Flame Palace and the Deputy Leader of the Iron Blood Sect will settle this. As you’ve seen, the Young Palace Master is exhausted from fighting you all. If Yoo Ja-eon is a man, and if he is the Deputy Leader of the Iron Blood Sect, renowned in the underworld, then step forward yourself. There’s no reason to refuse this duel. Is that not so?”

“Indeed!”

“That man used you as a shield, waiting for the Young Palace Master and I to exhaust ourselves. But even if all of you die, that won’t happen. If you don’t want to die first, retreat.”

At Baek Moo-jin’s words, the black-clad men truly faltered and retreated this time. Yet, when several clan leaders gestured, the entire group of black-clad men formed a wide, circular defensive formation.

The one who gave the order, the so-called Sect Leader, addressed the Deputy Sect Leader in a stiff tone.

“Deputy Leader, this is a one-on-one duel. Since many of our men have fallen, it is right for you to step forward personally. We will share responsibility for what happens next with the leaders.”

“Responsibility? What responsibility do you lot have?”

“Do you think we’d just turn back? If the Deputy Leader dies here, we’ll all rise up and seek vengeance.”

“Bullshit!”

Jin Sohye, who had been catching her breath, stepped forward and said.

“Yu Ja-eon, am I that terrifying to you?”

At those words, Yu Ja-eon’s mouth twisted into a grimace, his eyes narrowing. He gave a painfully awkward smile, shook his head, then strode toward the center, glaring at Baek Moo-jin.

Yu Ja-eon didn’t believe Baek Moo-jin’s words.

He didn’t believe the clan leader’s promise to avenge him either.

Judging the situation by his own heart, this was simply Baek Moo-jin lying to bring the situation to a close.

Yu Ja-eon looked around and said.

“Stupid bastards.”

Somehow, the circular formation wasn’t surrounding Baek Moo-jin, but rather encircling him as if to block his path. Yoo Ja-eon spoke to Baek Moo-jin with a strange tone, letting out an eerie laugh.

“Baek Moo-jin, well done. Clever bastard.”

Baek Moo-jin nodded in response.

“Revenge is the Young Palace Master’s domain.”

Yu Ja-eon nodded as if accepting the situation, then called out to Jin So-hye.

“Come. Let us see. The skill of the Young Palace Master of Seonghwagung…”

Baek Moo-jin stepped aside, positioning Yoo Ja-eon to his left and Jin So-hye to his right. Yet he never broke formation. With enemies still surrounding them, he gripped his sword, ready to intervene at any moment.

Yet at this moment, the thought seeping into Baek Moo-jin’s mind was never the path of ‘cooperation’.

The opponents are those who slaughtered the warriors of the Iron Blood Sect, the Black Path, and the Holy Fire Palace.

And it is Yu Ja-eon, who desires to live even at the cost of slaughtering his own men.

Baek Moo-jin finally made up his mind.

He looked deep within himself and sneered.

‘I feel like I’ve stepped one foot into the underworld.’

At that moment, Baek Moo-jin locked eyes with one of the Iron Blood Sect’s leaders.

A chill ran down Baek Moo-jin’s spine.

The leader seemed to know exactly what Baek Moo-jin was about to do. Yet he showed no intention of stopping Baek Moo-jin or warning Yoo Ja-eon.

Before he knew it, the two clashed.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Yu Ja-eon and Jin So-hye clashed, wielding strange, unusually long swords far exceeding the length of ordinary blades.

Baek Moo-jin watched with a cold gaze for just a moment, then drew his White Cloud Sword through the air at a speed no one could properly see.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

The sword wind flew out, striking precisely at Yoo Ja-eon’s feet. With a strange sound, his lower body instantly froze solid.

“Huh?”

Those were Yoo Ja-eon’s last words.

Jin Sohye’s sword flew in and severed Yoo Jaeun’s neck.

Even as his head fell to the ground, Yu Zayan’s face remained frozen in utter shock.

As Baek Moo-jin circled the area, sword raised, glaring at them, not a single word escaped anyone’s lips.

Those still alive now knew full well that their lives depended on Baek Moo-jin.