Chapter 106 The Suicide Squad (8)

Chapter 106: The Suicide Squad (8)

#Chapter 106: The Suicide Squad (8)

Waaah!

Shouting a clichéd battle cry, the prisoners from Namcheongung Palace charged forward.

Ever since the food ran out in the barracks, they hadn’t eaten properly, leaving them gaunt and emaciated.

Still, true to their origins from the mid-sized enterprise Namcheon Palace, it didn’t take them long to muster their fighting spirit.

And following behind them, the defense force—no, the death squad of over a hundred men prepared to die.

It was only natural that the eyes of the Ten Demon Corps bastards camped below the mountain widened in shock at our charge.

“Enemy!”

“The Nine Dragon Fort bastards have come down!”

“You crazy bastards! “

As the shout, filled with inner strength, echoed, a swarm of black, red, and brown zerg-like creatures began bursting forth from the distant formation of the Ten Demon Clan.

They were the demons from the three sects participating in this expedition.

Even a rough count suggested over a thousand enemies.

Seeing so many remain despite having slaughtered so many before them, they truly were nothing short of zerg-like creatures.

Still, thanks to the bastards from Namcheon Palace leading the charge, at least we weren’t outnumbered.

Facing three times the enemy was far more advantageous than facing ten times as many.

“Just break through there and we’re free!”

With freedom in sight, the morale of the frontline soldiers soared.

Their courage surged, and they charged fiercely.

Seeing this, it seemed the French Revolution hadn’t erupted for nothing.

Thanks to the Namcheongung bastards charging in with a death-defying fury, the first clash yielded an unexpected result.

Thud thud thud. Thwack!

“Kill them all!”

“Out of the way!”

“How dare you lowly foot soldiers! Do you even know who I am?!”

Despite being issued weapons rusted solid from storage, they launched a relentless assault and succeeded in breaking through the Sipmallyeon’s first defensive line.

Those pierced by those rusty weapons might somehow survive for now, but they’ll catch tetanus and be at death’s door within days.

The Namcheongung bastards fought valiantly, but the Sipmallyeon scum were no pushovers either.

Once the first defensive line was breached, the masters stationed in the rear joined the fray.

Clang!

“How dare you! Who do you think you are, setting foot here?!”

“Do not retreat!”

“The Blood God demands blood!”

They began mercilessly slashing through the Nancheongung prisoners.

Then, the masters among the prisoners stepped forward to block the Shimparyeon masters.

Though confined for so long that exerting full strength was difficult, their martial prowess hadn’t faded.

Thanks to them, the frontline defenders, who had seemed momentarily overwhelmed, soon reached a stalemate with the Ten Demon Alliance masters.

That meant the front lines had solidified.

It meant the time had come for the death squad to step forward.

“Charge!”

At my shout, the death squad following behind began to pick up speed.

Thud thud thud thud.

At the very front were me and Hwaryongdang’s Gwangcheol.

Right behind us came Cheongryong, Myeokryong, Baekryong, and Geumryong, while Eunryong, Nokryong, and Jikryong covered the rear.

Think of it roughly as a diamond-shaped breakthrough formation.

Why did we arrange the formation like this?

Well, our goal was singular from the start.

Capture the enemy, capture the king.

To capture the enemy’s leadership and end this war.

That was the best move we could make, given our numerical disadvantage.

That’s why we formed the most effective breakthrough formation.

Kwoong!

To create a gap to penetrate, I deployed the Zhen Wang Bo and lunged forward.

The opening move was, as expected, the full-power Exploding Star.

I know using a major technique in a melee is the height of inefficiency.

But its immense power and wide range make it an unparalleled strike for boosting our troops’ morale.

Crackle, crack.

I slammed every ounce of the surging battle energy into my fist and thrust it forward.

Roar. BOOM!

The black fist exploded, creating a whirlwind of energy.

A crater nearly a yard wide opened up.

The Maguni, packed like beansprouts in a jar, were slaughtered en masse right there.

And that wasn’t all.

Whoosh.

The subsequent blast wave rooted the surviving enemies to the spot.

“What the hell!”

“Run!”

Amidst the enemy’s panic at this unprecedented carnage.

Thwack! Thwack!

The bodies of the Maguni were cleaved in two and collapsed under the relentless onslaught of the Kwangcheol Squad charging with their swords.

Squish. Splash.

Members of the Special Forces Squad passed through behind them, creating pools of blood.

It was a perfect start.

“Phew.”

The Namcheongung bastards followed behind us, having cleared a path spectacularly.

“Over there!”

“We can survive if we go that way!”

Thanks to them, the rear didn’t seem to be a concern.

Now, all that remained was to charge forward.

Every member of the death squad gritted their teeth and swung their weapons.

When the Hwaryongdang’s Taegut cleared the path, the Cheongryongdang’s heavy swords and the Mukryongdang’s swift swords pierced the remaining enemies, while the Baekryongdang and Geumryongdang’s long swords guarded them. Behind them, the Eunryongdang’s short spears, the Nokryongdang’s hidden weapons, and the Jikryongdang’s deadly blades widened the path.

It would have been nice if things had continued like this, but martial arts battles don’t always go as planned.

Swoosh!

“Guh!”

Because you never know when or where a master swordsman might suddenly appear, just like now.

“You bastard!”

Seeing his subordinate fall, blood spraying, Commander Gwangcheol roared and swung his broadsword.

A strike from the Eogi Chungdo, its large blade filled with a deep blue glow.

It was a single strike packed with immense force, impossible to block for all but the most formidable masters.

Kwoong!

His opponent, clearly no pushover himself, gritted his teeth and blocked it.

But.

Pang!

Seizing the opening, I struck with the Jeonwang Sipsamtu, sending him reeling.

“Kkik.”

Thud thud thud thud.

Thud.

Dozens of hidden weapons thrown by the Green Dragon Sect warriors assigned to support embedded themselves in his body, killing him instantly.

After all, isn’t the real thrill of a fight the chaos of multiple opponents?

“Move! Move! Move!”

There was no time to be moved by such splendid timing.

We had to break through the enemy lines as quickly as possible to save even one more person.

Kwoong!

I immediately planted my foot.

As I stepped on the Jinjak, a huge sound reverberated and the dirt ground crumbled.

Simultaneously, the Jeonwangbo unfolded.

After obtaining the Bicheonpung earlier, I was certain.

Not only those my equal, but even masters two or three levels above me couldn’t beat me in speed.

And that certainty was proven right here, right now.

“……!”

Pang.

I swiftly closed in on the enemies, clearly stunned, and unleashed punches and joint strikes.

Pang!

In an instant, I snapped the necks of two of them. The surrounding foes unleashed energy from their weapons.

Clearly, having penetrated deep into their formation, each one looked like a formidable opponent.

Still, there was no need to panic.

No matter who the opponent was, he just had to break through.

Pishut.

He fired a Hyuncheol nail imbued with ki, causing the enemies to react in shock and swing their weapons wildly.

In the gaps they left open, the hidden weapons of the Green Dragon Sect poured forth.

Thud thud thud thud.

“Guh!”

Thud! Thud!

Following like ghosts, the Red Dragon Sect’s daggers pierced the foreheads of the remaining foes.

“You… you cowardly bastards!”

The barely surviving enemy screamed, his throat clenched, only to be struck down by another flying dagger.

Calling a fair and square joint attack cowardly?

A bastard with twisted values deserves to die.

I kept charging forward, taking on the enemies.

Killing even one more would lessen the burden on the death squad following behind.

So I threw myself at the enemy with all my might.

Crack! Crunch.

My fist, packed with experience, smashed a head open.

Thwack! Clang!

I parried the flying swords and daggers with my dragon-scale armor.

Kwaaang!

I unleashed a blast of fire at the gathered enemies.

Amidst that bloody battle.

Tsuggeeek!

One bastard actually blocked my Extreme Death Blade, imbued with the power of the Five Heavenly Kings.

Urrur.

Worse still, twenty others burst forth, radiating a similar aura.

Looking at them, I thought.

‘Almost there.’

I don’t know who those bastards are.

We never had any business tangling with the Ten Demon Clan in the first place.

But one thing is certain.

Guys of this caliber can’t possibly be mere foot soldiers.

And that means we’re not far from where the enemy’s leaders are gathered.

In other words, it was time for our ultimate weapon to step forward.

As if responding to my judgment, a massive presence surged from behind.

Scorching heat and black flames surged forth, as if the sun itself had fallen to earth.

Thwack.

The concentrated heat and black flames shot toward the enemies like a meteor.

BOOM!

A crater about the size of a sheet of paper appeared where the enemies had stood.

Whoosh!

From its center, only black flames rippled, melting the ground crimson red.

Not a trace of bloodstains or bone fragments remained—not even the very mark that humans had stood there.

As if it had never been there from the start.

That was it.

Bukgung Baek, who had been conserving his strength at the very center of the formation, had finally stepped forward.

‘Ace…?’

Seeing him grasp the surging flames in his hand, for a moment, he almost believed the Demon Fruit might actually exist.

His appearance coincided with the twenty peak-level Maguns evaporating without a trace, revealing the gathering of the Ten Demon Lords’ leaders in plain sight.

Bukgung Baek gazed at them, then drew a small flask from his robe and drank.

Jukyeopcheong.

‘Seriously, what kind of drunken fist is that?’

He grumbled inwardly, but he had to admit it looked charismatic.

The rescue squad that had arrived late formed their ranks and stood.

Huff, puff.

The sound of heavy breathing came from all sides.

It was proof of just how exhausted they were.

‘If they hadn’t mobilized the prisoners, they wouldn’t have made it this far.’

I took a deep breath to steady my own slightly ragged breathing and surveyed the battlefield.

A straight path cut through from Jomchang Mountain to here.

Through that path, hundreds of Ten-Step Sword Form practitioners were surging in.

Right now, the prisoners chasing us were holding them off, but I didn’t think they could keep them at bay for long.

At best, they could hold them off for an hour.

Within that time, we had to kill all one hundred in front of us.

Just as I was about to rush out in my impatience,

a middle-aged man radiating terrifying aura stepped forward from the enemy ranks.

An ordinary face, a build close to the average martial artist, a man with swords, daggers, and spears strapped to his waist and back.

Even if I’m unfamiliar with the martial world’s figures, I know this demon.

As the deputy leader of the Slaughter Sect, he’s the one expected to become the next generation’s top master within the Ten Demon Alliance.

The Demon-Slaying Mad Demon, Hyun San-wol.

He was the boss mob we had to face today.

Hyun San-wol sneered.

“So it’s true that the Shishan Clan has a few thousand members who’ve reached the ranks of absolute masters.”

“But with the martial arts of your Demon Sect grunts, reaching the Ascension Realm seems unlikely.”

I was surprised by this unexpected trash talk, but Hyeon San-wol himself showed no anger.

He smirked.

“For someone from the Shishan Clan, you’ve got a long tongue.”

Instead, he only smiled more deeply, exuding ease.

No choice.

I had to step in.

“Well, your martial arts seem quite impressive, but using your subordinates to protect yourself? That’s just third-rate scum.”

“Do you really think this Lord would get excited over some nameless nobody’s provocation?”

“An unknown nobody? I’ve sent plenty of your scum to the grave. Yang Hanbaek, was it? I personally smashed his skull on Gonggong Mountain.”

“Hmph. He was just one of countless late-stage cultivators. A nobody.”

“That’s exactly why you lot are hopeless. The older generation should protect and support the young. If they’re too busy fighting amongst themselves, who will take responsibility for the future? Are you going to work past a hundred years old? Anyway, those bastards are beyond common sense.“

When Hyun San-wol showed signs of slight agitation, he seized the moment and sent a telepathic message to those around him.

”Ah! So that’s why there are such rumors?“

”……?”

“They say those bastards will even kill their own masters and parents to get promoted. That’s committing the ultimate act of filial disobedience—don’t they have nightmares? Or is it okay because they’re just demons?”

“You bastard!”

That was the moment.

Whoosh!

Explosive energy surged from all corners of the death squad.

And.

Paaaaang!

Simultaneously with me firing the Hyuncheol Nail.

Sssssss!

Wee Jipung unleashed the Hwaseoksa-il.

Wuuuung! Kwaaang!

Danun brought down the Cheongunjeokha Sword.

It was a strike thrown with every ounce of strength by those who had reached the pinnacle.

Of course, Hyun Sanwol was a master of the upper echelon, above me, Wee Jipung, and Danun.

He easily dodged our attacks.

But that was fine.

Our goal was to create an opening for the masters of the Swordsmen’s Alliance, including Baek, to strike first.

Whoosh!

The black flame dragon passing overhead sounded the bell for the final battle.