Chapter 159 Hwangju Trading Company (5)

Chapter 159: Hwangju Trading Company (5)

The fight didn’t go smoothly.

With his leg immobilized by the thigh injury, he couldn’t mix it up with the Baekryong members.

He was helpless against Baek Muha’s powerful energy.

After blocking and blocking it several times like that, he couldn’t help but think differently.

Kill.

He had avoided killing until now, but not anymore.

From now on, there would be no holding back.

The moment that resolve solidified, the attack I chose was…

Kwaaang!

A full-body strike.

“Dodge!”

A bolt of lightning shot from my little finger, striking the White Dragon Sect members.

Boom!

The shoulder of one who hadn’t reacted in time was blown clean off.

The others who witnessed this swiftly swung their swords and leapt out of the way, but it was useless.

Even if they blocked, I changed direction and attacked; even if they dodged, I chased them down and killed them.

An attack transcending the physical limits of a human body.

It was indeed a power worthy of being called a divine weapon, one that could contend for the title of the world’s strongest.

‘Without this, I would have died.’

I take this opportunity to express both regret and gratitude to the female assassin who grabbed my collar.

Of course.

Kwaaah! CRASH!

Baek Muha’s sharp, swift sword energy remained devastating.

Though blocked by the Dragon’s Breath, the wounds kept piling up.

He seemed to be pouring every ounce of strength into protecting his subordinates.

Endure and endure.

All the while, I chewed over the cryptocurrency world’s adage: ‘Holding out wins.’

Thud.

“Guh!”

Just as I was covered in blood from wounds etched across my entire body.

“Huh! Huh!”

I succeeded in rendering fifteen of the twenty Baekryong members combat-incapacitated.

I couldn’t even guess how many of them were dead.

It was my first time fighting with the Jeonju Sword.

If all those lying down were dead, even if it was self-defense, I couldn’t escape a serious crime.

But that wasn’t important right now.

Then what was important?

“…So you’re finally opening the gates of hell.”

Surviving right now was what mattered.

“That’s why I told you to stop while you were ahead.”

With my feet bound, parrying Baek Muha’s swift sword strikes isn’t easy.

On top of that, using the Jeonju City technique meant I couldn’t recover my internal energy while fighting like I could with the Jeonwang style, so my mana reserves were hitting rock bottom.

“How about we gather our men and retreat, even now?”

“You think we can just turn back?”

“Then let’s finish this?”

“That’s the only way.”

“Hey, senior, I didn’t see that coming. You’re going to get yourself killed. Dying at your age? No one will remember you. You have to stay alive to be a hero. Once you’re dead, that’s it.”

Swish.

Baek Muha flicked his sword clean as if it were second nature, a cruel smile playing on his lips.

“Why do you think I’m going to die?”

And I was no different.

“I don’t think I’m going to die.”

Heh.

A smile formed on my lips without my knowing it.

“Isn’t it only natural for a novice to die by a master’s hand?”

Somehow, I didn’t feel like I’d lose to this guy…

Pwoo!

“Guh!”

Well, maybe there was a 10% chance I could lose, but even then, I figured I’d still win.

Kwaaah!

I blocked the flying energy blast with my Dragon’s Roar.

Whoosh! Boom.

The flying sword pierced the air, grazing Bai Muha’s nerves.

A lightning-fast sword deflected the flying sword, but it was useless.

Unless it was completely destroyed, the flying sword wouldn’t stop attacking.

“Kill him!”

“Capture the bastard!”

Seizing that opening, five White Dragon Sect disciples charged in.

They knew I was focused on the sword spirit.

Multitasking.

Unless I mastered the Wudang Sect’s Dual-Minded Sword Technique, or unless the sword spirit had AI installed, the crisis was clear.

But I had the Zhenwang Sword.

The sword qi flying in from all sides was blocked by the Dragon’s Might.

The torrent of swift swords was met with the Dragon’s Armor and my body.

Kwaaang!

The Exploding Mirror detonated, sending the White Dragon Sect member swinging his sword flying.

Five times in a row.

“Huu! Huu!”

I knocked down all the White Dragon Sect members.

Simultaneously, I considered my next move.

My body was intact. My head, protected by the Dragon’s Might, was also unharmed.

The problematic parts were my arms and legs.

Especially the coin-sized wound piercing my left thigh made it difficult to use my leg.

But.

If my left leg wouldn’t move, I could use my right.

‘One step.’

That was the distance needed to catch him.

Kwoong!

He thrust his foot forward with all his might, unleashing the Yi Hyeong Hwan Wi technique.

“……!”

Baek Muha, who had just deflected the Jeonju-si, swung his sword in shock.

Puuuk!

The blade grazed his forearm, tearing away flesh, but it didn’t matter.

Crunch.

The joy of catching him made the pain feel like nothing.

He spun his body and slammed it into the floor.

Thud.

A takedown.

To drag him into a dogfight.

Bewilderment filled Baek Muha’s eyes as he was thrown down.

Of course. He’d never fought like this before.

That was precisely the opening I exploited.

His mana reserves were completely depleted.

Likely his own as well.

“Didn’t I tell you? You die here, senior.”

Crack.

I lashed his face with my flesh-shattered arm.

Blood splattered in clumps, but I didn’t care.

Smashing Baek Muha’s face was what mattered now.

Crack. Crack. Thud.

After a couple more swings, the sound of his nose snapping echoed as Baek Muha’s sword flew toward me.

Swinging a sword from that position?

Truly, a genius is a genius.

I twisted to dodge, and Baek Muha sprang back up.

Immediately, the Sunlight Sword he unleashed flashed like rays of light.

Clang!

Fortunately, his internal energy was depleted, so the speed and power weren’t what they used to be.

Moreover, I had the Dragon Scale Armor.

“Ugh!”

Quickly twisting my body, I took the sword strike aimed for my neck on my shoulder.

Thud.

The impact was there, but seeing Baek Muha’s flustered expression was almost amusing.

His hand went numb from the recoil, slowing his sword’s return.

I stepped into the swing and rammed my broken nose into his forehead.

Crack!

“Gah!”

A pained scream echoed as he stumbled backward.

Of course, there was no reason to stand idly by.

Whoosh. Thud.

I leapt into the air and slammed into his body.

Thud.

“Guh.”

He fell flat again.

Crack!

I immediately delivered a soccer kick, smashing the back of his head.

It was a strike without internal power, but the sheer force erupting from his steel-like physique could easily splinter a tree stump.

Wobble.

Baek Muha’s head shook violently.

“Die, you bastard!”

Punch, punch, punch.

He assumed a punching stance and mercilessly pounded his jaw.

After about twenty punches landed, blood foam burst from Baek Muha’s mouth as his eyes lost focus.

He was knocked out.

“Huuu…”

After confirming he was finished, I slumped down beside him.

If I hadn’t obtained the Jeonju City, I would have died in today’s fight.

Fighting Baek Muha alone might have been manageable, but I couldn’t have handled twenty Baekryong members.

I looked down at Baek Muha for a moment.

Memories surfaced of this bastard tormenting me at the Dengchuan Pavilion.

‘Should I kill him here?’

He hadn’t directly used violence against me.

Instead, he had ordered his juniors—the current members of the Cheonryong Association—to torment me.

Thanks to that, I got thoroughly beaten every single sparring session.

The reason was obvious.

He couldn’t stand seeing a homeless brat like me in the Ascension Pavilion.

Ironically, though, Baek Muha’s actions were precisely what drove me to become stronger.

I realized that if I didn’t get stronger quickly, I’d die.

Thanks to that, I achieved the absurd feat of graduating from the Ascension Pavilion as the top student.

“Huh… No. Enough.”

The urge to kill surged up, but I quickly shook my head.

It’s all in the past anyway.

Beating him up like this felt so satisfying, it eased my mind somewhat.

Still, I felt a little regret.

‘Should I just cut off one arm?’

It occurred to me that this might be a good chance to match him perfectly with Dad.

A one-armed swordsman father and son.

Just the name sounds cool, doesn’t it?

I bet the women of the martial world would cheer.

Zzzzz.

As if reading my mind, Jeonju-shi rose and fetched Baek Muha’s sword.

“……”

Then, as if urging me to cut quickly, he began darting around.

Just as I was about to pick up the sword, mesmerized…

“Stop!”

Rumble.

Over forty Baekryongdang members were seen entering the inner courtyard.

“No.”

Why now of all times?

If they’d come just a little later, I could have cut off his right arm.

As if utterly unconcerned with my grievance, the one leading the White Dragon Sect shouted with a face like a demon.

“How dare you harm the Young Master!”

“…….”

What kind of defense mechanism is this?

Did they completely forget they attacked first?

He wanted to argue, but the situation wasn’t favorable.

If he provoked them unnecessarily, he might get beaten to a pulp… no, stabbed to a pulp and turned into minced meat.

“Now, now, I’ll explain how this happened, so please calm down first…”

“Shut up! Do you think you’ll survive after doing this?!”

Clang, clang, clang.

The moment those words left his mouth, the White Dragon Party members drew their swords.

“We’ll avenge our fallen comrades, you bastard!”

“Shit.”

Nothing was going right.

I had no choice.

I had to start Hostage Drama Part 2.

“Freeze. Move a single step and I’ll put a hole through the young master’s neck.”

Squeeze.

To set the mood, I lightly pricked Baek Muha’s neck, drawing blood.

The White Dragon Party, filled with murderous intent, halted their advance.

In the standoff that began thus, I timed my move.

‘It’s about time they showed up…’

It had been a full hour since the fire started. Even if the Outer Hall had been notified, they should have arrived by now.

But the Oedang hadn’t dispatched anyone.

That meant someone had locked the Oedang’s doors.

And that someone was most likely the Baekryongdang.

In other words, the Oedang wouldn’t be coming here today.

Then who were they waiting for?

Who else but the Demon King of the Black Plague?

‘They called it the Seven Stone Strike.’

Hao Wendo, who helped me, must have kept watching this place.

He must have alerted Yongmasan about the White Dragon Sect’s attack.

Yongmasan and I are like brothers who share the same blood.

He must have calculated how to save me.

Whether they could handle the situation alone, or not.

Of course, they concluded it was impossible.

They can’t fight, you see.

That leaves only one solution.

There was no choice but to turn to our Flame King.

Whoosh.

Just like now.

Black flames split the space between the White Dragon Sect and me.

Even with nothing to burn, the fire raged fiercely, melting the earth.

It was the Black Flame Dragon.

The voice of the Fire Demon King echoed down from the sky.

“Who dares harm my disciple?”

Seeing him land, it was as if Diablo himself had descended to earth.

Thud.

He who came down from the sky wore his characteristic sneer.

“No one will leave this place alive today.”

Fear clouded the eyes of the White Dragon Sect disciples watching him.

It was only natural.

The image of him reducing Baek Jung-cheon’s right arm to dust was still vivid in their minds.

I felt it too, but imagine the trauma it must have caused them.

Just seeing Master Beogung’s face would probably trigger PTSD.

Anyway, that wasn’t important right now.

“Um… Master? Are you planning to kill all of them?”

Preventing Baek Gung from doing something reckless was the priority.

But Baek Gung’s reaction was far more extreme than I’d anticipated.

“Isn’t that obvious? They dared to inflict serious injury on the heir of the Baek Gung Clan. They deserve to be sent to the fiery hell.”

Wait, when did you suddenly switch to overprotecting him? You were the one pushing him to be strong.

And he’s not even that badly hurt.

I’m pretty sure if we send him to the Cleaners, he’ll be back on his feet in three days.

“Please don’t do that. Leave it to this disciple. I have a way to handle it properly.”

“If you’re worried about me, it’s fine. I’ll kill them all and melt Baek Jung-cheon’s neck too.”

“……Please.”

I told you to just stay put.