Baek Jagang was sincerely moved.
Where Beoncheon had been meant to fight alone, three people now stood. They could now attack together without damaging Beoncheon’s honor and pride in front of his subordinates.
Who else could have achieved such a result against that Cheongsalgwi?
He had inwardly scoffed when he heard that someone had been bewitched by the Demon Cult’s young cult leader. Now he felt he had to admit it. How could anyone not be bewitched by such a man?
And more than anything, he was grateful that he had been given the chance to raise his hand for his disciple. When he had raised it, Bi Sain’s rough face had shown plainly just how moved he was. So much so that Baek Jagang felt terribly sorry for ever having doubted such a disciple, even for a time.
That was why he would not trust Geom Mugeuk. Because he now knew that this was a man capable of bewitching even him, he would trust him even less. After ninety-nine truths, a single lie could bring the Sado Alliance to ruin. Even so, he had to convey his gratitude.
Baek Jagang gave Geom Mugeuk a slight nod.
It was not a greeting to the Demon Cult’s young cult leader. Beyond age, beyond status, it was the martial artist named Baek Jagang greeting the martial artist named Geom Mugeuk. Thank you for protecting our honor, and my faith in my disciple.
Geom Mugeuk, too, bowed his head respectfully to him, without the slightest trace of playfulness on his face.
Seeing that, Cheongsalgwi could clearly sense it. From the very beginning, Geom Mugeuk had deliberately created this situation. He had known that Geom Mugeuk had intentionally provoked him, but to think he had been carrying things out at the alliance leader’s request from the start.
If he could, he wanted to unleash a string of curses at Geom Mugeuk beginning with “that filthy tongue of yours,” but it was obvious that it would only be spitting in his own face.
The needless sparks flew toward the three standing before him.
“Did you think the outcome would change just because three of you gathered together? You could have died with dignity, but now you’ll simply die ugly, tangled up with one another.”
Cheongsalgwi thought that, in any case, the result would not change.
Today’s battle would only end when one side was entirely dead. It was merely a matter of order, a difference in the process.
“Who shall I kill first?”
Meanwhile, the three were secretly exchanging voice transmissions. With Bi Sain at the center, he gave instructions to the other two.
—I will take the lead in the middle, so please support me from both sides. We must not be more than two steps apart from one another. In the early exchange, he will undoubtedly try to toy with us. We must not miss that opportunity.
Bi Sain burned with the resolve to kill Cheongsalgwi no matter what.
He did not show it to the other two, but in truth, he was afraid and trembling. Their opponent was a master stronger than they were. On top of that, the leader of the Sado Alliance and the warriors of the Sado Alliance were watching.
He had been through real combat many times, but never once had he trembled as he did today. The decisive reason for his tension was this.
‘If I make a mistake, Illang and Commander Beon will die.’
Just as that worry was making him stiffen, Geom Mugeuk’s voice transmission reached him.
—Do not concern yourself with the two of them.
Bi Sain truly almost shouted, “Are you inside my head?”
—If you fight to protect them, you will lose. Whether they die or not, fight as though you are fighting one-on-one. Only then can you win.
—!
Instinctively, he felt that Geom Mugeuk was right. He had to trust the two of them. If he clumsily tried to protect them, all three of them would die.
—Fight splendidly.
Geom Mugeuk’s final piece of advice was truly unexpected.
It was not advice to fight desperately, nor was it advice to fight cautiously.
Splendidly.
He knew very well that it did not simply mean putting on a show. Rather, that ill-fitting word felt like a guidepost showing him how he ought to fight.
‘Yes, splendidly.’
When Bi Sain drew his sword, Beoncheon and Illang drew theirs as well.
The warriors of the Sado Thirteen Wolves and the Extreme Blade Corps, who were cheering them on, all shouted at once.
Not to be outdone, the Turang also roared in unison.
Together with the roar, the one who took the first move was Bi Sain.
He did not use the martial art of the Sado Alliance Leader, of which he had only learned the first form, but instead unleashed his own martial art that he had brought to completion: the Soul-Chasing Four Swords.
When the first sword of the Soul-Chasing Four Swords, Severing Soul, was unleashed, pure white sword qi surged from Bi Sain’s blade like waves.
Cheongsalgwi did not dodge. He released palm force and met the sword qi head-on.
Boom!
With an explosion, the ground shook. As if boasting of his inner force, Cheongsalgwi blocked the attack without taking even a single step back.
At the same time, Beoncheon and Illang launched sword qi from the left and right.
This time as well, Cheongsalgwi remained in place, thrusting both palms to either side and neutralizing their attacks.
A succession of explosions rang out, and clouds of dust rose.
It seemed he would merely mock them and show off his strength like that, but along with the dust, Cheongsalgwi’s figure vanished in an instant.
Swaaaak!
Before anyone knew it, Cheongsalgwi was behind Bi Sain, striking down with a palm.
Bi Sain twisted his body and barely avoided it, but he could not dodge the following palm. It was fast. Far too fast. Just as Bi Sain raised his protective gangqi and braced for the impact—
Illang, who had rushed in before anyone knew it, thrust his sword toward him.
Illang’s sword art was the Heavenly Yang Seven Hands.
Of the seven techniques, he unleashed the fastest: the Fourth Hand, Quick Yang Form.
Because he was even prepared to sacrifice his own body if Bi Sain fell into danger, Illang’s attack was desperate.
Cheongsalgwi abandoned Bi Sain and avoided Illang’s attack. The battle was advantageous to him anyway, so there was no need to force an attack at the cost of an injury.
As he evaded, Beoncheon’s attack flew at him this time.
Beoncheon’s sword, pouring down like a deluge, was fast. His martial art was the Startling Soul Sword Art, a sword technique based on speed and extreme yin.
Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish!
Cheongsalgwi was always at the tip of the sword, but regrettably, the blade could not pierce his body.
Cheongsalgwi was so fast that it was hard to understand how such an old body could move so quickly. His movements were also the answer to how he had survived until now.
The second sword of the Soul-Chasing Four Swords, Quelling Soul, unfolded, and five streams of sword qi bent as if alive, flying toward Cheongsalgwi and enveloping him.
Cheongsalgwi leaped into the air to avoid them, and the sword qi changed direction to pursue him. They were like dragons chasing a dragon pearl, but regrettably, they could not obtain that pearl in this ascension.
Cheongsalgwi changed direction in midair, avoided the sword qi, and shot downward as fast as a beam of light.
The one he targeted this time was Illang.
As he flew downward, Cheongsalgwi released palm force in succession.
Boom! Boooom!
The space where Illang had been standing exploded, and the surface of the ground flipped over.
Illang threw himself aside and barely avoided the attack. In front of him, the rising cloud of dust split apart, and Cheongsalgwi rushed in.
A palm flying in with a pure white glow!
It was the White Bone Heart-Piercing Palm, filled with extreme yin energy.
If it struck, it would cause a grave injury.
‘Too late.’
If he was injured, he would only become a burden in the fight. With the resolve to perish together with his foe, Illang thrust out his sword. He intended to give up his life but take at least one of Cheongsalgwi’s arms in return.
‘I’m sorry, Young Alliance Leader! This is as far as I go.’
At that moment, the White Bone Heart-Piercing Palm changed direction.
The instant he disappeared—
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwak!
Sword qi swept through the place where Cheongsalgwi had been.
It was the third sword of the Soul-Chasing Four Swords, Iron Soul.
Cheongsalgwi could have killed Illang, but if he had done so, he too would have been badly injured, so he turned his body and avoided the attack. This time, Bi Sain had saved Illang.
Illang did not even have the leisure to express his thanks.
Cheongsalgwi was attacking Beoncheon now.
Boooom!
Overpowered in inner force, Beoncheon was shoved backward. At that, Illang flew over, caught him, and poured his internal energy into him. Only then did the two, who had been sliding back, finally come to a stop.
Bi Sain was pouring attacks toward Cheongsalgwi to prevent any follow-up attack.
The other two also joined the offensive. They did not think of what would come afterward. To fight Cheongsalgwi while conserving inner force was arrogance. They had to pour everything out and settle the matter before their inner force was exhausted.
Cheongsalgwi was certainly stronger than they were. Every gesture he extended was a series of killing moves that inevitably led to death.
In the midst of that perilous situation, Bi Sain instead felt hope.
‘This is doable!’
They were coordinating better than he had feared.
Because they were not trying to coordinate, they coordinated all the better.
If they had tried to match their movements from the beginning, it would have been a far more difficult battle. They would have found it hard to interfere recklessly, fearing they might obstruct an ally’s ultimate technique. In the end, instead of a combined attack, it might have become a form where they took turns fighting one by one.
But now it was different.
Bi Sain fought with the mindset of a one-on-one duel, with the mindset that it did not matter even if his sword qi injured Illang or Beoncheon.
The attack that had saved Illang moments ago had also followed Geom Mugeuk’s advice exactly.
It had been an attack to save Illang, but he had not thought of it that way. It was not an attack to save him, but an attack to kill Cheongsalgwi. The result was the same, but Bi Sain was unmistakably fighting a different battle.
And all of this was possible because Illang and Beoncheon were fighting far better than he had expected. In the end, Geom Mugeuk had been right. Trust the two of them and focus only on this fight. That was the best course.
Before anyone realized it, the composure had vanished from Cheongsalgwi’s face.
The battle was not unfolding as easily as he had thought. There was one fact he had overlooked. All three of them were fighting with their lives on the line.
Beoncheon for the honor of the commander of the Extreme Blade Corps. Illang to protect Bi Sain. Bi Sain for the alliance leader and the Sado Alliance.
When the battle did not go his way, Cheongsalgwi vented his anger in an absurd direction.
The palm force that seemed as though it would be fired at Bi Sain instead flew toward the warriors of the Extreme Blade Corps who were watching the fight.
It was an attack he had deliberately launched, far too fast and powerful for them to avoid. Their deaths would disturb Bi Sain’s concentration, and more than anything, he felt that only then would he be satisfied.
Those standing at the front thrust out their palm force and shouted.
“Dodge!”
If they could not avoid it anyway, they had resolved to release as much palm force as possible and at least save the comrades behind them.
Boooom!
An explosion erupted, and dust rose.
The Extreme Blade Corps warriors standing at the front looked around at one another. They were unharmed, though they should have been swept away by the palm force.
The one who had neutralized the attack was Baek Jagang.
With his hand extended toward the air, his gaze was still fixed on the Fighting King.
Baek Jagang slowly withdrew his hand.
All the warriors of the Extreme Blade Corps bowed their heads respectfully. If not for the alliance leader, they would all have died.
The Fighting King could have used that opportunity to attack, but at that moment, Geom Mugeuk raised his energy in warning.
If you go, I go.
The Fighting King did not move.
He was convinced that if he failed to eliminate Geom Mugeuk today, then even if he ascended to the position of Sado Alliance Leader, Geom Mugeuk would become a great source of trouble. If Geom Mugeuk returned after properly preparing, would he truly be able to stop him?
Cheongsalgwi’s attack just now became the signal flare. The warriors of the Extreme Blade Corps charged at the Turang.
“Kill them!”
The warriors on both sides rushed toward one another. They had already reached the peak of fighting spirit while watching the battle. The Sado Thirteen Wolves also joined the fight.
Baek Jagang and the Fighting King did not stop their battle. In any case, they would have had to fight once.
With even the Sado Thirteen Wolves intervening, the Sado Alliance had the advantage both in numbers and in skill.
Even so, the Fighting King only watched. Of course, the moment he intervened, the Sado Alliance Leader and Geom Mugeuk would leap in, and a chaotic melee would unfold. It was not an easy situation to enter, even if he wanted to.
Meanwhile, Bi Sain’s battle was reaching its climax.
Swaaaaaak!
Cheongsalgwi’s fingers, driving in toward Bi Sain, curled.
He was about to use his signature martial art, the Blood-Yin Iron Claw Hand, together with the White Bone Heart-Piercing Palm. Earlier, Bi Sain had nearly died twice to that attack.
The Blood-Yin Iron Claw Hand, so powerful that even a graze would shatter flesh and bone, flew in to tear open Bi Sain’s chest.
At that moment, Bi Sain made one dangerous choice.
Cheongsalgwi’s fingers raked across Bi Sain’s chest, which he had failed to dodge in time.
Kwa-ddeu-ddeu-deu-deuk!
At the very instant his chest was being torn apart—
‘Got him!’
The balance of the fight collapsed. And at that moment, as Cheongsalgwi turned toward Beoncheon with a triumphant smile—
Bi Sain’s sword, which should have been dead with his chest ripped and shredded, flashed.
Shiiiiing!
At an extremely close distance, the fourth sword of the Soul-Chasing Four Swords, Mad Soul, was unleashed.
Puaak!
At that moment, Cheongsalgwi, unable to avoid Gwanghon in time and having taken the blow, staggered as blood spurted from his shoulder.
From the left came Genesis Soul-Shock, the final ultimate technique of the Soul-Shocking Sword Art; from the right came the Great Yang Form, the final ultimate technique of the Heavenly Yang Seven Hands.
Shunk!
He avoided Genesis Soul-Shock, but he could not avoid the Great Yang Form.
The instant he staggered again.
Shuuuunk!
Bi Sain’s sword pierced through his chest.
Impaled on the blade, Cheongsalgwi vomited a gush of blood and stared at Bi Sain in disbelief.
“……You were definitely struck by the Blood-Yin Iron Claw Hand?”
Only then did Cheongsalgwi see Bi Sain’s chest. Two protective armors had been torn away. The layered armor had been ripped apart, but the attack had not reached Bi Sain’s body. His gamble with his life had paid off.
Bi Sain stared straight at him and said quietly,
“Even up close, I’m better-looking.”
“……Damn it!”
Thuk! Shunk!
Immediately after, Illang’s and Beoncheon’s swords flew in and buried themselves in his neck and heart.
Cheongsalgwi died on the spot and toppled over.
The three of them let out long sighs of relief at the same time.
Though it was their first time coordinating, they had succeeded in killing Cheongsalgwi through a joint assault. They looked at one another and exchanged burning gazes. What words were needed? They were comrades who had shared life and death.
Bi Sain turned his head and first looked toward the leader of the Sado Alliance.
Baek Jagang showed him a radiant smile. It was the first time his master had ever smiled so brightly at him. He had a feeling that his relationship with his master would begin anew from this moment on.
Bi Sain’s gaze then turned to Geom Mugeuk.
The reason they had been able to win this battle was because of the voice transmission Geom Mugeuk had sent before the fight. They had won because they had fought not to defend, but to pour everything out. They had won because they had fought as if it were one-on-one, not a coordinated assault.
‘My debt of life keeps piling up, and yet he’s looking at me with such a bright smile.’
Then came Geom Mugeuk’s voice transmission.
—Your fight was magnificent.
As if responding to that transmission, all of the Sado Thirteen Wolves and the martial artists of the Extreme Blade Corps burst into cheers at once.
Their battle was already over as well. Since even the Sado Thirteen Wolves had joined the fight, there had been no surprise in the result. All of the Fighting Wolves were dead, while the Sado Alliance’s losses had not been great.
Now only the Fighting King and the deputy strategist, Hyeok Sagun, remained there. Hyeok Sagun stood frozen in silence, while the Fighting King remained calm.
Everyone’s gaze focused on the Fighting King.
Geom Mugeuk spoke to him calmly.
“From the beginning, you didn’t care if all of them died, did you?”
He had been far too calm in the face of his allies’ deaths.
And Geom Mugeuk was certain he had some other move left. It was hard to believe he had simply trusted in his own skill, considering his opponent was the leader of the Sado Alliance.
“What card are you hiding?”
When the Fighting King did not answer, Baek Jagang finally stepped forward.
He walked forward slowly. His presence overwhelmed everyone there.
Baek Jagang slowly drew his sword. From his small eyes began to flow an aura colder and sharper than the blade itself.
“I’ll hear that answer through my sword.”
Absolute Regression Chapter 372