Chapter 139. Who Am I?
These bastards were all going to die at Alliance Leader Im's hands anyway.
The thought that if I overwhelmed them with the Ilwol Gwangcheon right from the start, these bastards might surrender earlier than in my past life, mingled with the fury of an empty stomach.
“Haah….”
I’d almost blurted out, “For the Hao Sect.”
It was an incredibly tactless thing to say, so I barely managed to hold it back.
“…For the Martial Alliance.”
This was the right call.
The Martial Alliance had already pulled back behind me after hearing Saekma’s shout.
I combined a sphere made of Hyunwol and Yeomgye while pouring out attraction force, pulled it into shape with the Force Absorption Technique, and then quickly hurled the Ilwol Gwangcheon toward where the enemy troops were thickest.
As if a tremendously heavy sphere were flying…….
The Ilwol Gwangcheon arced through the air, gradually slowing as it descended.
The problem was that the experts of the Southern Yue Green Forest Alliance—and the Demonic Faction experts mixed in among them—didn’t know me.
Did I look like a fucking idiot playing with a ball?
A muscle-headed Demonic Faction expert leaped into the air toward the not-so-large Ilwol Gwangcheon flying overhead and drew his sword.
Lightning flashed twice from his blade.
The moment the Ilwol Gwangcheon was cut in a cross shape…….
Alliance Leader Im spat out something unintelligible. His roar was swallowed by the sound of the Ilwol Gwangcheon.
“……!”
Everyone in the Martial Alliance behind me drew their swords, held them vertically upright, and infused them with ki.
The Demonic Faction swordsman in midair melted in the blast of the Ilwol Gwangcheon, vanishing without a trace.
Then, as the Ilwol Gwangcheon fell upon the forces where the Green Forest Alliance had been densely gathered…….
Saekma’s shout erupted.
“Hey, you son of a bitch…!”
I deliberately blocked the Ilwol Gwangcheon’s aftermath with the Yeomgye Great Hand Seal, made by crossing my twin palms toward the front to protect the Martial Alliance.
KWAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!
“Uwaaah, fuck….”
I fired it, and I blocked it.
There was never such bullshit.
The instant I deflected the shockwave, a crunching snap rang out as trees broke in succession. Having lost consciousness for a moment, I found myself staring at the sky shortly after.
“….”
Clouds were drifting by peacefully, out of nowhere.
“Today’s weather: sunny. Nice.”
Suddenly uneasy at how quiet my surroundings were, I sprang up—and it really was quiet.
“…Ah, ah.”
I pinched my nose and blew air out through my ear holes, and only then did sound return.
I could hear Alliance Leader Im’s roars and the peaceful clashing of weapons. Holding my throbbing waist, I got up and got out of the bushes. It seemed I’d flown into the air, and no one had been able to grab me.
I saw a bandit, terrified out of his wits, running toward me.
“Uheok!”
I waved my hand at the bandit.
“Tough luck, meeting me like this.”
The moment the bandit shrieked and turned to flee upon seeing me, I drew Heukmyoa and sent his arm flying with a blade of qi.
Puaak!
When I came out, Martial Alliance members who had charged the instant they received Alliance Leader Im’s order were roaming about, committing massacre. I could see at a glance the fleeing bandits and the Alliance members chasing them down and killing them.
This was how important morale was on a battlefield.
Arriving at an open space, I saw the Lord of the Southern Yue Green Forest Alliance and Im Sobaek clashing, but the outcome was fairly obvious. In fact, judging by martial prowess alone, it was a fight where it wouldn’t have been strange for Im Sobaek to slaughter all one thousand by himself.
The section of wooden fences on the left where the Ilwol Gwangcheon had fallen was completely devastated.
I surveyed the battlefield with my hand on my waist. After taking a deep breath and tensing my lower abdomen, I let out a bellow infused with internal energy.
“Kneel, you bastards! Before I beat every last one of you to death!”
Instantly, groups of three or four fell to their knees here and there. Seeing that, the Martial Alliance members passing by beat to death even more of those swinging blades. Then the Martial Alliance members charged in like hunters driving prey, echoing my words.
“Kneel, you bastards!”
The excited Martial Alliance members were madly bringing down their sword pommels on the heads of kneeling bandits, killing them. Experienced elders of the Martial Alliance spread out in all directions, blocked the bandits’ retreat routes, and began the massacre. In the meantime, cool-headed Martial Alliance members kept forcing bandits to their knees, increasing the number of those surrendering.
At that moment, simultaneous shouts erupted from the bandits.
“Alliance Leader!”
The heads of those fighting turned as one toward Im Sobaek.
Im Sobaek flung the head of the Southern Yue Green Forest Alliance Lord to the ground. The corpses of the Southern Yue Alliance’s executives were already strewn around Im Sobaek.
Im Sobaek looked around with bloodshot eyes and said,
“Southern Yue Alliance, discard your weapons and kneel. This is my final mercy.”
“….”
I passed by, clubbing a kneeling bandit on the head once. Now that the bandits seemed to recognize my face, some tried to flee while kneeling and were trampled under the Martial Alliance members’ feet.
“Stay still. Stay still!”
I went to where the Ilwol Gwangcheon had exploded and surveyed the surroundings.
“What a mess.”
For starters, all the nearby wooden fences had been blown away.
A circular pit twenty zhang in radius had been dug out, and there were no traces of corpses in the vicinity. Instead, the farther from the pit, the more human arms, legs, and body parts were strewn about.
There were also many bandits sitting there with their souls completely gone.
I surveyed the scene of the massacre with my arms crossed.
Was this a meaningful sacrifice, or a meaningless dog’s death?
Going by my past life…….
No matter how great the Martial Alliance’s casualties were, the bandits could never kill Alliance Leader Im. He would have chased them down and beaten every last one of them to death himself.
Now, before the battle had even begun, over a hundred had been instantly killed by the Ilwol Gwangcheon, and the rest were either dying by the Martial Alliance members’ hands or kneeling in surrender.
Looking around, I was surprised to find that those who had fought Saekma were frozen solid, so these guys were still breathing too.
In any case, once again, in order to save even a portion of the bandits, I had ended up killing the most bandits.
Laughter flowed out on its own.
“Heh heh heh.”
Im Sobaek, who had approached my side, asked me,
“Sect Leader.”
Im Sobaek, drawing close, spoke in a low voice.
“It’s bewildering that so many are still alive.”
Hearing Im Sobaek’s words, I turned and surveyed the situation. Most of the bandits who had lost their will to fight had knelt or fled; even so, as Alliance Leader Im had said, the Martial Alliance still had fewer troops.
I looked at Im Sobaek.
“Since it’s come to this, let’s keep pressing on like demons.”
“Is there a way?”
“Let’s lead the Green Forest Alliance troops whose limbs are still intact north and strike Mokryeong Stockade. We’ll use mountain bandits to hit water bandits, and any bastards who survive, we’ll have no choice but to take in.”
Im Sobaek understood what I meant and nodded.
“Even so, we can’t take all of them.”
“That’s right. Leave the injured ones, the ones who can’t be used as fighting strength, here. I’ll stay behind and keep them under control by harassing and beating them. The remaining forces and the Alliance Leader should lead the Green Forest bandits north. It’ll be rough. If you leave Alliance troops here, you’ll need at least twenty or thirty men to keep them in line, so it’s better for me to stay alone.”
Im Sobaek folded his arms and fell into thought, then replied.
“Will you do that?”
“Let’s do it.”
I met Im Sobaek’s eyes.
“Before that, let’s steal some of the bandits’ food and eat. I’ve been chewing jerky all night.”
Only then did a smile spread across Im Sobaek’s stiff face.
“Let’s. I am hungry.”
When Im Sobaek returned to the Alliance members, only then did that Pervert bastard come over.
The Pervert said,
“Hey, earlier you were about to say, ‘For the Hao Sect…’ then changed it to ‘For the Murim Alliance,’ didn’t you?”
“So what, you bastard?”
He was pointlessly sharp.
The Pervert sighed, then said,
“Would it kill you to say something before using that exploding ultimate technique? Why do you use it in such a rush every single time?”
“What am I supposed to do if I get cut down while preparing? Announce it before I use it?”
“That’s true, but still.”
The Pervert shut his mouth, as if he had nothing else to say. Meanwhile, the Murim Alliance was herding the captured bandits into the main hall of the Green Forest Alliance.
“You go with Alliance Leader Im and help him.”
“What about you?”
“I need to take control of this place. There are too many troops.”
“That’s true.”
“When fighting on water, ice arts should be effective. Help Alliance Leader Im properly. Don’t you feel sorry for him?”
“What’s there to feel sorry for about the Alliance Leader?”
“Look at how his white hairs are increasing because of bastards like you.”
“Bullshit. I’m going.”
The Pervert glanced at me, then walked toward Im Sobaek.
***
Many of the bastards who had injured legs, or who had been struck or cut by the Murim Alliance members, remained in the Green Forest Alliance’s main hall.
Of course, the majority were those who had been injured when the Sun-Moon Radiant Heaven exploded. By the time Alliance Leader Im, who had eaten his fill of the bandits’ food, led the bandits he would use as human shields down the mountain, it was already late afternoon.
I sat in the Namak Alliance Leader’s strange taishi chair and watched the bandits.
The Murim Alliance members gradually began to withdraw……
And when they retreated, leaving only me behind in the Green Forest Alliance, the bandits were bewildered.
I touched the tiger skin wrapped around the taishi chair.
“Bandits really do have the same taste everywhere. Why do they like tiger skins so much?”
Leaning crookedly in the taishi chair, I said to the bandits,
“Kids, now I’m the only one left. From now on, I’m the Green Forest Alliance Leader.”
“…….”
“All you jobless bastards, come forward and kneel. Those of you with work to do, go do your jobs. I’ll beat you to death otherwise.”
A short while later, all the injured experts of the Namak Green Forest Alliance and the unorthodox factions gathered and looked at me while kneeling.
I grinned to myself, then said,
“If any of you imprisoned the young master of the Geumsan Merchant Company here, starved him, or beat him, come out. I’m that pig bastard’s senior brother, the Hao Sect Leader. Which bastard told me to pay a toll?”
“…….”
“Who am I talking to?”
I stood up and looked at the bandits.
“Looks like kneeling is comfortable for you.”
I expected there to be quick-witted bastards, bastards pretending to be injured, and bastards conserving their strength mixed among them.
“Plant your heads. Let’s see who wins.”
As I studied their faces, I grabbed one bastard by the hair and hurled him into the wooden palisade. The bastard flew headfirst, made a thud, and went completely limp.
When I turned back, only then did the bandits plant their heads.
“…….”
“Who was the bastard who demanded a toll from the Hao Sect? I’ll tear him to death. Inform on him.”
“It was Strategist Hongan-gwi. He was killed by Alliance Leader Im earlier.”
“Does it end just because he’s dead? Who’s next in charge?”
“It was Stockade Chief Jinryang. He was killed by Alliance Leader Im earlier.”
“Does it end just because he’s dead? Next.”
“It was not anyone’s special order. That was simply how the Green Forest Alliance was run, so please show mercy.”
“You’re asking me to understand because that’s how you fed off others?”
“…….”
“I don’t like your tone. Everyone, up.”
When the bastards who had planted their heads rose, I wrapped the Flame Realm around my right hand.
Fwoooosh…….
The bandits’ eyes all widened at once.
Keeping the Flame Realm around my right hand, I glared at the bandits.
“……You’re taking me for a pushover. I tried to find the one responsible, and you’re saying they’re all dead. Fine. Let’s see what happens.”
I wrapped my left hand in the same Crescent Moon Palm Force I had used when I threw the Sun-Moon Radiant Heaven.
The moment I was about to combine the two……
Three or four bandits pointed at one man.
“It’s Stockade Chief Deungyang!”
“He’s the one responsible.”
The informing continued.
“As far as I know, he isn’t even injured.”
In an instant, the bandits moved away from around Stockade Chief Deungyang. Stockade Chief Deungyang, kneeling, glared at me with savage eyes and said,
“You crazy bastards. The Murim Alliance has withdrawn, and only one man is left. All we have to do is kill this bastard, take the money, and leave. Are you just going to take it like idiots?”
I withdrew the Flame Realm and Crescent Moon I had wrapped around both hands, then glared at Stockade Chief Deungyang with my hands clasped behind my back.
“You ratlike bastard, that one man is me.”
“…….”
Glaring at Stockade Chief Deungyang, I asked the bandits,
“Who am I?”
The bandits answered.
“You are the Hao Sect Leader.”
“That is me.”
I had a staring contest with Stockade Chief Deungyang, contending over authority.
“Those who want to follow Stockade Chief Deungyang and attack me may all come at once. Those who don’t want to die all at once, kill Stockade Chief Deungyang right here. The choice is yours.”
I folded my arms and glared at Stockade Chief Deungyang and the bandits.
“Let’s see who dies.”
“…….”
“I’ll count to three. One, two, three.”
No sooner had the word “three” fallen than the bandits behind Stockade Chief Dengyang rushed in, seized him, and began throwing punches. Then the ones who had always been heartless even on ordinary days swarmed in from every direction and began kicking, trampling, and beating Stockade Chief Dengyang.
In the jianghu, this was only natural.
With my arms crossed, I ordered the bandits.
“Kill him.”