A chilly silence settled.
Yun Jong stared blankly at the fallen Black Dragon King.
Even in death, the vacant eyes of the fallen Black Dragon King reflected the blue sky above.
Death, an inevitable conclusion that no one could escape. It finally caught up with Black Dragon King, as it would with anyone.
A strange unease gnawed at Yun Jong's chest.
Regardless of whether they worshipped or criticized Black Dragon King, no one could deny his stature as a giant in the Martial Arts World.
And now, he had breathed his last in this place.
"Ah..."
A thud.
Yun Jong's ears caught the sound of someone collapsing nearby, momentarily unsure of what to do.
Turning, he saw Jo Gol sitting weakly on the ground.
"Get up!"
Baek Cheon, who had been fallen, hastily got up and grabbed Jo Gol's shoulders. With a determined grip, he lifted Jo Gol.
"It's not over yet!"
He growled, casting sharp glances around.
The river bandits of the Eighteen Bandits of the Yangtze River, led by Black Dragon King, stared blankly at the scene.
Individually, they might not pose a threat, but their collective power was something they had experienced firsthand.
The outcome of their presence in this situation was uncertain.
Hence, they needed to maintain resilience, even if it was just for show. It was better to show strength to excited beasts than to show weakness.
"Draw your swords!"
Baek Cheon's rough voice rekindled the tense atmosphere.
The battered sword masters and Hye Yeon stood shoulder to shoulder, their eyes vigilant. They were determined to protect each other no matter what.
However, the river bandits' gaze wasn't directed at them from the beginning.
"Black Dragon King..."
"...This can't be happening."
As they looked at the chilling sight of Black Dragon King's body, the river bandits' faces began to pale.
Black Dragon King was indeed a ruthless ruler.
At least to the river bandits of the Eighteen Bandits of the Yangtze River, he was practically an emperor.
It couldn't be said that Black Dragon King's reign was peaceful. But no one expected him to meet such a pitiful end.
Even with his corpse before their eyes, his unbelievable death was hard to believe.
"What do we do?"
"To see him like this... What..."
"Is he really dead?"
"Revenge..."
The rumbling voice echoed like ripples on a lake, spreading widely.
Confusion, anger, fear, and countless other emotions.
With thousands gathered, the emotions flowing through that place split into thousands of streams.
But this chaos wouldn't last long. Soon, all emotions would converge into one place, becoming an unstoppable torrent fueled by human will.
And just before the explosion, like throwing stones at a powder keg, it was none other than Baek Cheon who hurled the first one.
Clang!
Baek Cheon lifted the fallen Black Dragon King's body.
"Elder brother!"
"W-What are you doing!"
To disrespect the body of a lion was a taboo among martial artists and even ordinary people; it was simply not something one should do.
Thunk!
However, Baek Cheon wasn't disrespecting Black Dragon King.
His true intention became evident when he lifted Black Dragon King's body, revealing the gruesome sight beneath.
"Ugh..."
"Eek!"
The pitiful state of the body was now blatantly exposed under the heavens.
Even witnessing this scene, no one dared to deny Black Dragon King's death. The eyes of the river bandits began to tremble.
Baek Cheon casually picked up the fallen guandao and pointed it at the river bandits.
His gaze was infinitely cold. Just looking at it sent shivers down one's spine.
Realizing Baek Cheon's intentions belatedly, the Five Swords quickly gathered momentum to bolster their strength.
"Ugh... Ugh!"
"Run away!"
"Black Dragon King is dead! Black Dragon King!"
"We're all going to die too! We have to return to the Yangtze River, quickly!"
The balance crumbled in an instant.
You can't completely stop a bursting dam. But you can redirect the flow.
Fortunately, the torrent of confusion created by the river bandit group poured in a direction other than towards Baek Cheon's party. It was thanks to Baek Cheon igniting their fear.
"Ahhhh!"
Like clouds, the river bandits rushed away without looking back.
The pushing and shoving resembled a herd of deer encountering a tiger.
Baek Cheon, who had been vigilantly observing the situation, finally let out a relieved sigh and gently lowered the guandao he had been holding.
Thud.
As if it were a signal, Jo Gol collapsed to the ground. This time, it wasn't just Jo Gol. Other members who had been holding on also collapsed as if their taut strings had been cut all at once. The tension, stretched to its limit, finally relaxed.
"...We're alive."
"I thought... I thought he was really dead."
"I was scared."
"These bastards. They still haven't let their guard down..."
Baek Cheon, about to say something, staggered for a moment. He managed to support himself with the guandao stuck into the ground.
"Ugh..."
With a groan, Baek Cheon looked at the scattering river bandits.
"Now, I'm not sure either."
There was no strength left to lift a finger. Each and every one of them was in such a mess that no one could determine who was better or worse.
"Nangong benefactor. Are you okay?"
"...Do you seem alright?"
"Since you have the strength to joke, you must not be dead."
"But... I could break this prejudice..."
Hye Yeon, the only one in good condition, took care of Nangong Dowi and went over. Her voice was calm and casual, but her touch, dressing Nangong Dowi's wounds and infusing him with internal strength, was swift and precise.
Watching this silently, Yun Jong glanced at Jo Gol.
"Are you okay, Gol?"
"Yes, senior brother."
Jo Gol nodded slowly. But even in the midst of that, he couldn't tear his eyes away from the sprawled body of Black Dragon King, as if afraid he would suddenly rise up and attack them.
"He's really dead, right?"
"Maybe."
"That damned bastard..."
Well, no matter how strong one's life force is, if the heart is pierced, one cannot survive. Of course, even Yun Jong felt as if Black Dragon King might leap up at any moment, but it was just a feeling.
"I never thought we'd have to go through such trouble to bring down under heaven's Black Dragon King."
It wasn't polite to say such things about a fallen Black Dragon King. But if someone were to criticize him for it, it would be considered a reasonable reaction.
But the perspective of the Five Swords was different.
Even if he had all his strength, the current Black Dragon King, missing one arm, couldn't fully utilize his skills.
Surely they hadn't thought they would have to go through so much trouble to deal with someone like him.
"But the battlefield is like that."
However, both Jo Gol, who nodded as if indicating momentum, and Yun Jong, who tried to maintain a composed attitude, now understood.
That the direction of the battlefield doesn't necessarily depend on the strength one has.
'Could have been missed.'
They had faced stronger opponents.
While Black Dragon King was indeed formidable, even if he had his full strength, he couldn't compare to the Bishop of Hangzhou.
But he had strengths different from those they had faced before.
Craftiness that didn't care about dignity, shamelessness that didn't hesitate to flee, and a reckless determination to achieve one's goal even at great cost.
'In the Martial Arts World, they call this cunningness.'
In that sense, the appearance shown by the Red Tiger showed might be worthy of the title 'cunning' person in the Martial Arts World.
What was frightening wasn't his ability, but rather the person he was.
At that moment, Jo Gol spoke up.
"But... why did he come back?"
Yun Jong couldn't answer.
He had seen it too. Black Dragon King had ultimately broken through the encirclement. If he had continued charging, he could have pushed his way into the sea of river bandits and eventually escaped.
This side, wounded and tired, would have found it difficult to catch him again.
Of course, the wounds Black Dragon King had suffered were severe, but even if he had managed to escape, couldn't he have survived?
"But why..."
What was the reason for his return? Jo Gol looked at Yun Jong as if seeking an answer, but Yun Jong had no reply to offer.
"Well... I don't know either. Maybe we shed too much blood and lost our minds."
"...Is that so?"
"Yeah. And..."
Yun Jong calmly spoke as he looked at the fallen Black Dragon King.
"Even if that bastard had escaped, he would have died here eventually. We would have chased him relentlessly and cut off his breath a hundred, a thousand times."
"Senior brother?"
"I don't know... but..."
Yun Jong's gaze shifted elsewhere. At the end of it, there stood someone leaning on Black Dragon King's guandao as if it were a trophy.
Yun Jong's eyes were colored with various emotions.
"If it were that fucker, he would have done it."
"..."
Looking at Baek Cheon in response to Yun Jong's words, Jo Gol nodded as if agreeing.
"That's right."
A faint smile played on his lips.
---
*Squeak*
"Ack..."
A large hole appeared in the chest of a river bandit, who spat out foam. His fading eyes were filled with despair.
"Why... Why..."
Among the eighteen river bandits comprising the Eighteen Bandits of the Yangtze River, the head of the powerful Red Dragon Scale faction, Ban Weigong's head slowly dropped.
The sword that bore the weight slightly bent. The body, now devoid of strength, slid down along the blade and collapsed with a thud.
"Ugh..."
With his eyes still open, not yet devoid of life, he saw numerous corpses. The bodies and blood that colored the forest red. They were all river bandits of the Red Dragon Scale faction who had rushed to save Black Dragon King.
They all had to lay down their lives to the sword of a single person who had suddenly appeared.
"Why... How could... you..."
Thud!
Before he could finish his murmur, a merciless sword pierced his throat.
His convulsing body went limp as Ban Weigong's breath was cut off.
"The evil sect bastard keeps muttering."
Chung Myung, without any emotion, turned his gaze towards Heo Kong.
In the dense forest, a wide field could be glimpsed in between. Chung Myung directed his gaze towards that distant place and muttered.
"The fox bastard..."
Swish!
As the Dark Incense Plum Blossom Sword swung towards Heo Kong, droplets of blood scattered.
Chung Myung smoothly sheathed his sword and glanced around before turning his steps towards the field.
But he stopped after a few steps.
As if contemplating something, Chung Myung stood still for a moment before muttering again.
"...Just a fox."
His voice was tinged with a strange emotion.
"Not just a fox."
Finally, a refreshing smile appeared on his lips.
"Now, it's time."
His steps, now lighter, moved forward without hesitation.