Thud! Thud!
Small feet pounded the ground without rest.
Keyyyyy!
Like a streak of white lightning, Baek Ah sliced through the earth at a blistering pace. Leaping over protruding rocks and darting around obstacles, he pressed forward relentlessly.
Thwack!
And behind him, several disciples followed suit.
With stoic expressions, Yu Yiseol, determined Chung Myung, and formidable Jin Geumryong and Li Songbaek all raced forward.
"Just a moment..."
Li Songbaek's face was flushed with sweat. Despite keeping an eye on the backs of those running ahead, he couldn't help but exhale labored breaths.
His heart felt like it would burst, and his legs were numb. Even under normal circumstances, this would be an arduous march. Trying to maintain this speed with injuries was unthinkable.
Although Chung Myung had promised not to leave him behind if he fell behind, Li Songbaek never expected to be pushing himself to run like this.
"Why?"
He couldn't help but wonder. What could possibly be so urgent?
It's understood that the situation is dire. But based on the reports they've heard, isn't the outcome uncertain?
Even if Myriad Man House and Black Ghost Fort are formidable opponents, their adversaries are Shaolin, Peng Family, and the cave. Simply considering their strengths, a defeat for the Nine Sects seems unlikely.
Furthermore, the Hubei terrain they're facing is vast plains. If Jang Ilso doesn't have any geographical advantages to exploit, then surely the outcome is even less certain.
"But why rush like this?"
What could possibly be happening to warrant such haste?
"Doha..."
As Li Songbaek reached out to call Chung Myung, someone roughly shoved him aside.
"S-Senior brother?"
It was Jin Geumryong.
Though he also appeared weary, unlike Li Songbaek, his eyes were filled with determination.
"Don't waste your breath!"
"..."
"We're in Southern Edge."
Li Songbaek gritted his teeth in response to the stern words.
It was true. If it were just Chung Myung, perhaps he wouldn't be so worried, but Hye Yeon and Yu Yiseol, who fought alongside them, were also running ahead.
Excuses about injuries would be pathetic.
"I'll follow even if it costs me my life."
"Shut your mouth and run!"
"Yes!"
Li Songbaek's face hardened with determination once again.
Normally, Chung Myung would have given them more attention when they were struggling, but now he kept his gaze fixed firmly ahead.
Gritting his teeth, Chung Myung cursed inwardly.
"You stupid bastard!"
He knew Beok Jeong wouldn't stay silent this time either, but he never expected him to rush forward so urgently without looking back.
"Benefactor."
At that moment, a serious voice from Hye Yeon caught his ears.
"I didn't want to ask, but..."
Even as she spoke, Hye Yeon hesitated. Was it because she felt awkward? Or was she afraid to hear the answer?
"...What will become of the outcome?"
Her voice was strained, as if she had forced the words out. Chung Myung's face hardened even further.
"But still, in terms of strength... the Nine Sects..."
"War isn't decided solely by strength."
A cold, serious tone emanated from Chung Myung's lips.
Hye Yeon closed her eyes tightly.
It was already a known fact. How could she not know, being Hye Yeon?
If every war in the world were decided solely by strength, the Heavenly Friendship Alliance would never have won a single victory.
Strength is just one factor that determines the outcome.
"So then..."
"I'm going ahead."
"Yes?"
*Bang!*
At that moment, Chung Myung became a streak of light and surged forward.
"Junior nephew!"
Keyyyyy!
Yu Yiseol and Baek Ah called out in surprise, but Chung Myung didn't look back as he dashed forward like a black shadow.
Gritting his teeth, he bit down on his lower lip.
"Is the Four Tyrants Alliance at a disadvantage?"
In terms of strength, yes, they were at a disadvantage. And if they were facing off in such a place, victory would be out of the question.
"But did that crazy bastard not know?"
People may see him as a mad demon, but in reality, Jang Ilso is a cold, calculating hunter who waits patiently for the right moment to strike.
Would such a man move? And to a place where he's at a disadvantage?
There must be something. Something even Chung Myung and Beok Jeong couldn't have imagined.
"Damn leader!"
Beok Jeong surely knows this, but blinded by his sense of righteousness, he's walked straight into the trap.
"Faster!"
*Bang!*
He surged forward with all the internal strength he could muster, towards the ominous black clouds looming over the western horizon.
***
"Heh!"
It felt like his heart would burst.
Hot blood poured from all directions, and the final gasps of life echoed in his ears.
Was it the diminishing internal strength that made his breath grow short? Or was it his racing heart? Or perhaps it was the feeling of his head about to explode?
"Aaargh!"
Heo Kong's fierce sword cut through yet another neck.
Countless times he had heard it. A human life is more precious than anything. Something so valuable and weighty that it cannot be exchanged for anything else in the world.
But at least not here. There are no rules like those they knew in this place and within it.
Here, there is only one thing that exists. The absolute law that if you don't kill, you'll be killed.
"Huuk! Huuk!"
With bloodshot eyes, he searched for his next prey.
The more he bathed his sword in the enemy's blood, the greater the glory he would receive in return. And he could only achieve that glory by constantly seeking out more sacrifices.
It was at that moment when his maniacal gaze stopped.
"Ret...reat?"
It was an unbelievable sight.
The one who had long plunged everyone into the depths of despair. And now, he had become the target of this manic battlefield.
The alliance lord of the Four Tyrants Alliance, Tyrant Jang Ilso.
He was now running towards this place. With both hands wielding the blue flames of his deadly martial art, Qingyan Killing Energy, he approached.
At first, it was denied. Then it was doubted.
But the moment all doubts were dispelled, the blood of everyone witnessing that scene began to boil hotter than ever before.
There he was. The one who would bestow upon them the unmatchable glory just by severing his neck!
"...Jang Ilso."
Someone's voice, like a whimper, spread throughout the battlefield. Amidst the horrific noise, it sounded particularly clear.
"Jang Ilsooo!"
The cry soon turned into a roar.
Those filled with hatred, those harboring grudges, those consumed by greed, those intoxicated by burning justice, those who had accepted their overwhelming superiority...
All of them began to advance towards Jang Ilso as if driven by longing. Pushing aside those who stood in their way, regardless of allies or enemies.
"What, what are you all doing?"
The flow of the battlefield changed drastically.
Even Jongli Hyeong, who was at the forefront, was shocked. The swordmasters who had faithfully followed him suddenly began to leap around like moths drawn to a flame.
"Calm down! Damn it. I said calm down!"
Jongli Hyeong shouted desperately, but it was already too late. In this asura-like battlefield, his voice was completely buried. It was so faint that he could hardly hear his own cries.
"Attack...!"
Jongli Hyeong grabbed the shoulders of a disciple who was about to rush forward and shook him. But he only had two hands. He couldn't stop all his disciples this way.
He stared blankly at the faces of the disciples rushing past him. No, they looked as if they were intoxicated.
Jongli Hyeong began to sink into contemplation.
'This, this is...'
No one is listening. Words are not getting through.
"Stop being manipulated by that bastard's tricks!"
Jongli Hyeong was now speaking viciously to his disciples.
Of course, they couldn't hear him.
Everyone saw it, and everyone heard it. The sect leader, who had already agreed to terms, was now ignoring his oath and being swept away by desire.
It was only once. A chance that would not come twice in a lifetime.
A chance that should never have been given to them in the first place.
If it weren't for this situation, they would have lived knowing their place and acted with restraint.
But now?
Even if their opponent is just a bunch of insignificant evil sect scum.
Then couldn't anyone, not just the sect leader, reach Jang Ilso? Couldn't they take advantage of his distracted state to inflict wounds upon him and even sever his neck?
Just the thought of it is an achievement and glory beyond imagination.
There's no law that says only the sect leader must seize that opportunity!
It keeps flashing before his eyes. The crimson bloodstains, the surging flames.
The blinded moths saw no other spectacle but the vivid crimson bloodstains and the competing adversaries advancing towards him.
"I, I too...!"
"It's me! I'll do it!"
"Get out of the way!"
"Hahahahahaha!"
Jang Ilso's booming laughter only fueled their burning desires further, making them more intense and fierce.
"Jang Ilso!"
This wasn't just happening in the cave.
"Didn't I tell you to stop?"
Peng Yeob, too, couldn't control the frenzied Peng Family members.
In pursuit of dominance, the Hebei's Peng Family surpassed even the evil sects. Their eyes were filled with madness, a desire they couldn't resist. Especially with weak authority from the family lord, there was no way to control them.
The organized formation of the big brothers was twisted on its own. The piercing spearheads that were advancing towards the enemy split into countless branches, intertwining into unrecognizable shapes.
Finally, someone's blade broke through the chaos and flew towards Jang Ilso.
"I'll...!"
Pshyeeeng!
It was a lightning-fast strike. The sharp blade of the sword aimed straight for Jang Ilso's white neck.
Kwaang!
But in that moment, the head of the one who swung the blade exploded. Brain matter and crimson blood erupted like fireworks.
"Hmm."
For a moment, the surroundings fell silent.
Everyone saw it clearly. Jang Ilso, who had casually sent one person to their death, frowned.
He muttered, "That hurts."
Then he held out his palm. It had a shallow wound from deflecting the blade.
Splat.
A drop of blood fell to the ground from his white finger.
Jang Ilso slowly raised his hand to inspect the wound, then licked the flowing blood with his tongue. It was truly an intimidating and eerie sight.
But the only thought that crossed everyone's mind was one.
He bleeds. He gets injured.
Even with an ordinary Peng Family sword, that giant shed blood.
Which meant that their sword wielders, their blades, could pierce that person's neck too!
"Aaargh!"
A tempest unlike anything before began to rage.
"Calm down! What foolishness is this...!"
"He's the sect leader!"
Then, someone grabbed Jongli Hyeong's shoulders. It was an elder from the cave.
"What are you doing?"
"What I see... it's..."
"Don't talk nonsense! What is calm in a situation like this! Do you think Shaolin or the Peng Family will sit idly by while we try to calm down?"
Jongli Hyeong's eyes trembled.
"Go now, immediately! That person's neck must be cut by us! No one should yield to anyone else!"
With a start, Jongli Hyeong turned to see.
Even as he desperately tried to calm the cave, soldiers from the Peng Family and Shaolin were advancing towards Jang Ilso.
"Oh no. This way, the formation..."
"This is frustrating!"
Finally, the elder, unable to bear the anxiety, erupted in anger.
"What does that matter! This is ultimately a war to cut that person's neck! If everyone dies but we kill that person, we win, and if everyone lives but that person survives, it's a true loss!"
"I, I..."
"Get out of the way! Then I'll go!"
The elder pushed Jongli Hyeong aside and rushed forward. Jongli Hyeong could only stare blankly at the scene.
"Aaargh! Jang Ilso!"
"Die!"
Dozens of swords, hundreds of knives flew towards Jang Ilso. Jang Ilso laughed.
"This, this..."
And in that moment.
Waaaargh!
The frenzied blue flames surrounding Jang Ilso swept out violently, blowing away those pouring towards him in one fell swoop.
"Aaargh!"
Though they looked like blue flames, it was all condensed true qi. Those swept away became nothing more than pieces of meat, bounced away mercilessly.
"It's not to this degree."
"Ah..."
Jang Ilso grabbed the face of the one who stood frozen before him and smiled, applying pressure to his grip.
Squelch!
In his hand, it seemed like a crimson flower was blooming.
"Don't worry."
Sinister glints sparkled in Jang Ilso's eyes.
"I'll make this neck even more valuable. Just as you wish."
With the crimson banner fluttering, Jang Ilso leaped forward once again.
The sound of his laughter echoed through the battlefield.
Here and there, crimson flowers began to bloom into a deep red hue. Flowers nurtured by blood and desire, greedy blossoms.