novelraw Chapter 161
Chapter 161
"I thought he was unusual, but to think he was of the Heavenly Demon's bloodline."
Go Du-gyeong muttered in the air.
We were currently flying to the Baek family using psychokinesis.
"How many giant insects can you mobilize?"
"Most of them have been sent back to guard the sacred mountain, so there aren't many. At most, about thirty."
The last confirmed strength of the Black Dragon Unit was a unit of one Transformation Realm and about a dozen peak-level members.
It was unknown how many super-peak level members were among them.
Even if Go Du-gyeong and I joined, it would be difficult to face them. Let alone Baek Hasin and the Baek family being able to hold out.
‘I can only hope we’re not too late.’
I traversed the sky with all my might.
After running for several shichen, the grounds of the Baek family's estate came into view below.
What first came into sight was a scene of devastation. The martial artists of the Baek family, including the gatekeepers, were all collapsed and rolling on the ground.
A scene that was hard to believe had been a festival until just a while ago.
Chae-jae-jae-jaeng!
Just then, the sound of swords clashing was heard from the center of the Baek family's estate. Looking down from the sky, Baek Hasin was there, desperately swinging his sword, surrounded by the Black Dragon Unit.
I immediately flew a Flame Lightning First Blade Spear and blew off the head of a Black Dragon Unit member who was rushing at Baek Hasin.
“It’s an enemy attack!”
The Black Dragon Unit members who immediately looked up at the sky where we were floating, at the surprise attack.
‘The number is about twenty?’
In the meantime, I could also feel about two super-peak level masters.
‘It won’t be easy.’
But the biggest problem was the Transformation Realm master, Nam Jeong-hwan, who was standing quietly opposite Baek Hasin.
On the other hand, this side had only three, including Baek Hasin.
Although they were all super-peak level masters, there was no match for this number. A head-on confrontation was a suicidal act.
I raised my altitude and shot a few more spears of flame lightning.
“Keo-heok!”
The Black Dragon Unit members began to fall one by one in the flames that were pouring down from all directions.
“Cheonwu?!”
Baek Hasin raised his voice, as if he had noticed my side.
- You remember when we ran away from the unorthodox faction headquarters, right? Hold out and create an opportunity. I’ll pull you up as soon as you float in the air.
After conveying the plan via telepathy, I shot a few more spears of flame lightning at the enemies.
I couldn't go to rescue Baek Hasin directly while he was surrounded.
Since I had psychokinesis, the best way was to aim for a gap and escape, but Nam Jeong-hwan, who was silently staring at this side, was quite a burden.
Because the powerful qi he flew was quite dangerous.
- If you go down now, we’ll all die. Hold on a little longer. The giant insects will come.
As if he had noticed my worries, Go Du-gyeong sent a telepathic message from the side.
He also only scattered his powerful qi downwards and didn't even think of going down.
- Nam Jeong-hwan has been aiming for me since a while ago. If he sees even the slightest gap, he’ll cut this side. Be careful.
I wondered why Nam Jeong-hwan was so quiet.
It seemed he was wary of Go Du-gyeong, who was at the top-tier of the super-peak level.
‘Still, it’s strange that he’s not stepping up himself.’
Though it was good news for us. But that didn't last long.
Ka-ga-ga-gang!
Baek Hasin, who was at the center of the Black Dragon Unit's sword formation, was precariously receiving the offensive.
A situation where he was surrounded by enemies on all sides. It seemed he wouldn't be able to hold out for long.
‘I have no choice.’
It seemed the first priority was to reduce the number of enemies.
Just as I was about to float ten spears of flame lightning in the air and strike down on the Black Dragon Unit members.
Swaek-!
A black sword qi that flew past the speed of sound.
Kaaaaang!
Go Du-gyeong, who was standing on a shield next to me, deflected it with a short spear.
In the meantime, the spears of flame lightning fell to the ground like thunderbolts.
Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwang!
The sword formation that had surrounded Baek Hasin in an instant was broken, and in that gap, the guy rushed out.
- Jump! I’ll make a foothold in the air.
The moment Baek Hasin kicked off the ground, two figures jumped up together and blocked his path.
They were the super-peak level masters I had seen earlier.
‘I knew it.’
I immediately flew a Flame Lightning First Blade Spear at the enemy's back and at the same time shot a half-moon shaped powerful qi. And Go Du-gyeong was the same.
Even if they blocked Baek Hasin, the enemies would suffer a fatal blow to their backs.
Just as I was thinking that, a huge powerful qi flew in the air.
Kwaaaaaang!
A single blow that shattered Go Du-gyeong's powerful qi and bent the Flame Lightning First Blade Spear.
Beyond it was Nam Jeong-hwan.
‘He’s no joke.’
All those attacks disappeared in just one blow.
It was a power worthy of a top-tier master even among Transformation Realm masters.
“Don’t interfere.”
Nam Jeong-hwan warned this side.
“I don’t want to.”
Below, Baek Hasin had fallen to the ground and was being pushed back by the two super-peak level masters of the Black Dragon Unit.
Escape was impossible without support.
‘The signal is when the giant insects arrive.’
And then I prepared a Flame Lightning First Blade Spear again.
The same attack as before was not enough. I needed firepower that could overcome Nam Jeong-hwan's interference and shake them off.
The Daoist Scholar's Fan began to tremble. In fact, after breaking all three of the evil objects left by Zhuge Goya in the past, there had been a change.
‘I’ve never used it in a real battle, and the mana consumption is too large, so it’s a burden, but now is not the time to be picky.’
Woooong-
With a low resonance, two Flame Lightning First Blade Spears floated in front of my eyes.
‘It’ll be different this time.’
Since my proficiency was lacking, I couldn't use it right away. I decided to have a head-on confrontation with the maximum blow I was preparing openly.
Swish-!
Nam Jeong-hwan's powerful qi flies, aiming for us this time.
I jumped up, abandoning the shield that was my foothold. Go Du-gyeong blocks the additional attacks that fly in, as that is not enough.
In the meantime, below, Baek Hasin was struggling between the two figures.
Soon, two flashes of light that had eaten up a huge amount of mana are shot. A Flame Lightning Second Blade Spear.
Beon-jjeok-!
Using the gap where the enemies were blocking the attack, Baek Hasin escaped the encirclement.
Baek Hasin, who was rushing out at a fast speed. Now, all I had to do was make a foothold with a shield and float him up into the sky.
Just as I was thinking that.
“I told you.”
A low voice was heard from below.
Nam Jeong-hwan, who had chased Baek Hasin from behind before I knew it, was swinging his curved sword.
“Keuk!”
Baek Hasin, who was thrown back with the defense. The gap between a proficient super-peak level and a top-tier Transformation Realm master was that fatal.
Before I knew it, Baek Hasin was surrounded by three enemies and was raising his sword. Beyond them, about a dozen members of the Black Dragon Unit were waiting, having finished their preparations to rush in at any time.
In a desperate situation with no answer, I heard Go Du-gyeong's telepathic message.
- They’re here.
At those words, I floated two more blades in the air and prepared a Flame Lightning Second Blade Spear.
And I shouted.
“Baek Hasin! This is your last chance! Bet everything!”
In an instant, Baek Hasin ran to the side, avoiding Nam Jeong-hwan.
The two super-peak level masters who blocked him without fail.
But Baek Hasin's sword strike that faced this was different from before.
Kaang!
The Black Moon Sword, imbued with a powerful qi that was not just black but jet-black, overwhelmed the enemies' attacks.
“That’s…!”
Nam Jeong-hwan, forgetting to rush in for a moment, muttered something, but it was buried in the deafening roar of Baek Hasin's sword strike.
The super-masters who were momentarily pushed back by the sword strikes that were being swung at a tremendous speed, even though there were two of them.
As the sword strikes became heavier, his sword path itself became more free and bold.
I could feel it instinctively. Baek Hasin was now crossing a wall in real time.
He had finally reached it.
The pinnacle of the super-peak level.
“No way!”
With the opponent's astonished shout, Baek Hasin's sword deflected the two swords of the super-masters and then dug in between them.
A small gap created by divine swordsmanship. Although it was not enough to suppress the enemy, it was a sufficient escape route to run away.
“Jump!”
With a shout, Baek Hasin kicked off the ground. There were still too many Black Dragon Unit members around to jump. Baek Hasin ran out to break through the encirclement.
“Block him!”
Just as Nam Jeong-hwan was about to make a move, I immediately flew the Flame Lightning Second Blade Spear I had prepared.
Even a Transformation Realm master would flinch for a moment at the power, and the guy momentarily glared at this side.
“Great Mage!”
I felt a slight possibility in that murderous momentum. I had finally landed a blow. Barely.
Meanwhile, the Black Dragon Unit members who were chasing to stop the fleeing Baek Hasin.
Although I flew a spear of flame lightning to stop them, since I had just consumed a considerable amount of mana, it was not enough to stop a dozen assassins.
On top of that, the two super-masters who had just been shaken off also joined in and were chasing Baek Hasin.
An overwhelming disadvantage and enemies chasing from all sides. At that moment everything was desperate.
A sound of vibration heard from beyond.
“It’s a giant insect!”
It was proof that the flying-type giant insects had arrived.
“It’s finally my time to shine.”
With Go Du-gyeong's words, a chaotic battle between the giant insect legion and the Black Dragon Unit members began.
While the thirty giant insects were blocking the dozen Black Dragon Unit members and the two super-masters, Baek Hasin kicked off the ground with all his might.
A figure that floated in the air. Baek Hasin had finally succeeded in jumping.
“Step on the foothold!”
With a shout, he kicked off the shield in the air with all his might and jumped up.
Baek Hasin, who had soared up to about 10 meters in the sky in an instant.
Swish-!
Nam Jeong-hwan, who had been chasing belatedly, flew a powerful qi at Baek Hasin.
But its path was only bent by the additionally shot Flame Lightning First Blade Spear and Go Du-gyeong's powerful qi.
In the meantime, Baek Hasin jumped on the shield that had been formed under his feet and finally reached about 30 meters in the sky.
“You’ve worked hard.”
I grabbed Baek Hasin, who had come within range, with psychokinesis and then soared into the sky.
“Baek Hasin! You can’t escape! The blood flowing in you won’t leave you alone!!”
Although I heard Nam Jeong-hwan's roar from below, I ignored it and raised my altitude. To a height where his attacks and even his voice would be difficult to reach.
Before I knew it, the horizon, which was beginning to darken beyond the sky, was visible.
“Let’s go back.”
“Yeah.”
And so, the three of us headed south, facing the sunset.
***
How long had we flown? My heart area was starting to feel tight.
‘I used too much mana.’
To save Baek Hasin, I had flown with all my might for several shichen with psychokinesis, and I had even spammed the new technique, the Flame Lightning Second Blade Spear, so there was no way my mana would be left.
If I made a mistake, I would fall like this.
‘Where should I land?’
The original destination was Wudang Mountain in Hubei, but it seemed I had to change the plan.
‘I should have brought a spiritual medicine.’
Since there were no forces in the cities near the Baek family that could block Nam Jeong-hwan and the Black Dragon Unit, I had taken the shortest route among the Nine Great Sects, but my mana was still insufficient.
“Listen carefully. We might crash soon.”
“What?”
“…”
“Cheonwu? We’re falling, falling!”
With Baek Hasin's scream, the three of us attempted a rather rough hard landing.
Fortunately, we fell on a tree on top of a mountain range and were able to get up without any injuries.
“Just in case, let’s move on foot from now on.”
Since my internal energy was still left, I decided to run to Wudang Mountain with lightness techniques.
Because it wasn't over until it was over.
Although Baek Hasin's internal energy was almost depleted and he was slower than before, if we ran consistently, we should be able to arrive at Wudang Mountain by tomorrow morning.
And so, we began to traverse the forest where darkness had fallen.
The anomaly happened at dawn.
With a gruesome sensation, a man fell in front of my eyes, and a sword strike flew out of nowhere.
An attack that was blocked even though the three of us had attacked at the same time.
At this moment, there was only one person who could show such martial prowess towards us.
“To think you’d track us even though we raised the altitude so much…”
It was the friendly law, Nam Jeong-hwan.
He must have pulled some trick on Baek Hasin earlier.
Even though I had thrown away all my outer clothes except for my underwear in the middle of flying, I was wary of a possible thousand-li-chasing-scent.
In the silence, Go Du-gyeong opened his mouth.
“It’s not the tracking of a spiritual beast. He just located and chased us with his own capabilities.”
“That’s right.”
Small humans flying hundreds of meters in the sky stand out.
But I had thought that we would be hidden as we passed through the mountain range due to the darkening sky and the angle of a person's vision on the ground, but I was mistaken.
‘Did I fly too low?’
If I had my way, I would have wanted to rise by the kilometer, but since I didn't have that much mana to spare, I had compromised, but I didn't expect it to turn out like this.
“But we’re three! If we attack together…!”
Just then, two figures descended in front of us. They were the two super-masters from before.
This side had three super-peak level. On the other hand, that side had two super-peak level and one Transformation Realm.
In terms of strength, we were at a clear disadvantage.
‘In this case, I have no choice but to use my last resort!’
I took out the demonic pill from my bosom with one hand. At that moment, Nam Jeong-hwan's curved sword fell on my head.
“Keuk!”
A tremendous power that caused internal damage even though I had blocked it immediately. Although Baek Hasin and Go Du-gyeong tried to help respectively, they were blocked by the sword strikes of the two super-masters.
“You’re called Zhuge Cheonwu, right? You’re dangerous.”
With a murderous voice, Nam Jeong-hwan's sword was aiming for my neck.
“Stop!”
Baek Hasin stepped in front of me.
While aiming the Black Moon Sword at his own neck. Nam Jeong-hwan's expression contorted for a moment.
“…What is this?”
“You have to take me, right? You had so many chances to kill me, but the fact that you didn’t means you have to capture me, right?”
He had become quite skilled at threatening.
“If you touch my comrades like this, I’ll die right away.”
“Ha, do you think a threat like that will work?”
“Yeah.”
As the Black Moon Sword gradually got closer, blood formed on his white neck. Nam Jeong-hwan's face hardened.
Baek Hasin's words continued.
“Let Cheonwu and Professor Go Du-gyeong go. I and the rest will walk in the opposite direction. If you break your promise, I’ll slit my throat.”
“I accept.”
Nam Jeong-hwan, who had been staring at Baek Hasin's two eyes quietly, finally nodded his head and had the two super-masters step back.
A conditional reprieve. It was clearly the best action in the worst situation.
‘Damn it.’
Though I didn't want to admit it.
“You have to be calm now.”
Just then, I heard Go Du-gyeong's voice from the side. In any case, Baek Hasin, who was of the Heavenly Demon's bloodline, would live.
The only ones who would die here were the two of us.
Since Baek Hasin was going to be captured anyway, it was a wise judgment to survive.
I looked at the back of Baek Hasin, who was confronting Nam Jeong-hwan.
And then I turned my back and floated in the air, squeezing out all my mana. Go Du-gyeong followed, and soon we were floating a hundred meters in the sky and headed south, where Wudang Mountain was.
Below, I could see Baek Hasin moving north. I turned my head and headed for Wudang Mountain, gritting my teeth.
Now, Baek Hasin would never return to the Martial Academy.
Since he would be detained in the center of the Demonic Cult, the most powerful armed group as a single force.
The peak of Wudang Mountain was faintly visible in the distance. Beyond it, the dawn was faintly rising, but I couldn't be happy at all.
Because today was the day I lost the protagonist.
(End of Chapter)