novelraw Chapter 157 : Chapter 157
Chapter 157 : Chapter 157
Chapter 157. Flower (3)
I turned my gaze away from the madman and looked around.
When I first destroyed the southern stronghold, only the mist near that stronghold had cleared.
But after Hwangbo Ak destroyed the eastern stronghold, the change was quite noticeable.
It felt like about a third of the crimson mist that was covering the entire village had disappeared.
It certainly seemed that if we just destroyed the four strongholds that maintained the formation, things would be solved quite easily.
“Let’s get going.”
Leaving behind Hwangbo Ak, Dang Sopyeong, and Senior Sister Baek Hyang who would stand guard for them, we immediately unfolded our movement arts.
From south to east. Now we went around the outskirts of the village and headed for the northern stronghold.
And just as we were about to enter that red mist again to destroy the northern stronghold, a sudden change occurred.
“H, hyung-ah, something is strange.”
“The mist is scattering, Senior Brother.”
The surprised expression of Nam Geon. The indifferent expression of Senior Sister Choyeon.
I shook my head at the two’s words and replied.
“It’s the opposite. It’s not disappearing, it’s gathering towards the center.”
The crimson mist that was spread all over the village was all gathering towards the central Emerald Crossing River.
My second eye, which was still open, could see it clearly.
The scene of the crimson flow swirling like a typhoon and gathering towards the center.
A chilling feeling down my spine.
It was certain that some trick was being played at the Emerald Crossing River, the center of the formation.
While I was wondering what to do about this, a few hidden weapons flew in one after another from beyond the clearing mist.
Clang!
While blocking or dodging them, assassins dressed in red clothes began to appear one by one.
They were the assassins who were waiting near the northern stronghold.
Some of them, unlike assassins, rushed at us head-on.
I dodged their daggers with minimal movement while stepping with my footwork, and I also swung the Master’s Blade at the approaching assassins.
Swiiiiiish.
The dagger and the Master’s Blade advanced towards each other.
Soon, with a cool cutting sound, the dagger was cut. In addition to that, even the body of the assassin who had thrust the dagger.
Slice!
The outrageous sharpness and strength of the Master’s Blade. With the addition of sword Qi, it could cut through a decent chunk of iron like a leaf.
At that moment, hidden weapons flew in from all over.
I grabbed the corpse I had just killed and rotated in a large circle.
Thwack thwack thwack thwack!
The hidden weapons were embedded in the corpse’s body one after another.
In the meantime, Nam Geon and Senior Sister Choyeon also began to exchange blows with the assassins.
“I, it’s not a ghost! I, I’m not scared!!”
Nam Geon’s Mother's Affection Sword was turning the assassins into pulp.
Crack!
Senior Sister Choyeon was also loitering around Nam Geon, aiming for the assassins’ openings and thrusting her sword.
It might be different against the corpses of the formation, but against living humans, Senior Sister Choyeon’s sword art was, as expected, threatening.
In an instant, nearly ten assassins were scattered on the ground, but the assassins continued to rush in and throw hidden weapons.
It looked as if they were moths flying into a flame.
Although assassins were emotionless in the first place, their movements were somehow strange.
It was not difficult to know the reason why they were rushing in, disregarding their lives.
A metallic sound was ringing from somewhere.
A clear sound of something like a bead shaking.
But for some reason, that clear noise felt sticky.
Soon, a being appeared from beyond the assassins.
It was the one from the Emerald Crossing River.
A person with a strange attire and a black cloth over his face, covering it.
When he opened his mouth, an unpleasant voice like scraping metal was heard again.
“Now I see you were a person with some knowledge of formations and shamanistic spells.”
But what was more grating than his attire or voice was something else.
The staff in his right hand and the cursed objects hanging on it.
A sticky crimson energy was swirling around that staff and the cursed objects.
Because it was excessively congealed, the scene looked as if blood was dripping from it.
One strange thing was that a few strands of that congealed crimson flow were extending out long and connected to somewhere.
While I was observing the congealed energy on his staff.
“I thought it was strange that two Moon Elders were defeated by a brat.”
The one who muttered indifferently slammed his staff on the ground.
Soon, a part of the staff’s energy stretched out long and advanced towards Senior Sister Choyeon.
Like the red skein that connected the corpses in the formation and the energy in the air.
The moment that crimson energy and Senior Sister Choyeon’s head touched, the shaman gave an order.
“Kill the Ghost Sword Young Master.”
At that, Senior Sister Choyeon grabbed her head and let out a pained groan.
“Kuhk.”
A strange sight came into view.
The internal energy that came out of my Senior Sister’s Dantian advanced towards her head and was causing a resonance with the red energy that had touched her head.
What was even more absurd was that not all of my Senior Sister’s energy was like that.
Looking closely, my Senior Sister’s energy was divided into two colors.
A grayish-white energy. And a bluish-white energy.
Among them, the energy that had gathered in her head was the grayish-white energy.
A single possibility came to mind.
“Senior Sister! Operate the Jade Cloud Divine Art immediately!”
It seemed there was one more function hidden in the Unwavering Heart Divine Art that we didn't know about.
A function that made it impossible to refuse the shaman’s order.
On the other hand, a shaman who could handle such a function was highly likely to be a very high-ranking person in the Red Moon Falling Flowers.
Also, that person was speaking of the Moon Elder in a condescending way.
The Vice-Moon Lord of the Red Moon Falling Flowers. No, he might even be the Moon Lord.
Even while suffering from the shamanistic spell, perhaps she had heard my order, as Senior Sister Choyeon immediately sat in a cross-legged position. Even though assassins were aiming for her from the surroundings.
I shouted at Nam Geon.
“Nam Geon! Protect my Senior Sister!!”
Fortunately, even before I gave the order, Nam Geon had already taken a position by my Senior Sister’s side.
“D, don’t worry, hyung-ah!”
While Nam Geon was shouting that and swinging the Mother's Affection Sword, the shaman muttered in an unpleasant voice.
“To resist a verbal command. It seems you’ve pulled some trick.”
Soon, when he shook his staff again, an unpleasant sound of metal beads echoed.
At the same time, the ground turned crimson, and things like palms shot up one after another, trying to grab my leg.
Fortunately, I had already thrown myself into the air with Controlling Qi to Soar even before the palms shot up.
It was thanks to seeing the scene of the enormous energy that was swirling around his cursed object gathering towards the ground where I was standing with my second eye.
But it was not a situation where I could let my guard down yet.
The shaman aims his staff at me in the air and shakes it.
At that, the crimson energy congeals and flies at me like an arrow.
When I wrapped sword Qi around the Master’s Blade and clashed with it, I felt a repulsive force that made my wrist tingle.
The moment I blocked the blood energy shot by the shaman and landed on the ground, the nearby assassins all thrust their daggers at me.
I deflected them with the Moonlight Coiling Sword and then cut down the assassin in front of me.
Slice.
And then I unfolded my movement arts at full power and rushed at the shaman.
Towards the one who might be the Moon Lord or Vice-Moon Lord of the Red Moon Falling Flowers.
By now, the shaman was shaking his staff again.
An unpleasant sound of metal beads was heard, and a crimson energy swirled again.
Following that, something in the shape of a huge human face opened its mouth wide and flew at me.
I gritted my teeth.
I drew internal energy from my Dantian as I found it and sent it into my right hand.
An enormous amount of internal energy wraps around the Master’s Blade. Dozens of strands of sword Qi swirl around the Master’s Blade.
I unfolded One Sun, Ten Thousand Lights at full power and swung it at that crimson thing that resembled a evil spirit.
Although it was an entity without a physical form, a noise as if something was being ground away erupted.
Grindddddd!!
After a while of a power struggle with the evil spirit, the congealed energy gradually dispersed, and the evil spirit formed by the shamanistic spell was cut down.
Slice!
As soon as I took a step towards the shaman again, a shamanistic spell poured out from his staff again.
I dodged it narrowly by unfolding my movement arts at full power, and when I had no time to dodge, I swung the Master’s Blade to cut it down.
“Kuhk…….”
My internal injuries flared up due to the strong repulsive force. The moment I swallowed the surging blood, he swung his staff again.
A crimson energy seeped into the space where I had stepped.
A crimson palm shot up from the ground.
I threw myself away in a hurry, but my left leg was grazed by the palm.
At that, the crimson energy dug into my body through the part it had touched.
A terrible pain that made me want to cut off my leg immediately rushed over me.
Just as I had done when pushing out the poison of the Human-faced Spider, I sent my internal energy to resist that crimson energy.
But I couldn't focus entirely on pushing out that energy.
Because he was casting a shamanistic spell again.
Perhaps because of the enormous energy that guy had obtained by slaughtering the residents, or because he was a skilled shaman in the first place.
The guy was casting spells just by shaking his staff a few times, without any incantations or complicated preparations.
And every time his shamanistic spell continued, a fit of anger soared.
“How many did you kill!!”
The enormous energy congealed in that guy’s staff.
That energy must have been obtained by slaughtering the residents here and offering them as sacrifices.
***
Slice!
Baek Hyang flew her body and swung the Restoring Name Sword continuously, fighting a bloody battle with the assassins.
Dang Sopyeong was also fighting with her, brandishing his iron fan, and in the center of the two, Hwangbo Ak was sitting in a cross-legged position.
Finely ground medicinal herbs were plastered all over Hwangbo Ak’s body.
Just then, Hwangbo Ak coughed up blood roughly and opened his eyes.
“Cough!”
At this, Dang Sopyeong and Baek Hyang looked at Hwangbo Ak with surprised faces, but Hwangbo Ak grinned and stood up.
“Kuhahaha! The situation seemed urgent, so I just gathered the poison and spit it out.”
Dang Sopyeong couldn't help but let out a curse.
“You’re even one step ahead of that Jin family guy.”
What Hwangbo Ak had done was a method that could leave serious aftereffects on his stomach and esophagus.
Regardless, Hwangbo Ak stood up with a refreshed expression and slammed his two fists together.
Clang!
“I’m fine now, so Baek Hyang, you can go and join them! I’ll finish off the sneaky assassins with this doctor brother here!”
Blood was smeared on the lips of Hwangbo Ak as he shouted.
Baek Hyang was caught in a moment of hesitation.
Was it really the right thing to do to leave the injured person and join the Senior Brother’s side?
Normally, she would have trusted her Senior Brother and focused on protecting them.
But this time, it felt ominous for some reason.
The blood-red mist suddenly disappeared. The continuous noise from the north.
Her insight warned her. It was not a sign that things were going well, but a sign that something was going wrong.
At that moment, Hwangbo Ak rushed at an assassin and shouted again.
“I am not one to be defeated by such assassins!”
At this, Baek Hyang, who had made her decision, nodded.
“I’ll trust you.”
She cut down the assassin in front of her with the Restoring Name Sword and then unfolded her movement arts to the extreme.
Pat!
Right after Baek Hyang slipped through the gap in the encirclement that had been created for a moment, Hwangbo Ak filled the spot.
“Hahaha! Try to kill me!!”
At the sight of Hwangbo Ak swinging his iron fists wildly with an excited face, Dang Sopyeong sighed.
“Hah…….”
In the meantime, Baek Hyang, who had left the assassins to the two and escaped the encirclement, ran towards the north.
The distance was closed in an instant, and soon, the scene there came into Baek Hyang’s eyes.
Choyeon, sitting in a cross-legged position. Nam Geon, standing as if to protect Choyeon, swinging his entire body.
About a dozen assassins remained around them, and the corpses of already dead assassins were scattered on the ground.
A few zhang behind them, Jin Yuseong was fighting.
Every time the being that looked like a shaman swung its staff, a wicked shamanistic spell covered Jin Yuseong.
She could tell at a glance.
Far from attacking the shaman, he was in a situation where it was difficult to even withstand the assault.
Baek Hyang unfolded her movement arts at full power and threw her body.
Baek Hyang, who had taken the rear of the assassin who was loitering around Nam Geon, swung the Restoring Name Sword as it was.
Slice!
Nam Geon, who had turned his head in surprise at the cutting sound, smiled brightly.
“Hy, Hyang-i is here!”
“I’m sorry I’m late, Brother Nam Geon.”
“I, it’s not too late!”
Nam Geon, who had shouted that, began to swing the Mother's Affection Sword in earnest.
Nam Geon, who had been focusing only on defense to protect Choyeon from the assassins, had his momentum completely changed.
Nam Geon, who had turned to the offensive, began to push back the assassins like crazy.
As big as his movements were, Nam Geon was full of openings. Choyeon could have been in danger each time, but Nam Geon was not worried at all.
Because Baek Hyang would always fill that gap.
Clang!
Slice!
By the time Baek Hyang and Nam Geon were cleaning up the assassins with perfect coordination.
Choyeon’s eyebrows trembled, and she opened her eyes.
At first, her eyes were cloudy, but after blinking a few times, they returned to their original indifferent gaze.
“A, are you okay, Yeon-i?”
At Nam Geon’s question, Choyeon nodded and stood up.
“I’m fine.”
Perhaps because the shaman was focusing on Jin Yuseong, the sticky energy that had been tormenting her head was now completely gone.
“J, just in case, hide.”
“That’s right, Senior Sister. We have to help our Senior Brother, so stay out of the way for now.”
The moment Nam Geon, who had finished his conversation, was about to fly his body to help Jin Yuseong, Baek Hyang grabbed him.
“Brother Nam Geon. We have to go over there.”
Baek Hyang muttered stealthily, as if someone might hear.
And the place where Baek Hyang’s finger was pointing was the northern stronghold that was maintaining the formation.