novelraw Chapter 15
Chapter 15
Chapter 15:6. Battle in the Forest (1)Clang! Clatter! Clash!
The cult members and bandits clashed with spears and blades.
"Clashed" might have been the wrong word. It was more like the cult members being washed away by the rising tide of bandits.
Makes sense, Jeong-min thought.
Too many of them.
A difference of at least tenfold.
Too few cult members, too many bandits.
Not even Jeong-min could cut through several thousand bandits on his own.
The same went for Heavenly Demon Hyeok Je-un.
"Everyone, form a defensive formation!"
It was all Hyeok Je-un could do—give that defensive order.
Following Hyeok Je-un's command, the cult members formed a defensive formation and held back the surging Forest Bandits.
But.
"Urk!"
"Fall back!"
"Damn it."
No matter how devoted the cult members were to martial arts—no matter how demon-like their fighting spirit—when 3 or 4 bandits rushed them at once, there was nothing they could do.
It was true that martial artists could handle a hundred ordinary men on their own—but that only applied to ordinary men.
In reality, when martial artist fought martial artist, the outnumbered side always lost ground.
The defensive formation crumbled helplessly.
Jeong-min watched from the side and thought: No time to waste on common foot soldiers.
Jeong-min was an exceptional fighter, to be sure—but even so, cutting through bandits one by one would take far too long.
In the meantime, the cult members would keep dying. That had to be stopped.
They're my people.
These were the ones who had believed in him and stood behind him.
He couldn't let them die.
Demonic Energy Hardening.
Whoosh! Jeong-min wrapped his demonic art around his sword and carved a path through the enemy, cutting down any bandits who blocked the way with a single strike wherever possible.
"Gaaaah!"
"Ugh!"
"What the—gkh!"
When a curved lane opened up in the chaos, eyes naturally followed.
People began to notice that Jeong-min was cutting a path through.
But what's the path for?
Jeong-min swept his sword back and forth like a saw, mowing down bandits, until at last he spotted someone in the distance.
It was the very moment that man's spear pierced through a cult member's stomach.
"Gkeugh!"
"Heh heh. This is all? The Heavenly Demon Cult is nothing special."
It was Verdant Illusion Spear Yang Sung-man—the one who had spoken to Jeong-min just before the battle began.
Yang Sung-man. The Great Forest King's most prized underling.
And right now, the one I have to kill.
No need to deal with the rest. Cut off just the heads of the Forest Bandits' officers and their king, and the bandits would scatter with pitiful ease.
Swish—!
And so, without a moment's hesitation, Jeong-min's blade swung for Yang Sung-man's neck.
Clang!
"Oh, you startled me."
Yang Sung-man smoothly deflected Jeong-min's blade with the shaft of his spear.
A normal spear would've been cut in an instant by a blade driven by Demonic Energy Hardening—but this one, forged by a master craftsman, held firm with ease.
Jeong-min said flatly, "You seemed like you wanted to see me."
"That's right. I did."
Thud! Yang Sung-man shoved him back and settled into his stance. His spear was stained with the blood of cult members.
"Going for me first? Brilliant strategy."
"……"
Still, this guy. Why does he look so damn greasy?
Jeong-min frowned at Yang Sung-man's thick brows, angular face, and the beard trimmed just at the tip of his jutting chin.
In the meantime, Yang Sung-man swung his spear in lazy circles, warming it up.
"Hmm. Up close, you're actually quite cute, aren't you? Not as cute as our Hang-yeop—but still."
"Hang-yeop?"
Bae Hang-yeop?
If Bae Hang-yeop counts as cute, that's quite the unique taste.
"Are you into men?"
"Saying it that bluntly puts this gentleman in a sour mood."
"Sorry, but I'm not. So spare me the affection."
He had barely finished speaking and blinked—and Yang Sung-man, who had been right in front of him a moment ago, was suddenly right in his face.
"Don't be shy. I'll dote on you as much as you like."
Clash!
The spearhead flew in, and Jeong-min deflected it.
Fast.
Yang Sung-man's charge was nothing like what you'd expect from a spear-wielder.
Normally, a spear fighter used the weapon's length to attack from a distance—that was the norm.
But this man, as if the spear's length meant nothing, closed in tight and attacked Jeong-min like a staff fighter.
In that instant, a faint light ignited along Yang Sung-man's green spear.
"Verdant Suppression Formation!"
Boom!
The tip connected, and Jeong-min was sent flying. The damage wasn't severe, but the attack had real force behind it.
Skreeeee—
Skidding along the ground as he landed, Jeong-min used the rebound to stomp his foot.
Nameless Sword Art, First Form—Rake.
Clang!
Blocked again, without fail.
Hmm. Am I being pushed back? The exchange continued for just a moment.
"Aaaah!"
"Khk!"
Familiar voices reached his ears.
Jeong-min glanced sideways—cult members were being cut down by the bandits' blades nearby.
"……!"
Thankfully, another cult member who'd been close by rushed in and saved them—but they looked gravely wounded.
Watching them, Jeong-min ground his teeth.
What are you doing, Hyeok Jeong-min? Was this what you started all this for?
He hadn't raised his fighting spirit to be beaten by common bandits like these.
This wasn't the time for this. He needed to think about why he'd built his strength in the first place.
Come to think of it.
During his closed-door confinement, Jeong-min had pondered a demonic art—projecting demonic energy outside the body and giving it form.
But time had run short, and he hadn't managed to complete that art. Yet now, suddenly, the thought resurfaced.
If I refine it well, it'll be something entirely different from what Grandfather uses.
After much deliberation, Jeong-min reached a conclusion.
In his head, the plan was theoretically perfect. But what about in practice?
"You're thinking about another man in the middle of our fight? I'm offended."
Thud!
Yang Sung-man sent him flying again.
Jeong-min skidded along the ground once more on landing—but this time he didn't spring back up.
"……Hmm."
He was still deep in thought.
Projecting demonic energy outside the body and giving it form…… That meant—
It could be shaped into a Demon Bullet.
A single grain of sand causes no pain.
But pack it into a ball of mud and throw it—and it can deal considerable damage.
In other words: compress demonic energy into a single sphere.
Let's try it.
Whirrrrr!
Demonic energy bloomed from Jeong-min's fingertips.
The grin faded from Yang Sung-man's face. Something about Jeong-min's technique felt distinctly off.
"What are you doing?"
"Something you can't."
"And what's that?"
"Think."
Focus!
Whirrrrrr—
A fierce wind rose, and at last, something tiny—no bigger than a sesame seed—floated up from Jeong-min's fingertips.
Jeong-min had already given it a name moments before.
Demon Bullet.
But it was so small that Yang Sung-man, standing a short distance away, couldn't quite tell whether it was a grain of millet or something else.
"What is that?"
"Something you can't see."
"And what's that?"
"Watch closely."
In the moment Jeong-min flicked his fingertip—
"It flies."
Bang!
Thud!
".....?!!"
Yang Sung-man's stomach stung. Something had punched through it.
W-what? What did that—
He nearly crumpled over, but held himself up through sheer internal energy. Blood streamed out steadily, but it wasn't a fatal wound.
"Ugh!"
He tore open his robe and looked—a small hole had been punched into his stomach. It went straight through to his back.
"What did you just do?"
"Demon Bullet."
"Demon Bullet?"
"Yeah. A new technique."
Jeong-min formed another Demon Bullet on his palm. Having done it once already, his speed was slightly faster than the first time.
"Interesting, isn't it?"
Even so—the concentration this drains is enormous.
Making just 1 at the same time is the limit for now. For now.
Once he advanced further in the Heavenly Demon Divine Art and honed his demonic arts, 3 or 4 at a time would be possible.
"Hah. Looks like I'll have to face you seriously."
Yang Sung-man hurled his outer robe aside. His muscular frame appeared, glistening with sweat and blood.
A flame kindled along his Verdant Illusion Spear. Brighter than before.
"Verdant Hope's Flame."
Whoosh!
Yang Sung-man fixed Jeong-min with a serious stare.
Jeong-min looked back into those eyes and thought: Greasy.
There is no autumn saury in the world with eyes greasier and more slick than that.
Yang Sung-man lunged forward and unleashed his art.
"Begin!"
"Demon Bullet."
Whirrrrrr—
Aiming at Yang Sung-man as he came curving in—
Jeong-min flicked his finger.
Thwang!
Thud!
"!!"
Yang Sung-man's body, which had leapt high into the air, snapped backward.
He crashed down to the ground, and in the nape of his neck—a tiny hole, no bigger than a fingernail.
"Urk. Hkk."
Yang Sung-man groaned, pressing his hand against the blood that poured out like a stream.
He looked up at Jeong-min. Even that much was difficult.
He compressed internal energy into a sphere and fired it—like a slash or an arrow?
What kind of nonsensical technique is this?
"Y-you little…"
And he's still not dead?
The Demon Bullet was still too weak, it seemed.
Well. It was just developed, after all.
I'll keep refining it. Jeong-min thought that as he raised his sword.
A sword wrapped in Demonic Energy Hardening.
"You wanted to see your little brother, didn't you? Go see him."
"Hang-yeop is……"
"?"
"……Ugly."
"……"
Didn't he say cute earlier?
Creaaaak!
Jeong-min shifted his center of gravity—from his body, onto the blade.
Nameless Sword Art, Second Form—Ogre Grip.
The Second Form of the Nameless Sword Art, Ogre Grip, was a sword art that shifted the user's center of gravity onto the blade itself, multiplying its destructive force.
Without hesitation, the blade swung.
"Thinks he's good-looking."
"You little bas—!"
Schwack!
Yang Sung-man couldn't even finish his last words before he fell. His neck was severed in that instant.
As Yang Sung-man crumpled, Jeong-min caught his chest with an open palm.
And then—
Heavenly Demon Divine Art, 2nd Stage. Great Absorption Method.
Whooomp! Craaack!
He shattered Yang Sung-man's energy center and drank in the internal energy that remained within.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Art was, at its core, an internal art regarded as sorcery. And upon reaching its 2nd Stage, one could use the principle of the Great Absorption Method—absorbing the internal energy of others.
However, it could only be used after shattering the opponent's energy center.
Haah.
He let the drained corpse of Yang Sung-man drop to the ground.
Jeong-min felt quite full, he thought. Well, his energy center was literally brimming with internal energy, so "full" was accurate.
Combined with the Demon Accumulation, this should be enough to reach the 3rd Stage soon.
Jeong-min had done as he intended—killed 1 of the Forest Bandits' officers.
He turned his gaze, looking for the next officer.
And in that moment, someone nearby had witnessed the final exchange between Yang Sung-man and Jeong-min from up close. It was Hyeok Mun-ha.
"Jeong-min! You—!"
"Ah, Brother."
You were there?
He was about to greet him pleasantly in the lull of battle, when Hyeok Mun-ha shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Verdant Illusion Spear Yang Sung-man is dead! The Forest Bandits' second-in-command Yang Sung-man has fallen! Jeong-min did it!"
A morale announcement.
At Hyeok Mun-ha's booming cry, the cult members' shoulders straightened with new strength.
—Waaaaaah!
—Long live the Third Young Master!
The Forest Bandits' morale, by contrast, visibly plummeted before their eyes.
They were bandits, in the end. Loyalty was never part of the deal.
For those who roamed across Xizang, Xinjiang, and Gansu, things like human bonds were nothing but dead weight.
"Yang Sung-man is dead?"
"That young kid……?"
"What's happening here?"
"Shouldn't we run?"
"The rumors said you don't mess with the Heavenly Demon Cult—guess they were true."
While they stumbled about in confusion, the same news reached the ears of Great Forest King Heo Do-yun.
What? Sung-man?
Heo Do-yun had just severed the neck of a cult member right in front of him.
And now Yang Sung-man was dead? Following Bae Hang-yeop?
……
Crackle— He clenched his jaw so hard his teeth might shatter, and Heo Do-yun rose to his feet.
Then he fixed his gaze on Jeong-min, standing in the distance.
"In that case."
The Forest Bandits were wavering—that much was clear.
He couldn't let morale drop further like this. As the one who had gathered bandits from every region, Great Forest King Heo Do-yun intended to set an example.
Whoosh! He ripped off the wolf pelt draped over his shoulders and hurled it aside, then strode forward.
"I have no choice but to step in myself."