Blood Battle (2)
The mention of the “Hellhound” startled not only Hyullu but also Jeokyo and Seobulpae, who stood nearby.
The Hellhound was one of the secret martial arts of the Blood Merchant, a dark art that required immense internal energy, mental strength, and even innate energy to summon.
It was a trump card, something you’d expect to be used as a last resort, yet she intended to deploy it from the start.
“How many do you plan to unleash?” Jeokyo asked, scanning the surroundings.
“All of them,” the Blood Merchant replied, her eyes sweeping the area.
Jeokyo’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You mean to summon every single one here?”
“Yes, all of them. Otherwise, we won’t break through that formation.”
“My god!” Jeokyo exclaimed, glancing at Hyullu and Seobulpae, who understood the gravity of her words. They knew what “all of them” implied.
The Hellhound was a bloodthirsty beast, summoned by the sacrifice of a person’s blood. To summon them all meant to call forth as many Hellhounds as there were people present—two hundred in total.
The strength of a Hellhound depended on the blood used to summon it. If a Hellhound made from an ordinary person’s blood was akin to a dog, then those made from the blood of these warriors were like tigers.
Naturally, Hellhounds created from the blood of Jeokyo, Hyullu, and Seobulpae would be even more formidable.
Jeokyo couldn’t help but ask again, “Do you really believe that formation is so formidable?”
“I can’t say for sure. We haven’t been inside,” the Blood Merchant replied.
“Then why go to such lengths?”
“Because the one who created it is formidable. If it’s a trap set by them, I consider it a death trap. And death must be met with death.”
The tension was palpable among Jeokyo, Hyullu, and Seobulpae. The Blood Merchant had made up her mind, leaving no room for doubt.
She issued her command to the leader of the Blood Swordsmen. “Summon all the Hellhounds. Prepare everyone.”
“Your command is our duty!” The leader relayed the order, and two hundred Blood Swordsmen moved with precision.
They brought forth a large jar, ominously decorated with the image of a hellish dog devouring a person.
“Gather the blood!” the leader commanded, and the Blood Swordsmen approached, cutting their forearms to let their blood flow into the jar.
One by one, they contributed their blood, all two hundred of them.
Jeokyo, Hyullu, and Seobulpae also offered their blood, though Seobulpae did so reluctantly, unable to refuse the command, especially since the Blood Merchant had already given her own blood.
Once all the blood was collected, the Blood Merchant began chanting incantations in front of the jar.
A red aura began to swirl around her and the jar, and everyone held their breath, watching intently.
Jeokyo, Hyullu, and Seobulpae were all versed in blood-related dark arts, but the Blood Merchant’s craft was on another level entirely.
It was the very essence of evil.
A sinister red mist emerged from the jar, coalescing into a shape—a door.
It blazed like the gates of hell, and the Blood Merchant’s chanting grew more intense. She was expending enormous amounts of innate energy and internal power.
At the peak of her incantation, the hellish door swung open.
A massive dog emerged, its eyes and body radiating a fierce red aura, its exposed teeth sharp as blades.
Though it resembled a dog, the Hellhound was far more powerful, possessing the strength and vitality of a tiger. These were not mere beasts but true monsters.
More Hellhounds followed, two, three, four, five… they kept coming.
Over a hundred Hellhounds emerged, yet they continued to pour out. Each one exuded an extraordinary presence.
Even the Blood Swordsmen, allies of the Blood Merchant, trembled at the sight. The spectacle was terrifying, even to those on the same side.
Now, over two hundred Hellhounds had emerged, matching the number of people who had provided blood. Among them were particularly large and fearsome ones, created from the blood of Jeokyo, Hyullu, and Seobulpae.
Finally, the last Hellhound emerged, towering like a house, its eyes exuding a madness that dominated all others.
This was the Hellhound born from the Blood Merchant’s own blood.
The other Hellhounds parted, making way for it, followed by those created from Jeokyo, Hyullu, and Seobulpae’s blood.
The Blood Merchant’s Hellhound let out a mighty roar.
The rest of the Hellhounds joined in, howling in unison.
Leading the charge, the Hellhounds sprinted forward, leaping over the tall walls of the fortress with ease.
It was a breathtaking sight.
Indeed, the formation was formidable. As the Hellhounds crossed the walls and reached the middle of the estate, they vanished, as if sucked into another realm.
The formation trembled.
I stood alongside Baekpyo in the second formation zone, watching the chaos unfold in the first.
The entrance to the labyrinth was a scene of utter pandemonium. Hellhounds, exuding a crimson aura, were forcing their way in.
Cheonma identified them. “Hellhounds.”
“Hellhounds?”
“Yes, when the Sword Demon faced the Blood Queen in the past, these Hellhounds were used. The masters of our sect who accompanied him fell to these beasts.”
“This confirms the Blood Merchant is indeed a descendant of the Blood Queen.”
“Indeed.”
The labyrinth formation activated, launching hidden weapons from the walls and floor.
Various projectiles struck the Hellhounds, but they didn’t die easily, thrashing about and bleeding as they charged.
When one fell, another took its place. Their numbers were overwhelming.
The Hellhounds rammed into the walls with their bodies.
Boom! Crash!
Cracks formed, and another Hellhound charged, breaking through. They weren’t seeking a path; they were demolishing everything.
Normally, forcing through the labyrinth would trigger even fiercer attacks.
Shhh! Shhh! Shhh!
Dozens of needles pierced the Hellhounds, which howled in pain and slammed into the walls. The cracked walls crumbled.
When one fell, another took its place, surging like waves.
It was as if they were taunting us: “Fire as many projectiles as you want; can you kill us all?”
The crimson aura spread rapidly.
Baekpyo watched with concern. “Such a relentless assault was never seen even in the war with the Demon Sect.”
“It seems so,” I agreed, and Cheonma interjected.
“Ridiculous. We were ten times more relentless!”
“Ten times?”
“Don’t you agree? Even if we lost, we are the Blood Heaven Sect!”
“Yes, you were terrifying. I admit it. But not as relentless as this.”
The scene before us was like a glimpse into hell.
The Hellhounds, exuding murderous intent, charged fearlessly, an endless tide of terror.
“If this continues, the formation will eventually break,” Baekpyo worried.
I turned to look behind us.
In the distance, Galsaryang, Song Hwarin, and the Black Panther Brigade were setting up the second formation.
Galsaryang met my gaze and shook his head. Despite their efforts, completing the formation today seemed impossible.
Yet they continued, hoping the first formation would hold long enough for a second attack to come days later.
If that happened, their efforts wouldn’t be in vain. But given the current situation, the first formation’s collapse was only a matter of time.
“If only the first formation had been a fire formation, it would have been more effective,” Galsaryang lamented.
Indeed, a fire formation would have burned the Hellhounds, holding them off longer.
The labyrinth was more suited for humans, its fierce attacks and psychological terror effective against them.
But against the relentless Hellhounds, such fear tactics were useless.
“Even if the formation is breached, it has served its purpose. Imagine if they attacked us directly,” I said.
Galsaryang and Baekpyo nodded.
Someone of Baekpyo’s experience and skill could fight them, but most warriors would freeze at the sight of those Hellhounds charging.
“This formation holding against such an assault is truly remarkable,” Baekpyo marveled, and I agreed. I knew it was formidable, but not to this extent.
Cheonma boasted subtly. “This is our sect’s formation, after all.”
“Indeed.”
“Trust it. Those damned dogs won’t break through.”
The formation rumbled.
At that moment, the walls of the maze collapsed with a thunderous noise. Already, more than a third of the labyrinth had been breached.
Leading the charge were three particularly noticeable hellhounds.
They were larger, faster, and stronger than the others. Their behavior was different too. These three cunningly avoided the traps while directing the other hellhounds. Initially, the hounds had charged blindly, but under the leadership of these three, they began to dodge the traps and fight with intelligence.
If things continued like this, it was only a matter of time before the maze was completely breached.
[Yeah, I can’t just let a bunch of mangy dogs break through our formation.]
I leapt into the fray.
Naturally, the formation couldn’t distinguish friend from foe, so it launched its traps at me as well.
This was why I hadn’t entered the formation to kill the hellhounds earlier. I had to fend off the formation’s attacks while taking down the hounds, which meant my energy expenditure was doubled. Moreover, using the limited traps within the formation on me was a highly inefficient choice.
We had no idea what other tricks the enemy might have up their sleeve.
If I exhausted my energy defending the formation, only for the enemy to find another way to dismantle the maze, it would be disastrous.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Deflecting the traps raining down from all sides, I soared through the air toward the three special hellhounds. I planned to take them out and then retreat.
The first hellhound, which had been smashing through walls while dodging traps, lunged at me.
Its gaping maw exuded a foul stench, laced with poison unlike the others. If I weren’t immune to all poisons, the smell alone would have knocked me out.
Bam!
I crushed the first hellhound’s skull with a punch.
Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!
Using its corpse as a shield against the incoming traps, I launched myself at the second hellhound. More traps and hellhounds came at me.
Slash!
The hellhounds blocking my path were sliced apart, and the traps landed too late, embedding themselves where I had just been.
The second hellhound, sensing fear, turned to flee. Whether human or beast, turning your back in a fight was a fatal mistake.
Swish!
Slash!
My blade cleaved the hellhound’s body in two. No matter how fierce they were, they were still beasts, not humans.
The real threat to me was the relentless barrage of traps still targeting me.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Dozens of sharp needles shot up from the ground, and traps poured down like rain from all directions.
As I dodged the formation’s attacks, the third hellhound, the one I had been targeting, charged at me with no time to spare.
Crunch!
It sank its teeth into my arm with brutal force.