Chapter 233
Mukrang asked,
“Meeting enemies from three directions all at once—that’s unusual. What’s your plan now?”
It was exactly as he said.
Judging by their expressions, it didn’t look like the three groups had coordinated, yet somehow they all converged simultaneously. It was baffling.
Moondeul turned his head to glance at the others. Everyone’s faces had darkened, weighed down by the pressure of feeling surrounded on three sides.
But unlike the others, Sun Woojin’s expression remained calm, even amused. He casually surveyed the enemies from two directions—the Ha Won Dalki and the Hyeongsanpa’s Yukhap Swordmasters—and let out a slight chuckle.
Then he spoke to Mukrang.
“An odd situation, indeed… but they’re not exactly on the same side, are they?”
Mukrang blinked.
Sun Woojin addressed Yeon Taejin of Ha Won Dalki first.
“Senior Yeon of Ha Won Dalki, right? I’ve heard quite a bit about you. They say you enjoy a fierce fight. I’ve wanted to spar with you for some time now. But as you can see, the situation’s a bit complicated. What will you do? Now that the Hyeongsanpa have arrived, will you give up?”
His tone was polite enough, but his expression told a different story. It was a sly smile, as if to say, “Do you really think you can handle the Hyeongsanpa with your skills?”
True to her fiery reputation, Yeon Taejin snapped back immediately.
“What are you talking about?! I got here first, so it’s my turn! The latecomers can wait!”
Just as expected.
Sun Woojin silently applauded her spirit, then turned to the other Yukhap Swordmaster leader, Undang, who had seemed arrogant from the start.
“Senior Yeon isn’t willing to yield. Then I suppose the Hyeongsanpa will have to wait.”
He smirked with a hint of disdain.
Undang’s eyes narrowed, and he spoke firmly.
“No one makes the Hyeongsanpa wait.”
Sun Woojin inwardly cheered. The situation was unfolding exactly as he had anticipated.
He glanced at Yeon Taejin. Hearing Undang’s words, she glared daggers at him but didn’t dare argue. As hot-headed as she was, even she felt the weight of the Hyeongsanpa’s name.
So Sun Woojin decided to express the anger on her behalf. With a scoff, he shouted toward the Hyeongsanpa.
“How utterly arrogant! What makes the Hyeongsanpa so special that you dare disrespect Senior Yeon? Haven’t you heard she’s a leading candidate to succeed the legendary Yeoryeong Saekma, Senior Son Eunsang?!”
“What?!”
Undang’s face flickered with surprise. Even he felt the weight of Son Eunsang’s name.
But he quickly sneered.
“I’ve never heard such nonsense! Even if it were true, it changes nothing! No one makes the Hyeongsanpa wait!”
Of course, he hadn’t heard it before. Neither had Sun Woojin—at least not in this life. But having lived once before, Sun Woojin knew otherwise. He knew that in his previous life, Yeon Taejin had abandoned her position as Ha Won Bangju to follow Son Eunsang.
Sun Woojin glanced at Yeon Taejin’s face and saw it light up with joy and pride. She murmured in awe,
“Me… a leading candidate to succeed Senior Son?”
Sun Woojin nodded seriously.
“That’s what I’ve heard. Did I misunderstand?”
She shook her head quickly.
“No! That can’t be! You heard correctly! I am Yeon Taejin of Ha Won Dalki, the one to follow the Yeoryeong Saekma, Senior Son!”
Sun Woojin smiled warmly.
“Then it’s clear. It only makes sense for the Hyeongsanpa to wait for you. After all, it’s hardly fitting for the likes of the Hyeongsanpa to make you wait…”
He clicked his tongue, and at that, the two Yukhap Swordmaster leaders, Undang and Unkyung, stepped forward, their faces dark with fury.
“How dare you!”
“Do you look down on the Hyeongsanpa?!”
Sun Woojin smiled inwardly and delivered the final blow.
“Why not? What’s wrong with looking down on the Hyeongsanpa?”
That was the spark.
“You bastard!”
“Unforgivable!”
With furious shouts, the Hyeongsanpa’s secret weapon—the two squads of Pasanjo—charged at Sun Woojin. Their movements were perfectly synchronized, as if one person controlled them.
Swish!
Sun Woojin stepped back like the wind, landing right beside Yeon Taejin.
“Senior! How about we each take on a squad? The one who defeats theirs first wins!”
Yeon Taejin sensed something was off, but it didn’t matter. As the successor to Yeoryeong Saekma Son Eunsang, she couldn’t back down now. Especially since this was the fight she’d been waiting for against Inpah Rang.
With a fierce shout, she charged at the Pasan Chiljo squad.
“Hah!”
Her fists, glowing with crimson power, rained down like a meteor shower on the Yukhap Swordmasters.
But Sun Woojin’s sword was even faster.
Watching Yeon Taejin’s charge, he took a step forward toward the Pasan Sajo squad charging at him.
Swish!
In the next instant, as if performing a phantom shift, Sun Woojin appeared right in front of Undang, the squad leader of Pasan Sajo.
“!”
Undang caught a flash of a cross-shaped sword light tearing through the air.
Shuaak!
Sun Woojin hoped this surprise attack would be enough to take down his opponent before the dreaded sword formation could activate. His logic was simple: no matter how fearsome the sword formation, if you strike before it triggers, it’s useless.
But the Demon-Slaying Yukhap Sword Formation was no joke.
Though Undang seemed caught off guard, the two Yukhap Swordmasters flanking him closed in and swung their swords inward, intercepting the southern cross sword strike.
Chakang!
Sun Woojin admired their reflexes and the heavy resistance he felt through his sword. It seemed the formation’s activation was instinctual, not commanded.
Moreover, the force pushing back against his blade was extraordinary. Their swordsmanship was at its peak, as heavy and powerful as that of the most elite masters.
It seemed that while forming the sword formation, they shared their internal energy as well.
As two of them were knocked back by Sun Woojin’s counterattack, two others rotated forward in a seamless cycle, thrusting their swords at him.
Sun Woojin hesitated for a moment, then slipped back like the wind.
Whoosh!
Immediately, a sword strike soared over his head, aiming for the spot he had just vacated.
Shiiik!
Had he tried to block it there, the attack would have come down from above.
Sun Woojin admired the skill silently.
“Impressive.”
Mukrang echoed his admiration.
“Indeed. Six swordsmen moving as one, like the limbs of a single octopus wielding swords.”
It was an apt description.
Undang, positioned at the center like a head, controlled the others like limbs.
Sun Woojin decided not to rush in but to circle around them like the wind, searching for an opening.
The enemy sensed his threat and, centering on Undang, the five swordsmen spun in a tight formation, ready to counterattack.
Meanwhile, Yeon Taejin’s situation was grim.
It was hardly surprising.
Sun Woojin’s surprise attack had failed, so her own assault was unlikely to succeed.
Her crimson fists, striking like a meteor shower, were easily blocked by the two swordsmen closing in from either side of squad leader Unkyung.
Thud!
Her confident offense was stopped far too easily, and she faltered slightly.
“Hmph?!”
But then the real danger began.
As the swordsmen who blocked her were knocked back, two others rotated forward, attacking her in turn.
Shiiik!
At this point, it would have been wise for Yeon Taejin to retreat like Sun Woojin.
But she refused.
Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to block the two sword strikes with both fists.
“Hah!”
Chak-chang!
Then, suddenly, another sword stabbed down from above.
Shiiik!
“!”
It was a stunning surprise.
Having already overexerted herself blocking the previous strikes, Yeon Taejin couldn’t defend against this one.
Clenching her teeth, she resorted to an emergency measure.
With a shout, she unleashed her internal energy through her entire body.
“Hah!”
Fwaaak!
Thwong!
A crimson aura burst forth, deflecting the downward sword strike.
She had activated her protective energy shield.
Exhausted from the effort, Yeon Taejin had no choice but to fall back.
The shield had drained roughly a quarter of her internal energy in one burst.
Grinding her teeth in frustration at the stubborn fight, she looked ahead.
Five swordsmen, circling like spinning tops around their leader Unkyung, were closing in on her again.
Sun Woojin continued circling the sword formation like the wind, searching for a gap.
But no matter how many times he circled, no opening appeared.
“Tricky,” he thought.
Of course, if he forced his way in headstrong, he might be able to create an opening somehow.
But to do that, he’d have to use techniques beyond just the Southern Cross Sword style.
He pictured a sequence: shaking the sword once with ‘Gaechun,’ then piercing inward with ‘Cheonpung Hwayeop,’ followed by creating a gap using ‘Hwangeomgyeong’ and ‘Gongjeuksisaek’…
Still, Sun Woo-jin decided against that approach.
Since he was still in the midst of his Inparang transformation, he thought it was premature to reveal his true martial prowess.
So, he briefly considered what moves he could manage as Inparang.
Then, suddenly, a thought struck him, and a mischievous grin spread across his face—one of those sly, impish smiles.
Sun Woo-jin sent quick telepathic signals first to Seol Poong, who was hiding nearby, and then to Son Dae-su, who watched anxiously.
Without warning, he launched a fierce assault with his sword.
“Hah!”
Swish!
Over a dozen glowing crosses appeared in the air.
The sword strikes were so powerful they seemed capable of splitting stone.
But Un-dang, who controlled the Six Harmonies Sword Formation, scoffed.
“Hmph! That’s not nearly enough!”
And indeed, as he said, the Four Disciples of the Pa-san Sect easily parried Sun Woo-jin’s attacks and counterattacked, pushing him back.
Ssssh!
Shhhk!
“Ugh!”
Sun Woo-jin hastily retreated, barely dodging the relentless, gear-like flurry of sword strikes from all directions.
But he wasn’t completely unscathed.
One blade grazed his leg sharply.
Shhhk!
“Ugh!”
Un-dang’s eyes flashed.
Though his clothing obscured the exact extent of the injury, Sun Woo-jin staggered slightly upon landing, indicating the wound was serious.
The overwhelming sword technique had succeeded in binding the most troublesome opponent’s foot.
Un-dang snarled and shouted,
“Now! Attack!”
At once, the Six Harmonies Sword Masters swarmed Sun Woo-jin from all sides, intent on finishing him off.
Swish!
Then, unexpectedly, Sun Woo-jin’s expression shifted to one of defeat as he suddenly turned and fled.
“Damn it!”
Un-dang’s face went blank for a moment.
To turn one’s back and run from the enemy, even when at a disadvantage—that was unthinkable for a disciple of the Hyeongsan Sect.
He frowned deeply and barked,
“Coward! Catch him! Don’t let him escape!”
Un-dang and the Pa-san Sect disciples gave chase.
But Sun Woo-jin couldn’t put much distance between himself and his pursuers.
His injured leg clearly hampered him; he couldn’t unleash his overwhelming sword techniques as before.
Un-dang gritted his teeth.
“Just as I thought! We have to catch him now!”
If he escaped and healed his leg, they’d never be able to catch him.
They had to seize this chance at all costs.
Still, despite the injury, Sun Woo-jin’s swordsmanship remained formidable.
The Pa-san Sect disciples struggled to close the gap.
Then, up ahead, Un-dang spotted a village.
“A village here?”
After Sun Woo-jin and his group vanished from sight, the assassins of the Blood Rain Alliance began tidying up the village.
Though they felt a pang of emptiness that all their careful preparations had been for nothing, waiting and repetition were all too familiar to assassins.
No one complained; they silently went about their tasks.
Their first priority was clearing traps.
Carefully, they began collecting the hidden poisons and explosives scattered throughout the village, intending to reuse them later.
Once that was done, they planned to erase all traces of the village.
But just then, as they were nearly finished removing the traps, Sun Woo-jin reappeared in the distance—this time leading a group of warriors behind him.
“He’s coming back! And he’s brought six warriors with him!”
“He’s coming back!”
“He’s coming back!”
Urgent telepathic messages echoed through the village once more.
The Blood Rain Alliance’s leader, Sa Ho, quickly ordered,
“All assassins, stop what you’re doing and return to your positions! Hurry!”
Rarely leaving his post at the inn, Sa Ho stepped outside to observe the approaching group.
It wasn’t unheard of for someone to pass through and then return, but never with armed warriors in tow.
Something was definitely off.
“Could it be they’ve figured out who we really are? That’s why they brought reinforcements?”
Sa Ho bit his lip anxiously.
“Maybe I should have ordered an attack instead…”
But his worries came too late.
At that moment, Sun Woo-jin, accompanied by the Six Harmonies Sword Masters, strode into the village and swung his sword without hesitation.
Shhhk!
Pfft!
“!”
Blood sprayed into the air where he passed.
The villagers, caught completely off guard, were dying in pools of their own blood.
They couldn’t even scream.
“What… what is this?!”
Un-dang, chasing after Sun Woo-jin, twisted his face in horror at the unthinkable atrocity.
“Killing innocent civilians just to save himself!”
But then Sa Ho screamed,
“Attack! Everyone, attack!”
Suddenly, the villagers—who had just moments ago seemed ordinary—transformed and surged forward to strike.
Swish!
Whirr!
“!”
Un-dang was stunned.
From all sides, the villagers threw themselves at them, while hidden poisons flew through the air.
The Blood Rain assassins had launched a full-scale assault on those they suspected were allied with Sun Woo-jin.
As a result, the assassins were taking far more concentrated attacks than Sun Woo-jin, who had passed through swiftly.
“What is this?! What the hell is going on?!”
Un-dang couldn’t make sense of the bizarre situation.
First, Sun Woo-jin appeared to slaughter innocent villagers, then those same villagers suddenly turned into demons and attacked them.
The cause and effect made no sense.
But escaping this chaos was the priority.
Un-dang gritted his teeth and shouted,
“Kill them all!”
The Six Harmonies Sword Masters raised their defenses and began dispatching the attackers.
Ting! Swish! Pfft!
Poison darts ricocheted, and blood sprayed everywhere.
Standing at the center of the chaos, Un-dang watched, feeling something was off.
Despite the fierce battle and carnage, there were no screams or battle cries.
The villagers made no sound, not even as they attacked or died.
Only then did Un-dang realize who they truly were.
“Assassins!”
And at that moment, he noticed something else.
The one who had led them into this trap was nowhere to be seen.
“!”
Neither Sun Woo-jin nor the assassins fighting alongside him were anywhere in sight.
He had pushed them into the village and slipped away alone.
Un-dang let out a furious roar.
“You bastard!”