Chapter 132: Return to the Demonic Sect
Thud!
Ho Woong-tae, tasked with reconnaissance for the Blood Demon Sect, sprinted swiftly across the ground. Right beside him was his subordinate, Jang Sip-rang, keeping pace.
As they began to ascend the canyon hill, Jang Sip-rang suddenly spoke up.
“Is there really a point to this reconnaissance? The Orthodox Alliance must have heard of their defeat by now.”
“The terrain is treacherous, so the Lord wants to be cautious,” Ho Woong-tae replied curtly, though he secretly shared Jang Sip-rang’s thoughts.
It had only been a day and a half since the Orthodox Alliance suffered a crushing defeat at Hojak Valley. There was little chance of an ambush here. As Jang Sip-rang suggested, the Alliance would have already received news of their loss.
Yet, the Demonic Sect’s leader, Ak Cheon-gwe, had sent out a reconnaissance team. He had reduced the number of personnel to a hundred elite members to expedite the transport of prisoners and wanted to ensure the path, though a shortcut through rough terrain, was safe.
Ho Woong-tae continued, “Once we complete this transport, we’ll likely get promoted by two ranks.”
“True, since we’ve contributed to transporting key figures of the Orthodox Alliance. It’s all thanks to you, Captain.”
“Heh, soon enough, you’ll be sitting in my seat.”
“You might even be assigned to the strike force, Captain.”
“Perhaps,” Ho Woong-tae nodded, pleased at the thought. Being the captain of the strike force would be a significant upgrade from leading a reconnaissance team.
Lost in these pleasant thoughts, the two men reached the top of the hill, only to frown at what they saw.
“What is that?”
“Let’s check it out.”
As they approached, they found a pile of rocks and boulders stacked high. It was clearly a deliberate construction.
“This is…”
Ho Woong-tae, with his extensive reconnaissance experience, immediately sensed something was amiss. As a foreboding feeling crept over him, he scanned the surroundings.
Whoosh! Thud!
Suddenly, Ho Woong-tae’s body was struck by something, lifting him off the ground and sending him flying.
“Captain!”
Jang Sip-rang screamed, rushing to Ho Woong-tae’s side. Ho Woong-tae lay on the ground, clutching his throat, blood gushing from his mouth. An arrow had pierced clean through his neck.
“Cap… Captain!”
“Gah…! Gurgle…!”
Ho Woong-tae, his mouth full of blood, convulsed a few times before going limp. His dreams of promotion vanished as he died, unaware of who had attacked him.
In the face of this unexpected situation, Jang Sip-rang quickly reached for a signal flare. But before he could launch it into the sky—
Whoosh! Thud!
An arrow pierced through the back of his head, protruding from his forehead.
“Damn it…!”
Jang Sip-rang’s eyes rolled upward as he collapsed.
Moments later, two figures emerged at the scene. They were Jo Mun-tak and Yeom Ja-ryang. They lit the torches the fallen men had carried and raised them high, drawing a large circle in the air.
**
In the distance, a torch signaled a circle. It was a sign that all was clear.
Ak Cheon-gwe, mounted on his horse, smirked. It was the expected outcome. Barely two days had passed since the battle at Hojak Valley, leaving the Orthodox Alliance no time to send reinforcements. Yet, he had prepared for the unlikely.
‘Once we return to the main base…’
Ryu Yeo-jung, who orchestrated this operation, would be appointed as the official Grand Commander of the Blood Demon Sect. It was inevitable. Even without this operation, he was destined for the position. Thus, Ak Cheon-gwe followed his orders. In return, he would become the second most powerful figure after the Grand Commander.
The White Tiger Faction, which still held a moderate stance towards the Orthodox Alliance, would see its influence wane. Capturing the key figures of the Alliance was an unparalleled achievement.
“Let’s move out.”
At Ak Cheon-gwe’s command, the group resumed their journey. Meanwhile, the captured leaders of the Orthodox Alliance, bound in iron cages, had lost all hope. Given the circumstances, the chance of returning alive to their base was slim. They could only watch the passing scenery with hollow eyes.
The procession entered a narrow canyon. Even in broad daylight, the canyon was dim, its air cold and chilling.
Clatter. Clatter.
The prisoners, confined in low iron cages, were jostled with every bump of the cart. The cages were designed to prevent them from sitting upright, forcing them into a hunched position. The discomfort was so intense that they wished for death just to stretch their backs.
How long had they traveled through the canyon?
Rumble.
Dust began to fall from above.
Rumble… Boom!
Suddenly, rocks and boulders came crashing down.
Fortunately, the debris fell primarily on the vanguard.
“Watch out! The cliff is collapsing!”
“Scatter!”
The Blood Demon Sect warriors hastily turned their horses, panicking. Yet, amidst the chaos, Ak Cheon-gwe quickly assessed the situation.
“Fools! This is an ambush! Turn around!”
He leaped into action. The rocks weren’t falling from the left cliff but were rolling down the right slope. Someone had deliberately pushed them.
‘But who? How?’
Their route was a closely guarded secret. It seemed too quick for the Orthodox Alliance to have set an ambush after their defeat.
Regardless, the priority was to escape the current crisis.
“Hah!”
Boom! Crash! Bang!
Ak Cheon-gwe unleashed his energy, shattering the boulders into dust. But the sheer volume of falling rocks had already buried the vanguard, blocking the canyon’s exit.
The Blood Demon Sect warriors turned back towards the entrance. But…
“Tch! It’s an ambush after all!”
No sooner had Ak Cheon-gwe shouted than more rocks and boulders began tumbling down from the slope.
Crash! Crash! Crash!
“Argh!”
“Ahhh!”
The warriors at the rear, who had moved first, were helpless against the falling rocks.
“You bastards!”
Ak Cheon-gwe roared, leaping once more.
Boom! Crash!
His energy shattered more rocks, but there were too many.
“Damn it!”
Finally, a massive boulder struck Ak Cheon-gwe’s back.
Thud!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Unable to withstand the avalanche of rocks, Ak Cheon-gwe was buried beneath them.
The rocks continued to fall, piling up like a mountain.
When the last of the rocks had settled, the canyon was shrouded in a thick cloud of dust.
Cough! Cough!
The survivors coughed as the dust slowly settled, revealing about thirty figures. They were the warriors who had been in the middle of the procession. The prisoners, still trapped in their iron cages, were unharmed. The sturdy cages had protected those closest to the front and rear from the rocks.
Gwak Gyu, the leader of the Black Wind Squad from the Vermilion Bird Faction, surveyed the area and shouted.
“Those who are unharmed, regroup and keep watch…”
Whoosh! Thud!
”…Gah!”
Gwak Gyu fell, his mouth agape.
Soon after—
“Charge!”
A battle cry echoed down the slope. The canyon’s acoustics amplified the sound, making it impossible to tell if the attackers numbered in the hundreds or thousands.
Silhouettes began to emerge through the thinning dust.
The surviving Blood Demon Sect warriors drew their weapons, shouting.
“Enemies! It’s an ambush!”
“Get them… Gah!”
The warriors fell one by one, their cries echoing through the canyon. The ambush was devastatingly effective. Many of the warriors were already injured, leaving them defenseless.
“Damn it! What’s going on?”
A guard, tasked with watching the prisoners, gripped his sword tightly, eyes darting around.
Inside a nearby cage, Seok Ji-pyeong clutched the bars and shouted.
“Over here! I’m Seok Ji-pyeong, leader of the Heavenly Wolf Unit! Not just me, but the Heavenly Eye Division leader and two other unit leaders are here too! Save us!”
“Shut up!”
A Blood Demon Sect warrior slammed the cage.
Seok Ji-pyeong looked up at him with a cold sneer.
“You’re finished too. You dared to piss on me? With the rescue team here, I’ll live, and you’ll die.”
“You bastard… you were just a piss-drinking prisoner…”
The warrior ground his teeth.
Meanwhile, the chaos around them was subsiding.
Thud!
“Argh!”
Only the occasional sickening thud and dying screams broke the silence.
The warrior who had urinated on Seok Ji-pyeong couldn’t help but feel fear creeping in.
He swallowed hard, his eyes darting around nervously.
The dust had settled, but with all the torchbearers fallen, it was nearly impossible to see even a foot ahead.
Thud. Thud.
Footsteps echoed from somewhere.
His head whipped around frantically.
“Wh-where are you? Come on, fight me! No, wait! If you come any closer, I’ll kill this guy!”
Suddenly, he tightened his grip on his sword and pointed it into the cage.
Seok Ji-pyeong’s once confident expression turned pale.
“What are you doing? Using such a cowardly tactic…!”
“Shut up! Hahaha. I’ll say it again! If you attack me, I’ll kill him!”
His voice boomed through the canyon.
Did his threat work?
An eerie silence fell over the area.
Not a single movement could be felt.
Then, a chilling whisper came from behind him.
“Doesn’t really matter to me.”
The man spun around, his spine tingling with fear.
In that instant, he froze.
‘How did he…!’
There stood Sabi-gang, expressionless like a ghost.
“Ahhh!”
The man let out a sound that was part battle cry, part scream, and swung his sword.
But.
Swish!
Berthas was faster, slicing through his neck.
Thud, roll…
Meanwhile, inside the cage, Seok Ji-pyeong burst into laughter as he watched the man’s head fly off.
“Hahaha! Serves you right! Did you really think you could get away with that? Hahaha!”
After laughing for a while, he called out to his savior in the darkness.
“I don’t know who you are, but thank you! You saved me! Are you from the League?”
Thud. Thud.
Someone approached the cage from the shadows.
As the figure leaned in close, Seok Ji-pyeong’s expression hardened noticeably.
‘This guy…’
Grinning with a flash of white teeth, it was none other than Sabi-gang.
“Wow, what a coincidence! Fancy meeting you here again!”