Chapter 647: Return to the Demon Sect
Ratatatatat!
Boom!
The air was filled with the sound of clashing weapons, followed by a deafening explosion.
“Aaaargh!”
“Ugh!”
Countless warriors screamed as they fell to the ground.
Yeon Woo-kyung and Mok Dan-hwa stood with their shoulders heaving, breathing heavily.
Their eyes were sharp, scanning the enemies around them.
Dozens of masked figures lay dead, but neither of them showed any sign of relief.
“This isn’t going to be easy.”
Sweat dripped from Yeon Woo-kyung’s chin, mingling with the blood seeping from a cut on his shoulder.
Mok Dan-hwa was in a similar state. Her clothes were torn, revealing bare skin, and her disheveled hair whipped around her like a ghostly aura.
Her hand, gripping her weapon, trembled from the exertion.
They hadn’t underestimated their foes, but they hadn’t expected them to be this formidable.
After all, there was no known organization in Songbaek-hyeon with such martial prowess.
If there were, surely their name would be known.
Yet, this was a group they’d never encountered before.
Their martial arts were neither orthodox nor unorthodox.
“Who the hell are you?” Yeon Woo-kyung gritted his teeth and demanded.
The masked leader smirked slightly.
“Better not to know. At least then you might live, even if as a cripple.”
“Don’t be so cocky. The moment you laid a hand on my daughter, the outcome of this fight was sealed.”
“Not sure what you’re babbling about…”
“You wretched scum!”
Yeon Woo-kyung shouted, launching himself into the air.
In an instant, the masked leader extended his hand.
At that moment—
Whoosh, boom!
A fireball formed in his palm and shot towards Yeon Woo-kyung, exploding upon impact.
As the smoke cleared, Yeon Woo-kyung stood, tense, having blocked the fireball with his sword.
“You’ve learned magic.”
“After the Demon War, everyone and their dog picked it up. It’s nothing to be surprised about.”
“I’m not surprised. Just reminded of those times, which puts me in a foul mood!”
Clang! Clang!
Yeon Woo-kyung’s sword clashed with the masked leader’s blade in a flurry of strikes.
But the masked leader was no pushover.
He moved with an eerie footwork, deftly parrying Yeon Woo-kyung’s attacks.
“He’s strong, no doubt!”
Yeon Woo-kyung gritted his teeth, pouring all his strength into his swordplay.
Despite his exhaustion, he was a warrior who had inherited the legacy of the Paegeomyeonga.
He had even mastered some of the Seomgeom Mokga’s techniques.
Yet, here he was, struggling against this opponent!
“Who are these people?”
The first thought that came to mind was the pro-demon faction.
Even after the Demon War, rumors persisted of those who still followed the demons.
“But why are they after the Demon Stone…?”
They were clearly up to something.
The thought made him worry even more about his daughter.
“Haaah!”
Yeon Woo-kyung let out a battle cry, thrusting his sword forward.
Swoosh!
A blue sword aura formed, chilling the air around them.
The icy blade clashed with the masked leader’s sword.
Crash!
Frost formed on their blades, spreading a thin layer of ice around them.
Crack! Crack!
Both Yeon Woo-kyung and the masked leader stepped back, regaining their stances.
“Damn it!”
Yeon Woo-kyung was taken aback.
The combination of the Paeryong Dancheon Sword and the Cheongbing Sword was formidable.
Fighting with the cold energy was his unique style.
He prided himself on being able to stand toe-to-toe with the Northern Ice Palace Lord.
Yet…
“The cold is seeping into me!”
He glared at the masked leader, whose sword glinted with a chilling moonlight.
“That sword… it’s no ordinary blade.”
“Thanks for noticing.”
The masked leader replied curtly.
The sword he wielded was indeed unusual.
A curved scimitar, adorned with unfamiliar patterns on the hilt and scabbard, likely from the demon realm.
A demon realm weapon would naturally be extraordinary.
On par with the Cheongbing Sword.
Whirrr!
The masked leader’s sword hummed.
“It’s called the Moonlight Blade. A name I came up with.”
With that, the masked leader began to gather his energy.
Yeon Woo-kyung shivered.
His opponent was undeniably strong.
While he was exhausted, the masked leader’s breathing remained steady.
Even if they had faced each other from the start, the outcome would have been uncertain.
“Shall we begin in earnest?”
“Bring it on.”
Whoosh!
The masked leader vanished from sight.
Whirrr!
Was this the sound of moonlight rolling?
A melodious sound echoed from all directions, making it hard to pinpoint its source.
“Where…!”
Slash!
“Ugh!”
Yeon Woo-kyung groaned as his left shoulder was deeply cut, forcing him to his knees.
“Are you okay?”
Mok Dan-hwa shouted, rushing over in alarm.
But as if waiting for that moment,
“Where do you think you’re going!”
The masked figures charged, weapons swinging wildly.
“Get out of my way, you filthy scum!”
She shouted fiercely, swinging her weapon.
Whirr!
Her weapon weaved through the enemies, striking vital points.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
“Ugh!”
“Aaah!”
The masked figures fell, writhing.
The masked leader charged at the kneeling Yeon Woo-kyung, shouting.
“Perish together!”
“Obey!”
The masked figures, without hesitation, unleashed their energy, rushing at Mok Dan-hwa.
Like moths to a flame, they intended to self-destruct.
Meanwhile, the masked leader closed in on Yeon Woo-kyung.
In a split second.
Whoosh!
A dark mist spread, and dozens of crescent-shaped Moonlight Blades appeared, singing a clear, resonant tune.
Whirrr!
“Damn it!”
Yeon Woo-kyung retreated in shock.
He was bewildered by the unfamiliar phenomenon.
Mok Dan-hwa, surrounded by enemies intent on self-destruction, was in a dire situation.
“No!”
Yeon Woo-kyung pushed off the ground to help her.
Whirrr!
Clang!
“Ugh!”
A flash of light from the darkness repelled Yeon Woo-kyung.
Had he been a moment slower, it wouldn’t have been his sword blocking the attack, but his flesh.
Then—
“You should have ended this peacefully.”
A cold voice accompanied by Moonlight Blades flying from all directions.
In that instant—
“Get down!”
A voice cut through the darkness!
Whirr!
The sound of chains slicing through the air as a long flash swept through the forest clearing.
Clang!
Some were cut by the blade on the chain, others were struck and sent flying.
Those attempting self-destruction were blown apart mid-air.
Thud! Boom! Thud!
The grotesque sight of flesh scattering and blood raining down was surreal.
Mok Dan-hwa, who had instinctively ducked at the voice, quickly rose, unleashing a wave of sword energy at the approaching enemy.
Whirr!
The concentrated sword energy swept through like a massive wave.
Slash!
A masked figure was cleaved in two, his body parts flying apart.
But then, a dark shadow loomed behind her.
She turned to see another masked figure, sword raised.
“Damn…!”
Her face showed a hint of despair.
But then—
Thud!
A large sword pierced through the masked figure’s heart!
It was reminiscent of the greatsword Yu Song-ryeong favored.
Slash!
The sword cut horizontally, tearing the masked figure from heart to side, spilling blood as he fell.
The young man behind the masked figure looked at Mok Dan-hwa and asked.
“Are you alright, Lady Mok?”
“You, you are…?”
“It’s been a while! We’ll talk later…!”
Seok Geom-yeong, cutting his words short, turned and hurled his chain sickle at another charging masked figure.
Whirr!
Slash!
The masked figure, his throat cut by the chain sickle, couldn’t even scream.
Seok Geom-yeong leapt towards the masked leader.
Whoosh!
The greatsword descended unhesitatingly towards the masked leader’s head.
“No! It’s dangerous…!”
Yeon Woo-kyung shouted belatedly, but Seok Geom-yeong was already bringing the greatsword down on the masked leader.
“You fool! Do you know who you’re swinging at?”
Seok Geom-yeong shouted.
Boom!
A burst of black mist erupted, and the masked leader vanished once more.
Whirrr!
Again, the sound of blades echoed from all directions, crescent-shaped blades flying like a storm.
There was no way to tell what was real and what was fake.
Yet, Seok Geom-yeong wielded two weapons.
A great sword and a chain sickle.
As he spun like a top, the chain wrapped tightly around him, forming a thick, protective armor.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Dozens of blades clashed against the chain encircling Seok Geom-yeong, ricocheting off harmlessly.
Thud!
After deflecting the last blade, Seok Geom-yeong unraveled the chain sickle and stepped back.
Even though the chain sickle had shielded him, his entire body ached.
Yeon Woo-gyeong rushed over, concern etched on his face.
“Are you alright?”
“Huh? Oh, yes. I’m fine.”
Seok Geom-yeong quickly straightened up, answering with a steady voice.
In truth, he was in so much pain that standing was a struggle, but he didn’t let it show. He was simply grateful that Yeon Woo-gyeong had spoken to him at all.
Yeon Woo-gyeong, realizing the awkwardness of his concern, stepped back with a sheepish expression.
“Well, that’s good then.”
“Do you know where my daughter, Yeon-ah, is?”
Just then, Mok Dan-hwa approached, her voice noticeably softer than it had been in the past when addressing Seok Geom-yeong.
She, too, might have ended up a corpse on the ground if not for him.
“Miss Yeon is safe. Please don’t worry.”
“What on earth is going on here?”
“I’ll explain everything later. But for now…”
Seok Geom-yeong’s gaze shifted to their surroundings.
Masked figures and a man in a black hat had completely encircled the three of them.
The man in the black hat spoke with a cold glare.
“Looks like there’s one more person we need to kill.”
At that moment.
“Not just one, I think.”
A clear voice rang out through the air.
The man in the black hat frowned and turned around.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Dark shadows descended around them, surrounding the group.
Stepping forward from among them, Sabi-ran spoke.
“Quite a few more, actually.”