Chapter 657: Return of the Demon Sect
Swoosh!
Thud!
“Argh!”
It happened in the blink of an eye.
An arrow, released from its bowstring, flew straight toward Eom Cheol’s right elbow.
Had he not reacted swiftly, he might have lost his entire right arm.
“This is insane…!”
Eom Cheol’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Shooting arrows while holding a hostage?”
Grinding his teeth, he was about to strike down Ong Su-ryeong with his sword when—
Swoosh!
“What the…!”
He couldn’t believe his eyes.
Dozens of crimson energy strands sliced through the air, reaching out like living creatures.
They twisted and turned, avoiding the hostage, Ong Su-ryeong, as they flew toward him.
“This can’t be happening!”
In a frenzy, he swung his sword wildly.
Clang! Thud! Thud!
He managed to deflect some of the energy strands, but others pierced his vital points.
“Argh…! Ugh!”
His energy channels twisted, causing him to vomit.
As Eom Cheol raised his head, having just spat out a mouthful of blood, Sa Bi-ran’s figure flew toward him like the wind, delivering a powerful kick to his chest.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
Whoosh, crash!
Eom Cheol was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing into a large tree trunk and collapsing to the ground.
Simultaneously—
“Leave none of them standing!”
A sharp voice rang out, followed by battle cries echoing through the forest.
A group of martial artists emerged from the woods, clashing with the Blood Whirlwind Brigade.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
“Die!”
The newly arrived martial artists were from the Baekhwadan.
Sa Bi-ran had strategically positioned a small elite force in ambush, and once the battle reached a certain point, Deung Gahui led the rest of the fighters into the fray.
Eom Cheol’s face fell into despair.
He had struggled against just a few elite members of the Baekhwadan.
Facing the entire group was nearly impossible.
The Blood Whirlwind Brigade was not accustomed to fighting openly like this.
They specialized in stealthy ambushes.
Similar to assassins, but with a broader scope—they didn’t always aim to kill. They also stole or gathered information, or handled tasks that required utmost secrecy.
But now…
Even if he had to abandon the Demon Stone, he needed to survive and report back.
He couldn’t ignore the Baekhwadan’s strength and tactics any longer.
“No choice!”
Resolving himself, he turned and leaped away.
But at that moment—
Clink, clink, clink!
The sound of chains sliding echoed.
Clang! Clink!
A chain sickle flew from somewhere, wrapping around his ankle.
“What!”
He gasped, trying to free his foot.
Whoosh!
“Agh!”
Eom Cheol let out a cry as he was yanked into the air.
Thud!
A woman sprinted along the chain with incredible speed.
She swung her flexible sword, leaping toward him.
Swish!
The sword twisted like a snake, striking.
Clang!
Sparks flew as metal clashed.
Barely deflecting the attack, Eom Cheol tried to spin his body.
Clink!
“Gah!”
The chain sickle around his ankle pulled him down forcefully.
Whoosh, crash!
He plummeted to the ground, coughing up blood as he staggered to his feet.
“Damn it…!”
Furious, he glared at Seok Geom-yeong, who had thrown the chain sickle, and Yeon Seol-yeon, who had attacked with her sword.
Eom Cheol took a deep breath, slowly gathering his energy.
Sa Bi-ran narrowed her eyes.
“That again?”
It was similar to what had happened during the battle at Songbaek-hyeon.
The enemies had used a strange method to harness their energy, attacking as if they felt no pain.
Eom Cheol seemed to be doing the same.
“I can’t let him use that sorcery!”
Whoosh!
Sa Bi-ran and Yeon Seol-yeon leaped simultaneously.
Yeon Seol-yeon was slightly faster in her movement technique.
Swish!
She slashed her sword horizontally.
Clang!
Eom Cheol blocked with his sword.
Swish!
In an instant, her flexible sword coiled around his, aiming for his wrist.
“Tch!”
He clicked his tongue, releasing the hilt.
Clink!
“Gah!”
The chain sickle wrapped around his ankle again, pulling him down.
“Ha!”
Sa Bi-ran, charging in, let out a battle cry and brought her sword down vertically.
“Ugh…!”
Eom Cheol gritted his teeth, twisting his body as much as he could.
Thud!
Sa Bi-ran’s sword narrowly grazed his shoulder, striking the ground.
Eom Cheol sprang up, striking the ground with his palm.
Boom!
The force was immense, far beyond ordinary.
Freed from the chain sickle, he moved through the air.
But soon—
Swoosh!
An arrow shot through the air like a beam of light.
“Ugh…!”
Eom Cheol twisted his body with all his might, deflecting the arrow with a dagger.
Clang!
“Ugh!”
Sparks flew as the arrow ricocheted, fluttering to the ground.
Eom Cheol was dumbfounded.
“A leaf…?”
Indeed.
What had flown at him wasn’t an arrow or a branch.
A leaf.
Yet, his palm, gripping the dagger, throbbed with pain.
There was no time to be shocked.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Two more arrows flew toward him.
He couldn’t afford to question whether they were arrows or not.
Eom Cheol pushed his defensive energy to the limit, extending both palms.
Boom!
With a loud explosion, whatever had been flying at him burst apart.
But then—
Thud!
“Argh!”
Eom Cheol’s eyes widened as he turned his head.
There stood Dan Ri-hyeok, the archer, watching him with a calm expression.
“Damn it…!”
Eom Cheol slowly lowered his gaze to the branch piercing his chest.
It wasn’t an arrow.
The problem was he hadn’t sensed it at all.
Like a dagger thrown by an assassin.
It had flown silently through the darkness.
This was a secret technique of the Ilseong Archery School, developed with Sa Bi-gang’s help, known as the “Dark Stream Arrow.”
At its peak, the Dark Stream Arrow could be shot without any trace.
The victim would only realize they were hit after the fact.
Dan Ri-hyeok hadn’t reached that level yet.
So he mixed in other energies to create a distraction.
And among them, he carefully shot one lethal arrow using the Dark Stream Arrow technique.
Thud!
Eom Cheol fell to one knee, clenching his teeth as he glared at Sa Bi-ran.
“Take you with me to the afterlife…!”
Swish, thud, thud, thud!
In an instant, Sa Bi-ran darted forward like lightning, striking Eom Cheol’s pressure points.
Eom Cheol, attempting to unleash a self-destructive technique, let out a cry and collapsed unconscious.
Sa Bi-ran looked down at his fallen form, murmuring coldly.
“Such companions should be taken quietly. Announcing it makes it less appealing.”
Meanwhile, with their leader down, the Blood Whirlwind Brigade began to falter.
Deung Gahui seized the opportunity, raising his voice.
“The enemy leader is down! Sweep them all away with this momentum!”
“Yes, sir!”
The Baekhwadan surged forward with a thunderous roar, overwhelming the enemy like a tidal wave.
**
Hong Yeom frowned deeply, staring at the bloodied man before him.
“And this is…?”
Sa Bi-ran smiled sweetly.
“As you can see, a bad guy.”
“That’s not what I meant… Why bring him to me…?”
“This man holds a crucial key to the mission Baekhwadan is undertaking. We need to uncover their plot.”
“And?”
“I’d like to ask you to take him to the Demon Palace for interrogation.”
Hong Yeom sighed, looking at the bloodied man.
The man was Eom Cheol, leader of the Blood Whirlwind Brigade.
His teeth were all knocked out, his nose broken, and his cheekbones crushed.
He couldn’t move, likely due to his pressure points being struck.
“Hmm. I wonder if he can even speak.”
“Sorry. I tried my best, but he wouldn’t open his mouth.”
Sa Bi-ran’s playful smile made Hong Yeom chuckle despite himself.
“Alright. I suppose I should help with that much.”
“Of course. It’s for the safety of the martial world.”
Hong Yeom chuckled at Sa Bi-ran’s words.
“So, are you heading to the Celestial Martial Hall and then moving out?”
“Yes, there’s no time to waste.”
“True. With Ban Myeo, finding their base shouldn’t be too hard. Good luck.”
“Thank you, Uncle.”
“Don’t mention it.”
With that, Hong Yeom sent a message to someone.
A shadow dropped from the darkness, hoisting the unconscious Eom Cheol over their shoulder before disappearing.
Hong Yeom turned to leave, then paused and looked back.
“Ran.”
“Yes?”
“Always be careful.”
Sabiran beamed brightly.
“Don’t worry.”
Dawn was breaking.
Dan Rihyuk remained seated on the same rock he had occupied the night before.
He had been absentmindedly rubbing his thumb against his index and middle fingers for a while now.
The calluses, which had almost faded away, had returned as if by magic, hardening once more from just a few rounds of archery.
Suddenly, he heard a sound and turned to see Ong Suryung approaching hesitantly.
“Um… thank you!”
She bowed deeply in gratitude.
“Oh… well… it was nothing…”
What should he say?
It had been ages since anyone had thanked him for anything.
Ong Suryung blushed slightly and continued, “Thanks to you, I’m alive. I would give my life for justice, but if I had died then, my parents would have been heartbroken. Thank you again for saving me.”
‘Wow, that’s a peculiar way to express gratitude. She must have grown up in a pretty strict household,’ Dan Rihyuk thought to himself, nodding.
“Well… I just did what anyone would do.”
“Then… I look forward to working with you.”
“Are you asking me to save you again in the future…?”
“Oh, no! I just meant we’ll be working together on missions…”
“Relax, I was just joking. No need to be so tense.”
“Oh, right. Yes! Well, I’ll be off then…!”
Ong Suryung bowed once more and quickly turned to leave.
“Isn’t she adorable?”
A voice suddenly broke in, causing Dan Rihyuk to frown and turn his head. As expected, Sabiran was standing there.
‘She always appears out of nowhere like a ghost.’
Normally, he would have responded with a teasing remark, but he wasn’t in the mood today.
He shrugged and replied, “Yeah, I guess.”
“What do you think?”
“What do you mean? Do I look like someone who flirts with every girl I meet?”
“What are you talking about? I was asking how it feels to be holding a bow again.”
“Oh…”
Dan Rihyuk flinched, then let out a small chuckle. His expression soon turned somber as he muttered, “How do you think it feels? Like crap.”
“You saved that cute girl’s life.”
“I’m just glad it turned out well. It could have easily gone the other way.”
Dan Rihyuk’s gaze followed Ong Suryung as she walked away, her figure overlapping with memories of Ok Ryuhyang.
‘It could have ended differently, just like that day…’