This is the fight you started. (2)
Arrows rained down like a storm, and beneath the water, razor-sharp harpoons relentlessly flew.
The place that must endure all of this is none other than this Yangtze River.
Even in what could be called a dire situation, where the word ‘harsh conditions’ loses its meaning, young swordsmen’s feet never stopped for a moment.
The surging blood of those running ahead seemed to pass back and forth, one after another.
And within this fervent heat, Namgung Dowi, running alongside, was desperate not to fall behind.
‘This is Hwasan.’
Namgung Dowi, who must know best how difficult and terrifying it is to face the pirates on the Yangtze River, is undoubtedly the one with the most proof of what he has endured through these stubborn wounds left on his body.
But Hwasan is swinging its sword as if this place were flat ground, even in a situation that is clearly difficult and frightening.
Thanks to that wooden board?
‘As if!’
Thump!
For a moment, he slipped to the side, having stepped on the wooden board wrong, but Jo Geol quickly pulled him back.
“Th-thank you.”
“Don’t worry about it – keep running! I’ll help you!”
“Yes!”
It may look easy at first glance.
But accurately stepping on the small wooden boards that float on the flowing river is by no means an easy task. So, just running alone isn’t easy, maintaining this speed? It was truly astonishing, beyond mere surprise.
If they hadn’t protected him, Namgung Dowi would have already fallen into the water several times. However, they held onto Namgung Dowi and ran, deflecting the pouring arrows and swiftly defeating the pirates beneath the surface.
‘How is this even possible? How on earth?’
Their skills were chilling to the bone. It was as if they had experienced countless battles in such an environment, as if they had fought for their lives multiple times in a place where there was nowhere to set a foot.
Yes, you could even say they were proficient.
Unbelievable as it may be, they seemed accustomed to this kind of fight. Could it be that individuals of their age were capable of such feats through their usual training?
Did he not know about Hwasan sect? Or did the world not know about Hwasan sect?
Even the assessments of the public, who considered them just ordinary swordsmen living on the mountain, had been completely shattered by what they had shown so far.
‘No! No!’
Namgung Dowi, who had been continuing his thoughts, bit his lip until it bled.
Evaluating them based on such aspects alone was not acceptable. Even if everyone in the world paid attention to their martial prowess, Namgung Dowi had seen something different in them.
They knew. The moment they leaped into this Yangtze River, what kind of battle they would have to fight.
That’s why what Namgung Dowi needed to see was not their strength, but their courage.
The courage to leap fearlessly into a rain of arrows.
The courage to be ready to be dragged beneath the unknown waters and to rush into the tumultuous river where pirates thrived.
Even if the whole world didn’t understand, Namgung Dowi understood their courage.
So…
‘Even if I die it won’t stop me!’
Ta’at!
Namgung Dowi fiercely swung his sword, deflecting the pouring arrows. Even in the midst of the rain of arrows, Chung Myung looked relaxed and laughed.
“Good, young master!”
Namgung Dowi, still clashing with the arrows, faced Chung Myung. He smiled slightly and said,
“Stick with me like you’re ready to die!”
“Yes!”
Paaaah!
Chung Myung’s sword flew like a gleam and accurately sliced through the neck of pirate erupting from beneath the water.
At the same time, his gaze turned back. Pointing downstream, he shouted without delay,
“Jo Geol Sahyeong!”
“I got it!”
No more words were needed.
Namgung Dowi couldn’t quite comprehend it, but it seemed like that was enough to convey their intentions.
As if escorting Namgung Dowi, Jo Geol suddenly pushed off a foothold and shot down forcefully beneath the surface, like a hawk targeting fish in the river.
Peeeeeeng!
With a water spout that felt like an explosion even of cannonballs, Jo Geol jumped into the water, and some of the volcanic swordsmen who had been running with all their might followed him.
Without proper instructions, some leaped into the water, while others continued running ahead, seemingly without giving it a second thought.
‘What, what’s going on?’
A momentary look of confusion crossed Namgung Dowi’s face.
Meanwhile, from the deep waters of the Yangtze River, members of the Black Dragon Squad leapt toward the surface.
“Darn it!”
The members of the Black Dragon Squad, who attacked Hwasan, all became fish food. Without even managing to stab their harpoons properly, they were pierced by the overwhelming sword energy shooting towards them. That was it. They barely raised their heads above water, only to have their throats slit without taking a single breath.
It was as if they were attacking and defending as if they were peering into the water. The reason their body temperature was gradually dropping was not simply because the water was cold.
But there was no need to specifically target difficult enemies. After all, this place wasn’t just filled by Hwasan disciples.
“Those Tang Clan bastards!”
If you think about it, Surochae, who has learned close combat, is like a natural enemy of Sichuan Tang. The power of any weapon is halved when it penetrates the surface of the water, and no poison can exert its power underwater.
They do not need to fight them on the water. If you drag them into the water by piercing them with a harpoon from below, you can play with them without any effort.
Finally, as the Tang clan warriors reached his head, Oh Ja-hyeong’s eyes sparkled. When he signaled the attack, the Black Dragom Unit increased their speed twofold and shot up towards the surface like spears.
“You will regret coming to this Yangtze River from hell!”
But it was precisely that moment.
“Kurk!”
Even though they were underwater, screams rang out. Involuntarily turning his head, Oh Ja-hyeong saw one of the Black Dragon Clan members spewing foam from his mouth and convulsing.
‘What?’
No, it wasn’t just foam he was spewing.
Blood flowing from his side was dyeing the river a sickly red.
‘When? When did they get attacked?’
Oh Ja-hyeong stared with wide eyes, unable to believe the unbelievable sight before him.
Behind his submerged subordinates, Hwasan swordsmen dressed in black robes were rushing toward them at an astonishing speed. The term “Hwasan” literally referred to a mountain peak. In other words, they had no connection to water throughout their lives. However, the movement of these individuals before his eyes was so swift that it was hard to believe they had never been professionally trained in water combat.
‘How…’
Chyaaaah!
And in that moment, the young man charging at the forefront slashed the water with his sword like a gleam. It was difficult to imagine a forged sword being swung underwater, but that remarkable sword pierced Oh Ja-hyeong’s throat in an instant.
G-gurk…
Along with the surging pain, river water rushed into the hole in his throat. The sensation of heading toward death was more grotesque and vivid than he had ever imagined.
Thunk!
The sword twisted within his throat, leaving an irreparable wound, before it was finally pulled out.
G-gurk…
Oh Ja-hyeong’s body slowly began to sink into the deep water.
In his fading consciousness, the last thing Oh Ja-hyeong saw was the confident smile hanging on the young swordsman’s lips as he passed by above him.
‘Hwasan..’
The true strength of the swordsmen who had trained with their swords, as if they were living their lives on the brink of life and death in the canyons of a mountain, was unleashed here on the Yangtze River. In comparison to the swirling, tumultuous canyons with strong currents, the waves of this wide Yangtze River meant nothing to them.
Led by Jo Geol, the swordsmen all guarded the downstream side of the island and wielded sharp swords against the pirates.
“Run!”
Baek Cheon charged forward. Instead of individually defeating the pirates that sporadically stabbed with harpoons, he focused on avoiding them and leaping over them without slowing down. He knew it. When a group of this size ran in a single line, if the leader’s speed slowed down, they would tangle with each other and create openings.
And no matter what, he couldn’t afford to stop. Their lives and the lives of Namgung Dowi and Namgung Clan depended on his speed!
That moment arrived.
Kwaaaaaaaaang!
With a deafening roar that tore through eardrums, something flew towards Baek Cheon at an incredible speed.
“White Thunder Canon?”
Even in Baek Cheon’s eyes, the projectile cutting through the air was crystal clear. But before he could make a choice, someone shot up towards the projectile.
Kwaaaaaaaaang!
The one who sprang forward deftly swung a sword, diverting the projectile away.
“Yoon Jong!”
The moment Baekcheon reflexively shouted his name, another projectile was heading towards him, this time with Baek Sang flying towards it.
Kwaaaaaaaaang!
Baek Snag’s sword struck the projectile, knocking it away.
“Proceed, Sahyeong!”
“Don’t stop!”
“You dare giving orders, you damn brats!”
Baek Cheon smiled and continued forward, and forward once more.
Kwaaang! Kwaaang!
But the pirates were not to give up so easily. The approaching enemy ship veered sideways, aiming at them. The muzzle of the White Thunder Canon continuously spewed flames.
“This…!”
Anger flickered across Baek Cheon’s face at that very moment.
“Sasuk!”
A voice reached him. No more words were needed.
Baek Cheon instinctively twisted his waist into a posture to swing his sword. But he used the flat side of the blade, not the sharp edge!
Paaaat!
As something flew towards him like a flying squirrel from behind, it added a hefty weight to his sword. Before that sensation could even register in his mind, Baek Cheon swung the sword with all his might, sending the object that had landed on it flying far away.
Swish!
A streak of black light cut through the surface of the Yangtze River.
“What, what is it!”
The pirates panicked as they saw something flying towards them like a projectile.
Kwaaaaaaaaang!
The human projectile that Baek Cheon had launched finally crashed onto the deck of the ship that had been firing the cannons.
The solid wooden deck shattered like tofu, and the shattered pieces of wood flew in all directions.
Before the scattered wood could hit the ground, a sinister sword energy swept across the deck of the ship, slicing them horizontally.
Sssshh, sssshh!
Blood splattered into the sky as the pieces of wood soared into the air.
Chung Myung’s face, who had just sliced through the enemies who had been firing the cannons, bore the red stains of their blood.
“Ah… Ah…”
Paat!
Chung Myung wiped the blood off his blade and turned his gaze towards the remaining pirates. When their eyes met, Chung Myung’s lips twisted, revealing his gleaming white teeth.
“This is…”
His voice seemed to be tinged with the scent of blood.
“..the fight you started.”
Crash!
Chung Myung plunged from the deck into the midst of the pirates. Over a dozen necks shot into the air, and in that instant, a burst of red blood sprayed out onto the surface of the Yangtze River.
The demon of Hwasan.
It was the moment when the Demon of Hwasan that had terrified even the demons of Magyo [Demonic Cult] manifested himself on the Yangtze River.
Return of the Mount Hua 
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