This is the fight you started. (4)
“Block them! Stop them!”
The swordsmen in black robes lowered their stances and charged forward in unison. Amidst this, the vivid crimson plum blossoms bloomed.
Even those who were unfamiliar with the name “Hwasan” couldn’t help but feel the overwhelming presence of this awe-inspiring sight. Their menacing and sharp aura covered the pirates.
“Ugh, aaah!”
The ones at the front stabbed and swung their weapon in a frenzy. Amidst the chaos, their harpoons, a testament to the Surochae’s reputation, were indeed rapid and sharp.
But before their attacks could fully extend, a sword flew through the air like a flash, deflecting the harpoons.
Clang!
Along with the sharp metallic sound that pierced the ears, the harpoons were sent flying towards the sky.
‘Click!’
Just as the pirate was about to quickly retract the harpoon, another sword flew in from behind like a beam of light.
‘What?’
By the time they realized it, it was too late. The pirate’s eyes widened.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
In an instant, three swords pierced through their body.
“No…”
The pirate’s body trembled. At that moment, the dominating thought in their head, more than the pain, was the question:
‘How?’
Of course, coordinating with one’s comrades in battle is a natural thing. They would certainly observe how their surroundings are moving and try to attack as efficiently as possible, wouldn’t they?
But this was beyond that level.
The moment the swordsman in front of them deflected their harpoon, a sword was already flying in from behind. If the actions of the one in front had deviated even slightly from their expectations, the sword that pierced them might have been their own comrade.
How could they execute such an attack? What were they trusting?
‘These… lunatics…’
Their thoughts couldn’t continue.
Swish!
The swung sword cut deep into their chest. Having dispatched without a second glance, the Hwasan’s swordsman continued to charge forward.
Swish!
Swish!
The swords sliced through the air one after another.
There were no dazzling displays, no visible aura. The swordsmen wielded their swords with utmost efficiency, moving only to extinguish the lives of their enemies.
With stoic faces and emotionless expressions, they were impressively pressuring the pirates.
“Block them! Block them! They’re outnumbered! Prevent the rest of them from landing here!”
As the pirates who had occupied Maehwa Island hesitated and began to retreat, one of the Surochae’s elders shouted with a sickly pale complexion.
“Press them by the water’s edge! Don’t give them an inch of land to retreat!”
Strategically, it might be an excellent decision. But after all, isn’t strategy only meaningful when executed?
“Samae!”
“Yes.”
Thud. Thud. Thudthudthudthud!
Before Baek Cheon could even finish speaking, Yu Iseol began to move. The sound of her feet pounding grew faster, and in no time, she became a streak of black, speeding rapidly towards the forefront.
The pirates, seeing her fly like a ghost, panicked and thrust their harpoons. Well, they tried to.
Ieik!
“Die!”
In that moment.
Swoosh!
Yu Iseol accelerated twice as fast as when she initially rushed in and arrived right in front of the pirates who had just retracted their harpoons. Or rather, from the pirates’ perspective, it would be more appropriate to say that she had “appeared” with such a dramatic movement.
And her sword was faster than their reactions.
Before the pirates could even express their surprise, the sword that cut through space swept them away in an instant.
Whoosh!
Blood spurted like a fountain from the long gashes. The front row collapsed in an instant.
“Press her!”
But the pirates, as if to prove their mettle after enduring countless battles, stepped over the fallen comrades and continued to attack Yu Iseol.
‘No way.’
But at that moment, a man soared from behind Yu Iseol’s back and created dozens of sword illusions in mid-air and swept through the pirates.
“Aaaaaargh!”
“Aaargh!”
The pirates, struck by the unexpected sword energy from the air, screamed and were thrown away.
With a single sword strike, Yoon Jong shattered the pirates who had targeted Yu Iseol. As he landed, he slammed the ground, ready to assist in the ongoing battle.
Yu Iseol stood tall and plunged into the midst of the pirates. She began to wield her sword as if dancing.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The gracefully swung sword penetrated the pirates’ bodies in mid-air.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Those whose thighs were sliced screamed and fell to their knees, while those whose necks were cut clutched their throats and writhed. But their condition was far better than the one whose heart was pierced by a single sword.
“Die, you wench!”
A harpoon charged with a powerful force was hurled towards Yu Iseol’s spine as if it was exploding. Instead of retreating, she took a step forward, even closer to the harpoon.
And what followed was a remarkable swift sword!
Clang!
Her sword bent the wrist of the pirate who had thrown the harpoon.
Clang!
In a swift motion, her sword twisted, severing his elbow.
And then.
Swoosh!
Finally, as her sword struck the harpoon, the powerful force within it caused it to lose direction, flying towards another pirate who had been aiming for Yu Iseol.
Thunk! Thunk!
The harpoon, which had pierced through human bodies without losing its momentum, continued to strike through, impaling the pirates behind them. Like a skewer, the pirates crumbled with amazement and disbelief in their eyes.
Without even blinking, Yu Iseol unleashed three consecutive sword strikes that completely crushed her opponents. Her movements never halted.
Clang.
Blood spurted from the pirate’s throat where the harpoon had been lodged.
With a swift motion, Yu Yiseol cleanly severed the pirate’s neck, then lowered herself almost to the ground. She spun in place like a top, slicing through the knees of the pirates rushing towards her.
“Aargh! My leg! My leg!”
Shwaack!
Rotating like a spinning top, Yu Iseol swept the ground, then leaped forward like a swallow in flight. Her three swords thrust forward consecutively, pushing the stumbling pirates backward.
“Argh! Aaaargh!”
Shwack!
She pushed the stumbling enemies aside, gazing ahead with indifferent eyes.
At the same time, a black shadow descended to where she had been.
Paaah!
Before long, the term “swift sword” paled in comparison to the lightning-fast blade that pierced the enemy’s throat up ahead.
Thud!
The sharp metal edge cut through fragile human flesh, the sound of bones breaking. Before that sound could fully resonated, the retrieved sword followed, pursuing those who had retreated.
Cold, unyielding eyes. Firmly sealed lips.
Tang Soso’s expression was now indescribable by any word other than “righteous.” Her sword swept forward in the blink of an eye.
At that moment, the enemies had to reassess their situation, especially those who had faced Hwasan. What they had witnessed was beyond comprehension. The dozens of sword energies released from her blade seemed as if dozens of enemies were simultaneously launching a relentless assault.
“Aaaaah!”
Those who hadn’t managed to evade were swept away mercilessly by the sword energy. Enemies with holes the size of a child’s fist pierced through their bodies poured blood as they crumbled where they stood.
Yu Iseol, Yoon Jong, Tang Soso – these three individuals carved a distinct rift within the dense ranks of the Surochae forces, which looked like a dense forest a moment ago.
“Push through!”
Young swordsmen charged through the rift created by the trio, as if it was only natural. The enemies who remained trapped in the ongoing onslaught of sword energy fell victim to the relentless attacks of the advancing Hwasan’s swordsmen.
The air was filled with the desperate screams of terror.
The swordsmen continued their relentless charge with unwavering expressions, driven solely by the goal of taking their enemies’ lives. Overwhelmed by their sheer momentum, the enemies instinctively kept retreating.
“Block them! You damned cowards! Don’t retreat, block them!”
The elder’s face became ashen.
They had already proven their prowess against Namgung Clan. Wasn’t overwhelming the opponent in confined spaces one of Surochae’s specialties? However, such tactics seemed utterly ineffective against them.
Because of their strength?
No way!
They’ve already fought against Namgung’s Sword Emperor, and they’ve even defeated those elders. Are these youngsters the only ones capable of this?
However, the scene unfolding before him was entirely different from facing Namgung. Incredulous as it may seem, he understood the root cause of all this too well.
‘What kind of people are they?’
It didn’t seem like they were fighting against members of the orthodox faction. It was unbelievable, but these individuals were battle-hardened. When groups clashed, they knew exactly how to fight, perhaps even better than the Surochae, who had fought in countless wars. It was as if they were seasoned veterans who had fought dozens, if not hundreds, of battles.
What was even more terrifying was the absence of hesitation in their swords. These individuals, who still had baby faces, had no qualms about swinging their swords and taking lives.
Unless you called them sword demons, what else could they be?
“You idiots! Don’t try to kill them, hold your ground! Just once! If we can break their momentum just once!”
In a one-on-one fight, skill could determine the outcome, but in a mass battle, it often came down to morale and momentum. If they could halt their advance just once, crushing Hwasan wouldn’t be impossible.
“Form up the ranks! Even if you have to use the corpses in front as shields, hold your ground! They will tire out first!”
If that overwhelming momentum was to be disrupted even once, it would expose the weakness of Hwasan — insufficient numbers. So, just once! Just once, they needed to tie down their ankles.
The Surochae, upon hearing the elder’s command, pressed their shoulders together, forming a solid defense to guard the ground they had stepped on. Their plan was to secure their position as best as they could.
However, their misfortune laid in the fact that it wasn’t just Hwasan’s forces that had set foot on Maehwado.
Shoowwsh! Shoowwsh!
“What’s that?”
“What is…?”
Green pouches flew over the heads of the pirates who had prepared themselves in a formation. And shortly after,
Boom! Boom!
The pouches burst open, releasing a dense black mist of poison over the heads of the enemies .
“P-Poison!”
“Aaaah! You damn bastards!”
“Cough! Cough! I can’t… breathe…!”
Finally, Tang Gunak, who had just set foot on Maehwado, gritted his teeth and burst into a large lion’s roar.
“It’s time to avenge the Namgung Clan! Do not let a single one of them leave this island alive!”
Clang!
The warriors of Sichuan Tang followed behind Hwasan’s forces. Pouches released from their sleeves exploded one after another over the heads of the crowded pirates, spewing out poison sand and venom.
With no room to retreat or advance, they were densely packed and couldn’t even dodge the poison. They clutched their throats, unable to escape its effects.
“Grrrrrr!”
Foam spewed from their mouths. Some rolled their eyes back and collapsed, while others frantically scratched their throats until blood oozed out.
It was chaos itself.
The moment Tang Gunak shook the enemy, a man from the front of Hwasan’s forces charged forward.
Kwaaaah!
With a single sword strike, Baek Cheon cut down and sent five enemies flying. He accurately spotted Namgung’s survivors who were beyond the enemy lines.
“I’ll make a path! Follow me, prepared to die!”
“Yes!”
As Baek Cheon charged forward, the other swordsmen and the warriors of Tang family followed closely behind, their spirits soaring.
Hwasan and Sichuan Tang, the two martial factions responsible for the balance of power in Cheonumaeng, were now revealing their dominance to the world for the first time on the banks of the Yangtze River.
For anyone who stood by the river, for anyone who had ever held the word “righteous” close to their hearts, it was a sight that made their hearts swell with awe and admiration.
However, across the river, there was one man who couldn’t help but tremble. His body shivered uncontrollably.
‘..How…’
The eyes of Shaolin’s leader were filled with astonishment and disbelief.
Return of the Mount Hua 
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