I wish you could have seen it. (2)
Terror crept into the Bishop’s eyes.
It was hard to believe, but impossible to deny.
Those at the pinnacle of the Demonic Cult, who bowed their heads to none but the Heavenly Demon. The monsters who had proved the Cult’s might by turning every renowned master of the Central Plains into a wandering spirit. Even they, the fiends said to have sold their souls to the Heavenly Demon, even the Bishops of the Demonic Cult who had plunged the entire Central Plains into terror, were ultimately nothing more than human beings.
A stream of blood spurted into the air from where his fingers had been severed.
He could not even feel the pain. Because someone of a Bishop’s caliber could ignore even the sensation of pain? What utter nonsense.
It was because he had no time to spare a thought for his fingers when his head was about to be cut off.
He barely managed to twist his neck aside with all his might, and a sword wreathed in crimson energy flashed past it.
Slaaaash.
It had only grazed him ever so slightly, yet the razor-sharp energy carried by the blade sliced through his flesh, steeped in demonic energy, as though it were tofu.
His hair stood on end.
But he wasn’t even given the luxury of fully experiencing this terror. The sword that had sliced through the skin of his neck twisted in midair, changing direction before plunging straight down towards his body.
“Hyaaaaaah!”
The Bishop struck Chung Myung’s blade with his hand, putting all his strength into the blow.
Claaaaaaaaang!
With a metallic screech that threatened to rupture his eardrums, Chung Myung’s sword bounced back.
Having gained a moment’s respite, the Bishop drew in a deep breath he had been holding back.
Yes. There was no need to be afraid.
Even if the man before him was the devil of the Central Plains who had already cut down several Bishops, even if among the Bishops this man had so effortlessly slain were powerful figures he himself had never dared aspire to rival…
He still held the advantage.
He had more than enough cultists at his command to slaughter every enemy here. If he could just hold out against this man for a little while, the cultists would finish off those damned Taoist bastards and join him to put an end to this man’s life.
‘No matter how strong you may be.’
He, too, had attained the exalted rank of a Bishop. No matter who his opponent was, if he could not even manage to buy time, his rank would amount to nothing.
Grinding his teeth, the Bishop unleashed an explosive surge of demonic energy.
What followed was combat so brutally close that even calling it ‘at point-blank range’ hardly did it justice. At a distance where he could touch his opponent merely by extending his hand, he poured powerful demonic energy from his entire body.
It was a move that all but amounted to a decisive strike. Yet the sword shadows that erupted before him blocked it as though it were only natural, leaving the energy unable to advance, twisting and surging wildly.
But it did not matter.
He had never imagined that this much would be enough to bring the man down anyway. There was no denying it. Even within the entire Cult, only a handful could defeat this man in a direct confrontation.
So what he needed to do now was to hold this man in place, clinging to him for all he was worth.
Fwooooosh!
In an instant, the Bishop’s hands traced dozens of phantom hands through the air. What began as dozens multiplied into hundreds in the blink of an eye, converging in overlapping layers as they poured towards Chung Myung.
A relentless barrage of sheer speed and overwhelming demonic energy, completely disregarding formal martial techniques.
Yet all who had witnessed this martial art throughout the ages had said the same thing. It was as though every demon in the world descended upon them at once. And so the world had given it a name.
Thousand Tribulations Hand of Absolute Demon [마마천겁수(魔魔千劫手)*]!
He drew out every last bit of demonic energy remaining in his body, firing it forth again and again.
It was then that he noticed something strange.
‘Just now?’
The Bishop suddenly realized. Without even being aware of it, he had taken a step forward. Which meant that the fiend before him had stepped back.
And this unexpected development soon created an opening.
Thud!
He felt the impact through his fingertips.
He could not tell where or how he had struck, but he could vividly feel the energy he had unleashed slamming into his opponent’s flesh. The man’s sword could not block all the palm strikes raining down upon him.
Then, perhaps?
At that moment, the Bishop had to muster superhuman restraint. He desperately held down his shoulders as they threatened to heave with the excitement erupting within him. Though he had reached a realm where he could resist demonic temptation, he could not entirely escape the violent, impetuous nature of demonic energy. Suppressing the bloodlust surging within him was no easy feat.
Even so, the Bishop ultimately succeeded in reining in his impatient killing intent. His sheer determination to survive, the terror his opponent inspired, had overcome even his demonic instincts.
‘It worked…’
But, at that moment.
Crunch!
An unfamiliar sensation reverberated through his hand. Startled, the Bishop’s eyes flew wide.
‘What…’
As the hand he had been thrusting forward in a trance came to a halt, the black shadows of his hands naturally vanished as well. And at last, the sight before him was revealed.
His right hand was embedded deep into Maehwa Geomjon’s right side.
What the Bishop felt at the sight was neither elation nor pleasure. It was boundless terror, surging over him like a wave…
“You…….”
Sensing something, the Bishop hurriedly tried to pull his hand free, but Geomjon’s muscles clamped down around it, refusing to let go. At the same time, the sword in Maehwa Geomjon’s hand traced a dazzling arc as it flew towards the Bishop’s neck.
“You did this on purpose…”
Scraaaape!
A harsh, grating sound – like a saw tearing through metal – rang out, and a moment later, the Bishop’s head soared into the air. His headless body convulsed before slowly crumpling where it stood. As Chung Myung watched this with a cold, lifeless gaze, Chung Jin’s desperate shout reached his ears.
“Sahyeong!”
“Hmph.”
Chung Myung let out a quiet snort.
A Bishop was no easy opponent. Had Chung Myung needed to face him properly, even he would have had to exchange over a hundred moves with him.
But he had no time for that now, so he had no choice but to accept the injury.
Ripping the Bishop’s hand out of his side in one swift motion, Chung Myung casually pressed the acupoints around the wound. The movements were all too familiar.
Having more or less stopped the bleeding, Chung Myung raised his sword again.
“Chung Myung-ah!”
Hearing Chung Mun’s agitated voice calling from afar, Chung Myung chuckled softly. Honestly, that man was always so noisy.
“…. I’m off before the nagging starts. Keep up and don’t fall behind.”
Without even waiting for an answer, Chung Myung surged forward, trampling the Bishop’s severed head underfoot.
❀ ❀ ❀
Whoooosh.
A group of people was advancing at a rather leisurely pace.
One of those at the front glanced to his side and cautiously asked.
“Should we not make a little more haste?”
At this, the man beside him merely gazed into the distance with a peculiar expression instead of answering. The one who had spoken hesitated anxiously before opening his mouth again.
“If we delay any longer, Hwasan truly will be annihilated.”
“…”
“That would also be a blow to us…”
“What a curious thing to say.”
At last, an answer came. The man shook his head firmly and answered with an air of composure.
“It’s not as though we deliberately delayed our journey, is it? We simply happened to cross paths with the enemy while on our way to assist Hwasan – surely that cannot be considered our fault.”
Hearing these nonchalant words from Paeng Jaho [팽자호(彭紫湖)], the head of the Hebei Paeng Family, Ma Seung-gyeong [마승경(馬承慶)], an elder of Kongtong Sect, grimaced.
What a shameless lie.
They could easily have avoided the enemy had they wished. Even if avoiding it had been difficult, a mere child could have told them which matter should have taken priority.
Watching a man who surely knew this spout such brazen nonsense with perfect composure made heat rise up the back of his head.
“Well? Did I say something wrong?”
But Ma Seung-gyeong could offer no reply.
For he knew that the intention behind Paeng Jaho’s words was not his alone. No, even Paeng Jaho of the Hebei Paeng Family might be nothing more than a puppet. Their present circumstances were the result of powerful forces at work, beyond their ability to influence.
“Listen, Elder Ma.”
“Yes, Lord Paeng.”
“I understand what you wish to say, but surely I am not the one you should be saying it to?”
Paeng Jaho’s lips curled into a crooked smile.
It was a rebuke reminding him that the Sect Leader of Kongtong had agreed to this course of action from the outset, and that he was merely there to carry out that decision.
Ma Seung-gyeong cleared his throat loudly, as though feeling stifled, and spoke with some difficulty.
“I merely… If we lose Hwasan now, a sect of such standing, would fighting the Demonic Cult not become infinitely more difficult? That was all… I wished to say.”
“That may well be true.“
“Pardon?”
Ma Seung-gyeong asked, looking bewildered. Paeng Jaho wore a faint, cynical smile as he replied.
“But surely you don’t think we’re doing this because we’re unaware of that.”
Ma Seung-gyeong’s expression hardened, and he fell silent.
Indeed. There was no way that could be the case. Given who the leaders of Gupailbang and the Five Great Families were, how could they have overlooked something even Ma Seung-gyeong understood perfectly well?
“Then why in the world….”
“Why do you think?”
Paeng Jaho clicked his tongue as though exasperated by the man’s ignorance.
“Because Hwasan must never be allowed to seize the initiative in this war.”
“…What exactly do you mean by that?”
Paeng Jaho’s gaze darkened.
“Listen. Chung Mun of Hwasan is a dangerous man.”
Ma Seung-gyeong could not understand it at all. Was Chung Mun, the Great Virtuous Sword, not renowned throughout the world as a great hero of righteousness and benevolence? To call such a man dangerous…
“He is a man who wouldn’t hesitate to throw even his own sect into the jaws of the Demonic Cult if it meant securing victory. What do you think would happen if a man like that were to achieve great merit?”
“That…”
“The next ones to take on that role will be us. If he assumes full command and orders Kongtong to serve as bait to lure the Demonic Cult, what will you do?”
Ma Seung-gyeong’s eyes widened.
“Then…….”
“Precisely.”
Paeng Jaho nodded, as if to say that was precisely the point.
“If we do not put him in his place now, even if we win the war, we will return to find our sects in ruins. Surely that is not what you want, Elder?”
“…”
Unable to bring himself to answer, Ma Seung-gyeong chose silence. Paeng Jaho clicked his tongue in disapproval.
‘This is the trouble with the elders of Gupailbang.’
Too many of them shut themselves away in the mountains, completely oblivious to how the world worked. Perhaps he should be grateful that at least their sect leaders understood the situation.
Of course, this was hardly the only reason Gupailbang wanted to cripple Hwasan at this juncture. But Ma Seung-gyeong had no need to know the rest.
‘Let us see… It should be fine if at least half of them die.’
Hwasan’s strength was certainly still useful, after all.
However, it wouldn’t matter much even if they all died. It would be better for them to be completely annihilated than to preserve their fighting strength intact.
This war would ultimately end in victory for the Central Plains, as such wars always had. What mattered was not victory. It was what there would be to divide among themselves afterward.
‘And for that, the fewer claimants there are, the better.’
At the very least, no one would want to see a world in which Hwasan stood supreme after the war. Gangho led by that foul-tempered upstart and the fellow who never stopped spouting righteous platitudes until one’s ears ached. The mere thought was dreadful.
“So let us simply hope they have held out.”
Though there was no chance of that.
It was just as a sneer once again curled Paeng Jaho’s lips.
“My Lord! There is something up ahead!”
Every muscle in Paeng Jaho’s body drew taut with tension.
Could those bastards from the Demonic Cult have already dealt with Hwasan and advanced all the way here? Those damned Hwasan bastards! After all that arrogant boasting, they’d already been wiped out?
“Everyone, halt!”
After bringing those following him to a halt, he lowered his stance. He intended to turn and flee the moment he had counted those approaching.
But things did not go as he expected.
“Hm?”
Paeng Jaho’s eyes narrowed at the unexpected sight.
The approaching group was smaller than he had anticipated. If they belonged to the Demonic Cult, there should have been at least ten times as many.
“My Lord. Hwasan! It’s Hwasan!“
“What…?”
Paeng Jaho’s pupils trembled at those unexpected words.
Hwasan?
Surely… Impossible. They had broken through an encirclement of demonic cultists ten times their number? And with so many of their people still alive?
‘Impossible.’
What sect under heaven could accomplish such a feat? Even Shaolin could not have done it.
His confusion did not last long. The group he had seen in the distance was upon them in an instant.
The group, which had been charging forward like flying tigers, gradually slowed before finally coming to a halt. Looking at the swordsmen of Hwasan standing a mere ten paces away, Paeng Jaho felt a chill run down his spine.
They were a ghastly sight. The Taoists, their entire bodies drenched in blood, were glaring at him and his companions with venom in their eyes.
Not a single one of them was without wounds, and not a single one was without thick layers of blood.
The stench of blood was so overwhelming that even a blind man would have immediately understood just how desperately they had fought to make it this far.
But it was not their horrific appearance that truly made Paeng Jaho tremble.
A lone swordsman stood at the head of the group, his long, blood-soaked hair hanging loose. The killing intent pouring from him tightened around Paeng Jaho’s throat.
“W… we……”
Sensing that everything had gone terribly wrong, Paeng Jaho was about to offer some explanation when a chilling voice escaped Geomjon’s lips.
“…Is this all?”
Baring his bloodstained teeth, Maehwa Geomjon approached Paeng Jaho.
“Is this really all the ‘reinforcements’ you were talking about?”
________
*마마천겁수(魔魔千劫手). 魔魔 – ‘demon-demon’ is a stylistic choice in naming, that signifies the supreme/overwhelming/absolute of something and is called reduplication. 千劫 – thousand tribulations – draws heavy inspiration from Buddhism, where it represents an immense, near-infinite period of time and spiritual trials, the often mentioned in the novel 劫(kalpa).
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