Chapter 371: Chapter 371

Left alone, Namgung So-hye caught her breath while looking at the dolls. The dolls, which settled down leisurely and did not step forward, felt as if they were observing their opponent.

In the dolls’ hands, all kinds of weapons were held, which likely meant that the martial arts they used were different for each.

Namgung So-hye dripped with cold sweat.

‘They look like real people, don’t they?’

Controlling this many dolls was one thing, but if even the martial arts each of them displayed was different, just what kind of person was the one controlling them?

Namgung So-hye’s head was filled with curiosity.

However, it was certain that it was not a situation that could simply be accepted with a smile.

She took a low stance.

‘I must not exhaust all my strength at once.’

The number of opponents was considerable.

There were twenty just at a glance, and the numbers showing themselves one by one in the surroundings were also significant. If she used great strength at once, Namgung So-hye would surely not hold out long.

Slash!

At that moment, one doll unleashed its sword.

The pouring sword qi flew in fiercely.

The force, with its intensity intact, looked ready to slice through everything as it flew in.

Simultaneously, countless dolls rushed in.

Whether they thought they had grasped the opponent perfectly or it was to grasp her, they rushed in while forming a fierce sword formation, to the extent that they did not seem like dolls.

“Ugh?!”

Namgung So-hye avoided the sword qi.

She must not block it.

Even blocking was a waste of strength.

At the same time as she avoided it with light body movements, a blade flew in. The speed of the dagger was literally like an arrow, and seeing the tip of the blade tinged blue, she realized that poison was surely applied to it.

A look of frustration was cast on Namgung So-hye’s face.

Avoid? Or block?

Avoiding was easy. However, seeing that the movement of the dagger was somewhat strange, she felt that her move was already read.

The opponent’s desire would rather be for her to avoid it.

In that case, block?

What was swung was the right hand.

However, the way it was strangely displaying martial arts looked as if it had prepared another move. Most likely, another dagger was held in its left hand.

If so, the blade in the other hand would fly in simultaneously with her blocking.

Having thought up to that point, Namgung So-hye hurriedly extended her sword.

If neither avoiding nor blocking worked, what she could do was attack.

Clang, clang, clang, clang!

The extended blade created several clashes in an instant. The ultimate techniques of the Namgung Family extended straight, smacking the opponent frantically.

Since it was a doll, no expression existed, but if it had been a living person, they would have cast a somewhat surprised gaze at her decision.

“Do not look down on me!”

Rustle!

The swords and sabers of two other dolls rushing in extended. They might have thought a gap had appeared. However, ducking her head to avoid them, she dug inside and thrust her sword toward the chest of the doll in front.

An explosive move.

The sword that was originally soft contained hardness.

The moment she smacked the doll’s chest.

Boom!

Along with a tremendous explosion, the doll’s chest shattered to pieces.

Simultaneously, Namgung So-hye stepped back.

Countless hidden weapons and blades poured toward where she had stood.

“Since it is not a person, there is no way it could be killed just by sticking a sword in, right?”

Thump!

Looking at the falling doll, Namgung So-hye let out a sigh of relief. That her move worked meant the probability of her surviving had risen a bit higher.

Also, that it could be broken even if it was a doll.

She looked to see what would happen if it stood up again, but the doll lay quietly as if dead.

Namgung So-hye caught her breath once again.

There were still countless dolls in front of her.

Since even counting their numbers was tedious now, she let out a bitter smile and firmed her fighting spirit once again.

It felt as if she had made a pledge never to let them pass forward.

‘But it is strange.’

Clang, clang!

Blocking the pouring blades, Namgung So-hye wore a strange expression. It was a clear fact that they were pursuing the being named Ryu Hwa-gun.

Of course, rather than chasing a person, that process of chasing was more like playing around casually, but in any case, it was true that they were pursuing him.

Yet, the chased one launches a counterattack?

The one who was fleeing in fear of the Three Heavens’ Cheon Mu-gwang?

A behavior that made little sense stimulated her brain.

However, her thoughts had to stop there.

The feel of the dolls approaching while forming a sword formation turned even more brutal.

Surely kill Namgung So-hye.

Although they were dolls, it felt as if their appearance had changed slightly, as if carrying intactly the murderous intent of the one controlling them.

An ominous thought arose that it would be very different from the beginning.

* * *

Meanwhile, during that time.

Cheon Mu-gwang was walking slowly along the mountain path.

For someone who moved to catch the puppeteer, his steps were quite slow, and his behavior overflowed with leisure, far beyond being relaxed. Having a long pipe in his mouth, which he had obtained from who knew where, his figure walking while puffing on it did not look like someone moving to kill anyone.

It was already about thirty minutes since he parted ways with Dan Woo-hyun.

“Has she died, I wonder?”

Because they were considerably separated, he could know whether she was dead or alive. If it was the skill of the wooden dolls, surviving for thirty minutes was also a remarkable level.

Because Namgung So-hye’s skill was not in a state to match their sword formation.

Yawning, he pulled deeply on the long pipe.

As he blew out smoke with a ‘huu’, it wrapped around his entire body like a dense cloud. In an instant, his vision vanished, and only pure white smoke was visible in front of his eyes.

Soon, the moment a faint wind blew and cleared the smoke.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Three figures could be seen standing blankly in front of his eyes. Their faces were clearly filled with surprise as they looked at the suddenly appearing Cheon Mu-gwang.

If Cheon Mu-gwang was here, who was the one facing the dolls?

To those who had come seeking only Cheon Mu-gwang’s presence, it could not be but a strange thing.

“Brother wouldn’t be at a level you guys could feel anyway… and as for that girl’s energy, it is fine if I just envelop it.”

“Kh!”

The moment they heard those words, the three realized.

Then, did it mean Cheon Mu-gwang was not alone? There was someone else facing the dolls, and even someone Cheon Mu-gwang called ‘Brother’.

A look of frustration was cast on their faces.

“Do not glare like that. Because I want to gouge out your eyeballs.”

“Cheon Mu-gwang… you fellow…!”

“I will not let you leave alive!”

Cheon Mu-gwang, who blew out smoke with a ‘huu’, sat on a rock. As if he had forgotten the fact that enemies were in front of his eyes, or as if he did not think of the ones in front of him as human, even his gaze was indifferent.

Cheon Mu-gwang, who let out a long yawn, looked at those who slowly took their stances and chuckled.

“Madmen…”

* * *

Namgung So-hye panted, gripping her sword.

An hour.

That was the time it took to block the ones in front of her. Around her, countless remnants of dolls were scattered, and they all lay in pieces, unmoved.

Namgung So-hye, who survived after breaking these many things, panted, sweating like rain. Sword wounds were all over her body.

One might say what wounds on a woman’s body, but in truth, she had suffered serious injuries to the extent that it would not be strange if she collapsed right away.

She had received blades coated in poison several times, and deep wounds were also visible in various places.

Even so, her standing and holding out was because the single word of Dan Woo-hyun, who trusted her, held her heart. Also, if she collapsed in a place like this, she could not be called a woman who would succeed the line of the Sword Emperor, could she?

On her shoulders, countless things were carried.

‘I can never die!’

That was also the very reason why Namgung So-hye was still standing and holding out.

Cough!

“Ugh!”

Namgung So-hye vomited blood and swayed.

At that moment, she leaned on the ground with her sword and forced herself to stand.

Never collapse in front of the enemy. That was the pride of a martial artist she possessed.

“Haa, haa…”

Breathing out, she looked forward.

Still, over twenty dolls stood in front of her. They did not even tire. To Namgung So-hye, who had physical limits as a living person, it was clear that they were unfavorable opponents.

She held her sword firmly once again.

Gradually, her vision was turning blurry.

If just a little more time passed like this, she would surely lose her life.

However, whether they knew that situation or not, the dolls, which had no hearts and no thoughts, came walking to kill only Namgung So-hye.

The moment she raised her sword, pledging that she would never die.

Thump, thump!

A strange thing occurred.

The dolls that had been standing perfectly fine began to collapse one by one. As if the one moving the dolls had vanished, they fell listlessly and did not make a single movement.

Watching that, Namgung So-hye slumped to the ground.

“Too… late…”

The breath of her, who had slumped down, turned somewhat rough.

Her vision turned increasingly blurry, and her head gradually became dizzy. Whether she was thinking of something or not, whether her fingers moved or she spoke.

She felt an illusion as if everything was being sucked into darkness.

‘Haa… haa, n-no, I shouldn’t…’

She must not close her eyes.

Still, there were many things she wanted to try and many things she had to do. She wanted to reform Dan Woo-hyun’s foul personality, and wanted to see Dan So-mi grown up.

The sight of Sa Do-hak and Namgung Cheon bickering was also like that, and Jang Sam-tae, who rushed in fearlessly every day, or Zhuge Yeon, who acted like a sly fox.

The desire to see the appearances of such people was great.

‘Besides that… who was it?’

Thinking of that, she let out a dry laugh despite himself. Although they said he had no presence, even up to the moment of death, his name and image did not come to mind well.

Her strength drained further, and her consciousness blurred.

“Huh? Still alive, I see.”

At that moment, a voice was heard.

Her dying consciousness suddenly woke up at that tone. It was like experiencing the brief glow of health before death. The moment she raised her head, Cheon Mu-gwang could be seen, who was thickly covered in bright red blood all over his body.

His face was also drenched in blood.

It was to the extent that he looked as if he had devoured a person.

The bloodstains on his lips were also stranger.

“Wow! Remarkable. I thought you would have died long ago, but I didn’t know you would still be holding out.”

“Too… late…”

Namgung So-hye let out a sigh of relief and smiled.

It was Cheon Mu-gwang, of all people. If he helped her channel her energy, expelling the poison would be easy.

It felt like meeting a ray of light at the edge of a cliff.

“Hahaha, a bit late, right? Because I had a hard time finding him.”

Cheon Mu-gwang walked over.

Then he picked up the sword lying on the ground. The moment Namgung So-hye watched to see what he would do.

Without any warning, or as if without even hesitation, the blade of Cheon Mu-gwang, who approached slowly, instantly fell toward Namgung So-hye’s head.

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