Chapter 94: The Tiger's Jaws (2)
Chapter 93 – The Tiger’s Jaws (2)
It was right after Murong Sin led his subordinates into the cave.
Yu Hyeon suddenly narrowed his brow and stared intently at the front inside of the waterfall.
‘Just now, surely…’
Something flashed in the cave directly behind the waterfall.
But was that not an empty cave? The one Namgung Cheon had said would be a trap.
So why was there a presence there…?
‘Could it be!’
Suddenly, a hypothesis crossed his mind.
What if the enemies, after cutting off the vice leader’s arm and throwing it into the pool of water, had left their hiding place and slipped into the cave directly ahead while the Blue Wave Corps’ attention was focused?
If they were skilled in stealth, wouldn’t it be entirely possible?
Moreover, it would have been much easier to move without being detected because of the waterfall.
‘In that case, the trap has been reversed!’
Tadat!
As his thoughts reached this point, Yu Hyeon instinctively threw his body forward.
At that moment, the Fourth Captain cried out in surprise.
“What are you doing? Stop!”
“Something is strange!”
“Come back! That’s an order!”
But Yu Hyeon was already running toward the waterfall, executing the Water Gliding technique.
Paeng Su-hyeok and Ju Yeon-hwa also jumped onto the rock in surprise.
“What? Was he always this proactive?”
“Senior Brother…”
At the moment Ju Yeon-hwa muttered with a blank expression, Yu Hyeon, who had almost reached the waterfall, widened his eyes as he saw Murong Sin rushing out of the side entrance.
“…!”
And the moment Murong Sin was about to shout something,
Kwaaaaang!
A loud explosion resounded, and the cave collapsed, spewing dust.
“Cheut!”
Yu Hyeon was blown away as if pushed by a typhoon, and the members of the Blue Wave Corps who were running out of the cave were thrown into the pool of water, falling haphazardly.
Splash! Splash, splash!
Those who escaped with all their limbs intact were the lucky ones.
Some had their arms severed, while others lost their legs.
The pool of water where the waterfall poured down was instantly stained with crimson blood, and screams and groans erupted from all directions.
“Ggeueuek…!”
“Ahhh!”
The members of the Blue Wave Corps who were surrounding the waterfall rushed over to support the wounded.
“Corps Leader!”
The Second Captain led his subordinates and ran to Murong Sin first.
“I am fine! Help the others!”
“What on earth happened? The First Captain is…”
But before the Second Captain could say any more, two martial artists in black sprang from the front entrance inside the waterfall.
“Die, you Orthodox scum!”
“Let’s go to hell together!”
Chwaaak! Chwaaak!
“Keuaak!”
“Ack!”
Following the gruesome sound of tearing flesh, screams and splashing water erupted frantically.
The Second Captain gritted his teeth and let out a furious roar.
“You dogs!”
However, Murong Sin quickly struck the Second Captain’s back.
Thud!
“Heok!”
Pushed by a relatively gentle force, the Second Captain flew far away through the air.
Leaving the bewildered Second Captain behind, Murong Sin unleashed a Lion’s Roar.
“Do not fight, retreat! It’s gunpowder!”
“Gunpowder…!”
Having come to their senses at Murong Sin’s warning, the members of the Blue Wave Corps all began to leap away while supporting the wounded.
However, the martial artists in black, who had already jumped into the midst of the enemy, had completed their final preparations.
“Muhahaha! Let’s go to hell together!”
“This is the end!”
Kwakkwaaaang!
“Keuaak!”
“Uaaaak!”
When the two Thunderbolt Bombs they were carrying exploded, dozens of Blue Wave Corps members were blown away in all directions with screams.
The pool of water turned completely crimson with blood, and torn and severed flesh floated on the water.
Furthermore, because of the fierce explosion, water mist and smoke mixed, rising in a thick shroud.
All of this happened in an instant.
Paeng Su-hyeok and Ju Yeon-hwa widened their eyes to the point of tearing and instinctively drew their weapons.
“Senior Brother!”
“Damn it!”
Before anyone could stop them, the two of them leaped into the pool of water.
From time to time, the clashing of metal and screams rose from the dense water mist.
This meant that there were still enemies left!
There was no way they had survived in the center of the Thunderbolt Bomb explosion, so they must have rushed out from deeper inside the cave.
Since most of the Blue Wave Corps members remaining in the pool of water were wounded, it would be close to a one-sided slaughter.
The Fourth Captain gritted his teeth, unable to do one thing or another.
The water mist was too thick and there were more allies than enemies, so it was a situation where they could not blindly shoot arrows.
Ultimately, he ordered close combat.
“Put down your bows and focus on saving our allies! If you see an enemy, deal with them without mercy!”
“Yes, sir!”
Shashashashak!
The Fourth Captain and the members of the Blue Wave Corps leaped into the pool of water all at once.
Meanwhile, Paeng Su-hyeok, who had leaped in before them, clenched his jaw at the horrific scene unfolding in the pool of water.
“Ggeueuek…! H-Help me…!”
“S-Save me!”
A warrior whose stomach had burst open and intestines spilled out, a warrior whose severed legs floated nearby, and a warrior who had died instantly with half of his face gone.
It was truly nothing short of an Asura Hell.
Just then, someone grabbed Paeng Su-hyeok’s leg.
“M-Me… save me…!”
It was a warrior whose flank was torn open.
Paeng Su-hyeok quickly took off his upper garment, wrapped it around the warrior’s waist, tied it tight, and then picked him up.
Pabat!
Paeng Su-hyeok quickly threw his body out of the mist and began to carry the wounded one by one.
In the meantime, Ju Yeon-hwa looked around in all directions, searching for Yu Hyeon.
“Senior Brother! Senior Brother! Answer me!”
“Hwa-ya!”
When Ju Yeon-hwa turned around in surprise at the voice suddenly coming from behind, fortunately, Yu Hyeon was standing there, appearing to have sustained only minor injuries.
“Senior Brother! Are you okay?”
“I am fine. More importantly, help the wounded!”
“Yes!”
It was the moment Ju Yeon-hwa was about to turn around as she answered.
“Danger!”
In an instant, Yu Hyeon pushed Ju Yeon-hwa away with his palm, immediately drew his sword, and swung it forcefully.
Tzjeokaang!
With a sharp metallic clang, Yu Hyeon slid backward.
“Keup!”
Surprised by the considerable pressure, Yu Hyeon frowned deeply and glared ahead.
A one-eyed warrior wearing a black eye patch emerged, as if bleeding out of the water mist.
He wore a somewhat surprised expression.
“Cadets…? Does the Martial Alliance have a hobby of child abuse these days?”
Muttering nonchalantly, the one-eyed man swung his sword once, shaking off the blood on the blade.
‘This guy…!’
He had no injuries, yet his entire body was covered in bloodstains.
That meant it was someone else’s blood.
The screams that erupted from the water mist must have been caused by him.
The one-eyed man rolled his single eye and glanced at Ju Yeon-hwa, who was pointing her sword at him nearby in tense anticipation.
He let out a shallow sigh.
“Normally, I would advise kids to go home, wash their feet, and go to sleep, but…”
The next moment, his eyes grew ice-cold.
“Especially today, I absolutely detest brats.”
“…!”
“Heot…!”
Yu Hyeon and Ju Yeon-hwa took a step back without realizing it.
Because the killing intent emanating from the one-eyed man’s entire body was suffocatingly thick.
Yu Hyeon glanced at Ju Yeon-hwa.
‘Hwa-ya. Stay calm! I will take the lead as usual, so look for an opening and coordinate your attack!’
‘Yes, Senior Brother!’
Their eyes shared a silent conversation.
But just then,
“Taste the power of a brat! You bastard adult!”
Shuuuuuk!
A shadow fell like a comet, piercing through the water mist.
The one-eyed man raised his sword in an instant to block it.
Tjjeoooong!
Following the loud metallic clang, the one-eyed man retreated three steps into the water.
Chwachwachwaak!
Bloody water splashed in all directions as the one-eyed man’s body was submerged up to his thighs.
Paeng Su-hyeok, with a broadsword resting on his shoulder, raised his chin and growled.
“Normally, I just completely ignore adults, but today, I absolutely detest bastard adults!”
Even as he said this, he internally marveled at his own strike from just a moment ago.
‘Namgung Cheon, doing what this guy said really works, doesn’t it? The saber strike definitely carries weight.’
With surging confidence, Paeng Su-hyeok shouted boldly.
“Leave this place to me, and you two go save the wounded…!”
However, Paeng Su-hyeok flinched, unable to finish his sentence.
The aura emanating from the one-eyed man’s entire body was unusual.
Woooong…!
Ripples began to strangely form on the water’s surface.
As if raindrops were falling from the sky, circular ripples spread everywhere with the one-eyed man at the center.
Moreover, the sword he held hummed as if it would spring to life at any moment.
It was a pressure that was hard to describe!
Paeng Su-hyeok took half a step back without realizing it.
Something… was different from what he expected.
At that moment, Yu Hyeon stepped to his side and raised his sword.
“His aura is unusual. I will help.”
Hearing the calm voice, his unsettled mind also quieted down.
Splash.
To his left, Ju Yeon-hwa approached and pointed her sword.
“If Senior Brother fights, I will fight as well.”
Paeng Su-hyeok nodded.
“Very well. If that is the case, I will highly respect your wishes.”
At that sight, the one-eyed man chuckled and cracked his neck.
“One after another… it seems you all think quite lightly of me.”
“Let’s go!”
Paeng Su-hyeok shouted loudly as he executed Qi-Controlling Divine Wind and dashed forward.
‘He is certainly fast!’
The moment Paeng Su-hyeok, who had flown a very short distance using Water Gliding, swung his saber, Yu Hyeon and Ju Yeon-hwa also flew in from both sides.
“Haaat!”
In particular, Ju Yeon-hwa executed a sword form, applying what she had realized during her last spar with Namgung Cheon.
She straightened her elbow, which habitually bent, and extended her inner energy straight to the tip of the sword at once.
As a result, all unnecessary movements vanished, and the sword tip flew cleanly toward the enemy’s vital point.
‘They said a minute change in posture determines the usefulness of the sword…!’
It was definitely not a simple posture change. Was the subtlety of the sword art not coming to life? That small change altered the flow of internal energy and had a profound effect on the other subsequent movements.
While Ju Yeon-hwa admired this internally, the one-eyed man quickly spun his body and retreated.
Tadadadang!
As the three of them were repelled, they assumed their guard stances once again.
Even though their joint attack technique had not succeeded, Paeng Su-hyeok and Ju Yeon-hwa glared at the one-eyed man, feeling a strange sense of exhilaration.
Even though Namgung Cheon was not here, they felt the illusion that they were fighting together. The same thought arose in both of their minds.
‘Maybe we can win!’
The fear that had previously arisen gradually subsided, and a faint smile began to form on their lips.
* * *
“What is happening?”
Jin So-hong turned around in surprise.
Kureureung…!
Along with a gentle vibration, dirt and debris fell from the ceiling.
Namgung Cheon looked back at the dark passage and muttered.
“For now, it seems we must hurry a bit more.”
“Why?”
In response to Jin So-hong’s anxious question, Namgung Cheon silently pointed his finger at the ceiling of the inner passage.
Squinting her eyes, Jin So-hong belatedly noticed the cracking ceiling and shouted.
“I-It’s collapsing!”
“Run.”
“I am already running without you telling me!”
Jin So-hong shouted loudly as she executed a lightfoot technique.
Namgung Cheon followed closely behind her.
Finally,
Tjjeojeok…! Tjjeok!
Kugugugung…!
The ceiling began to collapse from the inner part of the passage.
“Kyaaaak!”
Jin So-hong screamed, with tears welling in her eyes.
At the very least, she did not want to be buried alive in such a dark place without even seeing the light.
She thought she had finally met a hidden dragon, but to die buried under the earth before she could even soar the skies with him!
Kugugugung! Kukung…!
As the speed of the cave’s collapse grew faster and the stone fragments falling from the ceiling felt as if they were about to touch their heels, light miraculously began to appear.
“It’s the exit!”
Jin So-hong brightened and ran forward, only to stop in sheer terror.
Hwiiiiiiing!
A fierce wind beat against her cheeks.
“A cl…iff…!”
The end of the cave was indeed a dizzying cliff.
A valley wound like an earthworm far below. Namgung Cheon shouted loudly.
“What are you doing? Jump! I told you it is an escape route that cannot be entered!”
Yes, one certainly could not enter through such a place.
But wasn’t it also impossible to exit?
However, before he could even hear an answer, Namgung Cheon threw himself into the air.
“Jump!”
“Heok! Hey!”
But Namgung Cheon was already falling at a speed too fast to hear her voice.
Kugugugung…!
Even in the midst of that, the pile of collapsing stones chased right up to the back of their heads.
In the end, Jin So-hong screamed and threw herself into the void.
“If I die like this, I will haunt and curse you even as a ghost!!”
Thus, just as she wished, Jin So-hong soared through the sky with the hidden dragon.