Novel Martial Artist Lee Gwak - chapter 355
We lost all our site content, but I will work on re-uploading it manually, you can support us from here: https://ko-fi.com/novelgate
Episode 355
Only those at the bottom die the most (2)
“What’s happening?”
Seok Yi Cheon clenched his fists at the gruesome scene unfolding before him.
At a glance, it was clear that an overwhelming force was charging towards the Hundred Eyes Fortress.
They had only one goal.
‘Holy shit!
‘Damn it!
The recapture of Hundred Eyes Fortress.
The martial artists from the outer hall were at a loss as they watched the fearsome martial artists from Dragon Heaven Valley and the Martial Sword Troupe charge towards them.
They had seen their share of battles, but they had never faced such a brutal spectacle.
Just then, a cold voice snapped them back to reality.
“All members of the outer hall, assemble at the main gate.”
It was Baek Seo-mun’s voice.
Seok Yi Cheon and the martial artists of the outer hall quickly moved towards the gate.
Inside the gate, elite martial artists from the Sword Heaven Squad and the Jade Heaven Alliance had already gathered.
Baek Seo-mun spoke to the martial artists from the outer hall.
“This time, the Outer Hall squads will also participate in the battle. Show the vile Dragon Heaven Valley bastards your true strength.”
“The outer hall squads are also participating?”
Seok Yi-cheon asked Baek Seo-mun on behalf of the outer hall squads.
“Yes.
“But we were only assigned support tasks…”
“This is a war that will determine the fate of the Jianghu. Do you think it’s fair for some to fight while others stay comfortably behind to provide support?” Baek Seo-mun’s piercing gaze made Seok Yi Cheon’s legs tremble.
“No exceptions. If anyone objects further, they will be executed on the spot.”
“Under…stood.”
Seok Yi Cheon’s voice trailed off.
Though his heart was filled with complaints, he didn’t dare to voice them.
“Hah…”
Seok Yi Cheon sighed quietly, ensuring Baek Seo-mun couldn’t hear.
Baek Seo-mun issued his orders.
“The outer hall squads will go out first to distract the enemy. The Sword Heaven Squad and the elites will seize the opportunity and cut off the heads of the enemy leaders.’
It sounded nice to ‘divert the enemy’s attention,’ but in reality, it was no different from being sent out as sacrificial lambs.
However, they could not refuse the order.
In the Jade Heaven Alliance, disobeying orders meant certain death.
Reluctantly, the outer hall squads took the front lines.
“Squad leader, what do we do?”
“Are we really leading the charge?”
The 17th squad members asked with anxious faces, but Seok Ichun had no real solution.
“Everyone, just follow me. Do not leave my side no matter what.”
“Yes, Leader!”
The team members responded with determined expressions.
Seok Yi-cheon looked at their faces and decided.
‘I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you all alive.’
He never expected to become like this when he first took charge of the 17th squad.
Back then, Seok Yi-cheon had reluctantly accepted the role of leader, planning to just get by and then quit. But before he knew it, he had come to think of the 17th squad as family.
Suddenly, he thought of Lee Gwak.
‘Did Lee Gwak feel the same way’
Thinking about it, leading the 13th Squad must have been an enormous burden for young Lee Gwak. Yet, Lee Gwak led them without showing any signs of reluctance.
In the end, the 13th squad returned home without a single casualty, and each member of the squad grew from that experience to become a captain or vice-captain of another squad.
Now, it was Seok Yi-cheon’s turn to protect his squad. Though he couldn’t match Lee Gwak’s martial prowess or leadership, his resolve was just as strong.
“Huu…”
Seok Yi Cheon took a deep breath.
His expression became resolute.
Creeeak!
The massive fortress gates opened with a heavy groan.
Beyond them, the martial artists of Dragon Heaven Valley and the Martial Sword Troupe surged forward like a tidal wave. Their killing intent already stung Seok Yi Cheon’s skin.
“Charge!” Baek Seo-mun’s command rang out.
The martial artists from the outer hall squads were pushed forward, running at the front.
Seok Yi Cheon quickly scanned the battlefield.
‘I need to find the weakest point.’ Not all of the enemy forces were elite. There had to be weaker fighters among them.
Seok Yi Cheon’s eyes darted across the battlefield, and he quickly identified the left flank as the most vulnerable. The formation there was disorganised and their momentum seemed weaker.
“This way!”
Seok Yi Cheon moved to the left, and the 13th squad followed him.
Go Cheon-gwang, the leader of the 19th squad, saw this.
He ordered his deputy, Woo Il-yeong.
“Follow Seok Hyung.”
“Yes!”
Woo Il-yeong responded without a moment’s hesitation.
He had known Seok Yi Cheon since their days in the 13th squad. He knew that when Seok Yi Cheon acted with such determination, there was always a justified reason.
This wasn’t a fight to win.
While the leaders fought to win, those at the bottom fought simply to survive.
Boom!
A booming sound erupted as the martial artists on both sides clashed.
The impact caused the black ash that had been piled up on Hwangwon Plains to scatter into the sky, blotting out the sun and casting the world into darkness.
“Die!”
“Aaaah!”
Some swung their weapons as if facing mortal enemies, while others fought desperately just to stay alive. The clashing of weapons, screams, and agonized groans created a scene straight out of hell.
Limbs were severed, and blood splashed in all directions. In the chaos, it was impossible to tell friend from foe. The only thing you could trust was your own instincts.
Seok Yi Cheon trusted his instincts.
He found the most vulnerable spot and moved there, choosing to evade rather than confront directly. But no one from the external sects blamed Seok Ichun for this.
Struggling to survive was not a sin.
At least, that’s what the martial artists from the outer hall squads believed.
But not everyone was as lucky as the 17th and 19th squads.
The 16th and 18th squads, slower to react, found themselves isolated in the center of the battlefield—right where the elites of both sides clashed.
To the martial artists of Dragon Heaven Valley and the Martial Sword Troupe, the weaker outer hall squad members were easy prey.
Swiish!
Their swords and blades cut through the air.
“Aaargh!”
“Save me!”
The outer hall squad members’ desperate cries echoed across the battlefield. A few brave souls tried to fight back, but the gap in strength was too great. Dozens fell in an instant.
Those who survived tried to escape the center, but it was no use. The enemy’s blades pursued the weakest among them.
“This… this is hell,”
Someone muttered in despair.
In this place, there was no room for the ideals or romance of the Jianghu.
There was only overwhelming violence and savagery, expressed in the form of madness.
The combined forces of Dragon Heaven Valley and the Martial Sword Troupe overwhelmed the martial artists of the Jade Heaven Alliance.
In addition, Dragon Heaven Valley had lost all of its comrades in Hundred Eyes Fortress to the Jade Heaven Alliance. Their rage pierced the heavens, and there was no mercy in their hands.
They mercilessly punished every martial artist of the Jade Heaven Alliance, regardless of rank.
In the midst of the bloody battlefield, Mok Seo-nwol’s eyes flashed.
‘To swiftly end the battle, the enemy’s leader must be eliminated.’
It was necessary to prevent unnecessary casualties, whether they were from Dragon Heaven Valley or Jade Heaven Alliance.
Although their interests clashed, the martial artists of Jade Heaven Alliance were human too.
Even in the midst of war, she wanted to avoid unnecessary killing.
To do this, she needed to find and eliminate Baek Seo-mun as quickly as possible.
Mok Seon-wol’s eyes sparkled.
She had spotted her target in the crowd.
Baek Seo-mun was leading the Sword Heaven Squad, mercilessly slaughtering the martial artists of Dragon Heaven Valley.
With every swing of his sword, piles of Dragon Heaven Valley martial artists were killed.
The Sword Heaven Squad were the demons of the battlefield. And Baek Seo-mun was commanding them, turning the entire region into a living hell.
There was no reason to hesitate any longer.
‘Stop!’
Mok Seon Wol propelled her body high into the air.
After jumping five zhangs, she shot down like a meteor towards Baek Seo-mun.
Slash!
Her snake belly sword extended towards Baek Seo-mun’s neck.
“Kuh!”
Baek Seo-mun swung his sword to block her attack.
Clang!
With a loud clang, Baek Seo-mun’s body was thrown backwards.
Despite being a renowned expert in the Jade Heaven Alliance, he was clearly outmatched by Mok Seon Wol.
His armour was ripped open and blood flowed.
“You bitch!” Baek Seo-mun glared at her.
Though it was only a single exchange, the difference in their strength was undeniable.
‘She’s strong!’ Baek Seo-mun gritted his teeth.
Confident in his martial prowess, he had believed that he wouldn’t be so easily overwhelmed by Mok Seon Wol.
But her skill far exceeded his expectations.
‘Is this what they call a prodigy?’
He had once underestimated the Ten Lesser Skies.
No matter how famous one was, a novice with no real battle experience would shrink on the real battlefield, or so he thought.
But Mok Seon Wol neither faltered nor was she swallowed up by the madness of the battlefield.
Instead, she dominated everyone with her sheer presence.
Baek Seo-mun thought the world was truly unjust.
Mok Seon-wol pointed her snake belly sword at Baek Seo-mun.
“If you surrender, I will spare your life.”
“Heh! You think you can trample on a warrior’s pride? I may not be as strong as you, but I’m still a martial artist who has lived in this world. Do you think I’d surrender without a proper fight?”
Mok Seon-wol’s gaze deepened at his venomous reply. “Then so be it…”
She no longer urged him to surrender.
Swoosh!
Her snake belly sword lashed out like a viper, forcing Baek Seo-mun to retreat.
“Leader!”
The Sword Heaven Squad tried to intervene, but Mok Seon-wol’s sword, extending nearly ten feet, kept them at bay.
“Damn it!”
“Ugh!”
The Sword Heaven Squad glared at Mok Seon-wol’s with hatred. Her sword dominated the battlefield.
Baek Seo-mun, her target, was already drenched in blood.
Thud!
The final strike pierced his shoulder.
“Argh!”
Baek Seo-mun screamed as he collapsed to the ground. The snake belly had skewered his left shoulder like a skewer.
He tried to pull it out, but it was no use. The sword, firmly embedded, wouldn’t budge without its owner’s will.
Mok Seon Wol approached the fallen Baek Seo-mun.
“Heh heh…”
Suddenly, Baek Seo-mun burst into laughter.
Mok Seon Wol thought it was the laugh of a man who had given up, but something felt off.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Heh heh! Why do you think?”
“If you’re playing word games, I’ll pass.”
Mok Seon Wol’s eyes turned cold. She raised her sword, ready to deliver the final blow.
Just then—
Boom!
“Argh!”
An explosion erupted behind Mok Seon Wol, sending her flying forward. Her back was torn.
“Who?!”
Mok Seon Wol barely managed to lift her head.
She had sharpened her senses to the extreme to prepare for any potential ambush. Yet, she had still been caught off guard.
She was certain that the Sword Heaven Squad couldn’t deceive her senses, so her suspicion only grew.
As Mok Seon Wol searched for the attacker, her eyes widened in shock.
“Why are you?”
“Sorry, Miss Mok.”
The one apologizing with an unapologetic expression was Woo Mun Pae.
He was the one who had ambushed Mok Seonwol.
Mok Seon Wol couldn’t understand the situation.
“Why are you doing this?”
“Hah! Just keeping a promise.”
“A promise?”
“With Yongcheongmyeong. I promised to stay with him till the end.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s a friend.”
Woo Mun Pae answered nonchalantly.
Azazar
So in the end all come together… Seok Yi-cheon is a great character – not strong, but always tries his best to support these around him
The only question now left is would Gwak come before tragedy finishes or after?