Episode 1680. Just Believe. (4)
"Damn it! We finally made it!"
Jo Gul gritted his teeth.
Before his eyes, Mount Wudang was engulfed in flames. It was a horrifying sight, but despite that, Jo Gul didn't miss the fact that the fire had not yet reached the summit of Wudang.
"Sasuk! There it is!"
"I know!"
Baek Cheon shouted without slowing down as he ran forward.
"No, ahead! Deputy Sect Leader! Ahead first!"
"Hmm?"
Baek Cheon glanced down at the urgent voice of Hye Yeon.
What he saw was a scene that seemed to make the mountain tremble.
'What?'
No, it wasn't the mountain moving. What he saw was the army of the Evil Tyrant Alliance, which had been gathered at the foot of the mountain, heading towards them.
Even Baek Cheon, who considered himself a veteran of many battles, felt dizzy for a moment.
"What do we do?"
Baek Cheon turned his head slightly at Yoon Jong's voice.
Although he was the Deputy Sect Leader of the Mount Hua Sect, his position was only that of a secondary leader. If the Sect Leaders were present...
However, when Baek Cheon turned his head, he didn't see his Sect Leader but the annoying face of Jin Geumryong, who had placed himself behind him.
"What?"
"Oh."
Jin Geumryong let out a chuckle.
"What are you looking back for now? You've done everything you wanted to do."
"No, no!"
"What, now you're scared? Coward?"
Baek Cheon's face twisted with anger.
"Stop spouting nonsense...!"
"If not, keep your eyes forward and give the order."
Jin Geumryong nodded forward, as if to say not even to think about looking back.
"You are the one who needs to give the order now."
At that moment, Jin Geumryong raised his sword as if to show it to Baek Cheon.
"I'll be watching closely to see if you act like a decent person."
"..."
"What are you doing?"
"Ugh..."
Baek Cheon, glaring at Jin Geumryong, turned his head forward with his face burning with anger.
'Really, what a character.'
To say 'I'll support you with all my strength, no matter the order' in such an annoying way is something only Jin Geumryong could do in the whole world.
Chung Myung and he were irritating in different ways, but equally annoying.
However...
"Sasuk! Then what...?"
"What are we going to do? There's no time to hesitate!"
Whoosh!
Baek Cheon's sword shot out like lightning.
"Yoon Jong! Jo Gul!"
"Yes!"
"Attack the enemy's flanks! Disperse their forces!"
"Yes!"
No further explanations were needed.
"I'll break the center! Namgung Dowi! Hye Yeon! Help me!"
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
Before the words faded, the forces of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance, advancing as one, split into three parts.
Although they had never trained together, they moved like an army that had worked in unison for decades.
"There's no turning back! Break them at once!"
"Yes!"
"Everyone!"
Baek Cheon raised his sword and shouted.
"Destroy the hordes of the Evil Faction!"
"Let's go!"
Whoosh!
Before the words faded, two figures swiftly passed by Baek Cheon and advanced.
"What?"
"Huh?"
Jin Geumryong and Yoo Iseol.
The two, who had advanced at the same time, looked at each other with serious faces for a moment. But only for a moment.
Whoosh!
Without a word, the two leaped and rushed toward those coming to meet them.
"Step aside, woman."
"You're in the way."
The tips of the swords of those running like the wind pierced the enemies who didn't know what to do.
Crunch! Crack!
"Ahhh!"
In an instant, Jin Geumryong and Yoo Iseol, who had pierced through the bodies of a dozen enemies, looked at each other again with hardened faces.
"I told you to step aside!"
"You're in the way!"
Whoosh!
Both delved deeper into the enemy ranks. Before the enemies pierced by their swords fell to the ground...
"Stop them!"
"A-mi-ta-bha!"
"Haaah!"
At the moment they tried to react, a roar echoed in their ears, accompanied by tremendous energy.
Above the heads of the members of the Evil Tyrant Alliance trying to stop the invaders, a golden light and a massive white sword energy descended.
Boom!
A storm of overwhelming power swept over them.
The members of the Evil Tyrant Alliance, struck by the power and energy of the sword, were thrown in all directions like foam slammed against a cliff by waves.
"What, what is that?"
For the members of the Evil Tyrant Alliance, battle was very familiar.
But even for them, the combined force of Shaolin's best talent and the young master of the Namgung Family, showing all their power, was impressive.
Being strong and having high destructive power are not the same. There might not be many people in the world who can defeat those two, but few could display such power with a single move.
That display of strength deeply affected their enemies.
"These monsters!"
But they didn't have much time to process it.
"Pierce through them!"
Yoon Jong and Jo Gul, who had led their forces to the flanks, now pounced on them like a beast's fangs.
They broke the center and attacked the flanks.
They broke the center and attacked the flanks.
That combination of attacks was executed so naturally that no many words were needed.
"No, no! Don't advance so far! Samae! Jin Geumryong!"
Baek Cheon shouted as if he was about to lose his voice.
"Follow them! Don't leave them isolated!"
"Yes!"
Baek Cheon's men, leading the center, advanced at an astonishing speed.
"...Hmm."
Jong Rigok, the Sect Leader of the Southern Edge Sect, watched the scene with a tense face.
'Is this possible?'
The force of the attacks was impressive, but the most surprising thing was that, with only a few orders, those who had never fought together before moved as if they had for years.
Jong Rigok knew how difficult it was to move so many people at will. But what he saw before his eyes was something incredible.
"How...?"
"It's simple."
"Hmm?"
Jong Rigok turned his head.
Im Sobyeong, drenched and panting, was standing next to him.
"Did you just come out of the water?"
"It's simple because it's straightforward."
Im Sobyeong ignored Jong Rigok's question and continued explaining while breathing heavily.
"There's no need to complicate things. The only order they've been given is to follow the leader at the front."
"...Follow the leader?"
"Yes. Complex structures are not needed. During defense or confrontation, it might be different, but in an attack, everything starts from one point."
Jong Rigok nodded.
'Definitely...'
Although there is no end to the art of war, there is a clear framework. Especially in attack, it is even clearer.
"A main attack and four supporting attacks."
"..."
"In any military strategy, attacks don't exceed five. If those five move, any attack is possible. As a Sect Leader, you should understand this."
Jong Rigok let out an incredulous laugh.
"Such nonsense."
"Yes. It's not a perfect method. But..."
Im Sobyeong pointed forward with his chin.
"It works, doesn't it?"
"..."
Jong Rigok couldn't refute that statement.
"Anyway, at this point, there's no way to create complex tactics and structures. Not even in ten years would they work well. But there's a simple way."
"...Think of five armies as five people?"
"Yes. And give them what they know best."
Jong Rigok looked forward again.
One breaks the center, two support. Two more spread to the flanks, creating confusion.
"...Wu Xing? That is, Five Elements."
"Exactly."
That is the basis of the Wu Xing deployment. Everyone who grew up in the martial arts world has practiced it countless times. The only difference is that, instead of one person, it's now a group.
"That..."
Jong Rigok understood.
With this method, complex chains of command are not needed. The leaders of each group understand each other with just a glance. They have fought together in countless battles.
"Was the Deputy Sect Leader chosen for this reason?"
"Well, only the strategist knows."
"Hah..."
Jong Rigok let out an incredulous laugh again.
"This is extremely reckless. This works only because we are on the offensive..."
At that moment, Jong Rigok stopped.
He remembered something someone had told him before.
Now it's our turn to attack.
"...Attack?"
It wasn't that they would attack. They had to attack. They had no other choice.
"Since when?"
Wasn't it just to mix the sects and suppress their individual desires?
"...Hah."
Jong Rigok shook his head.
He couldn't keep up. He didn't even have the courage to try.
"It's not time to admire, Sect Leader. It's time to use your power."
"...Aren't we in the same position?"
"I am a civil officer, aren't I?"
"..."
Jong Rigok sighed and moved forward.
Anyway, he had no intention of standing still. That would make him feel completely useless.
"Even if my mind isn't clear, my sword hasn't rusted yet."
Jong Rigok's sword made a clear sound as it was unsheathed.
"Commander!"
Ho Gakmyung, standing at the foot of the bloodied White Cliff, was looking down. He could clearly see the forces of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance breaking through the members of the Evil Tyrant Alliance.
"How is it possible that they are already here!"
"..."
"Commander! We must act quickly!"
"Don't be agitated. We knew they would come."
"What?"
Ho Gakmyung's gaze hardened.
He could see the Heavenly Comrade Alliance, but he didn't see Chung Myung. That meant the leader had succeeded in his plan. That meant Chung Myung wasn't among them.
Ho Gakmyung checked the enemy forces several times. Finally, when he confirmed that Chung Myung wasn't there, he nodded slightly.
"He's not here."
"...Commander?"
"Then they're just a mob."
Ho Gakmyung spoke coldly.
"Tell them to fight properly while retreating."
"But, Commander, their momentum..."
The aide who tried to object stopped when Ho Gakmyung looked at him coldly.
"I will do as you command."
"Drag them up the mountain."
Ho Gakmyung's gaze became deeper.
"This is an opportunity that won't come easily."
Ho Gakmyung briefly glanced towards the White Cliff.
"If there's a bait they can't ignore... it must be used."
The only thing left was to catch the big fish.
Ho Gakmyung's gaze went beyond the battlefield, into the deep darkness.
"You will regret not coming, Plum Blossom Sword Demon."
Ho Gakmyung clenched his fists tightly.