C1688. Even as the Mockery Fades. (3)
Even the usually calm eyes of Yoo Iseol widened along with Baek Cheon's.
A sea of shadowy hands filled their field of vision. The sight was so overwhelming that even their trained bodies tensed up instantly from the pressure.
“Samae...!”
Baek Cheon's mouth opened almost instinctively. But before he could react, Yoo Iseol's sword moved faster.
Whoosh!
The moonlight-white sword emerged among the clouds, confronting the shadows. Her sword split into dozens, then hundreds of flashes, destroying the shadows looming over them.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
The sharp tips of her sword pierced and destroyed the shadows.
The speed and precision of her attacks were so impressive that it was hard to believe she had unleashed them in an instant. The shadows, which had surged like foam, momentarily lost their strength.
But...
Whoosh!
The shadows, which had stopped, quickly multiplied, increasing exponentially. It was as if a white flower was blooming uncontrollably.
Finally...
Boom!
Boom! Boom!
The shadows continued to strike Yoo Iseol relentlessly. Every time the shadows touched her, her body was pushed back.
“Samae!”
Baek Cheon hastily grabbed her before she fell off the edge of the cliff.
“Tsk!”
He quickly plunged his sword into the cliff wall. Although he couldn't completely stop, he at least prevented her body from being hurled into the void.
Ensuring Yoo Iseol was safe, Baek Cheon clung to the cliff wall.
“Are you alright?”
“...Yes.”
Yoo Iseol wiped the blood dripping from the corner of her mouth. Both looked at the edge of the cliff rising before them.
The cliff, which seemed to touch the moonlit sky, slowly revealed the figure of a person.
Though it was an unfamiliar face, both Baek Cheon and Yoo Iseol knew who it was. Even though his appearance was new, his presence couldn't have been clearer.
“Thousand-Faced Gentleman...”
Thousand-Faced Gentleman frowned.
“So this is what truly exhausting means.”
Murmuring in disgust, he looked towards the Mount Hua Sect swordsmen still climbing the cliff.
Those damned black uniforms.
They had become so familiar they were almost comforting.
“I admire your tenacity, like leeches. But I can't let you climb this cliff so easily. I have my responsibilities too.”
Baek Cheon's face contorted.
“Damn it!”
This was not good.
Even though the Mount Hua Sect was used to this type of terrain, those climbing would always be at a disadvantage against those defending from above.
And now, a formidable enemy like Thousand-Faced Gentleman was blocking the way. There was nothing worse.
To defeat someone so powerful, they needed someone of equivalent strength. But right now...
Whoosh!
“Samae!”
Yoo Iseol, as if reading Baek Cheon's thoughts, leaped upwards from the cliff.
Clang!
Her sword aimed at Thousand-Faced Gentleman's neck like the fangs of a snake.
But the shadows spread out in front of Thousand-Faced Gentleman, forming a barrier that stopped Yoo Iseol's sword.
Clang!
The clash between the sword and the shadows echoed like the strike of heavy metal.
Crack!
Yoo Iseol's sword bent as if it was about to break. But she didn't retreat an inch, gathering all her internal energy to break through the barrier.
Thousand-Faced Gentleman murmured softly.
“What foolishness.”
Whoosh!
Suddenly, the shadows multiplied, completely covering Yoo Iseol's attack and exploding over her.
“Gah...!”
With no other choice, Yoo Iseol twisted her body in mid-air to escape the impact zone.
Fortunately, the shadows didn't pursue her, but she was now three meters lower on the cliff.
Thousand-Faced Gentleman looked at his hand.
“...”
A red line appeared on his white hand, as if he had been whipped.
“Certainly sharp.”
Though he hadn't been cut, he couldn't deny he felt the impact.
“But still far off. At least for now.”
Meanwhile, Baek Cheon gritted his teeth.
The recent clash had made one thing clear.
Yoo Iseol was strong. But not strong enough to break through a defender like Thousand-Faced Gentleman. For that, they needed someone of equal strength.
Even though Yoo Iseol was one of the strongest in the Mount Hua Sect, she was still no match for someone who had mastered martial arts for decades like Thousand-Faced Gentleman.
Baek Cheon's eyes filled with urgency.
Though they were advancing quickly now, if they delayed too long on this cliff, they would be attacked from both sides and above.
If that happened, the terrain that once gave them an advantage would become a deadly trap.
'What do we do? In times like this...'
Baek Cheon gripped his sword tightly. Thinking of someone who wasn't there was pointless.
If Chung Myung were here, he wouldn't have these worries. Chung Myung would have already slashed through Thousand-Faced Gentleman's neck.
But Chung Myung wasn't here. They had to deal with this with what they had.
At that moment...
“Why hesitate?”
Thousand-Faced Gentleman's mocking voice rang in Baek Cheon's ears.
“I thought the Mount Hua Sect didn't care about such things. Was I wrong?”
“...”
“Or are you not the Mount Hua Sect I knew?”
Baek Cheon's face hardened.
“You...!”
Before he could respond, Thousand-Faced Gentleman's soft voice interrupted him.
“It seems the Commander wasn't so wrong.”
Baek Cheon's eyes widened slightly.
Commander? Ho Gakmyung? Why was he mentioning his name here?
“He said it wasn't the Mount Hua Sect that was strong. It was the Mount Hua’s Chivalrous Sword. That the incredible feats the Mount Hua Sect achieved were only possible because they had someone who defied all expectations. Therefore...”
Thousand-Faced Gentleman's words pierced the hearts of Baek Cheon and the Mount Hua Sect swordsmen.
“If you remove the Mount Hua’s Chivalrous Sword, the Mount Hua Sect is nothing. Without doing anything in particular... those who don't know they no longer have a tiger behind them will self-destruct. Those foxes, ignorant that the tiger is no longer there, will end themselves.”
Thousand-Faced Gentleman's gaze fixed on Baek Cheon, hanging from the cliff.
“What do you say? Seems quite true, doesn't it?”
A chill ran down Baek Cheon's spine.
Self-destruction? The Mount Hua Sect?
“Nonsense!”
Baek Cheon shouted through gritted teeth.
“Amitabha!”
A loud roar echoed behind him.
Wooooong!
Simultaneously, a large golden hand rose behind Baek Cheon.
“Is it a Shaolin monk?”
Thousand-Faced Gentleman laughed and extended his arms. Then, a cloud of shadows surged from his hands, covering and crushing the golden hand.
Boom!
The clash of energies shook the cliff. The golden hand disintegrated and scattered into the night sky.
“No matter how talented you are, you can't compare to a Shaolin Elder. You need someone of a master's level to face me.”
“Damn it!”
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Jo Gul, enraged, propelled himself from the cliff and launched himself towards Thousand-Faced Gentleman. His sword split into dozens of plum blossoms blooming in the air.
Boom!
But before the blossoms could reach their full glory, Thousand-Faced Gentleman's shadows precisely struck the tip of his sword.
“Tsk!”
Jo Gul, unable to unleash his full internal power, coughed up blood.
Whoosh!
Thousand-Faced Gentleman's shadows replaced the plum blossoms, a clear mockery.
“I'll kill you, bastard!”
Jo Gul roared, but the shadows swirled like a typhoon and enveloped him.
Just as the shadows were about to strike Jo Gul, Yoon Jong intervened, raising a barrier with his sword. His defense was nearly impenetrable.
Boom!
The shadows and sword energy clashed, and Yoon Jong was thrown back like an arrow.
“Sahyung!”
Jo Gul caught him, but the force was too much for them to maintain their footing on the cliff. Both began to slide down.
“Are you okay?”
Jo Gul, barely stopping their fall, grabbed Yoon Jong by the shoulders.
“...Damn it.”
A trickle of blood ran down Yoon Jong's mouth. No matter how pure his internal energy was, there was no way to win a direct power clash against someone who had lived for decades.
Yoon Jong looked up at Thousand-Faced Gentleman, shaking his head.
“This is all the Mount Hua Sect has. Without the Mount Hua’s Chivalrous Sword, they're just young people full of hot blood. Even I overestimated them.”
Baek Cheon bit his lip until it bled.
Those climbing the cliff had stopped their advance, and their morale had noticeably dropped.
They had to break through. If they didn't, they would be in danger.
'A combination of attacks?'
No, that wouldn't work.
This wasn't like facing the Black Dragon King on flat ground. There was no way a combination of attacks from below to above would work.
So, how?
He gripped his sword impatiently. He didn't know how. And even if he had an idea, he didn't have time to think it through.
Baek Cheon shouted.
“Samae!”
Yoo Iseol and Baek Cheon looked at each other. Yoo Iseol understood his determination and without responding, took Baek Cheon's sleeve, and they began to climb quickly.
"Haaaah!"
Baek Cheon shouted loudly.
Attacking one by one didn't work. They needed to layer their attacks.
Yoo Iseol and Baek Cheon climbed the cliff together.
Just before reaching Thousand-Faced Gentleman, Baek Cheon threw Yoo Iseol upwards.
Yoo Iseol soared through the air, drawing an arc towards Thousand-Faced Gentleman. At the same time, Baek Cheon attacked his abdomen from below.
"Still don't get it?"
Whoosh!
The white hands appeared again like a cloud.
Clang!
Yoo Iseol's desperate attack was blocked by the shadows, and her body was thrown back.
Clang!
Almost simultaneously, Baek Cheon's sword was caught by Thousand-Faced Gentleman's white hand. A sigh of frustration escaped Baek Cheon.
"Ah..."
He had put all his power into that attack, but it was neutralized easily.
Baek Cheon's eyes, filled with perplexity, met the relentless gaze of Thousand-Faced Gentleman.
"...This sword is worthless. Someone like you leading the Mount Hua Sect? A fox without claws?"
At that moment, an inescapable despair was reflected in Baek Cheon's eyes. Or perhaps, it was an overwhelming sadness.
"Those who overreach must pay the price. Die."
Thud!
Thousand-Faced Gentleman's left hand lunged towards Baek Cheon.
Baek Cheon felt time slow down. The shadows covered his vision, closing in on his face.
Facing imminent death, Baek Cheon neither closed his eyes nor opened them wide. He kept them firm, shining with serene determination.
Boom!
With a loud crash, Baek Cheon's body was thrown back. He saw the night sky and the moon.
But only for a moment.
An unknown force held him. Someone had caught him in mid-air and was holding him.
'What is this...?'
Then Baek Cheon saw something sticking out of Thousand-Faced Gentleman's shoulder.
'That's...'
A small knife. A weapon as small as a child's toy. But to Baek Cheon, it was something familiar.
"They are not people to be despised by someone like you."
Baek Cheon looked in astonishment at the man holding him.
"Tang Gaju-nim?"
"Are you alright?"
"Huh? Ah... yes, I'm fine..."
"It seems it's my turn. Let me clear the way."
Tang Gunak, after patting Baek Cheon on the shoulder, began walking up the cliff. He did so with such calmness it seemed the vertical cliff was a flat floor.
Tang Gunak's calm eyes met the enraged gaze of Thousand-Faced Gentleman.
Tang Gunak spoke.
"'Without the Mount Hua’s Chivalrous Sword, the Mount Hua Sect is nothing'... That may have some truth."
"Poison King... Tang Gunak."
"But the Mount Hua’s Chivalrous Sword without the Mount Hua Sect is also nothing. The Mount Hua Sect is much more than you think. Much more than you know. They are not people that someone like you, a relic of the Evil Faction, can despise."
Swoosh!
A sharp knife appeared in Tang Gunak's hand.
"An adult has their own way of fighting. Let's see how tough your throat is."
Tang Gunak's eyes shone with an intense coldness.