C1685. That's None of My Concern! (5)
"Ahhhhhh!"
Jo Gul screamed with all his might, as if he were about to spit out his lungs. His bloody hand trembled as he held his sword.
"Damn it, I did it! Damn it!"
Jo Gul repeatedly struck the White Cliff with his fist before quickly turning around. Those behind him looked at him with intensely emotional eyes.
They knew.
They knew how difficult it was to make their way up this mountain. How terrifying it was to lead the attack without knowing when and how the enemies would pounce from behind the flames.
But this man had traversed that dangerous path and finally arrived here.
What Jo Gul demonstrated here was not just the sharpness of his sword. It was the courage to take the first step. The world calls that bravery.
The sect members present understood. Even if the final result here ended in failure, no one would dare to say that Jo Gul was not worthy.
Jo Gul ordered:
"What are you doing?! Guard the rear! The enemies are trying to regroup! Stop them, now!"
"Yes, Budangju!"
The voices that responded had a firmness that had not been heard before. Jo Gul shouted without hiding his emotion.
"Don't delay and come quickly! What are you doing?"
"We're on our way, damn you!"
Yoon Jong shouted in a high-pitched voice that rang in their ears.
"If you just shut your mouth, your rating would double, you damn bastard!"
Yoon Jong clicked his tongue and muttered as he encouraged his subordinates. They needed to hurry to regroup.
"Over here!"
At that moment, Baek Cheon raised his sword high for everyone to see clearly.
"All units, form a formation around this area, right now!"
"Yes!"
Baek Cheon quickly observed the surroundings. Reaching the cliff was a good thing, but it also meant that the movements of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance had stopped.
The enemies, if they weren't fools, would obviously try to surround and attack them.
Baek Cheon looked towards the cliff behind him and the paths extending to his left and right.
'It's narrow.'
It's a path that connects to the steep cliff. It will take a long time for everyone to climb up.
"Dong Ryong, they're coming!"
"Damn it! I've told you not to call me that!"
Baek Cheon instinctively shouted as he looked ahead. The enemies were making their way through the flames that still burned fiercely, like enraged bulls.
But...
"Huh?"
"What?"
"This is... strange."
Baek Cheon, Jo Gul, and Yoon Jong tilted their heads at the same time, as if they had agreed.
Clearly, the enemies were gathering beyond the flames, but they couldn't cross them easily.
Curiously, the flames caused by the Evil Tyrant Alliance were acting as a barrier preventing the Heavenly Comrade Alliance from being surrounded immediately. It was as if the Heavenly Comrade Alliance had erected a great wall of fire against them.
"Should I call it self-destruction?"
"Oh? Do you know that term?"
Jo Gul felt offended by being ignored. Yoon Jong paid no attention as he kept his gaze forward. During that time, Namgung Dowi and Hye Yeon, who were a little behind, joined with their subordinates.
"Siju!"
"Good job, monk!"
"Don't say that. The real work was done by Jo Gul in opening the path."
"Thanks for..."
"No, it doesn't matter."
"He didn't really do much, monk."
Jo Gul's shoulders drooped, discouraged. How did I end up with these people...?
"So, what do we do now, Deputy Sect Leader?"
Baek Cheon frowned slightly at Namgung Dowi's question.
Since they were backed by the cliff, they had a safe position to defend against the enemies. Moreover, the persistent attacks on their rear had decreased a bit.
For the moment, they had some respite.
Baek Cheon responded calmly.
"There's nothing different. First, let's firmly defend this position while an elite group traverses the paths on both sides."
"Sasuk."
"What?"
"I think that's not possible."
"What...?"
Baek Cheon, who was about to ask, sensed something and looked up.
Swish!
Boom!
Something crashed into the cliff and fell.
'A person?'
Baek Cheon's face hardened.
"Gul!"
"Damn it!"
Jo Gul immediately jumped, caught the falling man, and descended with him.
"Ugh..."
Jo Gul's hand trembled slightly. The person, with several blades stuck in his body and severely injured, convulsed in his arms.
Though he was battered and torn, the man clearly wore the uniform of the Wudang sect.
"He... he...?"
Jo Gul was about to ask if he was okay, but he closed his mouth. Anyone could see that there was no hope for this man. Even if Tang Soso were here, she couldn't do anything.
"Damn it..."
Jo Gul bit his lips in frustration. At that moment, the fallen man slowly opened his eyes and spoke.
"M-Mount... Hua...?"
"Yes! We are Mount Hua!"
Jo Gul nodded vehemently.
"It's the Heavenly Comrade Alliance. Can you hear me?"
"Up... the... Sahyung..."
"......"
"Da... danger...".
The man's head tilted to one side. The body that convulsed in Jo Gul's arms calmed and went silent.
Jo Gul gritted his teeth as he looked at him and then gently laid him on the ground. Then, with a serious expression, he looked at Baek Cheon.
"Did you understand what he meant at the end?"
"He meant that they will soon be annihilated."
Jo Gul clenched his fist tightly.
Baek Cheon's gaze was fixed on the edge of the cliff. Like newly hatched spiderlings, the enemies were fiercely climbing the cliff, trying to reach the members of the Wudang Sect, who, instead, were being thrown into the void.
The situation at Wudang was worse than expected. The enemies were scaling the cliff, and the defenders were falling from it.
This was enough to surmise how things were above.
"Let's go, Yoon Jong!"
"Wait a moment. Sasuk!"
"We don't have time to hesitate! Don't you know why we're here?"
"It's impossible. The enemies must be entrenched on that path."
"We have to break through!"
"The problem is not breaking through but how quickly we get there. At this rate, Wudang won't hold until we reach the top of the cliff."
"Then, what do you suggest...?"
"Let's climb!"
"Huh?"
"What?"
Baek Cheon and Yoon Jong's gazes turned towards Jo Gul at the same time. Jo Gul was pointing upwards, towards the cliff behind them.
"Climbing is our specialty!"
"Wait a moment, Jo Gul. That's..."
"What are you hesitating about? It's the fastest way!"
"It's too dangerous!"
"That's not my problem."
Jo Gul gave them a fierce look.
"Are we not going to try just because it's dangerous?"
"......"
"Don't you see this is the only way? We must climb now! It's the easiest method!"
Baek Cheon observed the cliff again.
Is it possible? Of course, it is.
If the members of the Evil Tyrant Alliance can climb the cliff, they can too. But...
Baek Cheon and Yoon Jong seemed to have the same thought, and Yoon Jong coldly rejected Jo Gul's proposal.
"That... was when we were part of the Mount Hua Sect. If we climb now, the entire system we've established will collapse. At the top of the cliff, we will have no control. There will be too many casualties."
"Damn it! Are we just going to watch?"
"If we break through quickly..."
"It's too late!"
Bam!
Jo Gul struck the cliff with his fist, his eyes filled with fury.
"Do you want to try a method you know will fail? Just to not feel guilty?"
"Jo Gul..."
"It's not about choosing the method but creating it! Isn't that right?"
Baek Cheon pressed his lips together. Jo Gul was right, but...
"Why hesitate? Stupid."
At that moment, a mocking voice reached his ear. Baek Cheon ground his teeth.
"Damn it. I don't have time to argue with you..."
"Climb."
"What?"
Jin Geumryong, who had been organizing the rear, approached with an arrogant look.
"If they really are those monkeys from the Mount Hua Sect, they can leap up the cliff."
"I'm not from the Sect..."
"There are your companions."
Barely had he finished speaking when several familiar faces appeared. They wore the black uniform with the plum blossom embroidered on their chests.
They were the Swordsmen of the Mount Hua Sect.
"Sasuk!"
"We're ready!"
"Just give the order, Sahyung!"
Baek Cheon's eyes trembled. Doubt gripped his heart. But...
"No. Not now..."
"Stop talking nonsense."
"What?"
Jin Geumryong laughed.
"We formed our sects to prevent everyone from only looking out for their own interests. Do you really think anyone here will be angry if the Mount Hua Sect climbs that cliff?"
"......"
"So, stop talking and let's go. I'll take care of this."
Jin Geumryong waved his sword and turned around. Without looking back, he advanced towards the enemy.
"From now on, I'm in charge!"
As Baek Cheon watched in astonishment, Namgung Dowi laughed.
"They really are brothers."
"What?"
"They are equally stubborn."
"Sogaju-nim...!"
Namgung Dowi laughed and nodded.
"Go, Deputy Sect Leader. I'll handle things here."
"But..."
"I just have to hold out until you rescue Wudang. If I can't even do that, I'll disgrace the name of Namgung."
Namgung Dowi smiled and looked at Hye Yeon.
"I'll stay here. Go ahead."
"Siju..."
"It's what you want to do, right?"
Hye Yeon's face blushed slightly.
"Monks are not the only ones who can act maturely. And, as you know, we're not alone."
"Correct!"
Someone intervened, approaching confidently and waving a fan.
"Namgung is also here..."
"The other sect leaders are here. They remain silent, but they will act in a crisis."
"But I also..."
"And each one of them is a renowned expert. Don't underestimate them."
"Aren't the members of the Evil Tyrant Alliance also here?"
Namgung Dowi finally glanced around and murmured.
"If you know that, step aside."
"What?"
As the two began to argue, Baek Cheon sighed deeply.
Everything fit perfectly, of course.
He raised his head and saw everyone else.
Jo Gul, Yoon Jong, Yoo Iseol, Hye Yeon, and the Swordsmen with the plum blossoms behind them. Baek Cheon smiled and shook his head.
"Really, you guys..."
"Who speaks?"
"Is that the attitude of a Sasuk?"
"I thought we might be separated for a while."
"Shut up, you damn bastards! Not another word!"
Baek Cheon looked up at the cliff. On his face, instead of seriousness, there was a growing passion.
Baek Cheon gave an order to the Mount Hua Sect.
"Wudang is fighting for their lives."
The Swordsmen of the Mount Hua Sect changed their expressions.
"Let's go, Mount Hua Sect. Jump up the cliff!"
"Yes!"
Swish!
The Swordsmen of the Mount Hua Sect launched themselves up the cliff.
The world around them changed. The cliff, which was once so high, now seemed like a plain, and the black, starry sky unfolded like ink.
A hundred swords cut through the sky like meteors.