Chapter 1749. You can think of it as venting my anger (4)

Fwoosh!

The blood cultist's eyes widened as if they were about to tear apart.

Just moments ago, the area where his enemy had been was now covered with crimson petals.

'Illusionary technique? Or an illusionary sword?'

Either way, it was shocking.

The blood cultist, who had momentarily hesitated, swung his bizarrely shaped sword again, even more fiercely than before.

It was a disturbingly peculiar sword technique. But the energy imbued in the sword wasn't particularly impressive. No matter how strange the technique was, it wouldn't make the person behind it disappear, so he just needed to cut through it along with the sword energy.

"Die!"

At that moment, the crimson petals enveloping Yoon Jong burst outwards in all directions.

Fwoosh!

'What?'

Before he could react, the sword energy tore through the blood cultists' bodies.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

The blood cultists were flung back by the storm of petals.

The same tough bodies that even swords had trouble piercing were easily penetrated by the thin, petal-like sword energy.

Thud! Thud!

The ones who were thrown to the ground rolled across it.

"Huuftt..."

Yoon Jong straightened up from his lowered stance.

Though his breathing wasn't labored, sweat poured down his forehead like rain.

Even if it was intense, it had been just one sword strike, and yet a feeling of complete exhaustion overwhelmed his body, as if something inside him had been entirely drained.

"Huff..."

Just then, he heard the voice of one of the fallen blood cultists.

"You damned bastard. Using cheap tricks."

Despite having black holes pierced all over their bodies, the blood cultists were rising again as if it were nothing.

"..."

Yoon Jong's eyes momentarily darkened. The problematic tendrils were wriggling through the holes.

'Did it fail?'

He couldn't be sure. He couldn't precisely define what he had done either.

"For a final struggle, it wasn't bad."

The blood cultist standing before Yoon Jong wiped his mouth with his sleeve. The tendrils wriggling from the hole in his cheek made Yoon Jong feel nauseous.

"But in the end, you're just unbelievers."

Despite their wounds not being fully healed, the blood cultists began to press towards Yoon Jong again.

Seeing their indifferent reaction to the holes in their bodies made Yoon Jong's heart tighten painfully.

"Creatures who have not received the grace of the cult can't defeat us. Regret not joining the cult sooner..."

The blood cultist who was tauntingly babbling suddenly stopped talking.

"…..."

It wasn't just him. The others, who had been closing in on Yoon Jong, also stopped in their tracks.

'What's this?'

Yoon Jong's eyes showed confusion. But the eyes of the blood cultists held even greater bewilderment.

"What the... Ugh! Uweeek!"

The blood cultist in the center clutched his chest and dropped to his knees, vomiting a large amount of pitch-black blood.

"What... what is this? Ugh!"

Another blood cultist, who also vomited blood, looked at his own body in horror. The wounds that had been healing began to bleed again, as if reversing the miracles they had shown until now, with their injuries rapidly worsening.

"The, the blessing of the cult?"

The blood cultist's eyes shook violently.

"This is impossible!"

The fact that the wounds were reopening and becoming life-threatening wasn't as shocking as the realization that the protective tendrils had stopped moving. The blood cultist's hands trembled like leaves in the wind.

"You! What did you do... Uweeek!"

The blood cultist vomited thick black blood once more.

"Huft! Huft! Huft!"

Breathing heavily, the blood cultist looked at Yoon Jong again. Fear, which hadn't been there before, now shone intensely in his eyes.

After a moment of internal conflict, the blood cultist bit his lip hard.

"We're retreating."

"What? But..."

"We're retreating!"

The blood cultists nodded in agreement.

With hateful eyes, the cultists slowly retreated before quickly turning and fleeing.

"Stop right..."

Yoon Jong instinctively started to chase them but stopped and took a deep breath.

'Stay calm.'

If they could no longer regenerate, they wouldn't be difficult opponents. Even Yoon Jong could handle them alone. However, it was too early to assume that they had completely lost their strange abilities.

Moreover, he hadn't come here just to defeat them.

"Phew..."

Yoon Jong looked at his sword. It was the same as usual, yet something different lingered on it.

'No, it's not different.'

He still didn't fully understand what the immortal qi was, but it was clear that the power had been within him all along.

Sriiing.

Yoon Jong sheathed his sword. Now was not the time to get lost in thought.

"Are you alright?"

"Oh... Oh! Yes!"

Those who had been watching the fight due to their injuries nodded vigorously at Yoon Jong's words.

"Are you alright, dojang?"

"I look quite a mess, but... it's nothing serious."

The Heavenly Comrade Alliance members slowly nodded.

"We should treat your injuries, but unfortunately, we don't have time for that right now. It's tough, but..."

"It seems there are no more enemies here, so head up the mountain and join the support team."

"Yes, dojang... No, budangju-nim! What about you, budangju-nim?" [tl: budangju = deputy faction leader]

"I need to support elsewhere."

Yoon Jong gripped his sword slightly.

Being able to use immortal qi didn't change much. He still couldn't use it freely.

Yet, for some reason, he felt more confident. Perhaps it was because he realized that something extraordinary had always been within him.

"Then."

"Take care."

"Thank you."

Yoon Jong bowed respectfully and leaped away. As his figure quickly disappeared, the remaining members sighed in unison.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, hyung-nim. But…."

The one who had been sitting down held his long shoulder wound and forced a bitter smile.

'We were busy running away with our nearby members.'

That person had single-handedly charged in and overwhelmed everyone. And he looked even younger than them.

"Mount Hua's Five Swords, Yoon Jong…"

They couldn't be unaware. As the deputy faction leader of one of the five factions within the Heavenly Comrade Alliance, anyone in the Alliance who didn't recognize him would be suspected as a spy from the Demonic Sect and executed.

However, the Yoon Jong he knew and the one the world talked about was someone who didn't particularly stand out in martial arts among the Five Swords. He was just someone who followed the reputation of the Five Swords through his knowledge and learning.

'That person?'

He laughed incredulously. It wasn't that he followed the Five Swords, but rather, the others around him being Five Swords made someone like him not particularly noticeable.

"I've come to realize how unreliable rumors can be."

"…I understand what you mean."

The Heavenly Comrade Alliance members sighed and slowly stood up. They didn't know if the enemy would return, so they needed to join the incoming support team as Yoon Jong had instructed.

"Let's go up."

"Yes."

The one who took a step hesitated and glanced back at where Yoon Jong had disappeared.

'But what was that?'

That final strike he had shown. There was definitely an unusual energy in that sword. Something warm, clear, and... auspicious.

* * *

"What are you doing?"

"I'm coming."

The injured members mustered their strength and began climbing the mountain.

"Damn it! Damn!"

"Stay focused."

"Argh! It's not as easy as you say!"

Jo Geol cursed and swung his sword furiously.

Suppression doesn't mean blocking the enemy's attack, but rather preventing the enemy from attacking. But these enemies didn't fear losing limbs or even having their hearts pierced.

It was not as easy as it sounded to subdue those guys and prevent them from moving. With Jo Geol's current abilities, it was barely within the realm of possibility.

The reason he could face them at all was because of-

Slash!

"Well done."

"What did I do?"

No matter how crudely Jo Geol restrained the enemy, Yoo Iseol's skill at decapitating them accurately from any position was what made it possible.

"Move."

"Damn it!"

Sensing that it was already too late, Jo Geol rolled his body to the ground. Several twisted blades struck the spot where he had been.

'Damn bastards!'

If there was only one enemy, he could handle it easily, but there were some who moved separately and could only be stopped by decapitating them in one blow.

Jo Geol's back was already soaked with sweat. This was just a small skirmish, so he could somehow manage, but the thought of these guys being deployed in a real battlefield was terrifying.

"Your breathing is rough."

"I know. Damn it!"

Even as he spoke, Jo Geol desperately tried to calm his breath. Compared to Yoo Iseol, who hadn't even broken a sweat, he was overly agitated.

"...These bastards dare!"

The red light flared in the eyes of the blood cultists. The sight of their decapitated comrades seemed to provoke their bloodthirstiness.

'Their skill isn't much.'

No, their swordsmanship and blade techniques weren't their entire skill set. If that bizarre body technique was a form of 'Qi Art' their skills had to be considered exceptional.

"I will rip your limbs to shreds and kill you!"

The enemies approached, growling like beasts. Though they seemed to have lost their reason, their cautious steps betrayed their intention to strike all at once.

'This is not good.'

Jo Geol's eyes narrowed.

Those twisted blades could cut through flesh with just a touch. But all he and Yoo Iseol could do was swing their swords to decapitate the enemy in one blow. If the enemies attacked all at once, there would be those they couldn't handle, and those twisted blades would tear their bodies apart.

'If only we had one or two more people... Coming with just the two of us was a mistake.'

Failing to accurately assess the enemy's strength and numbers in his haste was a critical error. But now was not the time to dwell on that.

"Sago. Is this possible?"

"It will be. We'll make it possible."

"...I thought I was the most carefree person in Mount Hua."

These days, he felt like his specialties were constantly being taken by others.

"They're coming."

"Damn it!"

Jo Geol poured his internal energy into his sword. Strong sword wasn't his main field, but there was no other way to decapitate those tough necks in one strike. His sword couldn't be as graceful as Yoo Iseol's.

"Come on! I'll cut off all your heads!"

As Jo Geol prepared to charge at the enemies, pushing off the ground, suddenly...

Whoosh!

"Huh?"

"Hmm?"

Countless plum blossom petals swirled over their heads.

"Sa, Sahyung! It's useless! That won't work..."

Jo Geol urgently shouted, seeing Yoon Jong leap forward. He knew from countless encounters that such sword techniques wouldn't work on them.

But then...

"Aaaargh!"

"What, what is this!"

The enemies, who had charged with great momentum, crumbled on the spot, clutching their bodies. They screamed in agony, a sound Jo Geol had never heard from them before.

"...It works?"

Seeing the horrifying tendrils not emerging from their bodies, Jo Geol blinked dumbfoundedly.