The Legend of the Northern Blade-Chapter 77

TL: FoodieMonster007; ED: TheGreatT20

RRRUMBLE!

Chae Yak-Ran grit her teeth as she watched the red-armored warriors swarm toward her.

SHUDDER!

She could sense the White Dragon escorts next to her trembling in terror. Fear was a highly contagious disease, and if things continued as they were, their morale would decrease past the point of no return, rendering the escorts useless and essentially spelling out their collective demise.

Mu-Hwan made a major miscalculation this time.

By choosing to ignore the Tang Clan warriors, the Iron Brigade had revealed their vulnerability and lack of confidence to the White Dragon escorts. As a result, the escorts now doubted their strength and ability to keep them safe, especially in the face of a terrifyingly powerful enemy.

Not far from Chae Yak-Ran, Yong Mu-Sung had come to the same conclusion as she did.

Fuck, I shouldn’t have handed over command to Mu-Hwan. If I had known beforehand that things would end this way, I would have stepped forward and taken the responsibility for the decision myself.

Same as his vice-commander Jong-Ri Mu-Hwan, Yong Mu-Sung also could not accept Jin Mu-Won’s uprightness. However, as the leader, he felt that it should have been him who showed their ugly side in place of his subordinate. It was too late for regrets now, though.

Well, that’s stuff to think about after we survive this crisis!

Yong Mu-Sung tightened his grip on his dragon scale dao and shouted, “Everyone, get your asses together! Jin-Hong, provide rear support!”

“Yes Sir!” replied Dam Jin-Hong firmly. He sharpened his gaze like never before, notched an arrow on his bowstring, aimed at one of the red-armored warrior’s, and fired.

TWANG!

With a loud whistle, the arrow flew through the air at the enemy’s head, the only vital part that wasn’t protected by armor. Just as Dam Jin-Hong believed that his arrow would pierce the target’s throat…

THWACK!

His faith in his skill was shattered alongside the arrow that was easily swatted away by the warrior’s spiked mace.

The warrior then grinned at Dam Jin-Hong, as if he already knew where the mercenary would aim for.

This motherfucker!

Staring into the enemy’s eyes that were as savage as a starving wolf’s, Dam Jin-Hong felt his blood freeze.

“AHHH!”

In the meantime, an all-out battle broke out as the red-armored warriors, the Iron Brigade, and White Dragon escorts clashed. The sound of people screaming and weapons clashing were heard everywhere as the scene deteriorated into one of pure chaos.

Blood gushed upwards into the sky like a geyser, and severed limbs fell on the ground with a ‘plop’ sound.

Yoon Seo-In stood in the middle of the unruly mess, her face as white as a sheet.

“This is ridiculous. Why is this happening to us…?”

Dead bodies piled up one after another, and blood flowed freely like a river.

Up until a few moments ago, Yoon Seo-In had been confident that she would be able to defend herself using the martial arts she had learned from the Kongtong Sect. This belief in herself had led her to join the Yunnan caravan thinking that her own life would never be threatened.

Now, the cruel reality was telling her just how wrong she had been. Right in front of her very eyes, lay the lifeless bodies of the escorts she had known for years, tossed on the ground like worthless trash.

She’d even watched helplessly as the spark of life was extinguished from one of their eyes like candles in the wind.

SHIVER!

Her sword hand trembled uncontrollably. She knew that she had to pull herself together, but she simply couldn’t erase the vivid memory of the look in that escort’s eyes as his life faded away.

Noticing that she was defenseless, one of the red-armored warriors approached her.

SWOOSH!

The warrior’s serrated sword flew straight for Yoon Seo-In’s neck, but she was still too rattled to notice.

CLANG!

Chae Yak-Ran, who was nearby, barely managed to block the serrated sword in time and yelled, “Hey! Wake up! Do you want to die?”

Yoon Seo-In finally snapped back to her senses.

“S-Sorry…”

“It’s up to you to protect yourself. Stay sharp.”

“I understand.”

Yoon Seo-In tightened her grip on her whip sword (urumi). The trembling in her hands had subsided somewhat, but the trepidation in her eyes was as clear as day.

She had never felt as much a part of the violent gangho as she did today. Left with no other choice, she suppressed her fear as best as she could and fought for dear life.

Some distance away, in the middle of the dance of death, Jin Mu-Won and Nam-Goong Wi stood facing each other.

Perhaps it was because Nam-Goong Wi had chosen him as his opponent, the red-armored warriors avoided Jin Mu-Won. In turn, Nam-Goong Wi didn’t blame them, as if that were only natural.

“UWAAAARRGH!”

As the desperate screams of the dying caravan members reached his ears, Jin Mu-Won’s face darkened. He might not have gotten along with them, but he didn’t feel good just watching them die, either.

Nevertheless, as long as Nam-Goong Wi was present, he couldn’t help them. The enemy leader’s fiery aura exploded like a volcanic eruption, but its true nature was closer to that of a hissing snake coolly observing Jin Mu-Won, carefully calculating his strength even as it was poised to strike.

Normally, the stimulation from being observed would cause a “knee jerk” response, but Jin Mu-Won remained utterly still and calm in defiance of Nam-Goong Wi’s common sense.

Either he doesn’t know martial arts at all, or he’s a master who is in full control of his body. Considering his composure, probably the latter.

Suddenly, Nam-Goong Wi’s gaze turned toward Tang Mi-Ryeo, who was standing behind Jin Mu-Won. He said threateningly, “Oi, bitch! All these people are dying because of you, so you should take responsibility for them.”

Tang Mi-Ryeo shuddered as the sheer amount of killing intent in Nam-Goong Wi’s voice reminded her just how frightening the man in front of her was. This was a monster who had killed three of the Tang Clan’s young elites in one strike. In addition, she didn’t know how effective poison would be on him, but she knew that her hidden weapons were completely useless against that thick red armor he wore.

These people are literally the natural enemies of the Tang Clan.

It didn’t take a genius to work out that this group was painstakingly created for the sole purpose of taking on the Tang Clan.

Tang Mi-Ryeo shuddered.

The Tang Clan doesn’t stand a chance against these warriors. But, who are they? Is there a powerful faction that hates the Tang Clan so much, they would do this just to destroy us?

Although the Tang Clan was a superpower as well as a member of the Five Great Clans, Tang Mi-Ryeo couldn’t think of anyone they had offended enough to spend so much money and resources on something this extreme.

We might have unknowingly gotten ourselves involved in a sweeping, macabre conspiracy.

Tang Mi-Ryeo’s blood ran cold as she trembled in fear and trepidation.

However, rather than the fear of the unknown, the immediate pressure coming from Nam-Goong Wi in front of her was far harder to bear. To her inexperienced self, the giant’s eyes were like those of a wild beast staring down its prey, excited yet murderous.

STEP.

The wagon driver dressed in a reddish brown outfit, like earth that had been soaked in blood, stepped between her and Nam-Goong Wi, taking on the brunt of his aura in her place.

“Ah!”

The huge pressure on Tang Mi-Ryeo instantly vanished as if it had never existed.

That wagon driver was, naturally, Jin Mu-Won.

“Hmph!”

Nam-Goong Wi snorted derisively and grabbed his sky piercer halberd. In an instant, his aura intensified several-fold.

Despite the increased pressure like a large boulder trying to weigh him down, Jin Mu-Won’s relaxed expression never faltered, leaving a deep and lasting impression on Tang Mi-Ryeo.

Nam-Goong Wi pointed his halberd at Jin Mu-Won and taunted, “You’re not going to chicken out on me now, are you?”

“If I was going to back down, I wouldn’t have interfered in the first place.”

Nam-Goong Wi grinned and concentrated his chi as he replied, “Okay, let’s find out just how strong you are!”

ROAR!

With a ear-splitting roar, the sky piercer halberd came crashing down on Jin Mu-Won like a fierce wave on a stormy sea. In the wind that had turned to blades, his clothes fluttered wildly, threatening to slice through his skin.

Jin Mu-Won narrowed his eyes.

Nam-Goong Wi was by far the strongest opponent he had faced after coming to the Central Plains. Not even Mu Jin of the Kongtong Sect could hold a candle to Nam-Goong Wi.

Still, he didn’t feel in the least bit scared. Instead, his heart was filled with an eerie calm, containing neither excitement nor nervousness, as if his soul had been separated from his body and was observing the situation from an outsider’s perspective.

“Before we fight, there is something I must know. Mind answering a question first?”

“As long as it’s a question I can answer.”

“Are you the one who caused the disappearance of the merchant caravans?”

“Hmm, I wonder…” Nam-Goong Wi answered vaguely, a mysterious smile on his face.

That settled it for Jin Mu-Won. The giant was definitely involved in the disappearances. He asked again, “Are you the one responsible for everything that’s happening in Yunnan?”

“Woah there! You’re overestimating me. I’m not the mastermind, merely a human weapon.”

“Then, who is the mastermind behind all this?”

“Are you curious?”

Jin Mu-Won nodded.

Nam-Goong Wi grinned like a naughty boy about to do some mischief, but Jin Mu-Won didn’t buy his poor acting. Unlike the others, he could clearly see the barbaric savagery and mercilessness surrounding the giant like a raging vortex.

Nam-Goong Wi waggled his finger at Jin Mu-Won in a beckoning gesture1 and said, “If you want to know the answer, you’ll have to defeat me first.”

“If I do, then will you tell me what I want to know?”

“Maybe…?”

“I see, in that case…”

SSUK!

Jin Mu-Won vanished from Nam-Goong Wi’s field of vision, causing him to instinctively raise his halberd in defense.

BAM!

A tremendous impact struck Nam-Goong Wi’s halberd, pushing him a dozen steps backward and leaving a gaping furrow in the hard ground.

“Fuck!”

The smile was wiped clean off Nam-Goong Wi’s face as he staggered from the shock of the blow transmitting throughout his entire body.

At the exact spot where he had been up until a moment ago stood Jin Mu-Won, holding a still sheathed Snow Flower.

“…I’ll just beat you up and continue asking.”

Jin Mu-Won strode toward Nam-Goong Wi.

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