Ascension of the Heavenly Demon - Chapter 32

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 32

 

 

The change happened in an instant.

“You bastards! Do I look that ridiculous to you!”

When Sa Hoin, who had been on the defensive, unleashed his true skills, the situation changed drastically in just a few dozen seconds.

First-rate, a martial artist of the Hyeon level who could freely wield Sword Energy.

Moreover, Sa Hoin’s skills, honed through fierce battles for survival, were not something young martial artists could handle easily.

On top of that, his sword possessed the advantage of swift speed.

After all, its name was Flash Wind .

If Zhuge Munhyeon hadn’t instructed them to cultivate within the formation technique, the fight might have ended long ago. It was only because Zhuge Munho had reached a similar level that they could barely hold on.

Slash!

Blood splattered from the tip of a sword strike that sharply cut through the gaps surrounding the four.

“Urgh!”

Zhuge Pyeong, slashed across the chest, grimaced and retreated.

“Die! You little brat!”

Sa Hoin’s sword thrust straight forward, thinking he had seized an opportunity.

Clang!

But just as it was about to pierce Zhuge Pyeong’s throat, a sword strike flew in and struck the tip of his blade.

“Pyeong! Are you alright!”

It was Zhuge Munho who saved Zhuge Pyeong’s life by blocking the way forward.

“I’m fine.”

Though he said so, his chest was covered in blood.

Zhuge Gwan and Zhuge Hwi were also panting heavily, looking exhausted.

“Hehehe, young ones. What’s wrong? You charged at me like you were going to kill me, but suddenly lost confidence?”

Sa Hoin mocked the Zhuge Family brothers surrounding him.

Four against one.

He had thought they could surely win…

Zhuge Munho couldn’t help but grimace.

What was lacking?

What exactly was…

“Stupid fools, what? Can’t fight one-on-one like proper Orthodox Sect members?”

“…!”

Suddenly Zhuge Munho’s eyes flashed open.

One-on-one…

That was it.

That’s what it was.

Zhuge Munhyeon’s words came to mind.

Don’t be embarrassed. This is war.

Come to think of it, he had still been arrogant.

Four of them ganging up on one person, yet hadn’t they been fighting haphazardly?

And whenever his brothers were in danger, he kept breaking his attack rhythm to help them first, unable to even display his proper skills.

‘What am I trying to be…’

He wasn’t Zhuge Munhyeon.

He was still too weak to show someone a reliable back while leading from the front.

So why had he tried to imitate him?

‘I must have been envious.’

He was him, and he was himself.

How foolish.

As Zhuge Munhyeon said, this was a war where death meant the end.

He shouldn’t rush.

If the mind was hasty, the sword would be hasty too, and the Combined Attack Technique couldn’t work properly.

Right now, he had to focus only on Sa Hoin.

Rather than someone becoming the center, each one had to become a member of the Sword Formation to bind the opponent.

It wasn’t about someone being primary and others secondary, but everyone fighting together.

“Everyone… I’m sorry.”

“Huh?”

“My thinking was short-sighted.”

Gwan Hwiping could only look puzzled at Zhuge Munho suddenly apologizing.

“Damn, what’s with the sudden apology? We’re about to die here!”

“Pyeong! You get in position quickly too. Stop whining about a scratch on your chest!”

“Who’s whining! If it had been cut just a little deeper, I really would have died!”

Despite the life-and-death situation, Zhuge Munho burst into laughter at Gwan Hwiping’s irritated conversation.

But his heart felt a bit more at ease.

He had to trust them.

And the Sword Formation they could deploy together was.

“Everyone remembers the Flying Swallow Small Sword Formation, right?”

“Flying Swallow? The one we did at Cheonseong Pavilion?”

“Right.”

“Will it be okay?”

“It’ll be fine. Since we have no experience with combined attacks anyway, there’s no other way. To face that guy, we have to use what we’re most familiar with.”

“Tch, understood. Then Elder Brother, please take the swallow head position. I’ll take the left wing.”

Zhuge Munho nodded at Zhuge Pyeong’s words.

They didn’t question him. They trusted him.

So he had to trust them too.

That each one would do their best as a member of the formation.

“Gwan takes the right wing, and Hwi, the weakest, takes the swallow tail to trap the enemy!”

“Yes!”

The game was reset.

As they slowly moved with swords pointed, forming a diamond-shaped encirclement, Sa Hoin’s eyes trembled.

“You bastards! Who do you think you’re treating like a borrowed barley sack!”

A fierce strike shot forward.

“Twin Wing Cross Advance!”

Zhuge Munho blocked with his sword face and retreated while quickly commanding the Sword Formation, and simultaneously the left and right wings folded in like wings, penetrating both sides of Sa Hoin.

“Damn it!”

Sa Hoin withdrew his attack and quickly struck left and right with his sword.

But because of that, his front and back became exposed.

The swallow head charged forward pressing the attack, while the swallow tail followed like a shadow, harassing him.

Sa Hoin, who had briefly held the advantage, couldn’t regain his composure and became desperate in defense only.

This was the advantage of a Sword Formation.

When one becomes two, even if it’s not the strength of two, it has at least one and a half times the power.

The Flying Swallow Small Sword Formation deployed by four people instantly closed the gap with Sa Hoin.

The swallow head confused the opponent, the left and right wings took aggressive offensive positions, and the swallow tail penetrated weak points to increase wounds.

It was the moment when true four-person combined attack was finally completed.

“Kraaah!”

As time passed and they became more accustomed to the combined attack, the formation’s power also grew stronger, and Sa Hoin, with gradually increasing wounds, expressed his fury.

Naturally, his sword lost the advantage of speed and could only become stronger in power.

Unable to be fast, he became even more exposed to attacks, and with only increased power, it became easier to dodge.

And.

Clang!

When the sword thrust straight in, Zhuge Munho grasped the blade with both hands.

Twin Hand Sword Control.

A method of subduing a sword blade with bare hands.

Even if filled with internal energy, could it overcome the sharpness of a blade?

His face naturally grimaced at the stinging pain of his palms being cut.

Then Press Sword Break Steel, pressing down to break the grasped sword.

However.

“This bastard? You think I’ll just let you?”

Sa Hoin, who noticed the intention, immediately twisted his sword.

Breaking failed.

But he couldn’t let go. He had to bind the opponent’s sword.

“Hah!”

Zhuge Munho shouted while grasping the blade, prepared to have his hands cut off.

“Hwi!”

A single shout.

And Zhuge Hwi’s movement followed immediately.

Thunk!

His sword popped out from the shadows and pierced through Sa Hoin’s back.

“Kuk!”

The moment he screamed as the sword pierced through the center of his chest, the left and right flanks didn’t miss the opportunity.

The left flank struck his neck, and the right flank cut his waist.

Sa Hoin, cut into three pieces, collapsed without even being able to scream.

“Huk, huk, huk…”

Zhuge Pyeong, panting while covered in hot blood, approached Zhuge Munho with a grimaced face.

“Elder Brother, your hands…”

“It’s fine. They weren’t cut off.”

“Damn it. That’s the same thing. They’re this tattered.”

Zhuge Pyeong hastily tore his clothes to bind his blood-soaked hands.

“Where’s Munhyeon?”

Where he turned his head, only silence filled the space.

All that could be heard was their own tired breathing; all the enemies were dead.

“…He seems to have left.”

“What a remarkable fellow. To think he’d really handle everything alone.”

“Still, we killed Sa Hoin. Together.”

Zhuge Munho smiled at his younger brothers’ words.

Yes, together…

We did it.

“Ah! Sayo, we need to find Sayo!”

“Elder Brother, you rest. We’ll find the Beggar Sect Branch Leader and Sayo.”

Zhuge Gwan and Zhuge Hwi jumped up and made Zhuge Munho sit down.

“Then I’ll also…”

“This guy wants to stretch his legs without knowing where to lie down when he’s about to collapse? Shut up and follow! Over a little scratch on the chest.”

Zhuge Pyeong, who tried to ride along with Zhuge Munho’s rest, ended up getting cursed at.

“Hey, it really stings like I’m going to die, you know?”

“Be quiet.”

He tried a timid rebellion but ended up getting dragged along anyway.

While they searched through Honyeonbang’s manor filled only with cold corpses, Zhuge Munho looked toward the distant fierce battle ground.

How did it turn out?

“Well… he’ll do fine. Just like he boasted.”

It seems he worried unnecessarily.

If it’s that guy…

 

* * *

 

Kwaaaaang!

The atmosphere of the battlefield changed in just one moment.

The moment Jang Hongsik, who had charged across the plains, leaped high and landed, the fighting stopped as if by magic.

“You stupid fools! Getting flustered by a mere hastily made formation and ending up like this!”

The burst of shouting rang in their ears like Sound Arts.

“Fall back! Reorganize the formation!”

The Honyeonbang martial artists who received the order escaped from the chaotic battle and formed ranks again.

Grind.

Jang Hongsik, who surveyed the number of survivors, couldn’t help but grit his teeth.

The field was filled only with the corpses of Honyeonbang martial artists.

Nearly double the force had been reduced to less than half without killing many of the Zhuge Family members.

“I’m sorry. In my panic…”

Absolute Sword Hand Jeong Byeongil apologized with a somewhat tired expression.

His body was also full of wounds.

Blood was spreading throughout his torn clothes.

“Can you still fight?”

“Yes.”

“What about Wangi?”

“…He’s dead. By Jeok Un’s hand.”

“Hmm.”

Another sworn brother had lost his life.

It was hard to even find the corpse in the midst of the chaotic battle.

He had thought it would be an easy battle, but they had suffered tremendous damage beyond recovery, being toyed with by the Zhuge Family’s strategy.

If only he had rushed here immediately when he felt the ominous feeling…

Even if he regretted it, he couldn’t turn back time.

“Fine, I’ll kill them all with my own hands. Byeongil, send word to the manor requesting support and take the rear guard. I’ll smash through the front.”

“Yes!”

Jeong Byeongil immediately blew his horn.

Buuuuu!

The sound requesting support.

Then, at his appearance of growling like a ferocious beast and emanating killing intent, the Zhuge Family martial artists hesitated.

The Honyeonbang martial artists repositioned Jang Hongsik at the front and gripped their swords anew.

“Hmm, Scholar Mun.”

“Yes.”

“Quickly evacuate the scholars.”

“Yes? But…”

“Now that Jang Hongsik has intervened, strategy is meaningless. He’s not someone we can handle in the first place, is he? It will only increase unnecessary sacrifices. Return to Yanghyeon Branch, lock the doors, and prepare for retaliation.”

At Zhuge Cheong’s words, Mun Ilhwa frowned.

They hadn’t devised a strategy to face him. If Jang Hongsik intervened, they would immediately execute an escape. That was the only strategy.

Strategy, formation techniques.

They couldn’t find a way to face Jang Hongsik with any of these.

And that was also the reason why the Zhuge Family was evaluated as weaker than other families.

The absence of martial force to execute good strategy.

It was regrettable.

It would have been good if they too had an outstanding martial artist who could overwhelm someone and change the atmosphere of the battlefield…

However.

“But we can’t all run away together, can we? Our children haven’t even returned yet… We can’t choose the shame of leaving the battlefield to the children alone.”

“Branch Manager.”

His voice already seemed to have accepted death, so Mun Ilhwa frowned while keeping his mouth shut.

No matter how much Zhuge Munhyeon boasted, would they have trusted only him?

Nonsense.

Adults must fulfill their role as adults.

Since they had already dealt a great blow to them, even if they died, they had to fight to the end.

For the sake of future battles as well.

“Ho? You’re withdrawing troops when we don’t even have enough fighting together? You bastards are completely ignoring me!”

Thud!

With a word filled with fury and the step he took, the ground vibrated.

But they no longer hesitated.

Everyone glared at Jang Hongsik defiantly like the branch manager, having resolved to face death, and raised their swords straight.

At that moment when they were resolutely steeling their will to not fear even death, Zhuge Cheong spotted small dust clouds rising in the distance.

Something was approaching.

Co, could it be?

Though it was night with deepening darkness, there was no way he couldn’t distinguish the snow-white martial robe glinting in the moonlight.

And the moment he realized its identity, he found himself unconsciously smiling.

“What are you laugh…”

Jang Hongsik, who had been glaring at Zhuge Cheong’s smile, suddenly startled and whipped his head around.

Wh, what is this now?

A strange presence.

For some unknown reason, he felt an instant chill.

‘What is that bastard?’

Whoosh!

The young man who soared high and leaped over the Honyeon Alliance martial artists landed gracefully on the ground.

Handsome appearance.

And the snow-white martial robe tinged with blood under the clear moonlit night gave off such a mysterious atmosphere that it instantly captured everyone’s attention.

However.

“Damn it, I nearly died of breathlessness rushing over here.”

“…”

The grumbling tone mixed with profanity completely shattered the momentary admiration.

But.

“Munhyeon.”

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Who? Me? That’s ridiculous. But the damage is severe.”

“I’m sorry. We couldn’t hold out long.”

“Sorry for what? You did well enough.”

Despite the situation not allowing for it, the leisurely exchange of greetings made Zhuge Cheong feel the tension strangely dissipating.

What did it matter if his speech was a bit rough?

The more painful the situation, the more precious a helping hand felt.

And.

“Are you Jang Hongsik?”

Zhuge Munhyeon turned around and provoked Jang Hongsik with an extremely arrogant expression, gesturing with his chin.

As if asking, “Did you beat up our kids?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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