Light Novel: Volume 20 Episode 3
Manhwa: N/A
The Red King led the Asura Vagabonds through the slums.
The attention of the slum dwellers was entirely focused on the clash between the forces led by the Ten Thousand Man Slayer and the Black Tiger Squad.
Thanks to this, the Red King and the Asura Vagabonds were able to arrive at the Qi Family Medical Hall without any interference.
The Red King commanded the Asura Vagabonds.
“Go!”
“Yes!”
As soon as the underlings responded, they burst into the Qi Family Medical Hall.
The Red King watched his underlings with arms crossed.
The Asura Vagabonds searched every nook and cranny of the Qi Family Medical Hall. However, they couldn’t find a single shadow of a person no matter how hard they looked.
“There’s no one here.”
“All the rooms are empty.”
The underlings who had stormed into the Qi Family Medical Hall returned with disappointed expressions.
The Red King asked.
“Not even a single person?”
“It seems they noticed us and vacated the place.”
“They couldn’t have gone far. Spread out and search for them.”
“As you command!”
The Asura Vagabonds dispersed once again.
The Red King looked at the Qi Family Medical Hall with a distorted expression.
“So he knew we were coming.”
He had already known that Pyo-wol was not an easy opponent, but he hadn’t expected them to completely abandon their hiding place like this.
It was a response beyond common sense. But the Red King’s side was also beyond common sense.
His preparations were not limited to the Asura Vagabonds.
The night before, he had sent a messenger pigeon to So Yeowol, requesting additional troops. So Yeowol had accepted his request.
In a short while, the elites of the Kowloon Assassin Guild would arrive in Shaoyang.
Once they joined, the Net of Heaven and Earth would be complete.
No one would be able to leave Shaoyang, not even Pyo-wol.
The Net of Heaven and Earth laid by the Kowloon Assassin Guild’s elites was different from the typical one.
It was smaller but much more intricate.
Above all, the warriors of the Kowloon Assassin Guild were veterans who had accumulated countless experiences in Saibei.
It was the first time in the history of the Kowloon Assassin Guild for them to band together to capture just a single person.
“No matter what you try, you will never escape the Kowloon Assassin Guild. You should have just stayed hidden.”
The people of Jianghu all feared the entity known as Pyo-wol.
Even his colleague, the Ten Thousand Man Slayer, was wary of Pyo-wol. The Red King felt the same, but it didn’t mean he was actually afraid.
On the contrary, he saw this as an excellent opportunity.
If Pyo-wol were eliminated, there would be no one left to infiltrate the Kowloon Assassin Guild.
“You will surely die today. I will make sure of it.”
It was then.
“We’ve found traces of them.”
One of the Asura Vagabonds ran up and reported.
“Them?”
“He has company. They all moved together.”
“Where to?”
“They seem to have left Shaoyang.”
“What?”
“But they couldn’t have gone far yet.”
“Send a messenger pigeon to the rear guard to block their path.”
“Understood.”
“And send someone to the Ten Thousand Man Slayer to hurry back. So much time has passed and he still hasn’t joined us.”
“I will convey the message.”
The Asura Vagabond ran off as soon as he responded.
The Red King used qinggong in the direction where Pyo-wol’s group had escaped.
“Cha-at!”
As he kicked off the ground, his body soared through the air like a bird.
Only after flying about ten meters did his figure start to descend a gentle downward curve.
At that moment, the Red King stomped his left foot onto his right instep.
It was a qinggong known as, Step Ascension Technique.1
His body flew another ten meters.
If there was an obstacle in the way, he used it as a stepping stone.
In an instant, the Red King was out of the slums and onto the walls surrounding the outskirts of Shaoyang.
Far in the distance, he could see clouds of dust rising.
It was the dust stirred by the movement of the warriors sent by the Kowloon Assassin Guild.
The sheer number of warriors moving was enough to cause the dust to rise like clouds.
It had been a long time since the Kowloon Assassin Guild had mobilized this many people.
“With that many forces sent out, there will be a significant gap in the defenses of the New Moon Manor.”
But he wasn’t too worried.
The remaining forces would still be enough to protect the New Moon Manor like an iron fortress.
The Red King shouted to the Asura Vagabonds who had followed him up onto the walls.
“The hunt for the Reaper begins now. Stay sharp, everyone.”
“Yes!”
Shushushu!
The Asura Vagabonds, led by the Red King, leaped down all at once from the walls.
* * *
The waterways around Shaoyang were well-developed.
Large and small rivers were interconnected.
Pyo-wol and the rest of his party were in a small boat.
The boat they were in was moving upstream on a river that wasn’t very wide.
Pyo-wol stared straight ahead, his hat pressed down on his head.
His hat covered his entire face except for his mouth, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
Eunyo stood behind Pyo-wol, while Nam Shin-woo rowed the boat alone.
Despite his young age, Nam Shin-woo had practiced martial arts and developed extraordinary strength. Every stroke he made propelled the small boat forward several meters.
It was then.
Fweeing!
An arrow flew with a sharp sound.
Thud!
Pyo-wol easily deflected the arrow with his gauntlet.
At that moment, a group of warriors appeared on the riverbank.
They ran along the riverbank, following the boat Pyo-wol was in.
Then, Nam Shin-woo spoke.
“There are warriors on the opposite side too.”
Eunyo looked in the direction Nam Shin-woo pointed.
On the other side of the river, more than a hundred warriors were running alongside the boat.
In total, more than three hundred martial artists were chasing after the one boat that Pyo-wol was in.
Pipipipit!
The warriors running along both sides of the river shot arrows at the boat carrying Pyo-wol and his companions.
Thud, thud, thud!
Most of the arrows were deflected by Pyo-wol using his gauntlet. However, occasionally, an arrow broke through Pyo-wol’s defense. Those arrows were deflected by Eunyo using her whip.
Seeing that their arrows were ineffective, the warriors put away their bows for a moment.
Pop!
At that moment, some of the pursuing warriors leaped towards the boat.
The distance from the riverbank to the boat Pyo-wol was on exceeded twenty meters. It was not a distance that could be crossed with qinggong.
Nonetheless, they leaped without hesitation.
As expected, they did not reach the boat and were about to descend into the water instead.
At that time, the warriors running along the riverbank threw iron discs in the direction where they were falling.
Screech!
The disc arrived precisely at the point where they were about to crash.
At that moment, the falling warriors kicked off the discs and soared into the air again.
The discs, kicked by their feet, circled back through the air to return to their owners’ hands.
It was an incredible feat of skill.
Dozens of warriors who had taken to the air once more landed precisely on the boat that Pyo-wol and the others were on.
In their hands, they now wielded swords and sabers.
Screech!
They swung their weapons without hesitation.
It was as if dozens of eagles were swooping down.
At that moment, Pyo-wol and Eunyo began their counterattack.
Bam, bam, bam!
With a violent clash, the warriors who had been falling towards Pyo-wol’s boat were repelled backward or fell into the river.
More than a dozen warriors floundered in the water and then sank down.
Despite losing so many comrades in an instant, the surviving warriors didn’t even blink.
Tatatatak!
The remaining warriors leaped again towards the boat that Pyo-wol and the others were on.
Once again, other warriors threw discs to aid their jump.
Like eagles, the martial artists soared into the sky and swooped down towards the boat.
The sight of the warriors filling the sky and dropping down was almost majestic. However, the weapons in their hands emitted a chilling aura.
“Haaa!”
“Chaat!”
Filled with fighting spirit, they all shouted as they launched their attacks at Pyo-wol and Eunyo.
Swoosh! Slash!
The energy from their swords and sabers tore through the air as they struck down.
If even one hit its mark, the small boat would be shattered to pieces. However, Pyo-wol and Eunyo did not allow that to happen.
From their hands, technique after technique unfolded.
Boom, boom, boom!
The raging energy from the swords and sabers exploded in mid-air.
“Keugh!”
“Argh!”
The warriors who had been attacking Pyo-wol and Eunyo screamed as they fell into the river.
Large wounds gaped open on their throats and chests.
The river water was dyed red with blood.
At that moment, some of the warriors running along both sides of the river leaped towards the boat again. The sequence of events, with other warriors throwing discs to assist their leap, repeated itself.
Despite knowing that this form of attack was futile, they did not stop their assault.
They were not afraid of death.
Their willingness to leap into their deaths, like moths to a flame made both Eunyo and Nam Shin-woo sick to their stomachs.
Eunyo’s unfocused eyes shook.
Even though she had been raised as a weapon in the Xiaoleiyin Temple, this was the first time she had ever had to kill so many people.
Before she knew it, her whip was now thoroughly soaked with the blood of those she had slain. Even her hands have been dyed red from the blood that flowed down her whip.
Eunyo glanced over at Pyo-wol.
With the hat pressed deep down, it was impossible to see Pyo-wol’s expression. Still, she found his presence was reassuring.
It was then.
“Over there!”
Nam Shin-woo suddenly shouted, pointing to both sides of the river.
Eunyo quickly looked in the direction Nam Shin-woo was pointing. New warriors had appeared there.
Thump thump thump!
They used their lightness skills to join the group of warriors who had been pursuing Pyo-wol and others.
In the hands of the newly joined warriors were bows.
“Crazy–!”
Nam Shin-woo’s eyes shook.
Dozens of warriors simultaneously aimed their bows at the boat. The warriors who were already equipped with bows also targeted the boat.
Fufufufufuf!
The moment they released their arrows, some of the martial artists launched themselves toward the boat again.
The sequence of events repeated like a hellish cycle. The only difference was the addition of arrow attacks.
They had simply added one more method of attack, but the power of their assault had been amplified several times over.
“Ha!”
Pyo-wol let out a battle cry and swung his gauntlet-clad arm.
Keeeing!
Instantly, silver threads shot out from his gauntlet, sweeping the air.
The silver threads weren’t the Soul-Reaping Threads but rather the silver threads that Tang Sochu had installed inside the gauntlet. The threads whipped through the air, slicing the incoming arrows in two.
Meanwhile, the warriors who had leaped into the sky began their assault.
It was up to Eunyo to stop them.
“Cha-hat!”
Eunyo tossed aside her whip and picked up a sword that had been lying on the ground.
It was a cheap sword she’d bought in a hurry from a nearby workshop.
She swung the sword furiously at the warriors approaching the boat.
It was a technique known as Wave Tumbling Nine Heavenly Demonic Sword2 from the Xiaoleiyin Temple.
Like a raging tide, her qi burst forth continuously from her blade.
The powerful sword energy struck directly at the warriors, who were still floating in the air.
Thud!
Their bodies were cleaved in two in mid-air, raining down blood.
Pyo-wol, Eunyo, and Nam Shin-woo were soaked in the rain of blood.
They were drenched in blood from head to toe, but they couldn’t rest for a moment.
The enemy attacked again and again.
In what seemed to be an endless human wave.
Eunyo and Nam Shin-woo had never experienced anything like this before.
The sight of people swarming like ants and throwing away their lives like worthless dogs was utterly horrific.
“Hic!”
Eunyo let out an involuntary gasp.
Her body trembled, and she felt a chill run down her spine.
She didn’t know how to deal with such sin, but she bit her lip, pushing her feelings of guilt aside.
Now was not the time to wallow in guilt, it was time to fight.
For everyone’s sake.
“Just a little further.”
A small island appeared in the distance.
It was the place Pyo-wol and she had chosen as their final battleground.
LUNACAVE
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