14 – 01# A Narrow Escape From Death (14)

Even the most frail and insignificant twig, easily snapped by a child’s hand, becomes difficult for a grown man to break when many are gathered together. That was the subtle truth residing within the battle formation.

The *Chenfa* 陳法—a battle formation—was deployed around martial artists who had honed their skills, accessible only to those of second-rate ability or higher, individuals who had begun to wield their inner energy in earnest.

Even then, a perfect execution demanded bone-grinding effort to synchronize their movements. A battle formation wasn’t about individual prowess, but a flowing harmony forged with comrades.

Such formations were typically invoked in two scenarios. One, to counter an opponent’s formation. And the other, to confront an absolute master, an insurmountable force.

“Deploy the formation!”

At the resolute command of Muyong Heesu, leader of the Medical Dragon Clan, the warriors moved with disciplined precision. Nine men to a formation, eleven formations in total, completed in the blink of an eye.

It was the Muyong clan’s vaunted Righteous Dragon Nine Palace Sword Array 義龍九宮劍陳. Identical swords, yet a synchronized harmony unleashing the diverse secrets within the Muyong clan’s techniques.

It resembled a slumbering dragon, stirring its body in the earth, readying itself to ascend to the heavens when the time came. Yet, despite all this, their opponent remained unmoved.

What would be the outcome if one hundred warriors faced a single individual?

Most would confidently assert the hundred would prevail. And it wouldn’t be wrong. Since time immemorial, numerical superiority had been a fundamental principle of warfare.

Overwhelming numbers could certainly close the gap considerably.

Indeed, within the martial world, the situation wasn’t much different. No matter how vast the disparity between first-rate and second-rate fighters, numerical advantage could still significantly reduce the difference.

But there was a crucial reason why martial artists couldn’t unequivocally answer the same question, an absolute exception: the masters who had reached the pinnacle of martial arts.

If the difference between first-rate and second-rate was akin to that between an adult and a child, the gulf between pinnacle and first-rate was like the difference between heaven and earth. Numerical superiority, favorable terrain, powerful weaponry…

Even if all the advantageous conditions so emphatically stressed in the numerous treatises on warfare left behind by celebrated generals were met, an insurmountable gap remained.

And so.

That was why they were called Masters of the Pinnacle.

Even surrounded by the Muyong clan warriors in their deployed formation, no hint of wavering could be detected in his eyes. Finally, the Nameless One slowly raised his sword to the heavens.

*Jongbegi* 縱斬—Vertical Slash.

A swing devoid of any superfluous flourish. But that was all it was. A strike lacking any inherent secrets, neither a true *hyung* 形 nor a proper *sik* 式, simply an utterly ordinary slash.

However, that meager offering was enough. As if casually practicing before a training session, the two-handed, straightforward slash completely severed the Righteous Dragon’s head.

*Kwaaang!!*

An explosive roar, like a lightning strike, assaulted the eardrums. Amidst the wildly billowing dust, the warriors of the Muyong clan were flung away, swept aside like fallen leaves in an autumn gale.

Not necessarily due to a lack of skill on their part. Even if prolonged isolation had allowed stagnation to set in, they were, after all, a renowned clan that had etched its name amongst the Five Great Houses.

Their martial arts prowess was undeniably at a level incomparable to that of other mediocre sects. Furthermore, they had chosen the best approach available to them.

‘It wasn’t arrogance. Recognizing the opponent as an untouchable master, they confronted him with a battle formation capable of challenging even an army… How could such a result occur?’

One strike. With a single strike, nearly twenty warriors were slammed into the ground, unconscious. Almost three of the eleven formations had been shattered by a single blow.

The fact that they were all still breathing filled Muyong Heesu with profound despair. Such destructive power, yet they lived, meant the opponent had shown mercy.

In other words, nearly twenty percent of their forces had been swept aside by a strike that wasn’t even at full power. But what if he hadn’t held back, what if he had unleashed a technique imbued with the ultimate secrets of the pinnacle?

‘Forcing him to surrender or capturing him is out of the question. We’ll struggle just to buy time for the Clan Head to arrive. At this rate…’

Ruin.

A gruesome outcome, one she’d refused to even contemplate, began to paint itself vividly in her mind.

◇

Startling me with that sudden flurry.

I swept a hand across my chest, a sigh of relief escaping me inwardly. I’d thought we were just at a standoff, but the sudden, violent movement had me instinctively drawing my sword.

Good thing I kept my strength reined in. Hopefully, no one’s dead. Especially after seeing the despair of that captain over his fallen subordinate. I want to avoid bloodshed if at all possible.

Though, if they start throwing lethal moves my way, then I’ll have no choice but to defend myself, to kill with everything I have. Thankfully, they haven’t resorted to that yet.

“Why does Daehyeop assist a traitor?”

“A traitor? Are you referring to Moyeong Hyeon, the Young Master?”

“Indeed.”

Apparently deciding that force wouldn’t work, Moyeong Hui-su shot the question at me, a look of stunned desperation on her face. Why am I helping the Young Master? You know the answer to that better than I do.

“Let me ask you the same. Has Sojeo never once doubted the Lord’s actions?”

“Never.”

“Truly?”

“I am the Uiryong’s blade, defending the Moyeong Clan. I do not question the Lord’s will, I execute his commands flawlessly. There is no meaning beyond that.”

“A loyalist.”

There are two kinds of loyalists, as people say. One that doesn’t spare their own body and leads their Lord to the righteous path. The other is the unthinking kind, that executes the lord’s commands without questioning.

The unbending kind. Moyeong Hui-su seems to be the latter. Honestly, trying to persuade her with words is next to impossible.

“From the stories of the Young Master and Sua, this so-called Lord of yours possesses not a shred of humanity. Such a person wielding power is no different than a tyrant.”

“That is an internal matter of the Moyeong Clan. Outsiders have no reason to interfere.”

Is this one pulling a reasonable argument?

In short, why is a complete stranger meddling in someone else’s family affairs? If she puts it like that, I don’t have much of a comeback. Especially since I’m only involved because of Su-ah and the connection I have with the Young Master.

Currently, the Moyeong Clan is divided into two factions: the Lord’s and the Young Master’s. And by taking in Sua, I’ve essentially thrown my lot in with the Young Master’s side.

But what if the Young Master’s faction loses to the Lord’s? Then, forgetting about martial arts or inner core energy, I might end up being hunted by the Moyeong Clan.

‘That would be problematic.’

But I can’t exactly say that I’m sucking up to the Young Master to get martial arts in return. In the end, I have no choice but to rack my brain and come up with something as plausible as possible.

“To remain silent in the face of one injustice is to have ten times that injustice return to you tenfold.”

“…….”

“I saw with my own eyes the righteous actions in the face of injustice, and I heard with my own ears the pleas for help. As a fellow martial artist, how could I possibly turn away?”

“…… Indeed, you speak the truth.”

Unexpectedly, Mo Yong-hui-soo nodded heavily, agreeing with my words. I was slightly surprised at the sight. I’d thought nothing would get through, but perhaps I was wrong?

“You carried out the order flawlessly. Well done.”

But the powerful voice that rang out from behind me immediately revealed the truth. She’d been buying time. Until a master capable of facing me arrived.

There are such things. Like the saying, see one and know ten. Every martial artist I’d faced until now had given the impression they weren’t too difficult to deal with. And that had proven true.

But the voice that now pressed down on my shoulders like iron bars was unlike anything I’d ever felt. Silently, I raised my head to look at the man stepping forward.

He wore the white martial robes characteristic of the Mo Yong clan, his jaw covered with a short, thick beard, a man of stern impression. He looked to be roughly forty years of age. The man looked at me and spoke.

“A true martial artist knows without needing words. You, too, must be the same.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than a ferocious aura began to pour from his body. A presence unlike anything I’d ever experienced before, making me tense slightly.

But it didn’t end there. As if there were no need for probing, he drew his sword with astonishing speed and lunged at me. I hastily raised my own sword to block the attack.

‘Indeed, so it is.’

I recognized this man’s identity without difficulty. Movements on a different level from any martial artist I’d faced before. And crucially, the way he treated Mo Yong-hui-soo like a subordinate.

‘It must be the rumored Master of the Healing Dragon Hall.’

A fight against a martial artist who is top among the top elites. This will not be easy.