Chapter 97 – Trial of the Movie Spirit (3)

“Cheonma! Cheonma has returned! Kill him before he regains his strength! No, close the door so he can’t escape!”

This time, without hesitation, he threw Hong Yeon-hwa and Peng Soso to the back.

“Huh?”

“Kyaa!”

Unexpected actions. Since they couldn’t use their inner strength at all, they couldn’t even resist properly and flew towards the dimensional portal one after another.

Perhaps it was thanks to saving time to understand the situation. Unlike the previous chapter, both of them could be sent back, not just one.

Of course, there was no time for me to pass through.

Did they discover the Wulin League’s remnants rushing towards me from behind? Hong Yeon-hwa and Peng Soso rushed desperately from beyond the dimensional portal.

…But it was already too late. What can we do with the dimensional portal that has shrunk to the size of a fist?

The dimensional portal closed completely, with a smirk towards the two who were sobbing.

Yeah. This is it.

Considering the speed at which the door closes, the speed at which I run without inner strength, and the speed at which I throw, I can manage to save two people. However, it is impossible for all three to escape.

If one person must remain, it must be me.

There is a reason why I am repeating regression…but there is a simpler reason.

Whether it’s Hong Yeon-hwa or Peng Soso, if anyone dies by my choice, I will live a more painful life than death.

So this is clearly the right choice.

“Whew….”

I drew my sword, dispersing the last remaining regret with a sigh.

Well, just because I’m the only one left doesn’t mean I have to die willingly.

In the end, nothing changes. First, I have to somehow get out of here and survive.

After that, I can go find a magyo somewhere and ask for help, or wait for Hong Yeon-hwa and Peng Soso to come back by opening the door again. Or I can find a way to cross back over here.

Anyway, I have no intention of giving up. That’s the only thing that matters.

Wooong-

My Lingering Spirit Skill responded to my will and made a strange resonance-like sound.

At the same time, a virtual pillar that pierced through my spine. The pillar, which emitted a faint heat, was filling my body with vitality and inner strength, replacing the empty Danjeon.

I took aim at each and every one of the guys who had come so close that I could distinguish their faces, and adjusted my posture.

I extended my left leg and leaned forward. I held my sword loosely in my hand, but kept it tense enough to strike at any moment. Then, I slammed the ground with force.

Since my left and right sides had failed, I aimed straight ahead this time.

“Huep!”

Perhaps because we had run towards each other from opposite sides, the distance between us closed in an instant. The guy at the front raised his staff with tension.

But his level doesn’t seem that high. At best, he’s a first-class fighter?

Then there’s no need to slow down.

I swung my sword towards the staff that was flying straight towards my chin from bottom to top.

“What?! How…?”

The guy who saw the faint sword energy rising from my sword was shocked, but it was already too late.

Crunch.

It’s at the level of a beginner, but a sword is still a sword. The sword that cleanly cut through the staff was aimed at the guy’s neck and stuck in with its momentum.

“Cough…!”

The guy coughed up blood and staggered. Instead of pulling out my sword, I put more strength into my arm and used him as a human shield to move forward.

Was it because I couldn’t bring myself to hurt my allies? Or was it because I was surprised by a sudden obstacle? In an instant, the formation was pushed back, and in the spacious area that was created, I twisted my waist strongly.

“Haahh!”

Whoosh!

A dull sound of impact and a sword light that drew a circle. At the same time as the staff holder’s neck was cut off, some of the enemies on the right staggered and fell.

Before the blood that soared high in the sky turned into rain, I swung my sword with all my strength, sticking it tightly to my side and taking a step forward to fill the gap.

In the enemy line that was pierced in an instant, I swung my sword again with great force.

“Ahk!”

“Cough!”

“My arm! My arm!”

There were some who blocked, but it didn’t matter. A weapon that couldn’t defend against my sword energy couldn’t properly block my attack or broke.

Whether it was hit by metal fragments or my sword, being incapacitated was the same.

That’s the reason why I can continuously cut down multiple enemies and even break weapons, but still not lose my edge. Someone who saw the cluster of light rising from my sword shouted.

“It’s sword energy! Mine uses sword energy!”

“What?! You said he would lose all his inner strength!”

“That’s what the Jeonju guys always do! Enough! Retreat, team members! The leaders will take the lead, so you guys take advantage of the gaps!”

It’s the same flow as before. Whenever they see me using sword energy, the first-class fighters step back and the top-class fighters step forward.

Maybe the team members are first-class and the leaders are top-class.

The only thing I’m grateful for is that there aren’t that many top-class fighters.

If Hong Yeon-hwa and Peng Soso were here, I wouldn’t have any problem holding my own against two or three top-class fighters… but even then, it would all be over the moment the other team leaders join in and the ultimate top-class warrior, the Divine Martial Prince, arrives.

And now, there isn’t even the two of them. If I continue like this, I’ll die even faster than before.

So I have to keep moving constantly, without getting caught. Even more aggressively.

“Where are you going?”

I grabbed the sword of one of the guys who was slowly backing away, aiming his sword towards me.

“W-What…!”

Normally, my fingers would have been cut off. But there’s no reason why I can’t put some energy into my hand that can even hold a sword.

As I grabbed the sword with my white-glowing hand and pulled it, the guy who couldn’t let go of his weapon was dragged out.

I stabbed the guy’s side with my sword as he lost his balance, and then spun around and pushed my body into the spot where he was.

Then I used the rotational force to spin around again.

Of course, they wouldn’t fall for the same horizontal sweep attack three times in a row.

However, the distance was too close.

As they all retreated at once, the distance between them was close, and the distance between me and them was also close.

“Avoid it!”

“No! It’s too late!”

“Then stab him!”

So I chose to kill them before I could properly swing my sword.

Since they were in a state of holding me back and retreating, it would be easier to just swing it as it is.

I expected this too. After dying twice, I knew what would happen.

“Huh…?”

One of them who was swinging his sword towards my shoulder made a stupid sound.

Yeah. My hand might feel a little strange. Their swords must have dug into my body. Only a little deeper than the surface, though.

Thanks to the Ho Wang Gong, the speed of my Iron King’s Heart achievement has increased dramatically. Now, it’s almost at the level of the Extreme.

Of course, it’s almost at the level of the Extreme achievement, but if I swing it with all my strength in the proper stance, it could easily pierce through my body.

On the other hand, if they don’t even put sword energy into their swords, they won’t be able to easily cut through my body with this sloppy attack.

They may not know, but I’ve already experienced the chaos of war twice.

I roughly know which one is fatal and which one is worth taking.

The waist of the guys who were surprised by the weapons that stopped at the line where they dug into my muscles collapsed at once.

If I were to face a top-class warrior alone, I would definitely buy time, and then I would be surrounded and become a hedgehog in no time.

But this has opened up the way.

I have to keep throwing my body around like this. If I face only top-class fighters, I can somehow break through the encirclement.

Of course, even if I break through the encirclement, I might still get caught since I haven’t learned any special escape techniques.

Even if I manage to shake off the top-class warriors, I won’t be able to avoid the ultimate top-class warrior, the Divine Martial Prince.

But at least I won’t be surrounded, so I can endure longer than before.

In addition, the Gong of Energy and the Dance of the Heavenly Maiden that I’ve learned allow me to run without getting tired for a long time.

If I use them with the Ghostly Spirit Gong, I can run non-stop for days.

No matter how much of a top-class warrior they are, they can’t do such a crazy thing.

So for now, I have to find a way to get out of this encirclement. After that, I’ll endure and endure until I’m the only one left standing, and then I’ll use my stamina as a weapon to escape from them.

It’s uncertain and unlikely, but it seems to be the only way to survive here.

As I planned, I ran past the fallen bodies.

My goal was the place where the guys who were frightened by my previous swordplay were gathered. Since I couldn’t feel the momentum of any top-class warriors around me, it should be easier to deal with the guys who were being pressed down by my momentum.

This time, I planned to break through completely with the Tai Mountain Crusher. It looked more brutal, and I could break the morale of the other guys like the ones in front of me.

“Tsuaaaat!”

As I raised my sword with that thought in mind, I let out an intimidating sound.

“Everyone, duck!”

From somewhere, a shout was heard, and then several needle-shaped projectiles started flying from the sky.

“Eh…!”

Ching! Ching! Ching!

I twisted my sword forcefully, making a sound, but I could only deflect three of the projectiles.

I couldn’t block the needle-shaped projectiles that were hidden in between, and the rest of the projectiles.

“Kuk.”

The needle-shaped projectiles that hit my body so easily. It hurt, but I could still move. I could endure it. But…

“Kuhuhuk!”

Blood spurted out of my mouth. My body started trembling uncontrollably.

Is this poison?

I didn’t expect this. I’ve never faced anyone who uses poison or projectiles before, but here I am facing someone who uses both.

Desperately using my inner energy to expel the poison, I moved my body, but I couldn’t help but feel more dizzy than before.

In the end, I couldn’t even swing my sword a few times and was subdued by the guys who surrounded me.

“Kkruk… Kkrruk…”

I tried to resist while swallowing the foam of blood coming out of my mouth, but it was useless. All I could do was lie on the ground with my veins cut, unable to do anything.

“I’ve never seen someone who’s been poisoned by the Seven Poisonous Insects and still looks so healthy.”

“Does it look healthy to you? To me, it looks like he’s dying.”

“Originally, he should have died a long time ago, vomiting blood in the Seven Palaces. It’s an extremely poisonous thing that can be counted on one hand, even when the palace was still intact.”

“…There’s nothing else to say if you put it that way.”

They were shouting something above my head, but I didn’t have the energy to pay attention to it.

My blood was boiling, and I felt like my organs were melting. It was a pain I had never experienced before, and just trying to hold onto my sanity was overwhelming.

But even in the midst of that, I could hear a voice clearly.

“Why didn’t you kill him?”

The leader of these people. The voice of the self-proclaimed Divine Martial Prince.

“We were waiting to see if we could get any information out of him.”

“It’s not necessary. Since this is the only way out, kill anyone who comes out of here, no exceptions.”

“As you command!”

And then, the familiar shape of a falling sword. It pierced through Hong Yeon-hwa’s heart from behind and then pierced through my forehead, just like the damn sword that had pierced through my temple before.

***

“Cheonma is back!”

That’s for sure.

There’s no compromise with these guys.

But I still have a chance.

Suppressing the rising phantom pain, I pushed Hong Yeon-hwa and Paeng So-so behind me.