Chapter 100 – Trial of the Movie Linghu (6)

With just two swings of the sword, most of the enemies in front of me were cut down.

“That’s one down.”

Next is the right side.

***

There is no particularly threatening presence on the right side. However, there are just a lot of enemies.

There are nearly three times as many top-notch warriors as in other places, and there are also three peak-level warriors in between.

It may seem like the most dangerous place, but it’s not.

Although there are many people, the overall quality is the lowest, so it’s the easiest place if you know how to handle it.

I ran towards the frozen guys who were watching the venomous snake die.

If I waste time trying to catch the remaining guys, I’ll just be surrounded by other peak-level warriors.

For now, I’ll just cut down the ones I can reach and ignore the ones far away.

I moved in a circular motion along the enemy’s encirclement like a clock.

Soon, the number of sword swings increased, indicating that there were more people on the right side.

I really want to just use my sword to sweep them all away like before, but I can’t do that now.

The essence of Hengsuo Chenjun is the powerful sword wind as strong as the sword itself. For warriors below the top-notch level who cannot use the sword wind, there is no natural disaster like it.

However, it is said that any warrior above the peak level who can use the sword wind can respond to it.

…If my internal strength was not intact, I would have been defeated, but anyway, it is now.

The venomous snake guy was caught off guard because he thought I had lost my internal strength, but it’s best not to expect the same from other peak-level warriors.

So this time, I have to use the opposite strategy of what I did in the front and use the top-notch warriors as obstacles instead of killing them.

This is the best way to kill the peak-level warriors scattered around the right side before they merge with each other.

“Kill them!”

“The opponent is a peak-level master! Don’t fight alone!”

“I thought you couldn’t use your internal strength?!”

“But I am using it! Just shut up and use your sword!”

Amidst the pouring of energy and curses from all directions, I threw myself into the fray.

It was a reckless act, like jumping into a raging sea with no protection.

But this is the right answer.

It’s the only way to find a way out in danger.

I dodged the swords flying towards me from the front and the spears coming from behind, instead of blocking them, and slipped through the gap between them.

I was hit slightly on the face and shoulder, but it didn’t matter. As long as I don’t get hit properly, I’ll only get a scratch.

As I charged into the enemy lines, various weapons rained down from all directions.

The sheer number of them was intimidating, but it didn’t guarantee their sophistication.

There were inevitable gaps between the weapons of oneself and the person next to them, in order to swing their own weapon without getting hit.

It wasn’t as fast or flashy as a whirlwind that couldn’t be tracked with the naked eye, nor did it create confusion among the enemies.

It was just a balanced stance that could move in any direction from any posture.

But that was enough for now.

I bent my upper body to avoid a thick sword that would have hit me if I hadn’t, and rotated my left ankle while still in that position to narrowly dodge an axe that was coming down towards me.

I exerted my strength to prevent myself from falling over, and rolled once on the ground, completely exposing myself. It was a technique commonly known as the “naraetagon.”

Were they surprised that I dared to use the naraetagon, something that most martial artists shy away from due to their pride? Or did they simply hesitate because it was too difficult to attack such a low position?

Either way, the attack momentarily stopped. I took advantage of the gap and quickly got up, using the momentum to push myself forward.

My weight shifted naturally towards the front. In front of me, an opponent was swinging his sword in a panic.

Just before the sharp sword touched my body, I shook my upper body and twisted my weight to the side.

It was an application of the acceleration technique that I had learned from Hong Yeon-hwa.

Although my weight was thrown off balance, I was able to quickly regain my stability thanks to the skill of the Palbangbo.

It was a precarious act that could result in my throat being cut if I made even a slight mistake, like walking on a razor’s edge.

But I knew from my experience of breaking through dozens of encirclements that this was actually the safest way.

After that, I twisted my body towards a narrow and fluid path towards a single archer.

Hunting down peak-level warriors one by one in the midst of a raging sea of soldiers was not that difficult.

After all, those on the right were even weaker than me, even if they were of the same peak level.

Of course, if it were the me from before, I wouldn’t have been able to easily swim against the tide like this, nor would I have been able to kill peak-level masters with ease.

It was only possible because my sharpened mind was responding to the Muryeongsin-gong like never before.

As long as I held the sword of my soul, every action I took was optimized to draw the most ideal trajectory.

It wasn’t a panacea, as it was based on my experience, but conversely, that’s why its effectiveness was maximized here and now.

The experience of enduring death more than a hundred times had melted into my subconscious, providing me with unconscious support.

“Hup!”

Suddenly, I slipped out of a narrow gap and swung my sword vertically at the startled opponent.

Taesanapjeong.

It wasn’t as powerful as when I used it in Yongbongjihoe, but it was still powerful enough that even an ordinary peak-level warrior would find it difficult to withstand.

Kaaang!

With just one clash, the opponent’s sword broke, and his arm was shattered.

I unleashed Taesanapjeong once again towards the weaponless opponent.

Whether it was his last-ditch effort or not, he tried to block it by putting his energy into his intact arm…but there was no way his arm could withstand it.

He was split in half in the same position as when he raised his arm, and died a pathetic death.

This guy was the last peak-level master on the right.

“Now, there are only two left.”

All that remained here were just a bunch of lowly soldiers with numbers on their side.

There was no reason to continue to struggle, so I swept them away and left.

I lowered my body and listened to the movements within me, making a fierce sound as I spun around once.

The Hyeongsogeom that I used was not as powerful as when I first used it due to the lack of proper preparation, but it was still enough to sweep away the first-class warriors surrounding me.

Although they didn’t completely fall apart, they collapsed with deep wounds on their stomachs and chests.

I used Hyeongsogeom again as I passed through them, a rotation made by only bending the upper body since the legs had to keep moving. There was not enough time to gather the sword energy, so the power was only half of what it was when I first used it.

However, the burden on my body was less, and the preparation time was short, so I could use it continuously.

I swept away all the opponents blocking my way and escaped from the encirclement.

Next was the back.

***

Goesung.

This was also a name I arbitrarily gave him like a mad dog, but I think it’s a pretty fitting name.

He was taller than me by a head, with wobbly muscles. His hair was tightly shaved, but his beard was grown in a jagged manner.

In addition, he had a vicious personality that emphasized mercy in his martial arts, tearing apart and crushing anyone, even allies, without mercy if they got in his way.

What else could you call such a guy if not a monster? A bloodthirsty one?

Anyway, it’s no wonder that he saw me fighting from afar and ran towards me.

He had already killed several people in excitement, and he started laughing like crazy when he saw me.

“Kekahaha! This guy is really crazy!”

“……?”

Who was he calling crazy?

I was on guard against the Geumgangbudongsinbeop and could respond at any time, so I was taken aback by what he said.

Did he notice my bewildered expression? Goesung laughed and pointed behind me.

“Oh.”

Just in case, I kept my guard up and turned around. Only then could I understand what Goesung had said.

…There was a bloody path.

The corpses of those I had killed up until now were scattered along my path.

“It’s true that you’re stronger than the average person, but you’re not overwhelmingly powerful. Most people would run away. But how did you act?”

Goesung laughed as if he knew everything.

“Right. There’s no reason not to kill someone you can kill. Rather than forcing yourself to live a shameful life and committing new sins, wouldn’t it be better to die and be reborn? I am the great Bodhisattva who saves everyone! And you have the same qualities as me!”

“…You’re insane.”

He’s like a crazy killer who sends only good people to heaven and kills anyone who gets in his way.

When I shook my head, he seemed to get angry and raised his voice.

“Look at that! How many people have died at your hands! And how afraid the survivors are of you! Are you ignoring your true nature even after seeing that?”

What was he talking about?

I’m sure even the Buddha would make the same choice as me if he died a hundred times. Or at least he would understand.

“I’ll say it again, you have the qualities to save sentient beings. It’s not too late. I’ll talk to the prince for you, so let’s practice the Dharma together…”

“Enough.”

I interrupted him in the middle of his sentence and lightly tapped the tip of my sword. It was an obvious provocation that anyone could see.

“Don’t you have to enter the cycle of reincarnation now? Don’t waste time and come at me.”

“This, this guy…!”

From the beginning, the prince had said to kill everyone who came over from the dimensional portal, and Goesung was no exception.

I had no reason to accept Goesung’s proposal, but he didn’t even have a reason to make it.

However, the guy who didn’t know the situation fell for the provocation as if he had received a great insult.

His face turned red and purple, and veins bulged on his forehead like a vicious beast.

“If you want to go to the Buddha’s embrace so badly, I’ll send you there.”

Goesung, who looked like a Four Heavenly Kings or a Vajrapani, suddenly closed the distance without any warning.