Chapter 350
"You bastard! I thought you were at least a martial artist!"
Ma Cheon-deuk let out a roar.
It seems he had felt a sense of satisfaction as a martial artist even in the moments he had clashed swords with me a few times.
It seemed I had satisfied his desire for battle to some extent.
But since I had avoided his fight and instantly created a five-on-one situation, he was so angry, thinking it was not a fight between martial artists.
"Why am I not a martial artist?"
"To use such a petty trick. Is it not enough that you killed my subordinates, and now you're trying to have many people oppress one person!"
"It's strange for a mountain bandit leader to say that. Isn't ganging up on someone a specialty of mountain bandits? Don't you teach that it's natural for many weaklings to face one master? Am I wrong?"
"Mountain bandit leader...?"
He, frowning deeply at a strange point, asked back.
It seems he really hates being called a mountain bandit leader.
Come to think of it, he had created the cringeworthy title of 'Green Forest King' and had even called himself the Green Forest King.
Thinking about it, he had probably done so on the orders of the Evil Faction Alliance Leader, rather than having any real intention of unifying the Green Forest and becoming the Green Forest King.
Judging from his scholar-like appearance even after becoming the Green Forest King, it seems he might be ashamed of being a mountain bandit.
So he must be reacting like that to the words 'mountain bandit leader'.
"Why? Did I say something wrong? Mountain bandit leader."
"If you call me that one more time, I will tear you to pieces and kill you."
"You talk so violently because you're a mountain bandit leader. Scary. So scary! I guess you can't help being a mountain bandit."
"Y-you bastard...!"
It was as if fire was sparking from his eyes, and his nostrils flared.
I had used several tricks to provoke him, but to think this one worked the best. I didn't even think it would be like this.
"Let's stop talking and fight again. But there's one thing I'm curious about, why does a mountain bandit leader use such a thin sword? Shouldn't you have a beard to look a little foolish and use something like a big axe?"
"Agh! Die!"
He finally grabbed his sword and rushed at us first.
Everyone has a reverse scale that shouldn't be touched, and I had touched it properly.
Originally, one might think that a joint attack is advantageous when many people attack one person, but in fact, it's the opposite.
It is a means by which one person can defend much more easily when attacking many people than when many people attack one person.
Just look at the situation now.
Although I didn't order them, my senior brothers are very naturally positioned around me.
It was the Five Elements Sword Formation that was familiar to everyone.
Of course, the original Five Elements Sword Formation is a sword formation composed of more than ten people, but even with five people, the basic principle can be followed.
Especially since we had practiced the Five Elements Sword Formation countless times for the previous Buddhist-Taoist tournament, we were able to perform it very naturally.
Thinking about it this way, I suddenly thought that a martial arts tournament like the Buddhist-Taoist tournament also has a great meaning.
Because in the end, thanks to the practice and duels we had at that time, we can use it in a real battle like now.
I, standing at the very front, deflected the sword that Ma Cheon-deuk had swung as he flew in.
For a moment, surprise flashed in Ma Cheon-deuk's eyes.
Because even though I had swung lightly, I had deflected his sword with a much stronger force than when we were exchanging blows a little while ago.
It's natural for him to be surprised, as he doesn't know the Five Elements Sword Formation.
Now, thanks to the influence of the sword formation, I can use about half a time more strength than I can usually use.
"Mountain bandit leader. Was that all you had? If I beat you, shall I become the mountain bandit leader? It looks easier than I thought."
"I'll sew that mouth shut!"
Although he swung his sword dazzlingly as if to swing it at the maximum speed he could, I blocked all of his attacks.
I am also confident in fast swords. It might be very difficult to aim for the gap between his attacks and attack back, but if it's just defending, I can do it all day.
At some point, when I was just defending.
Two streaks of sword qi erupted from behind my back and were shot at Ma Cheon-deuk.
Ma Cheon-deuk, in a panic, barely deflected the sword qi.
Of course, the sword qi that came from behind my back were the ones that my senior brothers had shot.
He hadn't even thought about my senior brothers, but when a stronger-than-expected sword qi came out from them, he seemed quite flustered.
"Cowardly!"
"I'd rather be a coward who wins and survives than a righteous martial artist who dies."
"You have no shame!"
"You're the one who has no shame. Can a mountain bandit who just robs the pockets of passing travelers and merchants talk about shame?"
"You bastard, until the end?!"
He once again drew out his energy to the fullest.
As if a halo of light was beginning to gather on his sword again, he once again created a Sword Thread.
He is trying to break through me with force somehow.
But as I thought a little while ago, I have no intention of facing him head-on.
"Scatter!"
As I shouted, my senior brothers instantly scattered in all directions.
I also moved far away from Ma Cheon-deuk.
Ma Cheon-deuk, who had painstakingly created a Sword Thread, looked at me blankly, dumbfounded.
With that one move a little while ago, I had grasped his weakness.
At Ma Cheon-deuk's current achievement, to create a Sword Thread, he has to concentrate all the internal energy he can operate on his sword.
It means that he even has to squeeze out the internal energy to perform a movement technique and put it into his sword.
So a little while ago, even though he saw his subordinate die, he couldn't stop me.
Because he should have followed my movement by performing a movement technique, but he couldn't perform a movement technique because of the Sword Thread.
"Y-you bastard...!"
He, looking at me from a distance, spat out a curse in futility and then retrieved the internal energy that was in his sword again.
At that moment, I shouted, "Reform!"
Then my senior brothers, who had gathered again at the maximum speed they could, formed the Five Elements Sword Formation.
When he performs a Sword Thread, we scatter, and when he retrieves it again, we face him with the Five Elements Sword Formation.
In a situation where he has already lost his subordinates, his defeat is as good as a foregone conclusion.
"Ma Cheon-deuk. As you know, you have no chance of winning now. So give up and surrender. Then I will guarantee your life."
"Crazy talk."
"I'll send you to the side of the Green Snake you so want to see. Perhaps the Green Snake, who is trapped in a cold prison, will have the strength to endure the prison life if you are nearby."
"......"
Ma Cheon-deuk was at a loss for words for the first time.
As expected, it seemed that the existence of the Green Snake was no ordinary existence to him.
"Ma Cheon-deuk. Then choose."
"Choose?"
"The Evil Faction Alliance or the Green Snake."
"What?"
"If you choose the Evil Faction Alliance, I will let you go. Anyway, we also think that we can't win easily if we fight you until we die. We could get seriously injured, and the aftereffects of a deep internal injury could last for a long time. Instead, you stop harassing the merchants using the Green Forest. And stop looking for the Green Snake."
"Then... what will you do with the Green Snake?"
"I have to kill her. You chose the Evil Faction Alliance, even if the Green Snake dies, right? If you choose to go back to the Evil Faction Alliance like this, the Green Snake will surely die."
"You son of a bitch!"
"Instead!"
I, shouting at him who was shouting, interrupted his words with a louder voice.
As if he hadn't expected me to shout like that, he looked at me with wide eyes.
"If you choose the Green Snake instead of the Evil Faction Alliance, I will guarantee both your and the Green Snake's lives. And endure the prison life for a little while. If you cooperate and the Evil Faction Alliance disappears... then I will set both you and the Green Snake free."
"What?"
"I think it's not a bad condition. In the end, you have to live, right? The Evil Faction Alliance Leader only thinks of you as a piece on a chessboard. Rather than sacrificing your lover's life for such a person, if it were me, I would choose to live together somehow."
"With just that kind of glib tongue... are you trying to deceive me?"
"Deceive? I will surely promise. I have the authority to meet the Martial Alliance Leader directly. I will ask the Alliance Leader directly."
"Lies! How can a young martial artist like you meet the Martial Alliance Leader?"
"You know, right? For us martial artists, age is not important, but martial arts are. When you look at me, don't you think that with this level of martial arts at my age, I would be receiving the favor of the Martial Alliance Leader?"
"......"
He couldn't answer.
It was probably because he had agreed with my words in his heart and didn't want to show it.
"So choose well. But know one thing for sure."
"What?"
"If you choose the Evil Faction Alliance and the Green Snake dies... in the end, you're the one who killed the Green Snake."
"W-what kind of sophistry is that?!"
"Sophistry? I gave you two choices: a choice to save the Green Snake and a choice to kill her. But if you chose the one where the Green Snake dies and she died, then of course you're the one who killed the Green Snake."
"This is. Ridiculous."
"I can do this all day. So think slowly and carefully and decide. Let's stop the meaningless fight now."
Although I said that, I did not let my guard down and was wary of him.
But Ma Cheon-deuk, as if he really had no intention of attacking us, dropped his arms and fell into thought.
I barely held back a smile that was about to appear.
To think that something that could have been so easy was almost made into a difficult path because I was drunk on the growth of my martial arts.
The reason I didn't succeed much in my past life was because I didn't use everything I could use and solved everything foolishly with just martial arts and strength, but I almost repeated the same mistake in this life.
'Think. Think more.'
The deepening of his thoughts is a positive sign for me.
Because in fact, if you think about it calmly, there was no reason for Ma Cheon-deuk to hesitate.
Since the Green Snake is already captured, rescuing her may not have much meaning from the organization's point of view.
Because she might have already spilled all the information she knew, and she might have been crippled somewhere while being tortured.
But the reason he is hesitating is Ma Cheon-deuk's heart for the Green Snake.
Although someone might curse me for playing with a person's heart if they saw me doing this, I am willing to accept any amount of curses.
Because I am prepared to use whatever I can use.
"I..."
How long had he been thinking? A voice came out of Ma Cheon-deuk's mouth.
His voice, as if to represent his heartache, was hoarse and cracked.
"I surrender."
"......!"
"Heop!"
"......!"
My senior brothers couldn't hide their surprise at the words that came out of his mouth.
It seems they hadn't even thought that Ma Cheon-deuk would surrender like this.
"Instead, I hope you will keep your promise as a martial artist to a martial artist this time. Guarantee the Green Snake's life, and be sure to take me to where she is."
"Yes. I will surely keep that promise."
Although I am a person who can use everything and thinks that there is no need to keep a promise with a villain, sometimes there are promises that must be kept as a human to a human.
I resolved to surely keep my promise with Ma Cheon-deuk here.
Ma Cheon-deuk, gathering both his fists, suddenly struck his own lower abdomen, and.
"Keo-eok...!"
His eyes rolled back and his body collapsed.
"This is!"
Since I hadn't expected him to try to destroy his dantian so immediately, I performed a movement technique at the maximum speed and checked his condition.
Although I don't know if it can be called fortunate, his dantian was greatly damaged, and he had lost consciousness from the pain, but his dantian was not completely broken.
"Really... as a martial artist, he's a true martial artist."
Somehow, I think I understood why he was so angry at being called a mountain bandit leader.
(End of Chapter)