Chapter 186
'Damn it! Don't these crazy things get tired?!'
'Their resilience is too strong. Even if I cut off their limbs, they bare their teeth and flop around like a live fish...'
'It's a terrible fight!'
A desperate battle in a mountain in Gorang-hyeon, Gansu.
The allied forces of the Martial Alliance and the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult were continuing a seemingly endless battle of carnage.
When the horde of blood zombies and demonic beasts first appeared.
...since there were many who had not experienced demonic beasts, they were flustered and it seemed that the tide of battle was turning against them.
But when the spells of Baek In-hwa and the monks of the Heavenly Demon Sacred Hall were unfolded, the one-sided battle gradually became level, and due to the performance of the Shaolin side, the balance of the offense and defense gradually tilted towards the allied forces.
—Now we will sweep them away with an unstoppable momentum!
Thus, the allied forces seemed to be successfully finishing the first battle of the Gansu cult branch subjugation.
But.
—Don't back down! If we back down, we can't win. The moment the formation is broken, we all die!
An unexpected variable had occurred.
It was precisely, stamina.
The demonic beasts were terrible monsters that were not subject to the restriction of stamina at all.
Of course, when the dazzling light of Baek In-hwa or the Buddhist light of Shaolin was embodied, perhaps because they felt fear due to the extreme incompatibility, they flinched, but unfortunately, that was all.
Even in the midst of a rain of eerie sword light, the monsters did not back down, and, soaked in the light of slaughter, they only let out a rough roar, craving for murder.
Moreover.
...what was more troublesome than the monsters was precisely the blood zombies.
The blood zombies had a narrow range of thought and were not cunning, so despite their killing power, they could not be used in various ways.
So, unlike the Ghost Demon Jiangshis, which would squeeze out their own power to the maximum if they were just released, they had a fatal flaw in that a sorcerer had to become a controller and control various parts with his evil arts.
This flaw, in a battle of many against many and a long-term battle, on the contrary, became an advantage.
Because it meant that as long as the sorcerer's evil arts continued, they would fight with all their strength until their bodies were worn out.
On the other hand.
...the problem was that the allied forces that were facing such blood zombies were not monsters, but humans.
No living creature is free from the restriction of 'stamina'.
The allied forces had now come face to face with the limit of 'stamina'.
—Maintain the formation!
—Don't be pushed back!
—Once it's broken through, it's uncontrollable!
The shouts of the military strategist, Zhuge Hyuk, filled with internal energy, burst out without rest.
Nevertheless, the allied forces could not help but be tired.
The desperate struggle that had begun around dusk had already been going on for four shichen...
The two arms that were constantly swinging their swords felt as if they had a thousand-pound iron lump attached to them, and the two legs that were the foundation of their lightness and footwork were sticky and heavy, as if they were stuck in mud.
To make matters worse, the internal energy of their dantians was also worn out, and above all, because they had continued a forced march, their minds and bodies were tattered as if they would crumble at any moment.
'Damn it! It's impossible to fight anymore.'
'Ah... I really feel like I'm going to die.'
'Don't these zombie bastards get tired?'
Not only the young late-stage masters who had not yet reached their thirties, but also the core members with high martial arts were gradually getting tired in the exhausting battle.
If they were winning for sure, it would be a different story...
Although the number of monsters had been significantly reduced due to the performance of Baek In-hwa, the monks, and Shaolin, the 'blood zombies', which were so terrible that they would bite the insteps of the martial artists by crawling on the ground even if only their heads were left, were still overwhelming.
'If I use the spell of a great explosion, the sacrifice of our allies will be severe... in the end, I have to annihilate the enemies one by one. What should I do!'
Baek In-hwa sighed inwardly.
In fact, not only Baek In-hwa, but also Master Gong-seung and others who were among the top masters in the room were all having such thoughts.
If they were to display a peerless divine art with a wide range, they would be able to turn three or four blood zombies into a handful of lonely souls in one move...
But in a battle of many against many.
...in a situation where they had to maintain their formation and form a precise and dense net to fight, such a dogmatic act was highly likely to lead to a bad move that would, on the contrary, reduce the strength of their allies.
'It's a really tricky fight.'
Baek In-hwa's deliberation deepened.
But.
—Mu-ha-a-a-a-an!.
—Che-ryeo-o-o-o-eok!
—Yuk-che-e-e-e-e!
—Gae-jo-o-o-o-o!
—Gan-deu-a-a-a-a-at!
In that moment, from the rear, an unidentified.
...an unknown mysterious shout echoed throughout the battlefield.
***
"Yes! Come on! Come here, you zombie bastards!"
"Let's see if you die or I die!"
"You cut off its legs, and it comes in on its hands? Wow! The blood zombies are also crazy brats!"
"But they are already dead bastards, right? In fact, they are not even living creatures. Can we lose to such dead corpses?"
The former cadets of the White Martial Academy, the In unit.
But now, So-ah's friends, who had become respectable officials of the Martial Alliance, were currently performing a great feat like a fish in water.
They looked around.
Age, status, position.
Regardless of all those parts, a look of exhaustion was clearly on the faces of all their allies.
But So-ah's friends were different.
A life-and-death struggle of four shichen with all their strength?
"Aww! You brats. When we were at our peak, you punk! There were times when we trained with all our strength for eight shichen a day!"
When they recalled the terrible physical training with So-ah, this was nothing more than a level that made them laugh.
What?
How can you compare the exhaustion of stamina in a training where safety is guaranteed with the exhaustion of stamina in a battlefield where your life is on the line?
No!
In the training with So-ah, safety was never guaranteed, and there was never a time when it was not with all their strength.
When they were doing the threshing training, So-ah really beat them up with the momentum to kill a person.
Have you ever seen the appearance of a devil who, after covering a black wood that is as hard as steel with his unique 'rebound ki', slams it on a person's head with his teeth clenched?
Even when they shed tears and begged him to stop, he would snicker next to them and kick their butts.
...a hellish yaksha with a personality that would stomp on their heads with his foot and slam them on the ground if they sat down on the floor, saying they couldn't run anymore.
To be sure, such a person.
...and such an absurd training method cannot exist in the world.
If it were not for the support of the manufacturing method of the medicinal water that he had received from the God of War, Moyong Cheon, and the systematic training method of So-ah, who had a professional knowledge of all the blood points, vital points, joints, and muscles of the human body, it would be impossible...
But So-ah's friends had endured such training and had acquired their current studies.
Of course, there are many people who are stronger than them.
In the martial world, where strange people are as common as the sand of the Yangtze River, their level of martial arts would not be something to show off...
But at least, at this moment.
...in a situation where stamina was everything, they were the saviors, the gods.
"Let's see who wins, you or me!"
Han Baek's heavy sword ki became hundreds of sword shadows and cut off the arms of the blood zombies, and,
The ultimate secret technique of the great Namgung family, which boasted a thousand-year history!
Namgung Mun, who had become able to use the Heavenly Wind Emperor Sword Art today, scattered his sword gang like a sword wind and cut off the legs of the blood zombies, and,
The hidden weapons of Dang Il-gi and Dang Hwa-rin, who were adding to the firepower of their allies in a wide area by throwing the Storm of Pear Blossom Needles, which showed a powerful utility in a battle of many against many, burst into flames.
And...
"Come here, you bastards!"
"Die!"
It was no longer that of Moyong Cheon, but had become the signature technique of Jin So-ah.
The most great and powerful bare-handed fighting art in the history of the martial world.
The Storm of Heaven's Fury and the Human Sword Strike of Moyong Hwa and Moyong Su, who had become the successors of the Ten-Second Invincible Arts, crushed the heads of the blood zombies to pieces.
"Good! Let's send three of them to the underworld at the same time, okay?"
"Aren't they brats who have already crossed over and come back? Sister Hwa."
"It's the same thing!"
"...Yes."
At the performance of Moyong Hwa and Moyong Su, the hearts of their allies, who were standing in other rows and were struggling to face the blood zombies, became hot.
'As expected... those are the people of the Moyong family!'
'The Ten-Second Invincible Arts... it's a truly terrifying martial art!'
'But how come they don't get tired? Wow... it's really scary, so scary.'
That's right.
So-ah's friends did not show any signs of being tired.
No!
On the contrary, as time went by, they began to run wild even more, as if they were crazy about something.
Because right now, only one thought was coming to their minds.
—The one who rules stamina rules the battle. There is no rest today! In that sense, run to Manhwa-bong! The last one, look forward to it. I'll make you wish you had committed suicide. Hehet?!
Jin So-ah.
A brat who, even if 30 people ganged up on him, they could not hit him even once until the moment they graduated.
A devil-like brat who would hit them on the back of the head when he was bored, beat them with a club, and pour out unspeakable curses, trampling on their personality and human rights.
But the hell instructor who, for their sake, skipped meals and sleep, woke up when the morning dew fell to boil medicinal water, make ointment, and treat their fractures and internal and external injuries with acupressure and moxibustion, and guided their training with all his heart and soul.
When they recalled their memories with that brat, they could not have weak thoughts like 'it's hard', 'I want to rest', or 'I want to run away'.
'Come quickly, Brother Jin!'
'Come quickly and get rid of those dog-like demonic beasts!'
'Great Senior Brother So-ah. I'll be waiting!'
They, as if they had acquired the 'warrior's heart' that So-ah had always emphasized, were boosting the morale of all their allies by showing an indomitable will.
In that moment.
'Those donors... they must have acquired 'infinite stamina' under the guidance of Young Hero Jin, right?'
There was someone who was glancing at So-ah's friends.
He was none other than the young divine monk of Shaolin, Gwangwon, who had had a duel with So-ah in front of all the people of the Orthodox Path.
Gwangwon was also thinking about So-ah, just like them.
To him, So-ah was a rival who had given him his first defeat in his life, and a person like a teacher who had made him awaken.
Furthermore, although his master, Master Gong-seung, could not overcome the wall of the God of War, Moyong Cheon, since he himself had to surpass So-ah one day, So-ah was nothing short of a lifelong goal for Gwangwon.
Was it because of that...
Seeing So-ah's friends who were active everywhere, the vast fighting spirit that had been dormant in the abyss of Gwangwon's heart began to boil like lava.
'Donor Jin...'
In an instant, from Gwangwon's two hands, from his head, from his two legs.
A huge golden light began to explode.
"Amitabha-a-a-a-a-a-a-ul!"
'Oh my, you scared me!'
'Crazy...! I almost fell backwards!!'
'I'm getting stronger! Crazy... isn't this the Wisdom-Light Heart Words.?!'
The Buddhist chant that came out of Gwangwon's mouth was not just stimulating people's hearing.
While shaking the hearts of the audience, there was something that made their bodies well up with strength.
This was precisely the stage of the Wisdom-Light Heart Words, which was said to be the highest stage among the methods of telepathic voice, and could only be unfolded by a person who had mastered the martial arts of the Buddhist lineage.
"Amitabha-a-a-a-a-a-a-ul!"
"Amitabha-a-a-a-a-a-a-ul!"
Thus, Gwangwon, every time he hit the head of a blood zombie with his Hundred-Step Divine Fist, shouted the Buddhist chant with the method of the Wisdom-Light Heart Words.
A series of one-hit-two-kills.
So-ah's friends were astonished as they watched Gwangwon, who was shouting the Buddhist chant and unfolding a crazy slaughter.
'My goodness... to unfold the Hundred-Step Divine Fist, the Iron Head Art, and the Dragon Claw Hand at the same time while shouting Amitabha with the Wisdom-Light Heart Words, is there a monk who can do that?'
'Is that a person or a monster?'
'Great Senior Brother said that Master Gwangwon was a strong-boned person who belonged to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, not Shaolin... was that true?'
It was good that he was increasing the strength of his allies with the Wisdom-Light Heart Words.
How grateful was that?
It was even better that he was crushing the heads of the zombies with the secret techniques of Shaolin.
But...
Of all the words, why Amitabha!
Was it appropriate to unfold such a terrifying martial art while shouting such words?
There was another brat like So-ah in the world.
(End of Chapter)