Chapter 54 : Dilemma
He was wearing a dull black robe with no patterns or embroidery, no different from the other men in black.
The man, whose face was also covered with a black mask that was no different, was not much different in appearance from the men in black who had appeared with him.
But,
The escort warriors, the escort warriors, Cheongdo, Cheong Yeonah, and even Jang Yuran and Hwa Mokyeon, everyone in this place could feel it.
That that man was different.
The killing intent and qi wave that was inadvertently leaking from his body clearly revealed that he was a strong person on a different level from the other men in black.
"…Damn it… Senior Brother."
"…Yes…"
Although they did not speak specifically, the two had finished exchanging their opinions with just that one word.
Transcendent.
The man who seemed to be the leader of the men in black who had just stepped forward was extremely rare among the countless martial artists, like grains of sand. He was a transcendent master who had polished his martial arts to a level close to the extreme.
Just like their senior brother and one of the top ten masters in Sichuan, Cheongmu…
Unlike the party, which was flustered by the sudden appearance of a master, the men in black were surrounding them with a chilling thoroughness.
The man, a transcendent master who had stepped forward, looked around at the escort group with indifferent eyes.
And a heavy, low voice that was unpleasantly so flowed from his mouth.
"Kill them."
And at that moment.
"You bastard…!!"
"Die!!!"
As if they had been waiting for the man's order to annihilate them, Cheong Yeonah and Cheongdo rushed at the leader of the men in black like a flash.
A perfect joint attack that was carried out without a moment's notice!
And as a signal, a chaotic battle between the escort warriors and the men in black began.
'This is not good!'
Unlike the previous attack, where a small number of masters had been active using the bandits as a shield, all of the men in black this time were masters of at least the first-rate level, and there were a considerable number of peak masters.
Moreover, since Cheong Yeonah and Cheongdo, the best masters of the party, were dealing with the leader of the men in black, the only masters left among the escort warriors who could properly deal with them were Hwa Mokyeon and Jang Baekseo.
"Uwaaaaak!"
"Keuk!?"
Jang Baekseo calmly analyzed this situation, which was practically a one-sided massacre.
'This is not good… if this goes on, annihilation is only a matter of time!'
If it were only Jang Baekseo and the people of the Mysterious Profound Sect in this place, they could have somehow broken through and escaped.
But now, the group had too many obstacles to escape, from the substandard escort warriors to the escort warriors.
In this desperate situation where he could not even pull himself out, Jang Baekseo had to find a way to live somehow.
'I don't want to, but…!'
Jang Baekseo, who had finished his thoughts, broke through the chaotic battle and ran to the carriage in which Madam Ma was riding.
Click!
When he opened the carriage door, Madam Ma was sitting inside, clutching her stomach and trembling.
Looking at Madam Ma, who was sweating and had her eyes tightly closed, Jang Baekseo said.
"Madam Ma."
"B-Baekseo?"
"Can you trust me?"
"What? What do you mean…"
At that moment, a man in black rushed at the carriage.
Swish!
The man in black, who had rushed at Jang Baekseo, thinking he was a child and looking down on him, was cut in two from the waist in one go.
Jang Baekseo, who had cut the man in black into two pieces, did not even wipe the blood that had splattered on his face and asked once again.
"Can you trust me?"
For a moment, she was dumbfounded by the unexpectedly shocking scene.
Madam Ma, as if she had hardened her heart, nodded her head with a firm face.
Jang Baekseo, who had received confirmation, pulled Madam Ma out of the carriage.
And.
"Everyone, stop moving!!"
At the lion's roar, which was filled with a considerable amount of internal energy, the chaotic battle stopped for a moment.
Thud!
"Hey, you guys in black. If you don't want to see this woman die, clear the way."
At that one word from Jang Baekseo, the leader of the men in black, whom Cheongdo and Cheong Yeonah had been blocking, came forward.
'If we had been a little later, it would have been a big problem…'
Cheongdo and Cheong Yeonah were already half-dead in that short time.
In particular, Cheong Yeonah's condition was serious. Her sword was shattered, and she was vomiting a large amount of blood, so it was clear that she had suffered an internal injury from facing the sword force head-on.
Jang Baekseo felt his blood run cold.
"…Why do you think we would care about the life of such a woman with colored eyes?"
'He's caught!'
Although he might have been pretending to be calm, it was too obvious.
If he had really not been interested in Madam Ma's life, he would have just ignored Jang Baekseo's shout.
In other words.
'The moment he receives my words while pretending to be calm like that, it's no different from saying that he cares!'
Hiding his inner thoughts, Jang Baekseo aimed his sword at Madam Ma's neck.
Sreung!
Drip!
A small wound was made on Madam Ma's neck, and a drop of blood formed and flowed down her white skin.
"Then it wouldn't matter if I stabbed a little deeper, right?"
Seeing the creepily smiling Jang Baekseo, the man in black's face hardened. And…
Chwaaaak!
"Keuaaak!"
The man in black's sword cut Cheongdo's chest.
A spray of blood gushed from the wound, and the man in black's black mask was stained bright red with the blood.
But.
"…"
There was not a single trace of agitation on Jang Baekseo's face.
'This brat…!'
At Jang Baekseo's appearance, the man in black felt a shiver run down his spine.
According to his information, that boy was clearly a disciple of the Mysterious Profound Sect, and the man named Cheongdo, whom he had just cut, was his senior uncle.
Even if a completely unrelated person was taken hostage, agitation would naturally arise if one saw their chest being cut in front of them. But the young boy who was looking at him now was not showing a single trace of agitation even after seeing his own senior uncle's chest being cut.
'He's no ordinary person…'
Of course…
'You son of a b*tch… I've clearly remembered your presence!'
Currently, a volcano of anger was boiling in Jang Baekseo's heart. But his cold reason, which told him that he should not show his agitation here, was preventing his emotions from showing on the outside.
"Should I take that as an answer that you don't care if the woman dies?"
Jang Baekseo held his sword in a reverse grip and aimed its tip at Madam Ma's neck.
Pook!
"Ugh!"
The tip of the blade dug into her neck, and the bright red blood once again stained Madam Ma's snow-white skin dark red.
"Stop!!!"
At that sight, the leader of the men in black was flustered and soon gave a signal with his hand.
Then, the men in black, who were still surrounding the escort, began to clear the way one by one.
"What are you dawdling for!? Quickly load the senior uncle, the senior aunt, and the injured!!"
As an unexpected situation continued, the escort warriors and the escort warriors, who were at a loss, not being able to follow the situation, came to their senses at Jang Baekseo's shout.
And soon, while being wary of the eyes of the men in black who were glaring at them as if to kill them, they loaded the injured, Cheongdo, and Cheong Yeonah onto the carriage.
"Go quickly!!"
Although the escort warriors and the escort warriors were still moving while being wary of the eyes of the men in black…
"Get lost. I have no interest in you."
As the leader of the men in black said that, they moved in a hurry and passed through the road.
But…
"Why aren't you guys going?"
"Since my younger brother is staying, how can his older brother go without loyalty?"
"It's an event of our escort agency, so how can the daughter of the head just go?"
Looking at Jang Yuran and Hwa Mokyeon, who had remained behind, leaving the departing escort behind, Jang Baekseo smiled bitterly.
'You foolish bastards.'
While thinking that, Jang Baekseo did not dislike these foolish bastards.
How much time had they bought?
"This should be enough to get out of Mount Emei."
At Hwa Mokyeon's words, Jang Baekseo nodded his head.
If they had gotten out of Mount Emei, it was at least a relief.
If they just entered a village near Mount Emei, they would not be able to act rashly.
"The problem is…"
Yes, the problem was those who were left here.
"…I have sent the party as you wished."
"So what? Hand over the woman? You seem to be mistaken. Sending the escort is only in exchange for not killing this woman."
At those words, the man in black was at a loss for words and could not say anything more.
"Above all, I don't know if you guys really sent the escort."
"…How dare you!! Who do you take me for!! I am the great…"
"Great?"
"…I keep my promises, so hand over the woman."
'Look at this?'
Although he had felt a sense of déjà vu since before, this man, who had covered his face and had ambushed the escort and had even killed people, was acting somehow…
'Hypocritical…'
No, it was the same during the chaotic battle. For some reason, the men in black had not confirmed the kill on the escort warriors who were injured and had fallen to the ground.
And yet, they did not hesitate to use killing moves, so it was extremely strange that they were more reluctant to confirm the kill on a fallen opponent than to kill a person.
'What a creepy bunch of guys…'
It was even more creepy that the guys who had even completely covered their faces and bodies in black to hide their identities in a cowardly ambush were showing such a contradictory behavior.
'What is their identity…'
Moreover, the words that the leader of the men in black had just said. Jang Baekseo had heard similar words before.
'Jeongpung… he smells similar to that brat.'
A blood relative of the Azure Heaven Faction and a third-generation disciple of Qingcheng. A first-rate master who used the Seventy-Two Wave Sword as his main skill, and…
'A brat who always has the words 'a disciple of the great Qingcheng' in his mouth!'
Jang Baekseo had a certain conviction.
That this group of people who were attacking them now and were aiming for Madam Ma were related to the Orthodox Faction!
'Indeed, the daughter of the master of the Twelve Demon Palaces, the main force of the Demonic Cult. A delicious prey.'
But that's why it made even less sense. If their identity was really the people of the Orthodox Faction and they were aiming for Madam Ma, a blood relative of the Cold Demon, there was no need to use such a dirty trick. It would have been enough to proudly reveal their identity and say that they had come to dispose of a demonic head.
But to do this…
'It means they have a purpose that they can't openly reveal to others!'
After thinking that far, Jang Baekseo turned his body and cut behind him.
"Keuk!?"
Jang Baekseo had been standing with his back to the cliff, holding Madam Ma hostage.
The leader of the men in black had secretly ordered his subordinate to climb the cliff and aim for his back while Jang Baekseo was holding a hostage and buying time for the escort to escape Mount Emei.
But the opponent was bad.
"Strike!!"
Jang Baekseo, who had already figured out all of their schemes, had cut down the man in black who was trying to ambush him from behind in one go, and at the same time…
"Jump!!!"
Jang Baekseo held Madam Ma in one hand and held his sword in his mouth.
At the same time, with his remaining hand, he swept the floor and picked up the sword that the man in black who had just attacked him had dropped and the sword that a deceased escort warrior had dropped, two at the same time.
And he threw himself off the cliff as he was.
"What!?"
"What are you doing!?"
Although Jang Yuran and Hwa Mokyeon were flustered for a moment, they had no time to think about the men in black who were rushing at them and jumped off the cliff after Jang Baekseo.