Kang Sogun

No Ichil recalled his encounter with the Heavenly Star Brigade. These men were definitely stronger than the Heavenly Star Brigade.

"They must be special."

Even as No Ichil told himself his thoughts were correct, a sense of unease lingered in a corner of his mind.

'I need to reinvestigate the military power of the Heavenly Martial Faction. These guys are not a known military brigade. I wonder how many of them there are.'

As No Ichil was lost in thought, Gyeong Cheonseung approached.

His face, covered in blood, looked like a demon.

As his subordinates died, he had swung his sword like a madman, killing the most enemies, and he himself had also suffered saber wounds here and there.

"We have collected all the bodies. Where are these bastards now?"

A madness was in Gyeong Cheonseung's eyes.

Four had died from the first team alone, so it was understandable.

"I think we need to request support. Contact Hefei."

No Ichil felt that the enemy's movements were unusual.

"The injured will take the bodies and go to Hefei, and the rest will follow me to Anqing City."

No Ichil got on his horse.

***

Anqing City was just ahead. There was a wide open space at the entrance to the village outside the city.

About twenty masked men in black were standing in formation.

Iron caltrops to catch the horses' ankles were laid out on the open space.

"Whoa!"

Kang Sogun pulled the reins and stopped his horse.

To the left was a pond, and to the right was a dense forest.

It seemed the enemy had decided to have a decisive battle here.

The enemies running from behind were six. They stopped at a distance.

"We'll have to abandon the horses."

Jang Mugang said, looking at the enemies in front and behind.

'Twenty-six! Six on this side!'

The situation was not good.

Just by counting the heads, it would be a four-to-one fight.

From the one clash they had, the martial arts of the masked men in black were all first-rate.

Of course, if they fought one-on-one, he was confident. But now, they had to fight a chaotic battle.

As with all fights, victory or defeat is not decided by the level of martial arts. This was even more so in such a chaotic battle.

Jang Mugang looked towards the village.

As the atmosphere was unusual, the streets were deserted, as if everyone had bolted their doors.

Even if the enemy swarmed Kang Sogun, the rest of the people would have to fight a battle of more than two to one.

It was a burdensome fight for Sim Mabaek and Wi Eunghwan, who were injured, and Yeon Hwasim, let alone himself and Jungrang.

As Jang Mugang was thinking, Kang Sogun got off his horse.

As everyone looked on with curiosity, Kang Sogun drew his long spear from his horse's back and said.

"Do not get off your horses."

Kang Sogun held his long spear and walked towards the enemy blocking the front.

His steady pace and stride, one step at a time, did not look like a person going to fight.

The masked men in black silently raised their sabers.

A strong killing intent poured out.

They were not called the killing demon squad for nothing.

Kang Sogun stood facing the twenty enemies with the open space where the iron caltrops were laid in the middle.

Kang Sogun stood still with his spear held diagonally.

"What is he doing?"

Sim Mabaek muttered to himself, and Wi Eunghwan took it.

"I don't know."

-Thwack!

The eyes of those who were watching Kang Sogun widened.

With a sound, the space around Kang Sogun seemed to ripple.

In an instant, Kang Sogun spun once, soared into the air, and then struck the ground with his spear.

-Boom!

The qi wave that poured out from the spear hit the ground, and a loud roar erupted as if an explosive had gone off.

"Spear energy!"

What had poured out from the tip of Kang Sogun's spear was clearly energy.

The dream of swordsmen who had practiced the sword all their lives was to achieve sword energy.

It was difficult to meet someone who had achieved sword energy even in a lifetime.

Let alone spear energy.

Even Sim Mabaek, who was said to have established a school with the spear, had never seen someone unfold energy with a long spear.

Kang Sogun spun three times in a row and poured out energy.

-Boom! Boom!

With the explosions, dirt and dust scattered.

The masked men in black flinched and retreated from the aftermath of the immense energy.

"!"

At Kang Sogun's amazing martial prowess, everyone just watched, unable to move.

The scattered dirt and dust settled.

The open space was split as if a giant dragon had clawed it.

The iron caltrops that the masked men in black had laid out had disappeared without a trace.

"Run!"

Jang Mugang was the first to come to his senses and struck Wi Eunghwan's horse's rump.

Wi Eunghwan's horse shot out.

Wi Eunghwan drew his crossbow and loaded an arrow.

It was a lightning-fast hand movement.

-Swish!

As Wi Eunghwan's arrow flew, the masked men in black did not dare to deflect it and split.

It had all happened in an instant.

Yeon Hwasim and Jungrang, realizing the situation late, pulled their reins.

"Block them!"

The masked men in black threw themselves forward.

-Clatter!

The masked men who had stepped on the backs of those in front and had soared up threw sickles attached to iron chains.

The sickles flew, aiming for the horses' heads and legs.

"Be careful!"

Jang Mugang shouted, but the masked men's technique was too fast and accurate.

-Neigh!

An iron sickle was embedded in Wi Eunghwan's horse.

Seeing this, Yeon Hwasim and Jungrang pulled their reins and stopped.

Wi Eunghwan rolled off his horse's back, landed on the ground, and shot his crossbow at the masked men in black who were in the air.

-Clang!

The masked men in black were also prepared this time and deflected the arrows.

-Swish!

Kang Sogun's spear cut through the air.

The masked men in black surprisingly used their iron chains to fly back and retreat.

In the meantime, Wi Eunghwan landed and aimed his crossbow.

Kang Sogun ran towards the center of the masked men in black, aiming his spear.

The masked men in black moved quickly around Kang Sogun.

Iron chains and sickles flew towards Kang Sogun.

"It's dangerous!"

Yeon Hwasim's heart pounded.

The movements of the masked men in black were very surprising and vicious. They used each other's iron chains and sickles to add variation to their movements.

It could be seen how skilled the masked men in black were in combined attacks and how they had trained for various situations.

-Clang!

Kang Sogun tried to secure a space by deflecting the sickles.

Four masked men in black were swinging iron chains and sickles, two were aiming crossbows, and another four were waiting on all sides with sabers.

As many as ten had rushed at Kang Sogun.

The remaining ten flew towards Yeon Hwasim's party.

-Clatter!

The sickles attached to the iron chains flew first.

It was a move that aimed for both the horse and the person at the same time.

Jungrang kicked the horse's back, soared up, and tried to deflect the flying iron sickles.

But the iron sickles swayed and then changed direction like a living snake.

The iron sickles split into two and attacked Jungrang from the left and right.

If he were caught, his waist would be cut and he would be in two pieces.

Jungrang twisted his body in the air. It was a possible movement because he had kept Kang Sogun's lightness skill in mind from the beginning.

Jungrang had a quick understanding of martial arts. But his body did not always move as he thought.

Because his rotation was weak, the iron sickles grazed Jungrang's waist.

Thwack!

Fortunately, it ended with a flesh wound.

"Don't float your body! Eunghwan, get in position!"

Jang Mugang shouted loudly.

There was nothing more dangerous than floating your body in a chaotic battle.

If you floated your body into the air, the enemies would preemptively occupy the landing spot and wait, so there was a high possibility of receiving a fatal blow.

Jang Mugang immediately jumped off his horse and turned his body.

He had to deal with the masked men in black who were rushing from behind.

-Swish!

Arrows fired from a crossbow flew first, and two from each side rushed in.

Sim Mabaek also jumped off his horse and blocked the enemy.

Wi Eunghwan threw hidden weapons at the men who had preemptively occupied Jungrang's landing spot.

While the enemies were avoiding them, Jungrang landed on the ground.

"Miss Yeon! This way!"

As Wi Eunghwan shouted, Yeon Hwasim got off her horse and approached.

Wi Eunghwan, Jungrang, and Yeon Hwasim stood back to back in a "品" shape and faced the enemy.

Wi Eunghwan also drew the saber at his waist. The slender ring-pommel saber shone white.

"Let's have a proper fight."

Wi Eunghwan smiled and looked at Jungrang.

Jungrang deflected the enemy's saber that was striking down and shouted to Yeon Hwasim.

"Maintain the formation!"

The three had no choice but to focus on defense.

The enemy was ten, and this side was three. If even one person fell, the other two would be immediately cut to pieces.

-Clang! Clang!

The sound of weapons clashing was loud in the arena.

As the close combat began, the men who had been throwing sickles attached to iron chains also drew their sabers and rushed in.

Kang Sogun's spear scattered in all directions. It swayed from left to right, and it struck up and down, deflecting the sickles.

The enemies, as if they knew Kang Sogun's martial prowess well, kept their distance and did not come close.

Occasionally, arrows flew and restricted Kang Sogun's range of activity.

'They're holding me back and aiming for Yeon Hwasim!'

The enemies were smart. They were going to catch the weak link of the party, Yeon Hwasim, first.

Jang Mugang and Sim Mabaek were in a scuffle with the six coming from behind.

If you only consider their individual martial arts, the Three Tigers of Shandong were much higher, but the combined attacks of the masked men in black were cunning.

As soon as Kang Sogun grasped the situation, he made a decision.

He rolled on the ground to avoid the iron chains flying towards him.

"Hah!"

One of the masked men in black took a breath.

Most martial artists do not choose the move of rolling on the ground. It is not only disgraceful, but it is also a defensive move that makes it difficult to switch back to the offensive once you are cornered.

As Kang Sogun boldly rolled, the masked men in black all threw their weapons and tried to strike him.

In an instant, Kang Sogun jumped up and swung his spear from left to right.

A bloody spear energy poured out from the spear that he had swung after jumping a full ten feet.

"It's energy! Avoid it!"

Someone shouted, but it was already too late.

-Boom! Bang!

With the explosions, four of them were thrown off.

Their chests were shattered, and it was clear that they were dead.

Kang Sogun then spun his spear like a windmill and shot it forward.

The spear, as if it had grown a full ten feet, extended and pierced the chest of a masked man in black.

As Kang Sogun threw his spear, he simultaneously threw himself to the left. A saber was in his hand in the meantime.

"Aah!"

The masked man in black was flustered and was about to raise his saber, but Kang Sogun's saber had already passed.

-Crack!

The head was split exactly in half, and the masked man in black collapsed.

Kang Sogun did not stop. He kicked the saber in the hand of the collapsing masked man in black. At the end of the flying saber was another masked man in black.

-Clang!

As he hastily deflected the flying saber and twisted his body to the side, Kang Sogun was already there.

-Stab!

Kang Sogun's saber deeply pierced the side of the masked man in black.

In the blink of an eye, seven masked men in black had been defeated.

But the remaining three masked men in black were not just standing still either.

They rushed in at the same time and thrust or struck at Kang Sogun's back, thigh acupoint, and neck.

The masked man in black whose side had been pierced grabbed Kang Sogun's saber, which had pierced him, with both hands.

Even as he was dying, he had given his comrades an opportunity.

Kang Sogun abandoned his saber without any lingering attachment and extended his hands towards the sabers coming from both sides.

He grabbed the saber coming for his head, pulled it down, and plunged it into the neck of the one thrusting at his thigh, and he grabbed the sword of the one aiming for his thigh, pulled it up, and plunged it into the abdomen of the one who had aimed for his head.

"Kuh!"

"Kuh!"

Kang Sogun used the sabers of both sides to kill the enemies, and at the same time, he twisted his body, but he could not completely resolve the force of the saber striking his back.

"Got him! Die!"

The masked men in black did not open their mouths while fighting. But as he was about to catch the powerful enemy with the opportunity that his comrades had created by dying, the masked man in black could not overcome his passion and shouted.

Perhaps it was to shake off the fear of the loathsome god of death.

-Slice!

The saber drew a long diagonal line from left to right and cut Kang Sogun's back.

(End of Chapter)