Chapter 154 : Sword God Descends. -02
Chapter 154: Sword God Descends. -02
At the mocking voice filled with ridicule that rang out from the center of the explosion, Mad Wolf’s eyes widened like oil lamps.
It was because he recognized the owner of that voice, thick with scorn.
Thus, with a look and expression of utter disbelief, Mad Wolf stared fixedly at the place where the explosion had subsided.
“If it didn’t feel right, you should have run. Well. If you’d had that much discernment, you wouldn’t have tried to face me alone in the first place.”
Thud.
At the burning pain flaring up from his lower abdomen, Mad Wolf slowly lowered his head.
Only then did he see that a single sword had pierced straight through his Dantian, though he had no idea when it had flown in.
“When…?”
Staring at the stream of blood flowing from the wound, Mad Wolf muttered in a hollow voice.
He had not even seen it coming, yet it was lodged in his belly—he could not comprehend what had just happened.
Normally, there was a sign before something occurred.
But now, there had been none.
“That is the difference in skill between you and me, Mad Wolf.”
“That can’t be!”
Through the slowly settling cloud of dust, Ban Hojin walked out at a leisurely pace.
Unlike before, his hands were empty.
At that sight, Mad Wolf denied reality.
The moment he saw the sword embedded in his abdomen, he had already realized the truth—but he refused to acknowledge it.
Whoosh!
Instead, with the sword still stuck in his belly, he charged at Ban Hojin.
Now that it had come to this, he intended to perish together with him in mutual destruction.
He could not die alone in resentment, so Mad Wolf even drew up his Innate True Energy.
Since he was going to die anyway, he no longer cared what happened.
“Mutual destruction, is it.”
“You’re coming with me!”
“Sorry, but I still have things to do.”
Perhaps due to his vicious killing intent, the murderous aura materialized and wrapped around Mad Wolf’s entire body.
At the same time, the Wolf Fang Mace, condensed with terrifying power, came crashing down toward Ban Hojin’s crown—yet Ban Hojin did not evade.
He merely gazed at Mad Wolf with indifferent eyes.
And then, suddenly, the charging Mad Wolf jerked violently.
“W-What is this? Why all of a sudden?!”
As the sword of Ban Hojin, neatly embedded in his Dantian, began to move, Mad Wolf cried out in alarm.
In haste, he grabbed the blade with his left hand.
He intended to stop it from moving any further.
But the moment Sword Force surged from the blade, everything was over.
Craaaack!
Not only his fingers, but Mad Wolf’s entire body was split cleanly in half.
Since Sword Force erupted while the blade was still lodged inside him, there had been no time to block or resist.
If there was any mercy at all, it was that he felt no pain at the moment of death.
Thud.
For the death of a Great War God who had once ruled the Great Desert, it was a pitifully miserable end.
But it held no particular meaning for Ban Hojin. He approached the corpse, now split in two and collapsed on either side, and retrieved his sword.
“H-How…!”
“This is impossible!”
“T-The Great War God…!”
At the sight of Ban Hojin, the martial artists of Ironblood Fortress who stood some distance away widened their eyes.
Naturally, they had believed Mad Wolf would win—but the result was the exact opposite.
He had not barely scraped out a victory, either.
Ban Hojin had overwhelmed and slain him far too easily, leaving them all with expressions of utter disbelief.
“This side is finished.”
Even after killing Mad Wolf, Ban Hojin’s expression remained indifferent.
In the Great Desert, Mad Wolf may have been called a Great War God and acknowledged as one of the strongest among the strong—but not to him.
At least to Ban Hojin, he was nothing special.
KWA-KWA-KWA-KWANG!
Turning his head, he saw that Peng Mancheol was still fighting Blood Soul Blade.
Despite having already settled their match once.
Of course, Blood Soul Blade was fighting desperately, but even so, the fact that Peng Mancheol had yet to finish it displeased Ban Hojin.
“Die, you bastard!”
As if he had read Ban Hojin’s mood—or perhaps he was simply frustrated by the situation—Peng Mancheol spat out a harsh curse and unleashed the Primordial Thunderclap Blade.
Yet despite the thunderous lightning striking from all directions and the storm of Blade Force, Blood Soul Blade somehow endured.
Not only that, he even launched counterattacks from time to time.
The moment he lost, his head would roll—so Blood Soul Blade was equally desperate.
He had not come to the Central Plains just to die here.
Having already witnessed Mad Wolf’s miserable death, he fought with everything he had.
“That won’t end easily.”
Unlike Ban Hojin, who had won with ease, it seemed Peng Mancheol would need some time to conclude his battle.
Peng Mancheol himself knew this, which was why his expression had grown increasingly urgent.
He had never imagined Ban Hojin would kill Mad Wolf so easily.
It was far too different from when he had sparred with him.
“Gaaaah!”
“S-Save me…!”
Unlike the calm Ban Hojin, other areas were scenes of utter chaos.
Screams and dying wails poured out ceaselessly from all directions.
Each side slaughtered the other, creating a horrific spectacle too dreadful to behold.
Watching the sight of blades being swung in murderous frenzy and madness, Ban Hojin’s gaze grew heavy.
But he did not feel sorrow or pity.
He knew this was war.
If anything, the current scene was mild.
“They’re holding up well.”
Though Peng Mancheol was struggling, Ban Hojin had no intention of helping.
He believed that cutting off the joint assault of Mad Wolf and Blood Soul Blade had been more than enough assistance.
Moreover, considering what lay ahead in the future, Peng Mancheol needed to grow stronger than he was now.
Thus, after giving Peng Mancheol a brief glance, Ban Hojin turned his attention to where his companions had gathered to fight.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Under the command of Sama Uiseong, the warriors of the Sunwoo Clan and the Murong Clan maintained a firm formation. Meanwhile, Sunwoo Bang, Murong Cheok, and Jeong Iryong—each possessing strength enough to face a hundred alone—rescued members of the Orthodox Martial World who had fallen into danger.
They focused primarily on martial artists who were on the verge of death in critical situations.
And Seo Jo-woon stood beside Sama Uiseong, guarding him in preparation for any unforeseen circumstances.
“There’s no need to worry about the Sect Leader either.”
Whether because of what Sama Uiseong had shown at Songshan, or due to the directives of Sunwoo Bang and Murong Cheok, the warriors of the Sunwoo Clan and the Murong Clan followed his commands without complaint.
Thanks to that, despite it being his first real battle—and even a large-scale one at that—Sama Uiseong was fully displaying his capabilities.
With that, Ban Hojin turned his head again and searched for Sang Il-gi.
Even after expending a considerable amount of Inner Energy while dealing with Ghost Sword and Illusion Whip, Sang Il-gi was displaying an evenly matched battle against Fist Tyrant, who could be considered one of the top-ranked among the Great War Gods.
No—if anything, he seemed to be enjoying himself.
Perhaps because his opponent had mastered the same Long Arm and Long Leg Technique, a faint smile lingered at the corners of Sang Il-gi’s lips.
“Cough!”
“Urgh!”
In contrast, the situation elsewhere was far from good.
Where had their initial bravado and spirit gone? Not only the Rising Juniors, but even the distinguished figures of the Jianghu who had once carried themselves with pride were being ground down by the sharp fangs of Ironblood Fortress.
And the same held true for the Elders of the great and prestigious sects.
The Elders of the Mount Zhongnan Sect and the Mount Hua Sect, whose neglect of training was painfully obvious, fell like autumn leaves before the Great War Gods, their reputations proving unworthy of their names.
“Tsk, tsk.”
At present, three out of the ten Great War Gods had died at the hands of Ban Hojin and Sang Il-gi…
In addition, Peng Mancheol was facing Blood Soul Blade, Sang Il-gi was facing Fist Tyrant, and Namgung Ho was confronting Blue-Faced Jade Hand, leaving only four Great War Gods remaining.
Yet even so, it was still the Orthodox Martial World that was being pushed back.
In particular, Blade King, who had boldly stepped forward claiming he would capture the Ironblood Fortress Lord, was struggling against two Great War Gods at once.
“Sect Leader!”
Unable to bear the sight any longer, two Elders of the Mount Hua Sect joined Blade King—but as if waiting for that very moment, another Great War God stepped in, and the two Elders were swiftly reduced to lumps of flesh.
As Elders of the Mount Hua Sect, their skills had been exceptional, but unfortunately, their opponents had been too formidable.
Moreover, unlike the Orthodox Martial World, which fought in clusters divided by sect and family, Ironblood Fortress was a single unified force. Their organizational cohesion was on an entirely different level.
The degree of coordination and support they provided one another was vastly superior. Thus, despite losing three Great War Gods, the tide of battle still favored Ironblood Fortress.
“Cough!”
“Guh!”
“It’s a complete mess.”
Another reason the Orthodox Martial World was being pushed back was the underwhelming performance of the Rising Juniors.
Unlike their confident advance, the results had been far from impressive.
Relying on their numerical superiority, they had charged forward in high spirits—but among them, only Namgung Gwang had truly carried his weight.
Watching the scene, Ban Hojin wondered how things might have been different had the Zhuge Family been present.
Though the Zhuge Family currently focused more on martial arts than on mechanisms and formations, their inherent abilities had not simply vanished.
On a personal note, he would have liked to see a contest of strategy between them and Sama Uiseong.
“Huff, huff! Where are you looking?”
“I am observing the state of the battle.”
“If you’re going to do that, you might as well help me.”
Peng Mancheol approached, drenched in sweat.
In his left hand, he held the severed head of Blood Soul Blade, whom he had just faced.
Though he had struggled, he had ultimately emerged victorious.
With a crooked grin, Peng Mancheol displayed Blood Soul Blade’s head before hurling it forcefully toward the ranks of Ironblood Fortress.
“Eek!”
“Lord Blood Soul Blade!”
The martial artists of Ironblood Fortress, already locked in chaotic combat, recoiled in shock at the sudden sight of the flying head.
They had never expected Blood Soul Blade to return in such a miserable state.
But their shock was brief.
On the battlefield, anyone could die. Regaining their composure, they resumed fighting.
However, none of them dared cast so much as a glance toward Ban Hojin and Peng Mancheol.
Though Peng Mancheol appeared exhausted, they knew full well he was not someone just anyone could take down.
“Did I not already help you? To be precise, I saved your life.”
“Saved me, my foot! I was only pushed back for a moment. In the end, I would have won!”
“Oh, is that so?”
At Ban Hojin’s soulless reply, Peng Mancheol twisted his lips.
It felt worse than being directly contradicted.
Yet he did not voice his displeasure.
After witnessing Ban Hojin kill Mad Wolf, he had realized that Ban Hojin had been concealing his true strength.
“The situation isn’t good.”
“It’s the price of arrogance. They underestimated the enemy and let their guard down—this was inevitable.”
“How did you know?”
“I believe the Beggars’ Sect has repeated it time and again.”
“Grrngh!”
Ban Hojin’s manner of speaking left Peng Mancheol with nothing to say.
As he groaned, Peng Mancheol rolled his eyes and examined Ban Hojin.
Unlike himself, whose stamina and internal power were nearly depleted, Ban Hojin had not shed even a single drop of sweat.
He had dominated Mad Wolf from beginning to end.
‘I must secure him.’
Seeing Ban Hojin like this only deepened Peng Mancheol’s desire.
Not long ago, Ban Hojin had merely been one of the more promising among the Rising Juniors. Now, it was different.
He had become someone who absolutely had to be taken in as a son-in-law.
At only twenty-one years of age, Ban Hojin had reached the level of the Ten Great Masters Under Heaven. Peng Mancheol could not afford to lose him.
‘That old man is remarkable as well.’
Focusing too much on Ban Hojin would make it obvious, so Peng Mancheol naturally shifted his gaze.
There, he saw Sang Il-gi fighting while devastating everything around him.
At first, he had been surprised to hear that Sang Il-gi had once fought Yama King to a draw—but now, it seemed Sang Il-gi was even superior to Namgung Ho.
If they truly clashed, Namgung Ho would likely fall short by half a move. Peng Mancheol let out a bitter smile.
‘And I heard it was that brat who brought the old man back into the secular world.’
The more Peng Mancheol thought about it, the more astonishing it seemed.
Such coincidences were too perfect.
If he exaggerated slightly, it almost felt as though Ban Hojin had drawn him in in preparation for the current crisis.
Moreover, Jeong Iryong, said to be Sang Il-gi’s disciple, was also exceptionally skilled.
‘If the eldest son of the Sunwoo Clan doesn’t work out, I can turn to that boy instead.’
Though the one meant to receive the rice cake had not even considered it, Peng Mancheol stroked his chin with a face as if he were already feasting on it alone.
At that moment, however, Blade King’s groan split the battlefield.
“Urgh!”
Thud!
At the same time, blood burst from Blade King’s shoulder, and his left arm fell to the ground.
It had been severed by the joint assault of two Great War Gods.