Nothing is out of the question. (1)

“Aaargh!”

With all the strength he could muster, Tang Pae unleashed a barrage of flying daggers.

In the midst of battle, retrieving thrown daggers was always a consideration.

However, at this moment, there was not even a trace of a plan in Tang Pae’s mind on how to retrieve them.

His sole focus was on somehow obstructing the enemy.

“Eat this!”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Simultaneously, a black poisonous mist billowed out into the gorge where the Blood Sword Squad members were rushing.

With full force, they swatted away the flying daggers and charged into the mist.

Resolved not to give the enemy any chance to retreat, even if it meant risking exposure to the poison, they plunged forward.

However, the ones to greet them as they pierced through the seemingly endless mist were none other than Yu Iseol’s sword strikes.

Slish!

Gracefully yet resolutely, Yu Iseol’s sword swung in a semi circle toward the approaching foes.

Even under normal circumstances, it would have been difficult to ascertain whether one could block such a graceful blade.

Desperately running out of the toxic mist to face it, the fate awaiting those who encountered such a sword was already sealed.

Swish!

A fountain of blood gushed from cleanly severed necks.

Yu Iseol’s sword efficiently targeted vital spots, ensuring that those who met it die on the spot without significant injury.

Yet now, the wounds inflicted by Yu Iseol’s sword were noticeably larger and deeper than those left by her sword under ordinary circumstances.

“Aaargh!”

As Yu Iseol moved, Tang Pae swiftly darted to her side, scattering all the hidden weapons from his sleeves in all directions.

Weapons such as Cow hair needles [우모침(牛毛針) – umochim], Ghost King’s Jade Bell [귀왕령(鬼王玲) – gwiwanglyeong], and Soul Serving Sand [단혼사(斷魂沙) – danhonsa] mingled chaotically as they were scattered.

Yet despite the haphazard dispersal, the weapons and poisons proved remarkably effective.

With the anxious run through the poisonous cloud, those who were previously frantic found themselves unable to block the flying needles, liquids, and sand.

“Aaaaaagh!”

As the needles pierced their bodies and the liquids and sand began to melt their skin, the agonizing pain inflicted by the hidden weapons of the Tang clan prompted screams from even the most seasoned members of the Blood Blade Squad.

“Let’s go!”

As screams reverberated within the poisonous haze, Tang Pae dashed forward without a glance.

“Not yet!”

Just as Chung Myung attempted to strike down those emerging from the poison, something grabbed his hand forcefully.

Yu Iseol forcibly seized Chung Myung’s wrist and pulled him with all her might before he could react.

She pulled so hard he could feel pain radiating from his wrist and shoulder.

“Sago!”

“Follow me!”

Before Chung Myung could utter a word, a shout erupted from Yu Iseol, as if to drown out any attempt to speak.

For a moment, Chung Myung was dazed as he turned to look at Yu Iseol. He knew it was not the time to take his eyes off the enemy, but he was equally stunned.

A shout?

From Yu Iseol?

Chung Myung attempted to say something again, but she was adamant. It was as if she wouldn’t allow Chung Myung to engage in battle again under any circumstances.

Finally, Chung Myung’s gaze fell on the sight at the front of the gorge.

It was visible.

The damned end of the gorge.

Baek Cheon and others were breaking through its end.

“Aaaaaaargh!”

Kwaaaaaaang!

The massive white blade surged forward. Namgung Dowi, who had gathered some strength, was empowering those in the lead.

The enemies were desperately trying to block their advance, but it was futile.

The narrow and steep gorge was too restrictive to stop the well-trained swords of Hwasan.

“For heaven’s sake! They’re coming again!”

At that moment, Tang Pae let out a scream. Chung Myung instinctively tried to run back, but Yu Iseol grabbed the back of his collar with the hand holding the sword and forcefully pulled him back.

“Run!”

“Someone’s coming from behind…”

“I said run!”

Chung Myung flinched and turned to look at Yu Iseol, who glared at him with visible anger. Chung Myung swore he had never seen Yu Iseol make such an expression before.

No, he had never even considered that this person could make such a face. Not once.

“Uwaaaah!”

Tang Pae began throwing hidden weapons frantically. The weapons and poisons stored in his sleeves were nearly depleted.

But now was not the time to conserve them. They had to somehow delay the enemy even for a moment.

“Young Lord Tang!”

“Yes!”

“Hold up and run!”

“Yes!”

In that moment, Yu Iseol grabbed Chung Myung and hurled him towards Tang Pae before darting towards the rear.

“You dog!”

Bloodied and with riddled with hidden weapons, the members of the Blood Sword Squad glared at Yu Iseol, unleashing their swords at her with murderous intent.

The thin swords were weapons designed to be most effective when stabbing, rather than swinging. Despite knowing this, they too were momentarily swept up in the excitement, swinging their swords at her.

Clang!

Yu Iseol’s sword, extended to its fullest, intercepted the strikes of the Blood Sword Squad members’ swords as if parrying them away.

But as the swords collided and then separated, two of the enemy’s swords seemed poised to pierce through Yu Iseol’s torso.

With a sensation of imminent pressure that seemed to crush her, Yu Iseol’s sword swung without the slightest hesitation in the midst of that pressure.

Crack!

The sword unleashed a perfect arc in the air, simultaneously deflecting the oncoming thin swords.

At the same time, a slight twitch ran through Yu Iseol’s eyebrows.

Despite parrying thin and agile swords, her wrist still felt a dull ache. Rather than being pierced, her body felt as if it had been grazed by razor-sharp blades.

The power one put out at the risk of their life collided with the power another exerted.

The pressure of the battlefield rapidly depleted Yu Iseol’s stamina, far more than usual.

However…

Swish!

Nevertheless, Yu Iseol’s sword was swung unwaveringly, pushing aside the enemy’s blades and swiftly soaring towards the enemies’ necks.

Clang! Clang! Thud!

Two were parried, but one slipped through.

The sensation of the blade piercing flesh and embedding into bone was horrifying.

Yet, before she could fully grasp that dreadful feeling, Yu Iseol withdrew her sword, stepping back in one swift motion.

“Argh!”

“You wench!”

Flames ignited in the eyes of the enemies.

As they prepared to strike again, fine grains of sand scattered over their heads like dust.

The Blood Sword Squad memebers swung their swords in panic, trying to fend off the cascading sand from above. However, no matter how hard they swung, they couldn’t block all the falling sand.

The swirling swords allowed the falling grains to penetrate their skin.

“Sss…”

From their mouth, unable to resist the creeping poison, darkened foam bubbled forth.

Another one, charging from behind, pushed a stumbling Blood Sword Squad member to the cliff’s face before roaring like a beast and lunging at Yu Iseol.

“Dieeee!”

The powerful sword descending from above carried with it an undeniable force, as if it wagered everything in a single strike. Just as Yu Iseol gritted her teeth, bracing for the impact…

“Kwaaaah!”

The sword’s thrust, brushing right beside Yu Iseol’s neck, pierced through the throat of the enemy charging towards her.

Thrown backward by the force, the assailant was flung away as if struck by a cannonball.

From the gaping wound on his neck, crimson blood spurted out like a fountain, staining the gorge with blood.

“Kwaaah! Kwaaaah!”

Without losing momentum, the swords swiftly pierced through the necks of the Blood Sword Squad members who continued their charge despite their comrade’s death. Witnessing this, Yu Iseol clenched her lips and shook off her sword once again.

‘It’s my turn!’

Her blade, gleaming like a ray of light, plunged into the throat of another enemy charging towards her.

Fwooook!

The sound of flesh tearing apart echoed. As this sound overlapped with another, Yu Iseol’s instinctive gaze dropped downward.

The blood-stained sword, piercing through the chest of the assailant she had struck, suddenly jutted out towards Yu Iseol’s throat.

For a moment, her eyes widened in shock.

From behind, it seemed like a predictable outcome.

There is no more sinister act than hurling a sword at an enemy with all one’s might. Sensing that it was already too late to react, Yu Iseol watched as another sword strike was aimed at piercing her abdomen.

But in that moment, another crimson sword strike caught her eye.

Kaaah!

Like a flash of lightning, the red sword strike intercepted the sword aiming for Yu Iseol. The deflected sword flew off, cleaving through the flesh of a Blood Sword Squad’s member, while amidst the splattering blood, Goe Ryang contorted his face like a demon and lunged forward as if seized by a fit.

“This damned small fry!”

It was sickeningly familiar.

Without those words, how else would one describe the current Goe Ryang?

Danju of the Maninbang, who wouldn’t even dare to consider him as someone’s subordinate unless it was Jang Ilso.

Among those Danjus, Goe Ryang relentlessly stuck around, as if to prove that the societal evaluations of them were not just exaggerated, but rather disparaged.

“Step aside!”

However, Yu Iseol, who stood in Goe Ryang’s way, was of no concern to him. His gaze was fixed on Chung Myung, the beast panting wounded behind Yu Iseol.

Everything has its time.

This moment is the most decisive. If they let him slip away now, they’ll have to go through the whole process again.

Moreover, the certainty that he could definitely catch that guy at the end of the process was now crumbling.

So, now.

Now, he must see it through to the end. However, Yu Iseol had no intention of letting Goe Ryang off so easily.

Swish!

Swift and sharp, yet incredibly smooth. Yu Iseol’s sword, embodying this paradox, smoothly swung and cleaved Goe Ryang’s body horizontally.

Thunk!

He deflected the sword flying towards him in one fell swoop, without even taking a breath.

Then, as if brushing away an annoyance, the sword aimed to cleave through Yu Iseol’s torso.

But the deflected sword, as if expecting such a move, gracefully traced a circle in the air and once again aimed to slash Goe Ryang’s neck.

“Urgh!”

A brief groan escaped Goe Ryang’s lips.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Goe Ryang’s and Yu Iseol’s swords clashed multiple times in the air.

“This…!”

Fury ignited in Goe Ryang’s eyes. This sword tenaciously stuck to him. Despite striking it away, it came back as if expecting it, once again aiming for his life.

A sword resembling Chung Myung’s, yet distinctly different in its essence, was scratching at Goe Ryang’s nerves.

“This damned!”

Crack!

Just as he was about to unleash his fury, a lightning-fast strike from behind Yu Iseol’s shoulder explosively descended upon him.

Though Goe Ryang twisted his body fiercely to the side, the descending strike pierced through his flank without mercy.

Blood gushed from Goe Ryang’s mouth.

Though his organs were spared, the penetrating force shook his insides violently.

With bloodshot eyes, he glanced behind Yu Iseol.

Chung Myung stood right behind Yu Iseol, gazing at him with the eyes of a hunter targeting its prey.

‘Hunting?’

Being hunted? By him?

“This…”

Unable to contain his boiling rage and the urge to unleash his fury, Goe Ryang was about to curse when.

Roar!

A massive torrent of plum blossoms appeared in his sight.

In front of him?

No, far away!

From the end of the gorge, the blossoms surged like a torrent, sweeping away those who resisted in an instant.

And soon, the flowing torrents of sword energy, like a river merging into the sea, spread out from the narrow gorge to the vast expanse of land.

That meant…

“It’s open!”

Baek Cheon.

In his eyes, now that the last resistance had crumbled, he could see the vast expanse of land. The long and winding gorge had finally revealed its end.

With clenched fists, Baek Cheon let out a mighty roar.

“Everyone, charge! Escape the gorge!”

“Let’s goooo!”

“Aaargh!”

Responding to Jo Geol’s cry, even Yoon Jong let out a scream.

Disciples of Haenam, who were full of morale, rushed with all their might towards the open path, their voices echoing through the gorge.