Even if it fades into ridicule. (2)

“Below! It’s coming from below!”  

“What, what is it?”  

Those struggling to climb the cliff looked down at the urgent screams echoing from various points along the cliff. Below? But they were so close to the top – what could be coming from below?  

“Huh…? Eeeeeeek!”  

Their questions quickly turned to terror.  

Something black was climbing the steep cliff at an unbelievable speed, where there was barely anything to hold on to.

The sharp scales, turning white and red, covered the surface. Those who witnessed it instinctively reached up.

They couldn’t face whatever it was head-on. The survival instinct honed on the battlefield screamed unanimously.

“Climb! Climb up!”  

“Get out of the way, you bastard!” 

The members of Sapaeryeon, who were clinging to the cliff, panicked and scrambled to climb up faster. 

But their desperate wishes crumbled meaninglessly. The claws of the black dragon climbing the cliff had already dug into their rear.

With a powerful leap off the smooth cliff, Jo Geol’s eyes gleamed red, reflecting the color of the flames.

He kicked off the cliff face once more. 

The cliff, which even mountain beasts wouldn’t dare to climb, was so high and treacherous that even those skilled in martial arts could only crawl up it.

But now, Jo Geol was running up that cliff, using the cliff face as a flat ground.

Tap! Tap!

Running across the cliff from left to right and back, he flipped in mid-air and soared toward Sapaeryeon’s member hanging on the ledge.

“No, stop!”

The enemy swung a large sword down with all his might at Jo Geol’s head, determined to fend him off even if he couldn’t cut him down.

But at that moment, Sapaeryeon’s member met Jo Geol’s sunken gaze.

Crunch!

“Guh…”

Before he could even comprehend what had happened, a burning pain spread through his chest, and strength drained from his entire body.

It felt as if red-hot iron was churning inside his body. The sensation of the sword embedded in his chest being drawn down, tearing through his insides, was vividly agonizing.

Thud!

Then, using the recoil from pulling out the sword, Jo Geol launched himself upward again.

The sight of Sapaeryeon’s member falling, spraying blood, and the black figure of a swordsmen soaring up looked like a painting spread across the cliff.

Leap!

Passing by the falling enemy, Jo Geol, at the front of Hwasan swordsmen running up the cliff, swung his sword to flick off the blood.

“Aaaaah!”

The enemies also swung their weapons frantically.

Jo Geol’s eyes gleamed with a fierce light.

Countless jagged obstacles appeared before him – sharp elements that seemed so easy to overcome compared to the smooth cliff face. But these were nothing to him.

Leap!

Jo Geol’s body cleaved through the enemies like a bolt of lightning.

“Gah!”

“Urgh!”

“Aaargh!”

With each movement he made, screams erupted from all around. His sword, without even emitting sword energy, pierced the bodies of the enemies clinging to the cliff like an assassin’s dagger.

Clang!

As soon as the sword clashed with a blade, Jo Geol’s body surged forward as if someone had pushed him from behind.

“Ugh, aaah!”

Sapaeryeon’s warrior, his face pale with terror, screamed like a beast and stabbed wildly at Jo Geol.

Clang!

But his sword was instantly knocked into the air, and in its place, a long and fierce unfamiliar sword filled the void.

Crunch!

The sword plunged into the side of the neck with a gruesome sound.

Тар! Тар!

Even amid the overwhelming pain that made him want to lose consciousness, he felt something touch his back and shoulder.  

‘What…’  

In that moment, instead of fear of death, he felt confusion.  

With a sensation as if his body was flipping over, something unfamiliar filled his vision. Empty pupils. It was the face of someone who had already died.  

One, two… No, five. Or ten?  

Dozens of people surrounded him, perhaps a little above, perhaps a little below.  

‘What?’  

Sapaeryeon’s member’s mouth slowly opened. A wide, red scenery stretched before his eyes.

‘No…!’  

Realizing that it was the burning Mount Wudang, he understood he was falling from the cliff.  

“Aaaaahhh!”  

His desperate scream echoed through the mountains.  

As if trying to grab hold of the air, he flailed uselessly, but a person in the air could do nothing.  

“Aaaahhh!”  

“Save meeeeee!” 

It wasn’t just him – all those falling from the cliff screamed in a way that seemed impossible for human voices as they plunged helplessly.  

While climbing had taken quite some time, falling took only a moment.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The bodies of those who had fallen slammed into the ground, making the mountain tremble. The members of Cheonumaeng below flinched and looked up.

“Uh… ah.”

A vague groan, neither admiration nor a moan, escaped their lips.

Sapaeryeon’s members, who had been so numerous as to make one’s skin crawl, were falling in droves due to Hwasan’s advance.

Ironically, the white bodies falling through the night felt like snowflakes descending in the darkness.

Boom! Boom!

As the sound continued, Namgung Dowi was the first to regain his senses and shouted.

“Get out of the way!”

“They’re falling from above! Clear the front!”

After hastily giving the orders, he couldn’t hide his bewilderment as he looked back up at the cliff.

“Is it raining people… At this rate, who can tell who is Evil and who is Just?”

The sight of the black-clad Hwasan’s group plunging into the center of the enemy was clearly visible. Probably, even if you searched the entire world, only one place could achieve such a feat.

“Hwasan…”

Swoosh!  

The swords in the hands of Hwasan swordsmen pierced the bodies of those clinging to the cliff face, like fangs bared by the darkness.

Crunch!

“Guh!”

As the swords penetrated the backs of the clinging enemies, Hwasan swordsmen embedded their swords into the cliff and used them as support to lift themselves up.

Leap!

When there was no foothold, they drove their swords in, and when they couldn’t embed their swords, they stepped on the bodies of their enemies to climb higher.

Yoon Jong’s eyes gleamed with a sharp light.

‘Compared to that damned cliff training..’

Boom!

Stepping on an enemy, Yoon Jong shot upward like an arrow.

“This doesn’t even feel like a cliff!”

Swish!

His sword split into dozens of shadows in midair. Each shadow dug into the legs of the enemies still desperately clinging to the cliff.

“Aaah!”

“Shut up, you bastards!”

The swords of Hwasan showed no mercy. It was close to a thorough massacre.

They had always been the ones pursued by enemies, clearing a path, but at this moment, the roles were completely reversed.

Now, it was clear why the sword of Hwasan was regarded as the “sword of the Evil Sects” in Gangho and why they were shunned.  

Yet, Yoon Jong bit his lip as if even this wasn’t enough. His heart was urgent. He needed to reach the summit as quickly as possible!  

“Faster…!”  

“Aaaah!”  

“Ugh! These bastards!”  

Yoon Jong’s face twisted in frustration.  

At first, the enemies were caught off guard, but they were not easy opponents. Realizing that engaging with weapons on this cliff was pointless, they began to throw their weapons at Hwasan without hesitation.  

At a glance, it might seem like a futile struggle, but it wasn’t. If it were, how could the method of ‘throwing’ have remained useful from the past to the present?  

Whooosh!  

Weapons filled with internal energy rained down from above like a storm.  

Clang!  

“Sahyeong!”  

“Yoon Jong!”  

“Ugh!”  

Yoon Jong, barely deflecting the flying weapons, pressed himself against the cliff face.  

‘Damn it!’  

They were unexpectedly well-trained.  

The spearmen of Sapaeryeon stopped climbing the cliff and began moving down. If they approached again from behind, they would attack with their spears all at once.  

Of course, while clinging to the cliff, it would be difficult for them to unleash their full power, but the same applied to Yoon Jong’s side.

‘Damn, this is going to delay us.’

As Yoon Jong hesitated briefly, thinking that shedding some blood might be inevitable, he grabbed the cliff.

“Let me borrow your shoulder.”

“Huh?” 

Someone lightly stepped on Yoon Jong’s shoulder. 

It felt like a feather landing and then taking off, but despite the light sensation, the scene before him was extraordinary.  

Whoosh!  

“Sago!”

Yu Iseol, who had stepped on Yoon Jong’s shoulder, shot upward like an arrow. She wasn’t heading toward the cliff but rather toward the open air about three jang away from the cliff. 

Her figure overlapped with the rising moon in the sky. 

Swish! 

Her plum blossom sword danced gracefully like a flexible sword. At its tip, sword energy in the shape of red petals burst forth. 

The numerous plum blossom petals created an illusion of a blooming plum forest [매화 숲 – maehwa sup^^] on the desolate cliff where no flowers should bloom. 

“Ah…” 

Even the enemies clinging to the cliff and Hwasan swordsmen were momentarily entranced by the magnificent spectacle.  

The gently swirling plum blossom petals scattered like a shower of blossoms in the wind and rained beautifully down on Sapaeryeon’s warriors hanging from the cliff.

The delicate plum blossom petals moved as if they were dancing. Some of those clinging to the cliff instinctively reached out toward the approaching petals, as if trying to grasp them.

That was the beginning.

Slash!

The petals that touched their skin turned into venomous blades, piercing through flesh and embedding themselves in bone.

Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!

“Aaaah!”

“Aaagh!”

Hundreds, thousands of petals flying in the air mercilessly penetrated the bodies of those crowded on the cliff. They sliced through flesh, severed bones, and lodged in unguarded eyes.

As Sapaeryeon’s members, whose carefully organized formation was shattered by the deadly sword energy, floundered, Yoon Jong shouted.

“Now! Let’s go, Geol!”

“Let’s do this!”

The two seized the opportunity and climbed the cliff, piercing through the enemy lines.

Before the prepared spears could even be extended properly, their swords swiftly severed the necks of the foes.

Whirr.

Meanwhile, Yu Iseol, who had unleashed the sword energy, was now falling.

“Sago?”

“Oh no! Samae!”

The disciples of Hwasan shouted in alarm.  

Whoosh!  

At that moment, something flew towards Yu Iseol.  

Tap.  

Yu Iseol stepped lightly onto a sword that flew beneath her feet, propelling herself up again. Using the incoming weapons as stepping stones, she launched herself and grabbed the outstretched hand of someone.  

Her expression was calm, as if nothing had happened.  

“Thank you.”  

“Don’t mention it.”  

Baek Cheon gave Yu Iseol a small smile and looked up.  

Falling members of Sapaeryeon and the swords of Hwasan creating an opening among them. The dark sky, with the moon rising above. Beyond all that, Baek Cheon found it – the path Jo Geol and Yoon Jong were opening to the summit.  

‘Can we make it?’  

Baek Cheon hesitated for a moment. As if reading his thoughts, Yu Iseol firmly grasped his sleeve, keeping her gaze fixed on where he was looking.  

The grip of her hand on his sleeve, and the feel of his hand around his sword, seemed to say it all.  

Baek Cheon briefly pressed his lips together and asked.  

“Can you open it?”  

“Absolutely.”  

Baek Cheon felt his heart swell with confidence and nodded vigorously.  

“Alright. Let’s go, Samae!”  

“Yes.”  

Whoosh.  

The two of them dashed up the cliff like lightning.  

Even now, Jo Geol and Yoon Jong were unleashing their sword energy with full force. Plum blossoms bloomed on either side of them as they ascended the cliff.  

“A-mi-ta-bha!”  

At that moment, a deep Buddhist chant boomed beneath them. As if it were a signal, Yu Iseol and Baek Cheon kicked off the cliff and soared high into the air.  

Boom!  

A surge of golden energy imbued with Buddha’s power brushed beneath them. Along the path opened by Jo Geol and Yoon Jong, Hye Yeon’s power surged forward.  

Thud!  

The two of them kicked off the air and landed back on the cliff, their eyes fixed on the straight path leading to the summit.  

Bang!  

The sound of their feet pounding against the cliff echoed like thunder.  

The moment their bodies, propelled along the path their comrades had opened, finally reached the summit where the cliff met the sky…

…Whoosh!  

Unexpectedly, the world turned white.  

Looking closely, they saw that it was a multitude of palms so white they seemed transparent.  

An unfathomable number of palm shadows reached toward their bodies as they ascended the summit, like white foam rising from the sea against the cliff.