Even if it fades into ridicule. (3)

Not only Baek Cheon, but also Yu Iseol, who rarely lost her composure, widened their eyes in surprise.

A spectacle of palm shadows filled their vision. The overwhelming sight made even their highly trained bodies tense up momentarily.  

“Sa-”  

Baek Cheon’s mouth opened instinctively, but Yu Iseol’s sword moved even faster than that instinct.  

Whoosh!  

Her sword, as white and bright as the moonlight peeking through the clouds, swiftly confronted the hands. Her sword split into dozens, then hundreds, as it began to shatter the oncoming shadows in an instant. 

Crunch! Crunch! Crunch! 

The sharp tip of her sword broke and destroyed the shadows.

The precise and rapid strikes seemed unbelievable, almost as if she had unleashed them all simultaneously. The shadows, which had bloomed like foam, lost their power for a brief moment. 

But…  

Whoosh!  

The palm shadows, which had momentarily hesitated, suddenly doubled, then doubled again, becoming countless and seemingly impossible to keep up with using her sword alone. They resembled a field of white flowers blooming profusely. 

And then… 

Boom! 

Boom! Boom!  

The palm shadows, relentless in their assault, continued to pummel Yu Iseol. Each time a shadow struck her, her body was helplessly pushed back.

“Samae!”

As Yu Iseol was driven to the edge of the cliff and nearly fell, Baek Cheon quickly grabbed her.

“Ugh!”

He swiftly extended his sword and embedded its tip into the cliff face. Though he couldn’t secure them completely, and they slid down, he managed to prevent their bodies from being flung far off the cliff.

Baek Cheon clung to the cliff with Yu Iseol in his grasp.

“Are you okay, Samae?”

“…Yes.”

Yu Iseol wiped the blood from her lips. Both of their eyes were fixed on the cliff’s edge that loomed above them.

The cliff met the sky where the moon hung, and a figure slowly emerged there.

It was a face they hadn’t seen before, but both Baek Cheon and Yu Iseol instinctively knew who it was. The appearance might have been unfamiliar, but the martial arts were unmistakable.

“Cheon Myeon…”

Cheon Myeon Susa furrowed his brow.

“I guess this is what they mean by ‘persistent.’”

Muttering in disgust, he cast his gaze at Hwasan swordsmen still climbing the cliff.

That damned black uniform.

By now, he was so accustomed to the sight that he almost felt a sense of familiarity.

“I admire your tenacity, just like leeches. But I can’t just let you climb the cliff so easily. I have my own obligations to fulfill.

Baek Cheon’s face twisted with frustration. 

‘Damn it!’

This isn’t good. 

No matter how familiar Hwasan is with this kind of terrain, those climbing the cliff start at a disadvantage compared to those guarding the summit. 

And now, to have a formidable adversary like Cheon Myeon Susa blocking their path? It couldn’t get worse than this. 

To defeat and bypass an opponent of such strength requires someone of equal power. But for the current Hwasan… 

Whoosh!  

“Samae!”

As if reading Baek Cheon’s thoughts, Yu Iseol suddenly kicked off the cliff and charged upward.  

Clang! 

Her sword, extended forward like a viper’s fang, darted towards Cheon Myeon Susa’s throat. 

However, the palm shadows around Cheon Myeon Susa quickly swelled like a wall, blocking Yu Iseol’s sword. 

Clang!

When the shadows and sword collided, it sounded like a massive chunk of metal being struck. 

Crash! 

Yu Iseol’s sword bent as if it might break. However, she did not retreat even a bit, instead drawing upon her inner strength as if determined to pierce through that barrier.

Cheon Myeon Susa murmured softly.

“Foolish.” 

Whoosh!

In an instant, the shadows swelled even more, completely engulfing Yu Iseol’s sword strike and then bursting against her body. 

“Ugh…!” 

Having no other choice, Yu Iseol gritted her teeth and twisted her body in midair to escape the danger.

Fortunately, the countless palm shadows didn’t pursue her further, but by then, her body had been pushed about three jang down the cliff.  

As the shadows dispersed, Cheon Myeon Susa glanced down at his hand. 

“…”

A red line marked his white hand, as if it had been lashed by a whip. 

“Sharp, indeed.” 

Though not cut, the impact was undeniable.

“But not enough yet. At least, not now.”

Meanwhile, Baek Cheon bit his lower lip.

The previous clash had made it abundantly clear.  

Yu Iseol is strong. However, to break through Cheon Myeon Susa, who has occupied the cliff and is focused on defense, at least an equally strong opponent must step forward.

No matter how powerful Yu Iseol is within Hwasan, she is inevitably inferior to Cheon Myeon Susa, who has dominated Gangho for decades.

An urgent expression appeared in Baek Cheon’s eyes.

Although they were currently advancing with formidable momentum and breaking through at once, if they were to linger on this cliff and delay, they might eventually be attacked from the left, right, and above.

If that happens, the terrain they have been using to their advantage so far will instead become a noose that tightens around their necks.

‘What should I do? At a time like this…’

Baek Cheon gripped his sword tightly. Thinking about someone who isn’t here is pointless.

Of course, if Chung Myung were here now, there wouldn’t be any need for such worries. Before Baek Cheon could even fall into contemplation, Chung Myung would have already stabbed his sword into Cheon Myeon Susa’s neck.

But Chung Myung is not here right now. Therefore, those who are here must solve it. No matter what it takes!

At that moment.

“Why is that?”

Baek Cheon, who was racking his brains, heard the mocking voice of Cheon Myeon Susa.

“Wasn’t Hwasan a sect that didn’t worry about such things? Did I misunderstand Hwasan?”

“…”

“Or… are you not the Hwasan I knew?”

Baek Cheon’s face hardened instantly.

“You…!”

Suppressing his anger, he was about to retort, but Cheon Myeon Susa’s low voice reached his ears first.

“Commander’s words are not so wrong.”

Baek Cheon’s eyes widened slightly. Commander? Ho Gamyeong? Why is his name being mentioned here?

“He said that it’s not Hwasan that is strong. It’s Hwasan Geomhyeop who is strong. The incomprehensible things Hwasan has accomplished were only possible because of an extraordinary entity like Hwasan Geomhyeop. So…”

Every word Cheon Myeon Susa spoke pierced the hearts of Baek Cheon and Hwasan swordsmen.

“If we can separate Hwasan Geomhyeop, then Hwasan is nothing. Without having to do anything special… the foxes who don’t realize they are borrowing the power of a tiger will self-destruct. Strutting around without knowing the tiger isn’t behind them.”

Cheon Myeon Susa’s gaze landed squarely on Baek Cheon, who was clinging to the cliff.

“What do you think? It seems quite true when you look at it like this, doesn’t it?”

A cold chill ran down Baek Cheon’s spine. Self-destruct? Hwasan?

“Nonsense!”

Baek Cheon shouted through clenched teeth.

“A-mi-ta-bha!”

A loud Buddhist chant burst forth.

Wooooong!

At the same time, a large, golden handprint appeared behind Baek Cheon.

“Is it a monk from Shaolin?”

Cheon Myeon Susa smirked and spread his arms wide. As he did, a cloud-like force emanated from his hands, pressing down on the golden handprint.

Boom!

The collision of the forces sent shockwaves through the cliff, shattering the golden handprint and sending it into the dark night sky.

“No matter how extraordinary the talent, it cannot compare to the elders of Shaolin. If you wish to face me, at least bring someone like Beop Gye.”

“This bastard!”

Tatatat!

Filled with rage, Jo Geol kicked off the cliff and charged at Cheon Myeon Susa. His sword extended forward, splitting into dozens, creating brilliant plum blossoms at the edge of the cliff.

Boom!

However, before the plum blossoms could fully bloom, Cheon Myeon Susa’s formidable force struck the tip of Jo Geol’s sword with precision.

“Ugh!”

Blood gushed from Jo Geol’s mouth as he failed to fully harness his inner strength.

Swoosh!

Simultaneously, Cheon Myeon Susa’s force took the place of the plum blossoms Jo Geol had tried to create, a clear mockery.

“You bastard! I’ll kill you!”

Jo Geol roared like a beast, and the force coming from Cheon Myeon Susa swept over him like a typhoon.

At that moment, just in time, Yoon Jong’s sword intervened, forming a wall of swords in midair. It was indeed an ironclad defense.

Boom!

Finally, the clash between the palm shadows and the sword energy sent Yoon Jong’s body flying back like an arrow.

“Sahyeong!”

Jo Geol panicked and supported Yoon Jong’s back, but the force was too overwhelming to handle while maintaining his footing on the cliff. 

The two of them ended up sliding down as if they were standing on an icy wall.

“Sahyeong! Are you all right?”

Jo Geol, having barely stopped, grabbed Yoon Jong’s shoulder.

“…Damn it.”

A trickle of blood flowed from Yoon Jong’s mouth. No matter how refined their inner strength was, there was no way to overcome an old monster who had lived for decades through a direct clash of power.

Gritting his teeth, Yoon Jong glared at the summit where Cheon Myeon Susa was shaking his head.

“So this is all there is, Hwasan. Indeed, without Hwasan Geomhyeop, you’re nothing more than a bunch of hot-blooded youngsters. I had overestimated you.”

Baek Cheon bit his lip until it bled. 

The movements of those climbing the cliff had come to a halt, and it was clear that their morale had noticeably dropped.

They had to break through. If they didn’t, it would be dangerous.

‘A combined attack?’

No. That won’t work. 

This is not like facing the Black Dragon King on flat ground. A combined attack launched from below to above doesn’t even make sense in the first place.

Then how?

Gritting his teeth, he thought.

He gripped his sword tightly in his growing anxiety. He didn’t know how. Or even if there was a way, there was no time to find it calmly.

Baek Cheon gritted his teeth and shouted, 

“Samae!”

Yu Iseol met Baek Cheon’s eyes. Reading the determination in Baek Cheon’s gaze, Yu Iseol silently reached out, grabbed Baek Cheon’s sleeve, and began climbing the cliff in one swift motion.

“Haaaaap!”

Baek Cheon let out a loud shout.

Attacking one by one wouldn’t work. They had no choice but to overlap their attacks somehow.

Together, Yu Iseol and Baek Cheon climbed the cliff in a single breath. 

Just before they reached Cheon Myeon Susa’s feet, Baek Cheon swung his arm and flung Yu Iseol up.

Yu Iseol soared through the air, drawing an arc as she swooped down upon Cheon Myeon Susa. At the same time, Baek Cheon lunged from below, thrusting his sword toward Cheon Myeon Susa’s abdomen.

“Do you still not understand?”

Whoosh!

White hands bloomed again like clouds.

Clang!

Yu Iseol’s desperate sword strike was blocked by the force, that spread like a wall, sending her body flying once more.

Clang!

Almost simultaneously, Baek Cheon’s sword, aimed at Cheon Myeon Susa, was effortlessly caught by his pale hand. A sigh escaped Baek Cheon’s lips without him realizing it.

“Ah…”

It had been a strike with all his might, yet it was subdued so effortlessly, it was absurd.

Baek Cheon’s eyes, shaken with bewilderment, met the cold gaze of Cheon Myeon Susa in mid-air.

“…This sword isn’t even worth facing. Was someone like you actually leading Hwasan? A mere fox cub with its claws ripped out?”

At that moment, an undeniable despair flashed in Baek Cheon’s eyes. Or perhaps it was not despair but sadness.

“You must pay the price for overestimating yourself. Die.”

Thud!

Cheon Myeon Susa’s left hand swung toward Baek Cheon.

To Baek Cheon, the movement felt strangely slow. He could see the force emanating from the hand, filling his vision, as it rushed towards his face with crystal clarity.

Faced with unavoidable death, Baek Cheon neither closed his eyes tightly nor opened them wide. Instead, he kept his eyes straight, exuding a clear light.

Bang!

With a loud explosion, Baek Cheon’s body was flung back. His vision filled with the dark night sky and the moon hanging in its center.

But only for a moment.

An unknown force pulled him back. Someone had grabbed his body and held him.

‘What is this…?’

At that moment, what Baek Cheon saw was Cheon Myeon Susa’s hardened face standing on the cliff, with something protruding from his shoulder.

‘That is….’

A short dagger [소도(小刀)], a small one like a child’s toy. But to Baek Cheon, it was a familiar object.

“These people are not the kind to be dismissed as mere foxes by someone like you.”

Baek Cheon turned his gaze in a daze to the man who had grabbed his shoulder.

“L-Lord Tang?”

“Are you all right?”

“Yes? Ah… yes! I am…”

“It seems it’s my turn here. Let me clear the way for you.”

Tang Gunak lightly patted Baek Cheon’s shoulder and walked up the cliff. He moved slowly, as if the near-vertical cliff face were just ordinary ground.

His calm eyes met the twisted gaze of Cheon Myeon Susa in mid-air.

Tang Gunak spoke.

“‘Hwasan without Hwasan Geomhyeop is not Hwasan’… That might be true in some ways.”

“Poison King… Tang Gunak.”

“But Hwasan Geomhyeop without Hwasan is also not Hwasan Geomhyeop. Hwasan is just as remarkable. Much more than you know. At least, it’s not for an old monster of the evil path who doesn’t even have the courage to show his face to belittle.”

Ssssk.

A sharp dagger appeared at Tang Gunak’s fingertips.

“Adults have their own battles. I’ll see just how tough your neck is.”

Tang Gunak’s eyes emitted an icy chill.