That will be enough. (1)

Jin Geumryong’s eyes widened in shock.

The body of the enemy he was facing suddenly began to turn a deep red, and simultaneously, orange flames erupted violently.

There was no need to think. Jin Geumryong instinctively knew what was about to happen and reflexively tried to push off the cliff wall to move forward.

“I have to stop it…”

But before his will could translate into action, Jongli Gok, who had been fighting alongside him, suddenly shifted direction and tackled Jin Geumryong, forcing him down. There was no time to resist.

“Get down!”

Boom!

A terrifying explosion erupted, engulfing Jongli Gok, Jin Geumryong and Lee Songbaek, flinging them backwards.

A dreadful groan escaped Jin Geumryong’s lips.

The pressure from the blast was so immense that it felt like his body was about to be crushed and torn to pieces.

‘What the…!’

This wasn’t the kind of force that could be produced by ordinary explosives. The sun warrior, wrapped in hot yang energy, had become a living bomb, triggering an unimaginable explosion.

The pain from his body being nearly shattered was one thing, but what truly tormented Jin Geumryong was something else entirely: the horrifying sight that he couldn’t ignore, no matter how much he wanted to.

Rumble. 

Another sun warrior’s body soon became engulfed in the intense flames of the Hot Yang Qigong.

One after another, and then another…!

Boom!

The explosions continued in rapid succession, sending massive shockwaves sweeping across the cliff once more. Blood surged up from Jin Geumryong’s throat, forcing its way out of his mouth.

“St-stop…”

They hadn’t yet achieved their objective.

But if all the sun warriors hanging from the cliff sacrificed themselves, causing explosions of this magnitude… could the cliff truly withstand this?

Absolutely not!

“Stop it, you bastards!”

“Geumryong!”

As Jin Geumryong began to thrash wildly, Jongli Gok grabbed him, pinning him down against the cliff with force. But Jin Geumryong paid no attention to the crushing grip on his shoulder. He only reached out desperately towards the burning enemies.

Boom!

Boom!

Even at that moment, the explosions continued.

The impact, far beyond what a mere human body could endure, crashed down on them again and again, relentless and overwhelming.

A pale white protective aura spread from Jongli Gok’s body, enveloping both Jin Geumryong and Lee Songbaek. Lee Songbaek’s eyes shot open.

“Sect Leader!”

Boom!

The cliff shook once again, as if an unprecedented earthquake was tearing through the land beneath their feet.

Crack!

Jin Geumryong’s fingers instinctively dug into the cliff face, but against the overwhelming force of the explosion and the relentless shaking, it was a futile resistance.

Thud!

Each time the cliff trembled, his body was jolted upwards. Jin Geumryong clung to the rock with all his might, his bones threatening to shatter under the strain.

‘This can’t happen.’

He had already sustained severe internal injuries. Blood kept surging up his throat, threatening to choke him.

Yet, even in the midst of this, Jin Geumryong’s gaze remained fixed on the enemies beyond Jongli Gok’s shoulder.

He saw another sun warrior’s body turning crimson. Clenching his teeth, Jin Geumryong suddenly broke free from Jongli Gok’s protective hold and leapt forward with blinding speed.

“Geumryong-aaaaaaah!”

As he passed beyond Jongli Gok’s protective aura, the immense heat and pressure crashed down on him, as if waiting for this moment.

“Haaaaaaaah!”

He swung his arm with all the strength his body could muster, his veins bulging from the effort. His sword flew from his hand, slicing through the hot yang energy that had been drawn to its peak, and struck the sun warrior’s neck.

Crack!

“Gurgh…”

The blazing hot yang energy extinguished like a candle flame reaching the end of its wick. Simultaneously, the body of the sun warrior began to plummet.

“It’s not over! It’s not over yet!”

Jin Geumryong roared fiercely, like a lion in the heat of the battle.

But his roar was completely drowned out by the next massive explosion that erupted.

Boom!

Another sun warrior detonated. More precisely, the explosive hidden within his body ignited.

With the explosives in their possession detonating, there was no chance of survival, even by sheer luck. Yet, in the actions of the sun warriors carrying out these suicide missions, there wasn’t even a hint of hesitation.

Internally, they might harbor doubts, but their bodies followed the orders to the letter, without the slightest pause.

“Stop them! Stop them all!”

Somewhere, Namgung Dowi’s desperate scream rang out.

Spurred into action, the others hurled their swords and unleashed their energies at the sun warriors who were gathering hot yang energy.

Realistically, they knew they couldn’t stop them all. Everyone present understood that much.

But they had to reduce the number of those who self-destructed, even by one. To prevent the entire cliff from collapsing.

“Raaahhhh!”

Swish!

The whirling sword flew towards the sun warriors, who were ablaze with orange flames. Given the skill level of the sun warriors occupying the cliff, such a hastily thrown flying sword shouldn’t have been a threat.

Yet. 

Clang!

The sword pierced through the heightened hot yang energy as if digging into it, easily embedding itself in the sun warrior’s body.

Another wave of energy followed, striking a different sun warrior and slamming him hard against the cliff face.

“Ugh!”

The warrior impaled on the cliff spat out blood. Blood flowed like a waterfall from the mouth of the sun warrior who had been pierced through by the sword, the blade jutting out of his back. The spilled blood, unable to withstand the intense heat in the air, evaporated into a red mist and dispersed into the air.

‘It’s working..’

A flicker of hope crossed Jin Geumryong’s eyes, as well as Namgoong Dowi’s face.

Yes, drawing out such powerful yang energy couldn’t be easy. Naturally, in that crucial moment, they would be as vulnerable as if they were unguarded, making them susceptible to the surrounding attacks.

Perhaps they could stop this. Perhaps…

But then. 

“Cough… haa…”

The sun warrior, who had been pinned to the cliff by the sword, began to tremble violently, his eyes slowly lowering to gaze down. The moment Jin Geumryong’s eyes met the sun warrior’s, his heart sank.

In those eyes, he saw rage and malice, resentment and hatred, and…

‘Fear?’

The moment Jin Geumryong saw the deep-seated fear in the enemy’s eyes, he instinctively knew what was about to happen.

Boom!

Boom!

A blinding flash of light filled his vision as explosions swept across the cliff. The chain reaction of blasts struck the cliff repeatedly, as if trying to obliterate everything in its path.

“Ahhhhh!”

“Ughhh!”

Screams and cries of agony filled the air, their origin indistinguishable in the chaos. The air was thick with desperate shouts and blood-curdling wails, all drowned out by the deafening roar of the explosions.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Before one explosion could even die down, another erupted, the force of each blast overwhelming.

“Ahhhh!”

“Geumryong!”

“Sahyeooooooong!”

Lee Songbaek, with every ounce of his strength, reached out and grabbed Jin Geumryong, who was being thrown back by the force of the blast.

“Hold on…!”

The impact was as if someone had struck a massive bell right in front of them, the sheer force reverberating through their bodies was overwhelming. The relentless succession of explosions blurred their senses, making it nearly impossible to even speak.

Lee Songbaek gritted his teeth, tightening his grip on Jin Geumryong, refusing to let go.

Boom!

Then, as if waiting for the perfect moment, an explosion far greater than any before it swept across the cliff.

“Ahhhhh!” 

A scream of unbearable pain erupted from Lee Songbaek’s mouth. It felt as if something enormous was ripping through his entire body, tearing him apart from the inside out.

A deep, resonating hum filled the air as if the heavens and earth were being overturned.

Everything in the world seemed to lose its balance, shaking violently.

This must be what they mean when they say a person’s soul is being shaken loose.

Unable to withstand the pressure and shock, blood poured from the seven orifices of both Lee Songbaek and Jin Geumryong. Even though Jongli Gok was using all his strength to protect them, the sheer force of the explosion that had occurred right in front of them rendered his efforts nearly useless.

Thud!

To make matters worse, fragments of rock began to rain down from the cliff.

“Ugh…”

Hanging from the cliff, Lee Songbaek coughed up a mouthful of blood. But there was nothing he could do in this situation except cling tightly to the cliff and pray for the tremors to subside.

‘Please!’

Lee Songbaek gritted his teeth.

‘Please!’

He forced his eyes open, fighting against the overwhelming urge to pass out. He had to hold on. He had to survive!

As if the heavens had heard his desperate plea, the relentless shaking began to gradually ease.

“Haah..”

With great effort, Lee Songbaek lifted his head to look up.

“Wha..?”

A stunned groan escaped his lips moments later.

Nothing.

The sun warriors who had tormented them so relentlessly, the members of Sapaeryeon who had clung to the cliff like parasites, and even… 

“The… the cliff…”

Lee Songbaek’s eyes trembled violently.

Above, where the sun warriors had consecutively self-destructed, the cliff was now deeply gouged out, as if something massive had carved into it.

The sight was so horrifying that his hands began to shake uncontrollably.

At that moment. 

“Cough!”

“S-Sect Leader!”

Jongli Gok, who had been holding on, suddenly wavered as if he were about to lose consciousness. Lee Songbaek, startled, quickly grabbed hold of him.

“Sect Leader! Are you all right?”

“I… I’m fine.”

Lee Songbaek felt as though his entire body was about to crumble, but it was nothing compared to what Jongli Gok had endured. He had taken the brunt of the shock while shielding both Lee Songbaek and Jin Geumryong.

If not for Jongli Gok, Jin Geumryong and Lee Songbaek would have already been reduced to nothing more than pulverized meat scattered at the base of the cliff.

“Is… is it over?”

Jin Geumryong’s voice, usually so full of pride and confidence, now sounded hollow and drained as it reached Lee Songbaek’s ears.

“…Sahyeong.”

“Is it really over?”

Doubt clouded Jin Geumryong’s eyes.

Could it really end like this…?

Crack, crack, crack!

It was at that moment that the ominous noise reached his ears.

Jin Geumryong’s face hardened as he turned towards the source of the sound.

Crack, crack!

The terrifying noise sent chills down his spine – it was unmistakably the sound of something splitting apart.

Jin Geumryong’s expression twisted with alarm as he quickly scanned the cliff. The area gouged out by the explosion had left the remaining rock above it jutting out like an overhang.

A foreboding silence lingered in the air.

Crack, crack, crack!

Suddenly, as if the cliff itself had been struck by lightning, fractures began to rapidly spread across the surface.

“No… this can’t be…”

A wave of despair surged through Jin Geumryong’s eyes.

“Sahyeong! We need to get out of here!” 

“No, we can’t! The cliff is…!”

“Come on, Jin Geumryong! Now!”

Jongli Gok grabbed Jin Geumryong’s shoulder and pulled him forcefully. Jin Geumryong resisted with all his might.

“Damn it, no! My brother is up there on the cliff!”

“I said come now!” 

Jongli Gok’s grip tightened as he yanked Jin Geumryong back, but Jin Geumryong fought against him, desperation in his voice.

Gritting his teeth, Jonli Gok forcefully restrained Jin Geumryong, dragging him sideways along the cliff. Despite being pulled along, Jin Geumryong’s eyes remained fixed on the rapidly fracturing cliff.

‘No… Please…!’

But that desperate hope was cruelly shattered.

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

The cracked cliff let out a thunderous roar, and from the fissures, a thick cloud of dust billowed out like a rising storm.

Jongli Gok shouted with all his might, his voice echoing off the collapsing cliff.

“It’s collapsing! Run! Now! Run for your lives!”

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

As he was dragged away, Jin Geumryong witnessed the terrifying sight of the massive cliff crumbling above him.

‘Dongryong-ah…’

A profound sense of despair enveloped his entire being, rendering him powerless.

An overwhelming, inescapable despair was descending upon him in the form of the collapsing cliff, burying everything beneath its weight.