“Dodge!”

There are only two possible reactions for anyone who sees a red blade of ki flying toward them.

Step back, or block it.

‘Too late......’

One member of the Tiger Ghost Troops, judging that dodging was already impossible, drew all his inner strength into his sword and slammed it down at the incoming sword qi.

Kagagagagagak!

The internal qi sword qi collided with the sword. A fierce screech, like metal being gnawed, pierced their ears.

“Ugh!”

A sudden, powerful shock ran through the wooden dummy.

It proved the internal qi in that blow was no joke. Rather than being frightened, the Tiger Ghost Troops felt a fierce competitive thrill.

‘Stronger than I thought......!’

That the sword qi launched from such a thin sword carried so much weight was impressive, but given the reputation of Mount Hua’s Sword Saint, this was to be expected. If it had been weaker, it would have been strange.

The important thing was not that it was impossible to block, but that it could be blocked somehow. If you could stop the sword qi, you could face the wielder!

“Nothing special......”

Emboldened, the Tiger Ghost Troops suddenly raised his head to shout. In that instant, what met his eyes was a white flash diving toward his gaping mouth.

Kakak!

A blade, flying like a thin spear, pierced the gap like a venomous snake. Its sharp edge scraped his teeth, slashed his tongue, and touched the base of his throat.

‘N-no......’

Kwaduk!

An eerie sound rang out, followed by a short silence.

In an instant, the body lost strength and went limp.

Those who stood frozen, neither fleeing nor attacking, turned their gazes to the blade jutting from their comrade’s nape.

Plop.

A drop of blood ran down the white blade and fell onto the white sand.

It was truly a strange sight.

They had seen death countless times—enemy deaths, comrades’ deaths—and for those here, death was hardly a special event.

But the death they watched now felt different from any they’d seen. Hard to explain, but their hearts chilled as if doused in cold water, warning them this was on another level.

Chung Myung yanked the sword from the enemy’s mouth # Nоvеlight # in one motion and kicked off the sand to charge forward.

“S-stop him!”

“Kill him!”

A terror that felt like their hearts would burst swept over the Tiger Ghost Corps. But they were the Ten Thousand People Clan; running from an enemy was unthinkable.

Driven by rage, the Tiger Ghost surged at Chung Myung. The swords and blades they raised emitted streaks of blue qi.

Swaaaaaak!

In an instant, a dozen sword qi and blades rained down over Chung Myung’s head like a storm.

At that moment Chung Myung dropped his stance so low he nearly touched the ground. Flattened, he darted forward like a snake slipping through the undergrowth.

Kwaaaang! Kwaaaaang!

Blades grazed Chung Myung’s toes and thudded into the ground one by one. Riding the storm erupting behind him, he kicked off the earth and accelerated.

One Tiger Ghost Troops seized the opportunity and leapt at the speeding Chung Myung, intending to close the gap in one bound.

Experienced in countless battles, they knew instinctively that sometimes charging is the way to survive. If you lose momentum once, the consequences can be irreversible.

Taat!

It was an extraordinarily fast and concise blade strike.

No greed, no flashy technique. Even if it couldn’t kill outright, it wouldn’t leave a large opening—an uncompromisingly practical move.

A technique built purely for killing was unleashed toward Chung Myung’s head before he could fully rise.

‘Die!’

It was almost the perfect response.

But unfortunately for them, their opponent was none other than Chung Myung.

Kwaduk!

Suddenly Chung Myung plunged his sword into the white sand.

As if to prove that terrible speed had been an illusion, Chung Myung’s body froze in place.

Swaek!

The blade that should have split Chung Myung’s head merely sliced empty air and stuck into the sand. The man’s eyes locked onto Chung Myung’s grin, painfully bright.

Chwaaaak!

In an instant the Dark Fragrant Plum Blossom Sword, flexing like a bowstring, shot out explosively and pierced the Tiger Ghost Troops’ abdomen dead on.

Pfuuk!

Cold metal sank into his belly. Before he could shudder at the sensation, the blade flopped and thrashed inside like a carp in water, tearing everything within.

“Kuaaaaaaaaaaah!”

An unbearable scream burst out as his entrails were torn apart. It wasn’t just flesh being ripped—the chilling inner energy piercing his body crushed his internal power and seemed to scrape every nerve. A pain as if all his nerves were being cut consumed him.

Then Chung Myung’s eyes flashed and he immediately pulled back.

Kwaduk! Kwaduk! Kwaduk!

Blades shot out of the screaming Tiger Ghost Troop’s body in succession. The blades that pierced him stopped precariously right before Chung Myung’s face.

Blood splattered from the blade tips onto Chung Myung’s face. A wave of hot heat and a thick fishy stench hit him.

The Tiger Ghost man, impaled like a skewer on his comrades’ blades, gaped and trembled.

But Chung Myung showed no pity. This pierced man, if placed in the same situation with reversed roles, would have stabbed his comrade in the back without hesitation.

Bang!

Chung Myung kicked the Tiger Ghost man’s chest.

The sharp blades lodged in his body shredded him in an instant. The torn body and spilled blood splattered those behind him.

“Huaaah!”

Despite their comrade’s body being torn apart, the Tiger Ghost showed no flinch. Instead, they screamed in fury and charged Chung Myung even more ferociously.

Chung Myung twitched the corner of his mouth and gripped his sword.

Paaaaargh!

Dozens of sword-shadows bloomed like phantoms, slicing through the charging Tiger Ghost bodies in an instant.

“Kuk!”

Before the pained groans even finished, Chung Myung charged like a fiend and thrust his sword into the foremost man.

At that moment the Tiger Ghost in front of Chung Myung filled with murderous killing intent. Ignoring defense, he thrust his blade at Chung Myung’s throat.

Sseok!

One blade pierced a chest, another narrowly grazed a pale throat.

“Kraaaaah!”

The chest-pierced Tiger Ghost member, eyes burning with killing intent, swung his blade sideways to strike at Chung Myung’s neck. Or rather, to cut it down.

In that instant Chung Myung snapped his elbow, smashing the arm that held the sword, and with the sword still lodged in the man’s chest, he surged forward ferociously.

“Now!”

“Strike!”

A reflexive shout burst from those who saw that scene.

Terrifying as it was, strategically it wasn’t a bad move. Pulling a sword from a body always wastes time. If they exploited that gap, driving a blade into that monster’s body wasn’t impossible.

“Th-this......”

The pierced man also seemed to understand his role. As if having given up on life, he let go of his own sword, seized Chung Myung’s sword buried in his chest with both hands, and collapsed.

As if determined to drag Chung Myung with him to the grave, even in death.

The Tiger Ghost soldiers did not miss the chance. They hurled themselves forward with all their might.

But then, a bizarre sight began to unfold before their eyes.

The back of the Tiger Ghost troops’ man, who had been staggering toward them pierced by the sword, suddenly began to swell. Well, it was the clothing covering his back that bulged, but to their eyes it looked as if his back itself had puffed up.

‘What?’

Jeong Tak, one of those rushing Chung Myung, flinched. He noticed that Chung Myung’s sword, lodged in the man’s chest, was still moving slightly. He called out, face going pale.

“D-dodge......!”

Before Jeong Tak’s words finished, the man’s clothing tore open and red blade-ki burst out explosively.

Tens, hundreds of tiny petals.

Sword qi like fully blooming plum petals surged like a storm and engulfed them.

“Aaaaaaaah!”

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

Harrowing screams erupted from those swept by the plum-blade storm. Tiny like petals yet razor-sharp, the blades tore bodies dozens of times within a single breath.

“Kuhk......”

“Grrk......”

All that remained were the ragged breaths of those gruesomely eviscerated.

Beom Chung, head of the Tiger Ghost Corps, stared blankly at the carnage before him.

It had been just one step.

All of this happened because he had taken only a single step back.

Because of that one mistake, nearly ten of his men were slaughtered in an instant.

“You......”

Beom Chung, staring at the white sand stained crimson with blood, forced his gaze elsewhere. He saw Chung Myung standing there—no, more precisely, a Tiger Ghost troops man held by Chung Myung looking at Beom Chung.

“L-lord......”

Kneeling with his hair grabbed, the Tiger Ghost troops man trembled like a leaf at the sensation of the sword at his throat and looked at Beom Chung imploringly.

“P-please spare me......”

Beom Chung had personally trained each member of the Tiger Ghost Corps.

They were not the type to tremble even when facing the messengers of hell. Yet the man in Chung Myung’s grip was thoroughly terrified.

What was he so afraid of? Death? Or perhaps......?

“Indeed......”

In that moment Chung Myung, still gripping the man’s hair, spoke and laughed. His bare white teeth flashed, looking terrifyingly bright.

“This suits my temperament, you see.”

Sseok!

Chung Myung’s sword cut the Tiger Ghost troops’ man’s throat without a moment’s hesitation.

Chwaaaak!

Crimson blood spouted from the neatly severed throat like a fountain.

The jetting blood poured down like red rain. Seeing Chung Myung’s strange smile in that torrent, Beom Chung clenched his teeth tightly.

“Th-this bastard......”

“No, not that.”

“......What?”

Chung Myung smirked.

“Not a bastard...... rather, bastards in the plural would be more accurate.”

At that moment Beom Chung’s face went aghast as he turned his gaze.

Chung Myung pressed in, and toward the Tiger Ghost troops who had had their ranks thrown into disarray, some ten or so lines of sword qi streaked forward at fearsome speed.

“Be careful, they’re more ferocious than I am.”

Chung Myung warned softly and then laughed aloud. Beom Chung’s blood ran cold.