Chapter 157

Chapter 157

Outside the formation. Before the revealed formation axis.

Kwadeudeuк!

“That makes two.”

After confirming the formation axis bursting apart with a cutting sound, I rolled my stiff shoulders. Two yokai corpses lying at my feet with their heads burst open.

“Did I throw the sword too hastily?”

Was it because I threw the Uicheongeom to Seohwa?

Because I had to catch these two yokai guarding the formation axis barehanded, I wasted more time than expected. Their level was inferior to the nachar I met earlier, but they were tough, so it wasn’t easy to break through while conserving stamina.

“Well… either way, I did break through…”

There should still be time left before Seohwa and the kids destroy the last formation axis. More importantly, the question is how to enter…

‘How indeed.’

There are probably two places where my disciples will be waiting for me. The third formation axis, and the village located at the center of the formation.

From what I know, the personnel participating in this investigation are only the Gyoryongpa sect members, Branch Master Jinwoong, my disciples, and the bandits.

It’s a personnel composition with few masters, so the formation axis destruction team, which must go outside and take risks, was likely assigned relatively skilled individuals. The personnel assigned to the formation axis destruction team would probably be Seomun Cheok, Seonwoo Gang, Baek Risan, and Jinwoong and about two bandits.

That’s why it’s a problem. Which side should I go rescue?

‘…The most dangerous and urgent is still the village at the center.’

While stroking my unshaven, prickly chin, I recalled what Yuknachar had said. That the plan was complete up to the seed’s awakening, and they didn’t care what happened after the awakening. That they had no intention of intervening until then.

That means the seed’s awakening is already scheduled even without their intervention. It probably means the internal plan has been steadily progressing so it can awaken without external intervention.

What’s important is this. How is that awakening accomplished? What is the catalyst for awakening?

‘Yokai grow by feeding on fear. But divine beasts don’t grow by feeding on fear.’

If what hyeong-nim wrote in his letter is correct, yokai and divine beasts are similar yet completely different species. Simply offering fear to a divine beast won’t cause it to fall into becoming a yokai.

Then what’s needed to corrupt a divine beast into a yokai? What’s needed besides simply exposing it to fear for a long time?

…I can’t know precisely, but if it’s not completed through some kind of daebop, it will probably be an extreme situation approached from a ritual aspect. A massive shock that would change the essence of the species itself, not something completed through daebop. Something like that would be the main factor.

‘I can’t delay going to the center.’

That’s certain. If I delay going to the village even a little, an irreversible situation could occur.

However, I can’t ignore the disciples who went outside either. If they were the type to escape outside and secure their own safety after completing the mission, that would be one thing, but they’re not that type.

‘I can’t abandon the outside either, and I can’t delay going to the center.’

It’s a headache-inducing situation. To make the best choice, I need to catch two rabbits at once.

‘…If only I could know the location of the external team.’

Then I could reverse this situation.

Teobeok.

Shaking my head at the unfortunate situation, I quietly stepped forward to do what I could. And then.

“I’ll bet on fifty-fifty odds.”

The moment I expressed my regret at the invisible red energy and golden energy.

The darkness rippled.

My body reacts instinctively to the wave that spread like a tide in that instant. The energy sensation forcibly drawn up to the top of my head, and correspondingly, the darkness clearing away.

“The formation… changed?”

It hasn’t been destroyed. The barrier surrounding the outside is still there.

However, the darkness is definitely clearing away. What does that mean?

If it’s not the formation itself acting, then it probably means my disciples broke the second formation axis.

“…The direction where the darkness started clearing is the west, and the destroyed locations are northeast and southwest.”

Two of the three directions I instructed have been destroyed. Then what remains is one.

“Southeast.”

I smiled thinly at the improved situation and quietly stepped on the ground, executing qinggong. The scenery instantly rushing to the edge of my vision.

“Wait for me. I’ll be there soon.”

Pajik! Pajijiк!

Feeling the lightning energy surging from my yongcheon, I muttered quietly.

Soon.

It’s time to see my disciples again.

That moment. The village.

“Front line on standby! Don’t let the yokai cross the defensive line! You don’t need to finish them off. Just blocking them is enough!”

“Yes…!”

At Seomun Cheok’s instruction, the Gyoryongpa sect members holding makeshift shields made from pot lids with handles attached stood at the front line and desperately pushed back the yokai. However, the yokai, unconcerned, pushed forward with their massive bodies.

Outmatched in size. We can’t hold them back.

“Kkeueuk, kkeuaaaak—!!!”

Realizing the gap between yokai and humans, the sect members screamed as if crying out in despair. Then, at that moment, the yokai’s heads were severed.

Chwaaaaк!

“Uh, uhhh…?”

“What are you doing? Snap out of it! Do you want to die here!”

“No, sir! I’ll correct it!”

“Push!”

After instantly severing the neck of the yokai pushing forward with his spear blade, Seomun Cheok, veins bulging in his neck, drove the sect members and bit his lip. There were far too many yokai.

‘I heard there were many, but…’

Hundreds visible. A horde of yokai numbering close to a thousand.

When I heard about it, I thought surely not all those yokai would come. Even in a city where ten thousand people live, if just a hundred yokai attack, it causes a great catastrophe. It was hard to believe that thousands of yokai would be wandering near a village of only about two hundred households.

Even if they did come, I thought it would be at most a portion of them, maybe a few hundred. So in reality, we’d only face a small number. That’s what Seomun Cheok judged.

Even knowing that would only be the case in the best scenario, he made that judgment.

Complacently.

“Seomun sohyeop! Seonggeol has…!”

“Damn it.”

Watching a sect member collapse foaming at the mouth, unable to withstand the fighting spirit of the battlefield, Seomun Cheok grimaced and hastily executed qinggong to fill the gap. However, yokai were already pushing through that gap.

It’s breaking through. It hasn’t even been half a sijin since we started defending.

‘There’s no choice.’

There’s no other way. If I run, I’ll be too late. I have to take the risk.

Realizing the situation, Seomun Cheok gritted his teeth and tensed his arm muscles to throw his spear and kill the entering yokai. And then.

The moment the yokai broke through the defensive line and his arm, taut like a bowstring, was about to shoot the spear.

Seogеok—!

With a sharp cutting sound echoing, the yokai’s neck was cleanly severed and fell.

“Seohwa!”

“This side is okay!”

After pushing back the yokai by squeezing out all her naeryeok in an instant, Seohwa, gasping for breath, handed the shield to the back and caught her breath. Watching that situation, Seomun Cheok immediately gave instructions.

“Team Two! Switch with Team One and push the front line forward! Team One! Rest for a moment!”

“Understood!”

The exhausted ones fell back and those who had briefly circulated their energy and replenished their stamina and naeryeok came forward. Seeing this, Seomun Cheok let out a sigh of relief and hurriedly approached Seohwa. That last strike wasn’t something Seohwa could show at her level.

“Are you alright?”

“It’s not that severe. I can keep fighting.”

“Show me your hand.”

At Seomun Cheok’s words, Seohwa averted her eyes and quietly extended forward the hand she had been holding behind her back while gripping the Uicheongeom. Frost covering her entire hand.

“…You overdid it. Your blood pathways are shocked.”

“It was necessary.”

“I won’t deny it. If it weren’t for you, the defensive line might have been breached. However.”

Seomun Cheok sighed and patted Seohwa’s shoulder. His words continued.

“No more than this.”

“Your blood pathways are already heavily burdened. I—no, even Baek Risan or Seonwoo Gang, who have extraordinary energy sensation, don’t usually use martial arts to the point of burdening their blood pathways. Do you know why?”

“…I don’t know.”

“Because I don’t know where my blood pathways’ limits are.”

Masters who dominate the martial world clearly know their limits. They know how much burden goes to their blood pathways when they draw up a certain amount of naeryeok, and how much recuperation they need after a fight to return to their original state.

But that’s nothing more than intuition derived from experience. It’s possible because of the experience of constantly contemplating the flow of naeryeok and surviving by overtaxing their blood pathways on the edge of death.

“Seohwa, you’re still too young to overtax your blood pathways. Your blood pathways haven’t solidified yet, and the flow of your naeryeok is rough. On top of that, the total amount of your naeryeok is quite large.”

“The others might be different, but you must not overdo it. If you do, you could end up with permanent disabilities. Understand?”

“I understand.”

“Good.”

She’s a rational child. She’ll understand well what he means.

Nodding at Seohwa’s answer, Seomun Cheok cleared his throat and looked around.

“How much time has passed?”

“We’ve just passed half a sijin.”

“…Not much time has passed. There’s still a long way to go.”

They still need to hold out for another one and a half sijin. But the martial artists fighting the defensive battle are already quite exhausted.

In this desperate situation, Seomun Cheok gritted his teeth and tightly gripped his spear shaft. But Seohwa shook her head.

“It’s okay. A lull will come soon.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Half a sijin is long not just for us.”

At the same time her words ended, a hot wind laden with heat blew in. Seohwa covered her eyes with her hand and pointed outside.

“Look.”

“Look at what?”

“That sight.”

“What on earth…”

What am I supposed to look at?

Seomun Cheok turned his head at Seohwa’s gesture and unconsciously gripped his spear shaft while looking at the yokai faintly visible beyond the flames, then his eyes widened. The yokai, which had been rushing to attack the village just moments ago, were now hesitating and retreating.

“What’s the situation?”

“It’s simple. Yokai are intelligent beings too. Those low-level yokai aren’t as smart as humans, but.”

“The yokai are also feeling frustrated in the current situation where they haven’t been able to break through for half a sijin.”

As soon as there was some breathing room, Seohwa, who had plopped down on the dirt ground, bit her lip at the fierce hot wind blowing in. The frost gradually melting with intense pain.

“I don’t know how much leisure time we’ll have, but as long as this atmosphere continues, we’re safe. The yokai are also watching each other warily.”

“…Warily. You mean they’re hesitant to go first?”

“Yes. If it could be breached easily, that would be one thing, but they’ve already learned it can’t be breached easily. The yokai will think too. That if they go first, they’ll die without doing anything.”

In combat between forces and forces, there are two things military strategists typically consider most important. The first of these is troop morale.

“We’re in a situation where we have our backs to the wall—literally a formation with water at our back. We have no choice but to be desperate. But those yokai are different. For them, attacking the village is no different from hunting prey.”

“A side that’s desperate and a side that isn’t. There’s no need to say which side has the advantage.”

“But that’s only true when morale continues to be low. What if morale recovers?”

“Mm.”

At Seomun Cheok’s point, Seohwa, who had been thinking for a moment, immediately shook her head.

“That won’t be easy either. Once morale drops, it’s not easy for it to return, and moreover…”

“Moreover?”

“There’s something most important when trying to change the situation after morale has dropped. That’s military discipline.”

Morale returns. Confidence emerges that they can break through the humans’ defensive line?

Even so, the question of who will go first remains. Because survival is instinct, even yokai with trivial intelligence will hesitate to go first.

Human armies can overlook that. Because commanders designate a vanguard to go first and forcibly push them forward. Because they lock individual survival instincts in the massive framework called military discipline and manipulate them, even if it’s cruel.

“The yokai don’t have a commander.”

Unless there’s a great yokai. There’s no great yokai in this forest that can command the yokai. That means there’s no commander to push the vanguard’s back.

“We need to maintain it. This atmosphere.”

Maintenance.

That’s the core of this operation. Not enduring for the full two shichen with just over ten people, but planting the idea in the enemy that “we can’t break through.”

An impenetrable fortress.

Seohwa, who had etched the towering wall of flames in her eyes, continued gently.

“If we can just maintain it, we can hold out without even fighting.”