Chapter 161

Chapter 161

“Ready?”

Confirming that the group all nodded with tense expressions at his question, Baek Risan took a deep breath. The sight of yokai rolling their eyes vigilantly just ten jang away.

‘Five steps, he said.’

Recalling what Jangil had said and gauging the time, Baek Risan wiped his sweaty palms on his sleeve. It was definitely a tight timeframe to reach the center of the formation axis.

Depending on the person, there would be differences, but the time it takes an ordinary person to walk five steps is close to an instant.

This is natural. If it’s just walking, there would still be some time, but once you start properly running, a person can confine five steps within a second.

Breaking through fifty jang in five steps seems easier than expected, but breaking through fifty jang before one second passes is never an easy task. Especially if there are obstacles.

‘It’s not impossible.’

Right. It’s difficult and hard, a gamble where the probability might even be slim, but.

It’s not impossible.

With his dantian and legs burning hot, his blood pathways cooling cold, Baek Risan settled his gaze coldly, steadied his mind, and continued speaking.

“I’ll go to the center. However, there’s something everyone needs to do. You know, right?”

“…Damn it! We just need to clear away the yokai blocking the path, don’t we?”

Majeok, who had spat out curses, gripped his large blade’s handle until it creaked.

“I’m an ignorant and stupid bastard, but if we want to live, I know we need to do something now. So…”

“Honorifics. Do you want to die by the Uicheonmun Master?”

“…So I’m saying don’t worry and proceed, sir.”

“Good.”

Looking at Majeok, who became docile with one word, Baek Risan grinned and lowered his body. Then came the response.

“I’m not worried at all.”

Can these people properly support from behind? Can he cut the formation axis in one blow? Even if everything goes well and he cuts the formation axis, can he survive after that?

He pushes all such unnecessary worries to the back. The plan is already set and all that remains is execution. Then there’s nothing to do but execute the plan with full force, isn’t there?

“It’s about time. Get ready.”

“Yes. Young Lady.”

“You said ‘sir’ and now you’re saying ‘Young Lady’—which rhythm am I supposed to follow?”

“…I’ll unify it as Young Lady.”

“You should.”

Watching the moon that had revealed itself and roughly gauging the time, Baek Risan tensed his legs and waited for the signal.

Shortly after.

When the moon rose to its zenith.

—Run.

Voice transmission flew through the air, and.

Simultaneously, Baek Risan kicked off the ground.

Peoeong—!!!

—Kkeok?

First yokai.

Seogeok!

The moment Baek Risan appeared before its eyes, the yokai turned its head in reaction, but its neck was severed by Seonwoo Gang. A swift sword penetrating perception.

“Run!”

Golden sword energy instantly breaks through the entrance of the fifty jang. Deliberately enlarged and powerful, the undulating sword energies cut through the yokai’s bodies. And Jinwoong’s martial art following behind.

Gyoryongbaekta Piljeon

Gyoryongdoha

Kwaaaaang—!!!

The fist extended with full force punches a massive hole through the wall of yokai.

Looking at the path opened by Jinwoong’s martial art, which poured everything into one strike to the point of exhaustion, Baek Risan unconsciously admired it and operated his qinggong at maximum capacity, racing forward with full power.

‘Forty jang ahead.’

The scenery passing by in an instant.

In a time not even amounting to a moment, the yokai react and swing their claws and fangs. Foul breath felt at close range.

‘The path…!’

The path is closing. Should he break through?

Watching the path that Seonwoo Gang and Jinwoong opened being instantly filled, Baek Risan gritted his teeth and firmly gripped the sword hilt to swing his blade.

‘When on earth…!’

Unable to wait any longer for Jangil’s assistance, Baek Risan drew up his naeryeok to its peak to deploy Jinyeombaekhwa Gyeol.

Mumyeongsal

Muyeongsal

Muhyeongsal

Samsal Dosan

Before his eyes,

A forest of blades unfolded.

Fear gripping his heart.

Even knowing it was imaginary fear, Baek Risan, who had almost taken a step back unconsciously, glared wide-eyed with burst blood vessels and bit his cheek. The influence of Jangil’s martial art was greater than imagined.

‘To this extent…!’

His hands and feet won’t move. If he moves, he dies. An intuition forcibly stopping his breath.

He can’t move. He can’t do it. It’s no different from the yokai over there.

He can’t escape from the influence.

──As if that could be.

‘Don’t… be ridiculous…!’

Hwareureuk!

From dantian to baekhoе, from baekhoе to yongcheon, from yongcheon back to myeongmun, and then gokji.

Naeryeok that had transformed beyond flame into light raced through the frozen blood pathways at unimaginable speed. Naeryeok that cooled coldly then was heated by the flame’s heat.

One failure means the end.

He’s the only one who can seize the created opportunity. In a situation where neither the yokai nor his companions can escape from the influence Jangil’s martial art exerted.

Now is the chance. Only now. Then.

He has no choice but to run.

Jinyeombaekhwa Gyeol Modified Baek Risan Style

Yeomgyeolji

The massive flame sword that manifested again cuts down a line of immobile yokai. Sword energy that would normally cut down only a few and end instead destroys and tears through dozens of non-resistant yokai. The path opening beyond.

Gradually the yokai come to their senses. The companions also escape from the influence in the same way. The world rushing in. The distance to the formation axis is still ten jang.

He can do it.

Drawing up naeryeok to the point of overload, Baek Risan wrapped his entire body in white flames. And then.

The moment the fully conscious yokai blocked the way.

Jinyeombaekhwa Gyeol Secret Technique

Modified Form Mancheon

The white flames extending in a straight line covered the sky and annihilated the yokai.

The phenomenon of forcibly sucking in air.

“Run—!!!”

Gritting his teeth at the feeling of exhaustion from pouring out too much naeryeok at once, Baek Risan heard Seonwoo Gang’s shout and forced his body to move. The distance gradually closing.

Five jang. Four jang. Three jang.

The distance closes. The sticky and ominous energy surrounding the formation axis flows close enough to feel on his skin. Behind him, the sight of companions desperately blocking the yokai.

The companions are being pushed back. Minor wounds increase under the violence of overwhelming numbers. One mistake means a fatal wound.

Having desperately moved his body, Baek Risan finally reached before the formation axis and raised his sword. And then.

Seogeok!

The moment the casually extended sword cut the formation axis.

“You did well. San.”

Along with a voice brushing past his ear.

“As expected, my proud younger sibling.”

The sky.

Boiled over.

When people witness something they could never anticipate, they sometimes freeze, unable to do anything.

That’s a phenomenon that occurs because they don’t know how to respond. When no matter how much they search for solutions in their head, they can’t find an answer, when they realize that even searching is meaningless—people tend to show such reactions.

In truth, such experiences are uncommon. Usually, every problem has a solution, big or small, and freezing without even finding a solution means encountering a truly hopeless situation.

In that sense, Seohwa could be said to be having a very uncommon experience right now. Because.

Just now, she heard the sound of everything going wrong.

Ringing in the ears.

The sound of a yokai crashing through and breaking the meeting hall roof. The screams and shouts bursting from inside the meeting hall sounded like that to Seohwa. That it’s over now. That you cannot protect the village.

What was the reason for not mobilizing the villagers for defense despite insufficient manpower?

It’s because the villagers’ fear would fill the yokai’s bellies. Because the more they confirm the yokai’s reality and become paralyzed with fear, the stronger, more ferocious, and more uninhibited the yokai become.

That’s why, despite desperately needing every single person’s manpower, they herded all the hundreds of villagers into the meeting hall. Better that than becoming completely unable to prepare because the yokai overwhelmingly strengthen.

But what about the current situation?

‘…It’s over.’

The people witnessed the yokai that crashed through the roof.

Of course, it wouldn’t be in perfect condition. Its legs might be broken, its neck might be broken. Either way, it wouldn’t be a situation where it could fight.

If it doesn’t recover, killing it wouldn’t be difficult for the villagers.

That is, as long as the yokai doesn’t receive and recover from an offering of fear.

Kieeeeeek—!!!

Strange cry.

At the sharp sound echoing from the village meeting hall, Seohwa snapped to her senses and gripped the Uicheongeom tightly, deploying her crude qinggong. One step that feels like a thousand ri.

‘If I kill it before it recovers…!’

Before the villagers clearly confirm the yokai’s reality and harbor fear, before the yokai receives that fear as an offering and recovers, before it becomes strong—if she kills it, it will be fine. There might be a way. It won’t be easy to control the slash-and-burn farmers who’ve fallen into chaos once, but if she can just do that, there will be a next step.

──If she can just do that.

How?

“…Please.”

She can’t arrive in time. Everyone will die.

Even while running, gloom erodes Seohwa’s heart. The yokai’s strange cries gradually growing louder. The slash-and-burn farmers’ screams being heard.

It was arrogance. She shouldn’t have come. She should have said to wait for Baek Riyun. Or at least said that we should escape on our own.

Because she’s not Baek Riyun. Because she’s not someone who advances while shattering impossible situations. Because she’s not someone who can smash through unreasonableness head-on.

She should have been content with reality like that. Realistically.

She should have thought that way.

In front of the village meeting hall.

Seohwa, sensing catastrophe, gritted her teeth and kicked open the main door to enter. Even though there’s no way she could win fighting a yokai that received sufficient fear offerings, even so, she could at least buy time.

It freezes.

Her heart, which seemed to have stopped, beats slowly and transmits coldness throughout her body. From toes to the top of her head, drawing up all available cold energy, Seohwa gripped the Uicheongeom tightly and searched for the yokai. And then.

‘Over there…!’

The moment Seohwa discovered the yokai monstrously transforming at the center and prepared for death, about to thrust out her eumhangigong with everything she had.

Uicheonryeokgigong Deepening First Form

Yeokbalsan

From bottom to top.

A rough sword strike tore through the yokai.

“…Hu.”

Watching the yokai, split in half in an instant and wriggling, Seohwa, who had been silent, looked at the large-framed man catching his breath and widened her eyes. The man’s face was familiar as he endured pain while dripping with cold sweat.

“Junior martial brother…! Are you alright?”

“Yes. I’m roughly fine. I can move.”

Ignoring the blood spreading from his side, Wangpal answered and raised his sword. A tiny bit of sword energy emerging through the sword tip.

“The situation outside doesn’t look very good. Junior martial sister.”

“…That’s.”

“I’ll join the fight.”

“No…”

Join. The injured Wangpal joining the fight.

Normally she should stop him. Wangpal’s injury is deep enough that he needs at least half a month of recuperation. If he moves more here, he could be left with aftereffects. However.

‘…That would be arrogance.’

She can protect them. So she’ll leave Wangpal behind?

That’s arrogance. Right now, if Wangpal doesn’t step forward, not only will the frontline be precarious, but Wangpal’s own life can’t be guaranteed either.

‘A life…’

Was deciding someone else’s life this heavy?

Having assessed the situation, Seohwa gritted her teeth and pondered briefly. And then.

“…Can you move?”

“It’s sufficient.”

The moment Seohwa, having finished pondering, opened her mouth again.

The karma that stirred determines its form!

The karma of one who leads

“Uicheonmun disciple Wangpal. As of this moment, join the frontline. I’ll take responsibility.”

The situation changed.